Author Archives: Jen Thompson

TGIF: Thank God it’s February

IMG_1229January was brutal. While I had very rewarding moments, it was also one of the worst months in my 30 years of existence. Getting to spend the holidays with Chas and the animals was wonderful. It confirmed to me that I am ready to co-habitate and be a wife, which is the plan for later this year obviously. Then I flew to Florida to take on the biggest challenge of my life: 48.6 miles over the course of 4 days. I completed the challenge with flying colors and got to spend time with friends while doing it. I came back to California, and quickly found myself in a bout of depression, not particularly loving my job at the moment, lonely, and with not much to look forward to until the wedding… 6 months away.

Friday, the last day of January, was one of the worst days of my life. As you may know, I have two cats and two dogs. Lucy and Milton, our English bulldogs, are such good dogs. I just love them to death. Rock and Roll, the cats, have been with me since I was in college. I literally don’t know my adult life without them. Friday Roll died. My heart is just broken. Rock and I have never been without him in the 9 1/2 year they have been alive.

He was the best cat, loved kitty treats, snuggling with his mommy, and playing bubbles. The minute I sat down, he was on my lap, most likely with a paw on my laptop track pad. Roll never met anyone that he didn’t like, and everyone loved him too. He always met me at the door, looking for a way to get outside, and when unsuccessful would follow me around until I sat down, just to cuddle with him of course.

There are moments when I don’t know what I am going to do without him. There are moments that is seems like Rock feels the same way. I am beside myself. My life will certainly never be the same.

Rest in peace Rolly. I love you to the moon and back sweet boy. Here’s hoping that February brings better things and a new mood.

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Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Recap

My biggest race of the year is always the second weekend of the year. I figure if I get the hard stuff out of the way early in the year, the I can sail through the rest of it. This year is sort of an exception, because I have to get married in the middle of it… you know, move in with someone, be a wife. This is not easy stuff we are talking about!

So back to the reason for this post: Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend! I was a complete idiot this year. I signed up for the Dopey Challenge, which involved running a total of 48.6 miles over the course of 4 days. I have never done this before, but the plan from the beginning was to run with friends, as I knew that slow and steady would be the best strategy. This is a struggle for me, because I have the mindset to put my head down and trudge through. I knew going in that I would need to hold back for the sake of the team.

We started with a 5K on Thursday bright and early at 6:15 am. My friends and I had decided to run 3/1 minute intervals, so slow and steadily, off we went. It was a successful race, through the back entrance of Epcot, around World Showcase, and back up to the parking lot where we started. It was a short, but enjoyable and fun race, and a great way to kick off a weekend of running.

Bruce, Me, Julie and Darren… My running buddies!

Friday was much of the same, but a little bit longer (10K distance) and started a little bit earlier. The group had decided to decrease our intervals to 2/1. The course was very similar, but extended the first 2.5 miles through the roads outside the front of Epcot. It was again an easy run, and I pushed it towards the end, finishing strong.

Day 2: Bruce, Julie, Me and D$

We knew Saturday was going to be a big test. The distance was 13.1 miles. Darren’s knees weren’t feeling great, and to be perfectly honest, a few of us were having some trouble getting rid of waste (if you get my drift). Our intervals were scheduled to be 1/1, and as we started our trek to the Magic Kingdom, it was obvious that at some point we would have to separate. We stayed together through mile 9-10 ish, then Bruce and I unleashed the beast and finished by abandoning out intervals and running the remainder of the way. I felt very strong after the race, but my heel was extremely sore.

Sunday morning came quickly, and let me tell you, knowing that you have run 3 races already, but you aren’t even halfway done with the total distance you are running (at this point we had completed 22.4 out of 48.6 miles) can be an overwhelming thought. Our intervals were scheduled at 1/1 again and we started out at target pace through the first 6 miles. We had to pull teeth for quite a few miles after that, trying to keep the group together. Once we got to mile 16, and had spent much of the last 6 miles walking, standing and waiting for fellow Team Kitchen Sink members, it was clear that continuing on was the only option. Bruce and I once again took the lead, pushing the pace, and finishing stronger than we had started. It took us over 6 hours to finish, which pains me a little bit to say, but I can tell you that I felt very confident in my training. Had I run at my training pace, I am certain that I would have PR’ed .

AH! Finished…

With lots of running, thousands of people, travel and very little sleep surrounding me, I headed back to California with a fever that reached 103.4 and lasted for about a week afterwards. Two weeks out at this point, I am still recovering physically from the flu, but I am getting back to normal.

