Overcoming the Hurdles

I’ve been struggling lately. Yes, I just moved and really, feel like I’m still recovering from that. Yes, I’m in week three of a new job with a killer commute and am perpetually exhausted as soon as I get home every evening. I can look forward to a few weeks from now where my work schedule will not start until 11 am, so I have mornings to run and gym and do things as I please. 

However, I cannot appreciate the struggle without having looked back at other past struggles and things I have had to move past and work through to realize that is just another one of those bumps in the road. And it happens. 

I mention it on my About Me, but realized that I’ve never talked about my knee surgeries and the hurdles they caused. I didn’t run (at least not regularly, and certainly not the way I do now) when I had my first surgery, nor my second, and it wasn’t until after the second that I took up this running thing for semi-serious. I played soccer from second grade through high school, and even intramurals in college, but I never really ran for the sake of running. 

July 9, 2007: My roommate and I decided we were going to train over the summer (in San Diego, so really, summer is awesome) for the America’s Finest City half marathon in August. She even got as far as

Thanksgiving, 2007.

registering; I didn’t. I was also playing in a women’s recreational soccer league once a week as a way to get back into the game I missed so much. On July 4, we ran the Coronado Independence 15K (my first road race ever, mind you), and then spent the day consuming all the fattiness we could to make up for that 9.3-mile torture. On July 9, I returned to my soccer league, and ten minutes into the game, the ball was passed to me, I stopped it, and my knee went POP! I will never forget that sound, nor will the dozen people around me. Long story short… November 15 was the magical (and terrifying) day that I was finally getting ‘fixed.’ After four long months of paperwork, doctors, pre-surgery therapy and lots of tears, my partially torn meniscus and partially torn ACL were both being repaired! Hooray! I spent Thanksgiving on crutches, and the next three weeks, but after the New Year, I was cleared for physical therapy. By sheer luck (okay, and being enrolled in graduate school), I had free access to a physical trainer through my student insurance on campus – which, by the way, at our Division I institution, meant our Athletic Trainer. Uh, yes. I worked out in the football players’ weight room! I felt like a bad ass, won’t lie. She had me jogging on a treadmill about 4 months out of surgery. I don’t know when my first real, outdoors, sidewalk run was, but the first outdoor run I remember was June, on the beach, the morning I moved away from San Diego.

My doctor (the genius man he was) said I could go back to doing what I was doing. I took the invitation happily, missing soccer, and needing to find an outlet. I had moved to Texas, wasn’t digging this whole humidity thing, and happily joined my students’ intramural soccer team. 

April 14, 2009: It was a play-off game, I remember that. And I remember wearing my knee brace (as instructed), and being as careful as I could be (in paranoia). I don’t remember when, or where, but I remember stepping and stepping wrong. And knew something was not right. The next morning, when my knee was as large as my face and I could hardly bend it, I knew I was in trouble. Confirmed: complete

Monica's wedding, July 2009.

ACL tear. I was a mess – another surgery? Another one? You betcha – July 7, nearly two years to the day of my first injury, I was back in the hospital, in the OR, albeit with a new doctor who I loved and certainly seemed to know what he was doing. With a (really creepy sounding) cadaver ACL, I was good to go a few hours later and spent the next four weeks in a Central Texas summer on a hilly, hilly campus, on crutches. I had a great therapist who started me in mostly doing swimming pool workouts, but eventually worked our way into a gym, and eventually… I could run. My first run post-surgery was Christmas Day, 2009. I had intentionally waited to that point (even though I’d been cleared about two weeks prior) because I’d be home in California, and what better Christmas present to myself than the freedom of running down the road again? I was terrified. Something around a mile and a half, just enough to feel accomplished, certainly enough to be exhausted. But invigorated. 

The following spring, I started running more casually, and decided, even though the doctor again said I could “go back to doing what I was doing,” I knew better. I turned to running – I figured I would still get the same stress relief, motivation, and accomplishment as I did through a great soccer game, but running in a straight line down the road was certainly safer than running, jumping and pivoting all over the place. 

And here I am. Just over four years since Surgery #2 and people are always shocked when I say I’ve run a marathon and had two ACL repairs/replacements and that I still go hard the way I do. The major lesson? Listen to your body – when it tells you no, it means no. There have been plenty of days I should have backed off, of course, but I know for the most part that when there’s a twinge of pain, I listen and chill.

So there’s been a hurdle or two. While they weren’t necessarily hurdles at the same, they still proved that a little tenacity, stubbornness, and determination can pay off.

I’ll find my groove here again. Just like I did in 2007. And again in 2009. It’ll come – there are plans coming up that I will not settle for less-than-best with!

 

What hurdles have you worked through while in training? How did you work past them?

Los Angeles Love

I think it's true - or I hope it's true - that you truly cannot appreciate the place you grew up until you've gone off, found other things, and then come back. I said for the longest time that I wasn't sure if or when I would end up back in Southern California, but just shy of a month here ... I have no complaints. Let's talk about why...

