In the loopy world of blogs, this is the first post you'll see. For us, it's the last.

From the time this blog launched with several contributors, it has always been in a bit of a gerrymandered space between the sports and health worlds, with some transportation and food thrown in.

We've lost some voices in the year since then, so it's with some relief that those of us still active move to Picture of Health this month. We hope you'll come with us so we won't have to miss you.

It's been fun. Thanks for all the comments!

Photo credit: Getty Images

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 6:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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I’m not sure I’ll get to run it this year, but either way, I’m incredibly excited about the expansion of the Hot Chocolate 15K/5K, which is coming up a week from today in Washington. (There are also editions of the race in several other cities, including Chicago and San Diego – here’s hoping for a Baltimore event next year.)

In celebration, here’s my favorite cocoa recipe.

My wife swears I showed her how to make this. I swear the opposite. I’m the one with the computer, so I win for now. Either way, it’s really good.

Renee Maynard’s hot cocoa

In medium saucepan, heat 3 Tbspn of water to boiling, then reduce so water is merely steaming.
Stir in 6-7 Tbspn of baking cocoa, forming a pudding-like mix.
Stir in 2-3 Tbspn of sugar.
Stir in 1 tspn cinnamon.
Stir in 1 tspn vanilla.
Keep stirring slowly and constantly. After mix becomes smooth, reduce heat further to avoid burning.
Add 4 cups of milk, with the first two cups being added a quarter-cup at a time, stirring thoroughly after each addition to keep consistency even.

If it’s not verboten in your house, I’d recommend serving this with marshmallows: The cocoa is wonderfully bitter – note that I don’t call it “hot chocolate” since it’s almost sugarless – and while I love it that way, I imagine some people would welcome the extra sweetness marshmallows can add. I'm not a fan of crushed candy canes, but if that's your fancy, feel free to add those as well.

What other potential cocoa condiments am I forgetting? I know I’ve tried whipped cream before, with varying results.

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 7:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Events, Outdoors, Running, Washington, Weekend
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The Rails to Trails Conservancy sent out an e-mail blast to supporters this morning in hopes of giving Sen. Ben Cardin an earful from walkers, runners and cyclists.

Here's a piece of the missive:

Continue reading "Conservancy to Cardin: Don't defund us, bro" »

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Bicycling, Outdoors, Politics, Running, Safety, Traffic, Walking, Washington
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Baltimore lagged a bit behind its neighbors in the Zipcar department -- we finally got them last summer, long after Washington and Philadelphia -- but it looks like we might not be so poky when it comes to an organized system of public bikes for pay.

Continue reading "Coming soon: Bike sharing in Baltimore" »

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Bicycling, City of Baltimore, Newbies, Outdoors, Traffic, Washington
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A WTOP article this morning about Metro being a non-option for athletes at tomorrow's National Marathon left me wondering: How frequently does this kind of logjam occur?

(For what it's worth, spectators can still use the system.)

Continue reading "Comparing marathon start times" »

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Baltimore Running Festival, Marine Corps Marathon, National Marathon, Philadelphia, Running, Traffic, Washington
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When the Suntrust National Marathon starts at 7 a.m. Saturday, Lisa Reichmann will already have been up for about 3 hours.

For the top Maryland woman at last spring's event, that won't be a huge change. "I wake up every morning at 4:15," says Reichmann, a former attorney who's now a full-time parent for three young children.

She will go to pick up a friend at 4:30, then drive southeast from Gaithersburg to the area near RFK stadium, where she'll join more than 15,000 people in the combined marathon, half-marathon and team relay.

Continue reading "2011 National Marathon preview" »

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 7:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: National Marathon, Running, Washington, Weekend
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According to marylandweather.com, we can expect temperatures just above freezing for the Suntrust National Marathon on Saturday: As of this morning, the predicted high is 45°, with a potential low for the day of 35°.

I've been running in shorts lately, but that temperature range would definitely be tights/hat/gloves weather for me, especially considering the early 7 a.m. start time.

Continue reading "Forecast for Saturday's marathon in Washington: A bit chilly" »

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: National Marathon, Running, Washington, Weekend
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What I’m doing: I'll be going down to watch the National Marathon on Saturday, then probably doing some makeup mileage on Sunday.

