6 Safety tips runners should remember

May 13, 2017Leave a comment

Photo from Pixabay

Since I started running on a regular basis five years ago, I’ve learned a few things about the sport. Something I know I took for granted when I hit the road is safety. Last year, two women set out to run and were attacked and later found dead. Even in our small community of southern Illinois, a man was caught on camera stalking a runner. He later tackled the woman to the ground, but she was able to fight back and the man ran away.

Here are a few do’s and don’ts when it comes to running.

Pay Attention

Do be aware of your surroundings. One of the fun things about running is getting to explore different areas. But this can be dangerous too. Know where you’re running before setting out on a new course. This can prevent being a victim and also running into unwanted four-legged creatures. I’ve been on more than one up close and personal encounter with dogs, coyotes and even a deer. Carrying runners’ mace is also a good idea according to experts.

Find a Partner

Don’t run alone. Head out with a partner or partners you know and trust. Typically speaking there is safety in numbers. Run with people who are at a similar pace as you. It does no good to have a partner if you leave each other behind.

Listen Up

Don’t run with earbuds in. I’m guilty of this, as I listen to my favorite podcasts when I’m out on a run. If I am near a busy road though, I do pull out one bud to keep an ear on traffic. But keeping your ears open will make it easier to hear if a threat is near, whether it be an animal or a person looking to do harm.

Variety is the Spice of Life

Do change things up. Running the same course repeatedly can make your trek more predictable to someone keeping tabs on your patterns. Also, posting the map of your workout on social media gives strangers a chance to know where you’re headed each time. Even if you have privacy setting in place, once something goes up on social media, people you don’t want seeing it can still view it.

Traffic Concerns

Do run against traffic. This helps runners see who is coming in their direction behind the wheel. It also makes it harder for someone to pull a runner into the vehicle.

Tune Up

Do S.I.N.G. That’s an acronym to keep in mind if you’re ever attacked. Kick, smack or hit that person in the Solar plexis, Instep, Nose or Groin. These moves can save your life if you ever come face to face with an attacker.

These are just a few safety tips when it comes to running. Use common sense. If something doesn’t seem right, trust your gut.

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I’ve been streaking

May 1, 2017May 1, 2017Leave a comment

3.65 miles on Run Streak Day 365

On May 1, 2016, I set off on a run streak. The requirement is to run at least one mile every day to keep the streak alive. It’s now 365 days later and I’m proud to report I’m still running. I’ve run with a migraine, I’ve run with a hangover, I’ve run along the snow-packed roads of Michigan when we were on vacation in December. Christmas morning, Thanksgiving, New Year’s Day, Easter, my birthday. You get it.

First double digit run since 2015

In the past year, I have run a total of 822 miles. That’s an average of 2.25 miles per day, which I was hoping would have been a little more. My longest run over the past year came a few weeks ago when I did 10 miles. It was the first double-digit run since October 2015. So why did I start this streak in the first place? Several members of my running group, The Yellow Donkeys, embarked on run streaks and I was looking for a new running challenge. In 2014 I ran my first half marathon. My first marathon came in 2015 and in 2016 I ran all three legs on the River to River Relay (it was the first time I’d done all three).

Run Forrest, run

I don’t know how long to keep this streak up. I wanted to reach a year, but with my competitive nature (believe it or not, I am competitive) I don’t want to just quit. However, I also want to add more to my fitness regimen. But ultimately, keeping the streak alive doesn’t take more than about 10 minutes a day. I am starting to feel the effects of all that road time on my ankles and knees. As I write this the internal debate grows stronger on how long to keep this up. Nevertheless, I am going to continue running for the immediate future. I want to stop on my own terms though and not because of an injury. Fellow streakers have you had second thoughts about moving forward?

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Why I picked comics & wrestling over running

April 23, 2017April 23, 2017Leave a comment

Cape Con

For the last couple of years, I’ve joined other runners for the 80 mile River to River Relay. The race stretches across southern Illinois and is an all day event. It’s a lot of fun and I’ve enjoyed being a part of it. But this year the race fell on the same weekend as the Cape Comic Con in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Colt Cabana

That event not only features things like comic books, toys and video games, there’s also a huge wrestling element. Cape Championship Wrestling held a Super Show Saturday night featuring many talented wrestlers on the local roster as well as a handful of men and women with national recognition. The likes of Colt Cabana, Joey Ryan, Jeff Cobb and Leva Bates. When I missed last year’s event, I vowed to make it back in 2017 (I had gone to Cape Con in 2015 on Sunday, but missed a lot of the big things on Saturday).

