Destination: Run….or Fun?

First and foremost, thank you for visiting this blog. I truly enjoy writing, and it’s always nice to know there’s people who enjoy what I write about. I would love for you to “Like” my Hoofin’ It to the Houston Marathon Facebook page. I cannot change the name of it but if I could, it would be “Hoofin’ It for Horses Goes to Boston”! Check out that story!  Join us for some fun, lots of pictures, and tales of good things that are happening.  I will continue my efforts to raise money and awareness for Blue Ribbon Equine Rescue as long as I am able!

Before I get into the fun part of the blog, I thought I would explain a little about why I started and continue with Hoofin’ It for Horses, a fundraiser for Blue Ribbon Equine Rescue. I grew up with horses and since I cannot have my own (Homeowners Associations can be picky with things like that), I needed to be around them in some way.  I’ve been volunteering there for over a year now, and the longer that I know the ladies at Blue Ribbon, the more I know that they need the financial backing to help more animals. I don’t have a lot of extra money that I can donate, so the best way I know how to help is to ask others to help and to make them aware of the good things that occur at Blue Ribbon. These ladies don’t just help horses. They help dogs, cats, donkeys, ducks.  (Yes, there’s ducks named Cheese and Crackers on the property.)  It’s easier to give examples, so here’s just a few.

Aiden just a few days after arriving. He’s starving and there’s no light in his eyes.

Aiden just a few weeks after being fed and loved.

Honey

Honey lived in a dark garage until her owners were persuaded to give her to Blue Ribbon. She was starving and on edge from being alone and eating mostly cat food. As you can see, she’s very happy and healthy!

Pops

Pops was tied to a trailer at the vet office one fateful day. The trailer would have taken him to his death, but he was loaded up and taken to Blue Ribbon because they noticed he still had a lot of life to live. He’s happily sharing a pasture with his lady, Honey, and is fattened up after being starved.

Barbara and Charlie

Charlie had been living in a filthy kennel his entire life simply because his owners didn’t bother to let him out before Barbara was able to get him away. He’s been dealing with severe dry eye issues, skin problems, and one of the worst cases of ear mites Barbara had ever seen. You’d never know he was living in hell just a few weeks before this picture, could you? Barbara’s love radiates and he has been living cage free since then. His issues are clearing up quickly and I can tell you that he LOVES to play!  He’s still available for adoption and would love to have a nice yard with a new forever family!

I could really go on and on and give you carpel tunnel from all the scrolling and clicking, but I will spare you the headache! I feel very passionate about helping people who help others and I ask that you make a tax deductible donation to Blue Ribbon Equine Rescue if you’re able.  All donations are used for the care of the animals. There is no overhead!!  If not, keep checking the website, blog, Facebook pages, and maybe you’ll change your mind or just continue enjoying our stories!  Thank you!!!

Destination: Run….or Fun?

As you probably know, I LOVE to run.  I have made so many friends in this last year who love to run.  I also love to have fun.  So why not combine the three and go somewhere fun to run a race with my friends? Well, that’s what I’m gonna do on Friday. Destination: New Orleans!!

My husband and I are so excited to visit this city.  I’m almost upset over having to take the time out of sight-seeing and people-watching and possible (all right, if you know me, that’s a probable!) hurricane drinking to run a ½ marathon on Sunday. I’m not worried about the amount of training I’ve done to prepare, and I’m trying to convince myself it doesn’t matter if I finish in over two hours. It really doesn’t matter. Yeah, still trying to convince myself.  I’m there to get the medal and have fun along the way.  I thought about the other places I want to travel to and run a race, however long.  It seems that I came up with a lot of big cities to visit, and after thinking about why, I realized that it’s probably because I grew up in a small town and I still love the intrigue of old, large cities.  Please do not confuse intrigue with traffic.  They are very different and after driving in Houston rush hour traffic last week, I know for certain that I would have a stroke or some big medical problem associate with road rage if I had to deal with that on a daily or even weekly basis. I love old buildings, cobblestone, unique architecture (especially the N’Orleans kind), and areas with character. I love crowds and people and lots of things to do as long as it’s not for too many days, since I do cherish my quite bird listening and star watching time.  So here’s my short list of places I’d love to run.

