I think the world can be divided into two kinds of people: those that make New Year’s resolutions (Type A personalities—we all know what the “A” stands for) and those that do not (I think the B in Type B personalities stands for “beer-appreciators”).
I don’t always keep mine, but I always make them (while sipping a beer). One of my 2011 resolutions is to start blogging again. My blog participation started with a bang, encouraged (perhaps demanded) by news management, then dwindled, then stopped. I blame the game of 140 characters.
Twitter killed the blog.
If I am constantly feeding anyone who gives a damn my witty thoughts, I have nothing left to say in a blog. .. Right?
Guess I need to turn up the witty.
That just sounds exhausting.
It’s made me re-think what I want to say, how I want to say it, and who I’m reaching. As I train for the Alaska marathon, I want to make you laugh, cheer, and come along for the ride. I’ll be posting pictures, video, and (of course) my random thoughts. One time, I compared blogging to standing in a closet and talking to myself. A very talented 11Alive photographer once said, “It used to be that boring people kept it to themselves.”
I’d make an eloquent argument to say that can’t possibly apply to me since I’m oh-so-exciting, but I can’t. There’s no outlet in this closet and my laptop is running out of power.
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Pixie: (n) a fairy that is somewhat mischievous. Ooo. I like this already.
The Great Haircut Challenge ended last night at midnight. Over the last month, it raised $1310 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. JoJo, a long-time photographer at 11Alive that spouts wisdom, advice, and humor with ease has said repeatedly through this fundraiser “a woman’s hair is a man’s glory”. To which I reply: “If a man is depending on my hair for glory, he doesn’t have much going for him, now does he?”
My desktop now includes issues of “Short Hair” and “Short Hair Style Guide” magazines. I have just a few days to pick out the new do and I AM ABSOLUTELY thrilled. The change will be drastic. There will be raised eyebrows and comments. Not all of them will be good. I know this because I’ve been a Pixie before. But this time, I have ammunition I’ve never had before.
When they ask, “What did you do with your hair?”
I can say, “I cut it all off and raised more than $1300 for cancer research and patient services. It’s fundraising for the Chicago Marathon in October: my 10th marathon… what did you do with your hair?” Maybe that definition of Pixie should read “… somewhat mischievous, sarcastic, and/or spunky.” Yep, that fits.
Thanks so much to everyone that donated to The Great Haircut Challenge. We’re still working out details, but it looks like Chesley will do the first “chop” Tuesday or Wednesday around 5:15 AM live on 11Alive. My long-time hairdresser, Jem, from 313 Salon; will work on cutting it through the show and have it ready for a ta-da! moment by the end of the show. Details to come….
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Nothing makes you want to chop off your hair like ten days in a row of 90-plus temperatures. With nine days left in The Great Hair Cut Challenge, I’m itching to grab a pair of scissors (which would be disastrous, so I’ll leave it to the professionals).
I’d like to dedicate the final push of this fundraiser to one of my Chicago team mates, Kim Rhame. She’s part of the Pixie Club, but not by choice. Kim was diagnosed with Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma on October 15, 2008. For six months, she traveled back and forth to Houston, Texas for treatment.
This week, she’ll pack her four kids into the car for a road trip back to Texas. While her husband and kids are hitting up the tourist locations, she’ll be getting a new scan. She shared her story with our fall Team in Training runners Saturday with a smile and a shrug. “It could be you. It could be anybody,” she said.
After our four mile run in the sticky heat last Saturday, I was lusting after Kim’s pixie cut. She’s a beautiful woman who can pull it off flawlessly. When I told her so, she shrugged and remembered her long, blonde, pre-cancer hair without an ounce of anger or wistfulness. She never planned to be a Pixie, but if she’s a member of the club, I want in.
The Great Haircut Challenge Ends June 30th at midnight. The fundraising tally is $550 for “Ponytails” (keep the hair); $350 for “Pixies” (cut it off). To donate on my TNT webpage, click here.
