Albert Salazar book giveaway!

5 miles on the schedule today.  Done!  An uneventful run.  The best kind of run.  My legs felt really good today.  The countdown begins - only 50 training miles left until the Flying Pig.

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Well, believe it or not, I have already finished reading Alberto Salazar's new book about his running career and his brush with death.  The book, titled "14 minutes", was a really easy read and I think was really interesting.  I love learning about the best in the running industry.

Now I know it's not big accomplishment compared to some blogs who probably get this daily, but I recently passed over 100,000 hits on the blog.  I was really excited about this!  In honor of this, I've decided to have a little give away sponsored by myself so I'm going to give one of my reader's the Salazar book.  I think you will enjoy it as much as I did.

No special rules on this one.  Just leave me a comment on this post and you're entered.  The contest will end at 7pm on Wednesday, April 25th.  Good luck!

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

Boston Infographic facts

6 miles on the schedule today.....done!

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I thought this was a cool infographic.  Amazing stats.  Enjoy!

click to enlarge

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

Hyland Post #16 - Embrace the Taper

Rest day on the schedule today; however, I decided to run 5 this morning because I cannot run tomorrow due to a work obligation.

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Here's a recap of week #15 of 18 weeks of marathon training:

Miles Run:  43.11 miles
Days Run:  5 days
Cross Training:  None
Time Training:  6 hours and 21 minutes

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The past week was the last tough week of training.  Not only did I complete my second 20 miler on Saturday, I also ran a half marathon at a decent pace.  I'm happy to be done with that 20 miler and look forward to running a little less.  I'm now lucky enough to enter the taper phase of the training.  Maybe you might call it unlucky if you don't embrace the taper but I do embrace it.  The next couple weeks are a reward for my legs for all the hard work I've put them through the last 15 weeks.  That's 504 miles, in case you were wondering, since I first started training for the Flying Pig and my legs are ready for a break.

For those of you that have not gone through a taper period for marathon training, sometimes it can make you stir crazy.  It can even make you a grouch.  Yes, actually running less!  Haha!

You go from doing all this running to reduced training.  It's the much needed rest your legs deserve in order to perform well at the marathon but also plays with your mind because you think you should be out there running.  Ok, it's no guarantee you will perform well but I'm hopeful.  My goal for this continues to be the same and that is just to have fun.  I'm not going for any time goal this time around given the toughness of this marathon and I'm sticking to my story.  I'm just going to try and keep up with my running buddy, T.

The exception to my training this week is running a half marathon on Sunday.  Normally I would not put that in the schedule when tapering and being so close to the marathon.  I really wanted to run this half marathon.  In addition, I had signed up for the half before I knew I was even doing the marathon.  No racing the half but it will be a fun one!

If you are also entering the taper mode, embrace it.....your legs will pay you back for it on marathon day.  And try not to be a grouch.

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

Half marathon to gauge your full marathon

Rest day on the schedule today.....man, I need it.  The legs are a bit sore today.

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Next up - another half!

As I'm sure many of you do this, I typically like to run a half marathon before my full marathon to get a gauge of how I will do on the full marathon.  The only issue is that I really don't have a half marathon this year to help gauge that since the half marathons I'm doing this year (4) all seem to fall at the wrong time.

In my opinion, in order to gauge how I will do on my full marathons, I feel that I need to race the half marathon to get a good idea of my fitness.  I don't think I'll be doing that in any of my half marathons this year.  Here's the reason's why:

1. The half I did yesterday was part of a 20 mile run.  I don't think it's fair to compare this race to my actual fitness since I could have run this much faster had I not run before the race.
2. I have a half marathon on Sunday, Glass City Half Marathon in Toledo, OH.  While I would love to race this since I only have 12 miles on my schedule for running, it's two weeks out from the full marathon and I don't want to take a chance in hurting myself and missing the full.
3. I have a half marathon two weeks after my full marathon in May.  It's half trails and half roads so again not a great comparison for marathon fitness.  In addition, it's two weeks after a full and I'll be happy to just survive this one given all the running I will have done up to this point.
4. I have a half marathon in August.  I don't count this one as a test to my marathon fitness because it's too far out from my marathon in October but also it's a trail marathon and I know that my time will be much slower than a road race.  Frankly, I'm just looking to take in all the scenery as well.

