the kaiser permanete southern california half marathon report.

so 2 weeks ago my family and i headed yet again down to beautiful southern california! this time it was for my grandpas 80th birthday party saturday night:) i was in the height of training and logged onto a few race calendar websites to see if there was a 5 or 10k nearby since i was already there. upon looking i stumbled on the kaiser permanete southern california half marthon and 5k just 3 miles away from the hotel! i already had 12 miles lined up, what was 1 more at that point?! after a quick phone call to my mom to make sure i didnt need to be part of the morning party set up crew i signed up! it would be my 1st race of 2013 and the route for my long run was already planned out, double score! and to top it all off, my last class would finally be over! only a runner celebrates finishing school by running her 11th 1/2 marathon:)

later that day i was having dinner with my amazing runner friend jen and telling her all about it when she started getting that thinking look on her face. the race was in irvine, which is literally where she lived for six years, and it was only a short 4 hour drive away. the wheels were turning and on our way out the door jen told me she needed the night to think about and she would let me know sunday. it wasnt even the next afternoon before i got the "im in!" text:) we were going to stay at the same hotel and her husband, who i would finally meet, would be coming too!

a cookie and my favorite saying, heck yes i love this place!

fast forward a few days and my family was headed down the hill to check in at the double tree. we got there about 10pm, grabbed a delicious cookie from the front desk, made last minute morning plans with jen, said hi to the rest of the family, and i was in bed by 1130p! somehow we had scored an 8am start time and didnt even need to be in the lobby till about 715am. the next morning we were almost exactly on time and got crazy close to the start line with plenty of time for the pre-race rituals. we hit the port-a pottie line, took a few photos, and squished into the start line with just a few mintues to spare. it was freezing at the start so i decided on capris while jen was much smarter in shorts.

kevin was very excited about the gorilla!

this one is totally my favorite!
i think everything is funny when im nervous:)

i was following along with jen and she had a strategy! we were going to take the first 2 or 3 miles around a 10 minute pace, let the crowd thin out then start to pick it up for the rest of the way. our big goal was a sub-2 hour finish, but agreed that having fun and finishing strong was much more important. starting out slower was wayyyy harder then i thought it was going to be! jen kept havin to reel me back in as we circled the out and backs that seemed never ending. we passed her house and chatted away as the miles ticked on.

finally we were able to pick up the pace about mile 3 and my body was more than ready! jen is super good with numbers so she was constantly calculating in her head where we were and what we neeeded to maintain to cross that finish line with our goal. it was starting to get warm and i definitely could have gotten away with shorts! i made the last minute decision to switch to capris with a tank and arm warmers, wishing in the end i had stuck with the shorts instead. but i had a royal blue team sparkle skirt on, so none of it really mattered:) everyone on the course cheering or running loved the skirt!!

we hit the halfway point and both were feeling really good. jen was pushing me big time and i loved it! she brought pretzels with her after having them at long beach and raved about them, so we decided now was a perfect time to start munchin. except we didnt have water plus they were the super thick ones! they did taste delicious, but were so thick it dried out your mouth as soon as you ate one haha! we were searching constantly afterward for the next water station lol.

the course was filled with u-turns, which was great in the beginning, and allowed jens husband kevin to see us quite a bit while taking pictures, but eventually got boring. round about mile 10 i took my gu that jen so amazingly carried in her pack and we lost a good minute trying to suck that thing down. we were both still feeling good and had a great cushion to get us to the end. i was however definitely ready to be done. not enough to make me want to walk, but i was ready to call it a day haha!

cuteness! blowing a kiss to her adorable husband,
best race photographer ever!

we weaved our way back toward the finish line and finally hit the 12 mile marker. only 1 left and i got super excited! everything is cooler in that last mile and i think we actually picked it up a little bit in that last one. i got this sudden burst of energy when i looked at my watch and saw that we not only were going to break 2 hours, but i could also soundly beat my pr of 1:57:15! we made the last turn and came out of the bike path rounding to the finish line and i took off! i didnt mean to separate from jen, it just happened. not that she was that far behind me, 7 seconds to exact:) 

finishers!!

