My senior year in high school track stands out - for all the wrong reasons. It was the first season where I did not improve from the previous one because I somehow lost that fire that had always pushed to me to meet my goals and go beyond them. Call it a "burn out" or call it "senioritis." Whatever was going on, I somehow lost that drive that had always kept me going. The 1979 Track season wasn't all bad. It started out with a couple early wins in the 3000 - although against lesser competition and times that fell a tad short of the previous year. Still, with lingering memories of Cross Coun ..read more

I'm a firm believer in "Do Over" races. Few things are more frustrating for me than a truly bad race. And when I say, "bad race," I'm not talking about one where a shoe becomes untied, or one of my earbuds goes out. When I say "bad" race, I'm talking about one that was as an epic serving of humiliation that sticks to me like stale peanut butter to the roof of your mouth. An awful taste that I cannot wait to purge from my mouth. Although subsequent races certainly do their part in that cleansing, it's not really until I can actually run that same race again before I can finally put that experi ..read more

"Dear Rick, This is your older self. In August, I'll be at my 45th class reunion. Because of that, I find myself thinking back to various crossroads where certain decisions had a significant impact on my life. One of those most distinct occasions took place in March 1978, the start of your junior year in Track. You were coming off a cross country season where your team won District but went on to a disappointing performance at State. You frequently tell yourself that you're now "serious" about running. But the truth is that you have no idea what truly means. This letter is my attempt to help ..read more

Something's wrong with me. Seriously wrong. What other reason do I have that the race I've participated in most takes place in the middle of February? Why isn't it a race scheduled when the mercury at least has the decency to rise above freezing? Why do I submit myself to this "Russian Roulette" of racing? In fairness, I've never had injuries or work schedules impact this race as they have others. There's also the notion that this is the first road race of the calendar year for the Des Moines area and with proceeds going to the YMCA, I know my entry fee supports a worthy cause.  This rac ..read more

Two things stood out most prominently about my running in 2023. The first being that I missed two races due to perhaps the silliest injury I’ve ever encountered. The second is that for the first time since I’ve resumed competitive running in 2017, I believe I'm starting to slow down. Regarding the former, I pulled a latissimus dorsi muscle (with “lat” being the common term) doing Turkish get-ups in early April. I ignored the tightness in my ribs, believing it a minor strain that would go away. Research also supported that view - contingent on the strain being "minor." However, when I had to c ..read more

I don’t like trail runs and they don't like me. Reason I say that is because they tend to favor runners with more nimble strides who can maintain footing on uneven - even treacherous - surfaces. Trail runs work best for runners who view the race by each segment - be it a sharp incline up a dirt hillside or using a short break in a grassy clearing to pass someone. Trail runs demand that a runner’s gaze never averts from the trail where a single rock jutting up an inch could lead to a disastrous fall. That ain’t me. My mind breaks races down by miles with those paces adjusted only by any increa ..read more

I'm a coward. But at least I'm an honest one. I always correct people whenever they say that I run marathons. I do not run marathons. I have never run a marathon in my life. And this post is about sharing all the reasons I have never ran a marathon. Allow me to quickly add that I have nothing but the greatest of respect for anyone who has run a marathon. You have endured a grueling race of 26.2 miles, accomplishing a feat I can scarcely comprehend. Why is that? What is it about marathons that I find so daunting that I've never even attempted one? Keep reading. Reasons I've Never Run a Maratho ..read more

What would you think of running a 10K on a straight, flat course along quiet wooded bicycle trails in the light of a sunrise in early November? What if I added that they also offered pie at the end? One would assume that a smart runner would have their debit cards at the ready even before the word "pie" completely escaped my lips. Yet this year was my first time actually running this race in four years. What is wrong with me? Truth be told, I have reasonable excuses that include pandemics, injuries and running a rescheduled race closer to home. Through no fault of its own, the ,Hillbilly Hike ..read more

I didn’t set a PR at this year's IMT Des Moines Half Marathon. Actually, my overall time was a tad slower than I’d hoped. But that’s the only downside of a thoroughly enjoyable race weekend. The IMT DSM Half reminded me that there is more to racing than simply the event itself. What occurred surrounding the half marathon underscored all the reasons I thoroughly doing what I do. How Did the IMT DSM Half Remind Me Why I Enjoy Racing? Let Me Count the Ways! 1. Meeting Dusty Cookson. I had the distinct pleasure of a meeting a Facebook friend in person the day before the race. Dusty and his famil ..read more

Class is now in session. Show of hands. How many of you have heard of “Age-Graded Results?” Me? I’d never heard of it until a friend brought it up back last spring. He told me that it would convert your current running times to an equivalent time for running that same race in your twenties. This proved useful information for this person since they got into competitive racing later in their life. Although an intriguing concept, I didn't give it much initial thought. I knew that my best times were decades behind me. That's just part of getting older - along with gray hair, increased wisdom and ..read more