Friday, January 26, 2018

Favorite Podcasts to Listen to While Running

Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Discount Code: EGCLE10

     If there is one thing that I hear over and over again from non runners is, "I get too bored to go out and run for that long!  How do you keep yourself from being so bored?!?"

Well, for one, I am running.  Running is a thing, ya know.  It's like soccer but with one less goal per event, and less back and forth.  Also, podcasts.  Podcasts are free, fun, and sometimes educational.  I love the chance to learn something to better myself, while I am running (or even mindlessly doing chores).  Podcasts are also a great way to listen to funny stories, the news or a litany of other topics.  If there is a topic you want to listen to, there is a podcast for it.  Below are some of my favorites and why I love them (categorized to help you find something you may like).

News:

NPR Politics
     OK, don't run away on the first suggestion!  This is actually a really well done podcast that comes out 2-3 times a week and discusses all of the big political events.  The hosts do a great job of discussing politics in a neutral way and try to show both sides of the coin.  They are actually surprisingly witty and fresh.


On Point
    This podcast is a little drier that NPR Politics Podcast but is very on point with their discussion and very neutral.  Sometimes this podcast overlaps with the previous one, but many times they have different discussion points.  Personal preferences of presentation will set this one apart from NPR.


Up First
    A great morning news podcast new each weekday with a 12 minute length that is perfect for early morning runs, or your daily commute.  Not as dry as your grandpa's NPR!


The Daily
   This is another great weekday newscast that does more deep dives into bigger stories.  The 20+ minute length is another good podcast for morning runs or commutes.  This is a little dyer than Up First by NPR and has a little more political bias in it, but overall is great reporting.  Basically, it's a free snippet of the New York Times each morning!



Pulse Check
     This is a great podcast about America's healthcare system.  This podcast focuses more on content and information than it does entertainment, so it can be a bit dry at times.  If you are in healthcare or want to learn more about how healthcare works, this is the podcast for you.  It updates often based on what is going on in DC.


Stay Tuned with Preet
    This podcast is hosted by Preet Bharara and is focused solely on evaluating the recent news and the legalities of it.  Preet is a great host who is funnier than I imagined, while providing great insight from his time as the U.S. Attorney from the Southern District of New York.



Running:

Trail Runner Nation

   If you're a runner who loves the trails and ultra running this is a great podcast for you!  Often around an hour long (or more) this podcast has a lot of good banter, running stories and follies that will keep you entertained for a long run.  There are quite a few ads at the beginning but I've used most of the products myself and see why the shows has them on.


Becoming Ultra
    This podcast is a great source of inspiration and coaching for those who are looking to tackle marathons or ultra marathons.  Each season there are professional coaches who train runners to tackle an ultramarathon.  The catch is that most runners aren't the most seasoned and usually have not completed a marathon, so their jump to this level is immense.  Great coaching advise and insight on this podcast!

Finances:

Bigger Pockets
    If learning how to invest in or manage real estate is your thing, this is an essential podcast.  The hosts are funny and relatable, while providing an immense amount of knowledge and insight.  This show can be very long at times and is great for the right person who needs to also get in a long run.  Personally, I've learned a great deal from the podcast and used it in my own life.



How I Built This
   Inspiration abounds here as Guy Raz interviews some of the wealthiest people and leaders of industry in America.  They explain how they started and what they did to get where they are.



Politico Money
    Money and politics are two things that have been aligned together since the dawn of the USA. Ben White does an amazing job of drilling financial and political leaders with tough questions about the financial well being of our country.  This podcast is anything but dry and at times gets off course and shows you a side of well known people you might not know about.


Planet Money
   Despite the name and the NPR moniker attached to it, Planet Money is anything but dry.  The hosts tackle current and relevant topics while always having tongue in cheek fun.  How they do this while also making the podcast somewhat educational is beyond me.  A great shorter podcast to keep you enthralled.


Dave Ramsey Show
   If motivation to do better financially is what you need, Dave Ramsey is your guy.  Some of what he says is controversial but the simplicity of it is brilliant.  A good listen for anyone who wants to focus on self improvement.


Wall Street Journal
    The Wall Street Journal is know for the reporting on finances.  Their series of podcasts do not disappoint and are of various lengths and topics, making them great for changing in and out on a long run when monotony kicks in.