finally crossing that line with a watch that read 1:56:03 was an amazing feeling. my last sub-2 was significantly downhill so this one seemed like it was real. plus i got to run the whole thing with jen!! i am so, so, so grateful she came down to run with me:) we found kevin pretty easily and after a few more photos headed to ihop for breakfast! it was such a busy one, but we got a table pretty quick while telling him all about it. breakfast was super delicious, then it was back to the hotel to get cleaned up for the rest of the day. jen and kevin were off to meet friends and enjoy their weekend in beautiful weather. i luckily got out of all the prep stuff and got to meet my brother and his girlfriend for lunch at pick up stix instead!

i was on a high for quite awhile that day. that night i got to be surrounded by my big/crazy/loud/in everybodys business family and it was awesome. for the first time in a very long time i felt like i fit somewhere. i spent the morning running with a super great friend and the evening with the people you never have to impress and will always take you as you are. i am truly lucky:)

my grandpa, in a tux. too cute!

ps. im kind of a bad influence;)





2013 my way.

its taken a little bit of time for me to decide what i really want out of this year and put that into words. i didnt want to make a new years resolution or an empty promise like giving up chocolate, like that would EVER happen haha.

and so i decided in 2013 i am going to focus on..ME!

the good part about this is it can include a lot of things and be applied into a lot of different areas. i spent the last half of 2012 getting rid of things in my life that were not healthy, like my weight and incesant knee pain. and moving on from things that werent going in the right direction, like my relationship and a few friendships. and really starting to find out what the important things are to me, finishing school and figuring out where i want my career to go eventually. and finding out what an amazing support system i have that reaches farther then i could have ever imagined.

now i can move forward in this brand new year and focus on me. i have some big plans i cant quite reveal quite yet, mostly because they arent formed yet lol. but here are some im thinking about:

*i would love to get into volunteering

im not sure in what yet exactly. the military in some form or working with kids are the areas im thinking about.

with my old store!
a very long time ago at the boys and girls club.

*finish school

this is techinically over but it was a big thing right at the beginning of the year.

*possibly rec sports

some of my ragnar teammates play volleyball and softball so im really thinking about joining now that im done with school!

*enjoy running

while this is something i already do, last year i did a lot of learning and didnt even realize it till i looked back. i had a blast last year and didnt even really stop to enjoy it all. must slow down to soak it all in. and hopefully add another state or two to my map of ones i have run in. 

boom. a warrior.

 *work on my mindset

i made some really big decisions and changes last year. its time to appreciate that the heartache happened and move to a new mental state that this is my time to figure out what i want out of my future.

*clean out my closet

this i am actually going to do tonight. i have soo many things that dont fit anymore because they are just way too big and i cant even try to doctor it up into fitting. time to get rid of all the things holding me back!

*not be so hard on myself

some days this is easier said than done. i am only 27, which seems old at times, but so young at others. i make mistakes, i make good decisions, all of which has led me into the person i have become and will continue to grow into.

*surround myself with good people

today i got a text from a friend celebrating a major milestone that not everyone would love. it was so inspiring and heartwarming that she a. included me and b. had healed from a sucky situation to now be excited about forward is amazing. i am so lucky to have her and so many others like her in my life that i need to grab on to it and learn as much as i can. it also just lifts your spirit more when you have those good ones there:)

i dont have it all figured out yet, not even close. theres a bigger plan for me in all this i know it. sure would be nice to know a little bit about what that is:) but i do know for sure that 2013 is going to get me on the right path to find out whats in store for me down the road!

the december 2012 running recap.

total run mileage: 101.55 miles
highest weekly run mileage: 26.72 miles
# runs: 18
# rest days: 14

# xtraining workouts: 2 <-oops, again.

favorite run: a big tie between the ugly sweater run that was a blast and my 5 miler with jen on christmas eve filled with girl talk! both were so fun and just felt good for the soul:)

most hardcore run: the sadisticly hilly run i did at my grandparents house. holy oh my goodness! we are talking totally straight uphill people.

current reads: half fun/half school book my boss suggested. i need to finish it so i can find out what happens!  

source

current shame-inducing guilty pleasure: yummy, sugary coffee. i was supposed to stop drinking it december 1^st but that just didn’t happen. its not very often, but i have met quite a few friends that ive been meeting for coffee lately so ive had some extras. its just so delicious:/

current obsession: grad party planning! picked a place yesterday and now i just need to finalize plans with the manager today. then i can order all the fun party supplies! im so super excited.

current drink: water and more water. finally back to the good things!

current song: two black cadillacs by carrie underwood. i tell you, hell hath no furry like carrie underwood scorned.

current wish-list:

·         get my 2013 race calendar together. after surf city i don’t really have a lot of plans. although i think i may have committed to a few yesterday!

