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Haven and I having a blast racing in the 2008 Bailey's Doggie Dash.
Since I began running almost five years ago I've participated in 25 races (including 3 adventure races) but surprisingly only three events have been repeats. Twice each I've run the Grand Rapids Marathon and the Irish Jig 5K, and now I can add Bailey's Doggie Dash to the list for the fourth time!
My first ever organized race was the 2005 edition of the Doggie Dash and it's been an annual staple for Haven and I ever since. Why? You'll be hard pressed to find more fun packed into a 5K!
Haven poses as Amanda takes advantage of beautiful photography settings.
Haven has always been a fast runner - after all, she's a dog! They're born to run, even the lazy ones. :) My training over the years has helped me keep up with her and our Doggie Dash results show a favorable trend:
2005 Bailey's Doggie Dash - 24:39 - 10th overall, 1st/1 age group
2006 Bailey's Doggie Dash - 22:42 - 5th overall, 1st/4 age group
2007 Bailey's Doggie Dash - 20:17 - 3rd overall, 2nd/3 age group
(A note about the age groups... Yes, I "won" my age group in 2005 by being the only runner in it! Although technically I'll never truly win my age group as long as Joel Bierling and his dog Anubis are here - they've won the Doggie Dash outright every year since 2004, and Joel is my age. In fact the top three humans in 2007 were all 31 years old!)
The one and only Bailey, the "assistant race director" of Bailey's Doggie Dash.
Could Haven and I continue to improve in 2008? Sadly, no - I am still recovering from a lingering hamstring injury and knew going into the event that I would not be able to run near full speed, but Haven didn't get the memo...
We lined up behind the chalk line with "START" scrawled on the pavement - part of the appeal of this race is how casual and old-school it is - and Haven immediately began screaming in excitement! Just like before last year's race - she knew exactly what was going on and just couldn't wait to get going.
Krista Durham heard Haven (who couldn't?) and walked over to say hi as I tried to buckle the Ruff Wear Roamer leash around my waist. Krista and Ron discovered the Doggie Dash - and indirectly their dog Kasey - last year thanks to my blog! In 2007 Ron won his age group but this year was Krista's turn and she assured me that she was no threat to win an award.
Race director Kevin Sweeney "barks" out final instructions before the start of Bailey's Doggie Dash.
Photo courtesy of Jim Falk, Kent County Parks Foundation. The race is held at Wabasis Park in Kent County, and 100% of the entry fees are donated to the Foundation.
Finally we were off! As you can see in the photo below, even though I was trying to go easy Haven was definitely in afterburner. The pack began to thin out a bit when suddenly a Golden Retriever whizzed past... off leash! I heard a woman behind me calling for her dog but it was having too much fun! I stopped a couple times to try and snag its leash but without luck; however, the dog was soon back in hand.
Haven launches us off to a quick start - who do you think is having more fun?
Heading up the first hill from the boat launch a young Husky mix kept trying to play with Haven, but Haven wasn't here for games - she wanted to catch the lady in front of us! To Haven's chagrin I instead struck up a conversation with Neil, the owner of the playful Isla. This was Neil's 4th or 5th Doggie Dash but the 1st for recently-adopted Isla - in previous years Neil had to borrow his daughter's dog!
Going downhill pulled away from Neil and Isla and Haven settled in behind a woman and her Irish Setter, who was also using a hands-free leash like us. We followed about half a mile, reaching the 1-mile mark where I realized I'd forgotten to start my watch! I started it here and based on my finish time, was able to deduce later that Haven and I posted an 8:16 first mile, faster than I've run in a long time.
Neil Bierling and Isla work their way up a hill.
Once again it was a downhill section that allowed us to pass a runner and Haven and it made the turn onto the wooded trail section of the course. With nobody in sight ahead or behind us, Haven must've realized the sudden privacy - she stopped for some "business"! Fortunately I carried a couple Business Bags in my pocket and cleared the trail of landmines, but then had to carry the live ordnance until we found a trash can! When all was said and done it was almost a one minute delay.
