Even My Feet Are Elite!

WARNING: Boring blog post about running -  Running SHOES actually!

Feet - Meet Stability

Several years ago when I started training for my first marathon I was fitted with a pair of stability shoes, specifically the Nike Air Structure Triax. I tend to overpronate when I run so a shoe with a firm midsole was recommended to control this. I liked the support that the shoes provided and over the past five years I have bought nothing but Nike Air Structure Triax shoes. I have probably gone through a dozen pairs of these shoes in the various styles that have come out over the years. The shoes are firm and provide great support, but one downfall is that they are pretty heavy.

Nike Air Structure Triax Shoes

Running "Barefoot"

When the Nike Free's came out several years ago the idea of running almost barefoot and "free" sounded appealing and like a natural way to run. Last year after I read the book "Born To Run", the idea sounded even more appealing. I never tried on the shoes though since I instantly dismissed them as not having enough support for my overpronating needs.

Nike Free Shoes in Motion

A couple years ago when Nike then came out with the Lunar shoe line, my interest was again peaked at the idea of a lightweight shoe, but I was still wary of allowing my feet out of the safety provided by my stiff, protective stability shoes. Its crossed my mind that maybe a lightweight shoe would be okay for me to run in once or twice a week to try to build up new strength in my foot, but those thoughts were usually fleeting and never amounted to anything.

Feet - Meet Lunar Elite

Until .... this past weekend when I was going through the clearance racks at Road Runner Sports and came across a hot pink pair of the women's Nike Lunar Elite shoes in my size ... for $30!! I was already buying another pair of shoes (a new pair of Nike Structure Triax's of course!) and with the 2nd pair discount that RRS was offering, the Nike Lunar Elite's would actually come to only $20! SOLD!

Here's a video about the Nike Lunar Elite's if you are interested:

http://vid.runningwarehouse.com/video/sneak/SNEAK133.mp4

I was really excited to have a new pair of lightweight speed/race shoes and decided to wear them this past Sunday for a 5K race that David and I did through the San Diego Zoo. How did the shoes perform? Great! The shoes felt lightweight but strangely supportive. It was as if the soles were made of Kevlar or something! Due to the small and non-competitive nature of the 5K Walk/Run crowd, I'm proud to say that I came in 7th overall in the race and was the 1st female to cross the finish line! Impressive! Well, okay, not THAT impressive considering we didn't have numbers and the race wasn't even timed. But still, I'll take my small accomplishments when I can.

The Pink Lunar Elites Get a Mate

Since Road Runner Sports is near my office, I headed back during my lunchbreak a few days ago to rifle through their clearance section again. When we were there over the weekend David had said that he looked through the men's clearance shoe section and didn't see any shoes that he liked in his size. For the hell of it, I thought I'd take a look one more time to see if there was anything he missed. I went over to his size's section and what did I see on the first shelf? A brand new pair of men's Nike Lunar Elite's in his size ... for $30! I had to buy them! Now we could both run like the wind!

Nike Lunar Elite - His & Hers

I bought the shoes and the next day David tried them out for a run. He also noticed immediately that they were lightweight, but did provide solid support. What a great shoe! I want to run more in these shoes but need to be conservative since my next marathon is next weekend on June 6th. Introducing something new to your running routine is NEVER a good idea late in the game and as your race day approaches. For now I'll stick to breaking in my new Nike Structure Triax's, but in the mean time as I walk by my new hot pink Lunar Elite's each morning, I hate to admit they make me smile a little. Who knew a cool new pair of racing shoes could be so exciting? I feel like such a running geek. :o)

18 Girls on the Run

This past Saturday was the season end 5K for the Spring 2010 season of GOTR. The girls participated in the Give Your Heart to Monarch 5K in Mission Bay. My site had 18 of 19 girls running the race, each paired with an adult “Running Buddy” who could be their parent, family friend, a coach, or volunteer. I was really looking forward to this event since it was such a heartwarming experience last year. (For more details on last year’s event, see my blog Girls on the Run 5K.)
   

Girls Getting into the Butterfly Spirit

In case you haven’t read about the GOTR program in my previous blogs, the program is 12 weeks long (two - 1hr 15 min sessions a week) and teaches the girls about healthy living and self-respect through a curriculum that integrates a variety of lessons and activities into running games. Throughout the seasons the girls run 1- 3 miles each session to prepare for their season end 5K.

