Running Margaritaville & NRDD (National Running Day, Duh)

I’ve been absent from these blog parts, but not by choice. As I often do, I wrote some posts & saved the drafts for future publishing. But when I logged in next, they were GONE! All that genius, lost forever. Sorry, world.

So lemme ketcheweup…Buffett Day was a wild success, like always.

Some of the SFW highlights.

This is my abfab fave day of the entire year. I try to explain it to people who’ve never been, but I’m learning that it’s indescribable. No matter how much I sell it, people who reluctantly finally show up to a tailgate always look around wide-eyed and say, “I had no idea it was like this! I wish I knew! This is awesome!!!”

We see Capn’ Jack Sparrow every single year.

Everyone seems to assume it’s a bunch of geriatrics sitting in lawn chairs drinking green tequila drinks. Everyone shouldn’t assume so much.

I almost wore this same thing.

Every year it’s like a competition to out-do everyone else creatively-tropically.

Mermaids get thirsty too.

And everybody is so chill – no politics, no drama, no greed…everyone shares everything (especially bevvies).

Shotski!

Making friends around a neon octopus.

This year got a bit cray cray. They stopped enforcing the strict parking rules – so anyone and everyone was setting up canopies, boats, etc. wherever they darn well pleased.This really condensed the space and it felt like one big back yard. Love it!

Caught taking a pirate lady selfie. I need that leg chalice.

Another thing that’s changed over the years is my Buffett crew. We had a huge regular group (not talking bathroom habits). But over the years most of them have faded away. Kind of sad, but c’est la vie dansante.

Buffett4Life friends and a svelte merman.

But like in regular life, most of these people have been replaced with runner friends. I still miss my old crew, but not much I can do if they don’t even respond to invites. It’s all good, runners be crazy, yo!

Runner friend unicorn and a zebra lady.

Someone let us drive their land boat.

Free lap dances from “pretty mike”.

I welcomed several runner friends to the Parrothead phlock.

And for those of you paying attention, why yes, that is my Key West Half Marathon race tech tee under my ultimate party Hawaiian shirt.

Perfect shirt for a perfect day.

And here’s a pro tip: Many people just come for the party, but for those of us who like his music and enjoy the concerts, don’t buy tickets in advance. You can always get some for free/cheap at the tailgate from other parrotheads. My dad and I got tickets for $10.

Boom-shaka-laka.

And I’ll leave it at this – one of the newbies who showed up posted this on her facebook page:

“Soooo…yesterday was my first time at a Jimmy Buffett tailgate party, and it’s taken a good 24 hours for me to mentally recover from what I witnessed there. There were things I simply cannot unsee. And I can’t wait until next year to do it all over again!”

OK, back to running. I’m sure everyone did something for National Running Day. Me was no different. I met up for a local running store’s social run followed by free breakfast tacos!!!

Miles and Smiles!

I got to see a lot of old running friends. It was great! And I’ve got some more good running news, but you’ll have to wait for tomorrow for that…I try to keep these posts more visual than wordy, and I see my word count is growing. Till next time!

How bout you? Anything special for NRD? Can you tell we had fun this week? Are you intrigued or frightened of Buffett tailgates based on my pics?

-Scott

Running Through Jimmy Buffett!!!

So I had to do my longish run on an odd day this weekend because I had to clear my sched for the most favoritest day of the year…the annual Jimmy Buffett Concert Tailgate!!!!

The costume options are endless.

I heart this so much. It’s like having a tropical vacation without the travel. Everyone is so chill…and most don’t even go to the concert. It’s all about the days long tailgate!

The concert isn’t until tomorrow, but I was able to meet up with my Chicago Marathon training buddy and we did a quick scout run of the parking lot. It’s filling up fast! Going to be as epic as always!

Just a couple of boobs.

If you’ve never been, you really should check it off your bucket list sometime. There are some really creative people out there and they come up with some crazy tailgating stations. In fact, each year it’s here there’s a big social run that goes to the parking lot just to run past all the crazy set-ups.

I’m off to get ready…Cannot Wait!

Fins Up, Parrotheads!!!

One question – Ever been to a Buffett tailgate party?

