National Half Marathon Running Tour: Volume 49; 2nd Edition

Spearfish South Dakota. 2014 2:03 — in United States.

Today, I am mentally preparing to run a half marathon in state number 49. A long time coming, for my national half marathon running tour! This is the story of how I got here.

This is a long story -- reflecting back on the running tour. You may choose to get a cup of tea or coffee take a few sips, then read a small clip, stop — put it away and bring it out again another day—then read a little more. There’s a lot to digest and take in.

Sit back and enjoy!

The secret to running isn’t speed or stamina. It’s progression. Whether you’re starting out or training for a new distance, the important matrix isn’t time or pace, but improving. Even if you’re just goofing off and having fun, running for no one but yourself, even if you don’t care about results, if you pay attention, if you stay devoted, you’ll see improvements.

Reflecting back, reviewing journals I wrote earlier on. The idea didn’t start until 2007, I already had a few states completed, I officially started in 2005, but the idea wasn’t until 2 years later. I already had 15 lifetime half marathons under my belt. I ran 1 full marathon and 2-sprint distance Triathlons, and biked 45 miles a few times that summer.

These are chronological details about my half marathon journey.

I formally started running my first 13.1 mile run in 2001 at the Waukesha Trailbreaker, way before I had this crazy idea to run across the state border in all 50 states.

What started as a girls weekend road trip, turned into a National running Quest. The idea came to me in April 2007 when I took a road trip with two high school friends who said, “Did you hear about the Half2run series, you set a goal to run 25 half marathons in 25 states."

I already was traveling for work, so, I figured why not? I thought it was a crazy idea, so I called myself “Crazyrunninggal” As a hash tag and even created a blog with that name so I could write my story as I journeyed on this Quest.

The first ideas was to run 25 half marathons in 25 states. I ran some half marathons in Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Florida, Nevada, Indiana, (signed up for Ohio and Texas, but didn’t make those due to injury) and even ran the San Francisco in California with Leon. I also ran the big Chicago marathon “The infamous heat stroke marathon of 2007” (refer to Chicago marathon archives for devastating stories). I did it again in the freezing cold in 2008 the next year.

Medals as of 25 states complete

While I did this, Staci and I did a road trip to Rhode Island and New Brunswick, I ran a few half marathons then (New Brunswick was my first out of country half), we also traveled to Germany to visit Deike and her family. This was while I studied and received my second master’s degree in August 2007.

Next year, I traveled to Spain, 2008, to visit Staci--she lived in Madrid— we traveled together in Greece, Ireland and Spain. And this year, I ran Arizona, Oklahoma, and Georgia with Leon, Colorado, Washington, and Illinois.

I picked it up a notch in 2009, traveled to run in a state each week. I started this in February of that year, with my first run in New Orleans—As I did this, I would drive, fly and sometimes crawl to the start. I met people who I keep in touch with today, over 10 years later. I ran all 25 states by April, 2009. These states included Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, California, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Florida, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, Colorado, Washington, Louisiana, Ohio, Texas, New York, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Vermont, Missouri, Kentucky, and Nebraska.

Center of the Nation Back-to-Back Running Tour

2011-2013 was a downturn for my running. I tore my ACL skiing and of course, was out for almost the entire year healing from the surgery. It took me over 6 months to get back on my feet again, literally, to walk each day was a significant feat. This is where I discovered yoga as a healing practice. I traveled more to volunteer, work and spread the word and volunteered producing some plays, films and lead some keynotes in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and abroad to Africa. To be honest I can’t remember the running part much during these years--because I couldn’t get my head back into the running game. The years seemed to fly by way too fast. I did, however, publish over 7 kid’s books and a Win by leading book. Now that was fun!

I started getting my Juju back in 2014, and decided to complete running in all 50 states. At the time my average out-of-state travel cost for runs was $118.70 for a run because I found the 5-day running series that allows me to share boarding costs, food and gas with other runners I met. Running these half marathons within a 5-day back-to-back stretch. I ran in Calhoun County West Virginia, Bluefield South Virginia, North Carolina, and Seneca South Carolina. By the end of this year, I only had 12 more states to go: Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Utah, Oregon, Hawaii and Alaska.

