Holiday Marathon Challenge: Week 2 Finale

Hi Everyone!

Huge congratulations for finishing week 2!  Wow, only a few more weeks left, and let’s face it these next few weeks are the busy ones.  But we can do it–yes we can!

So I am so sorry for not posting yesterday. I was so tired from writing papers that I could not type or read another letter!  So I will try to make it up to you all with some extra fabulous, relevant and motivational posts over the next week.   Only one final to go!

So, for the winner this week, I thought I would make it more interactive and useful–since I was clearly useless this weekend–please log your miles on the spreadsheet and to be entered in the prize drawing, please leave a comment on this post by 7AM tomorrow morning with one of the following:

• one piece of running advice
• one question you have about running or staying motivated
• a response to one of the above

Anyone can comment but only challengers will be eligible for a prize.  I will select a random number from the total number of comments.

Have a great day!

So as you are marathoning, do you ever think about what marathon you might want to do?  Here is a list to some of the best in the country:

Best Rural Race: Napa Valley Marathon

Best Small-Town Race: Richmond, Virginia

Best Big-City Race: New York City

Best Destination: Honolulu

Best Chance for a PR: Chicago

Toughest Marathon: Pikes Peak (Colorado Springs)

Most Charitable: Marine Corps (Washington, D.C.)

Most Legendary: Boston

Best New(er) Race: Baltimore

Best Race at Altitude: Salt Lake City

Best Place to Feel Like a Movie Star: LA Marathon

Most Scenic: Big Sur

Best Marathon/Vacation Combo: Vancouver, B.C.

Best Race to Leave the Kids Behind: Las Vegas

Best Race with a Half Marathon: Flying Pig (Cincinnati)

Best Race That Lives Up to the Hype: Twin Cities

Biggest Bang for the Buck: Houston

This is based on Active’s picks.  For the full article and descriptions, click here.

I would add most girly: San Fransisco Nike Women’s Marathon, coat check, chocolate, tiffany’s, pedicures and massages, what more could you want?

HMC Day 8: Week 1 winner and more!

This week’s winner is Rose from On a Lobster Placemat!  Congratulations on all your hard work this week.  You are well on your way to finishing your first marathon by New Year’s with no problem!  I just used on online number selector. Rose please email me your address and I will send out your prize.

For today’s motivation, I thought I would round up some fun questions and answers on marathoning and running from the ASK MILES column from Runner’s World.

What’s the average finishing time for most marathoners? The median times for U.S. marathoners in 2007 were 4:20 for men, and 4:49 for women. In 1980, they were 3:32 and 4:03. The sport hasn’t become less competitive; it’s become more inclusive. In 1980, there were fewer charity runners, walk-run participants, and jogglers. Runners of all ability levels are welcome at marathons today. And without a doubt, the sport as a whole is better for it.

 

Is it crazy to want to PR at a New Year’s Eve race?
Of course it’s not crazy to want to, especially since the place is going to reek of resolutions and of the hup-to-it gumption it takes to stick to them. Executing your PR, though, may be a different matter altogether. Between your costumed compatriots and perhaps a few revelers who started the party early, you’re probably going to be in more of a woo-hoo type of mood than a oorah kind of one. But give it a shot. After all, if you don’t make it, it’s hardly a burden to wait till next year.

What percentage of the population attempts and finishes a marathon?While it’s hard to say how many started, an estimated 423,000 people finished marathons in the United States in 2004, according to the Road Racing Information Center Annual Marathon Report. With a population of about 280 million, that comes out to about 0.15 percent of the population-though it’s likely a much smaller percentage when you consider that many of those finishers ran multiple marathons. So when you finish your next 26.2-miler, give yourself an extra pat on the back.

 

Do certain marathons attract more women than men, and vice versa?The gender ratio at marathons nationwide is 60:40, men to women. But certain races do appeal more to one gender. The Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco is more than 90 percent female, and the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon is 56 percent female. More men head east: The Steamtown Marathon in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and the New York City Marathon are nearly 70 percent male.

 

If you are hungry for more q and a, I have a rough FAQ’s section too.

Inspired again!

I

I love watching marathons!  They don’t seem like they are really a spectator sport because you can only watch one part, and it’s pretty much the same thing for a long time!  But nevertheless, the humanity and resilience is captivating and inspiring. 

I could actually see the marathon from my bedroom, my apartment building overlooks Vernon Blvd which is the main Queens section of the marathon, so I watched from about 9-10 (which was really just the wheel chair athletes) before I had to meet my group for project meeting, which lasted until 5PM.  So I dvred it and watched the highlights when I got home. 

