A Little Chocolate and Wine With Your Run? Races that Please the Palate.

Checking out Traxee.com the other day, I couldn’t help but notice a link for The Chocolate Race. Hmmm. I like running and I really like chocolate. Reading about this race got me thinking … are there other races that celebrate good food with good running?

Here’s what I discovered:

The Chocolate Race – August 28 & 29
Port Dalhousie in Canada plays host to this decedent event. Runners can choose from the 5K, 10K or 21K (half-marathon) race. Need a carb hit during the race? Sample the fudge along the race course. The picturesque route runs around the shore of Lake Ontario.

Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon – September 5
Need a break from Atlanta’s heat wave? Consider this race, located less than an hour from Portland. Part of the Wine Country Half Marathon series, the inaugural race promises lovely scenery and a cool climate. Runners can celebrate their accomplishments at the post-race Wine & Music Festival.

The Walt Disney Wine & Dine – October 2
This evening race ensures runners avoid Florida’s summer heat that lingers into October. The course travels through Disney’s famous theme parks and ends with an exclusive post-race party at the Epcot International Wine & Food Festival.

Roots ‘N Blues ‘N BBQ Half Marathon & 10K – October 2
Looking for something savory instead of sweet? This Columbia, Missouri event promises to serve up a tasty meal of BBQ at the post-race party. Along with good food, bands help cheer on runners along the event course.

Hershey Half Marathon – October 3
For those with a sweet tooth, this race may be nirvana. The aroma of chocolate will fill the air during this inaugural event. The route passes by factories for Hershey’s Chocolate and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Aid stations along the route include a chocolate station.

Runners: Take Care of Your Feet!

When runners talk about injuries, it’s typically issues with knees or hamstrings. But feet can be especially vulnerable to problems if you don’t take care of them. While I’ve been able to run with knee issues, a foot or toe problem leaves me on the sidelines.

Who Knew Flip Flops Could Be Bad?
Believe it or not, wearing flip flops for long periods of time can affect the health of your feet. Why? According to a story in the New York Times, people alter their way of walking which can lead to pain in the feet, hips and lower back. Flip flops don’t provide arch support, heel cushioning or shock absorption and the shoes leave toes vulnerable.

Walking barefoot is also not a good option. Aside from leaving your feet exposed to sharp objects (like broken glass and pebbles), it can contribute to collapsed arches and flat feet.

This doesn’t mean that you need to stop wearing your favorite pair of flip flops. Just limit use to short periods of time. The Foot Solutions Atlanta blog offers helpful tips for foot care and injury prevention.

Pamper Your Feet with Professional Pedicures
I love this piece of advice I found at Traxee.com. It’s important to keep toe nails short and properly trimmed. Pedicures also take care of calluses and moisturize feet and toes. While it may be tempting to save a few bucks by doing a pedicure at home, most people don’t do a good job of cutting toe nails properly. My own attempts to trim toe nails have occasionally led to hang nails –- very uncomfortable.

Give Your Running Shoes Time to Dry
Our feet sweat during runs, which can lead to moisture building up in your shoes. Do you run two or more days in a row? If so, consider purchasing an extra pair of shoes to alternate shoes between runs. This lets your shoes have an extra day to dry out.

The Virtues of Running in the Rain

With the ING Georgia Half-Marathon only two weeks away, I had little choice but to tough it out and run today. To be honest, I was not a big fan of running in rainy weather. Wet clothes and even wetter feet was not a pleasant thought. I became slightly more open minded to the idea when I remembered the great blog post from Beth Moore at Traxee.com about why she loves running in the rain.

Once I got outside and settled into a pace, it wasn’t so bad. In fact, it was rather refreshing. Rain provides a much needed cleansing of Atlanta’s notoriously smoggy air. The air was clear and easy to breath. I also found that I didn’t get quite as soaked as I imagined. Traffic was light and the temperature was cool yet comfortable. Only towards the end did the wetness start to bother me, but I kept thinking about the hot shower and coffee I’d enjoy soon.

Lesson learned today – don’t be so quick to judge an unfamiliar circumstance. Every situation has a few good points.

This week’s route is the 9-miler I ran today. It travels through Decatur, Candler Park, Little Five Points and Druid Hills. You’ll find a map for the route at Map My Run under my group Atlanta Running.

Decatur to Little Five Points – 9 miles

· Start at Fellini’s at Commerce St. and Sycamore Place
· Turn right at Howard Ave.
· Stay on Howard/Dekalb Ave. for approximately 2 miles. Pass the East Lake Marta Station
· Turn right on Ridgecrest Rd.
· Turn left on McClendon Ave.
· Stay on McClendon for approximately 2 miles. Pass Flying Biscuit Café and Candler Park.
· Turn right on Moreland Ave.
· Turn right on Ponce de Leon Ave.
· Take Ponce de Leon Ave. through Druid Hills
· Turn right at Clairmont Ave and head towards Downtown Decatur
· Turn left on Commerce
· Take Commerce back to Fellini’s

Six Degrees of Separation

Last night, I watched the Science Discovery show “Connected Power of Six Degrees”. It talked about the science of networks and how mathematicians are discovering that we’re all linked through “hubs” which connect us – essentially six degrees from each other. The internet is a great example of this phenomenon, where sites like Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter serve as hubs that link people to both content and each other on the web.

