March 2015 Preview

New Orleans has suffered unbearable temperatures since Mardi Gras, with multiple days having highs that don't climb out of the 40's. I'm not complaining, as I much prefer the cold over the summer heat; however, it's been hard for me to get motivated in the new year. After finishing three and a half marathons in January, getting back in to a groove post-recovery has been near impossible. Fortunately, racing in the Crescent City quickly picks up speed as we hop in to spring.

February 2015 Preview

February is typically a month where NOLA runners get to decompress from the hectic racing schedule of January. After multiple weekends in a row of distance events, it's easy to get wrapped up in Mardi Gras festivities, abandoning a training schedule and much needed discipline. While that recovery period is necessary, it's important to keep focus on coming spring 10K's and the goals you want to achieve at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Crescent City Classic 10K (April 04th).

January (Re)Preview 2015

It's been quite a few weeks since there's been a new post on NOLArunner. Saying that the holidays and first month of 2015 have been busy is an understatement, but not a good enough excuse. Here's my chance to salvage as much of the month of January as possible with this last weekend of major racing just around the corner.

Woman's Half Marathon & 10K Preview

Sunday morning, the lakes in Baton Rouge will turn pink when the Woman's Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K take to the streets. In it's third year, this growing race benefits Woman's Hospital and their efforts to improve the health of women and infants in our community. And while this event is all about the ladies, men are more than welcome to run and support the cause!

Keeping Up With Jones 5K: The 2014 Recap

My week of recaps continues with a quick look at the Keeping Up With Jones 5K that happened on Saturday morning, October 18th. This race is put on by Jones Physical Therapy in Madisonville, Louisiana, with the 2014 edition being its sixth running. This year the benefiting organization was The Methodist Children's Home.

Tipitina’s Foundation Rhythm & Blues 5K: The 2014 Recap

A recap for the third annual Tipitina’s Foundation Rhythm & Blues 5K is long overdue, as is a recap for several events since. I’m going to do my best this week to catch up with a recap per-day through Friday, as there are many events on the docket that will need to be covered soon after they happen. November and December are the busiest months for racing in the Crescent City, but homage must be paid to the month of October and what has kept us in racing shape though this point.

November 2014 Preview

I know October hasn't come to a close just yet, and there's still plenty of candy to be gathered in an attempt to derail those fall training diets; however, we have to look forward to a full slate of exciting running events that start as soon as this weekend!

NOLA Blue Doo Run: The 2014 Recap

It’s been a couple weeks since the NOLA Blue Doo Run on Tulane’s uptown campus, but now is never too late to post a recap. This first year event benefitted the Prostate Cancer Research Fund at Tulane, and with the color blue being the hue representing awareness for the disease, it was appropriate that numerous blue wigs, outfits, and costumes washed over the quad just off St. Charles Avenue.

New 10K Announced

The Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Marathon and 1/2 Marathon is helping runners experience all the fun of the Crescent City, but with a much shorter distance. On Monday, they announced plans to have a 10K event on the same day as their other two signature races, January 25th, 2015.

October 2014 Preview

There's no question that we've hit fall. My consumption of Pumpkin Spiced Latte's is on the rise, while my electricity bill has taken a nose dive. I'm thrilled about this trend; however, the savings from Entergy are already spent on several upcoming races. When it comes to quality events in the Crescent City on which to spend your registration dollar, October is where things really start to heat-up.

NOTC 51st Anniversary Race: The 2014 Recap

Last week I celebrated my 31st birthday. To mark the occasion, my mother thought it appropriate to bestow these pearls of wisdom upon me, "Now that you're past 30, it's all downhill from here." Thanks, mom. However, not all hope is lost. All I have to do is look to the New Orleans Track Club, which celebrated its 51st year in existence on Saturday morning with its Anniversary Race, and recognize that there's plenty opportunity for growth ahead.

Design Your Bling Contest

The Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Marathon and Half Marathon fall a little early this year, with race date being Sunday, January 25th. For runners, the best part of that day will be crossing the finish line under the shade of City Park and having a volunteer place a hard-earned finisher's medal around their neck. This year, however, race organizers are letting everyone have a say in how that trophy will look.

Ten Years of Resilience

It's hard to believe that 2015 marks ten years since New Orleans was rocked by the landfall of Hurricane Katrina. This week, the New Orleans Track Club announced that in just over a year, they will commemorate the date with a brand new event, the Resilience 5K.

Super & King Sized Announcements

The corner of Poydras and Girod Streets will be a busy place this fall. If you're not familiar with downtown New Orleans, this is the intersection just outside Champions Square. It's also in the backyard of two professional sports franchises in the Crescent City, and the reason for two big running announcements last week.

Spillway Classic Trail Run: The 2014 Recap

With two races beating the trails of the Bonnet Carré Spillway, you'd think they would be nearly identical. However, nothing could be further from the truth. This past Sunday was the 27th running of the Spillway Classic, the New Orleans Track Club's unique signature event in Norco, Louisiana.

Hotter Than Hell Marathon: The 2014 Recap

Committing to run a marathon is not something to take lightly. Signing up to run 26.2 miles in the middle of the night during a New Orleans summer is downright ludicrous. For the past 12 years, locals have taken on the challenge with Race MD's Hotter Than Hell Marathon.

July 2014 Preview

The next two months are my annual vacation. The lighter schedule allows me to get stronger and sleep later, which is good preparation for the coming fall racing season. It's a recovery period, not just for my aching legs, but for my bank account that doesn't see the constant registration fee deductions.

Coyote Chase Trail Run: The 2014 Recap

On Saturday morning, nearly two hundred runners capped off the NOLA Trail Run Series in City Park. The Coyote Chase Trail Run was the shortest race in the series; however, those two miles included some of the biggest challenges put before participants.

Armadillo Dash Trail Run: The 2014 Recap

For those of you keeping score, we're now two down and one to go in the New Orleans Trail Run Series. Participants in Saturday morning's Armadillo Dash visited the Bonnet Carre Spillway to tackle the the twists and turns of the wooded peninsula that separates the spillway from Lake Pontchartrain.

Father's Day Race: The 2014 Recap

A quick race calls for a quick re-cap, and the 2 mile New Orleans Track Club event celebrating Father's Day was just that. This past weekend brought together generations of NOLA runners for a tradition twelve years in the making.