With Christmas behind us and the new year, looming many of us are starting to work on goals and resolutions for 2012. There are the old standbys—lose weight, eat healthier, work on being better organized. These are all great goals, but they are also—if I might speak frankly, just a little boring. This year, instead of the standard set of resolutions, why not push the limits a little? Why not aim high? This year, instead of resolving to simply workout more, aim high by scheduling a race and telling all of your friends and family about it. If you have 100 pounds to lose, look at a 5K. If you …

  It has been 12 years since I last participated in the Annapolis Striders Championship Series. Melissa Currence is to blame for setting me on that path and for that I am grateful. Unfortunately, life took over and the next 10 years, try as I might, something always got in the way. I had almost given up on the chance of ever running the series again. But when I sat down this year with the race schedule and my calendar, I realized—barring accidents and unforeseen mommy duties—I could do it. No vacations, marathons, triathlons or major family events were standing in my way. Finally, I was able …

I am a fitness writer, which means not only do I write, but I am supposed to live a fit life. I am supposed to get in my workouts no matter what. But I am here to tell you, it's always easy. When people write me to say they just can’t work fitness into their schedule, I get it. Most of us lead extremely busy lives and even if we have already made fitness a part of our lives, there are still days when we find it difficult to take an hour out of our day to get in a run, bike, swim or class. This is especially true during the holiday season. With parties, shopping and decorating added to our …

Runners, cyclists and triathletes may be the easiest people on the planet to shop for. We may tell you that we ride or run for our health and there is obviously some truth to that, but the real reason we run—our dirty little secret—is that we like gear. We like shiny new shoes, bikes and watches. We like the latest gadget and gizmo. And though we may have whole drawers full of gear, there is always room for one more thing. Our wish list grows throughout the year and even as we check items off the list, more must-have-gear appears in our local running and cycling stores. It is an endless cycle…

Over the past year, I have spent a good deal of time getting to know the local runners and triathletes in Annapolis. I have watched Annapolis Striders members cross the line of their first 5K, 10K and even marathon. I have watched as Annapolis Trail Runners trained for their first ultra marathon. And I have watched dozens of Annapolis Triathlon Club members cross the finish line at Ironman races across the country. I am grateful to have been a witness to these life changing events in so many people’s lives. Fitness does change people’s lives. Crossing the finish line for the first time is not…

With Thanksgiving a week a way and holiday parties already on the books, it is decision time. Will you choose to overeat throughout the holidays and use the busier schedule as an opportunity to avoid exercise or will you choose to watch what you eat and find opportunities to get a workout in? In Annapolis, the latter choice is easy. Admittedly, the food and booze that abounds during the holiday season is hard to avoid, but with a little planning it can be done. If we eat before we head to the party and assign ourselves as the designated driver throughout the season, we can tackle the …

Cycling is a dangerous sport. There are no two ways about it. We can take steps to make it safer—wear our helmets, obey the rules of the road, ride with a cycling club like Annapolis Bicycle Club or one of the organized group rides at Bike Doctor or Parvilla Cycles and Multi-sports. But if you plan to become a cyclist on a regular basis, you will eventually crash. This weekend, three of my friends had crashes in three separate incidents. Luckily everybody was OK, but it brought to the forefront the need to have a crash plan. What should you do if you are in an accident? If you are riding with…

On Saturday afternoon, 220 Annapolis residents had their fingers crossed hoping beyond hope that the meteorologists were right and the storm that had been dumping a wintery mix on the area for most of the day really would pass. By Sunday morning, these 220 had breathed a sigh of relief and were heading into Washington, DC, to run the 36th Marine Corps Marathon. The weather, though chilly by most accounts, was perfect for a morning spent running 26.2 miles through the streets of the city. “The weather could have been a little warmer at 4 a.m., but by race time I was ready to shed the extra …

The Marine Corps Marathon will take place this weekend in Washington, DC, and more than 200 of the close to 30,000 runners participating in the event will be from Annapolis, Severna Park, Davidsonville, and Crofton. Many of the local runners heading out to run the Marine Corps Marathon this weekend are experienced marathoners, but based on years past, more than a third will be first time marathoners. The People’s Marathon, as it is called, has one of the highest percentages of first-time runners of all other marathons. In Annapolis this may be even more likely as the Annapolis Striders, Blue …

On Sept. 20, Greater Annapolis Patch told you about Brian Lewis’s fight against cancer and his quest to complete the Seagull Century only days after completing his third round of chemotherapy. And we would like to congratulate Lewis on doing just that. On Oct. 15, Lewis set out with members of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training for 100 miles through quiet Eastern Shore Roads. With the help of three teammates who blocked the wind for him throughout, Lewis completed the 100-mile ride. “Bar none, it was the hardest thing I have ever done,” Lewis said. “On Wednesday two of my …

