Real Men Show Leg

“The Birth Announcement Post.” ☺ (3 weeks late) She was born January 23 at 2am. She weighed ___ lbs ___ oz and was __ long.* My apologies to the women who read this blog. Men, A: don’t remember those stats, and B: don’t care. These two factors probably impact each other.

*Okay, normally, my wife isn’t around while I blog, but since she is sitting across from me and would probably get mad at that intro to this announcement post, I now consult her to find that Eloise was 5 lbs, 14 oz and was 19.5” long. ☺ (I now confess that I did in fact remember those stats… but I still find them silly and meaningless)

I don’t know about you, but my kids are a major motivator in my decision to pursue my running goals. Let me tell you why and if you’re a parent, this may be the most powerful post you’ve ever read to encourage you on your path to fitness. click to read more

I almost cried at personal training today. I didn’t happen to glance out the window and watch a kitten get hit by a car either. (okay, hang on a second, that thought made me tear-up a little too… yeesh, I’m a mess!) My old, hard-core trainer who threatened to throw me out of a second story window is still safely out of state. My new trainer is super encouraging, so that wasn’t it either.

I signed up for twelve personal training sessions and a cardio/core-strength boot camp class at our local YMCA. I’ve been trying to tell people for some time that I’m not really all that “fit.” People always give me a bit of an askance look when I say this. If they had seen me at the gym for boot camp or personal training today I think they would understand what I mean.

Yes, I run far. I’m moderately fast for a very long time. BUT, I have a weakness I’ve been hiding for some time. I woke up one morning to find that someone had surgically removed my abdominal muscles to sell them on the black-market. I’m not sure why—I doubt they got much of anything for them. click here to read more

I’m moving back to Minnesota. I really hope my wife and kids come with me. I kinda like them. Plus we are having a baby in January and I really want it to know its father. BUT…

When a man falls in love with a trail, all other loves become secondary.

It’s a deep and forgotten love—this love of the woods and trails. This post may get a bit mushy; it may in fact break out into sonnets. No limericks though, I promise (or apologize, depending upon your personality).

I say this now before I’ve written the rest of this post: This will be one of the best pieces I’ve written because it comes from my deep heart. Want to be inspired? Stick around. click to read more

It all happened so quickly– I’m still reeling in fact. Suddenly I own compression shorts. I don’t know who I am anymore. Do you know how much crap I gave my friend in high school for wearing bike shorts? I’ll just say it got a bit brutal at times. The more I write the blog, the more I realize how many apologies I owe.

NAH! He deserved it and so do I. Spandex is weird. What could persuade me to purchase so much of a product I’ve long maligned? click to hear my big news!

Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, USA. Deep dairyland. With its lush, rolling hills through field and forest, it is a running paradise. It is also the home[stead] of my wife’s family. Along my route this weekend I passed Thoma Rd (dad-in-law) and Franson Rd (mom-in-law). By the way my wife points at parcels of land that her family farmed, you’d be hard pressed to find soil that they haven’t tilled.

We visited last weekend to wrap up our week of camping. We stayed at “Grandma Green’s” (her real name of Irene mispronounced somewhere along the line by a grandchild) in Whitehall, a town of 1,500 people. The Kwik Trip cafe is the life of downtown. The food is good. The people are friendly. It’s storybook heartland, USA.

Of course I had to run it. Then I had to write it. Then you had to read it. You won’t want to miss the survival tips I’ve assembled near the end of the post. The life you save may just be your own… click to save your life

Have you reached a point of despair with diet and exercise? Do you do well for a period of a week or two and then falter and throw in the towel? Repeat this cycle long enough and it’s easy to lose hope. If this is you I have some good news (for a change) and no, I’m not trying to sell you anything. click to read more

At one o’clock in the morning last night I was still screeching out the high notes of Katy Perry’s “Firework” when we pulled in the driveway. I must once again apologize to my wife for that. At least we didn’t go in the ditch. My wife might have been close to jumping for it though by the end of the 1.5 hour drive back from the wedding we photographed. In the conversation that preceded karaoke magic one realization stood out: “I have to run today.”

By “today” I meant 6am. 5 hours away. click to read more

I wasted my entire morning today. I’m not one to blame others for my shortcomings, but this time it was totally not my fault. There was a free contest. There was a “prize” at stake. I spent my morning trying to win said contest and this unknown prize. Apparently to get me motivated you throw out the proverbial carrot and replace it with a question marked box. ???? Click the Mystery Link to Read More ????

I love the olympics. I am in awe of the grace, speed, endurance, flexibility, reflexes, daring, cunning, and skill displayed. I love the stories. I love the smiles and the tears. I love the sportsmanship. I love watching competitors from different countries congratulating each other. But there’s an ugly side to the Olympics and it’s starting to be a real buzz kill. click to read more

They say three’s a crowd. No one likes to be the third wheel. So it’s out of consideration that I won’t run with you. It’s not you, it’s me. It would just be awkward and uncomfortable anyway. You see I’ve already got a running partner and he’s the jealous type. I mean I am. I mean he is. We both are. Wha??