So you want to be a running expert? Well, you can.

Twitter has become a go-to place for anyone trying to become an authoritative figure on any given topic. If you aren’t already a reporter, spokesperson or high-level executive, Twitter is the place to show your stuff. This isn’t to say that Twitter is the only place to do this, but among those 18 and over it’s a good place to start. (I say this because people under the age of 18 are not really using the site. If you want more information about this here is a good place to start)  In short, now anyone can become a public speaker, according to Yochai Benkler. A” networked architecture,” as he puts it, is now in place. You don’t need to be the POTUS or even a CEO at a multinational to be a speaker – and it won’t cost you very much either. This is  first and foremost due to the Internet and the invention of sites such as Twitter, which have changed the way people communicate. Furthermore, what Benkler really cares about is that these tools give people freedom, which in the scope of the world is not distributed equally. The U.S. for instance, is much more lenient than China does on the web. Thus, Benkler believes that the Internet has this equalizing effect; it gives everyone a voice.

In terms of the half-marathon, the same can be applied. To illustrate the fact that regular (as in non Fortune 500 CEO, Olympians or anyone other type of public figure) people can be authoritative on issue  and events, such as the Nike half- marathon, I created a Storify of “regular” people talking about the race on Twitter. This is just one example I found while looking through Twitter about people talking about the race:

 

But it’s also important to point out that Benkler isn’t so concerned with tools as he is with practices and citizen’s changing roles in society. Thus, his argument goes much deeper than the basic idea that  “Twitter” gives people a voice. Instead, the Internet and the “networked architecture” of it creates a much more equal democracy. One that wasn’t as prevalent before the rise of the web. Now, I don’t think Benkler 100 percent correct, but I do think that the rise of the web has given people (with access to the Internet) a much better chance of being heard – or read.

Here are some more examples of Tweets that have gone into my Storify:

And to see my entire thing..click here!

[View the story “Nike Women’s Half Marathon ” on Storify]

 

It Takes A Village To Run A Half

Clay Shriky’s article “It Takes A Village” details the phone escapades of a young woman named Ivanna, who left her phone in the back seat of a New York City taxi cab. Through the help of her friend Evan, she found out that the phone – a Sidekick to be exact- had ended up in the hands of a young girl in Queens. Evan, as a means to gain support for his friend’s issue, created a webpage to post about the stolen phone. But he didn’t just get a few clicks here and there, instead he got a huge outpouring of support . At one point up to ten emails a minute – all from people concerned about Ivanna’s phone. Because of the support system that had formed, this lead to the eventual arrest of Sasha, the sixteen year-old who had Ivanna’s phone, and the phone’s return to its rightful owner.

Shirky claims that cases such as Ivanna’s and Evan’s are no accident; instead, he claims it is a function of our primal behaviors to be social. What is so different about the Internet is that now it doesn’t take much managerial effort for groups to assemble. As seen with Ivanna and Evan these new tools have altered the “size, sophistication and scope of unsupervised effort.”

In terms of the Nike Women’s Half, support systems now form on all different social media and websites from Facebook to Blogs to Pintrest. Pintrest is particularly interesting because there is very little written content. Instead, people post pictures or links to websites featuring tips and recipes. But for the most part, pictures are the meat of what Pintrest is about and through these pictures support systems form. I joined in by making my own “Running Motivation” board. I know when I was training I always looked at Pintrest for inspiration (or pinspiration as they) but never actually made my own board. This way, people can help each other attain their fitness goals, particularly in terms of half marathons, without actually engaging in much written or verbal dialogue. Though this is not as

Here is the board I have created! As is everything on Pintrest, it’s a continuous work in progress. I tried to keep the focus on running motivation and inspiration. These quotes and tips hopefully won’t only help me, but others as well.

