Normal Rockstar

Snow... in Nashville?!?

Well, this was the scene about 5 minutes ago off of my front porch here in Spring Hill. The snow's still coming down... and I'm supposed to do a 20mi run this morning!! Geez - I guess I'm going to have to make my way to the gym without getting hit by a "what's this white stuff on the ground?" southern driver. It's going to be a LONG morning on a treadmill!

Marathon: The Day After

This is a fantastic video. For those of you who have run a marathon before, you'll get it. Those who haven't, it might give you some ideas, anyways... [HT: Spence]

"Spirit of the Marathon" in Theaters Thursday

For those of you who are runners or are considering becoming a runner/marathoner, here is a movie that would be a great one to see/support: "Spirit of the Marathon". It will be showing across North America this Thursday night at 7:30pm. Here's a brief description of the movie from the website:

"Spirit of the Marathon is the first ever non-fiction feature film to capture the drama and essence of the famed 26.2 mile running event. Filmed on four continents, the movie brings together a diverse cast of amateur athletes and marathon luminaries.

As six unique stories unfold, each runner prepares for and ultimately faces the challenge of the Chicago Marathon. More than a sports movie, Spirit of the Marathon is an inspirational journey of perseverance and personal triumph; a spectacle that will be embraced by runners and non-runners alike."

I will be going to the 7:30pm show in Nashville at Opry Mills along with some other Rockstar Runners. If you're planning on coming to the show, let us know so that we can connect with you tomorrow night. And if you're not in Nashville, click here to find a theater near you. Make sure you come by to let us know what you thought of the show!

Disney World Marathon Results

Well, I finished. That's about the only thing I can say about my race on Sunday at the Disney World Marathon. I was shooting for a sub 4-hour race and was on track to accomplish that at mile 13. But it was SO humid that by that point both of my shoes were soaked with sweat and the balls of my feet were already blistered. I realized that this would not be the day that I got a PR and really backed off, just aiming instead to finish under 5 hours.

Some lessons learned:

1. Training, training, training - admittedly, I was not as prepared for this race as I should have been. My longest run was only 20 miles, and I simply didn't get enough miles in before race day.

2. Location, location, location - I feel like I could eliminate the humidity factor if I trained a little more frequently in humid conditions. In the month and a half leading up to the race the majority of my runs were done in Montana, Calgary, and Nashville (during a cold spell). I haven't run in humidity since the summer, basically - not helpful when you're running in Orlando.

3. Keep the shoes dry - it's time I figured out how I can keep my shoes dry (or at least driER) on race day. Any suggestions? I'm wondering if there are sweatbands for legs or something like that. I've got the "moisture wicking" socks - but they really didn't do much for me. This will be the thing I'm going to be working on figuring out in the next couple of weeks.

So, that's the end of that run - it's over, in the past, and now I've got to start thinking about the Country Music Marathon and 1/2 Marathon in Nashville in April. To read more about how the rest of the Rockstar Runners did, check out the website.

[This post is part of Works-For-Me Wednesday - check it out!]

Disney World 1/2 Marathon Update

Here is a quick update from  Orlando, FL where Erin and I are participating along with some friends/teammates in the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. More to come tomorrow - I've got to go to bed so that I can run my race!

Running in the New Year

Happy New Year! I realize I'm somewhat late with this, but it's taken me a little while to get back in the blogging groove after enjoying a wonderful time off with my wife and her family (you can read about some of it and see pictures here).

I have hit the ground running in 2008... literally. This weekend I will be running the Walt Disney World Marathon for the second time (the first was in 2004). My wife will be running in the half-marathon race (this will be her first time running in this particular race). It's a fun event with lots going on - I have great memories from the last time I ran this race.

Unfortunately, I don't feel quite as prepared for this one as I did the last time I was here. I am still hoping to run a PR ("personal record") which means I would have to complete the race in less than 4:04... but I don't have my hopes up. If you want to follow my progress on Sunday, you can sign up here to receive text message or email updates (be forewarned: the race starts at 6am EST). If you want to get updates on Erin on Saturday, you can sign up here.

Thanks - we'll keep you in the loop and post some pictures from Orlando as we get a chance. Welcome to 2008, and thanks for being a faithful reader!

