Welcome! This page is dedicated to my running activities and goals. If you’d like to skip all that and go right to my running/cycling blog posts,  click here.

I started running a few years ago as a way to keep in shape and build some endurance. I didn’t particularly like it; the most I’d ever run was a mile or so a couple of times in college. For a while I stayed in shape by playing basketball and chasing my kids around. But as I entered my 40s I started getting flabby, and made up my mind not to have that continue. I started biking rather than driving on short errands, and began Aikido training. Then when my daughter Rachel took a running class for high school, I decided to try out running, too.

My first serious run was about 2.5 miles, and I had to stop five times to catch my breath. But the next time I ran that route, I stopped just once. Soon I was running two miles nonstop. Then three. I started logging my miles in 2008; I ran about 125 miles total that year, and did about the same in 2009.

2010 was when my running really took off. I got a copy of Born to Run, and began using the midfoot strike, which greatly increased my endurance. Then I joined a Running 101 class at Running Fit and learned the benefits of running in a group. I’ve run year round ever since. I set two goals in the class; run 10 miles without stopping, and complete a half marathon (13.1 miles). I achieved both when I ran Dexter-Ann Arbor that June.

With a half marathon in the bag, a full marathon went from unimaginable to at least possible, and in 2011 I decided to go for it. I hired a coach, who set up a training schedule and helped me increase my stamina and distance. In October I completed the Chicago Marathon! You can see my story in blog posts and photos by clicking here.

So what’s up for 2012? More distance, and more speed. I’ve signed up for the first-ever Ann Arbor Marathon in June, and I’m planning a 50K ultramarathon for the fall. On the speed side, I still have the goal of running a 5K under 20 minutes, as well as at least one 6-minute mile.

I train with PR Fitness in Ann Arbor.  They are the main reason I drag myself out of bed at 7:00 a.m. every Saturday morning and head downtown to run. That, along with my unexpected transformation into someone who enjoys running. (I’m still not quite believing it.) Here are some photos of this great group of people in action.

2012 Speed Goals:

1. 6:00 mile

2. 5K in under 20:00

2012 Scheduled Races