As the old adage goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. That may be true, but what about this: you can lead a donkey to the road, but you can’t make him run.

That’s the question asked by author Christopher McDougall in his new book “Running with Sherman: The Donkey with the Heart of a Hero” (Knopf, $27,95). In this nonfiction account, McDougall tells the story of Sherman, the donkey that he and his family rescued. From sad, almost tragic beginnings, we watch as Sherman – thanks to the boundless love and patience of Chris and his family and friends – goes from a shy, sickly, socially maladjusted donkey to a lean mean racing machine … eventually.

It’s a story about a donkey, yes. But it’s also a story about the lives that are touched by the indomitable spirit of that donkey. Through the successes and the bumps in the road alike, Sherman’s refusal to give up serves to rally the people around him. It’s the story of a man who has moved his family into the middle of Amish country in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The story of a man touched by the generosity and gentleness of the Amish people.

The story of a man and his donkey.

BOSTON She laughed. She wept. She walked. She ran. For amputee Adrianne Haslet, the Boston Marathon was a grueling 10 1/2 -hour odyssey.

On July 7, 2013, The Color Run 5K will take place in South Portland. The Color Run web site explains that each person who participates must wear a white shirt and must register as a four person minimum team. The team must pick a "groovy name" and then will run or walk together and help one another get "colored" over the five kilometers.  The color is administered by colored corn starch being thrown at the each person at specific check points.

Kristen Moran is very excited to be participating in the Color Run. She found out about the race through a friend's Facebook status and decided to volunteer.

My sister Mary and I "bridged the gap today." Starting at the legendary Fort Knox, Bridge the Gap is a 10-mile road race around Verona Island to sponsor RSU #25 middle school students trip to Camp Kiev. It was scenic in places, but chilly and hilly everywhere else. From the bone chilling winds gusting through us while we crossed The Penobscot Narrows Bridge to the mile-nine hills, we ran our ever-lovin' arses off. But today's race wasn't just a trial run for Mary's first half marathon, it was a mile marker in our lives. 

I've been running solo for a while training to run a half marathon in April. I've been able to log eight miles consistently, and every time I feel a little bit stronger. But last weekend I ran in a 5k race and I felt like a mule trying to sludge through a muddy field carrying a load of firewood. Seriously I was slow.   

This was my first race this year, and I forgot one critical thing don't try to be like the others. Find your own pace and stick with it! I made the mistake of starting out too fast to keep up with the faster runners and lost my mojo about halfway through. I should know better!   

The start of the Mount Desert Marathon this past Sunday in Bar Harbor was impressive as hundreds of runners stood in the misty rain, early in the morning ready to take on the challenging miles that stood between them and the finish line. I arrived the night before to stay at the Hearthside Inn. My plan had been to run the marathon but I opted out due to not feeling 100-percent. So, rather than run, I spent the evening before and the day of the marathon appreciating and rooting for the runners and the organizers who made the event possible.

Gary Allen began the marathon 10 years ago and it's grown every year. People often talk about the economic impact that events like this bring to a community. I witnessed this first hand.

I took up running after the births of my first two children. Initially, it was a way to drop the baby weight. My torso felt longer than ever before, and none of the shirts I owned covered my midriff. Clearly, this was unintentional. After two kids and 20 extra pounds, every top in my wardrobe looked like a Britney Spears belly-baring tee.

While bathing our 6 month old one fine day, I asked my husband, 'Honey, do I still look hot to you?' I just felt frumpy. Head to toe, who is this woman who has let herself go? Moi.

I just completed a half marathon and now I hurt. So why do I do it? Why do I put myself through the pain? The answer is simple, yet apparently contradictory. I run because it makes me feel good. I like what it does for my body but mostly I like what it does for my brain. I swear that running clears out brain crud. Many of my most creative and best ideas came to me during a run. I also like to push myself beyond what I think I'm capable of.

Yarmouth grandma plans to runs every street in town

YARMOUTH - Debbie Godowsky of Yarmouth will soon know every street there is in her hometown. That's because this gutsy grandma is planning to run on every one of them in hopes of bettering her granddaughter's health as well as her own.

"I need a challenge or a goal. I read something called 'Coach potato to 5K.' It's a great eight-week training program that takes you from running one minute to 30 minutes. But doing the same route can get old, so I thought I'd drive to a different part of Yarmouth and run 30 minutes in that neighborhood," Godowsky explained.

After visiting the town office for a complete street listing of Yarmouth, Godwosky discovered there are 77 streets, roads, and avenues that she'll be jaunting along, rain or shine.

BANGOR - Twenty-two-year-old Alicia Cram, a UMO student from Bangor; and her twin sister, Ashely, a Tarrant County College student in Texas, are trying to outrun and out-fundraise each other in this year's San Diego Rock 'n' Roll half marathon. The sisters have participated in races together before, but this will be the first time they've competed against each other.

"We never got to compete against each other growing up because we were always on the same sports teams, so I'm excited [for this]," Alicia Cram said. "We're 1,800 miles apart and we're still very competitive."

The twins are so competitive they can't help themselves from throwing a little trash talk each other's way when they're together.

"We see each other twice a year, and when we met up in Florida she said, 'I'm in so much better shape than you,' but we're the same height and weight," Alicia said. "She's also two minutes older than I am, and she always says 'I'm older' and I always tell her, 'That's because I kicked you out.'"