Andrew Schrauben

I went to my PT appointment this morning and if it weren't for the fact that I'm there due to an injury, I'd love to go more often! Seriously, it felt like I went to a museum or something - it was a lot of fun and I learned a lot. They even had all kinds of sports items - posters, pennants, even mock lockers for Steve Yzerman, Derek Jeter and Mia Hamm! My exam room had an autographed Jeter photo, photos of Tony Clark and Alan Trammell in action, and a "timeline of baseball history" poster. Awesome!

FYI, I have two injuries - a bad right shoulder that's been bothering me for a few years, and also a strained rib cage that I hurt six weeks ago. This PT appointment addressed the shoulder; there's not much that can be done for the rib cage aside from rest.

The therapist started by asking a ton of questions, then started prodding me all over on my back. She did mention that my back appears to be unaffected from my rib cage strain, so that's good. Then she hits my right shoulder and says "Whoa, there's quite a knot back there!" That was news to me; I'd never noticed anything like that. Next I had to move my arms around in various directions with the palm of my hand facing one way, then another, etc. Some of those motions caused a clicking sound in my shoulder, which I expected - it happens quite frequently. The last step in her diagnosis was for me to push against her hand with my arms in various orientations, e.g. push outwards one way, push down another way, push up yet another way, etc. One such configuration resulting in my arm shaking as I pushed up with very little force, although I didn't feel any pain.

At last, a diagnosis. We walked over to a wall chart depicting all of the muscle groups and she pointed out one in particular - the infraspinatus. That's the one that was all knotted up. She concluded that I don't have any tearing or significant damage to the muscle - sweet! The problem is that the muscle is quite inflamed, especially around that knot and especially where it connects to my upper arm bone (the humerus), which is where I can actually feel some pain if I push on that area.

The problem is that the inflamed muscle doesn't behave properly - when flexing the inflammation apparently weakens it and disrupts some of the nerves trying to control it. See how many muscles connect to the shoulder? It's a complex joint, so when one is out of whack and the shoulder moves, certain motions can be rather uncoordinated and cause the clicks that I sometimes feel.

The solution? Ultrasound! Seriously, the therapist wheeled an ultrasound machine into the room, set the timer to eight minutes, and proceed to rub the wand around on the back of my shoulder. She explained that the ultrasound warms up and relaxes the tissue. It worked! After the eight minutes she confirmed that the knot in my shoulder was gone. Wow.

Next I had to sit in a chair parallel to a table and rest my right elbow on the table next to me with my hand raised as if I were doing a casual wave. She then pressed her fingertips into that infraspinatus muscle and leaned into it so hard that she nearly pushed me out of my chair! While she's doing that, she asks me to raise and lower my hand a dozen times... dang did that hurt! Not sharp pain, but rather it felt like my shoulder was full of lactic acid. After I'd completed the dozen reps my hand was all tingly and pale white - it felt really weird. And I was done!

I'm scheduled to go back next week, and then 2-3 times per week after that for 3-4 weeks. I don't know exactly what they're going to do, but I assuming something similar to today. I was also given a few simple exercises to do daily. Amazingly, the entire day my shoulder has felt all limber! I guess I never realized such tightness had formed but boy that ultrasound must've done something. I still get the clicking, so I need to build that muscle back up to strength before that will go away.

How did this injury happen, anyway? Well, I used to be a fairly serious tennis player back in high school - the strongest aspects to my game were my uncanny quickness (rarely is the tallest guy on the team also the quickest, but somehow I did it) and my booming serve. I loved serving and practiced it often, even throughout college as a way to burn some energy. I also played rec softball in college. Needless to say, my right shoulder must've been pretty well developed.

Then I stopped. For several years I played neither tennis nor softball, then a couple years ago I started playing softball again. My mind remembered how to throw a ball hard, but my muscles didn't and over time my now under-developed shoulder muscles couldn't keep up with the expectations I was putting on them, and one became inflamed. Hopefully after all of this PT has run its course my arm will be strong enough again to hurl a softball a couple hundred feet again, without injury!

Yep, you can find flying tigers (on pink WWII fighters, no less!) at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo! Amanda and I visited this aviation museum yesterday and we thoroughly enjoyed it. They have several real aircraft plus many more replicas and mock-ups. While the entire history of flight is covered, the emphasis is on World War II aviation. Some highlights...



Missions Theater - an old half-cylinder hanger was converted into a theater that shows 3D movies - not IMAX but the kind where you wear 3D glasses. It featured the story of a WWII B-17 crew on a bombing mission and the film was great.

Flight Simulator - a popular attraction is their full-motion three-axis simulator; you won't find this at Putt-Putt! You're strapped in as tightly as you would be on an inverted roller coaster, although at 6'4" I barely fit. "Full-motion three-axis" means that you can fly complete 360-degree rolls and full loops where you physically go all the way around! What a blast. However, there's a delay with the control input - when I push the stick left, there's a half-second where nothing happens, causing me to push the stick further left and suddenly were doing a full-rate barrel roll. Classic control delay causing pilot-induced oscillations. I got more used to it but it was still a very difficult simulator to control.

Simulation Station - a collection of real cockpits that guests are allowed to sit in. This was quite fun because you're able to get a hands-on experience with the controls, instruments, and what it feels like to try to fly one of these things.

I'm going to let Amanda further describe those and other highlights of our trip because I want to focus on one of them: the Link trainer.



I won't try to explain the history of the Link trainer when the Air Zoo already did it so well (see photo above). Basically it's a small cockpit mock-up with real flight instruments and some pitch-roll-yaw motion to train pilots how to fly without visual reference; i.e. flying just from the instruments. In the photo below you can see me sitting in one at the Air Zoo.



The reason I find these things so cool is because my maternal grandfather (we called him Grampy) used to teach pilots on these simulators! Grampy was in the US Army Air Force during WWII and was assigned to train future pilots. I don't know how he got selected for that - he's wasn't a pilot himself and never had an aviation interest that I'm aware of. My maternal grandmother (aka Grammy) recently dug up his duty records, which showed that he was sent to Indiana or Illinois (I forget which) to be trained in flight instrumentation and celestial navigation. After that he spent time training future pilots.

Interestingly, Grammy was also involved in the war effort as a "Rosie Riveter" - she didn't actually do rivets, but rather she installed hydraulic lines in the nose section of a bomber aircraft, but I don't know which model. Grammy has registered Grampy at the National World War II Memorial (a great site to check out sometime).

FYI, my paternal grandparents - we simply called them Grandpa and Grandma - were also involved in WWII. Grandpa was in the US Navy a diesel engine mechanic on board a landing ship, an LST I believe. Grandma worked at a factory assembling ailerons or artillery shells.



In these next two photos (above and below) you can see a more complete Link trainer than the one I sat in. The complete one has a hood on top to complete enclose the cockpit, giving the pilot zero reference to the outside world which simulates flying in the clouds or total darkness (real Link trainers didn't have a window like this museum piece has). There's also a gimbal mechanism as the base, which can move the cockpit to simulate the motions caused by various control inputs and simulation conditions (e.g. engine out or turbulence).



Particularly interesting to me, the Air Zoo had an instructor's station for the Link simulator. This is where I assume Grampy would've sat when teaching the student pilots! Unfortunately we didn't get a better photo of the desk. On the right side of the desk is a data recorder which kept track of the student's actions during the simulated flight. On the left side are some flight instruments that show the same values as what the student is seeing on the same instruments in the cockpit. On top of the desk (you can't really see it in the photo) is an aeronautical chart where the instructor could plan simulated missions and track the student's progress.



It's always so fun and enlightening to take a walk through history, especially when there's a personal connection.

This morning I woke up around 6:30am and one of my first thoughts was "Hmm, I feel like going for a run." Despite calling myself a runner I don't usually think such a thought in the morning, probably because I rarely run in the morning.

As I got dressed into my running attire, Haven began watching me intently and then started whining when she realized that I was going running. She convinced me to take her along, and I decided to add foster dog Ella to the mix as well.

Instead of two leashes I used just one, which I clipped to both of their lead-collars - this allowed me a free hand with which to carry water. It was early on a Sunday and for the first 40 minutes of our trip we only saw three cars! We had the road to ourselves and were also treated with a low 50's temperature, clear sky, and some thick fog near the river.

The excited girls tried to push the pace for the first four miles before finally showing some fatigue, but I think they helped pull me along. By the time we got home we had run 6.75 miles in just under an hour, a pretty good pace for me despite an easy effort.

Since Beacon had missed out on the fun, I rewarded him with a 15-minute session of frisbee fetch - long enough for his tongue to drag just as low as the tongues of exhausted Haven and Ella!

I took the day off from work to give myself a longer holiday weekend, and decided to do my weekly long run today instead of the usual Saturday or Sunday. I planned for about 12 miles but ran out of time before Amanda and I had to pick up a couple dogs from the vet for Vicky's Pet Connection, so my run only lasted 9 miles.

Both Haven and Beacon joined me for the run and they got pretty tired, but they tired me out, too - it's hard to manage two dogs using two leashes while running! At least on the trails they were able to run off-leash. In order to give them access to water, I detoured down an old two-track that's strewn with giant downed trees that I had to climb over rather than "steeple-chase" over. This is important because once the dogs and I left the river, I got stung by a hornet on the elbow! OWWW!! They kept chasing me so I flat out sprinted back up the two-track, somehow jumping and clambering over the massive tree obstacles.

