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...