Black Friday Waterfall Glen Run {2011}

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Today was as close to perfect as I could have gotten without sitting on a beach, under an umbrella, in the tropics sipping on poison.   Somehow a run with one partner turned into a run of nine AWESOME women who spent hard-earned calories running rather than $$ shopping in the Black Friday madness.   Meet our Waterfall Glen Black Friday Crew from Top Left:  Me, Jen, Judy, Susan, Maggie;  Bottom Left:  Laura, Angela, Kelly & Suzanne. 

These women hauled their asses out of bed came this morning to run in the name of health, wellness, fitness and friendship.  A 9.5 mile run thru the rolling hills of Waterfall Glen’s Forest Preserve isn’t exactly how many women would like to spend the largest shopping day of the year but that is what runners do, we run.  We run on our birthdays, on holidays, on breaks at work, and in the snow, sleet and rain……WE RUN. 

If I had to hazard a guess, there are probably a few ladies Susan & Jen who came today who don’t consider themselves runners.  Let me break it to you gently Susan & Jen, if you showed up today for a 9.5 mile run in the woods on Black Friday…..YOU. ARE. A. RUNNER.  

A pictorial account of what we saw while running on this glorious day!

I promised I wouldn’t take any photos of anyone’s ass but I lied that was hard since I was bringing up the rear.   The guarantee today was that NOBODY would get left behind and I welcomed the opportunity to run the back since I am exhausted and love to take lots of pics I needed a break but still wanted to be part of the fun.

 Hey Jen, can you stop running and sit on this bench for a photo?

Hey Jen, can you stop running AGAIN to take a photo of me?

Almost done, we WILL make it…….And where the HELL was Big Bertha?  I think we totally missed it while talking, stopping for a billion photos and just enjoying the view and being out in the beautiful weather!

Thanks to these fast dudes who I believe lapped us a couple of times were kind enough to take a few photos of our entire group once we all made it back.  Thanks, Brian & Rick!

All in all a wonderful run.  I hope “the crew” members had a recovery drink in their car!  I use the AdvoCare Post Workout Recovery drink so that I can go back out tomorrow or hopefully Sunday with the FRC if hubby doesn’t kill me for another morning run during our mini vacay and do it all again, and so that I can get up and down the stairs, and so that I can pig out on Thanksgiving leftovers when I get home since I already had the necessary recovery nutrients. I need the ease and convenience of a recovery drink because it requires less thinking and counting my nutrients…..sometimes my brain doesn’t want to work too well after a good run.

Perfect day:  Morning Run in PERFECT WEATHER (40 degrees + sun) with friends, Thanksgiving Leftovers, 3 hour nap with the kiddos, then chores and cuddling with my little man.  Some days, life is better than others.  Thanks again to the Waterfall Glen Black Friday Crew and my wonderful hubby who didn’t even bitch watched the lil ones this morning for me.

How did Black Friday work out for you?  What is your perfect day?

We head out to Indiana tomorrow for Thanksgiving #2 with the Fritz Clan, so enjoy your weekend and I’ll catch up with all of you later cuz I’ll be eating more awesome food and hanging out with my loved ones! 

Many Blessings,                                                                                                                       Amanda – TooTallFritz

Misfit Thanksgiving 2011

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It has become an annual tradition to host Thanksgiving for my little family, my in-laws and a few friends.  I secretly call us The Misfits consider us to be a diverse group, we all are part of larger families but it seems that due to distance, the addition of spouses/children, and jackass family members busy schedules we all seem to be solo on some major holidays.  I have always dreamed of this HUGE family with lots of people, screaming kids and absolute chaos but it never seems to work out for everyone to get together at one time, on one day, in one place…….enter my Misfits. 

Websters may define family as: 1)  a group of individuals living under one roof; and 2)  a group of persons of common ancestry.  However, Ms. TooTall knows that family is what you make it, should be about the people you love and those who are there for you thru thick-n-thin.  And I am very happy for my family of Misfits!

If you happen to also be homeless for the holidays, feel free to come on over.  I guarantee the stuffing will be cold, the floors will be dirty and there WILL BE screaming children and stinky barking dogs…..but you’re welcome to join us for the festivities!   Wasn’t lying about the nasty dirty floors…..this kid had a bath this morning!  I really should be embarrassed but I’m NOT busy living life rather than cleaning my house. 

