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NYC Style Volunteering

Most anyone that knows me, knows I love to be around anything with positive energy. I enjoy motivating others to their goals, & I enjoy laughing. Of course,  like anyone else, I’m occasionally faced with challenges, but who isn’t.

Earlier this year, I was trying to think of fun ways to market the Gate River Run & get motivated to work a little harder on some personal projects in fitness. Nothing spells serious motivation & a positive vibe better than being around a pack of runners who have voluntarily opted to take on a marathon, and travel to get there.

I registered to volunteer with the New York City marathon & requested to work at race number pickup. I was assigned two days from 9-2pm, & told I could stay longer,  if I wanted.

Fast forward to the first day of the expo & I was greeted by so many people who were happy to see me and one man, Glenn, wanted me to tell my coworkers about the app to find anyone in the race. I did this within the first hour of being there, & I went on the company Facebook workplace site of my employer & posted it.   After all, the CEO of my employer, Ed Bastian, was running the race.  There were also 16 other runners from Delta running the race, too.  One of my managers from the New York City base, Edwin Avelar, volunteered at the expo too.  He was a complete scream in stopping by between greeter jobs.  I hope everyone running the marathon has a blast.

After checking in, I was given a volunteer t-shirt & told which room to report to. I was about the 3rd person to arrive there.   The lady running orientation, Barbara Alpert, was a complete scream & very “no nonsense”. She told us with a lot of humor that she’d been volunteering with the race (on her vacation time from her job) for the last 30 years. She loved the energy of the runners & found it rewarding.  She gave solid direction, and summed up customer service in a matter of minutes.  It went like this, “Greet everyone with a smile, welcome them to our city, and stay off of your phones & devices when runners are around”.  I thoroughly enjoyed her cut and dry approach to the rules of the marathon.

I knew right off the bat, I was in the right room. I was looking for a “restart button” to my own work energy level & fitness training that had been stuck in “stagnant mode”. A mode similar to driving a manual transmission with a four cylinder engine (when you’re used to an 8 cylinder).

I’ve learned over the last few months that I’m not ready to retire anytime soon, with my career as a flight attendant, or with other work projects.  No sense either in taking on anything without my usual style of “Gung Ho”. I’m grateful I was permitted to work at the expo.

After orientation, I followed behind other volunteers and everyone settled in a number bracket, two by two. On day one, my coworker was Kevin Vargas, who worked for Adidas, lived in Brooklyn & was planning to run on Sunday. He was equally as motivated to check in runners & we were both waiting with bells on.  We decided we’d wish everyone a personal best.  I was especially glad he was fluent in Spanish as we had runners from Spain & Mexico.

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One thing I’ve learned in my own experience as a runner (going either abroad, or within the US), is to thank runners for making the trip to the race.  They worked the trip and race into their budgets.  I asked 95% of everyone I helped if it was their first race, or first NYC.

Language barriers were seldom a problem. Kevin was fluent in Spanish & on my other side (in the next booth). a man & his son were from Poland, & spoke Polish fluently. This was a blast with all three runners I checked in from Poland.  I turned them right over to my Polish friends so they could have a “homeland chatski”. It brought a lot of laughs.

Day one of my volunteer efforts included helping Ultramarathoner Mariano Ontanon get film (along with Kevin) for ESPN Run (@EspnRun) TV.  We did 4 takes and Mariano’s photographer, Alvaro Stocker,  was a scream.  I got a lot of laughs with this.  We had time to do different angles between other runners who were checking in.  Kevin knew Mariano’s  race experience & clued ne in.  Mariano won an Ultramarathon, totally out of my comprehension,  and a gift also possessed by Brian Ankers,’15 Connemara 100 winner .  (I met Brian and his family several years ago, great people).

 

Between runners, there were gaps and time to talk, and on day two my coworker was Celebrity  Fitness trainer Amber Rees, who helped co-found @bravebodyscape fitness.  I told her about Jordan Metzl, my friend who she didn’t know.   I had no idea how many different concepts there were in fitness before I met Amber.  The city was packed with them and it sounded so fun.  I shared my latest project with a photo shoot on the horizon & Amber was nothing but positive in encouraging anything.

 

 

I left on day one and chatted with runners in the expo on the Gate River Run (mostly with people in the United States), and on day two, I chatted with some workers of some of the booths.

The most common question I got was if I had done a NYC marathon.  I was glad I could say “Yes, 3, but I’m not running this year”.  The energy was so positive and I left motivated to work harder.

I encourage anyone to either run the marathon or volunteer to work the expo.  You’ll meet energetic people and get new ideas.

@bethadair13, Twitter & Instagram

#workhardlaughharder

 

 

 

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Strong Butt

[Jordan Metzl & myself.  Post race in PA, October 2018.  You can tell it was a tad brisk!]

If you’ve never heard the phrase “a strong butt is key to a happy running life”, let me be the first to introduce you to it. An entertaining phrase first coined by Dr. Jordan Metzl, MD, an orthopedic surgeon in New York City.

I first crossed paths with Jordan at a conference he held a few years back called “Running Strong”.  It was held along with a panel of other athletes.  I had heard him say the phrase before (on TV),  but never in person, and never with additional advice on how to train to make you a better runner.  I was intrigued.

Last weekend,  I was up in Bethlehem, PA  for an annual 10K race.  I try to make it there each year to see friends. After the 10k, Jordan held a seminar  in the auditorium of the Arts Quests center to share his knowledge on running.  I’ve attended a couple of Jordan’s #IronStrength classes in New York City.  They are free o’charge to the public, and you can find the dates and how to register by clicking on drjordanmetzl.com.   He’s even been known to do a “fitness throw down” with teaching classes inside the United Nations.  (I was unable to get into that class, but the pictures were a scream).

Proper form was the key message I got from Saturday’s seminar.  Keeping the strain off of your back & knees with proper foot strike, running form, core work & with weight training would make you a better runner, and also help keep you off of the injured list.  (Jordan had suggestions too, if you became injured.  As well as he offered his business cards to everyone attending).

