The Winner Is....

I’m so excited to announce the winner of my first blog give away! I do want to thank Hailey at Ifitness for hosting!

So the winner of a new hydration belt from Ifitness is..........*insert drum roll here*

BARBARA

CONGRATS Barbara. Here is the comment she eft on my “My Favorite Things & Ifitiness Giveway”

“Hey, we share some fave things - I LOVE that Neutrogena sunscreen (well, as much as one can love a sunscreen) and I love my lululemon key cuff. I have been trying to justify (to myself) getting an iFitness belt for a few weeks now...”

Hope you enjoy it! Please email me so we can get the belt sent out to you as soon as possible. kristylee815@gmail.com

Thank you to everyone who entered, don’t forgot to check my blog for other give aways. Since your here you might as well take a look at my previous posts, and learn more about me!

HAPPY NHL KINGS PLAYOFF DAY!!! GO KINGS GO!!!

My Weekend Run - Hittin the Trails

When Penny and I decided to meet up yesterday to go for a run there was no intention of getting on a trail. We were going to do 10 miles through the beautiful hills of Palos Verde and call it a day. I had told her that once LA Marathon was over I wanted to try new things. Trail running was one of them.

I had attempted it before about a year ago, it was fun, but I think the trail was a little advanced for me. Penny assured me that we would fine something that I would enjoy and more at my level. Robert and I are hikers so I knew a little about trails, but not enough for me to feel comfortable just jumping on one for a weekend run.

Hiking Harding Truck Trail in Orange County

We started our run around 6:30 so we could avoid the heat. The past few days have been pretty hot hitting high 80‘s, so the early the better. When I got to her house we could hear the fog horns going off from San Pedro so we knew that a cool marine layer was waiting for us.

View of the cliffs of Palos Verde

We headed out and about mile 3 Penny pointed out the entrance to the Ocean Trails that she usually runs with her four legged running buddy Velcro. She said “we’ll come back here one day and run those. You’d enjoy those trails” I agreed and we kept on going.

Penny got this beautiful shot

We went up a little more when Penny said “You know lets just got now. Why not, are you up for it”.....Sure was! We hopped the fence and started our way up the coast towards Trump Golf Course. It was BEAUTIFUL..ocean to the left with flowers to the right. I just wanted to dive into the flowers and take a nap. The weather was perfect, and after a while I forgot I was even running at all. Like I said I’ve hiked many times but this was different, it was so quite and just PERFECT. I took off my earphones so I could hear my feet hitting the trail, I now love that sound. We saw a few others just doing their normal Sunday morning walks and exchanged the normal runner/walker “Good Morning”.

Flowers were all a bloom

We hit the Trump Golf Course and decided to take a small break. This is when Penny introduced me to “trail food”. A PB&J Crustable sandwich and M&M’s...SHUT UP PENNY!!! You mean to tell me I can all my favorite snacks and run trails!!?!! This morning was getting better and better! I’m a GU girl, have never done the PB&J for a snack while running..I think she hooked me on that too. Trails and PB&J is complete heaven for me!

Heaven

Since we made a change in our run jumping on the trail it put us past our scheduled mileage, so we could either head back on Palos Verde, or get back on the Ocean Trail, we decided with the trail. We did maybe another 2 miles until it finally took us back onto Palos Verde Rd. From there was the home stretch back to San Pedro.

Our "Finishers" photo

I’ve had some awesome runs, but yesterday had me smiling all day long. What a perfect way to end my weekend, and get ready for my work week. I’m definitely going to be doing this again and I’m even looking up small trail races. So if you can suggest any to me please do!

So that was my weekend workout. Later today I’ll be posting the winner of the Ifitness Belt Give Away, so you have a little bit to get your entry in. I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of week!

"My Favorites Things" & Ifitness Giveaway!

I decide to combine the two things that pretty much take up allot of my life on this post, running and makeup. I started running about 4 years ago, and have been a makeup artist in between my “adult job” for about 8 years

From Runner to...

Makeup Artist...

I always get questions from people about products, or how to’s in running, make up, hair, or skin care. So I'll be doing product reviews once a month on things that I absolutely love. Now, this isn't only for the ladies either, I'll have tons of stuff coming up for my male readers as well! I'll be reaching out to a few friends of mine in the hair and skin care industry to help out with how things work and why they love them too. Hope you'll enjoy this as much as I enjoyed putting it together!