·         find clothes that fit. that includes work clothes, everyday clothes, and running clothes. hey it’s a wishlist right?!

·         to let it go. it doesn’t mean im a bad person or that the other is either. it just means i need to cut ties where they need and move on.

current need: to stay focused for the next 11 days until my class is over! there are so many distractions this time of the year, but i cant forget about it just yet.

current triumph: having the whole family home for christmas:) having a brother in the military you never really know, but we were so blessed this year!

current bane of my existence: im gonna say it again…my final paper. its 30 pages people, really?! 30 pages. its due january 9^th  and that’s getting closer and closer. i really feel that im almost done, but not quite. plus it is always in the back of my mind till its finished!

current goal: to start making my new years resolution actually happen. it’s a little vague, and can include a few different angles if i wanted. that’s why i like it. i can tweak it as i go!

current indulgence: christmas cookies…ooooo yum!

current excitement: the fresh start 2013 is hopefully going to give me! i am in definite need of one and it is time to start a new chapter in my life:)

the 2012 running recap.

are we really starting a new year already?? we probably all say this every year but, seriously 2012 flew by! there were a lot of really great ups and some definite downs. thank goodness running has been there through it all for me. it keeps me sane!

january~82 miles.

my mom and i returned to disneyland for the inagural tinkerbell 1/2 marathon!! oh man it was awesome and we seriously had a blast. that race also completed my 3 races in 16 weeks and i can successfully say i rocked it:) i probably should have taken a little break after this, but sometimes im a little crazy hehe.

feburary~45 miles.

the color run made its way to las vegas and it was awesome!! the funnest 5k i have ever run. also, remember that im a little crazy and decided to let the cat out of the bag about my next big training adventure...a triathlon!!

march~56 miles.

with one month out from rage i was starting to panic and found out how some people will always try and tear you down no matter what. but then had the most amazing distraction ever, a trip across the pond for nate and katies wedding!!! i officially became an international runner and got to do a running tour around london with a guide. seriously one of the coolest things ever.

april~43 miles.

in my normal, i like to overschedule myself for everything, 2 really fun things happened in the same month. i became a TRIATHELTE and a WARRIOR!! ps my running mileage is low because i was so friggin busy with the swimming and the biking:)

may~56 miles.

finally able to breathe for the 1st time all year i was able to look at the rest of my year and a few things came about. #1 my 3 year runniversary! #2 i won the lottery and got into the nike womens 1/2 marathon! #3 all this craziness really caught up with me and i went into a serious funk. i should have known it would eventually, it just really did kick my butt hard.

june~84 miles.

and just like that i kicked that little depressions ass, on national running day no less! everything is just right in the world when i am training for something and once i realized that i hopped back into it quickly. i signed up for the et 1/2 marathon that happens right outside area 51 at midnight! did i mention im scared of the dark??

july~81 miles.

i finally signed up for a 5k on 4th of july! and the olympics started. i mean if that isnt serious motivation, i dont know what is. those athletes from every country are amazing!! plus i started to see a nutritionist. i had been running for 3 years and hadnt lost a single pound. inches yes, pounds no. so after a disatourus happy hour (mostly in my own head) i took back the power and started seeing joanie. one of the best decision of my life.

august~75 miles.

half #8 in the books! plus i didnt get kidnapped by the aliens while running in the dark. i also began seeing a physical thearpist. after changing shoes i started having pain in the back of my knees so i went to the dr for help. later that week i sat in rons office and he said he could fix me in 9 visits. he did so much more for my entire running life! plus the official training for #nwm started. my dream race was finally happening!!

september~73 miles.

my 27th birthday was a blast with a staycation here in vegas! #nwm training was in full swing and i was actually able to reveal the results from joanie...
18 pounds lost!
44 inches gone!
10% body fat to never be seen again!

october~82 miles.