A few dogs and people passed us during the pit stop and I must've subconsciously accelerated a bit - we ran the second mile at a 9:05 pace including the poop delay, but by this point Haven was finally growing tired of giving my pace a free ride. The leash went slack and I was on my own!
Surprisingly I felt pretty good but I didn't let the slow pace fool me into thinking I was fit enough for anything faster. We jogged through the campground where a camping family was watching with their dog. They asked me about race and I ran backwards a few steps as I explained the basics before Haven coaxed me onwards.
Haven and I cresting the final hill and still having fun.
At long last the final uphill was in sight and we did our best to maintain momentum. Along this stretch of road Amanda was lurking on the shoulder to snap some photos with the amazing fall colors in the background. Every year the Doggie Dash has seen great weather - clear, sunny, cool, and leaves every color but green.
Cresting the hill I noticed that Neil and Isla weren't far behind, so Haven and I made sure we didn't get lazy as we chugged towards the finish line. Woo hoo! Yep, it's an old-school event - no chip timing here. A volunteer ripped the perforated tab from my bib number while another wrote down my time on a clipboard. 26:59 was written by my number, probably my slowest 5K ever but also among the most enjoyable!
Juanita Stasik and Lance working hard - well, one of them is working hard. :)
The last mile clocked about 8:45 - not having Haven's help really exposed my slowness! We hung out at the finish to watch some other folks finish, including a couple of my friends from work. Juanita Stasik and her yellow lab Lance were running their second Doggie Dash after discovering the event in 2007.
Bob Fry and Monty make their way to the finish. Monty was glad for the cool, 45-degree weather!
Making his first Doggie Dash appearance was Bob Fry and his Pomeranian mix Monty. Bob is one the guys I run with at work during lunch (when my leg is healthy) and a former Boston Marathoner. Notice that "50" on his shirt - I'll bet that he and I were the only two runners wearing shirts from a 50-mile ultramarathon! Monty probably took as many steps in this 5K as Bob does in a 50K!
Now it was time for the treats - dog biscuits for Haven and Halloween candy for me! Race director Kevin Sweeney sure knows how to dish out a post-race spread! He also knows how to organize a smooth event - low tech, low stress, high class and high fun!
Haven is in full-on begging mode, explaining in dog language why she deserves yet another biscuit!
Once all the runners and walkers had finished it was time for the awards. First up were the door prizes and I finally won! The loot was a hand-made blanket - I've been pining for one of those hand-made dog beds and blankets that are given out each year.
The little wizard, winner of the Bailey's Choice costume award.
Next were the costume winners as chosen by local meteorologist Peter Chan - many great outfits but there was a certain charm about the winner - a little wizard. And finally the running awards... Once again Joel Bierling and Anubis won overall but he had to pass a high school cross country runner on the last hill to earn his victory! If that kid is back next year, Joel and Anubis are in trouble. A girl from the same high school took a close 2nd overall for women, too!
I should mention that trophies are handed out for the people and engraved bowls for the dogs! Three deep in each age group, so there's a lot of hardware going home. Neil and Isla won their age group as did Bob and Monty! However Bob had already headed home, so after the awards I got their trophies and dropped them off with Bob at work. He has two other dogs besides Monty and he thinks they'll be jealous of Monty's engraved bowl.
Not to be outdone by our co-worker, Juanita and Lance went home with some hardware, too! They finished 3rd in her age group, a task made easier by arriving on time. Last year Juanita took a wrong turn while driving to the park and started the race 10 minutes late! Apparently she still had so much fun that she came back for more.
Krista Durham and Kasey try to shrug off their award after promising at the start to not win one. ;)
Remember Krista's promise that Kasey wasn't going to win anything? Wrong - they placed 3rd in their age group! Kasey is 2-for-2 with trophies and now has more than either of his owners. Ron had his own race the next day - the Grand Rapids Marathon as his first 26.2 and he rocked it with a 3:37! Wow.
Finally it was time for my age group and... nothing. Lots of guys in their 30s can run faster than gimpy me, so poor Haven had to endure the shame of no engraved bowl this year. But hey, we won a blanket!
