Dumbo Double Dare, NYCM, Horse Shows and Kittens. Oh My!

Things have been pretty busy 'round these parts. Training for the NYC Marathon has officially begun, and I have to give a shout out of thanks to my friend and barn mate, Lara.

Me, Tara and Lara last weekend at the Scottsdale green belt.

Lara is pretty hard core. I don't know if she'd agree with that statement, but trust me, it's true. She's been dragging my butt out on all sorts of crazy hill runs on very rocky, mountainous terrain, and while they suck at the time, I have to say that I appreciate the fact that she doesn't let me make excuses to bail. Not to mention, we live in Phoenix and since running the mountain path isn't possible in the dark, we do it at about 6:30pm, which is still incredibly hot.

Yesterday, she also met me for a long run at another, much more flat, desert park to get in 9 miles.

I got up at 4:00am to meet her and a coworker (who is also running the Disneyland Half and possibly Dopey in 2015) at 5:00am.

My Long Beach Marathon visor is my absolute favorite.
Feel free to ignore the bags under my eyes.

I stayed out a little later than I probably should have (I believe going out for sushi is an acceptable reason) and I may have had a glass of wine...but only one. Those 9 miles felt a little tough. It was in the 90's even at 5:00, so that's my excuse. The good news is that I'm definitely keeping a faster pace when I'm running, but the bad news is that I seem to be taking more walk breaks than I would like. I'm going to blame that on the heat.

Anyway, thank you, Lara, for helping me train for NYCM- especially considering the longest race she has planned in the near future is a half marathon (although she has already done a couple of fulls).

This summer will be the fourth year I run the Disneyland Half Marathon. This is my favorite of the Disney races. I know a lot of people like the WDW races better, but for me, DL Half is the best. It was my very first half and is currently my PR. The course is so much more entertaining than WDW races.

 I'm super excited to be doing the Dumbo Double Dare. I know it's going to be a blast.

Me with my sister, who did the 5K, in 2012.

I don't have a specific plan for training for Dumbo, but it overlaps with NYCM training, so I'm just trying to fit in some back to back longish runs as training. Since I've already survived Goofy, I don't feel too worried about doing Dumbo.

Plus, I'm super excited to hang out with these awesome ladies again...

Abby, Fruitfly and Me after the WDW Marathon in January.

And, of course, by trusty running partner in crime, Tara...

Tara and I don't have similar schedules, so it's really hard for us to meet up for training runs. Not to mention, we live a bit of a ways from each other. Hopefully, we'll be able to plan some long runs during NYCM training.

In other news, I also leave for a horse show on Thursday up in the mountains and I can not wait to get out of this heat. We're also going back in August. Louie has been awesome, so I'm hoping that streak continues through the horse show. He's such a great little horse and I'm having a blast riding him.

I'm also most likely going to be adding to my animal family very soon. Both my dog and cat passed away in the last two years and I think it's time to adopt some new furry friends.

My horse trainer is fostering a mama kitty and her kittens for the Humane Society and I could play with these babies all day long.

Seriously. How cute are these kittens? I don't know how I'm
going to pick out just two. I love them all.

Oh Em Gee

Whew! What's new with everyone else?

Be Kind...And Be A Kind Runner!

Need something to do with all of your old running shoes?

When I first started running, I certainly didn't have a bunch of running shoes. Once I wore out a pair of shoes to the point that they were no longer good for running, I designated them as barn shoes. I would happily break in my shiny new pair of running shoes and keep my old shoes for barn chores or washing my horse. Seemed like a good way to get the most use out of my shoes.

At least my feet are comfy while I clean stalls, right?

After awhile, though, I had way too many old running shoes (some not so old) to use at the barn and so they ended up tossed into the back of my closet.

Well now I've got something to do with them! Kindrunner is an online shoe store. But not just any store. Kindrunner offers a new and unique shopping experience for their customers. I've recently been given the opportunity to work with Kindrunner, and I'm really excited about this opportunity.

First of all, they offer free three way shipping.

1. Free Shipping of all the products in your shopping cart to you.
2. Free Return Shipping of any products you want to return.
3. Free Shipping of your old shoes to us in exchange for Kindness Cash Rewards.

