Vote for Shirley in Evotri Contest

Shirley, our favorite Humble Triathlete, is competing for the Evotri Contest--a triathlon sponsorship contest. Be sure to vote for her entry by sending an email to vote@evotri.com with http://HumbleTriathlete.blogspot.com in the subject line (no body text required).

Take a look at her application here.

Shirley is a true class act in every sense of the phrase. She's selfless in her training advice and she's dedicated to her sport. Shirley is running 50 marathons--one in each state. I can't think of a better person to get Team Evotri's sponsorship. Make sure to send the email by March 21, and tell your friends!

Lincoln Tunnel 5K signup

I'm running the Lincoln Tunnel 5K race in April in New York City. If you aren't familiar with the Lincoln Tunnel, it's a long tunnel under the Hudson river that connects New Jersey and Manhattan. Every other time, it's packed to the gills with cars, but they're closing it for an hour or so for the race. I found this race through Runner's World.

This is one of those races that you do because you would otherwise never have a chance to run it. It's not everybody that can say you've run through the Lincoln Tunnel. It's not a long race and won't require any sort of training, but for what it lacks in distance, it makes up for in "kitsch factor".

The Worst Part About a Marathon

A week after finishing my first marathon, I've decided what the worst part is about a marathon: not being able to wear your medal for days at a time as you go out and do errands, go to work, have a beer, etc. People really look at you when you do that.

It just seems wrong that you really only wear it around the finish line and back to your hotel, and maybe to the airport (but they make you take it off to go through security). My theory is that we should a grace period of a week for a half-marathon or marathon (anything that is medal-worthy, really) and we should be fine wearing it around. So there you go: it's now a new rule.

Oh, and the second worst thing about a marathon, thanks to CewTwo:

R.I.P. Marathon Runner

Adam Nickel, a Wisconsin native, died on Sunday after finishing the Little Rock Marathon, according to the Associated Press. Nickel, just 27 years old, died at the hospital later that day.

This type of story, much like Ryan Shay's tragic death during the Olympic trials in NYC, makes me think about a long of things related to running and mortality.

First, most of us run to become or stay healthy and stave off mortality as long as possible. By getting out and hitting the road when it would be much easier to stay home and watch TV and eat potato chips, we are at the very least improving our quality of life. Our hearts don't work as hard, we can do more and we are generally happier.

Second, it's important to know your limits when you race. I don't know if Adam was outside of his limits, but it still serves an important warning. We need to work up to our distances, know when our injuries are too much, and know when enough is enough and it's OK to have a DNF on your "record".

Third, we need to do what we love. I know Ryan Shay loved to run and he died doing what he loved to do. I don't know if running was Adam's passion, but he had to of at least enjoyed it a little to run 26.2 miles.

Adam's story gave me serious pause. It added credibility to my family's fear for my health as I ran the marathon last weekend. At the same time, it's given me more resolve to train and train hard to make sure that my body is as ready for a race as it can be.

My thoughts go out to Adam's family as they try to deal with a loss that no one expected. Rest in Peace, Marathon Finisher Adam Nickel.