Category Archives: Uncategorized

11 a.m. Wednesday: Cold drizzle outside. A blessed spot of rainless gray on the radar map of D.C. that, when the map is animated, looks to be headed right for Silver Spring. I decide to wait it out and squeeze … Continue reading →

I knew I’d see something crash and burn at National Harbor on Saturday morning. I just sort of assumed it would be me and my race performance, not the Hot Chocolate 15K itself. I’m not going to spend much time … Continue reading →

My race packet’s been picked up. My race plan is set (I didn’t say it was perfect, or even good—just that it was set). My evening plans are reasonable (Muppet movie with runner-friends, early bedtime). Even though this race is … Continue reading →

My plan seemed really reasonable when I devised it. I was going to start upping the distance of my longest weekly runs after the Marine Corps 10K in late October. I had exactly the right amount of time to build … Continue reading →

Saturday morning, in a word: Ouch. “Ouch,” because of the ever-present rolling hills on the Montgomery County Road Runners Turkey Burnoff course. “Ouch,” because being able to balance on a stability ball on your knees while holding a medicine ball … Continue reading →

A confession: I have fallen off the wagon in my training for the Hot Chocolate 15K on Dec. 3. I’m still going to run the thing. But I’ve been traveling and sick (yes, sick again—possibly having to do with all … Continue reading →

Why do we bother running on boring treadmills, swimming in crowded pools and lifting in smelly gyms? So we can master the trails, cross major bodies of water with the strength of our own arms, or ski all day without … Continue reading →

In high school, a clerk at a Banana Republic in Shrewsbury, N.J., gave me some of the best life advice I’ve ever received. I had tried on a few skirts, and was wistfully eying one of them, a flowy green … Continue reading →

I feel compelled to start this post by imploring that you follow what I’ve said, not what I’ve done, kids. I talk a big game about having learned that you don’t gain fitness by bludgeoning your body, but by listening … Continue reading →