I Run These Towns

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...