But the rain didn’t stop me and over 3,100 other runners from tackling the UnitedHealthcare Providence Half Marathon and Cox Providence Marathon. A race where “HOPE” is the state motto couldn’t be anything but uplifting.
I certainly looked happy on race day, as this video my husband took attests. He’s newly obsessed with Vine, the 6-second video version of Twitter. I’m saying “Rhode Races” at the end, but it gets cut off a bit.
Desiree Davila (in black) poses with runners at the 2013 Walt Disney World Marathon Meet-Up. (Photo: runDisney)
Olympian and 2011 Boston Marathon runner-up Desiree Davila is no stranger to running Disney. I had a chance to catch up with the American running star at the 2013 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend in January. We chatted about her recovery from injury, goals for the future and, of course, running at Walt Disney World.
“This is the only place in the world where people go, ‘I’m just doing the marathon,’” Davila said with a laugh.
Indeed, runDisney unveiled for the 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend the Dopey Challenge, an event that dares runners to complete four races on four consecutive days for a total of 48.6 miles: the Family Fun Run 5K on Thursday, a new Walt Disney World 10K on Friday, the Walt Disney World Half Marathon on Saturday, and the Walt Disney World Marathon on Sunday. The Dopey Challenge is already sold-out for 2014. But runners can still register for the Walt Disney World Marathon, Walt Disney World Half Marathon, and Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge, where runners complete both the marathon and half marathon.
Davila, 29, didn’t run this year’s Walt Disney World Marathon. She’d been in long-term recovery from a femoral stress fracture, the same injury that forced her to drop out of the 2012 Olympic Marathon in London before the 5K mark.
After taking 12 weeks of from running, Davila slowly built up mileage and time on her feet.
“I took an extended amount of time off, let that all heal up, and I’m heading in the right direction now, making sure I’m 100 percent and slowly building mileage,” Davila said. Read the rest of this entry →
Karla gives snowshoeing a try in Colorado. (Photo: RunKarlaRun.com)
Greetings again from Colorado! My first day in the Rockies, my husband and I enjoyed a muddy run with literally breathtaking scenery near 9,000 feet above sea level in Tabernash, Colorado.
But for two mornings in a row, we have woken up to complete white-out conditions. The early hours of Sunday morning brought us 7 inches of fresh powdery snow with up to 10 inches on the mountain.
Phil heads up a trail in Tabernash. (Photo: RunKarlaRun.com)
Greetings from Colorado! How would I describe trail running around the Rocky Mountains in Spring? Breathtaking. Literally.
I’m in an area called Tabernash, which is sandwiched between Winter Park, Arapaho National Forest and Rocky Mountain National Park. I can easily see why the population of 165 people have chosen this slice of heaven to call home. Seated in a valley surrounded by pine forests and soaring snow-covered peaks, Tabernash has natural beauty in abundance at 9,000 feet above sea level.
After a day in Denver, my husband and I headed out west to Devil’s Thumb Ranch to attend tonight’s wedding of a dear friend who hails from the Rocky Mountain state.
Of course, the first thing we did after checking into our room was to change into running gear and head out to the trails on the ranch’s 6,000 acres. Read the rest of this entry →
But since then, I’ve been floating in a nebulous training zone, half-heartedly running and doing some weight training, while philosophizing about being “fit.” I joined two friends in “Fit February,” which meant, for me, making healthier food choices—basically not eating ice cream every night—and exercising five days a week. I succeeded in losing two pounds during “Fit February,” but not much else. It’s been a long, cold, snowy and treadmill heavy winter.
So after two loosey-goosey months, it’s time to focus again, shake out the cobwebs and get some real training done. I’m not a runner who can train hard with no goal in sight. I need a big race to look forward to.
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.
Running toward New Year’s resoultions (Photo: Phil Hospod)
2012 was a notable year in running. The pros dazzled at the London Olympics, the New York City Marathon was canceled for the first time in its history, and a vice-presidential candidate’s not-quite-true claims of marathon glory brought running into the national conversation.
