March 26th, 2013 – A Day Off Run – 10.30 Miles

The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”

This was a great run. I think 10 miles is an ideal distance. It’s quite a challenge for me. I really have to push myself just to get through it. But it’s not so great that it wipes me out for the rest of the day.

That is well, as it was quite a busy day!

I took the day off work. That is very unusual for me. If I or my kids aren’t sick, you can bet your bottom dollar that I’ll be at the office.

Today, the kids had doctor’s appointments, so I took the whole day off! It was great. One of the many things I was determined to do was to get a good long run in.

After I got Chris and the kids out the door, I made myself a healthy breakfast, ate it out on the back patio and geared up! Oh, yeah! I’m ready to run!



As usual, the first mile was pretty rough. I found myself just trying to get into a good groove without starting out too fast because I knew I was running long. As long I’ve been running, this still takes me about a mile and a half.

At about mile 4, I was feeling really sluggish. I dropped into a CVS to get a Gatorade and had the packet of Gu that I’d packed. This was a good call. I felt 10 times better after that.

At about Mile 6, I turned into the BGC. They have a park right next door and a nice running trail. I knew that I was going to need to add about a mile to this route if I wanted to get in the full 10, so I ran the loop twice.

Of course, it’s Spring Break, so Jordan was at the BGC so I ducked in to get a quick pic with my boy. He was cool about it until I insisted on getting a kiss. Heaven forbid that he should admit that he likes his Mom. Jeez!



At about Mile 7, I could feel blisters forming. My socks were too thick. They would be OK for a 3 to 5 mile run, but 10 miles calls for endurance socks. I’ll remember that for next time.

At about the 8.5 Mile mark, I’m hitting the wall and the only thing driving me is the thought of being done. But you can’t just focus on being done, because you’re NOT done!!! So I switched my playlist. Not to Gospel, like I normally would, but to a Speed Work playlist that I’d just put together and had been dying to try. It helped but not like the Gospel does. I'll keep using it because I really like it, but after 8 miles, I may just need Jesus.

I finally made it back home and I was all smiles. It was a good run.




I had a few hours before I had to be anywhere so I took some time to stretch and recover. I had recently read the SUAR Blog and Beth swears by compression socks after a long workout. I bought myself a pair of compression socks long ago, but I never really felt much benefit to them. But I was wearing them during my runs. So I’ve had them for quite a while and always meant to try again but I just kinda let it slip my mind. Today, I pulled ‘em on after this run and they were GREAT!!! The relief was immediate and I only wore them for an hour or so. I will definitely work them into my recovery regimen going forward. Highly recommended.



Check this out!



It may not look as terrible in this shot, but my face and neck is completely encrusted with salt deposits!! I sweat and lose a LOT of sodium when I run long. It’s a little disgusting. But I’m calling it a win.

My day was far from finished. The kids needed to get to the dentist. Not a great day for the Hayes Kids!!! Jordan had 3 cavities and apparently, both Jayda and Jordan grind their teeth at night. Jayda seemed very distraught by the news.




And Oh, yes!!! Today is Jordan’s 10th Birthday!!!




I can’t believe my BIG Boy is 10 years old!!! We took him out to dinner with his grandparents. I love my handsome boy!!


I just really love this shot. HaHaHa! So cute.




One more thing! I heard from Coach Dion today. He said I need to get another race (or 2) on my calendar, so I'm considering a 10-miler in Santa Monica next month. I'll letch know how it goes.


See ya on the next run!!

February 22nd thru March 22nd - 38.66 Miles Total

The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”

It has been quite a while since I have posted. As usual, I have been running regularly but not as regularly as I’d like.

Many things have been going on in my little Queendom. I’ve had 2 rather unusual experiences:

1) A Frosty Morning in Southern California! I know the rest of the world laughs at us, but having to defrost your windshield in SoCal is a pretty BIG deal!! It is very rare indeed…
(Of course the weather has since warmed up beautifully. We don't pay this ridiculous cost of living to spend the year in long sleeves and close-toed shoes, after all).




2) Even rarer still is getting in a walk with Chris. It’s not that he *never* exercises but it’s pretty rare. It’s not as rare as a Unicorn or someone who dresses properly in Southern California, but far more rare than say, real boobs, gastric bypass or a man who cooks AND washes dishes.



Also, I had three brand new experiences!

