I have been a fitness ambassador for FitApproach #Sweatpink for almost 4 years. Sweat Pink is a group of fitness influencers with an online presence. I really love their philosophy of fitness and health, and the founders have been nothing but responsive and kind to me in the several interactions I've had with them. Recently, I was given two Couch to Active workbooks - one to keep and review, and one to giveaway on social media. Written by Lyn Lindbergh, she has a practical and no-nonsense approach to fitness. It's like having access to a motivational speaker who also cuts to the chase: exercise is vital and not some unnecessary luxury. I created daily prompts through my Instagram stories that such as myths about exercise or 'stretch' exercises (we want to try) out of our comfort zones. Spoiler: mine is one of those aerial classes where your are suspended in the air using strips of fabric or 'silks'. Crazy cool, right?
I added that cool sunglasses IG filter to Lyn's
cover photo. I hope she doesn't mind terribly :)
Mine would be taking an aerial class.
They look beautiful and crazy hard!
Have you tried one?
Congratulations to Kashmira G. for winning my giveaway! She answered each daily prompt with thoughtful and positive comments. If you are ever in San Diego, check out her indoor cycling classes at Carmel Valley CycleBar. She received the Couch to Active workbook, as well as a few extra goodies from me.
I was thrilled to be a featured on the #RunAlways Instagram account in January. Like the name implies, it's an account designed to inspire and connect the global running community.
The account is run (no pun intended) by several administrators, one of whom goes by the pseudonym Runnermarx. I discovered his account years ago, and he now has over 6.5K followers. Mark is a lifelong runner with a true passion for the sport. He's a great guy: outgoing, smart and incredibly knowledgeable. And yeah, it doesn't hurt that he starred in a beer commercial that aired during Superbowl halftime. Just sayin'.
Anyway! It was an honor to be chosen to share my running story. Check it out and let me know what you think.
I ran the Star Wars half marathon in January for the second year in a row. You might recall the general bedlam of last years race: how I nearly missed the start of the race and my brush with the notorious 'balloon ladies'. I had wanted to run the 10k this year and pick up a third medal for running two consecutive days, but it was completely sold out. I should have purchased the Rebel Challenge packet when the race was first announced, but I was cranky and didn’t pull the trigger when registration opened. Oh well.
This year was more even fun than last year, if that’s even possible. I was in a much better headspace (read: I actually trained for this event) and I even planned an outfit.
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The race coincidentally fell the same weekend that I needed to pick Girldoll up from the Long Beach port. It worked out to be a bonus because we got to spend the night at my SIL’s house and visit with my niece and nephew. The kids are always such good sports and came with me to pick up my packet at the Disneyland Hotel. The only hiccup was that I was supposed to pick Girldoll up at 10:30AM, but she wasn’t ready to go until well past noon. This ended up pushing everything back so that we didn't get to until a half hour before it closed. I had hoped to browse longer -- no one does an expo like Disney -- but time was too short.
Part of the problem was getting into Downtown Disney itself. Security was INSANE. In all the times I have been to Disneyland, I have never had to wait in any sort of security line to access the area surrounding the park. It is a sign of the times that security has become a necessity during travel or entering concert venues, but it definitely stole some of the magic visiting the resort. I’m not talking about a quick look inside backpacks, either. We were subjected to a full search of our belongings as well as being required to walk through a metal detector. Bummer, man. The only thing I could attribute the high security to was that Trump had just officially taken office as POTUS, and there were a lot of people in Los Angeles who weren’t happy about it. (You can count me as one of them. No surprise there.)
What has two thumbs and the best nephew ever?? This girl! Johnny and Lego Hulk at Downtown Disney.
This backdrop coordinates nicely with my glasses. Of course, anything blue does...but whatevs.
By the time we got to the Disneyland Hotel, we had barely enough time to grab my bib number and pick up my race t-shirt. I quickly bought some anti-chafe Glide from an expo vendor and we were on our way. It was probably the least amount of time or money I've ever spent at an expo. Girldoll and I treated the cousins to a late lunch, and then we enjoyed a nice evening with family.
Of course, I took an obligatory Flat Babydoll photo. It was so cute that my niece reminded me to post the photo on social media; she had remembered me talking about the phenomenon of laying out your race day clothes and taking a picture of your race bib and outfit. The stuff kids remember!
Orange is the new black!
