Author Archives: Scott D.
FEELING GUILTY
Days off make me go D’oh!
On Sunday, I didn’t workout at all. I didn’t go running. I didn’t hit the gym.
There were races I could have run… The Arizona Rock ‘n’ Roll Half or Full Marathon, Disney Tinkerbell in Anaheim, The Houston Marathon.
But I didn’t.
Instead I hit the grocery story, cooked some chili in the crock pot, watched a little playoff NFL football, and met a friend for a drink.
No real exercise to speak of whatsoever.
And I feel guilty.
RUNNING NUGGET: CHECK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU WRECK YOURSELF
“You learn by doing it wrong.” –Anonymous
Loud and Proud!
Well, in the spirit of paying it forward, I’m going to start an ongoing series of “Running Nuggets,” little helpful hints that might make your races or runs a little bit easier.
Today’s hint has to do with gear check. Most larger races give you a plastic bag or drawstring backpack at the expo that doubles as you gear check bag. It’s awesome… don’t use it!
I’m not saying don’t use gear check; I’m saying don’t use the bag they give you. Why, you ask? A simple analogy will make things clear. Think about the baggage carousel at the airport. You get off a flight and wait along with 150 other cranky passengers at the carousel. After what seems like eternity, bags start coming out… and about every other one seems to be a black bag. Don’t they all look alike? How many times have you wondered which bag is yours or started grabbing one only to realize it belongs to someone else. Oops.
50 AND COUNTING…
I saw a statistic yesterday that both thrilled and freaked me out a little…
50 Days Until the Los Angeles Marathon.
March 9th is fast approaching.
Now this is not my first time to the marathon rodeo (it’ll actually be my 6th), but I still get that growing excited/scared feeling as it gets closer. By March 9th, I’ll have whipped myself into a frenzy. I apologize in advance to my friends who will have to endure this, but at this point they’re used to it and can selectively tune me out when I go off on my hydration and taper tangents.
And this week things got real. For starters, I received my race confirmation the other day. Yup, I’m registered and official. I also reserved my parking spot for race day (this is Los Angeles remember).
DO YOU FEEL LUCKY?
“Forget the lottery. Bet on yourself instead.” –Brian Koslow
What are the odds of running Chi-Town?
When I wanted to sign up for the Chicago Marathon in 2009, it was pretty straightforward. I jumped on the website, filled out the registration form, gave ‘em my credit card info and just like that, I was good to go.
The times they are a changing.
This week the Chicago Marathon joined the growing trend of races moving from open registration to the lottery method.
The switch comes in the wake of last year’s snafu where the Active.com registration site for the Chicago Marathon crashed due to the mad rush of applicants on opening day. BTW, here’s hoping Active.com used that “hard-earned” convenience fee we begrudgingly pay each race to upgrade their servers.
CAN I SEE YOUR I.D.?
Tag, you’re it!
Here’s a bad joke.
MOM (to young son): “Are you going out?”
SON: “Yes.”
MOM: “Do you have on clean underwear?”
SON: “Why?”
MOM: “In case you’re in an accident.”
SON: “If I’m in an accident I’m going to poop my pants anyway, so what does it matter if they’re clean now.”
Like I said, a bad joke.
MY RUNNING FAMILY
We’re the ones wearing red!
When it comes to family and friends, the old saying goes, “Blood is thicker than water.” Well, I’m not certain where sweat falls into that equation, but I bet it’s pretty damn important too.
With that said I, want to tell you about the runners, coaches and staff that make up T2 (Team to End AIDS)… my running family.
These are the people who I see during training season, week in and week out without fail. No matter what is going on in our lives, we get together each Saturday morning at 7:00am (sometimes 6:00am, oof) to talk, laugh, sometimes cry and to help others. And we also run… a lot.
RUN AND BE GRATEFUL
Meg Menzies
In the short time I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve had a lot of fun telling my personal stories, giving out hints, race reviews and poking fun at something I love so dearly. I prefer taking a light-hearted and humorous approach to this and life in general.
But there are some things that irk me, make me mad or in this case utterly friggin’ pissed off.
I read a news story today and it made me want to yell to the heavens at the top of my lungs.
Yesterday morning Meg Menzies was out for her daily training run when she was hit and killed by a drunk driver. CLICK HERE for the news story.
CARTOON ME!
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then how many words is a caricature worth?
I turned to the folks at ilovetorun.org and had them transform me into a running cartoon.
Now I can impart my running words of wisdom (aka wiseass remarks) for all to behold. Enjoy!
Living the dream… as a cartoon figure.
Run on!
(Oh, and please feel free to use my mug to create your own eBib)
“HAVE YOU SEEN MY MARATHON?”
Missing Bling.
I woke up early Sunday morning and as I was in the midst of brushing my teeth, I felt this strong urge that something wasn’t right. And then it hit me.
I should be racing right now.
