I remember as I ran one of my first races I looked into the crowd and saw a woman holding a sign that read “Trip the Kenyans.” It made me laugh… or at least it made me it forget how much my legs hurt at that particular moment.

Showing off my bling after the 2012 LA Marathon. At this point I wasn’t certain if I still had legs.

As most runners know, many of the best marathoners in the world hail from Kenya and they constantly seem to be standing on the winner’s podium. I personally wouldn’t know; while they’re getting their trophies, checks and new cars, I’m still trudging along on the course. But my friends tell me this is the case.

As a middle-of-the-pack runner (and damn proud of it), I know that I can never compete with the Kenyans. They are artists who work in the medium of running and I’m just runner #13943 trapped in the midst of a sweaty sea of moving bodies. But I can dream of tripping the Kenyans (or anyone else around me for that matter) and working my way one step closer to the runner’s “holy grail” of standing on the podium.

Or…

I can embrace the fact that I’m truly only competing against myself and just strive to be the best runner I can be. I can appreciate the good I’m doing my body and spirit by exercising. I can relish in the camaraderie of friends and my fellow runners. I can enjoy both the solitude of the solo run and the thrill of racing alongside 45,000 other determined runners. And I can stop taking myself so seriously and laugh at the inherent absurdities that go along with being a dedicated distance runner (“nip guards” anybody).

That’s what’s behind the name and what this site is all about… live, laugh, love and run.

That said, if I ever find myself running alongside Geoffrey Mutai in the final straightaway of the Boston Marathon, I’m going to sweep the knee.

Run on!

Note: I don’t condone you actually tripping a Kenyan, but since they’re so damn fast it’d be next to impossible to catch up to one of those runners in the first place.