Stories:

Serial
    Although this podcast was never carried on for a 3rd series (at least yet), it tells amazing stories.  The story of Adnan Syed actually helped bring his case back to trial and showing issues with it.  The case of Bo Bergdahl is well known but interesting on it's own right.  This podcast will leave you wanting more.




S-Town
   This was the most downloaded podcast ever, so it should not come as a shocker that it is on this list.  The story of a southern man who can't seem to leave his hometown is captivating, disgusting and absolutely enthralling.  I hope they pick up a second story soon, this podcast is GOLD!


Embedded
   Deep dive stories are kind of a trend here, and since this is a running blog they are great to energize you for your next run.  Embedded is made in the same ilk as Serial and tells amazing stories by a great voice.


Mogul
    Hip hop and storytelling are like peanut butter and jelly.  The story of Chris Lighty is an important one behind most of the well known rap from the 80's, 90's and 00's.  The host of this podcast recently passed, which makes this story that much more painful.  His way of storytelling was unique and uplifting, even if the topic wasn't.


Presidential
    Presidential history is key to learning about America and it's past.  With a big spotlight on every president's personal life and administration, Presidential will open your eyes to America's leaders in a way you have never seen them.


Story Corps
    A shorter storytelling podcast that really provides a lot of personal and heartfelt emotions.  Great variety and tons of stories with a lot of new ones each week.  Great for a random journey.


What It Takes
    Whenever you have a chance to hear a legend or role model tell their life story that got them to where they are you should listen.  That is all What It Takes does for many people you know and admire.


Random:

Hidden Brain
    The deep dive into the human psyche can be mind boggling (rimshot)!  Hidden Brain does this one or two facets of it with each podcast and provides a great chance to learn about how we act and do what we do.



Reply All
   Geeking out over internet trends, controversies and randomness is what Reply All is all bout.  Hilarity always ensues as the the hosts are childish, funny and amazingly witty and smart.  I've always enjoyed their escapades and office battles to prove each other wrong.



Freakonomics
     Freakonomics has inspired a movie and several books. Stephen Dubner dives into random topics that will challenge the way you think and act, all in the name of improving either yourself or our country.  The mental gymnastics this podcasts will make you do are sure to get you lost in deep thought and question everything around you.  This podcast has even impacted state laws around the country.


Entreleadership
    Managing people is tough.  Entreleadership can provide a basis for self development and reflection to help improve this skill.  Great insight and discussion will have you self evaluating what you do at work or around others and probably make you a better overall person for listening.



Intelligence Squared
    Debates can be brutal mudslinging fests.  John Donovan does not let this happen on his show.  Donovan holds participants to a Cambridge style debate, letting each side explain their argument and challenges them in the process.  Audience participation adds some curveballs to the show and helps decide who wins the debate.


The Nerf Herder Council
     It's all Star Wars here!  Nerdy, fun, not like other podcasts!  I know one of the hosts personally and this is one of his favorite things to do, talk Star Wars,

Do you have any favorite podcasts I left out? I'm always open to trying something new to listen to while out on the run.  Drop yours in the comments.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Don't Forget These Things Before Your Race

Use code EGCLE10 at checkout for 10% off the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon!

    If you're like me, you are usually excited the day or two before race day.  You've trained for this day, you have goals and aspirations for this day, you want it to be a great day!  Waking up early to go hop in a car and drive to the race is never the highlight of anyone's day, particularly if you forget something that you might need.  I've shown up to races and realized I left my headphones at home and I've had friends show up in their work shoes instead of their running shoes (yes, they still ran the race).  Just like all of the training you did to prepare your body for the race, don't forget to prepare your gear the night or two before the race.

Here is a quick check list of things I would recommend doing prior to your race.




