Run, Karla, Run!

Cue Dramatic Chipmunk.

Oh, Dramatic Chipmuk, you never get old.

And I actually wrote about foot stress fractures back in 2010! Oh, the humanity:

How To Avoid Foot Fractures For Runners

Too bad I wasn’t able to follow my own advice.

I really hoped I was over reacting by seeing a doctor a week after a mysterious ache crept into my left foot. Here’s the thing: it didn’t hurt and I only felt it while running. When I wasn’t running it felt totally fine. But when the ache was there, it felt deep within the bone in the ball of my foot. I didn’t like that. I thought, “It might just be a bruise.” But I also know that fractures are common among runners, and especially common among women—Deena Kastor famously fractured her foot, Desiree Linden her femur. I’m no elite runner, but I decided not to waste time. I booked a doctor’s appointment. I just had a feeling in my gut.

I’m so glad I did. An MRI confirmed I have a stress fracture in my tibial sesmoid—one of two tiny, round bones in the ball of the foot. I also have a swollen or “pinched” nerve known as a neuroma. Both are common in runners, says my doc, who is a runner himself. He’ll be running the Airbnb Brooklyn Half in in May and I’ll be announcing at the start.

Sesamoid bones

I found this description from the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons:

“A chronic fracture is a stress fracture (a hairline break usually caused by repetitive stress or overuse). A chronic sesamoid fracture produces longstanding pain in the ball of the foot beneath the big toe joint. The pain, which tends to come and go, generally is aggravated with activity and relieved with rest.”

Yup, that’s it exactly, the best way I have found to deal with the pain is the CBD oil made by these companies since I have started taking them the pain is minimum.

The Good News

The good news is doc thinks my foot stress fracture isn’t too acute, so he’s prescribing two weeks of Eco Watch products for the pain and no running as a starting point. Read the rest of this entry →

Kara Goucher (Courtesy of NYRR)

We already learned that 2009 New York City Marathon champion and 2014 Boston Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi will be running the New York City Marathon for the ninth time on Sunday, November 2.

Now, two of America’s best marathoners will be joining him.

New York Road Runners (who I freelance for as host of On The Run) announced today that Kara Goucher and Desiree Linden are headlining the American women’s field at the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon.

Goucher is returning to the race for the first time since 2008, when she finished third in her marathon debut. Linden will be running New York for the first time. Read the rest of this entry →

Here are the On The Run at NYC Half episodes so far!

On The Run at NYC Half: Elite Runner Mike Cassidy and The Magic of Goodwill

On The Run at NYC Half: Expo, Charity Runners & Black Roses NYC

We’re back! I’ve been filming with NYRR On The Run since Monday for the 2014 NYC Half marathon which takes place Sunday, March 16. We’ve got a week full of stories about professional athletes, charity runners and lots more. Instead of 30-minute episodes, we’re releasing each story as a stand-alone video. So the best way to catch them all is to subscribe to NYRR’s YouTube Channel. I’ll post them all here on RunKarlaRun.com, as well.

With Knox Robinson of Black Roses NYC (Photo: nyrr_ontherun Instagram)

It’s been an awesome week so far. I’ve been to Goodwill Industries’ New York headquarters in Queens where they’re assembling goodie bags for runners after the finish; Battery Park at the tip of Manhattan with local elite runner Mike Cassidy who finished the 2013 New York City Marathon hand in hand with Meb Keflezighi; on the High Line park on Manhattan’s West Side with Fred’s Team runner Regina Romain; out to a middle school in New Jersey where teacher Mike Anderson and guidance counselor Dana Ash are running in honor of one of their students; and to the East Village in Manhattan where the Black Roses running crew trains under the cloak of night.

I’ll also be heading to the expo, catching up with a few other runners and covering the course on race day to capture all the action. My co-host Carrie Tollefson will also be chatting with pros like Mo Farah, Molly Huddle, and Sally Kipyego. And we’ll bring you a recap of the entire event after the race. Read the rest of this entry →

Beauty and the Beast

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

The Disney Princess Half Marathon weekend of races kicked off today with the Cinderella Royal Family 5K, and continues Saturday with the inaugural Disney Princess Enchanted 10K and the Disney Princess Half Marathon on Sunday. Not to be forgotten is the first ever Glass Slipper Challenge, where runners complete both the 10K and half-marathon. Talk about medal envy; I’ve got it bad. You know I love me some Cinderella.

So in honor of the Disney Princess Half Marathon, I thought I’d share another installment of my runDisney Running Profiles.

Previous installments have looked at Sleeping Beauty as the runner who needs some rest and recovery, Alice in Wonderland as the newbie runner who has fallen down the running rabbit hole, and Cinderella as the hard working back-of-the-pack runner.

But who better to spur runners on this Princess Half Marathon weekend than Disney’s best cheerleader, Belle?

Belle

Beauty & the Beast: The Coach and the Runner

Great coaches—in running and in life—are the people who bring out the best in us. They cheer us from the sidelines, encourage us when we’re down, expect more of us when we give them less, and help us show the world, and ourselves, just how great we really can be. Never is that more apparent than when watching the Olympics.

In the Disney universe, the greatest coach of them all is Belle from Beauty & the Beast. And the Beast is a quintessential runner.

If I had to pick one Disney character to coach me, Belle would be my top pick. Read the rest of this entry →