Friday Favs: What’s Happening in the Running World
Hey, hey friends and happy Friday! This weekend is going to be a good one, because Saturday is Benaiah’s second birthday. I literally cannot believe my sweet boy will be TWO years old. Why does time go so fast? To celebrate, we will be doing all hid favorites getting donuts, seeing family, running, and eating homemade coconut milk ice cream.
I’ll make sure to share some fun recaps next week, but until then I want to share with you all some if my favorite running things: from runners, to books, to podcasts and blog posts, I want Fridays to be a wealth of inspiration, resources, and encouragement to all my favorite runners out there!
So, without further ado, let’s get down to business
Inspiring Runners
Janae Baron > if you guys have been reading my blog for a while now, you probably know I’m a long time hungry runner girl reader. I love her blog and authenticity, but I am also super inspired by her own running journey. Janae is currently training for a fall marathon (postpartum I may add) and absolutely killing it! Watching her crush her long runs and track workouts inspire me to keep pushing in my own running and workouts. Something I love about Janae too is her balanced approach to running. Something I’ve learned from Janae is that running will ALWAYS be there for me. There may be seasons when I can’t run as much as I want to or seasons that I’m setback, but I can always get back to it and start over and over and over again.
If you haven’t followed Janae before, you can find her here!
Lauren Totten > guys this lady is such a gem! Not only does she love Jesus, but she’s one amazing runner (hello Olympic qualified). I started following Lauren when I first got my Instagram and I think she was the first elite runner I followed. Watching her throughout the years share her highs and lows in her elite running career has been so encouraging. I love her heart for the sport, her love for Jesus, and her adoration for her (also speedy) husband! Currently, Lauren is taking on a ultra (something she’s never done) and I’m excited to cheer her on! She’s also started coaching out of Mckirdy Trained; which I found to be super exciting! You can find Lauren here!
My friend, Kate > I have to take a minute to brag about one of my clients…she sent me a text message the other day saying that she ran one of her best runs yet and was ran with a group of her friends on Saturday (which was one of her goals!) I am so proud of all of the progress we are making together and love seeing her excel and reach her goals! Happy athletes = happy coach!
Apparel
I have a couple favorite brands of running gear and one of them is currently on sale (through September 3!) Rabbit Run Co. has some of the best running clothes and they are on a mega sake right now! I personally love this tank and have my eyes on this tank and these shorts.
Also, Oiselle carry my FAVORITE running shorts (the rogas) and have just launched a new Kara Goucher line(she is one of their elite sponsored athletes) Kara, if you are reading this I’ll take the entire collection 😉 I am pretty sure Kara and I have the exact same clothing tastes because every single piece of this collection I would wear – probably all day, every day.
Education: Podcasts and Books
If you want a fun podcast to listen to while you are running, this is one of my top favorite running podcasts. I LOVE hearing from elite runners, but Matt does a great job of interviewing the everyday runner, digging into how they balance everything and highlighting some pretty awesome people in the Instagram running community. If you are in need of a great podcast to listen to, give this one a listen – I think you will enjoy!
I listened to this book on Hoopla and really enjoyed learning more about the importance of running EASY (and by easy, I mean slow) most of your training runs and hard around 20% of your other runs. It seems counter intuitive to think that by running slowly you will in turn, run fast, but it works. I’ve seen it work with my athletes and myself. If you want more info on why and how this method works, I would highly recommend reading this book (or email me and we can talk about it too!)
Strong A Runner’s Guide to Boosting Confidence and Becoming the Best Version of You
Also, Kara Goucher just came out with her new book and I am so excited to get my hands on it! From what I’ve heard, it is a little bit less of a book and more of a training/confidence journal which I am PUMPED about! You can find that book, here and if you get it before I do – let me know what you think!
And that’s a wrap for today! If you have an inspiring runner who you want to be highlighted here (or an awesome running story yourself) email me coachbethanythompson@gmail.com and submit your running community story, podcast suggestion, book recommendation, or fun apparel/fuel/accessory find!
I hope you all have the best weekend ever! May your runs be long and your coffee be strong.
Questions of the Day
- What is something inspiring in the running community that you’ve seen lately?
- What is your weekend like?
- Anyone racing this weekend?