Another side...

The majority of any profession are good people. And there are always some whose behavior is shockingly beneath the norm. There are also, always, those who go above and beyond.

It's All Downhill Half-Marathons

16 Amazing All-Downhill Half Marathons - HalfMarathons.Net

Register Kindness at Surf City Half Marathon

A couple night's ago, I started searching through emails. I most certainly registered for the Surf City Half Marathon months ago. It was in my calendar. That was my proof.

Certainty proved insufficient when they did not find me listed as a participant. I shuffled my way to the on-site registration. My first. The young volunteer was incredibly friendly as she juggled three last minute registrants and our questions.

They had a smooth setup. Slide your driver's license and your personal information is auto-filled into the screen. No typing your name or any other details. Click on your race choice and then slide your credit card.

In the couple seconds it took for me to marvel at the simplicity and ease, the woman on my left made a comment I didn't fully hear. I said, "I'm good." I thought she mistook my moment of marveling as a need for assistance. She pushed a piece of paper a little closer to me and said "$10 is $10." There was a bit of disbelief that I wouldn't want what she was offering, so I tried to figure out what I'd missed.

She was sharing a generic discount code. The immediate camaraderie among the community of participants is one of the joys of the sport. With the exception of the handful of racers who strive to be among the first three of their sex to cross the finish line, the remaining tens of thousands of us are racing against ourselves, pursuing our personal best times. Our goal, whether we run, jog or walk is to complete the race.

Knowing that we are all there to meet and exceed a purely personal challenge brings a giddiness at the EXPO centers where we pick up our bibs, shirts and supplies from vendors. Kindness comes easy when each of us is focused on our own race and not that of others.

See you on the path.

Ignore Your Feelings. Make Your Move.

There's something wonderful about staying under warm and cozy covers on a Saturday morning after a busy week. This was that kind of morning. Bright and sunny, yet cool and crisp, it was the perfect morning to spend casually surfing the web with a cup of caffeine. That's what I felt like doing.

Instead, I put on workout wear. My mind teased me with options. I could chill today and work out really early tomorrow before an afternoon engagement. As if getting up and out early on a Sunday morning was going to be miraculously more appealing than this one.

My dog, Chocolate, gave me a beautiful brown-eyed, glazed over glance, reminding me that walking him would make both he and I feel a lot better than leaving him behind.  I promised to walk him later and laced up my walking shoes.

With every step preparing to leave the house, I found reason after reason to put off my walk. Bottom line, I didn't feel like it.

I owned that I didn't feel like it. Reveled in it for a good, long minute or five. Then, armed with my pedometer app, a back up energy gel, mints, gum and money for an electrolyte-filled beverage I left Chocolate behind, headed out the door and put one foot in front of the other.

That's the beauty of making commitments. There's another half-marathon to walk next weekend. It'll come to pass whether I train or not. Better to train. Sorry, feelings. You just got trumped.

See you on the path.

Walking is an act of exploration.

Image fromhttp://mikedunfeegroup.com/communities/bixby-area/

Like most other folks, I love a long walk in a scenic environment. As of now, that's not an everyday reality. Living a full life, some days I save time by combining training walks with errands. I skip the music and podcasts, choosing to notice my environment. Walking becomes connective, grounding and redemptive.

There's a great stretch of new shops on Long Beach's Atlantic Avenue in the Bixby Knolls area. Before beginning my 100 halfs journey, I am confident I'd driven down this part of Atlantic Avenue several times a week for over a decade. My nearest Trader Joe's was the primary destination. I hadn't bothered to notice all the new eateries, breweries or shops that have opened in the last few years.

Now that I squeeze in walks whenever and wherever I can, I find myself pulling over at various spots along Atlantic Avenue, changing into my walking shoes and checking out the neighborhood. A few years ago, the street was all but quiet after 7pm. The restaurants were favorites of the elder residents with few places for twenty- and thirty-somethings to enjoy. The stores were furniture stores and service providers whose business signs had hung for decades.

These new small shops and eateries are easy to miss at thirty-five or more miles per hour.

California culture is lived through our cars. It's easy to run the same errands, week after week, along the same streets and highways without ever noticing the people, buildings and shops you drive past daily. We're passing life by in our cars.

I invite you to squeeze in a walk in your community this week. Whether you walk to train, to get from point A to point B, or as an occasional adventure, pick a new route and explore.

See you on the path.

Thinking of Competing in Your First Half?

