Friday Funny 8: Halloween

Today is Halloween. So it should be no surprise that I’ve got some Geeky Pumpkins, some Strange Halloween Costumes, and some Zombie Pin-Ups for all of you today.

First, some Geeky Pumpkins. Many of these make me chuckle - what does that say about me?... Oh yeah, I’m a geek. Try to look a little surprised. Thanks.

Hannibal Pumpkin


Dwight. Sweet.


Pumpkin “Pi”


Chief Justice William Rehnquist






Mac-O-Lanterns

Next, some Strange Halloween Costumes:

Evil Ronald McDonald


Damn. I wanted to be the first to wear this.


Being born. Weird, huh?


Ninja Maxi Pad. Insert your own comment here.
I’m leavin’ this one alone.


“Iron” Man. So good!

These next two make me want to have kids so I can dress them up:

Oompa Loompa

If you want to go as Wolverine, THIS is how you do it:

You DON’T do it with some of your mom’s silverware and some Saran Wrap:

Finally, here are some great Zombie Pin-Ups. Do you like zombies? Yes. Do you like pin-ups? Of course. Combine the 2 and you have something freakin' sweet! You can purchase 13 month calendars here if you are interested. And I just learned that one of the photographers for this calendar went to The College of Visual Arts with me. Enjoy the goodness of the Zombie Pin-Ups ("where beauty eats BRAAAAIINNS"):

Borsch and I are heading to the Tesfa 5K tomorrow morning at Fort Snelling State Park. Check back for a report in the next day or 2. Happy Halloween!

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Cheering Mix Tape

Many of you have commented about the great mix of songs that was blaring in the video from my CD player (see video in previous post). Here’s my “fun mix” that I bring to events to cheer:

Some songs are “Getcha Moving Songs” that are great to run to (like Stronger, Paralyzer, Born to Run). And others are just HILARIOUS to dance/cheer to (like I Touch Myself, The Hokey Pokey, You Sexy Thing).

In case you need a graph to illustrate the main idea in “I Touch Myself,” here you go:

I hope that helped clear things up.

Also, before the race last Saturday, I stumbled across Amy Bee and some friends who were doing the 10 miler or half mary. She quickly pulled me into their photo:

Amy is the one right next to me, and I got this image from Dori (who Amy introduced to me) who is in the blue jacket. Nice job out there Amy and Dori!!

Finally, I have another fun 5K planned for this Saturday. It’s the "Tesfa Run for the Kids" - it’s a fundraiser for school supplies for students in Ethiopia. It’s at Fort Snelling State Park (beautiful!) and it doesn’t start until 10 am (sleeping in!). I ran it last year, and it was the first race that I won. I’ll try again this year!

I had a nice 6 mile tempo run last night, but my heel got a little tight. I wanted to do 8 tomorrow, but that might not be smart. I might not run again until the 5K just so I don't unnecessarily hurt something. Maybe today I'll go do some squats and such at the Y, and call it good - I don't know. I'll just play it by ear.

So, any “locals” wanna run a 5K on Saturday? I’ll be back with a race report Saturday evening!

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Monster Dash Results

Just a quick update while on break from class: the results from the Monster Dash 5K are up, and I officially got 3rd (like I initially thought).

Yes, I got schooled by a girl. And because a nameless sexless person took first place overall, I ended up first in my age group:

When registering, you could pay a little more to be "chip timed," or you could pay a little less to just do the "fun run." There were only 69 people that were chip timed, so I took 3rd place out of 69. However, there were probably more like 250 5K runners in all. Here's the photo (from my last post) that shows everyone ready to start the 5K, and this is more than 69 people:

I counted at least 72! Just kidding.

And if you missed the last post, MAKE SURE to watch this video of me cheering for the half marathon runners after the 5K:

(Note the “sexy nipple rub” at 0:35.
And I LOVE the runners that join in at 0:56.)

Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf95F1DAk8w

I'll have some official photos when they are up, but I think it could be a while. Happy Monday! Oh, and Happy Birthday to Boxer Shorts! They were "invented" 93 years ago today! Let's go celebrate in our undies!!

p.s. Sorry I've been a bad blogger. I've been too busy in the past few weeks (re: midterms) to read many blogs. I hope to get time to catch up in the next few days.