1) I went to a Tattoo Parlor! I’d never been to one before! I went to support a friend. I can’t imagine what would have to go on in my life for me to get a tattoo. Maybe a really cool “13.1” tattoo or Michael Jackson en point. I’ve seen some really cool tattoos, but frankly I think dark skin is *so* beautiful. More ornamentation is just not necessary. The tattoo situation in the NBA is *completely* out of hand!



2) I completed my very first 10-Mile Race!!! I think the 10-miler is my new favorite. The 5k, is barely enough to get you warmed up. A 10k is a considerable distance but it’s still within the realm where speed is a serious consideration. The Half Marathon is enough to wipe you out. But the 10-miler, is right there in that sweet spot, where you still have to keep going well after you’ve hit the wall but it’s not so long that you start to feel defeated. I had a GREAT time with Lisa. It was a beautiful day, and we kicked it in! My goal was to finish in 2 hours and I got it in in 1:59.10, so I’m calling it a win!




3) AND….. I had a beer on St. Patrick’s Day!!!! In all my 40 years of living, I’d never had a beer on St. Patrick’s Day! I fixed that this year. Meh……



The beer was good though.

The life of this busy mom never stops . When I’m not working, I’m at home looking after the children and wondering why they have converted my room to a hospital for ailing stuffed animals.



Or I’m at one of Jordan’s football games. Now, I *love* little league football games and I love that my boy likes to play





Jayda could not be less interested, but she’s cute.



Or I’m doing taxi service, running my kids to one birthday party



Or another!



Or nursing my baby back to health after a bout of the flu. Poor Jayda!



But still, I keep running. I got this run in on the first Monday after Daylight Savings started! I was so excited to get a run in after work while the sun was still up. I love this time of year!!!



Still, most of my runs end after dark. That’s OK. I still love it.



So much has been going on in my world. I stay pretty busy with work and family. I do wish I had more time to run but for now I am enjoying being a busy wife and mom. I may not always get to do what I want, when I want, but being me has its compensations.

I got to add to my MJ Library. Chum On!



And, with that last 10-Mile race, I filled in the last charm on my charm bracelet. I decided to commemorate it with a heart-shaped blue stone surrounded by a floral design because it was a beautiful day and I loved the company.
I remember when this thing was empty. I’ll have to start a new one!




And Now, On To The Run

February 22nd – 1.65 Walk with Chris
February 23rd – 4.22 Mile Run
February 25th – 3.76 Mile Run
February 27th – 3.00 Mile Run
March 5th – 3.09 Mile Run
March 9th – 10.18 Mile Run – Beach Jam 10-Mile Race
March 11th – 3.22 Mile Run – Daylight Savings Run
March 18th – 3.07 Mile Run – Speed Drills
March 21st – 3.21 Mile Run – Speed Drills
March 22nd – 3.26 Mile Run – Hills, hills & More Hills

February 16th, 2013 – 9.34 Mile Run

The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”

This was a great run. It was one of those runs where you don’t want to do it and you know you don’t want to do it. Getting dressed for it and leaving the house doesn’t change your mind about it. Neither does being on the run or finishing half the run.

This is very unusual for me and probably most runners. I’m sure you’ve heard it many times: The hardest part is getting out the door.

Typically that’s true. But this one was going to be long and hilly and I knew it.

I met Lisa and Betty at Lisa’s house. We loaded up on snacks and hit the door.

The first mile and a half was great. It was either flat or down hill and it felt really good. My legs didn’t feel heavy, my breath wasn’t labored. It was a little warm but nothing I would call uncomfortable.

Then at mile 2, the climbing started…. And it was relentless. 2013 – The Year of the Hill, indeed!

I knew this hill was going to kick my ass, but it WORE. ME. OUT!!!

We knew when we started that this run was not going to be about speed. It was about the distance, the hills and just getting it done, so there was no real pressure.

At about the 3.5 Mile mark, I was at that perplexing point, where you’re not sure if you are exhausted or if you are just at the end of your fuel. We weren’t due to refuel until we got to the halfway point, which was about 4.66 miles in, at the Moorpark Country Club.

So I was trying to stay hydrated and hold off on refueling. But I also know that no matter when I fuel up or what I fuel up with, I always seem to need to replace my calories at around mile 4. Doesn’t matter if it’s a training run, a race, a 10k or a Half, I can never seem to fuel enough beforehand to carry myself more than about 4 miles. Especially on hills.

At about the 3.75 mile mark, I took a packet of Peanut Butter flavored Gu. It wasn’t bad. There was no caffeine and I still had my PB&J sandwich and my packet of Trail Mix for when we reached the halfway point.

