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THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
Hi Trippers,
Next Sunday I will run the LA Marathon for the 6th time, pounding 26.2 miles of pavement from Dodger Stadium to the Pacific Ocean.
It will also mark the 6th time I’ve run the race as a member of the Team To End AIDS (T2) charity running group.
The 2015 T2 LA Marathon Running Team.
Simply put, T2 and their fantastic coaches and support staff helped turn this former couch potato into a marathon runner. I will forever be grateful to them. Read the rest of this entry
BACK TO IT!
Hey Everyone,
Hail hail, the gang’s all here. “Team Roadkill” posing for our weekly selfie.
So my three week holiday/vacation/workfest reached its end and I’m finally back in Los Angeles (Lindy gets back tonight).
Needless to say my first few days back in town have been a blur. Friday was spent just getting my bearings. I had to deal with three weeks of accumulated mail/bills, oodles of unanswered e-mails, laundry, cleaning and taking down my Christmas decorations.
On Saturday I did my first run with my T2 gang in four weeks. Now while I did do some running on vacation, I was a little lax and I need to get back into the running swing of things. Oh, and battling a cold and some leftover jetlag didn’t make things any easier. Fortunately, we had just an 8-mile recovery run.
Next Sunday, I’ve got my first race of the year: The Star Wars Half Marathon down at Disneyland. It’s going to be a fun time and this padawan is looking forward to pounding some pavement in a galaxy far far away. Read the rest of this entry
FOR A TREMENDOUS CAUSE
Hi Trippers!
Run on with T2!
October 1st marks the start of registration for the Los Angeles Marathon. The date also signifies the start of something else… something very important to me.
Today is also the day I start my annual fundraising campaign for Team To End AIDS (T2), my running charity.
This will mark the 6th time I’ve trained for the Los Angeles Marathon with T2 and it’s something I look forward to every year.
Each week between Oct. 18th and March 15th (marathon day) I’ll be pounding the pavement with the T2 gang.
The runners, coaches and staff of Team to End AIDS aren’t just my friends… they are my “running family.”
T2 is a wonderful organization that raises money to assist APLA (AIDS Project Los Angeles) as they help people whose lives are affected by HIV/AIDS. Read the rest of this entry
THREE FOR TUESDAY…
Hi Trippers!
Is that a “compliment sandwich” or a Cuban?
Rather than one lengthy post, just a few miscellaneous tidbits to share today.
And it’s a running version of the “compliment sandwich” where you put two good things around a bad in the hopes that it goes down better.
So let the “bitting of tids” commence:
TIDBIT #1- Start with the good
This weekend I got a package in the mail that I’ve been waiting on.
Look, I’ve got a star on the Walk of Fame.
And no it’s not the June delivery for the “fruit of the month club” (which I believe would have been kiwi fruit… which I still think look like soft baby coconuts). Nope, inside a big ole box was the mile marker sign from the Hollywood Half Marathon. If you remember, I mentioned that the HHM ran a contest to have each mile of the race “presented” by one of the runners… and lo and behold my moniker graced Mile 5.
Ken and Sabrina Nwadike (and the gang at Superhero Events) saw to it that the sign made its way to me. A great memento from a fun race. Now I just need to find me a shadow box and some free wall space.
TIDBIT #2- Add a slab of bad
After a week of babying my injured left leg following the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, I finally went to the gym this morning to see how things felt. Unfortunately, the report was not 100% A-OK. I loosened up fine on the treadmill, but things weren’t so good on the elliptical. After about ten minutes, I could still feel some tightness in the back of my left leg. Rather than risk it, I cut my workout short and headed home. While I’m not thrilled that it’s still bugging me, I’ve got time to let it heal as my next race isn’t for almost 4 weeks and it’s a 10K. I should hopefully be right as rain by then.
TIDBIT #3- End with some more good
Light ’em up!