Ideally, I like to have a half marathon one month prior to my full marathon.  This allows me to race the half to get a great idea of where I stand.  Unfortunately, there are no half marathons close to me that are a month before my full in October this year.  Last year I ran the Capital City River Run in Lansing.  I thought it was a great course and I PR'd the half with a time of 1:39:18.  I'd love to run it again and maybe still will but it's three weeks out which falls on a 20 mile training run weekend.  I really felt I gave 110% effort for the race last year.  The following month I ran the Detroit Marathon and was able to achieve under 4 hours.  Perhaps it was just having confidence going into the marathon since I did so well at the half but I believe the half gave me an indication that I would do well on my full.  Frankly, with that half time I should have done better.

Of course, if you look at calculators like McMillan Running uses, I should be much faster in the marathon.  I just can't seem to be close to the numbers that this model predicts.  It says I should run a 3:29:25 marathon based on my PR for the half but my PR in the marathon is 3:58:45.  That means I either suck at the marathon distance or perhaps I need to change my training for the full to include more hills and speedwork - neither of which I like.  The question is do I want the lower time more than I want to work that hard to get it?  Even if I did achieve a 3:29 marathon time, what does it get me?  Bragging rights? Eh...  I still can't get into Boston unless I run a 3:20:00 and more likely need to be even faster.  This is why as I continue to train for marathons, I'm considering running a 50k.  Maybe endurance is a better goal for me than speed?

Question of the day:  What do you use to gauge your fitness for a race?  It does not have to be the full.  Perhaps you use the 5k for the 10k race?  Or the 10k for the half?  Or nothing?

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

Martian Half Marathon Race Review

20 miles on the schedule today!!!!  Done!  Let the taper begin.  Well, ok, I do have another half marathon next weekend but the taper is beginning otherwise.

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Martian Half Marathon Review

Short Version:

Ran the half marathon(there was also a Marathon, 10k, 5k, and kids run); well organized, plenty of food, great medal, terrible course.  I probably will not race this again unless it's free.

Chip Time:  1:51:54
Gun time:  1:54:18
Men AG(40-44):  53th place out of 148
Overall place:  451 out of 1791 finishers
Pace:  8:29/mile (not racing this one)
PR:  Nope - not racing it.

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Long Version:

I ended up getting there about 6:30am.  I went to pick up my packet at the start line, got my bib number and picked up my shirt and pin.  I do like the fact that they gave you a pin - I know it's not much but something cool to keep from the race.  The shirt, on the other hand?  OMG - no, no, no, no, no.  Really?  I'm sure I'll use it for training but I already know this will never get worn to a race.  Ok, maybe if I liked space invaders more, I'd wear it.  I know it's a space theme but I'm thinking that a little more creativity would have been nice.

Cool Pin

Would you wear it?

Back - yuck!

I will say that you can certainly tell they have experience setting up races(Running Fit puts it on) as things went very smoothly and I was in and out in a matter of a minute.  I did not have time to go to the expo yesterday but I did hear that it was a pretty decent expo.  They also had a virtual goody back that you could look through on your computer.  There was a 10% off coupon for the Detroit Marathon so if you are thinking about doing that, let me know and I'll give you the code.

The plan was to meet Mark from Writing, Running & the Human Experience   at 7:30am, get in the miles we wanted to get done(20 for me, 19 for him) then finish when the race was about to start. Unfortunately, Mark got stuck in traffic -- I bitched about it to myself for a few minutes and went off on my own.  I had time to get in 6.5 of the 7 miles which was fine with me.  I tried to keep these miles somewhat on the slow side of things which I did a pretty good job of.  Average pace of 8:58 - slightly faster than I wanted but Ok.  I basically just circled around the race start area since it was difficult to find too long of a stretch but there were some roads that were closed I was able to run.