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I’ve known 11Alive Meteorologist Chesley McNeil for a long time. We were both new at WGRZ-TV in Buffalo, New York six years ago. In a reunion of sorts, we now both work for the morning show at WXIA-TV. He is a great Meteorologist, an enthusiastic co-worker, and –most importantly–a really good guy. But I know he can’t cut hair. So, how did I end up agreeing to let him cut my mine?
“The Great Hair Cut Challenge” made it onto TV today. In case you weren’t watching 11Alive at 5:55 AM (and shame on you!), here’s the background: to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training, people are deciding what I should do with my hair: chop it all off or keep it long. This wasn’t my idea, but I like it. We’ve already raised more than $700 for a cause close to my heart, so I say bring it on!
One of our producers heard about The Great Hair Cut Challenge on Facebook and suggested we talk about it on the morning show. So, in between my 5:30 and 6:00 live hits, Chesley, Jill, Karyn, and I sat on the anchor desk and talked about it on live TV.
Chesley threw out an absurd suggestion: “How about you let me cut it?” And I said yes. Everyone on set, perhaps especially Chesley, was shocked.
He can chop off my ponytail, and then I’ll have my hairdresser clean it up. That’s *IF* the donations swing that way. Right now, the “Keep It” campaign has raised twice as much as the “Chop It”. BUT, we have 21 days left. As we gear up for election season, I’m reminded: anything can happen. Donate and Vote Here.
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What is it with men and long hair? Perhaps they’re so concerned with losing theirs, they become so attached to ours. This is coming from the same group of people that take 3.5 minutes to get ready every morning. You know what I can do in 3.5 minutes? Pick out my shoes.
So, I was a little surprised when an 11Alive live chat inspired me to take a Facebook and Twitter vote on whether I should cut all mine off, and the votes were (almost) unanimously “yes”. I now know the “no” voters just kept quiet.
I decided to launch the Great Hair Cut Challenge. If I can raise $500 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training by the end of June (I’m training to run the Chicago marathon in October), I’ll cut all my hair off.
But then (like every good story), a very good twist. One of my TNT teammates said he would pledge $500 to NOT cut off my hair. Well, that makes things interesting. So, now, new rules. You can donate to the “chop your hair” or “keep your hair” camp. (You can make a note when you donate on my secure fundraising website or just send me a note).
Whichever has the most money by the end of June will decide what happens. Either way, we’re raising money for a cause close to my heart, which is (obviously) the most important thing. Otherwise, I would not be blogging about something as insignificant as my hair cut.
Because I’m not a guy. I’m really not that attached to my hair. (But I’m glad you are, because I plan on making some money off of you for a good cause! 
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It started this morning on the 11Alive morning chat. A viewer going by just “E” wrote: ‘Julie, love your hair. Didn’t it used to be blond without bangs?’ And so launched a chat about image consultants and hair cut decisions and the terrible Georgia humidity. I dug up the picture below from just over a year ago when I had super short hair. And it got me thinking… maybe I should chop it again.
I need to take a quick minute to bring the men up to speed. Cutting off all of your hair is no small decision for a woman. To go from that (see left) to my long locks today took a year and my hairdresser tells me it’s a miracle. Seriously, she asks, “What are you doing to your hair?!” because it grew so fast. So you heard it here first, my big secret: Super B Complex vitamins. Friends with babies told me their hair grew like crazy while on pre-natal vitamins. Those are expensive and have too much iron, so I went with the super B, and voila. Magic Hair.
I posted the picture on Facebook and Twitter and took a vote: Should I chop it off again? I was a bit surprised by the (almost) unanimous calls to “Chop, chop!”. And it made me think of Mallory Chandler.
She’s one of my mentees on the Team in Training Chicago team. We both ran for the TNT Nashville team. The Country Music Marathon fell on 
the exact seven year anniversary of her last day of chemo. She is a cancer survivor and an amazing woman that continues to inspire me. Post-chemo she grew her long, wavy locks. She cut them off last week and raised thousands of dollars. Pretty amazing (see picture at right).
So, to all of you making the calls to “chop, chop”, here’s the deal: If I can raise $500 by the end of June in my Team in Training fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, I’ll cut it all off. Super Short. Pixie Short.