So here are the first set of products that I don't leave the house without!! I have all of them in my gym!!

Eminence Organic Skin Care Toner: Sweet Red Rose Mist

I LOVE THIS TONER!! During the summer I used to get small break outs on my shoulders and chest from sweating during my workouts, especially around my sport bra area. I reached out to my friend Caleah who is a esthetician in the San Diego area for help. She suggested that I use this toner before and after my running, as well as before bed. Here’s how she said it works,

“The Sweet Red Rose Mist is a great after workout product because it is formulated for dry dehydrated skin. As you are expelling energy, you are sweating and losing moisture. Not only would the rose mist replenish moisture to the surface level, but it has salicylic acid in it to remove surface impurities and kill bacteria, which is necessary after sweating toxins out of your skin. This particular mist also contains Lemon to tone and refresh the skin. Any of the Eminence Mists are great, if someone has dry dehydrated skin, rose is ideal, if someone has oily/breakout prone/ or normal skin then Lime or Rosehip are good choices. Rosehip has a super high concentration of natural Vitamin C, which is good for protection in sunlight and acne but not as good for blackheads, so avoid Vitamin C products if you have blackheads. My personal favorite is the Lime, I used it on a daily basis during those sticky summer days in Los Angeles, and even took it with me to the beach, day spa and used it at night before bed, and even sprayed it on my yoga mat, and in my hair. The Lime mist is refreshing the only downside is it makes you really want a margarita!”

Like I said before I LOVE IT!! This is a must have in your gym bag and at home. You can get this product on Amazon for about $35.00. My bottle has lasted me about 6 months.

Redken Color Extend Sun

ATTENTION SWIMMERS!!!!!!!! This one is for you!! Since I started swimming last year I was afraid of one thing, my hair color. I spend allot of money on my hair, so I wanted something that was going to keep my hair healthy and keep my hair color still looking fresh. My stylist Diane Couto of Valdemar Hair Studio recommended I try this product. The spray protects your hair from UVA/UVB rays and chlorine damage, its also water resistant. I spray it all over, then throw my swim cap on right over it. When I run outside I spritz just a little right on my ponytail. If your going to put sunblock on your face why not your hair too. You can also get this from Amazon for about $15.00 or a local hair salon that uses Redken products.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 70

I can’t express to you how important it is to use sunblock, and its the #1 thing that people forget to put on, this is for the male readers as well SUNSCREEN, SUNSCREEN, SUNSCREEN!! I use this alone as well as right under my makeup ALL THE TIME. It’s really sheer and doesn’t have that greasy feeling and it water proof for swimming. This is also another product that was recommended to me from Caleah. She had a few others that she wanted to mention as well,

“I like the Sport Face SPF 70 for runners, and the Sheer dry touch which ranges from 15 to 70 for daily use. You can use a lower SPF like a 15 or 20 for daily use so you can still get the benefits of sunlight and Vitamin D, but even minimal protection is needed daily. I also like Neutrogena Kids Watergaurd SPF spray in a 70. The Kid or Baby versions of water resistant sunscreens are a good workout option because they a usually formulated to avoid transfer into the eyes, and are a little more gentle on the skin”

These products can be found at any grocery store type stores starting at $9.99.

Lululemon Key Cuff

I always enjoy going out for a “naked run” but I always had to find a place to put my house key. I would normally throw it in my sports bra, but its gross and uncomfortable having something that sharp in there. I had to find something! A few friends use this cuff so I decided to head over to Lululemon and pick one up. This cuff is fantastic!! I’ve used in many races holding my GU, also used it for money and have even put my credit card in there to take a running trip to the store. Its easy to get things out and it holds ALLOT. It comes in several colors and can be found at your local Lululemon Store for $10.00

