This afternoon over 2000 runners came together to honor those affected by the tragedy in Boston. How? With a 3 mile run of course. In less than 1 week, the city of Raleigh, the local running stores, and local running groups organized an inspirational event with amazing crowd support. There were children, families, walkers, 2013 Boston participants, and every one in between. It wasn’t really a race but instead an opportunity for people to show their support. It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday.
Boston Memorial Run, Raleigh, NC
A beautiful day for a wedding and a run. This awesome couple joined in the run as well.
I just read perhaps one of the best articles related to running I’ve read in a long time. The title isRethinking Running Health by Phil Latter. It starts off with a few details from Amy Yoder Begley’s running log and it includes a myriad of injuries. Strained hip flexors, strained achilles tendon, broken metatarsal, strained calf, and the list goes on. And I thought my hip hurt? The article then goes on to focus on how us runners need to look at running as a whole, not just the miles we put in out on the road.
What runners need is a more holistic approach to understanding our own health and susceptibility to injury. We should acknowledge that we’re apt to get injured pursuing our passion, but also look for ways to increase our health. We should give equal credence to personality type and biomechanics, muscular imbalances and emotional distress. Most of all, runners should assert that they’re unique individuals who have to learn their own strengths and limitations. And that’s more than just finding the right pair of shoes.
I really like the last line of the above paragraph – it’s more than just the right pair of shoes.
We are all unique. We all have our own limitations, muscle strengths and weaknesses, time constraints, foot strike, and many other unique characteristics. Perhaps the most important thing a runner can do is understand their body and learn what works best for theirbody. This is something I’m learning more and more about every single day.
Happy Trails and Happy Running,
Tracie
Recovery Update: Today was the day I was suppose to race my next 26.2 miles. Instead I got to be a spectator for Mario and some other friends as they did the half marathon. It was different being a spectator but I enjoyed it. I think that was my first time sitting on the sidelines and cheering on everyone else.
This morning I had the pleasure of watching 8,000 runners run to the local Krispy Kreme, eat 12 donuts, and run back… all from my living room window. Today marked the 9th annual Krispy Kreme Challenge and I much prefer to be a spectator for this event. I have never once desired to participate in the challenge. However, a few of my crazy friends are brave enough to stomach the challenge. I guess some people really like donuts.
Raleigh, NC is home to the original Krispy Kreme Challenge. The challenge involves running 2.5 miles from NC State’s campus to Krispy Kreme, eating 12 donuts, and then running 2.5 miles back. In other words, 5 miles, 2,400 calories and all under 1 hour. Crazy!
The challenge started back in 2004 as a dare between a few college students. Only a dozen people showed up to the first race but it has since grown into an event with 8,000 participants. The proceeds from the race go to benefit the North Carolina’s Children Hospital and as of this year, close to $500,000 has been donated. The winner this year, Tim Ryan, completed the race in 31:31. That’s an average pace of 6:18.mile, not including eating the 12 donuts. The female winner completed the challenge in 37:42, which averages out to 7:32/mile (again, not including eating the donuts). I just don’t know how they do it.
Back in 2009, a reporter from ESPN did a story on the race, while actually completing the challenge himself. Check out just how crazy the people in Raleigh, NC can be:
Congrats to all the runners this morning! You have a stronger stomach than I do!
Happy Trails and Happy Running,
Tracie
Running Update: This morning I woke up with a slight fever and have since developed a pretty bad cough. You know how life goes up and down and up and down? I’m definitely at one of the low points. Therefore, I watched Hakuna Matata from the Lion King to cheer me up tonight. 🙂
I’m a big believer in the power of music. It can take me from point A to point B in one song and with running, it can get my mind ready for an intense effort. Today was my first track workout following my new program, and since I haven’t done any type of speed work since September, I was feeling nervous. I would like to share with you my absolute favorite pre speed workout song. You can thank me later when your interval times improve and you achieve a new PR. I need to go faster… Read more
Six months ago today I started on this blogging journey – a blog a day to become the person (and runner) I want to be. In six months, I haven’t missed a single day and although some entries have been brief, they have all had the same purpose… to help other people. It seems fitting that today is the six month mark… Read more
I’ve mentioned previously that I will be working with a running coach starting tomorrow. Hopefully with his expert knowledge and my decision to work really hard for the next few months, I can achieve my running goals. Here’s to three months of discipline! He sent me my workouts for the next three weeks and I’ve probably looked at them no less than 20 times. Maybe I’m trying to mentally prep myself for all this running or psych myself up for our Tuesday speed workouts. I’m not sure but I’m just going to take it one workout at a time. Read more
I subscribe to Ben Greenfield’s newsletter and today I received an email with the subject line “What Magnesium is Best?”. Ben Greenfield talks quite a bit about the benefits of magnesium but I’ve never taken a second to learn why people use it for exercise recovery. According to some articles I read tonight, it seems that magnesium is one of those minerals that can be depleted quite a bit during exercise. However, it is important for your body to have sufficient magnesium to help rebuild after an intense effort. Here is what an article from the Department of Nutrition, Amherst had to say… Read more
Today it was cold, wet, and rainy here in Raleigh, NC. I’m not sure what happened to the 70 degree weather we had this past weekend but it is November, so I understand.
On my way home from work, I actually started getting pretty excited about running in the cold rain for some reason. Then I remembered a story I read about Michael Phelps, and I was reminded why I welcomed the crappy weather. Training in crappy situations gets you ready for whatever may come race day. Read more
Today on my day off I was able to spend some time chatting with Gavin, my new running coach. I’m taking the rest of this week easy and then it’s back to the grind on Monday. I’ve already signed up for my next two races, Myrtle Beach Half Marathon in February and Tobacco Road Marathon in March. And I’ve made my goals known. I’m going to be training for 1:30 for the half and 3:15-3:20 for the full. (Ambitious, I know.) Gavin seems to think it’s totally doable. I also think it’s doable, but it’s going to take a lot of hard work and discipline. However this is something I want really really bad, so I’m willing to work for it. Read more
This morning after my 5 miler (oh it feels so good to be back running), I took some time to reflect on my running this past year. There have been failures (my Boston DNF) and successes (my 5 mile victory) and I have learned a lot about myself as a runner. Although the race last weekend was not a PR, it was a personal best with respect to course difficulty and my mental fortitude. The same can be said for the half marathon I ran earlier this year. I know I could have run sub 1:35 on a normal course but that race was like an obstacle course. It was also the first race where I really put into use the power of the mind. I really wanted to place in the top 3 but instead, I was 4th overall female. Again, not a PR but a personal best in its own way. Read more
Run Inspired. 