Made my November goal, costume choice revealed!

Monday I made it a point to get to Body Dynamix to let Dr. Eddie torture my shins. He also showed me a few foam rolling exercises and encouraged me to do them every day. We practiced a few which was pretty painful but that just means I need to keep it up.

Tuesday was full of ups and downs. I was super sick but I received four donations which put me over my November goal of raising $1,500! Can you believe I got sick the week of Thanksgiving again?? Reaching my fundraising goal definitely kept my spirits up and helped take my mind off my lack of appetite and extreme boredom.

Wednesday I was still recovering so took another day off working out but Thursday I was determined to get a Thanksgiving run in. I had been wanting to check out the Portuguese Bend Reserve for ages but needed daylight to do it so this was my first opportunity. It was chilly and overcast when I left the house but as I drove up the hill I realized that long sleeves were a bad choice. The trails are fairly steep but the views are amazing... or at least they will be on a clear day. I ran/hike/walked about 2.5 miles before rushing back to start Thanksgiving festivities. I also got a donation from my aunt so it was a great day!

Friday I got a much needed cross-training trip to Bar Method in. There was a cute family in class: a mom, dad, and their two sons! The instructor was pregnant but still managed to work us hard to burn off all those Thanksgiving calories.

Saturday I met up with Peachy to run our scheduled 12 miles. She suggested we run our usual Santa Monica boardwalk but instead of staying on the path, we would head up Temescal Canyon and include some trails in the route. I agreed and we easily climbed the street up to the start of the trail. Unfortunately the minute we began to ascend the trail I started losing steam. I don't know if it was the elevation, the lack of food this week, or some combination, but I had to take frequent breaks to climb the mile and a half trail. Finally we reached the waterfall we had been promised, however it was dried out and not quite the payoff we were hoping for. When we reached our starting point it was just shy of 11 miles and I asked Peachy if we could call it good since the trail had taken so much out of me. When we started the fog hid the ocean from view but by the time we were done it had burned away.

I'm sure you've been eager to find out what costume I'll be wearing on December 8th at the Christmas Run so here it is... I'll be running the 10k as CORN!

If you weren't able to get in on the fun of helping me reach $1,500, never fear! I'm on my way to my next goal of raising $2,500 by the end of the year. Since the costume incentive seems to be working I'll agree to wear one for the New Year's Race on January 5th. It's a half marathon through Downtown LA at night! So please click the Donate Now button to the top right of this page and start getting your costume suggestions ready.

11 miles

Monday was a rest day but not for fundraising! I announced a little motivation to help me reach my goal of $1,500 by November 30th and SIX of my friends donated! The costume choice is still undecided but I promise it'll be good.

Tuesday I joined friends for a 3 mile trail run at 6am. It should have been longer but unfortunately my asthma got the better of me and I decided to rest after a mile and a half and wait for the others to finish their hill repeats and rest of the trail. This gave me a chance to take in the view of the Valley which was pretty clear after last week's rain.

After the run I went over to Body Dynamix to take care of the shin splints I noticed after Saturday's run. I had this problem last year and it got to a point where I couldn't run so I want to take care of it early. Dr. Eddie used ultra-sound, muscle stimulation, and something that looks like a scalpel (a duller version of course!) to whip my shins into shape. Then I met with Gail, Lauren, and Scott to discuss the Center for Assault Treatment Services' Facebook page. Since Lauren and I are fairly technically inclined and Scott is a social media expert, Gail enlisted our help to make the page the best it can be. We had a great time chatting and benefitting from Scott's experience.

Wednesday I ran about 3 miles to the Manhattan Beach Pier for their pier lighting ceremony. It was a lot of fun with Christmas carols, free cupcakes, and tons of people. After I planned to run back, however my shin was hurting again so I decided to walk back for fear of doing any damage. It was disappointing to have to walk and I'm really hoping this isn't a sign of trouble brewing.

