This week I’m out in Portland, OR for work. Rather than do my typical running in the hotel bit, I grabbed my gps and hit the streets and hills of Portland in the early morning hours.

Even if I had tried, I doubt I could have timed my route and run better. Just as the sun began to rise I found myself in the city’s highest point. To date, this is my favorite runners experience.

Apparently I’m not alone. The more I run, the more I realize that I’m neglecting other muscles in my body. Runner’s World Coach Jenny offers some solutions in this informative article. 

Like many, I love my iphone. Like many, I find running with their headphones infuriating. I’m happy to say that I think I have found the cure. I was wandering the aisles of CitySports the other day and came across the Yurbuds display. There happened to be a sales rep right beside me. I asked if these worked. He quickly responded by telling me about their ‘twist-lock system’ and that he uses them and even if you yank on them….they refuse to fall out.  Right then and there I was sold.

I picked up the Ironman Inspire Pro version because I love the built in mic system that my iphone headphones have.

I’m a half dozen runs into my life with Yurbuds and they have not caused me a moment of grief. I whole heartedly give these guys my thumbs up. If …

Wow…just typing that scared me. It feels like I’ve been running for quite some time now. Yet I still haven’t even begun to get into the serious portion of the training.

As of now, (knock on wood), all is well for me as a runner. My legs and knees get a bit irritated with me from time to time, but they are holding steady…growing stronger. Aside from the holiday week, My cardio also seems to be improving. All in all I can honestly say I’m enjoying this little adventure of mine.

I’ve been following a program created by 1976 Boston Marathon Winner Jack Fultz for ‘Novice-Level’ runner. Not surprisingly, Ole Jack hasn’t let me down.

For those who are curious, I’ve attached an outline of the first 3 weeks of the program. Enjoy.

Dana-Farber Team Member Lauren shared this video this morning. It’s definitely worth me sharing again.

Enjoy. And remember, we are all powerful beyond measure.

Dear Friends, Acquaintances, Colleagues, and Family,

On April 16, 2012, I will be running the Boston Marathon for the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC). I know what you’re thinking: “What, the marathon?! But you haven’t run more than three miles in your entire life!” And isn’t this going to hurt your back? While those statements may be true, I have found a reason that makes it all worthwhile.

Last summer I lost another close family friend to cancer. That makes five family members or friends in as many years. Whether I had been lucky in years prior or simply walking through life with blinders, I hadn’t really felt touched by cancer. But now, I can’t seem to avoid it.

The reality is that 1 in 3 men and 1 in 2 women will be diagnosed with cancer. If you let that statistic sink in …

Yesterday I ventured out to the Fellsway with my far more talented running partner to try to get in a long run before the start of NFL games. After spending quite a few miles now running over potholes and worn down commercial buildings (I run in Chelsea) I was pretty excited about the idea of running through the woods. But, when I saw the trail map at the head of the park I immediately became concerned. I’m not sure if time has removed all traces of color on the map or someone just had no idea how to create a trial map….but every trail on the entire map was marked by white squares. Every one. How does someone know what trail they are on if they are all marked the same?  Questions to ponder.

I should note that I’ve spent quite …

My t-shirt shop is up and running.  I wish I could lower the cost, but in order to ensure that $5 goes to Dana-Farber they will be pricier than I had hoped.  If there are any other products (hooded sweatshirts, hats, etc) you might be interested in purchasing please let me know.

If push came to shove, I’d probably tell you that I love the Nike + app. But, there is a growing part of me that hates it. The pros are very obvious….it’s slick looking, it tracks just about everything an amateur running could possibly need and it incorporates playlists and power songs. I also really love the fact that it gives your audio cues whenever you reach a certain mileage marker.  The problem I have with Nike + is that the interface is entirely too sensitive. If I’m running with my phone in my pocket or my shorts it almost always pauses/then starts. Then pauses/ then starts. Then pauses/then switches songs/the pauses/then starts. It’s a never ending cause of frustration. I can’t get any part of my body anywhere near that interface without it reacting with some sort of unwanted …

Last night, my roommate and I hosted our Happy Everything Bash which included an amazing keg of local brewed Pretty Things by Jack D’Or. As with most celebrations of this nature, overindulgence was rampant. I did manage to scrape my carcass out of the bed  just before dinner in order to run.

One of my favorite parts about working in a ad agency is being around other creative people.  I mentioned to a couple of coworkers that I had an  opportunity to put change jars in a couple of local businesses….almost immediately, I had a fun little point of purchase display in the works.

This is it. Money goes in the shoe and down into the box. Simple concept…just done better than most.

With over 5.5 hours of running under my feet now, it’s shocking to see that I’ve only burned 22 donuts.