By Joe Nuss
It is getting closer and closer to spring. Even the late winter snow storms cannot hide the fact that the days are getting longer. Before you know it, the weather will be warm and triathlon season will be in full swing. Are you ready for it? Triathlon coach Marty Gaal offers a few tips for your pre-season tune-up in this month’s triathlon column. Make sure you and your gear are ready before your first race.
Also right around the corner is the USATF North Carolina — 2015 Endurance Magazine Long Distance Running Championship Series. The series kicks off with the Florence Forth 10K March 7 in Durham, NC. Just over a week later and only a few miles from Durham the second event takes place in Cary, NC. The Tobacco Road Marathon represents this year’s marathon championship race. With about 21 miles on the American Tobacco Trail this race is one of the fastest courses in the state.
Those looking to PR at the Tobacco Road Marathon or any of the other many great local races will want to check out this month’s running column, “Learn to Love the Track” by D.C. Lucchesi. Some of us may not want to believe it but, the secret to running fast is actually no secret at all. If you want to start shaving time off of your current PR you just may want to read this column and start spending a bit more time at your neighborhood school track.
About a month after the flat and fast Tobacco Road Marathon, runners will head to the hills of Chapel Hill for Endurance Magazine’s Tar Heel 10 Miler. This race is not just the USATF North Carolina 10 Mile State Championship, it is one of the “must do” events of the year. Set in beautiful Chapel Hill including a start and finish on the UNC Chapel Hill campus the Tar Heel 10 Miler offers amazing bling, shirts, and the total race day experience. But, why stop there? This year, why not book a relaxing stay at The Franklin Hotel for the weekend? Read our Tar Heel 10
Miler Race Weekend Getaway to find out all the amazing and fun things to do on race weekend with The Franklin Hotel as your headquarters.
While there is certainly plenty of dining options in Chapel Hill you’ll want to make sure you are on top of your nutrition game leading up to race day. If you love your greens but, haven’t yet jumped on the juicing or smoothie bandwagon you will definitely be interested in this month’s recipe. Our Green Soup recipe will totally knock your socks off while giving you a new way to enjoy your greens in an actual meal. There are a variety of ways to make this recipe so be sure to check it out as well as our picks for the Top 3 Leafy Greens of all time.
We also provide a few other picks for you this month. We picked this springs most interesting new shoes to review in our Spring Shoe Guide. Check out our reviews to see which shoes we picked for “Best Value” and “Best Update” as well as our top overall shoe. We also give you a glimpse of New Balance’s two new Fresh Foam releases. In addition to cool new shoes we also picked a great new triathlon bike to review. In this month’s gear review column, the always positive Mike Beaman, Bike Manager at Inside-Out Sports, takes a look at the 2015 Orbea Ordu M30 triathlon bike.
As always, we preview some of the best local races coming up in the next few months in our Event Preview section. We also keep you informed on staying healthy and injury-free in our Sustainability of You section. This month, we feature a great chart on prevention, treatment, and recovery for three of the most common running injuries. Don’t forget to check out our inspirational athlete spotlight, too!
Inspire. Perform. Endure.
