And, um, I totally want friends who write cookbooks!
So back to why this is the best pre-race dinner ever. Simply enough, it combines the glycogen-storing benefits of carb-loading with the perfomance-boosting benefits of beets. Also, nothing cheers you up and gives you mental motivation like eating something that’s bright purple.
I used whole wheat linguine instead of spaghetti, mostly because that’s what I had on hand, but I really liked the nuttiness of the whole wheat with the beets. Also, good carbs!
I used walnuts instead of pistachios. Again, because that’s what I had on hand. Once I deplete my walnut supply, I’m totally trying this with pistachios. Both are good for runners.
Seriously, y’all. Go check out the recipe (Jenna’s pictures are prettier than mine, too), and make this dish ASAP. You’ll thank me.
And, you’re welcome.
One thing to note, if you don’t have much experience with beets: They turn everything purple. And I mean everything, like, including your pee. So don’t freak out when you wake up on race day morning – you’re not peeing blood, your dinner just turned your insides purple – which is kind of awesome.
Y’all, I’m super excited to be an Ambassador for a brand new initiative that I hope is going to change the way you think about your running shoes.
It’s called KindRunner, and it’s coming in June! I had the chance to ask Mike Conforti, the founder of KindRunner, a few questions – and I’m sharing all the juicy details with y’all!
1. What is KindRunner?
KindRunner is the only place on the web where runners can trade in their old running shoes for new shoes. Runners receive Kindness Cash Rewards for every shoe they send to us. We in turn give those old shoes do our shoe donation partners including Soles 4 Souls. The runners received a credit that they can apply to anything on our site. We have Free 3 Way Shipping that allows a runner to both return product if they change their mind and send their old shoes to us for free. We have a virtual running shop on the site that includes a staff product review for every product.
Check out this video to see what they’re all about:
2. How did you come up with the idea for Kind Runner?
I own a few running stores in NJ and have been collecting shoes for various charitable causes for years. I just wanted to find a way to help more people. Great running shops do something very special that can not be easily duplicated (case in point, you know this if you have tried a new running store in the last few years) so we wanted to combine the idea of expert advise and helping others in need. We found some willing partners in Soles 4 Souls and the More Foundation Group who agreed to helps us recycle the customers boxes and get the shoes directly to people in need and support projects that help people in places where they need assistance the most.
3. What happens with the old running shoes you get?
All of the old running shoes are shipped directly to our shoe donation partners distribution centers where the boxes and paper are recycled properly and the shoes are sent to to people in need in counties like Haiti and those in Western Africa among others. In some cases shoes are given to people in need in the US.
4. I don’t have any old running shoes – yet! Is there another way I can support or get involved?
If you do not have old running shoes we accept other rubber soled shoes that are not designed to be worn as dress shoes. For every pair you purchase from kind runner, you can send back an old pair.
5. How is this different from what Toms.com does?
It is different in a very positive way. We applaud the good work they do, however for ever pair or shoes purchased (and thus manufactured) they create a mother pair to give to to someone. This helps the person in need, but it also doubles the carbon foot print of the company in one transaction. At Kindrunner we simply repurpose your old running shoes, giving them to non-runners who need them for basic transportation and protection from injury and disease. We stretch a single carbon foot print to its maximum potential. We believe that thoughtful and educated runners all over the country will relate to our movement and want to be a Kindrunner.
The formal launch is still a couple of weeks away, but you can still keep up with all the happenings over there – and even win a pair of free shoes – by following them:
I’m so touched, y’all. Two Bouquet of Three Awards – is that a bouquet of six? It’s like Mother’s Day, only I’m not a mommy. Well, I guess this blog is kind of like my baby … who’s almost one year old!
The Fat Dog 100 is considered to be one of the toughest ultramarathons in North America (not in the least part because it’s actually 120 miles).
And I ran it.
Just kidding, y’all. I’m still training for my first 50k, which sounds shorter and shorter with each ultra tale I hear. Whatever, I’m still running up a friggin’ mountain!
Lucky for me, though, someone who ran Fat Dog last year took this awesome video that completely immerses you in what it’s like to run an ultramarathon. There’s no fancy editing or music, just a real look at what it’s like to run all day and all night (and then all day again).
It’s 39 hours condensed into 50 minutes. Watch the whole thing. Seriously.
Hopefully that gave you some insight into why people run ultramarathons – or inspiration to go try one yourself! We are a special kind of crazy.
Would you want to run the Fat Tire 100? What races are on your bucket list?
