My Favorite Coach

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This Father’s Day more than any other I really thought about how my dad has shaped me into who I am. He’s taught me so much and always been there to support me in any big decision I’ve made (even if he knew it wasn’t the smartest choice but I had to learn on my own). Although I haven’t spent the majority of my life living under the same roof as him (my parents split when I was 4) he has always made an effort to teach me as much as he could.

Education was always the most important thing to him and every other weekend when I visited him, he had a learning activity arranged for me. I remember learning to cross my Ts in writing, that 12 times 12 equals 144, and how to read while at his house, all ahead of my current school curriculum, of course. In order to get me to spend time learning on the weekends, he rewarded me with trips to Chuck E Cheese and Disneyland whenever possible. As I got older, he taught me how to type and paid me 60 dollars once I learned to type 60 words per minute. Now I can type over 100 words per minute, all thanks to my addiction to my Typing Tutor computer program. I also inherited his love of spreadsheets (he once countered my request for a raise in allowance with a budget spreadsheet categorized by weekly, monthly and amortized yearly expenses).

But it wasn’t just school that he helped me with. Sports have also been a big part of our relationship. Even if he didn’t fully understand the sport (gymnastics for example), he bought books and tried to learn it (and gave me the books to read which I never did…) so he could help me become better. My attention span wasn’t long and never could decide on any sport, so my Dad helped teach me how to shoot a basketball, hit a softball, balance on a beam, snow plow on skis, ride a bike, skate on these crazy new things called roller blades, and swim correct freestyle. We would go to the batting cages on the weekends during softball season and spend hours (or it seemed so anyway) shooting hoops during basketball season. He came to as many of my games as he could and when I was on the swim team in high school he’d make it to my meets fairly often as well.

Once I left high school and entered college we no longer had the love of sports to bond over and I was more interested in things like boys and parties. However, he was always there for me when I needed to know which type of digital camera to buy, what a cell phone contract is, or how to pump my tires at the gas station. When I left my job and traveled through Southeast Asia for four months, instead of reminding me that the economy was at it’s worst (it was 2008) and that I should save my money and keep working, he supported my decision and read every one of my travel blog posts.

Sharing Our Birthday Cake Before P90X for Both of Us!

Only in the last year have we begun to bond over sports again. After coming out to cheer us on at the Surf City Marathon, Oceanside Half Ironman and Ironman CdA last year, my dad and my step mom Denice got a bit of inspiration. They bought P90X, finished the program and transformed their bodies and began to train for their first half marathon (and 15k!). In the process, I grew closer with both of them. Running my dad in for the last half mile or so of his first half marathon was an incredibly happy moment in my life and I won’t forget it. Knowing that I helped get him to that finish line just as he helped me so many times over the years was amazingly rewarding.

After My Dad and Step Mom’s First Half Marathon This Year

Happy Father’s Day Dad! I love you and I can’t wait for many more milestones!

Has your dad shaped you athletically?

Still Running

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Oh yes, running. In the midst of all these other fun activities, I have still made time for running. Although it’s not on the forefront of my mind or the focus of my week, running is still there, filling my lungs with fresh air and giving my eyes more to look at than a television screen or studio full of sweaty yogis.

I am currently signed up for two running races – the Coronado Independence Day 15k (on 4th of July, clearly) and America’s Finest City Half Marathon (in August). As of now, I have no real training plan for these races. I may try to get more structured workouts in for AFC but for now I’m kind of just going with the flow. I’ve been mostly running with friends and I did even get one speed work sessions in (10 x 400 m intervals on the treadmill), but nothing has been too crazy. I think my P90X Plyometrics workouts are a good substitute for interval training as well, although we all know that nothing can truly replace running if you want to become a faster runner.

The point is, I’d love to get faster but right now it’s not my priority. My next BQ attempt likely won’t be until Spring 2014, so I have plenty of time to ramp up training and get faster with some tune up races in the winter after the wedding and honeymoon are over.

June Gloom Photo From Asia & My 8 Miler Last Weekend

But, I am still running and I do know that I truly love it. It has become even more fun lately doing group runs and meeting up with Asia or my friend Allison and just running however long I want, instead of looking at my plan and having to run alone because Asia and my workouts don’t match that day (which was most days!).

