Author Archives: Scott D.
TIME TO TEAM UP WITH T2…
Yesterday we bid August adieu and it’s now time to flip the page on your kitten calendars to September.
Run on T2!
Labor Day Weekend is just around the corner, along with the start of the college and pro football seasons (get those fantasy drafts ready).
And today, September 1st, also marks the start of registration for the 2016 LA Marathon.
However, the 31st running of the Los Angeles Marathon is going to be rather unique.
How come?
For starters, the race is a month earlier that usual. Instead of lacing up our shoes around St. Patty’s Day, we’ll be pounding the pavement on Valentine’s Day (trade in your leprechaun and shamrock for a bow & arrow-wielding Cupid).
And why would they possibly do that? Read the rest of this entry
LET THE BUYER BEWARE…
A little bit of a tangental post today, but stick with me as it’s helpful (in a banging your head on the table sort of way).
Beware! Beware!
I’m going to throw around two very important Latin words (yup, bringing out the dead language speak).
And those words are: “Caveat Emptor.”
Which translated means, “Let the buyer beware.”
That little phrase is very helpful to remember any time you make that purchase of a lifetime off of e-bay or anytime you throw caution to the wind and say “Yes” to a Craigslist ad.
Sometimes you receive something great… other times it’s a piece of something you get on your shoe when walking your dog at the park.
So, how does Latin and crap merchandise pertain to running?
Good question. Read the rest of this entry
I GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS…
Hey Everyone!
“It’s raining Mir.”
Last week I wrote about “Scott and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Run.”
Just about everything that could have gone wrong did. On the upside, I didn’t get hit with any space debris re-entering the atmosphere. So, there’s that.
Needless to say, I was anxious to get back to it this week. And to be honest, a little apprehensive. Especially since I was planning on running alone.
Now while there are plenty of upsides to pounding pavement solo (flexible start time, ability to improvise on your route, zone out and jam to tunes), one of the downsides to running without company is that the voice of doubt gets your undivided attention.
Matthew Inman, mastermind behind “The Oatmeal” (a stupendously funny website) created a perfect personification of this self-doubt. He named it “The Blerch.”
“The Blerch”… aka a real bastard.
The Blerch is a lazy and bloated cherub who hovers just outside of you peripheral vision, tempting you to abandon any and all workouts in exchange for extended. couch time (usually combined with a multitude of snacks).
Click here to learn about The Blerch.
The Blerch really is a little bastard.
As of late my personal Blerch has been trying extra hard to worm his way into my head and subconscious. And sadly, he’s been a little more effective than I’d like to admit.
Fortunately, I found an alternative to listening to this little bugger chatter in my ear non-stop for today’s 10-miler. Run with friends! Read the rest of this entry
TOUGH TOUGH TEN…
This past week at the PGA Championship, veteran golfer (and golf fashion nightmare) John Daly played a hole he’d rather forget.
He should have gotten a penalty for those pants.
During the second round on the par 3 10th hole, Daly put a trio of balls in the water to score a “septuple” bogey (that’d be a 10). He responded by hurling his club into Lake Michigan.
Basically he had what some people refer to as “one of those days.”
Well, Saturday morning I went for a 10-mile long run and had one of those days of my own. If there was water anywhere near, I might have pulled a Daly and tossed my running shoes into it.
So how did things go off the rails? It was a myriad of muck. Read the rest of this entry
SUMMER SNIPPET #7: EIGHT (MILES) IS ENOUGH…
Last post I mentioned my chest cold was finally letting up and it was time to get back to pounding pavement (after two full weeks of inactivity).
Feeling a tad behind the 8-ball.
So, I went for an short run last Tuesday to test the waters.
And it did not go well. Not well at all.
I started labored breathing around mile two and after three miles I threw in the towel. Either I was still a bit ill or my body had utterly forgotten how to run. (I hoped it was the former).
Let’s just say I desperately needed a “mulligan.”
I ended up resting another two days (to make sure the hacking and coughing were indeed done) and then doing a little elliptical work at the gym on Friday. It certainly wasn’t what I would considered an “A-level” workout (“remedial” is more like it), but at least I got through without “harfing” up a lung. Read the rest of this entry
SUMMER SNIPPET #6: “COUGH-O-RAMA”
This past week I was all set to put the pedal to the metal and start down the road to getting back in proper shape for my upcoming fall races. I’ve got about six weeks before the Big Cottonwood half marathon drops in Salt Lake City and a lot of work to do.
