Twitter

 #cbusmarathon (Columbus Marathon 2009) successfully made it into the top Twitter Trending Topics this Sunday, October 18, 2009.

I wasn't able to log into Twitter.com (I didn't even get a fail-whale, bizarre...) - so I used trendistic.com - to see if #cbusmarathon made it into the rankings.

Congrats to TweetMyTime! And to all the runners who made it happen!

Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter, uses Nike+. He recently tweeted that he was stopped at the Los Angeles International Airport for having 'an electronic device embedded' in his shoe.

(click image to enlarge)

Runners attach or embed the Nike+ device - a small accelerometer - into their running shoe.

Thanks for tweet Biz! Now runners know - if you use Nike+ and are flying to your next race - plan to spend a little extra time with the TSA folks.

Packing (not wearing*) your running shoes as a carry-on item is a smart idea. Don't allow a lost baggage incident to turn into a race-day catastrophy.

*I'm a firm believer that running shoes are sacred and should only be used for running in.

• McMillanRunning tweets disappointment in the lack of press coverage for the sport of running. McMillanRunning tweets, "Is our sport dying?"

At the time of posting this blog entry:

Running Times on Twitter had no response http://twitter.com/Runningtimes (they last tweeted on Sep 18th)

LetsRun.com on Twitter had no response http://twitter.com/letsrundotcom (they last tweeted on Sep 11th)

Runner's World on Twitter had no response http://twitter.com/Runnersworld (they last tweeted three hours ago)

In other news...

• WARNING: Twitter Worm Spreading via Direct Messages - You can see the evidence of this in the screen-capture above as well. If you receive a message with 'rofl this you on here?' followed by a URL link - DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK. Learn more here.

• Kudos to the 2009 ING Philadelphia Distance Run for posting a Live Webcast Replay online AND a live blogging replay of the race.

Miles ran - 8 (yesterday)

Hashtags are a great way to organize your tweets and target an audience that is interested in your running event or topic.

It's also easier to track and participate in conversations and communicate with fellow runners and racers in real-time by using hashtags.

Hashtags are currently being used by runners using the #marathon and #cityname. For example, #Chicago #marathon

Examples of hashtags being used for major marathons:

• Boston Marathon - #boston_marathon
• New York City Marathon - #nycmarathon
• Chicago Marathon - #chicagomarathon

Want to tweet using hashtags at your next race?

#thecityyourrunningin (i.e., Chicago, Denver, etc.) +

#marathon
#half-marathon
#running
#ultramarathon
#trackandfield

Learn more about Hashtags:

• What the hashtag?!
• #hashtags
• HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Twitter #Hashtags
• Twitter Fan Wiki - Hashtags

Miles ran - 4