Sandy Runs

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional of any kind. What follows comes from my own personal experiences. You should seek a proper medical diagnosis of any injury, and follow your doctor's advice. I'm providing information for your awareness only. Runners, especially those who train for long distance races, sustain injuries. It is bound to happen at some point. If you've been running regularly for more than a year, you've probably experienced some type of injury whether it was as severe as a fracture, or as basic as a twisted ankle. At the very least, you've likely encountered DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) from the exertion of a fast or long run, or an intense strength workout. While I can't diagnose your injuries, I can share the experience of my own injuries, and provide some things for you to think about and to possibly discuss with you doctor. Actual MRI image of my left foot So, you think you have an injury? How do you know that wha...

For Day Two of my recent two-race weekend, I ran the 40th Columbus 10K on Sunday. (I ran the Baltimore 10 Miler on Saturday; blog here .) I would have happily paid the registration fee for this one, but I didn't need to. Columbus Running Company was offering a free registration with a purchase of Hoka One One shoes, as Hoka was the main sponsor. I bought a pair of their ORA Recovery Slides , which are very comfy. I got home on Saturday night from Baltimore/DC and didn't get a ton of sleep. I was happy that they had race-day packet pick-up, but that meant getting up even earlier to get a good parking space and my packet. The race started on Civic Center Drive on the Scioto Mile. I found great parking just a couple blocks away. Packet pick-up was quick and easy and I had time to scope out the start/finish area while waiting for the Columbus Westside Running Club (CWRC) photo meet-up. Some of the CWRC members pre-race at the big gavel And gavel selfie The weather w...

It's Global Running Day and I have very exciting news to share. I've been selected as an ambassador to Hefei, China to represent the Columbus Marathon . I'll be running the Hefei International Marathon on November 12th with four other ambassadors. This is part of the Greater Columbus Sister Cities International  (GCSCI) program. Read the official announcement here . Get out there and run anywhere, any distance today I first learned about this program and applied back in April. At that time I didn't expect much, as I'm sure there was good competition for the ambassador slots. On the application I had to choose between Dresden, Germany; Curitiba, Brazil; and Hefei, China. I thought that China would be the most unique international experience, and it's a country I've never visited, so that's what I chose. I filled out an application with some background on my running and travel history, and hoped for the best. In late May I was offered the posi...

I ran my second Baltimore 10 Mile r last Saturday. This involved a flight back to DC and a road trip to Baltimore, and it was totally worth it. Last year's Baltimore 10 Miler ( blog post here ) was the first year that they offered a medal. It was a penguin medal to represent an animal at the Maryland Zoo (the race starts and finishes near the zoo). This year runners were able to vote for the medal animal, and the flamingo was chosen. That pretty much meant that Magenta the Road Trip Flamingo had to do this race. And that meant that Scot and I would be there with her. Hanging with flamingos after the race: Brittany, me, Sam, Jody and Scot In the past I would drive from Arlington VA to Baltimore early the morning of any races I ran there. This year I didn't know exactly how my plans would shape up so I booked a hotel in downtown Baltimore with an Expedia credit. The Lord Baltimore Hotel is a historic hotel, so I think I got a bargain. I flew in Friday morning and Scot and...

The second race of my busy Memorial Day Weekend was the Medina Half Marathon , just 36 hours after my PR run at Thursday night's FORE! Miler . I found out about this race by researching Ohio race calendars. Now that I'm in Ohio, I want to explore new races and new-to-me towns in my home state. The Medina race was bee-themed and sounded like fun. Happy finisher in Medina I drove up to Medina on Friday afternoon, stopped by the small expo for my packet, and then headed over to Lager Heads Brewing for some craft beers. There, I met a few locals, including fast ultra runner Ladd, who'd be using the half marathon as a training run, and then working it. After the brewery I had a great meal sitting at the bar at Santosuosso's Pizza Pasta Vino. Then it was time to check into my hotel and get ready for bed. I woke up early on Saturday because I hadn't yet scoped out the start/finish area, and wanted to beat the rush for the free public parking. I got there with lo...