  • Skin protection - This might not be essential for shorter races, but for half marathons on up, this is essential.  Areas that can often chafe and need something to protect them from being rubbed raw during the race. Some of these areas include: nipples, waist, armpits, groin, ankles, toes.  I usually use a product like Body Glide  or Vaseline, in small amounts.  Another thing that can help is make sure to use a good lotion all over to ensure your skin is hydrated and properly maintained.  This might also alert you to some possible problem areas.
    • Of note, never share your Body Glide or like with someone, who knows where they have used it! 
  • Pinch the toes of your socks - Many runners suffer from the infamous black toenail after long runs.  Simply leaving a little extra room in the toes of your socks can help prevent this.  Toenails can catch and rub on the sock if it is too tight, sometimes leading to sore toes as well.  This little extra room can be a serious toenail and sore toe saver!
  •  Don't over tighten your shoes! - The morning of a race can be packed with nerves.  Be sure when tying your shoes not to over tighten them.  Obviously you don't want a shoe to come off in the race but this can lead to pain in your feet, particularly your metatarsals.  This was a problem for me several years back and lead me to my only marathon DNF.  After I dropped and fixed the problem, the pain was gone in 30 minutes.  So was my motivation to run.
    • Start snug, but not tight, you can always retie them on the run should they come loose or need tightening.
  • Check your equipment the night before - Sounds obvious right?  I've went out to a race only to have gear not latch correctly or a water valve not work.  That can be frustrating and panic inducing if you realize this at the start line or during the race.  Make sure to check everything, even your shoes the day before. Give yourself time to possible go get new gear if it might be needed.
  •  Lay everything out the night before - Making this a ritual is a good thing to do, but it will ensure success on race day.  My list includes: Shirt, shorts, shoes, socks skin protection, keys, cell phone, wallet, gel packets, sunglasses, towel (for the car), and waster bottle.
    • Colder races add: jacket, running pants, gloves, balaclava, handwarmers
    • Wild card: music device, running watch, headphones, hat, hydration vest or belt
  • Sleep - The best advice I heard was make sure you get sleep the whole week leading up to a race, particularly two nights before the race.  This is important because the night before, you probably will be so excited you won't sleep well.
  • Hydrate - Clearly drinking plenty of water and taking in the correct electrolytes are key.  Taking this a step further, try to avoid caffeine intake at least the day before a race.  Having a small cup of coffee in the morning is OK, but copious amounts even two days before may leave you dehydrated for the race.  Caffeine has a half life of about 5-6 hours. In pharmacology, something is considered to half fully left you body after 6-7 half lives, roughly.  This puts caffeine totally out of your system at around 34 hours.  Levels that effect the body and heart rate should be gone by about 15-18 hours, depending how much was consumed.  Caffeine intake can be done during the race, but I believe it is better to decide this on the run with a fully caffeine free body, rather than having too much prior and having to try to calm down a rapidly beating heart.
  • Develop a game plan for the day - This won't matter so much for shorter races like 5Ks, which are basically all out races, but will matter a lot for trail races and races of a half marathon or longer.  Decide how you want to approach steep hills, will you power hike it or run it slower?  Will you try to make up time on downhills or go slow to enjoy the break and not batter your legs?  Will you not stop running no matter what or is it OK to walk and let yourself rest for a bit?  Will you run with a friend or is it everyone for themselves?  Will you run based on feel or are you sticking to a certain pace?  Sticking to plans like these are vital to avoid being caught up in the moment or possibly injuring  yourself.  You can always change them if you feel great that day but having a plan will help keep you levelheaded and avoid a DNF
  • Set up breakfast - Go with what you know!  I double check to ensure I have my Eggo's, peanut butter and bananas already for me, since this is my go to breakfast on race day.  Whatever yours is have it ready, so you aren't wasting time or annoyed when one thing is missing.
  • Remember to take time to enjoy it, no matter what happens.  Even a bad race day is still a day you tried your best.  If an injury happens, learn from it.  If you PR the race, celebrate it.  Just enjoy it!



Monday, January 22, 2018

Run for Regis - Government Shutdown Edition


If there is one thing for certain these days, you can depend on nothing to be the same!

     With my goal to run 12 marathons in 12 months in 2018, I knew I would need to start off strong, just in case I had to miss a race later in the year.  That said, January in Ohio is a great time of year to start running marathons (shakes head vigorously side to side).  The Run for Regis was the first marathon on my list in 2018, which I was very excited about since last year I did the 18 mile option and loved that it opened my eyes to the great asset with have in Northeast Ohio with the Cuyahoga National Valley.  I used these trails extensively in training for the Leadville 100 last year and for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon.  With a lot of elevation changes (for Ohio) and some truly great forests, ledges and trails, this was just the place I needed to stay motivated and excited for running.

     This year the Run for Regis was going to be very different than last year.  For starters, I was upping the distance from 18 miles to 26.2, there was even a 50k option.  Second, this year had a lot more snow on the trails.  It did warm up later in the day and melt some of the snow, but last year was mostly mud the whole way.  I preferred to run on the snow as I can not stand having wet socks or feet.  Lastly, the night before the race, the event organizers posted that if the government shut down at midnight they were unable to officially time the race or set up aid stations as their permit for the race would be invalid.  The crew would be there to pass out swag and medals, but any runner who planned on running the race would have to run fully self supported. Even the restrooms would be locked. Looks like the difficulty just got turned up a notch.