Once, Kindrunner receives your used shoes, they give them to their donations partners, who in turn, donate them to the countries (United States included) that are most in need. In return, you receive Kindness Cash Rewards.

From their website:

For every pair of running shoes you purchase, Kindrunner will accept a pair of reasonably-worn old shoes and issue a credit equal to $10 (ten dollars). This credit may be used for any future purchases at Kindrunner. We include a Free Kindness Cash Rewards™ return-shipping label with your new shoes so you can send us your old shoes.



Kindrunner also offers an in-depth gait analysis from the comfort of your home. In addition, each of their products has an expert product review video and approved alternatives. I figured I would check it out, so I researched the shoe I currently wear-  the Asics Kayano 19. I ran the Goofy Challenge in these shoes and I love them, so it was great to hear an expert opinion.



 

Pretty cool, huh? I really love this feature.

If your closet is overflowing with a bunch of worn shoes, but you are not in the market to purchase anything at the moment, then Kindrunner will accept them for donation. This is a great option for someone that simply wants to donate shoes and make a difference in struggling areas.

I really like the drive behind this company. It was founded by runners and I like the idea of others benefiting from my old shoes rather than having them collect dust in my closet. I'm excited for Kindrunner and can't wait to watch them grow. Maybe I'll see them at an expo one day!

So go check them out! What runner girl doesn't want new shoes? Or runner guy, for that matter? (C'mon, guys, you know you love your running shoes, too.) I gotta go. I have shopping to do. I think I'll stick with my Kayanos but I need a better color...

I can't resist the black with hot pink. You will be mine.

Scottsdale Beat The Heat 5K

I'm not really sure why I thought participating in this race was a good idea, but I did it.

I haven't raced too much this year. By this time last year, I had already done 5 half marathons. This year, I've only done one. Now, granted, it was part of Goofy Challenge, so it was a really big deal, but needless to say, I haven't raced a whole bunch in 2013. After traveling all over last year for races, I decided to try and scale it back because that gets costly. Plus, now that I have Lou, horse showing has once again become a priority, so I need to save some money.

Anyway, since I'm not traveling as much (still enough to keep me broke...*cough* Dumbo Challenge *cough* New York Marathon *cough* Glass Shipper Challenge *coughcoughcough*), I'm trying out some local races.

I got this email for the Scottsdale Beat The Heat Race and it was different than other races I've done, so I signed up at the last minute.

Now, temperatures have been nowhere near 122 this year and I trained for the NYC Marathon all last summer, so I figured how hard could a 5K with temps around 104 be? Also, the race was held at West World of Scottsdale where I've shown horses for the last 20+ years, so I thought it would be fun to race there since I've shown there my whole riding career.

Well, let me tell you: running a race when it's 104 and the sun still super bright is hard. The race started at 2:47pm (something about the hottest part of the day).

Yeah, they took this stuff very seriously. I arrived at West World about an hour before and still had to pick up my packet. The packet pick up and start area was inside (Thank God) the Equidome indoor arena. The first thing I saw as I walked up to the building was the sheer number of EMTs everywhere.

Eye candy

More eye candy

Packet pick up was kind of a mess. In all fairness, I can't really blame the race organizers for that. I wasn't the only one that decided to wait until the last minute to pick up my packet. Also, we had to sign a second waiver. Everyone was required to sign their life away for the second time acknowledging the risk involved with running in this kind of heat. After signing the second waiver, you got a green wrist band. Anyone seen without a band would be pulled from the course.

By the time I got my packet, ran my t-shirt back to the car, and went to the bathroom, it was only a few minutes before the start. Everyone was lined up in the arena, which I thought was pretty cool since I've shown in there before.

And there was air conditioning

Ready to run!



Tara is more appropriately dressed

Lara and Blake

After about a billion announcements, we were off! As soon as we stepped outside, I felt scorched. It did not take any time at all for my body to start over heating. I honestly think it was because the sun was still so high in the sky. Living in Arizona, 104 is not that hot in June.. Running in 104 in the stark sunlight is another story.

I didn't take a lot of pictures during the actual run because I just wanted to get done. Also, I seemed incapable of running the full thing, even though a 5K is a pretty easy distance when compared to a half marathon or full.

