You wouldn’t know it by looking at me, but I’m about as Irish as they come. For whatever reason, my sister got the red hair, then I gave up my maiden name, and unless you are my husband, my “Irish temper” stays under wraps the majority of the time. However, whene March 17 rolls around, I take that time to embrace my lineage that makes me who I am. It used to only mean wearing green. Then I became a runner and the day took on a whole new celebration. Now, most of my celebrations include a race and some of the best food the world has to offer!

There are fun runs, shorter races, long miles, and everything in between when it comes to St. Patrick’s Day race options. Some are clever and offer a 17K or Lucky 7K. Many others like The Leprechaun Lope in Salt Lake City, Utah offer some seriously silly awards for best Irish costume or fastest centipede, which is four runners linked together by a common costume. Not to mention the various distances from 2 mile to 10K have hidden leprechauns along the course for you to spot.
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By Team Best Life

Your feet take a beating just living everyday life. Add in your recommended exercise, and finding footwear to cushion and protect your feet becomes even more important. Treat your feet right using these tips as a guide.

Don’t get too attached.

Using shoes that are past their prime can lead to injury or painful conditions like shin splints. It’s not always obvious when your running or fitness shoes are worn out, as wear and tear on the inner cushion isn’t visible. As a general rule, replace shoes before you put 500 miles on them—about six months’ worth of 10,000 steps a day or running about 20 miles a week.
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If you didn’t already know, HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. The simplest way to explain HIIT is that it’s an organized cardiovascular training method. It’s comprised of high intensity exercise intervals of short durations mixed with low intensity intervals for recovery. It requires high effort (on an intensity scale of 1-10, at least a 7) of sprints lasting from thirty seconds to two minutes, followed with a different low intensity exercise lasting 1-2 minutes. The low intensity part of the workout is designed to be a break in order for your body to recover from the sprints and prepare itself to begin sprinting again.

What are the benefits of HIIT?

Why would someone choose HIIT over a standard, lengthier cardio session? The difference between the two is the amount of calories burned after the workout is complete. After finishing a long distance jog, your body stops burning calories as soon as you stop jogging. After HIIT training, you’re body continues to burn calories even after you’re done sprinting. That means you can spend less time on your cardio workout and still burn at least the same amount of calories, if not more. More benefits include:
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Support systems are nice to have when you’re trying to live a healthy lifestyle. For the past few years, the Twitter world has offered information and a support network for people who may not have found it IRL (in real life). By adding a certain hashtag to your tweet, you can instantly join with the most supportive and trusted weight loss resources online.

We’ve found a few Twitter memes, or communities, that have really grown to be the go-to resources for socially supported weight loss, fitness, and health. Not only do you get a virtual support group, but accountability, guidance, and access to resources are part of the package, or rather hashtag.

#RunChat

The running community is brought together on #runchat, organized by @RunningBecause and @iRunnerBlog. Whether a beginner or marathoner, there is a place for you at #RunChat. About one million people unite on this trending topic on Twitter. Followers benefit from a sense of a community that cares deeply about the sport of running and are willing to share information with each other. Join this Twitter community on #RunChat on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month at 8pm EST.
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Just this past week, Ragnar Florida Keys welcomed a unique team – a team that raced with losing on their minds.

Several months ago an unlikely team began to form as they prepared for this Ragnar Relay. Each of the team members had lost at least 100 pounds through running and lifestyle changes and would be followed by a film crew for a documentary titled “From Fat to Finish Line.”

Rik, Katie, Mary, Linda, Allison, Jennifer, Andrea, Meredith, Jen S., Lealah, John, and Ada all completed the 200-mile, overnight relay from Miami to Key West and they’ve already inspired so many before the documentary has even had a chance to be edited. They were featured on the Today Show and several other news sites upon their finish. We caught up with one team members Ada Wong, who many will remember as a finalist on Biggest Loser 10.

“I have to admit, it was much more challenging than I had anticipated. I wasn’t used to running in hot, humid weather. My legs felt like cinder blocks for most of the run,” recalls Ada about her recent triumph. “I wore capris and had a tan line within half an hour! I also wasn’t used to running, taking a break, running again, and not sleeping.”
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