The many trails of Johnson County (Iowa that is!)

Iowa really does have some fun places for a trail runner.  I never would have believed it until I moved here, but the area right around Cedar Rapids and Iowa City has a dozen or more places to get of the concrete.   This isn’t Colorado, but for the Midwest it is golden.  I plan on posting several of the best spots over the next few months.

One of my favorites is the Squire Point trail network along the shores of the Coralville Reservoir (http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/Coralville/hiking_trails.htm).  These are not the longest or the most challenging trails in the area. However they are right on the edge of town and it is easy to string together a run of an hour or two without feeling like you are going in circles.

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How do you put the feeling you get at the end of a race or hard workout into writing (or in the case of this entry, hiking at about 10,000′ up Peak 7 at Breck)?  I know I am not nearly a good writer to do so, yet. It is something that is virtually impossible to describe to someone unless they have experienced the gasping, the spots in the vision, the metallic taste in your mouth, even the feeling of being punched in the stomach at the end of a hard effort.  I was fortunate enough to have one more way to engage in this type of ordeal over my winter break from school.

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This mornings run is one that might stick in my memory for awhile.  I expected to awake to one of my favorite conditions of an inch or two of snow crunching underfoot.  Instead I was treated to a nice layer of ice and mist.  Awesome.  But I will look back on this one (like in high school running across Holmes Lake with sleet crushing my face, or running 15 miles from camp to town in Colorado, or just this past fall where when I got done I laid on the concrete next to my car for a full 30 minutes before I could move) and think what the heck was I doing.  Continue reading →

One of my favorite words. Today it applies to two particular parts of running.  First and foremost, the Lincoln Running Company was named one of the 50 best small running shoe stores in the country!!

For those not in the know (and to be honest if you do not know the following you do not run in Nebraska), the staff at LRC is great.  They will put you in a shoe that works for you, they will order what you need, they will take care of you.  With the shopability of the Internet and stores like Scheel’s, FootLocker, Finish Line, etc stores like the Running Company are a gem.  Support them, or your local store, they do so much to help the local running community. Nice

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Back in August I told Brian I would love to be a part of this great website, let’s see, it’s now December and I am posting my first ramblings! Maybe because I have felt a bit boring this fall, maybe because nothing very earth shaking has happened UNTIL this past Monday! That is when I stepped foot on an Alter-G treadmill and I am in love!:)

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I think. My racing year was one where I am not sure what I learned or accomplished. Not much in the way of PRs, but I battled through some injuries, had my first 100 mile week, had some good races and some bad races:
Trek up the Tower : )
State Farm 10 miler : )
Leprechaun Chase : |
Lincoln Half Marathon : |
Sandhills Half Marathon : |
Buffalo Run : )
Chicago Marathon : |
Swamp Stomp 8k : )
Nike Cross Nationals 5k : )
Living History Farms : )
Cooper YMCA Turkey Trot 5k : ) (New road PR for me)
Holiday Run : | Continue reading →