Ultimate Runner Book Review

Have you heard of Runners' Lounge? It's a pretty cool place where you can interact with runners from all over the place. In addition, the creators, Amy and Tom, are all about getting to know your runners of all types. From the person who does run/walk 5Ks to the person who runs super-fast marathons.

Together Amy and Tom decided they wanted to create a book to celebrate all these runners that were sharing there stories in the Runners' Lounge. So they teamed up with a publisher and The Ultimate Runner was born!

I was lucky enough to receive a free copy of this book from Amy and Tom and they asked me to share my review with all my readers. I started it last week and even though I'm an admittedly fast reader I can tell you that it would be a quick and fun read for anyone who likes running. Especially those of you out there that like to read blogs.

Imagine if someone combined your favorite blog posts about why someone runs or her most memorable race and put them into book form. And then, just to top it all off, added helpful information about cross-training, nutrition, stretching, and injuries. What a great idea, right?

Well, that's what The Ultimate Runner does. The first part of the book is divided into sections talking about the emotional, the physical, the social, the memorable and all the other aspects of running that inspire us to get out there. The second part is devoted to advice from fitness and running experts.

I truly believe that any runner, aspiring runner, or family of a runner would find at least one story in this book that he or she could relate to. Whether it's the story about the woman who tried running only to decide she makes a better support team for her running family or the story about the woman who does Ironman triathlons. Or the story about the people who run after a cancer diagnosis or just because they need something to make them feel alive even when they're healthy. There really is something in there for everyone.

Some of the expert advice might be repetitive for anyone whose read more than one issue of Runners' World or hung around any online running forum so I admit that I sort of skimmed that part. But, you never know what you don't know so there's always a chance you'll learn something new.

I think my only criticism is that I wanted more stories of runners! Also, since I'm sure that Amy and Tom found many of these stories via blog submissions I would have liked to see some acknowledgment of whether or not the authors had blogs I could go check out. Thankfully they are doing some of that over in the Lounge and I can understand why, editorially, they didn't include links to blogs that might not be there permanently. But, still, would have been nice.

Regardless, it was a nice, easy read that left me with a few gems to think about the next time I'm in need of some inspiration.

If you're interested in checking it out yourself, it's available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Borders. Or you can ask your local independent bookstore or public library to see about ordering a copy.

Fall Run and Full Review

As you can see from the above photo (taken on my run on Saturday) it appears that fall is descending. As much as I will miss summer, I'm excited about cooler weather. My 8 mile run on Saturday was not nearly as much of a struggle as many of my shorter runs from the past few months.

The only downside to cooler weather is figuring out what to wear on your run. I usually go by the 20^o rule. Meaning, you dress for weather 20^o warmer than what the thermometer says. But it's really difficult to put on shorts and a tank when you're standing in your house freezing. So, I ended up in capris and a short sleeved shirt on Saturday. Ended up working just fine.

I didn't start out my run with any goals other than to go 8 miles. This would be the longest run I'd done since my half marathon in July so I just wanted to do it. And although my average pace looks speedy, I find it slightly suspect. And, I admit, I did pause my watch at the major intersection, at the halfway point (while I returned a text message) and when I stopped to take the photo.

I almost paused again during the first half of my run. I can around a corner and just a few feet to my left was a doe, happily chomping on my plants next to the bike path. I really should have taken a picture. She seemed unconcerned about all the runners and bikers flying by. I just love it when I see deer while running. Always brings a smile to my face.

Regardless of my original intentions, I decided after a few miles that I was going to try and run at least two miles at "race pace". That is, I wanted to do them at 9 minutes per mile. If you subtract the time spent paused, then I did it. If you don't, then I only got close during mile 6. But I still think it's pretty cool that I managed to hit that after already running 5 miles.

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After my run, I hit up Cosi for some post-run replenishment. I had one of their Strawberry Banana smoothies (it has real bananas in it, at least. I watched the employee cut it up) and a "break bar".

The break bar is an awesome combination of nuts, honey, and dried cranberries. It tasted like peanut brittle but better. I ate half of it and drank my whole smoothie. Both were phenomenal. I will definitely keep Cosi in mind for after my run! I think the smoothie and the nut bar were the perfect combination for post-run refueling.

I also ran in a pair of new Wrightsocks. I received two pairs to try out after posting about socks in the Runners' Lounge forums. Last Tuesday I wore the Running II style for my speedwork on the treadmill. I love that they have the arch support band and, as a fan of cushioned socks, I liked the thickness. The double layers felt funny when I first put the socks on but I didn't notice them after that.

On Saturday, though, I wore the Coolmesh (quarter-length) pair. I didn't like the height since I am more of a lo-quarter gal. I felt like they were too much sock around the ankle. I suppose, though, they would be good with pants instead of shorts or capris. Anyway, they felt good going on and while I was running, but walking around after my run I felt like they were too thin and that my foot was sliding around in my shoes a lot. I did like, though, that I didn't feel the need to adjust the toe area after I put on my shoes. Sometimes socks have those little nubs on ends of the toe seem that seem to sit on my pinky toe the wrong way. There have been days when I've had to take my shoe off, adjust my sock, put my shoe back on and repeat the process a few times before the sock sits just right. I didn't have that problem with this pair.

I don't suffer from blisters (unless I wear strappy sandals and walk over 3 miles) so I can't really comment on how well the double layer technology works. In fact, I've been perfectly happy with my Target and Walmart socks. That is, until I ran holes in my latest pair from Target. I can definitely tell that these Wrightsocks are better constructed. Hopefully they will last longer! I appreciate getting to try them out since I don't think I would have ever bought "fancy" socks on my own. Thanks, Wrightsock!

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Stats

Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 621 ft Location: Brookfield, IL Elev. Gain: -3 ft Date: 08/29/09 Up/Downhill: [+187/-190] Time: 08:35 AM Difficulty: 2.4 / 5.0   Weather: Mostly Cloudy   62 F temp; 67% humidity   62 F heat index; winds NW 10 Performance Distance: 8.00 miles Time: 1:18:29 Speed: 6.1 mph Pace: 9' 49 /mi Calories: 951 Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 10' 16 +0' 27 5.8 -0.3 -3 ft 2 10' 05 +0' 16 6.0 -0.2 +6 ft 3 10' 01 +0' 12 6.0 -0.1 +10 ft 4 9' 25 -0' 24 6.4 +0.3 -13 ft 5 10' 49 +1' 00 5.5 -0.6 +4 ft 6 9' 07 -0' 42 6.6 +0.5 -7 ft 7 10' 08 +0' 19 5.9 -0.2 -6 ft 8 10' 03 +0' 14 6.0 -0.1 0 ft end ** ** ** ** ** ft Versus average of 9' 49 min/mile ** Insufficient data to calculate this split

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