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.

OK, OK, I know that I promised to limit the Forrest Gump references. I'll keep that mind...but I do know what love is. Oops....sorry, sorry, it's a habit, it's a habit.

I've received some cool running shoes from our Vendors and Merchandising Department since my training for the marathon began, and this week was no exception. Rockport, a fine brand that Zappos is proud to work with, sent me a pair of Dressports Abraim dress shoes, and they challenged me to put them on for a little run. Rockport says that this shoe is as comfortable as an athletic shoe, and I wanted to see for myself.

Many Zapponians that are planning to run the 13 mile Half for the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon are training hard and have their eyes on Dec. 6. We all have different reasons for wanting to run the Half Marathon, and today we profile some of the brave souls who have decided to boogie on to the finish line. I introduce some of our Half-ers in the fine video below, produced by our own Jason C..

For Those About to Run, We Salute You!

I must say, it's getting easier. I'm topping out at 5 miles with a little walking in there, but I'm trying not to beat myself up about it. Gotta start somewhere, right? Just 3 weeks ago, the idea of running 3 miles was a disturbing and frightening idea that filled me with terror. Now, it's just what I do 5 days a week, and I actually don't really feel good unless I do it.

On the advice from our running experts on the athletic team, Chris P. and Kelly B., I have avoided blisters for about a week. Trust me, everyone, it's better to avoid cotton socks and get some good shoes before you do some real damage to those important items that are your feet.

This is what I'm running in:
The Asics Gel Nimbus 11 and the New Balance MR 1063; these are some killer shoes, my friends. Whatever you do, don't just go start training for a marathon in whatever you have buried in your closet from when you were younger and more energetic. I paid the price, yo! Blisters-a-plenty. It's worth it to get the right shoes to spare yourself the pain in the long Run. (Pun possibly intended.)

Also, Socks, Socks, Socks! Again, say it with me; Socks, Socks, Socks! Here are some double layer Wrightsock socks that have an Inner Layer of 70% CoolMax®, 30 % Nylon, and an Outer Layer of 72% CoolMax®, 24% Nylon, 4% Lycra® And, behold, the Wigwam Ultimax.

We have a lot of Zapponians that are deciding they want to take on the half or full marathon, and it's making my day to hear that. This is going to be a lot of work, ya'll, but let's keep on chooglin', we have many weeks yet to train.

Boogie on, I say!

Playlists for this Week:
-The Band-Remasters
-My Morning Jacket-Evil Urges
-The Raconteurs-Consolers of the Lonely
-James Brown.....YOWWWWW!

Brett's second week of training for the marathon went a little strange after the arrival of an evil blister. Watch and see...we warn you, this is graphic!

Monday night was sort of a milestone for me: I ran 3 miles. Given, some of it, I did have to walk. I'm still getting winded every time I end up on a big incline, but I made it nonetheless. I know that 26 or 13 mile runs are a ways off from this, but it's a start, and I'm not discouraged! One thing that I find that motivates me: Air Drums.

I have been playing Air Drums since the age of 5, and I've found that if I listen to some killer music and jam along with it, sometimes even beating on my chest when the time is right, really motivates me to kick it on down the road a little quicker. If you give me a good Bo Diddley beat, I'll run from here to Texas!

Although the art of the air drums can make a run go fast and be the inspirado needed for a mental and physical *kickstart to your heart, there are a few guidelines to follow.

1. Avoid tree limbs. When you run into them with your face/head/body, that's no good.
2. People passing in automobiles are going to be under the assumption that you're mentally ill. And they are just going to have to get past that.

So, Day 4 is tonight, I'm going for 3 miles again, with little or no walking.

Playlist for Day 3:

• Creative Screenwriting Podcast: (500) Days of Summer
• Van Morrison (Astral Weeks)
• More Ben Harper....can't get enough of this Relentless 7 album!

This year, on Dec. 6, Zappos will be sponsoring the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon!

We hope to have many Zapponians running the marathon and the half marathon, as well as volunteering in many different areas to help the event to be successful.

We are hoping to encourage as many people at Zappos to participate as we can, and in a meeting earlier this week, we were trying to decide who would be the most unlikely candidate to train hard, eat right and get in shape for a marathon, and Brett H. began to sink into his chair a bit. And then a lot. At one point he might have actually been under the table in the fetal position in a wild, fearful panic.

It slowly dawned on everyone that he would be the perfect candidate to inspire people to train....because he's widely regarded as 'un-trainable'. Tom E. and Rebecca L. pointed out that the motto should be: "If Brett can do it, why can't you?"

So, after a bit of prodding and poking, laughing and joking, tears, fears and a deep desire for beers.......Brett said yes, yes, yes, he would begin training next week and run the Las Vegas Marathon. (Pending a Physical:)

We will be following his progress on Zappos Blogs, Facebook and Myspace.com

We'll let him explain and let some of his friends at Zappos fill him with confidence...............

Check back next week to see Brett's progress, and please comment below with any suggestions to help him out or with any words of encouragement!