Dr. Metzl explained he’d seen patients anywhere from ages 8-80+ who wanted to continue to run. Staying healthy and keeping up with moving through fitness was something he supports, and this was music to my ears. I’ll also add I belong to a gym frequented by many retired professional athletes. Probably three of the most amazing examples I can think of are Hal Higdon, George Hirsch & Amby Burfoot.  These three have kept fitness rolling & they’re all over 70.

Hal regularly  goes to the gym with his wife and you will find him circulating the weight room or beach at a speed similar to someone half his age.  I’ve seen him at my gym.

Amby ran the 2018 Boston Marathon (even in the heinous weather conditions). I don’t need to say anything else about how amazing that is.  If you’ve never met Amby, he enjoys motivating runners, and is nothing but a positive vibe.   His wife Cristina is also a runner, & ran Boston as well (Amby won Boston in 1968).  Can you imagine?  Winning Boston?  I still haven’t qualified.

[Amby Burfoot, myself, & George Hirsch (picture taken by Amby’s wife, Cristina,  the day before the 2018 Boston Marathon)]

George was at the start of the Onward Shay marathon last year, mingling with his girlfriend Loretta.   Onward Shay was created in memory of his deceased wife Shay who passed several years ago.  The entire community supported this race, & George has continuous support from Shay’s friends to keep it rolling.  The race is a week before the NYC marathon & includes a 1 mile race, a 5K, a10K, half & full marathon, & a relay marathon.  If you’re reading this and want to market your business in Boise, or suggest to your employer that they do, your best contact is Keith Hughes with Vertical Endurance (Find him on LinkedIn).

[Pic is pre-race to the 2017 Onward Shay, George is in the knit hat]

All three men (as well as Jordan) are great examples of staying active.  None of them have ever stopped their fitness.

Getting back to the seminar, one exercise Dr. Metzl recommended last weekend is the Plie Squat.  To keep the strain off of your back & stay strong.  Maintaining a healthy core is key, too.  I love weight training exercises & weight train 2-3 days a week. In my own training, I’ll do.a plié squat with a 10-25 lb. weight. The proper form with this exercise is having your feet in the second “ballet position” (feet turned slightly out), which will open the hip flexors.  Bending  your knees and holding the weight with both hands in plié fashion will work the glutes.   Down & up once, and there you have a rep. I like 20 reps for one set, and do a total of 3 sets per weight training session. (I’ll attach a picture of one position of a plié squat from a magazine photo shoot 3 years ago.  I weighed 3 lbs. less, yes, just 3)

(Shot taken by my phone off of my computer.  Unedited from 2015 demonstrating 1 position of the plié squat.)

Other forms of weight training to keep your “butt in check” would include straight leg deadlifts, regular squats and also lunges. It’s a good idea to consult a doctor before beginning any weight training or exercise routine. I also recommend meeting with a trainer who can look at your form. If you’re new to weight training, it’s best to start with the correct form.

The goal is to keep fit forever, and avoid injuries. If you get injured, by all means consult a doctor and take time off.  If it means pulling out of a race or contest, so be it.  Races and body building or bikini fitness contests will still be there in a couple of months.  If you need time offf, it’s better  to show up at your best.

 

 

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Let’s Go

So I pulled into Kansas City looking forward to a fun weekend packed with a gym visit, an @nfl game & a positive vibe. Anyone that knows me will tell you, I love a good laugh & I knew I’d find good ones with football.

Landing right on time with my employer, a major airline.  I was excited. The town was geared up for a Chiefs Game & knew their team anytime I got in a discussion with football.  They steered free & clear of talking  smack.   It would be a great match. According to getmoresports.com, both teams were showing to the start line with equal sacks (each team had 10), and neck & neck rushing yards (114  Jaguars, 113 Chiefs).  The Chiefs were ahead of the Jags in winning a game.

I got to my first night that I found on Airbnb. It was an apartment off of Main Street and convenient to a few parks. It was too rainy to rent a bike, but the rates were 3.00 for 30 minutes.   I decided I’d take a walk on Gameday, and googled gyms near me, too.  I’m trying to stick to my 3 days a week in the weight room & aim to clean up my diet.

 

I got to what I thought would be a Gold’s gym, but as it turned out, it was a World gym that sold to Genesis Fitness. Two time acquisition happening faster than google seemed to be able to keep up with.  This gym, Genesis,  was the closest.

  1. The gym where I left a copy of Oxygen Magazine AU, and contact information to reach Kansas City native Jordan Metzl, MD.

I had a fab workout. I frequently hit up gyms in cities in the US or abroad. This visit, was day rate “on the house”. So kind, but I was willing to pay the day rate of 15.00.   After an hour in the weight room, & a front desk employee saying “wow,  you’ve been here a minute, huh?”  (It was nice that they noticed my hour there).  I knew I had to pass along contacts for getting published with an international magazine, @oxygenmagau, and also refer the management to a couple of @ASICS partnered concepts, with one being, #ironstrength.  The man running Ironstrength,  Dr. Jordan Metzl, MD is originally from Kansas City.  It just made sense to pass the info. along.  He frequently holds free clinics in NYC, & in case he wanted to work in MO, he’d have a lead.   No one pays me to do these things, I enjoy it, & feel I should “pay back” as I sometimes literally “skid through life” on a smooth rolling course with getting into nice gyms worldwide, most of the time without paying a fee.  The other concept, RunSafer.com, I also mentioned to them is partnered with ASICS, too.

I’m an Ambassador for the Gate River Run 15K.  It’s an unpaid position,  but I love my “credentials”, &  it’s so nice that the race director, Doug Alred, thought enough of me to call me an Ambassador.  I’ve completed at least 8 Gate River Runs, & love the race.  It’s “off the chain” fun,  with a post race of 160+ kegs of Miller beer for all entrants, if they so desire.  My PR for the race is 1:10 (and change), & I was never able to beat that time.  Anyone that can run a fast race has my respect.  The record holder for the race did it in just over 42 minutes, insane!

