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Bantering Over Breakfast

2/25/2014

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Recently, my friend Stesha asked me if I would be interested in writing a little piece about running for her blog, "Breakfast Banter." Would I be interested? Is the Pope Catholic? Heck yea!

Of course, all kinds of weird things popped onto the screen as I sat there, typing diligently, answering her questions, late one night last week. Zombies. Aliens. Dry heaving. Clearly, I hit all the high points of running.
One thing I'm becoming acutely aware of is that writers who run (not to be confused with runners who write - a totally different breed of human) are a bit of an awkward, introverted lot. George Sheehan, Haruki Murakami, even Christopher McDougall to a slight extent (he's more of a journalist which gives him a tiny bit more street cred) all describe themselves as off, slightly odd, and definitely quirky. I'm not sure I'm a writer but I am certainly starting to identify with them.

Anyways, if you are curious, check it out here. Breakfast Banter is an awesome site for all kinds of information, particularly (as the name would suggest) good breakfast spots around town. Stesha is a phenomenal cook and baker and her recommendations do not come lightly. She once made me a  grapefruit so delicious I licked the bowl it came in (no shame, friends.) She and her writing partner Lindsay recently tackled the idea of fitness for the past month, calling it "Fit February" and highlighted all the different ways one can get moving. Really inspiring!

I'm super excited for Stesha, her husband Ryan, and Lindsay as they tackle their very first 5K in just a few weeks. It's such an awesome achievement and I hope they enjoy the experience of racing.

So enjoy! Grab another cup of coffee and settle in.

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Runners Are Weird

2/24/2014

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Let's face it: runners are weird. There is an inordinate amount of strangeness that goes into this hobby. We rise at all hours of the day and night to run distances that cause an inappropriate amount of bodily discomfort - that's our idea of "fun."

(Just typing that made me want to squeal with joy. Bizarre, I know).


Recently, Runner's World posted a thread called, "You Know You're a Runner When..." and had people post their responses. They were knee-slapping hilarious - and just proved my point, runners are an odd bunch. Some of my favs?

-- you drive by someone running and get instantly jealous

(Totally)


-- running gear becomes a more romantic gift than flowers

(Brian recently surprised me with a whole pile of Honey Stinger gels and it
almost brought tears to my eyes)

-- you get pissed off when a non-runner calls a 5K a "marathon"

(Cue the polite smile)


-- while stuck in traffic, you calculate how long it would take you to run home.

(I add an additional :30 per mile if I'm carrying groceries or the kid)

I didn't add my own to the list, but thought I'd share it here instead. Because on Sunday, after yet another punishing 14-miler (can I please have a good EASY long run? Please?), I still had to make it brunch with friends on time. Running late, as usual, I ripped off the running clothes, jumped in the shower, donned some dressy denim, but as on homage to my early morning, I made sure to not forget the importance of recovery. Cue the weirdness.

You know you're a runner when...

...you wear recovery socks under your everyday clothes.
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Shh!
Everything looks good with Tory Burch, right?
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Finally! Big News! Big News! Big News!

2/18/2014

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I accepted a new position!

That's right, I have a job! Well, kind of. It's volunteer, meaning it is unpaid, but those are the kinds of positions at which I excel. Free work, baby!

As of mid-January, I became Chapter Coordinator for the international non-profit Medals4Mettle (M4M). It's a phenomenal organization, one I am excited and truly honored to be a part of. It combines two of my favorite things in the world - running and volunteering.

Saying yes was a no-brainer.

Wanna know more about my new gig? I'm so glad you asked! M4M facilitates the giving of half-, full, and triathlon medals to children and adults going through chronic or debilitating illness. It's a way to recognize not only the journey these folks are experiencing, but also gives them a little boost, a touch of inspiration, and a whole lot of support. After all, running a marathon is nothing compared to the daily battle of illness. For athletes, it's kind of our way of saying, "We've run our race, and we're with you as you run yours."

Not surprisingly, this organization started as a result of a very personal, very moving experience. Steven Isenberg, MD, a head and neck surgeon from Indianapolis, Indiana, paid a visit to a friend who was hospitalized. With tubes running in and out of his buddy, Dr. Isenberg felt helpless as he stared at his friend. Finally, he pulled out his medal from the Chicago marathon, which he had run just the day before, and gave it to him.

In the days prior to his death, that friend told Dr. I how much the medal meant to him.
In 2005, Dr. Isenberg put together M4M as a way of giving back to those who are showing tremendous mettle in their own everyday battles.

This, of course, evoked memories of my family's own very personal battle with illness. I wasn't aware of this organization when my dad was sick, and while it couldn't have changed the course of history, I wonder if it would have offered even the tiniest bit of comfort during some of our darkest days. My dad would have scoffed at the medal (Greg put the 'G' in 'Gruff') but I know secretly he would have loved it. For me personally, I wish he was still here so I could at least show him my own medals. I didn't start running until after his death. But - perhaps this is my way of giving his passing meaning, and through the gifting of my own medals, it will bring a sense of peace and hope to other families as well.


Okay, now I'm crying. Sheesh. After two and a half years, you'd think it gets easier. It doesn't. It just gets farther away.


::sniffle::


I will be handling the Las Vegas Chapter of M4M, including the collection of medals, raising funds, and managing the medals presentation. Once a medal is donated, the original ribbon is removed and the M4M medal is put on. The fundraising is to defray the cost of the ribbons (all $3.85 each) as well as any printing costs. I'll be working with the Children's Care Coordinator at Sunrise Children's Hospital and once enough medals are collected, we will present them to the kids. I'm hoping to round up some local celebs for the medal presentation. (Insider info: we have one confirmed for now. Pretty exciting stuff!)

