Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Versatile Blogger


Big thanks to Julie over at You Just Have to Tri! for tagging me with the Versatile Blogger award. The award I actually should get is the Lazy Blogger award, but this one sounds a lot better. These "tag" posts are fun because you can learn a lot about your fellow bloggers, things they probably wouldn't have thought to share.

There are a few basic rules with this award:
1. You have to thank the giver, and provide a link to that person's post. Thanks Julie! I love your blog and especially the recent pics of your adventure race. Hopefully we can meet soon, since we live in the same general area (I should have met Julie already, but remember what I said above about being Lazy).
2. Share 7 random facts about yourself.
3. Award 15 other newly discovered blogs the same award.

Here are some random facts about me that I don't think I've shared here before:

1. I want to organize a 5K with my brother and sister and all seven of our first cousins on my dad's side of the family at some point. Some would walk, some would run, but all would finish and it would be a great family reunion. We might even let some of our parents do it too! :^)

2. Speaking of cousins, I have seven first cousins on my dad's side and seven on my mom's side. But my own kids have only one first cousin on my husband's side and only one-on-the-way on my side. I love cousins. My first cousins are all wonderful, and I have tons of awesome second and even third ones that I grew up with, too. Cousins are like brothers and sisters who don't live with you. I hope my kids eventually have more.

3. I've lived in Missouri, Texas, New York City and now Colorado. That's the Midwest, the South, the East Coast and the West. I think people from the Midwest are the most unpretentiously friendly people in the country (but maybe I'm biased because Missouri is where I grew up). Where do you think the friendliest folks in the USA are?

4. I lived overseas in Paris briefly in college, for a year in Russia for the Peace Corps and have traveled in Canada, Mexico, Western Europe, China and Costa Rica. There were fantastic things about all of these places, but I think the most laid-back people were in Canada and the most "instantly family-style friendly" were in Russia. Where do you think the friendliest folks in the world are?

5. If I could have any talent I desired (aside from being a faster runner, of course), I would wish for singing talent. I love to sing, but only my kids seem to enjoy hearing me do it. :^)

6. My grandmother used to say I'd better take my calcium or she would haunt me after she died (she was always worried about us girls developing osteoporosis). Now that she has been gone for three years, I wish she would haunt me, calcium or no. I miss her.

7. I think I'm probably done having kids. If I change my mind about that down the road, I will adopt.

OK! And now for the newly discovered blogs. I've found a lot of great new-to-me ones in recent weeks (maybe you've been reading these for a long time). Here they are, in alpha order, with one beyond the required 15:

Adventure Is Out There
average girl doing average things
Colorado Runner
Getting It Done on the Run
Just a Colorado Gal
luminosity
Miles, Miles and More Miles.....
Mostly Fit Mom
Pace of Me
Run the Long Road
Run With the Black Knight
Runner Woman
Runnin' From the Law
Running Around on Empty
Running On Words
Will Race for Carbs

Can't wait to see what you post, should you accept this tag. (I have a lot of old favorites, too, and probably left some of the new ones I've been reading off that list. Apologies to all of you--my Google Reader now has 88 subscriptions, I get several via email and I do my best to keep up, but I know I miss things sometimes.)

Quick Running Update: We've been having gorgeous weather out here, and the leaves are the most magnificent I've seen in my years in Colorado. Yesterday I had an hour and 45 minute run on the schedule. I slept in a bit (7:30!! that's late in my house!!), and felt grumpy when I started. I'm reading an intriguing but disturbing book right now, and it was on my mind. So much so that the first five miles of this run were over before I knew it. And suddenly I realized I was really enjoying myself.

In the end, I did 11.1 miles in the allotted time. I didn't go over, tempted as I was. I'm trying to stick with the instructions in my McMillan plan to the letter. Early last week Greg McMillan posted two quotes on his Twitter feed that I  need to remember:

"The hardest concept for distance runners? The process of becoming a better runner is loooong, not short. This runs counter to modern life."

"Fitness is built over time. Period. It can't be wished for or rushed. Patience grasshopper. Build toward the future."

This grasshopper is building. And trying to be patient.

18 comments:

  1. You have really traveled around! I have never lived in any state besides Montana. I love it here though and am blessed to live so close to so many family members! I can't sing either, that would be a fun talent to have!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Those are great quotes -- I think I need to print them out and frame them as reminders!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I feel very honored to make the list! I need to check out all these blogs I haven't been to before, including the other local, Julie! Thanks for the tag and it was fun to read the fun facts about you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm trying to be patient, too...so hard when I know where my pace was once and where it is now. It will come, just going to take a lot longer than I thought.

