2013 Pasadena Chalk Festival

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of going to see some amazing artists in action at the 2013 Pasadena Chalk Festival. I use to draw when I was younger but somewhere along the way I've really lost touch with art. My heart still skips a beat whenever I see an artist bring an image to life. The process of creation, from the heart/mind, through the arms/hands/fingertips, onto the paper, canvas and in this case...sidewalk. From the moment I arrived at the festival, I was mesmerized by the colors, the techniques, creativity...so much to take in. I wanted to see it all. I definitely had a kid-in-a-candy-store moment there.

Here are some of my favorites.

This one was at the top of my list. Gorgeous!

I love watching the artists at work.

They were auctioning off a helicopter ride at the silent auction.

And we are clear for take-off...

Sensory overload in the best way possible!

2013 Irvine Trail Half Marathon - Race Recap

Date: June 15, 2013
Location: Irvine Regional Park // Site #4
Start: 8:00am
Finish: 1:53:44








I randomly signed up for this race earlier in the week because I wanted to run some trails and I did not want to run alone...you know...because I didn't want to be coyote bait.

The Irvine Trail Half Marathon is one of a few races put on by My Own Race. This race boasts a small field, very easy logistics and a very casual feel. You do have to pay $5 to get into the Irvine Regional Park where this race is staged but parking is plentiful and the starting line is just steps from there. There is a 5K, 10K and a half marathon option. Something for everyone.

The race shirt is simple and looks like a cotton t-shirt, which I like. Feels like cotton too but is actually polyester.

I went to bed last night knowing that I didn't have any bread in the house to eat in the morning but for some reason, I thought that I would maybe drive to a bagel shop in the morning and pick something up. Yeah, that didn't end up happening. So I get to the race with nothing to eat. So I dig around in my purse because I always hide snacks in there. Lo and behold, I found these two bars from who knows when. They tasted like they've been sitting in my purse for way too long. Into the trash they went. So I'm still hungry but the race was about to start. Good thing I was snack-y last night so I wasn't really running on empty.

Final instructions from the race director...namely to yield to bikers and horses...else you get kicked in the face...by the horses, not the bikers.

Here we are at the starting line. I don't have any photos of the course despite carrying my phone with me. I decided to just run. There was one point at the top of one of the climbs that I wanted to snap a photo because it was pretty but I was lazy so no photos. Sorry.

So how was the course? Well we were running around in loops. I think 2-3 different loops. No mile markers, just some orange tape tied to trees and posts to let you know that you were still going the right way. Definitely wear a Garmin for this race because honestly with all the looping I wouldn't have known when I was done. The course was comprised of sand, packed and loose dirt, asphalt, dried grass, gravel and some concrete. It was a mix bag. I've ran on  hillier trail courses before but this one was by no means easy but it was exactly what I wanted to run this weekend. I ran the first couple of loops too fast I think because the second half felt difficult. It was an overcast day but I was working hard because I looked at my arms at one point and noticed that I was covered in salt crystals. Then, around mile 8 or 9, I took a wrong turn and was off-course for a bit. Luckily, I somehow found my way back to rejoined the other runners. I don't know what my official time is but my Garmin says 1:53:44. It was fun, forgot how hard it is to run uphill on sand.

Wearing my new InkNBurn shirt from Becka that I won during one of her Lazarex Cancer Foundation fundraising drive. Don't I look official? Like I do this trail thing every weekend? Like Becka? Nah! The shirt is beautiful and colorful! It soaks up sweat like nobody's busy. Kept me so dry that I didn't even realize that I was sweating so much until I saw salt crystals on my limbs. Haha, gross right? Anyways, thanks Becka for the cool shirt! Love it!

Post race snacks!

Super dirty and dusty shoes.

My third trail race and second trail half marathon! It was a good little race. With the exception of the getting lost thing, it went pretty well. Pretty organized for a small race. Everyone was very nice and I was really tired at the end so I obviously had a lot of dirty fun out there.

Elevation profile from Strava.

Elevation from the race website:

I Don't Care If Monday's Blue

Over the weekend, I went out for a run...on trails. I don't know why but every summer I feel the need to run on softer grounds and climb some ridiculous elevations. That first run on trails after running on roads all Spring is always shocking. The shock is a mix of good and not so good. Good because my knees and joints can feel a difference right away. Not so good because I always forget that I can't run on trails the same way I run on paved roads. After a couple of runs and some adjustments I start to get the hang of it again. And when I say "get the hang of", I mean on beginner trails, not anything like the stuff experienced trail runners take on. For instance, I'm not ready for any sort of water crossing or elevations that require a running start to traverse.

There's a couple of trail races coming up that I've been eyeing for awhile but haven't committed to. Recently, I was digging around on Ultra Signup and noticed that they've reorganized and updated all the results and races into one neat little site. I haven't looked into trail races in many months so I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to find stuff on there now. Anyhow, long story short, I might be adding another trail race to my schedule soon.

One of the many perks of trail running is the scenery. Never gets old. There is just something about standing above it all. On this particular run, I ran into a coyote. Obviously, I was more afraid of him then he was of me, so I just turned around and went another way. There must be a lot of coyotes where I run or I just have the worst luck because I am always running into them.

And what's the point of all that running if not to 'eat all the things'. The husband and I met up with Pam and her hubby for dinner later that evening where we buried our heads in this bucket o' seafood! Good times!

And in case there was still any space left in my stomach after that, I made sure to take care of that with Sunday Brunch at Taps to celebrate my sister and b.i.l's anniversary. Have you ever been there? It's worth a visit.

