Knowing how to care for, and when to replace, your running shoes are often details looked over in the larger running ecosystem of trails, and partners, and weather, and apparel.

I’ve made the mistake myself. We all have at one point or another. No one wakes up one morning and is the perfect runner. You run and you learn.

Let me help you by saying that you need to pay attention to you shoes. If they start begging for attention, give them some.

Let me also be clear in saying that running shoes aren’t like a good pair of jeans that feels better the more you wear them in. Quite the opposite, actually.

Stress caused to the body as a result of worn/oddly worn running shoes is not fun.

A lot of sources say to change out your running shoes every 300-400 miles. To me, I think that differs depending on your shoes. If you’re running in a less-expensive, different quality shoe, you may go through them quicker. Higher quality shoes will last longer. It also depends on how much you run. The more intense distance runners who do 50+ miles every week are probably already on a nice rotation of shoes. I’m talking they have a backup pair chilling in their closet. For them, it’s  a switcharoo every quarter or so.

Personally, I like to keep a rotation of different shoes and monitor their health individually. I have some Nike Frees that I like to train in and do some light runs to keep my feet lose. I wouldn’t dare run more than 3 miles in them, though. Then I’ll whip out my heavier, more supportive Muzinos Wave Nirvanas for road races or really hot runs that I know my feet will get warm and need some nice ventilation. I have some lighter Mizuno Wave Inspires that I really love to just jog in. They’re nice and wide, and have some great heel cushion.

Aside from the usual wear and tear your shoes will experience from running, don’t abuse them. Don’t wear them around into the grocery store, mall, work, etc.

I like to think of them in the same way as cleats. You’re really, really not supposed to walk around on hard surfaces wearing cleats. Especially rubber ones because the hard surfaces can wear down the quality of the cleat and eventually dull them down. So when I see little kids wear their $75 cleats in the grocery store, I cringe.

Moral of the story? If you take care of your running shoes, they’ll take care of you. Ignore them, and suffer the consequences. Whether taking care of them means spending a little bit more on a good pair initially, switching them out more often, not driving in them, or whatever. Make sure that the one thing that you always have to have to go running (other than health) is always there for you.

Do you have any tips for keeping your running shoes in good condition? Leave them below in a comment, or post on our Facebook page!

Happy running!

It’s my favorite run because of everything else. The things they don’t talk during news coverage.

Because it brings the city together. It’s Americana in true form. And, much more importantly, it’s something I’ve enjoyed with my father for going on 9 years now.

Posing during the 2012 Peachtree with two of my favorite men in the whole world — my dad and uncle.

He’s the reason I got into running the Peachtree in the first place. He’s run the race for like…ever. I think he has t-shirts dating back to 1975. I’m not sure if that means he ran some before then or not. But he’s missed very few runnings of the Peachtree Road Race, even coming home from deployment on leave just to run the race. And to be able to give the tradition to another generation, I think, has been a complete joy to him.

When I think of the Peachtree Road Race, of course I think of all of those things I mentioned in the beginning, but I will always think of my dad first. We’re the other’s running ying and yang. When he as a good Peachtree, I have a bad one. When he’s healthy, I’m ailing. The year I was finally able to run pill hill, he had to walk it. Combined, we are the ultimate Peachtree Road Race runner.

He has taught me so much about running and training through our Peachtree Road Race adventures. And I cannot wait to continue that this year. Registration for the 2013 Peachtree Road Race lottery opens this week. Friday, March 15 to be exact.

Are you planning on signing up for the lottery? Check out a few blog posts I wrote about the famous Atlanta road race last year.

Registration dates for 2012 Peachtree Road Race released
I got the Peachtree Road Race rejection blues
2012 Peachtree Road Race: The Good Foot, The Bad, The Ugly

You know — that euphoric feeling that runners supposedly can get that makes them want to run forever and ever amen.

Short answer: Yes; there is such a thing.

Long answer: Achieving it depends on what you’re doing.

Today’s blog post is brought to you by the letter “E.” As in endorphins. As in the things that induce the so-called runner’s high. Woo Hoo!

