2023 Running year in review
2023 ended up not being quite the year I had planned when it came to running. I had some goals that I set at the beginning of the year, and unfortunately, only a few of them were accomplished in the way that I wanted. I had set a goal of three gravel trail based races […]
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2023 Biking year in review
It’s time once again for my annual review of how I did in the biking and running endeavors that I do, and first up is a review of my year in biking. After completing the Tuscobia 80 on foot last New Year’s Eve, I took a break from all workouts. It was nice to let […]
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Exploring bike paths in my home town
Over the past few years the suburb that I live in, Fridley, MN, has slowly been adding more and more infrastructure for biking. The past three years has seen a large increase in the number of miles of bike paths available to people, and it’s been wonderful to start to see more amenities that don’t […]
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A DIY iPhone StandBy Stand
With the release of iOS 17 came a new fun feature to my trusty iPhone, StandBy Mode. When you turn your phone sideways, and it’s charging, you get a new horizontal display mode that you can set to be a variety of fun options. I was very intrigued by this for one particular reason… for […]
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Moving over to Subaru
October was a busy month for us, made busier by starting the month with our VW Tiguan getting totaled in an accident. We we’re the ones driving it at the time, and no one was hurt, but it did leave us with only one vehicle until we could get through the insurance process, as well […]
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Some quick life updates
It’s been a couple months since I posted here, and so I thought it was about time for a general life update post. August through October is always a crazy time in our lives with the fall running and biking calendar packed with activities. Between heat in the summer and cold in the winter, some […]
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Adventure Van turns 150!…thousand
This week I glanced down at the odometer of our Dodge Grand Caravan (Adventure Van) and noticed it said 149,992. As I was heading to work, and that journey is 10 miles, I knew I’d be witnessing the big turnover to 150,000 on my commute. Sure enough after getting my breakfast and starting the drive […]
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Race Report: Badger 100 DNF
As I start writing this race report, I’m still not 100% sure how it’s going to end up. I have a lot of thoughts running through my head right now about how the Badger 100 went for me. Perhaps some catharsis will happen as I process everything onto the written page? There’s a lot of […]
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It’s race week!
On Saturday I line up for my second 100 mile running attempt at the Badger 100 down south of Madison, WI. This is a rail-trail race, meaning that the course is almost entirely flat gravel path for the entirety. We start at the far end of the course and run to the race HQ in […]
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Freedhem 46 2023 – a race post-mortem
Last year I did my first gravel race at Freedhem 46, and I decided to return this year to see what I could do. My wife was also racing and so we packed up the car early and did the hour and forty minute drive to the tiny general store in Freedhem, MN. This year […]
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Altra Torin 7 review: Why are you trying to be HOKA??
Dear Altra, I’ve been a fan of your shoes since the Timp 1.5 (2020) and have discovered a great lineup of running footwear that meshes with my biomechanical and comfort needs. Yet, in the past few years you’ve decided to slowly strip away everything that made Altra unique, and instead try and emulate that “other […]
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Peak week!
There comes a time in every training plan where you hit “peak week”. This is the week where you max out the longest distance that you’re going to do for your training cycle and try to simulate some level of race dynamics when doing so. I’ve been using a heavily modified and customized version of […]
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Second Runnings 