Image via Wikipedia If someone asked you if you could outrun a horse, your answer would most likely be a resounding “no.” You’d probably consider the idea of a human being able to outrun a horse at any distance to be preposterous. However, if you happen to be an elite marathoner and the race covers […]
Long Slow Distance Ladder Track Intervals, Or Something
August 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Image by Michael Lokner via Flickr My run today was either brilliantly insane, or insanely brilliant – I’m still not really sure which. One of the things I’ve realized in training for a Fall marathon (or two) is that heat can make it very difficult to get good long runs in during the summer. I’m […]
Photo-Run #2: A Runner and His Dog on the Road and Trail in Concord, NH
August 14, 2009 By 6 Comments
Whenever I read run reports from other runners on sites like Dailymile or Twitter, I always try to picture what the area they run in looks like. With that in mind, I decided to let everyone in on what it’s like to run in Concord, NH with a dog named Jack. All of these photos […]
4 and 40: Deriving Motivation from Meaningless Numbers
August 10, 2009 By 1 Comment
Image by Stewf via Flickr I had absolutely no desire to run today. After 14 miles on the road yesterday (including a 10 mile race), 2 hours of canoe paddling, dinner and kid-play with friends, and the mental anguish associated with seeing my wife and 3yo daughter head off to emergency room at 9:00 last […]
Race Report: Belmont 10 Mile Road Race
August 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment
View Larger Map After two years of running, I can finally say that I ran a race conservatively and with some degree of intelligence. Normally, I squeeze out every last bit of energy in races, finishing with a desire to do nothing but collapse on the ground. I have a problem when it comes to […]
My Running Evolution
August 4, 2009 By 2 Comments
I’ve recently been reading the book “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running,” by Haruki Murakami. Murakami’s book is really hard to describe or categorize – it’s part personal running memoir, part race report, part life story, with a heavy dose of personal philosophy sprinkled in. Mix it all together and you have […]
Running Down Memory Lane: Wolcott Elementary, Conard High, and "The Perimeter"
July 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment
“The Perimeter.” Mere mention of the phrase still strikes fear into my now 34-year-old heart. “The Perimeter” is a blast from my past, and one that I have not-so-fond memories of. I was never much of a runner in High School. I played soccer and tennis, neither particularly well, and running was always viewed as […]
A Dog Running Milestone: Jack Breaks 20 Miles in a Week
July 6, 2009 By 2 Comments
In an earlier dog running post, I talked about how my favorite running partner is a 2-year-old black lab named Jack. He’s an awesome pup (most of the time!), and an enthusiastic runner. Until this summer, Jack would accompany me on runs once or twice a week, and it was usually at times when I […]
Running in Heat: Crashing and Persevering with the Help of a Camelback, Energy Gel, and Cellphone
June 27, 2009 By 4 Comments
Today’s run sucked. In the two years that I’ve been running seriously, this was easily one of the top five in terms of overall suckitude. It was hot, it hurt, and I nearly bailed out on it halfway through. Sometimes, though, the worst runs can be the most satisfying, and today’s was very much one […]
Running When You’re Not Feeling It
June 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Image via Wikipedia Sometimes your best runs come on days when you least feel like getting out there – today was one of those days for me. The weather in NH has really been awful lately, and the consistent lack of sunlight has sucked the life out of me. On top of the horrid weather, […]
Race Volunteering: Giving Something Back
May 21, 2009 By 4 Comments
A few weeks ago, one of the heads of my local running club sent out a request for volunteers to help out with a local 5k race. This isn’t just any race – it’s the biggest road race annually in NH (~6000 runners), and it happens to take place in my hometown of Concord. It […]
The Plan – Breaking the Marathon Taper Rules
May 13, 2009 By 4 Comments
I’m a week-and-a-half from marathon day, and I have a number of dilemmas that I’ve either addressed or am trying to address. Here they are: 1. Should I run another 20 miler prior to the race? It’s getting pretty close to race day, so if I don’t do it today I’m pretty much out of […]
I’m Addicted to Running Shoes
May 10, 2009 By 1 Comment
I have a confession to make – I am completely and utterly addicted to shoes. Not just any kind of shoes, mind you. Fancy work shoes do very little for me. Ditto sandals – I’m perfectly content owning a pair of Tevas, Crocs, or Birks that I can wear until the sole starts to wear […]
Running a Marathon: Why You Should Join the Club
May 6, 2009 By 9 Comments
Today during my commute to and from work I listened to Episode 184 of Steve Runner’s Phedippidations podcast (you can download it directly from Itunes by clicking here). In this episode, Steve tells the story of how he managed to successfully complete the 2009 Boston Marathon with only 5 weeks of training, but really, the […]
Marathon Strategy: Should I Push the Pace or Hold Back
May 2, 2009 By 2 Comments
Yesterday I completed the first of two planned 20 mile training runs leading up to my running of the Vermont City Marathon (VCM) on May 24th. It was a beautiful day, the run went very well, and I was able to maintain close to an 8:30min/mile pace throughout. With the exception of the last two […]
