Earlier this year, I wrote about alternative workouts for area runners looking to stay inside during the frigid winter. I have never been a fan of cold weather, so the turn of the calendar into March is a very welcome sight for me. The temperature has slowly inched its way into the upper 40s in the past week, still not ideal running weather, but pretty close. I’ve been increasingly frustrated all winter about the number of workouts lost to the snow, so it was with great delight that I put on my running shoes to find something other than snow falling from the sky. It rained for the duration of…

I’ve always been known as the skinny one. From an early age, I’ve been blessed with more height than width. People have remarked to me on numerous occasions that I must be so skinny because of all that running. Little do they know, I’ve always been 6-foot-2 and 155 pounds, regardless of how many miles I log. It doesn’t matter if I run 100 miles in a week or take an entire month off after a marathon. My metabolism makes sure I stay right around the same weight no matter what I do. Some people -- a lot of them women -- tell me they would kill to have a metabolism like that. It must be great to …

Special bulletin to all Cranberry residents hoping to qualify for the Boston Marathon this year: The Pittsburgh Marathon in May could be your last chance. The Boston Athletic Association announced this week that it is lowering qualifying times for its 2013 race by five minutes across all age divisions, effective Sept. 24. In other words, a man age 34 or younger could qualify for Boston 2012  by finishing another marathon by the deadline of Sept. 23 in 3 hours 10 minutes 59 seconds or faster. But come Sept. 24, that same man would have to complete a marathon in 3 hours and 5 minutes to qualify…

I can’t ever win. As I write this column, the Pittsburgh Marathon is a little more than 90 days away. Which should mean, in an ideal world, that I am already four solid weeks into my 16-week training program. In reality, I am not even close to that number and I can feel the panic starting to set in. In an ideal world, I would have an infinite amount of time to do at least one long run, a tempo run and one speed workout every week. In reality, three different illnesses in 30 days, a hectic work schedule and some poorly-timed snowstorms have collaborated to keep my running shoes in the closet …

You might not be able to tell by looking outside right now, but if the old tradition is to be believed, Cranberry Township’s running community may be soon be able to get out of the gym and back on to the open road. And it's all thanks to a groundhog from Punxsutawney. Because of inclement weather and some overcast skies, the world's most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, failed to see his shadow at Gobbler’s Knob on Tuesday. This means we may be in for an early spring, or at least a mild last six weeks of winter. That’s good news if you’ve slowly been going crazy doing lap after lap on the…

As I rounded the bend in the now defunct Cranberry Jaycees Firecracker 10K one July 4 many years ago, I began to feel overheated. I was still relatively new to running, but I knew I had to try to do something in response. As I approached the next aid station, I held out my hand for a cup of cool water to pour over my head. In one swift motion, I brought the cup to my face and proceeded to drench myself … with fruit punch Gatorade. I ran faster to escape the laughter behind me as the red-colored sports drink soaked into my new running shirt. By the end of the race, the drink had faded in color…

As I was running along my usual seven-mile route up to the Cranberry Park one unseasonably warm day earlier this month, I could feel it happening. Scratchy throat. Wheezing from congestion. Upset stomach. Naturally, I did what most bull-headed endurance athletes do when somebody or something tells them they need to stop or slow down. I ran faster. The morale to take away from this story is exactly what you think it is. I am an idiot. As I half-ran, half-lurched home -- while stopping every quarter mile to lean over and uh, dispose of a certain substance out of my nose -- it struck me that the…

Ice, snow, wind and more snow. That’s what Mother Nature has given us over the last week in Cranberry Township, and she doesn’t look to be giving us a break any time soon. Now, if skiing or snowboarding are your sports of choice, you’re probably ecstatic to see the recent drop on the thermometer. But you’re probably far less excited if you’re a long-distance runner. If you’re anything like me, the thought of running through 6 inches of snow and black ice on an unplowed back road with a 20 mph headwind in your face is not exactly the idea of a good time. Chances are, if you’re one of those …

The first time I finished a footrace in high school, my track coach thought about calling an ambulance. A freshman at Seneca Valley High School, I had just finished dead last in the track team's two-mile run. As this was a scrimmage early in the year, the only competitors were my own teammates ... including the girls' track team. I knew going into the race that I was out of shape and that most of the other guys would beat me. What I did not expect, is that every single girl would finish ahead of me as well. As I sprawled out on the ground after finishing, coughing blood and gasping for air, …