Fast forward to @Jaguars game day, and was it ever fun!!.  While waiting in line, a mom shared she was raising her kid (a 2 YO), and 3 nephews under age 10.  I was glad to listen, as everyone needs to vent on occasion.  She was very funny, too, & helped me get my ticket pulled up from Ticketmaster.  Her husband had treated her to the Chiefs game with it being her birthday.

From there,  my “line waiting” friends transitioned the conversation to football betting and I was cracking up.  I know very little about how to bet on football.  I may pull a few slot machine handles in Vegas, but football betting is out of my league.  I did give a website addy to getmoresports.com.  I follow a couple of the Gronkowski ‘s  on LinkedIn.  GetMoreSports is put on by a two Gronk brothers and two other friends.    They also have a podcast.  Chris & his wife Brittany run Iceshaker, & I knew they’d get a kick out of the video.

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In the stadium, I had a seat on the 50 yard line & was revved I had a good view of the field.  The whole stadium was a “sea of red”  & songs that were jamming were “Whoomp! There it is” by Tag Team, & “Let’s Go”, by Calvin Harris.

About five minutes into my view and excitement, the guy sitting next to me asked where I got my ticket & said his friend usually sat there.  My seat was occupied by someone, so I took the seat that was empty.  Next thing you knew, we were all discussing how Ramsey was a good cornerback, but needed to amp up his “pickoff rate”, like Rasheen Mathis did before retiring.  They also knew Blake Bortles stats & though we didn’t chat much about him, we did notice two incomplete passes that were within a “grab and pull” length of a catch.  All I could do was laugh.  The best part was watching the scramble & sack of Patrick Mahones, and I laughed at that, too.

The Jags were in a shutout sitch with no points and KC was up 20 points in the 3rd quarter.  I was wondering if I was gonna be going back to Jacksonville with  a worse margin.  The Jags caught up a touch and the sun came out.  I completely expected a monsoon, as we’d gotten a good  “dousing” before the game, and weather peeps predicted worse.

 

In between 3rd & 4th quarter, the man sitting next to me, an attorney, asked what I did for a living.  I gave him the detailed version, with a mention that I used to model a touch.  He said his girlfriend was into fitness & figure competing,  so I gave him contacts for Oxygen Magazine Australia,  in case she wanted to try and get published with them.  He just gave me his phone and told me to text the info to her directly, and he went back to watching the game.   I still model on occasion, but very infrequently these days.  Modeling can be a cut throat business, and I try to maintain a positive vibe with it.  It took years to get in a reputable fitness magazine, & I like to motivate others to do the same.  Probably one of the fittest ladies I’ve ever seen was from Olathe, Kansas.

Oxygen Magazine Australia  is an international magazine.  I also read  Strong Fitness Magazine.

I left Arrowhead stadium happy.  Not that the Jags lost, but that they “showed up”.  The Jaguars didn’t “shut it down” after halftime & gave it their best shot.   I watched a good game and saw about 5 other Jags fans on my walk back to the hotel.

I also got a sense of “goal and fitness renewal” chatting about it.  My training has been a bit stagnant, so I plan to amp it up a notch & clean up my diet.  It’ll make for a rockin’ 2019.

#WorkHardLaughHarder

 

 

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Off the Chain

  • by Beth Adair

September 17, 2018

Last week,  I had a ball being in NYC, seeing friends and attending the Dr. Oz show as an audience guest. About a year ago or so, a close friend of 40 years, Tracy, wanted to go on Dr. Oz. The tickets are free but the timing for us both never seemed to jive until the week of the 11th.  I had been on vacation.

I got an email  from the Dr. Oz show that an athlete, Tim Tebow, would be interviewed on the 12th.  (I had been on their email list, as a year before Tracy wanted to go, but we couldn’t get our schedules to jive).   Tracy is an alum of the University of Florida, and Tim Tebow was their star player several years ago.  He would be interviewed and on the show to promote his book. It was the perfect fit for her first visit to a studio audience, & given I’m from FL & a UCF graduate, why not.

In 24 hours,  I had a couple of tickets lined up, the dress code policy and my van reservation from La Guardia to CT.  Tracy lives in the suburbs, in Darien.  We agreed to grab a Metro North ride on the morning  of Sept. 12th at 5:51.

“Off the chain” laughs are all you will get when the two of us are together.  It’s almost always been that way.   I joked NYC would need a sedative and knew we’d be the buffoons we  were in 8th grade.  Often, we are caught telling each other to calm down.  The funniest part to the morning for me was when Tracy ran in the guest room where I was staying, and asked to borrow my eye lash curler.  Just like old times.  It was second nature to grab it.

We sure had a good time. I had been on vacation & getting antsy, so flying to NYC was fun to do, even on September 11th.   Everyone greeting me had smiles and a positive vibe, but there was a somber feel in the air with it being the anniversary of the attacks.  I still haven’t forgotten the CNN clips of the Cantor Fitzgerald CEO crying on air at all of the employees that were killed.

Chivalry is always appreciated.  Pulling into CT on the Metro North (on the morning of the 12th) was no exception.  A nice, well dressed business man put my bags in the luggage racks, and another well dressed one took my bag down the stairs when we pulled into Grand Central station.  And yes, being from the South, I said “thank you honey”,  to both men, and we all went anonymously on our merry way.

The Dr. Oz show was well organized, and tight with security. We got through the screeners and waited to be called in for seating. It was no secret I was hoping for front row, and you better believe we followed the dress code. It was great to meet some people, and the well dressed couple behind us were from Queensland Brisbane, Australia. I was glad I was able to tell them about Oxygen Magazine Australia, and recommended they check it out when they got back home. I was in issue 78, an incredible gift and priviledge, so I had no choice but to promote.

