A Runner's Dilemma (blog) workouts, reviews, news
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1. A Runner Dies, A Runner Wins, A Runner Runs (to End Homelessness)
2. Get Trained by an Olympian
3. A Runner's Dilemma
4. Ice Cream Running
5. Red Bandana: Charlie Sheen-free Running (With Excuses)
6. What Kind of Runner Are You?
7. The Colorful Range of Runners
8. Marathon Training Begins (Slowly)
9. Should You Tweet and Run?
10. Dashing Through the Snow – Tips for Runners
11. Fitness Pioneer Jack LaLanne Dies at Age 96 
12. Get Fired Up for Fitness This Winter
13. Don't Let Age Cause You To Scream
14. Resolutely Speaking: Fighting for Fitness in 2011
15. Things a Runner Can Do While Sick
16. Tubby Santa Claus Should Workout
17. Indulge Your Miles at the Brickhouse Bakery and Cafe
18. The Joy of Winter
19. A Run to Remember
20. New Year's Day (A Month Early
21. Thanksgiving and the Common Runner: How to Survive Gorging Yourself
22. Learning BBQ With Steven Raichlen 
23. Do Not Run and Play Air Guitar & "Run to Overcome" by Marathoner Meb Keflezighi Reviewed
24. Lost and Found: Subway's Jared Fogle and Us
25. An Argument for Walking 
26. DeStressing Through a Long Saturday Run
27. High School Students at Chicago Marathon and a 2011 Challenge
28. Are You Running the Chicago Marathon? 
29. Walk, Absorb, Click 
30. Blue Girl Group Cheers On Hundreds of Runners 
31. Walking By An Egyptian Obelisk
32. Only 600,000 Steps To Fitness
33. A Red-tailed Hawk and A BBQ Relapse  
34. A Good Run is (Not) Hard to Find  
35. Finding Fitness Through Running As Told By An Out Of Shape 40-something Guy 

    My TribLocal Profile 

The Red Bandana

Newspaper Column: Part-fitness, Part-joy, All running. The Red Bandana column, appeared Fridays.

I Understand.

I am runner. I have been since I was 13. My weekly column in the Chicago Tribune's western suburban edition examines my experience with falling in and out of commitment.

It is about the joy of running, with an honest look at the struggles. My own situation has been filled with on-again, off-again times working out regularly, and I know I am not the only one.

Why The Red Bandana? That's what I usually wear when I run, indoors or out. It started when I was in high school. My hair was longer, and I thought I looked cool. Now, that bandana soaks up the blood, sweat and tears of a guy who could stand to lose 15 pounds. Mostly just sweat, but no fashion statements are made.

I'm soft, with a gut. I suspect so are you. If running's your thing, and you find the temptations of the couch are a little stronger than they should be, check out my column.

Or, if you love running (and run farther than I ever will), and want to share the joy of exploring the Illinois Prairie Path, treadmills, and the people I meet along the way, click through on the left and join me.

Together, we can taste the fresh scent of spring, swat a few mosquitoes, and limp through a couple miles.

Get Inspired
Rock Balboa tells his son how to live life.