A Day For Running

Happy National Running Day! I'm not sure what makes the first Wednesday in June more run-worthy than say the first Tuesday or Thursday of June but here we are. I'll be celebrating by going for a lung-burning tempo run today.

Running has enriched my life in so many ways over the years. It's been an outlet for me when I am feeling happy, sad, stressed, angry, etc... It has connected me with some amazing people who also share in my love of this sport. It has taught me about the strength of a community and the will to endure. Running has not always been in my blood. I am not a natural runner and it does not come easy for me. But it has become a big part of my life and something that I can't imagine not doing.

It is SO good!

Yoplait now makes frozen yogurt! Hazzah!! I saw a commercial last week and I had to have it. So today I'm dedicating an entire post to this frozen yogurt. I'm no stranger to Yoplait yogurt. I love the stuff. Especially the original strawberry yogurt. I know there are better-for-me yogurts out there but I just prefer this one. There is just something nostalgic about the taste.

It is creamy, tangy and this one had little chunks of strawberries! Everything I hoped it would be and more.

Here are the numbers for those who might be interested. Yoplait also makes a Greek style frozen yogurt as well as frozen yogurt bars in many different flavors. The supermarket that I purchased this from had a very limited selection but I'm looking forward to trying the other flavors. Also, please note that this is not a sponsored post. I'm just a happy yogurt fiend.

Go Big or go home

I was in Vegas this weekend visiting family. It was a very quick turnaround trip. It was about a billion degrees. I spent some time here...

...watching my money run away from me.

My money wasn't the only thing running this weekend. I managed to get up early enough to get in a quick shakeout run before it got too hot. It was already 75 at 6am. I saw people running in the middle of the day when it was 100 degrees. I guess I'm just weak-sauce because I would have died.

When we got back into town, we had dinner at one of my favorite restaurant. I ordered my favorite salad. I licked the plate clean. The waiter jokingly (I hope) said that he has never seen anyone take down that entire salad in one sitting. I'm going to take that comment as meaning that I am the salad eating champion of that restaurant. I'm very proud of myself. ;0)

Last week, I went into a Lululemon for the first time in months to buy myself a "PR" present and noticed that it is very "spring" in there. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately I didn't find anything I liked. Instead, I picked up a couple of Nike pieces at the outlet at Primm over the weekend. I'm sure they are going to get a lot of use as I start my fall marathon training this week. I'm going to ease back into training over the next couple of weeks and will have the entire summer to prepare.

Final thought and what the post title was really referring too. So what am I preparing for? This! (see photo below). The moment I started looking into this race, I knew I wanted to list it on the sidebar under "upcoming races".  Downhill course, smallish size coupled with some fantastic scenery...some of my most favorite things about a race. Plus, I've never been to Utah so I'm really looking forward to it. I have crazy fantasies about doing well on this course but my goals for this race are not definite and I probably won't be able to define them until some time down the line. At the very least I'd imagine it will be beautiful even if I'm slogging through it.

Friday Favorites

I got up early this morning solely for the purpose of going out for a jog to see how my legs are feeling. Just as I suspect. Still sore. So I went on a leisurely 3 mile walk. I don't know why I don't do that more often. It was pretty awesome. I think I'll give it a few more days before trying again. I'm very excited to start training again. My next race isn't for another 3 months so I get to ramp up at a more reasonable rate. I'm already plotting my next training cycle. Which reminds me, I need new running shoes.

Friday! Why has this 4-day work week seem like the longest ever? I'm about to jump out the window. TGIF! I'm heading to Vegas this weekend. It looks like it is going to be about a billion degrees. Not sure what's on tap but I'll be back on Monday to share.

So this post was started yesterday but I never got around to finishing it so it is morphing from a Three Things Thursday post to a Friday Favorites post. That's some fancy finagling on my part. Plus, I only had 2 things to talk about so it all worked out. Have a great weekend!

1) Bananas - I can't stand bananas but I started eating one everyday as a snack or for breakfast. I did this the entire month leading into my recent marathon. For some reason, I felt like I was low on potassium levels but maybe that was all in my head but it couldn't hurt I reasoned. Some days I ate them straight up, other days covered in chocolate/nuts/PB. I have to admit that I liked them the best when they are covered in chocolate...and even more when they are also covered in nuts. I even blended it up in smoothies. There were even days when I would eat two just for good measure. I like my bananas when they are still showing a little tiny bit of green but I've been known to eat the yellow ones and even the ones with some black dots on them. So I guess they are not so bad and I feel like they are somehow helping me with my running. Maybe that's all in my head as well.

2) Protein powder - There was a time when protein powder was a part of my everyday routine. Primarily when I was lifting more in the weight room but then one day I just stopped using it. Mostly because I didn't like the way protein powder tasted. Any of them. Then one day after a week of hard workouts, I felt so beat up that I didn't think that I would be able to do my long run that weekend. That night at dinner, my husband and I exchanged our usual "sore" stories, which basically starts out with tales of our workouts and end with where and how sore we were. So I was telling him about how much more sore I was feeling lately and he told me that I probably needed to start taking protein powder again after my workouts. Blah! But then I remembered that awhile back I had purchased a giant jar of BSN's Syntha-6 Chocolate PB protein powder and it was just sitting there on my kitchen counter unused. I've forgotten how yummy it was. Yeah I said it, it's yummy! It's like chocolate milk or a milkshake if you blend it up with some ice. I normally mix it with some soy milk and a little bit of water because I don't like it too thick. I also have the Vanilla Ice Cream one and that one is also very good. Protein powder has been essential this past month with helping me recover quickly so that I can conquer the next workout. I'm glad I found one that I actually like the taste of.