dream race complete!!! my parents, jessica, richard, and i headed up to san francisco for an amazing weekend full of adventure and ultimately would finalize a big life decision for me. we had a blast in the city and i am so glad my parents and jessica came! this was also the month i ended my 3 and a 1/2 year relationship and became a half fanatic! wow thats a lot of ups and downs.

november~73 miles.

in continuing my trend of ups and downs i finally got to complete a ragnar race with 2 amazing vans of girls!! i have been waiting years to complete and it was everything i was hoping it to be. then i headed back into a little bit of a funk. the heartbreak really set in and some days i just couldnt pull myself out of bed for a run or much of anything. luckily i was a very busy girl of course and got to be surrounded by lots of family and we continued our turkey trot tradition!

december~101 miles. 

what a way to end the year, my first 100 mile month ever on new years eve with my runner group friends!!! it finally got be to winter around here plus i got to see my ragnar teammates at the ugly sweater run in downtown vegas.

2012~851 miles run. 

wow!! i did not think it would get that high or that did so many things throughout the year. and this year went so, so fast. i cant wait to see what 2013 has to offer!!

the ugly sweater run las vegas 2012.

this last weekend it was finally time for las vegas to host the national ugly sweater running series downtown! i heard about it a few months ago and it sounded like a blast. not timed, snow at the start line-even in vegas they say, sponsored by sam adams, and lots of ugly...i was so in!

so after a week of looking/searching/hunting for an ugly sweater everywhere with no luck of the one i truly envisioned in my head, i met up with my ragnar teammates downtown to compare the ugly! totally unplanned but we all ended up signing up for the race and found out a few days before, which of course meant we were all starting together. it was so fun to see them all again and outside a van! it was dang cold saturday morning and i was glad for the untimed thing. i had already done my long run of 8 miles earlier in the morning, yay for an 11am start time, and was ready to just enjoy the run. we gathered a few extra friends along the way and headed to the start line after pictures of course!

we had all run the course quite a few times with other races, theres only so many ways to run downtown, so we settled in fairly quickly with runners at our own pace. i stayed back with yumi, michele, and a new recruit holly chatting about upcoming races and why do we always think this is such a good idea until we all show up. there were a few sights along the course but not quite as many as promised. i wont lie, i was a little disappointed there was no sledding like advertised.

there was a couple of turnarounds throughout the course and i saw lots of people i knew! my parents, my physical therapist and his wife, some friends from work, my boss and her whole family, to the point where my teammates asked why i knew so many people haha! at one point holly and i lost michele and yumi and decided to just take on the rest of the course on our own. there was snow at the finish line on the way into the post-run party!

we headed to the beer tent once everyone had crossed and started shivering together since all of a sudden it decided to actually be winter in the desert. there was also an ugly sweater contest, a place to take pictures, and hot chocolate for all! it was a blast and im so glad i got to see my teammates again:) ps we are already working on our costumes for next year!

*i was chosen as a brand ambassador for the ugly sweater run. this recap and other opinions are all my own. i did receive 4 free entries from the racing series and this little gem that won me the ugly sweater contest at work this week...

the christmas homecoming.

it was the middle of may when my brother came home for a normal weekend and told us that he would be leaving in 45 days for his next deployment. it was one of the first things he said to me when i got to my parents house as he stood there hugging me with his feet on top of mine so i couldnt kick him when he told me. being in the military we always know theres a chance and it can happen rather quickly. last time we got rather lucky since he was stationed on a boat and wasnt in the middle of everything. this time he was headed to afghanistan. 5 days after he got back to base that weekend he headed into a 30 day training in the desert, went back to camp pendleton, then left 2 weeks later.

this whole deployment was different than last time. it almost didnt feel like he was really gone, we hadnt really been talking much before he left for the training so when he left it felt like a continuation of that. it wasnt until just before he got extended (yes that happened!) we really started talking. now for most of the 1st part he was out in the middle of nowhere without power, none of us heard from him. but when he got to camp leatherneck my mom and his gf kelsey heard from him all the time, me not so much, my dad either. once he got extended for another 2 months i really started hearing from him more mostly through text since that was the only way. by the time he was headed home we finally were back to normal. ps my brother and i are super close which is why this was so weird.

