3 Lessons From The Color Run Finish Line

October 8, 2014October 26, 2014 / Alex Doriot / 4 Comments

Apparently it’s not enough just to run a 5K anymore.

You either have to have extreme obstacles – Fire. Mud. Barbed Wire. Zombies.

Or you have to have color.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not cynical about the rise of themed 5Ks. I’m a participant.

I recently got the chance to do The Color Run in Augusta, GA. For the past few years The Color Run has been sweeping the nation inspiring hundreds of thousands to get off their couches, do something healthy, and have fun along the way.

The race starts off with thousand of participants like us all perfectly clean:

By the time they all reach the finish line they’ve been doused in colored powder after an exhilarating race filled with singing, dancing, and celebrating: Continue reading →

How To Win Settlers Of Catan

September 25, 2014December 31, 2014 / Alex Doriot / 2 Comments

Going for the Longest Road card is a fool’s pursuit.

Oh by all means, go ahead and waste all your resources to get those 2 victory points. Spend all your time fending off anyone who comes close.

If that’s how you want to play Settlers Of Catan, that’s your call. But I can’t really respect your gameplay.

Of course you could prove me wrong. That’s the great thing about Catan – the strategies to victory are limitless. Continue reading →

Do You Think Like A Loser?

September 12, 2014September 26, 2014 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

The Boston Red Sox used to be a bunch of losers.

Look – I know my team The Braves aren’t lighting up the world right now. And this year’s Boston team is stinking up the joint. But nothing compares to The Red Sox epic streak of futility.

For 86 years losing was their identity. The Curse Of The Bambino kept them out of the World Series year after year after year.

Yet, despite their pitiful postseason record, the Red Sox developed a legendary fanbase, possibly the best in all of baseball. In fact, the Boston fan culture was so legendary Hollywood made a movie about it.
Continue reading →

How To Stay Below Par

April 7, 2014April 9, 2015 / Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

Bogey. Birdie. Duffer. Mulligan.

The world of golf is full of funny terminology.

I think the funniest of all is the word par.

I know par is not just a golf term. The definition of par is simply “an equality in value or standing”.

But when you hear the terms above par and below par, your mind travels to golf – especially if you live in Augusta.

When you say something is below par, you typically mean it’s below average. If you tell someone the lunch you had was really below par, you’re basically telling someone not to eat where you did.

This has always been confusing to me. Because in golf it’s the complete opposite. Continue reading →

Peyton Manning’s Advice On Faith

January 31, 2014February 1, 2016 / Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

Let me tell you about the time I had dinner with Peyton Manning.

Ok. Well, the time I had dinner at the same table as Peyton Manning.

All right. The time I had dinner in the same restaurant as Peyton Manning.

My parents, graduates of The University of Tennessee, raised me as a big Volunteer fan. Growing up we would travel back to Knoxville about once a year for a home football game, especially in the years when Peyton Manning quarterbacked the team.

After the game we would sometimes go out to eat to one of our favorite restaurants: the legendary Ye Olde Steak House.

It was at Ye Olde Steak House, after a great Tennessee game, that my family noticed Peyton enjoying a post-game meal with his father Archie. Continue reading →

You Can’t Lose

October 1, 2013October 10, 2013 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

You’ve just won the Super Bowl. The confetti is raining down. Teammates, friends, and family members are rushing to the field. The sideline reporter puts her microphone to your face and asks how you’re feeling:

“Well, I know we just won the Super Bowl and all, but boy was our defense terrible out there. There was pretty much no protection from our offensive line either. I could not believe the plays our coaches were calling. Punting on 4th and 1, are you serious? And the officials, don’t get me started on the officials. Worst officiating I’ve ever seen in a big game.”

Yeah, no.

No one complains after they win the Super Bowl. A winner might complain after any other game. There is always room to improve before the next game, even if you won.

But no one complains after they win the Super Bowl.

That’s because they’ve won the ultimate victory. The complaints don’t matter any more. They have already won the ultimate prize.

So why should you complain? No, seriously, why? Because if you’re a Christian, you have already won. Continue reading →

What To Do When You’re The Worst At Fantasy Football

September 10, 2013September 18, 2013 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

Mondays are pretty good for me.

On Mondays I wake up to a cup of coffee from Buona Caffe, take a long walk with my dog Roc, and plan out a week full of possibilities.

On Mondays I usually get a chance to go running and spend some time working on future blog posts.

On Mondays I gather with my closest friends and watch wrestling, something that a bunch of guys in their mid-twenties are probably too old to still do.

On Mondays the hopes of a new week are abloom. The problems of the week before have passed.

It’s Tuesdays that I hate.

nydailynews.com

Every Tuesday during the fall I wake up to dire news. Each Tuesday morning I open up my computer and start my day depressed. That’s because on Tuesdays I find out my Fantasy Football fate. Continue reading →

The Braves and The (Almost) Certain Victory

August 22, 2013September 30, 2013 / Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

The Braves are going to win.

Every game it’s just understood – The Braves got this.

I don’t even have to check the score anymore.

Did the Braves play a game last night? Then they won. It doesn’t matter if it was 10-0 in the bottom of the ninth. This year’s Braves team are the comeback kings.

Maybe it’s the magic of the new Waffle House inside Turner Field. Maybe it’s folk hero Evan Gattis, a.k.a. El Oso Blanco. Who knows?

It’s August 22 and they’ve already claimed the division. Not technically, but still, stats trackers give the Braves 100% chance of winning their division. They are saying there is absolutely no chance in the next 6 weeks another team will usurp their lead.

The Braves will win the division. They will win the league series and then the World Series. I just know it.

Or maybe not. I don’t know. Continue reading →

Fire The Coach

August 15, 2013September 1, 2015 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

Last year saw marks the launch of the SEC Network, the latest in a line of 24 hour sports networks. It joined the relatively new Fox Sports 1 and NBC Sports Network as well as the already established ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, and about 100 other “all sports, all the time” channels.

Sports dominate the American culture like nothing else. You could say sports rule the day because of fantasy teams, or because of geographical rivalries, or because live sports are “DVR-proof”.

You might even say sports rule the day simply because of the thrill of victory. But I think it’s the opposite. Continue reading →

The Wednesday War

July 3, 2013July 10, 2013 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

It’s Wednesday.

The week is half over.

It’s also July 3, 2013.

It’s the 184th day of 2013; the year is half over.

What have you done this week? What have you done this year?

What will you do in the second half?

Whatever you’re doing, don’t give up. Wednesdays can be the longest day of the week. But press on. You’re halfway there. Keep fighting.

Follow the lead of Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar.

UFC, Newsday

Continue reading →

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