Fundraising Party 8.29.10

I woke up early again Sunday morning to volunteer for my training group as well as pick up a Karaoke machine for the party that my team mate Yaisa loaned me.

It was another beautiful morning for a run with the sky perfectly over cased and a cool breeze. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit jealous that they were running their 14 miles. But I sucked it up. At least I got to be there for my team:)

I poured water at mile 8. It was fun being able to see everyone that was running and cheer them on. Since I'm usually running I don't get to see them all the whole time.

I left a bit early so I could go back to my family and spend the rest of the time I had left with them before they went back to Vegas. When I got home my niece Emma was already dressed for the party even tho it was 6 hours away:) She was so excited!:)

Davy, my brother, Emma and I proceeded to get ready for the party as well. We went to Ralphs to get the remainder of items we needed for the BBQ then took over all the items to set up the party. Sara and Chen were so generous with their home by donating their backyard for this. We set up all the food and drinks (some of which were donated by Trader Joes) along with a few tables, a tree full of leis and island music! We were ready to go with a silent auction and lots of booze!:)

My niece Emma was in charge of selling the leis for $5. She took her job very seriously. She sold them by asking each person when they came if they would like to buy a beautiful flowered necklace for $5. And she made sure everyone paid, including myself:)I love her!

The party started at 4pm and guests started to arrive. We had guests coming and going the whole 4 hours! It was so lovely to see everyone's face. I had lots of my close friends as well as others I didn't expect! I even met new people!

Coach Jared came around 5pm and hung out for an hour with all my guests. It was nice getting to know him a bit more:) Before he left he made an announcement to the party to let everyone know what this cause is all about and how their donation is really helping. It was so amazing! Thank you!

My friend and yoga teacher Holli requested I sing a song. I wasn't planning on it but I thought it would be fun. So Davy played the guitar and we performed a song that he, myself and our friend Trey wrote together called Here I Am. It was so nice to sing for them. I think they liked it too. :)

At the end of the party the silent auction was not so silent as the remaining bidders had a bid off to win their prizes. LOL. The prizes included a 3 session acupuncture session with Valley Acupuncture, a 1 hour photo shoot with Cerreah Laykin Photography and a 5 class package at Urban Lily Yoga and a yoga mat from Lululemon.

The winners: Sarah and Chen won the yoga package, Briana won the photo package and Aris won the acupuncture package that he split with Bri since they went to war for it:) LOL

The overall total raised for this awesome party...$337 + $45 that Bri owes on Monday =$382!

Whoo Hooo! Thank you so much everyone for your support and your generosity!! It means the world to me that you support me on this cause and remember you are also saving lives!!

I love you!

14 mile/6 mile 8.28.10

so as many of you know my lower back/butt have been bothering me for weeks. At first I thought I just needed to stretch it but its quite painful to do that. I also get sharp pains that shoot from my butt to my pelvis when I bend over or squat and stand up. Its not pleasant to say the least. I can run and walk just fine its after that seems to hurt me the most. So I have been taking it easy. I'll be honest I took it so easy this last week I didn't run/walk at all.

This weekend was our 14 mile run! Since I got Saturday off to spend with my brother Craig who drove in from Vegas I got up early to run/walk with the Saturday group. Wow they have a big group! It was super inspiring. Before our run a man spoke about how he lost his wife to AIDS and how it completely transformed his life. Going from republican "fag hater" (his words) to a loving all liberal actor. His message was to live the life you want and who cares what others think. Life is too short! It was a beautiful and moving speech. Thank you!

Just before everyone ran I went to coach Jared and told him my back issues. He told me to power walk 6 miles and to take it easy. We are still early in the game and there is plenty of time to catch up without injuring myself.

So... that's what I did! Unfortunately nobody else was walking so I was a lone ranger but it was nice. I even got some tips from a guy who has done 26 marathons in his life. He taught me how to walk so that I could keep up my speed. The tip: walk with arms above the waist just as if I were running so that when they swing back and forth they give me momentum. It worked!

I'll be honest at first having to walk was hard on my ego but I made a conscious decision to drop that and be thankful that I CAN walk 6 miles! It was a beautiful day and I finished around 9:30am.

