We stayed at a hotel just off the freeway - right across the street from The Waffle House - Ohhhhh yeah! (You ever hear a couple of those Waffle House theme songs when you're in one of those places - Now that's what I'm talkin about! Their grits ain't bad either!).

I took off for a morning run (a little nippy) before we would hit up the Thorlos and FEETures! buildings. One time getting lost in an unknown town is good enough for me, so as a rule of thumb, I typically don't veer off the straight and narrow - out one way and right back in the same exact way. It was a nice little run - North Carolina is a really beautiful place. In any case, it was the first time I've ever run next to a freeway that crossed a railroad track, a fruit stand and one of those lots that sells antiques and stuff for your yard all in one place. It's nice to get in a run that somewhere and something a little out of the ordinary :)

The Coin Count

No love in NC - Nada today :(

Running Total: 42 cents

Attack of the killer Baby Jogger! It reminds me of stories my mother would tell me about throwing me in the car and driving loops around the block because being in the car just made me fall asleep faster. Every time I throw my girls in this sleep contraption called a Baby Jogger, they fall asleep - completely funny. They go from being completely excited and energized about going on a run to falling into a deep sleep within three or four miles...super funny. In any case, it happened again today - Just thought I would let you know.

BTW, I just learned that we'll be carrying Baby Joggers on the site soon!!!! For all you runners out there that want to drain the energy out of your kids in a single bound - you too will now have the chance! WooOooOOoooOoooo-HoooOOoOoooOoooooo! Three cheers for Baby Joggers!

The Coin Count

Nada today :(

Running Total: 42 cents

Come on People!!! It's only common courtesy to say hi to people as they pass, right?!?!?

During my run today, I passed two people that kinda just didn't bother. One put his head down just as I was passing. The other looked across the street as I was passing. That's one of the reasons I run at night - Sheesh! Well not really, but it sounded good...Right?!?! ;)

So after this whole ‘politeness catastrophe' (and another thought that I was probably just whining about it...because that's just what I do) I decided I would put this thought to the test. Do people just go out of their way not to say hi? Mission: Go out of my way to say HI to all the people I pass! The Results: The next six or seven people I came across all said hi. Oh well...So people are kinda nice overall. But then I came across this guy that ‘overly' smiled and waved excitedly. Hmmm...Weird. Maybe he was just a really, really, really happy nice bubbly guy - Or perhaps he's just not used to some insane runner guy yelling HI to him.

The Coin Count

Or should I say, the coinage super slump :(

Running Total: 42 cents

Goodness! If I could afford it, I would put on a new pair of running shoes before every run. I just got a new pair of kicks from Zappos this morning and MAN, I LOVE NEW RUNNING SHOES! The smell of new rubber and synthetic meshes; the wondrously wonderfulously bouncy rides on your first few runs; the incredible shimmer of the brightest of all white meshes in the sun - Ahhhhh! Running shoe heaven, I tell ya! SWEET!

I've been running in ASICS for the last 14 years - The ASICS GEL Nimbus has always been my Go-To shoe. I've been running with them since the one model before that, a shoe called the GEL Marko for all you ASICS connoisseurs out there. The only thing that sucks about getting a new pair of running shoes and going for that first run in ‘em is that you won't get the same feeling, or THAT smell again until you buy a new pair 4-months later. You think someone will ever come out with one of those ‘new car smell'-like fresheners for your shoes? Not like those anti-bacterial sprays that smell like the check-in counter at the bowling alley - I mean an honest to goodness ‘new shoe smell'. There wouldn't be a moment in the day when you wouldn't catch me smelling my shoes. Better yet, how about a ‘new shoe bounce' spray - Spray it on and BANG, or should I say BOUNCE! You have a brand spanking new shoe feel...Ohhhhh, shoot dawg! I just thought of something else - Combine the two!!!! Now you have something :D

The Coin Count

Nada again today :| Either I'm blind, or people are getting real lazy dropping their coins on the street.

Running Total: 42 cents

Ever fall asleep at the wheel? I mean the ‘running wheel' of course. Today, I did. I was running along a very familiar route and viola! I was suddenly three miles down the road on the corner of Warm Springs thinking, what the?!??! Looking around, I really had no clue how I got to this point on my run. I spent the next couple miles thinking about this though. Seriously, if you know me, you woulda said that Peake was drinkin again - It was just water, people! What is this memory loss called runnumus blackouttamus? I ran the same way back to just try and jog (no pun intended) my memory, but nothing. I guess time, and memory, really does fly when you're having fun J

The Coin Count

Nothin today :(

Running Total: 42 cents

Okay, Seriously...If you didn't think I was weird by this point, you'll officially change your mind after this. I LOVE music on my runs, whether it's an iPod cord dangling off my head or a pair of Oakley Thumps, I can't do without it. There's a ton of music I like to listen to. If you're lucky perhaps you'll learn about what kinda of music REALLY gets me going, not that you care ;)

Today I found that Marvin Gaye really IS the man, no doubt about it - I mean anywhere from just jammin' out writing shoe orders to chillin' on the back porch with your buddies - Not to mention getting in THAT mood (cover your ears) - forget about that, we're not gonna go there. So I'm on my run today and Marvin Gaye's and Tammy Terrell's, 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' comes on and it's crazy - for some odd reason this music is really getting me in the mood - No no no no no no no...not for that, silly...Eww. I mean for running! It starts off slow, but then gets a whole lot faster paced and it just really made me feel like running - So I repeated the song three times and the rest of my run today was completely awesome. Thanks for getting me in the mood, Marvin and Tammy!

