Category Archives: Randoms

Gone Shopping……

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It’s Cyber Monday and I have “Gone Shopping”.  I’ll be out for the remainder of the day.  So far I have taken advantage of sales for myself from the following retailers:

Athleta – 30% off using the coupon code:  HUGECYBER

SkirtSports – savings on selected merchandise, click here to view.

RunningSkirts – pretty much everything is on sale and I have been waiting to try their compression socks and a “few” other things.  REALLY hoping Mom still need Christmas presents for me.

I didn’t buy this but if you need a running watch – Amazon has the Garmin 405 for $139!

Walmart also has the Garmin 405 for $139, which is a really good deal!

I hope that you too have a Mom who needs Christmas gift “ideas”!

Happy Shopping!                                                                                                                      Amanda – TooTallFritz.com

Favorite Things….

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As all of us are reflecting on our blessings and how thankful we are for our family and friends, it got me thinking about some of the “little” things in my life for which I am thankful. 

 Introducing a few of My Favorite Things

OPI Nail Polish – A girl wants to look good and we can’t afford don’t have time to be dashing over to the nail salon all the time.  Serena Williams Grand Slam+ Red Shatter + Clear Top Coat

Adele – 21 Album – I have been obsessed loving Adele since summer.  It took me a little longer to jump on the train but I am on and currently sitting down for the ride.  LOVE!   Please get me the 19 cd for Christmas, Mick! 

Eve – “My” In Car GPS/Computer – She takes me everywhere, even where I don’t want to go, and more importantly she brings me home.  She also downloads my favorite cds so that I don’t have to carry all of Alan Jackson‘s cds in my car and she makes helps me answer my phone even when I don’t know where it is or can’t reach it.

Stella &  Dot – Snake Orb Pendant Necklace – Quite possibly the only “fashionable” thing that I currently own.  It has been featured in several magazines and my friend Elizabeth B. just became one of the Stella & Dot stylists.  CLICK ON THE LINK and  BUY ONE FROM HER NOW!  As a side note, Michael LOVES this necklace and is constantly grabbing it to kiss the snake and then just keeps hissing at me and the snake.  Absolutely precious but I’m sure my necklace will hit Mick’s Costume Jewelry Repair Shop before the weekend.

The Stella & Dot Renegade Necklace is on my wish list & the current feature in Lucky Magazine:   

 

Fresh somewhat Healthy Foods that are portable and easy to throw in a bag for travel & work cuz I REALLY like to eat!  I prefer greek yogurt, for the added protein benefits; however, it is currently “out of stock” in the TooTall fridge.  The Dannon Oikos Honey is my absolute favorite cuz it tastes like dessert .

Today’s emergency foods:

Carmel Cremes – cuz a girl can only eat so many apples, bananas and yogurt.

These are obviously all non-Running related items.  I talk about the running things that I obsess over love all the time so I feel it would be redundant to add those things back in here when you already know that I love my Nike+ GPS, the CW-X compression tights, the CEP compression calf sleeves, Athleta, Knuckelights & RunningSkirts. 

What are a few of your favorite things?  Tell us!!

Be thankful for EVERYTHING in your life.  All is just as God planned……the good, the bad, and even the really ugly. 

Amanda – TooTallFritz

 

Baby Steps……

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The response to yesterday’s post on my achieving the 1000 mile goal was that some thought I was crazy were overwhelmed by the idea of running 1000 miles.  As in all goals that a person attempts to achieve, break down the hopeless MAJOR undertaking into small parts or baby steps.  If one were to train for a half or a full marathon they should might look at a Hal Higdon training program that breaks down the training week by week so that the thought of running 13.1 or 26.2 doesn’t scare the shit out of them seem so daunting.  I never think about the “end game”, only what I have to run to get thru this week.  And let me just say that anything over 16 miles makes me wanna cry like a baby, I CAN’T think about 26.2 or I’ll never get out the door to hit the start line.

When I considered the 1000 miles as a goal, I broke it down into small pieces.  1)  Run 19.2 miles a week or 2) Squeeze in 83.3 miles per month.  This makes it much more manageable and very doable on those terms.  1000 miles does sound CRAZY and the 2000 that Frogger is running is certifiably insane but if you take it down a notch, look at what needs to happen for just today, or just this week, then you will be able to manage anything.

Remember, baby steps will carry you through any process from inception to completion.  You CAN do it!

Amanda – TooTallFritz

1000 miles – Check!