I literally ran all the way until they started the race and jumped into the half marathon.  The start was located in Ford field(in Dearborn, not where the Lions play).  It was not too bad a place for the start/finish but you could not park there unless you did not mind being stuck there until 12 noon.  I decided to park a few blocks away which worked out fine. If they would have had the race on Sunday, we would not have had to pay for parking - it's the details, right?

The very start was a slight hill and then we were off.  We did a somewhat of a circle around the area and then headed out to Hines Drive.  Ok, maybe some of you like this course(I have heard many of you do) and I'm Ok with an out and back - I did one for the Bayshore Marathon which was awesome.  But I'm sorry to say that this course was B-O-R-I-N-G.  Oh my gosh, there is nothing around.  Probably the worst course I have done since I started running.  I will qualify it by saying that I have only run 5 half marathons including this one and 2 marathons but I've run a total of 25 races and I can tell you that I liked all of the other course better.

I cannot imagine doing the full marathon at this race.  I would have gone absolutely crazy.  What I did like was the ending of the race at about mile 10.5 through mile 12 we go through the Rouge River park and next to the UM-Dearborn campus and I did enjoy that part of the race.  We also had to cross two wooden bridges which I also enjoyed but other than that, sorry I would pass.  Also, no fault of the races, but it started to rain again at about mile 10.  It was not too hard, just a sprinkle until I actually finished then it started raining harder.  Fortunately, there was a covered bridge right at the finish so many of us hung out there to eat and recover.  I did get to see Mark because it was an out and back as he was ahead of me about a mile.  He turned around and found me and ran with me for a couple miles.  That was really nice of him to do that.  Probably because I was carrying the umbrella(kidding!)  We chatted for a couple miles then he took off ahead - he's much faster than I am plus I did not want to race this.  I also got to see Megan and Ryan from WatchMegoRun and Rose from Hacker Half Marathon.  Are we the only ones that seem to race everything?  Haha!  We always see each other.  I also saw Ty from This is how Ty Runs.  Forgot to mention she yelled my name and said my non-race running was kicking her butt.  Haha!  Sorry I did not talk much Ty.  I was in a zone at that point.

When we finished, there were half bagels, bananas, pretzels, water and Chocolate Milk.  Remember, this is the reason I was at the race since Refuel with Chocolate Mile sponsored a giveaway for race entries.  Yum - the Chocolate Mile was nice and cold and delicious.  The race finish line was also very organized in my opinion.  We also got a medal which I think was nice - probably one of the cooler medals I've received.  It's great with the space theme.  Here it is:

Unfortunately because it was raining before the race and after, I did not bring my camera so I don't have any pictures of the race itself.  Overall, I finished with a chip time of 1:51:54.

In conclusion, I probably would not do the race again next year.  It was fun - I love any race but given the hour it takes me to get there, the course which I did not like and the shirt, I think I would pass.  I am happy that I got one of those medals though.  Plus I know that there are many people who love doing this race so please don't just take my opinion of it.

Have a great day and.....Keep Running!!!!

Looks like I'm not running Boston....

Rest day on the schedule today.....

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Well, it looks like another year for me not running Boston.  Haha!  Ok, not that I've been trying or anything.  I want to congratulate all the runners who follow Detroit Runner that have qualified and will be running Boston this year.  I wish I was closer to the area so I could come out and cheer all of you on and enjoy the atmosphere.  You are going to do great!

So last year, my suggestion was to start a new race on the same day in the opposite direction called the "I'm not fast enough to qualify for the Boston, Boston Marathon"  Can't qualify?  Run this!  Hah!