The Coin Count

Nada today ?:|

Running Total: 42 cents

This should probably go under the “top weird things on my run today” Blog, but nah!!! This stuff is just too weird NOT to tell the complete story, so here it is. The top weird thing started off with two brand spankin’ new firefighter license plates just lying in the middle of the street. I was gonna pick ‘em up and try to drop them off at a firehouse, but I decided not to – thinking about the days that my mother told me if I ever get lost - Stay in one place...So perhaps the owner would retrace his/her steps and find them – Right? Not so weird, but check this out…About a half mile down the road I noticed a fire station that wasn’t there about five months prior (I hadn’t run this route in about that long)…Man, they build things quick here in Vegas! I ran back to where the plates were, scooped them up, then ran them back to the fire station and left them at the front doors. Cool! My good deed for the day :) I continued my run. About a mile away from my house was a fire truck with its lights swirling around. I’m like, “Weird! Huge firefighter theme today! What’s going on?!?!?” As I passed the truck there were four firefighters standing against their truck watching a hydrant blast out water. I mean, there was some serious water was gushing out of that hydrant! I had no clue what they were draining the hydrant for. Oh well, weird
stuff!

Has anyone else ever noticed how long your friendly neighborhood Garage Sale sign stays up on a telephone pole or lamp post? Or how about that cardboard box painted with those unfaithful words that guide you around seven corners just to realize that, CRAP! That yard sale was LAST weekend! It seems there’s just a small, teeny weenie issue of these things staying up for longer than the average life expectancy of your run-of-the-mill Garage or Yard Sale sign. Today, I saw a sign that read, ‘Garage Sale - January 19 and 20’ with a big red arrow pointing down a side street off Silverado Ranch. Of course I made the right turn to go check it out. I mean, who knows! Maybe it’s still going on – A month after its advertised dates. I was wrong. No Garage Sale and certainly no sign that read, “Sorry, the Garage Sale was a month and a half ago. Please disregard our other sign we left out on the corner back in January”.

The Coin Count

Nada today :(

Running
Total: 42 cents

I found 11 cents today!

Running
Total: 42 cents

Goodness. It was just one of those nights when the Running Gods weren't happy. It felt like every time I got to a corner that had a stop-sign, there was a car just pulling up. I always have to stop in fear that 'this guy' will be the one that doesn't see me and plow me down like the Giants did the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Even worse, every corner that had a traffic light was certainly against me and my wishes to get a good run-rhythm going. I'm sure it wasn't every corner, but it certainly seemed like it. Above all though, it's the jumping up and down or running in place at the corner that is the real issue. Gosh, I always feel like a complete dork running in place, like people are pointing - laughing and carrying about, then later telling all their friends about the dork they saw bouncing up and down on the corner. After all, isn't it funny when you see other people doing it? In any case, I vote on putting jump ropes and preset hopscotch boxes on every corner, at least it will take my mind away from the obvious. All with me say 'Yea'!

The Coin Count
Oh yeah! I highly recommend running past car washes. I found twenty-four cents today. All pennies and nickels, but highly worth it!
Running Total: 31 cents

So Mother Nature has been trying to storm in Vegas for the last few weeks. We haven’t had a decent storm in Las Vegas it seems for three years. It HAS been windy though – Really windy. Does anyone really like running in the wind? Seriously. The only good thing at least is when you have a headwind you get a tailwind in return, that is until the time you turn the corner and you have to deal with the headwind all over again. Today, I was nearly blown right into a wall when I turned that corner. This was scary for two reasons:

1)Holy Cow! It is THAT windy outside right now

2)Holy Cow! Am I really THAT light?!?!?

Top weird thing on my run today:

• A dried up pile of vomit. Yucky.

I was actually very worried on my run today – I thought for sure when I was almost done with my eight-miler I wasn’t going to find any coins to start my coin- count off with a bang. Low and behold, a quarter mile away from my house - Six cents lay right before my very eyes. Sweetness.

Running Total: 6 cents

SO! You ask. How can a good ole' runner like me join this great little trend in coin-collecting on my runs? Read on for a little help...

1) Keen eyesight. Pennies are pretty easy to find, but coins of larger denomination often blend in with concrete.

2) Run in commercial areas. More people equal more coinage lost.

3) A good pocket. I use my shoe-laced key holder to carry my newly found fortunes.

4) Remember to STOP running when bending down to pick up your change. You'll get an 'owwie' if you don't.

5) Immunity to "The Jingle". You know what I mean? If you get lucky and find at least two cents on a run, your pockets are gonna play the "Happy Jingle of Prosperity". Warning: Even though you may love the sound, your running partner may not.

6) Beware of coins that are 'stuck' to the street. Although, you may want this coin really bad, some coins are just worth giving up on.

7) A Love for Pennies. After all, 90% of what you?re going to find on the streets are pennies. Get used to it.

8) No matter how rich you get, don't let it go to your head. Everyone will like you for who you are and not how many coins you have in your pocket.

So, I'm frugal. I collect coins I see on the street. It's been a so-called hobby of mine for a very long time and probably one of the reasons I run. Of course I will never get rich finding spare change on the street, but hey! Maybe one day all my coins will add up to pay my way into a race!

So why is it that so many coins are abandoned by their previous owners? It's so sad. Do people not care about Pennies, Dimes and Nickels (Quarters are a huge rarity) any more? Do people have holes in their pockets? Are people allergic? Who knows! I?m just content with the warm and fuzzy feeling inside when I do find some change.