New Runworks Format

Submitted by Rickshaw :: Sun Nov 19, 2006 1:08 pm

Attention Runworks shoppers! Today I'm introducing a change to Runworks' format, replacing the generic news bites on the front page with my personal running musings. Nobody (including myself) seemed very interested in those news bites anyway, so you won't see any more of them. Instead, Runworks will adopt a more blog-style format, chronicling my own running trials and tribulations, and my thoughts on running topics large, small, and offbeat. For the majority of visitors who like to read but not post, this will give you something (interesting?) to keep coming back to the site. And for those who like to join the discussion, you can still post comments about any of my blog entries, or create your own discussion topics in the forums as before. Here we go!

Now who the heck am I to be doing a running blog? I'm no expert on anything, and I'm not even a very good runner. But I am opinionated and tech-capable, and that seems to be enough to get your own virtual soap box these days!

If you've followed Runworks for a while then you know my background, but here's a recap. I was never an athlete in my younger days, but I kept reasonably fit, and started running regularly in 2002 at age 31. Since then I've logged about 6000 miles, 8 marathons, and lots of shorter races. My race times are decent for a weekend-athlete, but nothing to get excited about. When I can outrun a Segway scooter, then I'll get excited.

Lately I've been in one of my semi-periodic down periods: a code-phrase for "lazy." These seem to hit me every 6 to 12 months, after a long period of regular training. For most of this year, I kept up a schedule of maybe 40 miles per week, but by late summer, I had just lost interest in running. If I hadn't already committed to a marathon on October 1, I probably would have quit outright, but instead I did enough half-assed training to get me through the 26.2 miles. Since then I've run a whopping 11 miles in 7 weeks. Yesterday I ran 3 easy miles, but had to stop and walk after 2. Oh fitness, why have you left me so soon? But that's alright, you'll be back sooner or later.