Speaking of feet

By Marlene Farrell RunWenatchee.com To run well and run far requires applying my body, making it work for me to achieve a goal. I try to take care of the tools that help me train and race. As mileage increases, my quads, hamstrings and calves might yelp in pain, so I foam roll to unwind…
Owen Bard earns ticket to Junior Nationals

By Marlene Farrell RunWenatchee.com A lot of runners hang up their shoes in the winter, or at least pare their training back to a maintenance level. Younger runners wrapped up their cross country seasons weeks ago. Not so for Owen Bard. This wiry 14-year-old, who calls Leavenworth home after transplanting from Twisp two years ago,…
My romance with running

By Marlene Farrell RunWenatchee.com My relationship with running changes over time. Sometimes I feel the height of passion, when running takes precedence and monopolizes my thoughts. Other times the relationship is very platonic, like I could take or leave it, and runs are a version of “going through the motions.” I can’t predict what will…
Sharing the trail with middle-school runners

By Marlene Farrell RunWenatchee.com Coaching middle schoolers in cross country running requires a delicate hand. Every year Coach Eric and I have a band of thoroughbreds ready to hit a trail. They’ll run, with little wasted motion, on and on. The vast majority of these young runners, however, need guidance every step of the way….
Stirred by a storm

By Marlene Farrell RunWenatchee.com After a day of mostly sitting (three hours in a car and all-day conference sessions), a window opened — a chance to leap away from my warm drowsy stillness. To run! The weather happened to be crazy. Gales were bombarding the Puget Sound. Being inland by about 15 miles as…