In the back of my mind (and in some conversations) I had a goal to break 1:40 at AFC in August, but if I’m really honest with myself, that goal isn’t my priority. If it were to happen, that’d be awesome, but if not I’m not going to kill myself over it. That race historically hasn’t been my best race since it’s smack dab in the middle of a busy (and often VERY HOT) summer and the finish line comes right after a solid 1 mile climb which always deflates my spirits and throws off my pace (yet we continue to run it year after year, but that story is for another day).

So, yes, for once I am not “training” for anything. I am running an few races, working on strength and having fun this summer! Oh yeah and getting married!

Have you ever ran a race without following a training plan? Anyone else running Coronado 15k or AFC?

P90X Update and Chin Up Assist Review

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Mike and I are now through with “Week 4″ of our modified P90X routine – but it’s been 5 weeks. Due to weekend trips, vacations, schedules, me trying all these fun new classes (hot yoga, Dailey Method’s new Dailey Interval, Xtend Barre), it took us nearly two weeks to get through our final week. Our modified schedule is basically as follows:

Weeks 1 & 3: Chest and Back, Plyometrics (I skipped this week 1 since I was still recovering from the marathon), Shoulders & Arms, and Legs and Back

Weeks 2 & 4: Chest, Shoulders and Tris, Plyometrics, Biceps and Back, and Legs and Back.

Between these four core P90X workouts I was doing the above classes, running about 3-4 times a week, and even got some hikes in on our trip to Ventura! For me, variety has been key in keeping me interested and excited about working out. Although I still love running VERY much (hence why I’m still running quite frequently), I’ve been having a great time getting some of my muscles back.

My muscles actually seem to remember my old P90X days. For example, week one of Chest and Back I could only do about 15 traditional push-ups. By week 3 in the same workout I was able to do 25! My strength is coming back and it feels great.

One change to this round of P90X was that I have been using the P90X Chin Up Assist. This handy little contraption hooks on to the pull-up bar and allows you to get the normal range of motion for a pull-up without actually being strong enough to lift yourself up. Although I worked my way up to being able to do two consecutive unassisted pull-ups during my first round of P90X, I’ve lost that strength (I actually have yet to attempt to do a pull-up this round, I should really try!).

The P90X Chin Up Assist has been incredible. Although I’m not able to do as many reps as I was using the chair, it really works my back muscles the way a pull up or chin up should. I used to kind of half ass my pull ups using the chair because it’s really hard to not push all your weight into your feet during that method. The Chin Up Assist gives you some extra help but there is no cheating – you have to do the work to get yourself up. If you are strong enough to do pull-ups, you can start doing unassisted and then when you get tired, switch to the chin-up bar to get those extra reps and extra results!

The Chin Up Assist comes un-assembled but it’s easy to put together (trust me, if I can, you can). Once you’ve got it together, you just hook it onto the middle of your pull up bar and then put one foot int the stirrups. Then you put your other foot on top of the first foot (it’s important to put both feet in to avoid uneven weight distribution). Once you’re strapped in, you lift yourself up! You can adjust the resistance of the straps as you get stronger to provide less support. The lower the strap hangs, the less resistance.

The Chin Up Assist costs $39.90 and you can buy it on my website here: http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/fitnessfatale (click Shop Team Beachbody on the right side and then Equipment and Gear click Chin Up and Push Up and chose the “Chin Up Max”). In my opinion it’s totally worth it and will definitely help you get the results you are looking for with P90X or any workout program that involves pull-ups.

The reason I was completing this 4 week P90X program with Mike was because he was wrapping up his 90 day program. Now that he’s finished, we’re still determining what to do next. More P90X? P90X2? Or something else….we’ll see.

Do you do pull-ups? Would you find something like the chin up assist helpful?

Laser Eye Surgery – I Can See!!!

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Post Surgery in Cool Shades!

On Friday I change my vision and all it took less than two hours! After years or saying I wanted to get laser eye surgery but waiting to near the ripe age of 30 so that my eyes would have a less likelihood of changing, I finally went through with it and got laser eye surgery. If you aren’t familiar, LASIK (Laser Assisted in situ Keratomileusis) is a procedure in which a ophthalmologist uses a laser to reshape the eye’s cornea in order to improve vision. Basically you can say goodbye to glasses and contacts immediately after laser eye surgery.

