Should You Stretch Before A Run? (Part 1)

Stretching before you run used to be the thing to do. Then it went out of favor, to be replaced with post-run stretching or stretching after a warm up. Stretching a cold muscle can do more damage than you want to it, but loosening a muscle up before a run, especially...

Why Should You Run a Small Marathon?

A week from tomorrow I am running the Exeter Marathon, and in an email that Mike Tammaro (the race director) sent me this afternoon he told a story about why running a small marathon is better for him than running a larger race. I can certainly relate to his take so I...

How To Race Faster by Running Tangents

When a race course is certified by the RRCA or USATF, it’s measured by the shortest route a person can run and remain on the course. When most people race, they run the most convenient route through the course that they can, which isn’t necessarily the...

Should Runners Feel Entitled?

This letter was written by Susan Reynolds in an email to the Ultra List in early February. I wanted to share it because I think that it is important to remember that the race director is there to take care of everybody, not just you. Enjoy what’s offered, give...

Status Update and a New Contest

Well, I am almost halfway through the 1 More Mile for Sunshine challenge in terms of the number of days I’ll be running (13½ out of 31 days), but I am only about 20% of the way through the total number of miles that I’ll be running (107 out of 500+...