Shortest blog entry ever:

I don't run with music.

Do you run with music?

Why or why not?

Let's go for a run Friday night

*UPDATED AT 4:48 P.M. THURSDAY: 1,843 PEOPLE HAVE SIGNED UP SO FAR! ON-SITE REGISTRATION BEGINS AT 5:30 P.M. FRIDAY...

Uptown workers should save their energy Friday for one of the area's only annual evening races.

Organizers are hoping to register 2,200 runners and walkers for Right Moves for Youth's Twilight 5K, which starts at 7 p.m. by the Wachovia Plaza in uptown Charlotte and requires a quick change of clothes by the 9-to-5 crowd.

Earlier this week, I traded brief e-mails about the Twilight run with race director Shannon Hames, who's also development director for Right Moves for Youth.

Q. I'm excited about this race, because it's one that I don't have to wake up early for on a Saturday. Do you get that reaction a lot?
Yes. We get a lot of people who are glad to have a chance to run in the evening. The runners also seem to really enjoy the post-race party (at George Herman’s). ... People have more energy in the morning, but people seem to really enjoy the evening run.

Q. Were young professionals the target "audience" when the race was created? Seems perfect for them, given the time and location.
Yes, the plan was to give professionals a chance to participate in a healthy activity that helped to support the charity Right Moves for Youth.

Q. Break down the course layout for me. Is it true there's a big hill leading up to the finish?
The first half the race is flat and downhill. The second half is rolling. There is a gradual rise up by Bank of America Stadium; it’s tough, but not unbearable.

Q. I see each runner gets one free beer per runner at the post-race party. Any chance you could make it two?? ;)
You’d have to talk with the owner of George Herman's! ... But we are giving finishing medals to the first 2,100 runners/walkers!

I also asked about post-race showers, which the uptown Y used to offer during the '90s, back in the race's early years. Replied co-organizer Marie Cassis of Event Marketing Services: "The majority of people head over to George Herman's after the race to take in the celebration -- even without a shower. We get that question a lot, too, but we always tell people not to worry ... that they will be in the same company!"

* * *

Registration is $17 ($20 on race day), $12 for kids in grades K through 12. Walkers can register, too, and a free 1K Kids Fun Run will follow at 8 p.m.

8 p.m. is also when the post-race party starts at George Herman’s, located at 144 Brevard Court in Latta Arcade (across the street from Wachovia Plaza). Yes, each guest gets one beer ticket (admission for runners is free, non-runners must pay $3; additional donations are welcomed).

Proceeds from both the race and the party benefit Right Moves for Youth, whose mission is "to provide the motivation for its members in grades 3-12 to succeed in school, improve their quality of life, and become responsible members of society."

For more info on Right Moves for Youth or to sign up for the Twilight 5K, click here.

I'm a slave to my gear. Are you?

Ever more frequently, I look at the corner of my vanity or the corner of my bedroom -- both of which have become dumping grounds for various running accessories -- and wonder, do I really put all this stuff on every time I go out for a run?

If you asked my wife, the answer would be, "No, but you really need to find a drawer for all of this stuff." If you ask me, the answer is: It depends. On how far I'll be running. On where I'll be running. And on who I'll be running with.

In general, though, this is my inventory list for:

• Short runs: Garmin watch with heart monitor, Road ID.

• Long runs: Nathan hydration belt (cellphone tucked into pocket), Garmin watch with heart monitor, Road ID, GU Energy Gel (in hand, so it stays warm).

• Races: SPIbelt (for digital camera or cellphone, depending on mood/circumstances), Garmin watch with heart monitor, Road ID, GU Energy Gel.

Also, on pre-dawn or late-evening runs, I wear a cheapo blinking red light that clips to my waistband. I do not run with music.


What gear will you not leave home without? Are there accessories you're saving for, or planning to buy soon? Are there things you bring on runs that you'd like to give up? (Me, I'm considering ditching the strap-on heart-rate monitor because it sometimes slips, occasionally chafes. Badly.)