Thursday I dropped into Bar Method in Hermosa Beach for a free community class with Marah, a teacher in training. This worked out perfectly because I wanted to work out but didn't think I'd have a chance to go to the West LA location. Marah was really great and friendly and actually made a suggestion I'd never heard before: to use a riser for round/flat back due to tight hips. I don't know that it necessarily helped my hips but I could reach the bar easier which allowed me to press into it and get my leg straighter!


Saturday morning I got up early to join Peachy and Barbara for 11 miles in Pacific Palisades. We had planned to do a trail run in Temescal Canyon but we had to switch to the boardwalk along the beach for fear of slippery trails. Just as we parked we saw a deer cross the street into the mountains! I tried to snap pictures but it was too quick. We kept our pace around 10:30 min/mi which felt great, so great that I picked it up for the last mile and finished really strong. I didn't have any shin pain while I was running but they still have that bruised feeling so I foam rolled and iced when I got home (no ocean today, not supposed to go in after it rains).

I wore the hat I got from CATS for reaching $500 to help protect me from the rain but luckily it held off pretty much the whole time! When I got back home I ran into our neighbors. Turns out Jean walked the LA Marathon 10 years ago and raised money for Leukemia with Team in Training! They were kind enough to make a donation after I told them about CATS!

Later in the day I joined Marah at Bar Method again for another free class. After class on Thursday she had mentioned that her audition to be an instructor was on Sunday so she wanted to have one more class on Saturday with people who are familiar with the class so she could focus on her timing. When I showed up on Saturday it was me and two instructors! I was thrilled for the small class but also knew this meant I would be receiving a lot of corrections (something Marah was also working on). The class was really tough but also fun because I'm familiar enough with the classes that I could make some helpful suggestions after.

I was out kind of late Saturday and didn't get to check my email but when I woke up on Sunday I had a pleasant surprise... two more friends had donated! So now I'm only $50 from my goal of $1,500 by 11/30! Please help me get there, less than two weeks to go. Click HERE or click the Donate Now button in the upper right of this page.

10 mile run and another contest in the works

Monday I finally cashed in a deal I bought on Daily Candy and took class at Bar Method in West LA. I was a little annoyed at the parking situation ($3 with validation or free if you want to walk far in the dark) and the studio wasn't quite as nice as Encino but it felt good to be back. There was some pre-class hubbub because a few students saw Tyra Banks as they were walking in and they told us how pretty she was in person. Other students shared some of their starstruck moments which was pretty refreshing to hear since everyone usually pretends they aren't phased by seeing celebrities in LA.

Tuesday I stopped by Fleet Feet Encino on my way home from work to offer my services to my teammates. I showed Teresa how to resize pictures to upload to Crowdrise and also how to post links on Facebook. I decided not to stay for the run since I forgot my headlamp and I needed to get to the polls before they closed.

Wednesday was a really long day at work so I promised myself I would run on Thursday. Unfortunately it rained on Thursday and I was very tempted to put my run off again but the fear of not being prepared for my long weekend run got the better of me. I decided to squeeze in a 3 mile run around the neighborhood which ended up being pretty nice since I haven't really explored the neighborhood much. I wore my headlamp (stupid time change) but really didn't need it since the streets are very well lit. I'm still used to the pitch black streets of Woodland Hills so that was a nice change.

Friday was my 13 year anniversary as a marrow donor. They sent me an email to remind me and it also gave me a chance to update my contact information, which has indeed changed in the last year. It's too bad that in all this time I've never been a match for someone but hopefully one day I will!

Saturday morning I pried myself out of bed at 6:00 a.m. to join some friends for a run in Venice. I use the term "join" liberally because what actually happened was I saw on Facebook that Peachy and Barbara ran together last week as part of training for the LA Marathon so I asked if I could barge in! Luckily they said yes because I had no idea that Peachy, an excellent and super fast runner, had graciously volunteered to train Barbara and some others to run a sub-5 hour marathon which just happens to be my goal too. Turns out I was stumbling onto an actual training group when up to this point I assumed I would be training alone. I ran with Barbara once shortly before the marathon this year and knew we had similar pace but I was shocked to find out our marathon finish times were 1 minute apart!