Ifitness Hydratin Belt

Once I got my Iphone the hydration belt that I had didn’t have a pocket big enough for the phone as well as other things. It was either buy a arm band for my iphone, which added more things to carry around on my run, or just not run with my phone at all. I already had the double pouch belt, but I needed a hydration belt that would fit everything. I saw Ifitness came out with one at the Surf City expo, bought it and used it the next day for the race. I forgot I even had it on, no bounce, didn’t slide up, and sits perfect on your hips..honesly it was super comfortable. There are two small elastic slots that I used to hold my GU packs, or you can also attach your bib to them. The pocket is big enough for my phone, car key, and ID. The belt alone made me a instant fan, but to make me a bigger fan is their customer service. I emailed them after Surf City to express how happy I was with the product and got an immediate response from Hailey thanking me for the email. A few weeks later I had to contact Hailey again because a small tear started to form near the bottle pocket. I asked if they were going to have a booth at the LA Marathon expo which was about 3 weeks away, and if it was possible to do exchange. She immediately replied back to me letting me know they wanted to make sure I had a belt before the expo for training, so she was shipping one out to me. About 2 days later a new belt arrived in the mail. Not to mention she supplied shipping information instantly to me to return my first belt. It didn't matter if I hadn't returned mine back yet, they only cared that I had a belt for my training. Not sure how many online stores would do this, but Ifitness took care of everything! So if your looking for a new hydration belt, I highly recommend this one for both the product and service! You can either purchase one from their online store or.....WIN ONE here!

Its very simple to enter, there are 3 ways so you have 3 chances!!

1. Leave a comment here.

2. Retweet my blog post, but remember to add my name when retweeting so I can keep track @kristylpants.

3. Go to Facebook “like” Ifitness on Facebook. Leave a comment on their page letting them know I sent you!

Winner will be announced next Tuesday, make sure to tell a friend! GOOD LUCK EVERYONE and thanks for stopping by!

Seal Beach 5k

It was nice to have a bib on and be at a start line waiting for a race to begin this weekend. Not to mention Robert and I had a great date night planned for Saturday night, so it was going to be a good day!!

I haven’t done much running since the LA Marathon monsoon, so this 5k was perfect. I’ve always wanted to do this race, so when my friend Krissy asked me to run with her I couldn’t pass it up. She has been working really hard on training, so I wanted to be there with her for her first race!

Our Cheering Team, Robert & Paul

We got to the race pretty early which gave us a little time to meet up with some other running friends and chat for a while. I finally got to see Maggie!! YAY! Then we were joined by Jessica and Manuel at the start, who were both doing the 10k. Being there a little early I think helped Krissy with race day jitters. She was very nervous because she had been having shin splints off and on for a while. She even told me she was having "race dreams"..I know those very well! We all told her she was going to do great, and I made sure she knew I was going to stay with her the whole time.

Some shennanigens walking to the start

We were easily spotted by everyone because Krissy and I decided to wear our bright orange matching soccer jerseys, and I wore a bright orange LA Marathon visor to give it a little more flare. We were very ORANGE to say the least! I wanted to make this fun for her so I suggested we use the bright jerseys....Your probably wondering why the jerseys? So lets go off the race report real quickly for a explanation. During the month of October Robert, myself and Krissy’s husband Paul all work at Knott’s Berry Farm Halloween Haunt.

Our boys of Halloween Haunt

I’m a make-up artist, Robert and Paul get put into make-up to scare guests in the park. Krissy’s is our number 1 guest and a Haunt wife. If you ever have the pleasure of going backstage to this event, you’ll see allot of jerseys worn before everyone gets into their costumes. Most areas have these jerseys made so the people who work there can represent their “scare zones” It’s a way of saying this is “My Team” (Thanks Cody) So our little group decided to make these soccer jerseys for “our team” which the boys (our husbands or boyfriends) call “The Regulators” We wear them to our little events that we have together to show we're a "team". That's the story on our BRIGHT orange jerseys!

Me with one of the characters I makeup in October

Ok now back to the race report.....We started in wave 3 which was the under 9 min mile group. We were doing great through mile one just trucking along chatting a little. I check Mr G 2.0 to see what pace she was hitting, and to my surprise she had us at a 11:46 pace. I wanted to tell her but I figured if I kept it on the DL, it would be best. I didn't want to start throwing times and paces at her to make her nerves kick in again, so we just coasted along.

When we came around the 1.5 mile turn I noticed a spectator that looked just like my dad….sure enough to my surprise, there was my pops. He came down to watch and of course meet up for breakfast after. I got a quick hug from him and we were off.