I decided to get the procedure done at the same place my dad and step mom got their eyes done at about a year ago. My dad offered to drive me to my appointment and I’d have to spend the night at their house in Orange County since you aren’t allowed to drive day 1 of Lasik and I’d have a follow up appointment the next day. On Friday I left work at 1 p.m., drove the 1.5 hours to my dad’s house and was in the waiting room of Excel Laser Vision Institute in Brea by 3 p.m. My dad came with me and went from room to room with me for the entire procedure. It was really comforting to have him there!

The appointment began with three tests in which I had to open my eye really wide so that they could take photos of the shape, etc of my eye. Next we moved into a room where I gave a brief medical history to the nurse as well as did a typical eye test using the chart of letters on the wall. Embarrassingly enough, my vision was SO bad going into the surgery that I didn’t even recognize the huge E at the top of the chart!!! I first got glasses for seeing the board my sophomore year of high school but I’m pretty sure I needed them way before then. Within a year or so of getting glasses I started wearing contacts regularly and my prescription got progressively worse. As of the last couple of years though, it has steadied at a nice solid -4.5 (i.e. i can see my hand in front of my face and can read up close but can’t read a single sign or see a computer screen clearly from my desk chair).

I Couldn’t Even Read the E

Next the doctor came in and started with a test to see if my eyes are thick enough to do the procedure. This is a deal breaker -if your eyes aren’t thick enough, you can’t have the surgery. Luckily mine were! Next we went through a routine eye exam to figure out exactly where my eyes are at so they could use the information to shape my eye during the surgery.

After that, they dilated and numbed my eyes and I signed more paperwork, got an overview of the procedure, and went over the post-operative care instructions. Soon after we were sitting in the tiny waiting area right before entering the surgery room. My hair was put into a hair net and I sat down on a chair similar to a dentists chair except it was surrounded by huge machines.

As soon as I sat down things were in motion. One eye was covered at all times and based on what I could feel, they used some device to pry my eyes open so they wouldn’t close at all during the surgery. The doctor’s soothing voice was constantly telling me to focus on the green light or red light and I could tell they were cutting a flap in my eye. At one point it went completely black and I panicked a bit thinking I had gone blind. They moved to the other eye and did the same thing and then moved back to the first eye. This time I think is when they used the laser because it smelled horrible like frying flesh (sorry gross I know!). Throughout the procedure everything was blurry and all I could do was focus on a blurry red or green light, using that as my beacon of hope that I wasn’t blind! I realized early on that I was holding my breath so I focused on taking deep breaths and getting as much air as possible. I did not feel ANYTHING during the surgery – no pain at all, yet it was highly uncomfortable and I couldn’t wait for it to be over, just because it was so disorienting and somewhat scary.

The entire thing was over in less than five minutes. I was relieved when they said I could sit up and when I did, I could see perfectly! They had taped some crazy clear eye covers over my eyes so things were a big fuzzy, but there was no pain and everything looked fine! My dad drove me home and we were back at the house just after 5 p.m. The entire process was less than two hours. I was instructed to take a long nap and if I couldn’t, I needed to at least keep my eyes shut as much as possible for the next 2-3 hours. I took a 1.5 hour nap and then talked on the phone to Mike and my Mom with my eyes shut for the next 45 minutes or so. My dad filled my prescription of eye drops and I took them starting 2 hours after the surgery every 4 hours, even throughout the night (set an alarm).

The next day I was allowed to take my eye masks off but had to continue the drops 4 times a day. I headed to my post-op appointment at 9 a.m. and was told that my eyes looked great and my vision is 15/20! I couldn’t’ believe how well I could see and how pain-free the whole experience was. The only downside was that I have some inflammation in my right eye so I have to use the anti-inflammatory drops every 2 hours and come back for another appointment on Tuesday (i.e. drive 3 hours round trip during the workday for a 10 min appointment…). But in the grand scheme of things, I couldn’t ask for an easier process to get perfect vision! This will change my life!

