One of the Summer’s Best Races

If you are a runner in Michigan you’ve probably heard of the July 4th race in Frankenmuth.  Maybe you’ve never heard it called the Volfslaufe, because many people can’t pronounce it.  Over the last 34 years the Volkslaufe (German for “The People’s Race” as in Volkswagon- “The People’s Wagon/Car”) has grown to be one of the best races in the state.  I have probably run it nearly 20 times and each time the field is large but manageable, the course is scenic, the aid stations and support are great.  The entire city welcomes the runners and the race route is lined with spectators young and old.  

One of the coolest features of this small town race is the announcer at the finish line calling off names and times as middle-of-the-pack runners trot across through the chute.

If you haven’t run the Volkslaufe be sure to mark your calendar for next year. It’s always on July 4th(unless that’s a Sunday like 2010, then it runs on Saturday so you won’t miss Sunday church) with a spaghetti dinner and fireworks the night before.

Here’s a link.  Check it out.

http://www.volkslaufe.org/

How to Win in Las Vegas.

There are two sides to Las Vegas

There seem to be two kinds of people in this world.  Those who like Las Vegas and those who don’t.  I don’t.  Well, I don’t like what Las Vegas stands for and for the way most people act when they are there. 

Now, since I generally try to find the good in every situation, let’s focus on what’s good about Las Vegas.  The weather.  Leaving Detroit’s 15 degrees last week for a few days at a business conference, even in Vegas, sounded appealing.  Of course, at most conferences you spend the days staring at a large expanse of beige walls in nondescript meeting rooms so it doesn’t really matter what city you’re in.   And the evenings are for “networking events” which is the reason conference planners book Vegas.  So, my time to enjoy some warm weather was on early morning runs before balancing a plate of too-firm pineapple slices, small grapes, and dry muffins plus a plastic cup of watered-down orange juice at the continental breakfast.  (Okay, I don’t always try to find the  best of every situation.) 

The benefit of traveling west is that in the morning your body is still on EST so you can sleep in a little and still have time for a run before an 8:30AM PST breakfast.  As I headed south down The Strip at 5:15AM local time it was a warm but breezy 52 degrees.  The early morning sights on the Vegas strip are very different than what you see in the Convention Bureaus’ brochures.  Dozens of workers in safety-yellow vests trying to clean up the city before the next wave of tourists.  Sweeping up piles of discarded little cards advertising girls for rent, hosing down the gutters to wash who-knows-what down the sewers and driving what look like miniature Zamboni’s over the glossy marble and tile casino entrances.  I passed eight or ten other runners out enjoying this other side of Vegas.  I also got some extra cardio in at the intersections as I raced up and down the stairs to the crossing bridges that were built, I’m sure, to help reduce the number of drunks that step out into traffic as they stumble from casino to casino.  I ran down to the old, original (now cheesy) “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign that’s about a half-mile past the Mandalay Bay then turned around and headed back as more cabs and delivery trucks seemed to be filling Las Vegas Blvd.        

As I walked into my hotel after a nice 55 minute run in shorts and a long-sleeve t-shirt I felt like a winner in Vegas.

LLL Men’s Retreat: A Great Place to get Refreshed and Refueled.

Camp Arcadia on the shores of west Michigan

Golf, food, beer, softball, playing cards, – sounds like any other guys weekend up north, right?  Well, add in Bibles, prayer, lectures and 175 men singing “Let There Be Peace on Earth” and you’ve got the 63rd annual Lutheran Laymen’s League Men’s Retreat at Camp Arcadia. 

Always held the first weekend after Labor Day, the LLL Men’s retreat is a time of fellowship, faith and fun.  It’s a chance for old friends (some of whom have been attending for decades) to reunite, and for first-timers to make new friends.  It’s a time for relaxation at the golf tournament or playing cards or ping-pong in the Wigwam.  It’s a chance for some good-natured competition at the annual softball game pitting the Southeast District against the underdog Michigan District.  But most importantly, it’s a time to pause, think and grow in your faith.  To get encouraged by excellent speakers who entertain and enlighten while acknowledging the unique struggles Christian men face in today’s world.  And also, for this runner, a chance to log a couple of short five mile runs through a classic, small northern Michigan town with scenic overlooks along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Book a hotel that has route cards and really enjoy your stay.

Route cards make running easier when traveling

Deciding where to run when staying at a hotel in an unfamiliar city can be difficult.  Runner’s World has made it easy with their route cards.  Available at Westin Hotels, these small laminated cards give you turn by turn directions for a three or five mile run. 

While staying in downtown Charlotte NC this week, I normally would have done a simple out and back on a typical downtown street so I wouldn’t get lost.  Instead, I used the Runner’s World card from The Westin Charlotte (www.westin.com/charlotte) and ended up in what has to be one of the coolest neighborhoods in the Charlotte area.  The Dilworth (www.dilworthonline.org) area has terrific tree-lined streets of beautiful, old, southern-style homes.  From colonials to mission-style to Tudors, and no two are alike.  I never would have found the Dilworth area if I wasn’t using the route card.

So, when selecting a hotel ask if they have route cards for runners.  It could make the difference between just “getting a run in” and really enjoying a run as you explore a new city.