Drop your drawers for nudist 5K

Unlike Frank the Tank in "Old School," I've never felt compelled to strip down to my birthday suit and go for a run.


But if I did, I might -- might -- consider participating in the clothing-optional Bare Your Hide 5K, scheduled for the morning of Saturday, May 16, at the Carolina Foothills Resort in Chesnee, S.C. (75 minutes west of Charlotte).

Presented by, ahem, Butts A'runnin Race Enterprises, the run starts at 10 a.m. on gravel roads, transitions to wooded trails, then moves back onto gravel leading up to the finish.

Appropriately, the event is open only to athletes 21 and older. Registration is $25 through Friday, $30 thereafter, via SPORToften. Chip timing will be done by Queen City Timing Services of Mooresville. For full race details, click here.

OK, so I've written most of this with a straight face. But the Beavis in me can't help snickering at the thought of all those, um, appendages flopping around out there. Meanwhile, the realist in me wonders how comfortable can it be for heavier-chested women to run that far without a sports bra ... or for well-endowed dudes to go 3.1 miles without a jock strap.

By the way, it's important to note that the runners out there are likely to resemble a much-older Will Ferrell than Leonardo DiCaprio. (Need proof? Click here to see video from a similar race last month in Statesville.)

And one more thing: The race is closed to the general public, so don't waste your time making the 130-mile round-trip if you're hoping to be a spectator; it's not a peep show!

Cancer survivor is 'rear'ing to go

*UPDATED WITH DETAILS ABOUT THE ORGANIZATIONAL PLANNING MEETING!

Last month, a new 5K quietly slipped onto the race calendar in Raleigh: the Get Your Rear in Gear 5K Run/Walk, which drew less than 350 runners in its first year but raised a chunk of dough that will fund colon and rectal cancer awareness efforts.

The event also has inspired a Queen City woman to try to bring a similar race here.

Susan Falco, 40, herself a colorectal cancer survivor, ran the Raleigh 5K in March and now is formulating a plan to make Charlotte one of more than a dozen U.S. cities that host Get Your Rear in Gear events. (Others can be found from Colchester, Vt., to San Francisco; the whole endeavor resembles the network of Komen Race for the Cure events, on a smaller scale.)

I've traded several e-mails with Susan over the past week, and it's clear she's serious. But she also needs serious help, as would anyone in her situation -- she doesn't have experience putting together significant races.

So I've agreed to help her get the word out. Here's the word according to Susan:

I was the worst track and field runner in the history of my New Jersey high school. At 4 feet 11 inches, I was working double-time to keep up with kids twice my size. Let's just say running was not my sport back then.

So I stayed away from it. For a loooong time. Then ... a year ago, I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

Over the next several months, I endured pain, anxiety, stress and hospital visits. Yet this crazy disease wound up giving me amazing gifts -- one of them was that six months after major surgery, I decided to put on a pair of running sneakers. I haven't looked back since.

And now, more than 20 years after my dubious high school track career ended, running has become a lifeline for me.

My first race was Charlotte's Jingle Jog 5K this past December. 3.1 miles might not be a big deal for some, but for a cancer survivor, it was surreal. I choked up at the first mile marker and finished the race as if I'd won.

So far, I've run three races, and have beaten my personal best each time. After running in Raleigh's Get Your Rear in Gear 5K for colorectal cancer in March, I vowed to bring this race to Charlotte.

I am doing this with the help of other young women who are survivors of the same cancer. We are at the very beginning stages of this process -- our first planning meeting will be held on Thursday, May 7, in Matthews, and I hope to select a date for the run a few weeks after that.

This will be a huge undertaking, and we'll need all the help we can get.

Thursday night's organizational team meeting will be held in the community conference room at the Matthews public library from 7 to 8:45 p.m. The branch is at 230 Matthews Station St. (click here for a map).