Wearing Glasses 2 Day Pre-Surgery

If you are considering laser eye surgery, a few things to think about before scheduling your appointment that I didn’t realize. First, you cannot wear contacts for 2-3 days before your surgery so be prepared to wear glasses for those days. You can’t wear make-up or use lotion the day of your surgery. Also, you can’t wear eye make-up for 2 weeks post surgery and you can’t swim for 2-4 weeks (includes hot tubs). You have to wear the eye masks for 2 weeks and do the drops 4 times a day for one week. I can exercise but nothing too sweaty and I need to wear a sweat band while I do so to avoid sweat getting in my eyes. Laser eye surgery definitely will impact your life for a few weeks but not too significantly and it’s totally worth it for the amazing vision it produces!

Have you had laser eye surgery? If not, do you want to get it? Or are you blessed with perfect vision?!

Dailey Interval

10 Signs I’m Nearing 30

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I’m turning 30 this year (at the very end of this year, but as USAT sadly reminds me by moving me to the 30-34 year old age group prematurely, it is this year). For the first time in my life I don’t feel “young.” Don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t feel old – I know I have a lot of life left to live and 30 is now the “new 20″ as they say (or do they?), but I’m no spring chicken. Lately I’ve been noticing some “signs” that I’m leaving my youth and entering a new period of my life.

In no particular order:

I wear SPF 50 sunscreen to the beach. Not only do I wear sport SPF 50 sunscreen on most if not all runs, I also now wear SPF 50 sunscreen when I’m sunbathing. Gone are the days of SPF 3 tanning oils and cramming myself into a tanning bed coffin.

Sooo Tan (and Blonde)
I actually look back on some of the things I did in my early 20s and wonder how I survived. I’m starting to realize why mothers always want to rain on your party parade – they understand that although they certainly survived some crazy shenanigans, it doesn’t mean you will too.
Teenagers annoy me. Not individually (hello, my Girls on Track girls will soon be teenagers!), but rather in anonymous packs. I live next to the beach and in the summertime swarms of obnoxious, loud, and smelly teenagers hover around town. Mike and I have nicknamed them the locusts and we try to avoid walking in their path. I actually think I can relate to the teenagers’ parents more than I can relate to them.
On the other hand, I absolutely love to look at photos of babies. It used to annoy me when friends on Facebook constantly posted sonograms (still maybe TMI, still TBD on this one ) and photos of their babies, infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers doing “cute” things. Now that several of my friends are having babies, I now enjoy these photos. I even show them to Mike and say “Look at the baby!!!!” (No, there are no immediate plans for our own babies post wedding).
Yay Babies!
I look back on the things I did in my early 20s and admit I was a bit immature. At the time, I thought I knew it all. Now I know I didn’t. I also am wise enough to know that I don’t actually know it all now at age 29 and this probably won’t ever change.
Yes Nicole, Wearing Red Lingerie as a Devil Halloween Costume is Definitely a Good Idea
I can run faster than ever. Fortunately for me, running is my passion and not gymnastics (gave that up in 3rd grade after realizing I was already too tall), so I actually haven’t even reached my prime in my favorite sport yet. Since a large factor of running speed is time on your feet, I’ve actually heard that the 30-34 year old age group is more competitive than the 25-29 year old age group. I’ve gotta step up my game to compete in my new age group next year!
I eat for health, not appearance. Although I certainly care about the way I look, I primarily base on diet on what will prolong the length and quality of my life as well as fuel my workouts. In the past, I ate whatever food could convince me that it was “healthy,” even if the box listed 100 ingredients or it was a nasty poison I used to be addicted to called Diet Coke. I know that eating a diet high in animal protein will probably help me get my strong P90X body back slightly faster, but I also believe that that diet is not best for my long term health so I avoid it.
Enjoying Baked Lays at age 24 – “Healthy “Chips!? Sign Me Up (but don’t take my photo!)
I’d rather sit on the couch with friends and drink wine than go to a club. Case in point this weekend in Chicago when my friend planned a big night out at a nightclub on Saturday and by 9 p.m. we were on the couch, our headache from the previous night’s drinks still lingering, chatting blissfully make-up free. Instead of going out and creating new memories at the club, we reminisced about the crazy things we did when we were single, living downtown and on the prowl. In this case, we didn’t even drink wine due to the aforementioned headache.
With Lana (far right) and friends during one of our many nights out!
My hair stylist found a grey hair & I’m too old to try out for American Idol. Enough said.
I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. I always heard that women grow into their confidence and happiness in their 30s and I’m beginning to believe them. My life is by no means perfect but I’m pretty happy with the way things are going. Running, triathlon, fitness, and this blog are a big part of that contentment as well. I’m learning that happiness doesn’t always come in the form of the perfect job, owning a house, or a BQ (three things I’ve been known to chase). It comes from loving others and accepting their love in return, treating your body well, saying yes to adventures when they arise, and enjoying the most simple pleasures like my personal favorite of drinking coffee on a sunny patio on a Saturday morning with the one I love.