It just looks hot, doesn't it?

Did I mention that I drank a bunch of wine the night before? No? That may or may not have contributed to my difficulty.

I'm dying.

Right before the end, there was a fire truck hosing off runners. I didn't get a picture, but it felt great. The finish was on the polo field, and the sprinklers were on.

This was tougher than I expected. I really didn't think I would feel so miserable. To be fair, the race was fun otherwise and really well organized. My only complaint was that it was pricey for a 5K, especially considering we only got a t-shirt and not a tech shirt. Although the design of the shirt was pretty cool.

Would I do it again? I don't know. I would definitely do another race organized by this group. I just don't know if I want to run another race in these circumstances. I'm dumb, though, so there's a good chance I will magically forget how hot I was by next summer.

Serial Killers, Killer Mountains and Unicorns

I have a two story townhouse that is technically a condo. I don't really know what the difference is, but when I was signing the millions of pages for my loan, I saw the word "condo" like a every other sentence. But it's important to this story that you understand that my condo is two stories, because there is a possibility that a serial killer has taken up residence in my guest room upstairs.

I use the term "guest room" lightly because, in reality, this is a giant storage room. Therefore, there are plenty of spaces for a serial killer to hide. 

My house is the middle unit of three attached two story condos. On one side, my neighbor is out of town a lot and the unit on the other side of me is vacant. My complex is really quiet, so imagine my surprise when I hear a giant crash upstairs coming from the vacant condo.

So I did what any normal person would do, I grabbed The Stick and ran upstairs to investigate.

When recounting this story for Tara, she said, "you grabbed The Stick, but it never occurred to you to grab a knife?" Hmmm, yes, she has a point. 

So I ran upstairs and searched for anything that could have crashed into wall. Nada. I went back downstairs and slept on my couch clutching my "weapon" all night. 

I know I didn't imagine the crash, it shook the wall next to me. And my other neighbor was, of course, gone. I considered calling the police but I never heard another peep.

Anyway, I've determined that there are ghosts, monsters and/or Hannibal Lechter in the vacant unit next to me. 

But this is not a serial killer blog, despite my new obsession with the show Hannibal, it's a running blog. And I ran trails again this Tuesday. Lara has decided this is going to be a regular thing. This is how I feel about running up a mountain when it is 105 degrees outside.

Also, Louie is now a unicorn. 

Jaime in Dallas

I wrote this post while still in Dallas and then meant to finish it at the airport, but let me tell you, the airport was a total cluster (insert bad word here) and I got to my gate just in time to board...

Hello from Dallas, Texas! I'm actually supposed to be home by now, but my flight was cancelled and the first flight out on the same airline in tomorrow morning. Wtf?

But that's fine by me because I got to spend a little more time with one of my dear friends in Texas. And we're watching the Tony Awards right now which is making me super excited for NYC Marathon

Anyhoo, here's what I've been up to...

Found some awesome stuff at the Frisco Mercantile...

We went to the Perot Museum of Science and Nature...

We also stopped by the Frisco Heritage Center where I got this shot that I totally love:

And then I wanted this shot:

I even went running this morning. I rarely run on vacations that aren't racecations (which happen to be most of most trips), but I went out for 6 miles this morning. 

Of course, I stopped along the way for some instagramming. And I got lapped twice by a guy in a Boston Marathon shirt. TWICE, people. Good thing my slowness doesn't really affect my self esteem...

This neighborhood is so pretty. I left just after a thunderstorm passed through so the weather was perfect...at first.

About three miles into my run, the sun came out and tried to sear the skin right off of my body. It was so humid. 

I'm pretty proud of myself for running on vacation. I ended up doing 6 miles and felt pretty good the whole time.

Thanks, D (who may or may not be reading this... I have no idea), for a really fun, awesome weekend. I had a great time! XO

Happy Tears

I'm going to share a little story with you all because it's about something that I hold very dear to my heart. I debated about whether I wanted to write about this on my blog, but I love a feel good story, so I thought I would share.

Last summer, I had to retire my horse, Bam Bam. It was a very emotional thing for me and I really had a difficult time letting go. It's hard to explain the relationship I had with him. Maybe it was the fact that I raised him or maybe it was because he's the most unique animal I have ever met. Maybe it was believing in him so hard that I couldn't let myself give up on him despite all of the signs that he couldn't do his job anymore.