The back of our jersey hitting the finish!

When we saw the mile 2 marker I made sure to say “One more mile YAY!! GO KRISSY GO” I figured if I kept my cheerleading going on it would make things fun...luckily she didn’t punch me in the face for being so Cheertastic!

Regulator's 1st 5k: Mission Complete!

Up to this point we hadn't walked at all. I was feeling great and Krissy's shins were doing just fine. We hit a water station for a quick cup and headed off again. She told me that the longest she had ran was 2.31 miles, so I kept a eye on Mr G 2.0 and let her know the minute our mile hit 2.35. “You just pasted up your longest run and we’re almost done!!" I saw a giant smile on her face and I could tell her race jitters were way gone by that point.

My new 5k running partner!

We hit the turn onto Ocean and there was the finish. I picked up the pace just a tad to see if she would stay with me and she did. As the crowd got thicker the finish line got closer. I turned around a few times to make sure she was right behind me. Her and I hit the finish line for her first 5k at 36:58..WOOHOOOO!!!

I can't express how PROUD I am of her! She did something that not allot of people can say they've done. Whether your running a 5k or a full marathon, its takes allot of courage to get to that start line and she did it!! I did ask her if she would do another and she's ready!! Looks like I have a new 5k running buddy..now lets see if I can get her to a 10k!!

Oh and your probably wondering about our "date night". Robert and I have been going to Kevin & Bean's April Foolishness comedy show for the past 2 years. The show is a charity event done by a radio morning show here in LA on KROQ. This year they raised money for Wounded Warriors Project and Cedars-Sinai Health System. The night started with dinner at Miceli's, the restaurant with singing waiters SUPER FUN! Then we headed off to the Gibson Theater at Universal City for the show. It was great as usual and the comics were awesome! If you live in LA this is definitely as show you might want to catch!

Stay tuned for my next blog post which will be my favorite things...just like Oprah does, but less expensive!

My race calendar for 2011 is here!!!

Now that LA Marathon is finished, its time for me to pick a few races for the year. I ran allot of half marathons last year, so I'd like to focus on a few 5k & 10k races. Surprisely I enjoyed the 26.2 distance so I'm definitely going to run another full this year as well.

I want to focus on getting faster and make running more enjoyable then what it already is for me. I also decided that I'm going to get back in the pool. I found a really great adult swim class at our city pool last summer that helped with technique and breathing, so I'm definitely going to sign up again. It's a great incentive when I go running during the summer to be able jump in the pool after. Once I get my breathing down perhaps a sprint tri will be in my future, if not this year maybe next year. Penny has also convinced me to try a trail run again. I'm very excited about it, I love hiking so this may be a new fun thing for me. We're already planned to hit up the trails of Malibu on April 10!

So here it is my 2011 race calendar...there may be changes but as of right now this is it!

Seal Beach 5k - April 2

Palos Verde Half Marathon - May 14

Fresno Classic Half Marathon - May 22

Long Beach Full Marathon - October 9

Long Beach Turkey Trot 10k - November 24

Las Vegas Rock N Roll Half Marathon - Dec 4

Santa to the Sea - Dec 11

I took the week off of running since LA. Spent some time with Robert and enjoyed a fun weekend of Disneyland and the movies. I had a little muscle pain pop up behind my knee that went into my calve, so I've been foam rolling and trying to get it back into shape. Its feeling allot better then it did a week ago, so I think tomorrow I may try something small around the neighborhood. This weekend will be my first little race since LA. My friend Krissy has been working really hard on training for a 5k so I'll be running with her in Seal Beach. I know she's going to do great.

If you have any 5k's you'd like to recommend to me in the OC or LA area please let me know!

Next post will be for the ladies....beauty products to keep your skin and hair looking fresh during hot summer training!

LA Marathon - Race Report

Rain-storm, noun. – a storm accompanied by rain.

Storm, noun. – An atmospheric disturbance of strong winds accompanied by rain, snow or other precipitation and often by thunder and lighting

I felt as though I need to share with you the meaning of a rainstorm because that’s pretty much what I had to run through for my first marathon experience. Everyone kept saying “Your going to remember your first marathon forever, take everything in and enjoy yourself” Well I did take everything in and so did my shoes, pants, shirt, hat and even Mr G my Garmin (R.I. P. Mr G). It was indeed an experience I will remember forever, and if someone asked me if I would do it again the answer would be ABSOLUTELY...just hopefully in better weather!