I grabbed a snack and went home to spend the entire day with my brother and niece. We went to Travel Town and the Zoo! It was a blast. By the end of the day the heels of my feet gained trophy blisters :)

It was a great day!

Costume run part 1

Sunday was a fun day!

We all dressed in costume for our 6 mile recovery run. The person that gave us the biggest donation got to pick the costume we ran in. LOL My friend Deidra won the contest with a $100 donation. The costume... Marilyn Monroe.

That's right, 6am I woke up so tired I could barely open my eyes and my stomach turned but I made myself get up seeing Davy was already up and in the shower ready to volunteer I had to. I'll be honest I was quite the grump attaching my wig and putting on makeup. Not because I had to wear a costume but just the sheer fact I had to wake up. I went to bed close to 2am the previous night. Davy and his band were playing at my new favorite hot spot downtown 1st and hope. I couldn't miss it:)

After lots of moans and grumbles I got out of it when I got to the training site. My lower back/butt and knee are still hurting me. I took it easy most of the way which seemed to be fine with the group since they were all dealing with things as well. Yiaesa's knee is hurting her and she had to walk the whole way so Sage stayed with her. Reena wasn't feeling well so I stayed with her. and Samantha's father passed away last week so she wanted to run so Cena stayed with her. It all worked out. I have to say we have a pretty supportive team we hang with each other making sure each one makes it. Which we did:) We also found a penny along the way. We must be on the right track;)

After completion we all went out to breakfast at this little spot we pass every week along our runs. We had delicious breakfast and got to hang. It was nice. Davy and Reena's friend Sara volunteered so they came with us. It was nice introducing everyone to Davy.

When we left Davy said he wanted to take a nap. I didn't. In case you don't know I hate taking naps. I always feel like I'm wasting time when I take them even when I need them. But ironically I started talking giberash. It was a clear indication I needed one. So on our way home we stopped at Trader Joes to pick up their donation for the fund raising party. They donated lots of yummy snacks! Then we went home. The moment we both laid down we were out. I ended up sleeping for about 4 hours. UGH. I needed it though. Since we didn't get much sleep the night before.

We finished the night at the John Mayer concert. All in all it was a good day!

Why this matters...

An email I received on why this matters....

WHY THIS MATTERS

Every season 1 particularly kick-butt Alumni signs-up for our program.
We'll call him J.R.

Several years ago J.R. visited a doctor because he was slowing down; he
couldn't think as quickly as he used to. The doctor discovered that J.R.
had a degenerative brain disease and that his HIV status was exacerbating
the situation.

The most shocking part about this news was that J.R. didn't know he was HIV
positive.

The only time he might have been exposed to the virus was many years prior
during a visit with an Ex in another state. They had had drinks, etc...
We've all been there. They had not been in touch for a long time since
then.

So J.R. tries to contact this Ex...

...and finds out that he had already died of AIDS. J.R. did some research.
His Ex might have known all along about his HIV status and never told J.R.

Know why APLA matters? APLA matters because they have counselors for HIV+
men and women to seek advice and guidance on how to talk to lovers -past and
present - about HIV/AIDS.

APLA matters because they give support, dignity, community, and constructive
identity to HIV+ men and women.

APLA matters because their efforts PREVENT THE SPREAD OF THIS DISEASE IN THE
FIRST PLACE.

I need you to finish this program for J.R. I need you to finish this
program so that other people never have to experience a situation like
J.R.'s.

That's why this matters.

Your contribution really does make a difference!

Please make a donation and sponsor me in this this run for life.

http://apla.convio.net/site/TR/Events/NationalAIDSMarathonTrainingProgram-MARATHONONLY?px=1502753&pg=personal&fr_id=1080

12 miles and feeling it!

12 miles... so here it goes....

I tossed and turned through out the night in anticipation for the 12 mile run and quite nervous about the email I had received earlier this week regarding pooing your pants. I set my alarm for 5:15am to give myself enough time to wake up, eat, stretch and poo.LOL As my alarm went off I stiffly got out of bed fighting my eyelids to stay open. I hobbled down the stairs as usual and poured myself a big bowl of frosted mini wheats with almond milk. I have tons of time I thought to myself feeling slightly proud of myself for actually getting up earlier than usual.

