Random Ramblings.

We've had a lot going on in our world lately. Cops killing black men, cops being killed in retaliation. The Pokemon GO craze is out, and people are playing this game in droves. And the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio are right around the corner. Either way, everyone has thoughts about all of this.

And here are mine.

1. It is against my code of ethics to take someone's life, period, unless yours is threatened. You look at almost every instance over the past few years and murder could have been avoided. I have an uncle that is a skilled shooter, was the top markman in his platoon in the Army during the 70s. Police, you are trained to subdue the person, not kill them. My brothers and sisters, killing innocent cops isn't the answer.

2. I have written and spoken on this subject many times and I'm gonna say this again once more. We need more legislation and effective action to end this unjust killing. Rogue killing and passive protests isn't getting the job done. Look at what Dr. King and other historic characters and people in power positions have accomplished. Let's use some of that to end this madness and fix this broken system. I need to feel safe again when I drive at night, and I don't need my mother up at night (or any other parent) worrying if I will make it home alive.

3. Many of you know how seriously I take my birthday. The main reason is that we preach that this live matters and that life matters. Okay well if we're that cool, how hard it is to wish me Happy Birthday? You remember celebrity's birthdays that you won't meet but you can't remember mine. Hmmm is all I gotta say.

4. My black friends, you don't need to feel uncomfortable discussing these topics with me. Yes I'm biracial and I see both sides. But people are people to me. We can talk, as long as you are respectful and realize that all white folks and cops aren't out to eliminate an entire race of people. I certainly wasn't raised like that, I was raised to love and have an open mind. Therefore , if you're my friend , we should be able to have an open, respectful dialogue. Shoot both races make me mad also so chances are we may be on the same side!

5. Also, if the worst happens and I end up a statistic, PLEASE do not hashtag #AndrewLanier or #imjustdrew if we aren't cool like that. You don't know me, we aren't even related. You didn't even wish me Happy Birthday. Therefore, don't treat me like a martyr when I'm gone if you treated me like garbage when I was alive and well. #thatisall.

6. I like the Pokemon GO game, it's addictive. However I play it in safe environments. I have my own thoughts far as this game goes (potential future blog subject).

So here are my ramblings. Expect more in the future.

2016 Mid-Yead Wrap Up and Awards

OK it's the dog days of summer, which means it's time for my mid year award list of stupidity in sports, pop culture, and entertainment. Beyonce' is back and Kanye and Kobe both managed to stay off this list.

Repeats:

Big business award: Beyonce'. First of all, Bey is one of the best marketing geniuses of our time. Her techniques should be taught in business schools and boardrooms everywhere. That being said, why in the world would you charge that much for anyone to attend one of your concerts? Even during tax season, that's a lot to ask. Maybe it's because she knows the fans will pay that price, and doesn't care if it's a six figure bank executive, or a single welfare mom.

Troubled athlete: Johnny Manziel. I mean, who didn't see this coming. Overprivileged, overhyped QB who was bound to spontaneously combust. He's like Doug Flutie merged with Stephen Garcia and Tommy Chong.

Unnecessary sporting event: The Pro Bowl. Who watches or even cares anymore, besides Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders?

Sore loser: Cam Newton. He still may be the best QB in the NFL talentwise, but he can't handle losing. C'mon Cam, you must be more classy than that after a huge loss.

Racist award: The SAEs (I have another award for police and activists so wait). You guys are awful far as your treatment towards anyone of color. Why haven't y'all been shut down yet?

Unjust award (see?): The police, U.S. Justice system, the media and our government. America is becoming an embarrassment thanks to all of you determined to keep us divided as citizens and distracted from other issues.

Social media faux pas: Status update games. They are getting wilder and more ridiculous. They seem to only end when something tragic occurs or it's a major holiday.

Crooked sport: The NBA. You guys are so desperate for ratings and to topple the NFL, you make a circus yearly out of the playoffs, the draft lottery and the draft.

Disloyalty award: bandwagoner fans. Once upon a time, you picked a team and stuck with them.  Now folks go with whomever is winning. I honestly saw this start in the 90s with the Bulls and Cowboys and is getting much worse.

Crybaby athlete: Lebron James. Well I guess now ole Bron Bron not only controls the Cavaliers, he controls the NBA. One phone call and he decides the series and brings a championship back to Cleveland for the first time in 52 years.

Can't Get Right Award: Jon Jones. Personally I think you are overrated as a fighter and Cormier would have finally beat you in 200. Don't worry, Bellator awaits in two years or less.

