Topic: National Running Day

How Far We’ve Come: A Short History Of Women’s Marathons

In 2011, 43% of the Boston Marathon’s participants—people who met qualifying times for one of the most prestigious and grueling races in the U.S.—were female. In 1967, only one was, and she was nearly evicted from the course for being a woman. Her name is Kathrine Switzer, and anyone who’s seen photos of her dodging the reach of race official Jock Semple is likely to remember the incredible resistance she met when she registered and ran the race (he famously yelled after her: “Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers.”) Then, the concept of female distance running was so foreign, the race didn’t even have a women’s division (Switzer registered under the name K.V. Switzer, and was never asked to specify her gender on the forms); now, women comprise more than half of all participants in 5-Ks, 10-Ks, and half-marathons, and come close in marathons. More »

A Marathon Is Always 26.2 Miles…And 9 Other Runner’s Pet Peeves

Happy National Running Day! What better way to celebrate than with a little fun over the top pet peeves that runners have. You know what we’re talking about–slow runners who line up at the front of a race, runners who spit with no regard that you are directly in their line of fire, women who slather on the perfume before a race, etc. We all have those little things that irk us when we’re running. Take a look and see if you can relate to these: More »

What It’s Really Like To Run 3,000 Miles Across America

If the idea of running three miles or even 26.2 miles seems long to you, how about running over 3,000 miles? That’s exactly what runner and activist, Katie Visco did because she felt it was just something she “had” to do. So what better day than National Running Day to talk with Katie and find out more about her journey? Because, among other things, we really want to know: How did she run from snow to 100-degree temps to 50 mph winds. And what happened to her body after all those miles? And didn’t she get bored running for nearly nine months straight?! More »

How To Become A Runner In 7 Surprisingly Easy Steps

This Wednesday, we at Blisstree (and the rest of the U.S.) will be celebrating National Running day, a day which is all about–you guessed it–running. Which, five years ago, would have irritated me, because I hated running. I spent about two decades hating running and, as a result, hating my body because I thought it would never let me become a runner. But here’s the thing: despite a perceived divide between those who do and those who don’t, there’s no such thing as “runners” and “non-runners.” Regardless of your body type or ability, you can become a runner. More »