After I ate my delicious cereal I went back upstairs to put my running gear on. I was so excited to wear my new running belt!(side story... I got my belt at Target the night before. Its was the last one there. I spoke outwardly how I didn't want to spend $20 dollars on a belt I couldn't try on, since it was in the package. A man that worked there over heard me, opened it up and let me run around the store with it. After I approved he sold it to me 10% off since it was opened! Whoo hoo for me!)

Around 6am Davy woke up so he could volunteer at the run.What a sweet man! I love you baby. I had already made him his morning coffee. We had to leave around 6:30 to pick up our friend Leddie who was going to volunteer with him.Your awesome too Leddie! At 6:15am I realized I still haven't gone to the bathroom! OH NO! I don't drink coffee but i made myself drink just a bit to my motor running if you know what I mean ;) No worries. I made it happen. LOL

We arrived at the site in gorgeous Griffith Park at 6:55am. Davy and Leddie checked in and got their site maps to set up their water station for us while we did our warm up and weekly cheer. At 7:10am I am the only person from my pace group there!

Here comes another freak out! I was so scared I was going to have to run my pace on my own. I don't even have a watch! Just as we are about to run my group shows up! Thank god!

We ended up starting late but at least we started:)

I felt great throughout the entire run. I even made friends with a cat along the way. However it wasn't that way for every one 3 people didn't make the 12 miles due to knee pain and other injuries one of them being my team mate. She really gave it a good shot before they made her stop and get in the car. We gave her a head start as we stopped for a bathroom break so that we could catch up to her as she walked. She made it this way for about 8 or 9 miles. Poor girl she really gave it her all.

We ended our run going up hill at mile 11. This is going to be more frequent in our training since in the Marathon we will be running up Diamond Head in Hawaii. (look it up if you don't know what it is) We will be going up Diamond Head at mile 7 and mile 22. Do you think Ive lost my marbles yet? :)We all celebrated with ice packs at the end of this one:)

So how do I feel now? Well I wake up every morning limping from the sheer stiffness of my body. My knees are tight and sore and my left heel stabs me with sharp pains if I walk on it just wrong and I can no longer hop into any yoga poses due to my right foot feeling like its going to break when I land on it. Other than that?... I am having the best time of my life!! :)

I really am. I love my life and I love running!

Next run is a 7 mile recovery run in costumes! Yes costumes! and you get to pick which one! Biggest donation this week gets to choose:)

The week after... 14 miles and my fund raising party!!

An email worth sharing LOL

This was an email sent by one of our program Reps this week preparing us for our 12 mile run today. I thought it was an email worth sharing since it has had me freaked out all week that I wont be able to poo! LOL...

DON'T SH*T YO PANTS!

Here's a list of things that commonly cause "runner's trots" (AKA they can
make you sh*t yo pants) while running:
o BOOZE!!! All kinds... beer, wine, the hard stuff (I like a
Tanqueray and cucumber! But NOT the night before a run.)
o Excessive caffeine
o Excessive fiber
o Excessive dairy (Ugh. I love dairy, but dairy don't love me.)
o Greasy foods

Tips to avoid sh*tting yo pants:
o Avoid excessive booze, caffeine, fiber, dairy and greasy foods the
night before your long runs.
o Wake up earrrrly so you can start your POOP MOTOR and hopefully go
#2 before you leave your house.
o Bring a little TP or a wet wipe with you.
o Abandon your shame. If you need to poo and the park bathroom stall
has no door, go anyways. Also, in an emergency it's better to poo in the
bushes than to poo down your leg. Just sayin.

Remember only you can prevent poo accidents.


BOOBIES AND NIPPLES

Ladies: I know it can be awkward to ask male staff about bras and
boobie-related matters. Please trust that a) Coaches Biff and Scott are
both happily married, b) neither Matthew nor myself are boob guys, and c)
we're all super professional anyways. But hey I get it if you're shy. You
can also speak with Coach Monica this weekend or Coach Cindy at the
Wednesday Night Track Workouts (info at bottom). Regardless, I encourage
you to PLEASE call A Runner's Circle to
make an appointment to be properly fitted for a sports bra if you don't
already have a stellar one.