The force is strong with this one. Yup, get ready for months of bad Star Wars puns as I’ve officially joined the rebellion and signed up for the Disney Star Wars Half Marathon. I’m thrilled that I’ll be running the race with a whole bunch of my Team to End AIDS (T2) friends… or should I say my fellow jedi knights. And I will dress up in some fashion for the race. So if you know of a place where I can get some running jedi robes wholesale (complete with purple “bad mofo” lightsaber) or dri-fit Stormtrooper armor, give me a shout.
I’ve got a “good” feeling about this… and Run on!
“ONLY” 8 MILES…
This last Saturday of April had me running solo for my final “taper” run before the OC Marathon next Sunday.
An “interesting” word.
It was a fun and leisurely jaunt in Griffith Park and around Glendale on a beautiful spring morning (fortunately the rainy weather left the area earlier than forecast). But rather than talk about the run itself (remember, fun and leisurely) I’d rather bring attention to one word from a conversation about the run that I had yesterday.
Say what now?
On Friday, one of my friends asked how far I was going to be running on Saturday. Without skipping a beat, I matter-of-factly replied:
“Only 8 miles.”
GOING IT SOLO
On the road again.
So between work being uber-crazy and constantly watching “March Madness” (Go Badgers) in my peripheral vision, my day has been rather hectic.
But tomorrow morning I’ll be up at the crack of dawn (funny, whenever someone says or I write “crack of dawn” I hear an imaginary rooster crowing in my head… weird). As I was saying, I’ll be up at the crack of dawn (there it is again… sorry) to do double duty on a run. It’s my last long run before the Hollywood Half Marathon on April 5th, but it’s also a training run to stay in marathon shape for the OC Marathon on May 4th. So, I’ll be doing 17 or 18 miles in and around Burbank. No big deal right… I mean I just did 20 & 23 mile training runs with Team To End AIDS back in February. One difference…
I’ll be running solo.
And it’ll be a little weird.
THANK HEAVEN FOR 11 (MILES)…
Got Garmin?
Just a quick post on this Sunday, as it is a beautiful day outside.
One week removed from the LA Marathon and I went for my first long run this morning. I would have gone yesterday, but since Friday night was my birthday and the libations were flowing freely, I opted to sleep in on Saturday morning and shift my weekly long run one day (I’m sure you approve).
I was wondering if I’d feel fully recovered or if there would be lingering stiffness with my legs (I was still feeling it a little on Thursday). This was also going to be my first solo long run of 2014, now that the T2 training program is done until October. Now for those of you wondering… YES, I signed up for the 2015 LA Marathon and the T2 training program on Tuesday, right after they put up the notice. And I’m clearly not the only crazy one as several of my T2 brothers and sisters have given their “thumbs up” to training again in the fall too.
THE LA MARATHON EXPERIENCE: “CAUSE” TO RUN…
We are T2!
Okay, so my runner’s OCD started kicking in yesterday and I’m sure it will be ramping up exponentially until the race starts on Sunday.
So, I’ve already started my race prep… tapering/hydrating, laundry done, gathering gear, reading instructions, checking on the weather and starting on a 5-hour music mix.
I’m on the fence as to whether or not I’ll hit the expo this afternoon or go Saturday morning. I’d prefer today, but it depends on the old work schedule.
Tonight I have the “Triumph/Carbo-load” dinner at Maggiano’s with my running group Team To End AIDS (T2). More on that and photos to boot, later.
But I wanted to start my prep by throwing out a number (as I’ve been harping on numbers all week). And it’s by far the most impressive number I’ll mention.
$160,000
GET WITH THE “PROGRAM”…
Just a quick bonus post today. I was perusing through the ASICS 2014 LA Marathon “Official Race Program” when I came across a surprising picture and article on Page 59. Click on the page below.
Get your program here!
There for all to see was a photo of my pace group (Team Roadkill) and I from Team To End AIDS as part of the article on the charity groups running the race. T2 is one of the official charity groups for the LA Marathon.