I doubt that I will ever run the Dopey again. It is very time consuming to train for, plus I am fairly certain that married life will bring new challenges to contend with. I am so happy that I got to experience it though. It makes training for a regular marathon seem quite easy. On to bigger and better things in the coming days!

I just posted my new training schedule on the running calendar page. I am planning for another marathon in Oklahoma City in April at this point and am excited to start my new February schedule.

’14 is off to a start

Ok, ok. So it is 24 days into the new year, and I have yet to post. Well I have a good reason…

Ok, never mind. But I am posting now, so get over it. 

My 2014 has been a little different than most people’s. To start, work has been paying me a very large sum of money to do nothing but data entry since about December 1st. It completely sucks, but it is what has to be done. It hasn’t happened very often in this job, but my job satisfaction level is not very high right now. I mean, I am satisfied with my work, but not satisfied with the work I have to do. It’s kind of a bummer, but I know it will change before long.

I had the privilege of spending the first 8 days of the new year with Chas and my animals. I was working most of the time, but the feeling of what a normal day would be like, living back in Kansas of course, was spectacular. The only real problem with it all was that my day was starting at about 3:30 am. The races that I was preparing to run caused me to get up that early, so just as I trained for the races, I trained for the Rise and Shine too.

It went well, but once I was gone, and the dogs were still getting up that early, Chas didn’t appreciate it too much. Whoops!

I didn’t really set any resolutions this year. So many big things are happening to my life in 2014 that I assumed that would be enough for me to worry about… Running 48.6 miles, moving back to Kansas, getting married. I will also be lucky enough to see old friends and family, and spend the rest of my life with my best friend. Resolutions aren’t necessary for me to reach a level of happiness that I have ‘needed’ in past years.

I am planning on writing in more detail about the races, but will do that in a series of other posts over the next few weeks. Today’s post was just to catch myself up to speed on what my year has been like. I have decided to spend this weekend detailing my workout plan for February. After the races, I caught the flu and am still in recovery mode at this point. February is 28 days long, and the perfect amount of time to make some changes and start preparing my body for what I want it to look like in my wedding dress. 

I’m excited for new challenges and adventures this year, and I hope to post it all for you to see. It’s gonna be a great year…

Hind Sight is 20/20

Happy New Year everyone!

I just spent a few minutes reading my last post of 2012, the challenges I had listed for myself in 2013 and the struggles of the previous year. I don’t necessarily think that I became a better person in 2013, in fact, probably the opposite. It sounds awful to say that I feel like I have more hate in my heart that ever before. I am cynical and abrasive. I complain, and am often selfish.

And it feels like everyone around me is quite the opposite. This morning I started thinking about why 2014 will be a happier year for me. I figured if I posted my thoughts here, next year on this day, I will be able to reflect again on what they year has brought me.

My fiance is the most easy going, loving guy I’ve ever known. He is so happy and willing to take care of me, even when I am mean and in a bad mood. Sometimes I question why he would pick me. We have been through so much together over the past 7 years: deaths, births, sickness, financial issues, moves, controversy and baby puppies. We have made it through so much, and we finally get to be married in 2014. I couldn’t be happier and more excited for such a big life change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I definitely don’t give my family the amount of time they deserve. We are spread out all over the country, so we never get to spend enough time together, but with the wedding fast approaching, everyone will get to be together in the same place for a few days, and besides the actual marriage part, I am so excited about this.

This sounds funny, but my life is my work most of the time. It’s really all I have in California. So over the next year, I think work deserves less of my time. I have devoted that last 2 years of my life to it, and I feel like it is finally time that other things become the priority.

I love running so much, but I know that my fitness can be better. With the wedding just 7 months away, I definitely have some work to do to make myself happy.  But don’t worry, running more is definitely on that list.

If I do nothing else, but complete the Dopey Challenge, get married, and make family more a priority in my life, I will consider it a successful 2014.  So Peace and Love to you all in 2014. I hope you take what life gives you and turn it into something amazing!

2013: A Year of Many New Adventures

When you read the above title, you will undoubtedly know that this post is meant to sum up the amazing year I have had. Your second question may be why it was published at nearly 4 am. Well the Dopey Challenge is just around the corner, and I am up early to simulated race day activities, minus the running part. It is way to cold outside for that this early in the morning. None-the-less, I am just 8 days away from the biggest race I have ever run. I just got butterflies in my stomach typing that! It will be so much fun, and I really am looking forward to it.

With that being said, let’s do a little year in review, shall we?

