The Major League Basebal All Star game has recently become a star-studded event, with two full days of festivities to celebrate America's pastime and to highlight the game's best and brightest stars. People come from all over the country to partake in the events that surround the game itself, so naturally the opportunity exists for charities and organizations to spread their word to the masses and to generate exposure for their causes.

Major League Baseball, in an attempt to reach out into the community and serve the country's best interests, this past July staged its first ever All Star Charity 5k and Fun Run. With all proceeds donated equally to three charities supporting cancer research—the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Stand Up to Cancer, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure—the MLB wished to raise funds and awareness in one remarkable morning.

With participation in the thousands, officials designed a baseball-themed course punctuated along the way with baseball legends and team mascots. Runners and walkers alike traversed the course at their own pace, all in the name of the greater good. With the Fun Run being an un-timed event, participants could enjoy the atmosphere, socialize, and soak in the scenery. The 5k portion, a timed event with official results, offered serious runners the chance to not only run in the shadows of an enormous national event, the All Star game, but also, and far more importantly, it gave them the chance to make a real difference in the lives of others, most of whom they would never even know or meet.

With great anticipation, MLB looks to generate this event again next year when early July rolls around. If you want to experience an amazing baseball event and, while you're there, become part of something that truly matters, set your course for Anaheim, California, home of the American League West Division Champion Angels. Help raise funds to fight our nation's leading killer. Donate your time and your legs to find the cure for those who need it now and those who will need in it the future.

Hi, my name is Brett, and I'm officially addicted to Running.

If you've been following this blog, you'll know that I have been training for the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon that Zappos is sponsoring. It wasn't actually my idea, and I was a hard sell on doing it. But, after all these weeks, I am running in upwards of 7 miles at a time....that is not normal for me, or anyone in my immediate bloodline. But, I'm sold. I love it. I now have a form of stress relief. I sleep like a normal human being, and I even started lifting weights. (again, not normal for anyone in the Brett family, going back generations)

Now, ladies and gentlemen, I want to know WHY YOU RUN? Check out the video below:

Record a short clip telling us what makes you get out there every day, and set it as a reply to this video...."I run because"............

We want to hear about it, yo!

People get bored very easily. That is a fact that is about as certain as death and taxes. Think about the high school kid who falls asleep during a forty-minute lecture on the Italian Renaissance or the security guard who drifts off during the graveyard shift. When a person experiences something that spans a long period of time and offers no alterations or adjustments, there exists no possible way for a legitimate focus to occur. As a result, body and mind change course, looking to either rest from exhaustion or re-stimulate itself with something else.

Training for triathlon is no different. While following a detailed, structured workout schedule will give you the format to stay consistent, doing the same routine day after day will result in two situations: a serious loss of mental motivation and a seemingly unbreakable physical plateau.

Mentally, when you continually change your patterns, the brain stays sharp, as it constantly has a new goal to reach. You provide the stimulus your brain requires to keep your body moving in a manner that permits progress. For example, using a swim workout based on stroke count one day, always working to lengthen the body's reach to reduce the number of strokes it takes to cover a given distance, and the next day swimming against the clock, a place where strokes are less important and time rules, provides you with a different set of challenges. Your brain avoids the patternization that generates boredom and fatigue.

Likewise, physically, if you can repeatedly alter your goals, you can keep your body from reaching those plateaus that stunt growth. Confusing the muscles, making them work similar groups in a variety of ways, dodges the monotony of identical workouts. For example, running an endless string of treadmill workouts will never produce the long-range results you need. Instead, get outside and hit the trails or do a track workout. Try plyometrics or Kenpo. Mix in multiple variations that will strengthen the muscles while keeping them fresh and stimulated.

Overall, you will be a happier triathlete if you mix it up. Failing to do so will not only hurt your performance, but also it will take away the pure joy associated with the sport. Keep yourself mentally and physically excited and vary those workouts as much as possible.

Running events always seem to have a purpose, and not one designed for the individual alone. Charities and fundraisers normally serve as the backbone for countless running events with folks coming together for a common cause. The spirit wrapped inside these types of events displaces the running itself, and instead makes the experience one of empowerment and generosity. And while each event holds a sincere significance to all involved, the need associated with the Marysville Marathon Festival is dynamically real on so many levels.

