Friday Finds!

I don’t know how it has been for you, but this as been a very long and tiresome week for me. Let me be the first to say Welcome to the Weekend! Any big plans this weekend? Best of luck to all who are running the NYC Marathon this weekend! I hope to join you someday. I would love to run that race in the future. A special shout-out to a few of my MIT friends who will be running. I’m cheering you on from home! I’m looking forward to some downtime, which includes running. Take a look at what the weekend brings:


My very own Blog Button! Thank you a thousand times to Jenn over at Jenn’s Adventures. I found her blog through Elle at Eat Run Sail (another lovely blog), who suggested I check it out. I find Jenn’s blog to be beautifully designed and she offers a Techy Category to help those of us who are me, the technologically challenged. Just ask Sarah over at Running on Words – to this day she wonders how on earth I ever created a blog without assistance in the first place at all! So, grab me (I really just wanted to say that):



Do you have a blog button? Do you want to share? Do you enjoy creating things to promote your blog? 

Nessa at Isle Style Living kindly bestowed the Liebster Blog Award on me. A big Thank You to Nessa who writes a clever and inspirational blog. Her story reminds me of my own and I can relate to what she writes on a regular basis. 


Liebster means beloved in German and this awards is special because it specifically recognizes the love, support and encouragement that I find in the blogging community. Now, as part of receiving this award, I pass it on to five bloggers I wish to name as a beloved blog of mine. Just know, picking only five is not easy because so many of you inspire me everyday. If you already received this award from the blogging community – just now there is one more blogger out there who loves you too – me!

  1. Julia at Pain, Pride and Perseverance – One of my biggest supporters, if I do say so myself. Julia always offers an encouraging word and makes me feel better if I am having a rough time. Her blog is beautiful and heartfelt. Vote for her too!
  2. Elle at Eat Run Sail – Ah, my Canadian sailing friend! She’s training to run her first half and she knows what she is doing. Her blog is honest and lovely. A true friend as well.
  3. Sarah at Running on Words – My real-life Twitter bestie and a member of the famous Lucky 13’s. She makes me laugh daily and has helped me through some rough dilemmas the past couple of weeks. Read her if you need a laugh and follow her exciting journey to mommy hood!
  4. Jenn at From Fat to Finish Line – My first blogland buddy! Her blog is real and she’s not afraid to tackle tough issues. I read her blog when I need a little inspiration to get my you-know-what out the door!
  5. Lindsey at Lovin’ My Life – What can I say? This girl does it all! She runs, cooks, crafts and manages an upbeat and fun blog. Not only that, I know her in “real” life and what you see is what you get – a genuine and kind-hearted gal!

Could it be that I also created a Facebook Fan Page for my blog? Apparently I am on a technological roll! So, if you’re on Facebook like my page too (that way we can stalk each other stay in touch even more)!

Get Facebook Buttons

Last, but certainly not least, I am looking forward to running a 5K tomorrow morning!


This inaugural event will continue to service current projects of the Westerville Rotary Club and create support for Honor Flight of Columbus, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to safely transporting America’s Veterans to Washington DC to visit those memorials dedicated to honor their sacrifices. This event hopes to honor, celebrate and recognize those Veterans that have provided the ultimate “Service Above Self” commitment by serving and giving of themselves to our country. Stay tuned for a recap and pictures. 
Do you have any races this weekend? Are you running NYC? What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend (besides run)?
Until the next mile marker, 


And the award goes to…

I was fortunate enough to be named one of the Top 100 Running Blogs of 2011 by healthcarecolleges.net. After recently gaining 100 followers (Don’t miss my $100 Strong Body Training GIVEAWAY!), this awards just seems perfect. I’m so excited – thank you!

Here’s what healthcarecolleges.net had to say about their selections:
From sprinters to long distance runners to the casual jogger to competitive racing, running takes many forms and can be performed at any level. Runners often turn to the internet for helpful tips, information and support, but the vast array of information can send your head spinning. Here at HealthcareColleges.net, our editors have been scouring the net for the best, most reliable sources of practical and informative information to help comb through the chaos. After much research and debate, we are pleased to present the following list of sites that we have deemed worthy of earning a spot on our list of the Top Running Blogs for 2011.

I am honored to be in this category with some of the blogs I admire most. Congrats to my fellow winners! And, with all of the blogs I am not familiar with, I have a lot of reading to do! I know many of these blogs already offer motivation, tips, advice, inspiration and guidance to both new and veteran runners alike – check them out!

And if that wasn’t enough, EAT RUN SAIL was kind enough to tag me for another Blogger award – One Lovely Blog! Thank you, Elle! If you haven’t stopped by her blog – do! She lives on a boat with her husband, The Captain, for most of the year and still finds time to run, work out and cook amazing things to eat – and blog about it all! Elle motivates me a lot when I am feeling down and just goes to show that there is no excuse for not being active and living the life you want to live. If she can do it from a boat – I just don’t have an excuse except for laziness! 

So, as part of accepting this award, here are seven random things about me:
My husband walked in the room and I said, “Quick! Name something random about me!” He said, “You have a dry sense of humor.” Oh boy, this is going to be fun.
  1. I have a dry sense of humor. I had to look it up to make sure it indeed descried me. Apparently this type of humor relies mainly upon sarcasm, timing, and wit. Check. And it is often referred to as a very good sense of humor or fun where the humor is not immediately obvious at first and is usually used by someone who appears to be serious at the same time.  Check. (Although, sometimes I just think I don’t realize I am being funny because I think I am being serious…..) Moving on –   
  2. My husband said (as he is working on a photography project) “You can be annoying,” I don’t like where this game is going….So, let’s say, at times I have an obsessive-compulsive personality. I like things to be organized, especially in my work. And, I can be compulsive when it comes to cooking, which I love to do, it has to be perfect! I get really upset when it doesn’t.   
  3. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice. Don’t ask me what I want to do with it because I don’t know yet. Sometimes I wish I would have studies Forensic Science instead. 
  4. I won a National writing award for a poem I wrote in Middle School. I forget what it was called (the award, not the poem) because who really cares when you are in Middle School? My 8th grade English Teacher let me skip basic English/grammar because she said I was “already too smart for that.”
  5. I have an addiction to hot sauce – the hotter, the better. I cannot get enough! I have been known to eat it right our of the jar. I crave spicy foods on a regular basis. I cook a lot of curries and super-spicy dishes for my husband and I. If it isn’t cooked with hot sauce or hot peppers, it gets some put on there!
  6. I studied Mandarin Chinese in college. Notice I did not say I speak it now. 
  7. I live in Columbus and I am not an Ohio State Buckeye’s Fan. I could care less about football (let the hate-mail begin).

So, there you have it, seven things you may not have known about me. Now for my seven lovely recipients. I run with these ladies every week, but don’t know the random facts! Let’s here it, girls!

Until the next mile marker,