I got lots of compliments during the race on my excellent on the BB8 skirt I found on Etsy. Although there are all kinds of things that could go wrong running thirteen miles while wearing a knit beanie, I was totally fine.
The race was so much fun. 90% of the runners were wearing a costume or Star Wars themed embellishment. My personal favorite was a couple who dressed as Leia and Chewie wearing Belle and The Beast costumes. It was so meta! The spectators did not disappoint, either. I decided I would live stream the half marathon on Facebook while I ran through Disneyland. I started in narrating my way through Tomorrow Land and filmed an epic lightsaber battle among cast members. I also caught some really fun footage of my hand as I high-fived a dozen Disney employees who had lined up along the course. I ran through Fantasyland and shared my favorite ride with Facebook (Storybook Land, in case you were curious) before the pièce de résistance: running through Sleeping Beauty’s castle. After I crossed the drawbridge, I went to stop recording the video...only to discover I had never started recording in the first place.
Rachel doesn't use that word lightly, either.
I'll be honest: it took me the next mile to shake it off. For whatever reason, I fixated on my disappointment of not getting the video to work and had trouble letting it go. I'm charming that way.
Right after this photo was taken, the key fob
to my car fell out of my Flipbelt. Someone
literallyran after me with it in their hand.
I mean, can you even imagine?? #bulletdodged
Fortunately, we were hitting the streets of Anaheim and it was time for me to focus and get my game face on. Since the rest of the race is through business and residential areas before finishing at the Downtown Disney parking lots, sections of the race on the streets feel like it starts to drag. That is, until the cosplay spectators start lining the course. It is truly an incredible experience seeing all the elaborate costumes and props.
Red Leader was all smiles and thumbs up.
I kept lapping these guys. I'd stop and mug for
photos along the course and pass them. #redleader
This was one of the most clever
costumes on the course. I love Greedo!
This couple finished the race together. How
her hair stayed perfect after running a half
marathon is one of The Force's mysteries.
Poppa Stormtrooper and Baby Stormtrooper
We had a moment. #BB8
There was something slightly despondent about
this ghetto Death Star.
Done. Eye on the prize!
In addition to the half marathon next year, I really want to run the 10k for a chance to earn three medals. I know I said the same thing last year...but it's worth putting out to The Force, anyway.
I missed my deadline last week for Weekend Snapshots. I was busily preparing for the holiday boutique at my gym. Every year I have tried to think of a way to participate, and a few months ago I came up with an idea to create edits of my photography -- specifically, photos I've taken with my iPhone during a run. I created a line of homemade cards called #SeenOnMyRun. My cards were well received, so it gave me the confidence to enter another craft fair the first weekend in December. I'm also toying with the idea of creating an Etsy account.
Kauai: Where even the garden snails are stunning.
This is a sample of one of my photo edits.
I was in LA all day yesterday for marching band championships, so all of the photos are from the prior weekend with my bestie from second grade: 2 concerts, 13.1 miles, a theme park, and an evening spent playing Cards Against Humanity. It was a very, very good weekend. I'm almost finished writing up my Veteran's half marathon review, but I will share my 'Flat Babydoll' (for those unfamiliar, it's race tradition to lay out your race day outfit to recreate a 'flat' version of yourself and take a photo):
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Saturday night, we went to see Mr. Doll and his band cover Neil Young songs in a birthday tribute concert, Forever Young. It was an incredible concert, and my favorite Claude show to date.
The bass player in Claude Hopper is so dreamy!
We took in a view on Sunday morning at my favorite hilltop spiritual retreat, and then drove south to spend the night with a friend from our junior high school days. It was a treat staying with her family, particularly her adorable son. We surprisingly don't have any photos of our evening together with Jax, but check out these views from the seminary:
Pretty red picnic bench under the shade of the oak tree.
Beautiful views all the way to the islands.
We also squeezed in a visit to the beach. I did mention it was an epic weekend, right??
I'm a sucker for piers and photos of piers.
When you tryna take a selfie and your dogs
shove you out of the frame to make a cameo.
We spent Monday at Universal Studios. It was my second time at Harry Potter World, but it was equally as fabulous! The weather had been unseasonably hot throughout the month, but we lucked out small crowds and with mild 70 degree temperatures.
Dee and Marilyn Monroe deep in conversation
Jazz hands: frog choir at Harry Potter World
All the joy!
Such a pretty fountain!
