a treasure trove of mail this week

Before it hit shelves in its current iteration, I had the chance to review Hal Higdon's "4:09:43," a retelling of the events of the Boston Marathon bombings through the interweaving of numerous personal accounts into a single narrative. I had a few questions about the book and some of the changes that might be made before it was officially released, so I contacted Higdon to see if he could offer any insights. To a bit of surprise, Higdon responded unbelievably quickly, and really couldn't have been nicer or more helpful; he was able to answer all of my questions, sent me an image of the book cover I could use for my blog, and even offered to mail me a signed copy, so long as I remembered to get back in touch when the book finally came out. I can be pretty terrible at remembering things sometimes, so it literally took me over six months to get back in contact with him, but just as promised, once we had caught up, Higdon immediately sent out a complete press kit, which to my delight arrived on Monday.

As if receiving a signed copy of "4:09:43" wasn't enough though, my very first RunnerBox arrived in the mail as well this week. Subscription box services are blowing up, offering all kinds of neat things and catering to just about every type of person and interest; I knew it was only a matter of time before I would be compelled to jump on the bandwagon. After researching all of the different boxes geared towards runners, I ultimately opted for the RunnerBox. It only comes every other month, but it works out to being a little bit cheaper than paying for a more frequently delivered monthly box and it is literally packed to the brim with goodies. This box alone included a microfiber towel, two protein bars, three different powdered drink mixes, a handful of runner friendly snacks, and a set of green Lock Laces.

I'll definitely be trying out the protein bars after my next two Freeletics workouts, and I can't wait to have a go at some of the other treats on my next few long runs. Everyone loves receiving fun things in the mail, and in that regard, this week was easily once of the best in a good long while. Alas, if only the mail could be this awesome all of the time.