My run ended when I met up with Amanda, who was walking our foster dog Ella. Amanda left just five minutes after I did and had trekked 5 miles already, and then we walked the last 2 miles home together. While walking home, wouldn't you know that Haven got stung by a yellow jacket! Right on her front leg - I had to use my foot to knock it off her. She was clearly in pain when it stung her, but the little trooper didn't complain once we resumed walking.

A 9-mile run isn't terribly long, but it helped that I had the 2-mile walk at the end of it. My big 50-mile race is just two weeks away, so next week's long run might be just a long hike to ensure that my legs are rested up for the long day of running. Just a few more miles of training until I (hopefully!) add a cool 50 to my training log!

Today's long run was shorter than usual because Amanda and I wanted to take some batting practice before heading over to the local animal shelter to pick up our new foster dog, Ella. I was planning to run 12 miles but wound up doing just 9.25 to make sure we had enough time for softball.

The cool thing about this run was that I ran a 10:30 pace for the first four miles, but then started feeling good and ran the last 5+ miles at a 9:20 pace! Negative split! Amanda arrived at the local park just five minutes after I did, so I changed into my softball cleats and stepped onto the field.

I must've been a bit tired, or maybe just out of practice, but my swing was UGLY. I can't remember any ball that I hit really well, at least right handed. My second series of swings I took lefty and made some pretty good contact. When I play softball I bat and throw right-handed, but I'm fairly capable left-handed and I have a smoother swing from the left side. Often times I'll bat lefty just to remind my right side how to swing a bat!

One of my favorite adventures during our vacation last week was an excursion I took in the kayak I borrowed from the cabin's owner. It's just a short, 9.5-foot recreational boat but I decided to take it on a long trip and see if I could reach the public beach that was barely visible in the distance.

Lake Malone was once a network of rivers and tributaries that were dammed up several decades ago. The surrounding topography is rugged enough such that the lake never filled out like some dammed rivers, but instead sports several "fingers". The shoreline is mostly vertical sandstone bluffs anywhere from 10 to 200 feet high! It's amazingly scenic - Amanda's photos from the pontoon boat tour exhibit the scenery quite well.

You can see in this map the approximate route I took while out on the water. Initially my plan was to simply head north from the cabin to the beach near the dam; I figured it might take me half an hour or so. It wound up taking just 15 minutes! Kayaks are amazingly fast, even the stubby one that I was paddling.

I proceeded southwest along the coast, pausing for a few minutes to watch a pair of pied-billed grebes fishing for some breakfast, sometimes as close as 20 feet away! Then I continued until I reached one of Lake Malone's "fingers", an inlet that's part of the state park and doesn't have any cottages on its shoreline. I paddled upstream through the mist - in fact, throughout my entire voyage there was steam fog rising from the calm surface of the water. This inlet was shrouded from direct sunlight and the surroundings had an eerie "Jurassic Park"-like feel about it. Part of me kept waiting for a dinosaur to burst from the trees on the cliffs above!

Despite my imaginary fears I bravely paddled deeper into the mist until the water became so shallow that my paddle hit bottom. I'd now been on the water about 30 minutes - that's all! It felt like a day-long adventure already except that I wasn't tired. In fact, I was feeling very much alive despite the prehistoric ambiance. Several times I drifted close enough to great blue herons that I spooked them into flying away, sometimes remaining perched until I was just a few feet away! If any birds look like dinosaurs, these are the ones.

As I emerged from "Jurassic Park Gorge" I was blinded by sunlight from two angles - the sun from above and its reflection off the water from below. Luckily I brought my sunglasses! Being at this angle relative to the sunlight provided an amazing spectacle I'd never seen before - minature tornadoes of mist! They were invisible with the sun at my back, but were relatively easy to spot (in a ghostly way) with the sun in my face. First just one, and I even paddled through it! I couldn't feel a thing as there was barely any strength to this vortex. What was happening was that the sunlight was heating up the water, the rocky bluffs and the trees; however they all warmed at different rates, creating different velocities of upward-moving air as it warmed in the sunlight. The results were faint, gently swirling but distinct rope-shaped tornadoes. As I moved further out of the inlet and faced a wide expanse of open water, these twisters appeared everywhere! Literally dozens were dancing in front of me - it was an eerie scene as if I were watching the formation of the planet except instead of raging with powerful fury the tornadoes were tiptoeing with delicate grace.

I guess you'd figure that leaving a place that reminded me of Jurassic Park would bring me back to the present, but instead pushed me further into pre-history! However, my hungry stomach reminded me that breakfast was in the near future and it was time to head back to the cabin. Starting from the north shore I decided to hammer the pace and see how fast I could go. What took me 15 minutes on the way out took just nine minutes this time! I could see our dock in the distance and was surprised to see the silhouette of a heron standing on it; however, as I got closer I realized that it was Amanda! Apparently I was still stuck in the jurassic era...

While on vacation last week I took a break from my training regimen, in that I only went for two short runs. Both jaunts were the same 3.7-mile out-and-back course starting from our cabin. On both occasions I brought along my favorite running partner - my dog Haven.

It's probably common knowledge that Kentucky's terrain is far more challenging than what you find in Michigan (at least in the vertical aspect; adventure racers would tell you that Michigan sand, swamps, and scrub makes for an awfully arduous trek). There are a couple good hills near my house here, but otherwise routes are either flat or gently rolling. The route I ran in Kentucky had FOUR good hills, and that was just going one-way; I had to hit those hills on the way back, too! I didn't complain - the challenge was fun and the views they provided were awesome!

Our first run was Monday, when I woke up early and headed out with Haven to beat the heat that was coming later that day. Even at 7am, however, it was still hot and muggy. Our cabin was in the middle of nowhere, which meant that the road we ran on rarely saw any traffic. As a result, Haven got to run the entire course off-leash! She's so smart about running with me by now, though, that she rarely strayed more than 50 feet away and generally kept within 20 feet in front of me on the road.

As we approached one of the several cow pastures along the road, I noticed up ahead on the fourth hill that two cows were in the road, outside the fence. Haven noticed, too, and quickly gave chase! One of the cows immediately ducked under the loose wire fence to the safety of its pasture, but the other cow tried to outrun Haven on the shoulder of the road. Not a chance - Haven was soon on the cow's heels and when the cow realized how close Haven was, it also ducked under the fence to safety. Luckily Haven didn't try to follow them into their pasture! The funny thing is that Haven just wanted to play with the cows!

On our way back as we approached hill #3 again (i.e. the sixth of eight climbs on the run), Haven and I spotted a beagle-hound mix staring at us. Haven paused, watching the dog, then took off in a full sprint to go say hi. Once Haven had covered half the distance between them, the other dog turned and ran away! Now about 75 yards away, Haven turned around and politely (albeit anxiously) waited for me to catch up. As we rounded the bend and started up the hill, the dog came back with enough courage to introduce itself.

The dog had a brown head with big droopy ears and a white body marked with three large spots, two on one side and one on the other. It was a female, and she stood just a tad taller than Haven but appeared underfed and probably weighed just 60 pounds. Because of her big ears and the fact that her first reaction to Haven was "run away!" I decided to name this dog "Bunny".

Bunny had no collar or other identification, but Amanda had seen her in one of the pastures the day before, so I figured she was a local farm dog. Haven and I continued with our run and interestingly enough, Bunny decided to join us! In fact, she stayed with us for the last 1.5 miles and came right up to the cabin's front door - I had to keep her from coming inside! She eventually made her way back home. I wish I had brought some treats with me because I really wanted to give Bunny some food.

Friday was the second run but it was largely uneventful. The weather was just as muggy and the hills just as steep, but all cows were fenced in and Bunny was nowhere to be seen. Haven did manage to get four ticks on her, but I saw them easily on her white fur and removed them before they had a chance to take a bite. Both of our dogs use Advantix which I thought was supposed to repel ticks? Oh well, no harm done.

I went for a run Sunday after we got back home, but boy was my body out of it. I don't know if it was the messed up sleep schedule or lack of training or both, but I just didn't have any energy. I still mustered out nine miles and I must admit that once I was done, I realized that it felt good to run. It was nice to have a very light training week, but at the same time both my mind and my body missed the exercise! Hey feet, it's good to have you back.

The barge is towing the tugboats!

Amanda suggested that I take BOTH Haven and Beacon running today to get them nice and tired for tomorrow's 10-hour drive. If you've ever tried to run with two labs attached to one arm, you'll understand why I chose to run on the North Country Trail near my house. Out on the trail, I can let these four-wheel-drive beasts off leash to burn off their energy!

We started out on the street for half a mile but luckily it was uphill, so I took advantage of my two tugboats until we reached the trailhead. The weather was great - sunny and 74 - and the trail was all my own. Some parts were so overgrown with prickers, however, that I had to gingerly tiptoe my way through them. I didn't bring any water for the dogs because there are two streams on this out-and-back course, meaning they'd have water access four times during the 75 minute run.

Alas, the plan didn't pan out. The first stream was mostly black mud, but there was enough water for the pups to wet their tongues. Then at the second stream crossing I was surprised to find it all dried up! The dogs were surprised, too - they kept wandering up and down the streambed looking for the water. I had to take a detour and go off-trail for a 1/4 mile to the Flat River, which is NEVER dry - it's a major river.

At the river the dogs happily jumped into the water to drink and cool off. I gave them five minutes, then we turned around and headed home. Crossing over the last stream of black mud, Beacon decided to put on his commando war paint and plow his head and body through the mud! This yellow lab became a black lab; wisely Haven declined to join in. By now the dogs were worn out and in the final half-mile stretch home I literally had to tow them!