    Race day...

    I drove to the Ledges shelter where the race was supposed to start from.  I was dark as the sun still hadn't risen by 6:58 AM here.  I walked up to the van the race crew was handing out gear and medals from to collect mine.  While there, I grabbed two extra bottles of water, figuring to leave them in the car in case I needed some extra water from what by hydration bladder could hold.  I laced up my shoes by the light of my car, through on my running pack and started off on the trails at about 7:15 AM.  It was dark and a cold 33 degrees.

Course Map


    The trails were well marked this year with white signs that had large red arrows, reminiscent of a garage sale sign you would see.  These signs were a marked improvement over last years signs, which almost caused me to miss part of the trail.  As the race started by running into the ledges section, the trails were well packed with snow and easy to run on.  Some spots had ice and any runner knows to watch for rocks and roots that can just out of the snow and catch your toe. It was very clear where the race went, which was surprising to me as I appeared to be on of, if not the, first runner out on the course.  I enjoyed Boston Run part of the trail due to the constant change in scenery, the rolling undulations of the hills, the bridge crossings and the familiarity I had with having now run this section multiple times through multiple seasons.  While this is always a beautiful place to enjoy nature, the pristine whiteness of winter really captures the beauty of the park.  The sunrise was spectacular through the trees.

    After running for roughly 2 miles, I went to take a sip of water from the over the shoulder hose connected to my hydration bladder.  Nothing came out.  I tried again, sucking harder this time.  Nothing.  I took a few deep breathes and tried again, much harder now while even pressing with my hand on the bladder, nothing.  Although I filled my hydration bladder the night before, I forgot to test it out, rookie mistake.  I ran the rest of the loop, sipping sparingly from the soft water bottles that were strapped to my chest.  This was not a good way to start a self supported marathon.

     As I came back towards where the run had started, I could see the soft glow of light coming a van.  The race crew was still parked in the parking lot handing out the last of the medals and swag to those who still came out.  Running towards them, I grabbed several extra water bottles to carry with me for the race.  Quickly dropping off my 2 litter hydration pack and hose in my car, I stock my pack with three half liter water bottles, leaving three more in car passenger seat.  This would be enough to get me through the race, even if I had to run the last loop with no water.

    Having now gotten enough supplies, despite an almost race dooming oversight, I was now calm and ready to go about the rest of the race.  The next loop was an almost 9 mile section with several aggressive hills.  The Salt Run loop was very picturesque and cross a roadway twice, luckily with little traffic especially on a Saturday morning.  Running around Kendall Lake, a sledding hill and trails that make up some of the Burning River 100, this trail was a blast!  One thing stuck out to me though, I'd have to run this aggressive hilly section twice this year.  Last year, this section snuck up on me and took a lot out of me.  Knowing this, I power walked the hilly parts and took my time to enjoy this.  Knowing after I finished this loop, I would only be half way done was a bit intimidating.


     The Salt Run loop had bathrooms (pictured just over the hill above) where I thought I could relieve myself.  Unfortunately, the park rangers had locked these due to the government shutdown.  Guess, that only leaves on option.  Running down the trail parallel to the sledding hill was fun.  Watching kids (and some other runners) slide down the hill, on the second lap, was uplifting and brought a smile to my face. Who cares if they were course cutting, they were still close enough and enjoying the park, while snubbing there nose to the government shut down. That's a runner's spirit!

    The hardest part of the Salt Run loop was the Pine Grove loop.  It felt like I was almost back to the end of the loop and this dastardly little loop just keep snaking around playing mind games with me, until finally dumping me back on the trail I had run in on.  It was flat and easy to run, but the torturous part of thinking I'm almost there was a little brutal in the cold with few supplies.  The trek back to the car was pretty fast from there, grabbed some more water bottles, left the empties and carried on.  Mental math telling me I had enough water to finish this race was encouraging and I trekked on through the snow.

    Coming around for the second of each loop I saw more and more runners.  Some of them started rooting for me, telling me I was "in first place" and "no one is ahead of you".  There was no way for them to know this as everyone started at different times, but the cheers were welcomed and motivating each time.  I typically retorted with "No I just started at 5am!" which usually drew chuckles from the others.  Exchanging a few high fives and motivation with others on the second of the loops was great to hear and see as so many others still came out and did this race despite having no aid due to the government shutdown.  By my estimates from last year, I'd still say half, or more, still showed up and ran.  Guess you just can't stop some runners.

