Author Archives: nicholaskemper

Romulus Middle School 54:50.5 Running Time + 1-Lap Kick Back in the Motor City. Romulus is where the airport is, and also where we have four distributors, so today’s run is industrial in nature. It is a nice day for a run – warm with a breeze. The middle school setting is a little sketchyContinue reading “Romulus, MI”

Snake River Elementary; 54:28 running time + 1-lap kick This track actually was asphalt. Apparently safety and skeletal protection are less important for elementary school age children. It was close to the hotel, and the sunlight was disappearing, and the traffic was light and far away, so I made do. For more than half ofContinue reading “Nampa, ID”

River Valley Middle School 54:22 + 1-lap kick So good to be back out on a track, even though there was barely any rubber left on the asphalt surface, and there were large cracks. Definitely not track meet-worthy. But the weather was beautiful, and the sun was just approaching the horizon, and my legs andContinue reading “Jeffersonville, IN”

Talbott Springs Trails 52:38 + 2-minute kick; Thunder Hill Trails 52:40.5 + 2-minute kick A long hiatus from track/trail running on the road. I had some difficulties probably related to the Vegas Fall when I traveled to Baltimore for a trade show in November. I became disoriented, felt nauseous, had cognitive problems, and had extremeContinue reading “Columbia, MD”

Summit Middle School Running Time: 52:32 Lucky break in the weather for this run. It had been raining on and off that day, and it rained hard all the next day for my drive into and around Indianapolis. But this cool and breezy afternoon run was a joy. I pushed the pace harder than normal.Continue reading “Fort Wayne, IN”

Thornton Fractional South High School Running Time: 52:29 + 1-Lap Kick I am not sure what a Fractional High School is, but this one seemed Whole. It was a large campus, with a lot of activity. I got there a little earlier than normal. Football practice was in session, but not in the stadium. However,Continue reading “Lansing, IL”

Clear Creek Trail Running Time: 52:25 + 2-Minute Kick Once again I risked the relative safety of a running track for a concrete trail. This one wound through the woods alongside Clear Creek in Coralsville, IA. West High School was actually within running distance at the end of the trail, but it was a lateContinue reading “Coralville, IA”

Running Time: 52:21.5 + 2-Minute Kick It was a bleak day in North Central Iowa, and this structure near my run captured the mood perfectly. Although I wondered if those were turrets up on the roof, or some other Mad Max prop. I was planning to run on the local high school track, but theContinue reading “Mason City, IA”

Running Time: 52:18.5 + 1-Lap Kick Omaha is not what I would call the most beautiful city, but it has a benign pleasantness. Coming from Portland, Oregon, I am struck by the absence of homeless encampments in all of these cities I have been visiting. There is a lot of construction going on in theContinue reading “Omaha, NE”

Running Time: 51:50 interrupted This is my plug for safety. I sometimes run on sidewalks or pavement when a track or trail is not available. No more. Pavement is hard. If you fall, there is no give to it. It is hard on your feet, legs, hips, and core when you run on it. IfContinue reading “Las Vegas, NV”