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I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions to be broken but rather focus on a goal that I can work toward during the year which forces me to make a conscious, continued effort to maintain fitness.  This year, my goal was to run 1000 miles, prompted by another blogger, Tall Mom on the Run.  Tall Mom created a challenge to others to “move” 1000 miles throughout the year.  For me, this meant running.  She published a shared spreadsheet and all those involved in the challenge added in their mileage at their leisure. 

I am happy to say that I bumped past my 1000 miles on Saturday’s run.   I was so close all week but with the flu and Mr. Michael’s poor sleeping habits it was hard to get in those last few miles.  To be honest, it has been a struggle all year to rack up miles, and focus on fitness, due to injuries and Mr. Michael.  I never could have reached my goal without some major support at home from hubby and him doing baby duty on the only morning he would have a chance to “sleep in”.  So I am very thankful for his help and the fact that he didn’t bitch too much frequently helps with Michael so I can squeeze fitness into our very busy life.  Thanks, Mick!

Attaining the 2011 goal makes me reflect a lot on where I want to go for 2012.   When one is part of a family, they must also consider others and the sacrifice that they too will make to “help” YOU achieve a goal.  So I do not take goals lightly, it is a serious thing for me and I hope that it is for you too.  I frequently put what I want to achieve on the back burner in order to pick something that is realistic and doable for all of us.  For example, I really want to do an IronwoMan but I know that at this point in our lives, it would be impossible to TRAIN for that type of committment and also LIVE life and PARTICIPATE in the family and WORK a full-time job.  So alas, this isn’t the year, and quite possibly there won’t be time for IwoM training until the lil man is considerably older and can make his own breakfast more independent.  However, my bike has sat on the trainer for several years now and it will be coming off this spring.  I will be going back to triathlon and may possibly just stick to the International distance to keep the peace the training requirements in the manageable range.  So you can look for me and my beautiful bike on the TRI circuit again next year.

And I’ll be probably be wearing my Team TOUGH CHIK jersey.   

Check out the intro to Team Tough Chik and join me and lots of other ladies who will be racing under that name this year……running, biking, TRI-ing. 

Make it Happen!                                                                                                                Amanda – TooTallFritz                                                                            amanda@tootallfritz.com

So NOT 21 anymore…..

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The college babysitter is home for the holiday so Mick and I had the rare opportunity to actually partake in some adult fun last night and attend a 40th birthday party bash. The problem is that adult fun usually involves alcohol and Ms. TooTall is pretty far from the prime party age of 21 and definitely has trouble hanging!  I’m sure the college babysitter thinks I am a total drunk frequently overindulged since each time she is here I come home totally shit-faced over the legal limit.  This makes me feel like a MAJOR loser bad as I never go anywhere with the intention of drinking too much.  Unfortunately, the alcohol gene runs in the family so I have to be pretty careful because my brain doesn’t work normally and I never get the “you’ve had enough” message.  I start drinking and basically never even consider that I’ve had too much until it’s just too late.  Then combine this with the fact that I rarely drink and “too much” comes much faster than one would believe.  Really embarrassing!

Anyhow, I hope I didn’t don’t think I made too much of an ass out of myself at the party and I had a great time and met some really great people.  Meet the birthday girl, Kerry!

Really LOVE this photo with the candles being blown out!

I spent a lot of time talking to these three amazing ladies:  Cynthia, Jen & April.

Cynthia has convinced April to run her first half marathon next spring in CA, so please look for April out on the trail in the spring, pounding out the miles to prepare for that summer half!  Go ladies!!  And Ms. Jen has my dream job if there is such a thing with the FBI…..has even been to Quantico.  Fortunately she isn’t a “secret agent” or the black suits would be rolling in as we speak to confiscate my computer and phone I probably couldn’t have photographed her or mentioned that she was in the FBI.   I’m sure being a Special Agent in Charge  hope I got that right or I will blame my alcohol soaked brain with the FBI probably isn’t as exciting as it sounds or maybe it is?  She has agreed to a 10 miler with me on Black Friday so hopefully I can pump her for more info while I’m sober then. 

It was really fun celebrating with Kerry and I absolutely loved her friends!  I’m also super excited to have met more runners!  And note to self:  more running, less drinking……at this age it takes a full day to recover and that’s just a sad waste of life.  I can’t imagine doing this all the time like we did in college.  I don’t have the time for it and it zaps my energy.  Glad that it’s a rare occasion for me and I’m guessing it will become even more and more rare because the college babysitter will probably stop returning my calls it’s just not worth it and I plan to be smarter in the future.

How do you and your body cope with alcohol?  Do you automatically know when to switch to water or are you a drunk unlucky like me and have trouble recognizing the cut off?