We had a harrowing drive from Hollywood to Inglewood, but Dee handled it like a champ: 90 minutes to travel 24 miles. We made it to the Forum just in time to see Temple of the Dog take the stage. Totally worth it.
Chris Cornell is my favorite male vocalist. Ever.
We got home at 2am last Tuesday morning, which made for an interesting day since I had to get up four hours later and take Boydoll to school. Dee and I packed in so much fun over the four days that it felt like a dream. She truly is one of my very favorite people. I have the honor of being her son's godmother, and I am beyond grateful for her friendship.
I'd love to hear about your favorite band! Tell me about the last band you saw in concert in the comments.
Wassup, friends? This week, Thinking Out Loud has me thinking about my back, and other things. But mostly my back.
Podcasts. Why am I so late to the podcast party?? This is HEAVEN. It started with listening to a podcast interview with runner and Instagram personality, Runnermarx. Currently, I am on my third podcast in a series called Manic Rambling Spiral, which features blogger Heather B. Armstrong and her co-host and freelance writer, John Bray. Heather's blog inspired me to finally start writing my own (albeit semi-regularly) seven years ago. I can't wait to listen to more!
I'm hooked on podcasts!
Good grief. I’m writing this at the library while my son is meeting with his French tutor. I’m in agony.
Sunday night, my back started hurting. My final long run before the half marathon was on my training schedule last Monday. Everything felt like it conspired against me to get out of the house sooner, and I didn’t start running until almost 10:30am. The long and short of it was that I ran out of time; we were driving to USC for a jazz concert that afternoon. I had to get cleaned up and run a few errands before we left. I was only able to complete six of the twelve miles I was supposed to run. My back didn’t feel great while I was running...but it didn’t feel terrible, either. Once I warmed up, my back actually felt a little looser.
After teaching my spinning class on Tuesday, I managed to squeeze in a quick visit to the chiropractor. He was able to make an adjustment to my lower back on the left side and after some physical therapy, I was feeling pretty good...until this morning.
I taught my spinning class Wednesday at 5:45am, and felt really good. There was a small pinch on the left and I was a little sore - but it wasn’t terrible. After I took our dogs to the off-leash park, I brought them home and decided to head back to the gym to bust out a few treadmill miles before meeting my friend for lunch. When I changed into my running shoes, pain shot up the left side of my lower back. All I could say was, ‘Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.’
So what did I end up doing? If you guessed that I acted a fool and went running anyway, you guessed right.
You guessed right.
I had another chiropractic appointment today after my spinning class...but honestly, is there ever an convenient time for your back to go out? I’m starting to worry about allthethings:
Sitting in a staff meeting tonight on hard plastic conference room chairs.
Teaching my spinning class.
Chaperoning the marching band competition, which means a bumpy school bus ride this Saturday almost three hours each way.
Running a half marathon in 10 days.
I can only do what I can do. If that means I have a DNF at the half marathon, then that's what has to happen. I'm hoping at a minimum I can run/walk the race because one of my best friends is coming to run the race with me. If I'm completely honest, I'm too prideful to scratch the race. #fomo
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Segway. So, have you ever heard a word and seen a word...but not realized it's the same word? I was writing a post a few weeks ago, and yeah: segue looks all kinds of wrong, but I had a suspicion that segway wasn't right either. Derp. Do you listen to podcasts? If so, tell me some of you're favorites in the comments.
Things are gonna get real, k? For this edition of Thinking Out Loud, I'm going to be frank about body image and my struggles with being 30 pounds overweight. I know, I know. Stop the presses: a middle-aged woman is going to talk about food and weight loss.
Ridonkulous
There are weekly nutrition and weight loss facts posted at the gym where I work. One fact that I read several years ago has stayed with me since: the average person gains tens pounds with each decade. I was like '10 pounds every 10 years? That's not a big deal." Well. That happens to be the exact trajectory I'm following...and I'm not happy about it one bit.
Jennifer Lawrence is my spirit animal.
