Two Years of This

I was looking back through the archives a few days ago, and reminiscing, and suddenly realized! It's been two years since I started this blog, and started running. Happy birthday, Run Jelly Run! Frequently, I'm still amazed that, despite the lay-offs I've taken, I'm still running and writing.

In celebration of my two years, I will list and link the running magazines that keep me inspired and informed:
Runner's World: An American magazine, but it has some of the most interesting articles I read. Marc Parent's column 'the Newbie Chronicles' amuses me, the nutrition and recipes columns are interesting and delicious, and the glossy, well-coloured photos make for a very pretty read. Even the numerous ads for marathons are inspiring, and at the back, there is a list of upcoming races around the States. A monthly magazine, it's well worth getting the subscription.

Canadian Running: The main Canadian running publication, this magazine comes out twice a month. I really appreciate Canadian Running because it is all on running in Canada, and each winter, the advice for running in Canadian weather is indispensable. The nutrition section is smaller than in RW, and the articles are less blog-type/personal and more general. My favourite part of Canadian Running, apart from the Canadian focus, is the profiling of different cities in each edition in 'On the Run in...' They provide distance routes to run in a different city, and a profile of the different weathers and tourist sights and spots to visit.

Women's Running Magazine: Another American publication, this is also a bi-monthly magazine that focuses (as implied) on women who run. I found this magazine at a pre-race expo, and was thrilled. Finally, a publication that focuses on the concerns women have before, during, and after running, like sports-bra fittings, how to deal with post-run shine, and women's psychology in running. However, I find that a lot of the magazine has beautiful glossy photos of slender women who fit their running skirts like models, unlike the majority of women who I've seen running. So if you're going to subscribe to this magazine, be aware that the photos are very idealistic (and I'm betting very air-brushed) and that while running will make you fitter and happier, it may not make you look like the women in this magazine.

Running Room Magazine: This is probably the most grass-roots magazine that I read, and the very best part is that it's free. This is because it's published from the funds of the Running Room, and you can sign up for it from the Running Room. It is a multi-page ad for the Running Room's wares, but it also includes interesting stories of people who have run and raced across Canada. It's also the most photographically realistic of the four magazines, and while the paper isn't as glossy or as expensive (it's free, after all), it is still worth flipping through and giving the articles a read.

In other news, as an example of you never stop learning, I learned a very valuable trick for winter running.

Now, this trick is probably one of the most obvious ones in the book, and somehow it totally passed me: to keep from getting drafts up your shirt, tuck your shirt in. Seems so simple, doesn't it? And yet somehow, I never clued in.

Let this be a lesson! You never stop learning new tricks and tips to make running more enjoyable or challenging, or whatever you need it to be.