Gentlemen: Every season fellas dismiss our warning to put bandaids or
nip-guards on the nipples to avoiding chaffing and "bloody nipple."
Ignoring our advice is all fun and games until you hit the shower after a
long run and... well... you'll see how that feels. "AH!!!!!!
OHHHHHMYOUUUUCH WHYDOESGODHATEMEEE???!!!!" is what your neighbors will hear
you scream from the bathroom.

Ok ladies and Gents wish me luck on my 12 miles today! :/

why we run part 1

I wanted to share Daniel's story with you so you know just how much your donations make a difference...



Hi. My name is Daniel and for the past year, it’s been really tough. Not just because I have no money and it’s hard to make some at my age. A month after turning 20, last year in August, I got a call after I was tested for HIV just for the heck of it, and they said I tested positive…I was in shock and crying for days…I don’t know who I got it from, since I was promiscuous, but fact was I got it. I had thoughts of suicide…not only did my parents not know I had it they also didn’t know I was gay…I was alone and didn’t have a lot of friends to lean on. I was so fortunate to meet people that were connected to APLA and wanted to make sure that I didn’t die. Now I go to GLB center and to APLA and use their services, totally for free. I just want you guys to know that when you donate or get people to donate money to APLA, I am an example of the life you are saving and keeping alive. That’s why this is so important to me. Without people like you, I wouldn’t be here. I’m pressing on and I will die with the disease, not from it. Thank you.

My motto, "I will die WITH it, not FROM it"!

Recovery Run

Just to keep you in the loop I did do my 2nd maintenance run last week. I just got busy and didn't blog. However, not too much to talk about that run. I ran 3.3 miles to the park, around the park and home again. I finished my audio book The Goal along the way. Met up with one of my neighbors during my run. She's apparently a pretty fast walker! I have been keeping true to my goal of 1 maintenance run on my own per week and its getting easier. I still prefer to run with others tho:)

Yesterday Sunday August 8th was my mommy's Birthday (Happy Birthday Mom!) and my 5 mile recovery run from last weeks 10.
From now on we will be doing recovery runs in between our long runs. However as the long runs increase so will our recovery runs. Example: last week was 10 miles so this week we did 5. Next week we will do 12 miles so the week after that will be 6 miles, so on and so forth. Until eventually a recovery run will be 10 miles! WOW!

Bring it on! I say:)

This recovery run was amazing! My dear friend Tiffany, from Vegas came out to visit with her really good friend Anna for the weekend. (it was awesome to see her, its been far too long) They volunteered on Sunday to do water for the runners and earned my fund raising $40! Thank you soooo much girls! It means so much to me. I know getting up at 6am is hard:) You really are Rock stars!

We arrived at the site 10 till 7am. We did our usual warm up as they told us a story about a guy running this marathon that has HIV. He wrote a letter sharing his story and thanking all the fundraisers for helping him maintain his life. He said without this program he would not be able to take his medicine that keeps him alive. It was very moving. It really brought my attention back to the fact that this really isn't about me and what I'm doing really does affect the lives of others. SO powerful. (I will share the letter in another blog so you that you all know what your contribution really is doing.)

Today our pace group leader along with 3 others of the group were all absent! Shannon and I are the only ones that showed up! WOW! I cant believe it! I have a feeling their 12 miles next week aren't going to be the easiest. :/

However today we all had to name our pace groups. What was our team going to be called? Shannon and I had all the power to name it!WaaHaaaHaa...;)

We had a really good run and got to know each other a lot better. It was really nice. We mostly talked about fund raising and the benefits of running in our lives. We both agreed running this marathon is teaching us patience and compassion with ourselves as well as unlimited health benefits. After our amazing conversations and are alignment with reaching inner peace, we agreed on The Peaceful Warriors as our group name. I feel really good about that! After all running this marathon has been my Zen Master! :)

P.s I won an AIDS Marathon hat for reaching $500 + in the first month! Whoo Hoo! Thank you everybody for your generosity! $2555 left! We can do it!

I love my job!!