When I was a little girl into and into my early 20s, I had a very fast metabolism. I was rail thin and self conscious, and I had to drink protein shakes to maintain my weight. I ate poorly and had no sense of good nutrition or proper portions. I weighed around 135 pounds when I was 25, and was 'skinnyfat'; I was in terrible shape with poor eating habits. I joined a gym and started really getting into fitness and nutrition, and my weight dropped down to 123 pounds. It was the least I have weighed as an adult, but I was physically in the best shape of my life. I got pregnant with our daughter a few years later, and then had our son four years after that. By this time, I was in my early 30s and took up running. I fell in love with it, and I was able to lose the baby weight I had gained with my son within about 6 months. I started entering 5k and 10k races, and ran my first half marathon. Shortly afterwards, I began training for a full marathon. I was 36 years old, and I had started working for the Y as a spinning instructor. I picked up three classes, and I was offered a job at second gym. I became certified as a personal trainer and had a dozen clients. Working in the fitness industry made me aware of my own nutrition. Some bad habits had started creeping in, and I made the decision to give up sugar. It was starting to feel like sugar had been running my life, similar to when I was doing drugs or drinking. Even despite cutting sugar out of my diet and working out 5-6 days a week, I began slowly gaining weight and was experiencing intense fatigue. My doctor ordered a blood panel, and we discovered that I had thyroid issues. Unless I'm eating clean, my weight quickly pops up.
Pretty much on point.
The funny thing is that I don't feel overweight. In my mind, I look slender. It's like some bizarre reverse form of dysmorphia. Maybe that's just called denial? I'm always unpleasantly surprised at how heavy I look when I see photographs of myself. And I'll tell you, it's a total serving of humble pie to have slowly put on 30 pounds and work as a fitness instructor. Here's the important part, though; it's not worth disparaging myself over. The person who is bothered by my weight gain most is me.
It makes zero sense to compare my fitness journey to someone else's.
I've never really done a timeline in this matter and looked at my history with food and my weight before. It's certainly been cathartic. I'm getting back to the basics of what works for me: small frequent meals that include protein, keeping track of my food and drinking lots of water, and avoid watching TV or mindlessly looking at my phone while I'm eating. Thank you to Amanda at Running With Spoons for hosting her weekly linkup. It always gets me motivated and thinking about writing! What are some of the things that have contributed to your successes in weight loss or maintaining fitness?
Last weekend I ran the Star Wars Half Marathon at Disneyland. Needless to say, given my love for all things Disney, running and Star Wars, this was truly a trifecta made in heaven.
Trifecta of awesomeness: Running, Disney and Star Wars
Originally, I was supposed to run this race with three friends; one friend apparently registered but never received confirmation, and the other two decided that 13 miles isn't half of anything and was just too far to run. [Grammar nerd alert: I just used two, too and to all in the correct context within the same sentence...booyah!] A friend of mine since childhood, who is not a runner but shares my deep love of Disneyland, had planned her vacation around this event and we were going to share a hotel room in Anaheim. As we got closer to the holidays, it was apparent that she needed to use her vacation time to visit her aging father. We decided postpone visiting the Magic Kingdom together until the spring. This left me in a serious quandary about trying to find accommodations three weeks before the race. My sister-in-law lives 20 minutes away from Disneyland, but she wasn't sure if they would be in town that weekend or not. I considered staying with my bestie who lives in Ventura the night before -- so I was at least a little closer to Los Angeles the day of the race -- but it still meant I would have to leave by 3:30am to make the 5:30am start time. It seemed foolish and impractical to drive in the middle of the night. This is where I got a little maudlin. None of my plans were panning out, and for a moment I considered scratching the race. Mind you, I said, 'for a moment...' Anyone who knows anything about Disney races knows this: they sell out hella quick and they are probably one of the most expensive races on the planet. Plus, if I was undertrained for my last half marathon in November, it paled in comparison to my training for this one: I hadn't run one day since then. Uh, oops.
Running a half marathon untrained?
Arnold don't play.
It is stupid, Arnold. I can only rely on teaching spinning and past running experience for so much, and it's not like those miles stay in the proverbial fitness bank. It is a recipe for injury, and I should know better. As luck would have it, my sister-in-law called me to say I was welcome to stay with them. I invited my niece and nephew to come with me to pick up my bib and they were completely onboard to check out the expo, which didn't disappoint.
I had to snapchat this...because obviously.
Future 10k runners at next year's event!
This was probably one of my favorite photos of the
whole weekend: BB8 at the expo...and he was PISSED.
The force is so strong with these two :)
I adore being their aunt!
