I Run These Towns

I watch a lot of House Hunters on HGTV. I DVR all the new episodes (domestic and international), and watching it I've noticed a trend: all of the homeowners want a sense of place. All  of them - 100%. They want to be close to downtown, want to walk to restaurants and shops, they want parks, and they really want trails.  As I was running 12 miles this weekend on the Caperton Trail in Morgantown, West Virginia, I was thinking about this common theme of placemaking on House Hunters, and how vibrant communities almost always have trails for running, biking, and walking.  Nearly every time I visit my parents I run on the trail in Morgantown. The Caperton Trail is only 6 miles, but it connects to the Deckers Creek and Mon River Trails for a total of 48 miles worth of trailway in northern West Virginia. That's incredible, and it's an important resource for the region. Caperton Trail in Morgantown, WV I do the majority of my running in Lansing on the Lansing River Tr...

In my job we talk a lot about placemaking - creating the kinds of places where people want to live, work, and play. When it comes to placemaking, Plymouth, Michigan gets it right. Plymouth is a small city of just under 10,000 people located about a half an hour northeast of Detroit. I decided Plymouth was a great place for a St. Patrick's Day race - specifically the inaugural Shamrock 'n Roll 10k . Beautiful downtown Plymouth, Michigan Plymouth is just over an hour from Lansing, so when my alarm went off at 5:15 on a Sunday morning, I was not amused. A large coffee and an hour drive later, I was ready to run. The race was extremely well organized - I could not be more impressed. There was plenty of parking, and I was able to get a spot near the start/packet pick-up. Packet pick-up was quick and easy. The shirt (because it's all about the shirt) is great - a sassy white tech shirt with green stripes down both sides. The race began at Kellogg Park in downtown Plymouth....

When I ran my first marathon in the fall of 2010, I swore I'd never do it again. The race itself was one thing, but the training was just out of control. When some time had passed and I remembered marathon training as "not being that bad", I decided to sign up for marathon number two - the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon in May.  Upon making this decision my husband reminded me how much I hated the training, and also said he didn't want to hear me complain. I assured him that I wouldn't. All smiles after the Detroit Marathon - just glad to be done Fast forward two months into training. I ran 15 miles on Friday, and I was exhausted and grouchy on Friday night. I showered, put on my pajamas and refused to do anything all evening. I was productive all weekend, but only in between complaints of sore quads and my new bruised toenail.  I have never been able to recover quickly from long runs. I need at least 2-3 days to feel normal again once I get above 10ish miles. T...

People run for all sorts of different reasons - to lose weight, to combat stress, to stay healthy.  I run for a combination of reasons, but some days it's to get out of my house and away from the combined 200 pounds of dog. My dogs are INSANE. Totally crazy. If you've been to my house you know what I'm talking about. Murphy, our Golden Retriever, is 116 pounds, and Izzy, our Portuguese Water Dog, is 85 pounds. When it's just my husband and me at home, they are sweet, loving, passive creatures. I swear. Take them in public or bring a visitor to the house, and it's all over. This is the face of adorable/crazy. Last week I dropped the dogs off at the groomer around 7:30 in the morning. When I opened the door, there were four other dogs with their owners in the waiting room. Izzy, who loves other dogs, immediately starts clamoring to get to them by barking and pulling me. At this point I realize that the wedges I am wearing, while adorable, have zero traction. It...