Yesterday Nike released the information that every single female runner on the planet has been patiently waiting for…the 2015 Nike Women Run Series race dates and cities.  For several months there has been tons of speculation and rumours swirling around and now the cat is officially out of the bag – finally! I am so excited that my hometown of Toronto will be amongst one of the amazing city’s around the world hosting a race this year. Whether you’re a seasoned marathoner or just beginning your run journey, this is a race you will not want to miss out on. I had the privileged of running in the Nike Women San Francisco Half Marathon in 2014, you can check out my race report here, and it literally changed my life. It’s not a race, it’s an experience!

What to expect: Race date is set for June 14, 2015 with registration opening on to the general public on March 9th, 2015. Nike likes to keep event deets under wraps for as long as possible as the brand loves the element of surprise and they love to blow participants away but what I can tell you is to expect a weekend full of celebrations tailored specifically for the beautiful city of Toronto.

Now that the official countdown is on to raceway, I wasted no time setting the groundwork for what I need to work on before the real hardcore training commences thanks to the Nike Canada team. Yesterday afternoon I got to chat with Sheila Reid, member of the 2012 Canadian Olympic team and learned that she will be the elite face of the race this summer. Her focus in competition is actually on shorter distances and specializes in 1,500 – 5,000 meter track races) and has never ran a road race before. Proof that each and every one of us will be putting ourselves to the test looking to either run farther or faster than we ever have before. I also got a chance to have a gait analysis done at the Nike Running Loft by Kristen Kuzemko, part of the Nike North American Pacer team. It was the first time I had one done.  Not only will t will help me remain injury free but it will also assist me in improving my technique, so I can conserve energy and cause less damage to my joints. I will be sharing a little more about the outcome of my run analysis in a future post. My results were all packaged up in this cool little video which you can view here.

Photography by Nathalia Allen (Nike Canada)

I am eagerly waiting to begin formal training and I look forward to hopefully encourage you all to take part in what is the largest women’s run series in the world. Throughout the coming months I will continue to share information on how to train, tips on proper hydration, nutrition, injury prevention and more. In the meantime, do yourself a favour and get a complimentary gait analysis at the Nike Store at the Toronto Eaton Center in order to begin your training on the right foot, pun intended. Click here for more information on the International Nike Women’s Race Series and be sure to get social and follow Run Nike Women on Twitter and Facebook.