Reena Parangot stood 100 feet from the finish line waiting for her daughter to cross the line. With her hair just beginning to come back in after chemotherapy, Parangot stood out in the crowd at the Annapolis Towne Centre at Parole on Sunday afternoon. She stood out as a fighter. She is fighting breast cancer and plans to beat it. At Charm City Run’s Healing in Heels 500 Yard Dash, Reena was not alone in her fight. More than 100 runners toed the line in everything from blue gingham wedges to 4 inch bondage pumps all in an effort to fight back against breast cancer. The race, co-hosted by …

The sixth race in the eight-part Annapolis Strider’s Championship Series proved to be much more of a challenge for runners, race directors and even the police who volunteered their time for the race on Sunday morning. Having spent much of the past three weeks hoping for approval of the new route designed to circumnavigate the closed roads in South County, Race Director Melissa Currence was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief on Friday afternoon as the approval came through. But Sunday morning, even as the runners were lining up, Currence and her crew realized the course was almost a half…

When my nonrunning friends and family join me at road races they are often surprised by the variety of athletes they see covering the course. Most expect to see thin, long-legged runners and are surprised when they see short, squat runners, tall, overweight runners, people of every race, people who are blind, deaf and even people bald from chemotherapy. One of the beautiful things about running is this acceptance. You don’t have to try out for our sport. You don’t have to meet a minimum height or weight requirement. Your body doesn’t have to be flawless. You just have to believe you can do it…

I grew up believing three things about myself. I am the smart one. I am not the pretty one. And I am most certainly not the athletic, talented or coordinated one. These were not labels I accepted or dismissed. They were just facts. I did well in school therefore I was smart. I didn’t do well at team sports and I had more scabs on my knees than most boys. Therefore I was uncoordinated, not athletic and a klutz. And my sister was stunningly beautiful, therefore she was the pretty one. I haven’t thought about these things in years. Though I have hours and hours in which to think while I run, …

Sara Claffery is like a kid on Christmas morning, bursting with enthusiasm. Listening to her over the phone I pictured her bouncing in place as she spoke to me about her elite cycling team and their success this season. The Annapolis Bicycle Racing Team has been around long enough that most local residents have come across a member at one point or another. But even among the most avid cyclists in the area, the fact that there are women on the team and not just tagging along or bringing up the rear in a pace line, seems to be a well kept secret. Though many female members of the ABRT are still…

Like many cycling Annapolitans, Brian Lewis has already started getting his ducks in a row for the Sea Gull Century next month. Long group training rides? Check. Race day nutrition plan? Check. Fundraising goals met? Check. Chemotherapy scheduled? Check. Whoa, whoa, whoa! Chemotherapy? Yes, you read right. Lewis has had to work his training and racing schedule in around his chemotherapy treatments. But this does not surprise Lewis’ doctors. “I went for a regular check-up in March and the doctors told me I needed to have a colonoscopy,” Lewis said. “But I was in the process of training for the…

Until this year, I could count on one hand the number of people I knew who wanted to visit Wisconsin and still have room to count the number of people I knew who wanted to run an Ironman. But now, thanks to the Annapolis Triathlon Club, that is no longer true. After months of training and racing together, 19 members of the Annapolis Triathlon Club flew out to race Ironman Wisconsin, including at least two married couples, one cancer survivor, a handful of first-time Ironman competitors and even more Ironman veterans. While club member Nancy Cooper does not want to take full blame or credit …

Running clubs almost always come about because of a couple of runners with a passion for the sport. The Annapolis Running Mamas is not one of those clubs. Actually, they aren’t officially a club at all. Instead they consider themselves a group—a group of moms running together and supporting each other. Kim Vayda, a self-professed gym rat, had plenty of excuses why she couldn’t run. Her knees hurt. Her ankles hurt. She didn’t have enough time to fit it in. But when it came down to it, running was just boring. Then one night in June 2010, after a little too much wine, Vayda and a couple of her …

Thursday morning after much delay because of Tropical Storm Irene, I put my youngest child on the bus for the first time. For most of that day, tears seemed to come from nowhere. All I could think about was how quiet and lonely the house would be each day without him. But Friday morning was a new day. After just a couple of tears at the bus stop, I suddenly realized that I have seven hours to myself. Sure, I could clean the kitchen, transfer and fold some laundry or give the dogs a bath, but what fun is that? Instead, after a quick trip to the pool for a morning workout I came home and …

Having been born near Fort Benning, GA, having grown up in he shadows of Camp Lejeune and finally settling in Annapolis, I have spent my life surrounded by people who proudly serve our country. From the moment I was born I was taught to respect the servicemen and women who fight for our country and I have tried to instill this same respect in my children. So, on Aug. 6, when my family heard the news of the 30 American servicemen, along with seven Afghan commandos, one Afghan interpreter and an American service dog lost in Afghanistan, our hearts went out to their families. The men lost that …