Running. I hate it. Yes, I said it, I hate it.....BUT I love how it is such a simple activity that does so much for your body. Or at the very least affords me the option of eating pizza once a week. Really – who needs an expensive gym membership when you have a good pair of runners and your own two feet? I also hate running because it’s just so easy that’s it’s hard to make excuses to avoid it! I prefer my exercise options to be packed full with readymade excuses as to why I can’t do it.
But as much as I hate the act of running, I like going to races (not for the running part, but for the social and fun part!). Last October I went to Disney Land in Florida and take part in the inaugural Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon. You could run either the half marathon or run it as a relay team with a partner. Immediately I decided that I was going to run the half marathon because if I was going to go all the way to Florida for a run, I was going to set my goal for the full half marathon. Then I had my first training run and promptly called Candace and asked her to be my relay buddy (then secretly I made it so she had to run the long leg of the relay). What?! I said I liked going to races because of the ‘fun’ and ‘social’ aspect. If I had to run more than 8km I would have been dead. Which is not fun, nor social.
So the big run day came and it was probably the most fun I have ever had in my life – even with my serious dislike of running. Add to it the 3 days of park hopping before the actual run and it was one hell of an incentive to keep on training! Honestly – if you really want to enjoy a race, do one in Disney. I ran with Heather and Jo and Racheal (who really did make us all look sooo bad) and Eric (who ran a half marathon on his first run ever!!!) and Brian and was fortunate enough to have a member of Jeff Galloway’s RunDisney team run with us. And now we’re like this running ‘gang’. We email each other about runs, and when we’re going to run next, and people are already signing up for races! It’s insanity!! The pressure is killing me!!!
So being someone who is kind of obsessed with pop culture and celebrities and celebrity form – I have decided that I need to find my celebrity run inspirations, because as much as you would think that my own muffin top would be inspiration enough, sadly it isn’t. And I’m talking the celebrity women who really run, not the Kim Kardashians of the world who go to the gym in full evening make up and designer workout gear and leave looking as though they just spent 2 hours at the spa.
So this week my running inspiration is Reese Witherspoon. Now a mother of two, Reese seems to be the type of celebrity that most regular women (that’s you and me) can relate to, especially her exercise regime. I mean, look at the pictures of Reese running – this isn’t a beauty queen! Reese wears typical running clothing, throws her hair in a pony tail and just runs. And she sweats! Reese runs alone, she runs with friends and she runs with boyfriends. Obviously she takes her running seriously!
So this week I’m going to channel my inner Reese as I try to motivate myself to run on my treadmill at least 4 times this week. Because my Disney dream is to best my time from last year – any maybe, just maybe, run the full half marathon (OMG did I really put that in writing?!). After all, my running ‘gang’ already has me committed to the National Capital 10k race in May, and the 2nd Annual Wine & Dine Marathon has been scheduled for October 1st.
So I want to know – who are your celebrity running idols?! Who do you love to see out there running and who’s form do you covet that makes you lace up your own shoes and hit the pavement (or at the very least the treadmill?!) And please, don’t say Kim Kardashian!
Scene and Heard
Confessions from a Pop Culture Mummy
*Sigh*, I’ve been sitting here wondering if I should write this post. I mean, is this really a road I want to go down?! But then I thought, what the hell, of course it is! I mean, I’m all about gossip and if something involves high school and cliques, well even better!
So recently Erica asked for her readers to provide their feedback on the site – this very site that you’re reading this on right now. She shared those results in her recent blog post and I have to say I wasn’t that surprised to read about one aspect of the feedback she received. Once again – the ‘clique’ word was thrown around. Seriously, I’ve heard it all before, but this time it got personal, because in the comments many people decided to blatantly call out the bloggers who tweet. To be exact – here’s what was said in one of the comments;
‘To say that the vibe of the YMC is cliquey is an understatement. The sad truth is that even the people that "work" for you only tweet and rt mostly within the group as well, and it gets old really fast.’
Then there was this
‘BTW.... twitter and your tweets from your tweeps are not helping. If they have 'yummymummy' or their 'yummymummy' handle in their profile etc. they are representing your site & brand. I followed some for a bit and actually think that might be where alot of your 'highschool' is coming from - quite frankly I stopped following most. You guys don't RT or 'tweet' with a diverse group of mummies...... just yourselves & a small clique.’
Um, ouch! I have to say, I take this personally, and I take it personally because I am one of the bloggers who tweets – a lot – so I can only assume that I am being lumped into this group of people that are being referred to. You know – the YMC 'clique' if you will.
I started on twitter just about 2 years ago. I had never blogged, I rarely even wrote, and I learned to navigate the twitter world all on my own, without anyone holding my hand. As the months passed I found new and fun and interesting people to follow. I sat back and watched, and when I got tired of that I jumped into the conversations and started to follow people that I really connected with. I have met many of the people in real life that I never would have met if it weren’t for twitter, and now count them as some of my very best friends. These are people who offer to watch my kids when I am sick, or bring coffee over when my husband is out of town. These are real friends that I am very lucky to have made. And they are my friends because not only have I taken the time to get to know them personally, but they have taken the time to get to know me.
You think I’m clique-y?! For real? Because I talk to the people who are my friends on twitter?! Please. Let me make it perfectly clear that if someone talks to me on twitter, I talk back. Always. For the love of God I have over 38000 tweets – I talk a lot! And while I do blog for Yummy Mummy Club I am my very own person on twitter – whether you think I am here to solely represent YMC or not. And I will not stop talking to my friends because you think I am being ‘exclusionary’.
You know what’s ‘clique-y’ and ‘highschool’?! When people bash you for your achievements. Trust me – I have been on the receiving end of many an insult because people didn’t think that I deserved any of the ‘perks’ or ‘benefits’ that I have received through my blogging. Not fun, but I’m a big girl and I can deal with it.
Listen, this isn’t a democracy here, this is a blogocracy. And maybe the reason I don’t follow you or I don’t tweet with you is because I don’t want to. Or maybe I don’t have anything in common with you so I don’t follow you back. But to say that we don’t rt other posts is bullshit, because the last time I checked I don’t work for you. And like I said – I don’t rt out of obligation, I rt because I think that the post is worth reading. Or I do it to support a friend.
My advice to you if you’re feeling a little ‘left out of the club’ on twitter or on the site – speak up! We, like you, are busy moms, with busy lives who really enjoy meeting new people. But don’t punish us because we like to socialize with those that have made the effort to get to know us. Instead, try talking to us, or try coming out to one of the many free events that the site puts on, I bet you’ll be surprised at what happens.
Scene and Heard
Confessions From A Pop Culture Mummy
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