I Run These Towns

This year has been insane. Crazy. Out of control. When I look back on the amount of running I've done and traveling we've done, I realize why I'm so tired. That being said it's been incredible. We've been to some great places and spent time with our wonderful friends and family. In terms of running I set both my 5k and 10k PRs this year, and my half marathon times were pretty solid. To top it off the IT band remained relatively quiet which is an accomplishment for me in and of itself. The year included trips to Norfolk, VA, Crystal Mountain (in northern Michigan), Morgantown, WV (four times), Washington, D.C., Knoxville, TN, New York City, Houghton, MI, Mackinac Island, Chicago (twice), St. Joseph, MI, Riviera Maya in Mexico, Boston, and Iowa City. That doesn't include trips to visit family in Metro Detroit and day trips throughout Michigan for work (not to mention a four-day work convention in Grand Rapids). It's no wonder our dogs are getting tired of g...

Let's be honest - Jillian Michaels is a bad ass trainer. Her tough love motivation totally works for me, and I dig it. The more she pushes the harder I work out. Here's the kicker - as much as I love doing Jillian's 30 Day Shred workout DVD, I find that when I'm running a lot, I don't cross train. Jillian and I need to get reacquainted. I read Runner's World . I know intellectually the importance of cross training. With a recurring IT band injury I've been told repeatedly by my sports medicine doctor that it's important to strength my glutes and my core. Trust me - I get it. Once I start training, however, and I'm running a ton of miles, I let cross training slip. It goes out the window and I think to myself, "Look, I'm running. Isn't that enough?" No, it's not. I know that, my doctor and physical therapist know that, and Runner's World knows it. I ignore it every single time I'm training until my IT band is scre...

As much as I love running, I have to admit it can be monotonous. I know other runners know what I'm talking about - you map out a three mile, four mile, five mile loop, and then you run that loop. Over and over and over again. I have done the three and four mile loops in my neighborhood what feels like a million times. I know exactly where my IT band will start twinging and exactly how many strides I have to get to the next mile. That is one of the major reason why I've taken to running in towns all across the country. It breaks up the routine and keeps me focused.  It doesn't always help, however, around mile four when I've got to cut back through the same part of the neighborhood to get through my five miles. I try to mix it up as often as possible, but it's so easy (albeit sometimes boring) to just jump into the same familiar route. If I'm doing more than five miles, I immediately head to the Lansing River Trail.  There are miles of trails along the Gran...

What could possibly be better than a Santa sighting? How about running alongside dozens of Santas in a beautiful downtown? Now we're talking. Last weekend a friend and I headed to the quaint village of Paw Paw, Michigan to run the inaugural Santa Run 5k .  Instead of a t-shirt we were given Santa suits to wear during the run. It was a true fun run - no timing. It turns out that running in a Santa suit is hard work.  Santas suiting up for the run We arrived in Paw Paw when it was still a little dark out.  Paw Paw is about an hour and forty minutes away from Lansing, but we didn't hesitate when we were asked to come do the race. Sometimes you just can't (or don't want to) say no - I'm looking at you @pawpawlarry! Downtown Paw Paw is adorable. As we drove in the Christmas lights were gorgeous, and there is a beautifully lit nativity next to Grape Lake in the downtown. It was a beautiful Christmasy morning for a run. Lovely downtown Paw Paw at Christmas (pho...

Winter is kind of a dead spot for running - especially this time of year right before the holidays. I religiously scour the Playmakers calendar to find races, and in December there just aren't that many.  From April to November you have your pick, but these lonely winter months you're hard pressed to find regular running events. Not that running in the winter is that much of a joy. I really do enjoy it when the temperature is in the 20s and 30s. I love the sound of snow crunching under my shoes and seeing my breath. But here in Michigan we have January and February, months where you're surprised if it's above freezing. Weeks where the temperature doesn't rise above the teens. Those days are brutal for running. Once I get out there I love it, but it takes a special kind of motivation to step out in your running clothes on a 16 degree (or colder) day. I find winter a little depressing, and I have to force myself to get out there and run. I don't even enjoy my...

I love a good turkey trot . I have done the one in Lansing several times, and I've been really wanting to do the one in Detroit. The last few years we've done Thanksgiving with my family in West Virginia, so as soon as we decided to stay in Michigan this year, I knew I'd do the Detroit Turkey Trot. There's something satisfying about running early on Thanksgiving morning and then gorging on an obscene amount of Thanksgiving treats. Goofing around downtown at the Joe Louis fist statue On Thanksgiving morning I woke up early and left my in-laws' house with my cheering section - my husband and father-in-law.  My husband's family lives just outside of Detroit so it was a short drive in. As soon as we got off the exit we realized how big this race was - traffic was entirely stopped. Thankfully we'd given ourselves plenty of time. Hart Plaza early on a foggy Thanksgiving morning We parked just outside of Joe Louis Arena , home of the Detroit Red Wings h...

