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...

When my husband suggested almost a year ago that I start a blog focusing on two of my absolute  favorite things - cities and running - I thought it would be a fun exercise. Little did I know that I would discover how these two things are a huge part of me. Writing this blog is an expression of who I am and what I believe in. Sure, that sounds corny, but at the end of my life I want to look back and know that I did something I believe in. Something that really matters. Today I was forwarded this fantastic blog by Umair Haque that discusses creating a meaningful life through meaningful work. Having attended two funerals this week, I thought I was all tapped out on gaining perspective, but Umair took it one step further. It really got me thinking about the meaning in what I do. I am fortunate to love, REALLY love, what I do and where I work. I am a 100% true believer in the importance of cities and placemaking.  Sometimes as a lobbyist I get bogged down in the details of spe...

I'm only mildly ashamed to admit that I love McDonald's. I know it's disgusting, and I know it's bad for me, but I don't care. When I finish a long run, there is nothing I want more than Chicken McNuggets and fries. Maybe a hot fudge sundae for good measure. I'm not one of these people who runs and eats healthy. I get that if I did I'd probably lose weight and probably be faster. I don't have horrible eating habits all the time (although admittedly they aren't the best), but if I can't indulge in some ice cream every now and then what's the point in running?!? One of the most interesting things I've found in traveling and running is how many calories I must burn on vacation.  (I'm not a calorie counter so I can really only speculate.)  We do a lot of walking and sightseeing in addition to my running, so I'm generally on the go the entire trip. That's why I get to enjoy things like key lime martinis, Dunkin' Donuts cap...

Remember when you were a kid, and sometimes you would just take off running because you could? Maybe it wasn't very far or very fast, but there was something freeing in just taking off. You would run around with your friends, playing. Running was a fun part of every day in some way.  While I certainly don't always feel that freedom when I'm doing a long run, part of that is what keeps me running. It's also my time to reflect on what's happening in life - both the good and the bad. This past weekend one of my dearest friends lost her husband to cancer.  She and her family are devastated, and as I've watched her family go through this battle, it's helped me put everything in perspective over and over again.  Sometimes the things that seem so important - something at work, someone you're annoyed with, some task you have to accomplish - seem so insignificant when someone is fighting for their life. She and her family have handled this illness head on and n...