Luckily for the dogs Amanda was waiting for them when we got home with a kiddie pool full of clean, cold water. Of course it was no longer clean the instant Beacon waded in it! We eventually had to hose them off. Needless to say, they've been sleeping ever since! Now it's my turn.


Some worn out dogs!


A closer look at Beacon's dirty fur.

Remember Dory from Finding Nemo? "Just keep swimming!" Well this week's running has become symbolic of her motto. I don't know why but I've been in a mood to run every single day and nearly did just that but I wisely forced myself to take a day off after the long run. Here's a summary:

August 6 - My weekly long run. I ran 21.6 miles at a slow, comfortable pace and 4h45 later I was still feeling great when I stopped. Usually after 3 hours I feel like crap and I just tough it out another hour or two, but this time the entire 21.6 miles felt like an easy jog. Amanda picked me up at my office, where I used their fitness center to shower and change clothes so as not to disgust everyone at Chili's! We at lunch and I was ravenous, consuming my entire black bean burger and all the fries, plus four full glasses of strawberry lemonade. Usually I eat just half the burger and fries.

August 7 - I made myself take a day off, but my legs didn't feel too sore and I kinda wanted to go out and run.

August 8 - Before coming home from work I lifted weights in the fitness center. Usually I just do upper body stuff but I felt a little ambitious and I did some squats and calf raises, too. Then I drove home and promptly went for a fast 3.4-mile run with my dog Haven who didn't appreciate my negative split, increasing the pace at the turn-around. My legs did feel a bit sore from the squats, but not too bad.

August 9 - I went for my weekly Wednesday lunch run with some buddies at work, tallying a slow 5.0 miles except I was feeling so good at the end that I flat out SPRINTED the last 200 meters just for fun. One of my buddies tried to keep up but could only hang close for 50 meters. It was also a fun day of social running because the four of us discussed heavy topics such as the role of individuals in ensuring our survival as a society, and just what society needs to do to survive and if human nature is up to the challenge, etc. I just LOVE such discussions, and the guys I run with have great perspectives. Incidentally, they're all 45 to 55 years old and have been running and/or cycling at least 20 years each!

August 10 (today) - Lifted weights after work again but this time spared my legs because I was planning to run. Once again I took Haven out on our 3.4-mile course but at a comfortable pace. The local police had set up one of those radar signs that show your car's speed and it clocked me at 9 mph! I was hoping to get Amanda out there with a camera tomorrow so I could try a full sprint but the cops took it away this evening.

The other experiment going on was Haven trying out her new "pawdometer", a step counter designed for dogs that Amanda got as a free sample. Pedometers in general are difficult to make accurate, especially for running, so I didn't think it would be any better for dogs. At least we took a measured route so that regardless of how accurate the device thought Haven's stride was, we'd have a benchmark for how many "steps" per mile. Today it came out to about 9.5 feet per stride! I swear, my dog is NOT a giraffe! Even my long legs can't do that, let alone Haven the 65 lb labrador retriever.

August 11 (tomorrow) - Yes, I'm planning to run again, looking to go 6-8 miles at a medium pace. We'll be driving all day Saturday to a rental cabin in Tennessee for a week-long vacation, so Saturday is my rest day.

Sooner or later I'll probably lose this drive to run every day - it always happens - but that's why I have a bike. That happened a few months ago so I went on a few epic bike rides to give my mind some variety in training. If only I had a kayak! It's on my wish list for some future day...

We didn't have any big plans for Saturday other than dropping off our foster dog at an adoption event for Vicky's Pet Connection. The event went well because Darva got adopted and we got a new foster Marty. It was what happened on our way back home from dropping off Darva that changed the day's (lack of) plans.

The drive home took us through Ada and as we skirted the quaint downtown, we noticed a main road was closed off. It seemed like a parade was getting underway until we saw the "floats" fly by - a group of cyclists with bib numbers pinned to their team jerseys. It was a bike race!

The event was the Ada Criterium, a series of ten bike races sanctioned by the US Cycling Federation and also serving as the Michigan criterium state championships. Riders of all abilities, even pro, were competing. It was about 12:30pm, so we found a parking space and found a place to watch along the sidewalk.

The race course was simply a 0.8-mile loop on the downtown streets and there were very few spectators. That isn't to say it wasn't crowded, because the sidewalks near the start/finish line were full of cyclists and their friends and family. We watched the men's Cat 4 race at 12:40 where the riders race 30 minutes plus 5 laps; they ride the 30 minutes at whatever pace the peloton feels like, but once the time is up then there's automatically 5 laps to go.

We chatted with a few volunteers who informed us that the premier race of the day would take place at 4:50pm with the Cat 1-2 (and pro) men. They neglected to tell us that the pro and Cat 1-2 women were racing next at 1:30pm! So after watching just one race we drove home to take care of some errands and grab lunch. Soon we were on the road again, heading to Vicky's to pick up our next foster dog, Marty. Then, we were back at the races.

The elite men's race was 80 minutes plus 5 laps, so we decided to walk around the entire course (it's only 0.8 miles, remember) during the race to watch from every possible angle! It was just like going for a stroll on the neighborhood sidewalk with a pack of VERY FAST cyclists humming past every 100 seconds or so.

While walking near the start/finish area I ran into David, a guy I'd met twice before. The first time was back in February while running on the North Country Trail near my house - he was running, too! We said hi, but didn't introduce ourselves until we happened to meet at the bookstore during the Dean Karnazes book signing! He's a triathlete and recently completed the Lake Placid Ironman in a little over 12 hours, a very solid time - at least I think it is, but I've never done a triathlon before. Maybe someday...

David stayed to take some photos while Amanda and I continued our circuit of the race loop. We talked with one volunteer whose son finished 3rd in the junior men's race, and another volunteer couple who had a son in the last race, the Cat 3 men. At one point a police officer, whose job was to keep the public OFF the race course, nearly got nailed by the race leader when he tried to cross the road without looking! I felt bad for the rider who had to shout "Watch out!" and swerve when he was doing his best to attack the peloton.

Finally the race was over, won by a local rider, and Amanda and I decided to go home. Not without a couple souvenirs - the sponsor Ada Bike Shop was selling nice water bottles for $3 each! It was our first time watching an organized road bike race and it was quite thrilling - the speed, the strategic tactics, the competition! It made me feel like racing, and I'm not even a "roadie"! But I'll stick to running and adventure racing for now.

Tuesday evening this week I went for a run with my dog Haven in 90-degree, humid heat. Just 14 hours later I went running again, a 5-mile lunchtime run with a few co-workers, with the temperature at the same 90 degrees. However, that second run was MUCH HOTTER. Why?

The sun. Tuesday evening's run was after 8pm and the sun had just ducked below the trees (but hadn't set yet). On top of that my route was along tree-shrouded dirt roads, so the road didn't see much direct sunlight throughout the day. In fact, it didn't seem quite so hot to me, although my dog was definitely feeling it.

Meanwhile, Wednesday's noon run was on city sidewalks exposed to the glaring high sun. Not only was the running surface hot as a griddle, my body was soaking up the sun's radiative heat, too. Yeah, my legs were tired from running the previous evening, but the heat was absolutely sweltering in comparison.

To top it all off, my softball team played it's 16th and last game of season Wednesday evening! I was definitely feeling tired after seven innings playing shortstop and running the bases. So today, my legs are getting a day off from running to catch up on some rest!

Worn out yet content, Haven is happy the run is over!

Today was one of the hottest days of the year, topping out at 94 degrees with a dewpoint of 75! So I decided to postpone my afternoon run to the late evening, when it had "cooled" to 90 degrees. Sheesh.

I decided to bring along my four-legged running partner, my dog Haven, although I had to be careful that she didn't overheat. Dogs don't cool off as well as humans, so even though Haven is design to run far and fast, she's not as well designed to keep cool.

Our route would take us 5.4 miles, which normally just requires me to bring one water bottle. This evening I carried two - one for me and one for Haven, plus a packable cloth water bowl. We maintained an easy pace (~9:30 miles) along the hilly dirt road that weaved its way northeast of our home.

The air didn't feel as bad as I thought. It was definitely super muggy, but the sun was below the trees and the dirt roads are well shaded to begin with. The wind was dead calm but the slight "breeze" created by my forward motion felt good. However, I quickly felt the heat when I stopped, which I did three times to give Haven a drink from her water bowl.

Less than 52 minutes after we started, we trotted back up our driveway. While we were gone Amanda played fetch with Beacon while Darva apparently tried to herd Beacon after each catch. Importantly for Haven, Amanda had the kiddie pool filled up with cold water, which Haven happily used to cool off! She laid in that pool for about ten minutes! Likewise, I took a cold shower. Ahhhhh!


Haven cooling off in the kiddie pool - notice the neat ripples caused by her panting

Right now Haven is curled up at my feet in the family room as I compose this post. She just LOVES to go running, and I must admit I love to have her running at my side, even if I have to carry twice the water.

Several weeks ago my wife and I took one of our foster dogs, Bella, to the local vet to get her health certificate updated. The vet who checked out Bella was Dr. Bruce Langlois, owner of the Lowell Animal Hospital. He proclaimed Bella to be perfectly healthy, and then we chatted a bit about running.

See if you can follow this chain... Back in March I went for a run with Dean Karnazes, who was in town for a book signing thanks to a guy named Don Kern, the director of the Grand Rapids Marathon. One day I was reading Don's blog and was surprised to find an entry about Bruce! So I asked Bruce about Don during our visit with Bella, leading to Bruce inviting me to join him and some running buddies on their weekly Saturday morning run. Finally on July 19, I took him up on the offer.