“MY THIRTY”…
Run on T2!
The Los Angeles Marathon is one week from today, and every post this week will be about the “Stadium to the sea” run and my preparations (and trepidations) for it.
Today I wanted to take a moment to say “thank you” to a special group, that I’ve dubbed “My Thirty.”
As part of Team To End AIDS (T2), my goal is to help increase awareness and raise funds to support AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA). Last October I began my fundraising, asking everyone within the sound of my voice (or within the reach of my Facebook) to help contribute to this worth cause.
RUN AND “CELEBRATE”
Roadkill selfie
So, my alarm (first one) went off this morning at 4:45am. No big deal because I had been awake since 4:00am in anticipation for today’s 23-mile “fun run.”
As I mentioned the other day, today was our “celebration run” for Team To End AIDS (T2). So our group of marathoners (and marathoners-to-be) met at “0 Dark Thirty” (okay 6am, but it was still dark out) in Griffith Park. Huddled in the glow of lanterns, we were given specially made “celebration run bibs” courtesy of our coach JC and a very nice touch.
So after a pep talk from Ashley and a breakdown of the route from JC (apparently we were running everywhere on planet Earth… with a hill to boot), my pace group “Team Roadkill” or “Team Road Kyll” (if you go with our funky spelling this year) gathered our forces, 19 of us today, for the trek.
“MARATHON ADJACENT”
This run is brought to you by the numbers “2” & “3.”
Tomorrow morning I’ve got a long run to do. A very long run. 23-miles to be exact or about 88% of a marathon.
But this isn’t your ordinary 23-mile run. Rather, it’s a celebration.
Back in October, I started training for the 2014 Los Angeles Marathon with my running group Team to End AIDS (T2). For 5 months now we’ve been meeting up every Saturday (rain or shine) at Griffith Park to pound pavement together and raise money for APLA (AIDS Project Los Angeles). To date, our merry band of marathoners has raised over $130,000 to help those people in LA whose lives are impacted by HIV/AIDS.
And on Saturday we celebrate with our longest run of the season. Starting at 6am, we’ll spend the next 5 or so hours running through Griffith Park and along the streets of Burbank, Glendale and Toluca Lake.
CAN I SEE YOUR I.D.?
Tag, you’re it!
Here’s a bad joke.
MOM (to young son): “Are you going out?”
SON: “Yes.”
MOM: “Do you have on clean underwear?”
SON: “Why?”
MOM: “In case you’re in an accident.”
SON: “If I’m in an accident I’m going to poop my pants anyway, so what does it matter if they’re clean now.”
Like I said, a bad joke.
MY RUNNING FAMILY
We’re the ones wearing red!
When it comes to family and friends, the old saying goes, “Blood is thicker than water.” Well, I’m not certain where sweat falls into that equation, but I bet it’s pretty damn important too.
With that said I, want to tell you about the runners, coaches and staff that make up T2 (Team to End AIDS)… my running family.
These are the people who I see during training season, week in and week out without fail. No matter what is going on in our lives, we get together each Saturday morning at 7:00am (sometimes 6:00am, oof) to talk, laugh, sometimes cry and to help others. And we also run… a lot.
MY TEACHER
Scott Boliver smiling, as always.
A few days ago I wrote about why I run, but I purposely left out one important detail, so I could write about it today. January 3rd marks the one-year anniversary of the passing of the man who was my running coach, my mentor and my friend.
On this day I want to tell you about Scott Boliver. I want to tell you about the man who taught me to run.
As I mentioned before, back in the fall of 2008 I was a lost soul looking for something to call his own. I signed up with the AIDS Marathon training program looking to re-invent myself and do something I considered impossible. When I showed up at Griffith Park for that very first training run, however, I wondered if I had the personal strength and dedication to see it through.
Then I met Scott… Coach Scott.
Tripping The Kenyans 