I had fantasies of finishing my first half-marathon in less than two hours and being greeted by Paul down on one knee, but I wasn't disappointed at my 2:06 time and the proud grin on my boyfriend's (still-not-fiance's) face as I finished, because I was having a heck of a lot of fun.

Getting up on a Saturday morning, lacing up my shoes and going for a run in Central Park was something I wanted in my life. So nearly 12 months ago, for my New Year's resolution, I decided I would not just "learn to run" but also complete a 5k race before the ball dropped on 2013.

Last year my kids joined First Lady Michelle Obama on the White House lawn to help National Geographic Kids break the record for jumping jacks. This year they'll be doing a 100-meter run to help break the Guinness World Record for the most people to run 100 meters in 24 hours.

Even as we are reduced to bib numbers and the singlet of our running club, and even as each race is an individual race with our own mind and body, there is something very social that happens once we get spread out across the course.

A condition that many runners seek treatment for is associated with a painful bump on the back of the heel, caused by the back of the shoe consistently rubbing against the heel.

Dog-bites or chase incidents are not that rare, especially if you run in a city or town with many dogs. Here are some tips for runners, cyclists and dog owners to help remedy the problem.