So, you’re probably wondering what this has to do with running. Well, it got me thinking about how I’ve become connected with runners across the country through my blog and Twitter account. Runners tend to be social people and enjoy sharing their passion for the sport with others. I’ve agonized with women runners at Traxee.com through our stories about dealing with injuries. I’ve laughed at the adventures that runners chronicle on their blogs. And I’ve followed the daily observations and activities of runners at Twitter. Last week, I connected with a former Atlanta resident who recently moved to Baltimore and started his own running blog Meep Meep. We used to rely on running groups and road races to meet other runners. Now, with the wide use of online sites and applications, you don’t have to slip your shoes on for an early morning meet-up to connect with people who share a passion for running.

If you’re training for the ING Georgia, here’s a great, scenic to run. You’ll find a map for the route at Map My Run under my group Atlanta Running.

Decatur to Little Five Points – 8.16 miles

· Start at Fellini’s at Commerce St. and Sycamore Place
· Turn right at Howard Ave.
· Stay on Howard/Dekalb Ave. for approximately 2 miles. Pass the East Lake Marta Station
· Turn right on Ridgecrest Rd.
· Turn left on McClendon Ave.
· Stay on McClendon for approximately 2 miles. Pass Flying Biscuit Café and Candler Park.
· Turn right on Moreland Ave.
· Turn right on Ponce de Leon Ave.
· Take Ponce de Leon Ave. through Druid Hills to Downtown Decatur
· Once in Downtown Decatur, turn right on Church St.
· Turn left on Sycamore St.
· Turn right on Sycamore Place
· Cross Commerce St. and return to Fellini’s parking lot

Nursing a Running Injury: Part 2

It’s been almost two months since I wrote about my knee injury. Unfortunately, the soreness still lingers which makes it difficult to run. The symptoms I’m experiencing are similar to those described for Runner’s Knee. Earlier this month, I had an evaluation at the Emory Orthopaedics Center and nothing looked unusual. So now I’m taking a prescription anti-inflammatory pill and Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM supplement.

Beth Moore at Traxee wrote a great blog post about the frustrations of being sidelined with a running injury. Like Beth, there’s a lot I miss about running. Clearing my head after a tough day. The satisfaction and confidence that comes after a long run. Seeing my neighborhood the way it was meant to be seen. It’s tough driving by other runners and feeling a pang of jealousy. Swimming is an alternative, but my motivation to get to the pool is lacking.

With the new year approaching, I’m hoping to return to running.

This week’s route is a 3-mile run that starts at Fernbank Museum. You can find the route at Map My run under my group Atlanta Running.

· Start at the parking lot of Fernbank Museum
· Turn right on Clifton Rd.
· Turn right on E. Clifton Rd.
· Turn right on Clifton Rd.
· Turn left on N. Decatur Rd.
· Turn left on Oxford Rd.
· Turn right on Clifton Rd.
· Follow Clifton back to Fernbank Museum

Women Runners Connect at Traxee

A recent web search on running communities pulled up a link for Traxee. Traxee brands itself as a social networking site for women runners. It features a collection of blog posts from women runners, information on gear and training. You can also track your runs through applications offered at the site. Setting up an account is easy. But because it’s still in beta, I’m not able to feed my blog posts to my profile.

During my web search, I was looking to see if running shoe companies offered online communities for runners at their sites. I was surprised to see that the major brands did not feature any Web 2.0 tools for runners to connect with the brands and each other. As evident by Traxee, Runner’s World and hundreds of individual running blogs, there’s a huge community of runners interested in connecting and sharing stories.

This week’s route is a 3-mile loop around Georgia Tech. I found it at Run.com, which is a handy resource for local running routes. The route was originally posted by Sierra Nicholson. I’ve included it at Map My Run under my group Atlanta Running.

Georgia Tech 3-Mile Loop:
· Start at the corner of 5th St. and W. Peachtree St. NW
· Head down 5th St. towards Georgia Tech
· Cross Techwood Dr. and Fowler St.
· Veer left on 5th St. as it turns into Ferst Dr.
· Follow Ferst Dr. around the campus
· Turn left on Cherry St.
· Turn right on Bobby Dodd Way
· Turn right on Williams St.
· Turn left on North Ave.
· Turn left on W. Peachtree St. NW
· End run at 5th and W. Peachtree or repeat to increase mileage