What are endorphins? Basically, endorphins are hormones produced from your spine that act as natural pain killers. mmmmmmmmyessss. Free meds!

The trick of it all is reaching the point of making that switch go off. And I don’t think there’s ones way to do it. Similar to, well, just about everything in this world, a runner’s high is different for everybody.

And similar to other things, you may have experienced the high without knowing it. Or you may have felt like you achieved runner’s high, but really were experiencing more of a placebo effect.

If you’ve never had it before, it can take some time to know what it is. So chances are good that you have already had it and didn’t recognize it, or maybe you’ve had just a little bit of it!

Either way, people often want to know how to get the runner’s high. For me, it was never about just getting a runner’s high. Sure it sounded fun and amazing, but if I could perform and run and be happy and healthy, then I felt like I was being successful. If I had a little medicinal help along the way, even better!

But for those of you looking for a tip, I do have one recommendation. Push yourself.

I know when I first experienced the high, I was running distance. And I was outside of my comfort zone. Try going a little bit longer. If you’re training for a 10k and you’re up to 4, push out 5 one day.

If you’re doing a training program like Couch-to-5k, you’re never really stepping outside of your boundaries. Get crazy one day and just keep going until you feel like you physically can’t any more. if you’ve been doing 3 miles or whatever — go for six. Maybe you don’t get to 6, but at least you aren’t telling yourself when to stop. Hey – maybe you get to 7!

In many other instances which endorphins are released (excitement, pain, consumption of spicy food, love and orgasm), we’re out of our element. We’re getting caught off guard. It isn’t planned or rehearsed or dwelled on. Many of those things just end up happening.

Getting out and pushing yourself beyond your usual “planned” boundaries will help your body react naturally.

You all know a watched pot never boils. Stop trying to get the runner’s high, get out, run, and enjoy yourself and you just might be pleasantly surprised.

In other news, the 2013 Peachtree Road Race registration is just around the corner!!!! Who’s excited? This girl! Be on the lookout for a brand-spankin’-new PRR blog post for 2013′s race.

So tell me, have you experienced the runner’s high? What did it take for you?

What better way to celebrate Christmas this year than to get out in the refreshingly freezing cold Georgia December air and run 6 miles with some friends or visiting family? The Jingle Jam 10K in Augusta on Dec. 1 sounds like it would provide you with just that.

The race route is actually in Evans, which is only a reindeer’s leap away from Augusta proper, and starts bright and early that Saturday morning at 8 a.m. Ending just in time to get some more shopping, baking, or visiting in before the day escapes you.

I’d also point out that this time of year is a great time to stop and reflect on what matters most in life. No, not presents or days off from work. Not even 10Ks or running. Really, it’s the people in your life. And it might even be the people you don’t know yet. Jingle Jam support SafeHomes, a not-for-profit that helps support domestic violence intervention and families struggling with at-home abuse. Think of the holiday season you’ll have. Now think of the holiday season some of the families that SafeHomes supports may have. Just the little bit of support you’re able to give to an organization that supports them would mean a world to those families during these next few months.

But not only does the Jingle Jam 10K in Augusta benefit a great cause and is good exercise for our healthy bodies, it’ll provide all of the right, motivating cheer to get your festiveness on. Need to blow off some steam from holiday shopping traffic or visiting in-laws? I can’t imagine a 10K wouldn’t help.

Register now before the lines close on Nov. 29 — two weeks from today! And if you register today, you can still get the personalized bib!

Check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

Have you run a holiday themed race elsewhere? Comment below with pics! They’re the best part!

2012 will be my first 3-or-more-10k year ever. I’m definitely running 3. We’ll see how I feel about any more than that. I’d love to say that I’d be able to do a half marathon toward the end of the year, or even at the beginning of next year, but I’m not making any promises. I’m taking one race at a time. If anyone knows of a great half that’s all downhill/shaded/nearby, I’m all ears.

Running as much as I have been definitely has me reflecting on a lot. Running really is the best therapy, and totally thinking time for me. I’ve got so much going on in my life right now — all good! — and running has been an amazing outlet for me to stay sane.