Marysville, Australia, a cozy town nestled in the Victorian Alps, home to an endless string of tourists and the former stop-over for those on their way to the goldfields at Woods Point in the late nineteenth century, was nearly obliterate on Black Saturday, February 7, 2009, in a fiery inferno. With a devastating loss of life, the town now seeks to rebuild and rise from the proverbial ashes; however, the task exists as near impossible without the help of others. Thus, the Marysville Marathon Festival was born.

A place that was once teeming with tourist accommodations and events, Marysville now has little left, and calls upon runners, walkers, and virtually anyone to come join this critical inaugural and possibly annual event. The festival holds four trials: a full marathon, a half marathon, a 10k run/walk, and a 3k run/walk. Serious runners can cover the full or half course while those who just wish to support a more-than-worthy cause can bring their families and walk the other distances. The roads are wheelchair and stroller accessible, except for one small portion of gravel, and the race officials permit pets on leads, especially on the short course.

The community needs you to help, so make your way down if possible. People in the world must embrace each other, and reaching out to those in need, even on other continents and under foreign flags, makes this planet a better place to live. Run the Marysville Marathon Festival to not only support a town's recovery, but also, and maybe more importantly, to show the real strength in humanity.

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.

Countless road races dot the American landscape each weekend, with runners following painted arrows from school parking lots through city streets or flagged meadows in local parks. Most offer a distinct challenge: make the individual push harder than before while offering enjoyment and lifelong fitness. Regardless of the distance, whether a spirited 5k or a marathon, the race gives the runner a blank canvas upon which to become something greater.

However, not all races are created equal, nor provide the same challenges. Yes, the goal remains the same in regards to a person proving something to himself, but the experience varies, and no one place gives a more creative, unpredictable run than the Leatherman's Loop.

The race, a 10k trail run held annually in April at the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in Cross River, New York, is a massively popular event, with the 900 spots filling up in a mere 16 hours. Combining all that Mother Nature can dish out, the terrain houses mud bogs, deep streams with moss-slicked rocks, steep sand hills, and paths barely wide enough for both feet side by side. Although the budding tree canopy can provide some protection, the pounding sun, which recently reached a record high of 90 degrees on race day, can sap your energy, and the punishing wind can make the race double in its perceived distance. Needless to say, the race is physically abusive. It is one of those workouts that will have you hating it while you're doing it, but loving it when it is all over.

The atmosphere, one that is as supportive as it is fun, more than washes out the agony the race can bring. Runners can be found all across the course pulling others along, un-sticking them from the mud or pushing them up the hills. The sense of camaraderie bubbles over the second you arrive, as runners share advice, trade stories of duct-taped shoes and pricker-torn legs, and promise to meet for a drink at the finish line. No one feels alone on this day, with each person's success seemingly everyone's concern.

Regardless of your ability, take the chance and go. Train hard and enjoy the race that has the potential to keep you coming back for more. Not only will you have accomplished something physically impressive, but also you will have proved to yourself that almost anything is possible.

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!

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

The training continues, after a few days of healing. The blister issue was explained to me quite well by our in-house expert on running. Chris P. told me, "Dude, you have to stop running until these heal. Seriously."

I listened to him. (As you may have noticed, if you've been following this, I'm not a big fan of..you know....listening to advice, of any kind. But I'm trying Ringo, I'm trying real hard.

So, I took 5 days off from running and just lifted and hit the elliptical about 20 minutes a day. I had a great deal of back issues when I began training, and at the advice of our in-house life coach, Dr. Vik, I visited a chiropractor. He helped me out the most by saying that my posture is real, real bad and that I need to work on the muscles in my back, otherwise the problems would persist. I actually listened to something for a change, and man, it's working like a charm, yo! And for the first time in my life, I don't have the posture of someone living in the Cathedral of Notre Dame.

Below is a little video of my cool-down ritual every night. Take a gander, if you please.


My playlist for the last week has been:

• The Black Crowes-Before the Frost
• Chris Thile-How to Build a Woman From the Ground
• My Morning Jacket-Songs: Ohia-EP

Get out there and sign up for the marathon, Zappos!

My marathon training continues on, and today, I take you on a run through Henderson, NV, the home of the Zappos Headquarters!





(Yes, that title is a Yonder Mountain String Band reference!)

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!

While not a specific race, World Run Day, founded in 1999 by Long Island runner Bill McDermott, seeks to promote the sport of running and enhance charitable giving around the globe. On Sunday, November 8, 2009, runners from around the world will join together by simply running. Whether competing in small groups in local races or individually as part of the "virtual" experience offered, people come together to not only raise awareness of the sport, but also, and more importantly, to gather funds for meaningful charitable organizations.

