LIVESTRONG, Mayor's Marathon, Ironman, etc etc...

Its gonna be a GOOD weekend. My sister, my amazing, strong, freakin' kick ass sister is running yet another 26.2 miles at the Mayor's Marathon in Anchorage. I told her to have fun (is that possible running 26.2 miles) and consider it training for Vegas :) She'll rock it again...she always does... and she always crosses the line with a smile on her face. I wish I could be there to scream her name and hoot and holler like I do in Vegas...nothing better than watching your sis cross a marathon finish line !!!!

Our friends are competing in the Coeur d'Alene Ironman. The full 140.6 distance, as in a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a full 26.2 mile marthon-sprint-to-the-finish run, all one right after the other, all within time constrains, and all in hilly Idaho. I'll be stalking them via online coverage at www.ironman.com. I'm so impressed with their training and dedication to this event. I can't wait to say KA, NA... you ARE an IRONMAN. toooo cool. And another friend is starting her summer tri season as well... and she's gonna kill it this year !!! I have her schedule, and I might possibly be stalking her too... hehehehe

The LiveStrong Challenge is this weekend in Seattle. I went and picked up some new Mizunos from my favorite running place, Run26 in Lynnwood, and I'll be running the 5K on Sunday morning. Another friend is going to be doing an easy (ha!) 100 mile bike ride to 'pick a fight with cancer'. I have to say, I've never really thought about cancer much. Hasn't affected me personally at all... until the, dum dum dummmm... cancer mole. That just pisses me off. For goodness sake, the one thing I love, SUN, creates havoc and a scar the size of my thumbnail on my back. What the hell were those silly cancer cells thinking ??? sheesh... don't mess with my sunshine !

With all this stuff going on this weekend, got me thinking... and so I did a little research. Did you know that the upcoming 4th of July holiday is the biggest 'running' day of the year. There are more 5K, 10K, halfs, fulls, xterras that day than any other day of the year ! I did not know that...

So, for those of you who think you CAN'T run a 5k, or a half marathon, or even a marathon. Um, hate to be the one to break the news to you.... YOU CAN !!! If you can walk a mile, you can run a marathon (well...some can.. me, that number is too freakin' big, I'll take the half please !). Just TRY it... really... try !

6 Reasons to Run a 5K

Runner's World

5K's are one of the most popular races out there, and here are six reasons why:

1. Ease. Most of you are busy, and training time is precious. Therefore, it's really tough to find the time to train for a half-marathon or marathon. Not so with the 5K. You can work up to it quickly (from scratch) and train for it adequately on just three days a week.

2. Convenience. With a 5K, race day is a snap. You arrive at the race, warm up for 10 to 20 minutes, race for 40 minutes maximum, cool down, replenish with food and drink, and head home in your new race T-shirt before your family has finished breakfast.

3. Exhilaration. In a 5K, you feel like you're really racing. And that's a good feeling. Not many runners can maintain a 10K race pace that is much faster than their daily training pace. With a 5K, however, you can motor as much as one minute per mile faster than your usual training pace.

4. Improvement. Racing the occasional 5K is an excellent fitness booster. It will elevate your max VO2, improve form and efficiency, and make your regular training runs feel easier.

5. Change. Too often in our training, we run the same course at the same pace at the same time of day. Don't get me wrong. Routine is good—essential, in fact, if you want to stay with a long-term running program. But too much of a good thing is too much of a good thing. You need variation, and a short-and-sweet 5K every once in awhile is a great way to mix things up.

6. Motivation. Races are great motivators. Each year, scores of runners tell me that having a regular schedule of 5K races gets them out the door on days when they would have stayed in bed in the morning or hit the couch after work.