In 2015, I ran the Detroit marathon with my friend, and completed 7 additional states, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey.

By 2016, I had traveled to every state, (lifetime travel); either because of work, personal road-trips (with Staci or Leon) or through my national half marathon running tour. The only state I haven’t been to yet was Hawaii. This year, I ran the New York Marathon—it was cool! They shut down the entire city. I’m not kidding! I also ran 2 more of the states: Utah and Oregon. Utah was crazy; I ran in the dark and crossed the finish line at midnight.

Kentucky. 1:52 2009 — in United States.

The next year, I took a BIG U-TURN, a fork in the road. 2017 was a MAJOR Lifetime milestone. I finished the IRONMAN Wisconsin— I beat my swim time by 40 minutes and have unforgettable story. “So many large accomplishments in one year, and really just small baby steps to a much larger journey.”

I traveled to the Netherlands in 2018, so this took me away from my running. That’s okay, it just happened this way for me. I ran some shorter 5K fun runs, did a few local half marathons and hit my 100th lifetime half marathon that year.

So, here I am, it’s May 2019, the only states left are Hawaii and Alaska, planned to run in that order. I am on my way to Honolulu to run my next state -- ready to run the along the Waikiki ocean--set to be some rough mountainous elevations and lava-filled sites. It is surreal, and real at the same time. More pictures to come, my next Chapter is here — stay tuned.

What I've Learned through the years (By: Andy Rooney)

Every day is the start

Of a new adventure!

I've learned...
That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person. 
I've learned...
That when you're in love, it shows. 
I've learned...
That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day. 
I've learned...
That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world. 
I've learned...
That being kind is more important than being right. 
I've learned...
That you should never say no to a gift from a child. 
I've learned...
That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in any other way. 
I've learned...
That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with. 
I've learned...
That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand. 
I've learned...
That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult. 
I've learned...
That life is like a roll of toilet paper. 
The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes. 
I've learned...
That money doesn't buy class. 
I've learned...
That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular. 
I've learned...
That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved. 
I've learned...
That to ignore the facts does not change the facts. 
I've learned...
That when you plan to get even with someone, 
you are only letting that person continue to hurt you. 
I've learned...
That love, not time, heals all wounds. 
I've learned...
That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am. 
I've learned...
That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile. 
I've learned...
That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them. 
I've learned...
That life is tough, but I'm tougher. 
I've learned...
That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss. 
I've learned...
That when you hharbourbitterness happiness willdock elsewhere. 
I've learned...
That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away. 
I've learned...  
That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow may have to eat them. 
I've learned...
That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. 
I've learned...
That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, you're hooked for life. 
I've learned...
That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it. 
I've learned...
That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done. 
To all of you...

HAPPY FRIENDSHIP WEEK TO YOU! 

 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

**

ဗီူဗီူ ဗီူဗီူ

💲💸💁👪💫🌍📚

Athletic Goals:

Train wisely, and injury free.

Keep swimming, cycling and running.

Improve on bike and run in the next Ironman.

Build muscle and strength

http://crazyrunninggal.blogspot.com

🏊🚴🏻🙏🏻 🏃🏻‍♀️

Be Open to Possibilities...

🏊🚴🏻🙏🏻 🏃🏻‍♀️

Hello My friend...

Hello my friend...

Tell me about you

🏊🚴🏻🙏🏻 🏃🏻‍♀️

A Journey to the NETHERLANDS

Hi All, 🌷✨

I have arrived in the Netherlands! I’ve learned a lot just in the first few days here.  

When arriving in the city, I walked for an hour, then sat outside the Caffe Esprit and had a cappuccino and people-watched. It was a beautiful day.

