Central Kentucky Runs for Boston

Like many across the nation and the world, I was horrified on Monday as my Twitter feed went from tweets cheering on the marathoners in Boston to tweets sharing a terrifying situation as it unfolded. In the days since, the horror of the bombings at the marathon finish line has saddened me to a degree I found a little surprising. I don't know anyone personally affected, but I think the fact that the victims are just normal people who were there to run, there to cheer, there to celebrate.

Running is a sport without a lot of barriers to entry. Lord knows, if I can become a runner just about anyone can! Slow, fast, short, tall, expensive Nikes or barefoot, many many people can participate. It's a sport that doesn't require a lot of cash outlay to get started. In fact, running is one of the first things many children do in their natural progression of development.

I'd wager that most of us have either run in a race or have cheered on friends and family in a race. Of course, it takes a lot of dedication and commitment to qualify and participate in the Boston Marathon. You don't have to have a qualifying time to be a runner, though. No matter the distance or the speed, there's a camaraderie in the running community.

It's been heartwarming to see the running community in our state come together to strengthen those bonds of health, fitness and the celebration of life in the wake of a tragedy like we've seen this week. All over the state, remembrance runs have popped up. One of the biggest will happen this Saturday in Lexington.

By misconmike

John's Run Walk Shop will host a remembrance run for Boston on Saturday 4/20 at 7 am. The group welcomes all speeds, abilities and distances to start off from the shop South Ashland Avenue in Lexington (Chevy Chase) and encourages the wearing of green and white (Boston's city colors). 

If you're a runner but not able to attend the run on Lexington, will you dedicate a run this week to the folks in Boston? I know it weighed on my mind tonight, as I struggled through a few miles along the Kentucky River. No matter how tough those miles were, no matter how out of running shape I am, it felt good to get out there again.

Springtime Photo Ops

Is there anyplace more beautiful than Kentucky in Spring?

One of my favorite ways to see the Bluegrass State is by foot - hiking at Red River Gorge always provides some excellent photo opportunities:

The underside of Sky Bridge

Visiting small towns and exploring on foot is another great way to find beauty in Kentucky's spring. I'm a little partial, but our Capital City is beautiful this time of year.

Tulips at the Capitol

Another great way to explore Kentucky's outdoors is by water. Spring rains bring up the water table and make for perfect conditions to see the extensive waterways of Kentucky.

Elkhorn Creek in Early Spring (kayaks rented from Canoe Kentucky)

Central Kentucky offers any number of scenic driving tours, as well. Follow the blue and white signs for the Bluegrass Driving Tour, or download a map of the Dreamer driving tour from the Visitors Bureau.

Near Midway and Weisenberger Mill

The Art of Bracket-Making

 

Today begins my favorite weekend in all of sports - the opening weekend of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Four days of dancing, Cinderella, upsets, blowouts and the best basketball of the year.

If you're participating in a bracket challenge, it's likely that your picks are due by noon today. Still stumped on which 12 seed will upset a 5 seed (it's happened every year since 2002!)? Maybe I can help.

I follow college basketball pretty closely throughout the season. Given control of the remote, I'd choose whatever game is on, no matter how big or small the teams or rivalry. When it comes to filling out my bracket, I try to give it a good, educated guess. It's not always easy, but I try researching and somewhat-scientifically choosing a winner. Often, though, it's a total crapshoot. That's what makes it so fun!

There are always a few guidelines for upsets, and I think this will be the year for upsets. I always pick too many, but the regular season provided plenty of examples of big teams losing on the road or getting shocked at home by the underdog. Wanna pick an upset? Here are some guidelines:

1. A #16 seed has never upset a #1 seed. Ever. Upsets are generally awesome and are what make the tournament so special. A true underdog can take down basketball royalty. However, it's unlikely to be in a #1 vs. #16 game. It's going to happen one day, I'm sure, but I'm not comfortable picking it. (Let's hope that Western Kentucky's Hilltoppers can make this year the year against Kansas!)
   
2. The game at the bottom of each region bracket is ripe for upsets. A 15 seed has upset a 2 seed 12 times since 2002. I think every Kentucky fan remembers with glee last year's tournament when #15 Lehigh upset #2 Duke. Who can do it this year? Can Albany bring the upset against Duke? How about Florida Gulf Coast vs. Georgetown?
   
3. A solid upset pick is a # 12 over the #5 seed. I've got New Mexico State over Saint Louis and California over UNLV. Who do you have?

When I can't pick with my head, I tend to pick with my heart. This usually results in two brackets - one with Kentucky as the National Champion and one with a more balanced and objective approach. Interestingly, last year, I was confident enough in my "heart" bracket to make it my official one. This year? Yeah, I only have one. :(

I have loyalties and allegiances that often have no rhyme or reason. Here are the things that guide my heart in choosing a bracket. This is totally unscientific.

1. I choose the team from Kentucky. Unless it's Louisville. That means I correctly picked the Morehead State upset of Louisville in 2011.
   
2. I choose the team from the SEC. I may be a Gator Hater, but I can set that aside in the name of conference loyalty.
   
3. I choose the team coached by a former Kentucky Wildcat. Let's go Travis Ford and the Oklahoma State Cowboys!
   
4. I choose the team playing against Duke, North Carolina or Kansas. Those programs don't need any more wins or to gain any ground on our record.
   
