September 2013 Preview

September is here, as is cooler weather. Areas north of Lake Pontchartain have already been graced with forecasts that include lows in the 60's, and I personally have experienced low humidity during an evening run that was nearly euphoric. Weathercasters on multiple local TV stations have said that they expect cooler weather to set in to the area sooner than later, and that sounds perfectly fine to me.

TUNESday: The Disneyland Half Marathon Mix

This week's TUNESday feature is a three-for-one special. I've maintained a pretty even-keel minimizing the excitement for my first half-marathon of the fall; however, I can't contain myself any longer. As a result, here's three songs lined up for you with one common theme.

Happy's Irish Pub NOLA 5K: The 2013 Recap

Saturday evening was the inaugural Happy's Irish Pub NOLA 5K in downtown New Orleans. Starting in front of Happy's on Poydras Street, the route took runners toward the Mercedes-Benz Louisiana Superdome, around the venue twice, and then back to the finish.

Sunday Runday NOLA

Training season is well underway for anyone participating in one of the fall half marathons in the New Orleans area. The Jazz Half Marathon and the Mandeville Gulf Coast Half Marathon are roughly just 7 weeks away, so participants are well in to building mileage.

TUNESday: "Dance Apocalyptic" by Janelle Monáe

This year has had a really strong summer of music, with great releases from numerous artists. Right now I am at a point where it's difficult to narrow down song selections to post on this TUNESday feature, and the list of  current tracks to highlight doesn't appear to be coming to an end anytime soon.

NOTC 50th Anniversary Race 3 Miler: The 2013 Recap

The New Orleans Track Club celebrated its 50th anniversary this past Saturday morning in style with a 3 mile race at City Park. The weather was perfect on race morning when I woke up to head to the park's festival grounds, with overcast skies and unseasonably cooler temperatures for the middle of August.

30 Before 30

The newest fad diagnosis for my generation has been the revelation of the Quarter Life Crisis. It's not like the mid-life crisis where 50-somethings buy convertibles and revert to their youth. Instead, 20-somethings realize we're not getting any younger and start looking for the greater purpose in our lives. That turning point for me can easily be pinpointed to one very specific week in late September of 2006 a month after turning 26. That was the week that I decided to run my first marathon.

TUNESday: "Closer" by Tegan and Sara

This week's TUNESday serves two purposes. Not only am I going to introduce you to a song that's a great addition to a workout playlist, but also an app that's a must have on your smart phone or tablet.

Red Dress Runnin' 2013

I'm told that I was at the Red Dress Run Saturday morning in downtown New Orleans. I have no proof of that being the truth, aside from a passenger's residual red glitter in my car. No, I wasn't inebriated to the point of blacking out the events of the day. Quite the contrary. I just saw no proof that an actual run occurred.

OVERachievers: Bridge Run Finale Event

I'm not one to run while wearing a costume, even though its encouraged at runDisney races and any event that happens during October. However, I'm starting to consider the purchase of a red hooded cape. After a summer of races that were part of the Louisiana Bridge Run Series and NOLA Trail Run Series, I've been over the river and through the woods enough times to make a fairy tale character jealous.

TUNESday: "Follow Your Arrow" by Kacey Musgraves

In a previous lifetime, I worked in the radio industry. It was there that I cut my teeth in marketing and started my career with a group of  highly successful New Orleans stations. Over the near-decade I was with those stations, music formats changed constantly. There were top-40, rock, hip-hop, gospel, conservative news-talk, sports, classic rock, and countless other genres that graced the airwaves I worked with. The one constant in my tenure was a country music station, and I must say that since the day I started in the business, its been a love/hate relationship with the product of Music City.

August 2013 Preview

Its the first day of August, and for me that essentially means the end of my summer break. Work begins to get busier inside the office, and racing season begins to amp up outside. As I wrote earlier in the week, August has my first half marathon of the season, as well as several races of varying distances. Here's a list of events in which I'll be participating during the coming month: