Run, Karla, Run!

Making goals for the year can help keep you motivated. Photo by Charles Thompson.

Runners tend to be goal-oriented people. Sure, there are exceptions to the rule, but so many of us have a few dreams hitched to our running shoes. It’s the nature of the sport; when there are hundreds to thousands of us in any given race, the vast majority of us aren’t in it to win it.

We call them races, but we’re really racing against ourselves more than any of the people around us. Unless, that is, you are national class runner who is fast enough to actually win, like some of my friends and teammates who’ve nabbed victories at races all over the globe like the Red Rock Canyon Marathon in Nevada, the Brooklyn Marathon in New York, and the Antarctica Marathon.

But if you’re a mid-packer like me, you’ve probably never won a road race, unless it was in high school. I know the sweet taste of victory as a swimmer and a rower, but it has eluded me as an adult runner. My best finish was 10th in a local race in Rhode Island. I felt like I’d won the Olympics. Which is why making and then chasing down goals is so important to me as a runner. If I can’t win the race, I can still win the goal. Read the rest of this entry →

Racers run through Cinderella's Castle during the Walt Disney World Half Marathon. Photo courtesy of runDisney/Todd Anderson.

I like a good challenge. The Runner’s World Holiday Running Streak? Check. Four hours on an elliptical machine? Dunzo. My first triathlon? In the bag.

So I’m making my first goal of 2012 another challenge—runDisney’s Coast to Coast Race Challenge. Runners who finish a half marathon or marathon at both Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California in the same calendar year receive a third medal to mark the occasion. I do like a nice medal. Read the rest of this entry →

From “A is for Against traffic” to “Z is for Zzzz,” Mark Remy captures the agony and ecstasy of being a runner. C is for Chafingis a whimsical children’s book for grownups complete with the “This Book Belongs to: _________________” page in the front.

Following in the footsteps of bestsellers like Adam Mansbach’s Go the F— to Sleep, C is for Chafing uses a similar tongue-in-cheek tone—minus the expletives—aimed at your inner runner. The accompanying illustrations by Eric Cash are spot on. A blend of ‘50s kitsch and dark wit, the illustrations finish the joke for many of the entries, like “O is for ‘Oh, no…’ This means you ran too hard,” where the art depicts a marathoner losing his, uh, lunch.

At a mere 66 pages, most of which feature just one sentence or fragment, C is for Chafing is a quick read to say the least. But it’s full of humor and wisdom: Read the rest of this entry →

The Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon

What does it take to put on a race in the happiest place on earth? A little bit of magic and a whole lot of teamwork. More than 50,000 runners planned to participate in the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend from Jan. 6 to Jan. 8, culminating in the Walt Disney World Marathon today. But shuttling 50,000 runners, plus their families who have come to watch them, through six race events over the course of three days is no simple task. Working year-round, runDisney aims to make these racing events fun for the whole family, while maintaining the regular Disney magic for the thousands of other park and resort guests enjoying a dream vacation.

“The biggest challenge is trying to put a half-marathon or marathon in Walt Disney World when you have on any given day 50,000 to 100,000 day guests,” says John Phelan, entertainment show director for Disney Sports.  “The logistics are one of the key challenges of doing all of this.”

Jon Hughes, race director for the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend and other runDisney events couldn’t agree more. Read the rest of this entry →

Photo by Karla Bruning

Now that 2012 is here, it’s time to think about what marathon you might want to run this year. Registration for the 2012 ING New York City Marathon lottery opened this week. Runners have until April 23 to sign-up for a chance to run the world’s biggest marathon. Looking to run another big-city marathon in the U.S. or Canada this year? Here are the registration dates for a few metropolitan races. Read the rest of this entry →

Karla runs Central Park on New Year's Day. Photo by Anne Hospod.

40 days, 40 runs, 100 miles. Snow, slush, sub-freezing temps. Treadmills, trails, roads, sidewalks. I’ve run them all as part of the Runner’s World Holiday Running Streak. On Thanksgiving, I set out to run at least a mile a day every single day through New Year’s Day. It wasn’t always easy; squeezing in even a mile on some days was surprisingly difficult. But somehow I stuck with it, and I’m happy to throw my arms up in victory and say: I did it! I finished my last day in style: 7.75 miles in New York City’s resplendent Central Park.

At the start, I told Runner’s World’s “Training Daily” blog my reasons for attempting the streak: “My winter training is usually erratic, unfocused, and lackluster. And that’s putting it nicely. For once, I’d love to start spring training with a healthy base. I also like to eat—a lot. But when I run better, I eat better. So here’s hoping the streak will help keep my holiday sweet tooth in check.” Read the rest of this entry →

Photo by Phil Hospod

With 34 days down, my Runner’s World Holiday Running Streak officially rocked around the Christmas tree. Forget laughing all the way, I’m running all the way, logging at least a mile a day from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. I’ve made it through two of the big three holidays I celebrate: Thanksgiving and Christmas (with a little Hanukkah thrown in for my Jewish family and friends). There’s just one more holiday and five days to go. Read the rest of this entry →

Photo courtesy of runDisney

Yesterday runDisney unveiled a new race weekend for 2012. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler Weekend will debut in September 2012 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida. The race is a re-imagination of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 13K last run in 2009.