January

I was fortunate enough to get to start the year with Chas and my puppies is Kansas, only for a day, but I believe you can’t start the year with someone you aren’t going to finish it with. There was quite a snow storm on New Year’s Eve, and we spent much of New Year’s Day playing with the puppies in the snow.

If Lucy misses and Milton gets the ball, it takes 10 minutes and some slobber reduction before you can start to play again.

It was only days later that I traveled to Orlando for the ‘then’ biggest race of my life, the Goofy Challenge at Walt Disney World. It was an awesome race, and I PRed by nearly 25 minutes. It was an amazing experience, and it got me excited to try something even more challenging this year.

Running down Main Street, USA during the half marathon. Nothing is more magical…

February

While I didn’t get to see my family for Christmas in 2012, I did get to spend some much needed time with them in February. My father got inducted into my high school athletic hall of fame. It was just a weekend, but to have everyone home was a great pick-me-up in the cold winter months.

Back Row: Ben, Me, Krissy, Brady. Front Row: Mom and Dad

March

I turned 30 in March, and to celebrate, I went BACK to the Happiest Place on Earth, this time with Chas, my mom and dad. We had a blast, relaxing, eating at all my favorite places, and enjoying a few quiet days.

Oddly enough, this picture would turn out to be a source of inspiration later in the year.

April

In April, I spent just about every waking minute planning for the 1st Annual Preppy Awards. This was a banquet honoring high school athletes through my job. It was a huge event… that I ended up planning in 6 weeks. Chas and I also spent a ncie weekend in Las Vegas, during a wrestling event, of course. No pictures here. I honestly don’t remember much of this month.

May

After finishing the Preppy’s in the middle of the month, I got a much needed break to spend some time back in Kansas for Memorial day with Chas and the puppies.

June

June was full of trips back and forth to Kansas. We hired on a new guy and decided to expand. I spent much of the month traveling, and at one point drove over 2,500 miles in just 2 days.

July

Wow, talk about a life-changing month. I ran a half marathon over the 4th of July, but got very sick about half way through and spend the rest of the day on the couch.  Shortly after that, Chas came for a visit, and this happened.

Perfection!

August

With school starting back up this month, work got crazy, and I went back to Kansas to start filming a reality show. I got to spend some time with the puppies while Chas was in Canada. Later in the month, we had a very nice engagement party at his parents house.

The answer to your question is no. I don’t know what is going on with my left arm.

September

With September came another race, the Disneyland Half Marathon. I PRed in the Half, but struggled toward the end of the race. My brother also moved in with me, which made for an interesting and fun rest of the year.

Getting ready to take Anaheim by storm!

October

Football season brings lots and lots of work to our office, and as the work ramped up, so did my running. It was a very successful month in many ways, but I struggled once again, but emotionally this time, as I got more and more involved in wedding planning. In fact, as I write this, October was the last month I did ANY planning for the wedding, and I am fine with that.

November

As football season wound down, basketball season ramped up! Work again was busy as always, and my running schedule met the challenge as well. I got to spend a wonderful Thanksgiving on top of Mt. Diablo with my brother, aunt and uncle. But the best part? Earlier that morning, we ran across the Golden Gate Bridge. It was one of the things on my bucket list, and I am so glad Brady and I got to do it together.

December

December has been a great month! For the first 3 weeks of the month, I worked and ran, and repeated. I spent some great time with my brother. And then, on December 19th, I flew back to Kansas with Rock and Roll (my cats) in tow. Since then, we have been a family again, snuggling, walking the dogs, and visiting my family back in Ohio for the holidays. It has been a wonderful year, and being only 8 days from the Dopey Challenge, I feel wonderful about the past year and the progress I have made with my running.

Like I always say, I never spend enough time putting my thoughts, feelings and the events of my life here in this blog, but I can always try harder over the next year. And that is exactly what I am going to do.

My brothers and sister, along with Katie, my brother’s girlfriend, and Chas, my fiance!

Have a safe and Happy 2014!

It all comes back to footwear

If you have been reading my blog lately, you know that I have a strange obsession with the show Cheers at the current moment. Well for a while I had jumped around, not necessarily watching episodes in order. Recently I started, I believe, in season 8, and yesterday, I finally made it to the series finale. Of course I cried, because heaven forbid I don’t cry at something these days. But I also learned an interesting lesson. If you recall the final episode, it was a 3 parter when Diane comes back, Sam contemplates leaving, and Woody gets everyone a job for the city. But at the very end of the episode, the gang is sitting around the bar talking about how much they all *cough* love *cough* each other.