I have so much to be thankful for.  I have a wonderful husband, great family, the best friends anyone could ask for, pets who are adorable and a job I love.  In addition to all of that I have running.  Not only does it keep me sane, but I run because I can.  I mean really - who wouldn't be thankful for these faces? This month Runner's World did an issue highlighting its readers. One particular small blurb on a page said that this one person was so thankful for running because someone they knew had cerebral palsy and wasn't able to run. With all the people who are in pain and hurting and unable to run, I am thankful each and every time I lace up my shoes. An aching IT band means I did it.  Sore knees means I was able to hit the pavement. For those who love to run, it becomes a salvation of sorts. Maybe that sounds dramatic, but for me the best days I have are the ones where I make time to run. This Thanksgiving as I am reflecting on what I am thankful for...

It's that time of the year again when I start dropping not so subtle hints to my husband about my Christmas list. Some women want diamonds; others want pearls. I want a pair of plaid arm sleeves and a promise of a race in a sunny locale this winter. I'm totally serious. http://store.runningskirts.com/pr I'll be honest - I don't even entirely understand the purpose of arm sleeves. Why don't I just wear a long-sleeved shirt? Either way they are adorable and I want a pair. Plus Shalane Flanagan wore arm sleeves when she was runner-up in the NYC Marathon in 2010. That alone makes them cool. But I digress. My husband said to me a few years ago that buying me running stuff for holidays is boring. Sure I've got 3 running jackets in various shades of pink, dozens of short- and long-sleeved running tees and several pairs of running gloves. I do not, however, have purple compression socks. I can't think of a good reason for this oversight. http://store.r...

Four weeks doesn't sound like a long time. For example, Christmas is what, five weeks away, and that time will just fly by.  When your passion is running, however, and your doctor tells you that you shouldn't run for four weeks, it feels like an eternity. As someone who loves running and traveling, the last two weekends have been tough. Visiting both Chicago and Iowa City without hitting the pavement made me feel like I was missing something on my trips.  Running in every town we visit has become an integral part of going away. And somehow, in less than six short years, running has become an integral part of who I am. I ran three half marathons in a year and took two years off from long races. Now I can't even imagine taking that kind of break from running. Running keeps me sane, and it is my time to clear my head. Without it I have felt like I've been in a fog this past month. This morning I woke up early, put on my super cute running gear (let's be honest -...

This past weekend my husband and I went with some tailgate friends to Iowa City, Iowa for the  Michigan State/Iowa game. For the first time in a long time (Chicago last weekend excluded) I didn't run while we were on a trip. Unfortunately I'm still on surgery restrictions for a few more days. I brought running clothes and considered breaking doctor's orders, but in the end I held strong and drowned my non-running sorrows in bloody marys. Oh and wine. Iowa City is an interesting little town. Their downtown is cute - it's walkable, with lots of local shops and eateries, and a cool pedestrian mall right through the middle of downtown.  It's a small town (less than 70,000 people), and it's got a great college town vibe. Iowa City does a great job of leveraging its largest anchor institution, the University of Iowa. Like a lot of college towns (my beloved Morgantown, WV included) there's not a whole lot else there. The university is king. Pedestrian mall i...

We've already established how much I love the city of Chicago, and I was determined to run a race there this fall. One of my girlfriends suggested we run the Hot Chocolate 15k , and I was in. This idea was perfect - a girls' weekend in Chicago with a 9 mile run thrown in. The race gear includes a jacket, and the post-race party includes hot chocolate and fondue. Yes, please. Posing at the expo with random person in a costume. I think it's an eagle? Unfortunately my surgery saga prevented me from doing the race. I initially intended to run the 5k, but I am still on running prohibition for another week. This mean I got to be a spectator for the first time ever. My husband is always a faithful and vigilant spectator for my races, so I vowed to do the same for my friend.  Here I am playing the role of spectator before the race Race day was gorgeous. I was infinitely envious that I wasn't running, but even I know my limits. There were thousands of runners in down...

I'm sure it's not surprising that I'm still not thrilled to be sidelined for a few more weeks. It doesn't matter that I certainly don't feel like running, and I realize it's important to listen to my body. It's just the idea that someone is telling me I can't do something. My instinct is to push back and do the opposite. In this case what I'm doing is planning my running schedule for the upcoming few months. It keeps me motivated. My mandatory rest time ends on November 19, just in time for me to jump into the Turkey Trot 5k in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day. I love running in Detroit (it's one of my favorite cities), and I am a little disappointed that I will have to run the 5k instead of the 10k. At any rate, I am very excited to join the thousands of runners doing this race. I've wanted to run this race for a number of years, and we've been out of town visiting my family over Thanksgiving the past three years. I am so excited. After r...

