Cain aims to show off speed in NY homecoming

NEW YORK - Versatile young U.S. runner Mary Cain aims to show off her speed over 800 meters in a New York homecoming performance at the Armory Track Invitational on Saturday.

The 18-year-old Cain, who has set multiple national junior records outdoors and is the reigning world junior 3,000 metres champion, is using the shorter race as preparation for a world championships campaign in the 1,500.

"I think it's very healthy and important to mix up distances you run, which is why I'm running the 800," said Cain, who left her suburban New York home to attend college and train as a professional under coach Alberto Salazar in Portland, Oregon.

Her Nike Oregon Project team mate Galen Rupp, the Olympic 10,000 meters silver medalist, has set his sights on running the fastest indoor two miles ever in the Armory meet.

"I am a 1,500 runner right now," Cain said about her plans for the Beijing world championships and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. "Tactically, physically, it all meshes for me at that distance."

Cain said going full throttle in the 800 denies her the pleasure of summoning a finishing kick.

"There's something really fun about being a kicker," she said. "Once you get to 200 to go and you're still with those girls, you smell blood.

"That's one reason I think the 1,500 is so exciting. You have to be strong, have to be a distance runner. But in that last hundred you are going all out.

"That's one of the funnest parts about running, that last bit. A little bit of fear, a little bit of just everything, all your emotions just bottled up."

Cain is looking to build on her first taste of world championships competition when she finished 10th in Moscow in 2013 at age 17.

(Editing by Gene Cherry)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Winter inversion bring bad air to Utah

PROVO, Utah - Marathon runner Ruthie Veater normally trains for her long-distance races outside, but due to the fact that northern Utah has had some of the worst air in the nation this year, she's been keeping her workouts indoors.

"Running outdoors when the air is really bad, it kills me. I feel like I'm suffocating," Veater said.

The cause of the smoggy skies is winter inversions, which is unique to Utah because of the region’s Wasatch Mountains. Inversions take place when a layer of warm air sits between mountain ranges and keeps cold air and pollutants from vehicles and fireplaces from escaping.

"The air is full of contaminants. It's just really dirty," Veater said.

The Salt Lake City area has recently had some of the country's highest air quality index. Earlier this month, the AQI rose to 120, a number that signifies unhealthy conditions for sensitive groups.

"It also affects people that have a lot of health issues, like respiratory distress," said Veater, who has worked as a registered nurse for 35 years.

"When they have lung problems, it's hard for them to breath," she said.

The registered nurse also said that it's not a bad idea for even healthy people to avoid the poor air.

"I would suggest staying indoors when there's an inversion. You don't need to be outdoors. You don't need to be breathing this nasty air," she said.

In an effort to clean up the air, the state has proposed a permanent winter-long ban on wood burning in counties that have the worst problem. For now, though, residents can only hope for relief through Mother Nature.

According to local weather forecasters, the dirty air will remain in Utah until a storm system is strong enough to push it out of the valleys.

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source: www.abs-cbnnews.com