My weekend of becoming a marathoner started on Saturday. My dad was also running so he and Robert went down to Dodger stadium with me to pick up our bibs and shirts in the afternoon. We met up with my friend Brent who was running and was just as nervous as I was. The last time he ran a full marathon was Long Beach in 1990. He was really looking forward to redeeming himself in this race since his first wasn’t really what he expected. He had been training for the Susan Komens 3 Day Walk for Breast Cancer, so once that was finished he wanted to keep the training going so he decided mid November to run LA. We constantly went back and forth via email with strategy plans and how we were doing with our training, so I was excited that he was there running with me.

The start at Dodger Stadium

I was looking at all the LA marathon merchandise and decided that since it was my first full I wanted something, a hat or even sweatshirt. But this time my dad wanted to get me something so he bought me this fancy bright orange LA Marathon jacket. I love it and love it even more that he bought it for me.

The bright orange LA Marathon jacket my dad got me. I wanted that chair so bad!

That night I had a light dinner with Robert then headed over to stay at my parents house. I was in bed by 10 and alarm went off at 2:30am. I slept fairly well which was surprising because I was super nervous. Dad and I were out the door by 3:45 did our normal 7-11 stop so he could get coffee, still don't know how he does this coffee thing before a run. We made it to Santa Monica by 4:45, and did a little run warm up to the shuttle area. The shuttle ride is what really got my nerves, and my thoughts were going all over the place. Everyone look liked zombies on that ride to Dodger Stadium and when I saw the shuttle driver turn on the wipers I knew we were in for a wet day. I had been on denial of the weather since it kept going back and forth 50%, 11%, 30%, then back to 11% change of rain. I came prepared with a rain type running jacket and running tights which was a last minute wardrobe change from shorts and a tank top. I can handle the rain I just can’t handle it hitting my face, totally freaks me out.

Dad and I got off the shuttle and OH MY GOODNESS it was cold. We went straight to the stadium to use the restroom and get out of the wind. Dad told me to meet him back at section 44 after I was done. So that’s exactly what I did, but to my surprise my dad wasn’t there so I sort of got into a panic mode “where is he”, “what if I don’t find him before the race starts”, “what if he said section 34 and I’m here at 44 but now he’s looking for me and we don’t find each other “, “I can’t run this race alone without dad”, I was seriously starting to feel like a 5 year old who got lost at the mall. My dad doesn’t carry his cell phone with him and he’s known to sort of wonder away, so I didn’t know what to do. I decided to just take a gamble and ask someone nicely to yell for my dads name in the bathroom for me, but before I could even do that I found him still waiting in line. How is the mens restroom line LONGER then the women’s?? Finally my heart stopped pounding and I repeated to my dad like 6 times "I’ll be at section 44, go to section 44, section 44 ok”! As I waited for him I found Bob, Melissa and Candice sitting in the stadium trying to stay warm, oh familiar faces thank goodness!!! I said a quick hello gave a few hugs, they assured me I was going to do great and then I was off to...well you guessed it...Section 44 to get my dad who was not allowed to leave my sight again for the rest of the day!

Our very fashionable throw away outfits!

I got a text from Lauren and Jordan letting me know they were heading over to the corral. So we went over found everyone. The only person missing was Brent. He was texting letting me know that he was stuck in traffic on the 5 and didn’t think he was going to start the race with us. I let him know we were by the 5 hour pacer if he made it in time thats where to find us. Luckily he made it and we were all together to start this journey through LA. I was beyond happy to have the girls there with me, Brent and my dad all starting the race together. It calmed my nerves so much and I was feeling really good and so excited.

Smiling early in the run!