Preparing for the Race

To prepare the girls for the 5K race (3.1 miles) we have the girls run during each session for 15-35 minutes. On average they’d run 1-2 miles each session, and sometimes further depending on what we had planned for the day. Towards the end of the season we had a practice 5K, and challenged each girl to run 12 laps around the field we practice at to complete their 3 miles. This season I had an amazing amount of girls finish all 12 laps! The majority did! Even girls who had never run more than 2 miles. Go Girls!

Practice 5K

GOTR on the News

Thanks to the hard work of one of my fellow board members who is a PR guru, we were able to secure a spot on a local morning news program a few days before the race! A girl from the Monarch school who benefited the race attended, along with a volunteer from the school, AND … one of my girls! She did great talking about the program and why she was looking forward to the race! I was so excited to see her on TV and I hear from her mom that she had a great time.

Butterfly Barrettes .. Lots of them

A butterfly theme was set for the 5K since the race supported the Monarch School (one of three schools in the nation that is geared towards homeless and at-risk youth). You know Monarch School .... monarch .... butterflies! During one of my many trips to Michael’s craft store (I am there all the time for some reason!) I noticed a bag of little foam butterfly shapes for a few dollars. I had the idea that we could make them into barrettes for the girls! I then searched for a bag of barrette clips. Wow, super cheap! Between the bag of foam shapes and the bag of hair clips, we could make barrettes for 40 girls for $6! Do I smell a glue gun project??

One of the other board members volunteered to make her house butterfly barrette making central, and after two barrette making sessions we had 100 colorful butterfly hair clips for all of the girls to wear during the race!

Race Day

As race day approached I got more and more excited. I couldn’t wait to see the girls put all of their training to the test. To some people running 3 miles isn't a big deal, for others it’s the furthest they've run in our life. I personally had never run that far until I got to college, and I didn’t run my first 5K until I was 23! How great is it that these girls were running their first 5K race before they even got to middle school?

I had an extra posterboard leftover from when I had made signs for David for the Marine Corps Marathon which we ran late last year, and I decided to make a sign for the girls for the 5K. Unfortunately my Sharpies weren’t up for the job. All of the markers started to run out of ink halfway through my coloring, so sadly my sign wasn’t as bold as I wanted. Oh well, I tried.

 My Sign

On race day there was a flurry of activity. Its funny because I feel like a very organized person, and the second I stepped out of my car near the race start, I suddenly felt so unprepared! Luckily we got everything under control, but man, there are a lot of details involved in an event! I had 18 of my 19 girls running (one was out of town for a wedding) and all but one were running with their parent as a running buddy. The girls all were really excited to run and as a special treat there was a face painter at the race! Most of the girls ran the race with their faces painted like butterflies!

 Some of My Girls

During the race one of the other coaches and I drove out to a midway point in the race (about 1 mile out) and cheered on all of the girls as they ran by. We each had signs and I had my cowbell ringing loudly of course! After all of our girls had passed Sharon stayed at that midway point to watch the girls come back around at 2 miles, and I drove back to the finish line so I could cheer the girls on as they approached the last 20 yards or so. I learned from last year that its hard to keep track of who has finished and who hasn't after a while, so I came prepared with a list of all of the girls' names.

 Approaching the Finish Line

It is SOOO exciting to see someone you know approach the finish line to a race. (Wow, I’m getting misty just thinking about it!) There were a variety of reactions from the girls as they approached the finish line area. Some just kept running along as normal, others started pumping their elbows as they finished the race and sped up, a few looked at me in confusion (girls from other sites) as I screamed at the top of my lungs for them like a crazy person, and most of them just smiled as they saw that they were crossing the finish line of their first race.

After the Race

GOTR is an amazing program. It’s a program that affects the lives of the girls, the parents, and the coaches. I’m so glad that I got involved with this program and it has been a true bright spot in my life.

Tuesday Carmel Valley Coaches

As if coaching and seeing our girls complete a race wasn’t enough of a gift in and of itself, all of us coaches also got these incredible GOTR necklaces as a thank you gift after the race! They are so cute!

Coaches Thank You Gift

Another season ends and I’ve been given another reason to smile. :o) If you have a daughter between the ages of 8-12 (or know someone who does) you should tell them about this program. This program is so impactful, and I don’t believe that a girl can go through the program and not come out a better, happier, more confident, and healthier person.

If you are someone who likes to run themselves, you should think about volunteering or support the organization in some way. (Or hey, you can support my fundraising for my next race in honor of GOTR at:
http://www.active.com/donate/SoleMates2010/monikool


 

To find a local chapter near you, visit the national site at: http://www.girlsontherun.org/

That’s all for now! From here on out you are stuck hearing about MY running! I have 3 ½ weeks until my next marathon. I’ll be blogging more about it soon!

