Yesterday, a friend posted a link to an article about the way that commercialization of races has affected the sport. Specifically, the author focuses on the Competitor Group and the way that their Rock ‘n’ Roll series of races draw people to the sport for the wrong reasons, that the well-attended races have all but [...]

I’ve said before and will say again that I’m not the athlete I used to be. My days of All-American status, National Reportable Times, All-Conference honors, and the like are nearly a decade behind me. Gone, too, is the girl who was named the Ironwoman of her college swim team, with records for bench press [...]

Yesterday’s Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans half marathon was my fourth race at that distance. I finally feel like I really know what to expect and how to balance the physical challenge of running the distance with the emotional swings I encounter during the race. I’m also comfortable pushing myself to my limits, gunning for [...]

If there’s anything I’ve learned this winter besides the fact that I really love running half marathons, it’s the fact that I should watch myself when I’m feeling particularly trigger-happy after a race. By this, I mean the feeling that you get once you’ve done a race and want to sign up for more (and [...]

We’re just about a week out of the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans half marathon, and it’s fair to say my perspective on this race has changed. A year ago, this race was my first half marathon, and my finish represented a triumph over a nagging IT band injury and the completion of something I’d [...]

By now, you might know that I’m no stranger to lacking motivation after a race. The two half marathons I’ve run since October have been really fun, and I still find that going through the process of training and racing is rewarding, but sometimes it’s difficult to pick up again once you’ve achieved a goal. [...]

Photo: Louisiana Running Company I’d argue that there are few things better than the feeling of getting back to business. Even though I don’t always love the feeling of being in a routine—it’s the forced schedule part that I don’t like—it does feel great to get back on track with training after two weeks with [...]

Here we go. It’s time to get ready for half marathon number three of the 2011–2012 fall/winter season, the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Half Marathon. Pictured above is the piece of paper I used to figure out what my new goal and training plan for this race will be. But before I get into [...]

Photo from The Louisiana Marathon on Facebook Have you ever run a really fun, incredible race, only to feel the next day that you’ve forgotten most of the details of the course and your experience? A few months ago, fellow CYJ blogger Jessica wrote about the concept of flow in running. I like this sentence (from [...]

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m getting really excited about the Louisiana Marathon half coming up this Sunday. When I mapped out some races and training last fall, I decided this race would be my target for a PR, mostly because it’s in January (I need cold weather for a good race) and I [...]

Six months ago, when Brandon asked me to blog for, and eventually manage, the blogs section of Claim Your Journey, I was thrilled. I had a lot of ideas about what I wanted to write. I had a few races and goals in mind, and I knew sharing these things with others would be a [...]