Monthly Archives: April 2012

Enthusiam & Confidence…..

Posted on by
23

I must say that my enthusiasm for “life” was a little low this morning after a long night of bed hopping, a grumpy lil man & a pre-teen who knows everything except how to be confident in herself.  It isn’t easy dealing with our different personalities, needs and motivating everyone to get started in their day and BE HAPPY about it! 

I sometimes do the “let’s think of one happy thing about today” routine but that has gotten a little old with Aby as she is constantly moaning and groaning that she doesn’t want to think about “happy” things.  Of course, our mornings aren’t as happy as I would like because we aren’t the kind of household that gets to wake up on our own and leisurely start our day, plus Aby isn’t a morning person so her mornings are decidedly less happy than those that Michael and I experience.

I want/need to be better able to motivate Aby (10 years old), help her be enthusiastic about life, and foster a sense of confidence that she can carry thru her daily life.  We are struggling with her confidence issue A LOT, negative thoughts and self demoralizing comments.  I hope assume it is more about her age than anything else but she also has a very soft, non-competitive personality which doesn’t foster confidence.  Hubby and I are on a mission to “help” her be more confident.  We know that success comes from within and confidence is the key.

Do you think I should replace my “let’s think one happy thought about today” to “tell me one positive thing about yourself?”  She is very sensitive and I try to respect that but we need to toughen her up a bit.  I know that I too was sensitive at one time but over the last decade few years, I know that my sensitivity has diminished.  I am more of a “suck it up” type motivator rather than a hand holder.  I know that I need to be “sensitive” towards Aby and I know that “suck it up”, “get yourself together” and “make it happen” are not appropriate here but I’m not really sure what is for this particular age group. Of course, we give loads of hugs, love and encouragement but I am just not sure that is enough, it certainly doesn’t appear to be or we wouldn’t be worrying about her self-esteem, right?  Of course, she LOOKS just fine.  🙂  It’s the words we hear that concern us.

How do you motivate others?  Do you have a preteen that is also struggling with confidence?  Any advice for Hubby and I on how to be sensitive and help Aby be enthusiastic and confident about herself and life in general?  Help!

Distressed Mom on the Run,                                                                                       Amanda – TooTallFritz

Dear Lifeguard….

Posted on by
17

As defined by Wikipedia:  A lifeguard supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, or beach. Lifeguards are strong swimmers and trained in first aid, certified in water rescue……. 

Dear Lifeguard:

I have always had the utmost respect for your occupation.  You stand on the sidelines of the pool/beach watching the masses while everyone else is having fun.  You are always attentive, cautious, helpful and in emergency situations you save lives.  In fact Beach Patrol: San Diego, may or may not be one of my favorite “reality” tv shows that I haven’t seen in forever.

I have been swimming in the same spot for almost a month now.  I go and you are always there “watching”.  Normally, you sit atop your perch, on the opposite side of the pool watching the boys playing water polo and we do not speak.  I like it like this.  I like to go, swim and leave as quickly as possible.  I don’t really want to talk to anyone.  I don’t want anyone to “watch” me or I would go back to swimming at LA Fitness where the body builders sit in the hot tub “watching” the swimmers while they “rest” their aching, bulging muscles. 

Yesterday,  when I entered the pool you were sitting atop your perch watching the boys playing water polo and I slid into the water to swim.  I only made 3 or 4 laps before you came over to sit on MY side of the pool to watch me.  This really bothered me.  First off, I swim on that side of the pool on purpose to get further way from you.  Second, although I know I am not the best swimmer, I certainly believe that I could hold my own in a pool which at any given time, I can stand up in…… even in the “deep” end.   Thirdly, you made me believe that I was GOING TO DROWN!  Although, I was attempting to focus on my “just keep swimming” mantra, you interrupted my thoughts and made me paranoid.  I couldn’t think of anything other than the fact that you thought I was going to drown.  I tried to focus on my stroke but kept thinking I must look sooooo horrible that you had to come over and sit close in order to be better prepared to save me from DROWNING.  I tried to focus on my breathing and choked on a mouthful of water because I was concerned about what you thought about my swimming or lack thereof ability.

