U.S. Women’s Soccer Wins Gold without “You Know Who”…

The women of United States soccer are coming home with gold medals around their necks and it’s thanks to the youthful talent which shone bright in Paris! I found it interesting that my internal competitive self had no problems rooting on the women’s soccer during the 2024 Olympics. That is, when I wasn’t watching breakdancing. Did you know “breaking” is an Olympic sport!? And no, I didn’t watch it. IT’S NOT A SPORT!! But I guess more ludicrous things have happened. Maybe. 🙄

If Step Up 5: Olympics or Bust isn’t already being filmed, it’s a disgrace. OK, sarcasm aside, this soccer team was fun to watch which is in stark contrast to the last time the group was on the world stage. Remember the World Cup when the women had low chemistry and their on-field skills were overshadowed by the pink-haired lady? Thankfully, Megan Rapinoe retired and at the exact same time, the ability to win a game instantly went up. Funny how that works, huh?

This time around, watching the team was actually enjoyable again, and a big congratulations to the entire team for representing the U.S. all the way to the top of the podium! My favorite player to watch was Trinity Rodman for her talent, the connection to one of my favorite basketball players (her father is Chicago Bull Dennis Rodman), and her epic hairstyle. If I were a black woman, I’d do everything I could to have hair like hers. Loved it. I’d love to ask her how heavy it is. It’s awesome.

-Out of the Wilderness

The CrossFit Games Has Me Burning Inside

Sheesh, CrossFit has me rethinking the severity of the bad decisions I made when I went out for a jog the last two days. One run was 3.5 miles and the other was 5 miles. I completed both but neither were easy. The difficulty was completely my fault because I chose to do the following:

  1. Running after dinner. Like that country song says, I know what I was doing, but what was I thinkin’? My stomach was topsy turvy most of the run. And the cramps. 🥴
  2. Running in the heat. It’s a Florida summer and even when it’s hot, it’s actually hotter. The weather on my phone showed mid-90s with a feels like temp of 109.

I’ve made smarter decisions in my life, this I can tell you. But these two run exercises were not part of my best moments. On the hot 5-mile run, I remember thinking “Just don’t stop,” because I really, really wanted to stop. My method at this point in the run (starting about halfway through) was speeding up in the sun and in the shade, slowing to a slight jog to maximize the cooler shade of trees and buildings.

So those are a few examples of decisions I considered bad… until this morning. The scale has been reset. You want a real bad decision? Look up the 2024 CrossFit Games that were held in Texas recently. Long story short, the geniuses in charge thought it would be a good idea to put a half-mile swim after a 3-mile run. I’m still pretty new to triathlons and endurance-type races but I *think* everyone and their mom knows how hard it is to swim. There’s a reason swimming is the first event in every triathlon. It’s a full body workout and can be very taxing on the cardiovascular system and the lungs. I’ve thought a lot about how hard a race would be, and how idiotic it would be, to start with any of the other events in a triathlon (bike, run) and THEN do the swim. It’s virtually a death wish. I’m exaggerating, of course. There are many athletes that would be able to do that, but it’s still a high risk and here’s why: If you get exhausted cycling or running, all you have to do is literally stop. Swimming doesn’t afford you that option. That’s why it’s best to have this event first when athletes are most energized and capable.

So what does CrossFit do? The exact wrong thing! This buffoonery cost a man his life yesterday so someone needs to be fired, sued, and thrown in jail. Such a harsh conclusion but it should probably be harsher. How much is a life worth to you, CrossFit? On the first day of the event and after a 5K run, there was a half-mile swim. The guy had the finishing shoreline in sight but I guess his strength was giving out. He was flailing in the water and no one came to the rescue. It’s sickening. He drowned and I’m burning with anger about it. CrossFit needs to face a severe punishment for this.

CrossFit sucks and I’m ticked off.

-Out of the Wilderness

Running at the Wrong Time!

“When I run, I feel His pleasure.” That’s a line from the movie Chariots of Fire and it’s one of my favorite movie quotes. But it feels like literal fire here in Florida and of course, I chose to run in it. I’ll say this, I wasn’t feeling God’s pleasure when my shorts were soaked all the way through with sweat!

So for two days in a row, I’ve made some bad choices. I’m not too prideful to admit that. For the longest time, I’ve lived by the running rules: Don’t eat a meal 2 hours before a run. Don’t drink anything 1 hour before a run. If I do either of these, my stomach gets all twisted and I get major cramps. So what did I do yesterday? Went for a 3-mile run AFTER DINNER. What a goofball. Plus, it was around 7pm and my body’s just not accustomed to running that late in the day. Mistake #1.

Mistake #2 happened this morning. Instead of running early in the morning when it’s cooler, I went out around 10am with a temp that “feels like” over 100℉.

Tomorrow is a new day so maybe I can get back to feeling God’s pleasure instead of running through the flames of Hades! It’s hot out here in north Florida, folks.

-Out of the Wilderness

The Copilot Commercial – The Song, and More

Copilot, which is Microsoft’s AI program, is highlighted in a recent commercial aimed at the sports-minded people. It also includes a song from 1993. Can you guess the song? Here’s the ad, then scroll down for more!

The Song. It’s the early 1990s. You turn on your favorite radio station. A couple songs play and then you hear one that you and your gal pals love. Your poofy hair bounces around as you bob your head to the beat of The Cranberries song, “Dreams.” Don’t act like you don’t love this song!

There’s a twist, though. The Copilot commercial doesn’t use the original Cranberries song. It’s a cover that came around nearly a quarter century later! It’s by Misterwives.

Other notable covers of this song include…

Pentatonix.

Marc Martel and Leigh Nash.

What do you think of the ad? Are you wearing overalls again like you did in the early 90s? Please don’t!!

-Out of the Wilderness

The Subaru Dog Adoption Commercial – The Dog, the Song, and More

I’m not crying, you’re crying. Subaru ads are perfectly designed to hit you right where it counts, aren’t they? Check out Subaru’s heartwarming commercial featuring a nervous dog and a patient parent. Then scroll down for the breed and more…

Subaru is good about presenting commercials showing what kind of people get Subarus. It’s not often about the size of the engine, torque, gas mileage, etc. It’s about the spirit of the brand. Truthfully, you can adopt a dog if you own a Honda, Chevrolet, or Lincoln, too. I bet Subaru would recommend adoption even if you don’t have a Subaru. In fact, they do! They sponsor “Make a Dog’s Day” which you can read more about here. Speaking of dogs, the one in the ad appears to a be a mix between boxer and pit bull (or some type of terrior). The brindle color is often seen with boxers and pit bulls, plus the ears and the muscular build lead me to believe it’s a mixed breed, which are usually the hardiest anyway! Good pup.

The Music. A wonderful song choice for the ad is from a singer/songwriter named Austin Basham. It’s his most popular song on Spotify (92,000,000+ streams) and now it’s part of a great Subaru commercial. Here’s the full track released in 2016 called “All Is Well.”

The ad was created by Carmichael Lynch (@carmichael_lynch). There’s also a 30-second version you can watch below.

-Out of the Wilderness