Run, Karla, Run!

Cinderella! (Photo: Lev Kuperman)

Happy Birthday, Cinderella!

OK, I have no idea if today is actually her birthday. There’s a 1/365 chance that it is. But three years ago today, this sweet little dog came into my life. Since she was a stray without papers, my husband, Phil, and I anointed the day we got her as her annual feast. The vet guessed she was about two years old then, so five it is!

I shared Cinderella’s story last year: Happy Birthday, Cinderella! My Favorite Running Gal

Cinderella gets cozy on my pink Cinderella running costume.

This year, my favorite running princess—like so many runners—is coming back from injury. Her vet diagnosed her with intervertebral disc disease, which is essentially a herniated or slipped disc in her spine. She had most of the symptoms when I took her to the vet a week ago Monday. She’s been on pain killers and Prednisone since then and dedicated to a regimen of complete rest. In other words, she’s been lethargic and in pain.

It’s been breaking my heart to see her like this. When she’s not sleeping on a pile of laundry or, in this photo, a running costume, she’s usually running, playing, or trying to stop me from working. Cinderella is a dog full of life. Read the rest of this entry →

Yesterday, I shared pics from my first curling adventure. Earlier I took you on a trail run through the Austrian Alps. But most folks who head to St. Anton am Arlberg in Austria are there for some Alpine skiing.

I’m not a big skier, so I’ll let my husband, Phil, lead you on this particular tour. He shot this video on the slopes. It’s basically ski porn. As you’ll see, the Austrian Alps are truly gorgeous. Be sure to watch it in HD.

And the music? Well, you’ll probably be singing, “Hey! Das Geht Ab” by the end of the video. I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since I first heard it at the apres ski bar called Mooserwirt pictured in the video. You’re welcome.

Ski buddies! (Photo: RunKarlaRun.com)

Karla’s Alpine Skiing Adventure

As for me, I did spend one day skiing. I grew up downhill skiing on small hills in Wisconsin. But when I started having knee problems at the age of 14, my skiing days were over.

My friend, Cara, was a total ski newbie. She was the reason for my visit. She’d been transferred, along with another friend of mine, to Switzerland for work. So Phil and I cashed in some airline miles, flew into Zurich, and stayed with our friends there. Before long, a large group of us converged on St. Anton, about 2 hours away.

While the experts skied in the video above, Cara and I booked a 6-hour ski lesson. When you’re jet lagged and not really a skier, 6 hours is a long time!

We spent the morning on classic Nordic cross-country skis and hit the pristine trails around St. Anton. Read the rest of this entry →

Curling is fun! (Photo: Cara Morgan)

I’m finally home from my trip to the Jerusalem Marathon. While I sort through all my photos and videos from that trip, I’ve got a few more posts from my February trip to Switzerland and Austria. While there, I completed my own winter pentathlon of sports: running, curling, snowshoeing, Nordic skiing and Alpine skiing. I also hit the pool, sauna and partook in some genuinely crazy apres ski.

I already shared scenes from a snowy trail run in Austria. Up next in the pentathlon is an Alpine curling game!

So close, but pink wins. (Photo: Cara Morgan)

Like most people, my first experience with curling was watching it on TV during the Olympics. When I went to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, I actually got to watch a curling game, interview Team USA, and write an article about how the Olympics have raised the sport’s profile in the U.S.: Curling capitalizes on Olympic coverage.

But I’d never actually played a game of curling…until now.

My Alpine Curling Game

Curling in Austria! (Photo: Cara Morgan)

It was a snowy night in St. Anton am Arlberg when my friend, Cara, and I made our way to ARLBERG-well.com, a public wellness center with a gym, pool, sauna, tennis center, skating rink and more. Read the rest of this entry →

The Queen of Hearts and I “heart” you. (Photo: MarathonFoto.com)

Happy Valentine’s Day! The Queen of Hearts wants you to know you’re loved. She really does, even if her face doesn’t show it.

Hope you’ve got a run planned with someone you love—whether it’s a friend, family member, partner, furry friend or someone else close to your heart. You’re all close to mine.

Love,
Karla

P.S. If you want to read more love stories, here’s the story of how my husband and I fell in love through running: When Running And Love Collide

And how we stay in love: Sweat Together: A Valentine’s Day Ode To Running Love

And here’s all about how much I love my dog: Happy Birthday, Cinderella! My Favorite Running Gal

And all about falling in love with running…again: Falling In Love With Running…All Over Again

So much to love!

Christmas in New York!

Merry Christmas from my family here in New York City to you and yours wherever you are!

We started our celebration yesterday with the Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes. I’ve lived in New York City for 13 years and have never seen the show. It took my family coming to finally do it. I don’t know why I waited so long! It was truly spectacular and far exceeded my expectations. What a way to get into the Christmas spirit.