After I had the Gu, it was apparent that I had indeed been at the end of my fuel. I felt better immediately and I could tell because I was able to keep my knees up as I was trekking up this hill.

At about mile 4, we hit a peak then started going downhill. This was great! We hadn’t made it to the Club yet but it felt soooo good to just not be climbing anymore!!! Sure, once we turned around, we’d have to climb back up, but that would be after we had rested, refueled and refilled our water bottles. We could do anything after that!!

So we made it to the Country Club and I could not be bothered by the wait staff, who were *clearly* miffed off that we were in their snooty “Members Only” atmosphere. I was tired and desperate.

Sweaty and clearly exhausted, I threw my shoulders back, held my head up and walked into the air-condition bliss that was the Moorpark Country Club. Obviously, I was noticed immediately and a staff member asked if I was looking for a restroom and directed me to one. Excellent!!!

After I rinsed my face, emptied my bladder and refilled my bottle (with unfiltered tap water. Ick!), I was ready to go. I found Lisa and Betty sitting on the ground out front. I’m sure the staff just loved that, but I sat down with them and we had our snacks and refreshed our weary bodies.

Soon we were ready to get back at it and head home. I stretched while Lisa and Betty went to the restroom to freshen up. The homeward trek was sure to be much better.

Only it wasn’t….

How can this be? How can this route be uphill BOTH WAYS?! I heard stories of old, told by earlier generations about how they walked to school in the snow and rain, uphill, both ways, but I always laughed. Silly Grown ups! But now, I swear, I was living the same nightmare!!!

Oh ,right!!! Toward the end, we had hit a downhill stretch, so it made sense that we would start the homeward trek climbing again. But surely it wouldn’t be long.

Only it was…. It seemed to go on forever!

At about the 5.25 mark, we hit another peak and started to go downhill. This did feel better than going up, only now the temperature had risen about 20 degrees since we’d started.

I was hot, I was hurting and we were only 6 miles in. If I was going to make it back, I had to change my focus, change my mantra and just sail in. It’s a mental game now.

At this point, we had just finished running a about a quarter of a mile stretch, with no sidewalk and very little shoulder and we were running on the wrong side of the street, which is dangerous when you’re near the point of collapse.

So we crossed the street onto the main drag that would take us home. Lisa and Betty stayed their course, but I ran on the other side of the street. We were back on wide, nicely paved sidewalks, but the only way I would feel safe is if I was facing traffic, so we separated but I kept a visual on them for most of the trek.

I believe every runner has at least one annoying habit. Whether it’s spitting on the course (which I think is ABSOLUTELY disgusting), stopping without pulling to the left, talking too much, being too fast, being too slow, being too funny (my BIG brother is *hilarious*. I have trouble running with him he is so fast and he cracks me up!), thinking their way is the best way, there are a myriad of annoying things another runner might do that will make you want to drown them in a port-a-potty.

I have several annoying habits: (1) Whenever I cross a busy street, I blow a coach's whistle. Two quick blasts. Sorry, but I have too much to live for to worry about pissing off a driver who may or may not see me. (2) Usually, I stick to my regular workout playlist, which features Michael Jackson very heavily but I also enjoy Eminem, Lady Gaga, The Beatles, Flo Rida and yes, I’ve been known to be bring sexy back on a run. Those can get me through about 7 miles. After that, I need a little bit o’ Jesus. I switch on my Gospel music. And I praise Him….. Loudly.


I’m sure it was annoying but I spent the final 3 miles blowing my whistle and singing my heart out. It was great!

Yes, it was hot. Yes, I was beyond tired. Yes, the voices in my head were telling me that I couldn’t finish and that I was stupid to try. And yes I was starting to believe the lie. But when I finally landed in Lisa’s yard, I felt like it wasn’t fast, it wasn’t pretty but I hadn’t let it beat me. Thank you, Jesus!

In Other News:

February 14th, 2013 – 4.28 Mile Run
I woke up early to get this one in. It had been far too long since my last run and I was so glad to get this one in. It was a beautiful, crispy morning.

Later that day
February 14th, 2013 – 1.53 Mile Run
Jordan had flag football practice and I heard Gracie, who hates running, wanted to run with me! So I changed my clothes before I left the office, headed out to the field and we ran laps around the park for a little while. She’s cool. I hope we get to do that again.

February 2nd, 2013 – The Los Angeles Color Run

The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”

This was an AMAZINGLY good time!!!! I ran this one with the Muddy Dragons at Dodger’s Stadium in Los Angeles.

