Category: Marathon

BondiBand Review and Giveaway

6/2/2014

If you've got long hair and/or you sweat a lot when you workout, you probably are constantly searching for the perfect headband to keep your face dry and hair-free during your workouts. If you're anything like me - you're convinced your going blind the moment your sweat drips into your eye.

I do have a couple brands of go-to headbands, but I'm always looking for something new. That's why I was so excited when BondiBands sent me some to try out. Not only are these headbands fun and functional with great wicking capabilities, the company also donates 10% of all profits to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts.

There are headbands of all colors and sizes, and even ones with fun sayings on them. These are the ones I was sent to try out:

I tried these bands out for both a high intensity cardio workout and a weightlifting session. The bands staying in place and were able to wick-away all of the sweat from my forehead (which can be A LOT during those high intensity cardio sessions).

Here are a few facts about BondiBand:

Their products are unisex.
They are 100% American made.
They can be worn on their own or under other hats, helmets, and visors.
They are made of stretchy, breathable material which allows them to fit virtually every head size and shape.
Their fashion lycra fabric is fun and perfect for every day.
In warm weather the "No Slip, No Drip" moisture wicking headbands are great to wick away sweat, keep hair back, and keep ear buds in ears.
In colder weather, they are great to keep your ears warm.
Bondi Band donates 10% of pretax profits to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
In addition to the headbands they offer armbands, wristbands, wicking hats, wicking ponytail hats, wicking pigtail hats, wicking neck gators, wicking sweat towels, and even items for your children and dogs!!!
They offer customized products.

But don't take my word for it - try it out on your own. Enter below to win your own FREE BondiBand!

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My Race Ragz Review and Giveaway

5/13/2014

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If you know me personally, you know I like to make my own shirts when I run marathons. Unfortunately, I'm not that skilled, don't put too much time into it and wind up ironing something on to a cotton T-shirt. While I don't hate running in cotton as much as most people, it's certainly not ideal.

I was recently contacted by MyRaceRagz about trying out one of their custom made tech T-shirts. I got to pick the style of the shirt and upload my own design onto a microfiber performance polyester shirt. While I don't have any specific races coming up that I could design a shirt for, I've been dying for a shirt that says "I run this city" and a picture of downtown Philadelphia - they ALWAYS seem to be out of these by the time I get to race expos. So, I took to the computer (and PicMonkey.com), and designed my own shirt!

My Race Ragz is a custom apparel company that offers printing and embroidery services. One of the unique things about My Race Ragz is that they will do your printing with no minimum order. The printing is done through a dye sublimation process where the dye is applied directly to the shirt. This ensures that your shirt retains its sweat-wicking properties and that the design never peels off (however this does limit the shirt color to white only).

My Race Ragz offers a wide range of styles for men and women and three fabric types: a 100% Microfiber Performance Mesh, a 100% Smooth Performance Microfiber, and a stretchy 88% Microfiber/12% Spandex blend. The My Race Ragz website has a variety of standard designs available, but you can upload your own design if you want!

Creating my custom shirt was easy. I went to the “Create” tab, uploaded the art, placed it where I wanted it, and submitted it! The shirt itself is excellent. It’s a nice quality, a normal thickness, and wicks well. I went with the men's T-shirt style, because that's what I prefer to wear while running. There are a variety of styles to choose from, including tanks and short sleeve shirts - both fitted and loose. I can't wait until I can custom design a shirt for a specific race!

Want to win your own custom My Race Ragz shirt? Enter below!

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What's playing on my iPod - Winter 2014

1/16/2014

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It's time for another round of "what's playing on my iPod! Check out these tunes straight off my brand new 2014 running playlist! I'm still rocking my Fall 2013 playlist too - I can't get enough of Katy Perry's Roar!

Timber, Pitbull Featuring Ke$ha
Bounce That, Girl Talk
Wake Me Up, Avicii
Mike Will Made It, Featuring Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa & Juicy J
Royals, Lorde
Shoes for Running, Big Boi
The New Workout Plan, Kanye West
Run the World (Girls), Beyonce
Radio Stereo, Duck Sauce
On Top of the World, Imagine Dragons

What's your favorite song to run to this season?

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DiscIts review and a GIVEAWAY!

12/19/2013

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What are DiscIts? It's okay, I didn't know what they were either, but a few weeks ago, I received two free pairs of DiscIts to try out. I'll admit, they sat on my kitchen table for a while because I had to find the time to "install" these no-tie laces into my running shoes. It took a snowed-in Saturday evening and a little reminder from Tom (a DiscIts employee) for me to finally figure it out.

