A Holiday on the Couch

I don't know about you, but my holiday was spent 10% of the time at random locations (movie theater, restaurants and shops) and 90% of the time on the couch.  And I mean, who could blame me?  Hockey on Wednesday, NFL Football on Thursday, College Basketball on Friday, and College Football on Saturday. I'd say my holiday weekend was well spent. 

Look, I don't know about you, but my regular life is busy.  So when I'm on vacation, I like to spend some time doing what I never get to do usually..aka nothing.  And whats the best way to do nothing?  Sitting on the couch watching sports, obviously. 

Watching sports is always fun.  But throw in watching it while hanging out with my family, and its just the perfect relaxing activity.  We get into random games, we choose random teams, and then we root for them like crazy.  I mean, none of us care anything about the Ravens or the Steelers.  But there we were, Thursday night, none of us able to move due to being severely over-stuffed, screaming for the Steelers to tie the game up.  I mean, we were screaming at the screen telling the refs that, obvi Bell had scored! All we were missing were some terrible towels to fit in at any Pitt sports bar out there. 

So what am I thankful for?  Well, I'm thankful for a ton of things.  But this week?  I'm thankful for sports, for giving us something to gather around and watch together as a family.  It's not home if there isn't some game on in the background.

with a little bit of this thrown in

My Holiday was a lot of this...

A City of Sports Bars

So Indianapolis wasn't the most exciting weekend trip I've ever been to.  In fact, other than the really fun Pacers game I went to, it felt like visiting a really big suburban town.  I mean everything you would find in a suburb was there.  But the one thing that Indianapolis did well?  Sports Bars.  And my favorite?  The Colts Grille. 

The place was huge.  But unlike many bars that advertise themselves as a sports bar in the city, this place really did take its sports seriously.  You walk in, tell them what game you want to watch, and they'll take you to a room that has your game on one of the TV's.  The room we were put into?  The wall was literally lined with plasmas TV's.  There were inches between where one TV ended and the next started.  And the best thing they did?  Even if you didn't want to sit at a table and made your way to the bar, each TV had little labels showing what games were going to be on that TV.  I mean how amazing is that?  Not only did it make it so the people coming could find their game, but also, it made it so that the employees made sure that a relevant game was always showing.  No more asking at 8:30 on a Sunday night..."Um, do you think there is a way you can turn off C-SPAN and turn on the Sunday night football game?"

Another thing that was nice, was that the food was actually really good.  Definitely more gastropub than I expected to find.  No chicken tenders necessary here!  Can afford to be a little more adventurous.  My recommendation is to stay away from Ahi Tuna burger.  It was SUPER rare (no sear at all) and really stringy..not very high quality tuna at all. 

So next time you find yourself traveling in Indiana, don't fret. I promise you'll be able to find your local team on at one of the various sports bars Indianapolis has to offer. 

Wine and Running

Costumes are a big part of a Disney run

Wine and running...what could be more fun? Well add some Disney characters, a half marathon race that goes through three different parks (MGM, Animal Kingdom, Epcot) and an after party that goes till 4am and somehow, you just did make it better. 











I have to tell you, Disney really knows how to put on an event.  And its no different when it comes to putting on a run.  And its a completely unique race, as I it adds a little Disney magic.  I mean come on, who doesn't love having an excuse to dress up?  When you are on mile 10 (and let me tell you, that is my favorite mile!  You are finally in double digits!) there is nothing better to distract you from the pain in your legs than seeing someone dressed up in Minnie Mouse ears and outfit go chugging by. 

Now what makes the Food and Wine marathon better than the Disney princess firstly is that the course itself is much more fun.  Instead of just one park, you get to run through three different worlds.  And running through the park beats running on back roads any day.  The coolest part of the course was in MGM, which had just put all the Christmas lights up.  It's impossible not to smile (even on mile 12) when you are walking into a magical kingdom streaming with little twinkling lights.

Lastly, what's cooler is that the run takes place during the Disney Food and Wine festival.  So after you finish your 13.1 miles, you get to stroll over into Epcot and go to the food & wine booths after hours.  The whole place, just to you and the other runners.  I mean it was soooo much fun!  Is there anything better than a glass of rose champagne to celebrate after finishing?  Well, add the potato waffle with braised short rib from Belgium or the pork belly from Brazil, and yes, it somehow does continue to get better.  So go for a run (only 13.1, you can do it!), then reward yourself by eating up and drinking up till 4am! 

Basketball Country

I love when a stadium has character.  And the Pacers stadium has lots of character!  From the moment you walk in, you are greeted by a live band playing "When the Saints come marching in" and people dancing in the line to the music.  I mean come on! Is there a better way to get the fans into the game from the very beginning than by some fun live music?  I don't think so.  I felt like I was going to a high school basketball game...just one that had a bit more quality in the players.

Great thing about going to games not in cities named New York, San Francisco, Boston or LA?  The price of the tickets is absolutely amazing (which is prob what makes it feel even more  like a high school basketball game as it's not full of suits).  I mean, I paid $60 for my tickets and I was in the lower level.  For $60 I MIGHT be able to get nose bleed seats at Madison Square Garden...if I was lucky.

My favorite part of the stadium?  The fact that the live music continued when you got into the stadium.  One corner of the stadium was full of people dressed up in Yellow and a drum line.  And the drum line rocked!  The pacer girl dancers would come in...no one would notice.  But suddenly the announcer would introduce the drum line and the entire stadium would be on its feet!  It was just so unique and so much fun.

The game itself, was okay.  Got to see a couple really great players in Irving and George.  Thought I was going to see the number one player in the draft...but well Bennett didn't really play.  The only thing that would have made it much cooler?  If I managed to spy Mr. Basketball Jesus himself, Larry Bird.  I wasn't the only one looking for him.  I must have heard his name mentioned at least 5 times by other people as they too scanned the crowd hoping for a glimpse of Indiana's favorite son.  

So next time you are in Indianapolis (I know I know...you're thinking um why would I be there?  But hey, it wasn't like it was on my list of priorities either, but somehow I ended up there so you never know), make sure to head over to the Pacers game.  

Pick your Race Wisely

Where are all the fans?

I am a big believer in the fact that everyone should run one 5k, 10k, half or full marathon in their life.  The training is hard, but crossing that finish line is so rewarding.  But, I think for your first race you should be a bit picky about which race you are going to run...especially if you are running something as long as
a half or full marathon.  If you are someone who runs a ton of races, it doesn't matter so much.  But if this is going to be your one and only...you need to pick somewhere that you you are going to get the full experience!

Hanging out in Indianapolis, I was super pumped that my trip randomly coincided with its half/full marathon.  Whenever a race is going on, I try to go watch a bit and cheer on the runners as I know how good that feels to have people clapping you as you chug out those last few miles.  But when I went to about 1/2 a mile a way from the finish line, what I was saw was silence.  Tons of runners, and no fans.  For like 30 minutes me and three kids were the only ones yelling on the runners. 

My first marathon saw people literally playing music and singing every step of the way.  Now I know NYC is in another level, but I've also watched the San Fran and Austin Marathons.  Now neither of those have the same amount of energy (I mean only Boston can stand up to NYC), but there was music for the last mile and at least a few people at every mile cheering you on.  And that's the experience you want when on your first run.  You not only want to cross that finish line.  You want to have a city stop to cheer you on.  So when choosing your first race, make sure to find a place that is going to give you the energy/fun that will make what is always going to be a cool experience, one of the best experiences you will ever have.

                          What the entire marathon should be like...not just at the finishers party