Beth Adair (L), Tracy Wind (R)

Tim Tebow’s girlfriend, a stunning blonde, was seated a few people away.  They make a great couple.  I chatted up the girls next to me, too.  They were from the Bronx and we all tried to “behave” when we were supposed to.

The show “MC coordinator “ was a riot.  The only time Dr. Oz got annoyed was when he got a bit out of control talking about what he could do with a stethoscope in his strip tease.  I was cracking up, but Mehmet was shaking his head and gave him a look to “tone it down a notch”.  Hysterical.  Also, the nicest gift from the the show was a coupon to check out free food and wine with Rachel Ray and a few others later on.  Given I live in Florida, I mailed it to one of my best friends who lives in the Upper West side.  She said it was right up her alley, & she’d attend.

The funniest thing we did on tape was clap like the “Gator Chop”, when Tebow walked out,  laughing uncontrollably as we did it.  To keep a straight face, it was just like in school, we couldn’t look at each other much during taping.

Tim promoted his book, and chatted on the Ketogenic diet.  He used to play ball with my ex-husband’s son, Ben Franco, and they had a fabulous year.  Ben was a senior when Tebow was a junior at Nease High.  Ben, a slot receiver, had a blast with completions.  It was a radical year.  It was no wonder too, that  Tim got offered 75 or so full ride college scholarships.  Can you imagine?  75?

Other show guests included Rachael Ray and Dr. Jordan Thompson.  From Rachael, I learned to throw your soup in a ziplock plastic bag and freeze it for later.  From Dr. Thompson, I learned to keep a happy marriage, you need 90 minutes of actual conversation & a date night every week.  I joked when I left “well, first I just need to get the basics going, and maybe just get a steady boyfriend”.  I felt it was solid advice.

I had wanted to attend the  #IronStrength class by Dr. Jordan Metzl, MD, down at the United Nations, but couldn’t get in the class.  It was full.   Also, weather was hitting from the latest hurricane, so I knew I needed to see friends quickly, and get out of dodge.  They’d cancel flights, making standby ridiculous.  I was lucky I was even getting an afternoon flight.  Usually they are too full, and impossible, so much so, that I tend to rely on first flights of the day.  Instead of seeing Jordan, who I’ve met at clinics, I wrote a show idea on a slip of paper, in a “P.S.”, and put it in a box I hoped a show coordinator would see.

The box I register my name at, & put a P.S. suggestion.

Before leaving NYC, I did get to see Topher Yandell, a complete scream!   I like to call him Toph, and am always cracking up at his antics.   Such a pleasure to meet up for a bite to eat and then check out the view from his Uncle George’s apartment overlooking Central Park.  I know his Uncle George Hirsch through my running contacts at Runner’s World Magazine.  I took interest in a love story written by David Willey in an editorial a few years ago.   I just loved the story.  They met at a NJ marathon and later would marry.   It sure sounds like they had a blast together and George kept her legacy rolling in planting the Onward Shay marathon.

Beth Adair (L), Toph Yandell (R)
Beth Adair (L), Tracy Wind (R)

I never got to meet Shay, but did go to Boise and run the half marathon at the 2016 Onward Shay, and came back a year later with a relay team of 5 completely decked in Brooks gear.  SO fun!

I’ll be back to New York to volunteer on 11/1 & 11/2, previous to the NYC marathon.  My boss, CEO Ed Bastian, is running it this year, and we are all excited for him.  I’m envious I am not running, but grateful to be around the excitement and for my friendships in running. I’m also an ambassador of the Gate River Run, & hope to drop an invite to many runners.

I’ll have to depart the city before the actual race, as I’ll be at Wigs and Wishes, a charity benefit by Martino Cartier located at Lucien Manor somewhere in NJ.   Should be a blast and I’m looking forward to it:-)

Hoping all your gains are on the upswing and this blog post finds you well and happy.  Remember to work hard and laugh harder, at anything.

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Carpe Viam

 

Anyone in the running community will tell you, to get to the Boston Marathon is no easy feat and this year was extra special. It marked the 50th anniversary of Amby Burfoot’s @bostonmarathon win.  It was fun too, to invite locals down to FL for the @GateRiverRunJax.

I met Amby back in 2012. I had talked my good friend Marge into joining me for a “girls trip” weekend in Pennsylvania and running a 10K at the festival. She agreed to leave her family at home and take off “Thelma and Louise style” to PA.. I knew we’d see members of a magazine staff, & I knew elite runners would be there. What I didn’t know, was how much fun & how humble it would be to meet Amby.

Back then, Amby was selling one of his books, and chatting with runner’s from all over. We were talking with him about Florida and he had mentioned he and his wife were going to be moving to CT and had been looking at real estate. They had planned to set up one of their retirement homes in CT.

Over the course of the last 6 years, Amby has written two more books, traveled to Boise a couple of times with George Hirsch (former worldwide publisher, Chairman of the NYRR, & founder of @OnwardShay), gotten settled in CT and also traveled a few times to Mexico (where his wife Cristina is from).

Amby knows everybody, and I’ve even joked, “if you’re a runner, and Amby didn’t meet you, you didn’t exist”. If you ask me, he is just that hooked up with the running community.

Once I landed, got checked in to the hotel, and “Uber-ed” over, I walked right in and the first person I noticed was @DeenaKastor. She was signing books, getting photos with fans and had George not come over to say goodbye to her, I would have missed him and Amby! I quickly got a picture with everyone and was able to later chat with Amby on his current training and goals for the Boston Marathon this year.

Beth Adair, Deena Kastor

At the conference, I asked what kept him going and what his best advice was for anyone his age or near his age in keeping fit. He said to just “keep moving” and recommended walking. For the race on Monday, he said he’d be doing a 4:1 ratio of running to walking and said he was going to start training for shorter distances. Over the last many years, he’s completed the Manchester Road race over 50 times, been healed from depression caused by a C-diff infection (and was the most challenging health issue he’s dealt with ever) and has enjoyed training in CT and Mexico, “snowbird style”. He and his wife spend winters in Mexico.