-Scott

Run Thru a Party & Parrothead Craziness

(subtitle: Part 2 of why I’ve been MIA)

First off kids, let me say that I’ve had some kind of illness for over a week. I’ve been sexily coughing up mucous, and have general tiredness (do not salute General Tiredness). But I’ve been pushing through. I had to…

Saturday was a big day. It was Happy Jimmy Buffett Day! If you’ve never been to a Buffett experience, you don’t know what you’re missing.

Happy Jimmy Buffett Day!

To start the day, a group of friends actually meet each year to run around the tailgating grounds. I did the same thing. I got 5 miles in while I scouted out the best party set-ups. And yes, even at 7am they Parrotheads are at it. Grilling and drinking. And yes, they invite you to join them.

After my run, I showered and breakfasted and and collected my supplies and got dropped off at the tailgate. I met up with some friends and the day of adventure was on!

Some of my running friends!

We wandered all day long around the ‘sharking lot’ (sharking as in shark + parking, NOT the sharking they do in Japan)… The creativity that people have there is amazing!

Pirate ship in the parking lot? Yes, I will captain it.

Of course, people make some ‘creative’ outfit choices as well. But hey, we’re at ‘the beach’ right?!?

He wanted to get rid of his tan lines.

I almost wore the exact same thing. That would’ve been embarrassing for her.

I’m pretty sure Uncle is off his meds again.

The reason why I love this so much is it’s like you get a tropical vacation at home. Everyone is so chill and they give you free food and drinks everywhere! You could eat an entire meal of crawfish or BBQ, and some desert jell-o shots! Then have a dignified after dinner drink.

These drinks were ice cold!

Or if you like, you can relax in a lawn chair or pull up a hammock.

She looks relaxed.

In the end, I probably walked another 5 miles all over the tailgate, with the occasional dance break mixed in.  I was also happy that I got to spend another year with my favorite parrot drinking vessel.  My grandma gave it to me like 15 years ago and it hasn’t missed a Buffet since.  I’ve lost coolers, chairs, hats, etc. But this guy has stuck with me!

The backstage pass he’s holding didn’t work.

I stopped buying tickets a while back because you can usually find people stuck with extras at the show who will give them to you for free.  That happened again here too, but like I said, I was a bit ill, tired, and sore from running.  Plus I got to see Buffett play two days before, so I was good.  Also, things started to get out of control…

Busted at Buffett. (Fake btw)

I called the wife to pick me up.  And at home the boy and I watched the concert on-line and danced in our living room!  So it was another successful Buffett experience!!!

How bout you?  Ever have a run around a tailgate party?  Ever been to a Buffett tailgate or concert?  Should I have worn those green bottoms?

PS – This is part 2/3 of why I’ve been MIA.  If you missed part one, you can read it HERE.  Part I was pretty epic for me.  Part III is on the way!

-Scott

 

Big Secret Revealed, Quick Run, & Surprising Health Nuts

(subtitle – Part 1 of why I’ve been MIA recently)

Hello All! Apologies for being gone the past few days, but it’s been wacko around these parts! Lemme splain.

First off, I had a pretty cool opportunity the other day. I know I hinted at it on my post last week about having a big secret thing going down that I didn’t want to jinx. Well it did go down…kind of.

Here’s the dillyo: I’m a huge Jimmy Buffet fan. I’ve been going to his concerts for 20 years. I’ve probably seen him live over 25 times – everywhere from Ohio to Vegas to Dallas to Charlotte. I listen to his music, read his books, eat at his restaurants…the whole nine yards.

At one of my first Buffett shows back in the day.

So when a fellow TV producer friend called me and asked if I wanted to work behind the scenes on a broadcast of a history-making concert of his, I was like, fo shizzle.

Just a couple of melon heads at a Buffett show a couple years ago.

But runners – don’t worry, I still got in four sweaty quick miles before heading to the show.

Anyway, he was playing a groundbreaking concert at a local drive-in movie theater that was simulcast at other drive-ins around the country. My job was to help shoot and edit a pre-show video for the broadcast. To do this, I needed pretty much an all-access pass. Security was no joke, and so I had to wear credentials out the wazoo.

Credentials part 1.

Credentials part 2 (believe it or not, I had on more that I didn’t take photos of)

Now if you don’t know about Buffett concerts, here’s the thing – a big part of the experience is the pre-show tailgate party. These people go all out – you have no idea! The pre-show fest can last up to three days!!! In fact, many people just go to the party and don’t even make it in to the concert.

