I am grateful for every SpryFeet.com reader. And today I want to congratulate and thank reader Soraya Habeych.

First, the congratulations:

Soraya, congratulations on completing your first half marathon on June 6 in the 2010 Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Half Marathon, with a very respectable 2:38:52 chip-time!

Second, the thanks:

Thank you, Soraya, for honoring this site by wearing a SpryFeet.com cap during the race.

Much more important, thank you, Soraya, for honoring an 8-year-old girl named Amanda, as well as others who have suffered from blood cancer, by raising more than $2,500 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Now THAT rocks!

If YOU would like to contribute to Soraya’s fund-raising for this very worthy cause, then I invite you to go here and make a donation today. Thank you!

If you know how to run your races with courtesy, then you will activate the Law of Attraction in your favor. After all, racing with other runners can be a lot of fun. But, frankly, you can be a big source of irritation to other racers when you are careless about what you are doing while racing.

Here are several ways to be more courteous to other runners while racing.

Ensure that your running shoes’ laces are securely tied.

You can create quite a hazard by stopping in the middle of a road or path to re-tie your shoes. Plus, you can trip over your own laces, if they become untied. Take some extra time before your race to be sure that your shoelaces are securely tied. Or get a lacing system that can never become undone.

Look where you toss water cups, especially half-full ones.

Although a splash of water may be refreshing to you during a hot race, the racers behind you do not want to be splashed by your half cup of water just beyond a water station. For example, water splashed onto their legs can drip into their socks. Even the best perspiration-wicking socks can not necessarily keep up with that amount of water, so you could inadvertently cause a blister in a runner whose legs get doused by the water remaining in the cup that you toss carelessly. Also, the water that you spill can be a tripping hazard on an oily road. If you cannot drink all the water, then take care to toss the cup off the race course.

Stop by the side of the road or trail to spit.

Racers do not want to be “misted” by your spit, and they do not want to step in it, either. If you must spit, then carefully run to the side of the road, stop, and spit.

Look before stretching your arms.

Shoulders and arms can get tight during a race, especially a long one. But be careful when swinging and stretching your arms. Otherwise, you could accidentally bloody or bruise a quiet runner nearby.

Look before slowing to a walk.

If you use micro-level pacing, or if you are fatigued, then you eventually will have to slow from a run to a walk. As with arm stretching, look around before doing this. Failing to do so can lead to bad accidents, with several runners on the ground.

Warn other runners before cutting in front of them.

Cutting in front of other runners can be quite dangerous, especially when they do not expect it. Say something (“Excuse me.” or “Sorry. Crossing in front of you.”), or at least motion with a hand, before crossing the path ahead of another runner.

Announce tripping hazards that lie ahead of you.

Depending on how big you are, how small are the runners behind you, and how close are the runners behind you, you can cause one or more of those runners to trip simply by failing to announce a tripping hazard that lies ahead of you on the road or trail during a race. This is analogous to a motorist hitting an object in the road because he or she was following another motorist too closely or could not see beyond a very large vehicle ahead of him or her even when following that larger vehicle from a safe distance for braking. If you are about to step around a tripping hazard, then take a moment to announce the hazard to those behind you.

Stop to talk on a cellphone.

If you must take or make a call on your cellphone during a race, then stop to do so. Just as motorists who talk on cellphones tend to drive more slowly, runners who talk on cellphones tend to run more slowly. And this speed differential with fellow runners can be dangerous. Do the courteous and safe thing by running to the side of the road or trail, making sure that nobody is immediately behind you, and then stopping to make or take that call.

Do not race with stereo earphones.

Stereo earphones are banned from many races because of the hazards that they create as clueless racers miss announcements from race officials, emergency responders, and fellow runners. Race without earphones. Or, if you feel that you absolutely must have your own personal music to accompany you, then race with an earphone in only one ear, so that you can keep the other ear open for your race environment.

Do not run backwards unless you have a lot of room.

You may want to run backwards to work out a kink or when trying to face another runner whom you want to motivate. But do this only when you have a lot of room and see no hazards further down the race course. Otherwise, you may run backwards into another racer. Or you may fall and cause one or more of the runners who you were facing to trample and fall over you.

Avoid wearing costumes that interfere with vision or running.

Costumes on runners often draw laughs and cheers from spectators and other runners alike. But be careful what you wear. Avoid costumes that could obscure your vision or that could trip you.

Avoid running two or three abreast.

It can be a lot of fun to race side-by-side with a training partner or two. But realize that this can create a “wall” that blocks runners behind you from passing all of you. The solution is simple: Leave a space that can let at least one runner pass between you and your training partner.

Training for a half marathon can be challenging.

The biggest challenge for most people has nothing to do with developing the endurance to complete a half marathon. Probably many times more people are capable of developing this endurance than the number who believe that they can.

No, the biggest challenge to training for a half marathon is incorporating the training into a busy schedule.