Chicago – I heard this race is a lot of fun, assuming you think running for almost four hours is fun. My parents love Chicago and from the little that I have been there, it seems like a lot of fun. I had a toddler and an infant the last time we went, plus it was about 90 degrees.  I’d definately dial up a do-over!  Many different people have said the spectators at this marathon are amazing and the weather is usually cool, which is great for me.  The only issue would be marathon training during the summer. Um, yuck.

New York City – This one got a bad reputation with the mess after Sandy, which I understand. I’ve been in NYC for three hours total in 2002, and I am just dying to go back. It would probably be difficult to incorporate a lot of touristy things and running a marathon, but running through the boroughs of NYC is sort of like doing a really long walking tour, right? And they even give you drinks and sugar along the way!    And if I ran the marathon, I could eat as much New York pizza as I could.  It’s a total win-win. Plus I’ve always wanted to hail a cab in the big city.

Las Vegas – I would pick this one simply because it makes all the sinful things that people tend to do there ok if you add exercise. I would only do the half marathon there since I have been to Vegas twice and we walked and walked and walked and walked…..  I love Vegas, the people, the sound of the casinos, the way the businesses are open to the sidewalks so you can just sit and watch people while keeping cool.  Why not go back and run for fun as well?  I certainly cannot think of one reason why not.

Somewhere hilly – I really wanted to do the Cowtown 50k in Ft. Worth this month, but since my husband and I decided to go to N’Orleans AND got my very awesome parents to watch the kids, we ditched that plan faster than you can smack a mosquito. While I was looking for other 50k runs to do, I found a trail run in Smithville, Texas, called Hells Hills.  I know the name of a race can’t totally speak of the location or type of run (the Cowtown races would be a good example), but I can assume that Hells Hills would be quite challenging simply because of its name.  The fact that it’s a trail run with hellish hills makes it interesting to me. I’ve run enough road races last year that were B.O.R.I.N.G. so besides giving me more things to trip and fall over, this is more interesting than a typical race.

Wilmington, NC – My sister is currently training for the Beach to Battleship iron distance race that will take place there in October. I would love to join her and complete it some day. I love Wilmington and any time I can visit, I certainly will, even if it’s to torture my body!  Or I’ll just do a 5k.

At the horse rescue – What? Yes, I have had a thought for about a year now that it would be great to have a “Hoofin’ It for Horses 5k” at the property or at least have it benefit the horses. This is a dream of mine. How fun would it be to run in the pasture dodging those “special” piles and seeing the horses look at you like you’re insane! Maybe I’m KraZy, but I think it would be fabulous. Some day.

Boston – What marathon runner doesn’t dream a little about what it would be like to run in Boston?  Considering I’ve never been there but have wanted to for over a decade, I’m hoping to cross this one off my list if the registration gods work in my favor in September. My entire family would make the trip and I know we’d take in the Boston Red Sox, various pubs, architecture, and all the history Boston would have to offer besides the Boston Marathon. I love the fact that the race is mostly downhill and there’s even a special training program specific for the course.  Stay tuned as I’ll be sure to update when the time comes to register!

With My Friends – Since I have a lot of friends who enjoy running races, I would like to go where they go. The Toughest 10k Bridge Challenge? Sure! The Houston Mud Run? Ok. Anything in Galveston? I’m there. I really like having familiar faces to chat with while waiting for the start, seeing people I actually know yell at me during the run, and knowing that we will support each other at the finish line. This will be my first group destination race and I’m really looking forward to it!

Running races is unique to everyone. I love large races, people watching, crowds in small doses, and fun.  I’m up for something different in my future running experience, and with a little luck and good timing, I’m sure I’ll get to cross off all the destinations I’ve mentioned above.

What would be your Destination: Run….or Fun?