Some of the tailgaters – the fins light up at night.

I was going around getting footage of the tailgaters and met some cool peeps.  Not only the partiers, but I ran into a few other friends who were also working the concert – including model, actress, singer, and buddy of mine – Brooke Becker.

It had been a couple years since we last worked together.

One cool thing was that when Jimmy and the Coral Reefers came out to play their sound-check, they decided to play a mini-concert for the tailgaters there. That was cool of them, and I enjoyed it too!

Sound check 1-2 1-2

My big secret hope was that I would get to meet Jimmy. And I came so close. I was within about 10 feet of him, but his security was no joke (like I said). They weren’t having it.

I came close a 2^nd time when a person from Buffett’s inner circle said he’d take me to meet him, but again, security denied us. I understand they were just doing their job – in fact I chatted with his security later and they said they’d been working with him for 27 years. They have their system down!

This is NOT an uncommon sight at a JB concert.

However, during dinner I did get to eat with the Coral Reefers!!!! So cool! I spoke with a few of them and they were very cool. I thought it was bad form to ask for a picture, but I did sneak a pic of the food they had catered. It.was.so.amazing.

So so so so good!

Jimmy and the band are pretty healthy, if you can believe it. Steamed veggies, polenta lasagna, baked grouper, etc. So so good.   I also read that JB can be found doing yoga before his concerts in his dressing room…Probably why he is still able to play concerts all year long at his age.

VIP woot woot!

Anykitandkaboodle, we got the video done with minutes to spare (whew). And security allowed me to watch the first few songs with them up against the stage!

In front of front row baby!

After that I was done working and was able to relax and enjoy the show from the VIP section right in front of the stage. Dancing with strangers and loving life.

So that is Part 1 of why I’ve been MIA from here the last few days. Coming up tomorrow – Part 2 of where I’ve been.

SO, what have I missed? What’s everyone up to? Are you a huuuuge fan of anything – band, celeb, author, TV show, etc and how close have you come to meeting them?

-Scott

Thanksgiving Run & Race Fun

In my first run in over a week since I’ve been resting my knee and letting it heal, I felt pretty good.  My chiro gave me some kinesio tape that I think gave me some extra support.  I also took it pretty easy on my pace.  I also made sure to do a proper dynamic warm up – lunges, squats, toy soldiers, etc. etc.  And since it was in the upper 20’s when I woke, I made sure to bundle up to help keep my bod loose.

I knew that after my run I wanted to go and cheer for my racing friends.  Where I was running, I could hear the MC of the race off in the distance and it was a bit of a downer knowing I wouldn’t be in the race, but I wanted to be smart about my health.

The turkey was probably sad because it was Thanksgiving – a rough day for flightless birds.

Afterwards I did plenty of static stretching, changed to dry clothes and went to the race.  It was fun to cheer for everyone.  I saw so many people that I knew running this race.  It’s amazing to me that can go to pretty much any race in town and chances are I will know people there.

It was also cool that as some of my friends finished, they would go back and find other friends to help them finish.  Good stuff.

Afterwards we tailgated in the parking lot.  To our surprise there were a couple other groups tailgating, and being competitive people, we were determined to beat them.  We made sure to stay until the other groups packed up and left.  Yes, we won Thanksgiving!

We are so very thankful, obviously.

Afterwards it was the family celebration, but unfortunately I don’t think anyone took any photos, so you’ll just have to imagine what happened.

How bout you?  Did you race or run?  Did you have a good turkey day?  Have you ever gone to a race to support others?

Turkey Day Races

Sis and I after a Dallas Trot couple years ago. Be jealous of my sweet headband.

This year I am not racing on American Thanksgiving.  It’s the first time in as long as I can remember that I haven’t.  Feeling nostalgic, I went and looked up some of my old Turkey Day race results.  Much to my surprise, I found out I once got 2nd place in my age group in the Dallas 8 mile Turkey Trot.  I had no idea.  That race gets like 40,000+ people, so yay for me, haha!

