Shortly after I started running, my training partner and I joined one of the training programs offered by the Howard County Striders: Getting Inspired to Run for Life (or, Next Step G.I.R.L.).   Next Step G.I.R.L. is an all-female program that trains runners, run/walkers and walkers for the Striders’ 5K (3.1 miles) or Metric Marathon (26.2 kilometers, or approximately 16.2 miles). The program was, and still is, facilitated by volunteer runners. As I trained with the group, I was impressed at the time and effort given by the volunteers. Columbia resident Jess Stern has been volunteering for …

How many people does it take to learn to ride a bike? Well, the last time I learned to ride, it took three. I say “the last time” because I managed to forget everything from the first time I learned, when I was five or six years old, and still possessed the ability to bounce off concrete unharmed. That’s the only explanation for the lack of fear that let me jump curbs, bicycle with no hands and careen at breakneck speed down the huge hill in front of my family’s house.  Nineteen years later and three weeks before my first triathlon (an event that features successive swim, bike and run …

It's probably obvious by now that I think running is cool. The "dog days" of summer, which in this region typically run from early July through early September, are not. In fact, between bad air quality days, heat waves, and severe storm warnings, taking to the road in the summer has its own set of risks. Extreme temperatures can lead to dehydration and more severe heat-related emergencies, and exposure to poor air quality can have serious health implications. And yet, still we run. Last week, Patch contributor and editor Nikki Gamer spoke with some area runners who do just that. “I don’t pay…

Do I need to lose weight for my wedding? The Internet—or rather, that phantom-entity that targets advertising through the intertubes, direct to me, based on terms I search or enter—seems to think so. I tend to notice when the targeted ads change on my Facebook account, for example. I like to see how the advertising machine interprets my life. Sometimes it’s pretty accurate. When I update my status with something about running, I get an ad for detergent that will take the stink out of my gym clothes. After I “liked” a page for Tough Mudder (a 7-to-10-mile obstacle course run held in various …

When my siblings and I were growing up, we were all very active – swimming, martial arts, basketball, baseball, dance – you name it, we probably tried it. This came at no small sacrifice on the part of our parents, as they managed the complicated coordination required of couples who are outnumbered by their children. Many weekend mornings I remember my father loading swim bags and at least one kid (sometimes more) into the car. The subsequent drive to the pool could be 20 minutes or two hours, depending on the location of the meet. Although most meets restricted the deck to swimmers, …

“You’re going to be busy. Keep a routine. Go to bed at the same time each night, eat healthy meals, and make sure you get in some exercise.” It’s sensible advice from any doctor, but in this case it came from a coworker. This routine, she told me, is what would get me through the final stages of my thesis project. As I jumped back into the pool this week, I realized that she’s right. I’ve known how to swim for most of my life. Some of my earliest memories are of standing on the pool deck or splashing through chlorinated water. I swam through grade school and high school until college, when I …

When I began running – as a habit – I did so with my best friend Cindy. That spring, we started a walk-run program, which featured alternating intervals of running and walking, to get in shape. Cindy and I met three to four times per week and followed a schedule that slowly increased the length and frequency of each running interval while, at the same time, gradually decreased our walking time.   And, of course, we didn’t walk-run in silence. We talked. This was part of the strategy. Talking forced us to keep a “conversational” pace – one that wasn’t too fast, which in turn prevented us from …

Exercise routines come with challenges and rewards. This is especially true for parents, who have to balance the needs of other family members as they work out a training schedule. In January 2011, Susan McDonald started a walk-run program – which alternates intervals of several minutes of walking followed by several minutes of running – to get into shape. McDonald, an employee of Columbia Association and mother of two kids, aged 14 and 17, makes a point of scheduling workouts at least three times a week. She’s tackling the program with her friend Michelle, also a mother of four. “Finding the…

While workouts are healthy for the body and mind, they can have a negative impact on the planet. People drive to their gyms and travel by road and by air to their races. The clothes they wear while exercising are made of material that had to be manufactured.  With Earth Day being celebrated on April 22, here are a few simple ways to hit the track with a smaller carbon footprint.  Reusable water bottles. Bypass vending machines with bottled water and sports drinks and hydrate instead with an eco-friendly bottle. Worried about Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical compound found in some plastics that …

"It's never been about numbers for us," says Brian Satola. "It truly is about the mission."  Satola returns to that theme again and again with a dedication that seems to be characteristic of Team Fight, the training team that supports the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. Satola is the organization's assistant director. The Ulman Cancer Fund was founded in 1997 as an organization to support young adults struggling with cancer diagnosis and treatment. Its founder, Doug Ulman, fought cancer on three occasions and now advocates for survivors. In the early days, a team called Run Bike Swim—with…