If you are moved by this as much as I was, there's a way for you to help as well. Our call to action is three-fold:

1.) Donate your medals

If you are a runner or triathlete, perhaps you'd considering donating some or all of your medals. If this hits you the wrong way, I totally understand - it took me a little while to feel okay with giving away my hard-earned medals. I had to ask myself (during a long run, naturally) why these medals meant so much to me. After the full marathon, one of my most repeated comments (aside from "Holy sh*t I just ran a marathon!") was "I wish I could share this feeling with you." It was then I realized that I DO have a way to share this feeling. My medals are simply external representations of something I've already gotten everything out of. If I can pass that feeling along through a donated medal, well, then my marathon lives on. And I LOVE that.

Also, donors can fill out a "Legacy Card" to go with their medal donation; it details what race the medal came from, what the runner was thinking while racing, and what they told themselves in order to get through the race. Pretty powerful stuff.


2. Make a donation

Once a medal has been donated, the original ribbon is removed and the M4M ribbon is added. Each ribbon costs $3.85. It's not a lot and if you'd like to contribute, please check out our Crowd Rise site. If you are not a runner but still want to help, this is a great way to do it!

3.) Volunteer!

And finally, if you run (or don't run, no worries) but still want to help out, lord knows I'm going to need the help. Perhaps your company would like to be a corporate sponsor? Would you like to take photos during the medals presentation? Are you involved in or know of other running clubs that would like to participate in this awesome organization? Contact me at [email protected] and we can talk about ways to get you involved.

Okay, I lied. The call to action is three-and-a-half-fold. I forgot about the social networking component. Last thing you can do:


3.5) LIKE us on Facebook!! Medals 4 Mettle Las Vegas

and follow us on Twitter @Medals4MettleLV
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Check out the official M4M website for more info!
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And the Big News is...

2/14/2014

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...not ready for public consumption yet.

So sorry. I swear, I'm not trying to milk this news. There are a few components that need to be in place before the announcement, and I thought that would happen this week. No dice.(Honestly, it's really not that big of a deal, just a big deal to me. But I'm excited to share it!)

(No, I'm not pregnant.)

Either way, I'll work through the weekend and with any luck, it'll be public news on Tuesday.

In the meantime, please enjoy this photo of Scotty from this morning. He was SO excited about celebrating Valentine's Day with his class, despite having little to no interest in the actual creation of valentines. It was an epic battle fought over three days that culminated in a late night Target run for more sparkly pencils and puffy heart stickers.

Maybe next year I'll be more prepared. Or...maybe this is just kind of a silly holiday.

Happy Valentine's Day! Be sure to hug your loved ones. ❤

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Hugs and kisses! Xoxo, Scotty-Bear
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Big News! Well, kind of...

2/10/2014

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I haven't had a chance to write much since we've all been busy changing our hair (and spending lots of time looking in the mirror).

First, little Scotty decided it was time to start using gel. He's been incredibly low maintenance to date, so I was okay with this upgrade and three minute addition to our morning routine. The gel application takes 30 seconds; staring at himself from all angles while making silly faces in the mirror takes over two minutes. He's such a ham.
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(Sorry for the poor picture quality. I took the original photo on my camera, only to find out the USB cable needed to download it was "corrupted," per my PC. Consequently, I took a photo of the photo with my iPhone. Oh technology. It baffles me.)

And now, our guy has some spikes in front. Why did he chose this, to impress the girls? Look cool? Feel more grown-up?

No, he wanted "frills" because of this:
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The ever-popular therizinosaurus has frills, too.

This dinosaur hit all Scotty's buttons; long claws, smooth teeth, and cool hair. And so our little Bear decided he wanted to look like his new favorite Jurassic creature and needed his own set of frills. Scotty is very proud of his feathered head crest; just ask him. He'll gently touch his hair and smile proudly. Several classmates have commented on his new hairstyle too, making him doubly excited.

Oh, to be four.

I, as well, decided it was time for a major change and took inspiration from a German supermodel for my own hair transformation. After stumbling across this picture of Heidi Klum, I texted my stylist and asked if this was a possibility for me. I mean, I don't have her bone structure, adorable nose, perfect teeth, gorgeous lashes, slender frame or amazing collar bones, but we do *almost* wear the same shoe size. (She's a nine, I'm a ten. I'm going to ignore the fact she's four inches taller than I am. Power to the big feet!)

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So about a week ago, I chopped off six inches and re-experienced the joy of a cool breeze on my neck. It was incredibly liberating to cut this much, since I haven't had short(er) hair since maybe my freshman year of college? Life is a constant evolution, right? Gotta keep evolving.
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As one friend mentioned, did I do it to run faster? Not sure about that, but it definitely makes me feel more aerodynamic. I finally broke 27 minutes at a 5K last weekend, despite suffering from a wicked cough AND a toenail hanging by a thread. (so gross, people. So freaking gross. There will be no blog post or photos of my poor, sad toe).

Who knows? Maybe I'll shave my head for the ultramarathon this summer.

(somewhere, Brian just turned a ghastly shade of white. So did my mother. Just kidding, guys.)

More big news this week! Stay tuned. :-)
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    About Me

    Think of this as the epilogue to Bridget Jones' story. Well, mostly. Bridget marries the handsome lawyer, starts a blog while on bedrest, and decides marathon running sounds like fun. Bridget goes through a divorce but keeps running. Hilarity ensues. 

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