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The Philadelphia Marathon is fast approaching — and this year it seems like time is going by quicker than usual. Or maybe it’s us who are getting faster?

Marathoners have long been practicing speed work and running intervals to finish faster in hopes of qualifying for other races or achieving a personal record. I have been practicing Jeff Galloway’s method of running hard for a minute and alternating with an easier, slower minute to increase aerobic performance. After trying this out for a few runs, I’ve noticed a big difference in my times. I’ve gotten quicker, despite slowing down for a specific period of time.

And I’m not the only one who is getting quicker as race time approaches. According to Athlinks, a Web site that records the time of thousands of runners in more than 100,000 races, athletes are finishing faster than ever before and the sport of running is growing every day. Thus, more athletes are qualifying for top-tier races like the Boston Marathon and race registration capacity is being met earlier every year.

Registration is also moving at a record pace. This year, our race registration has reached more than 10,000 runners — an increase of 40 percent from last year.  Many athletes enjoy running the Philadelphia Marathon because it is beautiful and a personal record is often achievable due to its mostly flat course. It is agreed that Philadelphia continues to be a “Best Place to Run a Boston Qualifier,” as Runner’s World reported in 2007.

So from one runner to another, I would also recommend signing up quickly. This year will sell out earlier than ever before. (Plus, you can save $30 by registering before next Monday, August 31. After then, it is $125 to register until the race sells out.) 

As always, each post is an open invitation to comment on your experiences. Are you getting faster, too? If so, hurry up and tell us about it!

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“My wife just finished a marathon,” Jeff told my friend. When he was asked how she became interested in training for long distances while taking care of a small child full time, he answered honestly, “Our son sleeps pretty soundly in the stroller while she goes for a jog, so her runs just kept getting longer and longer. Before we knew it, she was training for a marathon.”

In the world of moms, time is definitely at a premium. I’ve had a friend tell me that she must choose between showering, eating or calling back a dear friend (in this case it was me) during the precious minutes in her home known as naptime.  So it’s no wonder that Jeff’s wife was excited when she found she could fit in her runs while her son was napping.

While I don’t have a child, the jogging stroller intrigued me. I always see impressively fit women gliding them along Kelly Drive or, more embarrassingly, quickly past me in some shorter races.  It’s amazing to me that anyone could maneuver one of those big-wheeled monsters for more than a few miles.

But here’s what I found: jogging with a stroller is not as difficult as it looks. Despite the pricey cost of one (some of them can cost more than $500), jogging strollers are surprisingly light and pretty easy to use. Before I tried it out, I felt like it would be similar to holding onto the bars on a treadmill while running, but you can easily push one with one hand and run at the same time if you’re on a flat surface.

Buying a jogging stroller reads much like buying a car; first, start with a budget, then you need to ask yourself how much room you need (one or two seats?), decide on wheel size based on your running routes (wider tires are better for off-road running while skinny tires are best for running quickly on asphalt) and then of course you need to take into consideration whether the canopy is large enough to shade your child or not.  You also want to consider ventilation for your child and how easily you can fold it up and put it in your car, a mom told me. And because it’s a pretty expensive purchase for most people, a parent should choose a stroller that fits her needs. While some strollers can be ordered assembled, most need to be put together.

Around the nation, stroller running groups have popped up to support parents who train for long distances who want to include their children or simply don’t want to go through the hassle of finding a babysitter. In Lincroft, New Jersey, there is Stroller Strides, a stroller running group for parents. There is also a social networking site that connects parents with fitness groups called Moms on the Move. I haven’t been able to locate an organized running group with strollers in Philadelphia, but if you would like to share one, please feel free to comment on this blog post.

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I love hearing stories about inspiring people who, against all odds, rise above a difficult time and achieve success. I mean, who doesn’t? These are people who inspire us to be better people and push ourselves beyond our abilities.

Recently, I joined my friend Peter, a seasoned marathoner and coach of Back on My Feet, and my best friend, Mara, who suggested the early morning run, to train with the Brotherhood Mission team. I’m sure you have heard of Back on My Feet, but if you haven’t, it’s a nonprofit organization that started right here in Philadelphia and “promotes the self-sufficiency of the homeless population by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem.”

Back on My Feet: The Brotherhood Mission team prepares for an early morning run in Fishtown.

 Despite the alarm clock ringing at the ungodly hour of 4:00 a.m., I sprung out of bed and was excited to meet my new running buddies.  Peter arrived with a smile to pick me and Mara up before heading over to Fishtown to run with his team.

Once I arrived, I was greeted with hugs all around from my new teammates. After stretching we broke up into distance teams of one mile, two miles or three miles. I met a new friend named Frank, so I chose to run with him for two miles.

Along our run, Frank told me about his past struggles with addiction and the recent loss of his father but also his triumphs of sticking to his recovery program and training schedule. Since he entered Brotherhood Mission earlier this year, he has stayed drug-free for nearly all of 2009 and has been running for four months. He said running is saving his life and keeping him on track.

 With his first 10-miler behind him (”It’s the longest I’ve ever run…I didn’t even think I could run that far!”) and a new watch to commemorate successfully running 150 miles (residents are rewarded for milestones in their training), he’s continuing his early morning jogs. This fall, Frank hopes to participate in the Philadelphia Marathon in either the Rothman 8K or half marathon race.

“Running means staying healthy and being fit,” said Frank. “I also do it for the hugs,” referring to the warm embraces of his teammates before and after all runs.

Like Frank, I’m also looking forward to the hugs and many more miles with Frank and the rest of the team at Brotherhood Mission.

To learn more or get involved with Back on My Feet, visit http://philadelphia.backonmyfeet.org. To submit your own stories about what running means to you and enter for a chance to run the Philadelphia Marathon for free, check out runningmeans.com.

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