The next few days, I took my running shoes, now sporting DiscIts, to the test - and they were great! While I only got to test these on the treadmill, I look forward to taking these out in the rain and snow, which is always when my running sneakers tend to come untied!

Who would benefit from DiscIts?

runners (no more retying your shoes)
triathlete (speed up those transition times)
gym rat (easy on and off, great spin or yoga classes getting in & out of shoes)
youth athletes (great for soccer)
kids in school/camp on their everyday shoes

Pros

Obviously, no more stopping your activity to tie your shoes!
Low profile compared to other no-tie laces
No dangling or fraying of laces
Can be worn in casual mode for a "relaxed" fit
Comes in many colors to match all of your favorite sneakers!

Cons

You need to watch a video to learn how to install them, making installation take about ten minutes (but once you learn how to do it, future installations should be quicker - even the second shoe was quicker than the first)
Although they claim to be transferable from one pair of sneakers to another, I haven't done this, and it seems complicated.

The people at Discits want YOU to try out their no-tie laces, so they're giving away a pair to three lucky readers! There are many ways to enter, and you can enter once/day from now until Monday. Use the widget below or follow this link!

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Why do you want to try DiscIts?

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Observations made while running in marathons

11/20/2013

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As I mentioned in my Philadelphia Half Marathon race recap, I never really felt like I could get to my max pace. Luckily, this allowed me to take in some of the scenes that I normally would have missed. Wow, do you see some weird things while running a marathon?! I'll spare you the details of some of those things, but below I share with you some observations I've made while running in marathons. I'm sure you have some of your own, so be sure to comment below!

Observations made while running in marathons

People love running in costume

When I run, it's all about comfort. I don't like things bouncing, rubbing, etc. But for some reason, people love to run in costume. I don't think I could ever do it, but never say never, right? Either way, it's very entertaining to watch!

Philadelphia Marathon

London Marathon

My friend Emily & her brother

Tokyo Marathon

There is no gold standard for a "funny" marathon sign

I get it - it's the "worst parade ever". I want to see a sign that I haven't seen before - bonus points if there is some pop culture reference! I'm a sucker for a good race sign, but clearly there are different kinds of "funny".

Marathon spectating can be almost as exhausting as running the race

Marathon spectating is no joke. I don't know from experience, but from what my friends tell me, it can be exhausting! You trek around town, hold up signs, run with your friends - you deserve a recovery massage too!

Downhill can be more painful that uphill

Running hills is challenging, there's no denying that. But once you've reached double digits in the miles, downhill can actually be more painful than uphill. Your quads might even feel like they're on fire!! Also, a "hill" is a relative term - it also depends on how you train!

Men run faster marathons because they don't have to stop at the port-a-potties

How many places can a women pee on a marathon route? Probably about 10, and there is usually a line. How many places can a man pee? The options are endless. This is why men have faster marathon times than women, right?

Every runner running in sandals has a friend running in sandals

You see all kinds of footwear in races, from full support shoes to barefoot running, but those who choose to run in sandals always have friends with them. I've yet to see a sandal-runner running solo!

Everyone is fighting their own battle

If you take time to look around during a marathon, you see all sorts of inspirational messages and motivation phrases - on t-shirts, on signs, on stickers, on the ground - everywhere! When you take the time to read them, you realize that everyone has their own race to run. We all run for different reasons, but we're following the same path.

There is a new level of acceptance when it comes to social habits

Marathon runners will spit, blow their nose, run into people, pee in public (see above) and a whole slew of things that would otherwise seem unacceptable. Going for a stroll in the park? You would never even consider doing any of these things (I hope). But, if you're running in a race, it's totally okay!

Running makes people happy

If you take a look around at people's faces, you'll see some people struggling for sure, but you'll see a lot of happy faces. And I mean A LOT. It's not the just the runners, but the spectators too. Happiness comes when passing another mile marker, when seeing your friends and family or when seeing complete strangers holding up awesome signs. As Elle Woods taught us - exercise releases endorphins and endorphins make you happy.

coachjoeenglish.wordpess.com

infobarrel.com

What are some observations you've made while running in races?

