A few of my favorite things...and a marathon to boot.

You know how Oprah does a favorite things episode?...and she gives away all that stuff….ok…I only know about this because of my wife tells me about that. Anyways….this post is about a few things that s that I use and think they are incredible….They are typically not mainstream….and sometimes hard to find. I don’t go with low dollar….but more quality. Two of these companies are small and you cannot find any of their stuff in retail shops but only on the internet. I endorse all these products and do not receive payment from any of them….except one will pay me a small commission if you tell them you learned about it from my blog...and I will get to that in a moment. And by the way...unlike Oprah...I can't give you all this stuff...;-)

First…my Sanuk’s. I have blogged about them before, so I won’t go into detail on these…but suffice it to say…they are absolutely the most comfortable shoe I have ever owned…I wear them to church and really do not care what people think….and they are the best to wear after a long run. Cost: $55-65.



If you follow my blog….you know that I own a Nook. When perusing the internet for Nook covers, I came across some designer leather covers that cost nearly $200.00. yikes….that is a bit steep….like more than the Nook steep. Then I came across Oberon Design. These people are artisans…handmade from leather…wonderful pieces of work…without the $200 price tag. More like $75.00.



Ok…I have had one of these for nearly 5 years….and you can find them in high end camping/outdoor retail. The Tilley Hat…made in Canada…many styles and such but I have the T3 Cotton Duck hat….quality…awesome design with the snap up brim….it floats for you water people…I have the khaki color…and it looks as good today as when I bought it….I do wash it often. Cost - $69.00.


This last item is my favorite…bar none. I love the story behind the company…I love the quality…they do not cut corners so don’t expect the price tag to either. It is a Saddleback Leather Product. Their tag line is “Your kids will fight over it when you’re dead.” It comes with a 100 year warranty…yep…that is ONE HUNDRED YEARS! I bought the chestnut color large briefcase pictured below. It is handmade of full grain leather…lined with pigskin. It is absolutely gorgeous. When I am old and decrepit…I want this bag to whisper of adventures of life that we went on together. It is tough enough to go anywhere. This is the one company that will give me credit if you tell them you found it here….I got other stuff I want to buy from them…do some research like I did and you will find this Texas Company and incredible quality. On a sidenote…these bags were given away in the “gift bags” for the MTV awards in 2008. Price for my bag…$555.00.


On the training front/endurance front…Ran the Grasslands trail race this past weekend. I only ran the marathon...2 years ago I ran the 50 mile race...and this weekend was a far cry from that success. The race was hot...at least for this time of the year...and my buddy Clive insisted that we run together...and we did for the first 5 miles at a pace that sent my heart rate into the stratosphere...and I went ahead with it knowing I would pay the piper...and I did at about mile 18. I went into this race as a training run...and not until it was over did I realize that I had only run 3...yes 3 times since we have gotten back from Chicago in late February. I haven't been putting the miles in...and as of tomorrow that will change...at least for the next 6 weeks. Time to put the bike on the rack and get back on the "running" road. So there you are...a little over 5 hours of tough love inflicted on myself...This was the last year for my peeps Kevin and Stacie Boudreaux to be race directors for the Grasslands...They are two of the good people in my life. My bud Matt Heinz ran his first trail race...the marathon...and absolutely owned it...and told me he had a wonderful experience...He is another one of those good people in my life...yep...I keep track of 'em. Till next time Press On.
(pic courtesy of Matt Heinz pre race)

p.s. All the pics do not do the product justice...all except for the pre race shot...I really looked that bad...when I get up at 0400 in the morning.

p.s.s. I was made aware that I didn't include Clive as a "Good person in my life" catagory. Let me take this moment to ammend that and say that he absolutely is!!! Let me also say that I did think bad thoughts about him from miles 18-26...let me also say that there are few people that can make me laugh as hard as he does while we are running.