I Raced Up a 75-Story Building. What Did YOU Do Over the Weekend? (2015 Stair Climb for Los Angeles Race Recap)

First off: this headline is not an arrogant, holier-than-thou brag. Yes, I raced. Yes, I’m proud. But not for the reasons you think, because it was actually a really crummy day. This headline is meant to inspire reflection on your own accomplishments, big and small, because they all matter. More on all this to come… Let’s just get right into my own crummy day, shall we?

This building was the setting (that’s me at the bottom!)

Meet the 75-story US Bank Tower, which is the tallest building west of the Mississippi and the

Final Preparations for This Week’s 75-Story Race!

I have a big race in a few days – the YMCA Stair Climb for Los Angeles, in the 75-story US Bank Tower. I’m gunning for a personal best, which would be faster than 18:30. This week I’ve had to improvise with my final workouts – because, well, I’ve been busy!

A Perfect Autumn Recipe: Butternut, Carrot & Orange Soup

It sure doesn’t seem like it’s autumn, but then again, autumn doesn’t really exist in Los Angeles. It’s 85 degrees today – and that’s not a brag, by the way – I want it to cool down! But leaves are turning in other parts of the country, and I just created a soup that screams Autumn, so I’m gonna share! It starts with this stuff:

The recipe is for Butternut, Carrot & Orange Soup, and believe me,

Adventures in Babysitting

What happens when my sister Sarah and brother-in-law Justin take off for a weekend trip to Chicago? I head to their home in Colorado to babysit my nephew Sam and my niece Allison! And what a fun weekend it was. Exhausting, too. Turns out that kids aged 9 and 7 have a lot of energy!

I took my nephew Sam to his flag football game, where he caught two interceptions and ran them both in for touchdowns:

I don’t know a lick about football, but I did learn that

Is This The Tastiest Recipe I’ve Ever Posted On This Blog? PROBABLY.

I’m so excited to share this recipe. Just looking at the pictures makes my mouth water. This recipe is the best thing I’ve made in weeks… months… maybe even years, and I can’t wait to make it again! And it starts with…

…WASABI PEAS. I’m going through a wasabi pea kick. They’re

Four Months. Four Races. I’m Racing Up Lots of Stairs This Fall!

I went on a spree over the weekend and registered for stair races that will keep me busy between now and December. The first one is less than two weeks away! And it’s in this behemoth:

The US Bank Tower is

If You’re Anything Like Me, You NEED To Improve Your Posture

I’m not a ballet dancer, or a tightrope walker, or a model, or anything else that lends itself to excellent posture. My work involves spending all day hunched over my laptop, and a few times a week, I hunch over my laptop after work writing blog posts. My posture could use improvement. And that’s why I really like the PostureFit Bar, an exercise tool that’s based around maintaining proper posture. (Try saying ‘proper posture’ ten times fast!) 

September Weigh-In and August Workout Progress Report and, What the Hell, How About A Mental Health Update, Too!

We’re already over a week into September, and I’m just now posting my first-of-the-month weigh-in results. There’s some shame involved, and some depression, too, so let’s just spit it out:

Up Seven Pounds. Ugh. I try to remind myself of the big picture – because it is an awesome big picture – but it’s hard. I try to emphasize my new way of thinking about weight loss maintenance, but that is also hard. And it’s because

Cooking Like a Swede

Anyone know what this is?

Hint: It’s a kitchen utensil. I got it as a present from my friends Katherine and Peter when I visited them in Sweden, and I love it.

Give up? It’s a…

BUSY WEEKEND: On Set with Bowflex, A Killer Olympian Workout, Meeting Animals at the Fair!

I’m still playing catch-up. My last post was about a race two weekends ago… and now I’m gonna recap this most recent, jam-packed weekend!

My friend Rob at Bowflex invited me to the set of a new commercial they were shooting in Malibu. Drake was there!

(Not really. Rob used the Drake Shake app to digitally add Drake to this pic of me and Aaron.)

The commercial was for the Bowflex TreadClimber, one of their products that I’ve used while visiting my aunt and uncle. I had no involvement in the commercial whatsoever, except to