At one point, they talk about what makes life complete. Carla says having kids, Frasier says life is a cosmic accident, and Cliff says footwear. Without comfortable footwear, no great accomplishment would have been made, that life is chaos without good footwear. At the end of the episode, they all say how glad they are that Sam has stayed, and that if he had left, someone would have some pretty big shoes to fill. Cliff then says, “See! It all comes back to footwear!”

My favorite running shoes, Nike Free v7.0 with side laces

 

Well Cliff is right in many aspects, in regards to my life anyway. Running for example, is a very trying task if you do not have the appropriate footwear. You will have knee, back and hip problems if your shoes are worn out or not activity appropriate. In marketing, you need to view the idea or promotion from the public’s point of view, or “walk in their shoes” to determine if something if going to work for your brand. A squeaky shoe, wet shoes, or broken shoes can ruin your day. People have shoe addictions, or their baby’s first shoes hanging over the rear view mirror in their car. A new pair of shoes can change the way you feel.

 

I went looking for some new shoes yesterday, as I have been having a few foot problems with my training schedule. With 44 miles scheduled this week, I don’t expect them to get much better, so I am trying to figure out the best solution so I am not in pain… (odd metaphor to my life right now, but I won’t go into that). So once again, my success, failure, and comfort come down to footwear.

Quite odd, but Cliff Clavin had a good point.

Random Thinking on a Friday

I have been having a lot of random thoughts pop into my head today, always for that matter, so I decided to throw them all into a post for you to understand why I am so scatterbrained.

1. The lady at the bagel shop was super nice to me this morning.

I had to wait a long time for them to take my order, but when I got to the register and the lady said I had to spend at least $5 to use my debit card, she made an exception because of my wait! Thank you lady! That was very nice of you, although I would have bought a bottle of Naked Juice if I had to. (One of my favs!)

2. I found a Caramel Apple Pop in my purse today. It is from Ike’s Sandwiches, which are completely delicious. I forgot how much I loved these suckers! Really I just like the caramel, and could do without the rest.

3. I am completely and unbelievably obsessed with Cheers right now. Norm Peterson makes me laugh just by looking at him. I love Seinfeld, but this may be the best show in the history of shows. I laugh incredibly loud while watching it, which is something I don’t do very often.

4. I have committed to running the 2014 Oklahoma City Marathon in April and am highly considering running the LA Marathon in March and another marathon in Phoenix in February. This would get me close to qualifying for the Marathon Maniacs, which is something I am working forward to. It would also get me 3 states closer to my 50 state accomplishment.

5. Last night I woke up at 2 AM and was so thirsty I could barely stand it. After coming back to bed, I watched my cat, Roll, chase his tail for nearly 5 minutes before he got so dizzy he couldn’t take it any more. He’s so cute… and so dumb.

He also thinks he is a human...

He also thinks he is a human…

Well, that’s what my Friday has been like. I’m sure I will have some more random things to post about after my weekend running escapade. Have a great weekend all!

Run Shaming

A few months ago, a mom posted this picture on her Facebook page:

My first thoughts when seeing this photo are: 1. Those kids are darn cute, 2. She looks amazing, and 3. I hope I look half as good as she does when/if I have kids in the future. But people didn’t feel the same as I do. Apparently, people felt like she was “Fat Shaming”, or making fat people feel bad for looking the way they do.

Yeah, that was her intent. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?

If you want to be fat, be fat. Nobody is stopping you… except maybe the Mayor of New York City. This woman isn’t stopping you from eating to your heart’s content, so eat, be fat, and be merry. Period.

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Have you see the latest rant against runners? Mr. Chad Stafko, who I can only imagine is about 400 lbs. decided that runners are too proud, as was the poor woman in the photo above. Here’s his post from the Wall Street Journal.

Runner’s World posted a response that I cracked up about for 20 minutes. In fact, lots of people have responded… with that being said, I wanted to respond as well.

I would like to call Chad’s article ‘Run Shaming’. Isn’t his purpose in this whole thing to make runner’s feel bad for being so proud of  accomplishing great things on the road? He obviously hasn’t run a day in his life. Where does he get off having the right to make us feel bad for being runners?

Why do the healthy people always get griped at? You know, I have a very good friend who lost a ton of weight and I have actually heard someone say that he is crazy for doing it? He looks amazing, is healthier than ever for his kids, and people have the nerve to say he is being unhealthy by getting healthy.

If you want to be fat, be fat. If you want to be thin, be thin. Be a runner. Be a couch paperweight. NO ONE CARES! Be whatever you want to be, and be proud of it. If you don’t want to be something that you are, change it. Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do or be what you want to do or be.