There's a group of runners who show up to Townsend Park at 8:00am every Saturday to go for a run. However, Bruce and a friend of his named Dave like to get started early at 6:00am! So I dragged myself out of bed ready for a hard run because these two guys like to go FAST. At least, fast relative to me. They were planning on 8-minute miles for 13 miles! I wasn't sure I could do that but I figured I'd be close and might as well try.

Well, I can't run quite that fast. After about 4 miles I dropped a few yards behind them on a long hill, and each hill after that put them farther ahead. Luckily they were planning a stop around halfway at Bruce's lake cabin to grab a drink of water, so I caught up to them there. Five minutes later we were off again, and after a mile I just couldn't hang with them. They went on ahead and I eventually stumbled back to Townsend Park, but not that far behind them - I ran 8:30 miles! A good run for me.

Last Saturday I was back at Townsend Park, but this time at 7:00am. I ran for half an hour on the trails, then rested up and waited for the 8:00am crowd to show up since they run at a slower pace than Bruce and Dave. A little after 7:30am those two came striding into the parking lot, having finished their 13-miler at a 7:30 pace! As it turned out, however, only two guys showed up for the 8:00am group run - Andy and John. I was looking to run 12 miles, but Andy and John were planning on less. We started off together but after 3 miles Andy turned around (to run 6) and then after 4 miles John turned back (to finish with 8) while I pressed on alone.

The next few miles were miserable, not because of my fitness because I felt fine, but because of the hordes of deer files! I was getting swarmed and even bitten a few times. Then to make matters worse I started to run out of water! Even though it was early in the morning the temperature was already into the 80's with a forecast high in the mid 90's. I turned toward the main two-lane highway for two reasons: 1) I figured there would be fewer deer flies than on the tree-shrouded dirt roads, and 2) I needed to find somewhere to refill my empty water bottle.

As it happens, my aunt and uncle live along that main road but when I ran by they weren't home. No problem, though, because just another mile down the road is a convenience store where I was able to refill my water bottle. However, I had already dehydrated and was forced to walk soon after leaving the store. I walked about a mile and then started feeling better and managed to run the remaining 2 miles back to the park. Boy was it HOT that day! I drank three bottles of water over 15 total miles of running, which is twice what I normally drink.

Now I've gotta run - literally. I still need to go running this evening. Today was the hottest of the year, reaching 98 degrees a few hours ago and it's still in the lower 90's right now (7:30pm) so it'll be an interesting run. I'm planning to take one of my dogs with me, so I'll be carrying two water bottles - one for me, one for Haven, plus a little water bowl for her to drink from. Gotta keep her hydrated, too!

Saturday night's forecasted high for Sunday was 97 degrees! I made sure to set my alarm to wake up early enough to get a head start on the heat for Sunday's long run. I set out at 6:45am and the sun was just peeking above the treetops.

Unlike most training runs, I had no route planned out this time. My only plan was to run for 4-5 hours at a slow pace and end up close enough to home that Amanda wouldn't get too mad at having to come pick me up once I eventually bonked! Although my reason for going slow was to avoid bonking. :)

It was a comfortable 68 degrees when I set foot out the door and the sun was low enough that I didn't need my sunglasses for almost the entire first hour on the roads. I basically headed south for a while, then headed west for a while. I made sure to drink and eat plenty and to keep my level of effort down at a manageable level. To do this I had to walk up the steeper uphill sections to ensure my heart rate didn't go too high.

The first two hours went by like a breeze and even after three hours I was feeling pretty good. By then, however, I could feel the fatigue so I reminded myself to eat and drink and gave myself a couple extra walking breaks. At four hours I was still feeling OK except that my stomach was full and it was hard to keep drinking enough water. Finally after 4:30 I called Amanda for a ride home since I was still an hour away by foot, and she picked me up after 4:43 worth of running (and walking) that covered 21.7 miles.

I lost about 6 lbs during the run, drank 2.5 L of water, and ate about 650 calories. I wonder if I could've (or should've) eaten more? I definitely could've drank more considering my weight loss but my body seemed to be running low on calories more than anything else. Nevertheless, it was very effective training and I enjoyed the entire run!

When we got home Amanda immediately took off to pick up some Subway subs while I filled the bathtub with cold water and epsom salt to soak my sore legs. Actually they didn't feel too bad but I wanted to stave off any further soreness. Plus, I really needed to cool off because the temperature had soared to a humid 88 degrees! Good thing I started early.

At Amanda's suggestion, I locked our foster puppy Sue in the bathroom with me so that I could keep on eye on him. No sooner had I turned on the shower when I heard a KLUNK and turned to see Sue trying to climb out of the tub! He got soaked by the shower, but this didn't deter him. Even with a tub full of water he kept jumping in to join me but then hopping right back out to avoid the cold water! What a dufus. Luckily for Sue, he got adopted later that day!

Wednesday evening was hot and humid for our weekly softball game. I captain one of the two co-ed rec teams at my company and this we played our arch rivals, a team with which we had split our two season meetings. The game was sluggish as neither offense could really get going in the calm heat of the evening - everyone seemed almost sleepy!

In the top of the 7th (and final) inning we were down by a run. We managed to get runners on 2nd and 3rd; with two outs and two strikes, our pitcher hit a soft liner that landed right on the chalk of the left field line - fair ball! Two runs scored, and then we fielded a scoreless bottom half of the inning to get a one-run victory.

Sound familar? Perhaps you watched the MLB All-Star game this week - the exact same scenario took place! The AL was down by a run in the top of the 9th with runners on 2nd and 3rd; with two outs and two strikes the batter hit a 2-RBI triple. Pretty cool.

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The next day I convinced Amanda to join me and the dogs on a run. There's an old scout camp nearby with river access and lots of trails. I drove 1.5 miles to the entrance where I stashed the car, then jogged along the trails and exited out the "back door" of the camp which is just half a mile from home.

I made this run a very tough one along 2.5 miles of sand and dirt. The dirt part was OK because it was usually shaded by the forest, but the sandy sections of trail were exposed in a power line right-of-way. The sun had baked the sand all day long and now the sand was radiating that heat back onto me as I charged up the steep hills. Boy did I get hot!

I ran back home where Amanda was waiting for me with the dogs, all leashed up and ready to go. Haven ran with me while Beacon had sled-dog duties with Amanda, pulling her up the first hill. Once on the trail and away from the road, we let the dogs off leash and followed behind them. Amanda wanted to walk but I kept pushing her to jog, saying things like "Run the downhills; the gravity is free energy!" and "It's just short uphill; blast up to the top and it'll be over sooner!" She bravely trusted my coaching and ran much of the ~2 miles to the river.

By the time we reached the river, Haven and Beacon were "dog" tired and very hot. They waded in the cool water and even tried to lie down in the shallows, so we all just stood there and recovered some energy. Soon the deer flies found us so onward we hiked up a very large and steep hill. Another half mile of running/walking brought us to the car with a very welcome air conditioner! We drove home with the A/C at full blast and a car full of twelve sore, worn-out legs!

Driving home from work Tuesday (11 July) there were two things I knew: 1) I needed to go for a run, and 2) it was raining pretty hard. It shouldn't surprise anyone who knows me that I was looking forward to running in the rain!

There are several things that can make running fun aside from the act of running itself. Running in scenic locations, running with friends, running in crazy weather, and running with dogs... ah yes, dogs. Looks like Haven and Beacon are coming with me this time!

Once home I quickly changed and leashed up both dogs, using a single leash attached to a double-lead, sorta like a two-dog dog sled. "Mush, you huskies!" And mush they did, hauling me up the large hill at the start of my 3.4 mile route. We had stepped outside into a downpour that lasted for the first 1.5 miles before letting up to "just" a steady rain.

We had a blast and even ran at a quick pace. I was kinda jealous of the dogs' paws - they're so well designed for running! They stepped through puddles with ease no matter how deep; I, however, splashed quite messily (albeit quite happily) with each step. As I ran through some of the dirt road's brown water, a phrase came to mind:

"When the world is puddle-wonderful"

It's from a poem by E. E. Cummings called "In Just-" that I first read in high school. A good way to summarize that Tuesday.

My alarm clock went off at 5:00am Saturday morning to ensure that I would have plenty of time to drive up north. Striders, a local running store, was hosting a casual training run on the very course where their North Country Trail Run will take place this September. Since I'm planning to compete in that race, I thought I would take Striders up on their offer to join them for a run.

It was a beautiful morning to go for a 2.5 hour drive. A bright red sun was just peeking above the treeline as the nearly empty highway allowed me to enjoy the scenery. Low areas of the countryside were delicately covered by an airy blanket of fog. I kept wishing I had brought a camera but it's probably better that I didn't because somebody had to drive!

The trails are located roughly halfway between Manistee and Cadillac within the Manistee National Forest at a trail system called Big M. All of the signs there describe it as a network of cross-country ski trails, but with a forecasted high temperature of 80 degrees these trails were going to see other uses today.

14 runners of varying ability showed up by 8:30am ready to go. Steve (co-owner of Striders with his wife, Deb) briefed us on the trail markings so that we wouldn't get lost and then we were off! Quickly two packs formed: the fast runners and the slow runners. I fell in line with the slow folks, running about a 10-minute pace with five others.

I ran at the end of the line - ahead of me were Deb (Steve's wife), Mary, Don, and another woman named Deb; the four of them were all friends. Just ahead of the five of us was Paul, a 65-year-old guy with 25 years of ultrarunning under his belt! In fact, the four friends had 10-15 years of ultrarunning experience apiece. Then there's me, training for what would be hopefully my first ultra on these trails.