Now I hadn’t had a “senior moment,” as my dad likes to say, and completely forgotten about a race. No way my “Running OCD” would let something like that happen. But it was true, I should have been racing today, but I wasn’t. Why not? Because the race simply wasn’t there.
The race I speak of is the 2014 Los Angeles 13.1 Half Marathon. How did I know it was supposed to be today? Because for the 4 years of its existence, the race had been run on a Sunday in mid-January. And I had run 3 of them.
BREAK ON THROUGH TO THE OTHER SIDE
“Lead, follow or get (the hell) out of the way.” –Thomas Paine
NOTE: Read all the way through for a very helpful race hint that you won’t find in any other book or guide!
It’s like this, but minus the cars.
Today I feel the need to bitch a little, specifically about something that a certain group of racers does. I don’t know if it’s out of naivety, ignorance or simply not caring about your fellow runner (I suspect a little of all of them).
I’m talking about the “walking wall.” This is not the wall you hit when you bonk in a race. This is far far more frustrating.
This is when 4, 5 or 6 racers (almost always walkers) create a massive wall right in the middle of the course and move along at a snail’s pace, forcing the entire race to go around them. It happens occasionally in full marathons, more often in half marathons but this plague is quickly reaching pandemic proportions at 10Ks.
Am I overreacting? I mean, how bad can it be?
AVOIDING AN EGO TRIP
“Do as I say, not as I do.” –Pretty much everyone at some point.
Anyone know who is winning?
Last week when I ran the New Year’s Race, I broke one of my own rules. I did one of those things that “rookie” runners typically do and have to learn a lesson the hard way.
It was a momentary lapse of judgment on my part, but still a “no-no” and I’m embarrassed by it. Okay, maybe not totally. What was my mistake, you ask?
I raced somebody to the finish line at full sprint.
Before I beat myself up (not too much, mind you) let me explain why it’s potentially dangerous to sprint to the finish in a long race and why it’s pretty silly to race someone to the finish to begin with.
THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED
“Gotta Blame it on something. Blame it on the rain” –Milli Vanilli
Scott’s iPod Shuffle
2011- 2014
This morning at the gym, my iPod shuffle stopped playing mid-workout. The battery had been failing over the past few weeks and even quit during the final two miles of the Atlanta Half Marathon. I thought maybe it was my damn fault for not charging it fully.
Nope.
A quick trip to the Apple store today confirmed my fears. The diagnosis was terminal. My little shuffle had played “Ooh Eeh Ooh Ah Aah Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang” for the final time.
As I stood in line at Best Buy tonight to purchase my replacement shuffle (okay, so my mourning period was brief), I realized this was the third iPod that running had claimed. It also made me think about the first time I killed an iPod.
CHECK OUT MY BACKSIDE
Behold my backside!
The other day I was in the supermarket parking lot putting groceries in my SUV when an elderly lady walked up to me and asked a question.
“What is that thing on your backside?”
I was stunned for a moment. Was this septuagenarian taking the whole cougar thing a little too far? I mean, I’m flattered, but…
Then I realized she was talking about the sticker on my SUV. The one that reads “26.2.”
After calling her a naughty minx for checking out the “junk on my trunk” and getting a nice laugh in return, I explained that I was a marathon runner and that the sticker represented the distance of the race.
She smiled. And as she started to walk to the store she turned and said, “Well, it certainly shows on you.”
Like I said, a naughty minx.
Run on!
RACE REVIEW: ATLANTA HALF MARATHON (11/28/13)
Turkey Bling!
Thanksgiving is an ideal day for race. What better way to kick off the biggest eating day of the year than with a healthy calorie deficit? Knowing that the 2,000+ calories I burned off running would be more than made up for (seconds on pie, anyone?), I signed up for the Atlanta Half Marathon as I’d be in town again visiting family. Besides, it sure beat having to help out in the kitchen (I’m usually relegated to peeling potatoes). This annual race (both Half Marathon and 5K) starts and finishes at Turner Field and gives runners a nice look at downtown Atlanta. This year’s “turkey trek” featured almost 8,900 runners (6,733 half marathon and 2,140 5K) and the 7:30am start time guaranteed you’d be home in time for the feast (and football).
EATING ON THE GO
Big Box o’ Chomps!
I’m excited because I got a visit from the “marathon fairy” today. Okay, it was UPS, but they were bringing me goodies. Inside the package was some running swag and a big box of GU Chomps that I’d ordered. The timing was great because I’d just used my last pack on Saturday and needed to re-supply.
I know that a lot of my non-running friends (yes, I have them) are surprised when I say that not only do I need to drink when I run (a blog topic to come), but I also need to eat. I figure they have an image of me chowing down on a burger and fries as I clomp along the streets of Burbank and Glendale. While it’s nothing as fancy as that, proper eating (or fueling) during a half or full marathon can be the difference between finishing strong or “bonking.”
Tripping The Kenyans 