So in that spirit, I'll be running the Martian Half marathon on Saturday instead.  I'm in for 20 miles that day and get to run it with this guy or at least the first 1/3 of the miles.  Many of you know him as the author of a great running book, The Jade Rabbit.  It will also be nice to have the race help me through those miles.  I'm planning a long slow run which is hard for me to do at a race but my foot has been bothering me so slow is the way to go.  I don't want to screw up anything with everything I've got going this season.

The weather forecast for Saturday?  Rain and Wind.  Nice.  I've run in it all but not for three hours.

A little prayer for good weather please.

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

San Francisco Charity Initiative....

Rest day today and tomorrow since I did a double run yesterday.  I don't normally do doubles but wanted to run on the Stony Trolley Trails to check them out.  Had another great run out there but these are much shorter distances so I did them twice.  There are parts in this trail where it feels like you are up north and thousands of miles away from things which is what I really love about running on the trails.  There's also some hills so you get in some good training as well.  I'll definitely be out there again.

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I thought that you would find this e-mail I received from Outside PR interested.  It discusses a new charity project where the runners will raise $1 million!!!  Wow. The downside(ha, at least if it were me running) is running a double marathon.  In addition, it's the San Francisco marathon.  I'm sure it's all flat, right?(see below)  It will be interesting to see how this goes.  I'm all for raising funds for charity and this certainly put a new spin on things.  What do you think about it?

Click picture for source/larger

Here's the e-mail I received:

I wanted to share a new charity initiative that the San Francisco Marathon is rolling out for 2012 appropriately titled Worth the Hurt.  This is a ground-breaking and never before seen style of fundraising that we wanted to share with the running community before it goes mainstream. 

Turning the whole model of fund-raising on its side, they are actually sponsoring six athletes -- for up to $5,000 each-- to help them raise money throughout the year. The athletes can use that money for racing, training expenses, travel -- you name it.  And to make it really Worth the Hurt, they've gotten permission from City officials to accommodate these runners in a DOUBLE marathon on the date of the Wipro San Francisco Marathon.  Hope you find it interesting, and the press release is below (and attached).

The San Francisco Marathon® Introduces “Worth the Hurt”

Marathon’s Charity Initiative Expands in 2012

San Francisco, Calif., (April 2, 2012) – “Worth the Hurt” began as an inspired description of the famously hilly and scenic San Francisco Marathon, but in 2012, the event has turned into a distinct challenge, and a new model of charitable giving.  On July 29th, The Wipro San Francisco Marathon will welcome six of running’s most prolific fund-raisers in an audacious challenge: to run the marathon twice, back-to-back.

The 52.4-mile endeavor is only the starting point for Worth the Hurt -- a ground-breaking model for charitable fund-raising development.  The six athletes are aiming to raise as much as $1,000,000 throughout the year -- and to empower this campaign, Worth the Hurt will sponsor each of them, granting up to $5,000 each to cover their race and training expenses.  The athletes will fund-raise not only for the ultra-marathon, but throughout the calendar year.

“It is a completely new twist on event-based charitable giving,” notes Wendi Chapman, the Marathon’s Vice President and director for Worth the Hurt.  “These athletes are taking on worthy challenges, and by directly sponsoring them and covering many of their expenses throughout the year, we hope to empower them to raise more money for their favored charities and affect the lives of even more people.”

Among the athletes being sponsored are:

Ashley Kumlien, Brookfield, Wisconsin – This 27-year-old has watched her mother struggle with Multiple Sclerosis her entire life, and in 2009 – after rigorous training – took on the ultimate running challenge: to run across the United States.  She not only completed the run, but set up a dedicated charity: MS Run the US that benefits the National MS Society.

Kevin Klein, Houston, Texas – A morning radio host for The New 93Q (KKBQ-FM) and a nominee in 2009 for PEOPLE Magazine’s “All Stars Among Us,” Klein is a prolific fund-raiser and epic long-distance athlete.  He and his wife Trish founded the Snowdrop Foundation in 2006 to help support pediatric cancer patients.  After producing and starring in the movie “Dear Chelsey” which chronicles his 482-mile Strides Across Texas campaign, he is geared up for fifteen endurance races in 2012 with Worth the Hurt.