Newbies:

Crooked politician: Hillary Clinton. When everyone thought it was Bill or Trump, it is also you Hill. It's getting harder to trust anyone in public office.

Coon award: Stacey Dash. You have embarrassed yourself. You simply cannot go again an entire race of people like that, especially your own.

Fashion faux pas: the man bun. Why, why?

Blatant disrespect award: The Oscars. You bring back Chris Rock to host, which is good. But no minority nominees at all? Really?

Violent athlete: Lesean McCoy. C'mon dude, I thought you were trying to get paid and establish your career. You have proven that one must conquer their inner demons and watch who they hang with.

Unreliable teammate: D'Angelo Russell. Dude don't you know that what goes on in the locker room, stays in the locker room? Swaggy P, you were almost as bad as you don't blab your business. But Russell was awful.

Questionable athlete: Laranby Tunsil. It just goes to show you in this era of technology nothing you do is hidden and eventually what is done in the dark comes to light.

Dirty program (could be Ole Miss next): Baylor and Art Briles. You guys got good fast, and now your coach is gone. Who's next?

Retail rant: Lowes. The way in which you treat customers is deplorable. I hope Home Depot crushes you guys. 

Moron rapper: Joe Budden. Hip hop artists will learn one day to stop going after Drake. 

Athlete with aggression: Draymond Green. Now Dray I admire your style of play. However, you must control it, and your anger, before you cost your team multiple championships and yourself freedom as a citizen.

OK that's it for now. Moral of this post: people do not learn from the past.

Ways To Survive The Dog Days Of Summer

July and even early August are the toughest parts of summer oftentimes. They are referred to as the "dog days of summer." Many of your favorite TV shows are on summer hiatus, there aren't as many big summer blockbuster movies, and sports are simply monotonous at best. Many have already taken their summer vacations. Baseball is not nearly as interesting and NASCAR has possibly two or three exciting races before Bristol in mid August. It can often be a good and a bad time.

One good thing is the 4th of July of course. You seemingly have parties and celebrations everywhere.

Here are some ways to fight off the dog days of summer. Many of these are similar to my post from 2012 regarding top date ideas for the Spring and Summer months.

1. Go swimming and/or to a water park/lake.

This rarely gets old and is often inexpensive. You and your family are hot and want to take a dip and be around cool water. Many water activities remind you of how great summer is.

2. Don't wait for an invite, have your own cookouts!

I feel grateful to be invited to summer parties and cookouts. However I realize all do not have this luxury. Therefore, buy some meats and charcoal, invite some friends over and have your own BBQ. No grill, no worries. Walmart has cheap but effective kettle grills for around $30, and they are easy to assemble and use. Many of you know I love grilling, it's relieving and an awesome way to get folks together.

3. Do some early morning/late afternoon workouts outdoors.

This is a prime season for this. It is usually no lower than 65 degrees during the dog days in the morning, and cools down as the sun sets. Working out outside, whether be running, walking, hiking, cycling is hard to beat. Summer flies by so take advantage while you can.

4. Stream plenty of movies and TV shows from the source of your choice (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, or Kodi).

All of these streaming services allow you to catch up on TV and movies, and even view new ones. Season 4 of Orange is the New Black is currently available and many (myself included) are watching this.

5. Go to amusement parks, drive in theaters and even local festivals.

There is usually something happening within close driving distance. Get out and experience and enjoy what is going on, and see other people as well. It is fun and healthy.

Ok now that you've read this piece, get out and enjoy the dog days!

Why I Love Running So Much

I've been so blessed to be able to run, and run actively. It has become a lifestyle, a hobby, and many other things.

We have just had a controversial NBA Finals where the favorites (Golden State) couldn't close out Lebron and Cleveland. Many factors intervened that wouldn't happen in competitive running.

That being said, here are some of the reasons why I love to run so much: 

1. It's cheap, quick exercise that can be done almost anywhere you have a road or treadmill. You may pay extra for accessories such as nicer running shoes, Fitbit/Garmin watches, and utility belts and packs. Overall, running is very inexpensive.

2. When you're out on a run or especially in a race, it's you versus time. YOU are the ultimate one that controls your pace, training regimen, and such. There are no refs, no one picking favorites or playing bets. Either you can run or you can't, you can or cannot finish. Running is one of few sports/activities that is contingent upon the individual's true prowess.

3. It is awesome for networking. Over the years, I have connected with many folks through my gym, running club and various races I run. It's like a huge society or family. You begin to recognize folks and running groups in your area that run the same races as you. The faces and their times become familiar. It's almost expected to see them at a certain race.