Runners, after registering at runday.com, can plan and submit their favorite running routes in their town or city, and they can generate groups to follow that path. World Run Day offers schools, charitable organizations, individuals, businesses, running clubs, and corporations to host legitimate fundraisers that have a direct impact on the communities in which they serve.

Currently, the top five participating cities in the United States are Baltimore, Anchorage,Houston, Pittsburgh and San Diego. Also, the top five charitable organizations that have received donations are the American Cancer Society, the ALS Foundation, the Children's Wish Fund, World Vision, and the St. Jude Children's Hospital.

Each team captain will receive a planning kit that covers all the basics to get his group started on becoming completely prepared for a successful experience. Items such as bib numbers, pacing charts, advertising posters, training logs, and certificates will be distributed to each participant. In addition, every person receives tickets to an online expo with running apparel and merchandise from around the world.

While running is largely seen as an individual pursuit with personal goals and accomplishments, opportunities do arise that let runners become something far greater than themselves. World Run Day, and all of its associated items, gives runners that chance. Becoming a piece of something that has a greater good can alter not only the lives of others, but it can regenerate your own spirit. If you are going to run, why not run for a cause? Jump on board and become part of World Run Day.

If you're into both reggae music and running, why not combine the two? In the Reggae Marathon, you can. This annual event takes place on the coastline of Negril, Jamaica. Beginners and professionals alike can get in on the competition and entertainment of the Reggae Marathon.

Considered one of the world's finest beaches, the tropical atmosphere of Negril is appealing to many. The Reggae Marathon includes a full marathon and a half marathon event. The course leads through the village and offers beautiful scenery of green pastures and plant life. While this is a fairly mild course open to participation from beginners, any marathon event requires some training beforehand. With that in mind, before the event, start looking for the best gear for the race and try it out while you are training. This way, when you get to the actual event, you will be comfortable and can concentrate on the race.

Negril, Jamaica has a tropical climate. Weather, for the most part, is warm and humid. Therefore, thin, breathable clothing will be beneficial. Short sleeves and thin running shorts are ideal. When considering clothing, think about pockets, as plenty of pocket-sized hydration packs will be handed out at various stations. These consist of a water and Gatorade mix. Also, don't forget the sunscreen. It helps if clothing is treated with sun protection.

Shoes for this event should have good grip for running, but not too thick. Thicker traction is best for snowy and icy conditions, none of which you will find in Negril. Running shoes for the Reggae Marathon also should be lightweight, so as not to weigh the feet down. Besides, you likely will want to hear the drums in the blaring Reggae music, rather than the pounding of your shoes on the pavement.

Breathability is a must in running shoes for a Jamaica marathon. Because of the hot and humid weather, precaution against feet getting too warm is a must. This means socks also should be thin and breathable. If your hair is long, consider a bun or ponytail to keep from getting hot.

SOURCE:
http://reggaemarathon.com

As if marathons were not long enough, some runners crave a challenge even more monumental, more painful, more satisfying than trekking the 26 miles to a well-earned finish. Instead, the newest breed of runners, referred to as ultra runners, has taken the concept of distance running to an all new level. And, while numerous events exist around the world that eclipse the 100 mile mark, only one can truly claim that it spans an entire country.

Britain's Coast to Coast Ultra Marathon, which resides in the country's northern section and begins on the Irish Sea Coast and concludes near the North Sea in Northumberland, entices runners to cross the 170-plus mile course over a six day period. While each day concludes with a relaxing camp, a good rejuvenating meal, and a sound night's sleep, participants can bet that the competition is fierce and the terrain is as challenging and awe-inspiring as can be.

Navigating the largely untouched, untrodden landscape near the Scottish border, Coast to Coast takes runners through a piece of England's most storied and historically significant countryside. While pushing through everything from gravel roads and rocked trails to wet marshes and muddy bogs, those running will be rewarded by sights such as King Edward I's place of death, Carlisle Castle, and endless ruins and remnants of the Roman occupation, the farthest westward point of the Roman Empire.

Unlike traditional running, competitors must bring with them all essential equipment, except for tents, and they must navigate for themselves from check point to check point. Although this is an individual endeavor, the camaraderie established with other participants will motivate and inspire, for merely finishing a stage is accomplishment enough. With all of the mental, physical, and emotional struggles the runners will face, relying on each other for strength may not only be essential for the race itself, but it stands also to change the lives of those involved.

Thus, if you can train for it and desperately want the ultimate experience, set a course for northern Britain.