Dan Czerwonka, Los Angeles, California – As if running an ultra marathon isn’t hard enough, Dan, a volunteer youth mentor, lawyer, entrepreneur and Ironman Paris finisher will be doing it…barefoot.  All 52.4 barefoot miles will be done in an attempt to raise money for Godparents Youth Organization, a charity founded by a caring group of bus drivers in 2005 to provide travel mentoring to youths.

Meredith Dolhare, Charlotte, North Carolina – Four years ago, this former collegiate tennis star was recuperating from an injury when she decided to get moving, and she hasn’t stopped since.  She has spent the last four years competing in some of the toughest events on Earth, including last year’s Ultraman UK triathlon.  The 39-year-old will be running for Worth the Hurt on behalf of the Women’s Sports Foundation.

Brian Gruender, Appleton, Wisconsin – A health scare early in the life of his young daughter Makelie turned Gruender into a dedicated community service dynamo.  Before he takes on the 52.4, he will run 135 miles across Wisconsin to raise funds for Promises to Keep – a campaign dedicated to memorializing the sacrifices of the 158 soldiers who have lost their lives fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Jason Bernstein, Altoona, Iowa – This firefighter/paramedic for the city of Des Moines is singularly devoted to the endurance lifestyle, with over 21 races scheduled for 2012.  Despite a demanding job and busy family life, Bernstein devotes countless hours to fundraising for the AT Children’s Project through events and Thrive Multisport, a coaching company that aims at getting people off the couch and into a healthy lifestyle.

Kevin Klein, who takes on epic endurance feats on behalf of the Snowdrop Foundation, said, "I never use the word ‘pain’ to describe what I feel during an ultra-run.  It's always just a level of discomfort.  I've seen real pain in children fighting cancer.  When a 15-year-old girl, for three straight days, can't even sit up in her mechanical bed because the hurt is unbearable...that's true pain.  If what I go through in an ultra-endurance run can raise enough awareness and money so that a kid with cancer never has to be tortured like that again, then yes, my suffering is definitely Worth The Hurt."

The 52.4 route will open at 12 a.m. on July 29^th, and all of the runners are expected to finish their first marathon in time to start with a field expected to surpass 8,000.  For more information, visit the Worth the Hurt Facebook page.    

Cheers, and thanks for considering it.  Given the enormous amount of money raised by the running community every year, it's kind of cool to see a program that tangibly rewards the very people who are helping the most.

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

Free race entries in Michigan races!!!

5 miles on the schedule today.....done!  This weather is crazy cold!  I think I'd like to go back to the crazy hot.

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As you guys have heard, I won an entry into the Martian Marathon for this Saturday.  I only signed up for the half but I'm super excited to run this race.  Sorry to those of you thinking I should do the full.  I'm not ready for two full marathons within 3 weeks of each other with a half in between.  This race entry was given away by Refuel with Chocolate Milk.

Races, that is!

Anyone else want to win?  For all those Michigan runners or any runner that might be in town for the particular race in Michigan, here's the list of Michigan races that they will be giving away entries to this year.  Wow!  That's a lot of races!  All you need to do is connect with Refuel with Chocolate Milk on Facebook HERE, follow their instructions and win!  It looks like a great chance to win.  Of course, me spreading the word does not help my chances to win but I'm that kind of guy!

