Category Archives: General
“ONLY” 8 MILES…
This last Saturday of April had me running solo for my final “taper” run before the OC Marathon next Sunday.
An “interesting” word.
It was a fun and leisurely jaunt in Griffith Park and around Glendale on a beautiful spring morning (fortunately the rainy weather left the area earlier than forecast). But rather than talk about the run itself (remember, fun and leisurely) I’d rather bring attention to one word from a conversation about the run that I had yesterday.
Say what now?
On Friday, one of my friends asked how far I was going to be running on Saturday. Without skipping a beat, I matter-of-factly replied:
“Only 8 miles.”
CONTEST: GET “CARTOONIZED”
Hi Trippers!
If you’ve been glancing at Facebook or other social media sites as of late, I’m sure you’ve come across numerous fun caricatures of runners. These great images are the handiwork of the artists at the cool website “ilovetorun.org.”
When I first started Tripping The Kenyans, I submitted my mug for a little “cartoonization” and I was thrilled by the results:
BRING ON THE BIBS…
Bib me!
When you think of a “bib,” what image comes to mind? Most likely something you put on a shirt in order to protect it from drool and other messes.
Oh, I’ve also heard people put them on babies when they eat.
(Cue rim shot)
As runners, we have a fascination with the race bib.
Why is that?
When you get down to it, a bib is really just a piece of paper (okay, these days it’s typically made out of a material called Tyvek, but you get the idea) with an identification number on it.
THE “MEH” WORKOUT…
Thumbs not up.
Each morning, my alarm clock goes off between 5:30am and 6:00am. I typically shut off the alarm, spring from my bed, and grab my gym clothes (laid out the night before by my OCD self) so I can start the day with an energizing “sweatfest.”
I said “typically.” Yesterday was not.
Since Sunday morning I’ve been feeling a tad under the weather. Not full on sick mind you, but definitely not 100%… more like 73.5% if you’re being fairly optimistic. I can’t tell if I’ve got a mild cold or am suffering from some spring allergies.
MY DYNAMIC DUO…
Got Meb?
Like everyone in the running community, I was glued to my computer yesterday (unfortunately I couldn’t find live TV coverage) inhaling every bit of information surrounding the 118th running of The Boston Marathon.
Kudos to Meb Keflizighi for being the first American male to win the race since 1983 and Rita Jeptoo for winning the women’s division again, while setting a women’s course record in the process.
And a huge shout out to the other approximate 36,000 runners for pounding 26.2 miles through Beantown, as well as the hundreds of thousands of fans who turned out to cheer them on.
AN INSPIRING LADY
Hi Trippers!
Elizabeth being Elizabeth.
Every once in a while you come across someone with such a strong character and positive outlook that you’re naturally motivated by them. These are the kind of people who have shown strength during difficult times and come out shining on the other side.
I want to introduce you to one of those people who has inspired me.
She’s in Boston today, although she’s not running the marathon (she did do the 5K on Saturday). Instead she’s a face in the crowd, cheering on the 36,000 men and women running through the city’s streets.
The story of her personal struggle and determination, however, has influenced more people than she knows and I count myself among them. Read the rest of this entry
BOSTON
“The” marathon.
If you’re a runner or a fan of the marathon, you know Patriot’s Day (the third Monday in April) is tomorrow and that means one thing… the annual Boston Marathon is being run.
While this historic race has always gotten plenty of public recognition, last year it was thrust into the spotlight in a way that no one could have (or wanted to) imagine.
The tragic (and also heroic) events surrounding the 2013 Boston Marathon will not soon be forgotten.
10 MILES AND A “BIG GULP”
Hey Trippers!
Just a quick Saturday post because it’s a really nice day out and I’ve got a bunch o’ stuff to do.
So, this AM I ended up doing a 10-mile short run with my T2 running buddy Stacey (one of my favorite people to run with).
We’re both running the OC Marathon in two weeks and we’re in “taper” mode, which means taking it a little easier and getting ourselves healthy and rested before we pound the crap out of our feet on May 4th.
The new zoo revue.
Our course was a familiar out & back (one we’ve both run dozens and dozens of times before) starting at the parking lot for the LA Zoo, then heading through Griffith Park and out onto the streets of Burbank.
GONE WITH THE GU…
“Bye bye bye.”
In 1985 Coca-Cola changed their classic formula, introducing “New Coke” and America lost its friggin’ mind in protest.
