Hood to Coast: A must-see if you haven't seen it

OMG. Hood to Coast? So good. Amazing. Inspiring. Well worth the $12.50 I paid to see it.

Once the work day finally ended yesterday, I met up with my friend Jess to catch Hood to Coast. We had two options of where to go see it. We could make the half hour drive to Appleton or we could make the 5 minute drive to the west side of town. Since it was snowing and the roads were a little dicey, we ended up seeing it here in Oshkosh.

Since we didn't know what to expect for turnout, we ordered our tickets online. Just to make sure we'd get to see it. Turns out we probably could have waited. Eight people purchased tickets ahead of time. Yes. Eight. A few more people bought tickets at the door and by the time the lights went down, there were a grand total of 15 people in the theater. Obviously Oshkosh is not a run-crazy community.

I don't want to give away everything that happens in the movie, so if you want to know what it was like, just find a way to see it. Maybe hulu.com will have it. Or Netflix. Or maybe you'll be able to buy it on DVD someday. Just make sure you see this movie.

I really liked the concept of following four teams throughout the relay, and I thought the filmmakers picked great teams to follow.While the team running with lightning bolts on their heads - the ones who "trained" by eating pizza and drinking beer instead of logging major miles - were humorous to watch, they weren't my favorite. I really liked the Dead Jocks. This was a team of masters runners, who were super intense about their running, yet still managed to have a good time during the race. And I think that's a big thing for me. Be serious about the goals you set (they were aiming for a top six in their age group), but still remember to have a good time. Because running is supposed to be fun.

Considering when I watched those final credits roll all I wanted to do was go outside for a run, I'd say it was a pretty inspiring movie. Definitely gave me the motivation I was looking for! Overall a great flick. And a good one to get me in the mood for spring half marathon training!

Someone should post locker room rules

All of the New Year's resolution people must have waited until this week to head out to the YMCA. Because tonight when I pulled into the parking lot? Crowded. Don't worry. I managed to snag a treadmill and pound out my 4.6 miles.

The bigger problem was in the locker room. I got down there and there were like 5 women in my little aisle of lockers. And they had all come from the pool area, so the floor was a bit wet. Two women had spread their stuff out along the ENTIRE row of the lockers and of course the locker I was using was smack dab in the middle. So I just kind of chilled for a moment. Thinking they'd notice I was waiting.

Yup. I just sat. And waited. And waited some more.

Finally after a few minutes they realized I was sitting there and asked me if they were in my way. Uh, no I just like sitting in a locker room for the heck of it. They finally moved their stuff. Problem was where they were standing? Right in front of my locker? Huge puddles.

Next time ladies? Try putting a towel down on the floor. At least that way there won't be little lakes left on the floor for the next person to avoid.

But on a more exciting note.

Hood to Coast. It's been talked about a lot in Blogland and on Twitter. When I first heard about the movie a couple of months ago I was interested in seeing it. And today? I finally decided to make some plans to go see it. At first I was thinking of just heading over to the theater alone, but then I decided to see if my friend Jess had any plans.

She didn't! So tomorrow night we're heading over to see Hood to Coast. And we're both pumped. After watching the trailer, we're both ready to be inspired by the film. I mean seriously. Read what the film's website has to say about it:

Hood to Coast is a feature length documentary shot in stunning HD that captures the spirit of the runner like it's never been seen before. Follow four teams on their epic journey as they try to conquer the world's largest relay race, we realize that winning isn't everything in a documentary that takes a celebratory look at personal motivation and attempting the extraordinary. For 30 years thousands of runners from across the country have gathered for this  running world favorite, and now you can feel the pain, relish the camaraderie, and get a taste of the runner's high in a movie theater near you. Even if you've never run a step in your life, this documentary will make you want to push yourself farther than you've ever gone before.

Chills. I get chills just reading about it. Needless to say, I'm so excited.

Anyone else heading out to see Hood to Coast?

That's the mentality I should take to half marathons

The Christmas tree is still standing in my living room. And it's still fully decorated. Maybe I'll have to take the multi-day approach to taking it down - ornaments and lights one night after work and shoving it in the box the next night.

I still don't have a training plan drawn up for the two spring half marathons I'm planning on doing. But I do think I've made a decision about whether or not to get involved with the training group.

