Father's Day

It was with pure joy in Little Dirt Dawgs voice that he said after I got a massage that I could take him and Dirrty Feather to see the Dinosaurs @ the Detroit Zoo for Father's Day. Armed with a cooler and a wagon, we ventured out, hoping to return home.

Inspire Daily

I have been fortunate enough to have been accepted into the Brooks I.D. program and it has got my tiny little sponge thinking.

Per the website, here is a description of this amazing program:

Brooks I.D. Program Brooks I.D. stands for Inspire Daily. These two simple words guide the principles of the program. Brooks I.D. is made up of over 1,200 members who are active in their running communities and share a passion for the Brooks brand. They are runners who are winners in their own right: Winning their age divisions, accomplishing their personal goals, pushing their own limits, and, by extension, encouraging others to do the same. They are coaches, mentors, and leaders.

Let me be honest, that I initially applied because of the gratuitous discount given to Brooks I.D. members. Seeing that I run in Brooks, with my current list including the Axiom 3, Dyfance 2, and Cascadia 4, I thought why not? I thought that at least I was pushing my own limits, but a coach, mentor, or leader? However, coinciding with my acceptance, a strange and most unexpectedly thing has happened. Something, I would have never imagined.

Through the podcast which I had orginally intended to chronicle my 100 mile adventure, I began to get some emails from listeners saying that I was an inspiration to them and motivating some of them to get out the door and maybe even to head on over to the "dark side". I then paced my friend Joe to a new PR showing him he could run faster than he thought and now he is focusing on a half marathon in the fall. Little Dirt Dawg and Dirrty Feather ran down a Kids Fun Run and away from clowns. My friend, Megan ran her first half marathon with a plan I had worked up for her and has now set her sights on the Detroit Free Press Marathon this fall. And of course, Dirrty Girl ran her half marathon. All of this of course, I have put on the podcast, because I thought it made listening and enjoyed running with all of them. But in listening to the audio, I have begun to think, that maybe I am doing something good.

Maybe I am inspiring some people. Maybe I am showing others that just because you have a job and family, that if you make some time for yourself each day you can achieve your goals and still spend time with your family. Maybe people can see that you don't have to be fast to cover long distances, just be willing to put the time in and ride out the bad patches. Maybe through my rambling diatribes, people can see that running is a wonderful sport. Maybe, just maybe, I am sharing my passion for the sport and can epitomize what a Brooks I.D. member is all about.

50 miler video...the tiniest CREW member

T-Ball

If running is one passion that I want to pass on , then my other as a youth and as an adult that I wish to pass on is baseball. The smell of freshly cut grass, the crack of the bat, the oversized wad of Big League Chew, and the exhileration of making a game saving play or hit, is something that I will always remember as a youth. Whether it was wiffle ball with my neighborhood pals, or in an organized league, I have fond memories of playing America's favorite past time. Since Little Dirt Dawg turned 5, he was able to start playing t-ball this season. Grant it, he may be as tall as some of his 7 year old teammates, but that has not stopped him from trying to pick up some skills including switch hitting and fielding.
As a member of the Crickets, his first game was this past weekend, and I have to say that I am glad I am an endurance athlete. Those games are long! Six innings, practically no one gets out and there are nearly as many parents out on the field helping the kids as there are players.
However, that being said, I wouldn' t trade it for a moment even when Little Dirt Dawg switched from being in the ready position to writing his name in the sand as he was out there having fun and proudly proclaimed at the end of his first game; "We won, it was a tie."