Some readers are probably old enough to remember Jan Brady’s lament in “The Brady Bunch” about the seemingly undue attention that her older sister got: “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!” If common road race distances were the Brady family, the marathon and the half marathon would be Marcia, getting all the attention. (“Oh, you’re a runner? Are you training for a marathon?”) The 5K (and maybe the mile, although that seems to be less common as a distance)…
Dear Runners, We, as a community, are awesome. We register for races and support the best of causes in the process. We support the small, untimed, fundraising fun runs at local schools. We participate in events that raise money for individuals suffering from cancer and other ailments. We raise tens of thousands of dollars for non-profits and worthwhile entities each year. We are also lucky. We get to race along the coast in places like Cape Lookout State…
When I was approached by the mighty and powerful Run Oregon Oz about writing a piece about running and yoga, I thought to myself that I, of course, would be the perfect contributor to write about running and yoga. But let me begin with this confession. I can’t touch my toes. To make matters worse, I’m a certified yoga instructor. More so, I can count on one hand (and approximately two fingers) how many times…
The Salem area is continually growing it’s running community and new events are popping up. However, we still generally pale in comparison to Portland and Eugene. I came to the realization at the 2012 Eugene for the Race for the Cure 5k that driving 90 minutes, running for 21+, then getting in my car and driving 90 minutes home is probably not the best use of my time. I could hardly justify travelling in my car for longer than it…
As a relatively fast guy, I definitely enjoy the merits of a nice 5K. One of my favorite distances since I started racing, it is a staple of my racing calendar. Part of my passion for them is just the all out speed entailed. When I am really feeling good, I can consistently run low 16s and that feels amazing. There is nothing like the feeling of finding that rhythm and letting it carry me…
It starts slowly. A feeling of disconnection you can almost ignore. It starts out foreign, as if there’s a portion of yourself you recognize, but only vaguely. That thing in the fringes of your understanding, it murmurs into your head. A misremembering of the stasis of things. It slinks into feet, finally. Tendons and stride and sinew once amenable to great distances are slowly constricting, tightening, bit by bit. So that when you test them…
Races often come with race shirts. Is it “okay” to wear the race shirt at the race? I should say upfront that I’m not trying to be some kind of universal arbiter of what is or what is not acceptable. There’s especially no right or wrong answer on this topic, and people should obviously feel free to wear or not to wear race shirts at the race. However, I noticed that Runner’s World put together a…
There is a recurring theme on my Facebook news feed and in conversations with friends…. It’s about moving. I’m not the only crazy person on the go either…. within the circle of friends I run with, seven (Seven!!) are moving. Two are moving out-of-state because their husbands have a new position/promotion in their job, two are moving because the home owner they are renting from would like to sell (I’m in that bracket as well),…
Preparing for a marathon involves a whole lot more than the mileage put in by the person wearing a race bib. I’m constantly thanking my family for being so incredibly supportive in my running habit, but was recently reminded it extends a lot further than just my family when I’m preparing for an endurance event. I’m running a spring marathon and after a friend referred to me as a nun on the run, it got me…
