Goodbye To A Few Legends

I am a Detroiter. I may live in Houston and I may have called a lot of placed home but Detroit will always be where I have the MOST and some of the BEST memories. 

I'll be honest whenever anyone asks me where I am from I can always count on the "oh I am sorry" or the "hmm", let's face it Detroit does not have the best reputation of places to live and the last time I checked it was not a hot spot or a vacation destination; unless of course you are from there. 

It takes a special breed to brave the winters, "live through the "scorching" summers" and trek through the orange construction barrel season that seems to last for as long as the snow does. It also takes a tiny and cold heart not to miss it every second you are away from you're homeland. 

Better-made potato chips, Faygo Pop (it isn't called SODA) and Coney Islands galore, it is the land of good old artery clogging deliciousness and a sub-culture all it's own. 

There are many "landmarks" or familiar go to places, people and things as well. One of those staples is leaving the airwaves today and I have to be honest I am a little misty thinking about it. I have never been a huge lover of hard rock music but for MANY years I tuned in every morning to 101.1 the WRIF to listen to the downright asshattery and shenanigans the Drew and Mike Show provided. For a long time I lived about 3 doors down from Mike and would see him and his wife all over town and think to myself is this the same man that did a mock ad for Troy Akiman's "cologne"?? He never really looked the part but dammit it was perfect. 

Is it politically correct? Of course the hell not, it's a radio show in Detroit ripping on the Dallas Cowboys, if you have virgin ears you may not want to listen and well you probably shouldn't be reading here either. 

I understand the power of the dollar and business decisions that need to be made in fact Detroit as a whole is far too familiar with the power and the money and the money and the power. For god's sake we have a Mayor who hired strippers and embezzled a crap ton of money. I don't understand how you can take a staple of the community and replace it with a "like item". The show is being replaced by another duo who has been on the airwaves in the Detroit area but I have to say are not nearly as good. 

Opinions aside Drew and Mike will be forever missed among the many Detroiters. 

OOTD - Ha Ha

The best thing that probably ever happened (or didn't) to this blog is that I do not subject you to my OOTD photos or lack there of. I am not a fashion blogger, will never be one and I think I consider 6 of the items I have in my closet actually "fashionable". Bags on the other hand well I am chock full of those. 

As I have stated many times my standard uniform is a pair of very loose fitting jeans, a t-shirt and a pair of running shoes. I currently have about 10 pair in rotation. 

My workout gear takes my fashion sense and shoots it down the acceptable in public ladder about 10 rungs. I typically wear a tank top (many of them are a triple XL that I have from my obese days) and a pair of boxers, capri's or the one actual pair of running shorts that I own. 

Than I hit Gymdoll's website. Shit got banana's really quick. 

I see THIS shirt and know that I should not be investing in another t-shit, but I didn't want their site, their mission or their awesomeness to go unnoticed. 

I wrote to them and told them how their motto and mission made me felt. Like a warrior. I wasn't trying to be a jerk but here is the thing. So many companies targeting women as their demographic in the workout arena cater to the Barbie doll type girl. In other words all glittery and perfect, smile on their face and tennis skirt in it's perfect position. They never go after the women who have actually blown their nose on their shirt sleeve this may have happened more than once. Gymdoll allows women to be badass and still look adorable. Or at least try to look adorable and feel like a woman. A damn strong one. 

They wrote me back. An actual company wrote me back. Little ol' me. 

2 days later this gem was in my mailbox. 

I want to kiss them. Buy them dinner and than kiss them again. 

Please show them some love. Their Facebook can be found here. 

Their website is listed above and if you are looking to send me a gift I NEED this one too :) 

As far as the shirt goes? Super comfy, great quality and well adorable. I am wearing an X-large (I buy everything in an XL). I am 5'9" and it hits me at a great length. 

So I Have Gone Off the Deep End.....

So this should say it all. 

January 8th - 12th 2014 I will be spending my weekend at the Magic Kingdom. 

I will be in pure hell and bliss all at the same time and I will most likely be cursing the day I ever decided to lace up a pair of running shoes. 

Running Disney is awesome. Running a Half and a Marathon on back to back days is fucking crazy. Sorry for the virgin ears around here but it is what it is. 

It is what they call the Goofy's Challenge, I wanted to do Dopey's Challenge but it had sold out prior to me registering, it was the first time for Dopey's and it sold out in less than 24 hours with a pretty steep price tag. Goofy's runs $350 which in the grand scheme of things is not that bad considering what average half's full Mary's cost now days. Doable and worth it for sure. 

I will be covering the course with one of my best running friends and possibly my sister in law and brother! They may be doing the half along with us. 

This is not for the faint of heart or for people who don't like getting up at the ass crack of dawn. We were at the start line by 3:30 am this year. Cheers to being up at pre-dawn hours two days in a row to run 39.3 miles in two days. 

YEP! DUMB. 

