This came to me in my inbox and it’s unfortunate.

Julie Maxwell, of Kasson, Minnesota, has ended her three decade old running streak after being injured in an accident on Sunday. Maxwell, who began her running streak on July 5, 1978, has the longest running streak of any female in the country (and probably the world) as certified to the United States Running Streak Association (USRSA). Her running streak lasted for 12,212 days (7/5/78-12/10/11). “It is with a heavy heart that I tell you of the end of my 33+ year streak,” said Maxwell to USRSA. “I fell Sunday morning and broke both bones in my right ankle! With my foot facing backwards, I knew I would not be lacing up my shoes for my daily run.” Maxwell plans to start another running streak when she recovers from her injury. “I assure you that when I heal, I will begin another streak.”

Wow!  She’s been running every day longer than the sport of joggling has been in existence.  (Most people say joggling started around 1979).

My favorite part of this story is her attitude.  When she heals, she’ll start another streak.  If I ever interrupt my current joggling streak, I too will just start another.

Here’s an interesting infographic. Let’s see if it fits on my blog.

Running Music

Having run 32 marathons and dozens of more races, I’ve ended up with a lot of finisher medals.  Most of them are really cool.  And when you get a medal at the end of the race, it compounds the feeling of accomplishment.  But it also raises the problem of what to do with the medal.  It is a hung of metal and not really practical for much other than a pretty paperweight.  What do you do with them?  Here are some tips of what to do with your medals.  

After the race

Wear your medal proudly.  You have just completed something that only a tiny percentage of the population will accomplish.  Be proud and show it off a little.  If you aren’t going to toot your own horn, who will?  If people ask you about the medal, tell them why you earned it and remember to smile.  The day of the race (and even the day after) you’re encouraged to wear your medal.

Hang it in sight

Your running medal will be a source of pride and will help you remember your accomplishment.  Find a place around your desk or cube and hang it where you can occasionally see it.  Take a moment every so often to remember how your race went.  Remember the good moments, the funny moments, the strange moments, and even the bad moments.  You spent all that time training, now it’s time to relive it.  Your medal can help you do it.

Use it for motivation

Your medal can be a constant reminder of the fact that you have the ability to set a goal and accomplish it.  Just finishing a marathon, half marathon or even 10-miler is an incredible accomplishment that most people in the world will never achieve.  The medal should give you confidence in all areas of your life.  It can also inspire you to find the next race and set the next goal.

Permanent display

When I worked in an office, I covered one of my walls with my marathon medals.  Admittedly, it was a bit showy but I was proud of the accomplishment and it would often prompt people to ask about them.  I like to talk about running and juggling and it’s better if someone else brings the subject up.  If you have a few medals you can put them in a nice light box and hang them on your walls.  I don’t really have room for this so at the moment most of my medals are in my closet in a box.  Not really the best use of them.

Donate your medals

When you are done with your medals and they are sitting in a closet in a box taking up space, you should consider donating them.  The non-profit organization Medals for Mettle collects marathon, half marathon, and triathlon medals and gives them to children who are fighting diseases.  I haven’t done it but it sounds like a great idea.  And you don’t even have to go through this organization.  You can bring your medals to a local day care and see if they would take them.

Bonus tips

Here are a few more ideas of what other people are doing with their medals.

1. Christmas tree ornaments
2. Toys for your kids
3. Create a wall of fame for all your medals, ribbons, and bib numbers
4. Hang on curtains to be a window treatment

Here’s a pretty clever ad.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lPyBMsjVG94#!]

They challenge people to keep up with Olympic Marathon runner Ryan Hall for just 60 ft. It seems like it would be pretty tough!

The days after a marathon can be painful, both physically and emotionally.  The physical pain is obvious (cramps, chafing, soreness, etc.) but the emotional pain is a little less evident.  You spent so much time preparing for the race, training, thinking about it, anticipating it.  Now that it’s over it feels like you’ve lost a friend.

To combat this feeling I have a few tricks that help me re-live the marathon for a few days after.

Tricks to re-live your marathon experience

1.  Write a recap – The best way to relive something is to write it down.  When you write, you generate pictures in your mind that feel just like the actual experience.

2.  Find some pictures – I like to search through Flickr.com and look at the pictures of the race.  It’s nice to find pictures of me joggling (e.g. Perry Joggling chicago 2011) but it’s also cool to see all the different costumes, signs and crazy things going on that you missed.

3.  Read reports – You can re-live the marathon by reading what the newspapers said about it and reviewing what some running bloggers have said.

4.  Tell your story – Your friends and family will ask you about the marathon and when they do, don’t hesitate to tell them your story.  Highlight some of your favorite moments but be careful not to bore people.  Unless you’re asked directly about it, stop talking about your marathon after about a week.

5.  Plan your next race – One way to stop the post-race blues is to find a new race or new challenge to do.  I’m thinking about an early year marathon or ultra marathon.  Next year I really do want to finally do the 100+ miler.  My new inclusion in the Guinness World Record book for joggling has re-inspired me to try to set a new world record.

These things work for me but it still takes me a few days to get over the post-race blues.  What do you do?

Leave a comment below

In lieu of a formal post today, I thought I’d put up this TED talk by Christopher McDougall about running. It’s pretty interesting.

The most salient points the guy makes is that there are 3 mysteries about running that no one has figured out.

1. How did ancient humans kill animals without speed & tools?
2. Why are women terrible sprinters but catch up when distances are longer?
3. Why can old people run as fast as teenagers?

I’m not sure I buy all the benefits of barefoot running that he touts but it is interesting.

