Today we launced our first eBook for the Boston Marathon. This guide was created to help athletes competing in the annual pilgrimage from Hopkinton to Boston by giving them access to the collective knowledge of our coaches without having to hire them. ;-) You can check it out here.

In addition to the free video of the race course that anyone can download and view, the guide has topographical maps and course profiles as well as a Run Technique guidewith videos to watch and learn from. I think it's pretty darn cool...now even if you are based in Sri Lanka, you can get a look at the marathon course both from a runner's point of view (video) and from a statistical standpoint (maps with specific profiles).

Why Make The eBook?
The Boston Marathon is one of those events that folks people absolutely love. Running Boston is like no other marathon - there are people lining every inch of the 26.2 miles. Sure, they might be lying down in their own puke by the time you get to Kenmore, but they are there! :) Seriously though, most folks can't even remember what miles 1-14 looked like after the race because they were so disabused by the hills in Newton. By breaking the course up into specific segments, my hope is that folks who use the guide will do a much better job of pacing the first 1/2 of the race. It's no secret that most folks hit Hopkinton thinking, "PR!"....only to stumble across the finish line looking like they need the ER instead. (That was bad, sorry!).

Things We Learned Making This Video
People think you are a wacko. You don't make friends driving the speed limit. SUVs take up waaaaaay too much space on the road. There is always someone running the Boston Marathon course. Heartbreak Hill seems long in a car. Your hand can really cramp after holding the cameral still for that long. The average video camera battery lasts as long as the tape you can use (60 min tape means 60 mins of recording life). You say some really dumb stuff to one another when you have nothing to do but look at the road in front of you for an hour. You miss the thousands of spectators that come out on race day. You don't miss the pain in your legs.

Okay...back to work!

patrick