Hey there! I'm still working on racking miles up, and last week was a good one.
Monday-3 miles
Tuesday-4 miles
Wednesday-7miles!!!!

It was hard, but I finally arrived at the halfway mark for the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon. Below is a video of the afterthoughts and one tired country boy. And his dog.

Ani DiFranco reference in the title of this blog? Anyone? Anyone?

Hey there, Brett here. I've learned a lot during this training for the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon, and I sure would like to share a bit of it with you.

1. Know your limits. If your knees are swollen, ice them and take the night off. If you're feeling dehydrated, don't run until you're feeling like you're up to it. If you feel like your ankles or knees are getting weak, or you have any real pain going on, get it checked out, or, at the least, take a break for a day or two till you're not feeling like your legs are going to go out. I know you get that feeling of guilt if you don't get out there and run everyday, but getting injured and being forced to sit out for a month would really be the icing on that Guilt-Cake.

2. Diet does matter. I have always thought that I could eat whatever I wanted, as long as I was exercising. I would, more or less, have a big bowl of grease for at least one meal a day. I'm not saying that you can't have a nice fast-food treat every now and again, it's just that onion rings for breakfast probably isn't the best way to train for a marathon. So, if you're trying to train for a marathon and the only vegetables that you have are deep fried and come in a little cardboard container, things might be a little easier for you if you limit that to about once a week.

3. Keep trying to improve a little every run, but don't kill yourself. It doesn't have to be a mile increase every run, but try to go just a little farther, or run your distance in a little quicker time. In my experience, just getting in a minute or so quicker than the night before makes me really anticipate beating that time the next day. It's motivating, and this is coming from someone who two months ago was unmotivatable.

So, keep getting out there and training; Dec. 6 is just around the corner...let's keep rocking and rolling, ya'll!

Sign up for the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon and Half Marathon here!

Playlist for the Week:
Gov't Mule: Banks of the Deep End Volume 1
Jay-Z: The Black Album
Scene Unseen Movie Podcasts

What's a gait test you ask? Well it's a test to see how you plant your heel when you run i.e. does it roll to the right, left or does it stay neutral. According to our gait analysis expert, Chris P., Brett has a very neutral gait — which apparently is the envy of all gaits — and with this information, Chris is able to to order the best possible running shoes for Brett's running style.

So, there you have it. Blindly buying running shoes, especially if you're preparing for a marathon, isn't the best way to go about it. Get your gait looked at before you buy your next pair of running shoes, you'll be glad you did.