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What I’m Loving

running clothes and rabbit

April 28, 2016 by Lisa 4 Comments

Born to run free 2

When I first started running, I wore polyester basketball shorts, a cotton t-shirt and a sports bra from the juniors section at Walmart. It was your basic P.E. uniform – the same thing I wore to softball practice or when I rode my bike to the Texaco gas station on the corner of Bell and Clarmar, to buy Bubble Tape. A pure and uncomplicated getup that was a little too big, it was for the most part comprised of hand-me-downs. It wasn’t great, but it got me through many formative miles on the sidewalks of Fremont, NE.

I started running before the days of specialty running shops in every town, athleisure and coordinating workout separates. I started running not long after Oprah completed a marathon, but before the recreational running boom she helped launch, took hold. I started running before running was cool (insert hipster meme here) and before social media allowed you to document, share and receive affirmation for every training run and themed 5k you completed. Running wasn’t always so popular, and running apparel used to be much less complicated.

Now don’t get me wrong. While my “early adopter” status is a source of pride, I’m grateful and indebted to the growing popularity of running. In the same way that youth soccer undergirds the success of professional soccer in the United States, the top echelon of the running world benefit in talent and money from the sport’s growth among the masses.

Rabbit gear

Sure, those clothes from my early days of running were inferior to the engineered fabrics and flattering fits of today’s athletic wear. But they were also pure and easy, simple and functional. They served the purpose for which they were employed – to help me train hard and run fast.

By the time I entered high school and became more competitive in the sport, my mom and I would make the 90 minute round trip trek into Omaha at the beginning of each track and cross country season to buy my training shoes and spikes at a specialty running store. That store was my first glimpse into a running culture and the gear and clothing designed specifically for people like me – people who love to run.

During one of my first trips to that running store, I pulled a pair of billowy shorts off the rack. They were covered in neon geometric shapes, and I was confused to find that they had built-in underwear. Why would you want that?! – I remember thinking. So odd.

Upon discovering that every pair of running shorts in the store had that same feature, I deduced that built-in underwear was a runner thing – a special thing that real, serious runners liked. That day, I convinced my mom to buy me those bright, billowy shorts. I wore them through college, until the elastic wore out. And in time, I discovered that there is a real benefit to lined shorts. I also learned how certain styles and fits of running clothing help me do what I love, easier and better.

Fabrics that don’t sag or chafe, colors that don’t fade, materials that wick away moisture but don’t hold onto smells, and clothes that keep me cool or hot, depending on which I prefer. – This is what I look for in running clothing. I want simple, effective clothes that I can put on and forget about. I want clothes that allow me to do what I love, well.

But let’s be honest, I also appreciate the popularity – no dominance – of activewear. I love me some good Lululemon yoga pants, and I’m scared to join Fabletics for fear that I’d spend way too much money on their comfortable-yet-cute clothing (that can be worn to both happy hour and the gym!). And there’s no shame in admitting that really wish I was cool enough to sport Beyonce’s new Ivy Park line, specifically this number.

Activewear is great. Athleisure is wonderful. But when it comes to running, I prefer simple and functional.

I also prefer running clothes that allows me to easily transition from running to side-planking.

I also prefer running clothes that allow me to easily transition from running to side-planking.

Shortly before the Olympic Trials, I was contacted through Instagram by brand new running apparel company – rabbit. Their product wasn’t even in stores yet, but they were hoping to get a few athletes who were running in the Trials, to wear their racing kit. I chatted on the phone Monica, one of the founders of rabbit, to learn more about the company and what they are doing. She told me that she and her co-founder Jill started rabbit after growing tired of athleticwear that was complicated and impractical. They wanted to create running clothes that were simple and made for one purpose – running.

Ok. I can get behind that, I thought.

I told Monica to send me their racing kit and if I liked it, I’d wear it at the Trials.

Rabbit Racing Kit

The quality of the rabbit uniform she sent me, was high. It was soft and well-cut, stretchy but structured. I liked it.

You’ll remember that Olympic Trials was a tough, hot and emotion-filled experience.  So much went through my mind during that long 26.2 mile race, but one thing I didn’t think about was my uniform. I dumped 16oz of water over my head and body every 3 miles, and I didn’t once adjust my shorts. I finished the race without chafing, and my singlet dried out, shortly after I finished.

A company whose mission and values I respect, and whose product is top-notch – I was sold.