Why: I've never seen this relatively new race -- this will be its sixth year -- and while it's not as big as autumn's Marine Corps Marathon, I respect the ambition that it takes to call yourself the National Anything right out of the gate.

What else I recommend: The Keep Your Colon Rollin 5K gets 10 points just for its name. I know nothing else about this race. I'm also curious about the Great Escape 5K in Cumberland (both links after the jump).

Other options:

Continue reading "Weekly walking/running roundup" »

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Events, National Marathon, Running, Triathlon, Walking, Washington, Weekly roundups
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Registration for the Marine Corps Marathon begins tomorrow, Feb. 23, at noon.

The race site's registration page currently links to sister events. While it doesn't have the prize purse of Boston, New York or Chicago -- nor even Baltimore -- the MCM is one of the largest races in the country, and with that in mind, I would plan to sign up quickly if you want a spot.

Continue reading "MCM registration opens tomorrow" »

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 3:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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As a bit of a companion to last week's post about trail/road intersections, here's some new information: In Virginia, a test of lines on the road -- some a bit bizarre -- at trail intersections appears to be a success.

Continue reading "Report: Strange lines help at trail crossings" »

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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There's a fantastic little debate going on right now over at Wash Cycle about whether right-of-way is sometimes a curse for cyclists and pedestrians. To briefly paraphrase the author's point: Signage at certain trail crossings breed ambiguity and danger, so it's worth arguing that planners removing white crosswalk lines from some mid-block crossings might actually be doing cyclists a favor in terms of safety, regardless of whether it's legal or bike-friendly to do so.

To be honest, the conversation has way too many subtleties to re-voice here without simply duplicating most of the source post. I strongly suggest a look at Wash Cycle's version. It's quite interesting.

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Continue reading "Top marathon finishers" »

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Marine Corps Marathon, Running, Washington
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Jacob Bradorsky of Centerville, Ohio has won the 35gth Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC.

More updates to come.

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Marine Corps Marathon, Running, Washington
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The 2010 Marine Corps Marathon has now passed the halfway point, with the 10K having been completed.

The male and female winners of that event, Mark Pepple and Alemtsehay Misganaw, respectively, are both originally from other areas: Misganaw was registered as a Howard County resident but labels herself a New Yorker, and Pepple came here from New Mexico, where he recently moved after going to school in Gainesville, Fla.

The differences between the two are rather extreme: Misganaw is a seasoned road runner at distances from the 10K to the half-marathon and is sponsored by Adidas, while this is Pepple's first road 10K. Pepple enjoyed the conditions on the course: Though the last hill was "rough," he said the temperature and running conditions were agreeable.

In the marathon itself, Gurmessa Megerssa, who is also listed as a Howard County resident, is in third place as of the halfway mark. Leading is Alexander McGregor of Woodbridge, Va, followed by Kurt Michaels Bozeman of Montana.

Continue reading "Marine Corps Marathon update" »

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 9:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Marine Corps Marathon, Running, Washington, Weekend
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While not offering specifics, U.S. Marine Col. Dan Choike called the measures -- being developed in conjunction with the FBI and local authorities -- "robust" and said there would be no delays to the race schedule.

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Marine Corps Marathon, Politics, Running, Safety, Washington
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I'll be doing sporadic updates from Washington on Sunday, giving a few glimpses of how the big race is going.

We won't exactly go nuts on marathon coverage this week, since the Marine Corps event is much less of a local spectacle than mid-October's Baltimore Running Festival. However, I couldn't resist the idea of going down and watching a few friends as they ran this year's race, with a family visit planned after that. If I'm feeling spunky, there might even be some pictures.

See my twitter feed and check back in our Marine Corps Marathon category for my perspective from the Sunday marathon.

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Marine Corps Marathon, Running, Washington
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In anticipation of the The Marine Corps Marathon this weekend, The Washington Post has produced this excellent interactive graphic on what happens to to your body when you run a race without the proper training.

After the Baltimore Marathon, I got a very enthusiastic e-mail from someone who was bragging that they finished the marathon without a single day of training (or any running at all) before hand. All I could do was shake my head.

Aside from the fact that this person basically stole a finisher's medal (he didn't pay to enter the race either, isn't that awesome?!) I thought that it was probably a terrible thing to do to one's body.

The graphic also explains how a well-trained body reacts to a marathon. Check it out, it's pretty neat.

Posted by Anica Butler at 3:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Washington
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