 

we had heard the end of november rumors for awhile but it wasnt until the tuesday before thanksgiving that we got the official date and time of december 2nd. he was really coming home, just in time for the holidays! my parents booked a great resort/spa in dana point for the weekend, we would leave from vegas saturday, he came home sunday, then the 4 of us would all drive back up to vegas together so kyle could take care of a few things here. so for the 3rd weekend in a row my parents and i piled into the car to head back to southern california!

after a detour through pasadena to visit stats (the best christmas store ever!) we got a phone call from kelsey that they werent coming home till monday night. now we had heard from kyle they were delayed because of weather but only by parts of the day, not a whole one! so here we were staying till monday with nothing to do on sunday. as we were driving by knotts berry farm i said outloud wouldnt it be fun if we could just go to disneyland tomorrow instead. just to see what happened. next thing i know im looking up ticket prices and trying to find somewhere for my dad to go golf for the day while my mom and i go to the happiest place on earth during christmas time!! i called my friend nate and his wife katie because they had annual passes and told me anytime i wanted to go just to call. they said they would meet us there in the afternoon, we were really going!

the next morning we had an amazing breakfast at the resort and were kicking my dad out of the car at the second golf course we found so we could head up to anaheim. we got to disneyland sometime around 10a and planned to spend the whole day, so we did!

bring it militray!
we are still gonna have a great weekend:)

love.

santa!

she asked if we swam there hehe.

it was misty and dreary but still busy. we got to ride all the rides we always do and had lots of delicious snacks on the way, hello disneyland churros! the christmas parade was so fun then nate and katie joined us for the afternoon. it never really opened up and rained, just misty enough to make you wet. that wasnt going to break our spirit but was enough to cancel the candlelight ceremony mid-way through and prevent it from "snowing" on main street after the fireworks show. we had a blast! i am sooo glad my mom said yes to going:) plus i got to cross something off my bucketlist, visit disneyland at christmas time!

nate and katie:)
oh and my very stylish poncho!

3 of our very favorites!

i love gingerbread men!
especially chocolate-covered mickey ones:)

such a pretty castle!

finally it was monday morning and i was up ready to go for a run when i looked outside to see it pouring outside. so i headed back to bed for another hour before breakfast. we were just finishing up, getting ready to head to base when kelsey called and said we needed to slow down. they hadnt even landed at march air force base yet, let alone start the 2 hour drive south to pendleton. so i headed back upstairs to lounge in my amazingly comfortable king size bed a little longer.

the view from my balcony.

at about 11a we finally couldnt wait any longer and knew that he was at least on the buses headed south to us. so we headed to base and the parade deck already had families there for us to hang out with. pretty soon after we saw the buses go by as they headed to the armory to check their weapons and get room assignments for the barricks. we were pretty good at entertaining ourselves at this point and watching the vehicles rolling in with weapons and bags gave us all stuff to talk about. everyone kept saying the check in process would take 2 hours, but luckily we knew better from the last deployment return. not even an hour later the motorcycle brigade was headed onto deck!

our traditional homecoming pic!

right behind them was our guys marching in for formation. we had to stay behind the flags set up until they were released, we were of course right on that edge. as they marched in we kept trying to find him in the 2nd group but they all look alike! before we knew the commander was calling out platoons and asking all accounted for? with a response as yes sir. then, finally...dismissed. except we still hadnt found my brother yet! luckily he found us and bee-lined right for me. first hug!! he made the rounds to everyone and tears were flowing freely.

 

after pictures it was time to grab the stuff and get the hell out of there. he had too much to just take on his own so we of course volunteered to help. dang his stuff was heavy!! the bag i took was probably a good 60+ pounds. we didnt care he was home.

 

one of the best.

food was a must pretty soon after so we headed to el torito for lunch and then the road home fairly quickly after which of course meant margaritas for kyle and i ;) it was cool to have him come home with us and hear all the stories over time. we also found out the real reason he was delayed! the pilot was making a u-turn on the runway and didnt turn fast enough then running them off the runway and into a massive snowbank!! we plan to blame the pilot for quite awhile. he was only home for the night then back to base tuesday night. the 18th-27th though he will be home for christmas leave! we are so thankful he came home safe, god bless our troops near and far.