Rabbit logo

And so you can imagine that I was thrilled when Monica and Jill asked me to be an elite-level ambassador of the brand – something they’re calling RADrabbitPRO. (The RAD part stands for “Runners And Dreamers”.)

I’ll admit that in recent years, I’ve been reluctant to associate myself and my running with a brand. Running is an extremely personal and important thing to me. I don’t want to feel that my passion is beholden to a company that treats me as a walking – or running – billboard. With rabbit, I’m comfortable and confident in what they stand for, and what they are trying do. They know me and want to support me, and their clothes are so fricking awesome.

And so, last month I signed a contract and am officially a rabbit – a RADrabbit.

I’m excited about this. I think it could be something pretty great.

If you want to learn more about rabbit, and order their awesome running gear, check out their website, www.runinrabbit.com.

Did I mention that all of their clothes are made in the U.S.A?

Also, Rabbit is committed to supporting running specialty stores – places like the shop where I first discovered lined shorts and running culture. They believe that these stores serve runners, and are the anchors of the running community in each town, and I agree.

I think rabbit is pretty awesome, and I’m excited to be a part of what they’re trying to do. Stay tuned.

Posted in: Running, What I'm thinking Tagged: rabbit, Running, What I'm Loving, What I'm Thinking

Pugs and Pillows and Sparking Joy

April 1, 2016 by Lisa 1 Comment

Pug pillow

Spend a little time around me and you will discover my latest obsession – pugs. I’m not quite sure when or how it started but sometime in the past few years I became fixated on the pudgy little critters.

I mean, what’s not to love? They’re fat and lazy and wrinkly and grumpy and flighty and they can’t breath very well or swim. The pug is basically my spirit animal – if spirit animal meant your anthropomorphic antithesis. I get pugs. Pugs get me. I make a point to stop and greet every pug I see out on the path when I’m running, and I’ve never met a pug I didn’t like. I have total pug cute aggression.

And yes, I want a pug. I would get a pug in a heartbeat, but common sense and rental agreements are no respecters of life goals. I’m honest enough to know that I value the freedom of my dog-less life, and that the idea of a pug might just be more fun – at least for now – than an actual pug living in my one-bedroom, fourth floor walk-up.

As fate would have it, last month I won a pug pillow in a raffle at a local running store. Ok, so it wasn’t so much fate as it was my friend and teammate buying the raffle prizes and maybe slightly rigging the game so that the pug pillow was available when my name was drawn. Details. Details. It was destiny.

It was also a joke. I didn’t really plan to do much with the pillow, or even keep it for that matter. Like I said, I live in an apartment. Space is precious. I’ve made a point to keep our home decluttered and its decor simple. The pug pillow fell in the category of things that – if I even let them get past the dumpster in the parking lot – end up in the trash or donation pile a short while later. Like buttons from a parade or tchotchkes in a Christmas stocking, the pug pillow was destined to be a victim of my perpetual decluttering efforts.

You know who Marie Kondo is, right? I haven’t read her bestselling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing – and to be honest I’m a little put off by how obsessed everyone is with the Kondo method. But in my less cynical moments I recognize – from what I’ve read and heard – that she’s on to something. Her most basic and overarching decluttering technique is to approach each and every item in your possession with the simple question, “Does it spark joy?”  Does it truly make you happy? If it does, keep it. If it doesn’t, toss it. – It all makes sense to me, even if the cult of Kondo is a bit annoying. I should probably Kondo-ify my apartment one of these days. I’m sure that I’m holding onto many things out of guilt or habit or laziness – and not out of joy. It would be a productive exercise, I’m sure.

The night I “won” the pug pillow, I brought it up to the apartment and set him on a chair, facing out to survey the room. The plan was to eventually – sooner rather than later – dispose of Puggy. He didn’t fit with our decor, and he was decidedly tacky. Who – other than a small child – would reasonably display a pillow with a life-sized snapshot of a pug on it? Puggy would be rehomed shortly.

But then something funny happened. As Puggy the pug pillow sat on that chair in the dining room, his eyes would catch mine each time I passed. They are such buldgy and happy eyes. His eyes do that thing – like the eyes of white Jesus in the picture that hung in my childhood home – that thing where they somehow follow you wherever you move, staring deep into your soul. My mom used to tell me that that picture of white Jesus at the end of the hallway next to my bedroom was a reminder that Jesus is always watching you. A not so subtle reminder, it turns out. To be honest, I much prefer the idea of an omniscient pug than an all-seeing Jesus who is reminiscent of Al Pacino in the movie Serpico. But that’s just me.