The main event of the weekend is a nighttime 10-mile race, scheduled for Sept. 29. The course will run through the set of Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, past Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat and finish near The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. In true Disney fashion, the race will culminate in a villain-themed post-race party with live music, characters—including your favorite Disney villains, of course—and exclusive access to attractions like The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Star Tours and Toy Story Mania. Read the rest of this entry →

Karla runs on a trail in the snow. Photo by Phil Hospod.

When I accepted the challenge of the Runner’s World holiday running streak—running at least a mile a day from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day—I sincerely thought I’d have a slim chance of making it very far. But after three weeks, my streak is still alive. Not only that, it’s alive and well, and has started to change how I think about running. Read the rest of this entry →

With less than two weeks until Christmas and seven days until the start of Hanukkah, it’s time to get cracking on gifts if you haven’t already. Wondering what to get for the runner in your life? Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Simple Hydration Water Bottle

For the runner who likes to have a lot of tools in their tool belt, why not get them something innovative and new? Simple Hydration doesn’t just represent a new generation of water bottles. It reinvents the water bottle. Just hook it into your waistband and go. It really couldn’t be any simpler. The wide mouth is a godsend for cleaning or popping in ice cubes. And its slim, flat profile sits more comfortably in hand than any other water bottle I’ve run with. Simple Hydration represents real progress in design. For runners who hate hydration belts and hand-helds, or simply want another option, Simple Hydration is the perfect solution. $19.99. Read the rest of this entry →

Karla and Cinderella run in the snow. Photo by Phil Hospod.

It was a cold and snowy Thanksgiving morning in rural Quebec, where I spent my holiday. The night before, a snowstorm blanketed the farmland around me, and a haze of flurries continued to drift down. It was white as far as the eye could see from the hilltop where I was perched. But I had to do it. I had to go for a run.

I’d pledged to run at least a mile a day from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day as part of the Runner’s World Holiday Running Streak. A little Canadian snow wasn’t going to stop me. Now two weeks in, my streak is still going strong.

I can’t believe I’ve made it this far. This streak represents the most days I’ve ever run consecutively, my previous record being a measly—and more normal—six days in a row. It’s been a smooth ride for the most part, but there have been a few close calls. Like the night I ran home from dinner—at 10 p.m. and in street clothes with steak and creamed spinach jiggling in my stomach—because I had completely forgotten to run earlier in the day. Whoops! But I was determined to keep the streak alive, so I did what must be done. Read the rest of this entry →

Photo by Graham Horn

Oh winter. It’s my least favorite time of year. I know, the holidays are magical with the twinkle lights and the parties and the food. Mmm, the food. But the holidays can be challenging for a runner, especially if you live in the northern half of the country, or the world, for that matter. Temperatures drop, snow accumulates, days darken, parties are plentiful, and the reasons not to head out for a run become pretty easy to come by.

So the folks over at Runner’s World have cooked up a cure. Meghan G. Loftus, who writes the RW Training Daily blog, is leading the charge with a Holiday Running Streak. She’s pledging to run at least a mile a day, every day from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. And she’s looking for runners to join her. Read the rest of this entry →

Runners in Brooklyn's Prospoect Park. Photo by Karla Bruning.

Brooklyn is toeing the line. The inaugural Brooklyn Marathon kicks off on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 8 a.m. in Prospect Park. In the tradition of New York City marathons, this one has humble roots. The race is capped at 350 runners and the course is contained entirely in Prospect Park, the crown jewel of the borough’s park system. But founder Steve Lastoe hopes it’s just the beginning for this fledgling race.

“I want a race that’s organically part of Brooklyn,” Lastoe said on The New York Running Show, a podcast where I’m, at times, a panelist. “I want this race to be loved by Brooklyn.”

New York City could certainly use another marathon. The ING New York City marathon, the largest in the world, had more than 148,000 applicants for its 45,000 spots in the 2011 race. The demand amongst runners is plentiful, but the supply isn’t. Read the rest of this entry →

Photo courtesy of New York Road Runners.

The ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 6 gave us two truly exciting races in both the men’s and women’s competitions. Three runners shattered—and I mean shattered—the course record in the men’s competition. And one runner gave a guts-on-the-floor performance that likely cost her the race in the women’s competition. Scroll down for athlete interviews, stats and more as I was ringside in the Timex Media Center at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Columbus Circle, giving a behind the scenes play-by-play of what it’s like in the press room as a New York Road Runners Social Media Reporter. Here’s how it went:

8:30 am: Good morning! I’m here in the Timex Media Center at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City. We are one minute away from the wheelchair start of the 2011 ING New York City Marathon! Read the rest of this entry →

The start of the ING New York City Marathon. Photo by Fergal Carr.

For the first time since 2007, I’m not running a marathon. It feels a little odd, especially as the ING New York City Marathon approaches on Sunday, Nov. 6. I’ve run the race three times—each to a personal best. When I ran Chicago instead in 2009, I was out on the course cheering for my friends who were running the Big Apple.

Not one to idly let the marathon pass me by, I’ll still be participating in another way this year. New York Road Runners recruited me to be one of their Social Media Reporters. I’m teaming up with NYRR TV’s The Daily Cool Down hosted by Olympian Carrie Tollefson—a daily recap show of all the hustle and bustle surrounding marathon week—on Friday night and Saturday, tweeting as they run around the city capturing the excitement of marathon weekend. Then on race day, I’ll be blogging live from the marathon media center, sharing what’s really going on behind the scenes of the world’s biggest marathon. Read the rest of this entry →