Run, Karla, Run!

Photo courtesy of runDisney.

8,268 finishers. 13.1 miles. Three theme parks. And one magical race. This self-proclaimed Disney girl—my dog’s name is Cinderella after all—finally did it. I ran my first runDisney race. Disney’s Wine & Dine Half Marathon on Oct. 1 did not disappoint. It was everything the little girl in me hoped it would be.

Leading up to the race, I’d taken my training rather seriously; running a personal best was definitely on my mind. But other runners who had done Disney races warned me otherwise. Disney races are too much fun, they said. You’ll want to stop and have your photo taken with characters, they said. You’ll be too taken-in by the music and spirit on the course, they said.

Well, they were right. Read the rest of this entry →

The USATF Fall Running Lookbook

You may have seen them at road races around the country. But now you can see them in the USATF 2011 Fall Running Lookbook. The team behind Driving the Sport, USA Track & Field’s program to promote the sport of running at races all over America, has put together a snazzy, not un-J.Crew-esque “Lookbook” featuring the latest USATF Nike gear and starring none other than the “Driving the Sport” team members themselves.

Driving the Sport is a program aimed at promoting running and race walking all over the country. Their three colorfully painted vehicles—Dash, Miles and Stretch—are making stops at races like the 75th Annual Cowboy Jamboree in Oklahoma, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and the Big East Championships in Kentucky. Manned by fresh-faced twenty-somethings, they’re selling USATF merchandise and memberships to support USATF programs and events, blogging their exploits and tweeting up a storm. Race directors can even put in a request for one of the vehicles to make a pit-stop at their event.

For those of us who won’t have a chance to see them at an expo near us, the Fall Running Lookbook will have to do. The Lookbook’s USATF Nike gear includes singlets, tights, shorts, half-zip pull-overs, hats, arm-warmers, shoes and more. You can purchase any of the Lookbook merchandise at USATF.org. All proceeds go toward funding USATF initiatives from youth activies to elite athelte development and even Team USA itself.

Melanie Jones in 'Endure.' Photo courtesy of 'Endure.'

Since the massive success of British theater troupe PunchDrunk’s “Sleep No More”—a meandering mash-up of “Macbeth” and ‘30s film-noir—immersive theater has taken New York City by storm. With audience members set loose in a space, free to roam and interact with the actors at will, it makes sense that someone would think to adapt this theater form to a show about running.

Melanie Jones, a Canadian playwright, actress and dancer, has done just that. Freed from the confines of a traditional theater, “Endure: A Run Woman Show” poses the question, “What if the race of your life is your life?” Well then, you better wear your running shoes. Read the rest of this entry →

Every athlete has probably dreamed of saying those five little words we’ve seen in Super Bowl and other sports commercials since 1987. My turn has finally come.

I’m going to Disney World!

Come 10 p.m. on Saturday night, I’ll be at the start of the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon with 12,000 other runners. As I work my way from the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex through Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts and finally to Epcot, I’ll be wearing a new pair of shoes. Naturally, a certain Disney character comes to mind.

Like Cinderella, runners are all about the shoes—running shoes, gym shoes, racing flats, sneakers, kicks, trainers, five-fingers, um, glass slippers. It doesn’t matter what you call them. A runner’s shoe (or lack thereof) is their calling card, their single most important piece of equipment. Like Cinderella, we’re often identified by what type of shoe we wear—Nike vs. Adidas, stability vs. neutral, minimalist vs. barefoot. Read the rest of this entry →