Parting Thoughts on October

October was a climatic month.  Yet it is a month that is very hard to put in the books.  Many goals were fulfilled and two others were just missed. ............

Long Hours and a Return to Running

This past week has been quite exciting, yet very busy for me.  Following the 50-mile race was the 7-hour drive home and the inability to fall asleep.  Apparently endorphin overload and the runner’s high works as an incredible sleep deterrent.  So, I was up until 1:30 AM.  The following night, I was still wired and was awake until 1:00 AM. ..........

50-mile Ultra-marathon Race Recap

This entry describes my 50-mile Ultra-Marathon ran October 22, 2011 on the Des Plaines Trail in NE Illinois.  This is a long blog entry, but remember 50 miles is a long race!  You will need 10+ minutes to read it. ............

A Day to Shine ... A Night to Forget

Today was a day to remember for the girls cross country team I coach as an assistant.  Just over three weeks ago, they ran a meet at the same site and against the same competition as today.  That day, they were fourth by 2.  Today, they took third by a decisive 39 points and were just 10 points from second.  With the top 3 finish, Ames High has earned a return to the state cross country meet! ........

Pacing @ Des Moines Half-Marathon

Today, I gave back to the running world by volunteering to lead a pace team at the Des Moines Half-Marathon.  My task called for me to run a 90-minute half-marathon (6:52/mi pace), while controlling the pace, planning for gatorade/GU stops, recruiting/cheering/encouraging runners, all while carrying a 4-foot sign.  My wife, who has become pretty familiar with my training, asked about today's difficulty and guessed a rank of 4 out of 10 (which was pretty accurate).  My response, however, was that the biggest challenge today would be holding up the sign. ........

Welcome & Background

Thanks for checking out my running journal.  I have decided to create this site for many reasons.

Personally, I have found myself wanting to create an archive of my adventures so that I can share stories with my kids someday.  And when I get really old, these records will help me recall my youthful days.  Additionally, since ending Lincoln's Logs on caringbridge, the desire to write entertaining updates has smoldered but was never completely doused.  Further, I often find myself sharing running snippets from my life on facebook, but felt that I was boasting to a crowd that doesn't at all understand what an intense fartlek session entails for example. .........