It took almost 20 laps of me flailing around in the water for you to return to your perch.  Gee, leaving so soon?  Did I finally develop a rhythm which looked safer?  Or was it the 5th water polo ball which bonked me in the head, forcing me to stop swimming, stand up, and pitch the ball into the other pool, which helped you realize I was tall and could “possibly” avoid drowning if I were to stand up?  Or were you frustrated watching my pathetic attempt at swimming?  That’s it, isn’t it?  Regardless, thank you for leaving but also allow me to thank you for watching “just in case”. I  know your job isn’t easy.  I know you have a lot of responsiblity.  I know you take your job seriously and I thank you…..just please watch from across the pool in the future.

I promise I will become better.  I promise I will become faster.  I promise I will try not to flail around so much next time so as not to disturb your watching water polo practice.  See you next Monday.

Your Tall Swimmer,                                                                                                          Amanda – TooTallFritz

History of the Boston Marathon

Posted on by
12

Since all eyes are on Boston today, I thought it would be fun to go thru a little event history as we sit in front of our computers awaiting the 8:30 am CST start.

Pretty much every runner from today’s era has not only heard about the Boston Marathon but probably knows a few people standing on the start line right now.  It has become a deep obsession goal for many to hit those qualifying times to someday be competing with all of the other crème de la crème age groupers from the around the world.

Qualifying Standards:

Age Men Women
18-34 3:05 3:35
35-39 3:10 3:40
40-44 3:15 3:45
45-49 3:25 3:55
50-54 3:30 4:00
55-59 3:40 4:10
60-64 3:55 4:25
65-69 4:10 4:40
70-74 4:25 4:55
75-79 4:40 5:10
80+ 4:55 5:25

While I also get excited about the Boston Marathon, I fully acknowledge that I will never probably not be running Boston anytime soon.  In order for me to hit my qualifying time, somebody would have to pick my up in a car at mile 20 and drive deliver me quickly to the finish line. 

This, however, does not delude my excitement about the race or for those running it.  I congratulate all of you who are strong enough and fast enough to make the standards.  I know that for many of you, it was a full-time committment to hard work and serious training to get the standard, then again to toe the start line.

The Boston Marathon is always held on Patriot’s Day in Boston, which is the third Monday in April.  This is a holiday for all of Massachusetts & Maine in observance of the anniversary of the first battles of the American Revolutionary War.  Many in Boston also call Patriot’s Day “Marathon Monday” as the marathon is always ran on this day since its inception in 1897 after a very successful kickoff to the 26.2 event during the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.

The first Boston in 1897 ran with 18 men, entry was “free” and there were no prizes for winning other than the woven olive branch wreath.  This was the case for quite some time and it wasn’t until the 1980’s that prize money started to be awarded to the elite athletes in the top finishing spots.  As most of us know, women were not initially permitted to run and were not officially recognized as legal participants until 1972; however, this was after several women “fought the fight” to participate in years previous.  The first woman to ever run was in 1966, Roberta “Bobbi” Gibb hid in the bushes at the start line and just sprinted out with the men when the gun went off.  The next year in 1967, Katherine Switzer actually registered and ran under K.V. Switzer.  An official did see her and attempt to shove her off the course but her boyfriend intervened and she and her party sprinted off to actually complete the race.  Here is the infamous photo of Ms. Switzer being shoved in an attempt to remove her from this “male only” race.  Source:  KatherineSwitzer

“Boston” has the second largest on site media coverage of any sporting event, second only to the Superbowl.   All eyes are on Boston on Patriots Day, not only in the US but around the world.  This is one of the 5 World Marathon Majors (along with Chicago, New York, Berlin & London) and the best of the best show up in Boston to toe the line each year to run the oldest annual marathon.  The race is a point to point event, starting in the rural New England town of Hopkinton, winding through the hilly New England countryside, several small towns and finishing in Copley Square, Boston.

