Mike Antonucci

My Blog/Website

About Me

I ran 6-minute miles when I was in the military, then tapered for 20 years. Two-time marathoner (3:43 PR), my next goal is to stay healthy enough to run another. There are literally thousands of people handing out running advice and serious tips. I prefer to focus on the humorous or odd facets of our shared obsession. Let's face it, running is funny.

My Posts

• Two Arms!

  I love running. I don’t love swimming, biking, push-ups, weightlifting, discus throwing,... 

• Olympic Dance-Off

  Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell of Jamaica are both teammates and rivals. They both have Olympic... 

• Life is a Carnival…of Running

  I needed to free up my eponymous blog for other writing endeavors and so decided last month... 

• My Best Worst Race

  I took a short break from writing about running because I had to take a short break from running.... 

• Five Running Videos You Should Watch

  Running may not be the best spectator sport, but compelling running makes for compelling... 

• Running Through the Graveyard

  Last weekend I ran a local 5k that was conventional in every way but one—the race began... 

• Nice Guys Finish Last

  The Olympics begin in two weeks, and as much as we admire all those amazing athletes from... 

• Celebrities Who Have Never Run a Marathon

  One of CompleteRunning.com’s most popular columns of all-time is a list of 25 Celebrities... 

• Running for Viagra

  Dateline London: “Athletes looking for a performance boost are increasingly turning... 

• Running on Independence Day

  I happen to be in Washington, DC for this Independence Day weekend, and how better to celebrate... 

• iPlod

  There is plenty of advice here, and on other websites, about how to improve your running.... 

• Sabotage

  Writing a humor column about running isn’t exactly curing cancer, but I have pride,... 

• Before You Were a Runner

  Before you were a runner there is no way you would have paid $90 for a pair of sneakers–every... 

• Running for Office

  Politics is a marathon, not a sprint. That is, of course, unless you entered the ACLI Capital... 

• No Excuses II

  Too old to win anymore? Here’s one race that levels the playing field for veteran runners. The... 

• The Funniest Treadmill Videos of All Time

  Sure, anyone can post a video of a treadmill accident on the Internet, but it takes thought... 

• Las Vegas Marathon in Financial Trouble

  The dirty laundry of some big city marathons is being aired in public. Oddly enough, the organizers... 

• Marathon Race Report: 490 BC

  The following is excerpted from a document recently discovered during an archaeological dig... 

• How to Run Faster

  Type that phrase into Google and you get 43,000 hits (plus 48 videos). But who wants to go... 

• Blowing the Cover Off Diva Night

  Until last week, I thought running was about shin splints, pasta, sweat, fartleks and “the... 

• Slow Down!

  If you could determine the one bit of running advice dispensed and received more often than... 

• The Golden Years

  In running, being over the hill just means you’re picking up steam. If the blogosphere... 

• Do You Dress the Way You Run?

  Does your running apparel correctly reflect your running status? Ah yes, as if we didn’t... 

• Tragedy Strikes at Sri Lanka Marathon

  A marathon suicide bomber killed 12 people in Sri Lanka this weekend. Among the victims were AKPC_IDS... 

• Runner’s High? Or Runner’s Madness?

  Runner’s high? Doesn’t running have enough benefits without having to be an intoxicant? AKPC_IDS... 

• Live From Boston, It’s Patriots’ Day!

  I don’t know how many other Californians take Patriots’ Day off, but I’ll... 

• The Agony of De-Feet

  The Boston Marathon. The Peachtree Road Race. The Fifth Avenue Mile. And now, the Glamour... 

• Remora Runner

  Back when I was a kid (you know, right around the time of the Civil War), one of the most... 

• The Miracle Cure

  Runners can entertain each other for hours talking about the symptoms and effects of various... 

• The Most Pointless Marathon Story Ever Written

  Yes, it’s a provocative charge, but what else can you say about a Reuters story by Alastair... 

• The Way to Go

  I promise not to be graphic in discussing this topic, but I will be candid. I’ll also... 

• Running With the Chowhounds

  Most runners choose races based on the location, the terrain, the crowds, or the reputation.... 

• Back of the Pack

  A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my turn near the front of my half-marathon training group... 

• Thumbs Up for “Spirit of the Marathon”

  You have never seen so many fit and healthy people in a movie theater. AKPC_IDS += "1327,"; Read More →

• The View From the Front

  My lovely wife signed up for a 10-week half-marathon training program and I decided to join... 

• Men in Tights: Tips

  Women tend to have their body image issues during the warm weather months, but some of us... 

• New Year’s Resolutions, Etc.

  January is a strange time of year for runners, since we are already taking care of many of... 

• Timing Tag Problems Get Bigger

  It’s a public relations predicament when 15 percent of your marathoners don’t... 

• Honolulu Marathon Suffers Chip Slip

  Ah, the joys of technology. It was only a few years ago that most road races still used manual... 

• Bummed

  It is hardly unusual to experience what some have called post-marathon depression. You have... 

• Marathons Going for the Gold?

  Except for the traffic problems they cause, you would have to say that big city marathons... 

• Runner’s Tan

  The dog days of summer are long gone. It’s cold, dark and damp outside. Some of you... 

• Roadkill

  As I lay face-down in the gravel, bleeding, my mind searched frantically for the answer to... 

• So, Am I A Peak Performer?

  Short answer: not yet. It has been two months since I completed the peak performance program... 

• Stuffing My Face for Fitness

  My peak performance training program at Canyon Ranch concluded with meetings with nutritionist... 

• Overmatched by Dumbbells

  I avoided it for as long as I could, but I still ended up in the weight room. If I’m... 

• What Are You Running From?

  If you have been following my trek through the peak performance program at Canyon Ranch in... 

• I Run Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death

  After a long deep sleep and a substantial breakfast I headed out for a morning run with exercise... 

• I’m Full of Wind

  Read the entire account of Mike’s experience: part one, part two, part three, part four,... 

• Torquemada’s Treadmill

  Read the entire account of Mike’s experience: part one, part two, part three, part four,... 

• Them Dry Bones

  Read the entire account of Mike’s experience: part one, part two, part three, and part... 

• Inflaming Opinions

  Read the entire account of Mike’s experience: part one, part two, part three, and part... 

• My Legs Are Eccentric

  Read the entire account of Mike’s experience: part one, part two, part three, and part... 

• A Peek at Peak Performance

  Read the entire account of Mike’s experience: part one, part two, part three, and part... 

• The Worst Part of Running

  I know, I know. We’re not supposed to hate anything about running, right? Certainly... 

• Spousal Support

  What would we do without them? It’s tough getting up on a Sunday morning and doing that... 

• Flexibility: Not Just for Muscles

  You’ve heard it a million times. “Don’t try anything new on race day.”... 

• The Birds, the Bees, and the Yappy Little Dogs

  Animal encounters are the price of sharing the great outdoors with God’s creatures,... 

• Winning the Injury Marathon

  Distance runners are patient people. We have to run for hours to reach our goal. We train... 

• Murphy Was a Runner

  Your chances of an injury rise proportionally with the amount of the entry fee you just paid. If... 

• Run Against Your Old Self

  Whether you have been running for two weeks or two decades, you are constantly asking yourself,...