IT'S THE 'SEASON'

Ever notice that many races these days are woefully represented in the 20-25 age division?

How about how the football or soccer teams receive the adoring adulation of the high school student body and the fans?

And, how many people even know how a cross country meet is scored?

One final question.

Who needs to change these situations?

The answer is easy.

We do!

We need to pay it forward, promote our sport, and support the young athletes and coaches who participate in the sport of long distance running at the junior high and high school level.

Chances are, if they have a positive experience with our sport at that level, they will continue to run throughout their lifetime.

There are several ways we, veteran runners, can help.

First, gather you and your running partners and attend a high school cross country meet. Other than parents, support for the hard-working runners is practically non-existent. Runners know other runners. The young men and women will be honored if they notice a group of local runners along the course at a home meet.

And be sure to encourage EVERY runner. The beauty of a cross country team is that, where scoring is concerned, the fifth runner is as important as the first runner.

Volunteer, either as a coach or as a course monitor. I'll bet there are few of us who haven't run a race where well-intentioned volunteers pointed runners in the wrong direction or failed to provide any direction at all to the participants. And coaches can always use some help, especially if the roster is large.

Cross country teams are rarely on top of the equipment list, so if you can organize or participate in a fund raising event for the team, that would be beneficial.

Finally, you are role models to these youngsters. You may be in your 30s or well beyond, so when the kids see "That old guy" out there on the road, in all kinds of weather, they become inspired.

So, instead of 'Friday Night Lights,' let's celebrate the season of Wednesday afternoon meets and Saturday afternoon invitationals in a sport where there are no time outs, and where the clock is unforgiving,

It's the season of the boys and girls of September, October, and November.

Let's show them our appreciation.

RUNNING COMPANIONS' SPECIAL DAY

The mountain trails behind my house zigzag for miels, forming an isolated setting for me and two of my favorite running companions, who never complain, run in all kinds of weather, and rarely tire of the excitement a good workout seems to provide,

We're all aging, so we don't log as many miles as we used. To be sure, the older of the two companions is approaching her golden years.

Today, they are reduced to a maximum of two miles, as the crow flies, although their wandering makes for perhaps double that amount.

Often, since they seem to be drawn to muddy puddles, my post-workout regimen includes giving them a bath.

Dixie, age 9, is my Chocolate Lab; and Ruby, 7, is a Redbone Coonhound.

At age 2, after a mountain training run, Dixie returned home limping dramatically. The diagnosis was a torn ACL. We had it surgically repaired, and she's been fine ever since. Labs being very emotional, Dixie will not leave my side as we run, for fear I'll lose her.

Ruby, on the other hand, is pure hound. The scent of a rabbit is enough for her to abandon me in a heart beat.

Dogs can be terrific running partners. Their companionship is good for us, and, like us, their health is enhanced by the activity.

In fact, I cannot announce that I am going for a run, lest my dogs go crazy. I must either say I'm going for a "r-u-n," or that I'm, "Going to work."

So, here's to greatest companions on National Dog Day.

They offer us unrequited love, and their time with us is much too short.

ENJOY!

The last full week of August is here, and although the first official day of Autumn is still nearly a month away, the oppressive, steamy days of summer are, for the most part, behind us.

Mornings will begin to cool, humidity will dissipate, and cool breezes will make for faster, more pleasant miles.

Get ready, because the next couple of months offer the best days to train and race.

If you have maintained your fitness level throughout the lazy, hazy days of summer, now is the time to launch your fall training.

Remember to pay attention to the two most essential components of your training regimen: speed work and long runs. I address both in my book, Personal Best, www.muldowneyrunning.com, in the chapter entitled 'Super Sevens,' and throughout my personal training programs on Fiverr, www.fiverr.com, within my Running Shorts gigs.

I have always preferred to conduct my speed workouts during the middle of the week; while I prefer to complete my long runs on the weekends.

There are many races to choose from these days, but try to resist the temptation to overrace. Select your races carefully. When you do, you won't kick yourself, or wear down your fellow competitors with the worn out phrase, "I would have run faster today, but I ran a 15-miler on Tuesday." Do yourself and everyone else a favor and run your long run on Sunday, then go out with fresh legs and run a race TWO weeks later.

