Run, Karla, Run!

The Walt Disney World Marathon (Photo: Marathon Foto)

Last week marked the sixth anniversary of my very first race back in 2007. Last fall, I chronicled how I went from a person who loathed running to someone who loves it. How much do I love it? Over these last six years, I’ve run 53 races with number 54, the UnitedHealthcare Providence Half Marathon, in one week and numbers 55, 56 and 57 already on the books.

Looking back at six years of racing, it occurred to me that certain races have a special place in my heart. Every runner has that race they look forward to every year, the race they’ve always dreamed of running, the race that moved them in unexpected ways. These are mine.

So without further ado, here are my “Races to Remember,” the running races that left the biggest impressions on me, culled from my six years out there on the road.

Races To Remember Read the rest of this entry →

The 2008 Boston Marathon finish line. (Photo: Dave Winer/Flickr: scriptingnews via Creative Commons)

My editor at The Washington Times Communities page asked me to write about yesterday’s bomb attack on the Boston Marathon from the perspective of a runner and reporter who has both run and covered events like it.

I wrote this:

The attack was meant to deafen our resolve, demoralize us, to terrorize us. For what purpose? We don’t know. Who knows why hate marauds the collective streets of the world perpetrating unspeakable evils.

That’s what the streets of Boston symbolized yesterday: the streets of the world. It’s what the streets of every major marathon come to mean on race day. The marathon is a globally unifying event, a universal symbol of perseverance in the face of adversity. It couldn’t be truer now.

You can read the entire column here. As I usually do, I tried to focus on the positive, even in the face of so much desolation.

It was hard to do. The attack on the Boston Marathon yesterday affected me in a profound way.

As news of the attack flooded in, I was instantly reminded of another dark day in America’s history. As a New Yorker, I was in the city on 9/11. Read the rest of this entry →

Photo: Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Chandler/US Navy

As a runner, sometimes you can’t wait for motivation to strike, as I learned after a nearly month-long illness. Sometimes, you have to chase after lost running motivation until you wrestle it back.

It was a long, cold winter here in New York City and many northern swaths of the U.S. Then spring came, and it stayed cold. In the throes of all that chilliness, I had a cold that knocked me out for three full weeks. Plagued by a cough that I couldn’t shake and a debilitating level of tiredness, I took those three full weeks off from running.

But when I was finally healthy and ready to get back to it, I had a problem: my running motivation was completely lost. Read the rest of this entry →

The 2103 Marine Corps Marathon got off to a hazy start after a registration snafu. (Photo: Cpl. Bryan G. Lett/US Marine Corp)

Race directors, take heed. Everyone expected the Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington, Va., and Washington, D.C. to sell-out fast. All the race’s entries were gone in record time of 2 hours, 27 minutes.

But what frustrated thousands of runners, and no doubt the race organizers as well, was a massive failure of the race’s registration system run by the Active Network via Active.com.

Consecutive registration snafus with the Bank of America Chicago Marathon last month and the Marine Corps Marathon yesterday, due to intense demand, have many runners chanting L-O-T-T-E-R-Y.

When it comes to the most popular races that expect registration to sell-out in a matter of hours, lotteries are simply the way to go, whether it’s the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon or any other race facing this type of registration stampede. Read the rest of this entry →

Our family on our wedding day (Photo: Lev Kuperman)

I’m a newlywed. My husband, Phil, and I have been married for six months and we’ve been together for five years. Running played a large part in our courtship, our engagement, and has been a mainstay of our relationship. We love to run, and whenever we can, we run together. They say that couples who sweat together stay together. I hope it’s true. Here’s to running love.

He’s much faster than me with his 3:03 marathon personal best; mine is 4:28. But that doesn’t stop us. Here’s how we keep on running side-by-side.

Workouts

For workouts, we often do one of four things: Read the rest of this entry →

Drew Carey promotes healthy living through running. (Photo: runDisney)

Celebrities: “They’re just like us,” as Us Weekly’s recurring feature constantly tells us through pictures and silly captions.

