Running Shorts

I did it. I solved the world's problems on a recent run. Runners have a tendency to do that sort of thing. So the central problem is this: how do you make running a more popular sport? Wait, what? I thought running was already hugely popular? Isn't that what this whole "running boom" thing has been for the past 15 years? Aren't there millions of people who finish races every year? For the nerds (like me), check out some of the stats here . But that's precisely the issue. Running is a wildly popular activity, but it's a fairly unpopular sport . Meaning, people all over the country participate in running -- they go for a run, join a training group, sign up for a road race, etc. -- but very few people follow the professional side. And what's really interesting is that as more and more people have taken up running, fewer and fewer people have been following the pros. Media coverage of the sport, while once a mainstay in Sports Illustrated and on ESPN...

I'm not a cyclist. I'm not a cycling fan. I've never ridden in a cycling race, and I couldn't name many of the top cyclists in the world. I spent no more than $250 on a used road bike, which I use more for commuting than training. For 49 weeks out of the year, I could care less about cycling. But for the other three weeks, it's all I have on TV. The Tour de France is awesome, and NBC Sports Network's coverage of it is fantastic -- enough to make a fan out of me, at least for a few weeks. For four to five hours a day, for 21 straight days, they broadcast and cover each stage live. And you're telling me we can do the same thing for two-hour footraces only three times per year? (Chicago, New York, Boston) Here's what, to me, makes the Tour so compelling to watch: 1. The commentators are incredibly well researched and knowledgeable about the race course and the riders in the field. They know everyone and their results (and they let you know), not jus...

So I never actually posted much of a response to the 2013 Boston Marathon, even though I participated in one of the most infamous sports events in recent memory. I'm not really a big fan of rushing to judgment or making quick emotional responses, and in the immediate aftermath of the race every response was bound to be emotional. One year is plenty of time removed from the race, time to gain some perspective on the race itself and aftermath of the race. What are some of the take-aways from the event? 1. Finishing time from last year is irrelevant. After everything that went down, one's finishing time seems wildly insignificant. It just goes to show that there are more important things in the real world than athletic competition. 2a. Boston (and the country, to an extent) rallied around the sports community. We really saw the escapist and healing power of sports. If you've ever wondering why we partake in athletics, we learned why: they put our best qualities on displa...