Barbara and I ran 10 miles together while Peachy did 20 and Michelle did 15 since they were both training for California International Marathon which is December 2nd. I had some trouble getting my Nike+ watch to acquire the satellites so I didn't record the first mile but my data after that looked pretty good with mostly negative splits and an average pace of 10:56.

It was in the 40s when I left my house so I didn't even consider that we might go in the ocean but I bet you can guess what happened. It's amazing how much you warm up after 10 miles and Barbara insisted this would be our way of icing so I agreed. It actually wasn't that bad and I was glad I went in!

Sunday at church the message seemed tailor made for me! It was all about meeting the needs of others and using our talents to do that. All I could think about was how I can do more to reach my fundraising goals! I don't think I'm particularly talented at fundraising specifically, but the cool thing about fundraising is you can do it in so many different ways. My contest to choose my costume for the LA Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon was very effective so I've decided to run the Christmas 10k and if I reach $1,500 by the end of the month I'll wear a costume. I still need to figure out what the costume will be exactly so details to come but don't let that stop you from donating now in the upper right of this page!

After church I went back to Bar Method and took class with Nick. He was hilarious and talked faster than anyone I've ever met! Luckily I know the drill or it might have been hard to follow, but instead I just laughed my way through class as he talked about brunch, the orange juice he had that was giving him heart burn, and compared thigh work to running a marathon. I absolutely love that they offer a 12:15 class on Sunday (most studios have their latest class around 10 am) and the parking is free Sundays so I might make this a habit.

Easy Week

Last Sunday evening I put out a plea for the final bit of money needed to reach $1,000 by Halloween and my wonderful friends came to the rescue! Jenn and Maria were kind and compassionate enough to push me past my goal by the very next day. I am so grateful for all those who donated to the Center for Assault Treatment Services in October and hopeful that I can keep the momentum going. I've set a relatively modest goal of reaching $1,500 by Thanksgiving as I get ready to do some community outreach during the winter so please click the top right button to make a donation that will help CATS continue serving victims of sexual abuse and assault.

Almost immediately after the race I got sick so there isn't too much to report this week training-wise. There were some race photos released Monday that show me messing with my halo in anticipation of the photo but it caught me too early!

I was finally feeling well enough Saturday to go for a 3 mile run. I ran with Mike and he likes to do a little extra so we started with push ups, dips, and other strengthening exercises and then did that every mile including some (attempted on my part) pull ups at the park that is conveniently one mile away. I was really sore the next day!

Sunday was my last Yogaqua class. As the photographer there aren't too many pictures of me but it was a gorgeous day and I got some great pictures of the instructor and my friends.

Looking back at where I was last year I'm thrilled at where I am both in my training as well as fundraising. Although last year our long run was 5 miles and I only ran 3 this week, I've got the half marathon covered so I know I'm ahead of schedule. Also I was celebrating reaching $500 last year and this year I'm celebrating reaching $1,000! I'm so thankful to be in this position and really hope I can keep things moving in both arenas!

Week of LA Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon

Monday I got home from work to see that Kelley and Dale had made a donation to the Center for Assault Treatment Services just when I was thinking my goal of reaching $1,000 by 10/31 might not happen! This week was a little light on running in order to prepare for Sunday so I'll jump straight to Wednesday.

I drove up to Palos Verdes and ran along the cliff. While I was running I started crafting a clever status update to encourage more donations so you can imagine my surprise when I got home and found that my brother and his wife (and their daughter) had made a donation! It was a really windy run but it was gorgeous and I got to use my new Nike+ GPS watch! I'm so glad Trey suggested I wait for the white one to come in, it's so stylish! I'm still getting used to the interface but it was pretty easy for the most part.

Thursday I took another rest day but was thrilled to see that my cousin Carmen and her family and my friend Zon had made donations! It was so exciting to see that I'm only $30 away from $1,000 and still days away from the 31st.

