School Buses Signal Dawn in Amman, Jordan

In a Muslim country like Jordan, you would expect dawn to be marked by the Imam’s call to prayer. This morning I went for a marathon training run through the hills of Amman, and I found a whole other call to action: school bus horns.

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Frankfurt Airport Layover Adventure: Run an 18-mile Marathon Training Route Through the German Countryside

On my flight to Jordan, I purposely scheduled an 11-hour layover at the Frankfurt (FRA) Airport. Why? So I could do an 18-mile marathon training run through the German countryside. And like my LAX layover done right, it was one of my best airport layover adventures yet.

First, I spent time on Google Maps, planning my run by looking at the Frankfurt airport and surrounding area at maximum magnification. I saw that Germany has a long network of bicycle and walking trails I could follow from the airport to the Rhine River, and along the river to Frankfurt itself and to s-Bhan stations that could take me back to the airport.

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4 Reasons Why RunKeeper is the Best iPhone App for Runners

I’m a runner. I love to run. And I run around the world. But I really dislike most of the run tracking tools.

Then I found RunKeeper, by the way that its been most influential on my running – a Facebook post. I saw a cool run map on Justin Thorp’s profile and clicked through to what is an amazing iPhone application. Here’s the 4 reasons why Runkeeper has bettered my runs:

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Running the Abuja Obstacle Course

If you’re a runner, African can be a challenging place. There are few African joggers to be seen, as running is not really considered a sport to be practiced. Either you’re a good runner and so do it as part of a team, or you don’t run unless needing to for a specific purpose.

So I am often asked why I run across Africa. And looking at the obstacles in my path, you have to wonder how crazy I am. In Africa, any street that is paved, is usually high traffic, forcing me to run on the road shoulder. There I follow the well-trod path that others also take, being vigilant for the common leg-breaking hazards like these…

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National Run to the Border Day!

Its Sunday morning in Lomé, and I’m going for a run to work off the French wines from the night before. I’ve stretched, I’ve power up my running GPS, and its time to go.

Through the back streets I jog, slowly working up my speed, when I see a crew of people running by. “Where are they going?” I think, when I see a second group run by. Know I need to know, I run to join them.

When I reach Boulevard de la Republique, the one paved street in Lomé, I am shocked to find myself in the midst of a sea of runners. It’s Togo’s National Run to the Border Day!!

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