5. I choose the Catholic school team over the public or Protestant school team. I learned this one from my mom.
   
6. I choose based on the mascot names. The Wichita State Shockers are more likely to get my pick over a team with Bulldogs or some type of boring bird as their mascot. The more creative or descriptive your mascot name, the more likely I am to pick you to win. My nephew has adopted the interesting theory that you should pick based on which mascot would win in a real life cage match. (We taught him well at an early age that Wildcats eat Cardinals!)

As usual, I've planned my work schedule so that you can find me in my living room all day Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday watching hoops. I can't wait for the madness to begin! I might slave over my bracket starting on Selection Sunday, but once that ball is tipped I just want a great tournament, regardless of my picks.

Oscar Night

The 85th Academy Awards are only three days away. Do you love the Oscars as much as I do?

I love movies, even if I don't always run to the theater on opening day or stand in long lines for midnight showings. There's just something about movies. I love the escape that some of them offer, I love the look into a different life that others showcase.

This year, I decided that I was determined to see all the Best Picture nominees before Oscar night, so I could root on my favorites. Last weekend, I attended the first day of the The Best Picture Showcase at the AMC theater at Newport on the Levee in Northern Kentucky.

Four films. One day. Lots of popcorn.

My husband and I watched Amour, Les Miserables, Argo (produced by our favorite Kentucky man, George Clooney) and Django Unchained. Our favorite was Les Miserables, something neither of us expected.

This Saturday, I'll go to the theater, again, to see the remaining five films - Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook (featuring KY's own homegirl, Jennifer Lawrence), Lincoln (I think we know the KY connection there), Zero Dark Thirty and Beasts of the Southern Wild.

That will prepare me for Oscar night. I'll be watching (and probably live-tweeting reactions to) the Red Carpet specials and the awards show. I love the glitz and the glam - knowing I'd never want to actually do that! I'd rather watch from home in my favorite UK flannel pajama pants.

What will you be doing for Oscar night?

Valentine's Day Karaoke?

How does your family celebrate Valentine's Day? I admit that I'm not one for chocolates, flowers or jewelry. This, reportedly, is one of my husband's favorite things about me. Instead of the Hallmark cards, the fancy dinners and the declarations of undying love, this is how my family celebrates Valentine's Day.

 

Yes. We are different, even a little weird sometimes. We have started a tradition of having a karaoke party in celebration of Valentine's Day. Don't ask how we got started, or why the party pictures above had an Adult Prom theme to it, but there's just about nothing my family loves to do more than sing. Some of us are very, very good at it. Others, like me, can't carry a tune in a bucket but love to sing.

Every year, we rent a sound system from the Doo Wop Shop, my uncle brings his fancy karaoke machine and microphones and we all take turns singing our favorites and hogging the mic. 

Nothing says love like singing "Family Tradition" with your dad and uncles, right?

Kentucky in One Word: Beautiful

It's hard to reduce our home state to just one word. I really struggled with the idea, but kept coming back to the word "beautiful."

Native Americans discovered and returned to Kentucky again and again for the bounty that the land provided. Later, the Early European settlers must have seen bits of home in the highlands of Appalachia, the verdant meadows of the Bluegrass and the meandering waterways across the region. Today, I often find myself gasping at the beauty my state offers, and I'm in awe of the diversity of that beauty. Mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, and arches are some of the beautiful natural world we call home, but we've also had the (generally) good sense to work to preserve a lot of those places and enhance them.

My words are woefully inadequate to describe the beauty of Kentucky, but if you've ever lived through a Kentucky spring, you know that the green surrounding you is enough to make your heart squeeze with joy. If you've ever hiked a Kentucky forest on a crisp autumn day, you know the sights, sounds and smells of Kentucky.

Kentucky is beautiful beyond words and beyond my amateur photography abilities. I hope you enjoy some of my favorite images and will share links to some of your favorites!

Waterfalls Abound in Kentucky - Cove Spring Nature Preserve, Frankfort

Bright Summer Colors - Washington County

Majestic Waterways - Russell Fork River, Elkhorn City

Spring is Perfection in the Bluegrass - Capitol Lawn, Frankfort

Winter Brings Its Own Beauty - Cove Spring Nature Preserve, Frankfort

Fall in Appalachia - Russell Fork Gorge, Kentucky/Virginia Border

Arches! - Red River Gorge, Slade

2013 : One Word

“One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In stopping to think through the meaning of what I have learned, there is much that I believe intensely, much I am unsure of. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And, the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.”—Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

This new year, I've decided to work on living with intent. I'm participating in the One Little Word class presented by blogger and life-documenter extraordinaire, Ali Edwards. This is the first time I've decided to let a word guide and shape my life for a year.

I've chosen the word "commitment" as my guiding force for 2013. This year promises to be one of big changes for me, for my family and for my future. In order to succeed in life, in happiness, in my career, in my new business I need to commit to the goals in each of those areas. Some of those goals are tangible, defineable. I want to run another half marathon, for example. Others are more on the intangible side. I want to become successful in my business while still honoring the commitment I have to my 9-to-5 job through the end of that engagement.

My family, independent of my move toward One Little Word, started thinking about this concept over email at the beginning of January. Aunts and cousins and other various relations have chosen words like 

• Do
• Relax
• Healthy
• Moderation
• Listen
• Active
• Serenity
• Gratitude
• Discipline
• Spontaneity
• Focus
• Now
• Open

 Do you choose a word to guide yourself through a year?