Day 2,099: A run in Kansas/Missouri

LEAWOOD, Kan. -- Another wedding brought me back to the Midwest and, of course, the perfect opportunity to do more running, er caching.

This part of the country has really nice walking/bike trails and there are plenty of caches to be found. It was pretty cool out on both days that we ran, so we bundled up the kurokitten, as shown above.

Because we flew out here, this was the first time we used an umbrella stroller instead of our monster BOB all-terrain running stroller.

But on these nice paths, the umbrella stroller worked fine.

It was a nice way to get both the running and caching parts of my life out of the way so we could do more exploring in an area I used to call home.

Day 2,089: A cool day (finally!)

The summer seems to be behind us now as today was the first cool morning in a while -- 52 degrees, and by the time I finished procrastinating, somewhere around 56.

One of the first reasons why I started this running blog was to keep track of my thoughts of the weather.

It nearly seemed too cool to run in a technical T-shirt and shorts this morning, but I did so anyway. A very old piece of running advice is that it should be almost too cool for what you're wearing. Your furnace will pick up and keep you warm.

I did see people in sweatshirts and long-sleeved T-shirts but by .8 of a mile I felt pretty warm. It actually is very nice to know that you won't be expending even more energy during a run by trying to keep your body cool.

I'm sure in the months ahead I'll be missing what will seem like very warm weather now.

Time: 8 a.m.

Temp: 56 degrees

Gear: Technical T-shirt, short (2011 Father's Day 4-miler), shorts, Nike Air Pegasus+ 28/A.

Day 2,064: City Park, New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS -- We were in the Big Easy for a wedding and in a previous trip, made extensive use out of running in the French Quarter.

This time around, I noticed there was a giant park in the northern part of the city that was full of geocaches. So why not??

We got our car from the valet and packed up the kurokitten and took the short drive over. The park was beautiful with nice trees and ponds.

I didn't find many geocaches but we got a decent run in for the day. Maybe if we come back, we'll do more exploring here!

Day 2,012: The Peachtree 10K

In the past few years, I've opted to drive down to Piedmont Avenue, park my car and make it down to the MARTA Midtown station.

But this year, knowing that I would just be running the Peachtree 10K as a reward for running, I decided to run to Midtown station, a distance that is a little more than 2 miles from where I live.

It was worth it. The cool air was nice as I headed down the road. I crossed the finish line as I continued to the train station, stopping to take a quick (but blurry) picture. I caught up with a Group B runner also running to the station.

I got off at Buckhead station and walked down to the parking lot next to Macy's where there was water (thankfully) and portajohns set up. I stood there with my water, 45 minutes early, watching the sub-seeded runners go through their stretching exercises.

At about 15 minutes before the race started, I went to get in the Group A area. Only the closest entrance was blocked off. They were tying it shut. It reminded me of the craziness at the start of the 2010 Chicago Marathon. At least this time people weren't freaking out and trying to badger the race volunteers and hop the fence. We simply walked around.

It turned out the part of Peachtree where Group A was staged from was a divided street and the section of road closest to us was to capacity. The other side of the concrete barrier wasn't bad. There was a lady wearing here 2010 Chicago Marathon shirt.

The race started and I had a very even pace. I was enjoying that it wasn't too hot. At Mile 2 I made my way to the Moe's people, who usually give out things to runners. Instead of T-shirts this year it was headbands. I picked one up and continued on.

Really not much to say about this year's race but I just kept a very steady pace. I only was off of last year's pace by less than a minute, which is good for the I-don't-care-what-time-I-finish category.

It was nice that my parents, my wife and young baby K. were waiting for me at the meeting area for X-Y-Z. We strolled through Piedmont Park, picking up some great things, such as Blue Bell ice cream sandwiches, extremely sweet peaches and of course, my favorite for the South, a Diet Coke to cap off the race.

We all walked back up the hill to the house. My eighth running of the Peachtree ended pretty pleasantly.

Milestone: 2,000 days

Even though it was pretty hot outside, we assembled everyone and went out running.

Although the run was ordinary, the event wasn't. It was my 2,000th consecutive day of running.

It's such a strange thing to think about, running day in and day out, going through extraordinary lengths to make sure a run is logged, like running in an airport.