The Color Run is a 5k course where you are doused with “Color” at three stations. Then there is a massive “Color Pit” at the end where everyone goes nuts throwing color at each other. This "color" is a mixture of corn starch and food coloring and it is literally shot at you from Color Guns or what looked like GIANT ketchup squeeze bottles.

Obviously, this is an untimed Fun Run. Also, it is only 3.1 miles, so there was no real need for me to train for it. But I was still excited. Running with The Muddy Dragons is always a blast and they treat me like one of their own, so any time an invitation comes my way, I always pounce on it!!!

Unlike the Dirty Girl Mud Run we did last November, men and children were invited to participate in this run, so we had a really large group.

We met at my friend Shea’s house at about 10:30a for a 2 o’clock gun time, so we had plenty of time to hang out and tie & adjust our togas. Yes, the team wanted to run in white togas.

Now, I am all for being a team player but I was already running in a white cotton T-shirt, which was the first suggested team costume. Of course no serious runner runs in cotton, but this wasn’t a race, this was just a fun run for a good cause, so I went with the T-shirt. But I just couldn’t do the toga.

Aside from the disturbing visions of large groups of white people draped in white sheets, one simply cannot run effectively in a toga!!! But in the spirit of “Team Unity”, I fashioned a blue and gold sash for myself and ran with that.


After we got ourselves situated and fed a little bit, we started to head over to the Start to get corralled. Like I said, we were in a large group that included children. Just as we were being set to go, I heard Shea giving her kids some safely instructions: Stay with the group and meet at the Big green food truck if anyone gets lost.

I heard her 10-year-old son, Derrick say something like “I’ll stay with Sabrina because she’s a runner.” Awesome!!!

Derrick is a black belt, as are most of the Muddy Dragons. He will be testing for his second degree Black Belt this Spring and he is quite the little athlete. So I was thinking I may actually get in a pretty decent workout after all. Sweet!

So the countdown starts and Derrick takes off like a shot!!!! And I’m thinking “OK…. He wants to play!” Well, I’m game and I’m not too proud to take down a 10-year old. So I take off after him and he is SMOKIN’ fast!!! He starts out at an 9:15 pace and it’s slightly hilly.

At this point, I am praising God for Coach Dion and Race Pace!! Without them, these hills at this pace would have slain me right at the beginning! But I kept after him and I was thinking, “This little dude is no joke! Let’s do this!” and I stay at his left shoulder.

At about the half mile mark, we hit the first color station and it’s BLUE! We get doused with blue powder and I have to admit, it’s a little scary. It’s a huge cloud of dust, like walking in clouds and it is everywhere!!! I can't see 2 feet ahead of me, but I can still see Derrick, so I'm set.

Now, it seems like he is more interested in getting to some fresh air, which is ok with me, so we spot some daylight and run at in a full on sprint!

Ok! That wasn’t so bad, I’m still at his shoulder and at this point, he knows I’m with him and keeps up this punishing pace. Sweet! I’m still feeling good so as long as he wants to keep it up, I’m all for it. Let’s blaze little man!!!

At the mile mark, we hit the orange color station and it’s like the surface of the sun in there. Visibility is zero and everyone looks like Oompa Loompas. Derrick’s pace had slowed down a little bit so I slowed mine too. It’s not the first time a young person started off faster than he could keep up and just didn’t respect the distance.

He shouldn’t feel bad. Three miles is a long way for a little guy and he kept up a blistering pace for about a mile and a half. The water station was coming up and I thought I’d tell him what a good job he was doing.

So I grabbed a cup, thanked the volunteer and went to give one to Derrick and said, “Wait!!! Who the hell are you?!”

I’d been chasing the wrong kid!!!!!!


This kid wasn’t even in our group! After I looked at him more closely, this kid had to be 15 or 16 years old! I had no idea who he was and spent the last mile and a half chasing a strange kid through a parking lot!!! In any other situation I’d get arrested!!!
But in this situation, we just laughed it off.

His pace was slowing down and I still had some more gas in the tank so I just took off.

I was the first in the group to finish but I felt so stupid I couldn’t even enjoy it. Ah, well. It was my fastest 5k ever.


This is me after I crossed the Finish Line and found some of the group.

This is me with Master Julianne Ramadan. That is the most awesome last name ever!!! And I have a full on girl crush on her! She's awesome!!!

