I can't it's almost been 8 months since I ran the LA Marathon- it seems like such a long time ago! I told myself that after completing the marathon, I would continue running and entering in races ranging from 5ks to full marathons. I miss the camaraderie of running around my neighborhood and the so called "runners high" I got after running. Unfortunately, I did not hold up my promise to myself, and so far have only run occasionally since March. However, a few weeks ago, after one of my nicest/best friends, Ian, sneakily discovered this blog, I have had running and marathons on my mind. Ian decided to run the DC Marathon after we had talked about it for a little while, but I was a bit apprehensive to join him at first. His passion, focus, and commitment towards both running and bettering himself have been truly inspiring and motivating.. So, after much consideration, I have decided to join him and begin training for the DC Marathon. I am looking forward to running more and being a more discipline and motivated person. Not to mention how cool it will be to know that I have completed 2 Marathons before the age of 19 in two scenic and beautiful cities. The 4 month countdown begins!!

Here is the link to the DC Rock 'n' Roll Marathon!!
http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/usa

After the race...


After crossing the finish line, there were bananas, water and bagels for the runners, as well as heat sheets. And of course, how could I forget the medal...

A heat sheet- boy do they keep you warm!!

A picture of both the t-shirt and the medal everyone received

Needless to say, after finishing the Marathon I was very sore. After running/walking for such a long time (my finishing time was just after 7 hours) my legs were very stiff and I was waddling like a penguin. I wasn't very tired during the drive home (I ate some lasagna and Nutella afterwards a well) but when I got home, my tiredness hit me like a ton of bricks and I knocked out for about 4 hours. 

During the week following the race, it took me a while to get my legs back to normal and heal my blisters. I could walk normally after about 3 days,but my blisters took about 2 weeks to heal. I started running/ power walking again after about 2 or so weeks because of my blisters, and much to my dismay, a pulled hamstring. 

It was a lot different running after the Marathon, the 3 miles didn't seem as long and I found that I had a little more endurance than usual. However, it took me a little while to get over the pain of my blisters before I started running at the same pace and time as before the Marathon. Currently, I am still running 3 miles around 3 or 4 times a week- and things are going very smoothly. 

Originally I had planned to do the Pasadena Marathon as well, but I quickly discovered that it was the morning after my Senior Prom and it was a little too soon after the LA Marathon to be running that same distance again. However, I would gladly run a Marathon again in the future and hope to complete some races while in college in Washington D.C. next year!!  



 I just downloaded all my Marathon pictures from MarathonFoto! Finally! I just though I'd do a blog post with mainly pictures this time around.

This is a picture of me right before the race started, as you can tell, it was pretty early in the morning! My pockets/ embarassing fanny pack are stuffed with GU, 2 clif bars, an extra pair of socks, my phone and my parents' health insurance card. Looking pack on it, I overdressed (I thought it was going to rain) and overpacked (people gave us plenty to drink and eat along the Marathon route).

Me walking- I ran about 10 out of the 26.2 miles (5 consecutive miles at two different times)

Me running! Out of 25 pictures, this is one of the best ones- some didn't turn out so well...

Although none of my pictures turned out so well as this...



After my mom told me that my cheeks were swollen...I still don't know why they were- because it was cold??

After the race :)

Continuation of my race day post....


7:24- The race started!! However, the crowd of people was so dense that I didnt cross the start line until 10 or so minutes after the race had started. I started off jogging lightly for about 3 miles and then finally came to a fast power walk.

Here is a view of the race- this was probably the steepest hill there was in the whole course



I really loved running/walking through the different parts of LA and seeing everyone come together. I passed mariachi bands, cheerleaders, chinese dragon performances, and much more. I loved how at each of the 26 miles, there was an LA landmark.

Here is a picture of the marathon course.

Some parts of the Marathon were easier than others, I would have to say that the first 10 miles went by pretty fast and were relatively easy. It wasn't until I hit mile 20 that "complications" arose... I stopped on the side of the street to tie my shoes and that is when I discovered that I had blisters on my heels. I will spare you the gory details, but let me just say that it was pretty painful.

The last 6.2 miles seemed to drag on and on- mainly because I was painfully aware that my blisters were slowing me down and my legs and back were getting a little sore. Although I was in pain, I promised myself that I would finish the Marathon running, not walking. So, at mile 23 I began running- or whatever you call half limping/half jogging- towards the finish line.