At the end of the day, it's mainly about health for me. It's way healthier for me to keep running each day, to make sure that I do, than to not and let it slip for weeks if not months.

And it helps me know that anything is possible, as long as I put one foot in front of the other and head out a step at a time.

Here's to the next 2,000 days.

Day 1,994: Braves Country Father's Day 4-Miler

I love my Nike Air Pegasus+ running shoes. I've trained and raced in them for years. But outside of running, they really are the death of me. They are slippery on wet surfaces and don't even get me started with ice.

I go through running shoes at a decent clip, so I'm often wearing old pairs when I'm out and about. Last Saturday, however, I slipped on loose gravel while we were tailgating at Turner Field and I heard my left ankle make two cracking noises.

What was worse was it made me nauseous immediately afterward. This wasn't good, especially with the Braves Country Father's Day 4-Miler just a week away.

Less than 3 weeks from the Peachtree Road Race, this fun run is as good of a tune up for the 10K race as any. Plus it would be my first running of it as a father.

But just trying to run on the ankle was extremely awkward, at least for the first two days. I couldn't really push off of it and it felt like a flat tire when I ran on it. I logged a mile only the next two days.

By Tuesday, I was able to get three miles off of it and the next day, when I ran to Turner Field to get a bobblehead, it turned out to be my longest run since the Publix Georgia Half Marathon in March.

When I went to bed last night, it felt a little funny. But this morning, it felt OK and I wore my new running shoes to have as much padding and support as possible. After I received my race number at Turner Field, I ran around the perimeter of the old Atlanta Fulton County Stadium (now a parking lot), and while I was slow, it felt OK.

When the race started, it was a slow start like last year, a lot of dodging people. But it felt good. I didn't even feel the ankle at all. What I did feel was my calf muscles really getting a good workout on the first incline.

I made a good pace the first two miles, but was a little slower on the third mile. I guess I'm not used to running faster, as we've tended to take it easy running with baby K. in a stroller the last three 5Ks we've done this year.

The approach on Georgia Avenue to Hank Aaron Drive is super hilly. I was really just trying to hold on until this turn, where I told myself I would start running faster for the last quarter mile to the finish.

Last year I waited until I was in Turner Field to kick, and that ended up being a very short experience. So this year I wanted to start running faster at the Hank Aaron turn.

I think it worked. I focused on finishing strong and it really was a mad dash to the finish line.

I was about a minute and 40 seconds slower than last year but given my recent ankle issue, I was happy to run under 8-minute miles.

Time: 7:30 a.m.

Temp: 70-72 degrees

Gear: Tech T, short (Kessler 10K), shorts, Nike Air Pegasus+ 28/A.

Day 1,991: Will run for a bobblehead!

I've run for a lot of things in my life, but never for a bobblehead.

Yet today it was just something I had to do. I had the free time and it was within range, so on a very hot afternoon (it was about 93 degrees) I headed out with a dollar in my pocket.

I got to the $1 ticket line about 45 minutes before it ultimately opened. I felt OK with my chances of obtaining a ticket to the Yankees-Braves game for that super discount price. Turner Field ended up opening the gates for ticketholders about 15 minutes before the discount window opened.

Still, the Delta Air Lines giveaway was 20,000 bobbleheads. Certainly it would be within reach.

My turn in line came and I traded my dollar for a crisp ticket, which I used to enter the park. Sure enough, there were bobbleheads galore! I got mine and put it in a Publix plastic bag that I saved just for this occasion.

I made sure I hydrated, ate some ice cream and watched some batting practice before I decided I should head home -- before it got dark and before the rain came.

The run back wasn't too bad, considering I was carrying a plastic bag with a box on the way back.

It ended up being 9.01 miles, which is the longest run I've done since the March 18 Publix Georgia Half Marathon. This was my second run for the day, which totaled 10.84 miles.

It was worth it. The attendance was 48,938. I'm one of the lucky 40.8 percent of fans who walked/ran away with a bobblehead!

Time: 3 p.m.

Temp: 93 degrees

Gear: Tech T, short (Cherry Blossom, white), shorts, Nike Air Pegasus+ 28.