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UjENA FIT Club 100 Interesting Running Articles

Best Road Races and the UjENA FIT Club is publishing 100 articles about races, training, diet, shoes and coaching.   If you would like to contribute to this feature, send an email to Bob Anderson at bob@ujena.com .  We are looking for cutting edge material.

Click here to read all Running Articles

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Pleasanton: The Masters of Double Racing
Posted Wednesday, February 11th, 2015
By David Prokop Pleasanton, Calif., may be a quiet, relaxed community across the bay from San Francisco, but where Double... Read Article
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Champions of the Double
Posted Monday, September 15th, 2014
Peter Mullin has taken Double Racing® by storm. He broke the 60-64 age group world record in the first Double... Read Article
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Double Racing Has Truly Arrived!
Posted Monday, September 22nd, 2014
by David Prokop (Editor Best Road Races) Photo: Double 15k top three Double Racing® is a new sport for... Read Article
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Pritz's Honor
Posted Sunday, May 11th, 2014
By David Prokop, editor Best Road Races The world’s most unusual race met the world’s most beautiful place, in the... Read Article

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Why Run?
Friday, June 22nd, 2012
Why Run? Because its there…any place, any time.
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by Ujena Fit Club Coach Barry Anderson  This is a little different approach to the question “Why Run?” that most of us who have run for many years have been asked at some time or another. This approach is to the point of why running is included in many people’s fitness programs, not what motivates them to a healthy lifestyle.  From more of the purely practical point of view there are several answers to that seemingly simple little question.

From a financial perspective there is no doubt that running—which includes walking—can usually be done without cost other than the initial investment in a good pair of running shoes.  Many cities provide parks and trails that offer alternative running/walking sites to the area streets and roads. Indoor walking in malls across the country offer another alternative during cold or wet weather.  Of course, once you learn to enjoy and appreciate running, there will be some on-going costs to replace shoes as the miles covered grows.

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Convenience is another big plus for running. Just step out the front door and in many places across the country you can be on a run—even if you had to take the elevator to get to street level.  This convenience factor alone will improve consistency of exercise by eliminating the need for travel to a fitness center or depending upon a set time schedule for a workout. This opinion is not intended to negate other opportunities for fitness activities in any way or suggest that running should be one’s only physical activity.  But, on that day when the schedule went haywire and there is little time, it is nice to have the running option just steps away.

Along with convenience goes portability and further improved consistency of exercise. Whether you are on vacation or away from home for work, you can usually find a place to run. In fact, you may find that a running tour of a new city on vacation is a great way to see some of the sights.

Finally, running has a couple of natural, built-in measuring systems that make it simple for individuals to measure their efforts and improvements.  If you have run one tree further on your course around the block than ever before without stopping—you have improved.  Or, if you have run for one more minute without stopping, or have run your favorite course by a second faster—you have improved.  As we grow older and our physical capabilities begin to decline, its also nice to have age grade calculators like the one provided by the Ujena Fit Club website, to add a further measure of improvement or comparison.

As a combination, these practical reasons to include running in your fitness program also make it one you should consider first. If you are just starting out, walking and running can provide you with a good measure of your motivation for exercise.  When you are able to develop a good consistency and frequency of runs and walks, it will improve the chances that you will benefit from additional fitness opportunities such as a fitness center membership.

Why Run? Because its there…any place, any time.

Dbl
Double Road Race