The motivations that drive athletes to the starting line are complex. This is as true for a first 5K race as it is for a double IronMan triathlon. Training teams provide resources, support and a link to the community for both new and experienced athletes. Team members commit to fundraising for a cause – often one with personal significance – and participate with the team in at least one event in honor of that cause. Participation in training teams is on the rise among local groups like the Women’s Giving Circle Team in Howard County. The Women’s Giving Circle Team is a triathlon training team…

Every athlete has his or her own way to stay motivated through training – particularly in the early season, when freak snowstorms remind us that the pleasant spring weather is still weeks away. Knowing that a race is coming is one of the most common motivators. It can benefit every athlete, whether he or she is focused on competing with others participants or if their goal is on setting a personal record. These events bring people together for what can otherwise be a solitary sport. Races present the chance to explore a new running route – one that organizers ensure is safe and stocked with …

Men perspire and women glow, or so the saying goes. On a recent Wednesday night in the cafeteria of Long Reach High School, both men and women twinkled. That is, they learned the twinkle step as part of the Foxtrot. Twenty-four students are taking part in the winter session of "Intro to Social Ballroom Dance with Jim Watts," an adult class offered by the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks.  As it turns out, programs like Zumba (a blend of Latin dancing and aerobics) don't have the monopoly on dancing-related fitness. The Department of Recreation and Parks offered 18 dance …

The first time I saw a sports massage therapist at work, I was at a race that offered finishers a massage. There was a long line and my body ached, so I bypassed that race perk in favor of a shower and nap at home. Later, I wondered if I had missed some important part of recovery. Should I include sports massage in my training? When I had the opportunity to sit down with a sports massage therapist, naturally, I asked the question. Athletes "should incorporate some type of recovery method into their plan, whether it be yoga, stretching, massage,” says Nic Ebright. Ebright operates Nic Ebright …

I consider myself an outdoor, all-season runner. I also harbor a deep dislike of treadmills. Layering for cold morning runs has gotten easier each year. Yet in the dead of winter there inevitably comes a day where I face the darkness and the windchill and my body (or my mind) says “No way.” One of those mornings came just recently. Enter my adversary: the treadmill.  My resistance to this machine stems from two things. I enjoy the variation that running outdoors in Columbia provides: the mix of hills and the flats, roads and trails that prepare me for almost any event. I love the look of …

I hate the idea of New Year's Resolutions. The typical laundry list of resolutions includes changes that rarely happen overnight – especially after the night of that crazy New Year's Eve bash. Still, roughly half of all Americans set resolutions each year, and the majority will fail to produce lasting change. In the face of such odds, should we even bother? Of course. But only if we're in it for the long haul. Last year, I decided that 2010 was the year I would run my first marathon. The next day, I didn't just go out and run 26.2 miles. Instead, the process went something like this: Develop …

I usually hit a rough patch in the winter, typically in late January and early February. The days are short and cold and the weather is bad, which means it takes more effort to leave my warm house for a run or a trip to the gym. This year my slump came early. After my first marathon and a strong finish to my race season, I took an extended recovery and cut my workouts to just a few short sessions per week.  In mid-December, I began the training plan that will  carry me through the spring. I began it right in time for the holidays. This time of year is particularly difficult because social …

She had traveled nearly 5,000 miles from Columbia, Md., to Kona, Hawaii. But that wasn't the hard part. The hard part would be the 140.6 miles to come. Suzy Serpico spent her Oct. 9 completing the 2010 Ford IronMan World Championships with a personal record of 10 hours and 27 minutes and .06 seconds. Triathlon is a multi-sport event with three legs: swimming, bicycling and running. The IronMan event is a version of the triathlon that requires an athlete to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and then – to top it all off – run 26.2 miles, which is a full marathon. The IronMan has its roots in …

Winter is approaching, the temperatures dropping and the days shortening. Athletes in the Howard County area face a choice: continue to exercise outdoors or retreat to the gym.   The amount of daylight available steadily decreases as we march toward the shortest day of the year, Dec. 21. Some walkers, runners and cyclists shift their workouts to midday. For many of us, however, this time of year means cold, dark workouts before or after daily obligations such as work or school. Those that choose to exercise outside after dark, or at any time, should make safety their No. 1 priority.  …

Area runners and walkers – not drivers – will get the first look at Symphony of Lights. Every year, Symphony Woods and Merriweather Post Pavilion are transformed into Columbia's holiday-themed light display. This year's 17th annual Symphony of Lights opens on Nov. 22. To vehicles, that is. For those on foot, there is the Dazzle Dash, which opens the festival on Nov. 20 and Nov. 21. In 2009, more than 4,000 participants signed up to get an up-close look at more than 70 seasonal light displays, some of which are animated. Victoria Khomutetsky, special events coordinator for the Howard …