And of course, the obligatory Flat Babydoll the evening before to post on social media:
I thought I was clever in obscuring my race number
with a mini slot machine. I can't even believe
counterfeiting bibs is a thing. #lamesauce
I set my alarm for 3:30am to eat breakfast and give my body plenty of time to digest my food. I had brought a small tupperware filled with my tried-and-true oatmeal for race day. Believe me, one does not 'change up' the pre-race fuel unless you want to have it repeat on you over thirteen miles, or worse yet...frequent port-a-potty visits. Despite a lively discussion involving maps and where to park the night before, I decided to trust the wisdom that is Waze. While I can't say enough about this driving app (real time feedback with incredible graphics and directions), I am slowly learning that there is a difference between being impulsive and spontaneous - neither of which have their place in the predawn hours the morning of a race. Instead of following my brother-in-law's suggestion of how to get to the parking structure -- who patiently looked over the race book and used to work for Disney, for crying out loud -- I decided to enter the name of the parking structure right into Waze. Be ye not so stupid. It steered me behind the structure and right into the employee parking entrance. You know, the one that requires a code to raise the arm to enter the parking lot? I had a small moment of panic that I would miss my race, but it wasn't going to be for lack of trying. I parked in a residential area and a hoofed it in the general vicinity of the Disneyland Hotel. A helpful volunteer at one of the crosswalks explained where I needed to be, 'It's a brisk 15 minute walk from here...' and I was off. This was at 5:35am. The race officially begins at 5:30am, but because I'm not an elite runner -- we've already established that I hadn't trained for this race -- I was in the last corral. This was my third runDisney event; although I knew it was going to be close, I wasn't completely panicked because it takes a long time to release that many runners in waves. Fashionably late, I rolled in about 3 minutes before they released my corral:
Rolling in right before my corral is released.
It was actually kind of badass.
#represent
Me and Monstro. Storybook Land is my favorite ride in Fantasyland.
Another favorite: Pixar's Rex from Toy Story at California Adventure.
No, really: You da best.
I thought these droids were fixed to the ground, but I was wrong.
When C-3PO saw these two ladies dressed in gold,
he rushed over to them and mugged for a photograph.
I need this window decal.
Captain Phasma and Kylo Ren try to sway me to the Dark Side.
1970s Luke Skywalker
I heart R2D2
Best photobomb ever!
This dad carried his son on his shoulders
for at least a third of the race. So awesome!
Anyone who has done one of these races has heard about the notorious 'Balloon Ladies'; the 16-minute mile pacers who ensure the course is closed after four hours. Any runners caught behind them are 'swept' off the course and brought to the finish line. In the typical Disney grandeur, I envisioned princesses walking the course, wearing elaborate hoop skirts made from balloons; gracefully waving to the crowd and tapping on the shoulder of stragglers before being escorted off the course in Cinderella's pumpkin-shaped carriage. There goes my imagination getting away from me again. Prior to the start of the race, I had seen a couple of young 20-something girls standing to the side of the course, each wearing a backpack with a single Mickey Mouse balloon tied to it. I didn't give it another thought, though. And at several points during the race, there were Disney race officials calling out times, 'Four minutes under pace. Keep it up!' Imagine my surprise when I dawdled too long mugging for photos along the course and the two young girls I saw at the beginning of the race came up behind my group shouting, 'YOU CAN DO THIS, EVERYONE. DON'T GET CAUGHT BEHIND US!!' I don't know if runners pulled from the course still receive a medal for their effort or not, but I selected this race specifically as my 20th half marathon and I wasn't taking any chances. The last picture I took on the course was, fittingly, of Darth Vader carrying is son on his shoulders. Next year, I'm hoping to run the 10k with my niece the day before the half marathon for a chance at earning a third medal. #rebelchallenge My race review: Despite being my slowest pace ever, this was one of my favorite half marathons. The Star Wars franchise is a little piece of my childhood, and the nostalgia factor alone had me happy from the moment I set foot onto the course. The other two Disney-themed half marathons had long sections in the middle where there was little to see and the miles dragged. I don't know if it was the extraordinary Star Wars fan base or what, but there was always something to see: huge turnouts of costumed Star Wars fanatics passing out Red Vines, and incredible custom-painted cars that had mounted blasters and a R2D2 copilot. There was also a large high school band and cheer squad presence as well, with a half dozen schools represented and encouraging runners and giving high-fives. This was the first race greater than a 10k that I didn't wear my water belt. Although it's my preference to run without something around my waist, I'm always afraid there won't be enough water along the course. The water and aid stations were plentiful, and there were hundreds of volunteers along the course and in the finish area keeping things moving. Good after-race food and electrolyte drinks, too. Great work, Disney!