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The 2013 Philadelphia Half Marathon

11/18/2013

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Yesterday, I ran my first half marathon - the 2013 Philadelphia Half Marathon! I got into this whole racing world in a weird order, having already run two full marathons, so while I'm "on a break" from full marathons, I decided to give the half marathon distance a try. Training for the half marathon distance gave me the opportunity to really focus on speed. To prepare myself for the half marathon, I did a speed workout or a 30-minute training run three times each week, with a long run on the weekend. The long run would range between 6 and 13.1 miles, depending on how I was feeling that week. My training wasn't very structured, but I could tell I was getting faster, which was the end goal (since I already knew I was capable of running the distance). I had a great training with two 13.1 runs below the goal time (1:55) I set for myself at the start of training.

Heading into marathon week, I was feeling prepared and ready. Then, on Thursday morning, my little pinky toe got caught on the suitcase I left out because I had gotten home late from a work trip the night before. It was one of those moments where the pain was terrible, and you were just waiting for it to pass. But it never did. By then end of the day, my toe was swollen and sore. Over the next few days, I was convinced the toe was broken - I iced it and buddy wrapped it, but I honestly didn't know if I would be able to run. On Saturday, it felt slightly better, so I decided just to go for it. And it's a good thing I did! By Sunday morning, the pain wasn't as bad (maybe it was a sprain and not a break afterall), and I was going to run this race!

The race itself was great - it was about 55 degrees (close to perfect running weather), and the energy was HUGE! It was the 20th anniversary of the Philadelphia Marathon with 30,000 runners. Also, my husband was running the race with me (his first race since cross country team in high school), and although we didn't plan it, it was also the 13th anniversary of when we started dating! The first words out of his mouth when the alarm went off at 4:15am were, "this seems like a bad idea," but I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate 13 years than with 13 miles! We lined up at the start line, took in the scene, and before we knew it - we were high-fiving Mayor Nutter! I was in the 2 hour corral, so I knew I was going to have to get my way to the front to maintain a pace somewhere around 8:35. What I was unprepared for was how long this would take and how many people there actually were! It was about 3 miles before I really could settle into my pace, and since I already felt "behind", I was going about 8:20 to catch up. It felt good, so I went with it. I was able to hold the pace on and off for a few miles, but then I got stuck behind a pacer group.

For the rest of the race, I just didn't feel like I could get up to pace. I was weaving a lot, when I could, but I was also getting stuck behind people (which I embraced through the hills). This really stressed to me the importance of starting in the correct corral. In the end, I had a really great race - maybe I could have done a little better, but I felt great and there will always be more races.

I would love to see my miles splits, but my Nike+ app didn't upload my run - how rude! I do have this nice official race time of 1:53:25 - I'll take it! The highlight of the race was our personal cheering squad - Kerry and Jackie. They are both runners themselves, but are new to spectating. I think they did a great job - don't you think? Kerry even pulled out my full nickname for the occasion!

My next race? The Philly Love Run - a brand new spring half marathon in Philadelphia. I'm looking forward to keeping up with my training and running with friends!

Where was your first half marathon?

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The treadmill chronicles

11/15/2013

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This morning I completed my last run before the Philadelphia Half Marathon this Sunday. Just like when I was training for both marathons, I did most of my training for this race on the treadmill. I know there are some runners out there who would never be caught dead on a treadmill and will tell you why running on a treadmill isn't really running, but it works for me. Especially this time of year, daylight hours are limited, and sometimes 5:00am is the only time I can get in a solid run. I love doing intervals and speed work on the treadmill, and I truly believe that treadmill running has contributed to my ability to run at an even pace.

While I mostly run on the treadmill at my apartment complex, I sometimes run other places, and I've noticed that each treadmill feels different and contributes the overall feel of my run - have you ever noticed this? I realize some of this must be mental, but I'm also wondering if there's some scientific explanation to it also. I've put together this list of things I've noticed that affect my treadmill running.

Treadmill quality

Call me crazy (you wouldn't be the first one), but even though I can set a cheap treadmill and a super nice gym-quality treadmill to the same speed, running always feel more pleasant and "easier" on the nicer treadmill. The better quality treadmill is smoother and it just feels like I don't have to put in as much effort to hit the same speed.

runningtherealworld.wordpress.com

Size of the room

I've run in treadmills in all kinds of rooms (even on a cruise ship, which is a completely different experience), and the size of the room and the placement of the treadmill can make a huge impact on my run. If I'm in a small room, and the treadmill is up against a wall or in the corner, mentally, the run feels tougher. When I'm in a huge gym with tons of treadmills, it doesn't even matter how close together the treadmills are, but the air flow is better, it doesn't get as stuffy and I just feel better while running.

