Sensei Says: One of the best parts of life is dreaming of the things we want to accomplish and working hard to make those goals a reality. When I became injured before the 2010 Pittsburgh Half Marathon, I had to set that particular goal aside to be revisited in 2011.I am not a fan of running in cold weather, and have been counting down to the first week of March to begin my 11-week training plan for the half marathon. I had a very ambitious goal time, but really believed it could happen with dedication and hard work. I am a little embarrassed to admit this publicly, but I was shooting to …

Sensei Says: Last spring I went for an eight-mile run along the Montour Trail. I had old shoes, but a new i-Pod and a new running watch, so I was feeling pretty good (because electronics make the runner, right?). What I didn't take into account was a bit of a heat wave in April.  I was dehydrated and my electrolytes were low by half way into my trek. My fingers swelled up to something you'd see on "Shrek," and I couldn't finish the last three miles. Lesson of the day for me was to always bring water or Gatorade on runs of more than four miles.  If Gatorade is great for replenishing your body…

There was no group run for Amanda and me this weekend because I jumped on a plane and ran away from these awful, freezing temperatures.   Instead I am in sunny San Diego with my best friend and former college teammate for my first ever half marathon. Although with no training for the 13.1 miles, it may look like more of a train wreck than a race!  It is weird when I think about it, but most of the girls I have stayed in touch with and stayed close with are the girls (now women) I ran with in high school and college.   I suppose over the countless miles and road trips, we formed a bond and a …

Sensei Says: One of my favorite long-sleeved running t-shirts is from high school -- and I've held onto it for 15 or 16 years. (I'm aging myself here). The back of the shirt reads: “Beyond the pain I hit the perfect stride; motion without effort.”  Huh? What on earth does that mean?  I'll tell you what that means.   There is a phenomenon known as runner's high. It is a point in running where you transcend and no longer feel your body or your aches and pains; your body just does what it knows instinctively to do.  The only time that ever happened to me was my sophomore year of high school at …

Sensei says: In high school I had two fantastic coaches. The first was Coach Latus. Coach Latus was a second-mom type of figure for me. She was a strong, supportive woman who encouraged and pushed us to do our best. She was there for us through high school heart breaks, headaches and all the other complaints we had during those turbulent teenage years.  Then there was Coach Wilkerson - aka Wilk. Wilk's methods were a bit more dramatic than Coach Latus's. Wilk was formerly a military police officer in the Marine Corps. He was large and loud (and really nothing more than a softy under it all). …

Sensei says: I don't think anybody who has ever met me would describe me as an intimidating person.  In fact, I think I am quite the opposite. So when Amanda canceled our initial training run the first time, I believed her story that she needed more appropriate gear. It never went through my mind that she could be avoiding me. When she canceled the second, third and fourth times, though, it clicked that maybe Amanda was a little leary of what I had in store for her. Cancelations aside, my little Grasshopper showed up this morning smiling and ready to take whatever I dished out. While I know …

Sensei says... When my friend and editor, Amanda, approached me about training for a race and writing a column about the experience, a thought went through my head: easiest money I've ever made. You see, before I owned the title of "Mom" or that of "Writer," I always proudly wore the label of Sara-Summer, "The Runner."  I started running at the early age of 6, but didn't become a real runner until I was 12 and started running cross country in middle school. It was a title I was proud of and worked hard for. I ran cross country and track in middle school; I added winter track to the mix in …