We all talked quite a bit for the first several miles until the first aid station at mile 8, where Steve & Deb had set out some water and Gatorade. We all refilled and then I continued on, deciding not to wait for the foursome to finish "taking care of business" in the woods. I remained at their pace, but now a few hundred yards ahead on the trails with Paul a bit behind the four.

Around mile 10 I stopped to dump some trail debris out of my shoes and the talkative foursome passed me by. A couple miles later I developed a sharp cramp on my left side so I took a few minutes to walk it off, during which time Paul passed me. Feeling better I started up again, but it wouldn't last.

Within just a few minutes I was feeling exhausted and light-headed. I even dropped my water bottle - it just fell out of my hand as if I were falling asleep on my feet! Clearly I was bonking, which was very surprising because 13 miles was WAAAY too soon for me to be bonking at that pace. In fact, I had already drank over 1.5 bottles of water - during my training runs at home I'd never been able to consume more than one bottle on a 14.4 mile run.

I downed the rest of my water - 2.5 bottles thus far - and tried to move on but couldn't maintain a running stride. My blood pressure must've been low, too, because I would nearly faint if I stood up from a squat and my ears were ringing. Yet the entire time, I was never upset. Quite the contrary, I was enjoying myself despite having to walk.

One good reason for having fun is that the trails are just spectacular! The entire route winds through deep forest - mostly hardwoods and occasionally some pines. The trees kept most of the bright sun at bay, but the views were still great because the ground cover was short. Ferns dominated the ground and prevented almost anything other than trees to grow, so I could see quite far through the woods. It reminded me of the Return of the Jedi when the speeder bikes were dashing through the forest of Endor.

Finally I reached the 15 mile mark with an aid station. I drank a full bottle of water at once, and decided to take the short 1 mile track back to the start to complete my 16 mile run. I had thought about running the 25 or 20 mile routes but in my current condition there was no point in running farther. While is was disappointing (and confusing) to have bonked so early, I was thrilled at being able to down 3+ bottles of water without feeling sick; in the past I would've been lucky to finish off even one!

I was the fourth runner back to the parking lot, where the three others had also run just 16 miles. Soon two runners appeared who had just finished the 25 mile course in a very fast time. Then the friendly foursome showed up, having run 20 miles. Eventually the remaining runners trickled in, the rest all running 25 miles. We all sat around for a while eating and drinking, recovering and of course, talking.

One of the runners there is quite an accomplished ultrarunner - Jeff Christian has completed five 100-milers and even won one of them in a time of less than 18 hours. This guy is also planning to run a 220 mile route across Michigan later this summer!

All good things must end, and it was time to head home. It was a great time to reflect upon the day - it's amazing just how FUN running can be when you're out running beautiful trails and meeting new people. The weather was perfect, too. I reminded myself to try and find other trails to "explore" via running. Spending time in that part of Michigan made me wish we had a cottage up there. I wonder what it would take for Amanda and I to make it work?...

Halfway home I stopped in Big Rapids to pick up some Jimmy Johns subs for dinner for myself and Amanda. She had spent most the day at Petsmart with Vicky, working an adoption event for Vicky's Pet Connection. We helped clean up and haul some supplies over to Vicky's, then headed home to finally eat our dinner. Ahhhh, food!

Ryan has to tell us his new jokes before we get started.

A few months ago my dad and I discussed going on a bike ride sometime this summer. We used to go for 12-20 mile rides on occasion back when I lived in Ann Arbor during college, but haven't ridden together since then. We decided to go for a ride again this year on 4th of July.

While my dad focused on getting back into shape, I scouted out a route that would take us from my house to my grandma's (dad's mom) about 21 miles away. Similar to the rides of my college days, I planned to stick to dirt roads to avoid traffic and spend more time in the countryside. Then Dad called a few days later to boast about his first training ride that totally wore him out... he had gone just 12 miles!

I decided to schedule our ride such that we would stop after the first 13 hilly miles in a small town called Smyrna. There we could recharge at the ice cream shop and give Dad a rest. Soon my brothers, Eric and Ryan, heard of our little expedition and decided to join in. When Eric reclaimed his mountain bike from my parents' house, Dad suddenly found himself without a ride! It turned out to be a perfect excuse to buy a bike, getting a great deal on a quality hybrid from the classifieds.

Soon July 4th was upon us and by now my cousins Gabe and Adrienne, plus Adrienne's friend Rean, were planning to ride out to meet us near Smyrna (they live near Grandma). My family arrived at my house right on schedule and we proceded to prep the bikes - we pumped up the tires, adjusted seats, and I cleaned about 15 years worth of dirt from Ryan's drivetrain! Ryan was using my trusty (and a bit rusty) old bike that I used in college.

After posing for a photo, we were off! Well, as soon as Ryan finished telling us his two new jokes. My favorite: What does a snail riding on the back of a turtle say? "Wheeee!" This would later remind us of dad riding his bike... ;)

Right away we climbed an 80-foot hill (pretty big for Michigan) and my three wingmen were already grousing about the ascent! There would be a tougher climb later on. Eric has been keeping in decent shape by playing hockey while Ryan maintains his fitness with tennis and basketball. My dad plays basketball, too, but he doesn't have youth on his side. We joked that Dad will win the 0-to-60 drag race... to 60 years old, that is.

One of the cool aspects of the route is that it took us across two historic covered bridges: Fallasburg Covered Bridge and White's Covered Bridge. If we'd started 15 miles southwest of Lowell, we could've added the Ada Covered Bridge, too. Maybe next time. We also passed by an old grain silo that had been converted into a sort of lighthouse along the Flat River just north of White's Bridge.

After about an hour we met up with our cousins, and twenty minutes later we reached Smyrna. The ice cream shop offers sizes of "baby", "small", "medium" and "large". We all ordered "small" and found ourselves trying to down a pint of ice cream each! I wonder how big "large" is, a gallon? Holy cow. It was good stuff, too.

Moving on, most of the last 8 miles were fairly flat and straight and entirely on dirt roads. Gabe used to road race and brought his road bike for this ride, which was a lot to handle on the lumpy gravel roads but he easily kept up. Everyone was doing pretty well, actually. Adrienne and Rean in particular were well trained - they had just completed a two-week long bike ride along Lake Michigan and Lake Huron totaling about 800 miles!

The home stretch was probably the most difficult - a mile riding through Grandma's old pasture, an energy-sapping section of two-track full of weeds and rough terrain. Finally we made it to our destination: my aunt and uncle's house, which borders on my grandma's pasture. After cooling off with a garden hose we were treated to a 4th of July BBQ on their screened-in porch. We even celebrated Grandma's 85th birthday, which is July 6.

After dinner we started looking for something to do. My uncle brought out a three-person slingshot designed to launch water balloons! Two people hold each end while a third "shooter" loads the balloon, pulls back, and lets fly. These grenades were sailing 50-100 yards across the lawn and reaching over 150 feet high! Every once in a while a balloon would explode upon release, showering the launch crew with water.

Ryan and Amanda took up safe positions behind trees to capture some cool photos while Gabe and Rean went downrange with a shovel handle, trying to swat the balloons before they hit the ground. After launching for a while I joined them, and we all managed to hit a couple "homers" before the balloon supply was exhausted. What a fun day!


Kevin and Todd hold firm as Dad prepares the "grenade" for launch.


Todd launches one downrange (using Dad and I as the "cannon") towards Gabe and Rean, who are waiting with a big stick...


Focused on swatting the incoming water balloon!

It's a great time to be a fan of endurance sports! Right now two sports - adventure racing and road cycling - are putting on their biggest events of the year. The best adventure racers in the world are just finishing up their premier event, the Primal Quest, hosted in Utah this year. As the Primal Quest comes to a close, cycling's signature Tour de France race is kicking off in Europe. Both events take several days to complete, which may be too slow for TV but it's a great type of race to follow during the day via the internet - day after day of wondering what it would be like to undertake such an endeavor.

The Tour de France (TdF) is a stage race, which means competitors race a given segment of the course each day and they add up the total time required to complete each leg. The TdF covers over 2,200 miles during the course of 23 days (including two rest days of no racing) winding through the mountains, farm fields, and towns of France and Germany. While I'm not an avid road cyclist, I find the strategy and tension to be captivating. It's a lot like watching soccer or NASCAR - extended periods of little obvious action during which teams are intensely trying to set themselves up to capitalize on a sudden opportunity.

Much more exciting and even inspiring to me is the Primal Quest (PQ), which is a continuous expedition - the race never stops. When to sleep, and how much sleep to get, is a key strategic factor in every team's success (or lack thereof). It is this event that has left me more amazed and in awe than any other sporting event. The PQ covers 500 miles comprising varied disciplines such as trekking, kayaking, mountain biking, and mountain climbing. The winning team finished in just over six days, and the slowest teams will take up to ten days.

While strategy plays a huge role in the TdF, the strategic planning of the PQ is many times greater in scope. Not only are the racers pushing themselves physically, but also cognitively as they battle fatigue, dehydration, malnourishment, overheating, and sleep deprivation without a chance to recover until they finish. It gives new meaning to the word "perseverance", or even "survival". If it wasn't enough to be physically exhausted and mentally burned out, racers have to remain emotionally upbeat and continue to work well together.

What really intrigues me about expedition-length races (covering several days) is the amount of personal drive and will power required just to finish the event. You and your team of four, on your own in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night, hoping that you planned and trained appropriately for the weather, the terrain, and your mental state. Someday I would LOVE to compete in PQ or a similar expedition; in fact there's a great one here in Michigan put on by Infiterra Sports.

