What is Ragnar? If you are not familiar with Ragnar, here is a brief description. Ragnar is a company that hosts multiple relay races in which teams compete against each other to carry a baton to the finish. The courses are approximately 200 miles and are broken up into 36 ‘legs’ of varying distances. Each […]
While training for a marathon, there is little doubt that you will encounter a few obstacles. Injury, schedule, weather, family issues, work … the list seems endless. However, there is one obstacle that stands out as the worst – apathy. Not only can it be incredibly hard to overcome, it is also very subversive and […]
Background A few summers ago, my family and I went to the NSC Velodrome in Blaine, Minnesota to watch the Thursday Night Lights Races. Since then, it has become one of our favorite summer activities. I would have to say that there are few places on earth that I would rather be on a Thursday […]
I recently posted about my experience running the 2017 Boston Marathon and how much I enjoyed the experience. In a nutshell, it was tough but it allowed me to see first-hand how the Boston crowd suddenly transforms into an experienced running coach at the sight of a runner having trouble. In addition to that, I […]
Water stops in races can be really chaotic. People crossing in front of each other. People stopping suddenly. People darting out into the running lane. There are also discarded paper cups EVERYWHERE and the ground is sticky from electrolyte drinks. In the midst of all that, you also need to get a drink without spilling […]
After qualifying for the Boston Marathon in 2015, I started asking people who had previously run it if they had any advice. Their responses often contained helpful things like “do some hill workouts” and “control the pace early on” but ALL of them contained this tidbit – “enjoy the experience”. To be honest, I was […]
Time is flying so fast that I can’t keep up. It seems by the time I get used to saying that Boston is X number of weeks away, another week has alread passed. This weekend however, the reality hit me as I finished the last scheduled 20 mile run and realized that I have officially […]
This marathon is starting to worry me now. The training thus far has been a bit of a clusterf**k. The only race that I have been more ill-prepared for was my first marathon. In that race, I naively set my goal at 3:45 and finished in 4:44. After five marathons, niavete can no longer be […]
Training Plan change(s) With eleven weeks left before the Boston Marathon, my training thus far has been pretty laughable. I began with the high-mileage Pfitzinger 18/70 Plan but switched in week 5 to a plan with Hanson Plan which has less mileage and more intensity. After less than a week on that plan, I switched […]
After experiencing a rough start with my marathon training, it seemed like I needed find ways to minimize the chances of missing any future workouts due to poor conditions outside. I have access to treadmills and indoor running facilities but their hours are limited and all of them are at least a 20 minute drive […]