Here’s me and my sis taking the race extremely seriously (yes, that’s me doing the Running Man dance while Running)

The race in Dallas has gotten so big and crowded, that I’m going to take a break from it for a while.  Can you imagine that many people with starting corrals????  It’s chaos!  I hear they’re making changes, and hopefully they can get it worked out.

That said, there’s an alternative around where I live:  The North Texas Turkey Trot.  I ran the 10k option last year and enjoyed it.  Here I am before and after…

Throw your deuces up.

I eat you turkey!

A lot of people like to run these races to have an excuse to eat guilt free later in the day.  Most of my friends tho, do so for another reason:  to have an excuse to tailgate at 9 in the morning.  Yup.

Here’s some of us after a Dallas Trot a couple years ago…

We are so thankful.

And here’s some of us after last year’s N.TX Trot…

I’m in the background, but I prefer this pic of my Drasian friend (drunk Asian).                           Click image to enlarge.

Since I’m not racing this year, I think I’ll still be out there early to tailgate cheer for my friends.  Then it’s off to celebrate with the family!

How ’bout y’all?  Any Turkey Day racers out there?   Other plans to give thanks?

Jimmy Buffett Concert Tailgate = Tropical Christmas in May.

Most runners I know do their long runs on Saturdays.  Why not?  You’re usually not at work and other people are doing it too.  I usually do too.  But not this Saturday.  No way.  No way whatsoever.  Why not?  This Saturday is the best day of the whole year….it’s the day of the Jimmy Buffett Tailgate Party!

My ever present Jolly Roger at last year’s show. We fly it upsidedown – no prisoners!

If you’ve never been to a Buffett concert, you don’t know what you’re missing.  It’s not about the show itself – most people at the party don’t even have tickets.  It’s about the day-long (or several day-long) tailgate party.  Yes it is.  It’s the one day of the year when a tropical vacation comes to you.  It’s the one day of the year when nobody gives a flying crap.  There’s no drama allowed.  There’s no politicks.  There’s no jealousy.  There’s no possessions.  There’s no negativity.  And when you remove all of that stuff, all that’s left is positivity and laid backness.

People at a Buffett tailgate are just happy.  It’s almost like a big tropical hippie commune landlocked in a North Texas parking lot.  “Hey stranger, have a drink.”  “Thanks, you want some of our crawfish boil?”  “Why yes, yes I do…Hey, that guy has an ice sculpture shot dispenser, let’s go meet them.”  “Excuse me, ma’am.  Can I borrow your bike – rickshaw for a while?”  “Sure, when you bring it back – I’ll probably be over at that pirate ship.”

It goes on and on all day.  RV’s as far as you can see.  Boats.  Makeshift beaches – sand dumped in parking spaces.  Hawaiian shirts.  Bikinis (or less).  Cannons shooting out Jello shots.  Motorized coolers.  Kids.  Elderly.  It’s beautiful.

This is NOT an uncommon sight at a JB concert.

The vibe is so great.  It’s like all you have to do that day is smile.

To be honest, I am a fan of JB’s music.  Always have been.  I  know not everyone gets it.  But I find most of them only know his big songs like “Margaritaville” or “Volcano”.  They’ve never chilled out to “Tin Cup Chalice”  “Coastal Carolina”  “Pacing the Cage”  or the like.  But it doesn’t matter this day if you’re a fan or not.  We’re just here for fun.  But if you are a fan like me, then hey, bonus!

Like I said, most people there don’t have tickets.  They’re just their to grill out, hang out, make out, drink out, whatever out.  I stopped buying tickets years ago, but I still get in to the show every year.  I get free tickets somehow.  Either someone is too drunk to go in.  Someone has extra tickets they got stuck with.  A stranger just gives them to me.  Worse comes to worse, I’ll buy one CHEAP from a scalper.  And I don’t mean a typical scalper…I mean the guy who looks like a parrot threw up on him that is standing by the entrance with a ticket he got stuck with.  You can usually get a good deal from those guys.

Just a couple of melon heads.

Anyways, I’ve been going to these shows annually – sometimes multi annually for the past 20 years.  I can’t even count how many shows I’ve been to.  I’ve seen him every where from Vegas to Dallas to Charlotte to Ohio.  Each time awesome.  And over the years we’ve got the system pretty well down.  We know how to maximize our set up to ensure the most time is allowed to get our party on.  I made the mistake this week of listening to Radio Margaritaville and they played an interview with Jimmy where he talked about all the crazy stuff he sees at his concerts.  The crazy stuff he sees in the parking lots.  It got me too pumped up.  I have been literally shaking with anticipation.  I cannot wait until we get there!!!

