Endurance Magazine's Ramblin' Rose Women Only Triathlon Series wrapped up in October and capped off an amazing first year of our "green" initiative, "Race Without A Trace". All of the athletes who participated in the series, as well as the Carroboro Classic Endurance Festival, The Tarheel 10-Miler and Franklin 5000 helped contribute to a cleaner environment with respect to the amount of event-related waste they reduced and recycled.
Rather than hand out throw-away plastic bottles at the finish, the Endurance Magazine/Sport Often team hands out re-useable plastic bike bottles participants can use to fill up at one of our many water stations. In addition, race packets including flyers and coupons are all distributed digitally via e-mail. Shirts, bags, and other items are handed out at packet pick-up without plastic bags as well.
Earlier in the year, it wasn't unusual to find our team sorting compost, recycling, and trash in the few bags of waste generated at our events. As the year wore on and more people became aware of our different recycling, trash and compost bins, our job became easier and the environment a little bit cleaner!
SEPTEMBER 15, 2008 - DURHAM, NC - Endurance Magazine, the premier regional resource for healthy lifestyles, has been awarded the 2008 National Award for Editorial Excellence from the Association of Running Publications. Out of 34 regional publications across the country, North Carolina-based Endurance Magazine and its editorial staff, led by Managing Editor Joe Nuss, was recognized for its perpetually creative and inspiring editorial and production style. Complemented by world-class photography by Tamara Lackey Photography, and innovative visual design by 8dot Graphics (both based in North Carolina), Endurance Magazine breaks through traditional health and fitness content paradigms by connecting real-world lifestyles with real-world people who take on extraordinary challenges. "Our mix of immediately useful content and life-enriching personal connections helps us reach out to new readers with each issue" says Publisher and founder Steve Lackey. "Over the years we have found our creative niche and have been able to inspire and motivate all types of people across our region. As more people learn about Endurance Magazine from beyond North Carolina, our subscription requests from other states have grown".
When asked what makes Endurance Magazine so popular with such a broad audience, Nuss explains, "Endurance Magazine is blessed with an amazing community of people willing to share their own passionate narratives about endurance sports. Our emphasis on storytelling, design and photography, with the sport itself as merely a backdrop, enables us to explore the universally relevant themes of physical and emotional triumph in attempt to bring together everyone from elite athletes to those that have never before laced up a pair of running shoes (but think they might want to some day)."
Posted by: Thys Wind in Training, Run, Beginner on
Sep 24, 2008
There is not a single training methodology that endurance athletes should embrace more than the concept of cross-training. Most endurance athletes are aware of the importance of varying their training intensity and duration over the course of any training cycle. Many, however, do not vary their mode of training often enough, if at all. Some runners, for example, train for their races by only running - sometimes as often as 6 times a week! While this sort of consistent training is great for the cardiovascular system, it's destructive to your joints and a guaranteed way to shorten your career as a runner or triathlete. The most effective long-term way of training is one that consists of variety and thus utilizes the benefits of cross-training. Cross-training is a broad term that includes, but is not limited to, all forms of continuous cardiovascular exercise, strength and flexibility training, as well as the various disciplines that improve the mind-body connection. The bottom line is that cross-training allows the body to recover and become stronger, and it is perhaps THE best way to a higher level of physical performance and mental endurance!
If you're interested in training for an upcoming race such as a fall marathon utilizing a cross-training approach, try a Turnkey Training Program offered exclusively by WindSpeed Endurance Training.
The Endurance Magazine team was out in force at the Mission Man triathlon this weekend with our events director, Thys, taking second place overall. Having done this event every year in its existence, I have to say it may have been the best weather to date. Either that or the extra shade on the new run course made it seem that way! Oh yeah, we turned a few heads in warm-up with our new Team singlets.
It's not very often that I get to do an early morning run anymore. But WOW --
when I get to, it is amazing! Not only was it 60 degrees and slighly crisp this morning, it was quiet, the trails were clean, my body felt rested and my stride was easy. I recently abandoned using my ipod for the daily runs and started focusing on my breath. This morning, I was on about my tenth deep inhale when my face was adorned with the hard night's work of a spider. My first instinct was to feel sad that I had washed away this work of art. But the sadness eventually morphed into thoughts and feelings of freedom. Who am I to assume that it is discouraging that the web disappeared? Maybe it is just the opposite -- maybe it opens new doors and brings an optimism for new things ahead? Maybe is it freeing to have a fresh start - every 24 hours.
When I wake up, I try to remember that today is a new day -- each day, I try to pause before getting out of bed to remind myself that I am free to start afresh today and MAKE today whatever I want to make it. So as I ran through web after web this morning, my concern for wrecking the work of spiders blossomed into an enormous sense of freedom -- start new; each day. Needless to say, it was a great run!
Welcome to year SIX of Endurance Magazine!
