Tag Archives: running

3 Winter Treadmill Speed Workouts

3 Winter Treadmill Workouts

After 10 solid years of service, our basement treadmill finally called it quits last fall. We looked into having it repaired but apparently a decade of my corrosive sweat had rendered the circuit board inoperable. The tech was impressed we’d gotten such a long run out of it and suggested a new purchase would be more economical than replacing the board. We ended up purchasing the exact same model (Sole F63) in the newest model year. Why mess with something that works? But…. why buy a treadmill at all? How do you stand it? Continue Reading

Race Recap: The Angel Run 2019

Angel Run 2019

If I was appointed to a position where I could promote and influence running throughout the country (heck, the world!), the Angel Run 5k is the type of race I’d wish for every local community. It’s a family-oriented day built around a great cause and celebrates being active as a family. Yes, there is a competitive portion to the run (more on that in a second) but the vast majority of the race is kids, and moms, and dads, and dogs, and strollers, and costumes getting out running or walking the course. It’s a small, local race but it’s one of my favorite days of the year. Continue Reading

Race Recap: RAGNAR Reach the Beach 2019

When you tell people you are going to do an overnight 200-mile relay race that involves traveling in a van with 6 other people for 36 hours, getting little sleep, running at 2 am, all while paying for the privilege, you are going to get one of two reactions: some will get a recognizable gleam in their eye and ask if there are still any open spots in the van. The others will openly question your sanity. One of the many joys of belonging to a local running club is that I saw much more of the former than the latter. Continue Reading

How to Adjust Your Pace When Running in the Heat

Last month I met up with my running club for a Saturday group run. It was going to be a hot day, really hot, but we were going early and mostly running on shaded trails. Eight miles later, my pace had cratered, I was soaked, having sweated through my shoes, and reduced to walking the last half mile to get back to my car. It was a tough and disheartening workout. But it didn’t have to be. Continue Reading

How Much Should You Run Each Week?

how far should I run

Just like the recent side stitch training question, this other beginner one is also deceptively difficult to answer. Unless you’re one of those freaks of nature that can go out and run 10 miles at the drop of the hat and wondered what the fuss is all about, you are going to find running a miserable experience in the beginning.

You’ll wonder why people voluntarily do this to themselves and then lie when they say they love it. Early mornings? Hill repeats? Thresholds? Intervals? No thank you. It does get better. If you’re smart about it. Continue Reading

3 Things You Should Do to Prevent Side Stitches

On the surface it seemed like an easy question. A friend was getting back into running and asked me why he was getting cramps or side stitches a mile into his run. I started to reply then stopped. I knew what he was talking about. Just about everyone has gotten that familiar acute pain in their side while running at some point. But when was the last time it had happened to me? It had been a while. And what really did cause those cramps? That simple question didn’t have a simple answer.

Turns out, as common as they are, Google and most experts aren’t entirely sure why they happen. Continue Reading