Friday I took my last class at Pop Physique. It was a Blackout class with a Halloween theme so they blacked out all the windows and turned on black lights. It was really fun and they served pumpkin champagne after which was delicious!

Saturday was jam packed! I got up early to go for a run with Sarah. We ran just over 2 miles and then got brunch. Then I headed up to Marina Del Rey for Yogaqua. Even though I was a bit worried about doing this the day before my race, the deal I bought was for three classes and if I didn't squeeze this one in I would only get to take two classes. I was glad I went because it was a gorgeous day and a really fun class. I don't have pictures from this one but here's one from my first class:

After that I headed over to the expo for the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon Downtown. After picking up my bib and shirt, I got to check out the medal I'll receive for doing two Rock 'n' Roll races in one year. Also got to see the medal I'll receive in January for the New Year's Race.

Then I wandered over to the Spartan Race booth and saw they were having a burpee contest. Mike really wanted the shirt that said "I'm training for a Spartan Race" so I asked them how much. They said 15 burpees so despite having worked out twice already, I dropped and gave them 15.

Sunday was race day. Last year I had to forego this race due to injury so I was extremely thankful to finally get redemption. I was pretty nervous about running in costume, especially since the wing straps dug into my armpits, but it was a huge success! No chaffing anywhere! The halo kept falling off so I carried it most of the time but that was no problem. I finished the race in 2:27:36 which was about 10 minutes longer than the Rock 'n' Roll Pasadena Half Marathon but considering I was wearing a costume I think it was okay. My favorite part was when we turned around on the 6th Street Bridge and got a really nice view of Downtown.

As of 10/28/12 I am still $30 away from my goal for this month so if you can spare some money to help  the Center for Assault Treatment Services continue to provide free services to victims of sexual abuse and assault, please click the top right Donate button or just click HERE.

Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated, the response has been overwhelming and I'm way ahead of where I was last year! That goes for the team as a whole too, this week we passed the $10,000 mark! You are making a difference, thank you so much!

Nutrition, Zombies, and 10 Miles

Monday I did my weekly cross training at Pop Physique with my favorite instructor again! It was the last class on my Living Social package but I'll be back there one more time for a free Blackout Class next week. I made Vegan Kale Pasta for dinner. It's a good go to and pretty easy to make!

Tuesday I had planned to go to Pierce College after work to do some speed work at their track. When I changed at work I realized I had forgotten my Garmin but I pressed on anyways figuring I could just use an app on my phone. Then I got to the track and discovered construction was blocking the normal entrance. I could see a football team practicing on the field so it was still open but despite searching and asking around I couldn't find a way in! Just as I was deciding I could use the night off to clean up and get some errands done around the house, I looked up and saw there was an accident on the freeway blocking three lanes. I was approaching the exit for Fleet Feet Encino and new they were having a nutrition night so I quickly decided I would rather spend my evening there than stuck in on the freeway for two hours.

I am so thankful for the technology that allowed me to salvage my night! I got to see my friends since there was a training run that night and I got to listen to the nutritionist from Phase IV talk about fueling for training. Even though I had heard some of the information earlier this year while training for the 2012 LA Marathon,  I still learned a lot! Like my daily bowl of oatmeal with almond butter and half a banana is filing me with carbs and sugar which cause inflammation.

Wednesday I met up with Sarah for an evening run on The Strand. We caught a bit of the sunset but I brought headlamps for both of us so we could see once the sun went down for our 3 miles. We went to Mucho Ultima after for dinner and I had the Vegan Enchiladas which were soooo good!!

Saturday I did my first 5k obstacle course... with zombies! It was so much harder than I thought it would be because there were tons of hills and there was a lot of sprinting to avoid the zombies. It was tons of fun though, even though I died by losing all three of my flags to mean zombies.

Sunday I had promised myself a 10 mile run to prepare for my half marathon next weekend. I decided to try out what I learned from Phase IV so I made myself some quinoa, red peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, and avocado for breakfast.