After what felt like forever, I finally rounded the corner onto Santa Monica Boulevard and saw the finish line, and next to it a crowd of people cheering, my mom and dad amongst the crowd. I'm not gonna lie, a tear rolled down my cheek as I crossed the finish line. Whether it was out of pain or pride, I'll never know- but crossing that finish line was one of if not the top five moments in my life and always will be.

A picture of me crossing the finish line!!

I DID IT!!!!!! So this Sunday was the La Marathon, and I finished all 26.2 miles of it! :) I'm going to go through race day with you guys:


Saturday, day before the race:


I went to the LA Expo where I had to pick up my race number, my chip and the bag they gave me. In the bag there were several fliers and handouts advertising future races (some of which I might complete!) and some snacky things like granola clusters, peanut butter (it was all natural, so it was particularly sticky and thick). Unfortunately it was raining during the Expo so I did not have time to look at all of the booths. However, the booths ranged from selling shoes, clothes, food, plaques, etc...

The LA Expo... As you can see, it was raining quite heavily!

Me with my packet :)

100% chance of rain. That was all everyone was saying on the TV and radio. So, my mom and I went to Sport Chalet and got some gear for me, including a poncho and extra socks. When I got home, I frantically googled "What to wear to a marathon when it is raining" and "how to run a marathon in the rain." I was extremely nervous because all I could think about was getting soaked and getting hypothermia.


The night before I had a very carb-y dinner including chicken pesto pasta, potatoes and TONS of water. It went to bed very early, hoping that it wouldn't rain.


Day of the Marathon:


I woke up at 4 o'clock in the morning. Let's just say I'm definitely not a morning person. I thought that getting up at 5:30 for club volleyball tournaments was murder- but this! Anyway, it took me a good hour and half to officially wake up- after getting dressed and eating. Everything I wore was water wicking- aside from my headband and baseball hat.

My parents dropped me off at around 6:00 and I felt so lost. I followed the masses and ended up sitting in one of the stadium seats waiting for the race line up to start. Everyone there looked so athletic and professional that I couldn't help feeling a little bad about myself. After about an hour or so of sitting in the cold, trying to warm myself up (especially after I stupidly dropped my gloves and lost them...) I started to make my way towards the starting line. For those of you who are unfamiliar with marathons, they have sections for mile times, ranging from 5 minutes to 15 minutes. I bonded with the people around me and made 3 new friends! YAY!

View from where I was- the sun is just about to rise

To be continued....

This is an old post, sorry.

It's less than a week until the marathon! AAHHHH!!!!! Time goes by so fast! So far I have jogged about 4 to 6 miles every day this week. It's been a lot easier to run for long distances- I've kind of gotten used to it. I can definitely tell the days when I can only run 4 miles, they usually begin with me not getting enough sleep or not eating a good breakfast. I just need to find the perfect balance of not eating too much or too little before I run. Recently I tried Gatorade's "G-Series Prime" and found that it increased my energy a little- but it was a little too salty/ sickly sweet for my taste.

I have also been keeping up my lent fast (avoiding desserts) and this has made me feel a little less sluggish- although I've had an EXTREME craving for Nutella. I've also continued my spin classes every Thursday- a very good workout! 

Here is one of my friend and my favorite songs to spin to- it kind of has an 80s-ish sound to it. 

My oh my it's been a long time! Unfortunately my second semester of senior year is not going exactly how I had pictured it (no homework, plenty of time to sleep and run) but I have been super busy lately!!! Anyway, I'm not going to bore you with listing out each day and how many miles I have run so I am just going to say the general statement of: "I have been running." Haha


Last time I posted I had not run 6 miles yet and slowly but surely I did run 6 miles and have started to run 6 miles more often!! The first time I ran twice around the 3mile loop at the Rose Bowl, I was struggling (understandably). However, it must have been my lucky day because as I was running the last stretch of my first lap (or 3rd mile) a nice gentleman said: "Don't give up! You can do it!" Needless to say, this helped motivate me more. On my 5th mile, I passed him again- except this time he responded with a "You go girl!" and a high five. That made my year. I felt like Forrest Gump.

Speaking of Forrest Gump, I thought I'd share a funny (and semi-inspirational) clip from the movie Forrest Gump, so here you go!

"I just felt like running" ~Forrest Gump

Hey! So here is a belated recap of last Wednesday through Saturday.

