running - The Fairest Run Of All

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...

Surprise! The Wilmington Historic 5K & Half Marathon Race Recap(s)

December 6, 2021December 6, 2021Leave a comment

I didn’t know I had any more races on the schedule this year either! But when the random chance to run the Wilmington Historic Half Marathon popped up, I went for it. Of course, I say the Wilmington Historic Half, but by the time I registered it was sold out. Unless I wanted to run the 5K, just the challenge was available – run the 5K at 7am, then the half marathon at 7:45am. What the heck, I figured, I’ll do it as a training run for the WDW Marathon in January, and I signed up. The key element...

The Fairest Trip Report Of All: Wine & Dine Half Marathon Recap

November 19, 2021November 19, 2021Leave a comment

It’s trip report time again! Read all posts in this trip report here. Well, you ask, how was the Wine & Dine Half Marathon this year? How was the first in-person runDisney event since February of 2020? Well. Let me tell you. To start, and I’m sure this is an unpopular opinion, I wish the race didn’t occur during a time change. The extra hour of sleep is great in theory, but it just makes me anxious that something will go wrong with the tech and I’ll oversleep. Yes, I recognize I am a crazed paranoiac, but here we...

Running In Isabela, Puerto Rico

October 14, 2021October 14, 2021Leave a comment

You know you’re a running NERD when you’re geeking out over a new running trail days after finding it. But we already knew I was a running nerd. The question is: are you a big enough running nerd to geek out with me? Let’s find out! Pat and I went to Jobos Beach in Isabela, PR over the long weekend because he wanted to check out the surf break. Surfing is still a little too scary for my taste, but my enthusiasm for the trip shot up when Pat told me there were a couple running options near our...

Half A Race Schedule Is Better Than No Race Schedule At All, Right?

October 5, 2021October 5, 20212 Comments

We still live in uncertain times, but I’m feeling hopeful enough to wedge a race schedule in there anyway. Well, half a race schedule. Not ENOUGH races, but some. Not the WHOLE year, but part. And yeah, sure, most are retreads of runDisney races, but I’m registered! That’s what counts! And so I am officially looking forward to: The Wine & Dine Half Marathon, November 2021 Continuing my registration strategy of registering for EVERYTHING. I’ve been thwarted at every turn so far but it’ll pay off eventually, I just know it. Plus Pat’s really excited for his first ever...

Is A Sparkle Athletic Sparkle Squad Membership Worth It?

October 1, 2021October 1, 2021Leave a comment

I’m decidedly NOT a team sports person, but I’m not against joining a team of running individuals, especially if they offer discounts. Did I join Sparkle Squad for the camaraderie or the discounts? Trick question! I joined it for the visor! And the blog post, of course. Anything for a blog post. WHAT IS SPARKLE SQUAD? Right, so, Sparkle Athletic is a small but mighty athletic apparel store geared primarily toward women, although I’m sure they’re happy to sell to anybody who’s angling for a sparkly running skirt or ball cap. You’re almost certainly familiar with them if you’re...

Like A Flash Mob, But Running: Tales Of The Reluctant Spectator

September 21, 2021October 11, 2021Leave a comment

Oh my gosh, you know what cracks me up every time? When you’re running a race in a downtown/populated area and there are people there that clearly had NO idea there was a race happening. I’ve kinda-sorta talked about this before, specifically in a runDisney context – once upon a time Elizabeth and I dashed about Walt Disney World ourselves dodging marathon and half marathon – but that was different. We were vaguely aware there were races happening, so while we were mildly inconvenienced in unexpected ways at times, it wasn’t completely out of left field. I don’t know...

Divide, Run & Conquer: Adding Two-A-Days To My Training Plan

August 30, 2021August 30, 2021Leave a comment

I’m a lot of things, but I’m not more things. One of the many things I am not is a running coach. I do not run professionally in any capacity. But I’ve had a bit of success with this method, so I figured, why not share? Obviously if try them and suffer up to and including an accident we never talked, though, okay? You’ve most likely read about elite athletes performing two-a-days as part of their training plan. It’s exactly what it sounds like: two workouts in one day. What those workouts consists of varies from athlete to athlete,...