Sprint Triathlon Teaser

I’m writing this the night before my first ocean sprint triathlon and there’s already been a twist! Dun dun dunnnnn!!! Because of weather, would you guess that (1) the organizers cancelled the swim portion, or (2) organizers moved the swim to a different, safer area? 

If you guessed (1) cancel the swim, making the race a duathlon (run, bike, run), you would be………. wrong! Phew. Swimming is my weakest leg but I would be bummed if we didn’t get to do it. I’ve been spending time in local pools trying to make my stroke less embarrassing, so tomorrow is my chance to swim with people watching. Instead of the Gulf ocean side of the area, we’re swimming on a lagoon side so in theory the water will be calm and the current won’t be as strong.

So far the bicycle and the run haven’t changed courses and I don’t think they’ll be adjusting those. The rain has stopped. Tomorrow morning, the roads should be mostly dry with cloudy skies and temperatures in the 70s. The change of venue for the swim adds distance to transition 1 so now the dilemma is this: Running barefoot over concrete for about twice as long as the transition would’ve been if the weather was dry and clear.

Also, I need to be mentally prepared if they decide, in the morning, to cancel the swim altogether but either way, tomorrow will be a race.  

-Out of the Wilderness

A Triathlon Precap – Can’t, Competition, and Community

It’s been about a year and a half since I raced in my first sprint triathlon. I can still remember exactly what I said after crossing the finish line:

I went on to say, “I’m never doing that again.” It was part “won’t do it again” and part “can’t.” It was hard and the swimming just about did me in. I had no idea what I was getting into even though I had done some training and the experience was described to me. Still though, sometimes you just don’t know what things are going to be like until you do them yourself. A recap of that experience (if you feel like laughing along with me) can be read here.

Spoiler alert: I DID do that again and you know what, I’m doing it AGAIN tomorrow! I’ve become slightly attached to these races for a few reasons. Obviously the competition is a big part of it, the challenge of pushing myself to get faster, stronger, etc. …even though it might be true that people are past their athletic prime when they get in their 40s. Another part is the enjoyment of being involved in sporting events. The training, the sweat, the almost-gonna-throw-up feeling, sun coming up over the transition area as dozens (or hundreds) of people prepare. But also… the community. I’ve made great friends who encourage, inspire, give tips, and are in each other’s corner every step of the way. That’s been a really wonderful thing to experience.

For this race in particular, here are a few elements I’m very curious about: the location of the swimming (ocean) and the quality of my running (since I’ve gotten in the habit of training intervals before the sun comes up every Tuesday morning – more on that here).

I’m excited. This is a popular race so I have tempered my expectations about my results, but still have goals. I’ll update with another post, post-race!

-Out of the Wilderness

The Wrangler Blue Jeans Commercial – The Song and More…

I’ve written about a lot of commercials in the last couple of hears (see my Popular TV Ads page for more) but this is the first time I’ve covered a Wrangler Jeans ad. I was streaming a movie on Hulu and as soon as the commercial came on, I knew I wanted to post about it. The movie I was watching was a 2009 film about a vampire… or was she a werewolf… I don’t know but “Jennifer’s Body” starring Megan Fox wasn’t all that bad.

Speaking of bodies, here’s denim for your lower half in that Wrangler ad called “Good Mornings Make for Better Days.”

Rawr. That vampire/werewolf/zombie movie also had a supporting cast member that barely made it in for a scene. When the credits rolled, his name was one of three on screen so he was clearly not the big star he is today. An actor by the name of Chris Pratt.

The Music. Back to the Wrangler commercial, I know you’re dying to know the name of the song! It’s appropriately called “Jeans On” by an artist named David Dundas from way back in 1977.

-Out of the Wilderness

Uber Eats Football is for Food – The Commercial and More

It’s not delivery, it’s DiGiorno! Oh wait, no it IS delivery and it’s Uber Eats (and yes, they delivery pizza). Uber’s food delivery service is ranked one of the highest in the U.S. and for their latest commercial they called on some high-ranking entertainers. They’re all related to football in some way– current NFL, former NFL, and a diehard Texas Longhorn fan. Take a look then scroll down for more…

I hope Matthew McConaughey doesn’t get into politics because with the climate the way it is now, he’ll lose half of his fans… of which I am one. He’s one of my favorite actors and this commercial is a great example of why. His delivery, timing, tone, all of it is fantastic. Plus he seems like a nice guy whether he’s starring in a music video or starring in a movie.

The supporting cast- Christian McCaffrey and Jerry Rice– did awesome, too. Just enough to set up McConaughey for his funny lines. Someone over at the Uber Eats creative department deserves a kudos for this one (or maybe a Zaxby’s delivery courtesy of his or her bosses?) because the wordplay took some research.

I like the ad, it makes me laugh every time I see it, and they’re not wrong either. A wise executive producer once told me that TV shows are just vehicles for advertisements. Football is no different… except that football is for food, too.

-Out of the Wilderness

A Love Hate Relationship with Country Music – Featuring Benjamin Tod

I’ve had a love hate relationship with country music for a long time and I’m sure I’m not alone. In the 90s and early 2000s it was mostly on a wholesale level. For months, I loved all of country music. Then the pendulum would swing back to the complete other side. Back and forth my tastes would go. I’ve never thought through the cause of such bipolar musical preferences but since then and for the last decade for sure, the love hate I feel for the genre is mostly on a per song basis. Maybe that’s because there’s such a wide range of music under the “country” umbrella and I still tend to gravitate to the more traditional sounding stuff versus the country that has pop music qualities.

Over the years I’ve tried to pepper in some country music with my nieces and nephews (who are part of the TikTok generation). Needless to say, in their early teen years they weren’t having it. For them, it was rap, hip hop, or nothing. Thankfully, as they’ve grown up there are country songs they want to listen to, even if it’s only from being exposed to songs from Morgan Wallen (and a few others) on TikTok.

What’s that verse in the Bible about being lukewarm? It’s better to be hot or cold and the longer I live, the more I realize how true that is in so many areas of life. Can that apply to country music, too? I think so. It’s why artists like Benjamin Tod are so dang refreshing! From the music I’ve heard of his so far, he isn’t playing the pop country game. He’s fully on the side of traditional country music, so much that I’m liable to call his upcoming album a “Country & Western record”. Check out the pleasant harmonies that sound like they were plucked right out of a mid-1980s jukebox in the corner of a smoky bar. Here’s Benjamin Tod and Sierra Ferrell’s duet “One Last Time.”

This is just my second post about Benjamin Tod (have you seen his trashy video for “I Ain’t The Man”?) but the folky harmony between him and Sierra Ferrell is a great example of what I love about country music.

More of this please!

-Out of the Wilderness