I Run These Towns

Last fall I completed my fifth half marathon in my adopted hometown of Lansing, MI. The Capital City River Run (CCRR) seemed like the perfect fall race to insert into my training schedule before my first marathon. I love fall races – they are really my favorite. There is generally a chill in the air, but it’s still warm enough to enjoy the race. The race expo was held at the Lansing Center on Michigan Avenue. I found the expo to be a little disjointed, but I am a huge fan of the long-sleeved dri-fit shirt.  That basically makes up for it. Race morning was, as advertised, a chilly fall morning. The run starts in front of the Lansing Center.  Being a fan of downtowns I found this the perfect place to being our 13.1 mile jaunt.  In the Lansing Center before the CCRR  We ran down Michigan Avenue and onto Michigan State ’s campus.  I love running on campus – the beautiful buildings, the Spartan spirit. It was a great transition onto the Lansing River Trail. I ...

I first visited New York City in the summer of 2001. Despite being a fan of cities, I had never really been interested in visiting the Big Apple. I know, it seems like a contradiction to love cities but not have an interest in NYC. But the opportunity came to visit, and I discovered the hype is true - there is really nowhere else quite like it. On that first visit we did all the typical New York touristy things, and I found myself loving the energy and vitality of New York. Two years later I visited again in the summer of 2003.  The city was a much different place after September 11, 2001. It was still pulsating and vibrant but there was also an undertone of sorrow that hadn't existed before.  The visit in 2003 was just as touristy, but I felt less like a tourist. I was becoming comfortable with cities, and New York proved to be no exception. My sister and me on the Ferry to Ellis Island, June 2003 I started running in 2006, so in my first two visits to New York...

Prior to October 17, 2010 I had never been to Canada. This is remarkable particularly because for six months I worked in Detroit literally steps from the Detroit River looking out onto Windsor, Ontario. Once I decided to run the Detroit Marathon it became my mission to run to Canada on my first visit. It turns out running a marathon is hard, and after previous failed attempts I decided 2010 was my year. I decided to stick close to home and run the Detroit International Marathon which runs over the Ambassador Bridge to Canada and back to the States through the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. Me outside the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel the day before the race The race expo was fantastic. We walked over from the convenient race hotel ( the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center ) to Cobo Hall on a beautiful fall Saturday afternoon. The race hotel was great – a reasonable price to be right downtown Detroit and an ideal location. The race expo was organized, efficient and fast. And the race...

I signed up for the Covenant Knoxville Half Marathon on a bit of a whim. After completing my first full marathon last fall I needed a little break from running. In February I decided what the heck – I’d find a spring race to do. I picked Knoxville for two reasons: 1) I want to check Tennessee off my 50 state running list and 2) it ended on the 50 yard line of Neyland Stadium at the University of Tennessee.  I am a HUGE college football fan and a big fan of the SEC. Who doesn’t want to run on sacred SEC football ground? What I somehow missed in deciding on Knoxville is that it is hilly. I mean REALLY hilly. My first half was in San Francisco, and I’m pretty sure this race had steeper up and downhill stretches than San Fran. I had the pain in my knees and back afterward to prove it. I knew pretty much nothing about Knoxville except that it is the home of UT. Apparently it also hosted the World’s Fair in 1982. Who knew? I didn’t expect to fall in love with Knoxville. It was a beau...

The first time I went to Washington, DC I was 16 years old. I remember getting off the Metro near GWU and I fell in love - with the density, public transit, the street vendors, the crowds. Being from a teeny, tiny town in West Virginia, I was enthralled by this large city, and in the years since I've only come to love cities even more. I'm enamored with walkable downtowns, public art and green space. I'm one of those lucky people who gets to do what they love, and in my day job I advocate for cities. It's a challenging time for communities across the country, but when I visit a city for a race and see the great things various towns are doing, it is inspiring. Running has become a way for me to see cities in ways that I would never otherwise have the opportunity.  Five years ago I started running by accident. It was no accident that I laced up my Nikes and took off, but the idea to get me there wasn't my own. A dear friend of mine is a runner. She looks like a ru...