Me & Shea!! I love Shea. The Muddy Dragons are such a great group. Good friends are so hard find and she generously shared her tribe with me. I can't tell you how much I love and appreciate her. She's is one of the greatest. <3

Back at home with my girl. She thinks it's so cool that Mommy gets dirty! She wants to run when she gets bigger. Can't wait for that!

January 29th, 2013 – 7.32 Mile Run

The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”

I got a note from Coach Dion. He said to log more miles because I would be running distance this year and whether I PR’d or not, I needed to FINISH.

As it often happens, Coach was right. I’ve been focusing on hills and speed lately, which tend to be shorter runs but this 10-Miler I have coming up is flat…… AND IT’S TEN MILES!!!! And sprinting up hills isn’t going to make it any shorter!

All the hills and speed drills in the world won’t help if I can’t actually cover the distance!

So getting in some focused distance was the goal tonight.

It was great. It was after dark, which is a bummer, but Daylight Savings starts on March 10th, so evening runs are going to be much brighter soon. Can’t wait!!!

This was the first longer run I’d run alone in quite a while. I’d do little 3 mile sprints on my own but I’d been saving my longer runs for Race Pace meetings.

I gotta say, I really enjoyed this time. When I’m running with others, I tend to be more focused on just finishing without bonking. In so doing, I discovered that I actually push harder when I’m by myself.

That’s odd. Most people push harder when they run with others.

After much cogitation, I realized that when I run alone, I am constantly doing internal diagnostics and daring myself to push harder. I think it’s because I know that if I push too hard and have to stop, I can… And for as long as I want. But I tend to take it easier when I’m running with a group. I would be devastated if I was on a team run, or running with Andree and I had to stop.

This is probably why I’m always alone when I hurt myself. When I strained my calf, I was alone. The time I bruised my Achilles tendon, I was alone. When I messed up my shoulder? You guessed it! Alone.

I’m not quite sure what to do about this, other than to be sure to mix up my workouts with team and solo runs. But it’s good to get a better idea of how my runner-self ticks.


ANYWAY….. I felt great afterward. Tight, but great. I had to get in a good session of stretches, I replaced my protein and sodium as soon as I got home and I got a really good night’s sleep.

This is a pic of me feeling good the next day. Wow! I gotta lotta Michael Jackson and running stuff at the office! Ah, well….. It makes my day.

See ya on the next run!

January 22nd thru 27th - 8 Miles Total

The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”

These were short little runs. As promised, they were hill runs. Well, the first two were. The last one was just a fluke. I walked Jordan to a friend’s house and sprinted back home.

Lately, I have been having some shoulder impingement issues. I have been waiting patiently for it to go away but it has stayed with me for much longer than I’d like.

I’m fairly certain I should see a doctor about it but why go see a doctor when there’s FaceBook?


I put the question out there, pondering whether or not my salt intake could be part of the problem. I *love* these things!!

I could eat ‘em everyday. It’s probably the most undignified thing I do. Popping and spitting is one of my favorite past times and I’ll admit it without shame….. Largely because I am rarely caught at it. I never eat them in public and only my husband & children know of my secret shame. Well …. them and now you.

Anyway, one of my FaceBook buddies suggested that grains might be the culprit. Not that grains caused the problem, I know where and how I hurt myself, but that they may exacerbate the problem. Hmmm….

This is a potential problem and more than a little unfair, in my opinion. I already eat like a geriatric patient with congestive heart failure.

I tend to stick to a Heart Healthy diet, full of lean meats, veggies and whole grains. And I almost never overeat. Not that I don’t splurge from time to time. Chickens line up from miles around for the privilege of giving their lives to be my fried chicken!! I am better than average at baked goods and I recently procured a FANTASTIC recipe for truffles. Other than those few slip ups from time to time, I eat pretty cleanly.

I even started drinking red wine for the health benefits. Really, I did! I ended up liking it quite a bit but still, the original intention was for medicinal reasons. This is me being medicinal.

I didn’t want to believe that alleviating grains… All grains, could be the fix to this problem. But the suggestion came from a respected source, so I forwent (yes, that is the past tense of forgo) my usual breakfast of whole wheat toast with Earth Balance spread, Strawberry Simply Fruit jam and a mug of Green Tea and replaced it with boiled eggs and fresh orange wedges, further pigeon-holing myself amongst the blue hairs and red hat ladies.

I couldn’t give up my Green Tea in my Michael Jackson mug. Who could? He rocks and therefore Green Tea rocks.

