THE EXTRA MILE: A visit onto dailymile.com offers instant connection, support
by Kym Klass
July 25, 2010
Every morning, I am sur rounded by like-minded people who share the same goals in health and exercise, and who push themselves to their full potential.
And every morning, this adds five minutes to the time it takes me to walk out my door for my daily run, because ever since I was introduced to dailymile.com about five months ago, I find myself
glued to the computer screen reading workouts.
The site is addictive -- your 'friends' are runners,cyclists, swimmers. They wake up as early as you do, or earlier, and later provide quick recaps of
their workouts which includes route, mileage, pace.
On Thursday morning alone, I woke up to these excerpts:
-- "I'm glad it was a beautiful morning because I gotless than 3 hours of sleep last night ... I love sleep!" (Sarita of Lawrenceville, Ga., after a 12-mile run)
-- "First two miles were effortless. Third mile? Full of runner's mind tricks." (Interalia, after a 3-miler)-- "3H Run this morning -- Hills, Heat and Humidity." (Joe M. of Austin, after a 6-mile run)
-- "Only saw two bunnies today. And a squashed toad."(Suann of Fort Worth, Texas, after a 6.5-mile run)
-- "Hoooooooyah!!!! Woke up at 5:30 a.m., and the temperature was 70 degrees. Within a split second, I was out through my door for my run." (Ted R. of Little Silver, NJ, after a 9.4-mile run)
These are the stories you wake up to. It is fun to read them -- especially those from the East Coast who are already home from their workouts -- before
heading out for your own run. Knowing you will post your workouts next, it offers encouragement Let me introduce you to some dailymile.com athletes I've gotten to know over the past few months -- get
to know them yourself when you get the chance:
•Greg S. from Solon, Ohio: Greg is one of the more active people I've seen on dailymile.com, where he often motivates others to complete their workout before the sun rises,
and where he always provides encouraging words, even on a runner's most difficult day. His website -- http://predawnrunner.com --recently was featured on the New Balance
running site with his list of "20 Reasons to be a Predawn Runner" post.
•Brendan M. from Brunswick, Maine: He's very supportive, dedicated and focused, and always offers encouragement. He also writes things like, "On the 7th day, God rested. I
chose to run." Brendan puts in 16-mile runs in the middle of the week before most people grab that last cup of coffee before heading into work.
•Running L. from New York: He's quick, and takes you on running tours throughout New York, including Central Park and Flushing Meadows. He is devoted to maintaining his
blog, http://therunninglaminator.blogspot.com with both training and race recaps. He is honest about his training and one of the first to offer support on dailymile.com.
•Reverend Run V. from Millersport, Ohio: A minister from Ohio who is married and has four sons, Rev made me laugh when I read a recent posting: "I went out for an early Sauna
Run with Speedy Rob Turner -- it was a goodthings like "I've got a cramp!" and "I need to stop and tie my shoes.") His blog: http://brianvinson10.blogspot.com/
•Ann B. from Severna Park, Md.: Forced off the running roads with an injury, she has stepped it up several notches with biking and swimming, finding successes in each sport.
She's patient, driven, and teaches others how perseverance pays off. Her blog: http://www.annsrunningcommentary.com/
And just as a side note, the hard work pays off on dailymile.com -- for example, it shows you how many donuts you've burned off. By running 509 miles in five months, it says I've
burned off 263 donuts!What's not to love?
Kym Klass is an avid runner,a metro reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser, and an R3 member. Follow her workouts at www.runkymklass.blogspot.com and twitter.com/kymklass
