The Carnival of Running #4

Welcome to the 4th edition of The Carnival of Running!

With Halloween coming up, we have some scary stuff for you this week. But first, stop, collaborate and listen as we answer the all-important question: How do you properly warm up for the Denver Gorilla Run?

Yep, it’s strange in Colorado. And as we’ve already warned you, just down the road from Denver is the Boulder Naked Pumpkin Run. The Daily Camera reports the story, which piques the interest of writer Dave Barry.

But there are even scarier things out there. See Kai Run. See Kai Eat‘s foot blister for one. Although I must admit the bulgolgi looks appetizing. I haven’t had bulgolgi since the officers’ club at Osan Air Base in 1986.

Which segues quite neatly into a question posed by 5ksandcabernets: What is the proper etiquette for passing gas while on a run with a friend or group?

Tirunesh Dibaba wasn’t dressed for Halloween, but her groom might have been. Is that a zoot suit, or what?

Even weirder was the VIP Porta Potty set up at the Marine Corps Marathon for anyone wearing Brooks shoes. It was manned by “a team of Brooks bathroom attendants,” who were, I suppose, on duty.

Election Day is also coming up, and fans of Sarah Palin came upon her running on the campaign trail in Ohio. We would like to balance that with a tale of an Obama running encounter, but Katie Couric tells us he prefers the treadmill.

Absolut(ly) Fit presents evidence that Palin’s 3:59 marathon time might supplant Oprah’s as the time to beat, and also wonders about a fellow runner’s “plastic banana holder.” We’re happy to clear up any confusion.

Of course, this time of year is also prime marathon season, and we’ve got a trio of race reports for you. The best race reports are of the runner’s first marathon, and Running into the Sun had a pretty impressive debut.

Diary of a Rubbish Marathon Runner belies the name of his blog by taking more than an hour off his marathon time in 4 years.

After writing a marathon race report, literally, seesrodrun wants to master the short game.

Of course, if you haven’t already run your race, you’re probably preparing for one, just like restaurateur, runner and, well, glutton, Joe Bastianich.

Training requires dedication. If it’s tough for you, imagine balancing tapering, race nutrition, and Type 1 diabetes, like Sweet Victory.

Marathon Mama did an 18-miler on the treadmill, reporting “It got so bad by mile 17 that I spent the last mile staring at some random red button on the wall in my garage (perhaps it opens a portal into a universe of sloth).”

But perhaps the ultimate sacrifice was made by Runner Leana, who passed up a date in order to train. Would you?

Of course, sometimes you wonder if the sacrifices are worth it. Feet Meet Street can’t figure out why chunky people keep passing him if distance runners are supposed to be thin to excel. Viper thinks he’s slowing down, but probably not. Crunchy Nanas finds a hidden benefit to running – staying warm in the cold weather.

But there are other things to do besides run, like thinking about running, reading about running, and viewing running movies.

Between the Miles compiled a bucket list of races, two of which I’ve run myself and can highly recommend.

Run to Win has everything you want to know about the just-released Run for Your Life: The Fred Lebow Story, while Twenty Six Point Two reviews the book Running the Spiritual Path.

If you’re listening to music while running, Team Cross Runs wants to make sure you take care of your buds, ear buds, that is.

Finally, in breaking news, the Running News Guy reveals that the Chicago Distance Classic has been sold and will become the Chicago Rock-N-Roll half marathon.

That’s all for this week, friends. Submit your posts to carnival@runningisfunny.com. Remember to vote, unless you disagree with me, in which case you should stay home. Now run away!