What clues have you noticed about yourself as you neared a certain age? Did you figure any of the above out way before 30?

Whirlwind Chicago Weekend

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Beautiful Chicago

One thing is for sure about Chicago – they got the nickname windy city right! This weekend I headed to Chicago for a 3 day weekend to visit my good friend Lana (and one of my bridesmaids) who lives in Chicago with her fiance. I’ve been to Chicago two times before but I was there for a work training and only got go into the city for limited amounts of time. So I’ve seen the big sites including attending a Cubs game, but I wouldn’t say I know the city well by any means.

I took a super early flight (Thanks Mike for the 5 a.m. ride to the airport!) on Friday and arrived in Chicago in time for lunch. Soon after Lana had to get back to work so I went for a run. I left her house which is near the south end of the Loop and headed east to the river. I looked up a route on Map My Run and figured out there was a path along the river so I’d just kind of go with the flow. Once I got out of the main part of the city, I found the water and a park. I started near a large fountain (later found out this is Grant Park) then headed north. I stopped several times to take photos and enjoyed the gloomy but humid weather and the beautiful surroundings. There were several boats in the harbor to my right and to my left, an ever expanding metropolis. It was beautiful!

No I Don’t Know These People….

Selfie time!

After a while I reached what I thought was the end of the path along the lake and started making my way to the West on a path that ran along the river (google says this is the Chicago Riverwalk). Soon I was running in a little boardwalk oasis through the city. I passed the Chicago Tribune building and several others that I didn’t recognize and followed the path until it ended near the Vietnam War Memorial. I climbed some stairs thinking maybe the path continued and then turned around when I realized it didn’t. I took some more photos then headed back.

Still Working on My Selfie Strategy

Vietnam Memorial

Once I got back to the path that I thought ended, I realized that it went up and over a bridge instead. Once I was over the bridge, I was right near the Navy Pier. I ran through a small park and ran around the Pier area and then headed North again to the Jane Addams Memorial Park. I ran out on the park which ends with a beautiful view of the city and took (shocker) more photos! I ran back out of the park and then up what appeared to be Chicago’s “beach” on the lake before turning around.

Navy Pier

Once I turned around I was greeted with a fabulous headwind, but since I was enjoying myself so much and had no eye on my watch, I didn’t mind. I headed back and went just a bit South of where I started to the beautiful aquarium, and then went home. It started to rain a little bit on my way back but not enough to bother me much. In total I ran 8 miles (longest run since the marathon) and it was an amazing way to see the city!

chicago 017

The rest of my weekend was equally amazing. Friday night we went to dinner and then saw an comedy show at the 2nd City (“Let Them Eat Chaos” – it was a mix of drama, singing, improv comedy and even some rapping – somewhat reminiscent of a Saturday Night Live show in some ways). Afterward we headed to a few bars in the area. The next morning we had the most delicious (and totally not vegan) breakfast at an amazing coffee shop before heading to Lincoln Park to take advantage of the totally free and totally awesome zoo. We walked around the park and then headed into the city for some shopping (in the rain) before eating deep dish pizza and salad for dinner at Lou Malnati’s. Delish! We ultimately decided to make it a night in on Saturday night despite our intentions to make it to local nightclub. We just aren’t motivated to go out on the town two nights in a row anymore!

Yummy Chicago Dinner Friday Night

Gorillas – They’re Just Like Us!

Love Lana!

Mini Deep Dish

Sunday morning I headed home. It’s safe to say that Chicago is an amazing city with so many things to offer! I wish I had more time to explore and also visit some of the spectacular museums as well as try more of the innovative restaurants. The best part of the weekend though was catching up with my girlfriend – there is nothing better than getting to spend two full days of quality time with a good friend that you don’t get to see often!

