Sandy Runs

Before my move only some of my medals were hung on the wall. One of my medal racks wasn't anchored well and fell down, and I never re-hung the medals that were on it. But I kept adding new medals to the racks that were hanging, and they became quite overloaded. So I decided I needed an additional rack before hanging all my medals in the new place. It arrived this week, and I hung everything today. My completed medal hanging project with expansion available for 2017 and beyond Some races have coins instead of medals; here's my trophy case with coin collection (only some of the coins are race coins) Some people "run for the bling" and other people donate all their earned medals to charities like Medals 4 Mettle , or to gold star military families in honor of the fallen. I'm in the middle of this spectrum. I won't lie: I have been nudged to run a race or two after seeing the medal or of hearing legend of the medal. I used to be incentivized by challeng...

In my new neighborhood I live only a quarter mile from the Camp Chase Trail , a multi-use trail in Columbus OH that is part of the larger Ohio to Erie Trail system that runs from Cincinnati to Cleveland. The Camp Chase Trail could take me to downtown Columbus via a connector to the Scioto Trail if I wanted to do that (it's not far, I just don't know the distance or exactly how to make the connection). I finally made it out to check out my segment of the Camp Chase Trail on Sunday afternoon. No outlet unless you use the trail, which runs at the end of this street near the Westgate neighborhood, where my brother lives The trail segment near me is new and doesn't have a lot of use just yet. From talking to others, I got the feeling that the trail could be a little unsafe as some of the neighborhoods it runs through are not runner friendly, and there are some homeless people on the trail. I decided to make my first introduction to the trail on a beautiful Sunday after...

Since moving to Columbus I've run three times with the Columbus Westside Running Club (CWRC), a short drive from home. They run at Westgate Park on Tuesday nights. It has been dark and/or cold for every run so far, so it's hard to meet people. I remember the names of a handful of runners. I'm sure I'll get to know more of them when the weather is better and people stick around longer after the runs. Unlike other running clubs that run a fixed distance each time, CWRC runs for an hour starting at 6:30, and each person completes as many 1.2 mile loops around the park as they want. Some incorporate intervals into their workout. Some members are walkers. Each week the club rotates having the walkers and runners do loops in opposite directions, so you pass and can high-five people along the way. The first week I was unfamiliar with the trail (and also couldn't find my headlamp) and didn't want to run alone, so I ran with Dixie, who is close to my pace. It was n...

It's February and my start to 2017 running has been slow. My first race was yesterday. I ran the 5th Line 5K in downtown Columbus. It was a Columbus Blue Jackets themed race. We started outside Nationwide Arena, where the NHL team plays, and we finished inside the arena. Medal in front of the cannonball wall; the Blue Jackets fire a cannon for every goal This race coincides with the Blue Jackets' All Star Winter Park festivities. I happened to be down that way recently and saw them setting up the tents and rink for the park. The name of the race comes from a popular hashtag #WeAreThe5thLine , meaning that the fans are the 5th offensive line and are behind their team. Setting up for the Winter Park On race day, the sun was out, but it was cold. Because of the wind, I decided to wear a jacket. And that jacket makes it easy to see me in the starting line video below. At about 3:07 I'm seen crossing the starting line while zipping up my bright blue jacket,...