This year’s Boston is a showcase of the best NON-American world athletes seeing as we just finished the 2012 US Olympic Marathon Trails in Houston in January.  Our US athletes are in recovery mode for the 2012 London Olympics and quite possibly glued to the computer screens, just as we are, watching their world competitors race off without them.  So this Boston may not be as exciting to us American’s on the elite level but it is still a world-class event which garners world-wide attention. 

Now, I’m off to watch the race!  Good luck to all of our fast friends running for FUN and competing for those elusive age group awards today.  I know you all will do great!

Sources:  Boston Events: History of the Boston Marathon, Wikipedia – Boston Marathon & Wikipedia – Patriots Day

Happy Running,                                                                                                            Amanda – TooTallFritz

Schubert & Sauk Trail Woods Group Run

Posted on by
2

This morning as I got up to thunder and lightening terrifying my dogs lil man, I was thinking, “Wow, nobody is going to show!” However, the rains soon stopped and we had a nice group show to run Schubert Woods. We parked at the Chestnut Street entrance and invaded the Park Forest Running & Pancake Club’s turf. Fortunately, I used to be a Pancaker and know many of them and they are all very cool and welcoming. I knew they would be happy to have more people “running their turf” rather than feel violated like we were taking over. Today’s Schubert Crew from left: Kim, Lori, Aby (my 10 year old), Aurelia, Brian, Kevin, Matt, Wayne & Mark B (also a former Pancaker who was gracious enough to come and run hard with our F’N men).

20120415-153719.jpg

As I have mentioned before, I am really excited about this trail, just shocked that it is so underutilized. It is easily one of the most beautiful trails we have in the area and I feel “qualified” to make that statement as I have been running on the Southside of Chicago since circa 2004 and have covered a “few” miles in that time. My favorite things about this trail include: the foliage that shades you from the sun and gives houses a variety of visible creatures, the constant turns and small rolling hills, and the fact that the trail is newly resurfaced and without ruts or holes which some of the more popular trails have due to so much use. This trail also has a nice sized lake, which you can see at several points, and a few old bridges which I really love.

20120415-155941.jpg

20120415-154549.jpg

20120415-154650.jpg

All in all, if you can make the trip to Park Forest to run Schubert & Sauk Trail Woods, it’s worth the trip. You won’t be sorry and you will probably see me and a few Pancakers on the trail if you go on a Sunday morning around 8am. Today, Pancaker Alexis joined us, but was too quick to catch on film, plus we saw Ray & Margaret on the trail. I’m sure others, who we missed, were also floating around in the woods. It was nice to see the trail was alive and bustling with activity…….just as it should be.

See YOU on the Trail,
Amanda – TooTallFritz

You Might Be Serious About Your Training IF…….

Posted on by
19

Some people call me motivated, others call me crazy.  It really doesn’t matter as long as I am focused and moving toward my goals.  I’d like to think that I am Making It Happen for me, not just out there day in and day out being “crazy”.  In my quest to Make It Happen, I recently just got back to swimming HERE and onto the bike HERE in prep for my 2012 TRI season. One thing that I have realized over the last month, jumping back into TRI mode, is that I didn’t have all this damn hair the last time I had a SERIOUS TRI season.  When I’m in transition, I don’t have an infinite amount of time to try to jam this mop under a bike helmet.  Ponytails & bike helmets don’t mesh well.  And I’ll just skip the details on trying to get a bunch of hair under a swim cap.  OUCH!

So I pulled a pic of me in TRI season…..