Since 2015, I’ve been doing international trips as a flight attendant out of the New York City base and knew I’d be getting a unique gift for Amby to celebrate his 50th Boston Marathon. I had a trip to London, and while tooling around shopping, I was in Harrod’s and saw these great chocolate bars that resembled bars of gold. They were solid chocolate and a signature line to the Harrod’s brand packaged in gold packaging. I bought 5 (one bar for every 10 years) and gave them to Amby and his wife, as well as gave George Hirsch pictures when I saw him with friends last October, ( my running team was in Boise at Onward Shay). For many people like myself, it’s more fun to give gifts than get them, and gag gifts are even more fun.

After Marge and I attended the conference and met some fun followers, like John Young (@dwarfparatri), and met writers, Jonathan Beverly (@jbevrun), @DeenaKastor, & Scott Douglas. I got pics and had some laughs. Probably the most comical of the day was when Deena Kastor asked what race I attended to qualify for Boston. I answered, “well, I’m not exactly running, and haven’t qualified yet”. She laughed and made a few motivating comments as to how I’d do it later. Truth be known, I tried three times in the @nycmarathon, and I decided after the last one I completed in ’03, that I’m not going for it again until I’m 70. It’s a long way off, but till then, I’m crosstraining hard in the weight room and enjoying other forms of cardio in addition to my running.

The rest of the weekend was a riot, we checked out a few pubs, hit up a workout at @PlanetFitness in Revere and went shopping.  We stopped by the @BrooksRunning expo booth too, at Seaport to see some of the staff.   Marge got her daughter & husband a few things, too.

Marge is a business woman in the New York City area and gave me advice that I needed to write a blog posting once a week and circulate into a feed called “Scoop It’. This would help promote my brand on social media and generate more followers to what I hope to accomplish.  It was advised that to get your business more business, you have to get more web circulation through writing.  I’m grateful for such a fabulous friend!  I tend to surround myself with people who will motivate me to work harder and in turn, I try to motivate others.

I have a photo shoot with Paul Buceta up in Toronto in late May that I’m excited to do. I shared this with most everyone I chatted with this weekend. It will just be a blast! It’s for my campaign rolling, called “fitness over 50” and for @STRONGFitnessMag. Funny too, I was sitting at the pub @theblackroseboston and a man who missed his Boston qual by 20 seconds (and a touch miffed about it), was asking my opinions on his startup concept. It was a treat to offer advice on getting hooked up in social media, contacting a few contacts I had in Australia related to his business fitness concept and also to mention (since he and his girlfriend were from Toronto), to check out all of the @OxygenMagazine issues of the last year. (Oxygen Magazine is a Canadian magazine). I recommended too, he start writing a blog once a week (the new advice I was just given).  And, also, to check out any ladies fitness magazines, such as Strong Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and etc..

I don’t believe in a whole lot of coincidence, so it was great that I met this couple, and even if I never see them again, my “two beer stop in” to a pub in Fanueil Hall might’ve flipped a switch to motivate more health and wellness. It was funny too, the aggravation the man had with his “near-qual miss”, and the couple was entertained I showed up in a “no qual zone” just to see friends.  (No qual zone being my fun way of bypassing I hadn’t tried in a few years and have no plans for another 20).

I got the short phrase, and name of this blog post, “Carpe Viam”,  from an article Amby wrote on Ryan Shay. It means “seize the road” and when you are in Boston on marathon weekend, even if you can’t “seize the road”, you’ll “seize the vibe” and get motivated to get moving on a project. You might even motivate others to get projects going, too.

Until my next post, remember to work hard and laugh harder. I know I will be.

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Got Fitness?

I was asked sometime in the last few months, “What motivates your fitness?”. It was by an attorney. I have a diverse bunch of followers, and love it. To motivate any profession to train hard or start training in the gym or in fitness is nothing but a compliment. “Got fitness? Let’s get it going.”

To answer the question, it’s rather complex, but the goal in any workout for me is better health. Life for me flows better with a hard workout. If I can get it done before the day gets rolling, I can handle any stress that might crop up much better. I typically try to laugh everyday and usually find humor in most everything. I’m way past my twenties, and glad I’ve made it this far without serious health issues. With heredity, I’m faced with possible arthritis, blood pressure issues, type 2 diabetes and cancer. None of that sounds like a blast, but even if I had any of them, I’d still do the treatment. Fortunately, with hard training and a cleaner diet, you’ll see results, too.

I’m going to the @bostonmarathon this year, and can’t wait! I tried to qualify for the race in my thirties in ’97, ’99 and ’03 at the @nycmarathon. I wasn’t too heinously upset when it didn’t happen, as I came close once, uninjured & at a finish time of 4:16 (net chip time 4:11). I just figured all I need to do is get older, so I’ll wait till I’m 70 to try again. In the meantime, I’ll cross train hard and run casually, and likely not exceed distances of 15K. I wasn’t born with the God given talent to be, “fast out of the gate”.

This year is a special year. The Boston Marathon ’68 winner, Amby Burfoot (@amburf) is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his win. He’ll be running it, again. Just amazing! He’s in his 70’s and still training hard. I met Amby years ago, through an expo with Runner’s World Magazine. He was there in PA selling his books and very enthusiastic about running. He even convinced a friend she could do a marathon, which she later did, years later, at the New York City marathon.. Most runners understand the addiction, the “buzz”, and why you’d even want to try to run a marathon. What blew my mind was the fact he could do it so fast out of the gate. I look forward to seeing friends at the expo and meeting people that can do what I can’t do, it’ll be a blast.