If you're interested in attending (no race-planning experience necessary!), drop Susan an e-mail at sue.falco@yahoo.com. If you'd like more information about Get Your Rear in Gear events and Colon Cancer Coalition efforts, click here.

Small race? A welcome change of pace

After having run with 30,000 people at the Cooper River Bridge Run, 12,000 in the Georgia Marathon/Half Marathon and 2,000 at RaceFest ... it was actually kinda nice to do a local 5K with just a few hundred others.

The Great Harvest Bread Co. 5K -- held just south of uptown, on the fringes of Dilworth and Elizabeth -- hosted less than 400 runners Saturday morning. There were no bottlenecks at the start, at the water station, or at the finish. No lines at the Port-a-Potties, at the chip pickup table, or for the post-race snacks. Out on the course, at times, I was practically running alone.

The laid-back atmosphere no doubt contributed to my PR of 22:27, despite the humidity and the climb on Hawthorne Lane in Mile 2. (I also got some help from the downhill finish. Whoever designed the course, thanks for doing that!)

I actually went in with the goal of medalling in my division (men 35 to 39). Disappointingly, I came up 11 seconds short ... and, even more disappointingly, I didn't even place fourth, or fifth, in my group. Two other guys beat me by just a few seconds!! Sigh.

Anyway, had some yummy treats afterward, including the cinnamon chip loaf from Great Harvest, Melting Pot's chocolate-covered strawberries, and fresh fruit from Edible Arrangements. Only disappointment was that the Chick-fil-A sandwiches were gone by the time I realized they had been available.

Runners check their times after the Great Harvest Bread Co. 5K.

Also chatted with two readers: Kathy Seavers, who won her division (women 60-64) with an impressive 24:25; and York, S.C. resident Denny Wells (I hope I'm getting that right), who finished in 25 and change. I ran into Denny both before and after -- something that NEVER would have happened at an event with 10,000 runners.

Small races. They're fun to run every once in awhile, no?

Fall marathons are filling up fast

The big ones are, at least.

The Marine Corps Marathon (a.k.a. "The People's Marathon") reached its 30,000-runner capacity on April 17, 16 days after registration opened; it's being run on Sunday, Oct. 25. The Chicago Marathon -- which is two Sundays earlier, on Oct. 11 -- also recently hit its limit of 45,000 participants. And, of course, if you're interested in the New York City Marathon, take a number and get in line. (But do it fast -- applications are only being accepted through 11:59 p.m. June 1.)

What are runners who'd like to do a great-big fall marathon on the East Coast left with? Well, here are a couple of suggestions, courtesy of Runner's World's 2009 Marathon Guide:

• A potentially good option for people who do best in the coldest temps is the Philadelphia Marathon, which is tucked way back on Nov. 22 (that's the Sunday before Thanksgiving). Runner's World said Philly has "the big-city excitement of New York City" and praised the route: "Philly's figure-eight course shows off two sides of the City of Brotherly Love. The first 10 miles take runners past major landmarks, including Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the art museum (whose steps were immortalized by Rocky). Later, runners pass through 8,700-acre Fairmount Park before cruising along the peaceful Schuylkill River."

• The other backup to consider is the Richmond Marathon, which -- being barely a five-hour drive from Charlotte -- is the more driveable option. In calling it a good alternative to Marine Corps, Runner's World said: "Richmond puts on such a great event, most runners aren't disappointed by the change in plans. ... The day before the race, organizers offer free bus tours of the course, each led by an experienced Richmond marathoner. During the race, volunteers hand out wet washcloths so you can wipe away eye-stinging sweat. ... Miles 17 and 23 feature junk-food stations with gummy bears, cookies, and Coca-Cola."

Oh, and one last thing: If you're seeking a full big-race experience at half the distance, be aware that registration for the NYC Half Marathon opens at noon today. In previous years, runners could only get in via the lottery system; this year, it's first-come, first served, and the cap is 10,000 -- so hurry if you want in. For details, click here.