Category Archives: Articles

Blair’s Weekly Update 03-25-2012

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Doc’s Talk by Andrew Laurence

Dr. Scaff spoke to the group on “How To Pick A Pair Of Running Feet”.

While in medical school, Dr. Scaff worked among the Igorot Headhunters who live in the Philippine’s Northern Luzon Mountains. They go through life barefoot. To us their feet may appear grotesque; but they are architecturally perfectly adapted for running.

Shoes, including running shoes, seem to be the source of all our foot and leg problems. Wearing shoes since birth our feet have been deformed and prevented from growing, whereas people in places where shoes are not worn as much have feet which are adapted to the natural environment and are better for running.

From morning to afternoon your feet get one size bigger. When you run for one hour your feet get another size bigger. After a year of running your feet get bigger again.

While the new Vibram Five-finger shoes are doing quite well, they change your foot strike and take some getting used to.

So at this time, here are Dr. Scaff’s recommendations for purchasing running shoes: The preferable time to shop for running shoes is in the afternoon, after a walk or run (your feet will be bigger).  Buy running shoes that are one size bigger than your foot measures after a walk or run.  Be sure they are loose on the sides, with one to one and a half finger widths of space between the tip of your longest toe and the toe box of the shoe.

For more information refer to Chapter 19 “How to Pick A Pair of Running Feet”, in Your First Marathon – The Last Word In Long Distance Running, by Jack H. Scaff Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S.M., available for purchase at the Honolulu Marathon Clinic on Sundays and online at: http://yourfirstmarathon.net/buy-online-today/

To read full, unabridged summaries of the Doc’s Talks:

    Go to the Honolulu Marathon Clinic web site (

http://honolulumarathonclinic.org/

    )

 

    Look under the “Categories” listing.

 

    Click on

“Doc’s Talk”

    .

Table Duty

Thanks to staffer Lisa K. and Lisa L. for the great food and drink at table duty. The oranges, pretzels and pastries along with the drinks were perfect! Continue reading →

Blair’s Weekly Update 03-18-2012

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Doc’s Talk by Andrew Laurence

Dr. Scaff welcomed everyone to the 2012 training year and gave a brief overview of the Honolulu Marathon Clinic.

Since 1974 the Honolulu Marathon Clinic has been training people to do the marathon. You don’t have to know anything about running to train with us.

If you listen to what we say, you can do well in the Marathon. Along the way we may give you certain “rules” to follow so you don’t make the mistakes others have made.

You’ll learn about the value of eating eggs, you’ll learn to enjoy hamburgers, and about the benefits of drinking beer! This is a Fun group! Continue reading →

Doc’s Talk 03-18-2012

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Dr. Scaff welcomed everyone to the 2012 training year and gave a brief overview of the Honolulu Marathon Clinic.

For a long time (since 1974) the Honolulu Marathon Clinic has been training people to do the marathon.  Because of the time we have put in to learning how to do long distance running, you don’t have to know anything about marathon running to train with us for this year’s Honolulu Marathon.

The Honolulu Marathon Clinic will guide you every step of the way.  If you listen to what we say, you can do well in the Marathon.  We may give you certain “rules” to follow.  These “rules” have been developed from the things we’ve learned over the past 37 years of doing this clinic so that you don’t have to make the mistakes that others have made.

At the Honolulu Marathon Clinic you will learn about the value of eating eggs, you’ll learn to enjoy hamburgers, and about the benefits of drinking beer!  This is a Fun group!  Continue reading →

Doc’s Talk 12-18-2011

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Dr. Scaff gave a short talk on what to do once you’ve completed the marathon.

Now that the 2011 Honolulu Marathon is done, the Honolulu Marathon Clinic will not meet until March of 2012.  Why do we take the next few months off?  In fact, the Marathon Clinic used to continue meeting after the Marathon, but the runners incurred the worst injuries ever.  It was decided, therefore, that the Honolulu Marathon Clinic would no longer provide a training environment where runners can hurt themselves.  That said, taking time off from running after a marathon is as important as the time you spent running.

The Marathon is always injurious, but the training is not.  In the first year of training, assume any run over 20 miles is automatically an injury, and, consider yourself injured for 6 weeks. Continue reading →