On a personal level, it was a meaningful year for me too. I married my Prince Charming, who proposed after a half-marathon; I ran for my cousin Laura, who died from cancer in June; and I started hosting a web series about running. I also knocked out four personal records in the marathon, half-marathon and triathlon, and ran 10 races total to reach a personal milestone of over 50 “career” races.
Running Goals for 2012
Every year, I like to look back at the goals I made the year before and see how I did. Read the rest of this entry →
Turn any pair of running shoes into a snow stopper. With Yaktrax Run, packed snow and ice is no longer an impediment to winter running. Just pop Yaktrax Run onto your existing running shoes, and you can run naturally in the iciest conditions. This is a great gift for a runner who sometimes needs a little winter traction, but doesn’t want to invest in snowshoes —namely, runners like me. Read the rest of this entry →
Want to train with Meb Keflezighi? Rock the Race with Meb, sponsored by the Meb Edition Sony W Series Walkman, can make it happen.
The 2GB Meb Edition Sony W Series MP3 player comes pre-loaded with audio tips from the marathon man himself along with a booklet on nutrition, stretching, strategy, and more — including a list of Meb’s favorite running songs. A portion of the sales go to the MEB FOUNDATION that aims to help kids lead healthy, balanced lives. Sony has pledged a minimum of $10,000 and a maximum of $20,000 based on unit sales.
lucy’s threads are cuter than your average running wear. (Photo: lucy)
lucy Activewear’s new running gear for winter aims to keep runners warm and stylish. Based in California, lucy is a fashion-forward line of exercise apparel for women featuring running, yoga and fitness wear. As a company founded by women for women, lucy believes that workout gear should not only be tough enough for your workout but should be flattering too.
I put three items from lucy’s Holiday 2012 running line to the test in weather from 22 degrees and snowing in Quebec to 42 degrees and sunny in New York. lucy’s winter running wear passed both the comfort and style tests, keeping me cozy and cute as I ran. I also put them through the laundry wringer a few times to check how well they wear and wash — like a dream. After a month of constant, and I mean constant wear, they still look and feel brand new. All three pieces are my new go-to running gear. They’re a perfect holiday gift idea for the running lady in your life. Read the rest of this entry →
It’s been an eventful training season for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 18. As always with marathon training, I’ve enjoyed plenty of highs and lows over the course of the last few months. But marathon training comes down to this–how ready you are on race day. I’m ready to tackle Philly with a vengeance and leave all my cares out on the course in an attempt at my marathon personal record. Read the rest of this entry →
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 →
NYRR On The Run travels to Iten, Kenya to visit the home of reigning marathon World Champion Edna Kiplagat. Iten is the epicenter of Kenya’s rich running tradition. Back in the U.S., the show catches up with Black Girls Run, a national organization for women that has grown to 40,000 members in just 3 years. Then, Pascal Dobert and Matt Tegenkamp from the Oregon Track Club demonstrate some core strengthening training tips.
Visit ontherun.nyrr.org to watch past episodes and individual segments.
Episode 3 of NYRR On The Run catches up with Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher in Oregon. Now a dynamic training duo, the pair discuss how they went from fierce rivals to great friends. Then it’s on to New York City’s Chinatown to meet a seventh grader who has used running to help her acclimate to a new country and new language. Finally, NBC Olympics’ Joe Battaglia stops by the studio to debate pacers vs. racers and the relative merits of paced races versus championship style events.
Visit ontherun.nyrr.org to watch past episodes and individual segments.
The Staten Island course is an out-and-back jaunt along the waterfront that tours runners through the eastern side of the island, with lovely views of Manhattan to the north and past the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge—famous as the start of the ING New York City Marathon. We ran through busy neighborhood centers, industrial back roads and residential streets, past shops, jovial construction workers who cheered us on and locals watching from their porches. Read the rest of this entry →
I’m not the fastest runner and I’m not the slowest, but I am a running nerd. A journalist by trade, I love to research, read, learn and cogitate. So stick with me. Like all good nerds, I’ll do the homework and share it. But the running is up to you!
