Assistance Please! 411 of Running.

Here I am at less than a week away from the Phoenix Rock and Roll Half Marathon. A little nervous, a little excited, a little worried, a little happy, yep a full spectrum of feelings fills this runner a week before a long race. This last week before the race has gone well training wise. My times during my tempo runs, track runs and long distance runs have all been within what I would call an acceptable range.

Last week I had a pretty good track run, run 3x1600 at 7:19 with 800 rests between sets. I was able to keep my times well under the 7:19 number but also since I was feeling so good threw in an extra 800 at a sub 7:00 mile. And my easy "taper before the race" long run on Sunday turned out great also, 9.5 miles at 09:12 a mile average. So where do I get my training help from?

One of the best sources of information for this runner has to be by far, Runner's World Magazine. I can honestly say that out of all my magazine subscriptions this is the one I always look forward to, almost like Christmas day everytime it arrives. The magazine is full of excellent information, from workout programs, stories of inspiration, the latest and greatest equipment to my favorite, their food and health sections. Many healthy meals I create at home are inspired by the recipies I find in Runner's World.

But how can this magazine help one with their training? Here is one of the great parts about the magazine, their website http://www.runnersworld.com/ is even more packed with running goodness. And their Smart Coach page is a perfect place to start if you are thinking about starting running or increasing your distances. You have to set up an account but once you do you can click on their Training section and from there custom build a running program based on your needs. I have been utilizing their Smart Coach now for almost 3 years now and my results have improved with time. And here is the kicker, Smart Coach doesn't cost a dime, nothing, well, maybe the cost of giving them an e-mail address so you can create an account. So what can I say, Runner's World to me is like having the Yellow Pages of Running or the 411 of running at my fingertips, you want information, they've got it.

Well, Sunday will be here before I know it, wish me luck in my quest to get a Half Marathon time under 1:45. Last year I was above 1:47, so keep smilin and keep running.