Yep, it’s a slightly younger version of me and my baby girl, Aby (now 10) but obviously there wasn’t any trouble shoving that hair under a bike helmet.  So the plan was to chop off my hair as soon as I could manage getting into a stylist amongst the family, training & Aby’s track schedule.  I understand that I look more attractive with long hair that I can actually style but let’s be realistic, I have a two-year old and it’s been since Christmas a while since I styled my hair.  Yes, it has actually occurred to me that you “might” be crazy serious about your TRI training IF you chop off all your hair to be faster in transition.  Then vs Now:

Thank goodness I have lots of PunkeeLove Headbands now to use in my hair for fun & “styling”!  If you need a few stylish, kick ass headbands, don’t forget to use the one time per customer code:  tootall20 for an extra 20% off!

So now that I cut my hair, I thought it would be fun to do a You Might Be Serious About Your Training IF segment.  I’ll start and then I’d love for you to add to this in the comments below!

You Might Be Serious About Your Training IF

  • You cut your hair to better fit under your bike helmet & swim cap.
  • You own a bike that cost more than some people’s car.
  • You carry your workout clothes in your car “just in case”.
  • You know exactly how many miles you have run this year and how that works into your 2012 goal.
  • You plan “A” races and “B” races (AKA – Practice Races).
  • You spend more $$ on training/workout clothes than you do on your work wardrobe.
  • You don’t mind having black toenails, you can cover them with dark polish, right?
  • You schedule your life around training runs, bike rides and swim workouts.
  • You get up before your children the sun on the weekends to get in some training before “life” gets in the way.
  • You gave up high heels in favor of running shoes to tame the plantar fasciitis.
  • You have dropped all most friends who don’t workout or run.
  • Your social life revolves around your running/TRI friends….. if you have enough energy for a social life.
  • You make beg your mother go on running vacations since your hubby refuses.
  • You adopt/buy a dog based upon whether they will be a good running partner.
  • You consider your GPS watch one of your most “precious” possessions.
  • You start a blog to talk to strangers about running to keep your hubby from being bored from all the “gory” details that you just need to share with “someone”.

How about you, can you add to this list?  Please keep this going in the comments below!

Happy Training,                                                                                                                Amanda – TooTallFritz

Self-Destructive Habits…..

Posted on by
7

As I was walking to work today, one too many people blew smoke in my face.  I was irritated.  Smoking seems to be the one bad habit of OTHERS that I can’t avoid.  I hope that I am wrong but smokers seem to just not care about the rest of us in their quest to get high off their nicotine.  They don’t care that they smell bad, or that their clothes and cars reek, that the smell of smoke lingers in an aura around them following them everywhere:  into their house, into their bedrooms, onto the train, into the office, on their children and everything they touch.  They not only smell bad but if you have had a relationship with a smoker you know the taste is also horrid.  It comes out of their lungs when they breathe, it’s not just on their breath, it’s INSIDE OF THEM and it’s impossible to get away from it.

Since I work downtown, I encounter a lot more people in a normal day than say somebody who just drives to their job, parks in the parking lot and walks inside.  Over the course of a 15 minute walk from the train to my office, I may encounter several thousands of people.  Those people are all shapes, sizes and have different interests and habits.  Those of us who take the train, know that we have smokers who are standing by the doors to disembark first and they light up immediately as the train doors open.  They take that first puff, which must be an amazing high since they can’t even wait to get off the train, and then they blow that smoke right back at all of us who are behind them.  Wow, great way to start my day by having to suck in somebody else’s smoke.  Somebody I don’t know, somebody I don’t like/love so I shouldn’t have to deal.  It sucks. I’m tired of it. 

The smoking issue got me thinking about habits in general and specifically self-destructive habits.  Some of us have self-destructive habits that don’t affect others as much as say smoking.