Here’s the website to make donations: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/chicago10/jwolfe
I’m already $100 towards that goal, so I think it’s doable. If not, I keep my hair. Let the bids begin.
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I like having a plan. Even if it is a plan B.
Training for a marathon is like a high-wire act. It’s all about balance. Train enough to get strong, but not so much to get injured. It’s also about timing and trying to peak at the right time: race day. That’s why training schedules are specific. They don’t say go take a run today; it’s run 10 miles at 60-70%.
My timing and balance are WAYYY off, and I’m not sure what to expect. I had to pull out of the ING Marathon at the last minute, so now I’m planning for the Country Music Marathon in Nashville on April 24th. I’m excited about running a great race in a new city, but first, I have to get there.
I peaked back at the beginning of March, then tapered. Instead of running the ING marathon, I didn’t run at all for a week and a half. My first run back, I had to walk part of it, because I was so weak and exhausted. The Team in Training coaches helped me come up with a plan B, and I’m happy to report my runs this week have been awesome. My strength is back and I’m feeling great! I’ll feel even better if I have a good run this Saturday. It’s 12 miles this week, 16 next week, then 8 taper, and the race.
It wasn’t the original plan, but it’s a good one. . . hopefully.
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Marathoners are full funny little sayings. The two I quote most often come from my dad:
Run your race.
Run to run another day.
I kept repeating those quotes over and over again in my head over the last week like a mantra. By now, I was supposed to be basking in the post-marathon glow, instead I’m scrambling to find another marathon. Instead of trying to break four hours, I’m just hoping to finish. It’s funny how one night in the ER can change your running plans.
I’ll gloss over all the details and sum it up like this: I’m OK, it’s no big deal. But for a while, I was totally sidelined. And for just a while, I didn’t even care about missing the ING Georgia Marathon. It was always there, hanging around in the back of my mind. But it wasn’t until days later, when I came out of a pain-medication-induced haze that I realized the last six months of training was building to a crescendo that would never happen.
Saturday night, I went to the Team in Training celebration dinner. I admit there was a part of me that didn’t want to go. That didn’t want to hear everyone talk about their successful marathons while I just nodded and smiled. But I’m so glad I went.
I was so proud of everyone. While runners relived the race, water stop by water stop, the non-runner spouses and friends got a glazed look. I could almost hear their brains working: who cares how many goo gels you ate? And whether you ate them at mile 9 or 12? It’s almost like this secret language only endurance runners can speak. Yes, it’s awesome.
Run to run another day. It looks like that day will be April 24th. I’m planning to run the Country Music Marathon in Nashville next month. So, I’ll get my big event. Just a month late.
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The score was Johnson Ferry: 1, Me: 0.
Some hills are just hills, but some are Hills (with a capital “H”). Johnson Ferry at Columns Drive is definitely a Hill. 
I ran it during my 12 miler, and I was set to face it again for an 18 miler. Leading up to Saturday’s run, I’d been living on a solid diet of Olympics. I love the Winter Olympics: bob sledding, biathlon, cross-country skiing, snowboard cross, even curling. My television never strayed from NBC for those ten days (given NBC’s usual programming line-up, this was a huge change despite my obvious 11Alive loyalties). So, I entered Saturday inspired and ready to treat Johnson Ferry like that cocky ice skater from Russia—Take that!
By now, you’re thinking: it’s a hill, what’s the big deal? So it’s time to admit I have a thing about Hills (not the little hills, just the Hills).
I’m not nervously uncomfortable of them the way I am of revolving doors and garbage disposals. They just keep beating me. I can’t run them at the pace I should be. I fall behind on the hills and catch up with my runner partners at the top, but as the runs get longer it’s getting tougher. There are lots of things I can do to improve my hill performance next time, but right now, I’m about to start ramping down on my running: no time to start a new strength training plan.
So I just have to gut it out.
And you know what? I did. Maybe it was the pocket full of jelly beans I nibbled at the later water stops. Maybe it was the extra hours of sleep I squeezed into my week. I’m not saying it was super-fast or that I didn’t fall behind. But I did it, and I felt good. So, in my book, that makes it 1-1.