My best advice if you’re challenged in your fitness or trying to get motivated to get back to training, is to keep it fun. Go buy a new shirt, keep up the positive vibe (even if that means putting negative people on the back burner awhile), download a new song, buy a bikini, even schedule a photo shoot. If money is tight, google positive quotes, & find optimistic things to read.

Hoping to see you all at the Boston Marathon, and if you can’t make it look for fun pictures on my social pages. I’ll try to find as many elites and fun people as possible. I just can’t wait!

Until then, work hard and laugh harder, and thanks for the follow:-)

Events

The Jay Fund Event

This year I got invited to attend the Jay Fund event hosted by the Coughlin’s. It’s no secret I’m a football fan, and in the fall, I check out more than just NFL football. I love watching SEC and occasional high school, too.

The event was held in Jacksonville, Florida, my hometown.   It is in the  category for one of the largest cities area wise in the United States.   It’s been home to the Jacksonville Jaguars since November of 1993. It’s no secret either that the team made it all the way to the Championship. I was more than psyched. I’m a fan, win or lose, and last season was especially fabulous to watch.

I hoped to meet as many Jags players as I could, see friends and of course, see Tom Coughlin. When I got to the event, I parked across the street and walked over. The wait time on getting in was easy, as the organizers were going through the line and scanning the bar codes for each entry. I forgot my printed entry and it was nice that all I had to do was pull it all up on my email and scan the code from there.

Right after I walked in I was greeted with wine tasting glasses and many tables full of exciting memorabilia to bid on throughout the night. All along each hall were tables of incredible hors d’oeuvres, and each table had two different kinds of red or white. I started with Chardonnay and that would be it, as I’d switch to water after half a glass and a few tasties from B.B.’s.  I’m not a heavy drinker, but do appreciate an occasional “taste”.

Onward to the escalator (and the photo ops) were lines of people everywhere. The first person I recognized was Sam Kouvaris. He is the sportscaster over at WJXT. I met his wife Linda and chatted a bit on their four grandkids. It’s always fun to see Sam. He’s worked hard for Jacksonville. I forgot to ask him if he’d seen Lex and Terry lately. Those two were a scream on local radio. I used to listen to them and had heard a show with Sam talking about the Gate River Run several years ago.

Later I saw some friends from the gym, Gregg Gosch, a LSU alum and former football player for their team. We couldn’t help but have a small chatski on Leonard Fournette. It was soon after, that I pretended to be catching the ball that Leonard had signed for the auction.  I also saw Jaguars memorabilia signed by QB Blake Bortles, who founded The Blake Bortles Foundation (@BB5Foundation).

Up the escalator I ran into some staff from Jacksonville Magazine, who couldn’t have been nicer. I got a few pictures and headed over to the second camera where I’d try on a Viking hat.

I circulated the room several times looking for any familiar faces and there he was, Tom Coughlin himself. Surrounded by many getting pictures and with a friendly member from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office. I got in line, too. There was no time to “talk football”, but everyone was in positive vibe and rest assured, ready for this season.

After that, walking over by another food table I ran into Doug Marrone. I hadn’t met him, but since I’m not shy, I just asked if I could get a picture real quick. He was a scream, said “sure”, and I started the trend to at least 4 more photo ops with different people, for him. (They were all laughing, too). There was a girl next to me who was so funny, and said, “they need me to be his photographer, I know how to get good pictures”.

Meeting AJ Cann sure was fun, too. He was there with his girlfriend and I asked which number he was, and what his Twitter name was (@AJCann_60).  I could tag pictures later. I could tell he’d been raised in the South. Everything was “yes m’am, and “no m’am” on any question I’d asked. I had forgotten (when I was meeting him) he had played for the Gamecocks. My aunt Celia is a retired math professor from USC/Spartanburg and Gamecock football is talked about at the dinner table in her house (and my Dad’s) over every Sunday dinner during football season. It’s really quite entertaining.

Onward before I left, I saw Todd Philcox and his wife Katie. It was great catching up. I see him on occasion in the gym and he’s always talking about his kids, Lindsey and Tyler. I never walk off without a laugh when I talk to Todd. Todd played QB for a few NFL teams, played with the Jags in ’96 and retired with the Patriots in ’98.

Thanks for stopping by my site and reading my blog.  I’m having a lot of fun these days.  Remember to work hard, and laugh harder, I know I will be.

#workhardlaughharder

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Employment Nirvana

About three years ago I was sitting in my friends apartment in New York City. It was a fun weekend, in the summer and I was hanging with one of my best friends. I had a birthday about 3 days before blowing into NY & noticed the weather in Ireland was calling for partly sunny skies. I travel for a living, it seemed like a waste of a day to just sit around in Ireland and not get some fitness shots.

Modeling is a bit of a hobby and I enjoy it, and all the more when I can get decent results from my training. I love to eat, and I love to workout. It’s a constant balance and always with a laugh. I just feel so much better when I get my workout in.

I asked my friend Marge, “how would you go about finding a fitness model in Ireland”? She made it seem easy, and it kinda was. I put Irish male fitness model in the search engine, and checked every site I could find as well as on Facebook and other social media. I was in my late forties and was seeking a male to work with about the same age, or within five years. All the models I found were much younger. If there was a 40 something, he wasn’t in sight.

To find the photographer, I googled photographer’s too, & really just wanted someone with experience. Someone local, that knew the weather, and how to get good light out of a cloudy day if that was what we got. I was scheduled to be in Dublin in less than 40 hours. Everything was done through email correspondence and I checked everything online to make sure I wasn’t dealing with a weirdo. To be honest, finding Jim Schofield was about the easiest of the equation. He had pictures online and a work ethic and said he worked on an hourly rate and we’d shoot for 2 hours and he’d pic out unedited pics after the shoot to email back to the US. We did it that way, just that fast.

I told Jim via email what I was looking for and he said (after about a day) he couldn’t find anyone fitting the age bracket. He said he could find flat abs, semi-ripped and a serious athlete, but he was late 30’s. I was late forties and told him and said I didn’t want to look like his mom. Jim said no worries and just do it.