Leva Bates, aka Blue Pants

I didn’t want to go to Cape Con and CCW just to enjoy the day as a fan. I did that, don’t get me wrong. But I also used this trip to get the My 1-2-3 Cents brand out to the appropriate audience. For those who don’t know, I have a second blog called My 1-2-3 Cents that is all about wrestling. There’s a weekly podcast by the same name too.

The Scooby Gang

Being on hand at both Cape Con and CCW allowed both me and iBatman (Tom Harness of Harness Digital Marketing) to network with like minded people. We connected with some of the vendors, wrestlers and the event organizer Ken Murphy. In fact, we’ve already started talking about working together in 2018. Plus, Tom had a chance to talk to a fellow veteran and Walking Dead actor Santiago Cirilo about some future projects. Overall it was a great day.

Toy talk with Sigs From Bigs

I will continue to run, as I’m nearing the one year mark on my running streak. But my days of being a part of the River to River Relay may be over. The opportunity to network and promote my brand are too important to pass up right now.

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Out of my shell, into my suit

April 18, 2017April 18, 2017Leave a comment

TapSnap booth

I recently attended the MDMC 17 event in St. Louis. It was two days of networking and learning from professionals in the world of marketing, social media and technology. Despite being a TV news reporter and anchor and literally have to talk to total strangers on a daily basis, I am a huge introvert. But with a goal of getting my freelance blogging career a jumpstart, I needed to attend MDMC and step outside my comfort zone.

Harness Digital Marketing team members

Planning for the conference started more than six months ago when I asked my buddy Tom Harness and his team at Harness Digital Marketing about the event. Tom is known as the Suit Guy here in southern Illinois for his now 14 different Shinesty/Opposuits. At the time of registration in December, my first suit, a Star Wars Storm Trooper design, was on order. Tom and I talked about wearing something crazy on at least one of the two days for MDMC.

PacMan & The Flamingo Kid

After wearing the Storm Trooper suit a few times around southern Illinois and southeast Missouri I grew very comfortable in it. The reaction was 99.9% positive. I heard one negative comment, but I’m not going to dwell on it. But because I only had the one suit and the conference extended two days I knew I needed to step up my game. That’s where Kohl’s comes in. The retailer now sells some OppoSuits in its stores. I picked up the flamingo design to let potential clients know “I have the leg up on all other bloggers.” Tom wore his Pac-Man suit (one of my favorites) because “it’s game on when it comes to marketing your business.” We came up with these slogans as we walked into the conference. Clever, right?

Isaac from GoDaddy

Wearing the suits to MDMC worked. Tom worked hard on social media before we arrived letting attendees know we’d be there and suited up, ready to network. We spent a good portion of the conference together and answering questions about the suits but then the conversation turned to our careers. Even on my own, I fielded questions, posed for photos and handed out business cards. Within minutes of walking into Union Station, one of the presenters from GoDaddy (pictured above) spotted me and asked to take a photo together. I was amazed. The suits are an immediate icebreaker. You can’t wear one without being noticed. I’m not good at making the first contact, but with the suit on, people came to me and I was able to engage in a meaningful conversation while having a good time. It was a win-win as far as I’m concerned.

Kelly from BuzzFeed

The attention the suit attracts is well worth the investment. Time will tell just what the ROI will be in terms of actual blogging gigs. Buying these suits is kind of like getting a tattoo, once you start it’s hard to stop. I’m looking forward to my next purchase and still holding out hope for a wrestling themed design.

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Before there were promposals…

April 11, 2017April 11, 2017Leave a comment

pink_rose_514085

Now days asking someone to the prom or even the Homecoming dance has turned into quite an ordeal. I’m not knocking the creative way guys and girls are asking their dates to the dance. There have been plenty of neat videos and pictures posted on social media. Instead, I’m going to share my not so successful “promposals” from more than 25 years ago.

My junior year I had debated asking a girl to prom that I had been crushing on since 8th grade. If you read the Christmas Crush blog from my freshmen year, she’s the same girl. But now I was in 11th grade, driving and had gained some confidence. Or so I thought.

After talking with a mutual friend who didn’t squash the idea, I came up with a plan. I was going to wait for her outside soccer practice (her’s, not mine), hand her a pink rose and ask her to go to prom with me. Keep in mind I was still painfully shy and introverted beyond belief and hadn’t engaged in more than a couple of conversations with this girl.

Junior year, what’s not to love?

