Free goody?

No workout for me tonight - most Thursdays just making it through airport security, the taxi line, and traffic back home feels like enough of a workout in itself!

But...I am entering for a free sparkly running headband over at Crazy Running Girl's blog tonight.  Click on the hypertext to enter for a chance to win one yourself!  Good luck :)

Rock On

Head's up Happy Feet: Register for a Rock 'n' Roll Marathon event today & save $20!

Click Here to link to the site for you $20 off!

Posting this news at 11:30PM doesn't really give you that so much time to sign up - alas, the joys of working bummer hours  - hopefully it at least helps someone out!!

Keep Calm and Run Along

With the weeks ticking by and my work hours still keeping me at the office until the wee hours of the morning  far too often, I was beginning to panic about the upcoming Naples Half Marathon.  Was this going to be another Brooklyn?

But then I got to Naples for Thanksgiving and thought, you know what?  You are where you are and you have a little over 8 weeks left to make the best of it.  I got out the calendar and realized that if I started at 4 miles that very next day - whether or not I was over my head cold - I could add on one mile per week and end at exactly 13 on race week and suddenly my hope was restored.

Wouldn't hanging out here relax your nerves, too?

Great Holiday Gifts for the Runner in Your Life

Any running-related goodies under that tree?

Sure, anyone can head to a local sports or running specialty shop or website and pick up some great spandex sweat gear for the runner in their life - and [especially given the price of all of those fabulous little spandex numbers] your runner will probably love it.  But in case you're worried about purchasing shorts that will ride up on their runs or another top that they already have, check out my running themed holiday gift selections below for some unique suggestions.

In Defense of the Marathon

If you had told me on Monday that the city would be in this much turmoil about the marathon not being cancelled as a result of Hurricane Sandy, I wouldn't have believed you, but there certainly has been a lot of opposition and a lot of heated debates.  As evidenced here and here.

A view from our apartment: the crane that Sandy broke.

Halloween in NYC this Year...

Most of the country is probably aware of Hurricane Sandy and her devastating impacts on much of the eastern cost of North America.  NYC was hit particularly badly, but fortunately I live in one of the few neighborhoods that kept power throughout.  As more and more stories surface in the aftermath of the storm, though, it seems that not having power is the least of some peoples worries and my heart goes out to them.

The weather has kept me in NYC for the week instead of Boston-suburb-bound, as is my usual weekly trek these days.  While home, I'm trying to take advantage of not having to eat three meals a day in a restaurant, and having the opportunity to work around my own schedule, which means the chance to build in some workouts and cook some nutritious meals.

Have you ever seen such a sadly stocked produce section?   Sandy's impact on Whole Foods.

My Problem With Sprint Workouts

Adding sprints into the weekly run mix is one of the most commonly recommended workouts for runners looking to improve speed.  Ergo, it would make sense that I, someone who writes about wanting to become a faster runner, would heed that advice and attempt to run some sprint workouts.  But you may have noticed that I don't do this very often, and you may have wondered why.