I hope if you’re around that you join us.  Just experience it and it will blow your mind and you’ll want to come back.  Who couldn’t use a tropical vacation right about now?  Who couldn’t use an escape from life for a day?  Come on out!

Fins up!

Rock N Roll Dallas Half Marathon Prep #RnRDal

Yo yo, it’s almost time to go!  Just a couple days till the Rock n Roll Dallas Half Marathon, and I’ve got some tips for you.  I have run this race each year of it’s existence – and this will be the 4th time.  Since I have experience, I have some advice to offer – especially if you haven’t run it before.  So here they are in no order that makes any sense.

1.)  Get there EARLY!  Traffic will be a PAIN.  Transportation to the start will be a hassle.  There will be tons of people all with the same goal, so get there before them to avoid as much hassle as possible.

2.)  Find the best way for you to get to the race start.  If you drive yourself, see 1.).  If you take the DART, see 1.).  If you have someone drop you off – that’s a pretty good way to go.  If you get a local hotel next to the start, then you can sleep in later than the rest of us.

3.)  At the Expo, do not park in the parking garage.  They charge a butt ton of money to park, but if you park on the street you can find metered spots.  And I don’t believe you have to pay for the metered spots on Saturday.

4.)  If you need to change corrals, they have a booth for it at the Expo.  Just ask them and they will do it, no questions asked.

5.)  Visit the crazy Brooks exhibit at the Expo.  I’m partial to Brooks products, but that’s not why I recommend it.  They do this crazy huge set up with lots of chances to win free stuff.  Check it.

6.)  This is a late start for this distance.  8am I believe.  Last year that meant the sun was up and it was hot!

9.)  Keep in mind that the start and finish are not close to each other.  That will affect your race day planning.

10.)  If you, or family or friends, drive and park at the finish area, be sure to bring bevvies for post race tailgating.  I think they give you a free MGD 64 or Ultra or something, but come on, those aren’t real drinks.

11.)  During the race itself, I cannot stress enough that you should start out slower than you think you should.  I know that it’s easy to get caught up on the excitement at the start and adrenaline wants to take over, but let your mind take over instead.  Trust me, once the adrenaline wears off and you hit the meat of the race, you’ll wish you hadn’t wasted so much energy at the first few miles.  Try and keep it in check and go for a negative split!

12.)  Along the same lines as 11.), keep in mind that the first like 8 or so miles of the course are generally on a steady incline.  Don’t waste all your energy getting up the hill!  Try to keep some reserves for the last several miles which are mostly downhill!

13.)  The weather.  It can be hot or cold.  Changes year to year.  This year they say it will be cold, somewhat humid, and windy.  But like I said, I am writing this a few days before the race.  And as my dad always says, “The weatherman couldn’t predict a bowel movement, let alone the weather.”  It’s true, generally they can only be truly accurate about 15 minutes before or after, not a week out.  I don’t mind the cold so much for running, seems to be easier than in the heat, but if it’s windy, look out.  It’s been so windy in North Texas the past several months, like ridiculously so.  My friend is an avid skydiver, but hasn’t been able to go in two months cause of the wind.  Let’s hope for calm weather on race day!

14.)  Try to enjoy the bands we pass on the course.  I know we only hear them for about 30 seconds, but they’re still trying to entertain us.  Also, I have a fact for you – cheerleading teams on the course love high fives…Give em frequently.

15.)  Keep an eye out for funny race signs, then tell me about them.  I’m always on the lookout for a laugh on the course.

16.)  Relax.  When things get tough, just keep reminding yourself that it’s only one more step to go.

17.)  If it’s super cold, bring throw-away clothes to wear until you’re warmed up.  That may be after a good warm up before the race, or if you let the first couple miles be your warm up.

18.)  Bring a warm change of clothes for after the race.  It’s always good to get out of the sweaty clothes.  And if it happens to rain, you’ll be wanting some dry duds to don.

