Runner Insight

Bunny Two Shoes

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Here’s a great tip for you that I got from my local running store a couple of years ago.  I was training for the marathon, and went in to get a new pair of running shoes. Anders at The Runner’s Edge suggested I buy my second pair about a month or two before I would need them. 

Finding this curious, I asked why?  He said that way I could start breaking them in a little at a time and it would help me to prevent the blisters and sore feet that can come packaged with a brand new pair of running shoes you’re trying to break in.

Well, instead of waiting until a month before I needed them, I bought two pairs of my running shoes that day.  I wanted to make sure that I didn’t have to worry about them being out of stock of the brand and style I like, plus I wouldn’t have to worry about it later. I had a lot going on to prepare for my first full marathon; I didn’t need to be worrying about my running shoes, too!

I have been adhering to his advice ever since!  In fact, I’ve been slowly breaking in a new pair in preparation for the half marathon I’m doing in mid July.  The timing is perfect, as I will have just over 500 miles of  running on my old shoes.  By running in my new shoes only a few miles at a time, they will be broke in just enough that I needn’t worry about them causing me any problems during my half marathon, and since they’ll have less than 100 miles on them, they’ll still have all the support and cushioning I need to make the run a success.

Not to mention how crisp and bright and white they will look with my race day outfit!  Yee Haw! Gotta Love That!!

How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner

P.S. If you’re getting value out of this blog, you can do me a favor by linking to us and mentioning my Run Over To Ellen’s fundraising project to friends and co-workers. Here’s the link information for this particular article:
Title: Bunny Two Shoes – Running Shoes Times Two?
URL: http://runnerinsight.com/2009/06/29/bunny-two-shoes-running-shoes-times-two/

P.S.S. You’ll want to check out my Run Over To Ellen’s fundraising run. We only need 30,000 people to donate $1 each. When you get your donation in and get your private access to the donor’s only daily updates, you’ll want to go check out the video blog and leave a comment, cause every donor that leaves a comment on the video blog site through July 4th will be in the drawing for the $70 value “Spy Coin” that includes a micro SD chip!!

Popularity: 20% [?]

Spirit of the Marathon:  A Review

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Hey we just watched a great DVD called “Spirit of the Marathon”.

It’s a motivating documentary following 6 runners training for the Chicago Marathon in 2005.  They range from first time marathoners to elite athletes, from young to old, from fast, fast, fast to average to slow, with lots of commentary and insight about marathons from historically great marathoners like Alberto Salazar, Paula Radcliffe, Kathrine Switzer, Bill Rodgers, Amby Burfoot, Joan Benoit Samuelson and Dick Beardsley, etc.

It’s a captivating story weaving through the lives of the 6 runners, exploring questions such as why they want to run a marathon, to how they are training, and it captures the joy and hardship and heartache and dedication: ultimately capping off with the marathon race itself. 

We get to follow an elite male Kenyan runner, Daniel Njenga who hadn’t finished the Chicago Marathon higher than second place, and watch him compete for a first place finish. And we get a look at some of Deena Kastor’s preparation and training and modifications that she had to make to her marathon training program to compensate for an injury.

It runs 102 minutes and it had me reminiscing about my marathon training program and marathon experience as well as contemplating another.  It made me want to get out and run, and it got me excited to do it all again!  So if you’re a runner, whether casual or competitive, it is definitely worth the watch. We really enjoyed it.

My only beef is they didn’t include what the runner’s finish times were. After all, it is a race and even if times don’t matter, we still want to know!  We’ve attached to these people, and are interested in how they did. I’m a casual runner, not even contemplating finishing in the top anything, (okay, I’ll admit it was cool to come in first in my last name group ) but I’m still interested in gauging times. And that is how we as runners talk to each other….”Oh I ran my first marathon in…x hours and y minutes.” And personal bests, etc. Am I right?

It’s only $20 for the DVD at Amazon…Click Here Now to Get it: “Spirit of the Marathon”

It’s also available at the same link as a Video on Demand, so you don’t have to wait for them to ship the DVD to you!

How ’bout it?

- Vision Runner

P.S. If you’re getting value out of this blog, you can do me a favor by linking to us and mentioning my Run Over To Ellen’s fundraising project to friends and co-workers. Here’s the link information for this particular article:
Title: Spirit of the Marathon: A Review
URL: http://runnerinsight.com/2009/06/26/spirit-of-the-marathon-a-review/

P.S.S. You’ll want to check out my Run Over To Ellen’s fundraising run. We only need 30,000 people to donate $1 each. When you get your donation in and get your private access to the donor’s only daily updates, you’ll want to go check out the video blog and leave a comment, cause every donor that leaves a comment on the video blog site through July 4th will be in the drawing for the $70 value “Spy Coin” that includes a micro SD chip!!  

Popularity: 40% [?]

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If you’ve donated and been following the video blog daily updates on my Run Over To Ellen’s fundraising project, you know that I’ve been dealing with a bunch of heavy equipment and construction machinery and closed roads on my running path this past month. Well, now the construction project has been completed, and my running trail has open and easy access again.

I wanted to let the crew know how much I appreciated everything they did to help me out this past month, so I wrote a letter to the Editor of our local newspaper, and am also mailing a copy to the construction company that they work for.

Here’s the letter to the Editor that I sent this week:

 Editor:

I just wanted to give a big shout out to the crew at Jensen Construction Co. for being so helpful and kind to me during the road work out on South Ave. the past few weeks.

I’m legally blind, and I’d just started my virtual Run Over To Ellen’s (www.RunOverToEllens.com ) 1,222.25 mile fundraising run for Guide Dogs for the Blind.  (See Missoulian article: Wednesday June 3, 2009.) Since my vision is limited, I have been running on South Ave. as it’s a controlled path that is easy for me to navigate with my white cane. 

When I was told that South Ave. was going to be closed, I became concerned.  How was I going to get the mileage in that I needed each week to meet my goal? So not knowing what to expect, I ventured out the first day construction was to begin. With my white cane in hand and running clothes on, I made my way slowly and cautiously to the “Sidewalk Closed” sign.  After waiting less than a minute, one of the workers approached me.  I explained to him about my dilemma and he was more than willing to accommodate me.  He put his elbow out, and escorted me around the enormous construction equipment and mounds of gravel until we were on smooth sidewalk again. 

He told me it was no problem, just wait for one of them each day, and they would be glad to help me around.

So for this past month, that’s just what I did.  I know Brad helped me several times, and Tom a few times. And while I can’t remember the names of all the other great folks that served as my eyes for me, I really want them ALL to know how much I sincerely appreciate their kindness and willingness to help me run my 36 miles a week on the path I can navigate.

I’m sure that construction crews don’t get enough recognition for a job well done, but in this case, it goes well beyond an “Atta boy” and “Job well-done”. You folks at Jensen on the South Avenue crew all made what could have been a major setback for me, a huge success! So a monstrously huge Thanks!

How ’bout it?

- Vision Runner 

 www.RunOverToEllens.com

www.RunnerInsight.com

www.FirstGiving.com/VisionRunner

P.S. If you donated and can’t find (should be in the FirstGiving email response you got when you donated) or remember the private access link to follow the daily video blog updates, email us at admin at RunnerInsight dot com and we’ll be happy to shoot you the access website link again.

Popularity: 4% [?]