In conclusion, I would just like to say, to each their own.

 

 

What 42 miles will teach you

It’s like duct tape for your body.

Over the past week, I ran a staggering 42 miles—my longest week ever. That’s right, folks, I’m basically an Olympian now. Good for me! But as I trotted along the roads and trails, I couldn’t help but gather a collection of observations that range from mildly amusing to outright absurd. Naturally, I feel compelled to share them with you. So, here goes:

1. Asian Men and Hot Pink: A Love Story

Let me preface this by saying I am not an expert in fashion trends, but it seems that hot pink is having a moment among Asian men—or at least the ones who frequent my running route. On Sunday’s long run, I spotted not one but two men sporting hot pink. The pièce de résistance was one gentleman wearing wind pants with hot pink stripes down the side, paired with red high-top Nikes. Yes, red. Because why not double down on clashing colors? Oh, and he was smoking a cigarette while strolling casually in this ensemble, which somehow made the whole scene even more surreal. It’s like he woke up and thought, “Today’s vibe is rebellious disco meets casual athleticism.”

2. Miley Cyrus: Unexpected Muse

Here’s something I never thought I’d say: Miley Cyrus saved me at mile 19 of a 20-mile run. Her song “We Can’t Stop” came on my playlist, and for reasons I still can’t fully explain, it felt like the most profound anthem of human endurance ever written. For about three glorious minutes, Miley was my spirit guide, urging me forward with her oddly motivational lyrics. Then reality hit—I realized what I was thinking and burst out laughing mid-run. Cue dirty looks from—you guessed it—the man in hot pink wind pants. Life is a vicious cycle.

3. Santa Clara Needs Me (and My Ticket-Writing Skills)

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from running through my neighborhood, it’s that parking violations are rampant here. On Sunday alone, during my 20-miler, I counted 43 cars parked illegally—most of them blocking fire hydrants like it’s some kind of trendy new pastime. If the City of Santa Clara wants to rake in some serious cash, they should deputize me as their parking enforcer. Imagine me sprinting from car to car with a ticket book in hand—justice served at marathon pace.

4. Safeway at 5:00 AM: A Runner’s Paradise

There’s a Safeway across the street from my apartment that opens at the ungodly hour of 5:00 AM—a fact I discovered when I realized I was short on gels before my long run. Let me tell you, grocery shopping at dawn is an experience like no other. The aisles were empty, the checkout line nonexistent, and the only challenge was dodging the occasional weird look from employees wondering why someone in running gear was buying nothing but energy gels and KT Tape at sunrise.

5. Talking Makes Miles Disappear

Between miles 12 and 14, I employed what I like to call my “life lines”—essentially phoning a friend to distract myself from the monotony of running endless miles. First up was my mom, who gamely chatted with me for about a mile despite my breathless replies. Then came Chas (a friend who tolerates my mid-run ramblings). It turns out that having someone to talk to makes those miles fly by—though I suspect they’d rather not hear me wheezing into their ear next time.

6. KT Tape: The Miracle Worker

If duct tape is the universal fix-it tool for objects, KT Tape is its equivalent for the human body. Knees? Fixed. Feet? Good as new. Random aches and pains? Slapped some tape on them and carried on like nothing happened. At this point, I’m convinced KT Tape could mend a broken heart if applied correctly.

And that’s all for now because—shockingly—I have to go work for a living instead of running another marathon around town or ticketing rogue parkers. This week’s mileage goal is only 20 miles (a mere jog compared to last week), but rest assured there will be more absurd observations to come by week’s end. Stay tuned!

Beware of Lawnmowers

I found this very interesting image this morning after looking through Joe Rogan’s Twitter posts (I swear I’m not a stalker). I decided to post it here and discuss.

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My observations:

1. Who can’t love Canada… Maple Syrup is delicious.

2. If we ever, as the USA, are threatened by Brazil, I demand the whole country to stand up, point at them, laugh in their face and say, “Soccer?! Really???”

3. Note to self: Always wear sunscreen in Australia.

4. Since penguins are my favorite animals, a trip to Antarctica may be in my future.

5. If you ever want to see lighting strike twice, just head south of the border, to Mexico…

 

Ok, well besides that, this is my running blog, and today is the start of a 4 day, 35 mile running adventure as my Dopey training really starts to ramp up. 3 today, 3 tomorrow, 8.5 Saturday, and 20 on Sunday will make for a long weekend. I love training though, so I am actually very excited about it. I told you yesterday that I am vowing to post more, and this is a great weekend to do so…