Category Archives: Fun Stuff

04.30.15
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Race Boost Playlist

As I mentioned in my Kentucky Derby miniMarathon report, I have a fun playlist that I like to put on at the end of races to help me to the finish line.

I don’t usually listen to music during races, unless they are completely rural or I just otherwise need something to focus on. For the Oak Barrel Half at the beginning of the month, Jonathan put together a two hour long playlist for me, which I listened to until it ran out and then I put my boost playlist on for the final stretch.

It’s 27 minutes long, so it’s good for about the last 2.5-3 miles of whatever I’m running. Enjoy!

04.14.15
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Geeky Running News: A treadmill that follows your pace, instead of the other way around.

I saw an article today on New York magazine’s Science of Us column about a treadmill that is being developed that matches your pace.

It sounds pretty cool. A device is positioned behind the runner, which can tell how close you are to the front of the treadmill. If you are close to the front, it speeds you up. If you are lagging behind, it slows you down. This helps to create the natural pace variance that you get when running outdoors.

I think it would be cool because, as I’ve said before, I don’t know how to tell improvement when doing speed work on a treadmill. Since the treadmill is in charge of what pace I’m running, I never know if I’m actually running at my full potential.

However, if I could speed myself up by picking up the pace, which would move me closer to the front of the treadmill, which would trigger the belt to move faster, I think that would be a better indicator than me just deciding what speed I want to run at, pressing a button, and going.

Anyone else thinks this sounds pretty cool for those necessary evil treadmill runs?

10.15.14
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Meeting the Blerch(‘s Creator)

Matthew Inman (The Oatmeal) was in town on Friday to sign copies of his new book “The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances”, dedicated to comics about running. I went down to Barnes & Noble for the signing. After walking aimlessly around, trying to figure out how to get from the parking garage to the bookstore, I found myself inside an office building that had a back entrance to the store. I noticed a guy sitting outside who looked vaguely familiar. I possibly stared a little too hard because he noticed and said, “Are you going to the signing?” I was slowly realizing that it was Matthew himself and said that I was. “Want me to save an hour of your time and go ahead and sign your book?”

I happily took my book over to him, which he signed and drew a blerch picture in. We talked a little, and then I left to go into the store to await his talk.

Once inside and the shock had worn off, I remembered that I wanted a picture, so I went back out the store and asked if he would mind. He agreed, so I took this selfie.

with the oatmeal, matthew inman

This is biggest I have ever cheesed ever.

He apparently doesn’t allow for photos in the signing line, so I got a bonus! We talked a little more about running and how vegetarianism sounds like a good idea until you realize how much you like meat. I tried to convince him to bring a Beat the Blerch run to Nashville.

Then I went inside and listened to his talk on Charles Darwin.

He was super nice, and I hope he gets the chance to return to Nashville again! (Or that I find myself in a position to make it to a Beat the Blerch in another city.)

I told Jonathan that apparently my top skill in life was randomly running into attractive famous guys while aimlessly wandering around looking for something. (I also met Pekka Rinne while looking for hot chocolate at a Preds game. Now…when am I going to run into Ryan Gosling?) Really not a bad skill to have, I guess.

10.02.14
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The Liebster Award

Liebster Award

Kelly at Running on Lazy nominated me for this, so thanks!

Rules

  • Post the award on your blog.
  • Thank the blogger who presented this award and link back to their blog.
  • Write 11 random facts about yourself.
  • Nominate 11 bloggers who you feel deserve this award and who have less than 200 followers.
  • Answer 11 questions posted by the presenter and ask your nominees 11 questions.

Random Facts

  1. My best talent is that I can name all fifty states in alphabetical order in under a minute. You’d be surprised at how useful this is.
  2. I wanted to be an actress when I grew up. I took youth drama classes, and some of the kids that I’ve been in plays with have actually been on TV shows. Too bad I got into computers.
  3. I wanted to be a novelist too, and I still occasionally jot down book ideas, though I never actually write anymore.
  4. I spent most of my freshman year of college playing The Sims and making skins (outfits) for people to download on my fansite.
  5. Speaking of fansites, I created my first when I was 14: an Alanis Morissette site on Geocities. It was pretty popular (for 1996) and got published in a list of fansites in an Alanis unauthorized biography (which I still have a copy of).
  6. But my real geekery goes back to my kindergarten days: there exists several BASIC programs that I wrote when I was 6 on our Commodore 64.
  7. I was a very picky eater as a child (okay, I still kind of am). I didn’t even like pasta (aka, 90% of what I now eat) until my mid-20s.
  8. I don’t watch much TV, but “Project Runway” is my guilty pleasure show. (Well, I guess you could count “The Bachelor/Bachelorette” as well, but I watch that mainly to make fun of it. I actually enjoy “Project Runway”.)
  9. I stopped drinking caffeinated beverages my senior year of high school. I will occasionally have a coffee or a soda now and then, but they aren’t a regular part of my diet. (And caffeine makes me go crazy since I rarely have it!)
  10. I love cake, and I love ice cream, but I don’t like ice cream cake.
  11. My biggest pet peeve is people who say they will do something and then don’t. Drives. Me. Crazy.

My Answers

  1. What would you rather have: a bear-sized cat or a cat-sized bear?
    I would rather have a bear-sized cat. As long as it was a friendly cat. Think of the cuddles!
  2. Favorite season and why?
    My favorite season has always been summer because I love warm weather and hate the cold. However, since I started running, I’m slowly becoming more of spring/autumn fan (although they don’t last long around here…it seems like we go directly from winter to summer and back to winter).
  3. How many pairs of running shoes do you own?
    Uhh, six? I think. I really only ever run in two pairs currently, though I think I need to buy a new long run shoe before my next half training starts.
  4. What’s the one U.S. state you desperately want to visit?
    California! I’ve never been, and there’s so many cool cities and things to check out there.
  5. Following that, what’s the one U.S. state you never want to visit?
    I have no pressing desire to visit Montana. Sorry, Montana.
  6. Favorite genre of music?
    I guess indie rock.
  7. How often do you clean your house?
    Not often enough! I never feel like it during the week when I’ve been at work all day, and then I’m never home on weekends, so it happens maybe twice a year. Never, ever, ever stop by my house unexpected.
  8. What is the one accessory you could not live without?
    Whatever my current favorite pair of sunglasses is. It used to be my red sunglasses, which I have gone through two pairs of (the last pair got stolen by the ocean last week, so I’m about to be on pair three). After the first pair broke, I bought some polka dot sunglasses, which are currently my favorite.
  9. What is your worst vice?
    I can be seriously lazy. (See above answer about cleaning my house.)
  10. Are you a procrastinator or get it done now..er?
    Definitely a procrastinator, though it depends on what it is. I like making lists and marking things off of them, so I can be a real go-getter if there’s a list in front of me.
  11. What store can you not leave without buying something?
    I would say Anthropologie, but I think I have actually left without buying something ONCE. So I’ll go with Target.

I Nominate…

This isn’t eleven and I have no idea how many subscribers some of them have, but these are all great blogs!

My Questions

  1. What’s the best vacation you have been on?
  2. What was the first concert you attended?
  3. What’s your favorite pizza topping?
  4. What is your favorite race you’ve ran?
  5. Do you have any pets?
  6. When did you start blogging?
  7. What was your favorite movie when you were a kid?
  8. Do you still watch it?
  9. If you had to live somewhere other than where you currently do, where would you move?
  10. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
  11. When did you start calling yourself a runner?