On the menu...

Readership is down, which is probably a direct reflection of the quality of writing but we're going to change things up a little and quit focusing on what I'm doing and focus on you...the reader and hopefully the runner.

I think sometimes it's hard to train unless you have a tangible goal or date in front of you, so let's find you a marathon. Below is a menu of marathons and half marathons (and some shorter distance races). Some are near, some are far...pick one and start training!

Local Flavor:

Lincoln National Guard Marathon / Half-Marathon
May 1, 2011 Cost: $75 (before 3/31)
Flat, fast course and for you Husker fans....finish the race on the 50-yard line in Memorial Stadium looking at your exhausted self on the big screen. Go Big Red!

Leprechaun Chase 10K
March 12 Cost: $25 (before 2/18) only $30 until race day
Ladies start the race 5 1/2 minutes before the gentleman. Prize? If a female wins, 1 free beer for the ladies. If a male wins, 1 free beer for the fellas. If you are an extremely fast male runner, please sign up and get me a free beer!

Blarney Stone 5K
March 17 Cost $30 (before 3/9)
Overpriced 5K (Sorry Peak Performance, I love you, but $30 for a 5K?). If you got the cash to pony up for the event, it is a fun event with lots of runners, costumes, and (surprise!) beer.

Closer to Home:

Des Monies Marathon
October 16 Cost: $65 marathon, $50 half-marathon (before 4/17)
Travel to the "Un-Cool Omaha" for a very well organized marathon. Bart Yasso, Chief Running Officer for Runner's World will serve as the host for the 2011 IMT Des Monies Marathon, so run with running gurus in an awesome fall marathon.

Kansas City Marathon
October 15 Cost: $ 60 marathon, $40 half-marathon (before 4/10)
The course planner made a conscious effort to minimize the hills whenever possible, so go check to see if he's lying. The course travels through Kansas City's beautiful parks and starts and finishes at Crown Center. (Believe it or not, but I've never been to KC...so this marathon is definitely on my "To-Do List")

Fargo Marathon
May 21 Cost: $75 marathon, $55 half marathon
Quickly becoming one of the country's most popular marathons, Fargo boasts live rock bands at every mile to keep you pumped up and running. Quaint Fargo offers great amenities for runners and a great crowd turnout.


Out There:

Austin Marathon (Austin, TX)
February 20 Cost $125 (full), $90 (half)
This race has Lance Armstrong's stamp all over it. So much so it's sponsored by LIVESTRONG. Austin isn't just known for Lance, it also boasts one of the best ensembles of live bands every mile!

Little Rock Marathon
March 6 Cost $90
"Little Rock? Big a$$ medal." Weighing in at nearly 2 lbs, it will be the biggest medal you'll earn for running a marathon. Nothing says "I just ran a marathon!" like wearing a giant medal worthy of a Flavor Flav endorsement.

LA Marathon
March 20 Cost $145
Run through the streets of LA and through Hollywood, you might even see one of these famous marathon finishers (Will Farrell, Mario Lopez, Freddie Prince Jr., or William Baldwin).

Also another option to get you running is finding a marathon with a team relay. Share the experience with 4 friends and dominate 26.2

Get running people and quit reading this garbage blog (just kidding, start running AND keep reading the blog)

Joining the psychos...

There’s no need to take an ice bath when you’re running in sub-freezing temperatures. I took the plunge this last week. No, I didn’t get married, but I did make the meaningful commitment to run outside for my longer runs no matter the temperature. My employer has a single treadmill available for use, so during the week I have been completing my shorter runs during my lunch hour for convenience, but anything over 4 miles I now pledge to join those hardcore, 365 days a year, psycho runners out there braving the cold, rain, sleet, snow, and heat. (Sorry U.S. Postal Service, I butchered your motto).

I got home from work last Wednesday and needed to go for a four-mile run. I looked at my gym membership card, I looked out the window, I looked at the forecast, and looked out the window and then like a stoic warrior I armed myself for battle. I put on my wool socks, some fleece pants, 3 shirts, a stocking cap, two pairs of gloves, and to top it all off…my headlamp. As I was sticking my key into my running gloves, blazing hot like a kid waiting to go sledding, my wife asked, “What are you doing?” And in my toughest, manliest, closest thing to Sylvester Stallone voice I could muster I answered…"I’m going running."

The forecast said it was 3 degrees and for the first half mile the cold felt good. I might have overlayered myself in clothes, but I wasn’t about to take a layer off. There was something very peaceful about the beam of light from my headlamp as it bounced off the snow. The air was cold, but calm and the snow crunching under my feet was very rhythmic. After running for about a half hour thinking about how cold it was and wondering what the people passing me in their cars thought of a runner with a headlamp, I ran back home. I ran inside elated at my recent feat. As I returned into the nice heated apartment I thought I was hot, but upon removing my layers I realized my skin was ice cold. So…don’t fear running outside in the brutal cold, but don’t be out there too long either because at some point the beauty and serenity vanishes and it’s just dang cold!

Baths with ice...

Disclaimer: This picture was taken post Omaha Marathon and I do have shorts on. I wanted to capture every moment of the event which included a post race ice bath.

Now that you're comfortable and safe in reading a blog that pictures a half naked man, let's talk about ice baths.

Long runs can be very trying on the body. Muscle tissue breaks down, swelling occurs, and cell tissue can breakdown. By immersing yourself in cold water you allow your blood vessels to constrict and swelling to reduce. Ice baths do not need to include ice. Everything I've read recommends temperatures around 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the persons comfort level. Taking an ice bath is supposed to help not hurt. Sometimes after a long run a nice hot shower sounds great, but avoid using hot temperatures as this will increase the flow of blood to swollen joints and muscles and only increase inflammation.

Emerge yourself in this icy pool for 10-20 minutes. This should allow enough time to reduce some swelling and allow the cold to penetrate deep into your muscle tissue. Once you remove yourself from the ice bath your blood vessels will expand allowing blood to rush into your legs and remove some of the metabolic waste that built up during your long run.

Studies have shown ice baths to reduce recovery time and allow for slightly embarrassing photos to be taken. I recently read an article featuring an ultra-marathon runner who puts on a down jacket, stocking cap, neoprene socks, while he drinks hot tea and reads a magazine during his ice baths, so as always do what works for you.