I don't often write about the top levels of competitive running, since most of us are so far removed from it. It seems like something from another planet. But this past week in Beijing, the International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships have been going on.

Many top track & field athletes think of this meet as even more prestigious than the Olympics (perhaps because it is only track & field, not all those other sports). Monday and Tuesday each included unusual occurrences, both involving American women. Read more >> about Running in the 'Meda: Big-league mishaps

I heard someone this past week refer to the old saying (a prayer, originally, now often used by organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous) about accepting what you can't control and having courage to take action to control what you can. This is an important concept in physical fitness and comes up in many contexts. Read more >> about Running in the 'Meda: Taking action on a fitness routine

There's an interesting conflict going on right now in the professional running world, one that none of us "regular people" will likely ever be involved in. Nick Symmonds, arguably the best 800-meter runner in the United States (and a Beer Mile enthusiast), has been left off of the U.S. Read more >> about Running in the 'Meda: Runner dropped over sponsor flap

Everywhere you look these days, you see the phrase "couch to 5k." For the uninitiated, it's a way to describe a training program for people who currently don't or barely exercise, especially in terms of running. Read more >> about Running in the 'Meda: Couch to 5k

Photo by Marty Beene.

It was kind of hot here in The 'Meda earlier this week.

As those of you who actually live in Alameda already know, we don't get too many days when the temperature rises up over, say, 85 degrees. And most of those occur in the fall when our natural air conditioning (the fog) is on its annual autumn break.

For runners, heat can make training difficult. Even if it's only five degrees warmer than what we're used to, a training run can feel much harder.

So what can we do about it? Read more >> about Running in the 'Meda: Running in hot weather

I hate running early in the morning.

Sure, many people are just not "morning people," so it stands to reason that non-morning people might not enjoy running in the early morning.

But that's not me. I love the early morning. I wake up without an alarm at 5:30 every day and willingly get out of bed. Okay, I sleep in 'till 6:00 on some weekend days. I get up, eat breakfast (something healthy, of course), drink my coffee, read the news, and so on. And I love doing that.

But run? I don't think so. Read more >> about Running in the 'Meda: When do you run?

After age 30, we tend to lose muscle mass at a rate of three to five percent per decade if we don't do something about it, a natural process called sarcopenia. Once we hit around 65 or 70 years old, that loss accelerates. Read more >> about Running in the 'Meda: Aging and muscle loss

With many people headed off on vacations in the midst of the summer travel season, I was reminded of how I enjoy mapping out such a trip. But it's also a great idea to map out your fitness plans for the year, especially if running is your thing. Read more >> about Running in the 'Meda: Creating a fitness calendar