Author Archives: Scott D.
ANYBODY SEE WHERE MY WEEKEND WENT?
I just had one of those “blink and you missed it” weekends.
Yup, so busy that I didn’t even have a chance to whip off a post. So this morning I’m playing a little catch up.
Here’s the Reader’s Digest version of my last 48 hours.
SATURDAY AM
Welcome to Griffith Park.
Battled the snooze bar a bit, but did get out of bed a little after 6am to do my long run at Griffith Park. This run was more about the vertical than the horizontal as I’ve got a few “hill” races coming up this fall (more on that in the near future). So while I ended up doing a standard 10 miles, I did take not one, but two trips over “The Hill” (half mile up and a half mile down). Since my next race isn’t for four weeks (Madison Half Marathon) and I was still recovering from last week’s Shoreline Half Marathon, I went at a nice casual clip instead concentrating on my form. I did notice a lot of runners on the road today (a few running groups just started new training sessions and are overflowing with new faces) so there was a whole lotta waving and “Good mornings” going on. Read the rest of this entry
TRAINING TUNES: “MY SONGS KNOW WHAT YOU DID IN THE DARK (LIGHT EM UP)”
SONG: “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)”
GROUP: Fall Out Boy
ALBUM: “Save Rock and Roll” (Released 2013)
BACKGROUND:
Doing their best to save rock & roll.
When other runners ask me what group do I listen to most when I hit the road, one band instantly comes to mind- “Fall Out Boy.” In fact, I’ve had at least one, if not several, Fall Out Boy songs on every single race mix I’ve ever created.
They are my “go to” group for running music, hands down.
This Chicago suburb based “pop punk” band formed in 2001, drawing heavy inspiration from the local hardcore punk scene. Building steam with their first album “Take This To Your Grave,” the band really took off with their sophomore effort “From Under the Cork Tree.” Two singles from the album “Sugar, We’re Going Down” and “Dance Dance” both cracked the Billboard Top 10 and gained Fall Out Boy national notoriety.
MAKE ME A COVER BOY…
“Once more unto the breach, dear friends.” -Willy “Billy Bob” Shakespeare
Put me on the Cover… pretty please.
This past March I asked for your help by throwing a vote my way to become one of the ambassadors for A Runner’s Circle.*
Unfortunately fortune did not share its fortune with me that day and I had to give one of those presidential concession speeches where I thanked the people who whipped my butt in a public forum while I appeared to be happy. You know, like those reaction shots of the people at the Academy Awards whose name isn’t in the envelope and later say “It was just “an honor to be nominated.”
Well, I’ve decided to once more give it the “college try” when it comes to public opinion.
This past week Runner’s World magazine announced its latest contest where one lucky man and woman each will be chosen as cover models for an upcoming issue.
WINNER: “GIVE YOURSELF A HAND”
Hi Trippers!
A Handana-clad “thumbs up” to the winner.
Thanks to everyone who entered the Handana “Give Yourself a Hand” contest.
Apparently we’re a pretty sweaty bunch out there and wearing a handana will help you keep the “sparkle” (aka gallons o’ sweat) out of your eyes.
But without further ado, the winner of the Handana $15.99 gift certificate is: SUSY VARGAS.
Be sure to visit the Handana website…
Or click here to visit their Facebook Page.
And keep checking Tripping The Kenyans for fun contests (got a weeklong contest coming up near the end of the month) and plenty of witty witticisms.
Run on!
CONTEST UPDATE: “GIVE YOURSELF A HAND”
Hi Trippers!
The “Give Yourself a Hand” contest ends tonight at 9pm (PST), but there’s still time to enter.
Here’s what you do…
- Go to the Tripping The Kenyans Facebook page (and give us a “like” while you’re there). You can also leave a comment on the TTK blog or whatever page this post appears.
- Leave us a funny comment telling us how much you sweat when you run. And rate it on a scale of 1-10 (1= “I don’t sweat” and 10= “Forty Days and Nights of Perspiration”)
That’s it.
One lucky Tripper chosen at random will win a $15.99 gift certificate from Handana.
Don’t delay, enter today… Run on!
LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD…
Hey Trippers!
Races to the front of me, races behind.
On Sunday I ran the Shoreline Half Marathon, which basically serves as my halfway point in this “marathon” of a running year.
I set a few running goals for 2014 and so far, have managed to hit several of ’em:
- I’ve PR’d in the marathon (4:58:16), half marathon (2:03:14) and 10K (56:56).
- I ran 3 full marathons in less than 90 days to qualify for the Marathon Maniacs (#9416).
- I’ve run a half or full marathon every month this year so far (with plans to continue this into 2015).
REVIEW: SHORELINE HALF MARATHON
Shoreline Bling.
As most distance runners know, July is not the prime month for races. Summer vacations and summer heat limit the number of races available around the country. And since the San Francisco Marathon conflicts with ComicCon this year (yup, the geek side of me wins out there) I was desperately looking for a local SoCal race. And with that I chose the Shoreline Half Marathon/10K/5K, a 2nd year race located in Ventura. Definitely a race on the small side (big contrast to the Peachtree Road Race I ran last week with 60,000 runners) all three races combined feature less than 1,000 runners. This year’s installment had about 570 people running the half marathon distance and I decided to give it a look see.
