… but first, here is the route for the Last Chance Half Marathon I am running on Sunday. It will be about 60% paths I haven’t run on yet, so that will actually be nice! Based on the time of year it is I should not be able to be running it Barefoot, but it is looking like the weather will cooperate. I may be playing with fire a bit, as the ground will be cold. But as long as it’s not wet, It should be doable. Unlike this race where I was a little too close to stupid…
Ok, The Rules… I hate rules, but for the benefit of everyone who plays my awesome contests I gotta say:
You can’t just SAY you follow. You actually have to clink the follow button and go through the rigamarole and sign up for a google account and get your mug over there.
As a blogger, I started blogging for personal reasons, but as most of you know, there is an incredible amount of satisfaction in knowing that people are reading what we are writing. This is one of the reasons I have contests on the blog, and that is to attract more readers, therefore giving me more inspiration to write, and hopefully in the end, you like it! I know it can be confusing for readers who don’t blog themselves, but I guarantee, once you set up your Google account, you will be able to find and follow some amazing people! Do it!
So, the rule. Follow first, or no entries into contests. Yes, it is like blackmail. I haf vays to make you follow!
Reader Mail!!!! I love the reader mail, and when i thought I would be taking some blog time off (I didn’t) I asked for your questions… Here are the results…
What was your favourite cartoon growing up?
A: Flintstones, hands down. I used to LOVE coming home for lunch in Elementary School because there would always be soup, a sandwich and the Bedrock gang. My favourite episodes were the ones with Madame Yes (oh, My Stoopid Byootiful) , Bug Music, and any episode where they were away from Bedrock on holidays or in a haunted house with a crazy laughing weirdo.
Yes. I want more family dirt.
A: Ok, here is the short story. Maybe someday I’ll write the long story. This story is significant to my running, as my son is the big reason I decided to get in shape…
We tried to have Kids for 10 years without success. We spent time at Fertility clinics, Doctors offices, fancy hotels, and we just couldn’t conceive. We thought we tried everything. SO… we started the process for open adoption. That was an incredible roller coaster ride of emotional stuff, as well as cold hard cash paid out. The day we dropped off our ‘Presentation Book’, that is given to Pregnant women who have chosen to give up their newborns so they can choose the child's adoptive parents, Traci was feeling off. 3 days later she came running down the stairs, (fell down the stairs), and said she was pregnant. The rest, we say, is history! Andrew was born on July 24th 2007 and it has been a dream ever since!
Pic of some fun GeoCaching… That looks pretty cool hey?
How was that Em?
What's your dream race?
A: Wow, good question. It’s probably in a Formula 1 Car, but since I figure the question is about a running race, I’ll answer it that way.
Um, Big Sur. Probably. Maybe… yeah, Big Sur. It’s a tough one, wow. When I really think about it, there are a bunch of criteria to look at. Maybe I could come up with a list of dream races based on type of race, or reason to run the race.
- Scenery: Big Sur
- Inspiration: Comrades
- Best Movie Location run: Fargo (Fargo) or Chicago (Ferris Buehler)
- Most Fun: Disney
- Historic: Athens
- Exotic: Great Wall of China
- Trail/ Ultra: Leadville
- Found out by reading blogs and want to run it: Uwharrie
- Relay: Hood to Coast.
If someone was to sponsor an all inclusive race for me, and I could pick anywhere: Sydney Australia, or maybe New York.
What is YOUR Dream Race?
That’s it for Reader Mail today, thanks for reading, and please, keep your stick on the ice.
Enter Contest 1 Ends on Sunday
Enter Contest 2 (make sure you answer the GU Stocking wish list question)
And just because, here is some more family Dirt. Our backyard. … Mercans, does this fit your image of what Canada looks like? or is it a bit of a surprise?
Maybe you think of it like this.
So… no days off yet… maybe tomorrow…
I would LOVE to run the Great Wall. I would dress as a Mongolian.
ReplyDeleteAll of your choices are good. I would add the Copper canyon ultra just because, you know, the whole barefoot thing. I would also add some of the races I'm fortunate enough to live near -
Grandfather Mountain: the organizers are as surly as the course, which I kind of like. It's beautiful, too, and the finish is at the Scottish Highland Games. You're greeted by bagpipes, bitchy pre-teen Irish dancers, and a huge crowd of people wondering why all these runners are blocking their view of the Giant Log Toss.
Blue Ridge: NICEST organizers ever, and just as beautiful as Grandfather. There's a contest for a FREE ENTRY to next year's race AT MY BLOG, btw dear readers of BATCKADI.
Blue Ridge Relay: As close to a religious experience I'm ever going to get.
Triple Lakes Trail Race: Best experienced with a jug of moonshine, being chased by revenuers.
Costa Rica: OK, I don't live near CR. But the wife and I might need some dental work done and it's WAY cheaper to fly there than to deal with the scammers here in the good ol US. They have a marathon, so why not? Maybe we'll see howler monkeys! Gotta love a howler monkey.
Seriously though, surely there's a way to get someone to foot the bill (ugh) for us to go run around the world.
Mercans. nice one. i kinda like it. holy ton of lattice work, Batman! did you do all that? wow...impressive.
ReplyDeletei'll have to say that my dream race would be in Japan somewhere. Lived there for a year as an exchange student after high school, and would love to go back and run. i don't have any specific races in mind, though....
"A dream is a wish your heart makes ..."
ReplyDeleteI would love to run the Disney marathon -- and now that I know you are allowed to I am thinking it would be really cool to run it barefoot.
My mother has run the Disney marathon (in her 60s)
My father has run the Disney marathon (in his 60s)
My three sisters have all run the Disney marathon multiple times, AND two of them have run the Goofy Challenge.
I am the only one. So, it is not an exotic location like Costa Rica or anything like that. It's kind of ordinary. But I would like to make this a "complete" family story.
Frances aka "Barefoot Fresca"
I would have added Copper Canyon, and actually had it written down, but I deleted it for fear of 2 things: The cliche and the banditios.
ReplyDeleteLove the story of the gift of your son...perfect!
ReplyDeleteThe pics are great...that geo-coaching photo is amazing and you are going to freak people out with that spa in winter photo :) ...We definitely do that here in Québec and we also BBQ all winter :)
Love story about your son. We are truly blessed aren't we as parents.
ReplyDeleteI would love to run Disney races (mainly just as a good excuse to go to Disney more--like I need excuses)
Great Wall of China would be pretty amazing too!
Lol @ barefootjosh wanting to run the Great Wall dressed as a Mongolian. =)
ReplyDeleteThat is one NICE backgarden! Though I'm not surprised after seeing some of your work in that email you accidentally sent to me.
Races I dream about running: Badwater, Mackinac Island, Big Sur.
Good luck in your race tomorrow BF Neil. My friend Bernie will be doing the same race. May weather, comaderie and fun be in your favor!
ReplyDeleteRichard (www.blaznfast.com)
Good luck, Neil!
ReplyDeleteBoston. Not sure why, but I want/need to run this race.
ReplyDeleteI figured there would be more maple syrup laying around in your back yard. Is that just me?
Thank you for sharing the story of getting pregnant. We had fertility issues too. Ended up doing IVF.
ReplyDelete"Keep your stick on the ice." In college, I was introduced to the Red Green show. It's now an all time favorite in our house.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your baby story. We enjoy babies ... have five around here.
My goal is to run with I'm over 90 years old. Lately, I've had injuries with either my feet or ankles. So frustrating!