I Run These Towns

On Saturday morning I'm running an inaugural 5k being hosted by Adoption Associates , the agency we're using for our adoption.  I never expected a few years ago that I would be an active advocate for adoption, but here we are preparing to start a family in an unexpected way, and as a result I have an unexpected cause to support. When our case worker e-mailed us that they were holding their first 5k, I knew immediately that I'd run it. It's Saturday morning in Portland, MI (about half an hour away), and I have good luck at races in Portland. I set my 5k PR there last year. Running my PR in Portland last year The adoption journey has already been a really interesting one. Once we made the decision to adopt, we interviewed a few agencies, and we were not happy with any of them. Meeting with Adoption Associates resulted in an instant comfort with their team. We've been approved and waiting for five months, and we have no idea how much longer it will be. We cou...

We've long since established that running and cities are two of my favorite things. This time of year, however, brings back another of my very favorite things - college football. I am a HUGE college football fan, and this year marks the most exciting fall ever. My husband and I are are in our fifth season as season ticket holders at his alma mater Michigan State. This year we also purchased season tickets to MY alma mater, West Virginia University. Two sets of season tickets in one fall? Yes, please! Posing with the WVU dance team at College Gameday in 2011 (WVU v. LSU) The last few years I've incorporated my (and my husband's) love of college sports into running. I've run several races that ended in stadiums - in South Bend, Knoxville, and East Lansing.  It's become a fun game to try to find races that end in stadiums. That way everyone wins - I get to run a race, we get to travel AND we get to see a new college town and stadium.  As a bonus I have even more ...

I'm a little obsessed with clothes. And shoes. And running clothes. And running shoes. I mean it may actually be a bit of a problem. I take a lot of time picking out outfits for work and running. If I'm going on a trip, I meticulously plan every outfit for every day. Dressing well doesn't happen by accident. It's a process. Part of my shoe collection. It takes up some room. I realized this morning as I was wearing a cute running outfit (paisley running skirt, strappy tank and arm sleeves) that I felt fantastic. It was a great run, and I'm quite sure it was at least in part to what I was wearing. In life I generally feel better if I am put together. When I was running the Lansing Half Marathon in April, I had multiple people tell me that I was the "best dressed" in the race. It was almost more exciting than my PR. Almost. I have so many running clothes - at least enough shirts to wear a different one every day for at least a month. Perhaps longer. B...

I live my life in only one speed - full blast. 100% at all times. I walk fast, I talk fast, I generally move quickly. Everything has to be done, and preferably it has to be done right this minute. Resting is a foreign concept to me, and I don't do it well.  When I fall into bed every night I am exhausted. I fall asleep almost immediately. I leave nothing on the table at the end of each day. I can't remember ever having trouble sleeping, and I'm quite sure it's because I fill each day with constant movement. I'm up at 5:45 every week day to walk my dogs a mile and then either go for a run or cross train.  I fill every free minute of every day with something. If I have a free lunch hour, I run errands. Constant movement. There are many, many weekend mornings when I have a race scheduled, and I wonder why I just can't sleep in like a normal person. Enjoy a cup of coffee. Relax. But it's not in my DNA. Besides if I run a race at 7:30-8 a.m., I'm generall...

Last year I did a blog about great cities for running based on a 2004 list I found done by Runner's World. Earlier this year Forbes announced its 10 best cities for runners , and not a lot has changed in the last eight years. Of the Forbes list of 10 cities I've run in only four of them, so there's a lot of running to be done. Forbes' list is comprised of some of the most vibrant communities in America: San Francisco, New York, Chicago, DC, Minneapolis, Boulder, Boston, Portland, Austin and Atlanta. It proves once again that vibrant communities attract more people including runners. An active culture is part of what attracts people to a community. I ran my first half marathon in San Francisco, and it's an amazing city. In just a few days there I was able to see a lot of the city - Fisherman's Wharf, shopping in Union Square, the farmers' market at the Ferry Building. And I also ran 13.1 miles through the city (although I was in so much IT band pain the ...

Last weekend my husband graduated with his Masters degree from Penn State . As we headed to State College on Friday for the graduation ceremonies, I was excited to get back to State College. We went there in 2010 for the Michigan State/Penn State football game, and it's a great town.  It's basically in the middle of nowhere, but the campus and town are a thriving community. I had a bit of trepidation, however, because of all the drama that's happened at Penn State in the last year. Tailgating with Penn Staters and Patron in November 2010 As my husband has been a student at Penn State, we've regularly gotten communication from the university about the scandal of the last year. There's no way to right any of the atrocious wrongs that were committed, but Penn State confronted it head on. They ousted those responsible and came together in a unified front to support their university and community. On Saturday morning I got up to run on campus. The last time I ran...

Do you remember the episode of Friends where Rachael runs with Phoebe, and Phoebe's running style is crazy? My form is certainly not as bad as Phoebe's, but there is always room for improvement. My physical therapist recommended I attend a Good Form Running class at Playmakers , our local running store, so I finally got it onto my schedule this week. There are four steps to good form running: posture, mid-foot, cadence and lean. None of these concepts seemed to difficult, but in running practice hard work to implement them. Posture is just what it sounds like - straight posture, knees soft, feet straight ahead. Seems pretty simple, right? They video taped us running before and after the class, and I've discovered I have excellent posture. Almost too excellent. My back is so straight that it creates tension in my shoulders and neck when I run long distances. Definitely something to work on. Step two encompasses striking the ground at mid-foot instead of on your toes...

After effectively taking a summer off of serious running, last weekend I decided it was a good idea to jump into a 10 mile race without training.  On Saturday I ran the Mint City 10-Miler in St. John's, Michigan , a small town about a half an hour north of Lansing.  St. John's is known for its Mint Festival , held each summer in its city park and adjacent county fair grounds.  Like any small town festival, it hosts a variety of events from a petting zoo to hot air balloon rides. The race started early, at 7:30 a.m., and I was grateful due to this summer's heat and humidity. Unfortunately even at the race start it was already steamy. The race had a bit of an unceremonious beginning, but it was a small race and it's what you expect for a race that size. The Mint City race was my 5th race of the Playmakers Race Series . This is me telling my husband there was someone we knew at the start. We began by running down a country road, through a few subdivisions, and by...

When I ran my first half marathon in 2006, I ran with Team in Training to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. To run the Nike Women's Half in San Francisco the fundraising minimum was sizable - around $3600. It was a lot of work to train for my first race as a novice runner while fundraising. I was overwhelmed, had an IT band injury, and I was just generally overwhelmed with fundraising even though it is an amazing cause. Running for Team in Training. Such great support. As someone with Crohn's, I think a lot about running for a cause again. I considered doing Team Challenge this year for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation , but none of the event dates work in our schedule. Believe me when I say my life is tightly scheduled months in advance. It's a little ridiculous. I have a lot of friends who do Team in Training or run for other worthy causes, and I donate 100 percent of the time because I know how difficult fundraising can be. I haven'...