Couch to ATHLETE!

Pre-run in dad's hunting hat with lights and ear flaps. Persistence is the key to success for EVERYTHING! I often beat myself up because I occasionally live like a bachelor (I actually am not that bad but it helps illustrate my point). Of course like everything in my life, my ability to keep my house pristine ebbs and flows based on my mood or what is going on in my life. I typically don't stress about little things, as a matter of fact if my friend's child comes to my house I am often heard saying to him (as he spills his milk, drops something or accidentally breaks something) don't worry about it, if it breaks it can be fixed or replaced; IT IS JUST A THING. I guess you can say I am not very materialistic. If you know me at all you know that I function best in controlled chaos. If you look around my office, in my junk drawer or on my counter you may find stacks of mail, files, papers or other items that may seem disorganized. In my mind it is organized. As a ...

This is how we do it! I have been getting a lot of questions about running in the winter. The questions range from the typical 'how the heck do you stay warm' to the rhetorical 'are you freaking crazy?' The answer to the crazy question is: YES, I am crazy, but I already knew before I became a runner. I was talking with a friend last week and she asked me if I was going to run that day (it was something like 9 degrees before wind chill) and I promptly responded with a Yup. She told me that, while she admires my dedication she simply thinks I am down right crazy. My response? I shrugged my shoulders, put on my shoes and ran! And, how do I keep warm while running? Well, what I learned from my first supervisor while living in Maine is this: There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. As I look at my running log, which is where I track my mileage, pace, clothing, temperature, who I ran with, insights from the day (these range from random discoveries ...

I am an athlete! This blog serves a number of purposes. The first purpose is to keep my family, friends and readers up to date on my journey, the second is to share some of the lessons that I have learned through this journey and the final is to maintain some sort of journal for myself to remind me where I came from and where I am going. With that being said this week's post is going to serve as somewhat of an update of several topics that have come up over the last few weeks... Dukie For those of you who follow my blog, you are aware that my dog became critically ill just over two weeks ago. It was one of the scariest moments I have experienced as Dukie's companion. Many people have asked me how the little guy is doing. After weeks of many meds, mushy dog food, stitches and a cone around his head I can safely say he has recovered!!! I took Dukie to the vet this past week to have his stitches/staples removed and the vet was extremely pleased with the incision sit...

I feel like I am stealing topics as one of my friends blogged about shoes this week. The reality is my experience on Saturday necessitates a post about the connection a runner may have with their running shoe. After reading my friends blog I recognized I have an emotional attachment to my shoes. I have been wearing this model of running shoe for about two years now. The reason I initially switched shoes was because the previous shoe rubbed on a bone in my foot and caused extreme bruising of that bone. I switched shoe model exactly one and a half weeks before my first half marathon. This may sound like the worst idea in the world (and it is) but my injury required a different shoe to achieve half marathon bliss. I have gone through approximately 4-5 pairs of running shoes over the last year and a half. Once a pair  molds to my foot and acquires well deserved holes I struggle with retiring them for simple walks with Dukie. Why such a struggle you may ask? My shoes tell my story. O...

Dukie watching the Frisbees! Welcome to 2012!!! I am not a New Years resolution kind of person; I prefer writing down a list of items I would like to accomplish in the New Year! This year is no exception. The only thing is I have not had the opportunity to write my list yet. I plan to spend the remainder of this evening cleaning my house and writing my list. Over the past week I have failed to keep a running schedule. I will NEVER do that again, but I recognize life sometimes just gets in the way. Here is my story... I took my typical running rest day on Monday and was looking forward to getting back to Columbus on Tuesday. I knew what route I was going to run when I got to town and was looking forward to what was going to be a fantastic training week! On Tuesday morning I woke up at my parents house to a sick pup and a few tasks on my to do list before I headed home to Columbus. After finishing up my nieces bed, putting away toys, tucking a crib away in a closet and ...