“They go camping!”

“They get caught in the rain!”

“They scream for ice cream!”

We can add, “They run marathons!”

Since celebrities are merely people who happen to be famous, it makes sense that some of them would happen to be runners with marathoners among them. Oprah Winfrey, Ryan Reynolds, Will Farrell, Drew Carey, the list of famous folks who have tackled 26.2 or even 13.1 miles is plentiful and includes actors, singers, models, politicians, chefs, writers and other notable folk.

But it seems that regular runners can’t get enough of celebrity runners. Spotting a celebrity on the street or at a restaurant is enough to thrill many fans for a lifetime. But running with them? It takes celeb spotting to a whole new level. And races increasingly advertise the celebrities they have on their roster to entice and inspire runners.

Take the upcoming 20^th Anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend presented by Cigna, which includes a half-marathon on Saturday, January 12 and marathon on Sunday, January 13 near Orlando, Florida. The race’s organizer, runDisney, brought comedian and The Price Is Right host Drew Carey and singer and Dancing With The Stars vet Joey Fatone out to greet fans this morning at the Walt Disney World Marathon Meet Up event for about 100 runDisney Twitter followers. Read the rest of this entry →

Ready to shave 1 hour from my marathon time.

In just a few days, I’ll be staring at the starting line of the Walt Disney World Marathon on January 13, 2013. It will be my sixth marathon and the first I’m not running for a personal best. This one is just for fun, and I don’t care how long it takes me. I’m going to wear a costume, take pictures with Disney characters and enjoy a course that runs through four theme parks, a race track and a baseball diamond.

To honor the occasion, I thought I’d take a look back at my second marathon, which was the exact opposite. At the 2008 ING New York City Marathon, I set out to shatter my one and only marathon time—clocked on the same course just a year before—by an hour.

This race report was first published on TheSportsBank.net in November 2008, but I thought I’d finally put it up here at RunKarlaRun.com too. After all, it was my first true marathon PR.

I also happen to be in an ’80s cover band called The Fades. This month marks the 5th anniversary of our first show. We’re all—save one—marathoners. In fact, I’m the slowest of the bunch. This post was inspired by them. Rock on, Fades!

Marathon Redux, ’80s Music Edition

I did it. I ran the ING New York City Marathon. Again. And by ran, I mean ran. The whole blessed thing. Who knew all it would take was zealous devotion to a few ‘80s songs? Read the rest of this entry →

Alice’s Wonderland is much like a runner’s Runnerland.

If Disney characters were runners, what kind of runners would they be?

Every week, I’m counting down to the Walt Disney World Marathon on January 13, 2013 with the Disney running profile of a different Disney character. Last week, we looked at Sleeping Beauty as the runner who needs to take a few weeks off, even if she doesn’t want to.

This week, we are falling down the rabbit hole with Alice.

Alice in Wonderland: The Newbie Runner

Falling down the rabbit hole has become a euphemism for good reason. It’s exactly what we do when we take those first steps toward becoming a runner. Read the rest of this entry →

In our Disney running fairy tale, running is true love.

If Disney characters were runners, what kind of runners would they be?

This thought occurred to me as I looked at my training plan for the Walt Disney World Marathon on January 13, 2013. The race comes exactly eight weeks after the Philadelphia Marathon on November 18, which I ran to a new personal best.

So every week, I’ll countdown to the Disney marathon with the Disney running profile of a different Disney character. Yes, in addition to being a running nerd, I am a Disney running nerd too. Drum roll please…

Sleeping Beauty: The Runner Who Needs Rest and Recovery

Let’s face it, no other Disney character could possibly own the time honored running tradition of rest and recovery quite like Sleeping Beauty. Sleeping Beauty is the runner who needs to take a few weeks off, even if she doesn’t want to, whether it’s to recover from a marathon or a more pernicious injury. Read the rest of this entry →

Crossing the finish line. (Photo: brightroom)

In just four days, I’ll be staring at the starting line of the Philadelphia Marathon on November 18, 2012. It will be my fifth marathon in five years.

