Nora doesn’t like mushy bananas. Nope. They give her a fit. She likes Crunchy Nanas. Yup. Every last bit. (sorry, my boy is five and into Dr. Seuss)

What makes Nora rock? Well, I’ve only known her a short time but it hasn’t taken long to realize there is a lot that makes her cool.

To start with, Nora is an American living in the U.K so, you know she’s adventurous. This green banana lover started running before she was allowed to shave her legs (her admission – I wasn’t around to verify!).

She has fond memories of clocking her fastest mile (6:45) when she was a young 7th grader saying:

I can still remember how incredibly happy and accomplished I felt. It’s the same feeling I have as when I finish races now.

Can you relate?

You could call Nora a well-rounded, all around athlete. She’s mixed her running career with biking, swimming, dancing, yoga and (holy cow!) even mountain climbing (click to enlarge).

Nora’s running really took off last year. Her words:

I started running at my current level about a year ago to beat back at the unhappiness and discontent I felt in my life. I knew if I could take control and become healthier physically, I’d be able to regain my perspective and a healthier outlook on life. To keep me really going, I signed up to run a half marathon for the British Heart Foundation in memory of my best friend’s son, who had died of complications with congenital heart problems at 3 weeks old. It made me take training really seriously. More serious than for my first half marathon. I figured if I was asking people for donations and running in Taran’s honor, it was only right not to slack or half-ass anything.

 

It took in a way running had never taken before. It’s like the chemical levels in my body adjusted themselves and I could feel myself again. I liked how I felt running, and I liked how running made me feel, overall in life as well as out on the runs. It helped me get my groove back. My ultimate goal is to never again lose my enthusiasm and zest.

Nora is loving running in England, having enjoyed jaunts in London and West Yorkshire. But, her favorite place to run so far is on the Thanet Coast.

People who say the English Channel are drab and ugly are just wrong. Sometimes the water color is amazing, nearly tropical-like, and the cliffs are beautiful. It’s a great place to run. (I’m kind of biased though. I became a volunteer coastal warden last year, and have become pretty attached.) Photo Courtesy Kat’s Photos

CrunchNanas was started to keep Nora’s family and friends up to date with her training, but spend any time there and you’ll soon find that she has other passions including photography, music and science (Nora writes a weekly science feature for CRN). She’s one busy gal!

It was really fun going through Nora’s archives. What’s the rock’nist thing I found there? Hands down, I’d say it’s that she’s run a race in Paris-Versailles. How cool is that? (Big Sur is a close second)

What does the future hold for Nora? She says she simply wants to have fun, stay healthy in body and mind, and break 2 hours on a half marathon (current PR is 2:00.27). She’d also like to run a half marathon on every continent except Antarctica (because its too cold and expensive!)

Nora, I hope I meet you for a run on one of the warmer continents one day.
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Do you know someone who we should feature here? It could be a blogger like Nora, an elite athlete, or someone else. Just drop me a line to nominate a runner who you think rocks.

Digging through e-mails from a few years ago, I found my first meetings with Andrew were un-exciting. We exchanged pleasantries, and then sort of moved on. That was most definitely my loss.

Fast forward to around October 2006 when I found myself pondering a return to marathon training. In blog musings, I remarked that I was interested in training at higher mileage than I had trained at previously, and that I wanted to do so based on the teachings of famed running coach Arthur Lydiard.

I’m not a very religious sort of fella but, “Seek and ye shall receive” and “The lord moves in mysterious ways” are two sayings I’m reminded of when I think back to how Andrew magically appeared in a comment graciously offering to help me learn the teachings of Lydiard. You see, Andrew is—to put it very, very mildly—very passionate about high-mileage marathon training. He’s also a Lydiard disciple.

And so it goes that Andrew became my mentor and coach. I spent a year training Andrew style. A year that ended in two huge marathon PRs, as well as a big improvement in my one-mile record. I can’t wait for the next training cycle.

Andrew rocks because—like you—he loves running. He loves the fitness he gets from running. He loves running outdoors—no matter what mother nature might bring. He loves competition. He loves to win. He loves growth. He loves things like mitochondria, slow-twitch fibers, aerobic capacity and efficiency adaptations. The man just loves running.

And, just in case you were wondering, this guy is incredibly balanced. Spend any time on Andrew’s blog and you’ll learn that—even with the hours and hours he spends on the trails—he also spends quality time with his family. Factoid: One of Andrew’s favorite things to do is tour the countryside on his motorcycle with his daughter.

One day I imagine going for a run with Andrew and I imagine it will be pretty darn fun. I know this by the terrific camaraderie I see and read about that’s part and parcel of being one of Andrew’s friends. Just ask running buddy Marc—pictured here with Andrew in this photo.

There aren’t many people that will get up every day at 4:00 a.m. to fit running into a busy schedule, but Andrew’s one of them. He is the epitome of dedication. I’m sure Arthur Lydiard would have liked him. This quality has fostered steady improvement, placing in races, winning one or two, and even a sub-3:00 marathon. Impressive!

But, as I’ve learned, there is a lot more to Andrew than just his own accomplishments and passion. He is also very giving of himself. As mentioned, he spent a year patiently teaching me about Lydiard—often calmly correcting me as I repeated mistakes (I can be a bit thick at times).

And I am not the only one who’s benefited from Andrew’s generosity. He helps others because, as far as I can tell, it’s just in his nature. Nothing makes this Running Blogfather happier than seeing this kind of generosity alive and well in the Running Blog Family—it’s really what a community like ours should be about.

I once got an email with this Andrew-ism in it (I always thought it should be on a t-shirt): “the heart awaits our courage”. I ask you—can a runner rock any more? Cheers to you, Andrew!
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Do you know someone who we should feature here? It could be a blogger like Andrew, an elite athlete, or someone else. Just drop me a comment below to nominate a runner who you think rocks.