Run your City

The following article combines two of my loves: running and advertising. Kudos to Wieden+Kennedy for creating an awesome Nike campaign in London. In order to get people excited about running, they turned London into a game board. Players can check in by going to one of four phone boxes that have been placed in each zip code, dialing a number and entering their specific ID, and then following the directions they receive. To motivate people to join the movement, Wieden+Kennedy turned it into a competition, plotting boys vs. girls mileage on a grid each day. The video clip below shows what the online grid is like.



Here is the article for more information. I hope they do this in the U.S. one day!
http://www.fastcompany.com/1698729/nike-turns-london-into-a-game-board-people-running?partner=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fastcompany%2Fheadlines+%28Fast+Company+Headlines%29

Boys: take note

My roommate, Leah, got me hooked on the MTV show, Teen Mom. The show tells the story of 4 different girls who got pregnant as teens and are now dealing with the hardships of raising a baby. One of my favorite girls is Catelynn. She and her boyfriend Tyler decided to give their baby, Carly, up for adoption so that Carly would have a better life and so that they could finish high school, go to College, and get the education and jobs necessary to properly raise a family together in the future. They have matured a lot since having the baby and are great role models not only for teens who also made the decision to give their child up for adoption, but for teens in general who are struggling with a hard family life at home, or relationship issues. On their way to visit Carly for the first time since they gave her to her adoptive parents, Brandon and Theresa, Catelynn and Tyler share their feelings in the car. This is where the boys need to pay attention. What he says about Catelynn after she gave birth made me and Leah tear up a bit. Or maybe it was the champagne, but regardless, it's really sweet.

You can watch the clip here:

MTV Shows

Oops!

Advertising and South Bend... oh boy.

Someone didn't do their job and spell check the copy for the digital Billboard along Ironwood and 23 in South Bend this past weekend. This was the result. (Source: SouthBendTribune.com)

I used to be pretty nerdy

I might not be the nerd that I once was but I still read up on Wired and Gizmodo, and a lot of the articles really interest me. If for some reason I had decided to stick with engineering (which I'm still glad I didn't... I love advertising. We're a perfect fit), I would probably have gone in the direction of environmental engineering. My bff Jessie used to preach about saving the Rain Forest and it kinda stuck with me. So this article on Wired was pretty cool. It's about a guy who is trying to develop Solar Roadways or roads that would provide Solar Power. The video (and article) explain it much better than I can, but the man behind the idea, Scott Brushaw, had been thinking about electric roadways since he was a child. One day while he and his wife were gardening and talking about climate change (Nerd couple. Love it), his wife said "Why can't your roadways be made out of solar panels?" And from there, the ideas spiraled, both positive and negative. The main positives? They can be built over existing asphalt, help solve crumbling roadway problems, provide solar power, and the LED lights could allow for moving lanes around, creating crosswalks and displaying speed limits. Main negatives? The question of traction, costs for R&D, cost for development, all related to creating a glass case that will really work.

Anyway, the article more informative. Follow the link here.
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/09/solar-roadways-fix-the-power-grid-and-crumbling-pavement/

Or just watch the video!

Birthday Girl!

I still get as excited for birthdays as I did when I was 5, so turning 23 was no different! I received a lot of calls/texts/facebook posts from my friends and with all the love sent my way, I'm feeling pretty special! So yay for birthdays and here's to many more :)

I love being a girl/girly things

I am a Runner

NEVER thought I would say those words. I used to hate when my Junior High gym teacher made us run half a mile to a mile every day to warm up. Our Junior High ran more than any of the other schools in our area. Lucky me. (Although I shouldn't really complain. Jerling Junior High always pumped out the best runners. Pacer test anyone?? Represent!)

But anyway, fast forward about 10 years, and now I'm training for the Chicago Marathon. HUH?! Where did that come from? Because it's not like I'm doing it to lose weight. So you might be thinking "why on Earth would you want to do that?". Trust me, I still question it myself sometimes. (Like last week when I was running in near 90 degree temps.)

I got my inspiration from one of my best friends, Jerry. He has run the Chicago Marathon several times now. And although he was always a runner, it still amazed me that someone could actually accomplish that. The first time that he did it, I was there with his family and mine to watch. I was so darn proud I didn't know what to do with myself. I'm pretty sure my eyes were watering when I saw him after he finished. And then I put on my mom jeans and ordered him around, telling him to drink water, making him wrap himself in a blanket, making sure he kept walking so his muscles didn't fall off or whatever happens if you suddenly stop moving after running 26.2 miles. I was stunned at how amazing just watching that race made me feel, I couldn't imagine what running it must have been like. Suddenly running didn't seem sooo bad.

Recently, another friend Meghan decided to run the Chicago Marathon to raise money for the organization conducting research for her dad's type of cancer (Multiple Myeloma). She studied in Spain with me and we became really close. I started to think to myself, "if she can do it, why can't I?" I used the excuse that I had an internship over the summer, commuted to the city, and wanted to spend my free time with my boyfriend since he was moving to Puerto Rico. I feel like, looking back, that was a pretty lame excuse. But I did appreciate the time with my bf.

Finally this past winter break something came over me, and I decided to go for it. I had had the urge for awhile and didn't think I could actually do it. But I could not hold it in any longer. Plus, Jon bought me the book "Marathon" by Hal Higdon for Christmas, so I couldn't turn back. I like setting goals and achieving them, and even though this was one lofty goal, I was ready! Jerry made me a training schedule that got me ready for the Shamrock Shuffle with him and his dad, and the Holy Half Marathon in April at Notre Dame. I really loved running in the spring around the Notre Dame campus.

Summer has been a bit more challenging, especially since starting work (I get up at 5:30 sometimes to fit in my run... it's way too hot to run after work). But I'm still going! I only have 3 more long runs before the Marathon on 10.10.10!! I can't believe how fast this last month, where I've really stepped up my mileage, has gone by. I still have a lot of training ahead, but I am definitely excited for the Marathon to finally be here.

I will probably keep running after the marathon, but I don't think I will be spending my Sunday mornings running 18 miles along the lake. I mean that's nice and all but maybe just 6 will suffice...

So now that you know my story, here's a fun video to end with. Remember that super cute Google commercial from the Super Bowl? This is a spin on that. Note: Hal Higdon (the author of my book), is featured in one of the searches at about the :50 mark.