Apparently somebody forgot to send my body the memo.
Last Friday I woke up and began the first measure of the “Coughing Concerto,” which consisted of me hacking, wheezing, sneezing, sniffling and groaning.
It was quite the symphony of suck.
Check out Deepfriedpudge.com
I skipped working out that day and figured I’d rest and be better in time to go for a long run on Saturday.
Nope.
Sunday?
Nope.
Monday surely?
No way Josè.
This stuff just couldn’t take a hint that it had worn out its welcome.
Not only was I feeling rather icky, I had some weight in my chest, leading me to believe it was a chest cold as opposed to just hay fever or allergies. And I followed the old adage: Read the rest of this entry
SUMMER SNIPPET #5: “THE CON IS ON”
“Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diego, which of course in German means a whale’s vagina.” -Ron Burgandy
CON!
This snippet gets all geeky.
In early July I ran the Peachtree Road Race, one of my annual summer traditions.
Well, a week later I embarked on another annual summer tradition: ComicCon.
For those of you who don’t know what ComicCon is… what the hell planet do you live on?
Every July, over 130,000+ comic/film/TV/pop culture fanatics swarm to San Diego for five days of geek nirvana.
And I happily join them.
This year my buddies Jeff, Jack, “other” Scott and I once again boarded the train in LA (much better than driving) to head down San Diego way.
We wandered the expo floor, attended several panels, ran into friends/co-workers/celebs and hit numerous parties every night. Here’s some of the proof: Read the rest of this entry
SUMMER SNIPPET #4: “PEACHTREE DOWNPOUR”
A rainy snippet today.
“Damp” Peachtree .
On July 4th this year I ran the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta along with 55,000+ other runners.
Peachtree is a near annual tradition for me (it was my first race ever back in 1994) and 2015 was the 11th (or 12th) time I ran it.
I’ve written about Peachtree quite a bit in past posts. You can read about it here.
But this year I encountered something new at the Peachtree (and for any race).
SHAZAM!
Lightning.
Now I’ve run plenty of times in the rain before. I even had a downpour fry one of my iPods. You can read about that here.
But it’s always just been water falling from the sky. I haven’t been in a race before where Zeus decided to lob down some fireworks from Mt. Olympus.
Let me Reader’s Digest it for you.
Rain was in the forecast for the race… a 50% chance. Flip your coin. Heads for dry. Tails for not so dry.
It came up tails. Read the rest of this entry
SUMMER SNIPPET #3: “ROLLERCOASTER REALIZATION”
Me and Nana.
Following my move at the end of June, I left “umpteen” (it’s a real number in my mind) boxes to unpack later and immediately flew off to Atlanta to spend the 4th of July holidays with the whole family.
Note: Lindy wasn’t flying in to Atlanta for another day or two, so she got some quality solo “box” time. Aren’t I sweet?
When I arrived in the “Peachtown, USA” my youngest niece Savannah exclaimed how she’d love for her and I to go to Six Flags Over Georgia.
Now i’m a huge fan of theme parks and rides, so it wasn’t a tough sell.
So on an overcast Tuesday, Nana and I trekked to the park (before it even opened) for what turned out to be a raging rollercoaster-rama! Read the rest of this entry
SUMMER SNIPPET #2: “MOVING MAYHEM”
“Moving sucks.” -Anyone who has ever moved.
Last month I moved.
Boxes of “suck.”
I will pause for your sympathy.
You truly don’t know how much stuff you have until you put it in boxes and move it from point “A” to point “B.”
And no matter how well you plan, or how much you promise that you will be the sterling example of organization, moving eventually deteriorates into a “free-for-all” where you just start shoving crap anywhere.
I’ve moved several times since I first came to LA. And it has sucked.
Every. Single. Time. Read the rest of this entry
SUMMER SNIPPET #1: “I STAND CORRECTED… SORT OF.”
I’ll start my “Summer Snippets” with a bit of an epilogue.
What are you doing Dec. 18th?
