Taper worm!

One week until my first half-marathon. Sometimes when I tell people I’m going to run a half-marathon I feel as if I’m talking about someone else. Today I’m filled with self-doubt. Have I trained correctly? Will I have to walk the last 3 miles? Can I get the nutrition/hydration right? I have some good reasons

Happy Apping

To those of you who don’t have a smart phone (or, as my wonderful neighbor from Kosovo calls it, “Stupeed Smartphone,” you may want to browse down. But this may pique your interest. In the past I’ve mentioned my many fitness apps–Myfitnesspal, Runkeeper, MapMyRun (or MapMyAss as I fondly call it), and Gym Pact. They

Out of the frying pan…

…into the fire. Shortly after I signed up for my 7 mile race, I did something to set off my peroneal tendonitis. I’ve only done two runs in about a week and a half. Much self-pity and self-control is being exercised. Hopefully I will be able to run next weekend! In the meantime, my brother-in-law

Back in the Saddle Again

The good thing is, when you’re in a slump, you can look around you and find all sorts of inspiration. Like the Miles2Give guys I mentioned in my last blog (http://miles2give.org/), running across America to raise money for sarcoma research. If they can run 3,000 miles,  I can get back to my own dinky routine.

Color Me Accepting

Warning: this post claims some ugliness. Human ugliness in all it’s forms. If you can’t take gross stories, close this out. But to me the racist side to this post is the hardest to stomach. I have chosen to live in a liberal college town because I feel comfortable sharing my life with tolerant, educated

Roadblocks

Finally the weather is perfect in Iowa; 70s, sunny and a light 10 mph wind. My old (yet younger than I) running buddy and I had talked about going for a bike ride today, but I started making tons of excuses yesterday. All of them valid, of course. First, I was having trouble getting air

Fear of Failing

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of fear. Fear that the other guy might win, fear that people might have to pay more taxes, fear that we all might be helpless if we are not armed citizens. But as the political climate settles, the ads dissipate, and people become more concerned with whether

Running with Rose

There are a couple things I like to run with. My phone, my dog, and sometimes a friend. Today my friend and I had a mix-up so it was just Rose (dog pal), my IPhone, and I. I have my phone on me partially for security reasons, but also to track my time/distance with a

Food for Thought

Today I was thinking about biking 13 miles out to a local state park and joining friends for a swim. I’ve been waking around 6:30 every morning, trying to prepare for the grueling morning schedule my son and I will face in one week when he starts junior high and I start teaching an 8

I can’t Tri if I can’t Run

It’s taken me a while to get to this point. It’s not a point of no return, but a point of acceptance. I can’t run. I may not run for a while. Worse yet, I need to really pull back on cycling, too. My ankle is just not cooperating. Any impact, even just walking around