We have a 29 week training plan, a half smack dab in the middle of the plan to run in Cleveland and ironically enough this daunting task has me insanely excited about spending countless hours on the road and or on the treadmill. 

Run Hard, Run Strong. 

Boston.............

Boston is the pinnacle of races, a dream a lot of runners share, lament over and train for nearly their entire career. In the running world a "BQ" race is the end all be all. You have qualified for Boston and you are well on you're way to heartbreak hill. 

Of course my spin on the events that have transpired in Boston are far different than a non-runner, tragedy is tragedy no matter how you spin it; people have died, people have been maimed, and most of all a lot of people's spirits have been tested. 

If I know one thing about the running community I know we will not back down, we will not be tossing in the towel on Boston or any other major running even there is and without a shadow of a doubt I know we will not go quietly. 

All I can do is offer some insight to the world that is running. The amount of time, effort, drive and passion that goes into running is something I have not experienced in any other facet of my life outside of motherhood. The two are quite similar to be honest. There is pain, pride, and a lot of talking yourself up or down the cliff depending on the day. Training for any race, especially an endurance race is a constant battle between I know I can do this and why the F am I trying this. The slopes are quite slippery and at the end of the day you're mind is the tool that guides you through the walls, and gosh there are many. 

I have seen random acts of kindness on the roads and race courses through my career and it touches my heart every SINGLE time. This year at Disney my good friend Sarah and I were asking one another HOW MUCH LONGER could this possibly take when a woman ran by us and said that she had been listening to us cheer one another on, and constantly check "are you ok, should we stop, can I get you something" etc... She mentioned to us that she thought we were awesome to think beyond OUR race and care for one another while running. 

It's what most runners do. I have helped people who have fallen, tripped or have mentally tapped out. I remember my first 5k a woman was running with a running stroller and hit the corner of the pavement and the grass and crashed. I forgot what time I "wanted" and stopped to help her, and she kept saying GO you are going to lose you're time!!!  I said who cares? A PR was the furthest thing from my mind. 

Just a few months back I had been pacing a woman who all of the sudden dropped WAY back and was struggling to catch up. I grabbed her by the hand and said if I have to do this so do you! We laughed and groaned of course and kept going. No exchange of names, or facts, just random running love. 

If you don't run I can understand you're confusion as to WHY people selectivity choose running as their "sport". I wish I could tell you. 

I Run This Body

The tag line is Dream Big and Run Long. How perfect is that? 

I know I found inspiration in Mile Posts daily musings of her running career and when her campaign of I Run This Body came along I knew I wanted to take part. As Dorthy says herself she is fueled by inspiring and being inspired one mile at a time and to be honest as runners on some days that is the only way to look at things. 

You can shop the I Run This Body campaign here (there are not many options left so get yours). 

Excuse the silly self portrait but I felt like a warrior this morning!! 

Someone is Happy

Well all of us are really happy. We moved into our brand new home this weekend and could not feel any better. We waited a long time to find the perfect house, with the perfect yard, and the amenities that we needed/wanted. A lot of people here buy really big houses since the pricing is tremendous in the area we live in. However I like to keep in mind that we don't want a $500 a month electric bill in the summer while trying to cool a "really big, fancy, overpriced box". I am happy with my one story home, that is the perfect size for my family. 

E couldn't be happier! 

She spent the entire evening on Friday going from room to room with her iPad, watching her shows on the new couch, the old couch in the guest room, chilling on her new bed, or out on the patio furniture. Than would start all over again from the front of the house to the back! 

My main goal is to christen my new treadmill in the garage this evening! I guess we all have our ways of making a home really ours! Ha. 

I am pretty proud that we took the time to pack, and unload everything into it's place over this weekend and even more proud we are DONE unpacking already! Love it. 

A Man In The Mix

I've made the assumption with the pastel color's, talk of purses and accessories that the reading audience of my blog is mainly women. I know B reads the blog from time to time, maybe some other stalker-y type people who want to see what is going on in my life {yep I am talking about you; hey!}. 

So it's not often that I run across people in the blogging world or the fitness world that really speak to me from the opposite team. I am a girl, woman or whatever you want to call it so naturally I seek out advice and motivation from women who are struggling in the same areas that I am. 

I have one male friend who is a running guru, and has helped me form a more positive approach to weight loss, running and fitness in general and was recently introduced to another male who is kicking ass and taking names!!

Meet Rick he is on the right! This photo is from his Facebook. Sorry for FB stalking you RIck. 

You should go to his Facebook and "like" him; hell I think you should like him for real too but I will leave all that up to y'all. 

I think it is simply amazing as to what he is doing and how much he has accomplished. I have to say that he is adorable of course but he is also very sincere in all of his posts, and continually cheers others on. 

Maybe it is just me but it always seem far more socially acceptable for men to be "bigger" or just stocky. When women are bigger they are just fat and it seems every woman is ALWAYS on a mission of pleasing WHOMEVER. 

Men struggle too. 

Show Rick some love please. He is awesome. The end.