Curious Crystal: Where have I been... and where am I going?

Ah ha! Caught you! You thought I had given up on my blog! Well ya, actually so did I. But I didn't stop being curious. In fact, after my last post (in August 2010!!) I got curious about running. So curious that I was too busy/lazy to blog about it. I ran my first race on December 11, 2010 and less than a year later I have completed my first week of training for the LA Marathon!

On Tuesday October 4th I ran 2 miles with my training group at Fleet Feet Encino. Having already completed a half marathon this might seem like no big deal but I am grateful for the slow start because with running comes injuries. I've been plagued by various pains that have, at times, prevented me from running. I've made friends with everyone at Woodland Hills Physical Therapy because I'm there so often.

On Saturday October 8th I ran my first "long" run of 3 miles. Again, not a long distance, but it was actually really tough because I had to meet my group at 8am and it was COLD! I was also sick earlier this week so I had some residual asthma symptoms. I averaged 9:35/mi which is usually pretty comfortable for me at that distance but at the end of the run I felt really winded and even a little light headed. Luckily that faded quickly and I was able to do the post-run stretches and strength training with the group.

Now this isn't a "running blog" so I know there is a ton of detail I'm not posting but I'm not THAT into running. I don't even consider myself a runner. I was the girl that walked the mile in PE in high school. Granted I'm a really fast walker, but running is faster. It wasn't until a few years ago that I decided I should learn how to run so I could get my workouts done faster. I did the amazing Couch to 5k program which got me running 3 miles without stopping, and then I stopped. It wasn't until I saw my cousin Carmen and her husband finish a 10k last September that I thought it would be a good idea to run further. Since then races have really motivated me to keep running and the feeling of accomplishment afterward is really rewarding.

So that's the background. I'm gonna try my best to post regularly about my training and hope that you might be willing to donate to the cause I am raising money for:http://www.crowdrise.com/crystalarrieta. I'd appreciate any suggestions regarding fundraising (or anything else really). I'll also continue to post about all the things I'm curious about, like macarons which I managed to find the perfect reliable recipe for.

I didn't take any pictures of my training runs but here's some from my previous races:

Santa Monica/Venice Christmas Run 10k 2010