On Wednesday I did my regular 3 miles around the Rose Bowl. On Thursday I didn't go running, but I did a little of cross training. I went to a spin class! It was a bit weird at first, mostly because I was the youngest person there by about 10 years I would say, and also because the only times I have ridden a bicycle were for leisure and not for exercise. I had a really tough instructor who put a huge emphasis on the "climbs", or times when you have to get up off the seat and pedal...it was pretty tough. However, the class was very engaging because of the motivational music and constant need to add or remove resistance. Needless to say, my legs were pretty numb and sore afterwards, so I didn't go running on Friday.

On Saturday I went running 3 miles around the Rose Bowl again and would have gone running this (Sunday) morning if it had not been for the countless signs for the Pasadena Marathon today that reminded me to steer clear. Instead, I went walking/ jogging around my neighborhood! This week I hope to increase my running to two laps (6 miles) around the Rose Bowl. Wish me luck!

Hey! Here's a recap of Monday and Tuesday: (I really should not get behind in blogging!)

It rained again on Monday so I didn't go running, which is a bummer because I had a ton of energy! Instead, I did some sit up, push ups, wall sits, etc... Do you ever have those days when you forget everything??? Well, that was Tuesday! (Happy belated Valentine's Day by the way!) I forgot all my running gear at home so after my classes ended I jogged/ power walked 3 miles around my neighborhood. I love it after it rains! I also happened to conquer one of my biggest fears on Tuesday too- giving blood! I celebrated with a free pint of ice cream :) I was glad I went running before I gave blood because I felt a little weak afterwards.

Weekend recap!

Friday- I went for a jog/run around my neighborhood after watching an intense and well fought water polo game between my school and our biggest rival (unfortunately we lost). However, my community was hit with some rather shocking and sad news on Friday. A sophomore at the local high school near my house committed suicide. My heart and support goes out to the family and friends of Drew as they go through this hard time and terrible loss. RIP Drew.

Saturday- I went running around the Rose Bowl, which was a bit more crowded than usual. I haven't been running around the Rose Bowl on a weekend in a long time- I definitely need to make sure I don't go on a Rosebowl Flea Market day, now that would be crowded!

Sunday- It was a little gloomy today, but nevertheless I went on a brisk walk/jog around the neighborhood with my dad. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but my dad walks 3.25 miles around our neighborhood every day- last week marked his 5th year anniversary without missing a day! Crazy, I know- but very inspiring!! It was nice to have a companion to work out with and squeeze in some father-daughter bonding time. :)

"With rain comes new life"

Hey guys! This post is about my running on Thursday February 9th. First of all, can I say that the weather is weird here in sunny California. After a random spout of rain on Tuesday it has been in the 80s here!! (sorry all you East Coasters..) Running around the Rose Bowl took a little more energy than usual because of the blistering sun- so I walked about half and jogged about half. Thankfully about midway during jog some sprinklers went on!!! I probably looked a little silly running and waving my arms through the sprinklers like a little kid- but hey, I cooled down!

Recap of the week so far!

Monday: Unfortunately I couldn't run because I had a college interview and didn't want to be all sweaty and in a rush to get to it. The good new is that I thought it went very well! We met at this cute little cafe on Colorado, it's called Sabor- you guys should check it out!

Tuesday: Rain! Where'd you come from?? I had all of my running gear packed and at school with me and then it started to rain. :( I didn't end up going running because I didn't want to run in the rain and risk the possibility of getting sick (again..). Instead, I did a bunch of crunches, wall sits, push ups, etc...

Wednesday: After Tuesday's rain incident, it was sunny all day today!! I ran around the Rose Bowl today (without stopping) and ran at a faster pace. I parked in a different spot today, so my route was a little different- the good thing is that I was in the shade for the most part!

(I think it would be so much fun to run along the beach- I should try it one of these days!)

Hey guys! So here's a recap of my weekend/Friday. My friends and I were bored on Friday so we decided to go *drum roll please* ..... Rollerskating!!! I haven't been rollerskating in forever. But, I can tell you that 2 hours later, it turned into a workout! Plus, I saw a member of a Roller derby team practicing- so cool!

Saturday I didn't have much time to go running because I volunteered half of the day and had some sister bonding time. However, today I did go on a 2 mile run/walk around my neighborhood again. Anyways, tomorrow I have a college interview after school so hopefully I can squeeze in a lap around the Rose Bowl! :)

Senior Project Proposal done!!!! Today I took a rest day because I didn't sleep very well last night and wouldn't have the energy to run today (Thursday). I did, however, go running with my sister yesterday (Wednesday). I will write more about that tomorrow. Anyway, while looking for different blogs to follow for resources for my Senior Project, I stumbled upon one of the most inspirational videos I have ever seen- it made me cry (tears of joy!) and I don't cry often...