Almost Recovered,                                                                                                        Amanda – TooTallFritz                                                                                   amanda@tootallfritz.com

Flu Bug….or maybe not

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As most of you know by now, my family was hit by the flu bug this weekend……or at least that is what we call it.   The “real” flu, influenza is a viral respiratory infection but what we had was the puking and liquid poo stomach flu version.

The little man brought this nasty bug home on Friday night and proceeded to infect the whole house within the span of 48 hours.  I can’t even tell you how disgusting stressful it was to have Aby, Mick and I all down with the flu at the same time.  Horrid.  

With so much puke and poo nastiness flying thru the house, many asked “did you get the flu shot”.  Well, what we had, the flu shot can’t fix.  See the flu shot only works on the influenza version and doesn’t help its black sheep cousin gastroenteritis at all.  So I have added in a few flu facts below.

Flu shot: Will it prevent the stomach flu?

I got the flu shot last year, but I still got the stomach flu. Why should I bother getting it again this year if it doesn’t work?

Answer

from James M. Steckelberg, M.D.

The flu shot protects against influenza, which isn’t the same thing as the stomach flu (gastroenteritis). Gastroenteritis is an infection caused by a variety of viruses, including rotaviruses and noroviruses. Although it is often called the stomach flu, it is not caused by influenza viruses.

Real flu (influenza) attacks your respiratory system — your nose, throat and lungs — causing fever, muscle aches, coughing and congestion. Gastroenteritis, on the other hand, attacks your intestines, causing signs and symptoms such as watery diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and stomach cramps.

No vaccine is available for gastroenteritis with the exception of a newly released rotavirus vaccine called RotaTeq, an oral vaccine for infants. However, you can reduce your risk of gastroenteritis by frequent and thorough hand washing.

The flu vaccine is the most effective way to reduce your risk of getting influenza.

 

I always use the Mayo Clinic for most of my health questions/concerns.  They seem to have the most comprehensive online system and their reputation kicks ass is impeccable. 

Good luck fighting all the various illnesses and “bugs” this season.  I wish each and every one of you an abundance of health.

Amanda – TooTallFritz                                                                            amanda@tootallfritz.com

Breaking the Rules….or So I Thought

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I have a few unwritten rules that I use for running and specifically racing.  As I get older more mature, my body is less forgiving of the required daily demands; therefore, rest days are a welcome relief must.  My biggest, unwritten rule is that I don’t run the day before race day.  Or at least, I haven’t EVER planned to run pre-race day until today.  You might ask what prompted me to consider breaking tradition?

It was Mel D. from Running for Kicks in Palos.             

Although there are a couple local running stores, I only use two.  Running for Kicks in Palos or if I’m heading to Indiana, Fleet Feet Schererville.  The majority of time I go to Running for Kicks for the same reason as 95% of their other customs……..Mel, Gail and a whole crew of RUNNERS who are waiting to help you and make your next run better than the last.  You walk into the store and I promise, it’s a family affair.   I can say this because I rarely go unless I am dragging 3/4 of my little family, which includes a little shit man who is trying to climb the walls.  The Running For Kicks staff never bats an eye regardless of how they really feel his antics.

Today Running for Kicks partnered with Saucony to host a trail run where you could try out the new Saucony trail shoes and then for 1 hour after the run, you could    1) win one of three pair of Saucony Trail  Shoes being raffled off and   2) get a 20% discount on any Saucony shoes/merchandise.  This is huge for me because I run in Saucony exclusively, except for 5K racing, and each pair of my shoes start at $100.  So by attending this event, I would have automatically been guaranteed a $20 shoe savings…..which for my cheap ass me was reason enough to secure a sitter, and “break the rules”. 

This fun run and shoes savings never happened for me today because my little man got the flu last night and we all know what that does to the house and the family.   For most of us, running is a hobby and that means it will always take a backseat to the family.  There was no way I was going to leave him with somebody else while he was sick regardless of my own plans/desires.  He seems fine now so back to running talk with lots of laundry, carpet shampooing, and bed changing  fun in between.

Did you attend the Running For Kicks/Saucony Trail Run?  Did you win the FREE shoes?  Have you ever participated in a similar event?  If you attended, or were lucky enough to win the shoes, let me know!  I’ll see you at the next event or maybe 13.1 Valpo if I’m not puking tomorrow. 

Update:  Gail R. let me steal a few of her photos!!  Here are the three winners, Joe W., Kelly W.  and George B.  congrats to all three of you!

