I've added and subtracted a few running blogs from the Blogs I'm Following list. The blogs I've removed just haven't posted enough content in the past few months to make it worth it to keep on the list. The good news, though, is that I've added two new ones.
First, The Fruitarian blog. I've mentioned Michael Arnstein multiple times before. He ran his first marathon 15 years ago at the age of 18 in 2:52. He has been an 80/10/10 athlete for a few years and runs marathon-distance runs (or more) just about every weekend, sometimes in races and sometimes just for training. Recently he has transitioned to a diet more heavily focused on fruit (hence, The Fruitarian blog). He won the New Jersey Marathon a few weeks ago and ran his first sub-2:30 marathon this year in Boston, finishing 57th overall. I have followed Michael for sometime now and find his approach to be inspirational and effective. His website is currently being constructed, but there's definitely enough information available to introduce you to him while anticipating his posts. You can also check out his Youtube channel for more information.
Second, the No Meat Athlete blog. I don't remember how I stumbled onto this blog, but its got some good content if diet is your concern, but its more than just a bunch of posts on nutrition. Blogger Matt is a Ph.D. student in Applied Math and has been running for about eight years. He's been a vegetarian for a little over a year now and qualified for his first Boston Marathon in October 2009 at the Wineglass Marathon in Corning, NY (with a time of 3:09:59....1 minute to spare). His nutrition information is pretty good and he doesn't come across as preachy at all (nor does Michael, by the way), but it's not all about food. There's a lot of other worthwhile content as well. I particularly like his Qualifying For Boston series and even teared up a bit as I read his recap of his last four miles and the determination and mental strength it took to finish under the qualifying time. There's a short 10 second video his wife shot of him crossing the finish line at Wineglass that will draw a tear or two as well, when you realize that all his hard work has paid off and he's an official Boston Qualifier.
A few other quick hitters while I'm thinking about it:
A great week of training this week after the disappointing run last Saturday. 5 miles on Monday and Thursday and 8 on Wednesday, all three of them at a 7:27 pace or better. The 8-miler was especially gratifying, as I've been trying to run this route under an hour for weeks now. I was close last week, but missed by 25 seconds. This week I did it with 22 seconds to spare. It's got two fairly intense hills that make you feel the burn and added to that on Wednesday was a hailstorm, thunder and lightening, rain, some wind, and finally, some sunshine at the end. Springtime in Oregon.
I got my hands back on Running Within this week. Our library only allows one renewal extension at a time when someone else has reserved it, so I've waited three weeks for it to come back in. I'll have some more thoughts from this in the coming days and weeks.
I'm debating whether or not to include a 15k race as part of my taper on May 22nd. I'd like to get another race in prior to June 5th and the distance is right, so we'll see. It may be a race-day decision.
Mapmyrun.com has course profiles of the Newport and Seattle Rock and Roll races. Thanks to ChezJfrey and dave0 for posting them.
Here's a couple of calculators to help you determine a realistic Time goal for your race. I'll delve into these further during my taper weeks. Runworks is my personal favorite because of all the variables you can play with.
I continue to LOVE my Yurbuds. If you're a music-listening runner, then a comfortable pair of earphones is just as important as a comfortable pair of shoes. Check them out and use Coupon Code WJPX5 for a discount (*the Yurbuds website is currently undergoing some revision and the coupon code isn't working right now. I'm aware this and will update as soon as possible).
The blog redesign was something that needed to happen. I'm still not set on the colors so it may change again. It's an evolving thing.
A continued thank you to those of you who continue to check in from time to time. You know who you are. And welcome to those who are finding their way to Mind Over Body Marathon for the first time.
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