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This week, I had a chance to spend some time with 11 year old Lindsay Simmons. She just celebrated her first post-chemo birthday. She’s the honored hero for the ING Team in Training. I could write a whole blog about how listening to her talk about cancer was both heartbreaking and inspiring. But, at heart, I’m a photographer. I tell better stories with pictures and sound, so you can watch the story here. It has me excited to go run 16 miles this weekend.
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When we set out to do something different, something big, I told Jerry Carnes, “We’re going to be best friends by the end of this.”
“Or, you’ll want to kill me,” he said. I gave him a quizzical look. Five days later, I knew what he meant.
Hopefully, he won’t be offended by the comparison, but I think fellow 11Alive reporter, Jerry Carnes, and I have a lot in common. We’re both backpack journalists (AKA one-man bands); which means we shoot, write, edit, and front our own material. We’re both our own worst critics; we agonize over our work and can always find one thing we should have/could have/would have done better. We’re both passionate about what we do. In my case, you can chalk it up to my under-30, single, married-to-the-job kind of life. But Jerry’s been doing this for a long time, and he’s still passionate about coming into work. Every. Single. Day. I find that kind of amazing.
Last week, while digging for a story, we ran into each other and decided to team up.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (AKA the stimulus bill) is 407 pages long. The reports tracking the money include hundreds of additional pages. As a taxpayer, you have a right to know where that money is going. After all, it’s YOUR money. As a journalist, it’s my job to tell you. As an employee of 11Alive, it’s a given. Last September, we dedicated half of an 11:00 newscast to a stimulus special. Since then, we’ve stayed on top of where your money is going. But Jerry and I still had a lot of questions. Mostly, what’s taking so long?
While going through some GDOT reports, we found a lot of “$0” under stimulus projects. We wondered how we could measure the success or failure of the stimulus bill if half of it hadn’t even started. Following the “two heads are better than one” belief, Jerry and I decided to do a tag-team stimulus special. Our News director liked the idea, and it was slated to run in the 11:00 newscast after the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Here’s what happened over the next five work days (by the numbers):
-47 stimulus projects reviewed in 6 Metro-Atlanta counties
-21 work sites visited
-600+ pages of paperwork read, scanned, and scribbled on
-4 pages of script written, trashed, and re-written at least five times
Funny quotes that came from the week:
“Someone stole my trashcan. And the worst part is, when my brain turns to mush, I have no way to catch it now.” – Jerry (perhaps this was in reaction to my color-coding, highlighting, post-it noting system that made a lot of sense…. to me)
“It’s like half my day just disappeared into a black hole! (followed by a series of exclamations I cannot post here)” – Me after a brand new tape went “bad” and everything on it was unusable
“News Director: You need to put that in the script. Me: We had it and we took it out. Jerry: We had it? No, we didn’t. Me: Yes, we did. We fought about it. Jerry: We didn’t fight about anything Me: Sighhhh.”
Later, from co-worker: “You sounded like a married couple. Men never recognize a fight.”
“Jerry: Should I lean out or lean in? Kathy (photog shooting stand-ups): Scoonch that way. Jerry: Scoonch? What is scoonch?”
It turns out, a truly collaborative process is harder than I thought it would be. We didn’t always agree on the writing, the shooting, the editing. We didn’t always see eye-to-eye on what to include and what to cut out. As journalists, we have our individual styles. It’s not that one is better than the other. It’s just WHO WE ARE. But in this story, we somehow blended those styles together to craft an important piece of journalism. I’m proud of it. I learned a few things from Jerry. Maybe he learned something from me…. Probably not that color-coding, highlighting, post-it noting system. But he’ll miss it. I know he will.
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I was in the car at a red light with a friend last summer when a runner passed us. You know the type: not an ounce of fat, muscles glistening in sweat, running at a speed I only achieve in my dreams. “Now, he’s a REAL runner,” my friend said.