Another Season Ends

Last week marked the end of the Spring 2010 season of Girls on the Run (GOTR). I was sad for it to end but somewhat relieved to have more of my personal time back since I’m getting to the last intense month of my marathon training and my new job is getting pretty intense as well. Its actually intenser. Is that a word? Microsoft says no apparently.

Community Service Project

The GOTR curriculum focuses on three major areas: all about me, all about us, and all about community. In the last few weeks of the season the girls worked together to come up with a community project that they could execute during one of our sessions. Last season the girls decided to make cards for our military service members and veterans, and for ill children through the programs “Holiday Mail for Heroes” and “Make a Child Smile”. More details on my blog GOTR Community Service Project.

This season the girls decided that they wanted to put on a bake sale with the proceeds supporting the Helen Woodward Animal Center. The girls all signed up for something to bring (baked goods, drinks, cups, plates, etc) and a couple weeks ago we completed our project!

GOTR Bake Sale for the Helen Woodward Animal Center

The project was a great success! We ended up raising $134 to send to the Helen Woodward center. Our GOTR site meets at the Carmel Valley Rec center where there are a large variety of activities going on. There is a steady flow of people and we had a decent stream of customers. We also had a handful of people who made flat-out donations to our fund without buying a treat! The girls had a great time and they all enjoyed putting their efforts towards a greater good.

GOTR Bake Sale for the Helen Woodward Animal Center

GOTR Bake Sale Refreshment Table

Season End Celebration

The last official day of GOTR Spring in San Diego was last Thursday April 29th. We had the girls meet at a building nearby where we had access to the cafeteria. During our celebration we let the girls spend time making necklaces, bracelets, and keychains with the beads they had earned all season (one ¼ mile lap earns 1 bead), we had a yogurt sundae making session for our healthy snack, and then we gave out awards to all of the girls.

Season End Shirt Signing

 Season End Bead Crafting

Yogurt Sundae Bar

Lunafest

After the season end celebration I jetted off to an adult flavored GOTR event – Lunafest! Lunafest is a film festival with films made by women about women. It was an INCREDIBLE event! The event began with a cocktail type reception with a GREAT spread of food and drinks. After the reception (which lasted long enough for all of us to enjoy the gorgeous sunset view right on the water in La Jolla Shores) we then headed inside for the films. The films really were great. After the event there was a survey asking which film was your favorite and I really struggled picking just one!

As if the Hors d'œuvres and films weren’t enough, on the way out we all got these great goodie bags! Reusable Whole Foods lunch bags, cute running gloves thanks to GOTR San Diego, active snacks, and great coupons.

The event was a lot of fun and it was a really nice way to end the GOTR season. My friend Joanna from Zimmer and my petsitter (and SO much more) Jodie and her husband also attended the Lunafest to help support the GOTR cause.

Jodie, Joanna, and J'Me at Lunafest

The capstone event of the GOTR season is a 5k … which happens to be this Saturday! The event the girls will run in is the "Give Your Heart to Monarch 5k" to support the Monarch School of San Diego. The Monarch School is a school for homeless and at-risk children in the area, and is one of only three schools of this kind in the country!

I am SO excited for this race. Last year’s race was a truly amazing experience which was so moving for me personally as a coach. I think I held back tears about a dozen times!

I will post an update next week with more details about the race this weekend.

Domo Does DC

Domo here - returning as special travel correspondent for Monika. Domo heard from many blog readers that his writing was much more enjoyable than Monika’s. Domo enjoyed that. Domo thinks that Monika writes too much about running. Domo thinks you agree.

Domo Packed and Ready To Go

Domo headed to DC last Wednesday for work to spend some time in the field with the local rep, and to then exhibit at the plastic surgery convention that was in town. Domo had never been to one of those conventions before and was excited to see how different they were from all of the dental shows he had gone to over the years. Wait, Domo didn’t actually go to all of those shows. Silly Domo! Domo only joined Monika this past Christmas. Before Domo Monika had another travel friend, Gnomer Simpson. Domo is very happy to have replaced Gnomer Simpson.

Gnomer Simpson in Paris (SO SMUG!)

Domo booked his six night stay at the aLoft hotel in National Harbor, MD. The aLoft is a new type of hotel brand that is part of the Starwood Group aka Sheraton. The aLoft hotel was very cool and modern. Domo liked that.

