Stay Strong - Run Long

Turbulent. That's how I would describe my 2018. Rocky. Unsettled. Raging. Rolling. That's what much of this year has felt like. I've been blessed with good health and a wonderful family, but my 2018 has been anything but healthy. From family health scares to my own personal demons. For the past 12 months, I have struggled with my identity. I would go to work every day feeling empty. Emotionless. Sad. Stressed. Numb. Running wasn't fun. Family time wasn't' fun. The things that brought me joy every day were a chore. Every day I would pray for God to give me happiness and every day was worse than the day before. I was questioning whether or not God truly loved me and wanted me to be happy. About 3 months ago, my trajectory changed. My world changed. My day-to-day was about to become even more turbulent...or so I thought. The saying goes, "God won't give you more than what you can handle" and I've always stuck by that notion, but the past ...

Welcome to December. The month that brings images of the family gathering around the fireplace to sip hot chocolate as we watch the snow fall. Or laying in bed with your favorite flannel sheets. Or wearing your favorite pajamas as you nuzzle with your loved ones...well...that's what we'd like to imagine December being... In our house, December definitely brings "fewer" activities for the kids, but not "less chaos". What it does bring is more excuses for staying inside and watching Netflix because...let's be honest...it's cold out and nobody wants to be outside. It means the kids wanting "just one more piece of candy". It means screaming, running around, fighting and the "I don't need to go to bed!!!!" which then forces mom and dad to search for that "perfect winter cocktail". Because we live in Iowa, we are typically subjected to one of three winters: TONS of heavy snow on the ground.  Bone-chil...

We've all heard the expressions "creature of habit", "creature of nature", "creature of comfort", "creature of the sea"...not sure how that last one applies to what you are about to read...and so on and so forth...and this may seem like a very strange introduction to a piece but bear with me for a second. Most will know that I am one of the worst at being a "creature of habit". I love to run the same races. When I am need of jeans, I buy the same ones. I listen to a lot of the same bands that I've been listening to for 20 years. I love to eat a lot of the same meals...hell...for 3 years at my last job I LITERALLY ate the same exact lunch every day...That's roughly the same combination of a grilled turkey wrap with pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onions for 3 years...Nearly 600 times... As I got ready for my run this morning, I brewed the same coffee, put on the same old socks, laced up the same style of shoe ...

We've made it. The holiday where we get to celebrate gluttony. The holiday where we cram way too many people into a kitchen that's way too small, to "sample" pieces of the turkey that "appear to have gone bad". We scream because there are too many people gathered in one spot...or people are just hard of hearing. We jockey for position in line to get to the mashed potatoes first. There's chaos, there's eating, there's drinking and there's football!!!! Once the smoke has cleared, the dirty dishes are in the sink, everyone has taken off their belts or put on their Joey's Thanksgiving pants , we might sit for a few minutes and then we are off to the next thing. Many will get up at the butt crack of dawn to go shopping (which sounds horrible) to save $50 on an Apple Watch...please make sure to support locally owned small businesses.... We rush, rush, rush for 4 days and before we realize it, a time that was to be spent giving thanks for t...

I'm going to start off and say that it truly pains me to not write the subject line in capital letters, but if you've spent enough time in the running industry you know that if a brand prides themselves on doing things a certain way, you abide 😀 The product that I'm reviewing today is a piece in our gear closet that most guys won't admit that they want to like. With the colder months coming, we are in that weird transition phase from still wanting to hang on to the shorts that we've come to love this spring/summer, but don't want to start running earlier in the morning or later at night to be seen wearing tights... Today, I present to you the " manpri " from one of my favorite brands in the running space right now, rabbit ***Disclaimer #1: I received this pair of manpris as a gift to review with no anticipation of a positive review. All comments below are my true thoughts behind the use of the product*** ***Disclaimer #2: I am a huge f...

Repost from my blog for the IMT Des Moines Marathon For anyone who has been around me for any period of time, you know that I LOVE running gear. Be it, hats, sunglasses, shirts, shorts, socks, shoes…I love shoes…hydration items. I love them all!!!! In today’s post we’re going to be talking the items from the head down that are going to get you to the finish line comfortably on race day. We’re doing this a few weeks out with the hopes that if any of these items strike your fancy you’ll try them out a couple of times prior to toeing the line. I’ll talk about some of my favorite pieces and why I can’t live without them On Top As someone who is a pretty heavy sweater, I try to wear something that is going to keep the sweat out of my eyes, yet function in other ways. One of my favorite pieces of gear is a piece called a  Buff …no…it’s not what you’re thinking…it’s a “multi-functional headwear” piece that can be worn as a headband, a scrunchie, a beanie, a neck gaiter, etc. They ...

Repost from my blog piece for the IMT Des Moines Marathon If you’ve been running long enough, you know what the sign above is referencing. You’re training is going well. You have down what your hydration, nutrition, cute shoe and clothing strategy for every possible weather condition. Your 2018 John Stamos calendar is staring you in the face with that big circle around October 21st. You are looking at your schedule of runs and you see a weird trend…the numbers are getting smaller…and smaller…and smaller…what is happening?!?!?! I’m supposed to be running a marathon?!?!?!?! Why are the numbers getting smaller? What is that weird pain in my toe? Is my ear bleeding? Is that a hole in my shorts? Do I need new shoes? (this answer is always yes)…NO I DON’T WANT A FREAKING QUESADILLA!!!!!!!!!! You are moody, cranky and irrational…You have entered……..The Taper Zone!!!!! (dun dun dun!!!!!) Obviously the above scenario is fictional…for most people…but there is some real things that wil...

Repost from my blog over at the  IMT Des Moines Marathon  Page We’ve all been there. Our training block for our goal race is going REALLY well. You’ve been getting up for those 6am runs. You’ve been really happy with your shoe choice. You’re getting tan. You’re shedding some of the winter fur that’s been hanging around. Your times have been improving. You’ve got the best playlist of Taylor Swift….I mean…Metallica…yeah…Metallica…that’s ever been created and your runs are going incredible…then BAM!!!!!! You get punched in your new set of Beats headphones by the dreaded “Blah” monster!!!! Your fight begins with you looking at the clock on a Saturday morning when you’re supposed to get your 18 miler in. He looks you in the eye and begins his assault, “What were you thinking setting your alarm clock for 5:15? You need more sleep”. You hit him back with “NO!!!! I AM AMAZING AND THIS 18 MILER IS MY LONGEST RUN TO DATE!!!”. Unwaivered by your relenting, he strikes back with...

I did something the other day that I'm really proud of. In the nearly 14 years that I've spent nearly every minute of every day thinking about running, I think I made my biggest breakthrough. In the thousands of miles that I've run. In the hundred or so races that I've participated in. In the eight 100 mile buckles that I've earned...Monday I made a breakthrough that I've been waiting for for almost my entire life...I stopped caring.... It's been well documented the reason I got into running. I was running from an addiction. I was running from my weight. I was running from depression. I was running from the feeling of inadequacy. I was running from myself. I won't go into that piece of my past again.  As I've lost weight, I've gained confidence in my abilities. I've gained a way to deal with my stress and depression. I've surrounded myself with some of the most amazing people and have gotten to visit some very cool places. But eve...