• If you work directly with a coach, then some of your workout time is dependent on his or her availability.
• If you run or walk with a group training program, then some of your workout time is dependent on the program’s schedule.
• If you run or walk outside, then you may have to fit some of your workouts around daylight hours (if you are concerned about safety), around night hours (if you are avoiding the heat of the sun), or around weather (if you live in a stormy climate).

So a treadmill could be your best solution to the challenge of incorporating training for a half marathon into your busy schedule.

But here are some issues to consider when contemplating training for a half marathon on a treadmill.

Issue #1 – Lack of Realism.

If you are training for a home-town half marathon, then there is nothing as realistic as training on the same roads on which the half marathon will be held.

And training on the roads in your home town can still provide a fairly realistic preparation for many out-of-town marathons.

Treadmills can never match roads for sudden changes in inclination, either. Instead, you must wait several seconds for a treadmill’s inclination to change.

Wind on the road or trail — especially wind that varies quite a bit — is another factor that is difficult to imitate with treadmill training.

Training on a treadmill probably cannot match training in most levels of relative humidity, either

And think of flowers, fresh pizza, or other sources of aroma that you can encounter while training outdoors that you will never encounter while training on a treadmill.

You must decide whether you can handle this lack of realism that can come from training on a treadmill.

Issue #2 – Boredom.

The scenery never changes on a treadmill. Of course, you can stare at a TV monitor on which you are viewing changing scenes. But there is an ennui to training on a treadmill that is much less likely with training outdoors.

You must decide whether you can handle this potential for boredom that can come from training in this way.

Issue #3 – Lack of Camaraderie.

If you train outdoors, then you have at times the company of your coach, fellow members of your group training program, or other runners or walkers you encounter along your routes — especially if you train in a public park.

In contrast, if you train with a treadmill, then you are either at home or at a gym. And while a gym can have many fellow runners or walkers training on adjacent treadmills, it is difficult to have a group conversation or sometimes even hear above the din of the treadmill motors and belts well enough to have a one-on-one conversation. But minimal or no conversation means minimal or no camaraderie.

You must decide whether you can handle this lack of camaraderie that can come from training on a treadmill.

Stephen Covey‘s The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, first published in 1990, is now a classic book in the world of business and self-help. The seven habits are:

• Be Proactive
• Begin with the End in Mind
• Put First Things First
• Think Win/Win
• Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
• Synergize
• Sharpen the Saw

These habits are worthy of consideration for your life as a runner or walker, too. Here are my examples of how to apply these seven habits to your workouts and races.

Habit 1: Be Proactive

• If you are going on a group training run or walk, do not assume that the coaches will have the directions. Print and carry your own directions and map.
• If you see a hazard along your group’s training route, let someone such as a coach know about it. Or protect your fellow trainees from the hazard until everyone has passed.
• If you discover in a training schedule that you should complete a particular kind of workout, then take time to learn why and how you should complete it.

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

• Know the chip-time that you want to get when you cross the finish line in an upcoming race.
• Know your flexibility goals for the coming year.
• Know your strength goals for the coming year.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

• Take care of injuries before you take care of improving your performance.
• Take care of form before you take care of improving your performance.
• Take care of your flexibility and core strength before you take care of improving your performance.

Habit 4: Think Win/Win

• Encourage fellow runners and walkers as much as you encourage yourself.
• Train to improve others’ running or walking performances in your group training program as much as you train to improve your own performance.
• Race with others as much as you race against yourself.

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

• Listen emphatically to others during a training run or walk before sharing your own challenges.
• Make a friend with someone struggling during each race by asking how he or she is doing and inviting him or her to run or walk with you.
• Focus on others’ running or walking challenges posted online before posting your own.

Habit 6: Synergize

• Ask fellow runners or walkers what running or walking tricks they use during workouts.
• Ask fellow racers what they say to themselves to make it to the next intersection or mile marker.
• Share your own tricks with other trainees or racers.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

• Cross-train.
• Have heavy and light running or walking days.
• Focus as much on the mental aspects of running or walking as on the physical aspects.

What would you list under each of these habits? Leave a comment. Thanks!

There are some 800 marathons held annually around the world, with some 250 marathons held annually in the USA alone. And only some 1 to 2% of the population has ever run a marathon.

If you have decided to run a marathon but do not know where to begin, then here are seven marathon running tips for you.

Tip #1 – Expect to train for several months for your first marathon.

Here is a secret unknown to most non-marathoners: The marathon is not the marathon. In other words, the true marathon is the months and months of training that go into preparing for a single morning of running. If you have never run the distance of a marathon, you must build your endurance, and you do this through several months of training.

Tip #2 – Join a group training program.

There is nothing like a group training program to teach you how to train for a marathon, to give you opportunities for long training runs with hydration and nutrition support beyond what your hydration belt can hold, and to stimulate a sense of accountability to others that will motivate you to persist through months of training.

Tip #3 – Register as soon as possible for your marathon.

Many marathon websites make it look as if you have a several-month time window during which to register. The reality is that many marathons now fill so quickly that you should register as soon as possible for yours. To be sure, plan to register within a couple of hours of the opening of online registration. Yes, registration can be that competitive!