Race Date
4-14    Martian Invasion of Races   www.martianmarathon.com (winner selection in progress)
4-15    MSUFCU Race for the Place   http://www.playmakers.com (winner selection in progress)
4-29    Komen Mid-Michigan Race for the Cure    http://www.komenmidmichigan.org/komen-race-for-the-cure/ (closes April 12)
5-26    Bayshore Marathon   www.bayshoremarathon.org (closes April 12)
5-4     Mason State Bank 5K (contest launches Friday, April 13)
5-6     Borgess Run www.borgessrun.com (contest launches Friday, April 13)
5-20    Dan Langdon Memorial 5K     http://www.playmakers.com
6-9     Capitol Mile/5K     www.capitolbancorp5k.com
6-23    Max’s Race  http://www.playmakers.com
7-22    Ele’s Race  http://www.elesplace.org/news-and-events/sample-subpage-1
8-4     Mint City Races     www.mintcityraces.com
 8-25   Playmakers Classic Triathlon    http://www.playmakers.com
 9-16   Capital City River Run Half-Marathon/Cooley Law School 5K Run for Education     www.ccriverrun.com
9-23    Kellie Sebrell Memorial 5K  http://www.playmakers.com
9-30    Playmakers Autumn Classic   http://www.playmakers.com
10-7    MSU Federal Credit Union Dinosaur Dash  http://www.playmakers.comGood luck.

Hopefully you will win one.  I see several more races I'd love to win too!

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

Runner rambling....

8 miles on the schedule today....done!  Holy moly, it's cold out there again!  I was excited to do this run today since it's my last 8 miler before work until the end of July!!!!  Yes.  Happy.  Eight miles before work is a tough run.

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I purchased Alberto Salazar's book, 14 minutes.  I just bought it Sunday and I'm already more than half done.  Do you like reading running books?  I especially enjoy reading about the past of former elite runners and what they went through to get where they are today.  It's a great story so far and I think most of you would enjoy it.  Check it out at your local book store, online or at the library.

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How many of you have age group awards?  I've been thinking about the one and only one I received last summer.  It was for first place in my age group(Men 40-44) in the Alpenfest 10k in Gaylord in northern Michigan.  Maybe I should sign up again to see how I'd do.  It's a special medal to me.  While some might discount it because it really was not a fast time - not even my fastest but nevertheless, I won! Haha!  I really wish that I could run fast enough to place in a race somewhere around my home.  But to run a 5 minute mile?  Not going to happen.  We have too many fast runners in Detroit!

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I think I'm going to be a convert to a trail runner or at least do it half the time instead of all road running.  I can't stop thinking about it.  I really want to do this more.  I'm hoping to get out to the Stony Creek Trolley Trails this week after work this week.  It really is very enjoyable running on trails.  Why is it though that I feel like I'm running really fast but I'm going so slow?  Ha!
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With the addition of the Martian Marathon this weekend(as soon as I get my free code - hopefully soon!), I'll be at 4 half marathon distances or more within 37 days.  This puts me in the Saturn category, their third category out of 10 categories.  Have any of you joined this group?  What do you really get besides a shirt to run in(although I do like the shirt.) Bragging rights?  Not sure I really need that.  I brag enough on my own here.  ha!

Source

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So my blog hit over 100,000 hits recently.  Wow - you people really read this stuff?  Thanks for following along!
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Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

Hyland Post #15 - Final big week of miles!

Rest day on the schedule today.  I ended up doing 5 miles today.  No rest until Friday.  I have a change in plans which I explain in this post.

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Here's a recap of week #14 of 18 weeks of marathon training:

Miles Run:  36.60 miles
Days Run:  5 days
Cross Training:  None
Time Training:  5 hours and 24 minutes

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This week was a cut back week and ended nicely.  I ran my first trail run this week on Thursday evening and then proceeded to run the next morning.  Overall, my legs still felt really strong.  I ended up skipping the cross training again - something I know I should not skip but will likely get left off until after the marathon.  My focus needs to be more on running for the last month of training.  I also had a nice 12 mile long run yesterday and we hit some hills today.  Even though we have done some hill training on the long runs, I don't feel that I adequately prepared for the hills that we will face in Cinncinati at the Flying Pig.  I did feel like I got some nice hill training on the trail run this week and my legs did not feel beat up from it.  I guess I'll just be a little slower on the hills for the race.