I thought, “I’ve run half-a-dozen marathons, who knows how many halves, 5Ks, 10Ks. I know the lingo. I wear the gear. Who are you to say I’M not a REAL runner?” Instead what came out of my mouth was, “Are you saying I have a big ass?”
What happened next was the smartest thing (and the only thing) a man can say in that moment: “No, dear, not at all,” in a voice with just a touch of fear.
Here’s the ugly truth about running: I doesn’t make you lose weight. Let me alter that slightly: It doesn’t make ME lose weight. It seems so unfair that even when I run 12, 16, 18 miles; I don’t lose a single pound. My pants DO fit better. My legs LOOK better, but that’s about it. Everyone I convince to run usually does lose weight, which allows me to practice my evil-eye.
So, what’s the deal?
A recent Runner’s World magazine article titled “What’s Your Ideal Weight?” said:
“There’s no denying healthy runners will race about 2 seconds per mile faster for every pound they lose. . . the less weight you carry around, the more miles per gallon you get from oxygen.” This applies to runners with a healthy BMI, between 18.5 and 24.9. If you drop below 18.5, you’re at risk for becoming weaker and slower.
As with all things running these days, I turned to Team in Training coach Barb for some information. She passed along an article from nutritionist, Nancy Clark (Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics). An excerpt:
“Why “quick weight loss” is a fantasy
While the promise of quick weight loss is enticing, runners who lose weight quickly on a severe diet inevitably regain the weight, if not more. That’s because the body overcompensates for extreme dieting with overeating. You will never win the war against hunger…
Hunger is physiological. Just as your body needs to breathe, urinate and sleep, your body also needs to eat. Urges to overeat (that is, blow your diet) often have less to do with will power and more to do with the physiology of hunger. Just as you will gasp for air after having been trapped under-water without oxygen, you will devour food after having been denied calories during a crash diet (or after a long run, for that matter). Yes, you can white-knuckle yourself to stick to your crash diet, but your well-meaning plan to quickly shed some pounds has a high likelihood of exploding into a demoralizing pattern of binge eating followed by yet-another attempt to crash-diet. Don’t go there…. it’s depressing.”
Well, darn. Then…
The better plan is to chip away at slow but steady weight loss, targeting 0.5 to 2 pounds a week. Why, by just knocking off 100 calories at the end of the day (one cookie, one heaping spoonful of ice cream), you can theoretically lose 10 pounds a year. Knock off 200 calories at the end of the day (16 ounces of cola, 4 Oreos), and you’ve lost 20 pounds a year.
Well, I can do 100 calories less a day. Until then, I guess I’ll just be that chubby runner. Recently, the Cooper Aerobics Center (fitness and BMI gurus) released a report that said aerobics fitness (not weight) is a predictor of longevity. It’s better to be fat but fit rather than lean and out of shape. And anyone that runs 26.2 miles is definately, without question, in shape.
Make no mistake; I am a “real runner”. So are you. In my book, that has nothing to do with your size, your weight, or your speed. To be a runner, you just need to put one foot in front of the other and cross the finish line. See you there.
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Com-mit-ment: noun (1) an act of committing to a charge or cause (2) an agreement or a pledge to do something
Reading this definition started me pondering about commitment in our world today. In my head, it started sounding a lot like my dad’s stories: “when I was your age, I had to walk to school. Up Hill. In the snow.”
I’m too young to talk about the past that way, but here I am thinking it. Are we ever really committed to anything? I mean REALLY committed?
For me, commitment must come with consequence. If you break your commitment, whatever role you were supposed to play, whatever job you were supposed to do: it won’t get done. When you’re fundraising for cancer, those consequences are significant. Families that need help won’t get it. Research won’t happen. Cures won’t be found.
We had recommitment night for the ING Georgia Marathon last night. For Team in Training, this means two things: (1) You must have 25% of your fundraising done, and (2) you should be on target in your running schedule.
This is it. There’s no turning back. I signed my name on the line. From here on out, it’s full force ahead. In a wishy-washy, gray-area world, the solid commitment feels good. It stretches out before me like a long road just begging for a run.