As I go on and hurdle this milestone in my running, I’ll definitely be looking to make new goals. Aside from training for/completing a half, do any runners out there have suggestions?

It doesn’t get much more exciting than having the word ACTION in the name of the 5k. “Why would a boring 5K have the word ACTION in the name of it?” you may ask. I know, because I had the same question. Until I looked it up, at which point the 5K became exciting. It’s because everyone is supposed to dress up as super heroes! Including your pet or kids, who are gladly welcome to participate. How fun! Just imagine the sight when a pack of runners is trotting down a city road, and everyone’s dressed as a super hero. How awesome is that?! And there’s a reason the two go together.

On top of being colorful, lively, and just downright fun, this race supports a very worthy cause. The Action Dash supports efforts for fighting against hunger, education, and housing challenges for Georgia residents in need. This sounds like a super 5K that supports a great cause and keeps it all in our state. I am so down with that. I think everyone should go out and register to participate now. They look way behind their fundraising goal, so make sure to tell your friends and family, too.

The Action Dash will take place in 5 cities in Georgia on Monday, September 3, 2012 — Labor Day 2012. Atlanta, Athens, Augusta, Gainesville and Rome will all host the race.

Too bad I have the Big Peach Sizzler 10K on Labor Day, or else I’d be getting my hero-laden 5K on with Action Ministries. Good luck to everyone — racers, volunteers, and, even more so, our neighbors in need.

p.s. Check out their Facebook page for some hilarious photo ops with town mayors who nobly support the Action 5K. Give them a like while you’re there!

I’m usually pretty good about a pre-Peachtree Road Race blog post. This year, sadly, I have failed. Moreover, I’ve failed as a blogger in 2012. Though, I beat my sister who started a new-baby blog and has only made one post this year. So….there’s that?

The race this year was good. Certainly not perfect. But good. Being that it’s been more than a week since the event, let’s get straight to the point. My thoughts on the 2012 Peachtree Road Race: The Good Foot, The Bad, The Ugly.

The Good Foot: MarathonFoto finally provided a nice batch of pictures, which beats last year’s one photo. I’m even considering buying one!

The Bad: My time. “oooooWIE. Wassup with that? Wassup with that?” Yeah. It was not a good race for me. I managed to run to the top of Pill Hill, but then became dehydrated and had to stop for water. My legs were jell-o after that. So run-walk I did.

The Ugly: Race organization. And perhaps organization is the wrong word. They definitely do herd 60,000 people around a small space well. But there are a few imperfections that, if changed, would have been huge to me. First, MARTA. Any smart racer knows to DRIVE to midtown, and take MARTA back up to Buckhead. The rides are less smelly from the inverse, and have been historically lighter. Not this year. I would like to suggest having MARTA trains that are used to transport runners only. This is not to say that I don’t appreciate the supporters on the sideline, but being super crammed into a train with almost nothing but spectators, and seeing runners waiting on the platform, seemed wrong to me. We could assign – say – every other train for spectators. So one is for runners only, and the next one is for spectators and runners. Because let’s face it, people, who’s the group on the real time crunch here? Also – once we were near the starting line – getting people to their waves was crazy counterintuitive. At one point, router were cut off so that A-J went this way, and K-everyone else went the other way. Of course, I was in K, so I was forced to walk the entire route from Z, onward, to my wave. By the time I got to K, we were AT THAT CUTOFF spot. I walked — at minimum — a very unnecessary mile to get to my wave. Can we not adjust the cutoffs as waves advance? I also noticed some ad hoc efforts to catch those sneaking up into a heat (or 12) ahead of their assignment. Can’t we be more effective than cops standing on the side of the start area and asking people to step off to the side and wait for their wave? Hint, APD: they aren’t going to wait. And you can’t do anything about it. I just don’t want to have to start with 5 S’s and 3 W’s standing around me. If that’s how it works, why have waves?

But, again, I think that the ATC does an OK job overall. 60,000 people is a large group, and running the bulls a race without anyone getting trampled is possibly a miracle.

