Category Archives: My Life

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!

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!

No Strings

The last few months of my life have been a struggle. Not in the sense that I had no food, or was stranded on a desert island or anything. But it was a struggle none-the-less. Work has been crazy, wedding planning is overwhelming, and the freaks outs that came along with accepting the union of marriage were painful at times. But I am finally ready! I want to be married. I am excited about being married, and at this point, I just want to get it over with, mainly because I miss Chas so much.

map

We are currently in the longest stretch of ever being apart that we have gone through. When all is said and done, it will have been 3 full months. That’s a long time!

Bulletproof_Exec_003Anyway, I have come to the point where I am just sick of feeling awful all the time. For about the last 2 months, I have been trying to eat cleaner. I can tell a difference in my body, which is great, plus I feel like I am recovering faster from my long runs. I have been sipping some bulletproof coffee lately, and while I have to carefully watch my MCT oli intake due to what it does to my stomach (holy nausea), I really love it! I have started lifting again too, which I truly think is a runner’s friend. It’s very easy to end up looking like you are wasting away when you are running as much as I am at this point.

My mood has been so sour lately, mostly because I felt overwhelmed by all there was to do. Last weekend, on a run of course, I decided that I wasn’t taking enough time for myself, and I was bitter about it. Work, run, sleep, repeat has been my cycle over the past few months. So every morning, I am taking about an hour to do something that I want to do. Sometimes I read, watch tv or watch YouTube videos, but just that one hour makes my mood totally different for the day.

I have also vowed to start writing more. Most of it has been done on our wedding website (jenandchas.com) to this point, but I am working to ramp up this site as well, as I have found great inspiration in other’s blogs lately.

I am happy to feel happy finally. I am happy to feel in love again. I am happy to be excited about what 2014 will bring. And I am excited to put it into words for you all to read.

My World is a Treadmill

I think the title says it all. That’s exactly what I feel like. I am on a treadmill that doesn’t stop, keeps an insane pace, and I can’t reach the red button to stop it.

The frustration I am having with all of this is that I have no reason to feel like I do, depressed and alone. I should be on top of the world. I love my job more than I can express. I just got engaged. My running is better than it has ever been. There is logically no explanation for it.

So, I guess I am just going to try to write my way through this, because I am out of ideas. If you’re tired of my depressive posts, I understand, but I think it’s better that I talk to myself through here rather than try to deny what I am going through.

The Rolling Depression

I am so happy to be engaged. I want to marry Chas, and I want to start our lives together, but ever since we got engaged, I have felt more depressed than I think I almost ever have. The overwhelming feeling that I have with all that I have to do at work, plus the added stress and pressure of planning a wedding makes me dread life a little bit. I have multiple problems with planning a wedding:

1. I don’t want a reception. The reasons for this are two fold.

  • I don’t dance, I hate it, won’t do it, and don’t want to.
  • I don’t drink.

2. I don’t want to be the center of attention. I hate feeling like I am inconveniencing people in any way, so thinking that people are rearranging their lives for my wedding is something that is extremely bothersome.

3. I have about 0 friends, and Chas has like 1 million, so the event of making an invite list highlights this fact to no end.

I have this strange feeling of wanting to be left alone and wanting to be talking to someone at all times. Unfortunately, I still feel alone, even when I am with someone. Its not fun. I can’t shake it. But the only thing that has changed in my situation is the addition of an engagement ring.

It all basically comes down to this. I want to be excited to plan my wedding. I don’t want to completely dread it like I am now. This is supposed to be a fun, memorable time, and I am hating it.

Oh, and if anyone actually reads these things, please don’t comment with something like, “Oh, come on. It can’t be that bad.” I will literally come to your house and kick your ass. Don’t waste your energy, and don’t come back to my blog. It’s called my blog for a reason. Enough of that rant…

Regardless of how stressed and depressed I feel, my runs keep seeming to get better, and that is one thing that I can’t be upset about.

 

 

Disneyland Half Marathon Wrap Up

Well I made it through another half marathon!

Overall, I feel great about my body, great about my finish, and loved every minute of this race. One unusual thing about this race was that I got very nervous prior to the race. It was hot, crowded, and there were lots of other runners all trying to funnel through a small area. My brother came to cheer me on and be my pit crew, which was very helpful but not quite as comforting as when my mom is there to take care of me.

The Disneyland Half was the best I have run so far, proving to myself that I can run for time and can continue to PR if I push myself. In fact, I am finding it hard NOT to push myself for time. While I would like to take my time and enjoy the festivities on the course, I can’t seem to get over the fact that I am running fast and keeping a good pace.

Throughout the race, my per mile pace hovered right around 11:31 per mile, and my finish time was almost exactly 15 minutes faster than my last half. I finished at 2:30:56, and am sure that I could finish in under 2:30 in my next one.

it was really a great race, and a great course. I am excited to do more half in the near future, as well as this race again. I just can’t explain how special Disney races are. I wouldn’t be a runner if I hadn’t run my first marathon at Disney.

 

So Close, Yet So Far Away

Well it is the last day of August, and since my disappointing 4th of July showing, lots of things have changed in my life.

1. I got engaged!!!! It only took 6.5 years.
2. My brother moved into me. It is just till December, but it is quite a change, since I am so used to living by myself.
3. I have been training my butt off for a half marathon that I am running first thing tomorrow morning. Again my passion for Disney and running collide as I run the Disneyland Half Marathon.
4. My workload has nearly quadrupled. I’ve always been busy, but this is a different kind of busy.

Is that enough for you?

Anyway, I am sitting in my hotel, just waiting for my alarm to go off tomorrow morning. I am so excited to run a race again, and I am convinced that I have to run more, which shouldn’t be a problems since I have the Dopey coming up in January.

Hoping to post again this weekend, after the race with my results. Attempting to beat my PR of 2:43:05. Keep your fingers crossed!