Sandy Runs

If you follow my blog or keep track of me on social media, then you know I was selected as a Columbus Marathon Ambassador to represent my city and run a marathon in Hefei, China this November. ( Here's my blog about it .) Well, November is coming faster than you'd think! The Main Event The big news for now is that the Hefei Ambassador team (Avery, Courtney, Kristian, Will and me) is planning an event at Land-Grant Brewing Co.  on Wednesday, October 18th - and you are invited! If you're local to Columbus, please come on out that night. Land-Grant will donate a percentage of sales to fund our travel.   Our event will include: An optional pub run organized by Fleet Feet Sports, so bring your running shoes! A silent auction - we have great prizes from local businesses Raffles - we're doing both a prize raffle and a 50/50 cash raffle A food truck , so you won't go hungry Plus, you'll get the opportunity to interact with me and my fellow ambas...

I'd like to announce that I'm a newly minted Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) Level 1 coach! I'd been thinking about the RRCA Coaching Certification for a while. I figured the modest financial investment would be worthwhile given the education I would receive. The problem was that it was hard to get into the classes, and most of them required travel to another city. When I found out that there was one scheduled for this September in Columbus, I jumped on it. Preparation & Overview In addition to attending class and taking a 100 question test, I would need to provide proof of CPR and first aid certification. My CPR certification was more than two years old, so I got myself into class in May, just a week after I registered for the coaching class. Then I took an online First Aid course the week leading up to class. There were two official pre-work items that all students needed to do: Watch an online video of Randy Accetta (Coaching Director for...

Well, I ran the 2017 Air Force Half Marathon last weekend, with mixed results. This was, of course, a class act event as always. I previously ran the full marathon in 2012. This year I made a late decision to go back and run the half as practice for my other upcoming half marathons. I love how my half marathon medal photo turned out Pre-Game Air Force Marathon is on a Saturday, and with no race-day packet pick-up, that means everyone needed to get to the expo no later than Friday evening. I got off work at 4:30 PM on Friday and had a rough time getting from downtown Columbus to Wright State University in Fairborn. Traffic was a mess, and then when I got off at my exit to the Nutter Center, roads were closed as the Air Force 5K was about to start. I was routed way out of my way and had to park about a mile from the expo. Walking to the expo, I was going against the stream of 5K runners. It was fun to see them, and but it was not fun walking in the gravel on the side of the r...

In a first for me, I ran a trail race in the dark. The 2017 Summer Squatch 10K was a Thursday evening event that started at 7 PM. It wasn't dark at the start, but it didn't take long for visibility to get tough in the woods. Night trail runner, with medal to prove it I drove up to Alum Creek State Park after work on race day and was there in plenty of time to pick up my packet and get changed for the race. I took an apple to eat as a pre-race snack, and wore all my regular trail gear (Altra Lone Peak shoes, gaiters, and Camelback pack). It was only a 10K, but I wanted to be prepared. It had rained for a couple days before this, and I was unfamiliar with the trail. I didn't know what I would encounter, but I thought it might get muddy. I also knew it would be dark. I planned ahead and borrowed a headlamp because I knew mine was low quality and just wasn't going to cut it. Our trailhead was past the dog park, but not well-marked Runners getting ready ...

In a recent and unexpected development, I was just selected as the Marathon Maniacs ambassador for Columbus, Ohio. I've been a club member for six years and have been running marathons for 12 years. When I moved back to Columbus in January, I immediately jumped into the local running community. So, I feel very good about this position. Meet your new Marathon Maniacs Columbus ambassador! As a Marathon Maniacs ambassador , my responsibilities will be to: Serve as a regional spokesperson for the club, helping to find new members Moderate the Marathon Maniacs Columbus Facebook group Coordinate meet-up activities for Columbus-area races, including dinners and pre-race photos Potentially work with local races to provide Maniac pacers When I introduced myself in the Columbus Facebook group, I led with a list of my marathon achievements. It wasn't to brag, but to let people know what I've done. Hopefully this can help to inspire others, and can provide a start...

On Labor Day weekend I ran a trail race on a whim. It was the Minnehaha 5 Miler Trail Race put on by Western Reserve Racing at part of their Tents & Trails or Dirty Trails series over Labor Day weekend. It seems I've been spending a lot of time at races in Northeastern Ohio this year. First it was the Pro Football Hall of Fame Half in Canton in April. Then in May I paced the Cleveland Half Marathon one weekend and raced the Medina Half the following weekend. In July I volunteered and crewed at the Burning River 100 , where I discovered the Summit Brew Path and its bounty of 14 Akron/Canton area breweries to visit. For the holiday weekend, my real goal was to finish my Summit Brew Path. With a free room from Hotels.com, I decided to make an overnight of it, hitting up some breweries on Saturday and others on Sunday. I figured I'd find a pretty place to run on Sunday morning before heading out to the breweries. When my friend Chase mentioned the Minnehaha race, it took m...