I'm probably not prepared yet to complete an expedition race, but how do I know for sure? A few of my training buddies have completed the Michigan Coast to Coast so I know it's well within my realm of possibility. But what more am I capable of? In 9th grade I loved running but didn't join the cross country team because I didn't think I could run three miles; I'd never run farther than one at the time. Then as a high school senior I did finally join cross country and even though I went on training runs up to ten miles long, I felt that a marathon was well beyond my abilities. During college I marvelled at the Eco Challenge races but felt that I could never do it. Even when my neighbor during my last year of college was recruited by an Eco Challenge team, it never occurred to me that such a challenge was within my grasp.

After college I stopped running for about five years, but resumed running a couple years ago. Last year I ran my first marathon and finished my first adventure race (an 8-hour sprint). I used to think three miles was impossible for me, and then I thought a marathon was impossible. Those were enough to make me wonder, just how much is possible? This fall I plan to complete a 50 mile trail run... holy cow, can I really run 50 miles? There's only one way to find out! Following the PQ and TdF will help to inspire my desire to ENDURE, to PERSEVERE, and FINISH an event that at one point in my life I used to consider impossible for myself. Whether or not I finish it's going to be painful, but worth the effort - at least I'll know just how far I can go.

One of the highlights of Lowell is the Kent County Fairgrounds. The main event each year is the Kent County Youth Fair, but this beautiful site at the corner of the Flat River and Grand River has numerous other uses. There are annual events such as the Bluegrass Festival, Pow Wow, and even a hovercraft club convened on the grounds. The fairgrounds also host facilities for the high school crew team, youth football and t-ball, and your basic camping, boating and fishing. I often visit the fairgrounds, but usually not for the above reasons - instead, you'll find me running on the dirt track around the football field.

Whenever a major event is in town, the fairgrounds are packed with people. However, during the week the place is quite empty and if I feel like doing some speed training, the track is a great escape. It's not a spiffy, rubber-surfaced track like at most high schools; rather, it's just a 1/4-mile ring of hard-packed dirt with weeds growing on the front stretch. Best of all, it's just a mile from my house!

All day at work I was in quite the antsy running mood - I felt like burning some energy. It didn't help that the world's premeir adventure race, the Primal Quest, is going on right now. I kept checking the leaderboard and tried to imagine what it would feel like to experience such an epic physical and mental challenge. Alas, I was spectating from the vantage point of my drab beige cubicle, so I was more than ready to run when I got home.

It was a good point in my training routine for some speed work. Haven absolutely LOVES to go running with me, so I laced up my shoes and leashed up my dog and out the door we went. Our one-mile warm up jog took us through historic downtown Lowell. Haven is obedient enough now that I was able to let her off leash, especially having the entire track to ourselves. I started off by running one fast lap and Haven simply kept pace just a foot behind my left heel. Next lap was a slow recovery jog so Haven took the liberty to explore our surroundings a bit. But each time I ran a fast lap, she stuck to my heel all the way around the loop.

After a few laps Haven started getting hot and tried to linger in any shade she could find. One time she ignored my whistled command to "come" just long enough to grab a drink from the nearby river! So we rested five minutes in the shade, then began doing wind sprints (well, as much of a "sprint" as I could muster) at which point Amanda arrived with Beacon. While Beacon does enjoy running, he's not nearly in love with it as Haven. Beacon's thing is frisbee fetch.

Amanda waited with Beacon on leash while I finished my last couple sprints and another fast lap around the track with Haven. Haven and I then gulped down some much needed water before putting the leash on Haven and setting Beacon free. Yes, we brought his frisbee and we played fetch with him until he was desperate for water, too. Now that everyone was exhausted, we ordered a $5 pizza to pick up for dinner on the way home. Both dogs have been sleeping ever since!

A review of six dog frisbees... can any withstand the jaws of a Labrador Retriever?



About a year ago Amanda and I decided to teach our dogs to catch a frisbee. We weren't sure how well our dogs would take to the activity so we bought a cheap plastic disc at Petsmart for $1 and starting throwing. After getting clunked in the head a few times, they finally figured out that frisbees were meant for catching! They really enjoy it, especially Beacon. The problem is that Beacon has yet to learn to treat these toys gently.

After he filled that first plastic disc with puncture holes and bent it until it was unflyable, we figured it was time to upgrade. For $15 we bought a Soft Bite Floppy Disc, which offered some advantages: it's made of flexible nylon with a soft rim - surely Beacon couldn't deform it, and nylon is tough. Not tough enough! Beacon quickly started putting holes in the fabric and $15 a pop is too high of a replacement cost.

One of my co-workers is a world class Airdale trainer and she suggested we try a Flippy Flopper, which she uses with her dogs. While her highly trained dogs have learned to control strength of their bite - they've worked as both powerful police dogs and gentle bird retrievers - ours haven't. Both Beacon and Haven were able to puncture the nylon fabric until the discs were so riddled with holes that they wouldn't fly as far.

The problem with flexible frisbees is that Beacon seems to think they're alive and he shakes them violently when he brings them back to us. While he bit the frisbee, we bit the wallet and shook out another $15 to try a Booda TurboDisc, a rigid disc with a hole in the center to make easier for dogs to grab it off the ground. See, that was one way Beacon made holes - when he missed a throw he'd press his mouth hard against the disc on the ground and bite down, grabbing a mouthful of dirt with the disc! It turned out that the hole in this frisbee made it a poor flier. Besides, Beacon put holes in this one, too!

Since Beacon can apparently put holes in anything, we were desperate for a good, durable frisbee. We put down yet another $15 for an Easy Glider, a thick foam disc that hopefully had enough squishy foam mass to hold up when punctured. This frisbee flies amazingly well and is easy to control - a sweet people disc. But not for dogs, as Beacon managed to rip a large hole in the middle and it no longer flies very well.

Back to the drawing board, we stopped by Chow Hound and bought a Kong Flyer for a relatively cheap $10. This frisbee is made of tough but flexible rubber with a stiffer rim. We tried this out today and so far, no damage! It's only been through one fetch session with Beacon's jaws, but there are no holes yet. This disc is also a great flier - I was able to throw it farther than any other dog frisbee we've tried.

Update: It turns out that even the Kong Flyer is vulnerable to dog teeth. Beacon was able to make holes in it, but due to the nature of rubber they sealed up nicely and the disc never lost any flight ability. Over time, though, the holes add up and once sufficiently riddled with tooth punctures Beacon was able to "connect the dots" and rip a large gash down the middle. Nevertheless, the Kong Flyer is easily the best-flying and longest-lasting frisbee of the discs reviewed here.

Sunday morning Amanda and I hauled our bikes over to the White Pine Trail, a 92-mile linear State Park running from Grand Rapids to Cadillac and passing through over a dozen towns in between. Today's objective: ride from Grand Rapids to Big Rapids via the White Pine Trail.

We set up at a parking lot in Belmont on the north end of Grand Rapids. From there we rode 14 miles to Cedar Springs, the first 11+ of which is paved (see trail details using this map). One of the nice things about this trail is that it was a Rails to Trails project - a former railroad track converted into a public-use trail - which means that the entire route is very flat.

At the Russell Road access point the trail becomes an unpaved two-track that continues until just before Big Rapids. We continued on to Cedar Springs where we stopped for a few minutes to eat some snacks before parting ways. Amanda turned around to return to Belmont while I pressed on towards Big Rapids. By the time Amanda got back to our car she had ridden 28 miles - her previous longest ride was over a year ago at "just" 12 miles!

Surprisingly this trail doesn't have a wilderness feel - as a former train track it parallels a major two-lane road. Despite this, there are nice views across some farmland and a few sleepy, rural small towns to pass through. These 30+ unpaved miles are quiet enough (I didn't see a soul on the trail!) to allow the local wildlife to feel at home exploring the trail. During my journey I saw countless rabbits, robins, goldfinches, and even a couple woodchucks. Near a pond I had to dodge two painted turtles goin' slow and steady across the trail. At one point I startled a sandhill crane, who decided to fly away from me straight down the trail - I put the hammer down and tried to give chase but wings beat tires every time. I also encountered a doe with two very small fawns, and later another deer watched me pedal onward from less than 20 feet away.

Sharing the trail with so many animals wasn't the only excitement of the trip. Halfway through the four-hour ride it began to rain; 30 minutes later the wind picked up menacingly and it began to pour. What a blast! It was such a rush to be flying along the trail against the driving rain, out there on my own with many miles to go. Three times I enjoyed a ten-minute downpour - the rest of the way it was a steady rain. Needless to say I was soaked by the time I finished.

I was feeling strong the entire day. I set my watch to beep every 15 minutes to remind me to drink water, and every half hour I made sure to eat some form of calories. Given the soft trail surface I couldn't ride very fast (I wound up averaging 11 mph) but I kept the tempo up best I could. At one point I even let some air out of my tires to give me better traction on the sand and loose gravel, which helped significantly. The trail has mile posts and once I realized that I had just three miles to go, I picked up the pace. Soon I was greeted with a "Welcome to Big Rapids" sign and the trail became smooth pavement - a welcome sight indeed! I flew the last couple of my 49+ miles and arrived at the access point where Amanda would pick me up, except...