Domo Checks Into aLoft Hotel

Domo Likes Cool Elevator  Water Pad Floors

The next day Domo had to get up early to get his run in before meeting up with the rep. As you know, Domo likes working on his fitness. Domo is very proud to say that he got up early to run all four days he was scheduled to run. Yay Domo!

Domo Likes aLoft Hotel Gym

Domo Likes Running

Domo Got His Run On

Domo visited some doctor’s offices that day and met a lot of people. That night, Domo attended a seminar about “Aging Gracefully”, and learned about all of the surgical and non surgical options to maintain a youthful look in his face. Domo is so happy that he has a young face. Domo was a bit offended when several people were talking to him about skincare products and pointed out which products would be best for the hyperpigmentation on his face. Hyperpigment-what?? Domo was a bit surprised and hurt to have this pointed out, but was happy to receive samples which were supposed to fix him. It’s not easy staying brown, soft, and smooth!

The next day Domo had four conference calls that spanned five hours. Five hours of conference calls!? Domo must be a very important person! Domo listened to all of the calls on speakerphone to avoid getting brain cancer. Domo doesn’t want brain cancer.

Domo Had a Nice Working View

Domo Working Hard

In between the conference calls Domo went over to the exhibit hall to set-up his tradeshow booth. Domo made a little booboo when ordering the booth materials and accidentally ordered a red carpet when he meant to order grey. He asked about having it changed but decided against it since it would cost $200. Domo felt bad for having made a mistake, but Domo will be more careful next time. Domo sent a picture of his booth to several people who told him that the red carpet didn't look THAT bad. Domon knew that they were being nice and that his booth looked like it was on the hide of Cliffford the Big Red Dog. :o( Oh well.

In between the conference calls and booth setup Domo also had lunch at the restaurant Ketchup in his hotel. Ketchup is owned by the Dolce group! Ketchup was okay, and seemed to be more trendy hype than anything. The food did come with six different types of ketchup which was interesting. It made Domo think about an article that the book “What the Dog Saw” by Malcolm Gladwell that he just read. In the book Gladwell talks about how people in general don’t like any flavor of ketchup but original. Apparently the trendy Ketchup restaurant disagrees!

Domo Had Lunch at Ketchup

Six Types of Ketchup? Domo Confused

The next three days Domo was busy working the tradeshow. Domo met lots of people who were interested in his product. This made Domo happy. Domo was surprised to see several companies at this tradeshow who also exhibited at Dental tradeshows, and was even more surprised to see a couple people that he recognized. Small world! The tradeshow was at the Gaylord Hotel and Conference center which is a beautiful property on the water. If you are ever looking to stay in the DC area outside of downtown, Domo recommends staying at this hotel or on this street.

Pretty View of National Harbor

Along the main harbor street there were several hotels, restaurants, and shops. There was one shop in particular that Domo really wanted to go into – the Peeps store! Who knew there were Peeps stores?? (Oh wow, Domo did research and this is the FIRST Peeps store ever!!!) Domo doesn’t like eating Peeps but thinks they are cute and likes buying them for people. Marshmallows coated in sugar and spray painted weird colors isn’t Domo’s style, but Domo feels a bond between himself and Peeps. Peeps are cookie cutter in shape, squishy on the inside, and textured on the outside. They’re just like Domo! But hey – don’t get any funny ideas. You can NOT eat Domo. You hear me? No eating Domo! Don’t even try!

Domo at the Peeps Store

Peeps Art

One of the nights Domo had to give a presentation to a group of doctors during a dinner. Domo was a bit nervous since he had never presented to doctors before. Sure they are just people, but they are smart people with a lot of extra letters after their name! Domo thinks he did pretty well during the presentation and now feels ready to present again this week to another group. Domo hopes this next meeting goes well too.

After dinner one of Domo’s coworkers showed him several table/party tricks. One involved letting Domo break a toothpick in a folded napkin … but then when the napkin was unfolded the toothpick was whole again! Domo was shocked and puzzled. How did he do this? The next trick involved balancing one toothpick at a right angle to another, with one inserted into a salt shaker, and another weighted down with two forks. Domo was even more impressed by this trick!

Domo Impressed By Trick

Domo is writing this on the plane flying back home from DC. Domo got up at 4:45am EST and is very tired. Domo wishes he could get home and go straight to bed, but Domo needs to go to work, then go to GOTR. Domo has a long day ahead.

Domo Headed HOME!

Domo thanks you for reading his blog again! Domo won’t be traveling again for about a month most likely, so you will be stuck reading Monika’s blathering on about running. Domo feels bad for you.

Domo says bye bye!