Ability to watch TV

Although I typically run with music while running outside, I can also run with no music or while talking to a friend. When I'm inside on a treadmill, the ability to watch TV can make or break my run. It doesn't need to be something super interesting (at 5:00am, it's a recap of last night's shootings/robberies, the weather and the traffic, or that time when a women was rescued from in between bleachers at Wilmington University), but it's just something to take my focus away from running.

happyorhungry.com

Time of day

Hands down, the time of day makes the most impact on my treadmill running. When I get up at 5:00am to run, my joints may be a little stuff, and I'm just plain tired. No matter where I'm running, it can feel like a struggle. Treadmill running at 5:00pm? It's a completely different type of exercise.

What do you prefer while running on a treadmill?

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4 stories that will make you want to run the NYC Marathon next year

11/6/2013

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Sunday morning was a great day to sleep in for me. I had a long day Saturday, starting out with my last long run before the Philly Half Marathon on November 17th, but even with the extra hour of sleep, I don't think I got out of bed until around 9:00am. We had friends staying over, so we all relocated to the couch and watched CBS Sunday Morning - has anyone ever watched this? Pretty sure we're not the targeted demographic... After some whining, I was able to convince the group to switch the channel to ESPN2, which was showing the NYC Marathon. This was a big race for NYC, which was recognizing the one year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy that caused so much destruction to the city and led to the cancellation of marathon last year.

4 stories that will make you want to run the NYC Marathon next year

By the time we turned it on, the elite men and women had already started, but the rest of the racers were still lined up to start. The canon went off, and they started playing the Theme from New York, New York, and for some reason, I teared up. It's been less than a year since I ran my first marathon and six months since my second, but just watching over 50,000 begin their race made me wish I was there.

"I want to be a part of it..."

I caught bits and pieces of the race before heading out for brunch, but I'm pretty sure the NYC Marathon just moved up to the top of my list. I've been researching the course a little, and I can't help but get motivated by some of the stories that are being told. These people are just 1 in 50,000, but I bet they'll make you feel better, and even make you consider signing up for next year!

1. First Runner With Down Syndrome Completes NY Marathon, Redefines Word 'Champion'

2. Running for Amelia. Guiding a blind runner all 26.2 miles of the New York City Marathon.

3. Bill Rancic, Pamela Anderson and more stars run the New York City Marathon

4. NYC Marathon 2013: Boston doctor has run of emotion at race

Have you ever participated in the NYC Marathon? What's your bucket list marathon?

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Friends of FitYaf - Lyci gets back in shape after becoming a mom

11/4/2013

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One of the things my husband first noticed about me was the way I pronounced "Florida" and "orange" just like his sister Lyci [Flah-ri-da & ah-range). It wasn't until about a year later that I finally got to meet her, and we've been friends ever since! She always used to talk about triathlons and races, which at the time were a foreign concept to me, but after all this time (and a baby), she's still going strong. Lyci is a mother to the most adorable little girl (no, I'm not biased, okay maybe I am), but she hasn't let motherhood get in the way of taking care of herself and keeping up with her racing. Her first postpartum race was a half marathon just 5 months after giving birth! Below Lyci talks about how her fitness changed while pregnant and what she did to get back into racing shape.

Friends of FitYaf - Lyci gets back in shape after becoming a mom

What motivated you to start running and racing in triathlons?

I grew up dancing and playing team sports, and continued doing so through college. When I graduated and team sports weren't as accessible anymore, I needed something with more structure to it than simply "going to the gym." I tried playing adult league lacrosse, but the schedule and location were just too complicated, so I only lasted one season. My husband had starting doing triathlons with a group at his gym, and he seemed to enjoy it, so I gave it a shot on my own. For me, my sport preference actually mimics the order of the triathlon, so it works out well for me. I love swimming and I tolerate running. Nine years later, creating a seasonal "race schedule" still keeps me (relatively) honest with my work out regime.

How did getting pregnant change your relationship with working out and fitness?

I definitely learned (relearned, I suppose, since we all "learn" this over and over again in our lives) about needing to be kind to yourself and listen to your body more. In the first trimester, I was exhausted all the time. It was pretty much all I could do to get through the workday without throwing up or falling asleep at my desk. Other than walking to and from the train on my commute and climbing stairs on job sites, there was no working out at all from about 7 weeks until I was through the first trimester. Then once I started working out again, I really had to figure out what was going to work for me, versus just going back to doing what I'd always done.