Orange County Fair fun last weekend!

Afternoon walks along the shore.

 We (well, they) said good-bye to two summer interns, and celebrated by taking them to lunch at a fancy-pants resort called Terranea. After lunch, we walked down to their private cove, enjoyed a perfect beachside California afternoon ... and I was welcomed back to the state with a fry of a sunburn. 

While sitting at the cove though, as we all scattered, I got to look around and remember what I love about this place. I've always missed the beach, but thought it was just the beach, and I could make up for that anywhere. Wrong. Texas rivers did some good, Georgia tried, but there is nothing like hearing the waves of the Pacific Ocean. Smelling the salt and the sand. And knowing that you're home.

Happy hour for the boss' birthday (and my first day at work) at Trump National Golf Club. Yep, that's right.

Wherever this kid is, I'm home.

Molly's had a slow adjustment to mom and dad's backyard. I think buying her a sandbox, converted into a pool, has certainly helped, but I know she's confused beyond belief while I've been temporarily living here in San Pedro. After work tonight I head back to Chino where I'll begin a few weeks (months, maybe) of a long commute. But I know she'll be happier when I'm around and I'll feel more settled, too, knowing I get to come home to her every day again. 

What's better than the beach?

Last weekend I also got to have a nice beach afternoon with my parents. I stayed front-up to fight off that already stinging sun burn, but had a great afternoon until the fog rolled in! So strange. Oh, West Coast.

I feel good. I'm happy. I'm home. I'm settling into work, slowly but surely. But things are good. This weekend, I'm hanging around, getting unpacked, and spending time with my fur-baby, the boyfriend, and getting comfortable. Can't wait!

What are you up to this weekend?

Color Me Intrigued - A Discount Code For You!

Color-infused runs are popping all over the country and I've got the low-down on the next colorific chance down here in Orange County! 

Don't live in Southern California? Afraid of missing out? Have no fear! There are eighty-eight (yeah, you read that right - 88!) locations across the US and Canada (and Korea and Taiwan!) of this fabulous fun coming around the country this year and now's your chance to get in on a little fun yourself.

If you've never done a color run of any kind before, here's how it works: "start out as clean as a newborn babe, and throughout the run, you'll coat your chaffing thighs with Color Bombs of blue, green, pink, purple, and yellow until your face, shirt, and body come out silkscreened like a tie-dyed hippy on the other side" (thanks for the awesome mental images, CMR).

Each section of the run adds a new explosion of color to your clean, painter’s palate until you cross the finish line into a final blitzkrieg of color. 

Use code RADFUN

and it'll get yout 20% off of your registration, regardless of the price or location!

Code expires Friday, August 2 at 10 pm. 

Such a deal. I don't think you'd want to miss out on this:

Who doesn't like color tan lines?

Or this:

{source}

 What are you waiting for? Are you joining me?

Have you ever done a color run before? What's your favorite color to be coated head-to-toe in?

 

Keep Calm and Job Hunt On - Or Go for a Run

I've been back in California for just under three weeks now - kind of unreal. I am starting week two at the new job, still living in temporary housing, and am dealing with a great bit of uncertainty and "what ifs" than one would imagine after just landing back in her home state. But that's another conversation.

Not always easy, but always done.

What I really wanted to write about, after numerous questions and "Jeezo, how did you do that?" comments about running while on the job hunt. I spent the better part of June on a plane, or in multiple time zones during which red-eyes totally kicked my behind. However, June was also the core month of the #RWRunStreak, a challenge I'm proud to say that I met (even though it sometimes meant doubling up on runs). Whether you're job hunting in student affairs (a pretty taxing, ridiculous interview process) or in some other field, it's still not easy to maintain a regular fitness schedule while also remembering to check in for your flight, make sure you have all your interview materials, and are still mostly staying sane... let alone remembering your socks, shoes, and shorts.


How did I do it? I couldn't really tell you. But I have a few tips, suggestions, and ways to make fitness really pay off during those interviews.

1. Channel your nervous interview energy into a run! Morning interview jitters? Try and jog 'em out, either around the city you're visiting (ask for tips from locals or from the hotel desk), or even on a hotel gym treadmill. Knock out those butterflies, give yourself an endorphin boost to get the day started, and feel motivated and empowered to rock their socks off.

2. Use a run to discover your new (potential) home. There is no better way to get to know a city than to run its streets - for good and bad. I mean, stay safe, get recommendations of places to go and places to avoid, wear your Road ID, but also use that time to discover those hidden trails, parks, and places to check out. You can't see everything from a car window!

Ah, California scenery.