I don’t remember what Jim’s rates were, but it was well worth it, and I never had to worry. He somehow found Brian Ankers.

My plan was to land in Dublin, hit up a nap after being up all night and then get up, shower change and get out the door for the shoot. It got changed a touch with a heinous weather delay getting out of the US and my 3 or 4 hour nap got eaten up. I landed, pulled into the 4 star hotel, The Shelbourne Hotel and went straight to the shower. All I had time for was ironing clothes, doing my hair and then trying not to let anything mess up my “gung ho” vibe.

Meeting Jim was nothing but a riot. I was waiting outside the hotel holding about 4 outfit changes and clothes for myself and whoever I was working with and asked the bellhop to take our pictures. It was a scream!  The accent, the vibe and he was on the phone with Brian Ankers, explaining where we’d meet.

Jim decided we’d be working four scenes in Phoenix Park and explained (in the car) I’d be working with Brian Ankers. He said Brian was an ultra marathoner, had set the Irish record that year in running 84 marathons in one year. 84? Say what? Back then, his personal record was 3:07 for a marathon. He also worked two jobs, was happily married and had four kids. We only had 2 hours, because we were working in between two of Brian’s jobs. I thought about getting a tad stressed, but figured it was better to just fake it. Fake it till you make it with any stress, that was where I was headed there. My talents weren’t what Brian’s were in athletics. I had been married before, helped raise two of my former husbands kids, (which is no easy task) and worked only 1 job, and hadn’t run a distance longer than the New York City marathon, or a weekly mileage not exceeding 49 miles a week. I felt a bit underequipped in athletic talent. I was still stoked for the shoot though.

We got to the park and I needed a restroom. This is where the things were a trip. I had walked trying to find a ladies room, but there wasn’t one. There were some people redoing the floors in a cricket house & they said I could go in there and use the one there. I didn’t hesitate and ran in. When I walked out of the bathroom, there was shirt hanging on the wall. It was a soccer styled shirt, short sleeved and had the name Adare on the back. What a trip. My last name is Adair, with a different spelling. Our ancestor’s moved from Ireland in the 1700’s. I decided this was good luck and whoever was outside waiting to work was the best person Ireland had.

Brian was going over the scenes with Jim when I walked up. It was fabulous. The shoot totally rocked. I loved the accent and couldn’t stop laughing. The best thing too, we got a touch of sun. In between scenes Brian talked of his wife and kids. He said he couldn’t do what he did without her support. I didn’t know then, but later I’d meet Jenny and the kids and she’s every bit as fun and pretty as he said. His kids, they are a scream, too.

We worked four scenes with about 4 different outfits and it’s what I like to call “employment nirvana”. Everyone wanted to be there and no one complained. When the shoot was done, Brian invited me and Jim to his next job, a boot camp class. Given I’d been up all night long, I was completely fried. The best compliment was from Jim and Brian, they both said they liked my energy. I’m glad they saw me this way.

Brian went on to win Connemara 100 later that year in 2014. I was published in Oxygen Magazine Australia in a two page spread in August of 2015. I worked another shoot with Brian and Jenny at the Wicklow Mountains up near Glendalough in 2016, with David Clifford Photography. That shoot rocked with the weather. It was sole grade sunny skies and we got good film. I wasn’t on point with my abs, but Brian and Jenny were. We are all still fabulous friends, and I’m grateful for their friendship.

Beth Adair, Brian Ankers, Jenny Ankers

The clothing we used in the first shoot was all Adidas wear and shoes. The second shoot was in New Balance. This was all before I was picked up by Brooks in one of their campaigns, #BrooksEndorsed.

Remember to always laugh, keep the vibe going, & even if you don’t think you got it in you, you do. Thanks for reading my blog and remember to #workhardlaughharder.  I know I will be, and you should, too:-).

Beth Adair, Brian Ankers, Saoirse Ankers, Aaron Ankers, Jenny Ankers, (front row, Sophie Ankers, Lucy Ankers)
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Fat Tuesday With Jordan Metzl

Jordan Metzl, MD

This week’s adventure was in New York City. I was invited by one of my best friends to attend a running event set up by Dr. Jordan Metzl, MD (@drjordanmetzl). I have been to a couple of other #ironstrength events by Jordan, and they are always fun. This event was entitled Mardi Gras.

I had worked from Amsterdam that day and was thrilled with no weather delays, making my commute from JFK into the city a cool breeze. It also gave me a chance to catch up with Marge’s daughter Ava, a smart tween who was working on her book report. I had done my weight room routine too before work, so the evening was going to be a “touch of cardio”.

The weather was a bit crisp, at temps of around low thirties. I’m still more of a Florida bird, used to a “cold day” being 50 degrees and was prepared wearing tights, @brooksrunning shoes, two shirts, two wind breakers, gloves and a fleece jacket. Marge and I left with every intention of walking to the New York Running Company, near Columbus circle, but it wasn’t hard to convince me to take the train instead. The wind was blowing a touch.

I had been to this store before. A few years back, I went there to buy a pair of running shoes for a spec shoot on the Brooklyn Bridge with David Clifford Photography (@cliffordphoto). I got great service. If you’re unfamiliar with what “spec” means, it’s when an entire crew works free in hopes of getting pics picked up by a magazine, or otherwise used professionally. Though I wasn’t selected that year for anything, it’s still a compliment by a Boston native to be asked to show up to this, even unpaid. I had so much fun, a few years later, I hired David to go to Ireland and work with Brian Ankers (one of Ireland’s best athletes), his wife, and me. We had a ball.

The funnest part to the New York Running Company store is the vibe. Fun people working there, a fun setup and they have lockers available to lock up your goods so you can come straight from work and get social. There was also a calendar of events on the back wall. While we waited for the event to start, we chatted with a few people who had participated in the New Year’s Polar Bear plunge out in Long Island and checked out some clothing they had just gotten in.

