• Woman and a man in renaissance garb. The man is holding up a live rat, and the woman has her hand over her mouth in surprise

    Our Annual Trip in the Time Machine

    As you know, we love to trot the globe and see new places. But did you know that sometimes we stay right here in Michigan and still find fun things to do? For instance, every fall we don medieval garb and head to Holly for our annual trip in the time machine. Join us as we share one helluva huzzah at the Michigan Renaissance Festival. The Big Kick Off After making our way past “Ye Olde Porta-Potties” we entered the festival just after they opened at 10am and received a copy of the day’s itinerary and a cartoonish map. To our great delight, bag pipe band Tartanic would be kicking…

  • Image of a woman with her arms held up under the chrome statue known as the Bean

    The Best of the Windy City

    Whether you’re heading to Chicago to run the marathon or you’re planning to do a little shopping on the Magnificent Mile, our recommendations for the best of the Windy City will help you know where to go, what to do, and even better…what to avoid while you’re there! First up…let’s talk food Where to go Il Culaccino Walking distance from McCormick Place, Il Culaccino is a great escape from the pace of the Convention area. Not only is the food is excellent, they have a great patio to enjoy on a warm day AND it is decorated with pictures from mob movies! Who wouldn’t like a little al dente pasta…

  • Statue of Paul Revere riding a horse with the old North Church in the back ground. There are a line of trees on either side between the two

    The Very Best of Beantown

    Maybe you’re in town for the fun run from Hopkinton to downtown Boston. Or maybe you’re a sports fan and want to make your way to Fenway. Whatever the reason, let us help you plan your trip with the very best of Beantown. First up…where you should eat The Union Oyster House Do you know how many times we visit the Union Oyster House when we’re in Boston? EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. It’s THAT good. You can choose to eat family style in the dining room but we usually choose to pull a couple seats up to their cozy bar and talk “running” with all the athletes nearby. They have a…

  • Red faced snow monkey in a hot spring

    Hanging out with the Snow Monkeys

    Since we have a little down time between our adventures to London and Big Sur, we thought we’d go back and share a little more about our time in Japan. This week, let’s talk about our stay at a traditional hot spring hotel and hanging out with the snow monkeys in Yudanaka. Faster than a Speeding Bullet? Turns out that a bullet train is NOT faster than a speeding bullet. (Actually I just looked it up and they only go about a tenth of the speed.) BUT taking the bullet train from Tokyo to Nagano was rather posh and the views of Fuji-san couldn’t be beat. The Onsen Ryokan (Hot…

  • Woman kissing a runner at the Boston Marathon

    On the Road from Boston to London

    Hey all! Super quick update for you. This week we are on the road from Boston to London! We don’t really have the quiet time we need to share a more in-depth article so here are just a few highlights. The Boston Marathon Experience with Destination Marathons We had the amazing opportunity to spend time with the team from Destination Marathons while we were in Boston. Here are some pics of the bus tour we took with Tom Derderian winning coach for the Greater Boston Track Club, President of the USA Track and Field New England Association, author and producer of Boston: The Documentary. We also enjoyed doing a Coffee…

  • The Road to the Tokyo Marathon

    After our 14+ hour flight via Delta One, we arrived in Japan. One of us was well rested. The other was just too excited to sleep. After all, we had weeks of temples, shrines, pagodas, pandas and snow monkeys ahead of us. After our driver took a wrong turn, taking us a half hour out of our way and getting a ticket. We finally unpacked our bags to begin our adventure on the road to the Tokyo Marathon. Day 1 – The EARLY Morning We arrived at the Sotetsu Fresa Inn around 10pm local time and were glad to drop our bags in our little room. At first, it felt…

  • Woman with wind-blown hair and a man in a ball cap standing on a pier over the ocean.

    Beachy Vibes and Fast Race Times in Jacksonville

    Stephen says, 2023 is the “Year of the Marathon”. His crazy race calendar kicked off with the Dopey Challenge in Orlando and it’s looking like it might end with Honolulu in December. Last week, he shared the race report for the DONNA half. This week, I’d love to share with you the rest of the beachy vibes and fast race time in Jacksonville Beach. The Arrival Unlike our typical trip, our flight didn’t leave until 8pm. This led to a rather leisurely trip to the airport and a little extra time in the Delta Lounge. I took advantage of the unstructured time to have a glass of house Rose’ while…

  • Multi-colored sky at sunset. In silhouette are mountains, palm trees and cacti.

    The Great Arizona Escape

    Ahhh November…the forecast dipping into near freezing temperatures and snow on the horizon. I decided it was time to look for an opportunity to escape from it all. A few of my friends were doing the Ironman Arizona the coming weekend. I thought it would be fun to show up and support them while they accomplished amazing by things. After some further social media scanning I discovered that I had a completely different group of friends headed do Scottsdale for a Women’s only half marathon. The decision was made, flights were booked and before I knew it I was on my way to sunny and warm Arizona for four days.…

  • Neon sign that reads "Don't Grow Up It's a Trap"

    The Best of 2022

    As a couple of people who value experiences, we’ve learned fun ways to remember everything we’ve done over the year. One of our favorites is our corkboard. We tack up things there like theater tickets, paper wrist bands, and bar coasters. On New Years Eve, we take down these mementos to place them in an envelope and write about where we’ve been. We also, of course, take lots of pictures to share with you all. So as we wind down the year, let us share with you the best of 2022! The Dinner of the Year Adventura Not only was their restaurant beautiful inside and out, they had olives. They…