I was so excited the Kara Goucher got third!  Her first marathon ever!  And she was the first American woman to place in 14 years! 

I have mentioned that I have her itunes endurance boost workout several times, which I love, and is why I am a fan! Random fact: she sleeps in a bedroom that pumps less oxygenated air into the room to simulate being at really high elevations!

Anyways, I can’t wait to run next year.  I did an hour on the treadmill after dinner just imagining I was running over the bridges and looping up CP toward Tavern on the Green.  I am a huge loser, but it made the hour fly by!

If you didn’t see the marathon, but are sort of on the fence about signing up for a marathon, I offer these ideas for inspiration:

• sign up for a race in a location you would like to visit (I wanted to go to Cali, and now Paris and Rome are tempting me!)
• research marathon for one that seems fun to you (At first I thought Disney, but when I found out that the San Fran guaranteed all finishers (half and full) a Tiffany’s necklace, I was sold! If you are really into music maybe a rock and roll marathon with bands ever half mile would be cool for you.)
• have a greater purpose than yourself (running with Team and Training constantly kept me focused on helping others and meeting people who were truly inspirational)
• buddy up (whether you go into it with an organization or with a friend, it really helps to have people to chat with and people that will become similarly obsessed!)
• read Ultramarathon Man, Once a Runner, or a similar book!

All right I have lots to study before I sleep, night everyone! xo

Inspiration, Spring Marathons, Links, Products and More

Here is the usual Thursday mish mosh round up:

Runspiration

Do you want to kill yourself after 30 minutes on the treadmill? Dean Karnanzes recently ran 48 hours and 212 miles on a treadmill. He didn’t break the Guinness record, but man!

MOVIE: If you need more inspiration, I highly recommend the Spirit of the Marathon movie, check for local screenings! You don’t even have to move, how easy is that?

Top secret announcement–the upcoming NYC Team in Training Chapter will be training for three fabulous Marathons:

Rome Marathon (Run/Walk) – March 22, 2009 – Rome, Italy
Country Music Full & Half Marathon (Run/Walk) – April 25, 2009 – Nashville, TN.
New Jersey Full & Half Marathon (Run/Walk) – May 3, 2009 – Long Branch, NJ

If you live in NYC, I can personally assure you that TNT will make it your marathon experience magical! However, I am sure all chapters of TNT seriously rock, so see if your what your local chapter is training for. If you don’t do groups, think outside the box, there are marathons in the most incredible locations: Rome, Paris, The Great Wall Marathon (China), The Polar Circle Marathon (Greenland), The Big Five Marathon (South Africa), just to name a few!

To properly fuel yourself, check out Vital Juice Daily’s fall produce picks, replete with some yummy recipes.

PRODUCT FINDS
For some fuel on the run, I just tried a Chia Spice Kardea bar
I am really trying to eat only all natural bars. Ingredients are far more important to me than fiber, fat or calories. Even my beloved Kashi Golean Crunchy Chocolate Caramel bars, have too many weird things (Mechanically Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil?) in them for me to feel good about ingesting them. These were offered to me by Kardea, and after checking out the stats online they seemed to be pretty good. These bars have a few items that seem to be added to punch up the fiber, like psylium husch and chicory root fiber, but overall everything seems like it came from the earth not a factory. Inside they look like nuts and grains stuck together with maple syrup or honey. However, they are not too sticky or too sweet, although I wish the first ingredient wasn’t Brown Rice Syrup. And I love that agave, a low GI sweetener was included, as it is expensive for companies to add. Overall 9 grams of sugar is not bad at all, and at modest 150 calories these provide a tasty and satisfying snack perfect for taking the edge off the 4PM hunger call. Despite not being a fan of chai tea–but love cinnamon, these were really good. And not so sweet that they made me crave sweets all afternoon. A keeper.

Note: I truly enjoyed all of the Kardea flavors, except the lemon ginger, because I do not like lemon in any kind of bar or baked good at all.  The burst of flavor in each bite of Kardea bars truly impressed me.  They have a stronger and more natural flavor than any other bar I have tried.

The Amphipod

I have really been needing something to put stuff in while I run, and I think the Amphipod Micropack Land Sport may be my answer. It clips on to your pant or shorts with just enough storage for your credit cards, id, keys, mp3 player and money. This way I can stop being a bra stuffer…btw metrocards are sweat resistant up to 12 miles . Most shorts and pants don’t have the proper storage for things besides gus and gels, but this looks great for when I don’t want to bring my bulky fuel belt!