I’m a Chicago joggler who has no access to a treadmill. This means that *every run done during my current running and juggling streak has been done outside. This also means that I get to experience a wide range of weather including sun, rain, wind, snow, sleet, heat advisories, below zero temperatures, and more. As long as you dress properly, you can adapt to any conditions. And when you’ve run in different conditions often enough you’ll discover that each has its own benefits and disadvantages.

Running in heat

When the temperature is warm running and juggling is easiest. It can also make you feel happier with the sun radiating onto your body. On race days, I always hope for a slightly warm and sunny day. It makes it much more enjoyable to run and finish.

The downside to running in the heat is when it gets too hot. Over 70 degrees starts to overheat your body and running becomes more and more difficult. You get more exhausted, more dehydrated, and it can be hard to keep yourself moving. The sun can burn your skin, your eyes hurt from squinting too much, and sweat makes the juggling balls so slippery you have to think about every catch and throw.

Running in cold

Walking in the cold is no fun but running (and juggling) in cold weather is much more enjoyable. You’ll find that your body heats up quickly and the chilly air won’t bother you. In fact, it can be soothing to feel the air coat your lungs. Your speed with also increase when it is cooler outside. Runners in 50 F weather are faster than runners in 70 F weather.

Of course, if it gets too cold running gets much harder. The additional clothes you wear slow you down as does frigid temperatures. In fact, you can expect to be at least a minute a mile slower than your normal pace. And if there is ice on the ground, joggling can get treacherous.

Running in the rain

I take a certain delight in joggling during a steady rain. The perfect rain to run in is one where the temperature is in the 60′s, there is limited wind, and no lightning. You’ll learn to love the synchronized rhythmic sound of your shoes splashing the ground while bean bags hit your hands. Also, the heaviness of your shirt as it absorbs water makes you feel like you’ve worked out extra hard.

The problem with rain joggling is obvious…you get wet. This can lead to a case of the chills, chaffing, and an all-around feeling of uncomfortableness. You’ll also damage your shoes, your electronic gadgets, and your juggling bean bags. For rain joggling, I like to have specific equipment set aside including my ‘rain’ joggling bags and my ‘rain’ running shoes.

So, which is my favorite? I don’t know. It really depends on my state of mind. Sunny, with a slight breeze, and temperatures in the mid 60′s is nearly perfect. But sometimes I like squeezing into some UnderArmor, throwing on three shirts, doubling up my gloves, covering all exposed skin, and venturing out into a cold, windy day, thumbing my nose at the worst nature can send.

What is your favorite weather to run in? Leave a comment below.

*There were 2 runs during this streak that were done in hotel fitness centers including the first run of the streak done in Akron & another done in New Jersey

If you have an iPhone, here’s an app that is great for tracking your distance and time. Try http://justyouraveragejoggler.com/?p=2709

This guest post is contributed by Kitty Holman, who writes on the topics of nursing schools. Click here to contact her directly.

My running consistency has historically taken a nosedive in the winter. Not only do I hate the constant runny nose and the sweating under long sleeves and long pants, but I get this really annoying hollow pain in my lungs accompanied by a coppery taste in the back of my throat when running outside in the cold. I thought I was alone in this regard until I starting seeing blog after blog of winter runners reporting similar experiences. Not wanting to lose my running momentum in the winter, I sought out some best practices for cold weather running.

Avoid Cotton

I got a great tip over at Competitive Runner to not include cotton in your cold weather running clothing. “There is no place for cotton in the winter runner’s wardrobe: it absorbs water and will cause you to get chilled if you slow down or the wind picks up,” the site reads.

I wear plenty of poor man’s cotton when I run, as I hate paying more for moisture-wicking products, but if I can avoid the way my body feels under my current attire, I’ve decided that a few investments in some solid winter running clothing will be well worth it. It appears the sweat that cools us in summer running becomes the enemy in the winter time, when we’d rather not be any cooler. The ticket here is to wear moisture-wicking clothing as your innermost layer, and layer on top of that what you wish. I prefer fleece; if I get too warm, I can peel it off and tie it around my waist.

Grab the Gaiter

Over at Runner’s World, I learned why I feel the burn in my lungs on winter runs. Turns out experts have learned the dry, chilly air can really irritate and parch your upper airways. The 2009 article quoted Kenneth Rundell, director of respiratory research and the human physiology lab at Marywood University in Scranton, Penn. as saying that runners were better off doing longer, slower runs instead of going for speed in the winter time. Those who do want to run fast and hard in the cold should run with a face mask or neck gaiter over the nose and mouth, Rundell recommended. By doing this, the air going into the runner’s lungs is warmed and runners avoid that burn that worsens with every breath. Another expert quoted in the article advised runners not to blow into their gloves to warm their hands because your breath contains moisture that can remain in the glove fibers and actually make your hands colder!

(As for me, I plan to not only run at a slower pace, but to use the neck gaiter anyway to evade the dreaded burn. My focus: maintaining strength in winter and speed in summer.)

Don’t forget to drink

Another thing we must be mindful of when running in the winter is staying hydrated. I think I’ve come to associate taking in plenty of fluids with hot weather running, but our bodies need fluids just as much in the winter as they do in the summer. Finally, if the wind chill is too much, it might be a good idea to substitute the day’s outdoor run with an incline treadmill run or a run on an indoor track.

There are more than a few barefoot jogglers out there but I’ve only tried it while running on a beach. I don’t know why I haven’t embraced barefoot joggling, it appeals to me on many levels (inexpensive, scientifically backed, quirky, etc). I just imagine it is going to hurt my feet too much.

But if you are game to try barefoot running, here is an excellent compilation barefoot running article that tells all about why and how to do it.

Have you got any barefoot joggling tips for a beginner? Leave a comment below.