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Training for a marathon is hard work but it can be a truly life changing accomplishment. The ability to train for and run 26.2 miles is no small feat. If you decide to take the plunge and run the big race do your best to green your marathon training.
1.Pick a marathon that's close to home so you don't burn tons of fossil fuels to get to your destination. If you live in New York, why not take advantage of great races close to home instead of flying or driving to another destination?
2.When you're training, pick routes in your neighborhood instead of driving across town to hop on a treadmill. Running outside can put you in touch with nature and it's also much more exciting than staring at a wall for an hour.
3.Power up with sustainable eats. Make our own organic granola bars filled with tons of locally grown grains. Snack on local fruits and veggies. Bring snacks to work and eat every few hours so that you never feel too famished. Stay away from the prepackaged eats and wasteful takeout.
4.Sport eco-friendly duds. Buy workout clothing that's made with sustainable materials like the latest trends made of bamboo, recycled fabrics, and biopolymer. Non-organic cotton is treated with more chemicals than any other crop. Those chemicals are not only devastating for the eco-system but they're not good for you either.
5.Raise money for an eco-organization. Have your friends pledge a dollar a mile and then donate the money to your favorite eco-organization. Rent out a bar and charge your friends to drink and donate the money. You'd be surprised at how many of your friends would love to support you and the planet.
6.Skip the bottled water and hydrate with a SIGG bottle. The United States sends two million tons of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottled water packaging to the landfill each year. This huge waste can easily be avoided by drinking filtered tap water like reverse osmosis filtered water.