Canals with bikes

Not unusual to see bikes stacked along the rail by the canal like this

I rented a bike, out-and-about touring for the day. Their bike paths are so well designed throughout the city and around the countryside, riding is an exact science. I rode all afternoon, around the city. Once adept on a three-speed bike, it was easier. I learned to practice the rules and how things works here in Amsterdam, (ringing bell and signaling right/left/straight), it went pretty easy.  Bikes have the right-of-way here…. Cars and pedestrians stop for bikes, NOT the other way around.  The traffic is much-like Prague, cars stop for you, you don’t stop and wait for them.  It feels unusual, but, once you get use to it, you go with the flow. The experienced Amsterdam locals ride with ease, and if you aren’t watching, you might get hit by a bike.  You can tell who is a tourist and who is a longtime biker. The key is always, ALWAYS, look to your left because a bike could be coming from behind and side-swipe you. In the city, you can be riding alongside a well-known mathematician, diplomat with their briefcase in hand or common-folk going to work. There is no ere’s about riding a bike in the city of Amsterdam, everyone does it.

I learned quickly that there is not ‘really’ a country called Holland, instead, it is called the Netherlands. There is an upper and lower Holland in the Netherlands. For some reason Holland stuck in people’s conversations as if Holland was its own country, but it’s not.  The faces of the locals seem familiar, just like in Hamburg for me. As I sit on the train, it was like I saw similar resemblance to my paternal side. (I’ll have to check more into this as part of my ancestry research).

I stay in a little town called Wormerveer outside of the city.  In Dutch it’s pronounced “WERM-pheer.” The small town is very quaint and I comfortably RUN the parameter of this little town in the early mornings.  Everyone speaks English, so it’s quite easy to get around. You can take a direct train from the Amsterdam Central train station. The Wormerveer station is only a short walk over a bridge along the canal.  The train runs every 20 minutes there are two trains to the city and beyond. I quickly learned that you need to take the Sprinters in order to arrive in If you happen to get on the wrong train, you can hop off and go to the next track where the sprinters arrive within minutes. 

I did a lot of walking first few days here, racking up the miles. AND there is so much to see, just in Amsterdam alone. I am glad I planned for a longer trip, so I can spend a lot of days in the city. I have many excursions in the countryside of the Netherlands, can’t wait for this experience too.  

Amsterdam is a very liberal, deeply-rooted, clever, and happy-go-lucky type of city; rebuilt from the ground up, more-than once. It is known for having rich expertise on waterway designs to reduce flooding given the city is built on water.  Many communities (in different countries) seek their expertise when their city engineers are redesigning or upgrading their communities to prevent flooding. It is a science, even the cement is meticulously put together so that the rainwater seeps through the cracks to prevent water build up. 

Artists landed here after having enough of the aristocrat exposure, and since 1500’s or more, they wanted to gain a sense of freedom in their creative approach. This is why you see Van Gogh (The Dutch pronounce it Van Goff) and Picasso authentic works, to name a few, right there in the park. Both of these artists made a large impression on me. 

There are many parks here; one stands out, similar to Central Park in New York, Voldenpark, located in the southwest-end of the city. I rode my bike there, about 4-5 miles of complete and utter solitude and beauty. The greenery and florescent aroma alone made it worth the ride. Many run, walk and sit having  a cappuccino at the cafe in this park. There’s a shelter where I imagine a symphony plays to entertain the park-goers on a breezy afternoon. By the time I was done, I was so relaxed. It made it easier to continue riding around the city.

We spent a day in the city, experiencing tasty Amsterdam cheese and Dutch pancakes. It was quite a treat. 

My first DUTCH Pancake!!!

Spinach w/ feta cheese dutch pancake &

Apple w/powdered sugar

Fresh squeezed orange juice

In Hoorn, we filled the afternoon with stories. Our first stop was a quaint little restaurant, where we met up with our new friend Martin, a long-time Netherlands resident and a good friend of our friend Rachel from the US. We filled our time sharing stories over wine or local beer made by monks from the monastery. It was so much fun, and the afternoon flew by. We saw historic sites while walking the quaint little town of Hoorn located on the lake by the channel. Late in the evening, we had dinner at the historic Hoofdtoren restaurant inside the Historic original massive defensive gatebuilding build in the 1700's.