Similarly, give yourself at least three days after your speed work before you race. Do your speed work no later than Wednesday if you're racing on Saturday.

Map out your fall races now. If you plan to run a marathon in November, find a half marathon to run as a barometer of your fitness level.

I believe that our best running days lie ahead of us. That is particularly true as we enter this glorious running season.

Enjoy!

KINDLE KIND

For a limited time, if you go to my author page at Amazon.com, amazon.com/author/joemuldowney, you can purchase the Kindle version of my latest book on running,  Personal Best, for the lowest price ever...$1.99. That's cheaper than a cup of coffee these days!

Personal Best begins with a day I'll never forget: April 15, 2013, the day terror struck the Boston Marathon.

Following is an excerpt of the chapter entitled, 'Was That Thunder?'

WAS THAT THUNDER?

 A good day to run a marathon is usually a bad day to watch a marathon.

That was not the case on April 15, 2013.

The day broke with a deep blue sky; a chilly wind fluttered from the west, the air was dry.

An endless procession of yellow school buses departed from the Boston Common to begin the journey along the Mass Pike to the village of Hopkinton, the center of the running world on Patriot’s Day.

My morning began in an unusual manner. Preparing to run the Boston Marathon for the sixteenth time, my wife and I decided that, rather than deal with the crowds at the bus loading area, she would transport me to the athletes’ village, drive back to the train station at Riverside, and later assume her place near the finish line on Boylston Street.

At the toll plaza, buses were lined up like yellow jackets at the hive, and despite some congestion on narrow country roads, we reached the quaint “Welcome to Hopkinton, Incorporated in 1715” road sign by 7:30 a.m. In the forested area on the edge of town, placards nailed to the trees bore the warning, “No Stopping Monday.” Between the words, “Stopping,” and “Monday,” was the image of a runner breaking the finish line tape.

Within three blocks of the athletes’ village, all roads were barricaded, and as my wife and I exchanged farewells, an achy, empty feeling of loneliness enveloped me, even as I approached a small city of more than 23,000 runners. I stood, motionless, for a few moments, as her car faded to a small silver dot. On a magnificent mid-April morning, something didn’t feel quite right to me.

Check out the Kindle special offer, or receive free eCoaching by visiting: www.muldowneyrunning.com

BE INSPIRED AND TRAIN FOR FREE

The "Dog Days of Summer" are upon us, and fall racing season is rapidly approaching.

Now is the time to set your racing goals for the best racing season of the year.

Do you want to smash that elusive 25-minute barrier for the 5K?

Does that 3:30 marathon time slips from your grasp each time you attempt to break it?

"What am I doing wrong?" you ask.

Do I need a personal coach to guide me toward my goal?

But not everyone can afford a personal coach...or can they?

Visit my website: www.muldowneyrunning.com, and I'll personally coach you...FOR FREE!

Ok, what's the catch? There's always a catch.

The catch is that you purchase some great summer reading material, in the form of one of my books: Running Shorts, or Personal Best. Both offer a great deal of running advice in their own right, but when you purchase a book, which I'll personally sign for you, I'll design a six-week personalized training program, just for you.

Here's how it works.

Buy one of my books, at: www.muldowneyrunning.com, then scroll down to the 'Contact' form.

Tell me your racing or training goal. Give me a short description, including your age, approximate weight and fitness level, and we can get started. Then I'll create a six-week training plan just for you.

But don't take my word for it, because, obviously, I'm a bit biased.

Check out the reviews of my books on Amazon: www.amazon.com

Then go to Fiverr, www.fiverr.com. where I have written many training programs, go to my 'Running Shorts' gigs, and look at the reviews from runners worldwide.

It doesn't matter if you want to train to lose weight, to return to running, to run your first 5K, half marathon, marathon, or anything in between. I'll write a program that will get you there.

Believe me, I've been there. I've been at this for 39 years. I've run a 2:22:54 marathon, and I've gone back to square one after tearing my hamstring in 2013.

