Run, Karla, Run!

It seems like everyone wants to run the marathon. And not just any marathon—the ING New York City Marathon. Haile Gebrselassie, the marathon world record holder and undisputed King of the Road, has already announced that he’s running NYC for the first time this fall. Defending NYC champion and American superstar Meb Keflezighi is also returning to defend his title. And now, Shalane Flanagan, America’s track darling, has announced she’ll be making her marathon debut in New York on November 7.

“It’s the ultimate challenge for the distance runner,’’ Flanagan told The Boston Globe. “I would love to win another Olympic medal, but more than anything, I would love to win a major marathon.’’ Read the rest of this entry →

Photo by Mike Baird

On Saturday in New York City, Great Britain’s Paula Radcliffe and the U.S.’s Kara Goucher will both run the NYRR New York Mini 10K, the world’s oldest women’s race. Radcliffe is the marathon world record holder and Goucher is an Olympian and up-and-coming marathoner who has placed third in the NYC and Boston marathons.

They’re running the Mini—but not racing it. Both five months pregnant and due on the same day in September, the superstars and friends have decided to treat the historic event as a fun run.

“It’s an excuse for us to get together; a chance to hang together before we get too pregnant to travel,” Goucher told The New York Times. “We are really just running it for fun. Not racing.”

Running a race for fun without “racing” it, is one of the many joys of running. It allows you to soak up all the energy of the community while getting in good run, and it’s way better than slogging out a tempo or other training run by yourself. It’s a great way to run with friends, and it’s also an excellent exercise in restraint. Forcing yourself to hold back—which can be hard amongst the excitement—is good training for your next big race. Read the rest of this entry →

Happy National Running Day! Runners don’t usually need any excuses to lace up our joggers and hit the road, track or trail. But if we do, National Running Day is about as good as any.

Running groups across the country have planned events in cities far and wide from San Francisco to El Paso and Little Rock to Washington, D.C., to celebrate putting one foot in front of another. There are 87 official events for runners and walkers alike.

Most of the events—which include group runs galore—will take place after work hours today starting around 6 pm. To find an event near you visit Runningday.org. Their handy participation calendar lets you search by city, state, zip code or event name.

And if there isn’t an event where you live, it’s still easy to participate: all you have to do is go for a run or walk. Read the rest of this entry →