That’s it for now, I hope you enjoyed my stories so far!!! More to come!!! :D ဗီူဗီူ ဗီူဗီူ 

🏊🚴🏻🙏🏻 🏃🏻‍♀️

IMMT Apr 2018 Lessons Learned - Morning fix ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Training for Ironman Mont-Tremblant! 

❤️🚴🏽‍♀️🏃🏽‍♀️☕ 

Another key lesson: mental strength

😍 ❤ 💘

Quiet your mind and allow your soul to speak.  The inner voice of your infinite wisdom is always there to guide you.

The Key to a Mysterious choice

Can’t say anything...

In the storm. 

It feels like I can’t move. 

I’m in the middle of the windstorm. 

One step forward,

Wind,

Rain-drops hit my face, 

drench my hair.

The rain pours down.

I step forward,

Through the wind.

I feel like I’m getting sucked in.

The wind twirls around me.

I find solid ground.

Forceful strides.

My step

Grounded.

~Kim Groshek Mar, 2018

Desc / Background Summary: This piece Illustrates the dark and mysterious.  My intention is to share the deep-rooted feelings one has in the unknown, like walking down the street of a foreign, unknown, city and the provoking imagery you feel as emotions run rampant. This conceptual design has black and white tones on a Matt finish.

Recap of What I learned and BIG wins for me this month:

• Don’t be so hard on yourself, forgive yourself and move on. Perhaps this sounds very simple, but simple things are always the most difficult. Life requires the greatest discipline. Its simple. Accept yourself truthfully, it is the essence of the moral problem and the epitome of a whole outlook upon life.  There are many times I call myself lazy because I didn’t workout that day, or do what I planned.  Laziness can be described as losing faith in self, Lazy, which is really a little lie you are telling yourself because deep down you know you are capable, powerful, unique and wonderful.
• You have to run. There is this thing known as “running muscles” and those muscles are not used the same in biking, yoga or swimming. You have to get out there and run. Running is a sport that requires the least amount of equipment, there is less to bother with around schedules, because I can tie-up my running shoes, and head out the door. When I run regularly, eventually, I feel better. The sun starts showing up earlier, it gets warmer outside; and that makes it easier to get out there.
• It’s your opportunity, Battle with the Heart!!! Its your own individuals path!! It’s where you have been, how you got here today and who you are today… Your opponent may be bigger, faster, stronger and more experienced, but, they don’t know who you are and what you are made of. You have to prove it, lay your heart on the line, put your all into it, day-in-day-out, until race day and when you cross the finish line. If you do that, you cannot lose. Because how you play today, right now, from this moment on, is how you will be remembered. It’s your opportunity. Grab Hold! ♡
• The experiences, of anything, isn’t only the final event itself, it is all about the beginning and the planning with the people and experiences along the way.  If you plan to the final day or event, you are missing everything in-between.  Just like planning for Amsterdam, my friend Dar and I are creating the experience now. We said, “We signed up payed for the airfare, now the adventure begins.”  And this is true. I am learning, exploring and meeting people now, along the way and am having so much fun with it!!!!
• I am different, not the norm. I do things solo. I always have.  I may lead groups of people, but I really am not a part of the group. At all!  (I know this has to do with the nature of things that happened in my childhood, elementary school and those things were only solidified in high school by the behaviors I did and reinforcement of those around me who, not knowingly, supported it).  And these stories pop back in my mind every time I think of this, the day when the altercation occurred, and seeing myself walking home from school telling myself, “I can do this and I’ll show them!”
• Getting sick is not something someone plans, all you can do is stay the course the best you can and rest your body to allow time for healing.  

Staying on track with my stats… 

🏊🚴🏻🙏🏻🏃🏻‍♀️

Home is where your story begins!! 

♡

🍂☕🦋

IMMT 2018 Lessons Learned - Thoughtful Fix

Training for Ironman Mont-Tremblant!