Where's Amanda? She had plenty of time to get there so I found a roof overhang (it was still raining steadily) and called her on my cell phone. She had stopped for french fries but then couldn't find the access point; the intersecting road M-20 made a few confusing turns as it passed through Big Rapids but eventually she found me. Did I mention that I was soaked? And covered with dirt, bits of leaves, and whatever other trail debris my tires kicked onto my legs, back, and even my head! Wisely we had brought along a change of clothes so while Amanda gassed up the car I used the restroom to wash up best I could and put on some dry threads. We treated ourselves to Jimmy Johns sub sandwiches and then headed home. What a ride!

On Friday I rode my bike to work for the second time. I had done it once before two weeks ago, also on a Friday. If only we lived a bit closer, because I'd certainly commute by bike more often; however, for now I'm planning on riding about once a week every Friday. The shortest route is 14.65 miles, which I followed two weeks ago - it took me one hour. This week I took a slightly longer but less hilly route that added up to 17.15 miles. The reduction in hills must've helped because I arrived at work in 1:05, just five minutes slower than my first trip. For comparison, it takes me about 25 minutes to drive those same routes to work.

Those miles, however, just get me to the main building at work (my company has two buildings about a mile apart). This building has a fitness center, including a locker room and shower stalls so I'm able to wear my bike gear on the ride there, then shower and change into my work clothes. I work in the auxiliary building, which means I then have to ride the one mile down the road, but I take it easy so as to not get all sweaty. On these rides my backpack is fully loaded, including carrying my standard sustenance - breakfast (a half-liter of strawberry Slim Fast) plus lunch (a half-liter of kool-aid, a yogurt, and a double-decker PB&J sandwich).

All told that's a bit less than 1.5 hours if you include the shower stop and riding to the auxiliary building. So far on these days I haven't ridden home. Fridays I like to leave a little early, so instead of biking home Amanda will come to pick me up and we go out for dinner somewhere. This week is was gourmet dining at Wendy's!

Shortly before 8am this morning I set out on a 30-mile training run, planning to go the distance but take it relatively easy. Why 30 miles? I'm trying to build up towards the North Country Trail Run, a 50-mile ultramarathon. The weather was perfect, traffic was light; in fact, the only problem with my run today was that I decided to stop after 20 miles.

My biggest challenge with any long distance run is not strength or stamina, but surprisingly digestion. I have a hard time drinking enough water to stay hydrated and eating enough calories to prevent bonking. I know how much I need to consume, but my stomach fills up faster than it can process the sustenance. Hopefully as I continue to train my digestive system will adapt, just like my lungs and legs have adapted, too.

Today's meandering route took me from Lowell to Whitneyville, and then back home. About 16 miles into the run I reached the gas station in Whitneyville where I stopped for about 10 minutes to use the restroom, splash some cold water on my face, and buy some food. In such situations I look for food that is 1) palatable, 2) high in sodium, 3) high in calories, and 4) high in potassium, if possible. Some Kars PBJ Trail Mix caught my eye for meeting all four needs.

After downing some PBJ Mix, I set off for home but after a mile my body was beginning to give out. My lungs weren't burning, my legs weren't cramping, my vision wasn't blurry - all things that have slowed me down in the past. This time it was my legs just aching and a general feeling of fatigue. I walked for the next two miles to give myself a chance to recover a bit, then throttled up to a running stride again. Just a mile later I could barely shuffle and resorted to walking again.

Had this been a race, I would've pressed on, walking until I felt better and trying to run, seeing if I could climb out of the rut. I've run two marathons before, and both times had to fight through some major issues, but this was just a training run. I decided it wouldn't be wise to essentially walk the remaining 10 miles home - it would only draw out my recovery and wouldn't add much to my overall endurance. So I pulled out the cell phone and summoned Amanda to pick me up. All told I ran 20 miles in four hours. I picked up a Subway turkey sub on the way home to refuel my recovering body.

In retrospect, I made a wise decision. An hour after getting home I limped around the backyard trying to play frisbee with my dogs - my legs were SORE. But a couple hours later I was feeling good. The legs are still sore, but not "walking like an old man" sore like after a marathon. Often if I push myself very hard I lose my appetite (happened after both marathons) for hours, but not today. Sometimes after hard workouts I get quite cold (even in the summer) as my body apparently allocates its resources away from thermal regulation and towards muscle and tissue repair. I often need a nap, too. But not today - I got a bit cold but nothing significant, and never felt sleepy, either. What this means is that despite feeling wasted after running 20 miles, I recovered quite rapidly. My training has been paying off, in one way or another.

Dogs haven’t always been kind to me. My first memory of a dog was our neighbor’s large Weimereiner when I was four years old – I was on my back in the grass, staring up at the grey dog’s belly because she had just run me over! Yet somehow I always knew that dogs are good. For the past three years my dogs Haven and Beacon have reminded me of that altruism on a daily basis.

Big dogs have always appealed to me the most but my parents decided that our first dog would be a small one. When I was ten years old I helped choose Penny from among her litter of Westie puppies. My two brothers and I absolutely adored her, and it only took us two years to talk our parents into a second dog. One day while visiting the local Humane Society we spotted a Sheltie mix that we fell for, and Gyro came home to become Penny’s little brother.

Penny and Gyro had a significant influence on me as I grew up. In middle school I had plans to study dog behavior and language as a career, and even employed my dogs in a science project. When I went off to college, I looked forward to seeing them when I visited home. Of course, they were always just as thrilled to see me. It was after I graduated college that Penny succumbed to old age at 15, and the next year Gyro passed on at 14. Even though I’d been living away from home for their last few years, it felt strange to no longer have any dogs in my life.

In March 2003 my new wife Amanda and I moved back to Michigan and bought a house that had one key feature: a large, fenced-in backyard. Immediately I tried to convince Amanda that we needed a dog. My persuasion worked, and then some. We wound up picking TWO puppies from the litter of our friends’ yellow Labrador Retriever. Haven and her littermates were born late at night on June 8, 2003. Sometime after midnight Beacon was born, so technically his birthday is June 9.

Two weeks later our friends went on their honeymoon, so we watched their dog, Sheree, along with her entire litter of eight puppies. Amanda instantly fell in love with Beacon because he was the runt, far smaller than his siblings. Three pups caught my eye right away due to their insistent curiosity, and I eventually settled on Haven. Interestingly, each of Amanda’s and my choices have latched onto us, respectively – Haven has become “daddy’s girl” and Beacon is a “momma’s boy”.

Our choices couldn’t have been more perfect. Over the past three years they’ve grown into the two big dogs that I’ve always wanted. Haven hasn’t lost her curiosity and absolutely loves to accompany me on long runs on the trails, exploring all of the sights and scents of the forest. Beacon has a passion for catching frisbees in the backyard and fetching sticks in any lake or river. When I come home from work Haven’s entire body wiggles in excitement while Beacon greets me with his favorite toy in his mouth.

While my first encounter with a dog didn’t go very smoothly, I can’t imagine life without dogs. I was lucky to grow up with Penny and Gyro, and my luck continues with Haven and Beacon being a part of my life today. In fact, their nicknames “Havy” and “Beaks” are the inspiration of this site. Happy 3rd birthday, HavyBeaks!

Trying to smile because I've just run 26.15 miles...

It's about time I wrote about my second-ever marathon! On Saturday, April 1 I ran the Martian Marathon in Dearborn Heights, MI. The location was quite convenient - Friday after work Amanda and I loaded up the dogs and drove to her parents' house in nearby Dearborn, where we spent the night. On the way there we stopped by the race expo and I picked up my bib number and timing chip for the race.

My first marathon (Grand Rapids Marathon in October 2005 - I still have to write about this one!) was a bit of a disaster. In that one I had a goal of 4:30 but wound up finishing at 5:34 after battling leg-locking cramps in my quads that forced me to walk 10 of the 26.2 miles!

This time my goal was again 4:30, hoping to avoid the cramps and dehydration of my first marathon. I had more experience behind me and I brought a certain strategy to this second attempt. My plan was to drink water at each aid station (every 1.5 to 2 miles) as my source of fluids. In addition, I carried a flask of energy gel from which I took a squeeze every 30 minutes to ensure I had some calories in my system to burn for energy. Because the gel has very few electrolytes and water has none, I also had a ziploc bag with electrolyte caps - essentially salt tablets with some potassium, too. I took one of those every hour.

My target pace was 9:30 minutes per mile, which would result in a 4:15 finish time. Most of my long training runs were at that pace and I figured it would be easier to slow up a little if need be rather than speed up. A 10:00 minute pace would put me at my goal of 4:30. This way I could run a 9:30 pace but walk at each aid station while drinking the water - I haven't yet learned how to drink from a cup while running and not completely choke!

The weather was overcast with a moderate west wind. The temperature at race start was a somewhat chilly 43 degrees, and it warmed up to 50 by the end of the race. The race course ran entirely along Hines Drive, heading out to the west, then backtracking for a few miles east before going west a little ways, then finally coming east again. This made for an interesting combination of headwinds and tailwinds!

At last the race was on! There was a clock at Mile 1 and I passed through at 9:30 - exactly on pace. The first several miles I was able to keep that pace, although for some reason my heart rate was in the 160-170 range; normally running a 9:30 pace would put me at 150-160, so I was a bit concerned. Did I get too cold waiting for the start? Was I simply nervous? I decided not to worry about it.

My nutrition plan needed a few tweaks, something I learned the hard way. At the second aid station it was time for my first gel hit, which I remember after drinking the water - now I had nothing with which to wash down the sticky gel! Next aid station I made sure to hit the gel before drinking the water. But then at the fourth aid station I forgot to take my electrolyte cap until after the water, forcing me to swallow the pill without anything to help wash it down. Every aid station after that went smoothly, however.