Finally we reached the start line and we were off. Miles 1-3 were perfect, we kept a comfortable 11 min mile pace and we were all staying together. Not sure what water station it was, but some how my dad and I lost everyone. I even lost my dad for a second, but after what happen at the stadium I made sure to let him know “please don’t get lost” So the rest of the race was just me and dad with hopes of finding everyone one else at some point. We coasted miles 5-8 with a perfect pace and I was doing exactly what Penny told me too, “enjoy the moment look around, give kids high fives when you see them, have fun” The rain was hitting, but not to much yet until we hit the Hollywood area at mile 9 then it dumped on us for the rest of the run. We were hitting puddles that were ankle deep. I mean it went from a slight tolerable rain to “are you kidding me” within seconds. I had no choice but to embrace it and take everything in. I was already wet there was no use crying over it. I looked up and all around while running down Sunset, I wanted to remember everything. I did have to stop for a potty break so I let dad know and when I came out I found my dad drinking a Starbucks coffee!! He went into Starbucks to get a little warm and the lady gave him a free coffee. Leave it to my dad to run about a 1/2 mile with coffee in hand.

We finally hit mile 15 and I check Mr G to see what my time was and I realized I had hit stop when I was wiping the rain off the lens. I was able to figure out that it was about a mile off so every time I looked I had to remind myself to add a mile. Most of the inflatable mile markers were down because of the storm so all I had was Mr G to guide me.

There's the rain, yup it was like that the whole time!

Dad kept checking up on me asking if I was ok, I just smiled every time and said yup! He told me how proud he was over and over throughout the coarse, and said "We're doing great time for your first marathon" I couldn't help my smile every time he cheered me on.

Mile 17 was my dream mile...RODEO DRIVE!! The stores, oh all the designer stores!! Dresses, shoes and purses OH MY!! I couldn't help but to try to window shop as I ran by. It was pouring rain more then anything but I didn't notice because of all the sparkly things in the windows. I had a joke with Lauren telling her it would be funny if I was seen running the rest of the race with a Louis Vuitton bag over my shoulder. Her response "I wouldn't be surprised" HAHA!

At mile 18 I found my cousin Mary working the water station. She was unable to run this year so she decided to volunteer. You have no idea how it felt to see my cousin there at 18 screaming and crying for us. She was so happy and hugged me so tight telling me how proud she was and how she was waiting until we got to her before she left. She even made me cry a little, she just kept saying "I'm so proud of you guys, so proud" After seeing her my adrenaline went through the roof. I was ready to finish the race and get out of this rain!

My legs began to get heavy around mile 20 and continued to stay that way the entire time, so we started a run walk with a group that was pacing for a 5:30 finish. When we hit 22 the rain became more of intense and I swear as I looked down I saw hail. I was over it by then and looked at my dad telling him "I don't want to do this anymore, my feet are wet, I'm cold this sucks" He just smirked a little and reminded me we only had 4 miles to go. "We can do this come on, just a few more miles and we’re done. Up there right around the corner mom and Robert are waiting for us”

Around mile 19-20

So I pumped my little legs and ran as much as I could, the wind was now forcing the rain to come in at a angle so all I could do was keep my head down so my hat could cover my face...rain on my face ARGHH!! I swear miles 22-26 feel like they take hours to finish. When was this street going to end??? I just wanted to see the beach and mile marker 25. Finally we go to the corner my dad was telling me about, and I look ahead of me to see if I could see the orange finish line. The rain and wind were so bad that stuff was flying all over the place. Then in the distance I saw the finish, mile 26.2 and I got the biggest lump in my throat ever. I can’t believe I’m doing this, I’m finishing my first marathon!! I thought of my grandpa and my friend Esrin who were with me the whole time watching over me. I thought about all the times I was a spectator waiting for my dad to finish and how much I envied the runners and now I was one of those runners. My dad ran a little past me to hit the finish a few seconds before me. I couldn’t wait to get to that finish, so I ran a little faster and I heard some people cheer for me but all I could focus on was my dad. He crossed turn around and threw his arms in the air screaming “YOU DID IT, YOU DID IT!!” He hugged me so hard and thats when I finally burst into tears. I did do it!!! I finished through the worst rain conditions I have ever seen in Southern California, and I'm a freakin marathoner!!! Finish time 5:40!

We did it!!!! 26.2

We got our medals then hiked down the line of spectators waiting for family members. I spotted Robert right away then next to him was my mom. I jumped into his arms, and he was telling me “See I told you, you can do it” My mom hugged me and cried, she was so excited that we finished the race together, she also mentioned how worried she was that we were out on the coarse with the weather that had hit a about 20 minutes before we got there. She described it as being a monsoon HAHA!

