Name: Allison Guindon
Self-described age group: 20-29
Residence: D.C.
Occupation: Office Manager at a small non-profit
Why you run: The ability to travel, or cover distance by foot has had a big appeal to me for as long as I’ve been a runner. There is such satisfaction in looking back after a long run and seeing how many miles I covered. Coming from a track event (pole vault) where I measured my workouts in meters, and my approach on a jump in feet, there is still something fantastic and mind boggling about running 13 or 26 miles. Running has also been a spectacular social vehicle, most of my friends in D.C. are people that I know through running somehow!
There was no medal, no bib and no race director. But for Silver Spring’s Adrian Spencer, none of those things mattered as he attempted a run to Washington, D.C from Gettysburg.
Spencer had not always been a runner. He started running six years ago while on a beach trip with his family. Back then, he was 50 pounds heavier and could not even run a mile. Quickly approaching his 30th birthday, Spencer decided to give running a shot, hoping it would get him in better shape.
Pace the Nation contemplates its future with the departure of one host and the added life responsibilities of two others.
Name: Nene Reed
Self-described age group: 35-39 (I’ll officially be a Master in January though)
Residence: Alexandria
Occupation: IT Consultant
Volunteer roles in the running world: Northern Virginia Running Club – Gear Coordinator/Webmaster
The College Park 5k didn’t feel like any race I had run before. Sure there were cones, a course, other runners and a starting line, but right behind that starting line, my son Miles was sitting in our running stroller.
It wasn’t that long ago that Saturday mornings meant an early wake up for long runs with my club, followed by brunch, a nap, then hitting the bars at night. Now, I ‘m up just as early but it is to turn on Elmo and Sesame Street for Miles, while my wife and I get a little more sleep. Then we hit the road for a run, me pushing him.
- The “zoo loop” trail circumnavigating the Beach Drive Tunnel near Shoreham Drive in Rock Creek Park has closed because erosion of the creekbed is threatening the safety of the paved path. The Washington Area Bicyclist Association reports the closure may last as long as one year, given the trail improvement timeline
- A one-mile section of the Custis Trail in Arlington will close for trail improvements between July 30 – Aug. 24.
- The District Department of Transportation broke ground July 28 on an extension of the Metropolitan Branch Trail that will lead to the Fort Totten Metro station from John McCormack Ave NE in Brookland.
- The Army Ten-Miler online transfer program is open until Aug. 28.
- The Marine Corps Marathon transfer program is open and the deferment program will begin Aug. 15.
- Former American University track and cross country coach Matt Centrowitz was named director of cross country and track and field at Manhattan College.
Sandwich Todd, one of the podcast’s first guests, returns to talk about how running has helped him manage anxiety.
The Washington D.C. metropolitan region ranks near the top of most lists of things that cause stress — from traffic to cost of living, poverty, work demands and more. And since November, tensions have seemed to run higher than usual in the city, with the fate of federal jobs seemingly hanging in the balance. But you don’t have to buy a coloring book or move to Canada to feel better. Whatever your worries, locals in the know agree that running is a vital tool to care for yourself in stressful times.
Just ask Dr. Keith Kaufman, a runner and a clinical psychologist specializing in sport and exercise psychology. At his Northern Virginia practice, he works with high-performing athletes and beginners trying to develop exercise routines. He’s seen it all — student athletes pushing themselves to the breaking point, elites trying to achieve new heights in performance and of course the stereotypical Type-A D.C. professional whose day is scheduled down to the minute. A self-described Type A himself, Kaufman is an evangelist for running to manage stress or anxiety.
