By Margi Johnson I am losing my voice. I don’t know what else to say. Part of me wants to continue to train, for my own sake, because it lets me know I am still healthy and able, and it assures my kids of our routines — we wait to…

I used to think “doubling” was dumb. Having grown up breaking myself with mileage my body couldn’t maintain, I was skeptical and resentful of people who ran more than once a day. Besides, years ago I’d heard that Mark Wetmore, the famous head coach at the successful University of Colorado…

The Positive Split — Issue 30 “She actually eats on Friday so that way she can race on Saturday.” I was shocked by the matter-of-fact delivery of this disturbing statement. A girl on our team had massively disordered eating and teammates understood. I’d asked why it seemed like this girl…

“How should I run?” “Where should I start?” “What’s the secret to sticking with it?” As a new year arrives the same question comes pouring in again: “How do I run?” THIS will be the year that new runners solve the puzzle, turn that stubborn page and discover the secret…

Could an older runner’s words save a younger athlete from his harshest impulses? Is it possible to convey the sensations that lead to success instead of frustration when the nuances often feel so slight? I have never explicitly intended for my writing to aid others along their athletics journey, but I welcome the suggestion that I may have. I recently received a stellar…

Standing at the bottom, staring up toward the top, I focus my glance back downward, aware that peering at the peak is too much to take on just yet. Shuffling forward, toes hopping lightly in this moment before launch, I attempt to channel levity, to harness a second of springiness…

The more I write the more I think I should know how to write, but I don’t. The analytical mind in me demands there be a process for all this amateur effort. Insists that all these hours should amount to something more than another cold start, starting from the beginning…

By Peter Bromka & Esther Atkins — Imagine, the sun rises on race day in early 2024 as 1,000 of America’s best Marathoners approach the starting line of the Olympic Trials Marathon, the greatest American marathon held once every four years. The top three finishers in each race qualify for the Paris Olympics. As tens of thousands…

Selected for The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2021 collection A dream doesn’t make a sound when it dies. With no reason to exclaim, the aspiration simply slips away with a sickening silence. January 19th, 2020 Exhausted and stunned, I stumble forward reluctantly. Dehydrated and sore from having just battled 26.2 miles of windswept…