Haven relaxes on our door prize, an evidently comfy hand-made blanket.
Even though it's only a 20-minute drive home, Haven slept the entire way - she was one worn-out pup. We posed for our photo in front of the burning bush in what has become a post-race tradition, then went inside to indulge in more treats. As if Bailey's Doggie Dash wasn't enough of a treat already!
The traditional post-race photo - we'll be back in 2009!
One of the interesting facts about land mammals is that their life expectancy is the same - if you measure it in terms of heartbeats. All land mammals will live for about 1 billion heartbeats. A shrew has a heart rate of 600 bpm (beats per minute) and a life expectancy of just three years. An elephant with their 30 bpm heart rate can expect to live over 60 years. The hearts of each animal will beat 1 billion times in their expected lifetime.
Humans, of course, are the exception - we can last for about 3 billion heartbeats. I'm not sure why - maybe medical technology, nutrition, who knows. Marine mammals don't follow the pattern either, but let's stick with ourselves and our 3 billion heartbeats. There are 525,600 minutes in a year, and the average human has a resting heart rate of 72 bpm, so divide that into 3 billion and you get a life expectancy of 79.3 years.
I was talking about this topic with a co-worker when he asked me "So how many days of your life did you burn up by running that ultramarathon?" Holy cow. My heart rate was probably around 150 bpm for the 12-hours it took me to run 50 miles, so in half a day I used up just over a day's worth of heartbeats! More than that, I ran for 180 hours total in 2006 - that's 7.5 days of extra heartbeats spent on running! Is it really worth it?
Before I started running three years ago, my resting heart rate happened to be the average 72 bpm. Let's assume that I lived my first 28 years at that heart rate, which means I used up 1.06 billion of my life's heartbeats in that span. Now let's assume that I keep running (or cycling or otherwise keeping in good shape) for the rest of my life. My current resting heart rate is about 56 bpm, so if I keep that up for my remaining 1.94 billion heart beats, I would live another 69 years... to the age of 94!
By getting into (and staying in) good shape, I increased my life expectancy by 15 years! Each year I spend as a runner costs me one week of heartbeats, but the improved fitness adds 13 weeks to my life expectancy for a net of +12 weeks. Another way to look at it: Every month of regular running adds one week to my life! Diving deeper yet... assuming I run 3.5 times per week, that means that each run adds 12 hours to my life. How's that for a good investment?
Yes, it's worth it. Assuming, of course, that my clock will tick 3 billion times...
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!
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!
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.
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!
Today was another long run, this time 14.4 miles in 2h 48m. What's really neat to say is that it turned out to be an easy 14.4 miles! I don't know why but I felt really good running today. I managed to establish a slower pace (11:40 per mile) and keep it consistent. I was probably running about 11 minutes a mile, with the :40 coming from when I'd stop to walk so I could drink.
Speaking of which, I carried with me a 1L bottle of Gatorade and by the time I got home, what was left had frozen into a slushie! In fact, I was drinking slush for the last hour of running. Normally when I carry drinks I hold them in such a way so that they *don't* slosh around because 1) that wastes energy, and 2) it makes the drink all foamy. Today's 20-degree temp and strong west wind were cold enough that I had to allow my drink to slosh so that it wouldn't freeze up!
While I was running Amanda rode the stationary bike again, going 45 miles while watching Return of the Jedi and Jurassic Park on DVD. She noticed that at the end of ROTJ they replaced the old Anakin ghost with a Hayden Christiansen version.
In other running news, I've started running with a few guys from work during the lunch hour. They run Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but because of my Sunday long runs I just run Wed and Fri - I need to recover on Mon! We usually run about 5 miles.
One of the guys is Bob, who's in his early 50's and just a couple years ago he ran the Boston Marathon! You have to be pretty good just to qualify. Bob is now "done" with marathons and is running 50-mile races now. He'll be a good resource since I'm looking at doing a 50-miler next September.
Another co-worker I run with is Ty, who's a family friend of Josh - they're neighbors at their cottages. Ty was telling me how all of those cottages have been in the same family for four generations. I also found out that Jaime is pregnant and due in late April!