So thats my very first marathon race report. This was one of the best experiences of my life, and I wouldn't have wanted this to have gone any other way. Yes the weather was horrific, but it made it more challenging and showed me I can do things if I really push myself mentally ad physically. There were plenty of times on the last few miles I want to give up, but I couldn't let myself down, and I couldn't let my dad down. I've been asked already will you do this again...SURE WILL!!

This is a video shot by my friend Glenn Jones. He came to spectate the race and help out a few friends. Thank you Glenn for letting me share this on my first marathon post! This pretty much shows how the weather was for us and how amazing all the volunteers were for being out there in the cold conditions. I wish I could send each of you a thank you card!!

Bring on the 26.2!!

So this is it, all my hard work for marathon training is almost over. I did my final 2 mile run last night to the store and back just to see if my legs were ok. As I was running lots of things were going through my head. This was my last baby run before the big day, my nerves have been on over drive all week. I can’t stop day dreaming about it on the drive to and from work, while at work and just sitting at home. I just don’t know what to expect and that’s what is getting at me. It’s sort of how I feel about Thai food, I want to try it but I’m scared it’s going to be to spicy then I’ll be leaving the restaurant upset and hungry. I guess I shouldn't really compare the two but its the best way to describe it.

My training took a turn for the worst for about 2 weeks mid February. My grand-father became very ill, and he past away the weekend I was suppose to run my 18. With everything going on I had no desire to put my running shoes on much less even look at them. I was 2 weeks behind on training and I questioned running the marathon at all.
I had tried to run the Chinatown Firecracker 10k the weekend my grand-fathers health took a turn for the worst and it was one of the worst running experiences of my life. It was so bad I didn’t even write about it because I don’t want to go back and read it. My mind played so many emotional games with me that day and focusing on running was not one of them. I was scared that this was going to happen to me for LA, so I really contemplated not doing it at all. I spoke with Chris about everything and he assured me that I could do this. I decided that if he was able to do what he did after loosing loved ones, so could I. He also told me how he uses running as a way to be with his loved ones, how he chooses that time to be with them and run for them. So I decided to do the same. I took a few more days off then planned to run my 18 alone one Sunday morning. I figured if I was going to have a mental breakdown about grandpa while running I wanted to do it alone. To my surprise it was a great run and Chris was right Grandpa was there with me the whole time. I came home that day in the best mood I had been in 3 weeks and ready to run my first marathon. Since that day I've been on top of my training and not missing a beat. I even went out got a new "good luck" outfit and got my running shoes bless by Fr.Thomas at the church..call me crazy but it made me feel better HAHA!

I know the next 4 days I’m going to be flooding Lauren and Bob's email in box with 101 questions, and reaching out ot fellow runners via Twitter and Facebook. I had a plan, but I decided I'm going to just go run, have fun and do what I can. I think if theres a plan I'll expect way to much out of the race then be upset when it doesn't happen. I'm totally ready with a great mid set and I've very excited to see what my outcome is. The only thing that is really concerning me now is RAIN..yes RAIN! Crazy right!! The news is saying we are going to have a wet marathon Sunday so that's a whole other thing that I'm to sure about. I'm positive I'm not going to melt or anything, but wet running shoes doesn't sound very fun for me but as my mom would say "Its just water"

There are a few people I want to thank from the bottom of my heart for helping me out with training and encouragement for my first full..First my dad, he pushes me to be the best runner and always makes me feel like I can do better, my boyfriend Robert for putting up with "We can't go anywhere Saturday morning I have to run" and sitting for hours at finish lines waiting for me, Lauren, Penny and Jordan..BIG THANK YOU Ladies for running and training with me, Chris you helped me get through the loss of my grandfather and made me look at things in a different perspective, Bob your constant marathon advice is so much appreciated and Brent thanks for being the best virtual running buddy EVER!! SO THANK YOU EVERYONE!!

So that's that, my next blog post will be my LA Marathon Recap! If you any of you readers out there have any advice for this newbie, please share I'd love to read them!! For those running LA Sunday KICK ASS!!!!