This photo was taken at the Calgary Roadrunners Confederation Park XC Relay Race. The race is run in teams of 3 with each runner completing about a 3.5k loop that includes two creek crossings. It’s always fun to watch each runner attempt the last crossing. Spectators yell out scores and boo those that don’t make a big splash or leap. This was one of my fav jumps this year.

Photo credits go to Kathy or Derek, not sure which one actually captured this great shot. You can check out more photos from this and other races on the CRR website.

Got a photo you would like featured here, leave a comment with the details.

This upcoming weekend I’m busy coordinating the volunteers for Calgary’s first Ironman 70.3 so I decided it was time to once again feature an Ironman photo.

The above photo is from the 2008 Lake Placid Ironman. It amazes me how anyone can swim any distance in such crowded waters. For sure a few have taken an arm or foot in the face or elsewhere.

Thanks go to Colin for sharing this photo on Flickr. Be sure to check out the rest of his photostream.

Got a photo you would like to see featured? Leave a comment with the details.

Ready, Set, Go Start you Watch. Not a soul is looking ahead. Everyone is looking down and starting their watch, Garmin, etc.

Thanks got to Michael Dant (aka faasdant) for letting us feature his photo this week. Be sure to check out his other photos on flickr.

Got a photo you would like featured, leave us the details in a comment.

Thanks go to sebastien.b for this great photo that captures the energy and joy of these runners. I just wanna join them! Be sure to head over to flickr and check out his other photos.

Got a photo you would like featured, leave a comment with the details.

If you search for running books on Amazon, you’ll be confronted with hundreds of results. That’s quite a collection – a collection that can be a little daunting (and time consuming) to browse through.

So I’ve done the work for you. What you see below is a week’s worth of searching, culling and categorizing of the best, most interesting, most informative, most inspiring books from the vastness of Amazon. In developing the list, I tried to represent most aspects of distance running, while also paying attention to popular items that frequently make it on Amazon user Listmania lists. There’s a little here for everyone. Training, heroes, women’s running books, history books, coffee table books, and much, much more. I’m hoping a few items on the list even surprise you.

I’ve intentionally gone lean with book descriptions (amazon’s already got that amply covered). Think of this list as ‘Amazon-lite’ or ‘Amazon Concentrate’ – a very focused collection of the best Amazon has to offer on the subject of running. I hope you like this list, and I’d love to hear if you’ve got a favorite book that’s not here.

So, without further ado, on to the books!

Best Coffee Table Books

The Trifecta of Training Bibles

These three books are widely regarded as absolute essentials for runners looking to ‘take it to the next level’ in their training and knowledge about running. All are highly recommended.

Heroes & Heroic Performances

More Training Resources

Cross-Training

By Arthur Lydiard & Bill Bowerman

Bios of Elite Runners & Coaches

For Beginners & The Back of the Pack

Famous Races & Amazing Places

Fiction

History & Reference

All of the following books are fascinating takes on the history of running.

Quotes & Inspiration

Running Form/Mechanics/Technique

Books For or About Women

Injury Prevention & Treatment

Funny

Trail Running

Ultra Running

Free Downloadable Running Book

Nutrition, Diet, Weight Management

The Corporate Face of Running

More Book Resources on Complete Running

Check out our archive of running book reviews.

This weekend we had torrential downpours, high winds, and temperatures in the low 40s - not exactly ideal running conditions. Yet nearly 60 runners on the running team I coach showed up for our group long run on Saturday morning, ready to battle the elements and go the distance (some up to 20 miles).

The majority of people would think that those runners were out of their minds for running in those conditions. I don't think they're crazy - I know they're motivated, and for the right reasons.

A recent article in the Los Angeles Times cites that an estimated 10% to 15% of L.A. Marathon registrants never complete the race. Some give up during the marathon itself and others don't show up because they didn't train. As the writer explains, often the problem is that their motivation for doing a marathon was something external, such as impressing their friends. That type of motivation won't sustain you through months of training. To stick with it and get to that finish line, you need to have some internal motivation, such as love of running or the feeling of accomplishment that you get from finishing a run or race.

There are so many great reasons to run and train for a big race, such as a marathon. And most people will have a few external reasons, such as weight loss or bragging rights, for running and taking on huge challenges. Even if you started running for pure external reasons, that doesn't mean you can't find more intrinsic reasons to run, such as running in honor of a loved one or running because it gives you a sense of pride. Because to get out there on those soggy mornings, your motivation has to go beyond wanting that shiny marathon medal.

