Countdown to Blue Ridge

One of my training runs this weekend in my Blue Ridge shirt

So here we are, less than a week until "America's Toughest Road Marathon" Blue Ridge Marathon in Roanoke, Virginia. I have been looking forward to coming back since Emir and I ran it last year. It was such an awesome atmosphere and course that we knew we had to come back. Of course when they asked me to come this year as an official race blogger I was leaping for joy! And as it turns out I have cousins that live about 25 minutes from the start line who we were able to spend some time with last year while at Blue Ridge. This year my mom and my uncle decided to join us for the trip down so they can spend some time with our cousins and that's not all, the kids are coming too! It's going to be a big family road trip down to Roanoke! I really can't wait and I'm so excited that we will have the kids and our family there to cheer us on.

Celebrate Boston with ENERGYbits!!



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As I'm sure most of you know, the Boston Marathon will be taking place this coming Monday, April 21st. Over 1 million specators and 35,000 runners are expected to attend, which is more runners and spectators than any other year. To celebrate this historic occassion, ENERGYbits, which is a Boston-based company is exhibiting for the first time in the Boston Marathon Expo and will be offering FREE samples at their booth #1934. The Expo is held at the Hynes Convention Center Friday April 18 - Sunday April 20, just blocks away from the Boston Marathon Finish line. Click here to see their full press release

To Be or Not To Be Coached?

My first half marathon

Never once since I've started running has getting a coach crossed my mind.  The only reason I even started running was to get back in shape and feel better.  I just wanted to get back to feeling my normal self before I stopped swimming, went to grad school, had a baby and gained a bunch of weight in the process.  My goals were always the same from my first 5K to my first marathon, just finish. Emir is always on the computer researching everything we do in our lives, so I let him find what other runners considered to be the best training plans for beginners.  Then I had a second baby.  It was just hard to get in all the runs I wanted as a new mom of 2 vs just 1 especially since I was a nursing mom.  So I would always just run, never did any cross training or strengthening.

Ocean Drive Marathon - Tailwind vs Headwind

Ready for...beer?

Basically I've been waiting for the Ocean Drive Marathon since I crossed the finish line at the NYC marathon in November.  I was so excited that I took another 5ish minutes off my marathon time that I knew I wanted a spring marathon to try to keep chipping away towards a BQ.  Since we were already planning a big 10yr anniversary trip for end April/early May I knew it needed to be in March, local and inexpensive.  I only knew of one race that fit the bill and I signed up for the Ocean Drive marathon (read my experience from last year here) literally the day after NYC marathon. 

The Runner's World Big Book of Running for Beginners--Review

Last week I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of The Runner's World Big Book of Running for Beginners for review which will be available April 8th.  The book was written by Jennifer Van Allen, Bart Yasso, Amby Burfoot and Pamela Nisevich Bede.  Jennifer is a special projects editor for Runner's World and a USATF and RRCA certified running coach.  Bart is chief running officer at Runner's World and is author of his own book My life on the run.  Amby is Runner's World editor-at-large and winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon.  Pamela is a sports nutrition expert and co-owner of Swim, Bike, Run, Eat!

The description on the book cover says that this book provides

all of the information neophytes will need to take their first steps, as well as the inspiration they'll need to stay motivated.  The book presents readers with tips for smart nutrition and injury prevention and includes realistic training plans that enable beginning runners to achieve gradual progress (by gearing up for a 30-minute run, a 5-K, or even a 5-miler).  And it shows newbies just how fun and rewarding the sport can be, thanks to the help of "real runner" testimonials. 

I want to start off by saying that I really did enjoy reading this book.  Despite how I feel sometimes, I'm not really a beginner runner anymore but it wasn't that long ago that Emir was trying to push me out our front door to take my first steps as a runner.  A lot of those feelings and memories came flooding back to me as I went through this book. I remember the fear that I would look stupid or not be able to run continuously.  I didn't know what clothes to wear or what kind of shoes to get.  This book would have helped me ALOT when I was just starting out. 

This book not only contains some training plans (including a walking plan) for newbies but also contains every other little detail you might be wondering or worried about before getting started with running.  The authors cover apparel, gear, weather, running surfaces, running partners/groups, nutrition, fueling, hydration, injuries, health issues, weight loss, safety and even running etiquette.  There are so many things that a new runner wouldn't know and probably would be embarrassed to ask (I know I was!) for fear of looking/sounding stupid. Also new runners fear that they look awkward to other runners.  The authors outline every little detail so well even down to operating the treadmill, that anyone can hop on with confidence even the very first time. This book really covers it all.  And it includes a glossary of running terms to boot so you will sound like an expert!

As great as all the running information was, my favorite part was reading the stories of people who overcame great obstacles to become runners.  It's very inspirational and really gives you a feeling that there really is no reason why anyone can't be a runner!

While I enjoyed paging through this book, it clearly wouldn't be very interesting for the seasoned runner however it's not intended for that.  I do think this is a wonderful book/tool for anyone who has even had just one fleeting thought of trying to run.  It's great to have everything in one place, training plans and answers to all your potential questions, rather than googling every little thing that pops into your head and then trying to figure out which answer is the best. When it comes to running, the folks at Runner's World are experts so why not simplify things and just read what they have to say?  I highly recommend this book and feel it's a great investment for any runner just getting started.

Buy the book now HERE!!

Disclaimer: This book was provided to me free of charge. I was under no obligation to provide this review. Everything contained in this post is my own opinion.