4. Running really disciplines you, from your eating regimen, to getting up early for training runs and races. You haven't felt dedication until you see runners that are willing to get up on a frigid February morning at 5am because they know they have a big race in March or April. Also, those that run at 7pm in the middle of the summer to avoid the heat. Running is a huge sacrifice, and takes careful time and even money management once you start racing. It's all worth it though.

5. There are sponsors and such, but outside of the big races such as Boston and NYC, the sport doesn't receive a lot of media attention. Therefore those that do it can do so without being in the limelight or politics that have wrecked other sports.

Running has been a blessing to me. I would advise anyone with a healthy body and a decent pair of shoes to try it. Be careful, it is addictive, especially after running a race!

Jared Earley: Winning The Race Of Life

It is often said the decisions we make five years ago are the result of how we are living now. Local runner Jared Earley can certainly attest to this.

In 2011, Earley was at work at The Robert Allen Group, where I met and worked with him. He had suffered a minor heart episode that kept him out a few days and could have killed him.

He decided at that time he was too young to be a statistic and needed to make some life changes. The 30 something fun loving, Gaffney Indian, South Carolina Gamecock and New York Jets fan had to get more active. He won a bet with some friends and began running. Now not only is he running, he is sprinting. Earley went from hardly exercising to winning and placing in road races across the Carolinas, including winning the 2014 Peach Festival 10K with a time of 45 minutes.

The bet was actually for $20 to see who could lose the first 20 pounds. The feeling Jared got after he began running was indescribable, and he wanted to kept getting that feeling.

Fast forward to June 2016. Jared has ran over 20 half marathons (his fastest time being 1 hour, 30 minutes), 1 full marathon and he's far from done. He would like to qualify for Boston and run an ultramarathon before the end of the year.

Jared's love for speed, health and running has definitely grown. He said he plans to continue running until he can only crawl.

Earley has got fitted to a neutral shoe. He likes all brands but specifically for 5ks, Jared goes with the lightest shoe possible with little cushion. For halfs and up he goes with more cushion. Nike peg and the Vomero really fits his foot right and compliment his running style.

Jared has gotten faster by doing intervals and a lot of hills. He likes hills better than flat surfaces because they give different muscles rest, while flat surfaces use the same muscles and it gets more tiring. Also, in Cherokee County, there isn't a lot of flat ground. Most of the time it's either you run hills, or you travel somewhere with flatter grounds.

Jared not only does intervals to stay fit, he has become involved with mixed martial arts. It's hard to balance MMA with running.  Therefore, on the days he trains MMA, he has a short running day of no more than four miles at a easy pace.

Earley's most difficult race to date was the Assault on Black Rock, it really took a lot for him to finish. The race is only a seven mile run but it hurts the body more than a full marathon as it is three and a half miles uphill and three and a half miles down, not to mention an elevation of 3500 feet. Wow, just a couple of thousand shy of a mile!

Jared runs alone most of the time, and has never been apart of a running. group. His musical playlist consist a lot of Atmosphere, Kid Cudi, Macklemore and Lil Wayne. Earley's advice to someone who is just starting out is don't get down on yourself when you can't run as far as someone else or as fast  He states that will come with time. Also, brace yourself as the pain is only temporary so start off slow and you will get better.

It's been a pleasure knowing this person and watching his journey. This is only the beginning for Jared Earley. He continues to run, and will scorch any finish line there is.

Karina Chery: Making Small Steps and Giant Leaps Towards Hollywood

Most people think of a few things when they think of Gaffney, SC. The giant Peach off of I-85, high school football, and of restaurants such as Daddy Joe's and Harold's. Acting wise, the medium size town has produced Andie Macdowell, as well as been the site for filming The Abyss and parts of House Of Cards.

Young lady Karina Chery is a proud Gaffney native who is working to become the next great acting talent out of Cherokee County.

Karina recently appeared on an episode of Snapped: Killer Couples, after years of doing theater and drama.

She started acting in 7th grade where her teacher Mrs. Ivey signed her up for WINGS drama. Ivey said she thought Chery would do great and she was right. Karina absolutely fell in love with it and wanted to do more acting.  She did theater and drama throughout junior high, high school and even some during her time at Limestone College. Karina then started doing background work two and a half years ago where she met some really amazing people such as Tyler Perry, Oprah Winfretly, and Ice Cube.  Her biggest role model is her amazing older brother, who continues to follow his own dreams and has become very successful.. This has aspired Karina to keep pushing and make her acting dream come true. To date, Chery's most notable was her role on Snapped as Terri Jackson. This was a great way to introduce herself to everyone as an actress on television. Karina has also been cast for two supporting roles in two independent horror films.

