First there was this:

Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin - by John Cloud

And now, 1 week before the NYC ING Marathon day, there’s this:

Plodders Have a Place, but Is It in a Marathon? - by Juliet Macur

(you might have to create an account or sign-in to read it but it’s worth it)

Anyone who writes an article criticizing a movement of people who jog or walk 26.2 miles can kiss my FIT ASS! It’s not about how fast marathoners run, jog or walk a marathon—the point is people are out there doing it and that’s a HUGE accomplishment.

The NYC ING Marathon brings tens of thousands of unique people together from all over the world on a day that celebrates athleticism. It might as well be a holiday given the amount of people that run. Athletes and fans form a special bond on marathon day because dreams are being lived out on New York City streets.

Juliet Macur’s article belittles the meaning of marathon day for all...

Runners in Prospect Park, Brooklyn and in cities worldwide (24 registered cities) wore the same red race shirt yesterday and gathered to participate in what Nike called “The Day the World Runs”. It was a fun 10K race and Prospect Park’s scenery was fantastic. Luckily, the rain gods were kind and the race was rain-free on Saturday morning at 8am. 3,464 runners participated and finished with an average pace time of 1:02:55. Overall, I was impressed with the organization of the race and the events that followed. Nike had tents set up for product giveaways and testing, free food and snacks, and race results. Basically, it was a star wars convention for runners. But hey, runners should dork-out too, i.e. pics of me before and after completing the race with my friend, Nicole.

I must say, I love the Nike + Human Race shirt! I’ll definitely be wearing mine again unlike other race shirts which usually end up at the salvation army. The race shirts are nicely...

I had to see it to believe it. SPiN New York is a new underground table tennis gym & lounge. You can call it a social club if you like, but this stylish haunt was designed for serious ping pong action. Expect to see the sport’s finest professionals (who are surprisingly young and not of drinking age) along with sideline spectators who either once had their heyday in Beijing or happen to be Susan Sarandon (SPiN’s primary investor and ping pong die hard). Todd Oldham and Fred Perry are to thank for SPiN’s chic and sporty interior design. The club, on the other hand, is never too chic for breaking a sweat. Besides, you can always shower in the club locker rooms. When it’s time to refuel, definitely check out the menu. The smoothie selection is both healthy and mouth-watering. Even the free popcorn is tasty (cinnamon popcorn cones make the rounds).

Every Friday night SPiN invites North America’s best players to battle it out on their stadium court for #1 and a cash...

My heart goes out to the families of three brave souls who died today before completing the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon in Detroit, Michigan:

Read story HERE.

All three men collapsed near the end of the race. This is tragic news, but I have to assume they died doing something they loved very much. And wherever they are now, I’m sure they crossed their finish line triumphantly.

Do you think physical examinations and screenings should be required of athletes before participating in extreme sporting events like the marathon, triathlon and Ironman?

I’m not 100% sure where I stand on this, but I think if a doctor were to tell me I was unfit to run a marathon I’d be just as happy participating as a cheering spectator. Then again, what if the doctors happened to be wrong or overly cautious? Would you trust your own intuition and run, or not?

Lululemon was founded in 1998 by Chip Wilson, a surfer and snowboarder who discovered yoga, became a fanatic and subsequently opened a storefront in Vancouver, British Columbia. Its Web site explains how Mr. Wilson was looking for a name that would sound authentically North American to appeal to Japanese customers: “In essence, the name ‘lululemon’ has no roots and means nothing other than it has 3 ‘L’s’ in it. Nothing more and nothing less."

-Chant After Them: Super… by MIKE ALBO