Run-of-mine adj : 1: UNGRADED, UNSORTED, CRUDE, UNREFINED: not ground or treated 2: ORDINARY, MEDIOCRE, RUN-OF-THE-MILL <run-of-mine college graduate> 3. Ore or coal as it comes from the mine without grading or sorting for size or quality

4. That last run, the one that keeps you going back for more – it’s yours and yours alone.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Back in the Saddle


After what I see to be a sizeable hiatus, I’m getting back to the blog.  It was a heck of a summer, in many ways.  As a teacher, I obviously have my summers off, and free to spend with my family.  My wife works in the schools as well, so all four of us (the two of us and the kidlings) were home all together.  We got in a nice trip to Colorado, and some other fun family time. 

The downer of the summer, and mainly the reason why the blog went silent is that my dad got sick and passed away at the end of the summer and early fall.  That event, obviously, took a toll on me, and occupied much of my time and energy – physically, emotionally, spiritually, and otherwise.

That said, I’m getting back in the game.  Since my last post, I have run four half marathons!  Not too shabby for a runner who, a year and a half ago, ran his first 5K and had to take a walk break.  (And look at me, referring to myself in the third person.  Who am I – Bo JacksonJimmy from SeinfeldElmo?) 

In the past months, I have done the Minneapolis HalfMarathon, the Urban Wildland Half Marathon in Richfield, MN, the Surly TrailLoppet Half, and the Monster Dash Half.  I also did a funky little race in Minneapolis called the Tri-Loppet (it’s a triathlon, but with paddling, running, and biking – perfect for those of us who HATE swimming).

I’ve written race reports for some of those races – I’ve tried to write over the past several months, but they pretty much came off half-assed and, to be honest, not very well written.  I’m going to try to pencil-whip them back into some semblance of shape/coherence and get them on the blog.  

I also am working on some shoe reviews, gear reviews, and book reviews.  I just ordered a pair of the new Skechers Go Run3s, which I’m super excited about, and I just picked up a pair of Merrell Bare Access 2s from 6pm.com for $40.  Not sure if I’ll write up a review on those – pretty late to the party, since the BA3s are already out. 

Finally, immediate goal for the blog will be to chronicle my road to my first marathon.  I’m on the verge of signing up for the Med City Marathon in Rochester, MN.  It’s on May 25th (Memorial Day Weekend) and from all the reviews I’ve read, it sounds like a really nice race.  I’m hoping to use this space to keep myself honest and accountable as I train, fret, get excited, get tired, get sore, and get excited again about the training process (at least as accountable as a blog with zero current readership is – at the bare minimum I feel like I’m putting it out there in front of God and everybody, for some sort of scrutiny).

I’ll be posting on a hopefully regular basis from here on out, and especially starting on Monday, as I officially start the marathon training.  

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