  As I came back in towards the finish from my second loop of Salt Run, I checked my Strava app I was using.  It said I was only around 24+ miles.  This concerned me as I knew I had run the whole course.  To be sure I was not short changing myself or the race, I started back on the Boston Trail loop for about 1/4 mile out and then turned back, to see if my GPS would correct itself.  Strava did not accurately measure the whole race, which I confirmed with other race vets who I saw at the parking lot.  Subtracting the extra roughly 1/2 mile I ran this means I finished in 5:00:52.  This was not my fastest run, but I beat my 18 mile run last year in distance and time.  

     Considering this race was fully supported and required me to carry more, have less aid and make a few stops at my car, I was happy with this.  The 3,200 feet of elevation gain and snowy trails made this much harder than the road marathons I have run in the past.  Although this was my second slowest marathon, although it was my fastest trail marathon, I am happy with it.  Run for Regis will serve as a great stepping stone and training run for the rest of my year and help push  me to what will hoepfully be a PR at the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon this year!

My Strava data for this race.



MAJOR shout out to the race crew who despite all of the political drama around this date with the government shutdown, still had the course marked, handed out medals and swag AND let us submit our times to post them later.  You are the real winners here!

Also, the pullovers they gave out at this race were AMAZING!  Worth the registration alone!



Thursday, January 18, 2018

12 Marathons in 12 Months

   

     In 2017, I promised my then fiance that I would not run in an ultra race in 2018.  She wanted a year off after doing my first 50 mile race in 2016 and attempting my first 100 mile race in 2017, both of which where in Leadville, Colorado.  Julie Anne said, "You can do any marathons you want, but just give me one year of not crewing an ultra."

Does anyone else see a loophole in that statement?

Late in 2017, I decided I would try to do as many marathons as I could within the state of Ohio.  Being a born and bred Clevelander, of course the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon was #1 on my list.  I've run it, or the half marathon, 8 times before and I've always taken pride that it is my hometown race.  It is a well organized race that has only gotten better since my first race in 2010.  The course, the aid stations, the crowd support and even the expo have all made marked improvements, which is tough for a race not nearly as iconic as Boston. The Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon team has done great work to make this a race that is as good as any other out there.

As of right now the biggest difficulty I see in this challenge is ensuring that I have enough time of of work to make it to the races.  Pharmacists, like myself, work weekends and various shifts.  There are a few races I signed up for that are actually on my weekend to work.  The Glass City Marathon (Toledo, Ohio) is one of these races. This means I will have to drive to Toledo Saturat night, run the marathon in the morning, shower, and drive back to Cleveland for 8 hours of work later in the day.  Needless to say that Monday will be a bit of a rest day for me.

I will definitely do my best to get out a timely race report for each of these races, comparing them to the other races I've done in the past as well as the other marathons in Ohio.  Ohio is not a state that emboldens itself to running year round.  With our summer heat and our frigid and snowy winters, most of the marathons we have are crammed into the Spring and Fall months.  Back to back weekends of marathon racing will need to be done to complete this challenge that I set for myself. I'm in no way Dean Karnazes but challenges like this are what keep running fun for me and keep me motivated.

As of this moment, here are the races I plan on doing.  Some of them you might have heard of (did I mention I'm an ambassador for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon) and some you may not have:

Run for Regis - 1/20/18
Old Girlded Grit - 2/24/18
Glass City Marathon - 4/22/18
Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon - 4/29/18
Flying Pig Marathon - 5/6/18
Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon - 5/20/18
Youngstown Marathon - 6/3/18
Mohican Marathon - 6/16/18
Air Force Marathon - 9/15/18
Akron Marathon - 9/29/15
Buckeye Trail Run - 10/6/18 (Maybe)
Towpath Marathon - 10/7/18
Columbus Marathon - 10/21/18
Cleveland Fall Classic Half Marathon - 11/??/18 (Victory lap, if done by then)

(Reference site for all marathons in Ohio)

These races cover all of the biggest cities in Ohio and some of our awesome trail systems we have.  I'm by no means planning on winning any of these races, or even finishing high enough to brag about it.  This challenge is about consistency, proving to myself I can do it and showing how far an average runner can push themselves with some proper dedication, hard work and time sunk in.  I'm a firm believer that everyone needs people to help hold them accountable of their goals, this blog (and Julie Anne) will should help lock me in to keep training. I will post occasional workout logs and training when I can/I run out of new ideas to write about.

