JJ and Fawns and Shrimp and What the Heck is That Bird?

There’s lots of animals to blog about, and I’m going to start with my favorite: JJ! I used my parent’s Jacuzzi to unwind after a challenging step workout, and JJ was very curious about it.

I think he would have gotten in had I let him! A week earlier, JJ decided

I Haven’t Blogged During the Past Few Weeks, But That’s Because I Bought a House!

Hey gang! It’s been three weeks since I’ve posted anything on here, and it’s because my mind and energy has been focused on a very exciting development: I BOUGHT A HOUSE! 

It’s a cute little ranch in a Detroit suburb called Troy, about 25 minutes from where I’m currently living. I picked up the keys last weekend. I’ll share some pics throughout this post, but I’m starting with the craziest part of the story: I made an offer on the house without ever stepping foot inside. 

JJ and I Have Hiked A 47-Mile Route Over the Past Few Months!

There’s some old railroads in my area that have been converted into hiking trails, and JJ and I have been hitting portions of these trails during many of our weekends over the past few months. It occurred to me recently that if JJ and I targeted a couple specific areas, than we will have cumulatively covered a continuous stretch of trail that’s 47 miles long! That became a new goal… and I reached that goal on Sunday.

Check it out: We’ve covered this entire 23.5-mile trail, twice! (There and back.) 

(Click on the map to see it bigger.)

Most of the trail is called

A Story About A Bridge

I’ve got a story about a bridge to share. The bridge isn’t as impressive as the huge suspension bridge I raced over, or even the bridge I set out to find in Omaha, but a bridge is a bridge. For an infrastructure nerd like me, every bridge is worth a visit.

Before I get into that, though, I wanted to share a few words about my friend Richard Simmons. He’s

My Christmas Week of Walks and Hikes

How was your Christmas? Mine was lovely. I spent a week in Marin County, just north of San Francisco, with my family. We played poker a couple nights (I won $40), went on family outings, made big dinners together (I was in charge of vegetables), and… I met a bear!

When I wasn’t doing those other things, or just relaxing, I was walking. I’m still recovering from a year of racing, but I wanted to stay active, so I made a point of going on a nice long walk every single day.

Thanksgiving Rewind 2019

I hope everyone had a delightful Thanksgiving! I celebrated at my sister’s house in Colorado, where I always go for Thanksgiving. It was a quieter, smaller crowd this year, but it still was a fun day, surrounded by family.

It wasn’t a gluttonous, regretful day of eating for me, either, and that felt good. The reason is because

My Holiday Week On The West Coast (But Maybe Not The Coast You’re Thinking Of)

My family’s July 4th tradition is to meet up in St. Joseph, our favorite spot on the west coast… of Michigan. That’s the Lake Michigan coast, for the geographically challenged!

That pic was taken on a morning walk with JJ and my aunt Annie, who took the photo. We may or may not have been trespassing on

Colorado Workouts AND A Barefoot Run Through the Snow! BRRR!

First things first: I lost a card game when I was in Colorado last week. The punishment was running barefoot through 6″ of snow. It was cold. And it was all captured on video by my nephew Sam. Enjoy!

Two thoughts about that video:

One Robbery Led to Three Workouts… Including a Long Walk to the Police Station

The tires and wheels were stolen off my car last week, while it was parked in my parking spot, in my own building. Good times!

We have security cameras, so I’ve seen the thieves in action: they

Fitting Into This Tuxedo Required Two Pairs of Spanx

I’ve wore a tuxedo twice in the past six weeks – a new record, considering I’ve worn a tux no more than five times in my entire life. This one had a velvet jacket!

I was a groomsman at my friend Sean’s wedding over the weekend, and those are