I Run These Towns

Before this weekend's 10k I was talking to another runner in the crowd who lives in downtown Plymouth, Michigan. She walked to the race and was raving about living downtown. She was telling me she's a teacher, and she grades her papers in the Panera Bread just down the street from her house. This conversation affirmed to me that this is what people want - living and working in a community they love. Earlier this year I ran the Shamrock 'n Roll 10k in Plymouth, Michigan and loved the race. I decided to head back to Plymouth last weekend for an encore in the Wicked 10k. In March I raved about the organization of the race, but this time I was less impressed. For starters I was running a little behind which is very unusual for me. Usually I'm an hour early for a race forcing us to wander around and find something to do. There is a random shooter along I-96 between Detroit and Lansing, and I found myself paranoid about taking I-96. Granted I've taken it a dozen tim...

“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before--more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.” - Charles Dickens, Great Expectations I haven't read Great Expectations since college, and this blog probably doesn't follow that quote...but who can't use some Dickens to brighten up their day? The other day I was talking to a friend and saying that I haven't been running as much this year as I have in previous years. I was complaining about my lack of motivation and how I just haven't been doing enough. Except three half marathons and training for a full marathon (and 15 miles of that race), and a mile a day run streak for six weeks and a 5k series...and then I realized how ridiculous I sounded. I have extraordinarily high expectations of myself. Are they unreachable? Sometimes. But that doesn't stop me...

This is going to sound crazy, but I love running up hills. Lansing doesn't have a lot of them, but I find hill running to be my favorite running challenge. I love driving to Mt. Hope Cemetery in Lansing to run the loop around the cemetery - it's the hilliest route I've found in the area. My first half marathon was in San Francisco, and I ran the Knoxville, TN half - another very hilly race. I don't often get to run hilly routes, but heading home to West Virginia is a guaranteed way to get my hill running fix. UT's hilly campus where I ran the Knoxville Half in 2011 My husband and I headed to WV last weekend for the West Virginia/Kansas State game. (Let's not discuss the game - I'd prefer to pretend it didn't happen). On Saturday morning my husband, who is training for his first 5k, and I headed out for a run. There is a flat river trail in Morgantown, but I didn't feel like taking the time to drive there. We headed out into the neighborhoods a...

My first half marathon, the Nike Women's Half, was in October of 2006. My now husband and I had been dating about eight months. I decided to start running and do a race in an expensive, far away city in an election year (we were both political staffers at the time) just weeks before the election. I told him repeatedly that it wasn't necessary that he come cheer me on. But when I crossed the finish line limping from IT band pain, I felt sad and alone knowing there was nobody there waiting for me. At the end of my second half in Traverse City, Michigan, he was there taking photos and hugging me at the end. It was a completely different way to finish a race. In the six years I've been running my husband has only missed a few races, and he's always there as my own personal paparrazo. When I was finishing the Detroit Marathon he was able to run faster than I was and meet me at the finish. I look for him at the end of every race, and it's knowing that I will see him tha...

It's election season, and there is nothing I hate more than election ads. Thank God for DVR so I can fast forward through most of them. But sometimes it's unavoidable like during a live sporting event, and it seriously makes my blood boil. Luckily (sarcasm intended) in Michigan this year we have six, count them six, ballot proposals, five of which amend our Constitution. It's a hot mess. What makes me crazy about all of them is that none of these are aiming at what will ACTUALLY bring Michigan back and make it a better place to live, work, play, visit, raise a family.  We're completely missing the boat, and there's a significant disconnect between political rhetoric and what people actually want. And economic data shows that people are moving to vibrant communities. Period.  It's ultimately not tax structure and regulatory environment that are driving the nation's economy. To quote my boss, Dan Gilmartin, in his book The Economics of Place : The Value of B...

I feel like I've been in a bit of a rut in terms of running new towns. Sure, I did the Playmakers Race Series , but those races were all pretty close to home. We did go to Pensacola and Green Bay this year, but it seems like it's been a while. I'm itching for a new challenge. I want to do a race in every state, so there are a number of possibilities for races even relatively close to home. But I want to run in an inspiring city. I left Green Bay disappointed that I didn't get to finish the race, but also very disappointed with the City of Green Bay. I've been scouring running websites trying to find a spring race that will take us to a fun and challenging city. It turns out the answer has been right under my nose all along. Sad face after the Green Bay Marathon was canceled My hometown of Hundred, WV is only 77 miles from Pittsburgh, PA. When I was a kid it was intimidating to head to a "big city" so we didn't spend a lot of time there. In coll...

This summer I decided instead of focusing on long races I'd instead run the Playmakers Race Series . I ran six 5ks and a ten-miler over the course of the summer as part of the series in addition to one other 5k, 10k and a half marathon that weren't part of the race series.  Celebrating my final 5k of the series While running a 5k is a different challenge than a longer race, I found consistent racing to be demanding. My 5k PR of 26:00 (set in June of 2011) remains unbroken although I came close several times. On Sunday I ran my final race of the series, and it was a fantastic summer. I started the series in May at the Mason State Bank 5k . This was a Friday evening race on a warm day, and I posted one of my best times of the series at 26:33.   In June I ran the Capitol Bancorp 5k in downtown Lansing in a time of 27:19. Still a solid effort on a very warm and sunny day, but a little further from where I wanted to be. I start going in the right direction the following ...

Last year I downloaded the book Skinny Bitch to my Kindle. I'd heard about it and thought it seemed interesting, and interesting it was. Granted I took much of it and thought it was unrealistic for my life, but there were some things that stuck with me. I've been known to have a *bit* of a diet soda addiction. At its worst about a year ago I was drinking 5-6 cans of Diet Pepsi a day. Every day. It was out of control. One of the things they discuss in the book is how artificial sweeteners turn into formaldehyde in your body. That's just gross. So last November I gave up diet soda cold turkey for about 6 months. Then I realized that I used diet soda as a calorie free snack. I was drinking lots of water, WAY more than before, but I was also drinking coffee and tea at alarming rates. Now I indulge in maybe a few diet sodas a week, but it's a tremendous improvement. For the record one of their other suggestions is to give up coffee, which is less of a skinny bitch m...

Two years ago I missed the first race I'd ever signed up for. It was the Playmakers Autumn Classic, and my IT band injury kept me from racing if I was to finish the Detroit Marathon a few weeks later. I don't make it a habit of missing races, and I've only missed a couple since then due to injury or Crohn's. This past weekend I missed a race because I just needed a break. I know I have often said I live my life at 100 percent , and despite my claims that I know my limits let me be honest - I generally don't. I push. And push. And push. The last six weeks have been exceptionally busy for us. Not necessarily because we've been traveling any more, but more emotionally taxing. I've never been the kind of person who brings work home on a regular basis, and it's coming home with me almost every night. I LOVE my job, but until I get into the swing of all of this new challenge, it's going to be a bit of an adjustment. Two weekends ago we went home to We...