My last pre-MIA post back in June was about me opting not to sign up for the 2016 Star Wars Half Marathon due to a lack of a Disney deferral policy (due to the strong possibility of a trip to Oz with Lindy that would necessitate me skipping the race).
Well, after I posted my article I received several responses from readers (you guys are a sharp and good-looking bunch, have I told you that) pointing out that Disney does deferrals.
So I dug deep into the Run Disney website. Lo and behold, the House of Mouse running division does have a deferral policy. Read the rest of this entry
MY “MISSING” MONTH
For those of you who have visited “Tripping The Kenyans” over the last month you’ve probably noticed one thing.
Where the hell has Scott been?
I’ve been nowhere to be seen… or read for that matter.
Yup, I’ve been “Blogging MIA.”
I apologize for my absence, but sometimes life just gets in the way.
Now I haven’t been spending my time just lounging on the sofa scarfing down Doritos and binge-watching Netflix… although that does sound kinda sweet.
Actually, I’ve been bouncing non-stop from one thing to another (some fun changes afoot). I’ve been on both coasts and juggling both work and play. I’ve even managed to do a some running and finished a summer race.
And rather than give you one big summary post, I figured I’d catch you up in quick bites over the next week or so.
So check back tomorrow for the first installment of my “Summer Snippets.”
Run on!
A DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE…
“Always in motion is the future.” -Yoda
Last year around this time, Disney opened up registration for the inaugural running of the Star Wars Half Marathon.
This padawan will be MIA.
It was perhaps the ultimate “combo” for me (even better than that Reese’s chocolate/peanut butter hybrid)… fusing my love of marathon running with the geek awesomeness that comes from that galaxy far far away.
I signed up faster than you can say “But I was going to Tosche Station to pick up some power converters.”
Go ahead, say it. You know you want to. Oh, and be sure to give it that Tatooine farmboy whine.
And the race certainly did not disappoint. The atmosphere was electric and the runners’ costumes fantastic.
I made my personal trench run and brought home a Chewie tech shirt and a replica of the medal handed out when Luke destroyed the first Death Star. Talk about geeky nirvana. Read the rest of this entry
PENCIL ME IN FOR THE FALL- PART 2: REVEL RACE SERIES
Hi Everyone,
Last week I posted the first part of a story about Fall race series that I’m involved with (serving as a race ambassador for Lexus LaceUp).
Ready for part two?
Ready to Revel?
This week I’m here to give a shout out about the REVEL Race series, which kicks off its second season next month.
The REVEL Race series consists of a trio of marathons/half marathons:
- REVEL Rockies (Denver, CO) – 7/19/15
- REVEL Big Cottonwood (Salt Lake City, Utah) – 9/12/15
- REVEL Canyon City (Azusa, CA)- 11/7/15
If you’re looking for a fast course, then look no further. All three REVEL races feature downhill courses with descents as great as 5000.’ If you’re in the mood to set a PR or hoping to qualify for Boston, then you should give these courses a serious gander (and yes, they’re all USATF certified).
Oh, and I should mention that the races have some incredible scenery. The courses are nestled up in the mountains, providing some vivid vistas. While running the REVEL Big Cottonwood Half Marathon last year I remember being amazed by the view and uttering “Wow” out loud several times. Read the rest of this entry
SEIZE THE “DAY”…
Did you ever notice that every month, week and day seems to be designated as “officially” belonging to something.
For example, here’s a list of all of the things that have laid claim to this 30-day block of calendar real estate.
National “Whatever” Day.
June is “National ____ Month.”
- Soul Food Month
- Camping Month
- Dairy Month
- Country Cooking Month
- Iced Tea Month
- Candy Month
- Great Outdoors Month
And within this month, each single day apparently has been been appropriated for other causes.
Thursday, June 4th is “Hug Your Cat Day.” So be sure to give a giant squeeze to Baron Fluffy McFour Paws III (don’t all cats have big formal names that we never call them by).
Sunday, June 7th is “VCR Day.” I guess we’re all supposed to give Netflix a 24-hr vacation, dust off our DVD ancestors and watch a grainy copy of BEVERLY HILLS COP. Oh, and don’t forget to “Be Kind and Rewind.” Read the rest of this entry
Tripping The Kenyans 