Happy Running!                                                                                                                     Amanda – TooTallFritz

The Skinny on $tarBuck$

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Once the weather turns remotely cold, it is super hard for me to skip past $tarBuck$ when they are on every corner downtown in the morning.  I am always cold anyhow so a hot drink makes me happy, period.  However, once I add up the cost of $tarBuck$, plus the liquid calories, it really just isn’t smart a good idea for my body or my wallet.  Ironically, I am NOT a coffee drinker.  I don’t like the stuff, don’t like how it tastes going down or the after taste so I didn’t immediately jump on the $tarBuck$ train like a lot of people but instead it was a long slow progression to……

Unfortunately, I eventually realized that most $tarBuck$ products taste more like dessert than coffee and they hooked and reeled me in won me over.  I’m embarrassed not proud.  On the days that I am weak and stupid want a treat, I stop in for something in the “SKINNY” line.  The Starbucks Skinny products are much lower in calories and fat than the regular drinks.  My favorite is the Skinny Peppermint Mocha.

Espresso Beverages – Grande 16oz – Non-Fat Milk – No Whipped Cream

                                                                                               cals*fat*carb*fiber*proein  
Skinny Caramel Macchiato 140 1 21 0 11
Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte 120 0 19 0 12
Skinny Flavored Latte 120 0 19 0 12
Skinny Peppermint Mocha 130 1.5 17 4 13

This is a treat for me and I really try to limit myself.  In my opinion, the best non-$tarBuck$ option is WATER.  I’m normally a water drinker, because I like it.  The added health benefits are just a bonus.  However, if I want a hot drink and am home or feeling cheap or broke  want to make a better choice, then I choose one of the following AdvoCare options.  I really like AdvoCare’s Spark both cold and warm.  It has several nice fruit flavors and actually taste good warm, plus I get some added nutrients and vitamins.  It’s convenient and comes in packets which I can carry in my purse or easily keep in my desk drawer at work.  I just add the contents to a water bottle and have a tasty, portable, nutrient rich beverage which is easy, low cal and affordable.

AdvoCare Spark® Energy Drink

My go to product for a hot mocha coffee type drink or a great additive to smoothies and protein shakes is the Coffeccino.

Coffeccino®

Then they developed a Mocha Mint Coffeccino for the holiday season.Mocha Mint Coffeccino® - Holiday Product

So if you are cheap like me watching your budget or just want a good product that won’t contribute to a big ass gives you some nutrition+warm+comfort, you might want to try one of these.  If you need the $tarBuck$, try to stay SKINNY and then you won’t have to skip a meal because of the extra calories. 

Stay Warm & Smart,                                                                                                        Amanda – TooTallFritz                                                                              amanda@tootallfritz.com

Toenails are for Sissies

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I’m sure most of you have heard the phrase “Toenails are for Sissies“.  If you have been to a large expo, you have possibly even come across the One More Mile Running Company booth which sells shirts/hats/stickers which make us giggle, nod in agreement and ultimately purchase the merchandise because it is better to laugh at the situation than cry.

Unfortunately I can relate.  I have always had toenail “problems”, even before I was stupid crazy enough to try the marathon distance.  I can lose a toenail after a 10 miler for a million numerous reasons unless I have some of these…….

Those little buddies are gel toe protectors.   I buy mine at Walgreens because there is one on every corner in the city it’s convenient.  They are currently on sale, buy 1, get one 50% off.  Smoking deal if you go thru them like me.  They are normally $6.99 each and worth EVERY penny!

I encourage you to try some before your feet get all jacked up gnarled like mine.

Or you will pay some lady A LOT of $$ each year to paint your skin make them look somewhat respectable.

I currently only have 2 nails on this poor foot.  The Chicago Marathon really took its toll this year.  Normally, I only have issues with the big and second toe but since I am now running funny due to the Plantar Fasciitis, this year didn’t go as well.  So for the next 6 months I’ll be wearing protectors on all but my baby toe.  Yikes. 

Sorry, this is such a disgusting graphic post.  Sorry to my hubby for the first and last view of how gross my feet really look.  Allow this to be a warning, or point of encouragement, for all of you who may have this problem or plan to run a marathon in the near future.   And for goodness sake, if you have this problem do everyone yourself a favor and go get a pedicure!

For those of you bitches who don’t have this problem like my bitch ass sister, the rest of us real toenail-less runners hate congratulate you. 

Good luck & Happy Running,                                                                                             Amanda – TooTallFritz

Sunday Funday…..

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Mick and I picked up the kiddos from my  parents this afternoon and we’ve done absolutely nothing!  It feels cool to me with wind and light rain so slippers are a must!

Sunday Funday it is for us with movie and popcorn!

I hope you too are having a relaxing Sunday and enjoying what God has given you.

Cheers,                                                                                                                                                  Amanda – TooTallFritz