Have you ever been to Chicago? What is your favorite part of the city? Do you also like to go for runs to explore new cities while on vacation?

Hot Yoga Wannabe

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One of my post marathon (actually, Post Ironman…) plans was to try new things. After subjecting my body to mile after mile after mile of endurance sports for the last year and a half, it is about time that I gave it some variety. One of those new things that I’ve always wanted to try is hot yoga. I’ve actually become somewhat of a yogi in the last few months and have been going to a lunchtime yoga class at my local gym once a week (I never missed a week from December to May!). Hot yoga,I had heard, is a whole different beast than your run of the mill gym class yoga and since I’m always up for new challenges, it has been on my radar for some time.

I heard that Yoga Six in Carlsbad (at the Forum Shops) was a great studio and even better, they offer 6 free classes to new members that you can use over the course of 2 weeks. Yoga Six has three studios and offers a variety of classes at various levels and even a barre class (which I unfortunately did not get to try).

According to the Yoga Six website, the benefits of hot yoga are:

Practitioners of hot yoga receive all the traditional benefits of yoga and more! Added heat increases heart rate, which encourages the body to spend more energy (calories) in its efforts to stay cool during exercise. In addition, the warmer environment dilates the capillaries, which facilitates greater distribution of oxygen. Increasing oxygen to muscles, glands, organs and other tissues also helps remove more toxins, which results in greater benefits for the immune system. Finally, once the body is warmed through movement the heat helps the body’s natural stretch mechanism, allowing for greater range of motion in joints, muscles, and ligaments.

My first class was two weeks ago exactly and as usual, I underestimated how long it would take me to get there and showed up just as class was starting, flustered and probably with my clothes on backward since I had changed at stop lights. I quickly jumped into my first class (Y60 Classic/Hot), laid out my mat and thought to myself, It’s not that hot.

The class wasn’t very full and the moves weren’t anything I hadn’t done before. To be honest, it was very similar to my free gym yoga class except it was heated. I was sweaty, but the heat was a dry heat so it wasn’t overwhelming or stifling. I enjoyed the class and felt like it was a great stretch but not a great challenge. I also realized sometime during the class that the people around me seemed to know the moves were coming, which made me think that the routine didn’t change week to week (this was later confirmed – same routine each time in the Classic class).

The next week (bad time to get into a free two week yoga class when you have two weekends in a row that you can’t make it to class for one reason or another) I headed to the Y60 Fusion Class with my good friend/bridesmaid/workout buddy Allison. We were late again and the class was VERY crowded. We both squeezed in very close to our fellow classmates- the room was packed. The heater was right by my mat and I was dripping sweat within 5 minutes of the class. Fusion is a harder class – the poses are held longer and there is less stretching and more strength work. I was pouring sweat – when I went into downward dog sweat would run into my mouth and nose. At one point we had to hold our hands behind our backs and I was astounded that anyone could do so because my fingers just kept slipping. To be honest, it was hard to enjoy myself because I was so distracted by the immense amount of sweat. I ran to the bathroom after class and found that my mascara was all over my face (thank goodness for a spot at the back!) and even after washing it off, I still left class on the fence as to whether or not I liked hot yoga.

However, my third class was much better than the first two. Allison and I went to a 7 a.m. Classic class on Friday morning after a short run together. The class was taught by a very hippie yogi dude who often explained how the moves were benefiting our bodies and souls. The class was just what I needed- a nice stretch in a warm but not crazy hot room at the end of a hard week of workouts. I left class in a great mood and began to lean back toward loving hot yoga.

Tonight I took my fourth and final class before my two week guest pass expired. I went back to the same Fusion class I took last week. This time I knew what I was getting myself into. I brought a towel to put on my mat and during the portion where I had to hold my slippery fingers together behind my back, I grasped a smaller towel. I wore waterproof mascara all day in anticipation of the class. The room was slightly less crowded but by halfway through you might have thought I just jumped out of a pool. I worked on my breathing, my form, and bent my knees even deeper during the warrior moves and during chair pose. I left class feeling great – I guess maybe I do like hot yoga.

Now the question is, do I love it enough to buy classes? Do I want to try another studio? Still figuring all of that out but for now, I’m just going to focus on re hydrating!

Have you ever tried hot yoga? Do you like it? Any tips for beginners?

