Whenever a runner has a hilly race to run, the focus is on the uphill, not on running downhill. After all, that’s the hard part, right? Running uphill makes your heart pound, your lungs burn, and your legs scream. So you prepare for such a challenging event by uphill training, getting stronger and more adept […]
8 Reasons the Half Marathon is the Perfect Race Distance
I want to talk about my favorite race distance, the half marathon, and why it is perfect for me, and possibly for you too. Plus I’m sharing a half-specific speed workout. Prior to 2020, based on surveys by Running USA, the half marathon was the fastest-growing distance in racing. While the most recent survey (2017) […]
5 Training Tips to Help You Conquer a Hilly Race
Recently, we discussed Training for a Downhill Marathon, which gave you tips on the importance of downhill training. Today, we’re talking about how to conquer a hilly race (of any distance). Since what goes up generally must come down, there will be downhill training involved. You might want to refer back to this post for […]
My 5 Marathon Bucket List (and Reverse List)
You guys know that I’ve run a lot of marathons, right? Thirty-nine at this point. I’ve done great destination races, many more that were close to home, but because I’ve done some races many times, there are quite a few that I haven’t had a chance to do. Today I picked five races that are […]
Palm Springs Health Run 5k and 10k Race Report
So I did a thing last weekend. But first, a little story. Back in 1998, when I was fairly new to racing, the La Quinta Gem of the Desert 10k, which had been my first race ever, added on a 5k. They designed it with enough time in between so that runners could do both […]
5 Things to Do Before Starting Marathon Training
When you sign up for a marathon, whether it’s your first or your 20th, it’s easy to get excited and want to jump right into training. Before you do that, here are a few things to do before you start building up that mileage. 5 Things to Do Before Starting Marathon Training Whatever your experience, […]