How was the race for you? Give me your Good, Bad, and Ugly!

It’s the one where the couple promises each other they’ll run and meet in the middle. Then, the incredibly-out-of-his-league guy is incredibly weak and lame and miserably fails and the girl ends up running CROSS COUNTRY to see her love, even devouring an ice cream cone along the way. Women runners ftw. I mean, after all, our endurance and tolerance for pain is much higher than a man’s thanks to our ability to birth other humans. So why not use that for the greater good of running?

(And how can I not use this opportunity for an impromptu shout out to Pat Summitt?! What a lady. Total inspiration to athletes of all genders and all sports. I’m looking forward to what, on campus, they decide to name after her legacy.)

Back to the video.

I love that it shows that yes, couples can have fun participating in a running exercise together. Encouragement. Compassion. Competition. All healthy and all good. Way to go, Nike. Very nice commercial.

For me, the song got stuck in my head before the concept did, but it’s still incredibly cute. Check it out the full version here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ouch.

He entered at the same time I did – submitted a legit time for possible seeding, requested a mail-out number – did everything exactly the way I did. And got denied.

Remember that post I used to gush on about how amazing and inspiring and fun it is to be able to run with your significant other? Well that includes training, and even furthermore, training for a race that you love. Such is the case for the 2012 Peachtree Road race for me. Except for the part where my boyfriend didn’t make the cut.

Sorry, babe. We were not born to run. The Peachtree Road Race says so.

So, on our quest to find a black-market number we go. And with no help from the Atlanta Track Club. Their super sad excuse for a number exchange looks like a creepy gun-for-hire message board from 1994. Boards2go.com? And RED?! A million colors on the color wheel and you guys pick RED to lift folks’ spirits of finding a beloved number? Get a new web designer. That or stop making interns run your online communication campaigns. The least you could do was create a Facebook page (cough*socialnetwork*cough) to match people up. It would have looked better and been way more effective. I get you traditionalists, though. I do. Message boards are where it’s at in 2012. And I wouldn’t expect one of the most powerful, well-known organizations in one of the most high-tech cities to pass that opportunity up!

Go and check out the board. It tells a sad tale much like mine. Experienced, enthusiastic runners who got the cold shoulder this year. Not to mention…NO ONE IS GIVING AWAY NUMBERS on it. Glorious.

I’m sure you can’t tell, but this definitely puts a sour taste in my mouth. I mean this year has made me ask: how do they REALLY pick the runners? Is it all that random, or is there some discretionary, tainted, failed method of selecting a demographic that makes the race look good? Just wondering. If you have any idea, do share.

For any respectable North Georgian, those four words arouse a certain memory, smell, or sense of excitement when heard. I know it does the trick for me. Whether it’s for warm apple bread dripped with icing, hot or cold apple cider, some fresh honey or produce, or freshly baked fried apple pies (for my boyfriend), we’re lifelong fans of the Mercier Family Orchards.

I have family in the Metro Blue Ridge area and I ALWAYS make it a point to stop by Mercier’s (as we affectionately call it) whenever I’m in the area.

So when the call to give back is made, I happily oblige.

From one Georgia runner to another, I highly encourage you to check out the Breathe Deep Blue Ridge 5k on April 7, 2012. It sounds super cool. Nestled in the picturesque scenery of Blue Ridge’s mountains — and further more the Mercier orchards! — this 5k offers runners and walkers the chance to get out and breathe. No pressure to perform, though the top fundraisers will be awarded. It sounds like the perfect spring Saturday afternoon to spend among other runners and North Georgians.

If anything, just go to check out the live band and family activities. And did I mention it’s located in Georgia’s gorgeous Blue Ridge mountains? I did? Ok. Good. That’s an important detail, though not the spotlight of the event. The race was actually created to help raise resources for a Mercier family member recently diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. Melissa Mercier Lillard, a third generation family member, has never smoked. Nor has any family member. Which makes this even scarier. If you’re able, please get out and support this great American family and the wonderful venue it has allowed so many of us to love for so long.

If you have any questions about running or donating, feel free to hit up my friend Jason on Twitter.