Tag Archives: running

The Features
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The Rundown: November Edition

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

This weekend is the Marine Corps Marathon, one of the largest races in the Washington region. Over 30,000 people are signed up for the marathon and 10K, and many streets in Arlington and the District will be closed for the event. Good luck to everyone who is running!

But once the last runner crosses the finish line on Sunday, don’t think that running season is over in the District. We’ve still got several weeks of good road races coming up, including dozens of turkey trots in the area. Here’s the rundown!

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The Features
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The Rundown: October Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘Marine Corps Marathon madness’
courtesy of ‘BrianMKA’

October is the month for running in the DC area– you can’t beat the weather, and since it is near the end of the running season most runners are already in shape for races.  There are all sorts of fantastic races scheduled in October– everything from 2-mile walks to a full marathon.  Here are just a few highlights in the running world:

October 2-3

Saturday, October 2 is the 24th Annual AIDS Walk downtown at Freedom Plaza.  This 5K features both a fundraising walk and a timed run, and proceeds go to benefit HIV/AIDS programs at the Whitman-Walker Clinic.  If you can’t be there to run or walk, you can even be a ‘sleep walker’ and you don’t even need to show up on race day.  Registration is $35 for the timed run and $25 for the walk.

The Capital Area Gulf Coast Relief Run, a 5K run/walk in Potomac, MD, will be held on Sunday, October 3.  This event will start at Winston Churchill High School, and is sponsored by the school’s Key Club to raise money for communities devastated by the oil spill in the Gulf region earlier this year.  Registration is $30 for the 5K and $15 for a Kids Fun Run.

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The Features
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The Rundown: September Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘Airborne’
courtesy of ‘theqspeaks’

As America’s fittest city, the District is home to a high concentration of athletes, and it seems like every week brings another road race or triathlon to town.  With everything from 5Ks to marathons coming up in the next couple months, fall is a busy time for road races in the DC area.

If you’ve always wanted to start running, now’s the time to start– the weather can’t be beat, and a Couch Potato to 5K training program will have you ready for your first 5K in just 2 months!  Don’t believe you can do it?  Well, 2 years ago I couldn’t run more than two blocks without stopping, but I followed the training program, got bitten by the running bug, and now I’ve got countless 5Ks and 10Ks under my belt, along with a handful of half-marathons and triathlons.

Ready to race?  Here’s what’s going on in the running world over the next month.

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The Daily Feed
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Army Ten-Miler Registration Open Now

Photo courtesy of
‘Army 10 Miler – 24,000 Runners’
courtesy of ‘jdiggans’

Update: Registration is now closed. The Army Ten-Miler sold out in just over 24 hours this year, which set a new record for the race.

With the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler just around the corner next weekend, it’s time to start thinking about DC’s other great ten mile run: the Army Ten-Miler.  Registration for the October 24 race opened today and it’s expected to fill up in just a few days.  With over 24,000 runners, the Army Ten-Miler is the country’s largest ten mile race, and it’s a great course that benefits a worthy program— so sign up today!

Life in the Capital, The District, The Features
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Nation’s Tri Recap

Photo courtesy of
‘Nation’s Triathlon’
courtesy of ‘drewsaunders’

You won’t believe me, but triathlons are ridiculously fun.  Swimming, biking, and running back to back to back for 32 miles sounds exhausting and painful to the uninitiated, but yesterday at the Nation’s Triathlon I had the time of my life.  And let’s put this in perspective, a year ago I could barely run a mile.  But with the great resources that our city has to offer, from free pools, great biking trails and an active triathlon community, DC has made a triathlete out of me.

The Nation’s Tri, which marked its fourth year yesterday, was a fantastic event from start to finish.  It has grown from 500 competitors in its first year to 6,000 registered competitors today, and it’s easy to see why: it’s professionally managed, takes you through some of the most beautiful parts of the city, and well, where else can you swim the Potomac with the mayor?

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The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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No Sidewalk? Run on the Grass

Time to run on the grass

Time to run on the grass

Running along Colorado Avenue NW recently, I came across this scene: a sidewalk missing, so no place to run that’s not in the street. Now the usual response to this is to run on the pavement, but why? Isn’t the flat grassy area all public property? If you look in the distance, you can see a utility pole in that same flat grassy area, so its city property, not private property.

So I ran on the grass.

My knees were happy, as grass is softer than pavement, and Taxi Dog was happy, her paws like grass much more than pavement. But I wonder if the homeowners are going to be happy? Would you be? Especially if you were excited because your home didn’t have a sidewalk just to keep pedestrians away.

The Daily Feed
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The Sounds of Spring


‘IMG_0566’
courtesy of ‘staypuftman’
Yep, it once again sounds like spring on the trails around DC.

Let me say first off that as a runner, I’m a looong way from setting any land-speed records. But I do run outside all winter, and every year during the first warm weeks I notice the same thing. As the birds begin to sing and the frogs to croak, the runners migrating back to the trails make their own special springtime sounds, louder than any I’ve heard for months: whoof, choof, hee, haw, gasp, huff, gaaaaah.

While I sure do sympathize, I admit to getting a little kick out of this. Go, runners! It’ll ease up soon.

Featured Photo, Life in the Capital, Sports Fix, The District
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Featured Photo

Nation’s Triathlon by Noah Devereaux

Last week our fine city hosted the annual Nation’s Triathlon where competitors are challenged to swim 1.5K through the murky Potomac, bike 40K, and run 10K.  It’s a feat so easy that even our very own Mayor Fenty can do it.  I’m kidding of course.  The only way I could compete in this race is if it were a 51.5K bike ride.

This amazing shot by Noah Devereaux takes the sweaty, strenuous, and sometimes painful event and strips away the grit, replacing it with grace and beauty.  The perfect lane lines and tree-lined street capture your eye and lead it toward the majestic Capitol at the end of Pennsylvania Avenue.  The warm morning sun glimmers off the newly paved road and creates a shadow for the runner to compete against.  It takes months of dedicated preparation to compete in a race like this, but this photo makes it look like a mere jog through the park.