Puggy the pug pillow living the #balconylife.

Puggy the pug pillow living the #balconylife.

And as my gaze would meet Puggy’s, I noticed a strong feeling rise up in me. It started in my chest and tightened through my throat and made me want to say GAHHHH!!!!!

It was joy.

Puggy made me happy. Simple, pure happiness. Sometimes I would poke his nose as I passed, or say hello when I saw him. It’s silly, I know. I’ve never brought him to bed like a childhood stuffed animal, or played with him beyond taking his picture and trying to do a face swap on Snapchat [I haven’t yet gotten it to work :(]. He just sits on a chair and looks cute and makes me happy – really, really happy. And that’s not something to take for granted.

Of course, Puggy the pug pillow is no substitute for a real pug. He’s not particularly soft or moody. He violates all of my interior decorating sensibilities and he’s completely novel and ridiculous. He goes in the closet when company comes over. But, for all of his flaws, he does stand the test of Marie Kondo, the decluttering queen. He sparks joy. And as long as my husband doesn’t throw him away and I’m smitten with him, I let him live in my apartment.

Life is too short (and mundane, complex and ridiculous) not to keep the fugly pug pillow that brings you great joy. That’s my interpretation of  the Kondo method, and current life philosophy.

Posted in: What I'm loving Tagged: Pugs, What I'm Loving

Linked Up

March 25, 2016 by Lisa Leave a Comment

Stone arch

Heyo.

How’s the internet been treating you lately?

It’s been pretty good for me. But tbh, the election stuff is kinda wearing me down. I never thought I’d say it – because I’m a sucker for news and politics – but this presidential campaign season is getting to me. And by that I mean Donald Trump is getting to me.

So, if it’s OK with you, I’m going to skip the political links this time around.

Well, alright.  Maybe just one.

Ok, one more.

Now on to the good stuff.

Two years ago, Richard Simmons disappeared from public life. His friends worry that the fitness guru is being held against his will in his Hollywood Hills mansion.

We are in the era of the shrinking pop song title.

Research shows that there is a correlation between happiness, and having friends and not living in a densely populated area. Research shows the opposite is true for smart people.

In the history of truth, a new chapter begins.

“My sisters and I refuse to feel bad about shopping. And why should we? Obviously we have some hole we’re trying to fill, but doesn’t everyone?” – David Sedaris

Philip Johnson was a promising musical prodigy. Then he stole a teacher’s prized Stradivarius.

The 100 funniest jokes in the history of Twitter.

There is some lesson here about technology and human nature and trying to be cool and relevant. I don’t know what it is, exactly. But it’s there.

A photograph is shaped more by the person behind the camera, than by what’s in front of it.

Man arrested for not returning a VHS rental of Freddy Got Fingered 14 years ago.

Why the poor pay more for toilet paper.

The most important things to read to understand why Brussels became a terrorist hub.

If you’re looking for a really excellent podcast, check out Home of the Brave.

In internet news:

The runaway Vine meme that should never end.

The origin of some African Proverbs.

The pre-internet history of viral memes.

Where’s George?

For Christians, it’s Holy Week. In honor of this most of important of church holidays:

Jesus’ New York Times obituary.

I have long said that Easter Bunnies are terrifying and a bad idea. This proves my belief.

And finally, the best Easter song ever:

Posted in: What I'm loving Tagged: Linked Up, What I'm Loving

Linked Up

March 11, 2016 by Lisa Leave a Comment

Old building

Hey. How’s it going?

…

That’s good to hear.

…

I’m doing alright – happy it’s Friday.

…

No, don’t have many plans this weekend. Supposed to be nice here. I’ll probably try to get outside. What about you?

…

That sounds fun. Well, have a good weekend.

Now that we’ve gotten through the small talk, let’s move on to the links – the fruits of my browsing labors, the blessed gifts of the internet gods for which we are forever grateful. Amen.

Let’s start with politics:

Is Chris Christie okay?

Which topics are most discussed within each party and the phrases each GOP candidate repeats the most.

The Obama Doctrine. – It’s long but worth the read.

What’s driving the ascent of Donald Trump? A niche group of political scientists may have the answer.

A beautiful, quaint piece of political history, frozen in time: www.dolekemp96.org

How soon will the nominations be clinched?

Lawmakers in West Virginia celebrate the legalization of raw milk by drinking it and getting sick.

Some Chrome extensions that might help you get through this election year.

