TUNESday: "In a World Like This" by Backstreet Boys

Nothing makes me feel older than logging in to iTunes and seeing  a new album from one of the bands I listened to in middle school. Then to realize that the boy band in question is comprised of guys that are now in their late 30's, married fathers, and are celebrating their 20th anniversary as a group? Just sign me up for AARP now.

Round & Round We Go

Weeks of summer training have gone by, and I'm struggling to ramp up my miles. I'm just not where I need to be in anticipation of the coming race season. With take-off for my first half marathon of fall being exactly a month away, my longest run since the Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Marathon has not exceeded 10K. Usually at this point, 8 miles would be a training run and I wouldn't bat an eye at the prospect of 10 on a Saturday morning. This past weekend, the jaws of life couldn't pry me from my couch to get in a long run. Wondering what the cause of this lethargy could be has led me to only one conclusion.

Reunion On The Bayou

In mid-May I joined the Marathon Maniacs Club, becoming one of the members who have completed multiple marathons in a given time period (read about it HERE). One of the perks of the club is that you get discounts and recognition at races across the country. A couple weeks ago it was announced that a local race would be welcoming the Maniacs to reunite in 2014, and of course the term "Lagniappe" is being redefined by the Louisiana Marathon for this event. The added bonuses being offered at the race this coming January are so numerous and exciting, I can't wait for race weekend to get here!

TUNESday: "The Stars Are Ours" by Mayer Hawthorne

I've been hitting up iTunes regularly to get inspiration for this TUNESday feature, with my goal being a selection of songs and artists that are representative of my eclectic taste in music. Some will be mainstream artists with hits that you hear 50 times a day on your favorite radio station, others will be slightly more obscure and venture deeper in to genres that may not get the credit they deserve. This week I came across an artist that falls in to the latter category. After checking out some of his latest tracks, I've decided Mayer Hawthorne is a must-have for my playlist.

Wild Pig Chase Trail Run 3 Miler: The 2013 Recap

Unless you reside in a suburb of NOLA that goes by the name Westwego, Gretna, Algiers, Belle Chasse, Marrero, etc., you probably scoff at finding a reason to travel to the Westbank. I, on the other hand, have little issue with venturing to the other side of the Mississippi River. It has some of the best Vietnamese food at Pho Tau Bay, you can easily score the best deal on the latest catch from fisherman who have just docked, and the citrus grown in groves throughout the area are some of the best crops harvested. This past Sunday gave me another reason to head to the "Bestbank," the Wild Pig Chase Trail Run.

TUNESday: "Brave" by Sara Bareilles

When I'm running, I require music that gets my heart rate up before I even complete my first stride. While much of my playlist does sound like you just stepped in to a bar on Bourbon Street, very few selections are unrecognizable remixes amped up to 120 beats a minute. The tracks are comprised of feel-good poppy tunes with upbeat lyrics and a steady tempo. That brings me to today's TUNESday selection.

NOTC Spillway Classic Trail Run: The 2013 Recap

I have officially made my second, and last visit to the Bonnet Carré Spillway for the 2013 running season. This past Sunday's Spillway Classic Trail Run presented by the New Orleans Track Club was a much more pleasant, albeit muddier experience than my previous excursion during the Armadillo Trail Run in June.

Diagnosis: Certifiable

My Facebook news feed blew up yesterday as running groups posted link after link to the course for the brand new Walt Disneyworld 10K. The race will run in January as part of the marathon weekend, and I'll participate with Abby and Karen as a runner in the Dopey Challenge. Seeing these numerous posts attached to a rudimentary "hand drawn" map of the certified course made me question the certification process. How does a course get certified, and why do race directors go through the trouble? In my mind, I pictured mapping a course online and digitally figuring out the distance. Boy, I was wrong.

TUNESday: "Safe & Sound" by Capital Cities

I never leave the house to run without my Garmin GPS watch and my trusty iPod Shuffle. That is proving to be standard in a sport that used to only require a pair of shoes for participation. To help keep you current with the latest music to load up on your iPod, I'm going to implement a weekly blog feature appropriately coined "TUNESday."

The Marathon That Didn't Happen

You know what they say about making plans, don't you? That's when the powers that be laugh in your face and change them for you. On Tuesday of last week, I suggested that I would go in to the 4th of July weekend with the intention of participating in the Hotter Than Hell Marathon (read the post here). This race occurs annually on a Saturday night / Sunday morning in Audubon Park. Spoiler Alert: That didn't happen.

The Devil (May) Make Me Do It

By nature, I'm a planner. That's not saying that I dislike spontaneity, but I like to have an idea of where my time commitments lie so that I can be whimsical around them. Typically I'll have a rough idea of what my weekend looks like by Wednesday, which is why this four-day holiday weekend is causing me so much stress (especially since I'm working two of the four days). My weekend plans are all contingent on one element, whether or not I decide to participate in the 11th annual Hotter Than Hell Marathon in Audubon Park.

Coyote Chase Trail Run 2 Miler: The 2013 Recap

When thinking about unique and exotic places to run, I often long for one of the famed European road races or a marathon south of the Equator. Little did I know that this past Saturday morning would bring me to a location situated in my own backyard, one that offered more than the usual path I run in a local park or along a city street. The second race in the NOLA Trail Run Series, the Coyote Chase Trail Run 2 Miler, brought about two hundred runners to a less explored area of New Orleans City Park for what shaped up to be a great day to race.