Here it is:

:) I hope you guys like it! This video inspired me immensely because it really shows me that someone can commit to something and follow through on it. One of my goals for my Senior Project is to prove to myself that like Ben (the guy in the video above), I too can set goals for myself and stick to them, no matter how hard it may be.

Ahh! I'm getting behind on my posts! :(  This post is for yesterday (Tuesday January 31st)

It was nice going back to the Rose Bowl after such a long break! I told myself that my goal for that day was to run all the way around the Rose Bowl without stopping- and I did just that! YAY!!! I was a little sore afterwards though, my quads were cramping up. But, it felt nice to accomplish that goal! Anyway, my offical Senior Project proposal is due on Friday- I have most of it done, I just have to create a schedule with dates that go with my goals. Hopefully I will get oficially approved! Wish me luck!

I was kind bummed today because I didn't get to run around the Rose Bowl like I usually do. I had to wait until 7 at night to go running. I was too lazy to drive to the track, so I decided to power walk/run around my neighborhood. Although it was dark, I was fine at first but I became paranoid as barking dogs and other ordinary sounds made me scared and anxious. With my flashlight in hand, I began a VERY brisk walk for about 10 minutes through my hilly neighborhood until I got to a flat(ish) street. I ran along the flat street back and forth 2 times, which is about a mile. I continued walking until I reached about 2.5 miles. I ended my walk/run with sprints back and forth on my driveway with my sister yelling at me to run "FASTER!!!", despite my exhaustion.

(this might be a little bit of an exaggeration of how steep the streets are in my neighborhood)

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't posted in a while- I had finals last week. The good news is that my finals are over and I am now a second semester senior!!! YAY!!! The bad news is that I did not go running everyday as I had planned on doing. I ran about two times last week, both at the Rose Bowl, and about the same pace as my previous times. I have to admit that I did miss going daily (aside from having 1 or 2 rest days a week). I find that I am eating less unhealthy food (with the exception of a celebratory Melting Pot fondue dinner :) ) because it tends to slow me down. Anyway, I went running this Sunday as well, but at the track of the high school near my house instead of at the Rose Bowl. I did not find it as enjoyable as running around the Rose Bowl because I felt as if I were a hamster running on a wheel, going around and around in a loop and seeing the same thing over again. But, the track's surface did feel nicer on my feet, so that's a plus! I ran around the outer loop 6 times, but I have no clue what that equates to. I will continue to update my blog and let you guys know my progress!

Yay!! Second day of running and I'm only a little sore- despite my stretching yesterday. I ran around the Rose Bowl again today, except this time I ran a little faster at some points and a little slower other times. Note to self- don't eat lunch 20 minutes before you go running! That definitely made me feel a little sluggish today but nevertheless I got to jogging/running at a steady pace.


I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in the world who can't/doesn't run with some sort of iPod/musical device. I've tried it before and I find it annoying and impossible to run while holding my iPod and the earphone cord things bouncing up and down. Maybe I should get one of those armband things... Well, anyways to wrap things up, I felt pretty good after my run today- I definitely felt the "runners high" afterwards. 


Just for fun I thought I'd post a picture of my shoes, so here they are:

Just a side note towards my project, I am not what you would call a very experienced runner. My running history consists of running when I feel like it (basically about 3 times a month). When I do go running I run around my neighborhood, or rather try to run because where I live is hilly to say the least. What I hope to get out of this project is to not only become a better runner, but learn self discipline and self motivation.


So, anyways... after being sick for about 3 weeks, I finally went running today around the Rose Bowl. My school schedule is pretty great because I have most afternoons free, which allows me to go running more often! I started out my run with a brisk warm up walk and then got around to running probably 2/10 of a mile later (just an estimate). I started running at a medium to fast speed but then realized that if I was going to make it around the 3.1 mile loop of the Rose Bowl, I needed to slow myself down and stay at a comfortable and steady pace. I would have to say that I jogged about 2/3 of the loop (again just an estimate) and felt pretty good after. I ended my jog by strolling back to my car and then stretching.



                                     

On your mark. Get set. Go!

Hi! My name is Kimberly and for my Senior Project I will be running in the LA Marathon. I will be intensively training by running weekly and participating in other races for the next few months. I will be logging my progress through this blog to track my running schedule constinency, length and time. Stay tuned as I make my way to the Finish Line!