I definitely didn't have any stomach issues and the first 7ish miles felt great, but I kept running too fast so when I got to the final miles I was really dragging. Not sure if it was the extra hill work from the zombie race or the healthy breakfast that kept my speed up for so long but hopefully I can pace myself better on Sunday!

I still haven't thought of a good incentive for reaching $1,000 by Halloween but the costume Laurie chose arrived on Saturday and it looks great! I learned how to add a "widget" to my blog so now you can click on the top right to donate OR you can click HERE. While incentives are fun and I'm trying to keep it interesting for everyone, I hope you'll consider donating simply to help the Center for Assault Treatment Services break the silence about sexual abuse. Yet another heartbreaking story came out this week about a girl who was raped at Amherst College but couldn't bring herself to report it because of shame. When she finally did report it you won't believe the reaction campus officials had! CATS is working hard to create an environment where there is no shame in reporting sexual abuse or assault and they will do everything possible to help convict an assailant.

Marathon Training Week 2

Last Monday I ran 4 miles with Ali and Jaime. We wanted to be sure we are ready for the Zombie Race on 10/20. After we ate at my favorite vegan restaurant, Native Foods!

It's true, I eat a mostly vegan diet! I started last December while training for the LA Marathon after watching the documentary Forks Over Knives. Then I read Brendan Brazier's book Thrive. What I saw and read made sense to me so I figured I'd give it a shot and if it got too hard I'd stop. Well, it hasn't been that difficult and the more information I discover the more reasons I collect to continue eating this way. I know it's not for everyone but it works for me!

Tuesday I stopped by Body Dynamix to have Dr. Eddie look at my heel. It started hurting Sunday but not super painful. Just enough to feel it with every step. He said it didn't seem to be plantar fasciitis and should be better in a few days. He applied heat, ultra sound, ice, and "scraped" my leg with what looked like a dull scalpel. None of it hurt!!

Wednesday I went to Pop Physique for some cross training and to give my heel a rest from running. My favorite instructor was teaching, she is a runner too! I noticed that instead of the typical Lululemon attire worn in barre classes, she wore running pants so one day I asked and sure enough, she's a runner.

Thursday I drove up to Palos Verdes to run on a trail along the cliffs and enjoy the gorgeous sunset. It had rained during the day and was still raining in parts of LA so I got an amazing view! I only ran about 3 miles but it included some steep trails as I explored the area.

Friday was movie night at Fleet Feet Encino to raise money for the Center for Assault Treatment Services. We paid $10 for admission to see Spirit of the Marathon and another $10 for a raffle ticket to win a Nike GPS watch. The movie was great and definitely got me pumped for my own marathon. After the movie was over it was time for the raffle. I mused that I had been having problems uploading runs from my Garmin lately so I sure wouldn't mind winning but I was floored when my name was called!

Saturday I ran on the wood chip trail which cuts through both Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach. It's very well maintained with plenty of water fountains, mile markers every quarter mile, and workout stations every so often. Since my heel wasn't 100% yet I figured this would be the best terrain to accomplish the 8 miles I had in mind in order to prepare for the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon at the end of the month. I only encountered two stoplights along the nearly 4 mile trail which were a bit tricky to navigate but ultimately much better than typical city streets. And there were tons of people out running too which made me feel safter when crossing streets.

And now for my fundraising update... a week ago when I posted I was at $150 and today I am at $700! I am just so pleased with this progress!! As for the contest, Laurie Adami is in the lead with her $500 donation. Laurie and I used to work together and she is a wonderful woman and an incredible fundraiser! She raises money to research cures for blood diseases (like lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma). I am so grateful for her donation and the donations from my friends Joelle and Putri. This money is so necessary for CATS to continue providing free services to victims of sexual abuse and assault by highly skilled nurses and other staff. Please donate if you are able:

DONATE HERE

I'm trying to come up with a good gimmick if I reach $1,000 by Halloween. Please send me your ideas!