So, don't wait. This promotion will only last for a month. In two weeks I'll be devoting my coaching time to my cross country runners at Penn State Schuylkill campus.

Now you can run YOUR personal best...for free.

LET THEM KNOW

My hometown of Pottsville, Pennsylvania was once the hub of Pennsylvania's anthracite coal region, lying at the southern tip of the world's largest vein of anthracite coal, which was once the most popular fuel for heating homes and businesses. At one time, over 30,000 people lived in Pottsville.

Thanks to the emergence of oil after World War II, the bottom dropped out of the coal industry, and today my hometown boasts less than 15,000 residents, and there is little industry remaining. We are quite proud of being the hometown of Yuengling beer, America's oldest brewery.

A couple of months ago a running partner asked me if I knew how the race in Pottsville on May 18 fared out.

I replied, "What race?"

A race in my small hometown, and I didn't know about it?

It happens all the time these days. There are so many races out there that, often, avid runners don't know about them.

Sometimes, well-meaning folks create a race for a charity or an organization and they just don't know how to get the word out to potential participants.

Well, let's end that now!

I've been working on my website,www.muldowneyrunning.com and I've made some changes.

We now feature an 'Events/Runs' tab.

Simply get in touch with me here, through the website, or at my personal email: runnr@hotmail.com, and provide me with the pertinent details of your race, along with a link, and I'll place the event on the list for free.

When you get to my website,www.muldowneyrunning.com, if you look to the left, I have an ad for Fiverr. If you wish, you can purchase a gig, in which I will give additional publicity to your event at a ridiculously low price.

It doesn't matter if your race is big or small, or where your race is, anywhere around the globe, as this blog has worldwide coverage. If you have a race, and you give me the details, I'll put it on the list.

I'm tired of being in the dark about races, and dammit, I'm gonna do something about it!

So, feel free to keep me busy. You send it, I'll post it.

Happy racing to all.

   

CAST

One of the things we love about our sport is the freedom it affords us. We can lace up the shoes and run at any time. We are not constricted by a court or a field, and, for the most part we are not even governed by weather conditions. We simply run through most of what Mother Nature throws at us.

We also appreciate the fact that we have the ability to conduct our workouts without the help of anyone. If fact, there was once a book written, entitled, 'The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner.'

Throughout my career, however, I have considered myself somewhat of a 'social runner.'

In my first book, Running Shorts: A Collection of Stories and Advice for Anyone Who Has Ever Laced Up a Pair of Running Shoes www.,muldowneyrunning.com, www.amazon.com, I open with a chapter entitled, 'Cast of Characters,' in which I talk about the handful of runners who have guided me through my 39-year running career. That very important core group has been with me, and we have been through the good and bad times together, both in our running and our lives. Together, we have made each other better runners.

I still train frequently with 'Cast' members Brian Tonitis and Eric Anchorstar, even though their brash antics, if you've read the book, have been life-threatening on several occasions.

This past weekend I ran a 5-Mile race conducted by 'Cast' member John Ausherman. Over Labor Day, our families will vacation together at Myrtle Beach.

Make running your social club. Heck, most civilians probably get tired of us talking about running anyhow. It makes more sense to hang out with people who understand chafing, splits, and plantar fasciitis.

Running with someone who is faster than you will make a better runner. One of my 'Cast' members, Randy Haas, earned an Olympic Trials berth by running a 2:17 marathon. Randy hammered me on numerous long training runs. Those punishments paid dividends for me in future races.

Particularly on those dreaded track speed workout days, it doesn't matter if your running mate is faster or slower than you. The fact that you are out there together helps you to run faster.

On those days when you'd rather stay in bed, or when weather conditions seem unbearable, if you have a running partner(s) waiting for you, you are less likely to skip the workout.

Finally, there really is strength in numbers. Macho, aggressive drivers are less likely to flex their muscles when there is a group of runners than they are if you're running alone.

So, don't be afraid to lean on your 'Cast of Characters. Through them  you will become a faster, happier runner.