Each year when McDonald’s brings back the McRib sandwich “for a limited time,” people swarm to the Golden Arches like it’s the last time they’ll ever ever ever get the chance to purchase their favorite “barbecue-flavored restructured pork sandwich.”
Let’s be honest, when it comes to food, we Americans need our feed and absolutely savor our flavor.
And I am no exception.
A HARSH TRUTH
Run on.
Bad things can happen.
To anyone. Anytime. Anywhere.
Without warning.
It’s a tough fact of life that we must face each and every day. Often our hobbies are attempts to escape from the reality that at times life can be unfair and even cruel.
And even our passions are not immune.
As the events that transpired at the Boston Marathon last year showed, sometimes tragedy is brought about willfully and with malice.
Other times… it just happens.
“WIPEOUT” MEMORIES (EPILOGUE): “BIG BLUE 2.0”
Big Blue rides again!
So, I had made it on Wipeout. I had a blast playing in the biggest playground imaginable. I even ended up on national television and had a permanent recording of me battling the Big Balls (and losing spectacularly).
And when I say I didn’t have any regrets about losing, that’s the god’s honest truth. But that doesn’t mean I was 100% satisfied. I would have liked the chance to run the final Wipeout zone. Just once.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to run the course unless you’re a contestant and they typically didn’t do “second chance” episodes.
I guess it’d just have to remain a wish. Or would it?
5000 MILES
That’s a whole heap o’ pavement pounding.
When you’re driving down the highway and glance at your odometer, don’t you get a little bit excited when you see you’re just about hit a milestone mile mark?
10,000 miles… 25,000 miles… 50,000 miles… or the Crème de la Crème… 100,000 miles.
Well, I’ve logged all of my miles since I started distance running in October of 2008 (a little OCD, I know). And this past Saturday I hit a milestone mark during mile 2 of my 20-mile run (prepping for the OC Marathon coming up in 3 weeks).
I just rolled my “running odometer” (or should I say pedometer) past 5000 miles.
“WIPEOUT” MEMORIES (PART 4): “BYE BYE BIG BALLS”
Round two!
We’re near the end, so let’s dive right in.
The gameshow “Wipeout” consists of four elimination rounds. The first Wipeout zone trims the number of participants from 24 to down to an even dozen. So I had survived to “Wipeout” for another day… or should I say 45 minutes, which was basically the time I had from the exhausting first round to eat and prepare for the next go-round. Or should I say Merry-Go-Round. Or better yet, the Merry-Go-Round from hell!
Round two featured the aptly named “Scare-o-sel.”
“WIPEOUT” MEMORIES (PART 3): “IN THE ZONE”
The calm before the storm.
In PART 1 and PART 2 of “Wipeout Memories” I talked about everything leading up to my actual time in the Wipeout Zone.
Let’s be honest. You want to hear about how I got my ass kicked. Well, the wait is over.
Let the ass kicking commence.
The first Wipeout Zone consisted of four obstacles:
- “Bowled Over”
- “Spring-o-vator” (Big Balls)
- “Spring Fling”
- “Wipeout Kitchen”
“WIPEOUT” MEMORIES (PART 2): “YOU’RE GOING TO GET WET.”
Yesterday I gave the skinny on how I became a contestant on the gameshow Wipeout (back in 2011)… so give it a look see. I’ll wait.
(Cue gameshow waiting music)
Okay, where were we? Oh yes, filming day.
“Let’s get Nasty!”
Wipeout is shot at Sable Ranch in Santa Clarita, where they’ve also filmed numerous westerns as well as scenes for “The A-Team” and “24.” Well Hannibal Smith and Jack Bauer were nowhere in sight on this chilly January morning when myself and 23 other contestants rolled into the makeshift parking lot. Now while our show was being filmed to air on the Spring version of Wipeout, we were in the middle of January and it was about 45 degrees outside when we showed up pre-dawn and were hustled into the trailers. And did I mention there was a lot of water there? More on that in a bit.
So as we got ourselves settled, it was natural to size up the competition and I must say the Wipeout gang for Episode 412: “Wizard of Owws” was a rather diverse bunch. About an equal number of men and women varying in age from late teens to mid 5os. And while we were going to be battling against each other in a few hours, the mood was positive and energetic as we said our “Hellos” and exchanged stories about how (and in god’s name why) we wanted to be on the show. A good bunch of people.
Tripping The Kenyans 