Why the Half Spread

What makes something spread on the web? This truly is the million dollar question. In an age when the Internet is highly saturated with so much material from kung-fu videos to cats, how does a company or brand or even single person allow their content to reign supreme? Jenkins offers some insight. He claims that, “not all content is created equal.” Meaning, there are several reasons behind why something spreads on the Internet. He offers several insights, which include everything from timeliness to parody references to humor and even community building. It’s also just as important to think about the audiences who are receiving this information. You need to make sure that the content even reaches them through the right channels in the first place, and the content needs to be able to reach multiple audiences – things won’t usually spread if only one group sees it.  Furthermore, in an age when (at least in America) people are accustomed to working across of myriad of devices – from iPads to iPhones and laptops- this content needs to be able to do the same. Something that is only accessible by computer will most likely not spread to the same extent as content that has the potential to be accessed on all electronics.

In terms of the Nike Women’s Half Marathon that took place this past Sunday, using Jenkins as our guide, multiple reasons can account for why social media was abuzz with pictures and posts from the race. For on thing: timeliness. People post a quick Instagram photo just after they crossed the finish line – no matter how sweaty they were. If this were to be posted three days later, sure this would be impressive, but would it gain the same amount of retweets, reposts or likes? Probably not. Because though the accomplishment of finishing 13.1 miles doesn’t fade the relevance and timeless does. Timing truly is everything in the media.

When it comes to other reasons the content spread it’s tough to ignore the shear number of people who embarked on this half-marathon: 15,000 to be exact. And surely all of these people did not run alone. They ran with friends, sorority sisters, old friends from high-school and co-workers. In short, people they already knew. This leads to another major reason, according to Jenkins, why material spread: because it strengths social ties. To go a step further, there is also an element of community building in this case. Even if you didn’t know every single person running (which I am sure no one did) they are now all part of a community and the social media discourse surrounding the half supports this (or maybe it even creates it?).

Finally, why will people continue to talk about the half? What Jenkins dubs “nostalgia.” It’s no wonder that “tbt” is such a phenomenon: people love posting remnants of the past. The filters on Instagram themselves play on this notion, making even the most modern picture all of a sudden “vintage.” And that’s why people will continue to post about the half. I’m sure we can expect some “tbt” posts in the next couple weeks from many of the runners!

 

The Day Before Boston 2014

Since I started this blog to write about my experience training for a half-marathon, I figured its only appropriate to write this week about the Boston Marathon coming up tomorrow. The Boston Marathon is particularly special to me because my house is right on the route at the bottom of “Heart-Break Hill” at about the 19 mile mark. Before coming to college, Marathon Monday ( also known as Patriots Day) was one of my favorite days of the year. The entire state has off from school and work and thousands of people – literally- line the streets to watch the race. Even in residential areas, such as mine, it’s amazing how many people come out.

Last years events were completely unthinkable. It’s still astonishing that on one of the happiest days of the year such events could occur to innocent people.

Although everyone must be a little on edge in light of last year (myself included), it’s comforting to know that 36,000 people will be running in this years race – 8,000 up from last year. I know too many people running to count, all for amazing causes, and it looks like its going to be great weather for it as well (with Boston you never really know what the conditions will be!). Although it’s frightening to see so much security in my neighborhood alone, its great knowing that the marathon is coming back stronger than ever.

We unfortunately don’t live in a world immune from tragedy but I think the best thing we can do in this case is keep the Boston Marathon alive. I wish I could be home tomorrow, and I will definitely be thinking about the runners all day long.

Here is a view near my house. I have never seen the roads being roped off. This year no one can join the marathon in the middle. Meaning, if you have a friend running you won’t be able to run with them- even for part of the way. It’s all in an effort to make this years race safer. 

Cherry Blossom Time

I had to find some new ways to still stay active and thankfully the 70 and 80 degree weather made it possible to enjoy amazing walks to the Tidal Basin and around the city in general. I happen to have a final exam tomorrow, which made me cut my outdoors time today short, but I was able to wake up early and still spend some time outside. It’s also amazing that it keeps getting darker out later. My only regret about spending so much time outside is that my nose cannot handle it! I happen to suffer from severe allergies and so it makes being around pollen extremely challenging to say the least! 

