Blogs
Tell me why… If you have yet to figure out, songs are constantly playing in my head. I will be in a conversation with someone and pull lyrics out to match the situation. Is this normal? Who knows. It is my normal though and my friends are not only used to it but expect it.
Energy Abound? ‘Spring is in the air!’ ‘Hope springs eternal!’ ‘Ditch the pants, bring on the dresses!’-Ok, the last one was one came from my best friend at Purdue. Phrases that let you know the temperatures are rising. The flowers are blooming. The allergies are ON FIRE. Race season is here and the cold gear
An Olympic Hopeful in the Air Force? Our Tailwind Ambassador Crew is full of adventure and surprise. What may come as a big surprise to most is that one of the members is an Olympic Hopeful and will attempt to qualify again next summer. Senior Airman Michael Mannozzi is a race walker and competes for
Double the trouble or double the fun? This week’s Stars Spotlight is also a member of the Tailwind Ace Crew Ambassadors! Amanda Preble has taken part in the Air Force Marathon since 1997. She stated she had such a good time that first year, she just kept coming back. 2002 is her most sentimental year
Getting to know the Ambassadors: Over the last few months, we have truly had the honor to get to know our Ambassadors. The way they interact with the staff, with others in our group makes hearts swell. Reading John’s posts, his comments when others post is the reason he is today’s spotlight. Wanting you to
Why the Air Force Marathon? Rachael and I were interviewed for a podcast Monday. One of the first questions asked was ‘what brought you to the Air Force Marathon?’ Rachael’s story is one of working her way through the ranks and growth. Mine is different because I worked my way through a few different races
Ambassador Spotlight: Megan Mottet I would like to introduce you to Megan Mottet, our next Tailwind’s Ace Crew Ambassador. Megan is the definition of grit and grace. She encourages those around her and finds a fire within herself to dig deep and do more. As of this typing, Megan is ranked in the top 10%
Back in the Saddle… Do you exercise for health, for sanity, for goals? When I run, I like to have goals in mind whether it be an upcoming race I am running or a race I am pacing. I used to set timed goals to the point of obsession. At that time in my life,
Fairborn and Dayton: Traveling to races, whether local or destination, always presents a challenge. Where should you eat before/after? Are there fun activities pre- or post-race? What could you visit on your downtime (instead of resting your legs)? Over the next 8 months, there will be local venues and activities for you to add to
Introducing me: Hello! I’m Jill! Assistant Race Director by day, mom all the time, and forever on the move. I have two teenagers involved in sports, extracurriculars, music, and everything social. We have a Black Lab who NEVER stops talking. I am a fiercely loyal friend. Something I am not: a life-long runner. That journey
From the Director’s Desk: Happy New Year! We are two weeks in to our resolutions (if you make them). Personally, I have always been a goal setter-adding, evaluating, revising all year long. Sometimes, I succeed. Other times, I let go. This year we have team goals for the Air Force Marathon, and I have separate
Can stress affect a runner’s performance? Written by Michelle Daniel, owner of The Lifestyle Technique, LLC Exercise has been shown to increase your overall health and sense of well-being. It can also help relieve stress and have great benefits. Physical activity, such as, running can help increase your endorphin production, which is our brain’s feel-good
Can sleep deprivation prolong post-run recovery? Written by Michelle Daniel, owner of The Lifestyle Technique, LLC Many people boast about the little sleep they run on each day. For runners, not receiving an adequate amount of sleep, can hinder their post-run recovery. Why is this? During a long run or hard workout, your muscles
Maximize Your Post-Workout Recovery with These Top 10 Foods Written by Michelle Daniel, owner of The Lifestyle Technique, LLC In the previous Air Force Marathon blog, we discussed how fueling before a long run or race is important in performing and recovering quicker. Fueling your body with carbohydrates prior to exercise will give you the
Benefits of Practicing Yoga for Runners Written by Michelle Daniel, owner of The Lifestyle Technique, LLC As your training miles begin to increase for your upcoming race, some runners may begin to have some aches and pains. Paying attention and being mindful in what your body needs will help you throughout your training program. Depending
Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness Written by Michelle Daniel, owner of The Lifestyle Technique, LLC Do you ever get sore after you start a new exercise or increase the intensity, resistance, frequency, or duration of your workout or run? If so, you may be experiencing what is called delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) which
Experimental Era: History & Heritage of the XF-85 Goblin The XF-85 Goblin, nicknamed Parasite, was made to protect B-36 bombers. These small-framed bombers could easily fly beyond the range of the conventional escorts. The range endurance was 1 hour and 20 minutes. The B-36 would carry the XF-85 in case the enemy fighters came into
Vietnam Era: History & Heritage of the F-4 Phantom II The U.S. Navy Fleet first developed the F-4 Phantom II in 1958. It wasn’t until May of 1963 that the U.S. Air Force flew their first version of the Phantom II, an F-4C. By 1979 5,000 Phantom II’s were built for the U.S. Navy Fleet,