Also, for the first trimester, in addition to allowing yourself a 7pm bedtime instead of a 7pm gym time - eating something "healthy" like broccoli salad does no one any good if you can't keep it down. Now, I'm not advocating eating snickers bars all day long, but again - you're going to have to find what works for you. "Bad" calories are still better than no calories. If you end up eating a BLT for lunch four times a week (guilty) just to get through that first trimester, so be it.

Describe your workouts while you were pregnant, and how did they compare to your workouts before you got pregnant?

My definition of what I considered a workout definitely changed. One thing I did, that I would definitely recommend to anyone newly pregnant, was that I started doing squats when I brushed my teeth. After a few days of making a point of remembering to do it, it became an automatic part of my daily routine. Then, at the end of the day, even if I'd not managed to do anything else "active," I would have at least gotten 40-50 squats in. The nice part about it, too, was I think it really helped my body stay strong while adjusting to its growing size. I would NEVER have attempted just trying to do sets of 25 air squats at 8 months, if I hadn't been doing them all along. But, since I had, my legs and back had grown stronger as I grew larger.

Also, you'll probably have to be more open minded about fitness than you might anticipate. I love swimming, when I'm not pregnant. Everyone seems to rave about swimming and pregnancy; I hated it. And, as a "swimmer," that surprised me quite a bit. I just felt like I was trying to do laps with a little kid's swim bubble strapped on backwards. Not amazing.

The other not amazing thing during pregnancy, that I normally loved, was public transit. As I grew, so did my impatience and frustration with pretty much every single person I encountered on the crowded rush hour trains. My solution many times, weather permitting? Walking the 3 miles home instead. My mental state improved, and I counted that as my workout for the day.

How long did you wait to start exercising after giving birth? What did you do to ease back into the training?

I delivered in December, which can limit your fitness options, obviously. However, that December and January were luckily quite mild, and I discovered that I could put my daughter into the baby carrier and button my maternity winter coat up over the whole thing, baby and all. So, starting at only a few weeks post partum, we wrapped ourselves up nice and snug and took (usually) daily walks along the lakefront. I started with only a mile or two, but worked up to 5 or 6 miles pretty quickly. I wasn't walking for speed, so six miles usually took about two hours, but it got us both some fresh air (and helped my post-partum sanity quite a bit). As another bonus, she usually conked out quickly in the carrier and ended up with a 90+ minute nap. Since her little body was literally touching mine, I was never concerned about wondering if she was too cold.

I didn't start actually running again until about 10 weeks post partum, and I started with run/walk splits which were very heavy on the walk.

Side note: if you're a nursing mom, especially one who didn't previously have cups that runneth over, get a new sports bra! And, before you go for a run - pump. There was a car in my town growing up whose license plate spelled: PB4UGO. Great advice. In this case, the P stands for pump. (You should probably still pee too, though). Trust me on this one. You do not want cups that leaketh over, nor do you want to spend your whole run mentally curbing your urge to clutch at your aching chest. No one wants that kind of attention. The new sports bra will be well worth it.

How did training after having a baby compare to training before having a baby?

I signed up for a half marathon scheduled for the day after my daughter turned 5 months. It seemed doable, and like I mentioned earlier, having a race schedule keeps me relatively honest with my workouts. Having a baby made me even more so. Since my husband and I had to schedule around each other to make time for me to work out, I couldn't just "eh, I'll go tomorrow" my way through the week. If I had a run on the calendar, I was damn well going for a run. Not just sometime that day, either, but during the very specific time slot allotted between our schedules. Obviously, with a young infant at home, things still came up and by the end of training, if I was intending to get out four times a week, it was usually only two or three, but it was never none.

I will say that we were blessed beyond belief by having a pretty darn good sleeper that allowed both of us to ease into the life/parenthood balance much easier than most. If you're not blessed in the baby-sleep department (and I now have a new-found empathy for that; thanks a lot 8-month sleep regression that never ended), well, Godspeed. And drink all the coffee.

What do you think is a realistic goal as far as a timeline for getting back in shape postpartum?

I've always liked the saying "nine months to gain, nine months to lose." I think people definitely have unrealistic expectations of weight loss in general, let alone postpartum. It's easy to get frustrated when you're not losing as quickly as you'd like, or if you're stuck on a plateau. But, if you remind yourself that you certainly didn't get all the baby weight overnight, so you're not likely to lose (it all) overnight either.