As a challenge to any blog readers I have out there, are you going to join me for any of these races?  Nothing beats showing up race day and seeing the faces of friends running with you!  If you aren't running but plan on going to the race to support others, any and all of your support is appreciated. The crowd and volunteers are what makes these races great and possible!  I'll gladly take a selfie with anyone helps cheer me on!  Sweaty hugs are also free.  I'll save the sweaty kisses for my wife. ;-)


Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Favorite Running Books


If you are looking for something to read in your down time between runs, or some motivation to run, here are some books I recommend or are super looking forward to reading.


Running on Air
     This book is pretty technical but goes into great detail about running mechanics and how breathing can affect your running form and endurance.  I first stumbled into this book after DNFing the Leadville Heavy Half.  It must have been speaking to me from the small bookshop on Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado.  With my heart heavy from my first every DNF in a running race, I bought it and clung to every word as I tried to learn something from my failure.  A must read for runners!




Advanced Marathoning
     This book was great for helping me make the jump from 5ks and an occasional 10k to full marathons.  If you don't have many friends who are runners or are looking to get advice from a true professional, this book is worth a read!



50/50
     This book was the first time I had ever heard of someone doing something this absolutely absurd!  I thought for certain this could not be done!  50 marathons for a career is a lot, but to do it in 50 days and in all 50 states!  No way.  Needless to say, Dean Karnazes is a best and a legend and this book is a pretty fun read.


Born to Run
     This book!  This might just be my favorite book of all time. The amazing story Christopher McDougall tells is amazing.  The story of the Tarahumara Indians and how Scott Jurek took his talents to them is awe inspiring and makes for what I can only hope will be, one day an epic running movie.  This book brought ultra running to the masses as well as barefoot or minimlist running.  On top of that, this book is what inspired me to try to visit Leadville, Colorado and attempt even a 10k at 10,200 feet above sea level.  Ever since then I fell in love with Colorado and that mountain town.  This book is a great read even for non runners!



Eat and Run
    Scott Jurek (my personal running idol) has a great book about running and nutrition.  As a pharmacist, I know nutrition is key to many things and feel Jurek has a lot of great points that many people can learn from.  While I do not follow his fanatical idea of diet, I probably should take some notes.  Jurek is after all the GOAT of ultra running.



Running to Leadville
    This is the only fiction book on my list.  I stumbled upon this book at the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Expo when Brian (the author) flagged me down while I was wearing a Crossfit 10-2 shirt that clearly displayed Leadville, CO on it.  This book was a great story about a man, his loves and his running.  Sadly, I did not get to finish the final 3 chapters of the book as one of my dogs decided to read it himself.  It ended it tatters.  Brian, I need to buy another copy from you so I can see how it all ends!

(Side note: Brian Burk is running the Leadville 100 this year!  I know he is going to kill it and this is my own plea that if needs a pacer or crew member for any of it, I'M DOWN!  Would love to watch his dream unfold!)




Books I’m looking forward to:

North
   Scott Jurek's sophomore book is about his attempt to set the fastest known time to complete the Appalachian Trail.  I loosely followed this online as he did it and was enthralled for the entire time. How anyone can run 2,000+ miles in about 46 days is simply amazing.  I can not wait to read all of the details!



Ultra Mindset
     Travis Macy personally gave me this book at the Leadville 100 pre race expo!  I've listened to him on podcasts and have followed his advice in training for races, so it was surreal to have him hand me a book despite me not having any cash on me.  Travis, I have not read your book yet, as I was saving it for this winter.  I'll happily post my thoughts on it after I read it!

Natural Born Heroes
    Chris McDougall can not possibly out do what he did in writing Born to Run.  That being said, I can't wait to read this and see what he has put forth.  I only hope it's 10% of what Born to Run was, that'll still make it amazing.

Running with a Police Escort: Tales from the Back of the Pack
    I just recently heard of this book and find the title HILARIOUS!  I can only imagine what it is about, but it's on my short list, and love that it embraces that fact that we all aren't super humans.  This book will probably hit much closer to how I actually feel running than how I want to feel, but I love that there is a running book not written by a super human and with some humility.



Did I miss one of your favorites?  Please leave comments below, I'd love for more reading material myself!