Many people each year make a resolution to get fit, and a large number of these people look to some major event as their motivation, with many deciding upon a triathlon. So, books are bought and videos are watched, and then training begins: a light jog, a winded bike ride, and a humbling first swim workout in the pool.

Many who start this way have wonderful intentions, but they have not provided themselves with a real, definable goal. Before training, select a race, register for it, and create a training plan that seeks to peak you for that performance.

Most experts claim that a person wishing to enter the sport of triathlon should do at least one major race per training cycle. Obviously you will place yourself in the best situation to succeed if you match your training to your ultimate competition. Considering this idea, you make your job near impossible if you approach your triathlon experience with no goal. Training just to see offers a million chances to make excuses; however, paying for a race and obligating yourself, telling people about it, is more apt to keep you going.

Once you have locked into a race, you should plan on competing in several other, normally slightly smaller, triathlons during the training cycle. While you can certainly work to excel in these lead-up races, the real goal is still the race at the close of your training cycle. But these events will give you invaluable experience, as running in and out of transitions and competing with others in close proximity cannot truly be replicated in a normal workout.

Also, participating in lead-up races will serve as a barometer upon which you can measure your progress. No other workout you design can match actual competition, so give yourself the chance to gauge your current level. Doing so will allow you to adjust your training to address weaknesses and to have an increased level of confidence when the real race day finally arrives.

Thus, make a concrete commitment that disallows you from creating excuses. Set a schedule to train for this day, and use smaller races to get you ready. In the end, you’ll find yourself in incredible shape with a new found sense of confidence and purpose.

Sure you can take a short drive down to your local Outback restaurant to gaze at the mass produced Australian “artifacts” that adorn the walls, the ever-so-menacing warnings to beware of the crocodiles, and the fuzzy presence of a fake kangaroo. Once you sit, you can order the pure shrimp on the barbie, cleverly named kids’ meals, which each end with “roo”, and jazz all the dishes up with some serious spice. But, if you’re into something a little more authentic with a running twist, consider packing away some cash and heading to the real Outback, deep in the heart of Australia, for the Outback Marathon in late July of 2010.

The day’s events, which include a full marathon , a half marathon, an 11k and a 6k, take place primarily off-road on the famous red earth that is common across the central portion of the country. Carving your way through bushwhacked lands on unsealed roads and paths, you’ll run past a lifetime’s worth of scenery, none more spectacular than Ayers Rock and The Olgas.

With the 6k and the 11k open to all age divisions, this could be a nice family event to punctuate a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. The half marathon requires a minimum age of 15 whereas the full marathon calls for only those 18 and up. All participants, however, receive a commemorative medal at the conclusion of the race, and certificates are available for printing on-line.

Yes, you can run a marathon any place in the world, and most would be significantly closer to your home. But, how many times in your life will you ever be able to claim that you ran through something most only imagine, a place that most people only visit in books or on the internet?

Thus, a true athletic challenge awaits a half a world away, in a place offering memories for both young and old. Make a trip you will forever recall, and along the way interject a day of pure joy as you run through the Outback. For more information about the marathon, visit www.australianoutbackmarathon.com.

Our Blogger Brett H. just got back from the great city of New York after spending a week with the good people from Rockport. Friday morning, they officially relaunched the DresSport, their dress shoe that is truly as light and comfortable as an athletic shoe. To prove their point, they had 8 people running in the NYC Marathon on Sunday wearing the DresSports! Also, CLICK HERE to enter the Run Rockport Run Sweepstakes!

Below is more video from our Rockport/Zappos event on Thursday in Grand Central:

Fall is a perfect time for kids to be active outdoors. Even though the temperature has started to drop, there still can be plenty of warm days. Windy weather that can accompany fall is a natural invitation to fly kites. Rather than buying kites for the kids, make it more fun and build and fly kites together. Kids love both crafts and kite flying. So this should be a double winner with most.

This project and activity can be done with parents, grandparents, teachers, babysitters, and more. Any adult who works with children may find this beneficial to them. Kite building guides and instructions can easily be found by doing a simple internet search. Supplies to build and fly kites can easily be found at most large craft and hobby stores. There’s another fun activity kids love: shopping for project supplies. Let the kids pick out their plans and supplies (within your pre-set budget, of course).

Once the guides have been found and the supplies purchased, adults can help the children build the kites. The backyard or neighborhood park may be the best place for building, as there will be plenty of room. This especially is true the more people there are participating in the activity. Adults may decide to simply instruct and let the kids do the rest or to join in on the construction of the kite. When the kites are finished, they may need to dry, depending on materials. If so, kite building and kite flying might be separated into two different days. Just be sure the children know ahead of time to avoid surprising them with that news when they least want to hear it. If no drying or other waiting is necessary, go ahead and fly your kites!

When kite flying time has arrived, be sure the children have on comfortable footwear suitable for running . This fun outdoor activity involves plenty of that and a grassy open area is best for flying kites. This leaves plenty of comfortable running space and also helps prevent kites from getting snagged on things like tree branches. Safety first, of course!

Sources:
http://www.kitebuilder.com
http://www.blueskylark.org/zoo/class.html

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.

Hello there, runners!

We are well into October, and the Dec. 6 Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon is sprinting towards us at a fast and crazy pace! I have decided, at the advisement of the Zappos Running Team, that I just do the half. The thought that I should run this powerfully and next year do the full. I agreed, and now I have my mind set on completing the Half at a good time and still have enough energy to have a beer and listen to some rock and roll afterward!

This week I am at the goal of 7 miles. I’m not moving along at the pace that I really wanted; I’ve been flat-lined at 5 miles, and I am going to break it!

Brooks, Asics, New Balance and Saucony have all helped me along with some gear, and it is much appreciated. The only thing I had to run in before this was a plaid moo-moo and wooden clogs I fashioned out of a tree in the forest near my house. (Picture that…..yes…yes….frightening, I know.)

But this week, I came across the finest piece of running gear known to man. (at least this man)

Behold:

Playlists for Brett’s Running This Week:
-Robert Palmer-Sneaking Sally Through the Alley (obsessed with this album)
-JEM-Finally Woken
-Old Crow Medicine Show-Tennessee Pusher

Sign up here for the Half or the Full Marathon!