Around 6.5 miles all of the half-marathoners turned around while the full marathoners kept running straight ahead. Up until then the road had been packed with runners, but once past the half-marathon turn-around I suddenly found myself all alone! The vast majority were only doing the half! The course became pretty quiet, but I was feeling good. Things were going pretty well after the first hour of running, and in fact I was still on pace after two hours. I finally started feeling a bit tired around Mile 12, and I remember thinking that I wasn't even halfway done! But I kept running. A few times along the course Amanda was able to find a spectator spot and take a few photos of me - it was always nice to see her on the course.

Trouble finally caught up to me at Mile 17 - right at the mile marker as I checked my watch, my quads cramped up. I was bummed, but not terribly disappointed because the cramps weren't severe and I was able to keep running. However, I had to slow down a bit and every mile or so I had to take a 1/4 mile walking break to give my muscles a chance to recover a bit. Then at Mile 19 I hit the infamous wall. At least I suppose that's what the proverbial wall is supposed to feel like. I kept running, but I felt awful. I remember telling myself that I'll never run a marathon again, that I'll just stick to 5K's! My legs felt heavy, my head ached, and my vision became blurry. I pressed on.

At Mile 22 I suddenly felt great! Apparently I busted through that wall. I was still dog-tired but I was fairly comfortable and pain-free. For the first time since the cramps started I was able to run two miles non-stop. Then at Mile 24 my body's good mood started to wear off and I began to feel very fatigued. Not nearly as bad as I felt at Mile 19, though. Plus, I had just two miles to go and after all, what's a measly two miles to a marathoner? Well, they're pretty tough if they're the last two! The photo of me here was taken about 10 seconds before I crossed the finish line, and it's pretty clear how worn out I was even though I'm smiling (at least trying to smile) for the camera. My finishing time was 4:42. Not fast enough to beat my goal, but I was quite satisfied considering that spent nine miles dealing with cramps.

In retrospect I really enjoyed that race and I'm looking forward to running another marathon someday, and even my challenge to run a 50-mile race this year. You can certainly learn a lot about yourself during such epic events.

Amanda was at the finish line of course, but so were Mom and Dad! I had mentioned the race to them but I wasn't expecting them to be there. I wasn't able to be very entertaining - I could barely walk - but perhaps that was entertainment in itself! We walked over to the expo where there was some food, but I had zero appetite. I did say hi to Don Kern, the Grand Rapids Marathon director who ran this marathon - the 119th of his career! Just 117 to go for me to catch up, although I think he's at 121 by now. That guy is nuts. Then again, isn't that what my wife, my parents, and my in-laws all said about me for running a marathon in the first place?

Last weekend Amanda and I volunteered at an adventure race at Ionia State Rec Area. The race is called the GRAAR Spring Adventure Challenge, a 6-hour race geared towards beginners. GRAAR is the Grand Rapids Area Adventure Racing group, the local AR club that I occasionally train with. One of the club's founders, Mike, was a one-man race director, doing nearly all of the organization and planning by himself. Pretty impressive, and the race went smoothly! My job was to help out at the canoe put-in with another GRAAR member plus two of Mike's sisters. We helped unload the 40 aluminum canoes, lined them up by the launch area on the river, and instructed all racers to "park your bikes in the woods, grab paddles and life jackets, and don't forget to punch your passport". During the canoe unloading while holding a canoe over my head, the guy on the other end twisted it the opposite way I was expecting, resulting in me falling to the ground with the canoe landing on top of me! I was OK, just a bruised knee as it turned out. We had great weather for the race - in the 50s - and of course there was pizza at the post-race awards ceremony! If anyone wants to try adventure racing, this is the event to get your feet wet (both figuratively and literally!)

This weekend we adopted out our foster dog. We've been going thru foster dogs like runny nose goes thru kleenexes - you can read all about them on Amanda's site. Down to just two dogs, I decided to let them have some fun and come running with me. This week's training plan was a 20+ miler and neither dog has gone over 14 miles before. I didn't feel like pounding my joints on pavement for such a long distance, so I figured out a good trail run. My usual route on the NCT near home is an out-and-back that covers 11.6 miles, which I've done with the dogs before. This time I did it with both dogs - I ran out and back with Beacon, and upon returning home I switched dogs and went out and back again, this time with Haven. Boy did they get tired, but I think I was the worst for wear! 23.2 miles, just 3 short of a marathon, and entirely on hilly, muddy trails. Once finished, I quickly showered and then took a nap on the floor for half an hour! Then Amanda and I went out to Pizza Hut since we earned it. Oh yeah, during my run Amanda went out and ran, too - she ran one mile, walked a half mile, ran another mile, and walked a final half mile for a total workout of 3 miles. It was the first time she's ever run two miles in one day in her entire life!

No, that's not me, not by a long shot. Not yet anyway... It won't be until this fall that I'll attempt my first ultramarathon. However, this entry is about one of the world's premier ultrarunners, Dean Karnazes.

I've been a casual fan of Dean for over a year, and a few weeks ago I finally decided to get his book from the library and read it. It's definitely a good read, especially if you're fascinated by people who obsessively push themselves to their limits as Dean does. After reading his book I poked around on Dean's website and noticed that he was scheduled to visit Grand Rapids last weekend on a book tour! I returned my library copy and bought one from the bookstore since he would be signing books that Saturday.

What makes Dean so famous in ultrarunning circles? He usually places among the top finishers of major ultra races, usually at distances of 100 miles or more. But several elite runners can do that. Then Dean decided to enter a 12-man relay race that covers 200 miles - but he ran it solo! Later he ran a marathon ten times over in one shot - 262 miles! And last fall he ran 350 miles non-stop! It took him three days and three nights, 80+ hours total.

The week before the book signing I happened to be shopping for running shoes at Gazelle Sports and the store had a sign advertising the book signing. It mentioned that Dean would be signing his handiwork at Schuler Books, then he would run about 12 miles to the other Schuler's to sign books there. I wonder if people could run with him? The running store didn't know, and neither did the bookstore.

Saturday morning Amanda and I helped set up for Vicky's Pet Connection adoption event at PetSmart. We ran some errands and later that afternoon picked up our foster dog Zoe who we had dropped off earlier. One person seemed a bit interested in her, so we'll see if that pans out. Then it was back home where I tried to figure out what to wear to the book signing. No, I'm not vain. I was, however, trying to be prepared in case Dean invited people to run the 12 miles between stores with him. The forecast said 44 degrees with possible thunderstorms, but it was easily 60 degrees that evening. I found a pair of running shorts that I could wear under my jeans, put a running shirt underneath my turtleneck, and put on some running socks. This way I could change quickly out in the open parking lot.

Amanda and I showed up at Schuler's and had to wait as Dean was running late. There were at least 50 people there waiting for him, including a local TV news anchor with his camera. Finally Dean arrived and he spoke to the audience for about 20 minutes, mostly recanting stories that were in his book. Then we all lined up for him to sign. While he signed my book I asked if I could join him on his run to the other bookstore. No problem! There was already a small group planning to run with him. He pointed them out to me and went on to sign the next book.

The other group was led by the race director for the Grand Rapids Marathon, a guy named Don Kern. Don actually met Dean on a south pole expedition - a touristy adventure where both of them wanted to run a marathon to the south pole! Dean's book and Don's website tell that story well, including how they ran around the world naked, complete with photos. :)

Anyway, Don was the guy who brought Dean to Grand Rapids on the book tour and a few friends from Don's running club were planning to run with Dean that night. Don assured me that they were only going to run a 9-10 minute/mile pace, something I could handle. So I dashed off to the parking lot and changed into my running gear. I walked back inside to wait as Dean finished signing and chatted a bit with some of the other "fans" hanging around.

At last Dean was ready and we headed outside. I realized that I was one of just seven runners, including Dean! This was beginning to feel like having Derek Jeter join some of my softball buddies for some batting practice! Off we ran, and right away the pace was closer to 8-minute miles than 9 or 10. Well, I would keep up as long as I could. Nobody talked a whole lot - we were trying to breathe, after all - but I still was able to chat with some of the folks. I asked Dean about life on the road for his book tour, and he asked if 60-degree nights were common for March in Michigan.

Our route took us through downtown Grand Rapids, which was a total blast. It was about 10pm at night and the streets were full of nightlife, forcing us to weave among all the traffic and pedestrians who routinely honked, waved, shouted encouragement, and one guy who said "Now that's what I call a bar crawl!" We ran past the Calder, ran past the fish ladder, and made our way to a bridge where some of Don's buddies had set up a mini aid station (gatorade and beer). Dean was behind schedule so we pressed on. And really pressed, because now Dean was flying trying to make up lost time. Don was the slowest runner of the group and fell behind, so I hung back with him since he's about my ability level anyway. Don's girlfriend Francine is also slow like us so she stayed behind while Dean and the other fast runners took off.

Don, Francine, and I continued to plod along at a more comfortable pace. Just minutes before we were in a crowded downtown, but now we were running through a virtual ghost town of an industrial area. Now that we weren't pushing the pace so hard, we could actually spare some oxygen for a little conversation. Before we knew it we had arrived at the bookstore in 1 hour 51 minutes of running. Dean and the others had arrived just 10 minutes earlier, so we didn't feel too bad. I thanked Dean for the run and headed home.

How did I get home? Well Amanda had driven to the bookstore and waited over an hour for me to arrive. She read an entire photo essay book about dogs (Dogs 24/7, I think) and even managed a trip to Target to buy us some Pringles for the drive home. Quite a fun night! It's not every day you get to go for a casual run with a world-class runner. And I have the t-shirt to prove it!