    I am from Iowa so of course I think the Midwest has the friendliest people around :). I have only traveled to Mexico (as an adult) and Canada (as a kid) so can't really judge...but I have to say Cancun has the most gorgeous water I've ever seen!! :)

    I'd love to be able to sing, too. My favorite show is "Sing Off" and I would love to be one of the lead female vocalists. You're lucky though, my kids don't even like to hear me sing! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love these posts!

    friendlies people in the country...not here..!!!
    I would say New England: Maine, Vermont.

    Friendliest people in the world...please it is us Canadians! people make fun of us for being too nice!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Awwww... I'm so glad we've found one another through our blogs & completely honored that you gave mine an award in the coveted 15! I now will pay it forward by thanking you, listing yours and following the rest of the basic rules in a future post (while I check out the other 15 that you've listed--I love that you broke the rule btw and listed 16)! & as a Minnesotan, I have to say that #3 on your list intrigues me. If you are ever in Minneapolis, let's go running together. Deal?

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a perfect first post for me to read here! I'm so glad to find your blog. I don't get a lot of time to blog hop but glad I saw your comment on another post. I would agree that midwesterners are friendly. I went to school in Iowa..loved it there. And I grew up in Colorado...they are pretty friendly too.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I agree that midwesterners are very friendly, but I have to say I've traveled a lot through the deep south and have found that people in Mississippi and Alabama are very friendly, the friendliest I'd say. As for other countries, I've found very friendly strangers in Ireland and Mexico.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have to agree with mid westerners! They are the most friendly (Second in "friendliness" is Utah). I loved this post, thank you so much for sharing all the fun facts!!! I am jealous of all the many amazing places you have visited and lived! I agree- I think Canadians are the most laid back people! Next would be the Irish (I haven't been but my older sib and parents have...they filled me in). I have lived in Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah. Been just about everywhere in America..but only been outside to visit our neighbors to the south and north. No over seas visits yet (YET...do you hear that hubby...YET??) lol!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I loved hearing more about you. Thanks for sharing!

    I love people from the Midwest. I have only traveled to Mexico and Germany internationally so I would have to say Mexicans are friendlier. Though, one you befriend a German you will be their friend for life. They are just a little bit more reserved than Mexicans.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Being from Michigan, I will agree that mid westerners are the most friendly! New Yorkers are just...busy.

    Thanks for the tag :) I will definitely post mine this week. I've so enjoyed your blog and look forward to your ongoing inspiration!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. oooo so fun! thanks for tagging me - i will give it a whirl :o)

    it is really great to learn more about you! you are so lucky to have lived and traveled to so many places. i have a big list of places i want to get to some day...not to live but to really visit. one regret i have from my college years is that i didn't study abroad. grrrr, really wish i had done that!

    also those quotes from mcmillan are so good to remember - patience and persistence are key to improving our running!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh goodness, I'm so flattered! And now I have my blog content for Friday! Thanks so much for thinking of me!

    So, I have to admit that the Midwesterners are the most friendly folk ever (except when driving), to the point that they kinda freak me out. My mother is from Queens and I grew up in PA (which is much more NY/East Coast grouchy) and when we moved to Ohio I was constantly trying to figure out what "angle" people were trying to use. Turns out they are just really nice here and I'm kind of paranoid.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks for saying such nice things about me. :) We will meet sometime!

    I love that you are so close to your cousins. I have a big family but in recent years we have drifted apart quite a bit. It was funny though a couple of years ago my cousin and I put together the family reunion and we did a survivor type game for the whole weekend...oh my what fun! Who know that the family was so competitive!

    ReplyDelete
  15. It is a honor for me to make part of the list. Thank you. Sorry for the delay in commenting but I am into the bed with high fever since sunday. I will post my "Versatile Blogger" on friday.
    It is great to learn more of you, very interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hey thanks for the shout out! I love reading blogs by other Colorado gals :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks for tagging me! I did this in January http://mondaynightgolfandsurfvacations.blogspot.com/2011/01/did-you-know.html and it was a lot of fun, so I'll try to come up with a new one this week!!

    Your cousins sound like mine. I have lots on both sides and we're all close...and my kids have quite a few (they are also very close with their second cousins, too!!, which I love!)
    My husband is not friends with or doesn't really know any of his cousins, which makes me very sad.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Ok so now I feel like a loser for not seeing your tag from a month ago!! Ugh. Guess I missed this post somehow.

    I love cousins too, even though I don't see mine much anymore.

    Mainers are super nice too! :)

    ReplyDelete