Category: Uncategorized

You guys, I forgot my anniversary. It was a big one, too. Not in my relationship, not at my job, not a milestone after conquering an addiction, but my anniversary for this, right here with you. Two years ago I had a reawakening. January 15, 2013 was my first blog post of my first messy mile. It was … Continue reading The Constant

Runners love to wax poetic. A run is never just a run. Many runners (myself very much included) use running to cope, and we project our neuroses on to the road. The marathon symbolizes our journey. The hill symbolizes our personal obstacles. The bib number symbolizes our preordained lot in life...(just me on that one?) … Continue reading Fun Run

Two weeks ago I ran the Portland Marathon, and it's taken me this long to make my peace with it. Despite all my training and planning, the race didn't go as I intended. By most measures, the race was not a success -- I started too fast, I didn't pace myself for the heat, and … Continue reading Through the Wall

I had a plan. I had a spreadsheet. I'd prepared a schedule with the right balance of strength and speed, rest and rigor. It was perfect. By the day of the marathon, I'd be the strongest I've ever been. Life never works out so nicely. Excluded from my spreadsheet was a root canal, a strained … Continue reading Time Takes Time

We need to talk about cat calling. It's never a compliment, and it's never okay. Ever. Everyone understand? Great. I was running by myself this weekend. Up the block I saw a man walking toward me. My stranger danger kicked in, and I jogged to the other side of the street. Nothing unusual to this … Continue reading I’m Not Running for You

There's a lovely running store near my office -- locally owned, knowledgeable staff, and to top it off they sponsor many area races. It's exactly the type of establishment any runner wants in their community. I walked in recently, ready and excited to give them my business. The store was filled with attractive running apparel … Continue reading One Size Does Not Fit All

Yesterday I completed my eighth half marathon. It was fantastic. I was passed by senior citizens. I was passed by speed walkers. I was passed by pregnant women (and therefore passed by fetuses). The race was an enormous success. In true tortoise fashion, I ran slowly and steadily. I came in with a plan, and … Continue reading Progress Not Perfection

Some days running is pure joy. Today was not one of those days. I'm waaaaaaaay behind schedule. Way behind. I'm scheduled to run a half marathon in two months, and prior to today I hadn't trained more than three miles. Motivation has been a huge problem this spring. I've still laced up and gone running … Continue reading JFDI

I'm not afraid of much, but the weights section of the gym terrifies me. Not the equipment itself (although that can be daunting), but the the other weightlifters. They're big. They're strong. They know what they're doing. At my local gym, most weightlifters fall into one of two categories: hulking, grunting muscle bots or tan, beautiful selfie-takers who want … Continue reading Do You Even Lift, Bro?