Weekend Whirlwind: Emmys, Running, and American Gladiators!

I’ll try to keep this brief and let the pictures do the talking.  Friday I ran 17 miles and felt good.  Saturday I ran 2 miles and felt like bricks.  But after that run I got on a plane and flew to San Antonio for the Lone Star Emmy Awards Gala where we were nominated for 5 Emmys!

Looking for the basement at the Alamo.

Then got all gussied up for the brew ha ha.

I wanted to have a duck lipped selfie.

Then went to the ballroom for the festivities where I met a couple guys in nude tuxedos.

This one is for the frosted fitness blogger lady!

Ran into some of my friends who were also nominated for Emmys.  Here’s my buddy Emily Reppert – host of Chevy Hometown Kids on Fox Sports Southwest.

I almost wore that same dress…man, would that have been embarrassing.

Out of the 5 nominations, we took home 2 Emmys!

Pretty cool night!

Since we won 2, I got to make 2 speeches.  I think my jokes were funny.  Others might not be as amused.  haha.

Saying something important, I’m sure.

The next morning I ran a 7 miler around the city.  Had breakfast with a friend, then flew back to Dallas. Ran into Nitro from American Gladiators at the airport.  2nd time I’ve run into him, so figured it was a sign to have a chat with him.  Very nice guy.  Now he promotes the Gladiator Rock n Run.  Worlds colliding!

Right before we went through the gauntlet!

Once home, the wife and I went to get some veggie burgers.

So my veggie burger wouldn’t get lost, they branded it.

I then met up with a bunch of my runner friends for a big tree lighting ceremony.  I brought one of my Emmys, people liked taking photos with it.

We don’t always run, we sometimes have other fun.

Yes, it was a Christmas tree lighting.  I don’t know why they did it, it’s not even Thanksgiving yet!  But they lit up the whole square as well.  All the trees are lit, looks nice!

I’m so totally lit right now.

Obviously, it was a tremendous weekend.  I’m still processing it all.  But I’m also very thankful.  I work hard, and appreciate the recognition.

I had to give the golden lady a kiss.

Anyway, how was your weekend?  Which American Gladiator would you like to meet?  Tell me something good that happened to you recently! 

Running for Rhinos #blog

I ran this 5k at the Dallas Zoo in the fall of 2011.  My sister actually organized this entire event.  It’s called Running for Rhinos ’cause it coincidentally helps raise funds to support Rhinos who need help.  As a runner and zookeeper, this was a combo of her passions.  Seeing someone put on a race from behind the scenes really showed me how much crap goes into doing so.  It took a couple years to make it happen, and she did a great job.

It was a banner year for the race.

The race started off with a ceremonial start by a bunch of penguins wearing race bibs.  That was actually kind of cute and funny.  Then the course took us through a neighboring neighborhood before finishing back at the zoo.

My rhino headband looked better before it got all sweaty.

As you can see in the photo, the course was a little hilly.  It was a challenging course, but I wanted to represent and do well since it was my sister’s race.  And I did so, as I was lucky enough to finish 2nd in my age group!

Accepting my dope Rhino medal!

After I finished the race, I turned around and kept running backwards to find friends and family to help them finish.

With the toddler. I’m doing all the work and he’s waving to the crowd like he deserves the applause. Sheesh!

The Dallas mayor was there, as was runner/mc/sports radio host Corby Davidson.  There were also lots of people in animal costumes.  So it was a fun event!

Looking for more friends. Smiling cause Running is fun…until you get too tired.

One of the cool things about this race is that it included free entry to the Zoo afterwards.  I wish Disney would offer a similar incentive for their races!!!

After my sis gave us a behind-the-scenes tour of some of the exhibits, it was time to get some brunch in our bellies.  We had a nice group because several of my sister’s friends had flown in from around the country to participate.  They did so partly to support her and partly because the race also helped support the Stephanie James Foundation.  She was a friend of my sis who was accidentally killed by an elephant while working in a zoo.  These people also knew her.

This was the first year for the race and everyone involved did a great job!  Unfortunately my sister took a job at another zoo shortly after this so she wasn’t able to help organize the 2nd year.  The zoo still put on the race, but I wasn’t able to make it.  Hopefully they can make it an annual success!  Running for a good cause in a fun place is fun.  Fo’ real tho.

Peace!