The Perfect Racing Shirt

I like free stuff.  I mean really, who doesn’t?  I especially like free stuff that I can use and use often.  When I run a big race, I go through that gift bag like a madman – tossing away the advertisements and seeing how much of the free stuff I can use, and what I should throw away.  Ooh, chapstick… that I can use.  Ugh, a $5 coupon off entry into the 2016 Jakarta 5k… hmm, not so much.

More often than not, the best item in the bag is the shirt.  Technically speaking, you probably shouldn't even consider the shirt to be free.   There’s a reason your race entry was so expensive and in part that’s because they use that money to buy the shirt.  A few days, weeks, months after you have paid for the race, you have likely forgotten how much it actually cost, but hey… free shirt!

Having only been involved in running races for a little over a year now, my collection of race shirts is fairly small.  But I feel like I have the general sense of what I look for in a shirt.  There is also an “expectations” factor involved.  For example, there is a weekly race in my local park that costs five bucks to run.  I’m not expecting a shirt.  But when I shell out nearly $300 for the NYC Marathon, I’m expecting a nice memento to commemorate this historic accomplishment.

Stop and Shop Angel Helps Me Re-Motivate

It’s 6:45 AM.  The store doesn’t open until 7, but I can’t afford to wait.

I dialed the number, it rang, but I wasn’t expecting anyone to pick up on the other end.  “Thank you for calling Stop and Shop,” the automated voice said, and I waited for the obligatory, “The store isn’t open yet you dummy, so call back later” message.

Instead the call was automatically transferred.  It rang again once, and the voice of an angel picked up.  “Customer service, this is Anna.”

The Most Unique Running Blog Ever

About a month ago I decided I would start a running blog.  Though I've written a few blogs in the past with varying levels of success, I hadn't done it in a while.  So, I didn't really know how it would turn out.  I've always enjoyed writing and my running had been experiencing a winter lull, and I hoped that this little side venture could keep me motivated.

So I started the Ordinary Marathoner blog.  Sort of a catchy name, don't you think?  In the future, I hope to develop Ordinary merchandise like Ordinary t-shirts, Ordinary hats, Ordinary boxers shorts, Ordinary mugs...

Let's Run Two (My Ernie Banks Tribute)

The odds of winning were way better than most lotteries I enter.  18% of the entrants would be drawn, versus the 1-in-200 million chance in PowerBall.  I was almost feeling confident, even though I knew the odds were still not in my favor.

At stake was entry into the New York City Marathon.  Not a free entry, mind you.  In this lottery, when you win you actually lose - roughly 300 bucks.  And you also get to torture yourself by running 26.2 miles.  So, you can see why I was so anxious.