Taken from their website

I'll really only have one more chance to get in some hills on the long run and that won't be until the week before the marathon for our 8 mile long run.  The reason being is that since I've won an entry into The Martian Marathon(will likely just do the half) next weekend and then we have the Glass City half marathon in Toledo the following week, there won't be much time for more hills.  Unfortunately, I just don't have the hills by my home unless I drive to them and I don't do that during the week for my 5am runs.

This week will be the final big push of miles and then  I will start my taper.  Wow!  I can't believe that is already here!  The plan for this week is to run 5,8,5,5 then rest on Friday for a 20 miler(including a half marathon at Martian marathon) and after that run the taper will begin.  I'll talk more about the taper on next weeks post.

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

Impromptu Marathon in Michigan

Cross training on the schedule today...none!  Hah!  Just not feeling it today so I took a rest day.  It gets more and more difficult each week into marathon training.  I'm guessing I won't be back to cross training until after the marathon.

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Taken from their Facebook page

Yesterday I received an e-mail from the people at "Refuel with Chocolate Milk".  As you might have seen, they are doing new advertising with many runners/triathletes to promote Chocolate Milk as the recovery drink.  Really smart in my opinion.

Anyway, I received a notice from them that because of a contest they were doing on Facebook that I entered, I won a spot in the Martian Marathon.......NEXT WEEKEND!  Wow!  How exciting......and nervous at the same time.  Here's my dilemma.  I have a half marathon already on 4/22.  I also have a full marathon on 5/6.  In addition, I have another half marathon on 5/20.  Then to top it all off, on the day of the Martian Marathon, I have a 20 miler planned for training.  That's a lot of running there!!!

The way I figure it, I have several choices here:

1. Do my 20 miler training run with my running buddy and skip the Martian
2. Run 7 miles then run the martian half
3. Run the martian full as a training run(and hope I can recover in time for the half next weekend)
4. Walk 6.2 miles of the martian full then run 20 miles of the full to finish the full.
5. Run 20 miles of the full marathon(but only register for the half)(assuming the contest will let me register for just the half)

So what do you think?  I'm leaning towards #5.  I'm excited to have a chance to run another event in Michigan that I have not gone to - it's the reason I signed up for the contest.  I just didn't think I'd get picked.  Haha!

By the way, it looks like the people at Chocolate Milk are offering other contests for other races in Michigan including the Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City(which is sold out!)  Check them out on their Facebook page here to enter.  I'd love to run the Bayshore again!

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

First trail Run of the year

5 miles on the schedule....done!  Perhaps a little more tired than usual since I just ran 6.2 yesterday after work.

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Yesterday after work I decided I would run on the trails at Stony Creek.  I've never run on the trails by the golf course so thought it would be fun to try those out.  The trail have various levels of difficulty but I saw them as easy or hard.  Ha!  I need to get used to running more on the trails so I'm not only ready for the Back to the Beach Half that will be at Stony Creek with about half trails but also for the North Country half in August.

Here's a few pictures from the trails.

Fun with hills

A small hill in the beginning of the run

Exactly the kind of trail I like; soft on your feet dirt

While I didn't take any pictures of it, there were plenty of technical trails with lots of stones, roots and even some logs to run over.  It was rarely straight and was typically up or down in many sections and not flat.  Some sections felt like forever while others felt like minutes to get through.  One thing that I really enjoyed is that it feels like you are miles from everything like I feel when I run up north.

Overall the temps were pretty decent for running being in the high 40's.  It was the first time I tested a new pair of trail shoes that I using for an upcoming review.  So far so good.  Very comfortable shoes.  I only planned to do 5 miles since I had 5 miles to run this morning but ended up going 6.2 since I did exactly know the distance of each section.  Oh well.  It was fun.

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Posted a new photo as well:  Detroit Runner Photography

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

IonLoop Magnetic Bracelet review

5 miles on the schedule today.  I'll be doing today's run after work since I'm testing a new pair of trail shoes  and want to get some miles on them.  I can't wait to try them out!

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Fernanda over at IonLoop was kind enough to send me a few samples of their IonLoop Magnetic Bracelets to do a review.  I have been wearing them the last several weeks.  Take a look at what I was sent:

3 bracelets with the running theme

Here's a little closer look

As you can see, all three bracelets are related to running distances including 26.2, 13.1 and 5k.  In addition to these three styles, IonLoop also has numerous other themes to pick from including emergency symbols, flags, colors, military and various motivational themes as well.  You are sure to find something on their website that you like.  Of course, I'm sure most of you will like the running related ones.

In addition to these, they sent me a color catalog that shows all the styles.  They have a great assortment to pick from on their website.  They also sell necklaces as well.  Here is what the catalog looks like:

I've been wearing the bracelet pretty much since I received them several weeks ago.  I wanted to give them a good test.  First, the bracelet is AWESOME looking!  I love it.  It can be worn to work or casually so you don't feel like you need to take it off.  It's a great motivator for me to see the distance(in this case wearing the 26.2) all day, everyday for my upcoming marathon in about 4.5 weeks.  It keeps me motivated!

Second, when I'm wearing it, it's extremely comfortable so you barely notice that you are wearing it.  The company has you measure your wrist to determine the correct size via a video on their website.  I told them my size and the bracelet fits perfectly.  It's waterproof too!

Here's a couple close ups of the bracelet:

Great Style

Silicone band

Here's picture of it not on my wrist

Very cool, right!

Magnets/Ions

So, of course, the bracelet is much more than JUST a bracelet.  This is a special bracelet that includes rare powerful magnets and also negative ions.

Negative ions are the good ions; positive ions are the bad ones.  Positive ions are emitted in things like cell phones and computers.  They also come from the sun.  The bracelet is infused with negative ions to help offset the positive ions.  Now I have worn the bracelet for several weeks, I do feel that it helps in recovery.  I've been feeling very good lately and even had a really great 20 mile run this past weekend and felt good after, which is pretty rare for me to feel that good.  Is it the bracelet?  I believe so.

In addition to the negative ions, there are also very powerful magnets, called earth magnets, that are the most powerful known.  Of course, they are not large but you would not want them large either otherwise the bracelet would not be comfortable - plus they don't need to be large.  Magnetic technology has been around for many years but most other companies do not use these type of powerful(and more expensive) magnets.

The bracelet can help you in many ways including a quicker recovery from a workout(proved that on my 20 miler), better sleep, better stress management, natural energy, better concentration, less soreness/stiffness(helped me) on the body overall.  Of course, I can't say that all of these happened to me or guaranty it will help you but if I can get a quicker recovery for a run and feel better overall, I'm all for it!

So here's the breakdown:

Pro's

• Great style
• Good quality
• Very comfortable
• Most powerful magnets used
• Waterproof
• The logo is under plastic to keep it looking great

Con's

• Some might not be convinced of the effectiveness of magnet therapy
• Some might not be convinced of negative ion effects
• I'd like to see other distances including 70.3 and 140.6 for triathletes
• A pink color with the race distances for the ladies would be a nice option(and probably sell more)

Personally, I believe in the technology.  While I'm sure there are some non-believers, they need to try it first and see how it helps them.  I think of it this way.  Years ago people used to think Chiropractor's were quacks - not so today.

Interested in learning more?

Check out the website HERE

Check out their Facebook page HERE

Check out their Twitter page HERE

* Note:  I received three IonLoop bracelets at no cost in exchange for this review.  All opinions here are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.

Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

Son's running picture

8 miles on the schedule today.....done!  Uneventful - just the way I like it!  Finally I'm also starting to see the sun come up --- I can see some light at least at the end of my run.

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Here's a picture my son made with a lego guy on it.  It's hard to read but the green part says, "Best runner ever" - I blanked out his name which is why you see white circles.  Very cool!

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Also, I forgot to tell everyone that I past the one year mark for not running on the treadmill.  March 24, 2011 was my last time on the treadmill.  I know many of you have had years off it but in Michigan, I think that's pretty good.  Working on two years now.

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Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!