I spent the day Saturday playing arcade games and jamming out to Michael Jackson videos on a Wii video game with The Rugrats. Which is why the Christmas tree is still standing and why I didn't get my run in on Saturday. Priorities.

But I did run this morning. And had plenty of time to shower, deck myself out in green and gold (including my fluorescent green compression socks) and do a few errands before watching the Packers demolish the Eagles' playoff hopes.

Bring on the Falcons.

Photo credit: Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers

Three Things Thursday

1. I haven't listed my goals for 2011 yet (maybe this weekend), but I'm pretty sure the "read 40 books" goal will be returning. And I'm already on my way. I finished up the first book of 2011 today during my lunch break at work. Only 39 more to go.

2. Speaking of the weekend, I've got a laundry list of things to do. Probably the most pressing? Take down my Christmas tree and clean up some of the clutter that's shown up over the holidays. I just cringe at the thought of wrestling with the fake tree branches, trying to get them all shoved back into the box and then trying to duct tape the box shut. Anyone want to do it for me?

3. I'm toying with joining a running group for the upcoming half marathon season. It's a training group that is actually aiming for the Oshkosh Half Marathon in April. In the past I've always done the 5K event, but this year I'm thinking of doing the half marathon. It's a month before the Green Bay Half Marathon, and I'd need to do 10 miles that weekend anyway. So I'm thinking of using the Oshkosh half as a sort of a training run before Green Bay. And it might be nice to be a part of a group to run with once a week. Kind of hold me accountable. Plus I'd get that long run out of the way early in the weekend. Thoughts?

Registration fee's paid for the year's first race!

It's official.

The money has been paid and the first race of the year can be penciled in on my calendar! I'm heading back for my second chance to run through the streets of Green Bay and around Lambeau Field for the Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon on May 15!

I've got 129 days to get ready to show Green Bay what I've got. And that means No more excuses to skip a run. Starting tomorrow :)

Books: A year in review

Success!

After just missing my 40 book goal in 2009, I was hoping I'd be able to read enough pages and meet it 2010. And I did! In fact I beat the goal! OK. I barely beat the goal, but that still counts!

I managed to finish 41 books in 2010 for a total of 14,047 pages. In 2009 - when I barely missed the goal - I finished 39 books and 12,549 pages. Who knew adding an extra two books would tack on that many more pages?

Some stats about this year's reading list? With 14,047 pages read this year, each book averaged 343 pages. The longest book I read this year was The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald, which was 820 pages. But that was followed closely by the 759-page Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling. The shortest book on the list was the 159-page Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris. And honestly, I'm still trying to figure out what the point of those 159 pages was. There were a couple of authors that made it on my reading list multiple times: Stieg Larsson (2), Charlaine Harris (10), Ann-Marie MacDonald (2), Gail Carriger (2) and Marisa de los Santos (2). And other than the 11 books about vampires I also managed to read four running-related books this year.

Overall not a bad year. Take a look at what I spent my time reading in 2010:

1. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
2. Comeback 2.0: Up Close and Personal by Lance Armstrong
3. Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
4. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
5. Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
6. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
7. Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer
8. Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
9. Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos
10. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
11. Soulless by Gail Carriger
12. The Babysitters Club: The Summer Before by Ann M. Martin
13. Changeless by Gail Carriger
14. Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption by William Cope Moyers
15. Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner by Dean Karnazes
16. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max
17. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer
18. Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally
19. Get Lucky by Katherine Center
20. The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald
21. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
22. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
23. Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel
24. Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandella and the Game that Made a Nation by John Carlin
25. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
26. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
27. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
28. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
29. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
30. From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
31. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
32. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
33. The Long Run by Matt Long w/ Charles Butler
34. A Perfect Match by Shelley Bradley
35. Must Love Dogs by Claire Cook
36. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
37. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
38. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris
39. Stay by Allie Larkin
40. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
41. Run to Overcome by Meb Keflezighi

Now. Any suggestions for what to read in 2011?

Rose Bowl thoughts and running goals

For starters, it was not a good weekend to be a Badger fan.

That Rose Bowl loss to TCU? Painful. But I have to admit, TCU was a very good team, much better than I anticipated. Had it not been for a few mistakes by the Badgers and one very lucky in the right place at the right time play by a TCU defender, it could have been a different story. But it wasn't to be this year. Sigh.

