Inspiration – wild pieces

Training Week #18: 10 Miles

Published on February 11, 2014March 17, 2016 by Wild Piece1 Comment

Holy countdown, Batman. We are a mere (less than) four weeks away from the marathon! I could not be more psyched. Last Saturday, we had a nice 10-mile recovery run. We started so early that even the streetlights were complaining about the hour. But the (second biggest) event is this coming weekend, when we do our 22-mile training run. I’m equally excited for this run as well. And then that’s it! Kind of—we still have two recovery runs after that, an 11-mile and a 5-mile—but this will be the end of our long training runs. Then it’s marathon time.

Training Week #15: 18 Miles

Published on January 19, 2014March 17, 2016 by Wild PieceLeave a comment

Yet again, this was a tough run. It was made especially hard since I’m coming off a 4-week (flippin’…FOUR WEEKS) cold that turned into bronchitis…the last month has been exhausting from that alone. Whatever, I’m just glad to wake up and not cough up a lung. So, following my doctor’s orders to not move from my bed, I took a two week break before our early morning 18-mile run. I was a little nervous that my legs would stop working, and they almost did, but I finished. And I kept running a quote from famed runner Dean Karnazes through my head:

“Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.”

Excellent advice from an inspiring athlete.

Training Week #13: 16 Miles

Published on January 6, 2014March 17, 2016 by Wild PieceLeave a comment

Whew! Sixteen miles. So that’s done. This was the training run that really made everything click—that this marathon is happening and running it is really hard. Twelve miles was hard. Fourteen miles was hard. But this week, 16 miles was painful. Especially once we hit the last three miles, when I felt like I was crawling through an ocean of molasses just trying to get back to the parking lot. Weirdly, this has made me even more excited for our 18 mile run coming up in two weeks.

The best thing we did was switch up the scenery and run at the beach. We started just south of the Santa Monica Pier and ran four miles north, just a little past Temescal Canyon Road. It was a beautiful day at the beach. We are so lucky to live here!

Ring in the New Year with Healthy Habits

Published on December 27, 2013March 17, 2016 by Wild Piece2 Comments

I’m a big believer in New Year’s resolutions. Most people wait until January 1 to start on their new goals, but I like to jump in head first—two weeks early (though, I realize right now we’re less than a week from NYE). I’ve been doing this for a few years now, and it’s always much more effective when you can step into the new year with a strong start on your resolutions.

It’s easier to exercise daily/lose 10 pounds/eat healthier/volunteer more if you’ve not only been doing so for two weeks, but you managed to fit those things in around the holidays. Plus, when you’ve planned ahead and started your resolutions early, you won’t wake up on New Year’s Day hungover and thinking, “I’ll just start eating healthy tomorrow…”—that’s the end of the beginning.

One more tip? Tell bunches of people your resolutions so you’ll feel accountable to your words. (Mine are below! And if your resolutions include charity work, start now! Find details on donating to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital here!)

So what are your resolutions? Do you guys have any special tips on sticking to those goals for 2014?

Morning Run and an Amazing View

Published on November 14, 2013March 17, 2016 by Wild Piece2 Comments

We are in week #6 of training for the 2014 L.A. Marathon, and I’ve been trying to squeeze in some runs before work. This morning, I finished up and decided I had enough energy to do stairs in my building. When I got to the top of the stairs, which end at the door to the roof, I realized I’d never taken advantage of our top-of-the-building view! I got there just as the sun came up. Beautiful—a great way to start the morning!