Rockstar Runners running club launches

Today marks the official launch of the running club Glenn and I have been dreaming about for a while. If you are a runner or would like to START running but haven't had the desire or the motivation to get off your couch, we hope you'll join the team and allow us to run/walk alongside you. For those really ambitious folks, we are making our inaugural event the Country Music Marathon/Half-Marathon in Nashville on April 26th, 2008. If you sign up to join the team we will send you a discount code for when you register for the event.

So join the team - or at least check out the page at www.rockstarrunners.com!

Nike Runner's Lounge

[If you missed my post yesterday, I am trying to collect some information from my readers in order to serve you better. If you have a second and have not yet filled out the survey, click here. Thanks for your help!]

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I have been on a personal boycott of Nike products for a number of years now. The reasoning behind it is probably outdated - Nike got in trouble a while back for some human rights issues (read "sweatshops") in their overseas manufacturing shops, but I haven't heard anything about this for years now... and I could very well be ready to change my mind, thanks to Nike's new Runner's Lounge.

This is really the coolest thing I've heard from a marketing perspective in a long time and is part of the new trend in sales-promotion pop culture: pop-up stores (click here for a story on Nike's marketing strategy). Here's the concept: you cannot buy ANYTHING in the lounge. But you can try out ANYTHING. The idea is that you go into the store, pick out a pair of running shoes, a shirt, shorts, a pair of sunglasses, even an iPod if you want, and you go for a run to try it out (it's all Nike products, of course). When you return, you get a free smoothie, a massage, or a waffle - or all three! You return all the merchandise - they do the laundry for you! - and look for the next product you want to try out next time.

Now I haven't been to one yet, but I've talked with a number of friends who have and who have become Runner's Lounge evangelists. Currently the only ones in North America are in Canada - Vancouver, Toronto, and they're opening one in Montreal this year. But you can guarantee that if I ever get up near one of these places I'm going to check it out - it's too good to be true.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has been in one of these stores - I know I've got a couple of readers who have tried them out. Here is a sort of review from someone who tried out the store in Toronto (it includes a few more pictures). Can you think of any other companies that are pursuing this kind of marketing strategy?

The Dangers of Running in the Dark

I have a friend who has recently started training for a marathon, and every once in a while we get a chance to run together. [Due to the somewhat embarrassing nature of this story, we'll call him Joe.] Now we live in Tennessee and in the summer it very rarely cools down - you either have to run early in the morning or late in the evening if you want to have any reprieve from the heat and humidity.

Well, Joe was out for a run late one evening when he experienced what is commonly known in the running world as Runner's Trots (click here - if you dare - for more information on how to avoid having such an experience). He was successful in finding a spot away from the trail he was running on to relieve himself; then, being the avid camper that he is, he proceeded to grab some leaves and clean himself up before finishing the run.

Unfortunately, the leaves he grabbed turned out to be poison oak, and it wasn't very long before he found himself extremely uncomfortable, to the point of having to go to the doctor on two separate occasions to receive the proper attention and medication.

The best part of the story? A few days after everything healed up he saw the doctor (a woman) in Wal-Mart and proceeded to thank her profusely for her prescription, much to the embarrassment of his wife! Word to the wise: if you're going for a run in the dark, take some toilet paper with you... or make sure you're running in a lit area!

Running in Lightning? Take Off Your iPod!

Do you find yourself running in the middle of a lightning storm often? I enjoy a good run in the rain from time to time - it's quite refreshing. But beware: if the storm you're running in becomes an electrical storm, it would be a good idea to turn off your iPod or simply leave it at home.

A jogger up in Vancouver, Canada is the latest victim of a lightning strike, and doctors are suggesting that the iPod he was wearing helped worsen his lightning-related injuries. You can read the whole story here. The doctors actually published their case study in the New England Journal of Medicine, making the following observation:

"Although people may be struck directly by lightning, it is more common for the lightning to jump to a person from a nearby object, such as a tree — a phenomenon known as a side flash. Opisthotonic muscle contraction may project the victim some distance, leading to further injury from blunt trauma [8 feet, in this case]. Because of the high resistance of skin, the lightning is often conducted over the outside of the body (an effect known as a flashover); however, sweat and metallic objects in contact with the skin can disrupt the flashover, leading to the internal flow of current. Although the use of a device such as an iPod may not increase the chances of being struck by lightning, in this case, the combination of sweat and metal earphones directed the current to, and through, the patient's head."

If you MUST jog during a storm, here's a suggestion: DON'T take cover under a tree. Run under power lines instead; they will be more likely to get hit than you.

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