I Run These Towns

I've been rather vocal about how important it is for me to run naked . Running is my alone time. It's my time to meditate. It's my time to sort through the myriad thoughts in my head and make sense of them. Music is a great distraction, but it clutters my mind. There is very little time in life when it's just me and the wind whistling in my ears. Most runners I know listen to music while they're running. Not only is the quiet time really important for me, but headphones are so annoying. I feel like I should be able to take a few hours of my week and enjoy the silence. My other runner friends often ask me how I stay focused and what I think about. It's easy...I listen to the voices in my head. Okay I guess I just hear one voice - my own. Today, for example, I was thinking of a work project I'm pulling together. I ran through my to do list for the week. I thought about how to strengthen the connection between Downtown and Old Town Lansing. It was sunny and...

Contrary to popular belief I am not opposed to flat shoes. I don't prefer them, but I'm definitely not opposed. But just like other articles of clothing and accessories (ahem yoga pants and other workout attire), there is definitely a time and a place. In April The Atlantic did a piece about how wearing a suit changes one's thought process. A direct quote from the article: “Putting on formal clothes makes us feel powerful, and that changes the basic way we see the world” (from Abraham Rutchick, an author of the study and a professor of psychology at California State University, Northridge). I could not agree more that wearing something formal makes me feel more powerful. When I am wearing a cocktail dress I feel like I can conquer the world. Actually I feel like that all the time, so I'm pretty lethal in a cocktail dress and heels. My wardrobe is filled with flattering dresses and high heels. If I have a meeting or a day where I'm meeting new people I feel t...

Life is meant for celebrating. Sure there are the obvious big life events, but I'm a fan of celebrating every single day. I don't always do it, but today I am reminding myself to take advantage of and appreciate the magic of every day. Last weekend I had a bridal shower to attend and a wedding later that same day. During my long run on Saturday morning I was thinking about those large events in life that we celebrate. But then I was also thinking about the smaller events that deserve celebration. This inner dialogue was occurring as I was rocking out a particularly great long run on the Lansing River Trail. We were expecting rain later in the day, and the weather was cloudy and cool. The only sound was my breathing and my feet hitting the pavement. In just the last few weeks the trees have bloomed brilliantly, and I found myself running under a brilliant green canopy. I celebrated that run like it was the last one I'd ever have.  In 2014 my husband and I decided with a ...

The answer is everything. I've spent four years writing this blog and talking about all of the things that make cities great. This includes important assets like transit, walkable downtowns, small businesses, cultural institutions, and more. These are and will remain important pieces of the placemaking puzzle. There is one thing that doesn't fit into a neat category and isn't quantifiable: love. Last year I visited San Francisco for the second time. This city has it all. It's vibrant, walkable, lots of shops, restaurants, bars, museums. There's easily accessible and convenient public transit. The weather is lovely. It checks all the boxes. But for me there's something missing. It's great, but it's just not for me. I don't really love California in general. There's something about the vibe I don't really get. Even I can't put my finger on it, so how can anyone else? Love (or lack thereof in this case) plays a huge part in what attracts ...

In general I'm not a huge celebrator of holidays. Obviously I appreciate dinner or a card, but we don't go crazy for holidays. My first Mother's Day, however, felt different. I was almost embarrassingly thrilled to be able to celebrate this day. I let my husband pamper me. I slept in, he made me breakfast, my son* bought me a gorgeous new watch.  I had so many wonderful family and friends who reached out to wish me a happy Mother's Day. I've been so open about our struggle to have a family, and I've been annoyingly joyful in sharing photos of our beautiful boy. My friends and family were amazingly supportive on my first Mother's Day, and it makes my heart happy. We focused the weekend doing what I love doing best: running a race in a downtown. There could not be a more perfect way to spend the day. I registered for the 5/3 River Bank Run in Grand Rapids. Initially I registered for the 25k, but I realized that I really just hadn't trained to run 15+ ...

Two years ago I wrote a heartfelt blog lamenting what was at that point a year-long wait in the adoption process. For the last few years Mother's Day has been a day that makes my heart ache and my cheeks hurt from the fake smiling. I desperately wanted a child. This day to celebrate becoming a mother, something that has come so easily for so many women, has been a day of sadness for me for the last few years. This year it's actually snuck up on me because it turns out having a baby makes one busy and forgetful. I've gotten a lot of annoying advice about how to be a parent, and I'll be honest: I've ignored 100 percent of the unsolicited advice. I don't read parenting books because they stress me out. Lots of smart (and not so smart) people have figured out how to be a parent. I'll figure it out too.  One thing I was told, however, continues to resonate: it's hardest and most wonderful job you'll ever have. Truer words have never been spoken. The ...

I hate regret. I find it to be a useless emotion, and rarely indulge myself to feel it. All of the decisions I've made in my life, even the bad ones, have gotten me to where I am today. How can I possibly regret any of them? Despite the fact that I try to be pragmatic about life (even the emotional parts), I've still followed my heart a lot. I've followed love to two different states, although I did so with clearly defined school or career plans. (One has to be practical even in love.) I moved to Texas at age 23 with applications submitted to both Baylor University and the University of Texas to visit for my third year of law school. I was accepted to both, and I chose Baylor because it was an easy commute. At the time I felt very bitter about the impending demise of the relationship that took me to the Lone Star State and missing my third year of law school with my friends. But if I didn't have that experience I wouldn't have met my best friend, and I wouldn'...

I imagine there comes a time in every runner's life when the spark dies a little bit. The motivation wans, and you find yourself wondering what was so great about this whole running thing to begin with. It's much like a relationship: it's great at the beginning when everything is shiny and new. You can't get enough of it. Then comes the inevitable shift from brand new and exciting to comfortable and familiar. I've always had a hard time with that transition in the romantic sense, and the transition in running is surprisingly similar.  When you're training for your first race you're simply looking for that sense of accomplishing whatever the distance may be. Time is less of a factor. You're looking to finish. I've done that with half marathons and marathons and dozens of 5ks and 10ks. I did it last year with my first triathlon. But then comes the moment...the "what's next" moment. You know...the "where is this relationships going...