After five full years, 60 issues, of cultivating a growing community of purposefully living fitness enthusiasts, we are thrilled to look ahead at all we have to do over the next five. It's what inspires us to do what we do. Over the years, we've strived to motivate, educate, and inspire readers to embrace the Endurance Lifestyle. Along the way, we have been introduced to some truly amazing people - world changers. From Scott Johnson, the Ironman triathlete who succeeded in being the first double-lung transplant to reach the finish line, to Spencer Lueders, the passionate philanthropist who sparked a cycling revolution across the region with his now nationally renowned 24 Hours of Booty ride, to Molly Barker, founder and inspirational leader of Girls on The Run, to Charlie Engle, the man who ran across the Sahara Desert bringing awareness for the need of clean drinking water across this most critical part of the world, to Winny Tonui, the native Kenyan who recently came to the US to become a professional runner, transcending cultural barriers and inspiring an adult population across her home village to live more healthfully. There are many many more (see them all on our soon to be released archives section online at endurancemag.com) and we showcase these people because they are exactly what we all love to find in ourselves: A sense of purpose, an awareness of self, and an attitude of possibility.
A few months ago, after being drained by repetitive pleas from my 6 1/2 year old daughter to get a new pet, I finally told her that she could get one after she ran, and finished, her first 5K race. Knowing that she had never run more than 200 yds without begging to stop, I figured we had at least a few years before I would have to deliver the goods.
The day after our agreement, she woke up and immediately asked to go to the track to start training. We got there; she sized it up, and then asked,
"So, how many times do I have to run around this thing to finish a 5K?"
"13 times," I replied.
"Ugh".
After one walk lap and a 10-minute rest, she embarked on her second lap, which took about 4 minutes...and then another 15-minute rest. After four total laps (and about an hour later), she completed a full mile and was wiped out.
Fast forward to about three months later, April 19th 2008. Endurance Magazine was supporting a local race right down the street from our family's home, the aptly named "Wondergirl 5K". On the way to the race -- while being pushed in the double jogger because she was too tired to walk -- Sophie asked if she could run the race with her mom.
By nature, I am a pretty pragmatic person. And I had to all but bite my tongue to stop from pointing out the myriad of practical reasons why she probably wouldn't finish the race (for which she'd never trained). But she said she wanted to try - so I picked up my race bib, crossed out my name, and replaced it with hers. As she and her mom took off with the pack of over 1500 runners, her brother and I watched them keep a nice pace. They turned at the first corner, and we would not see them again until mile 2.5.
About 35 minutes later, in the distance, I spotted the only runner who dared to race in a summer dress and sandals. She looked uncomfortable, but not undetermined. And, just a few moments after that, Sophie and her mom finished their final turn and came running toward the finish line. I honestly couldn't believe it. With many more people far behind her, Sophie dug deep and ran the last quarter mile with pride beaming in all directions. Her previously exhausted brother jumped in and ran faster than I've ever seen -- with purpose - as he cleared the way down the finish chute to the cheers of all spectators.
And then, as she crossed the finish line, exhausted and yet with an amazing amount of energy left, she immediately looked up and asked, "Now (gasp) - can we go get my pet?"
First 5K - 6 years 6 months - In a time of 51 minutes 37 seconds. Wow!
Gear of choice: Sundress (two shoulder straps), mis-matched cotton socks, Keen Sport Sandals.
Hydrator: Water. Mostly dumped on her head. Like in the commercials.
Motto: "No pain. No pet."
Last month, my wife and I ran the Disney World Half Marathon together. Since this was her first half marathon race, I agreed to follow her well-thought-out race strategy: “Follow everyone until it’s over. And then go back to sleep.”
When she told me this was her plan at the start line, I laughed out loud. And although we were far from last, we took our own sweet time meandering through the course - stopping to take photographs with pirates, with penguins, in front of castles, and even of other runners as the sun rise changed the colors of our background. We had a blast and I highly recommend enjoying a big race like this every once in a while.
One key lesson, however, came at the expense of a guy only slightly more determined to get to the finish than I was. As we came up on the 9 mile water stop there was something different at the front. A group of young women with tongue depressors, each with chartreuse goo globing off one end, were standing ready to hand one to anyone who would grab it.
Self-esteem is not for sale.
You can’t buy it.
But you can cultivate it – from within yourself, through personal experience.
There are a lot of opportunities to buy products and services that make you feel better today – and, believe me, I am an avid consumer of many of them (my morning coffee, the occasional dessert, frequent massages at the spa…). But it’s only the personal experiences you have that can create a perpetual degree of self-esteem that is available for you to reference as needed throughout the more challenging episodes of your life.
It’s one of the reasons we launched the Ramblin’ Rose Women-only Triathlons program.
Posted by: Steve Lackey in Run, Lifestyle, Beginner on
Jun 01, 2007
Too often I hear someone talking about whether or not they are a ‘real’ runner, triathlete, or cyclist. Many seem to think only the elite qualify as being ‘real’. In fact, we sometimes even have people question whether Endurance Magazine is ‘for them’ – that is until they turn the first couple of pages and realize that we offer something for the athlete in all of us.
What makes it official anyway? The number of miles you’ve run? The number of finish lines you’ve crossed? The number of years you’ve trained? Or the amount of cash you’ve spent on gear and race fees? (All well spent, of course!)
For me, it comes down to attitude.
Do you run?
Do you like to run?
Does it make you feel better when you do?
Can you tell the difference in your perspective and how you treat others when you haven’t run for a couple days?
Do you smile more on days that you have run?
Then it’s official. You, my friend, are a runner.
