My First Race Recap in Five Months!

I ran an in-person 5K race last weekend – my first since the end of October – and I ran it with my best running buddy!

This was probably the 8th or 9th 5K race I’ve run with JJ, although a couple of those were

Turning the Corner at the Corn Maze 5K

I completed 40 races in 2019 (in honor of my 40th birthday), and one of the most memorable was the Corn Maze 5K. An entire 5K race, all held within a giant corn maze! So I was super excited (and a bit trepidatious) to attend this year’s Corn Maze 5K, a few weeks back.

Let’s start with the elephant in the room: How did they hold a live, in-person race during a pandemic? With a lot of changes and safety protocols. First of all,

Two Virtual Races Under My Belt… In Two Consecutive Weekends

I spent some quality time with my favorite running buddy yesterday, and he thanked me with a big ol’ kiss!

JJ and I completed the Pride Stride 5K yesterday, which was a virtual race, which meant we could run it anywhere we wanted, and then submit our time to their website. Virtual races have become

My Friend is Literally Running Around the World, and I Ran With Him For a Little While This Weekend

I ran into an old friend on Saturday. Well.. “ran into” doesn’t quite paint an accurate picture, because I drove 90 minutes to see him. I hadn’t seen him in a couple years, and this was my one and only chance to see him for the next couple years.

That friend is Ruslan Shakin, and he’s on a multi-year journey of a lifetime, literally running around the world. So far he’s amassed around 12,000 miles of running, by

I Drove Across Three States to Compete in a Race Inside A Corn Maze! (Includes Awesome Aerial Footage From the Race)

Check it out – I’m in the world’s largest corn maze!

Richardson Adventure Farm, in Spring Grove, Illinois, has an annual corn maze that covers 28 acres and includes almost 10 miles of paths. It’s enormous! Every year they host a 5K race, through the maze, and I knew I wanted to do it as soon as

35 Races Done. I’m in the Home Stretch of My #40years40races Challenge!

Only FIVE races left!

I turned 40 in March and, in honor of my milestone birthday, I challenged myself to compete in 40 races in 2019. Do I have a hashtag? Of course I do! It’s #40years40races!

Before the Crim 5-mile race in Flint. More on this race below!

I gotta be completely honest:

I Shattered Two Personal Records During One of the Toughest Races I’ve Done!

I’ve run races on roads, on trails, and I’ve certainly done plenty of stair races. The race I did on Saturday, though, combined all of those disciplines, and more! My finishers medal was well-earned… and earning it required doing things I’ve never done before.

The race was the 20th Annual Mount Baldhead Challenge, in the cute little town of Saugatuck, Michigan, where I once

I Ran Thru Hell and Now I’m Three-Quarters Done With My #40years40races Challenge!

30 races down, 10 more to go!

2019 is all about racing. I’m celebrating my 40th birthday by competing in 40 races. It’s my #40years40races Challenge!

This challenge is physically exhausting, but it also requires a lot of planning. So I’m thrilled to be 3/4ths done with it, with over four months left in the year!

I’ve been keeping a running total of

What The Hill? Plus, A #40Years40Races Update

Another weekend, another race, another finishers medal!

This one was earned at What The Hill?, a 5-ish mile trail race in Rochester Hills, Michigan. (They actually use “5-ish miles” to promote the event!) It was an extraordinarily difficult event – by far the hardest trail race I’ve ever done. (Which isn’t saying a lot, because this is only my fourth.)

Why was it so hard? Because of the hills.

WHOA! I’ve Done 20 Races So Far This Year… So I’m Halfway Through My #40years40races Challenge!

At the beginning of the year, I set out to complete a great big fitness challenge: in honor of my 40th birthday, I decided to compete in 40 races in 2019. I’m happy to share that I’m halfway to my goal, and have achieved some notable accomplishments along the way, including – drum roll please – my first-ever age group podium win!

I’m going to get into details of that age group podium win shortly, but first, some big picture stats. I’ve done 20 races since the beginning of January. I’ve done more races in the past five months than I’ve ever done in any previous year. Wow.