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The Grim Reaper Strikes Again!

Or, “Monster Dash 5K Race Report.”

Or, “More Dancing in the Grim Reaper Outfit.”

As usual, I had a relatively crappy meal last night for supper:

Ham pizza! Yum!

This morning, the weather was cool and breezy. It got COOLER and WINDIER as we were waiting for the race to start. Dang. Here’s a view before the race looking out over Lake Harriett (which we were about to run around):

The sun started to break through, and I noticed how majestic the flag looked while waving above the stench of port-o-john row:

I watched the start of the half marathon, which went out about an hour before we started the 5K:

Before the half marathon start


Just after the start

I had some time before the 5K. So I ran back to my car and cranked up the heater. I warmed up for 10 minutes, and then ran back to the race site. People started to gather near the starting line. I asked someone to snap a photo of me:

I know black socks with shorts are a faux pas,
but they kind of go with my outfit, so leave me alone.

NOBODY ASKED WHAT I WAS, but I was ready to answer “Steve Reap-fontaine” like Dave suggested in my last post. Everyone loved my outfit! I even freaked out a few dogs.

Anyway, we all got lined up. Here’s everyone ready to start the 5K:

And here’s 4 boys who lined up in front of me:

I wished those 4 boys luck, but I knew I’d be jumping around them pretty quickly. I wasn’t annoyed that they lined up in the front; I would have LOVED to have started a race right at the line when I was that age!

Race Goals: I didn’t know how fast I’d be able to run in that outfit, so I didn’t put any pressure on myself. I wanted to start off slower, and pick it up throughout: I’ve been running all of my tempo runs like that, and it has always lead to a strong, fast finish.

And we’re off! I took off pretty easy. I spent the first half-mile in 5th place (better than I thought!). There were 2 guys WAY out there that I wasn’t going to catch. I didn’t expect to place first as there are usually a couple of REALLY speedy guys that show up to this race. I caught one runner, and now I was in 4th.

Mile 1: 6:09. Good. That was where it needed to be. That was 35 seconds slower than the first mile in my last race where I went out way to hard. I was catching the 3rd place runner: a woman. She had a great stride! I caught up and said “Nice pace” as I slowly passed her. She said “Thanks,” and then noticed she was being passed by the Grim Reaper. “Ohhh... oohhhh... ha ha!” She didn’t know what to think!

Then I turned on my camera. Yes, my camera. I ran this race with the sickle in one hand, and a camera and my car keys in the other. I figured I’d take a photo of myself around mile 1 while running. Here I am, hard at work in 3rd place:

Somewhere after the “mile 2” marker (which I missed), the 10 milers and the half marathoners joined up with us 5Kers. It went from a wide open run with 2 guys WAY in front of me, to a tighter race where I was running faster than everyone in front of me. So I turned on my camera and snapped another photo of the more crowded race course:

I flew by the longer distance runners, and I got many laughs regarding my outfit. I pumped my sickle in the air a number of times as a “thank you.” (In the final half mile, someone shouted “Nice job Steve!” I couldn’t see well - who were you?) I came around the final few turns, and booked it to the line.

I was pretty sure that I finished 3rd, and my finish time was 18:38, which was my fastest of 3 runs that I’ve done on that course (and 4th fastest 5K ever). That finish time means that I had a negative split: 6:09 first mile, 5:55 average over the last 2.1 miles.

About 2 minutes after crossing the line, I took off my head gear and snapped a sweaty photo:

After the finish, I ran back to my car to get more clothes. I also grabbed my CD player, and I cheered on the other runners. Yes, here’s more of me dancing in the grim reaper outfit. It’s 2 minutes of goodness. Turn up the volume.

(Note the “sexy nipple rub” at 0:35.
And I LOVE the runners that join in at 0:56.)

Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf95F1DAk8w

Again, everyone loved the outfit (and the dancing). And the runners REALLY liked it when I did the Hokey Pokey in that outfit. That was a HIT! The part in the song about sticking your “backside” in and out was the best - I totally stuck my ass towards 2 women running by at that part of the song, and then I “shook it all about.” They laughed and laughed. Which was mean. I didn’t laugh at their asses. Jerks.