My thing about Holidays and Family is tradition.  Although, I am somewhat non-traditional when it comes to many things, there are also other things which I am crazy psycho paticular about and like to do every year.  For many years now, I have been participating in the Running For Kicks 4 mile Turkey Trot in Palos humongous Hills on Thanksgiving morning.  It’s certainly not an easy race and I clawed my way up several hills  was far from my best today but was still happy to be out there doing what I love with so many people I love!  Kristina H., Nicki T. & myself fresh off a kill with red eyes. 
Nicki says she now needs to re-evaluate our friendship since I pressured convinced her to run this crazy, hilly race.  HeHeHeHeHe……she’ll be back next year!
 
A couple of folks from the Frankfort Running Club:  Julie B., Little Joe B. and Brian P.      
Note to self……start races far behind Brian P. and Little Joe cuz they kick ass float uphill and make Ms. TooTall look like she is standing still run really fast.  Once results posted I stalked looked up their times….Brian – 30:10, Joe – 31:34, Me – 31:55….Julie held back with me to push me up the hills make me feel better.
 
Overall it was an awesome day running, cooking, and I really enjoyed hanging out with my Misfits.  I hope all of you had a blessed and joyous day regardless of how you spent it.  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 
How did you spend Thanksgiving Day 2011?  Did you workout, run a Turkey Trot or just chill with the family?
 
Happy Thanksgiving,                                                                                                     Amanda – TooTallFritz
 
 

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

Another windy run…..

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It’s another windy day in the country.   We are having  25+ mph winds with gusts up to 40 mph……or so weatherbug says.  I’m a “big” girl and was blown all over the road today.  It won’t be getting better for a long time so I need to stop being a wuss buckle down a bit as I’m apparently too soft from running the trails all summer with the protection of the trees.  And since I was running my roads today there won’t be lots of beautiful pics but I did stop and take some anyhow. 

The beginning of the run heads south and the wind was coming almost full on from the south so I only made it about three miles before bailing on to my friend Nicki’s road just in case I needed a ride blew away. 

Then I looped around Nicki’s house again in case I changed my mind for safety reasons.

Due to our location which is out in the middle of NOWHERE very rural but also accessible to some major roads, we have a lot of blind bridges, turns and overpasses.  This makes running any amount of distance almost impossible without eventually approaching one of these dangerous intersections.  Of course, I could always run in a circle around a 4 or 6 mile “section” but basically, I can’t run past my house (or my car) more than one time or I  whimp out go inside and cut the run short.

So I manged to get it in today but it wasn’t easy.  I used some time management skills that backfired.  Hate it when a good plan goes bad.  How do you manage to get it all in…..kids, house, life, work, and “hobby”?  Let me know cuz some days I struggle!

10.2 miles – 1:39.49 – Do I get a wind handicap?  Multiple stops for photos, stepped off road 1x for two large pieces of farm equipment that took up entire road, stopped 2x for busy road crossings, and stopped 1x on busy road to get further off edge as I thought I was going to die get hit.

“Run”way Fashion – last year’s Athleta Hopkinton Top, Hot Choc WIND BREAKER, and Skirt Sport tights.

Run Happy…..You never know what kind of shit will hit the fan when you step back into the house reality.

Amanda – TooTallFritz

Quality Time

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I ended up with solo quality time with both kiddos yesterday.  That doesn’t happen often.  Michael and I spent the day cleaning and running errands, which is probably sounds boring but Michael is a busy boy and needs to be DOING something constantly or will be a total terror get into trouble.  Plus, he just likes to be with his mamma.

My lil cool dude…..he has black motorcycle boots too…..must complete the look!

Then Aby and I went to see the much awaited Breaking Dawn movie.  Yes, we are “TWI-Hards”….whatever that means.  I think it means we are in love with Edward fans.  We have been to each of the movies on opening night .  And sometimes we go back to see it a second time.  I do believe the acting is horrible improving, plus I loved the books.  As with all book to movie sequences, the movie falls way short of the book reader’s expectations but we still go to watch even if it is a train wreck has a little to be desired in terms of quality.  We both liked the movie a lot and Aby already wants to go back to see it again, plus has asked me a million questions as to what I think will be in the final movie and when it will be out.   I tried to be a good mommy and lie answer her questions to best of my ability.

What do you do with your kiddos/family when you get quality time?

Amanda – TooTallFritz                                                                               amanda@tootallfritz.com

Step Outside the Box

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As the sun sank from the sky last night, I was just arriving at the Grainery in Frankfort to meet up with friends for a run.  Fortunately, I was a few minutes early so was able to run around like an idiot and grab a few photos.  The first was looking west on Old Plank toward the Grainery  thru the power lines.

Then I ran east on the trail to grab a few photos within a short distance of the parking lot as the sunlight was fading. 

The life around the pond seems to be dying with the autumn.  I think winter is heading our way, like it or not.