❤️🚴🏽‍♀️🏃🏽‍♀️☕ 

Another key lesson: mental strength

😍 ❤ 💘

Here's my recap for this month:

Life is a lot more fun when you’re all smiling, don’t you think? This is something I’ve been focusing on, during my yoga practice. I always hear my Yogi practitioner say, “You all are so serious. You can smile you know.” Some even say, “Put a little curl in the sides of your mouth.” I look in the mirror, since there are mirrored-laced walls at the studio. I see how serious I am while positioning into a pose. I notice how serious I can be when I run. I am knee-deep in my thoughts before I realize how I look: Serious! So, I’ve been focused on planting a smile on my face when I workout.

Another place that brings me to a place I don’t want to be, is when I surround myself with negative people. If you surround yourself with people who belittle your dreams or don’t support you then it is twice as hard to get an idea off the ground. 

I’ve found that life is a lot more fun when you’re smiling. Even in a race, I have more fun when I pass spectators and I’m smiling. The spectators seem to respond more and support me more.

Recap of What I learned and BIG wins for me this month:

• Be Positive! Manage your inner “voice.” Do an Internal check-in, Think performance, Reflect on the race (self-efficacy), and Talk-the-talk.
• Feelings are just visitors, let them come and go. Every good quality follows from perseverance.
• Build Chemistry and Support with a partner, kids, siblings, parents, dogs, and more….Involve family in the process and Keep Those Around you happy and involved
• The Roger Bannister Method (set benchmarks in each workout daily)
• Navigating the chaos of M-F to set up the coming weekend
• Create a Success Mindset and Get Your Mind Out of The Way and focus on Negative Split Thinking
• This can be easy…  it’s as simple as getting out and doing it.
• You can quit if you want and no one will care. But you will know for the rest of your life.
• Anyone doing this sport knows, that when you complete the year-long training and make it to the start, and then finish, you are a champion. 
• This sport is very much a mental sport, if your head is not in the game, chances are you are not going to make it. 
• Show up, make it happen and get a place at the start and finish crossing the Ironman line.
• There’s no perfect training and there are always going to be things that happen.  
• Just like anything. It is intangible stuff, you have to be tough to endure it.  We all have our doubts and dark moments, especially during the race. And I am a perfectionist, wanting to be my best, put my best effort into all of what I do, all of the time: in training, during the race, all of it. When I slip-up, and don’t do it or put in what I plan, I am way hard on myself. 
• Going into training and the day of the race, you have to go into it with a mindset that you will make it happen, no matter what happens. 
• You must have the determination to keep going! Even when you slip up, stop, don’t feel like it, “whatever.”
• Face your fears. The biggest hang-up is Fear, fear is self-imposed. Behind every fear is the person you want to be. In even the minor detail, you must face your fears and turn it into habits, and you will conquer them.  You create fear; in the same token, you can destroy fear too. It is intangible. 
• Trust in the heart of hearts.  Trust yourself. Endure the diligence to be successful at it. Look at the small things, (this goes for in life as well) and break it down into smaller pieces. Refine and tweak. Then look at the job you did. 
• If you put your all into it, then, Today, you can never say you didn’t do enough!  You need to work to BE enough. This is character, your character defines success.
• Visualize yourself on the course, step-by-step.
• Always be present during workouts (Yoga) - Being mindful during workouts can reduce stress, boost self confidence and improve the quality of training session. When a person is distracted, you could lose the connection to what you are doing. If you are constantly looking at the clock, rushing through a workout or thinking about all of the things you think you should be doing instead, a person won't feel connected to body. Be sure to give the workout a purpose so that there is something to focus on in the moment.
• Consistency is key - Consistency is the driver to success. Athletes don't lack effort, motivation, passion, direction or a realistic goal.  Some may lack the ability to stay consistent though. Effort, intensity and duration are nothing without consistency. A person can finish a workout that leaves one feeling accomplished. But if have 4+ additional quality training sessions in the week, you won't gain anything from that 1 workout session. The accumulation of good workouts over and over again will brings results. It’s that simple. It’s not JUST the one great workout that leaves you overly exhausted, sore and possibly sick or injured that works, its consistency. Always focus on the minimal amount of training that is needed to give performance improvements.