 

And even though I can’t run, I have still been trying to eat healthy. I recently found out about a lunch spot called “Protein Bar” right near GW. They have really great smoothies and have all sorts of options for people with dietary needs such as a selection almond, soy and coconut milk! You can check out their menu here. I got the Black Bean Bowl. It sort of reminded me of chili, just with a quinoa base and since I am a fan quinoa in all forms and have been meaning to make quinoa tacos, I was in heaven. It will definitely be one my new lunch spots.

 

 

 

Not What I Ordered

After my trip to the doctor last week I got some unwelcome news. I had several x-rays taken of my feet and calves and I didn’t get the best results. To my surprise my doctor was way more concerned with my feet then my calves. Not only do I have a minor stress fracture in my calve,  but all of the running has put a lot of pressure on my toes/feet has caused these bunions on my feet to enlarge. A normal foot should have this bone at a 4-6 degree angle, where as with mine have now shifted to a 18 and 16 degree angle respectively. This doesn’t mean I can never run (obviously), but if I am going to undertake a long distance I am going to need special footwear and for my fracture to heal, which I have been told takes weeks.In the meantime I have been doing plenty of icing and taking pain killers to help with the pain. This means I won’t be able to run the marathon at the end of the month, and will have to take it easy in terms of activity over the next few weeks. Below is a picture of my X-ray. I have never looked at pictures of toe bones before but you can see just how off the bones are.

To cheer me up, however, I spent the weekend in New Orleans where I presented my senior thesis at an undergraduate honors conference. I had never been there before and  also got to catch up with one of my best friend from high school who goes to Tulane.

I am pretty bummed about this whole ordeal, especially since I committed so much time and energy into training these past few months. I had never spent so much time running and was just beginning to feel how rewarding it all was. I’m going to have to think of other ways to get my energy out while I heal, seeing as I have been finding it super difficult to not work out.

 

 

 

This Week: An Okay Star, A Very Bad End

Sunday evening when I embarked on my usual run I began noticing a pain in my lower leg on my shin bone. It was only slight so I decided to continue running as I figured that it would subside and that it was nothing, probably just a minor case of shin splints. I ended up running fine- about five miles, and my leg felt fine after, too. I also followed up my routine Monday morning with a long run on the treadmill and didn’t feel too much pain at that point either. As Thursday rolled around I went with some friends, who are also running the half, to the Nike Store in Georgetown for their weekly “run club.” I had never done this before, seeing as they usually meet Monday evenings when I have class, but this week they had a special event.

At this run club they have groups running either three or five miles. I ran in one of the five mile groups, but began noticing the pain coming back during the middle of my third mile. I got a little nervous but figured I would have to finish the run because my stuff was back at the store and I really had no other option! The next day the pain got worse and I have begun to feel it even when I wasn’t running. It’s not to the point where I am having a hard time going running at all (I attempted a few times over the seeking to no avail!). I made a doctor’s appointment for this coming week with a sports medicine specialist and was advised by my actual doctor to hold off any activity until then.

I am hoping, hoping, hoping that this is just a bad case of shin splints and that consistent icing and Advil will help it subside soon. The only worrisome part is that it is really only on one leg and in one area. I am also worried about being even more set back on my training seeing as this was supposed to be a crucial weekend for me doing a long 10 mile run! Not sure what I am going to do at this point but I suppose I will have to keep you all posted on Wednesday (dun, dun, dun…).

 

One another note, below is a picture of the Nike Running group running through the MLK Memorial. When I look at these pictures after the fact it’s always so “casual” that these are just the daily things I run through. I never seem to appreciate them as much when I am in the midst of a run though!

5 Weeks Left

I have to admit, traveling to three different cities over spring break, all with varying temperatures, sort of put a damper on my training schedule. I think when I’m here in D.C. I am on such a regimen in terms of my training that when I am away for a weekend (or a week, as was the case with Spring break) I sort of lose touch with my routine. I was able keep up my running when I was in Miami, New York and Boston, but not to the extent that I would have liked. I really noticed it last week when I found my runs harder than usual. Thankfully the weather was beautiful yesterday and made it very enjoyable to get a long run in. Now back to the dreary mid -40’s (errrr).  I also ended up switching to Brooks shoes this week. I was previously wearing Asics but found that my shoes were also giving me abnormal pain. Switching has defiantly helped so far, but I am still getting used to my new shoes!

