I took Christmas as a rest day but Wednesday I volunteered at a race for the first time. The race was for Operation Jack which had a half and full marathon option. It's also the only local marathon and runs almost entirely along the ocean. It raises money and awareness for autism and all started with Sam Felsenfeld, Jack's dad, after his son was diagnosed with autism. In 2010 he ran 61 marathons to raise money and awareness! I got to meet Sam when I arrived at the aid station! Despite never having volunteered at a race before I was chosen as the captain of our aid station. It was so much fun!! It was pouring with rain when I woke up but it cleared up nicely, although it was still cold and windy.
Watching all those runners really wore me out and it was so chilly I just wanted to be inside so I went to Pop Physique again with the plan to run the following day.
Thursday I knew I definitely needed to run but first I cashed in my Daily Candy deal at Bar Method in Hermosa Beach. There were only five of us taking class and most of them were also instructors so the class was really hard and I got a lot of corrections which I like! Then I finally went over to Portuguese Bend Reserve to get my run in. It was a gorgeous day which kept me moving despite the steep inclines on the second half of the run.
Well I typed this once and the Internet ate it and it's already not an experience I wanted to relive but here goes... Saturday I was scheduled for a 17 mile run. I met up with Barbara and Tooney in Santa Monica and nearly right away it started to sprinkle on us. No big deal, it actually felt kinda good... until it was a freezing downpour for 16 more miles! It was going okay though and around mile 8 I started walking so I could eat my Vega Endurance Gel and drink some water. The girls kept going but I figured I'd either catch up or see them when they turned around on our out and back course. Well, I later learned that they stopped at the restroom thinking I would catch up around the time they got out but somehow I must have passed them! I never saw them again which made things really miserable. I ended up walking a lot until I got so cold that I was forced to run. Along the way I also lost my hairband so my hair kept getting caught on my jacket and pulling. I tried to tie it back with my soaking wet headband but it kept falling out and I had to take my gloves off every time to put it back so my fingers were frozen. I had already decided that I would cut the run short by going up the Montana stairs instead of going all the way to West Channel and backtracking to the car but I didn't know how much mileage that would shave. Turns out I got 15.3 miles in which is pretty close and considering how awful it was I think I deserve credit for the whole 17!
Sunday I got up early and went to Bar Method in Palos Verdes. Luckily with my deal I can go to either Hermosa or PV studios and since the early class at Hermosa was Level 2 I figured I'd rather drive out of my way than be subjected to even more torture than usual. Unfortunately I had a hard time finding the studio so I was late for the first time EVER in a barre class. Luckily the girl at the desk was super nice and didn't make me feel bad. The class was good and I got out in time to make it to church as planned.
Lastly, things have remained pretty quiet on the donation front. I'm hoping this will ramp up in the new year and that I still have a shot at making my ultimate goal of raising $4,000 by race day. I definitely need to devote more time and effort though. I haven't even been able to get my blog posts out timely! I'm really grateful for all who have donated though and supported me and this wonderful charity that does such good work!
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