So there I stood in the school parking lot with a rose in my sweaty hand, waiting. My heart was pounding through my chest and the more I stood there thinking, the more I wanted to a b-line for my car and leave. But then I remembered how much I wanted this date to happen.

She walked into the parking lot alone and I walked up to her and attempted to hand the rose over and nervously asked, “Will you go to prom with me?” She paused and looked me in the eye and said, “I have a boyfriend.” I could feel my face turn a much brighter shade of pink than the rose in my hand. I apologized and quickly got the hell out of dodge. I saw another mutual friend leaving the field and jumped into her car and professed my act of stupidity. How could I not know she had a boyfriend? (She really did). I was so embarrassed.

I was down and out for the junior prom but vowed to find a date for my senior year. My first “promposal” was a simple handwritten note that I passed in between classes. I was friends with this girl but had developed a bit of a crush. She agreed to go but was under the impression it was to be as friends. A few weeks later she broke it off when I expressed interest in having a relationship.

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Senior year

I remained vigilant and actually conjured up the testicular fortitude to call a girl on the phone and actually hold a conversation. I asked her to go with me to the dance and she agreed. We went out a few times after that, but later that summer I headed off to college where a few months later I met my future wife.

I wrote this blog for a couple of reasons, it’s prom season and people tend to enjoy reading my tales of teen angst. I also wrote it because if a high school aged student is reading it, I hope it inspires you to step outside of your comfort zone. I did it a couple of times and failed, but eventually, I found love.

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A swig of Broken Skull IPA for the working man

April 5, 2017April 5, 2017Leave a comment

Stone Cold IPA

Fans of the “Stone Cold” Steve Austin podcast know his phrase “a swig of beer (or coffee, water, etc) for the working man. That’s how I came up with the title for this post. Austin is well known in the late 1990s as being a beer chugging, tough as nails WWE Superstar. He’s one of my all-time favorites. So in late 2015 when it was announced he would be releasing his own brand of beer, Broken Skull IPA by El Segundo Brewing, I wanted it.

When I did some homework on the beer, I learned quickly it would not be available in the Midwest. Ordering online was an option, but when I learned my buddy and fellow Craftbeerican Tom Harness was headed for California last summer I mentioned the craft beer to him. He brought back a couple of bottles and glasses with the Broken Skull IPA logo printed on them.

Broken Skull

After nine months, we finally did an episode of Craftbeericans reviewing the Broken Skull IPA. Oh, did I mention we did it on 3/16? We did and just for the reasons you might expect. For those who don’t know, Austin 3:16 says “I just whooped your ass.” It’s the catchphrase that made him a wrestling legend.

I’m not going to lie as I worried I would not like it and in my head thought Austin would somehow see our review. Who knows, maybe he will eventually see it. One can dream, right? Since the creation of Craftbeericans, I’ve learned that I am not a fan of IPAs. Most that I have tried are too hoppy and bitter for me.

Stone Cold Steve Austin Broken Skull IPA

We set up the show from Irons in the Fire in Carterville, with me wearing my Stone Cold tee shirt I bought in 1998. The table was topped with Austin action figures and the usual Craftbeericans table-cloth. I told a few tales about the WWE Hall of Famer and then we filled our Stone Cold glasses with the IPA.

The pour out showed us the beer is a little cloudy. In smelling it before the first drink we learned there’s a hint of citrus involved too. Then it was time to drink and much to my surprise, Broken Skull IPA finishes as the smoothest IPA I’ve ever had. You get a bit of hoppiness in the beginning but the overall experience is nothing short of a WrestleMania moment. I’m glad Tom picked up a second bottle as we will bust it out and have another swig for the working man in the near future. And that’s the bottom line because the Craftbeericans said so…

Tech Tuesday: Take pics & videos on the iPhone at the same time

April 4, 2017April 4, 2017Leave a comment

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I don’t buy into that line of thinking. However, what I learned earlier today is probably not a new trick. But since it’s new to me, I figured I’d share it with you, because maybe you’d not heard of it either.

During our broadcast of News 3 This Morning today, our floor director Jordan captured video AND pictures of a Zumba segment we did. He did this at the same time. My co-anchor, Callie and I were perplexed by this and he showed us how he did it.

It’s pretty easy to do. (Full disclosure, I don’t know which versions of the iPhone this works with, but I have a 6 and it works on it.)

iphone2

Open the camera on your phone.

Switch to VIDEO.

Start recording.

Tap the white button to start taking pictures.

The photos will be saved to your camera roll along with the recorded video. It’s that simple. I’ve often wondered about that white button but never thought much more of it. Now go out and take video and pictures and share both with the world.

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