Mountains To Beach Spectator Report

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Mike and I have just returned home after an amazing getaway weekend! We are so glad that we somewhat last minute decided to get out out of Dodge for the long weekend and head to Ventura to in large part to watch my Dad and Step Mom run the Mountains to Beach Marathon. We honestly didn’t know much about Ventura at all (or even that it was a beach city) but after some research we found that it is a beautiful coastal city sandwiched between LA and Santa Barbara with a very walkable downtown. Nearby Ojai, where the marathon starts, is a smaller town with a country feel nestled at the base of the Sulphur and Topatopa Mountains in the Ventura River Valley.

First let me say the weekend started off even better because on Friday morning I went for a 3.5 mile run with one of my good friends and co-worker Allison and then we headed to a hot yoga class at Yoga Six (we both have a 2 week, 6 class pass right now). The class was my favorite yet and when I arrived at work I was feeling energized and refreshed. Soon after arriving at work we were told that we could take off for the long weekend at 1 p.m. so I was able to scoot out of work and get to the beach for some sun and reading (wearing SPF 50 sunscreen of course… I’ve decided a sure sign that you are getting older is if you were SPF over 30 to the beach).

Amazing Beach Weather!

When I returned from my relaxing afternoon the day got even sweeter when I checked my email and found out I had been voted Coach of the Season for Girls on the Run by my team! I am so incredibly honored and was honestly shocked because I had no idea the girls liked me so much!

Saturday morning Mike and I slept in and then packed up our things, ate breakfast, and got on the road to Ventura. It took us a little over 4 hours to get there including stops (and LA traffic) and we continued on to Ojai which is another 30 or so minutes away from Ventura. I had researched hiking trails and had found there was a great trail head in Ojai that led to several hikes. I picked a 5 mile route and we quickly got on our way, eager to get out of the car we’d been trapped inside for so long.

The hike was pretty easy on an effort scale and the best part was that there were little to no other people on the trail. We did come across a few people on horseback, a couple mountain bikers and a few hikers, but overall we saw less than 10 people over the course of the 1.5 hours we were hiking. It was an absolutely gorgeous day - around 70 degrees and very sunny – and we enjoyed each other’s company and vowed to hike in San Diego more often.

After the hike we checked into our Bed and Breakfast (Bella Maggiore Inn), which we were very happy to see was literally right in the center of downtown. The hotel was super affordable and included free wine and appetizers nightly as well as free breakfast – I highly recommend it! Our only concern was that we were in room 17 which was rumored to be haunted – luckily we never had a run in with the ghost! After cleaning up and quickly taking advantage of the free wine, we met up with my Dad and Step Mom for an early carbo-loading session at a local Italian restaurant. They were excited and a little nervous for the race and told us their race strategy (finish!) and what they’d be wearing so we could look out for them. After dinner we walked around town, ate gelato and then after they went off to bed, Mike and I headed to the only local brewery for one pint of beer before an early bedtime.

Indeed, Wise Pint Glass, Indeed

We were thankful not be racing that morning since the 5:45 wake up call seemed early enough. We grabbed coffee and walked about 1.5 miles to approximately Mile 6 of the course, which was on the bike path that winds next to Highway 33. As soon as we arrived and got out our sign and cow bells, the runners were paying full attention to us. We quickly realized that they must have had nearly no course support because everyone was SO happy to see us. Runner after runner thanked us for being there, smiled at us, told us what a great sign we had, and expressed their love of the cowbell. It was absolutely amazing and incredibly fun! I actually felt like I couldn’t really even take a break to sip my coffee because I was required to cheer on every single runner that ran by. Because the course was so narrow at this point and there aren’t many runners in the race as a whole, it was almost an intimate feeling. We literally cheered on every single person that ran by.

Runners on the Path

When we saw my Dad and Denice approaching (faster than expected!) I flipped my sign around to show them the message I wrote just for them (the other side had my favorite mantra, Pain is Temporary, Pride is Forever which I picked up from a race sign at the La Jolla Half in 2011). They excitedly high fived us and cheered and it looked like they were having a blast!