Karina may have started out with theatre but film and television is what makes her happiest and that is the route that I'm going to continue going in.

Karina Chery is a very talented, lovely, determined and driven young lady. Check her out as she continues to take the acting world by storm, one show and movie at a time!

Donielle "The DON" Spears: Running And Inspiring In The USA

Charlotte, NC runner Donielle Polk Spears (bka: "The Don") has made quite a name for herself and a brand. She has turned a regular workout into a lifestyle, running races almost weekly. At press time, she just completed her 18th full marathon in Vermont. She balances all of this while teaching at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, coaching other runners, and being a wife and mother of two sons.

I have been following the petite, positive runner for a few months on social media and got to meet her when I ran my first full marathon back in April. She graciously agreed to a sit-down to answer a few questions regarding her passion.

Don began running in May 2013. She had lost a significant amount of weight and needed to find an exercise to help her maintain this healthy lifestyle. She became burned out of going to gym and doing cardio classes and wanted something new.

In additions to the 18 full marathons and 28 half marathons she's completed, Don has also finished one ultra marathon (50K)

Currently, Spears have no plans to qualify for Boston or New York (the big time marathons). With children and her daily schedule, the time needed to spend on qualification guidelines would be an overload. However, Don does plan to run in Boston through a charity and she will continue to lottery to run NYC.

Mrs. Spears is still young, and therefore has no plans to stop running. She may slow down during the summer months but will kick it back up in the fall. However, even in the summer, she'll still run and train (just shorter distances due to heat).

Spears's shoe of choice are Brooks only. She purchased them about a year after running and loved them. The Don hasn' t tried any other brand. She had a Gait analysis done finally (recommended for any runner) and they recommended Brooks as well.

Don's basic weekly running consists of three days of training (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) and a race day. She runs a race almost every week. On weeks where she doesn't have a race, The Don is still in training on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, vital since she does so many races. She focuses on fatigue legs to help with the back to back races. One main thing Spears does are recovery runs normally on Mondays after the race.

Don can be spotted during races looking stylish with her monogrammed sports bras, lipstick and small hoop earrings. It is definitely a ritual for her that she wears lipstick and earrings during a race, her personal MO.  Spears even carries her tube of lipstick in her sports bra and reapplies during the race close to the end. On Facebook, she has taken full advantage of FB live by giving her followers a post-race recap. Running isn't easy and neither are marathons. However, the Don never looks like what she goes through.

Spears has currently ran in 23 states and in DC and Canada as well. That number will increase before the end of the year.

Don mostly runs marathons now and even has a "twentysixpointtwo" tattoo on the inside of her right bicep that she often flexs in photos.  Spears used to run a lot of half marathons but has now gained a love for marathons over the past six months.

Currently, Don's overall health is great. At a recent visit with her doctor, her numbers are great and she feels greater.  She gained some muscle from running longer distances. People find it hard to believe that she ONLY runs, her only form of fitness.

Despite her success and noterioty as a runner with Black Girls Run in Charlotte and her reputation as a strong finisher and coach, Don is a very approachable person and her personality has never changed. She has always been very sweet, genuine, helpful and humble.  Spears enjoys meeting and talking with people, even being known to snap a picture with friends/fans/others. What has helped her stay grounded is knowing where she has come from and never forgetting that, realizing that this place is a place that God set forth for her. It was a path He created and she is walking and running in His path. Don knows that God uses her to bless others, and she knows that her blessings are rendered to bless others. People are so appreciative and love for all that she does, and her support system is phenomenal.

Balance is key regarding her busy lifestyle. There are a few factors to are important far as when balancing her personal, professional, and family life. First, planning ahead must be done. Most of the races for 2016 were planned out last year. Even Don's weekly run schedules are planned out a week or two in advance. Here and there, things may be altered but for the most part, planning ahead has worked. Don also have to budget. Because of her children, they have needs and a budget must be set. She sets this budget far in advance and tries to stick to it as best as possible. Spears also prioritizes, realizing that family comes first. Their needs are met first and then hers.  Working part time as an ESL (English as a Second Language) instructor definitely helps with her flexibility.

So there's the lowdown on Mrs. Donielle Spears. Phenomenal runner with phenomenal support, but an even better person. She loves running and to see others excel. The Don's impact on the sport of running will be felt for years.