In internet news:

#Trubama

Follow @teenybiscuit. She is the true Twitter treasure who’s given us puppy or bagel, sheepdog or mop, chihuahua or muffin, and my favorite – labradoodle or fried chicken. She’s young, but her future is extremely bright.

If you don’t follow Gemma Correll’s work, start now.

Another Round is a podcast that you should be listening to.

The Pokémon Test.

Search for YouTube videos by location.

Let’s take a musical break:

Okay, back to the links:

The Zamboni: an origin story

As equality in marriages grows, America is becoming more segregated by class.

25 songs that tell us where music is going.

Syrian Refugees share a hotel with a furry convention.

A short list of games robots still can’t win, and a puzzle game that makes me really happy.

How lol became a punctuation mark.

The forgotten history of fat men’s clubs.

The U.S. is trailing the rest of the world when it comes to …. roundabouts.

Every movie ending is better when it’s soundtracked by Dire Strait’s Walk of Life.

And finally, I’ve saved the best for last. A big thank-you to my dear friend Rebecca for passing this article along to me. It is truly a gem, and one of the most enjoyable things I have read in a long time. – The undying love story of Heidi and Spencer Pratt.

Posted in: What I'm loving Tagged: Linked Up, What I'm Loving

Linked Up

February 5, 2016 by Lisa Leave a Comment
Popcorn on the porch makes me ranty.

Popcorn on the porch makes me ranty.

It’s Friday again and that means it’s time for me to share with you all the interesting, ridiculous and WTF things I found online this week.

We’re going to start off with some music.

There’s no reason or justification. I refuse to feel ashamed. This week I’ve been exclusively singing and listening to this:

My suggested Twitter-follow of the week is Sheboygan Scanner. Here you’ll find a wonderful citizen of Sheboygan, Wisconsin tweeting odd, dry and shocking messages from the city’s police scanner. Weirdly wonderful.

Sheboygan Scanner

Speaking of tweets, this one wins.

Listen up men between the ages of 18 and 35: Gray hair is in.

In “behind-the-scenes tech news”: Uber’s rebranding and Giphy’s origin story.

The world’s youngest boy band.

Why child prodigies rarely become adult geniuses who change the world.

Evidently, you’re nobody if you don’t have your own mobile game.

A cure for aging?

Snapchat is eating all your phone’s data. Here’s how to fix it.

A video game about cancer. I first heard about it on this podcast.

Speaking of Reply All – it’s my favorite and this week’s episode is great.

All of 2015’s weather in a time-lapse video.

It’s like Netflix, but for flying.

Super Bowl 50 is Sunday. 

Side Note: I went to look up the Roman numeral for 50 – because we all know that’s how Super Bowls work and I never learned my Roman numerals – and I discovered that this year the NFL is ditching the ancient numerical system!?!

Are you going to watch? I’ll be live-tweeting the game . . . er . . I mean, the commercials.

A nice Super Bowl preview.

The dark secret of the Super Bowl coin toss.

How Minneapolis changed the Super Bowl halftime show.

In political news:

www.donaldtrump.org and FREE Tump Stamps.

Pizza budgets.

A brief history of people caring about Hillary Clinton’s hair.

Sarah Palin’s English is actually incredibly complicated.

Scenes from Iowa.

*Have a great weekend folks!*

Posted in: What I'm loving Tagged: Linked Up, What I'm Loving

Linked Up

January 29, 2016 by Lisa 1 Comment

Snowy bridge

Hey, good job.

We’ve made it through the week and almost the entire way through January. We’re doing it.

Fun fact: I spent 7 years in college and graduate school studying religion. As a theologian, I’m qualified to give you the following blessing for the weekend ahead:

May time pass slowly
May your takeout food be delivered swiftly
May you do what needs to get done
And may you have the strength to finish the TV show that you’ve started

Now, on to the links…

The internet was kind of a weird place this week.

B.o.B and Tila Tequila spent a lot of time arguing, offering evidence and writing songs about how the earth is flat. Neil deGrasse Tyson responded in kind.

All the evidence I need.

This man developed an equation to debunk conspiracy theories.

Why we’re irrational.

What is Twitter for? Kanye taught us. And just in case you wanted to hear Yeezy’s Twitterstorm read as a Shakespearean sonnet, the internet gave us that too.

Our mistaken faith in the calorie as a unit of measurement.

In the United States we have roughly four times more parking spaces than vehicles. Self-driving cars may change that.