• Never neglect your lifestyle habits - Training works when being mindful (or listening to your body) of your health. Getting restful sleep, to manage stress, eat well, fuel and hydrate smart, then the body works better as you workout. It's easier to stay consistent and you will be motivated to train. The choices made when you aren't training directly impact energy, mood, motivation, recovery and ability to better adapt to training.  Both when training and not are important.
• Have fun! - This sport is a (in my case) hobby. The sport is not a chore or a job. Training should have a positive impact on the rest of life.  This sport is designed to make a person a better employee, partner, parent, friend, community member, (you name it), etc. Don't lose the "fun" part of training and racing. This is, hopefully, the reason why you got started with this sport in the first place.  Right?
• Be patient (Patience is a virtue, in anything) - Short-cuts and quick-fixes don't exist in this sport. One must embrace the daily grind, put in the time. Be patient along the way, and relish in the results. It's very easy to quit (or to lose motivation) when you don't see results right away. Accomplishments are seen down the road. Stay patient and don't give up during times of frustration and adversity.
• The ironman is The perfect storm…It tests your stamina, motivation, and desire. You can overcome challenges to realize your high stake dreams. You find something inside of you, to overcome the obstacle. This makes whole experience rewarding. Set the goal (bar) high, Look at choices during training and Don’t back down. Dedication and determination is required to even finish an ironman.
• Don't aim for perfection. Don't be so hard on myself. If I miss a workout or need to modify/shorten a workout, it’s okay. It's easy to train when a person has an effective routine that integrates training into life but sometimes "life" happens. An organized life and great time management will help complete training sessions but be OK when the plan doesn't go as planned. Do the best that you can for the day and then focus on tomorrow.
• Re-baseline SMART goals (6-months in).  Take a look at the goals you made 6 months ago, and readjust and/or reassess if all of the goals match what you want today.
• Beware of those who share their fears, don’t let their fears become your fears; think smart, be smart!
• How your day is going. Any answer is fine! If you were able to jump in and start your day off right, wonderful. If you have been procrastinating that’s okay too, don’t feel bad about it!! That is not helpful. There will always be another moment in the day to pick up speed, tomorrow maybe! 
• The Secret Sauce: Winners Always Show Up!!
• We all fall down in life. The question is will you get back up?
• I’m not too talkative in the mornings. I know this, mornings are my time. And once I wake up, usually after my workouts are done, my mind is awake, and I am more chatty.  
• The more I run, the more I love my body. Not because it's perfect, far from it, but because with every mile it is proving to me that I am capable of more than I ever thought possible.
• In order to stay ahead of or even at pace, one must constantly test what was DONE, to  what we DO, to what we NEED to do. Which means, baseline, and strive and build speed in progressions. PROVE IT, REFINE IT, and TEST IT progressions. So, today, I begin, Swim, Run and Bike FASTER and TECHNICALLY, SMOOTHER.
• Don’t compare your time with others, just look at where you are at. Baseline pace, then go from there. Don’t get all stressed out about it.
• If you are stuck, or can’t seem to get up and get out to workout. It’s as simple as this, wake up in the morning and decide enough is enough! Say, “It is time to make a change!” 
• My framework is structure and meditation, it keeps both in check.  The ritual of meditation and prayer is a beautiful way to approach all of this.   Continue to learn to decipher juggling between applying, mind management; wisdom. These rituals weave possibility into intentions, positivity into action, and intentions into action for me each moment during each day.  It enriches the experience. Whatever framework you choose, look at it, make the change and apply it. Change is good, make the shift! 
• Everything around us can affect our everyday lives and our connections.  
• Surprise yourself! Sometimes you are more in shape than you think. 

Stats this month:

❤️🚴🏽‍♀️🏃🏽‍♀️☕ 

Training for Ironman Mont-Tremblant! 

🏊🚴🏻🙏🏻🏃🏻‍♀️

Home is where your story begins!! 

♡

🍂☕🦋