Back in July, as I was about to plunge into a fall marathon training program, I decided to skip it instead and work on running the same number of training miles, but with a far different goal. Instead of working on distance, I wanted to work on speed. And while the experiment’s far from over, [...]

Continue reading about The upshot (so far) of skipping the fall marathon experiment: speed gains, fewer tweaks, fun change of pace

Ernesto on July 10th, 2010

I love the marathon. The preparation for racing this distance is a rigorous test of mind, body and spirit. It requires discipline and strategy, and enduring the training eases and clears my mind to tackle the non-running challenges life presents.  But as I found myself finishing up Vermont City Marathon at the end of May, [...]

Continue reading about Why NOT to run a marathon this fall

Ernesto on June 20th, 2010

Volunteered at the Mount Washington Road Race yesterday… Incredible 50th anniversary race. I worked water before the race and beer after. Hard to emphasize how happy you make people when you hand them a free Tuckerman’s after they’ve just run up the tallest peak in the northeast.

Continue reading about Mount Washington Road Race

So here’s the upshot on the running-another-marathon-just-six-weeks-after-Boston experiment: I had more fun running Vermont City Marathon than I’ve ever had running 26.2 miles before. The others were very high on the “satisfaction” meter: pushing yourself all out, leaving everything on the course, finishing in a white haze of exhaustion and pain, achieving a PR or [...]

Continue reading about Second marathon in six weeks is a fun one; Vermont City Marathon is a fantastic event in a great city!

So how do you finish 18 weeks of training, race a marathon, and then turn around and race another just as hard just 6 weeks later?  I’ll tell you when and if I’ve finished the second one, this Sunday. Maybe you (or I) don’t. But I think maybe it’s possible, and here are a few [...]

Continue reading about What’s the trick to racing two marathons back to back? I’ll tell you when I finish the second one…

Life and work in the weeks prior to and following the Boston Marathon this year — my first Boston Marathon — were so busy I had little time, until the last few days, for the dreaded taper madness, or subsequently, to write the long, reflective blog post that’s followed my other races.  That doesn’t, however [...]

Continue reading about A Belated Look Back At A Wonderful Boston Marathon 2010 Experience

So it may not be until this coming weekend that I have a chance to sit down and jot down some of the many memorable experiences I had at the Boston Marathon on Monday.  Tuesday plunged me into a busy work week, and there’s no time for ruminating. The short story is, I finished at [...]

Continue reading about In lieu of an immediate post on the Boston Marathon, a pre-marathon article and funny video

Ernesto on April 17th, 2010

Number pickup at the Boston Marathon Expo at the Hynes Convention Center, Saturday, April 17.

Continue reading about Picking up bib #6500, Boston Marathon

I may be a geek, but on marathon day, running trumps tech, and I’m sure not going to be fiddling with a phone, sending status updates or tweeting during a race.  Still, it occurred to me this week that there ought to be a way to get the Boston Marathon AT&T Athlete Alert system that [...]

Continue reading about How to update your Facebook status while running the Boston Marathon – without ever touching your phone

If you’ve bought running shoes in a Sports Authority in the past year or so, you’ve likely been confronted with an offer for an Extended Coverage Plan for footwear replacement.  The way the plan is described is this: You pay an extra $5 to $16 dollars depending on the cost tier of your shoes, and [...]

Continue reading about Too-Good-To-Be-True Offer Turns Out To Be True: Sports Authority Running Shoe Replacement Plan