Tip #4 – Follow advice from experienced marathoners.

Listen to experienced marathoners for advice. One of the best pieces of advice is simple: Do not change anything on race day from what you were doing, using, wearing, or eating in the weeks leading up to race day.

Tip #5 – Take care of yourself.

Be good to yourself. If a pain persists, then get medical attention. If advised to rest, then rest. Watch your weight so that you know that you are staying hydrated. Find foods that nourish you — both on the road and after long runs.

Tip #6 – Get inspiration.

Read books such as 50/50, which was written by ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes about his completing 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. Watch DVDs about marathons and ultramarathons. Ask coaches what inspires them to run marathon after marathon.

Tip #7 – Expect that your first marathon will be a success.

The word “success” is very subjective. No matter what success means to you, daily visualize the end-result that you desire. For example, if success to you means a 5:30:00 chip-time, then take a few minutes daily to visualize yourself crossing the finish line with 5:30:00 displayed on your chronograph.

What tips do you have? Please leave a comment here. Thanks!

The head coach for my group-training program made me remember this expression last weekend.

We were about to embark on our final run of the training season prior to an upcoming marathon. And she advised us not to try to cram any last-minute speed work into that run or into weekday outings before the race. Her point was that there was nothing that we could do a week before such a race to significantly improve our chip-times. And she warned us that we could instead hurt ourselves at the last minute by cramming speed work into the end of the training schedule.

I found this to be great advice, and it reminded me of the title of this blog post.

Spelled out, this means that the event is not the true test of a runner or walker but instead that the true test is the “marathon” of preparation that must be pursued prior to the race.

Here are three areas of preparation, the first letters of which spell C-A-N — as in “You CAN do it!”

Cross-training

The marathon is the weeks of cross-training prior to the race. You must answer questions such as these:

• “Am I stretching sufficiently and correctly?”
• “Are my core workouts giving me the strong torso that I need?”
• “Is my weight training building the leg and arm strength that I need?”
• “Are my off-day sports activities complementing my running or walking?”

Apparel

The marathon is the weeks of adjusting what to wear during endurance walks or runs. You must answer questions such as these:

• “Are my shoes the right ones for my gait?”
• “Are my shoes the right size for my feet?”
• “Am I lacing my shoes appropriately?”
• “Are my socks keeping my feet blister-free?”
• “Are my shorts or tights chafing me?”
• “Is my top right for me in terms of fabric and fit?”
• “Is my cap or headband keeping sweat out of my eyes?”

Nutrition

The marathon is the weeks of adjusting what to eat and drink before, during, and after endurance runs or walks. You must answer questions such as these:

• “Can I handle any eating or drinking before my endurance run or walk?”
• “If so, what specifically, and how much, should I eat or drink before my endurance walk or run?”
• “How soon into my endurance run or walk should I start drinking?”
• “How soon into my endurance walk or run should I start eating?”
• “What should I eat and drink during my endurance run or walk?”
• “How much and often should I eat or drink during my endurance walk or run?”
• “Am I sufficiently hydrating while on my endurance runs or walks?”
• “What should I eat and drink after my endurance walk or run?”

What is your marathon before race day? Please leave a comment here. Thanks!

Big Sur marathon tour videos viewable above are perhaps the best way to get a sense of what it must be like to complete the Big Sur International Marathon.

The Big Sur marathon is considered by many to be one of the top three destination marathons in the United States.

The Big Sur marathon has a six-hour time limit because staging it requires shutting down part of California’s Pacific Coast Highway, one of the most scenic highways in the United States and also known as California State Route 1.

The Big Sur marathon tour videos take you almost mile by mile through the 26.2 miles from start to finish.

Combining an across-the-course interview with a local Californian, whose love of the Big Sur International Marathon is quite evident, with footage from the actual marathon results in three sequential Big Sur marathon tour videos that give you a strong sense of challenges of the Big Sur International Marathon.

• Part 1, a 4:50 video clip, takes you from the wooded start line to the iconic Point Sur Lighthouse.
• Part 2, a 6:59 video clip, takes you from the Point Sur Lighthouse to Hurricane Point and on to Garrapata.
• Part 3, a 4:27 video clip, takes you from Garrapata to the much-anticipated finish line.

Part 2 of the Big Sur marathon tour videos plays automatically after Part 1, and Part 3 plays automatically after Part 2.

Total viewing time, including short clips from a sponsor, is under seventeen minutes.

Hosted by Tom Rolander, local to the area, the videos are filled with tips about how to complete the marathon.

Perhaps more important, Mr. Rolander makes recommendations about how to enjoy the Big Sur International Marathon.

You know within the first minute of watching Part 1 that he dearly loves this marathon.

So the three parts give you a personal, loving perspective that is like a sales pitch — the right kind of sales pitch because it is filled with passion, sincerity, and love for what is being pitched.

What are your favorite marathon videos? Please leave a comment here. Thanks!