“When I realized that New York was a cesspit filled with the viscera of broken dreams, I decided that the time had come for me to move to beautiful, sunny Los Angeles.” ad infinitum

This project from WNYC looks interesting. I signed up.

The similarities between these two sets of photographs are staggering.

“Absolutely, God told us to do this”.

In political news:

This man.

CZbbwZ1UkAAX3Ye

What it’s like to live in Iowa before the caucuses

And the complete list of Donald Trump’s Twitter insults.

Finally, this song has been getting me through these quiet, abiding January days.

Posted in: What I'm loving Tagged: Linked Up, What I'm Loving

Ode to the Valentine’s Day candy heart

January 27, 2016 by Lisa Leave a Comment

Candy Hearts

I like candy. My affection for it is quite enormous. My capacity for consuming candy is – as far as I know – limitless.

When I say that I like candy, I mean that I absolutely adore the most sweet, sugary, artificially-colored stuff. I can pass up chocolaty or a baked confections without a second thought. But sugar in its most-processed form?  Yes, please. All the candy.

I like to think of myself as the Lamar Odom of the running world.

My year is roughly broken down into four candy seasons: Valentine’s candy hearts, jelly beans, fla-vor-ice*, and candy corn.

*technically not a candy, but it’s sugar, so it counts.

Today I’m going to talk about the first season in my candy year: Valentine’s candy hearts.

Bag of hearts

Also know as the conversation heart, this traditional Valentine’s Day sweet started in 1847 with Oliver Chase, a pharmacist and founder of the Boston-based Necco Candy Company. These candies’ concise, imprinted messages that verge on sexual harassment have been the vehicle of romance for generations. Their simple, classic design and sugar-laden goodness have firmly established conversation hearts’ spot in the candy hall of fame.

Ok, I kind of made that last part up. There really is a Candy Hall of Fame. But they induct people, not candy – which is stupid. Candy deserves all the credit.

Chalky Hearts

My earliest Valentine’s candy heart memory is from elementary school. In second grade I spent hours carefully selecting individual conversation hearts with specific messages to appropriately accompany each of my classmates’ Valentine’s Day cards. Seven-year-old Lisa would have never forgiven herself for the lost opportunity if her secret crush opened his Lion King Valentine to discover a conversation heart that read “Best Friend” instead of “Love You.” The message matters. He would have noticed.  Mind the hearts.

Box of hearts

Given my vast and perpetual research in the area of sugar-based goods, I can decisively say that the best Valentine’s candy hearts are the Brach’s brand “Tiny Conversation Hearts.”

Although we owe them much for the conception of this iconic confection, the original Necco brand “Sweethearts” are extremely hard and oddly-flavored. The standard “Sweethearts” package contains cherry, banana, wintergreen, lemon, orange and grape flavors. Who combines fruit and mint flavors?! Ick.

Brach’s also makes “Large Conversation Hearts,” but for some inexplicable reason their “Tiny Conversation Hearts” are far superior. The “Tiny” version is softer, milder in flavor and in my opinion, preferable in form.

Candy Aisle

Although many alternative and new versions of the Valentine’s Day candy heart have emerged over the years – sour hearts, sweet tart hearts, gummy hearts, etc. – nothing will surpass the classic, original flavor.

While at Target conducting research for this post I discovered and purchased something called “conversation heart jelly beans.” [The abomination that is the candy industry’s recent trend of conflating seasonal candies will be discussed another day.] Unsurprisingly, the “conversation heart jelly beans” did neither the conversation heart nor the jelly bean part well. Don’t waste your candy budget on them.

Valentine's Day Candy Hearts

Valentine’s Day candy hearts are fun and sassy and nostalgic and cheap. They can be eaten discretely in any situation.

On the coldest and most unwelcoming winter days, I stash a handful of candy hearts in the pocket of my running jacket and reward myself with a small rush of sugar each mile.

They can be chewed quickly or left to slowly dissolve on your tongue.

Conversation hearts can and should be eaten year-round.

Are they good for you?

No.

Are they delicious?

Yes.

Diabetes is a small price to pay for happiness.*

*jk. 

If you reject conversation hearts, you reject love and all that Valentine’s Day stands for.

Valentine's Day candy

The opinions expressed in this post are my own. I was not paid for any of the content above. I believe in objective candy journalism.

Posted in: What I'm loving Tagged: candy, Holidays, Valentine's Day, What I'm Loving

I am Lisa Baumert. I'm a person who does a bunch of stuff and has thoughts and generally tries to live life well.

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