running - The Fairest Run Of All

So Do Compression Socks Do Anything Or What?

May 10, 2022May 10, 2022Leave a comment

I’ve used compression socks before. A couple years ago I won a pair, and then got another as a Christmas present. I was pretty excited about it – after all, compression socks (and calf sleeves) are supposed to improve your running by – hold on, let me check the marketing copy… Ah, yes, there it is: increased vascular efficiency (so, better blood flow) and faster recovery. I’m not here to debate the accuracy of these statements on a macrocosmic scale; my concerns are microcosmic. But before we get into that: if you’re not familiar with this particular piece of...

An Open Letter To runDisney

May 3, 2022May 3, 20222 Comments

The runDisney support contact form only allows like 3 paragraphs before it cuts off, so upon publication of this post I will be sending them a link. I will also tag them on social media in the hopes someone on the runDisney team might read it. I am also interested to hear what my fellow runDisney runners think about the letter below. Has your experience been similar or different from mine? What did I get right? What did I get wrong? Send me your perspective via any channel you wish – comment below, email me at fairestrunofall@gmail.com, or DM/tag...

Tower of Terror Trip Report - corral entry

The Fairest Trip Report Of All: Tower Of Terror 10 Miler Race Recap

April 19, 2022April 19, 20222 Comments

Trip report time! I’m covering my April 2022 trip for the Tower of Terror 10 Miler. Read all the posts in this report here. Onward! How did I feel when I woke up at 2:45am for the Tower of Terror 10 Miler? Well, let’s see: Haha, I exaggerate, obviously. I felt fine – my previous evening’s Disney Springs adventure had thankfully not left me worse for wear. But it didn’t leave me better for it either, and I can’t claim to have had a spring in my step. Seth had sworn up and down that drinking the night before...

North Myrtle Beach Sunglasses Half Marathon Recap!

March 28, 2022March 28, 2022Leave a comment

Oh, how sad to be right. But in the ashes of defeat are the seeds of victory, so here’s my 2022 – inaugural! – North Myrtle Beach Sunglasses Half Marathon race recap all the same. We begin with a 4:45am wakeup call (still luxuriously late compared to runDisney) and the 55-minute trek from Wilmington down to North Myrtle Beach. I built in plenty of time to start late, get lost, or get stuck in 5K traffic, but everything went smoothly and we arrived around 6:15am, well in advance of the half marathon 7:45am start time. Incidentally, when I say...

Bringing My Race To Its Knees

March 23, 2022March 23, 2022Leave a comment

After my (kinda, sorta, really yes but also no) triumph at the Run Oak Island Half Marathon, I vowed that I would make my next half my sub-2. I’ve got one coming up in a week or so. It was gonna be my race. Now? I’m not so sure. Okay, to be fair, I was never really sure. I can’t be the only one who’s gone into a race expecting one outcome and experiencing another. In both directions, even – sometimes you pounce and sometimes you get trounced, you know? Mind you, trouncing seems to happen to me more...

The Fairest Trip Report Of All: 2022 Princess Half Marathon Recap

March 7, 2022March 7, 20222 Comments

It’s trip report time again! Read all the posts in this trip report here. Onward! First thing first: I woke up on time for the Princess Half Marathon. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it forever: this is by far the scariest part of any race. Once you’re awake, you’re home free, baby! Despite the adrenaline shot to the heart that is the shrill voice of the WDW wakeup call, I woke up feeling reasonably rested and alert considering it was 2am. I bopped through race prep, Erika did the same, and we headed out into the cold...

Run Oak Island Half Marathon Race Recap!

February 22, 2022March 10, 2022Leave a comment

Hello and welcome to a race recap that is in know way related to runDisney. I know, I’m surprised too. The last couple years, I’ve done the Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach Marathon as part of a week visiting my parents in North Carolina. This year, though, that race is the same weekend as the Princess Half. But when I saw the Run Oak Island Half, a mere half hour away, was the weekend before Princess, I decided to loop the whole thing into my trip to Orlando. Q. Do I time my visits to my parents around area races? A. Yes....

Sneakers For Sisyphus: Searching For The Perfect Running Shoe

February 15, 2022February 15, 2022Leave a comment

I have been running in earnest for nearly a decade now, and I still haven’t found my elusive perfect running shoe. Oh, I’ve come close. The Nike Zoom Vomero 10 gave me the perfect-fit Cinderella feels, only to betray me as soon as the 11 hit. I’ve been using the 14s lately and they work well, but I don’t get the same bespoke sensation when I put them on. I used the Brooks Ravenna for literally years, until Brooks modified their stabilization system and it overpowered my one unstable foot. (The other foot is neutral. It’s a real treat.)...

How To Fall When Running (Here, Let Me Demonstrate)

February 11, 2022February 11, 20222 Comments

Whelp, it finally happened: I took a fall on the boardwalk. HOW I FELL WHILE RUNNING The boardwalk in question lines a portion of my route through Piñones, part of my usual long-run route. It is not well-maintained as far as missing boards and uneven bits of wood go, but I’ve been running on it for a good two years now, I generally pay close attention to my feet anyway, and my track record up until now has been pristine. In my defense, my poor attention span my not have been wholly to blame. To be honest, I’m still...

The Fairest Trip Report Of All: The 2022 Walt Disney World Marathon

January 20, 2022January 20, 20222 Comments

Time for another trip report! I’ll be covering my 2022 WDW Marathon Weekend trip. Find all the posts in this report here. Onward! 2021 was the Year With No Walt Disney World Marathon. My heart: broken. My will to live: gone. My serotonin levels: bottoming out. Enter 2022. A young year, plagued by… the plague just as much as 2021, but nonetheless full of January’s promise. With it, it brought the WDW Marathon! And there was much rejoicing. I awoke that Sunday morning to the terrifying blare of the telephone wakeup call. Can’t say I slept well, but I...