Can you think of a few self-destructive habits that are somewhat common?  Here is the list which immediately popped up for me:

  • Smoking – Yuck, nobody likes this except the smoker themselves.  It’s a disgusting habit, uncleanly and affects others, it’s an addiction that apparently people can’t control, it kills the addict one day at a time.  Click HERE to find out more about how smoking is killing you or your loved ones.
  • Drinking in Excess – Alcohol leads to some good times…..sometimes too good!  I like it a lot; it doesn’t like me.  I have to be very careful with alcohol because my brain doesn’t have a stop button.  I’m probably considered an addict since my brain just keeps telling me to drink more and never gives me the stop signal.  Therefore, I have cut it out of “most” of my life.  Alcohol kills brain cells, leads to bad decisions, impairs memory/judgment/reactions.  It destroys the person from the inside out.  If you use alcohol every day and have been doing so for a prolonged period of time, click HERE to see what other people see in you:  slurred & slow speech even when you are sober, poor memory, difficult learning.  If you are a woman, you are even more susceptible to alcohol disease than men.  If you are a man and are taking your lady to the bar all the time for “dates”, you are killing her.  Maybe go for a walk, a bike ride, to a movie, or check out a local museum or festival.   Don’t be afraid to get creative; we like adventure! 
  • Overeating –  Another one of my favorites!  I am a total overeater.  I am better now than I used to be but I still binge on holiday candy and overeat at meals.  According to WomenFitness.net:  For some women overeating means bingeing and for others it means consuming more or other than planned. Most of us are overeating for a hundred different reasons. We are eating due to stress, irritation and frustration. It may be worry or overwork. We eat because our stomach feels ‘blah’. We are eating out of habit and with no real direction or thoughts about what we are doing with our face in the fridge.  Obviously, this is bad, it’s not healthy, and we can’t use food or smoking or alcohol to fix our problems, it just causes different problems!  Please go to the WomenFitness article HERE to identify overeating triggers and tips on how to avoid overeating.
  • Negative Thinking – Did you realize that negative thoughts are self-destructive?  Are you the person that see the glass half empty rather than half full?  I try to keep my family focused on thinking positive, which is really a full-time job.  I am constantly reminding them to “Think Happy Thoughts!”, “Be Happy”, “Smile”, “Be Nice”, “Tell me one HAPPY thing about today!”.  This is as much about me as it is about them.  I know that nobody is going to conquer the world by negative pessimism.  Click HERE to find out how to conquer negative thinking. You can honestly change your life by changing the way you approach things and by maintaining a happy, positive outlook on life. Don’t assume things are going to go poorly, assume that you are going to kick ass at everything you attempt!  You don’t have to be the best, but you will be BETTER by knowing that you are AWESOME!
  • Sleep Deprivation – Ha, Ha!  Yep, this too is self-destructive!  Not something that us busy people want to hear but we absolutely need to sleep.  While we are sleeping our body is repairing the damage we did during the day.  Your brain neurons and muscles are regenerating, your body is revitalizing itself to work hard for you when you awake.  Sleep Deprivation can cause memory loss, headaches, weakened immune system, and depression to name a few.  It was hard to find an article that was not “too” scientific in regard to sleep deprivation but if you need more information, there is a plethora of info and details HERE.

We could go on and on identifying self-destructive habits/behavior but the bottom line is that you get to choose your habits.  You pick.  Rule your life, don’t let your additions and bad habits rule you. Stop making excuses and using vices, or food, to provide temporary comfort.  Nobody is perfect so just deal with the situation and move on, you’ll be happier for it in the long run.  Speaking of “run”, lots of problems get sorted out when you exercise.  Go burn some calories and you may be surprised at how the problem that was so horrid “before the run” becomes just a bump in the road after a mile or two.  Take time to step back, cool off and focus on the “positive”.    

What bad habits do you have that you are planning to kick to the curb?  Any advice for those of us who are struggling with some of the above habits?

Take Control of YOUR Life,                                                                                          Amanda – TooTallFritz

Stealing Time…..