As soon as they left we ran about 2 miles ahead to meet them around mile 7. Once we got to our destination (the race looped a bit so we cut off the loop) we held up our sign again and started to cheer. Within minutes, runners started to recognize us from the bike path. “Hey!! Didn’t I just see you!?” “Hey, there you are again!” “Wow you guys are fast!!” “How’d you get here already!” Mike would respond “Didn’t I just see you!?” “There you are again!” parroting them. It was pretty funny and also awesome because people told us that they hoped to see us again at the finish line with our sign. I was surprised at how many people interacted with us!

Once my Dad and Denice came by again, we high fived them and I got a photo and we moved on. This time we went to the finish line which was nearby and decided to make our way back.As we were about 1/4 mile from the finish line I spotted Sarah in her Oiselle singlet. I screamed and cheered for her and later found out she had an awesome PR, right after PRing at Eugene 4 weeks ago!

We ran a bit and ended up about 1/2 mile from the finish line. We busted out the sign and the cowbells and cheered on every single runner that ran by for the next 30 minutes. This time we encouraged them to pick it up, told them they were in the home stretch, said they were almost there, etc. One guy was walking and after he saw our sign, he started to run! Despite it being toward the end of a hard race, we still got a ton of people telling us “third time!” “you are everywhere!” “thank you for being out here!” “love the sign!” and one woman even told us that she thought our about sign for the entire race!

Once I saw my Dad running up without Denice, I gave Mike the sign and jumped in with him. He was looking strong and told me that Denice was cramping back at mile 10.5 or so and they split up. He was running pretty fast ( I didn’t have my Garmin but it was definitely sub 10 by the feel of it) and I ran side by side with him. I told him how great he was doing and kept up the words of encouragement. He said his calves were tired but overall he felt good. Once we got to the finish chute (which is about .15 miles long I’d guess?), I let him go but I ran next to the chute, waving through spectators and cheering loudly for him. Watching him cross the finish line was pretty much as awesome as crossing it myself. I was so proud!

I greeted him at the finish and we chatted for a couple minutes before I ran back and just as I got to the end of the finish chute, I saw Denice coming! I did the same thing for her and ran down the side of the chute cheering for her as she finished. She was only about 4 minutes behind my dad and was looking strong as well! I couldn’t be happier that my Dad and Step Mom were able to not only complete P90X together but also change their lifestyles for the healthier and train together for their first half marathon. What an incredible accomplishment!

After a yummy breakfast with the race finishers and saying goodbye, Mike and I spent the rest of the day enjoying Ventura. We went for a walk, took a short nap, went on an hour-ish hike through the Ventura Bontantical Garden (more steep than our Ojai hike!), drank beers on our sunny hotel patio and then cleaned up and headed for buy 1 get 1 free wine tasting a local wine bar, followed by more wine, and a cheese plate. Of course we couldn’t watch a marathon without talking about our next one, and we ended up making a list of all of the marathons we want to run in our lives and have decided we need to stop running the same ones (ahem, Surf City) and start running our bucket list races! We finished the evening with a delicious vegetarian dinner at a local Indian restaurant.

View From the Top!

We wrapped up the weekend on Monday morning with our delicious free breakfast and coffee at the hotel (seriously I recommend this hotel!) and a walk on the beach before heading home. I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend! I’m excited for many more races, hikes, and race spectating trips in the future!

Ventura Boardwalk Memorial Day

Have you ever race spectated with a sign? What did you write on it and how did people react?

Heading to the Mountains to Cheer!

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With My Parents at their first race – the Hot Chocolate 15k!

Quick post to say I’m super excited about this 3 day weekend mostly because I get to watch these people dominate their first half marathon! If anyone will be at the Mountains to Beach Marathon in Ojai/Ventura this weekend, look for me on the sidelines cheering my awesome Dad and Step Mom on! After they completed P90X earlier this year they set their sights on their first half marathon and have been training for a solid 4 months. Mike and I are making a mini vacay out of it and staying 2 nights in a cute B&B. We plan to hike, drink wine & coffee, relax, and most importantly, be the best race cheerleaders there ever were!

I’ve also got my eye on the Mountains to Beach Marathon as my BQ attempt for next year so it’ll be great to check it out in person. The thought of training for another marathon through the winter doesn’t sit well with me, so I think the M2B race might be at the perfect time. It’s also net downhill….

Happy Memorial Day!!!!

Fitness Fatale

Conquering Fitness Goals One at a Time