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

A New Vegetable, Another Virtual 5K, a Drenched Dog, and More!

I’m chugging along, folks. At the beginning of the month, I was down four pounds, but then the other day, I was up five. Losing weight isn’t easy, but I’m not giving up!

That’s a post-workout selfie from this morning. I’ve had a very healthy weekend. I took that picture at my gym after using the

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

My First Race in Four Months!

One of the things I miss most right now is stair racing. Thanks to the pandemic, stair races are pretty much done for the time being, and I don’t know when they’re coming back… or when I’ll feel comfortable racing again anyway. I did have a race experience recently, though – with a bib and everything!

Good ol’ lucky number 41088! The race was

I Was Dreading My First Run In Six Months… And The Outcome Surprised Me!

It’s been a good week, and I want to share my successes. That’s right, plural! Not one success, but two!

WHOA! I need a haircut!

I’ll share one of those successes in my next post. This post is about a huge exercise win: I went running for the first time in six months! After

I Crunched the Numbers, and My #40years40races Challenge Statistics are Jaw-Dropping!

The biggest fitness challenge of my life is over. A couple weeks ago, I completed my #40years40races challenge. It wore me down, and wore me out, but I am so incredibly proud. Proud doesn’t begin to cover it. I raced more in 2019 than I did in 2018 and 2017 combined. In fact, 1/3rd of all the races I’ve done in my adult life (since 2011) were raced as part of this challenge. I’ve done things I’ve never done before, and set all sorts of personal records. Plus, I finished my challenge on November 23rd, with over a month to spare before the end of the year!

Those are all the medals I earned this year. 31 of them! (Not every race has medals.) They look even better all spread out on the table.

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