barneymarathon‘Step one to running a marathon: you run. There is no step two.’ -Barney Stinson How I Met Your Mother

It’s officially running season in the land of 10,000 lakes! Congratulations are in order to all who dominated Grandma’s last weekend in Duluth, MN and encouragement to all those training for upcoming  half marathons, marathons, triatholons, and 5K’s alike.

At least four of the GetKnit Gurus are in training for one or more races this coming season from Red, White, and Boom to the Twin Cities Marathon.  Needless to say, we have running on the mind and we wanted to share some thoughts!

– Have a training schedule, but be gentle with yourself.  Listen to when your body needs to stop.  The key word here is ‘body’ rather than ‘mind’.   Running is primarily a mental discipline.

– Yoga helps A LOT.   If you are not familiar with the pose ‘runner’s lunge’, you should be.

– Running is a great way to explore the Twin Cities.  Take a new route and discover new lakes, trails, and explore new neighborhoods!

– Post-run: Toss back a beer. Research conducted at Granada University in Spain shows that a pint of beer, post-workout, rehydrates the body better than water. The carbs replace lost calories and researchers believe the sugars and salts may help the body absorb fluids more quickly

Runner_mainThere are a plethera of race opportunities in the Twin Cities! Here are a couple of links to get you started: Twin Cities Marathon and Minnesota Running Series

Whether you are new  running or a consecutive Boston qualifier, good luck this season. See you on the trails and at the finish line!