It may have been a fluke but the pain was noticeably diminished that day.

Then I wondered if it was a grains issue or a gluten issue. So I had Rice Krispies for dinner that night. I looked at the Nutritional information on the box and it has whole grains but didn’t list gluten, so I went for it.

The pain was back that night.

I’m still not convinced that giving up all grains is the solution but I am trying all manner of devices. Consistently getting a good night’s rest is something I’m trying to work into my program too. This is me before bed.

Good night. Zzzzzz………

Now, on to the Run

January 22nd – 3.27 Mile Run (Hilly. 60 sec @ 9:30 min/mi and 30 sec walk breaks)
January 24th – 3.03 Mile Run (Hilly. 60 sec @ 10:00 min/mi and 30 sec walk breaks)
January 27th – 1.70 Mile Run (Flat. First half, stroll w/Jordan. Last Half 9:45 min/mi Sprint)


These were short but peppered with speed drills on hills (except the last one. I was nursing a fever). I got a note from Coach Dion. He said to keep up the hill work and work speed in once a week. When Coach says move your ass, you don’t ask questions. You just move your ass.

December 3rd thru January 21st, 63.17 Miles Total

The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”

It has been quite a while since I’ve made an entry and that is bad bad bad. I have been plenty busy and while my running schedule has taken a serious beating, I have been running fairly regularly.

At the moment, I have two races scheduled and I am also seriously considering the Pacific Half in March. I’ve done that one every year since I’ve known about it and while I have never PR’d on it, it remains one of my favorites.

I know there are many people out there who love to run trails and don’t bother lacing up for less than a 1000 ft climb, but I am not one of those people. I hate hills. Hate ‘em like pebbles in my running shoes. Another thing I really loathe is the New Year’s Resolution.

With that said, I have decided that 2013 is going to the Year of the Hills!! I hate the idea of course but I do believe that hill work is speed work in disguise.

Regular readers know that I am no fan of speed work. Focusing on speed robs me of the joy of running but becoming a stronger runner is ideal and, as far as I’m concerned, always the goal.

This brings me back to the Pacific Half Marathon and why I’ve never PR’d on it. It’s hilly. Very hilly. Almost all of it. Sure, there are hillier Halfs but for me, the Pacific Half is where I beat my body down every year.

Normally, I would register without a second thought and just do my best on it but this year, I have a 10-miler scheduled three weeks before. Do I think I can fully recover from a 10-miler in three weeks? Of course…. As long as I don’t injure myself.

But that’s exactly what happened between the RAD 10k and the Marla Runyan Half last year. I clocked one of my worst Halfs ever because I ran it injured and I may not have gotten injured if I had taken it easier during the two week period between those races. That had never happened to me before and I don’t care to repeat the experience.



There are many other first-time experiences since my last entry that I would *love* to repeat like:

Learning to shoot a high powered rifle.

Attending a Quincenera.

Finding funny, slightly passive aggressive signs posted in my neighborhood.

Finally cleaning out my workout bag.

Finally getting to see the suit MJ was laid to rest in < sniff! >

Doing a race with my super hot brother-in-law.

Getting completely hammered at a Masquerade Ball with some hot runner chicks.

Taking the fam to the aquarium in Long Beach.

And channeling Forest Gump, the most beloved Ultra Marathoner of all time, outside The Bubba Gump Shrimp, Co.

I’ll keep you posted on the hill running and let you know what I decide about the Pacific Half.
And now, On to the Run

December 3rd, 2012 – 3.16 Mile Run
December 4th, 2012 – 2.76 Mile Run
December 9th, 2012 – 6.26 Mile Run – Race Pace Jingle Bell Rock n Run 10k
December 11th, 2012 – 2.18 Mile Run
December 17th, 2012 – 3.82 Mile Run
December 23rd 2012 – 3.18 Mile Run – Reindeer Run 5k w/Uncle Ryan
December 28th, 2012 – 3.49 Mile Run
December 29th, 2012 – 4.02 Mile Run
December 31st, 2012 – 1.40 Mile Walk
December 31st, 2012 –7.42 Mile Run
January 1st, 2013 – 7.42 Mile Run – New Year’s Run w/Race Pace
January 12th, 2013 – 3.54 Mile Run
January 13th, 2013 – 5.06 Mile Run – w/Lisa from Race Pace
January 17th, 2013 – 1.11 Mile Run
January 20th, 2013 – 5.33 Mile Run – W/Race Pace
January 21st, 2013 –3.02 Mile Run