I was really amazed at how differently everything looked in low light.  I normally run in the dark or as the sun is coming up and this was a nice change.  I look forward to comparing similar photos in the winter, spring and summer.   I must say one of my favorite things so far about blogging is that I am now making a better effort to document my surroundings by photographing some of the beautiful sites that I take for granted on a daily basis.  God is good.

At this point, the light was fading fast and I jogged back to await the arrival of a few Frankfort Running Club ladies.  Note to the earring wearing crowd, don’t wear french wires while running in low 30 degree temps……ears get cold from the inside out. 

Susan D. and Maggie W. soon arrived and I quickly ushered them into the bathroom light for a quick photo.

After the ladies so kindly obliged my abnoxious photo request, we ran off into the dark.  I just recovered from the stomach flu so the plan was to be short and slow.  I must say this was a perfect run.  I really enjoyed the added dynamic which Maggie brought and I hope that she comes back!  Work & life are crazy, the holidays are coming, then the flu and not that you care but it’s total pandemonium which is on Aby’s spelling list this week  at home with a male, second born, toddler/child in the house.  Chaos reigns.  This run was a great stress reliever that was much-needed and I was thankful to have been along for the “ride”.  In all aspects it was easy, fun, brought about a new friendship and was filled with conversation about living life, making goals, accountability, future endeavors and stepping outside the box of your personal comfort zone.  

I challenge you to try something new……join a running group, train for a triathlon, hike the Grand Canyon, learn to snow ski, register for a road race, just pick something different and MAKE IT HAPPEN.  Muster the confidence to attempt something that a younger, more immature you would have never had the guts courage to try.  Time is of the essence.  Where do you plan to go next?  

Nike+ GPS Stats – 3.96 miles – 36:46 (9:18 pace)                                                                 Garmin GPS Stats – 4.00 miles – 36:46 (9:09 pace) 

“Run”way Fashion – I got a super “one day deal” from SkirtSports on this Happy Hour V-Neck long sleeve.  LOVE.  Can I wear this every day?  Go to the SkirtSports page to sign up for their email deals or check them out on Facebook!

Step outside of “your” box……soon,                                                                                Amanda – TooTallFritz                                                                                 amanda@tootallfritz.com

Chicago’s Perfect 10 (2011) – GUEST Race Review

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There’s a new race in town and since I don’t have a money tree in my back yard time to run them all, I was thankful that I had an “eye” at the race in a runner named Diane F. (& Company) from the Frankfort Running Club.   This was an inaugural race so there wasn’t much press on it, in fact, I haven’t even heard much about it in the days post-race.  The Perfect 10 did start and finish at one of Chicago’s most family friendly attractions, Navy Pier, so I’m very interested to see how it went just in case I can suck my family into attending one race next year.  Thanks to Diane F. for taking the time to compile this report and send some photos cuz the visual is almost more important than the words.

Race Review by Diane F. – Frankfort Running Club

The Good:      

  • Weather was AWESOME!
  • Start was fast!  I couldn’t even tell you where the start was as we had JUST enough time to get to Navy Pier, potty, and get to the start line (and take a pre-race photo).
  • Ran along Navy Pier (gorgeous) and lakefront (past Grant Park, behind Shedd Aquarium, past Soldier Field and down to about 31st St.)
  • Miles were CLEARLY marked and each mile marker ALSO had a clock!
  • LOTS of water stations (I think there were 4)
  • Music at, I think, 2 water stations
  • Packet pick up was easy
  •  Shirts are cool
  • Medals are AWESOME!
  • Results were posted to the website quickly.
     
     The Bad: 
  • Not enough post race food!  (only water and banana)
  • Not enough camera people!  (only 2 and they were about 10 ft from each other)
  • 10K and 10 milers started at the same time (though they were supposed to start 10K after 10M, but I think because of the time change they had to do all together) So it made for a kinda cramped area along the path (though it was short-lived) 

 It was a PERFECT day and race.  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and would definitely do it again and recommend it to anyone else. 

 

Awesome job, Diane F.!  Thanks for taking the time to articulate your thoughts on the very first Chicago Perfect 10!  If I may be presumptuous read between the lines, it sounds like you had a great race, had fun with your friends, Perfect 10 had a good start and did lots of things right but possibly has a small post-race food budget few kinks to work out for next year. I advise ALL race directors to bring on the food or go to Indiana to see how races feed people post-race.  Runners like to eat, in fact you can ask my hubby most run to eat.

Anyone else run the Perfect 10 this weekend?  Share your thoughts with us in the comments section! 

Happy Running & EATING!                                                                                                      Amanda – TooTallFritz                                                                                 amanda@tootallfritz.com