19.)  After you finish, go back with the spectators and cheer others on – especially if you have any friends or family on the course.

20.)  Stick around and celebrate after the race.  The temptation is to jump in your car and go, but part of the high price of the RnR races is the post race concert.  We have some dude named Andy Grammer this year.  I don’t know him, but I hear he’s good, and his music is positive.  I’ll give him a chance.  Why not, it’s already paid for and you’ve got the tailgating bevvies from tip 10.).

That’s all I’ve got right now.  Oh wait, one more – if you need to potty before the race, try to sneak into the convention center.  They have indoor plumbing and a central heating unit.  Now, that’s all I’ve got.  Good luck, can’t wait to see you out there!  Can’t wait to hear how your race goes!  Can’t wait for us to get that medal around our necks!

-Me

Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot #blog

The Dallas Turkey Trot is an extremely popular race in North Texas, but I may be done with it.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great cause and the course is not bad, but there’s just too many people.  It takes place on Thanksgiving morning in downtown Dallas.  “Runners” can choose between the 5K or 8 mile option.  Traditionally a group of our family and friends make our way down there for the 8 mile race.  But we didn’t do it this year, and probably won’t again until they get a coral system or staggered start times, or the like.

Before the race with moms, friends, sis, and 39,995 of our closest co-trotters.

I think they have around 40,000 people who show up.  Most do the 5K.  Many of them are walkers.  Many of them have strollers, or dogs, or strollers with dogs in them (no joke, I actually saw this!).  Many force their way as close to the start line as possible.  The result is a lot of bobbing and weaving.  It does clear up for us 8 milers after we pass the finish for the 5K, but before that it is chaos on the course.  And I have a theory why there are so many people who do this race:  For many of them, this is the only race they’ll do all year, which is fine, but I think that they think if they walk/run 3.1 miles then they can over-eat all Turkey Day guilt-free.  That’s just my working theory tho, I’m still in the research phase.

Tailgating after the race in a scenic location.

That all said, I hope they get it worked out.  It has just gotten too big and out of hand for my taste.  If they can get the start figured out, I’d love to come back to it.  We’ll see what happens.  In the mean time, since I knew I wouldn’t have a speedy time, I took this race not so seriously….as evident in the video below of my sis and I finishing the 8 miler last  year.

I thought the running man was an appropriate dance to do in the middle of a run.  I need to find a robot run to race next.

Peace out Internet!

The Firefly Run #blog

The time was Dallas.  The place was early Spring.  The 5k race was at night.  The runners wore lights and were kind of lit up.  I was definitely a little lit up.  Lemme ‘splain.

I hadn’t signed up for the race because I thought 45 quid was a too much to pay for a 5k, but then my buddy Zack, who did register, couldn’t run it – so I wore his chip.  The problem was the race was at night and jam packed with people.  I also had a ton of friends running it.  Why are these problems?  Because silly, it led to us tailgating before the race.

Here’s why:  1) The race organizers did a great job of marketing.  They attracted a huuuge crowd of runners, many of whom don’t really know race etiquette.  2) I know the course very well as I run there often, and I knew the roads weren’t wide enough to make for smooth running with all those folks clogging up the street.  3) 1) + 2) = no chance of having a good race time unless you can make your way to the front of the crowd before the start.  We couldn’t.

I don’t know why my friends decided not to wear costumes.

So, I decided instead to tailgate with my friends and just have fun with it.  I wasn’t expecting much of this race, but it ended up being a lot of fun.  I wore a cape and my friend Mary in the Waldo outift asked to run with me. We didn’t want to go too fast, but figured 8-830 mile pace would be good. We ended up running 8:28, so we were right on. Actually, the first mile was very slow due to all the people and walkers and mass of humanity. Lots of dodging and near crashes. After that, it cleared up a tiny bit, so we picked up the pace. I was glad I had Waldo to run with!

In retrospect, I’m kind of glad we pre-partied because they delayed the start by like 20 mins so they could get a lot of pictures from the helicopter they rented to fly over the crowd.  But, in retrospect, I’m kind of not glad ’cause it wasn’t too easy to run after a couple beerskis.  But they had a huge party after the race – bands, dancing, etc.  It was well put on.

We tend to tailgreat.

After the race, we continued the celebration.  We do how we do!

Peace!