And, again, this is one of those cheesy "remember to be kind to yourself" moments, because the number on the scale may also not be as compatible with how you think your body looks as you're accustomed to, either. Your body will certainly have changed, whether it's your hips, your boobs, or your belly (or all of the above) so you might need to adapt. You will probably have some rocking biceps in a couple months, though, so you've got that going for you!

How do you juggle fitting in you workouts with spending time with your baby, family and work?

We don't have extended family in the area, so fitting in workouts is definitely a team effort for my husband and me. He needs to be flexible with his schedule to give me the time to fit in a workout (I've never been a fitness DVD "person," so doing a pilates/yoga/bootcamp DVD while the baby naps just doesn't work for me), and I have to be committed enough to my workouts to respect the time that he's carved out for me and actually get myself out of the house. I am quite lucky to be working for a small architecture firm that has allowed me to come back part time (3 days, ~27-30 hours/week) after having had my daughter, and I am incredibly grateful for that situation. It does make "finding time" much easier. I'm less likely to feel guilty about going to the gym for an hour on the weekend because I'll have spent all day Tuesday and Thursday with her.

That said, we've discussed what we might consider doing if I went back to work fulltime to ensure that I still get to workout at least a few times a week, without feeling like I'm sacrificing time with the family. The ideas we've had are: swimming laps for 30 min while my husband is with my daughter for her swimboree class and going for a family jog on Saturday mornings.

What advice do you have for a fit/active woman who is pregnant or just had a baby as far as keeping up with her fitness?

Do air squats while brushing your teeth.
If you've never heard people say that women after childbirth are stronger at endurance sports than they were prior to childbirth, let me be the first to tell you. By the end of my half marathon training, I was only running twice a week. Once during the week, (never more than 5 miles), and once on the weekend, which increased by about a mile each week. Somehow, this worked. I actually took a few minutes off of my previous course time on that half. Having been running and doing triathlons for many years prior, this result from that training was shocking.
Your body is amazing: amazingly strong, amazingly resilient and amazingly capable. Just remember that.

Are you a mother? What are some of the ways you stayed in shape while pregnant or got back into shape after having your baby?

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Friends of FitYaf - Why We Run ["I run because ________"]

10/28/2013

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Don't you get bored? What do you think about? Why do you even do it?

If you're a runner and you're like me, these are common questions that friends, family, sometimes even strangers will ask you all of the time.

The answers: Do I get bored? No, I don't get bored - I get tired, I feel pain, I get thirsty, I get hot, my fingers freeze when I run in the cold, I even get itchy sometimes, but I don't get bored. I don't know what it is about running, but it never bores me. Yoga? Yes! Running? No!

What do I think about? It's more like what DON'T I think about?! One of the greatest things about long distance running is it's my "me" time. We all lead such busy lives - I so rarely get time to think. When I run - I have all the time I want to think. I also have a really terrible memory, so only if I'm lucky do I remember what I think about. But, every once in a while, the stars align - I'll have a really great idea while running, AND I'll remember it! Now who is going to come up with the app that will record your thoughts while running?

Why do I do it? For so many reasons. I started running for exercise. I love all (most) types of exercise, so if it were just for the calorie burn, I'd probably choose something else, but somewhere along the way, running became more than exercise for me. That feeling when I ran for 30 minutes straight without stopping the first time? Pretty amazing! The feeling when I did it again, but ran a farther distance? Even better. But what really does it for me is setting a goal and then actually reaching it. In life, there are so many things that we can't control. But with running, for the most part, you're in full control of the progress you make. You might have to postpone a run because of weather and sometimes even life getting in the way, however, barring no injuries, it's just you and your feet. Speed work and training runs - they really work! If you would have told me last year that I would be running at the speed I'm running today, I wouldn't have believed you. If you would have told me ten years ago that I would one day be a two-time marathoner, I would have said you were crazy. Now, I'm going to let the sky be the limit. I will continue to set goals until my legs won't hold me up anymore.

But that's not even it! Perhaps the best part about running is that when I line up at the start line of a race or wave to someone on the trail, I'm surrounded by so many other people who are running for a completely different reason than I am. Yet, we're all in it together. We're a community. We get the same blisters, drink the same sports drinks, but what is driving us to that finish line can be completely different. So, I reached out to my running friends (both virtual and in real life) and asked them to finish this sentence: "I run because _______________". The responses were great, and I just HAD to share them with you!

Click on each picture to learn more about each runner.