Eventually, though, it became very clear that Bam Bam was no longer able to compete. He was miserable and I was miserable and I had to let go of him in order to give him the life he deserved. Letting him go was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made. As cheesy as it sounds, I had promised him when he was young and recovering from one of the many surgeries that would ultimately lead to his retirement, that I would always take care of him.

I couldn't just sell him because then I might never know how or where he was. What if something terrible happened to him? He not an easy horse to ride or deal with and I couldn't bear thinking that someday he might end up on a slaughter truck. (I'm not over reacting on this. Non horse people would be shocked if they knew how many show or race horses end up going to slaughter if they are no longer useful.)

An opportunity came up for Bam Bam to go to a ranch to help kids suffering from emotional trauma. The kids work with the horses and the horses teach them about love and understanding.

I follow the ranch's Facebook page and would always be on the look out for pictures of Bam. They post all sorts of pictures of the kids playing with the horses and Bam was never in any of them. As months went by, I had convinced myself that maybe he wasn't useful to them or that he wasn't good with the kids.

I never doubted that he was well cared for, they're very good people. I also have a contract with them that if he doesn't work out, I get to take him back. But as months went by and I never saw pictures of him, I worried more and more that maybe he didn't fit into their program.

Finally, finally, last week I saw a picture of Bam in my Facebook news feed and immediately burst into tears. At work, of course. (Not that I'm on FB at work if my boss is reading this.)

Bam is a total attention whore, so this job is perfect for him.

I could have saved myself months of worrying and heartache if I had just had the guts to contact the woman that runs the ranch. I was so worried that they weren't happy with him, that I couldn't bring myself to ask if they liked him. I sent them a message on FB after they posted his picture and this was the response that I got:

I seriously can't read this without crying and I've read it like a hundred times. My special little horse is helping kids and apparently he's a rock star at it. I knew he'd be great if they gave him a chance, but he can be a little weird at times and needs understanding himself.

I'm so happy that he's made a difference in this little girl's life. He's a special guy and I can't express how relieved I am that he's appreciated and loved for who he is.

Fail, Fail, Fail

I swear I was getting back on the running wagon, but life can be so distracting! Especially when there's other things I could be doing that don't involve going out into the blistering desert heat.

I went out with some friends Friday night and had a fabulous time. I didn't get home until well after 11 and had to ride bright and early in the morning. Plus, Prince Charming forgot to give me my wake up call.

It's impossible to run during the day in June in Arizona. It was 109 yesterday and 110 today. So even though I had a friend's 40th birthday bash last night, I tried to limit my sangria (which was the best sangria ever) to like 7 glasses because, by God, I was going to get up and run in the morning.

So I get home from the party and even get all of my running stuff together including remembering to charge my Garmin. I set my alarm for 4AM because I figured if I left by 4:30, I could be back by 6 and sleep for a couple of hours before heading out to the barn to take care of the horses. (I'm in charge of the horses at my barn on Sundays because I participate in a sport which I can not really afford and therefore I work off some of the expense.)

My alarm went off at 4AM. At least I'm assuming it did, because I have no recollection of that taking place. Instead, I became vaguely aware of pushing snooze at around 6.

That's right, I pushed snooze on my phone for 2 freaking hours. I could have gone running and been back in bed by 6 if I had just gotten up when I was supposed to. I guess I need something more motivating than Prince Charming to get me out of bed. Something a little more...life threatening.

That's not my only fail. I had briefly considered doing Juneathon awhile ago. But then I decided that it was probably a little too much to take on. I also had planned on doing a 365 challenge where you do sit-ups and push-ups every day for a year, increasing the number by one every day until you reach 365 on the last day of the year.

Then I totally forgot to do one itty bitty push-up and sit-up yesterday. So now I've totally screwed up my whole year!! I'm thinking that I will just start with Day 2.

Because I'm lame. Sigh.

So all my running shoes did this weekend was help me muck out horse stalls.

At least I got some form of exercise because running around the barn all day is exhausting.

Now I'm off to do a couple of sit-ups and push-ups. I hope I don't break something.