WTF! Where’s the Finish? (Tram Road Challenge 2017 Race Recap)

Saturday was a monumental day. A day for the history books! And it began as the sun was rising in Palm Springs, California.

Yup, that’s a race bib pinned to my shirt. I shared, a few weeks ago, my stair race itinerary for the rest of the year, but I didn’t mention this terribly grueling running race I was also signed up for. Grueling is the perfect adjective for this particular event!

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My Return to Slimmons. Except It’s No Longer Slimmons, it’s The BOD!

Does this building look familiar?

I sweated my buns off for nearly seven years in this building. It was the home to Slimmons, Richard Simmons’ exercise studio – a business he kept running for 42 years, until he closed the doors last November, almost

We Went to a Great Hiking Trail… and Did a Lot More Than Just Hike!

A few days ago, a couple friends and I went to Veterans Memorial Park in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Sylmar. It’s at the edge of the Angeles National Forest, and after just a little while, you’re surrounded by nature and quickly forget you’re next to the second-largest city in the country. But we came to do more than just hike. We came to conquer this hill:

Photographs don’t do this hill justice. It’s steep. For about a tenth of a mile, it shoots up at

An Excursion to Arby’s. PLUS: What I Order at Fast Food Restaurants

Here’s something I don’t write about very often: FAST FOOD! Despite all the big changes I’ve made in my life over the past seven (almost eight!) years, I haven’t eliminated fast food out of my diet completely. Fast food is a rare treat, but it does happen. And like many of the treats I allow myself to occasionally indulge in, I handle fast food in a very specific way.

A Cardio Challenge Three Years in the Making

Three years ago this month my Bowflex Max Trainer M5 showed up at my door. I’ve blogged about many times, and it really is a remarkable, challenging machine. It’s kinda like if an elliptical and stepmill had a baby… that was much better than both of its parents.

The Max Trainer is the cornerstone of my at-home workouts, and I’ve used it every week since I got it. So, in honor of the anniversary, I’ve come up with a challenge designed to see how far I’ve come on this machine, and then push me further.

Trying New Foods: Chips and Sauce and a Beverage (But Not All At Once)

I’ve tried three new foods over the past couple weeks, and they’re all things you should keep your eye out for while shopping! Here we go:

October Weigh-In And Workout Progress Report

I updated my weight loss chart with the results of my monthly weigh-in:

After holding steady in September, I was down one pound! The one-pound loss is excellent, and

There’s a Shipwreck Near Los Angeles… and You Can Hike To It!

South of Los Angeles is a community called Rancho Palos Verdes. It’s a beautiful, affluent area, built on big bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. And, at the base of the bluffs, there’s a shipwreck that dates back 56 years!

It looks like I’m standing on a rusty tank, but it’s actually the

Trying New Foods: Iceland Edition

I love trying new foods. During my recent half-day visit to Iceland, I bought myself two souvenirs, both Icelandic food items. And this should come as no surprise: I loved trying them!

The first was fjallagrasasȳróp – a syrup made from Iceland moss. Iceland moss (that’s what it’s actually called) is technically a

Five Stair Races in the Next Three Months… I Need Your Help!

The end of the year is coming soon, but there’s no time to rest. I’ve done seven stair races so far in 2017, and I’ve got five more lined up between now and the end of December!

Photo from the US Bank Tower race a week and a half ago, taken on the final flight of stairs, 75 stories up!

I’ll be racing in four different cities – including two I’ve never raced in before. I’m