But the most heartbreaking? Watching J.J. Watt at the post-game press conference. Seriously. Defensive linemen who are 6-6 and weigh almost 300 pounds? They're not supposed to break down and cry. But he did. He's the heart and soul of this Badger team - giving up a scholarship at Central Michigan to come to UW as a walk on and develop into the type of player he is - and to see him so emotional on the podium? Heartbreaking. And I'll admit, I'm crossing my fingers this week he decides to come back for his senior year. Check out this video around the 2:10 mark to see Watt break down.

And let's not talk about the UW basketball team who shot 35 percent from the field in a loss at Illinois. Ugh. Let's just say if it hadn't been for the Packers pulling out a victory Sunday night it would not have been a very good weekend in Wisconsin sports.

But moving on.

Let's talk running for a moment.

I finished 2010 with 590.3 miles. Yup. I didn't make it to the gym Friday morning to attempt the final 9.7 miles I needed to hit 600 miles for the year. I woke up in the morning and my legs were like bricks. They were screaming at me. So I opted not to run. But I'm happy with my mileage for the year. It's my highest total yet by almost 300 miles. So I'll take it.

But now I've got to set a goal for 2011. Right now I'm leaning towards 1,000 miles. It's a nice number, don't you think? Yes. It will be a lot of work. And there will be days when I'll be tempted to slack and not run. But I think I can do it. I look at 2010 and see that I really slacked during the summer months. I can't do that this year. I won't do that this year.

Right now, on Jan. 3, 2011, I have a few running goals for the year:

• Run 1,000 miles
• Break 2 hours, 30 minutes in the half marathon
• Run a sub-30 5K
• Try one new race distance
• And check off another 3 half marathons

A do-able list I think. After taking the first two days of the new year off, I logged my first run of the year tonight. I was expecting a ton of people at the YMCA but was pleasantly surprised when I got there. Yes, there were more people than usual, but I didn't have to wait for a treadmill. I got in a speedy (for me) 4.25 miles before tacking on a short cool down (0.1 miles) and calling it a night.

Only 995.65 miles to go.

*******

And I leave you with some words from Watt.

"The Wisconsin Badgers will be back to the Rose Bowl. ... "No doubt about it the Badgers will be back and they'll be better than ever. And when they come back, they'll win."

New Year's Day? No it's Rose Bowl Day!

I'll get the customary happy new year wishes out of the way first.

Because seriously people. There are more important things to concentrate on today than trying to remember to write 2011 instead of 2010 on my check (which will probably take me until mid-February to do successfully) or figuring out resolutions (which I still haven't thought much about for this year...maybe I'll skip them).

No. There's more important things. Like college football. And most importantly, the Rose Bowl.
Because in just about 2 hours you'll find me glued to a TV, crossing my fingers, hoping, praying and screaming that my Badgers can kick some TCU Horned Frog butt, come away smelling roses and add another Rose Bowl title to its collection.

It's game day.

And while I'm super excited, there's a part of me that's a little disappointed. See all week I've been following blogs, Tweets and local media reports of what's been going on out in Los Angeles, which tens of thousands of Badger fans have taken over to the point that it's been dubbed Madison West.

It reminds me of 2000, the last time the Badgers were in the Rose Bowl, when three friends and I packed up the car and drove 2,200 miles and 33 hours to watch the Badgers beat Stanford 17-9 to win the school's second straight Rose Bowl title.

That whole day was magical. Starting with celebrating New Year's Eve on the streets of Pasadena by watching fireworks at midnight (while our parents back in the Midwest were worried we wouldn't survive Y2K), returning to the same spot to watch the Rose Parade later that morning and finally the game itself. Amazing. Watching Ron Dayne rumble into the end zone in the third quarter and the excitement that was going through the stands as the final minutes ticked off the clock and us Wisconsin fans realized the title would be ours.

Sigh.

An amazing experience. One I had memories of during the past week as I read about everybody's 2011 Rose Bowl. And one that I want to experience again. So the next time the Badgers head out to Pasadena for the Granddaddy of the All? It's probably a safe bet that this Badgergirl will be out there, cheering them on and living the Rose Bowl experience.

I hope you all have a great start to 2011. Mine will be that much sweeter if the Badgers can pull out the Rose Bowl win. Now you'll have to excuse me. Kick off is in 2 hours and this Badger fan needs to get ready to cheer!