Pre-WWII: History & Heritage of the J-3 Cub The Piper J-3 Cub is a symbol of the contributions of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) to the United States Air Force. The J-3 was used by these CAP members to hunt enemy submarines, report damaged ships, tow aerial targets, and deliver integral war materials. The aircraft
Experimental: History & Heritage of the North American XB-70 Valkyrie The XB-70 Valkyrie started as a prototype for the B-70, a high-altitude, nuclear strike bomber. The Valkyrie had six engines that allowed the aircraft to fly at Mach 3+, which is three times the speed of sound. No such enemy could defend against a bomber
WWII: History & Heritage of the B-17F Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress was a versatile plane used first in WWII. This highflying, fast plane with a respectable range was fully equipped for war. The bomber was so beloved that it quickly became the 2nd most manufactured bomber in history. Europe took extra liking
Post-Vietnam Era: The History & Heritage of the F-117 Nighthawk The F-117 Nighthawk is one of the most unique and memorable aircraft to fly in the USAF. Designed as a twin-engine stealth attack aircraft, its design was based purely around evading radar signature and thus was the world’s first operational stealth aircraft. In 1989 Lockheed
Lung Cancer Warrior: Every Race is an Accomplishment Despite starting his running career at age 62, surviving lung cancer, and dealing with the challenge of 2020, Vince Fonner proves that it’s never too late to start and that each race truly is a significant accomplishment. Along with two friends, I completed the 2020 Air Force
Virtual Strides: Running Your Own Race I completed the virtual AF Half-Marathon on 6 September 2020 running 13.1 miles straight down the measured Montour Trail near the Pittsburgh Airport. I parked my car near mile-marker 21 and started at 0742 with two bottles of water in my hands and some Gu Gel to keep me
A Day in the Life: Race Director If you are reading this but have yet to read the other blogs in this series, I would encourage you to first learn what some of the other members of the Air Force Marathon team does first. Those blog posts can be found linked below. Administrator Assistant Director
The Green Program: Going for Gold In 2019, here at the Air Force Marathon, we launched the Green Program. Honestly, we’d love to have a better name for it, as that feels very generic and not sufficient to all that the program entails. This program is done in partnership with the Council for Responsible Sport.
8 Years: Hooked on Running My husband used to volunteer for the Air Force Marathon because he worked for Civil Service. When he retired after 4 years in the Air Force and another 37 years on the base, he wanted to try the Half Marathon. I decided to run-walk with him. After 8 years of
Dayton Strong: A Passion for Running, Ohio, and AFM’s very own, Brandon Hough I love telling this story because I think of the world of USAF Race Director, Brandon Hough. I was born in Dayton, Ohio and at age 11, we all moved to Florida. I lived in Florida until I joined the Air Force
A Day in the Life: Assistant Race Director “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.” – Colin Powell I first wrote this blog in a way which described the role of the Air Force Marathon Assistant Director (AD), but decided to scrap that and start over. I wanted
Why I Run…Why Not Run It? It’s not about why I run the USAF 5K as much as “why not run it.” I’ve never been the athletic type but always thought that my life as a working mom was keeping me active enough. My brain kept insisting I was healthy and fit in spite of
Stepping Out: Sole Sisters It is 2016 and someone at the young age of 53 decided it was time to get up and get moving so the challenge was made to family and friends and Stepping out Sisters was established. Our goal was to move more so we challenged ourselves to complete a 5K, 10K,
Director U.S. Air Force Marathon 88 MSG/AFM 5030 Pearson Rd, Bldg 219, Room 106 WPAFB, Ohio 45433 July 4, 2020 Hello, I’ve run your race a number of times, once the full and I believe three times the half. At 71 I’ve decided to experience different venues, but I would love to return to Dayton.
One Step at a Time: Determination through Heartache I was stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB from 1996-2001, working in the Aeronautical Systems Center Public Affairs Office when the U.S. Air Force Marathon was created in honor of the service’s 50th Anniversary. I proudly worked and supported the first four marathons before I PCSed. In 2000, our
5 Reasons to Run, Even When No One Is Watching I used to hate running. And I mean I really, truly, unequivocally despised it. As a kid, I remember being excited to run with my older brother in a local Fourth of July fun run in Oregon only to trip and scrape my hands and
A Gold Star Mom “Jogs” Her Memory Most people do not understand at all why a person would want to run 26.2 miles. Even fewer understand running more than one marathon. My son, Joel, was one of the few people in my circle who truly understood why I would run—at this point—over 25 marathons. Perhaps
The Dog Days of Summer A few years ago while waiting around in a foyer before an appointment, I happened to notice one of those trite ‘motivational posters’ that are far more worthy of an eye-roll than they are motivational, except this one was actually pretty powerful in my opinion. “Your mind will quit 1000
Always A Runner I started running when I was 12 years old and in the 7th grade. My first run ever I got lost in a cornfield, chased by a dog and cried the entire way back to where practice started. For some reason, I thought, “YES!!! Let’s do this for another 10 years!!!!” I