Posted on by
11

I frequently find that I do not have enough hours in the day to get done what I want and what needs to be done.  Therefore, I am always stealing time from somewhere.  I steal time from the sleep column to run.  I steal time from work to run or swim.  I steal time from my commute by driving verses taking the train so that I can squeeze in a longer run.  I steal time from my family by requesting hubby to do the daycare pickup so that I can squeeze in a run, swim or bike……  Or I sneak out of the house in the early mornings on the weekends to put away some miles before the family is really awake and “active”.  There is never enough time but you make time, or steal it if you must, to squeeze in what is important to you.  Fitness is either important or it’s not. 

Wednesdays are my biggest “time” stealing days.  I not only leave work a few minutes early, but I also drive to steal time from my commute, plus hubby does daycare pick up and manages the kids for an hour after he gets home.  I love my Wednesday runs, they are my favorite part of the week.  It is not normal for me to get out for a group run during the week but I have made it a priority on Wednesday’s and the family has flexed to make it happen each and every week.  Thank you, Family!  I normally am able to squeeze in 10 miles on Wednesday nights and that really makes my week.  I don’t run daily, usually only 3 or 4 days a week, so when I get out I try to make it count.

It’s not easy, you have to make the effort to get in the things that matter to you.  How do you steal time from your life to get in those “extra” things to really make it count?

Happy Running,                                                                                                           Amanda – TooTallFritz

Running Alone In The Dark….

Posted on by
17

I haven’t had the pleasure of running in the morning for quite some time.  Shortly after the marathon last year, we moved Mr. Michael into a “big boy” bed.  The idea was that I had been spending a lot of time in the rocker sitting beside his toddler bed and I was EXHAUSTED.  So we moved the lil man into a full size bed, which we put on the floor cuz he was so tiny and I feared he would fall out and get hurt.  During the bed swap I prayed that he would have the space he needed to stretch, turn & flip throughout the night without waking but apparently that wasn’t the real problem.  He really just wants his momma with him all the time.

So for the last 6 months, I have been floating between beds, half asleep, confused,  and not sure where I am when I awake.  I just follow the screams for “momma”.  This has left zero very little time for morning runs.  Frequently, hubby has to wake me up because I’m still sleeping in Michael’s bed when he leaves for work.  Not good!  But things have been changing over the last month or so.  My lil man is sleeping til about 5:00 or 5:30 am before he bullets out of bed to start his day.  And most importantly, he is sleeping for longer stretches at a time.  Good, Great, AWESOME!  So I decided to try to start adding the morning runs back into my routine. 

How do you feel when you haul your ass butt out of bed to run alone in the dark?  Are you scared?  I am!  I never used to be but dang, with each year of age, I think I develop a bigger pile of nerves.  Thankfully I live in the middle of nowhere so traffic isn’t an issue.  We don’t have any a lot of creepy people roaming our country roads, so basically it’s just me, the coyotes and any unleashed dogs that decide to give chase.  Ugh!  I’ll take the coyotes before those biting dogs any day! 

There weren’t many stars out this morning but everything was clear and still frozen.   Thankfully I had the light of the moon since I couldn’t find my knucklelights.  The road was actually well-lit with this lopsided moon. 

I tried not to focus too much on the moon since I didn’t want to fall into a hole, or off the side of road, while obsessing looking toward the sky.  So I just tried to focus on running an even pace in the middle of the road.  I have a default pace when I’m tired, grumpy, can’t see, scared or it’s dark:  9:30.  I’m pretty sure that my pace for 4 miles this morning was a 9:28ish.  That’s my pace.  My comfort zone.  The spot I go back to when everything else is uncertain.  Running in the dark is very uncertain.  So many things can happen.  I wouldn’t recommend it.  However, if you are trying to get more time out of your day and need to run in the dark, here are a few tips:

  • Be aware of your surroundings at all times.
  • Don’t use an ipod and if you do because you too hate hearing coyotes kill other creatures of the night, then only use on ear bud and keep the volume low.
  • Run against traffic so that you can see the drunken madman swerving all over the road and be prepared to dive into the ditch.
  • ALWAYS assume the vehicular traffic CAN NOT see you.
  • Wave to cars like a happy idiot as they pass you.  This will foster a sense of community between you, the runner, and them, the driver.  They will start watching for that “idiot runner” when they are driving to work.
  • Take your cell phone.
  • Tell somebody your intended route or leave a map by hubby’s coffee pot.
  • Avoid routes with unleashed  aggressive dogs/pets.
  • Always trust your gut feeling, if it feels wrong it is wrong.  This FREQUENTLY changes my route. 
  • Carry pepper spray or something with which you are comfortable using if you need to defend yourself.  I like the Wrist Saver from Personal Savers, they have a pink one now!  Here is a pic of mine:

Check out the link HERE on how to defend yourself with pepper spray!

  • Wear reflective clothing, multiple items.  I don’t even buy clothing without reflective accents.
  • Use a headlamp or KnuckleLights.
  • Be ready for anything.

Ideally, it is always safest to run during the daylight hours and with a friend if possible but as a mother, wife, full-time employee, runner & triathlete, that’s not always possible for me.

Do you any have any running in the dark tips?  Anything I missed?  Help me out!

Happy SAFE Running!                                                                                                 Amanda – TooTallFritz

25 mph WNW Winds….Increasingly Windy

Posted on by
1

As I was headed home from work today, I could feel my car being blown all over the expressway.  When I got home I grabbed a handful of Easter candy checked the weather as I was putting on my bike clothes to go for a ride.  I was planning to ride a loop on my country roads, technically the plan was to loop it 3x for 25 miles but the biggest issue was getting my ass out the door.  I didn’t want to go; I’d rather be running, right?  Absolutely!  But even a run in this crazy wind would have been a challenge out here.  Since I’m in the middle of nowhere, the 25 WNW winds are even more daunting because we don’t have anything to block or break it.  I should REALLY just stay in the house and eat more candy do laundry.  But alas, if it were race day, I’d be out there no matter what so I motivated myself to try just one loop.

I know, I’m too sexy, right?  All decked out in my $5 add-on arm warmers from Running Warehouse with my cool Team Tough Chik TRI Tank!   Sorry, those are the only arm warmers I have at the moment but rumor is that Team Tough Chik is going to do matching arm warmers when they reopen registration in May.  Make sure you get on their mailing list  HERE to be notified when registration opens.

Anyhow, out the door I went and it was rough!  Thank goodness I ate a shitload some Easter candy or I’m quite certain the wind would have actually lifted my bike and tossed me a few times.  Thank goodness there were not many cars cruising our country roads or I probably would have been hit.  I don’t ride straight when I’m sober on a normal basis and well when the wind is pushing me at 25+ mph from the side, it’s impossible to ride straight, or shift.  Aero is absolutely out of the question and I’m pretty sure that’s when I’m supposed to be riding aero ………… on these windy days.  Yes?  No?   Who really knows, all I know is that I was holding on for dear life, begging to be safely delivered back to my drive before the wind picked me up and blew me on my way.  And I say 25 mph, my ass.  No flippin’ way those winds are only 25 mph….maybe 50, maybe more.  Enough to scare me into only doing one loop.  So I rode my bike an entire 8.6 miles tonight and it was a tough 8.6 miles.  Something is better than nothing, right?  I’m just happy to be back in the house!

Stay Safe,                                                                                                                Amanda – TooTallFritz

PunkeeLove Headband Winners!

Posted on by
6

I have the winners for the PunkeeLove Headbands!

Winners

  • #47 – Melanie Hicks
  • #57 – Lucy S
  • #138 – Lynn R
  • #174 = Nicole Cole
  • #88 – Amy C

Congratulations, ladies!  Please email me your address and I will send out the headbands immediately.  Email address:  amanda@tootallfritz.com

For those of you who didn’t win, please use the one time only coupon code: tootall20   for a 20% discount at PunkeeLove Headbands!

Thanks to everyone who participated; I really appreciate it! 

Happy Running,                                                                                                             Amanda – TooTallFritz