kettle38mile

Well, It’s Been A Minute… Let Me Fill You In

Everything, Fitness + Running / Sunday, January 26th, 2025

Well, it’s been a minute… okay—more than a few years since that last blog post—but who’s counting?

Life has been a whirlwind, but I’m excited to dust off the blog and get back to sharing my adventures, thoughts, and everything in between.

Let’s see… where should I start? How about we pick up where we left off in April of 2019.

I rocked out a couple more ultras in the latter half of 2019, including my all time favorite race: running the overnight 38-mile “Fun Run” at the Kettle Moraine Endurance Trail Races in Whitewater, Wisconsin. So much fun! (Photo above).

Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. in January 2020. All of the races I had planned for that year were canceled. I had a hard time getting a good rhythm after that. As you can see below, 2021 started with a couple of DNFs (Did Not Finish) in the ultras I had planned.

Things started to look up in 2022. The Covid-19 pandemic had me doing a bit more bass fishing than running, so I ended up buying a nice fishing kayak that year. For my first race in April, I went back to run the 25k at the Ozark Foothill Endurance Runs. I ended up twisting my ankle the day before the race, so I hobbled my way back home. No more trail races for me for another couple of years.

Still, 2022 wasn’t a big loss. I recovered from my ankle injury in time to train for and race both Grandmas Marathon and the Chicago Marathon in the same year. Woohoo!

I faced a few significant life events in 2023 and focused heavily on getting the new kayak out for a few bass tournaments that year to help reset my mind. I had very few races planned. I ended 2023 being diagnosed with a torn meniscus in my right knee. I’ll cover more of that in a different post.

kayak fishing

If you’re still here, thanks for sticking around—and if you’re new, welcome to the chaos!

A few notable events since that last post way back in April 2019:

2019:

  • June: Kettle Moraine 38 Mile overnight “Fun Run” (Ice Age Trail) 11:43:05.
  • June: Mohican Trail Marathon (Loudonville, OH) 7:09:40.
  • July: Chicago Rock N Roll Half Marathon (pacing with Chicago Endurance Sports 2:30 pace) 2:29:39.
  • August: Marquette Trail Races 50K (Marquette, MI.) 9:59:42.

2020:

  • January: Covid-19 epidemic started!
  • March: Last in-gym workout with Chicago Primal Gym (my old gym) due to Covid concerns.
  • All other races cancelled for the year.

2021:

  • April: DNF at Ozark Foothills Endurance Runs 50k – Only did one 15 mile loop. Still wearing masks and social distancing.
  • June: DNF at Kettle Moraine 38 Mile “Fun Run” – Stopped at Rt. 12 about 22 miles in (under trained).
  • July: Cry Me A River Trail Half Marathon 4:36:52.
  • October: Des Plaines River Trail Half Marathon 2:41:18.

2022:

  • March: Picked up my first fishing kayak – a Native Slayer Propel 10.
  • April: DNF at Ozark Foothills Endurance Runs 15K: Twisted my ankle day before my race.
  • June: Grandmas Marathon (Duluth, MN) 5:51:29.
  • August: First kayak bass tournament at Lake Beula, Wisconsin.
  • October: Chicago Marathon 5:53:55.

2023:

  • Lost a job.
  • Found a job.
  • Mostly kayak fishing tournaments.
  • Very little to no races due to focus on fishing.
  • November: Diagnosed with a torn meniscus in my right knee.

2024:

  • January: Knee surgery to repair meniscus tear in my right knee.
  • November: First race back at the Lifetime Turkey Trot Chicago 5K 00:35:43. Hooray!

2025:

  • To be continued…