Speaking of fundraising, I still have $1,000 to go. You can donate here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/Georgia10/jwolfe
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Tuesday night, I stepped onto a track for the first time since high school. The squishy rubber and bright lights started giving me flashbacks:
-Our track at McEachern High School backed up to a pasture. For some reason, instead of being afraid of the starting gun, the cows were attracted by the sound. Every track meet, they would line the fence like a mooing cheering squad.
-One time, I took so long getting into my blocks, the other team’s track coach yelled at me. It flustered me so much I had a false start. He yelled at me more. Since then, getting into starting blocks makes me break into a sweat.
-It was team picture day and my uniform was rumpled on the floor. I ironed it. It melted. There was a big hole in my shorts. Funny thing is, I can’t remember what happened. Certainly, I didn’t stand in the back row with my hiney hanging out. Or maybe I did and I’ve just blocked it out.
My Team in Training Coach tells me track workouts will play a huge role in getting me to my goal of a sub-four hour marathon. If you’re like me, most of you have not had a track workout in a long time (maybe ever). Here’s what you missed:
-Short strides. Instead of taking long, loping strides, long-distance runners should take shorter, faster strides. From Coach Barb: “Basically the theory states that the slower you take steps, the longer time you spend in the air. The longer you’re in the air, the more you displace your body mass and the harder you hit the ground on landing. This can lead to injury and also demands more from your leg muscles.” You should aim for 90 strides (that’s 2 steps, so count every time your right foot hits) in 60 seconds. This works and has changed the way I run.
-Run on egg shells. Sometimes, I hear myself running and I sound like an elephant. This is bad. Running lightly is (obviously) easier on your ankles, knees, and hips. You do this my rolling with your foot. Think heel, mid-sole, toe in a fluid rolling motion.
-Pick-Ups. We ran a series of 100 meter runs, starting slow, speeding up to 80%, then recovering. In this exercise I made a discovery: I am not fast. It’s possible I was never really fast, it’s just that golden hue of memories that make things look better than they were. Still, it’s kind of strange. I can run for a long time at a pretty solid speed, but running fast… well, that’s a whole other issue.
At least my shorts didn’t have a hole burned into them.
I’m eight weeks from standing at the ING Georgia starting line, still more than $1,00o from my goal. Click here to donate to fight cancer. Thanks!
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Sleet bounced off my face, cold puddles riddled my path, and the inconsiderate car splash reached my waist. Wednesday’s five mile run was not what most would call “comfortable”. Two hot showers and a Starbucks later, I’m still trying to figure out why it was so much fun.
It could have been the champagne toast we had at mile two (which I was regretting by mile three).
It could have been the company. Seven Team in Training runners showed up despite the storm.
But, really, I think it’s because I did it. I could have made an excuse (it’s too dark/cold/snowy/late), but I didn’t. I’ve learned there’s always an excuse. Some of these excuses are valid. Too bad. You have to refuse to excuse. It’s the only way you’ll ever get your marathon training done. (This is a conversation I have inside my head at least once a week.)
And that brings me to New Year’s Resolutions. This morning, 11Alive Meteorologist Ashley McDonald said, “I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, so I don’t break them.” The last few years, as I’ve wandered the streets for MOS (Man on The Street) interviews, more and more people are telling me they don’t make resolutions. It makes sense: if you want to do something, why wait until January 1st to make it happen?
I am not one of those people. For some reason, I have a bit of an obsession with New Year’s resolutions. So, here’s my list this year:
1) Wear more hats in 2010. They’re so snuggly. This means I will likely have hat hair more often. I’m OK with that.
2) Run a 4 hour marathon. I think this is do-able, but just barely. Talk to me after my 20 mile run.
3) Drop a pant size. I have lots of pants hanging in my closet I’d like to wear again.
4) Do something nice for someone else EVERY SINGLE DAY.
5) Learn to speak Spanish.
Hats are easy. Everything else… well, I’ll let you know. Happy New Year’s Eve! Just because you celebrate Thursday doesn’t mean you can skip your long run Saturday. Don’t start 2010 with an excuse. If you do, you’ll soon find a year full of them.
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