What Every Beginner Needs to Know About Training For a Half - HalfMarathons.Net

So you've been bitten by the running bug, have you? As we ring in the New Year, many runners create different goals and resolutions. Maybe you started a fitness journey, or maybe you're a seasoned 5k veteran but whatever your thought process is, you have decided to run your very first half marathon.

Tips to Run (and walk) By

Race Strategy For Distance Runners

Title Scramble: Review Dirty Leads Beer Clean Fun With Waitress To

Like Michael Jordan commitment to his North Carolina shorts, I have a pre-race beer the night before half-marathons. After vehemently insisting on its importance in race 7, I decided against in race 8 to watch my calories. That didn't go well. No more missing the pre-race beer. BTW, Studies shows these rituals can improve performance.

I invited my mom to tag along for the ride to pick up by bib for tomorrow's race. I gave her a couple options for lunch and was beyond delighted that she chose a nearby BJ's Brewery. I ordered my usual hoppilicious IPA. It tastes odd. The cool, sweet attentive waitress is quick to offer an exchange and promises to have the bartender double check it.

"We just cleaned the taps today...Maybe you've never tasted (that beer) right after the tap is cleaned."

Without missing a beat, I add, "I guess I like it dirty." Even my 70-year-old conservative living mother chuckled, though not as heartily as I or the waitress. That started a chain of banter, familiarity and exceptional service that stood out for me as a customer. The waitresses sense of humor, joy, patience, kindness and attentiveness moved me to do more than leave a good tip.

I switched to the Green Flash IPA. Perfect. The cherry glazed salmon was the best I've had at any of the BJ's I frequent. My guess is the the taste of the meal was enhanced by the deepened relatedness amongst us three. Appreciating these small moments of connection makes the day more meaningful.

A few minutes ago, I left a great review of my experience on an online customer review site. While I was there, I also left a positive review of a T-shirt store that accepted and completed a last minute silk screen request at 8pm on a Friday night. I'm customizing my shirt for tomorrow's Southern California Half Marathon in Irvine.

The owner of the silk screen store apologized for not having it ready right at their 9pm closing time. She was committed to having it all line up just right. (Maybe I attract OCD folks...see yesterday's post.)

When was the last time you left a positive review for a business, service provider to help them get more customers, make more money and continue to provide the level of service you enjoyed? It takes less than five minutes to share great moments and great service. You'll help their business. You'll fill your heart. And the success you open for others has a way of finding its way back to you.

See you on the path.

In the Beginning

I've learned a great deal over the course of completing 8 half-marathons. Camarillo's Holly Jolly  taught me that while I can complete 13.1 miles with grit and persistence, without training, joy, fun and accomplishment are missing in action. Yes, a no-brainer which apparently required a reminder.

It was the first-time I entertained thoughts of quitting before completion. "No one's making you do this!" "You've completed a bunch. No one even knows you're here." "Just pretend this never happened." It was a small group of less than a couple hundred half-marathoners, 10kers and 5kers assembled on a chilly Sunday morning at a sports complex. 

A combination of holiday gatherings, winter's earlier sunsets and a dash of arrogance brought me to Holly Jolly's starting line with only a handful of short walks in the weeks leading up to it.

I did complete it...with cramps and the gracious accompaniment of a fellow half-marathoner who walked the last mile with me.

It was a grueling double loop. I passed the area between miles 5 and 6 six times, which is 4 times too many. I passed it for the first loop of lap one; through it to the second loop of lap one; back to the start. Pass it again the same three times for the 2nd lap. I much prefer an "out and back."

 

How'd my 100 half's start?

It began as a training program to complete the Los Angeles marathon in the fall of 2014. As part of my twelve week training program, I completed 16 miles on a Saturday afternoon. I'd steadfastly followed the weekly training schedule, so I was challenged but not beaten down.

I skipped the March 2015 Los Angeles Marathon. I wasn't ready. Instead, registering for the October 2015 Jet Blue Full Marathon in my hometown of Long Beach, CA. The plan was to use the extra seven months to reach a 24 mile walk during training.

That didn't happen. I dropped down to the half-marathon the day before that first event. I've been hooked ever since.

The 13.1 mile half marathon is far enough to challenge and doable enough to repeat. In fact, it was the perfect distance, the perfect challenge.

This blog is my opportunity to share the adventure of completing 100 half-marathons during my fifties. My hope is to inspire friends, acquaintances and strangers to put on their walking shoes, improve their overall health and create time for a practice of mindfulness.

See you on the path.