Starting and ending at Bass Cemetery on Ross Road, my most elderly son and I had a somewhat rare opportunity to run together this morning. Sadly, we don't get out quite early enough and the sun got quite warm REAL quick! It was around 70 degrees when we started and was pushing 80 a little over an hour later. 6.27 miles total. We had a great discussion on the merits of … [Read more...]
Archives for 2014
Insane Raccoon Posse
I hardly know what to say about this. Really. I simply had no idea a raccoon could be so utterly crazy! I'd file this under "Favorite Runs", but really the run itself wasn't all that memorable, except the nutzoid raccoon... I was happily going about my business plodding along at a nice slow pace toward the end of a seven mile run, if memory serves me right, about a mile … [Read more...]
SABRE Red Police Strength Pepper Spray for Runners
Sadly, it's come down to this... I get a chunk taken out me me eventually, or I get some pepper spray and carry it religiously. Simply put, there are just way too many aggressive dogs out in the country and all it takes is one big meanie to spoil the fun for everyone! I had some older bear spray but the can was pretty big for running and it was expired so I decided to browse … [Read more...]
Running in Amish Country and Death by Horse Manure
So, this weekend I found myself in “Amish Country” - Holmes County, Ohio, for a meeting. From the meeting place to the house where I was staying is about seven miles, so I figured I would go ahead and run “home” on Friday. The only problem is… hills… they are huge, and steep! Over the last six years I’ve become a bona-fide flatlander. There are a few very small hills around … [Read more...]
Thank You Darke County Chamber of Commerce!
A big "Thank You" to the Darke County, Ohio Chamber of Commerce for the free county maps they provide. They have a great paper map that I use to document my runs of Darke County. I just highlight each section as I do them (or as I remember to highlight them). Pay them a visit and you may discover things about Darke County you never knew, even if you've been around a long time! … [Read more...]
Ultimate Direction Blaze Hydration Belt
While I know it’s not technically necessary to drink water on anything but my longer runs, there are times when I do like to carry water with me, even on shorter 5-6 mile runs. I’ve not tried a handheld water bottle, but I think that would really annoy me. I really don’t like carrying anything in my hands, not even a little tube of pepper spray. I decided to give a belt style … [Read more...]
Princeton Tec Remix Headlamp
Maybe I'm a little strange, or maybe I just have a special sense of adventure, but I really like running in the dark (Not just Darke County, actual darkness!) Not much is more enjoyable than running on a cool evening by moonlight, but sadly, the moon is sometimes hiding and I have to break out a headlamp. My headlamps do triple duty... First, they give me something to flash … [Read more...]
How I Became the “Darke Runner”
DarkeRunner.com is about my discovery of running and the role it is playing in my journey back to physical and mental health after a brain injury in early 2012. I have gone from being an injured and completely sedentary “desk potato” to having a goal of running every road in Darke County, Ohio - all 2500 miles or so, over the next couple years. You can see my progress as I … [Read more...]
The Great Icicle Run of 2013
This definitely rates as one of my favorite runs for the sheer, ummmm, stupidity of it? My most elderly boy and I decided to go out for a 4 mile loop near the house at sundown just as it started to drizzle a little bit. Nevermind that it was 33 degrees. Yes, if you're from Ohio you probably know exactly what this means! Freezing Rain! I'm not sure what happened but by the … [Read more...]
