I appreciate your kind words Colleen.

As a kid, and when I was in the military I always loved to run. For about 8 years that was nearly impossible. Unfortunately I never figured out how to carry a port-a-potty on my back so I was stuck inside. Treadmills are great if it is raining or snowing, but nothing beats being out on the road.

When I was in the hospital in the summer of 2017 I told myself that as soon as I was able I was going to start running again. It was a slow go at the beginning. Lots of setbacks with trying to figure out a good bag set up, then figuring out a good way to secure the bag and make sure I didn't pull the bag off or end up with a hernia.

I set my sights on 5k's to start, and in 2018-19 I ran about 20 of them. I am running 8-10k on a pretty consistent basis now and am running in several virtual events while everything is shut down.

My goal is the Earth Day 1/2 marathon next spring in St Cloud, MN. I would also love to go down to Jacksonville, Florida for the river run 15K one of these years. When I was stationed there in the 90's I ran it twice and it would be a great way to feel like I have come full circle.

There are so many other things. I love to hike and go on long walks with my dog. We Went to the black hills in 2018 for a week and hiked over a 100 miles. It was great! Just think about the new found time that used to be spent in the bathroom! The last few weeks before my surgery I was going over 30 times a day!! Im free!

If anyone has questions, or needs help with anything please ask. I have gotten myself through a lot of situations by trial and error and if you can learn from my mistakes and the goofy MacGyver tricks I have figured out, then that is one less painful day you have.

Thanks again for allowing me to hang out with the group. I look forward to helping and learning for all.