The run was fabulous and led well by Jordan. His following is much larger now that ever. I was rather pesky in getting a picture prior to the run as I knew I couldn’t keep up with his pace. It was meant to be “selfie included”, but I only got half my face. I was grateful I got something! I like having proof I was actually there.

It was a beautiful night to run. There were a few runners who joined us who were from Texas. We tooled through the mall, across the street and took off. I tried to take a few pics, but just wanted to enjoy the run. The Jackie O reservoir located there is my very favorite running path in Central Park. We didn’t tool over, but maybe I’ll do it on my next visit.

Central Park was well lit at 6:30 pm & there were TONS of running groups already out. Marge and I kept a conversational pace with a goal of 3 miles and stopped about 3/4 of the way and took group pictures of another running group for the leader. I was cracking up and was glad I could help. They were just so funny. It was at the beginning of their run and they were all amped to get it rolling and this was at around 7 pm.. I’m sure we were welcome to join them, but we kept it rolling the opposite way, & didn’t slow them up.

Marge had an 8 o’clock meeting and I was fried, so I peeled off and walked back to her place off west end avenue. It was worth the trip and I was up at 4:30 to fly home to Florida. Another successful day in the city.

To register for Jordan’s events, go online at drjordanmetzl.com.. Many of his events are free o’ charge and easy to get to for the New Yorker. It’s a perfect way to socialize and mingle with young professionals.

#workhardlaughharder

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Over the hills and through the Farms

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a sunny day, crystalline blue skies and positive vibe all over the place. I had just finished taking a gander over the Cliffs of Moher and decided on the walk back to the car that I just couldn’t waste a sunny day lounging in the hotel. I had planned to go driving up in the hills and made that day my day to do it.

Facing east to the ocean, car radio jamming the Disciples jam “On My Mind” & deciding whether to turn left or right at the stop. I had the GPS ,and hit it to go to Westport.

It was a right hand turn at the stop and a clear jam. I saw all kinds of rolling hills and was careful to pay attention as you just plain had to slow down or stop completely to let other cars pass. I was unfamiliar with a one lane road that two cars (going the opposite direction) were allowed to take at once. I figured the last thing I needed was a head on collision, so I only went fast or the speedlimit when I was going downhill and in full view of oncoming traffic. I stopped once to get a picture of a donkey and again to get a picture of a cow. The fences in Ireland were fairly low and some were made of granite rock.

I got to Westport after passing a roadside section of sheep that was located across from Castletown school. I found a parking spot to get pictures and a video (both found on my social pages at bethadair13, Insta & Twitter.) The most hysterical part to getting this picture was when I hopped out of the car I was trying to be fast in order to get moving again. Two sheep had crossed the fence and were on the road near me in the car. When they saw me getting out, they hauled butt back over the fence and went to eating like I never was there (and like I didn’t notice two sheep hightailing it over the fence). I started cracking up. A few sheep hooves in the air and back to eating like nothing ever happened, so damn funny. I had hoped to get a video of them saying “BAAA”, and did.

I later posted it to Instagram (#drive) and suggested there to @tonybakercomedy & @lesdoggg (two comedians) via instagram that they do a voiceover and make it like the sheep were mad about @terrellowens not getting into the Hall of Fame last year. I had seen Leslie Jones last July 13th at the set of the @WendyWilliams show and never stopped laughing. Tony had done a voiceover to a video with a Corgi doing leglifts and I never stopped laughing. (“and we lift, and we lift…..we’re cooking with grease now y’all”,) I still don’t know how they got the dog to do the leglifts, but it was a scream. Terrell didn’t get into the NFL Hall of Fame last year and I was miffed. Never met him in person, but felt it was silly to skip him twice. The high reception count, his yardage, and he showed up at the Super Bowl in my hometown playing the Pats with a taped up ankle. Aside from all of that, he never sat out a National Anthem. I still miss the days when showboating on touchdowns was allowed. The “Dirty Bird”, the skips and hops, the moonwalks and everything else that went into who got the ball in the endzone was fun to watch. My favorite about his playing was what I like to call the “Grab and Pull”. He’d get the passes that weren’t literally in his hands and would pull them in and keep going. Many receivers do this, and it’s fun to watch. Seems to me all the QB needs to know is which play they are doing and what yardline the receiver will show up at (give or take a few defensive players to avoid). At any rate, the sheep were in protest with me and hope the voiceover gets done.

Back on the roads I passed Neale Cemetery and got to Westport . The last time I was there, no one was hardly there. It was a cold day, during the week and rainy and somewhat foggy. You could hardly see the other side of the mountains with the fog. I got great pictures I’ll blow up at Costco and have framed for my place. Last year I had driven to Westport from Abbeyglen Castle hotel and the Clifden area. I had gone around this radical cliff I wanted a shot of with the sunny day. I tried to get to it and got lost again. I still don’t know if the signals were getting lost with the GPS or I just got twisted around. I ended up in a pasture with a road on it in Sheffey somewhere, surrounded by cows and wondered if I was trespassing on the road. The cows were uninterested in being near the road and there was no place to park the car. While I was slowed to nearly a stop I tried to find a map and decided I was just going to have to get to the end of the road because there wasn’t even a place to turn around (there were small hills on each side of the gravel road). During my lost tour I had on Irish radio and the familiar song Jump was on. It wasn’t @DavidLeeRothor @VanHalen, but the song was using the same lyrics and it was a lot slower. I was grateful to know the words to something ,because being lost in the farm area, that was about all i knew at the time!  I posted the small video on Instagram (#DrivingDownAGravelRoad).

The drive was a success and I made it back down to the motorway and to Bunratty. Once at the hotel, I was grateful for a fun day and that it stayed sunny.  I hope this blog entry finds you laughing, and if you aren’t, find a way to do it, or make someone else laugh.  I know I will be:-)

@bethadair13, Insta & Twitter