Weekend Outlook

What better way to start off the new year than with a 5k?! There are a couple races going on-- R.I.T.N.Y. (Cary at midnight on the 31st) and the Running of the Lights (Clemmons at midnight on the 31st). Other than that, enjoy the new year!

New Year's Resolutions

It's that time of year again... the gyms will soon be packed, and fitness classes that never filled will have a line out the door. Why? Because "lose weight" and "get fit" make a lot of American's top 12 resolutions list. After reviewing what the government had to say on the matter (I had no idea that they kept track of that), I realized that only about half of them applied to runners (most of us don't smoke and have no plans to consume less alcohol... we're already getting fit and reducing stress by running... and a lot of us travel to at least one race a year). So I decided to look up what the top New Year's resolutions were among runners... definitely a lot more entertaining!

Find a Race

Now that you've reviewed your training log and decided on some goals for the new year... it's time to put a name to those races! Here are 12 race websites to check out:

1. active.com
2. runnc.com
3. FS Series
4. Precision Race
5. NC Races
6. Big Foot Running
7. Running in the USA
8. Runner's World Race Finder
9. Cool Running
10. Road ID Event Calendar
11. MarathonGuide.com
12. USA Track & Field

What Worked... What Didn't

Yup, it's getting to be the end of another year... which means it's time to start making goals for the next! But, before you do that, it might be a good idea to see what you can learn from your training this year (aka time to break out your training log and do some analysis). The easiest thing to look at is mileage. Two metrics to consider are total mileage and average weekly and/or monthly mileage. I also like to look at how my mileage compared week-to-week and month-to-month (the later being a low-pass filtered version of the former). For example, even though a runner might average ~40-miles a week, they might never run this weekly mileage. Looking back at our schedule this past year, many of us trained for longer stuff in the earlier and later part of the year, and kept it shorter in the summer.

The next thing to consider is racing... did you meet your goals or did you not? Some things to look at are the number of races you ran, the frequency and distance of these events, and what you were doing in terms of training when you raced. This helps to gauge "expected performance", and might point to how you can tweak your training for next year to peak more effectively. Also, note when you were "feeling good" (or injured), and see what you were doing for training for the few weeks proceeding these events.

Bring it 2012!

Coooookies

Are those holiday cookies with their delicious frosting and colorful sprinkles looking extra special good to anyone else? While most of us aren't dieting, I did find this article interesting. I don't know about anyone else, but when I'm hungry, I don't have visions of steak and potatoes dancing through my head. Rather, I have actually tried to figure out on long runs how many different forms of funfetti I could incorporate into one desert (in case you're wondering, I settled on a funfetti cookie icecream sandwich with funfetti icing on the top... mmmmmm). And, after reading the first page of that article (the second page is rather obvious... math never lies), I think I might have figured out why:

"But cookie monster problems arise when time-deprived or dieting athletes consume inadequate fuel..."

Ok, while I (and I'm presuming everyone else) does eat something before doing a long run, 2+ hrs of steady exercise is definitely going to throw you into a temporary calorie deficit. And, while energy gels help, you would have to be eating 1 approximately every mile after a while to break even (going off of the old rule of thumb that you burn ~100 calories/mile... this obviously must be adjusted based on weight and pace, but it's good enough to make my point). So, in addition to craving salt (which is a sign that you're electrolytes might be out of whack), it makes sense that endurance athletes crave sweets.

Weekend Outlook

I didn't find much on the local racing scene (and by much, I mean any), and I didn't hear anyone mention that they were racing... SO ENJOY THE HOLIDAY! In conclusion of our 3-week series, I looked up what Runner's World thought runners wanted. I was very sad that tie-dye Zensah compression socks did not make their list... and very disappointed that Hello Kitty arm warmers did! Oh well, I'll leave you with this (guess two of those people didn't get the memo):

Dear Santa,

Could you please bring Raleigh a public-access track? Lights would be extra cool too... we've been good this year! Thanks.

:-) Raleigh-area Runners

12 Drummers Drumming

Drumming = music = headphones! So, which are the best for running? Well, it depends upon where you're running. If you're outside (be careful when you're listening to music while running), opt for clip-on, earbud, or behind-the-neck styles to better hear your surroundings. If you're inside, in-the-ear styles are better for blocking out noise. And, unless you're going to sing to yourself with headphones in (which might earn you a weird look), you probably need something to plug them into, so here's a list of the best mp3 players for runners (a slightly older review by Runner's World... and here's their advice on how to choose one). And, if you care what "the elites" are listening to, check out some of these playlists (guess that's another thing the separates me from them).