Tiny Email Glitch on Kiprunning Website; We're Working on It

We're offering a brief update to let you know that the Coach Kiprunning website has started experiencing some intermittent problems with the email functionality embedded in the Runner's and Sports Club Questionnaires.

As with all things like this, these problems have arisen unexpectedly and with little formal explanation.  Thus, we are beginning the process of troubleshooting and correcting this tiny glitch.  I hope that we can fix things very quickly.

In the meantime, rest assured that everything is secure; all form submissions are being correctly stored in WordPress, so there's no worry there.  Also, since Coach Komen's runner registration process is multilayered, he will still very quickly know when his runners are contacting him through the site.  There is just the small possibility that he will be delayed in responding to those inquiries.

If you happen to be experiencing a delay in response, we invite you to send a follow-up email to info[at]coachkiprunning[dot]com, indicating the nature of your inquiry.  Coach Komen will then be able to respond to you efficiently and directly.

We apologize for this minor inconvenience.  I can assure you that we are working to fix it.

Coach Kiprunning Facebook Update

We're happy to announce that we have launched an official public Coach Kiprunning Facebook page. We have updated our various social media links here and on the main Coach Kiprunning website to reflect this new account.  We encourage you to like the page and to invite others to like it as well.

Once again, Coach Kiprunning is also on Twitter and Instagram, so you can definitely follow along in those places as well.

We look forward to interacting with you!

Q: Is Running Good for Your Brain?

A: It would appear so.

Coach Kiprunning's 2016 Holiday Training Discounts for Runners

Coach Kiprunning is pleased to offer a holiday gift for the runner in your life.

From December 15, 2016-December 29, 2016, Wilson Komen will be offering the following deals on his personalized training plans:

• Runners signing up for 2 months of online coaching will receive 1 month free, for a total training cycle of 3 months 
• Runners signing up for a customized training plan of 8 weeks will receive 4 additional weeks for free, for a total training cycle of 12 weeks 

These deals are available to all runners—novice and experienced alike—for any distance from the 5KM to the full marathon.

To take advantage of this deal, select your desired option from Coach Komen’s coaching services page, and complete the purchase process for the training plan that you would like.

When completing the Runner’s Questionnaire as part of this process, enter the promo code “kiprunning holiday gift 2016” in the Additional Comments box at the bottom of the questionnaire. Failure to enter this code will void this offer.

Upon receiving your order, Coach Komen will contact you to discuss your training plan.

Limited to 14 total orders.

If you have questions about this holiday deal, contact Wilson Komen.

Good Luck, Marine Corps Marathon Runners

This Sunday, my birthday, actually, marks the running of the 41st Marine Corps Marathon.  This race is the premier marathon event in Washington, DC and its immediate vicinity.  Coach Kiprunning will be represented in this year's event, and wish our runners--and the rest of you--all the best for a successful race.

I have actually never run the MCM (though I certainly know many people who have).  For any number of reasons, my training schedule has never quite matched up with this particular race. However, in 2012, I did participate in the MCM 10K.  It was a strange day.  Apparently, a suspicious package was found somewhere on the course, so race officials stopped all of the 10K runners, mid-race, right at the Pentagon.  We were about a mile out from the finish line at that time.  As a result, many of us bunched up as we waited for the course to clear.  Given that our race clock was a common clock with the full marathon, our time kept running, while we kept standing.  Eventually, the course was cleared, and we all sprinted toward the finish.  The winner came in at a time of 46:34.  Then, Hurricane Sandy showed up just in time for the end of the full marathon.  Unusual, to say the least.

Regardless, the finish line and the finisher's festival was that day--and remains to this day--professionally run and openly welcoming to runners and spectators alike.  Though I've seen some modest quibbling about whether or not the race truly remains "the People's Marathon," now that it requires a lottery entry, I maintain that it is a much more runner friendly event than many of the larger marathons that get a little more press coverage.  I also, for whatever odd reason, enjoy seeing the annual spray painting of the MCM mile markers on Hains Point.

As has been chronicled at length, the DC Metro's SafeTrack project has caused some minor chaos for commuting to the race.  The MCM website has a good list of commuting resources available for anyone who needs them.

In the coming week or so, we'll post an update about how our runners performed in the event.  In the meantime, once again, we wish you all the best.  Take it easy in the next two days, eat good food, and have a great race.

Meb Keflezighi: Forever Young?

I'm turning 39 in just a few days, so the shadow of my forties is starting to creep ever closer to my worn running shoes and the aging feet that they contain.

Bryan Borzykowski at Forbes recently published a good short article about Meb Keflezighi and how he approaches his training at age 41.  It's an article that can imbue you with a sense of youth if you are anything like me: a person who can't help but wonder how immediately the PRs will stop coming (if they haven't already).  Meb is still doing this running thing at an incredibly high level in his early 40's, which is reassuring.

At the same time, this article will likely make the vast majority of you feel old, because Meb apparently ran a 5:20 mile when he was in the seventh grade.

So there's also that little fact to consider.

Kiprunning Sports Club Training Update: 10/16/2016

Now that we have entered autumn, and the temperatures here in Washington, DC have dropped to more reasonable levels, The Kiprunning Sports Club will return to its usual meeting time of 7:45 am on Saturday mornings for our usually scheduled long run.

As always, we will meet at Georgetown Running Company, which is located at 3401 M St. NW, Washington, DC 20007.