To honor the occasion, I thought I’d take a look back at my very first marathon and first stab at a race recap of the 2007 ING New York City Marathon. I finished the race in 5:54. I aim to finish Philly in 4:15. I’ve come a long way in the last five years. Little did I know how right I was when I proclaimed, “I think I may have a new addiction.”

This race report was first published on TheSportsBank.net in November 2007, but I thought I’d finally put it up here at RunKarlaRun.com too. After all, it’s the marathon that started it all. You can read about what brought me to tackle my first marathon in Because You Only Get One First Marathon.

Don’t Stop Believing

First published November 2007

My first marathon: 26.2 miles, 5 boroughs, 5 bridges, 39,000 runners, and more than 2 million spectators on the mean streets of New York.

My first-timer’s tiara. (Photo: Christy Hourihan)

I did it. I ran the 2007 ING New York City Marathon. And I did it in a tiara. It was the brainchild of two friends who jokingly—I thought—floated the idea past me and then provided the crown. How could I not wear it? Seriously, my roommate bought it off of a drag queen in Manhattan’s East Village. Come Sunday morning, after six months of training and anticipation, there was only one thing to do: put the tiara on my head, shoes on my feet and run like I’ve never run before. Read the rest of this entry →

Friends lined the course with signs cheering me on. (Photo: Christy Hourihan)

In just five days, I’ll be staring at the starting line of the Philadelphia Marathon on November 18, 2012. It will be my fifth marathon in five years. To honor the occasion, I thought I’d take a look back at my very first marathon and the first piece of writing I ever did about running: “Because You Only Get One First Marathon.”

It was first published on TheSportsBank.net in October 2007, but I thought I’d finally put it up here at RunKarlaRun.com too. After all, it’s the piece that started it all. I’ll put it the accompanying race recap tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Because You Only Get One First Marathon

First published October 2007

I hated running. Hated it. Flames on the side of my face, breathing, breathless, heaving breaths, to borrow a sentiment from Mrs. White in the movie “Clue.” So why, oh why, am I running the New York City Marathon on November 4, 2007? Read the rest of this entry →

Photo: Phil Hospod

The Staten Island Half-Marathon on October 7, 2012 was my 50th race. In my transformation from loather to lover of running, I have culled a fair amount running wisdom as both a runner and a running reporter.

The running life is like any other life—fraught with pitfalls and challenges, but also rewards and joys. And I’ve experienced them all. Some lessons I learned the hard way and others were pleasant surprises. Some are obvious, but not necessarily if you’re a new runner. Some are humorous and some are serious. But all of them are worth heeding.

I hope to keep adding to my trove of running wisdom over the course of my next 50 races and beyond—which begins with the Philadelphia Marathon on Nov. 18. But for now, here are a few nuggets from my running wisdom treasure trove, in no particular order. Read the rest of this entry →

By now anyone who follows running and/or political news knows that Republican Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan lied about his marathon time. But did you know that you too can run as “fast” as Paul Ryan? The Paul Ryan Time Calculator and its creator Erik Westlund are here to help. Read the rest of this entry →

Oscar Pistorius

As the Paralympic Games got underway in London Wednesday night, the 4,200 athletes competing took center stage. Perhaps most famous among them is South African Oscar Pistorius, 25, known as the “Blade Runner.” Read the rest of this entry →

Karla runs beside the beach in Fiji.

In years past, I’ve written about my running adventures while on vacation--beachfront runs in Australia, stumbling upon a marathon in Argentina and treadmill workouts in India. Running on vacation, or sight-running, as I like to call it, is one of my favorite ways to see a new place. There’s no better way to get to know a new city or patch of countryside than to run it.

So what do you do when your vacation seems to be in an anti-running destination? What do you do when there’s nowhere to run? Read the rest of this entry →