Then I ran to finish to cheer on the finishers of the longer races. I ran into Kaeti who had just finished her FIRST HALF MARATHON!!! Congrats Kaeti!

Speaking of blogger friends, I ran into Jenny, her hubby, and her kids before the race. They were all doing the 5K (I saw Jenny and one of her kids finishing the race). I also bumped into Amy and some of her friends. I also talked with Tom and Danielle who ran the last 5K with me - they both did the half marathon.

I looked at the posted results at the Lake Harriett Bandshell, and it had me in 2nd overall! Maybe I caught one of those 2 guys in the mess of all the other runners in the last mile. I still don’t know. I stuck around for the awards, but they had some problems with the 5K results, so they told us to check the website for the winners.

I’ll post the official results and some fun official photos as soon as they are up! Thanks for reading!

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Friday Funny 7: Videos

Come on. It's Friday. You've got nothing better to do at work than to watch some videos. Here are nice of my recent favorites. The videos that may have harsh language are labeled NOT SAFE FOR WORK, so don't miss those warnings. You NEED audio for all of these, so crank it up:

Bobby Patrionic Dating Video:
This has to be fake. It’s too good to be real. 1:40 running time.

Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1nI942s4eY

Redneck Dating Video:
I don’t know if this one is fake or not. I really hope it’s fake. 2:46 running time. NOT SAFE FOR WORK! (naughty words)


http://view.break.com/551152 - Watch more free videos
Direct link: http://view.break.com/551152

Harder Better Barack Obamer:
I’m not trying to get political, I just think this is a great feat in editing, and it makes me laugh. 1:21 running time.


Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekCI8UdDsKU

Everything Poops:
You remember the children’s book “Everybody Poops,” right? Well this video takes it a little farther. This one REALLY needs the audio turned up. It's only funny if you still think fart jokes are funny (which I do). 0:31 running time.


Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuqyZC2haBI

Crazy Tyra:
I’m an ANTM fan, and Tyra has been going downhill. This clip from her talk show backs me up on that. She's losing her mind. 0:57 running time.



Take Me On: The Literal Music Video:
Do you remember the 80s? Then you’ll love this take on the A-Ha music video. The title says it all: it simply describes what's happen as it's happening. 3:48 running time.


Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HE9OQ4FnkQ

Food Court Musical:
What if you were at the mall, and suddenly a musical just broke out? This is so great! 3:44 running time.


Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkYZ6rbPU2M

Ronald McDonald Reality Show:
The McDonald family with cameras in their home like the Osbournes or the Hogans. Just a little NOT SAFE FOR WORK.


http://view.break.com/584044 - Watch more free videos

And my favorite for last:

Snapple Cap Facts:
Have you ever thought about how those “Snapple Facts” get under the cover of Snapple Drinks? This video shows a little insight. It’s hilarious! It’s also NOT SAFE FOR WORK because there is a lot of naughty language. But it’s so freakin’ funny! 3:34 running time.


Direct link: http://www.todaysbigthing.com/2008/09/04

Remember in my last post, I said I was combining these 2 outfits for the Monster Dash tomorrow:

Well, here’s what it looks like:

The question I have for you is this: What do I call myself? The 70's Reaper? Track Star Death? I need to have a title - people will be asking. I need to have an answer. Any thoughts will be considered! Check back tomorrow or Sunday for a 5K report and some photos. Thanks! Happy weekend!

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My Monster Dash 5K Outfit

First, 2 other things:

1. Because of my previous post, I now know that there is a large percentage of closet “So You Think You Can Dance” fans out there. YES, I had a good time. YES, I realized I thought it was Will in one of my photos when it was really Twitch (both tall, dark, and handsome men). YES, it should have been Katee in the “door” dance, but she was injured, so they had Kherington in her place. You people out there are hilarious. I love you all.

