After Fleet Feet’s 24-Hour Fight Against Hunger Event –– thanks to everyone who participated and donated to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York –– I was thinking a lot about recovery. I did a lot of running and flouted the ten percent rule (upping mileage by no more than ten percent per week) in a big way. I suspect quite a few participants shared this experience and were sore and tired as a result. Recovering from running is an important aspect of training. It is during one’s rest and recovery period that the stress of training is incorporated...

Fleet Feet Sports’ Third Annual 24-Hour Fight Against Hunger is rapidly approaching. If you are looking for a fun challenge, want to hang out with friends, or want to meet some new people, this is a great opportunity to support a great cause. We’re raising money for the Regional Food Bank, an organization that has been helping to feed the hungry in Northeastern New York communities since 1982. It collects large donations from the food industry and distributes over 30 million pounds of food to 1000 charitable agencies in 23 counties during the course of a year. You can be...

This year is the fortieth anniversary of the nation’s oldest “major” 15K road race, the Stockade-athon, started by the Schenectady Parks Department in 1976. The Stockade-athon is one of those races that owe its origins and initial popularity to the United States’ first running boom that took place during the mid-1970s, but you might not be aware of just how cool and accessible its history is. One quick example: for those of you who participated in the course previews the past several weeks, the man who kept you from getting lost (he was on a bike the first week and...

Recently, the history of running came up in conversation and several of us older folks were surprised to discover that some of our younger friends weren’t familiar with the history of the first running boom. The heroes of our youth really didn’t ring a bell for them, not even the runner who often gets credit for launching America’s obsession with the sport of running: Frank Shorter. Since Shorter is going to be visiting Albany for the Stockade-athon, speaking at a dinner held in his honor on November 5, and making appearances at Fleet Feet’s Malta and Albany stores on November...

Last week I discussed pre-race anxiety: what causes it and what you can do about it. The best way to combat pre-race anxiety is to have a plan and then remain flexible –– stuff happens. Channel your adrenaline, trust your training, and get to the starting line in a good frame of mind.   What happens, however, when the nerves hit DURING the race? This is a common problem that affects everyone from elite runners to the person who does the occasional 5K. Therefore, it’s worth thinking about how we get body and mind on the same page during a race....