Here are some pictures of my run yesterday. I ended up doing eight miles going to the capital then around the Jefferson, through the MLK Memorial, to the Washington Monument and then back home. It was amazing weather to run in and even a little hard to deal with the heat at times because of all the cold weather we have been having!

 

Shin Splints, Roosevelt Island and some Videos..

Yet again, the cold weather kept me inside this week. I was a little bummed about it seeing as last weekend was so perfect. I can’t complain too much though, because it gave me more time to focus on the cross training component of my workout.

Today (Friday) I started with high intensity interval training. For those of you who are unfamiliar, interval training really just consists of running at a high speed for a given amount of time followed by a rest period. I continued this for a total of nine intervals. I try to map it out so I run a total of two miles. According to studies, this is one of the most effective routines for increasing speed and endurance. I have been trying to get in about two to three interval training sessions per week, and if I can’t do them alone, I’ll be sure to incorporate them into my runs. I have already seen such a difference from intervals in particular. Even after just a few days of doing them, they really make such a difference when I go on longer runs.

After doing the interval training I then went on to do 15oo meters on the rowing machine. I haven’t tried this machine in a while but figured it would be just what I needed to work on my arms and upper back. To my surprise, it was significantly harder than I had anticipated. Maybe it’s because I was still partially recovering from my intervals, but  I KNOW my upper-back will be sore tomorrow, even from that little distance.

Finally, I finished my workout with some more bicep/tricep work and of course, stretching.

I have been working out with a trainer on Fridays, which I have been finding really helpful to give me the extra push. He gives me routines, such as the one I just described, and guides me through them as well. He also conveniently took the videos of me below. Just an FYI they are in slow-motion..in case anyone was wondering why they look a little funny.

By looking at these videos we also discovered that my left foots seems to be leaning in as I run… which could be a little concerning. I guess from now on I’ll have to be more conscious of it as to not injure myself!

**UPDATE:

I ended the weekend with a six mile run, just in time before the snow ensues. My friends and I ran to Roosevelt Island, down to the Key Bridge, through Georgetown and then back to 24th & M. Though the rain began to come down as we finished, it was perfect temperature outside. The only thing that made it difficult was the fact that I’m battling shin splints so I had to slow my pace a little. Here’s the route we took up until the island. I forgot to start my app again after we took a little break to look at the statue. Oops! I have a major exam tomorrow and I would have never imagined in a million years that I would be taking the time out of my day to run the evening before it.. but I decided to anyways! Maybe it’s the fact that I’m a second semester senior, but I am finding that my workouts are becoming increasingly important to me – which was one of my goals when I decided to embark on this undertaking in the first place!

Also, note for everyone who tried to convince me to switch my running app, I promise to try out a different one for my next run (either Nike or Walk Run Jog hehe). I  didn’t have time to download a new one before my run today!! Next time – I promise!

The weather this week: A+

 

 

With the amazing weather this week, I was able to get in four outdoor runs. It is so much easier to run when not dealing with all the gear to make sure my hands/toes/ears don’t freeze off!

My favorite route was definitely the one I did yesterday, which involved going down the Potomac, behind the Kennedy Center, to the Lincoln and back up the river to through Georgetown. The decision to go back up to Georgetown was a game time decision. I had intended to go to the Jefferson but after encountering hoards of tourists by the monuments, decided I was best going back where I came. Though the Georgetown Waterfront had its fair share of crowds, it beat the monuments.

The picture below is my route. I have been using an app called Map My Run to help me figure out the exact distances I am running. It’s not hardcore tracker, but it does the trick for now. The only downside is that I have to run with phone, which is a little burdensome.

 

 

I am still waiting until I can run three miles without any difficulty! Though after reading other blogs I am finding that this doesn’t happen until after months and months of running (ahhh!). One thing is keeping me motivated though, the fact that I really don’t feel satisfied unless I work out. I used to be able to be happy with three workouts per week and now I think taking a day off might be difficult!

 

Here’s a picture of the Potomac from my run (I literally took this as I was running..I am surprised it’s not more crocked!).