2. I had a GREAT run yesterday. I did a 5 mile tempo run that I started a little easier, and built up some nice speed throughout. I hit the turn around at mile 2.5 at 15:14, which was stellar. I thought I could negative split the run and finish under 30:00. My previous fastest 5 mile run on the same route was 30:29 back in March. I’ve never been under 6:00/mile on a training run that was over 3 miles, but half way into that 5-miler, I thought it was possible.

Well, I got back in 14:22, for a total time of 29:36, WHICH WAS AN AVERAGE PACE OF 5:55/MILE! SWEET! That was a heck-a-va run! I think my problem in my recent 5Ks was that I was going out too hard. I need to hold back more, and keep picking up the pace throughout.

3. FINALLY, here’s my costume idea for the Monster Dash 5K this Saturday. I want to take “70’s Track Star Steve,” who you saw at the July 4th 5K...

...and combine him with “Grim Reaper Steve,” who you saw during the run at my last half Ironman:

I’m still figuring out what that will really look like, but I’m gonna do my best to make a “70’s Grim Reaper” outfit to rock during that 5K. And, like I mentioned before, I’ll be sticking around to cheer on the half marathon runners afterwards. Should be a fun Saturday morning!

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The Embarrassing Thing I Did Last Night

So my last post alluded to something embarrassing that I was going to do last night. It’s not THAT embarrassing, but it’s a little pathetic. I think. But I did it out of love for my wife, which is the best reason to do anything pathetic.

So the 5 of us got primped and ready to go. We parked by the Cathedral, and walked down to the Xcel Energy Center (after we stopped for a photo):

Pharmie, Steph, Borsch, Me, Melissa

We found our seats. They were pretty good:

I went back up to get some mini donuts and soda:

The lights went down.
People screamed.
Girls squealed.
The lights came up on stage:

What were we about to see? Was it a concert? A circus? A political rally?

No, no, and no. It was So You Think You Can Dance, the live tour. Yes, from the Fox TV show. It was the top 13 dancers from Season 4 of "So You Think You Can Dance." Pharmie and Steph were big fans of the show. I got sucked in a little. Melissa just likes dancing. And Borsch was dragged along by Steph.

Here was a number with most of the dancers on stage:

Here’s Kherington and Will after their number with the bed and rose petals:

I gotta admit, I’m a BIG fan of Will. He’s a great dancer and he’s got quite the body. He’s on my “I’m not, but if I were...” list. You know what I mean.

Here’s the winner from last year (Joshua) dancing with Chelsea:

Here’s a photo of Pharmie and I half way through the show:

The best part of that image above is the 4 ladies in the background just behind us. THEY WERE SUPER FANS! Each time another one of the guys came out on stage, their panties came THAT much closer to being completely off! Seriously! Pharmie and I LOVED hearing them freak out! I mean, just LOOK at them!

Here’s the group on stage during a pretty cool, dark, Tim Burton-esque dance:

It got sooo good, that Steph started crying:

Moment of serious truth: I didn’t cry (like pansy Steph), but I DID get goosebumps a couple of times during some of the really great dances. I feel like a dork for admitting that. One of my FAVORITES was Chelsie H. with Mark doing a number about a work-a-holic man who has no time for his lady. Here’s the video from when they performed this dance during the TV show. I frickin’ love it. Especially the part at 1:37 when he “steals” her heart. Goose. Freakin. Bumps.


Here's the direct link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC4OtJgNdrY

So when a roadie brought out the briefcase while the lights were low, I started freaking out (ask Pharmie). Here’s a photo from that dance last night:

Here’s the sweet “door” dance that was popular too:

And the Viennese Waltz that made Steph and Pharmie cry during the TV show:

If you were a fan of the TV show, you’d like the live version. If you’ve never seen the show, it would be less thrilling to see live: there are a lot of inside jokes and talking about people that were on the show.

If you didn’t watch last season of this TV show, then you totally wasted your time reading all of this. Sorry. If you DID watch this last season, you’re SUPER excited for us.

The Moral of This Story: I'm a super geek, but so is Pharmie, so it all works out.

In race news: I’m doing the Monster Dash 5K this Saturday around Lake Harriet in Minneapolis (and I’ll be sticking around to cheer for the Half Marathon runners afterwards). I have a sweet costume in the works! More about that shortly...

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