More:

• Tips to Boost Your Running Motivation
• Charity Running Groups
• E-course: Improve Your Running Motivation

Will Your Motivation Get You to the Finish Line? originally appeared on About.com Running & Jogging on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 09:40:04.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

If you're a morning runner, it's tempting to skip breakfast because you want to maximize your sleep time and not have to wake up early enough to give yourself time to digest before running. Even runners who don't run in the morning sometimes make the mistake of skipping breakfast because they don't have time, they don't like breakfast foods, or they're trying to lose weight.

Why is skipping breakfast a big nutrition mistake? If you wait until lunch to eat, your body assumes you're fasting and responds by slowing your metabolism. So skipping breakfast won't help your weight loss efforts. You'll just get hungrier, which increases your temptation to eat everything in sight. A nutritious breakfast gets you fueled for the day and helps prevent you from binging later on.

Eating breakfast means you'll have a better chance of burning off those calories because you're consuming them early in the day. And a nutritious breakfast will actually help you burn more calories during your runs because you'll be properly fueled to run stronger.

If you find you just don't have time to eat breakfast because you're rushing around in the morning, try some of these ideas for eating a healthy breakfast at the office.

More:

• 5 Smart Eating Rules for Runners
• Best Foods for Runners
• Healthy Snacks for Runners

Start the Day Right originally appeared on About.com Running & Jogging on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 10:22:06.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

If you're looking for a fast marathon to run, here's one factor you may not have considered: air quality. A new study from the American College of Sports Medicine indicates that poor air quality may hinder women's marathon times. The study, led by researcher Linsey Marr, Ph.D., evaluated marathon race results, weather data and air pollutant concentrations in seven marathons over a period of 8 to 28 years. Researchers compared the top three male and female finishing times with the course record and contrasted them with air pollutant levels. (They also took unfavorable race conditions, such as hot weather, into consideration.) Higher levels of particles in the air were associated with decreased performance for women, but did not have a significant effect on men's race times.

The study looked at major U.S. marathons in cities such as New York, Boston and Los Angeles, where pollution tends to be highest. Although people who aren't running might not be significantly impacted by low-yet-still-acceptable air quality, marathoners are atypical because of their breathing patterns.

"Previous research has shown that during a race, marathon runners inhale and exhale about the same volume of air as a sedentary person would over the course of two full days," Marr said. "Therefore, runners are exposed to much greater amounts of pollutants than under typical breathing conditions."

Sounds to me like a good excuse to run a scenic marathon with lots of fresh air, like Big Sur!

More:

• How Should I Breathe While Running?
• How to Run a Faster Marathon
• Why Do I Feel Out of Breath When Running?

_{Source: "Air Pollution May Affect Women's Marathon Performance" American College of Sports Medicine, March 1, 2010}

Bad Marathon Time? Blame It on the Air originally appeared on About.com Running & Jogging on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 14:41:57.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

If you're training for a half or full marathon, you most likely have been adding more pasta to your diet, especially for your pre-long run meals. Pasta is popular among long distance runners because it's easy to make, it's not expensive, and it supplies those much-needed carbs. But even though it comes in many shapes and flavors, the pasta routine can get boring.

To get some delicious fueling options, check out The Athlete's Palate Cookbook, a collection of 100+ recipes from renowned chefs, who also happen to be runners. Many of the recipes were featured in Runner's World magazine's monthly "The Athlete's Palate" column. The book also includes 60 new recipes for breakfasts, entrees, soups, salads, sides, desserts, and beverages.  A great feature of the book is that each recipe includes labels indicating quick-and-easy, training, and recovery meals, so you can plan your meals and time them properly. Each recipe also includes nutritional information, such as calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fat amounts.

I'm definitely not a gourmet chef, but I found the recipes to be easy to follow. And, yes, there are some pasta dishes - but they're definitely more interesting than your basic spaghetti and meatballs.

More:

• 5 Healthy Eating Rules for Runners
• Best Foods for Runners
• What Should I Eat After a Run?

_{Photo courtesy of PriceGrabber}

Tastier Carbo-loading Options originally appeared on About.com Running & Jogging on Saturday, February 27th, 2010 at 11:56:44.

Permalink | Comment | Email this