SHORELINE HALF MARATHON EXPERIENCE: POST MORTEM
Hey Trippers!
Catching rays at the Shoreline Half Marathon.
Today’s Shoreline race was a first for me… my first half marathon in the month of July.
Typically at this point I’m well into my summer training mode, which means a break from longer races, shorter training runs, getting out early in the morning (as close to dawn as possible) and complaining about the heat while I’m pounding the melting pavement.
After a great Peachtree Road Race on July 4th (navigating heat and humidity toward a 10K PR), I was looking forward to the Shoreline Half Marathon to see how I’d handle a half marathon in the heat.
And it was hot today in Ventura. Temps were in the 70s at the 8am start and very sunny (nary a cloud in sight). Coupled with very little tree cover to provide shade and things got rather toasty out there.
200 AND COUNTING…
Hi Trippers!
A bicentennial of babbling.
Just two quick posts today…
The first one is a pretty cool milestone. According to good ole WordPress, today’s article represents the 200th post for Tripping The Kenyans.
When I started the blog back at the end of December (as part of my New Year’s resolutions) I wondered if I would indeed stick with it for the long haul… so many resolutions seem to fall by the wayside, don’t they? We start out passionate and then quickly lose steam as something else catches our attention (ooh look, shiny red ball).
A bicentennial of posts later and if nothing, my passion for TTK has grown stronger than the day I first took pen to paper (or should I say hands to keyboard).
I’ve learned a lot over the first six months of writing this blog. Similar to training for running, each post is like a little writing workout. I get better by working up a sweat with the ole noggin.
THROWBACK THURSDAY: “PEACHTREE ROAD RACE”
Hi Trippers!
Throwback Thursday (not to be confused with “Taco Tuesday”) seems to be all the rage these days on social media as people dust off old weatherworn photos from yesteryear and post them for all to behold… and chuckle at.
I’m not immune to this trend.
A few years ago my mom asked me to digitize all of the slides my parents and grandparents had taken over the decades, dating as far back as the early 50s. I eagerly said yes, not realizing that scanning in a half century’s worth of images could potentially take a little bit of time. Cut to the next month when a massive box packed with over 2,500 slides showed up at my door (and this was after my mom had weeded out several thousand rejects). Scan away Scotty!
CONTEST: “GIVE YOURSELF A HAND”
Handana on lefty.
Hi Trippers!
Ready for another contest?
Well, this one couldn’t be better timed as we’re now all running in the midst of the sum-sum-summertime.
Yup, hot weather means sweaty running. Or in my case, gushing buckets from every pore on my body running.
So how about we give you a “hand” in keeping your excessive dewiness under control.
Recently, I posted a Gear Check article about the “Handana,” a cool sweat band you wear around your hand.
REVIEW: THE PEACHTREE ROAD RACE
Optional Peachtree Race Bling.
July 4th means different things to different people. But for the folks in Atlanta, Independence Day always begins with a bang courtesy of The Peachtree Road Race. Started back in 1970, the race originally featured 110 runners. It’s gotten a bit larger over the years. It now reigns as the biggest 10K in the entire world with a field of around 60,000 participants. This year’s edition featured 57,170 finishers with winning times of 28:25 in the men’s division, 32:16 in the women’s division, 20:30 for the men’s wheelchair division and 23:17 for the women’s wheelchair division (some very very fast athletes). An additional twist this year had Boston Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi starting dead last in an attempt to see how many people he could pass as a way to raise money for charity (FYI, he passed over 22,500 people).
THE PEACHTREE ROAD RACE EXPERIENCE: POST MORTEM
Hey Trippers!
Run on Atlanta!
So today’s Peachtree Road Race marked my 10th or 11th time running the race (I honestly can’t remember) over the last two decades. The Peachtree holds a special place in my heart as it was indeed the very first race I ever ran.
On July 4th, 1994 I ran my FIRST Peachtree.
On July 4th, 2014 I ran my BEST Peachtree.
I was a tad concerned yesterday about the race because my runs this week in the humid conditions were less than impressive (huff and puff and blow this runner down). And on Thursday I picked up a bit of a cold, complete with scratchy throat and headache.
MY PEACHTREE NEMESIS
On Tuesday I posted a story about runners voting for the final design of race shirts and medals. You can check it out here.
The Shirt of Mystery…
Today’s post is a bit of an epilogue… but an epilogue of evil!
In the story I made mention of the Peachtree Road Race tradition of runners voting for 1 of 5 different shirt logos. The winning design is kept secret (like Academy Awards/Price Waterhouse secret) only to be revealed to racers as they are handed their shirt after they cross the finish line.
That’s right, during the race you have no idea what the shirt is. As you sweat buckets pounding along the searing Atlanta asphalt, you trudge forward with only the mystery of the Peachtree Road Race shirt pushing you on (sounds dramatic, right).
FAST FACT: MONTH OF MARATHONS
When checking your race calendar, which month is overflowing with the most races… and “all of them” is an acceptable answer.
Here’s the latest “Fast Fact” to challenge your cabeza.
Run on!
Source: FindMyMarathon.com
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