I Run These Towns

Last fall I did a post wanting ideas for the annual trip my sister and I take together. We have picked a destination and a date,and plans are underway. This year we'll be spending the first weekend in March in Denver. I've been to Denver once for work, but I didn't get to spend as much time as I wanted exploring downtown (ahem shopping). We discovered that not only is Denver a really cool town, but it's really inexpensive to travel there. My plane ticket to Denver is cheaper than a ticket to D.C. which to date is one of the least expensive. So here we go - Denver or bust! I'll be lifting my self-imposed two month travel moratorium for the trip, and I can't wait. I also just discovered that there is a half marathon in Denver that same weekend, That Dam Run , which is a great coincidence considering I need to do a 12 mile training run. I am a touch nervous about the altitude. The last time I ran in Denver, just few miles, I felt like my lungs were going to expl...

Last week's list of favorite races would not be complete without its counter - a list of my least favorite races. I'm always glad to have done a race once, but these are ones I will not do again. Well I'll never say never, but there would have to be some changes for sure. 5. Virginia Beach Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon I love the concept of the Rock 'n Roll series, and someday I may even give this one another shot. But when I ran this race in 2007 I was not impressed. At that time they had cotton t-shirts (which I know has since been changed). It was insanely hot Labor Day weekend in Hampton Roads, and the water and Gatorade was lukewarm. The finish was a bottle neck on the boardwalk and a total cluster. The best part was doing a race with my sister. It was pretty much the only good part. It just wasn't an experience I'm eager to repeat. With my sister and dad after finishing the Va Beach half in 2007 4. Ele's Race , Okemos, MI Last summer I ran t...

When I was moving to Michigan seven years ago my boss at the time, in attempting to dissuade me, said, "Michigan? Really? You know it's cold there." My last night in Norfolk was unseasonably warm - in the 70s. We even had dinner outside on the Oceanview Pier.  It's about a 12 hour drive from Norfolk to Lansing, and we expected to do it all in a single day. We had three vehicles - my dad driving my car, my mom and brother following in my parents' car and me driving the moving van. We got to the Ohio Turnpike and stopped for dinner when it started snowing. By the time we left dinner the weather was treacherous. I discovered as I was trying to call my parents that my cell phone appeared to be missing. We pulled off onto an exit and decided to stay the night. We ended up at a hotel in a room with the four of us and two cats. Quite the start of my life in MIchigan. With my parents, siblings and niece my last night in Norfolk When we arrived in Lansing on Super Bo...

I've blogged about a lot of races I've done, but there are a few that stand out in a major way. Here are the top five races I've run: 5. Capital City River Run , Lansing, MI I've run the CCRR three times - more than any other race I've done. I generally don't like to repeat races, but I like it so much. It's a great expo, a lovely, flat course, and it always has a shirt I love (as a bonus). I've done the half marathon twice and ran the 5k last year. It's a race I always intend to do - it shows off the best of my adopted hometown. I would recommend anyone in the Lansing area do it. Excellent race. During the 2012 CCRR 5k 4. LL Bean 10k , Freeport, Maine The LL Bean 10k was on my race bucket list . Something about this race intrigued me, and we built our entire 2012 summer vacation around it. Totally worth it. Not only did we fall in love with Maine, but I ran in the same race as Joan Benoit Samuelson! Granted she finished 20 minutes ahead ...

My husband and I play this game a lot: if we could live anywhere regardless of job or anything, where would it be? Obviously Europe is at the top of the list at least for a while, but that gets harder once you have family (soon) and four pets. So let's limit this to the United States. If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why? Here is my top five: 1. Chicago. It's no secret that I love Chicago. I love the gritty city with charming neighborhoods, tons to do and miles upon miles of running trails.  It has a vibrant, walkable downtown; arts, culture, the lake. There are running races every weekend and regular city running tours. I have this fantasy of working in a big building in downtown Chicago, walking to our fab condo that's way too small and meeting our friends around the corner for dinner and drinks. I wouldn't have to drive anywhere. Ideal. With my sister and niece in Chicago, May 2012 2. Denver.  My husband and I have both been to Denver but not...

One of my 2013 goals was to finally start a Happiness Project . For January, I decided what I want to do is manage the schedule. Be more efficient. You may wonder what that has to do with happiness. I'm anal. I like schedules. I like order. I like to have a schedule that is manageable but also challenging. Last year got a little TOO challenging. I was taking on too much, and I couldn't possibly get it all done. This year, I'm managing the schedule.  I love this quote by Henry David Thoreau: “It is not enough to be busy... The question is: what are we busy about?”  Here are my resolutions that will help me manage my schedule: 1. Say NO . This one is hard. Nobody wants to say no. I'm not good at it. I want to do everything at work, run every race, travel every weekend and say yes to every invitation for dinner/cocktails/coffee/shopping. It's just not possible. Last fall we traveled four consecutive weekends - three times to West Virginia and once to Virginia. I...

I wonder how many people are reading this wondering if I'm actually running nude? If you are, please stop being a perv. By naked I mean without technology. Sans iPod. Sans watch. Just enjoying the scenery without musical enhancement. I am a naked runner, and I can't imagine it any other way. I don't run with my iPod outside (only on a treadmill out of boredom), and although I've tried it a few times I'm not a fan. I like the sounds that accompany running - dogs barking, kids playing, the sound of fall leaves crunching under my feet. When I have music on I feel insulated from the world, and it feels lonely. It also feels slightly unsafe. Sometimes in the morning when I still feel half asleep I worry that someone is going to attack me from behind. If I was listening to music I'd never hear them coming. This time of year it's a real challenge to stay motivated. It's dark when I get up, and it's dark when I get home from work. Here in Michigan the st...

I am not a native Michigander. I've lived here for nearly seven years, and there are things about Michigan that I really don't like (I'd put the weather at the top of the list). There are other things, however, that I've fallen in love with. One of those gems (perhaps surprisingly to some of you) is the City of Detroit.  After living here only a few months I fell unabashedly in love with the City. Its mystery, its beauty, and even its fall are all part of what makes it unique. When my husband and I were first dating we went to Detroit quite frequently for ball games, dinner, or just to hang out. It became more difficult after we got our dog, and these days we get to Detroit much less frequently than either of us would like. Despite that, we are both lovers of the City. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the challenges it faces, but I always feel delighted to work for an organization that will be part of its revitalization.   My husband and I have maintained a membershi...

So 2012 was a pretty awesome year. How can I top that? Assuming we adopt a child in 2013 (which is a likely assumption but we could still possibly wait longer), this could be the most life-changing year we'll ever have. Here is the huge benefit of a runner adopting a child - I don't have to stop running even for a minute. I won't miss a beat. That is pretty exciting my friends. The end of this year found me running less and stressing more, and my goal for 2013 is to continue to set challenging goals and find ways to de-stress. It's difficult for someone with my extremely anal personality to not want to excel at everything 100 percent of the time, but that's not realistic. I need to set challenging but realistic goals and push for them. Goal number one is a bit outside my reach. After trying for several years to conceive a child, we made the decision at the end of 2011 to start the adoption process. We're ten months into that process, and I am hopeful that th...