As most of you know I work at Lululemon Athletica in Calabasas California. Its an amazing store. If you think its just a retail store your dead wrong! Yes we sell the best Athletic gear you can imagine, especially for yoga and running but its sooo much more than that! Its really a culture. The base of the company is to elevate mediocrity to greatness!! So what is my job then? My job is to educate our guests not only about the clothes but the fitness classes in the area. My job is to hold my team accountable for getting what they want in life. My job is learn and to grow. My job is to take classes so that I can educate on them as well as make friends in our community. Why am I going on about this? And how does this pertain to running you ask? Well every Monday night we have run club at 6pm. The lovely Sabrina Madden (a store Lulu and friend) coaches it. I always work on Monday nights and haven't had the opportunity to run with them. But last night on my shift I got to support the run club by running! Amazing right!?

At 6pm runners show up at the store. They are all decked out in our Lulu running gear and ready to go. Mostly the same faces but a couple newbies. Everyone marks the board with how many miles they ran this last week. I added 15 next to my name. Although I haven't done run club often I have my name up there to track my mileage since I am running:)The highest mileage for one of the runners was 34! WOW!

So were off to the courtyard to stretch a bit and learn what the course was. It was a straight shot up pkwy Calabasas. Incline! Sabrina, Amy and I stayed together pacing ourselves with a run/walk up the hill chatting and sweating together. I really love those girls!! We went up 1.5 miles then started back for the store to finish at 3 miles. The others proceed up to 2.5 miles to finish at 5 miles. They eventually surpassed us going down the hill. Fast runners! We all met up together for our cool down to walk to the doors of the store.

SO MUCH FUN! Thank you Michelle for letting me run during my shift:) Maintenance run 1 of 2...done. 1 more to go before another long run:)

Anyone want to join us next week at 6?

10 miles!

10 miles! I did it! but..... WOW!

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intimidated when I woke up Sunday morning. 10 miles is journey I have never traveled on these 2 feet. But I pushed through my fear.

When I arrived at the sight in Griffith park 10 minutes to 7am we did our usual routine... got our maps, met with our groups, put sunblock on and did our cheer. (you'll see it in the video) :)

We started out at a slower pace this morning as we warmed up and conserved energy. I have such a great group of people to run with! we saw some really cool houses along the way. Even took some pictures being silly. We stopped for 2 bathroom breaks along the way. I think those delicious electrolyte jelly beans I was eating along the way made me have to pee a lot. LOL. When we stopped at Burger King for the bathroom one of the girls thought it would be a good idea to eat salt packets to get the sodium back up in our bodies. (a little trick of the trade) I did it! SOOOOOOO Gross!! I'll stick with my jelly beans:)

My head played lots of tricks on me going through the run. examples: its kept saying... its too hot, your too tired, are you sure you should be doing this? my toes hurt ect... sometimes it had me convinced but I shook it out and kept going.

Conversations in the group help keep my mind off the voice in my head. :)

I found a lucky penny and gave it to my group leader. "Find a penny pick it up and all the day I'll have good luck. But if I give it to a friend then our luck will never end" Then a training buddy in my group, Samantha, said that when you find a penny it means your on the right track in life. I love that!! I knew I at that moment to not doubt myself. I was on the right track. Funny thing is... Sage, our group leader, found a penny later and gave it to me. We are all on the right track!! :)

We finished 10 miles at 2hrs and 38 min (with 2 bathroom breaks) so we ran it exactly at 14 minutes per mile! WHOOO HOOO! The best part... as we crossed the 10 mile marker one of the girls had the Rocky Theme song playing on her I-phone!! We all felt pretty bad ass! :)

I went home right after. I was so hungry and very tired. I had to work at 2:30 and I desperetly wanted to take a nap. Davy and I went out to breakfast to celebrate. When we got home it was 12:20pm. I realized I may not get to sleep, I had so much to do! I walked in the door, leaned against the wall and started to cry. I mean really cry! Sobs and all! Davy got me some water and put me to bed promising he would wake me up in 40 minutes so I can get ready for work. When 1pm hit Davy came into the room and gently woke me up by taking my socks off and rubbing my feet.

I have the best boyfriend in the whole wide world. Thank you so much sweetie for supporting me and taking care of me. I love you so much!!

1:30pm I left for work.

8pm went to a party for our store manager.

What a day!!