Last week I had surgery to remove two abdominal masses. It was supposed to be a pretty minor surgery, and then my surgeon discovered two hernias beneath the masses. I am a problem patient - it's kind of my thing. I realized as I am recovering slowly that the Hot Chocolate 15k is unlikely to happen. Not a problem as I decided I could just switch to the 5k. I just had my post-op appointment with my surgeon, and he says no running for 3 MORE WEEKS! What?!? I complained immediately and said that wouldn't work. I have a race in a week and a half. At that point he laughed and said I could potentially do "light jogging" toward the end of next week, but he wouldn't recommend any sort of race.  That means I'll be back in action in time for the Turkey Trot in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day. I was hoping to do the 10k, but that seems unlikely at this point. It's interesting that after running for 6 years, I can't even think of what other exercise I want to do....

Michiganders are familiar with the Pure Michigan campaign - Tim Allen's smooth voice narrating snapshots of the best this state has to offer. I'd like to propose the latest Pure Michigan ad: that running is Pure Michigan. I have a goal to run a race in all 50 states, and with only 5 states down (6 once I do the Hot Chocolate 15k in Chicago in a few weeks!) I've got a lot of work to do. As I search for races in other states I realize something about Michigan - this state is for runners. That should be the slogan: Michigan is for runners. Seriously, can I market this stuff? It's gold! I'm thinking t-shirts, bumper stickers, the whole nine yards. But I digress. As I look for races in other states, I find that my options are limited in a number of places. I grew up in West Virginia and absolutely love it there, but I have a hard time finding races there. They are few and far between. Here in the Lansing area particularly in the spring and fall, I have my pick o...

One of the best things about my job is getting to travel around the State of Michigan to various communities. I've been all over the state from Detroit to Grand Haven on Lake Michigan to the very tip of the Keeweenaw Peninsula in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Despite being merely an hour from Grand Rapids, I haven't spent a lot of time there. Last week we had our convention in downtown Grand Rapids, so naturally the first thing I did upon arriving was to change and go for a run. Downtown Grand Rapids We were fortunate enough to visit Grand Rapids during Art Prize . Art Prize is a public international art competition displayed throughout Grand Rapids. The event, in its third year, draws thousands to Grand Rapids to view amazing public art and vote on the winner. As I ran on a gorgeous, unseasonably warm October afternoon, the streets were packed with people viewing Art Prize. Downtown Grand Rapids was hopping on a Tuesday afternoon. LOVE this Art Prize piece with the ...

I've heard runners say that if you have to ask why we run then you don't get it. It sounds very arrogant, but it's true. That being said, nobody loves running when they start. Trust me. It's not like you lace up yours shoes for the first time, start out, run 5 miles and it's glorious. It hurts, you're out of breath after half a mile, and it's hard. It's always hard, but when you start it's brutal.  That begs the question what keeps us going? I run to feel normal. Normal is relative to everyone, but for me I get in that running zone and it's when I feel the best every single time. I ran track in high school and lived at the gym in college, but I only started running 5½ years ago. I always loved the idea of running, but made lots of excuses. Then I got sick, and that was the best excuse of all. When I was 19 I started having some health issues. Mainly stomach problems. I went to a specialist, and they couldn't figure out what was wrong. Wh...

I went to college and law school at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. I moved there in 1996 and lived there until 2002. My parents live there now, and after 9 years of living elsewhere, I wonder every time I visit when it will stop feeling like home. Woodburn Hall, the centerpiece of WVU's downtown campus. I really didn't run in college. I was a crazy gym rat and worked out almost every day. I would walk miles on the track on campus and on the trail by the river. But running wasn't really my thing. I even walked a few 5Ks in college (one in 33 minutes...that's some fast walking.) Now that I've been running for nearly six years, I love to run while visiting my parents. Morgantown has so many great places to run - on campus, downtown, on the rail trail along the river. If you're up for challenges, Morgantown's hilly terrain provides lots of them. There have been times where I've gotten to the top of a hill and have to just sta...

It's not a secret that I'm a fan of the Capital City River Run (CCRR). I blogged about last year's race with glowing praise. I don't generally like to repeat a race I've already done because there are so many races, and I can only do so many of them. There is, however, something very nice about picking up my packet and starting a race less than two and a half miles from my house. Michigan Avenue, Downtown Lansing I decided to get to the expo early this year - as soon as it opened. It was not yet crowded, and I was able to check in for the race in less than five minutes. Once again the race had an excellent New Balance long-sleeved technical shirt.  Awesome!  The weather for this year's race was once again perfect - high 40s at the start and in the low 60s by the finish. It was beautiful weather for a 13.1 mile tour through Lansing and East Lansing. Most of the race course was the same as last year highlighting some of the Lansing area's best attract...