My family is going to Central Park today.

Today, we got our stockings from Santa and are making our way to Central Park.

I’ll be celebrating the way I celebrate most things…with a run! Read the rest of this entry →

Bernard Lagat at the 2010 Fifth Avenue Mile. (Photo: Phil Hospod)

Happy 4th of July! Celebrate your freedom to run! Read the rest of this entry →

Players from Newport Polo (red) and Far Reach (blue) race to the ball. (Photo: Phil Hospod)

Sometimes in life you have to get back on the horse.

Literally.

There’s a horse—an actual four-legged animal with a mane and a tail. You fell off of it, dirt and grass covering the shoulder of your white polo shirt. You’re breathless, having had the wind knocked out of you by a collision with the hard ground. You lie there a moment and catch your breath. You make sure nothing is broken, stand up, and walk over to the horse. You pet her and tell her it’s OK. Then you plant one foot in the stirrup and swing your leg over her back. You get back on the horse.

I’ve been taking polo lessons for two years now. Two weeks ago, I fell off my horse. Suddenly, an old cliché had real-world meaning. 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.

Too deep to run, there was only one thing left to do: snowshoe! Read the rest of this entry →

My girl, Cinderella (Photo: RunKarlaRun.com)

My favorite four-legged running pal turned 4-years-old yesterday. Or at least, that’s what we think.

Cinderella was a stray living in the woods of Tennessee when a kind man spotted her and earned her trust over time by feeding her. Soon, she was living in his yard as a yard dog named Maggie. But after a few bad-weather nights, he decided his yard was no place for a dog and he couldn’t keep her, so he brought her to local rescue group Shelly’s Angels that works to save strays and find them homes.

Meanwhile in New York City, my husband and I were on the hunt for a dog. 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 →

Cinderella in rags running costume (Photo: Karla Bruning)

I’m a Disney running costume junkie. I’ve run four Disney races and three of them in costume: 2012 Tinker Bell Half Marathon, 2012 Disney’s Princess Half Marathon and 2013 Walt Disney World Marathon.

So I’ve decided to spread the running costume love.

Running Costume Skirt Giveaway

I’m giving away a brand new skirt identical to the one I wore at the Walt Disney World Marathon on Jan. 13 when I dressed as Cinderella in Rags.

If Cinderella in Rags isn’t your style, the skirt could also double as a running costume piece for Pocahontas, Sleeping Beauty’s Briar Rose, Hercules, or something more creative like Bambi.

Here are the details: Read the rest of this entry →

Karla celebrates race #41, Disney’s Wine & Dine Half Marathon

It was five years ago that I pinned on my very first racing bib, lined up in my first corral, and ran my first race.

On Sunday, Oct. 7 when I toe the line at the Staten Island Half Marathon, I’ll be starting my 50^th race. It’s a milestone I never could have imagined in my previous life as a person who hated running. Read the rest of this entry →

The Fifth Avenue Mile is my favorite race of the year. More than 5,000 runners barrel down Fifth Avenue along Central Park in 18 different heats from kids to pros and everyone in between.

This was the first time in four years that I haven’t run the race. My 6:46 personal best from 2011 will have to stand for now. But I was doing something just as exciting as shattering a PR—covering the Fifth Avenue Mile for New York Road Runners as host of their new web show “On The Run.” 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 →

New York City's Statue of Liberty. (Photo: Phil Hospod)

A bib in the ING New York City Marathon is one of the toughest gets in the world of running. Roughly 140,000 runners apply to earn one of the coveted 47,500 entries. Year after year, runners all over the world are turned away.

Well, here’s one more chance. Nissan is giving away one more “golden” entry into the 2012 race, along with a free trip to the Big Apple, through its Innovation for Endurance program, which highlights elite athletes like Olympic and New York City Marathoner Ryan Hall.

From July 22 through July 28, enter for your chance to win entry into the 2012 ING New York City Marathon along with roundtrip airfare to New York City, hotel accommodations, an official training program, airport transportation, weekend transportation in a Nissan vehicle including transportation to the starting line in Staten Island, a Saturday shake-out run with a Nissan athlete and VIP tickets to the pre-race pasta party and post-race celebration.

Enter the Nissan Innovation for Endurance Golden Entry Sweepstakes at facebook.com/InnovationForEndurance through 11:59 p.m. ET on July 28.

Karla Bruning is a veteran journalist and running nerd. She has completed four marathons, two triathlons, trains with the New York Harriers and is a member of New York Road Runners. Follow Karla’s “Notes From a Running Nerd” at RunKarlaRun.com, Facebook and Twitter@KBruning.