3. Go for a run to learn more about the place you could work for. This heavily applies to student affairs, as we're lucky enough to get to travel to campuses all over during our interview processes. This often includes a campus tour sometime during the day, but if you can talk about places you've already seen, or sights you appreciated during that morning jaunt around campus, why not talk about it? They'll appreciate that you've not only done your research reading that campus historical marker plaque, but that you loved it enough to talk about it! If you're also a student affairs nerd like me, you can even make a to-do list like this one - see how many campuses you can knock off of your "Campuses I've Run" list! (I've only got one that I've actually run on, despite having visited many of them)

4. Pack fitness clothes as if it's second nature. Suit? Check. Dress shoes? Check. Shorts? Check. Shirt, sports bra, armband, Garmin, socks, running shoes, check? Just as you would ensure that you have a full interview assembly packed and prepared, pack your favorite running clothes too! You're more likely to actually put them on if you bothered to pack them and haul them across the country with you.

5. Keep calm (no, there is no 'and...' to close that off). If you are the runner that truly gets outside (or on a machine) just to stay sane, continue to do that! There is no reason that travel or time zones could or should prevent you from maintaining a mental health regimen. If you know that, like me, you are a happier person when your day starts with a run, ensure that you make the effort to do so -- it'll make you happier during a long day, but also contributes to a more pleasant demeanor and likableness during those interviews!

I was lucky enough, despite seriously long flights and layovers, that my trips were all to the west coast this time around. When it comes to getting up in the morning, it was no struggle given that my brain and body were still usually on Eastern time so 5 am Pacific was no sweat (usually).

I put in more treadmill miles in June than I have in the last year, which I hated, but I was more happy to be running, putting in the work, and making the effort, than to be a sitting duck just because I wanted a little more sleep. They weren't always happy miles, and they were usually only in sets of two miles (and less), but it was mo
re than nothing and more than sitting more - especially after long flights, that was the last thing I usually needed. Running sets my days off on the right foot (or left), and I knew that made me a better person, much stronger, and more confident during those interview days.

Other tips or suggestions for running on the job hunt? How many campuses have you run on?

Cocktails, Conversation and Chocolate

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I had the really cool opportunity to attend this on Wednesday night:

I was really excited as first, it was my first real bloggers' event and secondly, I'm excited to say that I'm serving as an ambassador (of all things chocolate) for them again -- but more on that in a minute!

Surely by now you've heard of the chocolatey goodness that is the Hot Chocolate race series. If you haven't, you're clearly not a chocolate lover and clearly not paying attention. These races span everywhere from San Diego to St. Louis and Chicago to Dallas, and feature both a 5 and 15K at each race, coupled with pretty much the most delicious post-race party ever -- and some sweet swag to boot!

Wednesday night's event was at the super snazzy Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown LA - it's still a trip to think that I live here now. Beautiful hotel, gorgeous rooms and decor. I digress. I showed just about 6:05, which is rather early for LA time given the traffic, and was one of the first non-RAM racing folks to show up. At first I was a little intimidated, no lie, but soon found Josiah (the awesome ambassador coordinator who does a whole bunch of marketing fun stuff) and connected and got to talking with him and another guy who was just as "early" as I was, from the LA Running Club.

Hangin' with Steve.

Soon people were milling all over, and while I hardly talked to most of the other bloggers or local race directors or other folks, I had a great time meeting the staff from RAM and interacting with a few other local runners. I'll find my niche here at some point!

Steve Ginsberg, one of the founders to RAM Racing, spent a few minutes talking about RAM's history, how it came to be the racing company that it is, and covered everything from their original races (like the Bucktown 5K and the Cinco de Miler) and eventually, how Hot Chocolate came to be! The discussion then turned to the future. Hot Chocolate races obviously provide you with steaming hot chocolate at the end, thus typically holding races during the cooler months (October-April in most locations). What RAM realized though was the opportunity to do the reverse and not necessarily give up some months just because they're warmer. Runners' safety is accounted for, of course, however, there are chances to do other great things! And thus...

Los Angeles is serving as home to the first Frozen Hot Chocolate! I know, I know 'frozen' and 'hot' don't belong together, but as they assured us, it's truly a frozen chocolate drink (the final agreed term was 'malt' but don't hold me to that). And being that the weather is a little too warm for that famous tech hoodie, the swag bags for the frozen race will include both a tech shirt (they are so soft - both in men's and women's cuts!) and one of two choices of sport sunglasses (two color options each too)!. Still a pretty sweet deal if you ask me (pun intended).

Since I served as an Ambassador to the new Atlanta race for 2013, and pending my move (at the time), I was able to snag a spot by serving as an Ambassador for Los Angeles, now that I'm here and settled! Pretty exciting, if you ask me. So what does this mean for you? Extra swag!

use code LAmug1 

when you register to add this adorable travel mug to your chocolate swag collection!

Who will I see there? Will you be doing the 5K or the 10K?

As an ambassador, I do not automatically receive a race entry, merely various RAM racing products and marketing supplies to aid in the recruitment of runners for this event. All opinions and thoughts are my own and do not necessarily reflect that of RAM Racing. I like chocolate, I like running, and I definitely like running for chocolate and would probably do so without all the extra fun stuff that Ambassadors are privy to!