Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year!

May 2011 bring everyone health, happiness and a better economy. I added some photos to flickr:
flickr.com/jenniferpurdie

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

New Year's Resolutions

I set the following new year's resolutions for 2010. How did I do?

1. Run three marathons--I ran 3 full and 8 halfs
2. At least two of them have to be international ones--three were international races
3. Better my biking time by .5 mph in a triathlon--bettered time by .5 in a May triathlon
4. Write the draft of my book--92,000 words done!
5. Go out for New Year's Eve--going out with three friends

Highlights of 2010:
1. Accomplishing my goal of running a marathon on every continent
2. Getting a lot of press for it. I am even on the cover of a magazine.
3. Going brunette--I do miss being blonde though...
4. Running in China, Peru, South Africa
5. Running my new favorite half marathon in Santa Barbara, CA.

Goals for 2011:
1. Doing an ultra marathon
2. Bettering my bike time by another .5 mph in one triathlon
3. Completing my book--almost done :)
4. GANJ (This is cryptic for personal reasons)
5. Letting go of something personal that needs to be let go

Monday, December 20, 2010

Thanks!

This has been a great few months for me. I've been getting so many nice emails from people on the press that has come out about me running marathons on 7 continents. Strangers have been emailing me with amazing stories on their weight loss goals and wanting to do races overseas now! I've also been asked to do some public speaking engagements. I am one lucky chick.

I also had a photo session with Elvis Castillo Photography and he wrote many nice things about me on his blog posted on December 20th, 2010. He is very talented and super nice to work with--check out his site.

Happy Holidays!

Monday, December 13, 2010



12Ks of Christmas

Just as in the 12 Days of Christmas, I did a race of the 12Ks of Christmas. It started at the "North Pole" aka Gilbert, Arizona. We were all given Santa hats to wear along with special Christmas socks. Most everyone dressed up. I found a red technical t-shirt to get into the spirit of the race. Dogs were colorful with wreaths around their necks and red and green leg warmers on their four little legs. One man was a human wreath; one girl dressed up as the Grinch and dyed her hair green; some just colored themselves all red and green. One guy dressed up as Scrooge and wore a top hat and a full suit. Along the route were choral groups including a children's bell group and a choir dressed to the nines in Victorian fashions. I loved it. Santa was there with his reindeer (dogs with antlers). However, there was a police officer who stopped all the runners to allow traffic to cross. I was stopped for 2 minutes by a cop who held out his hand and let cars go by...say what?? There goes my pace. It was a timed event and the race directors paid money for that road to be stopped. But the police officers decided that cars were more important than runners. I appreciate the volunteers (in this race they were called "Santa's Helpers") and the cops who make races possible, but come on...we were in a timed event and held off running.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Training hard

The training for the 50 mile, or 80K race, has begun. I now have 1 track session/week, 1 double day (run in the morning and at night) and two long days back to back. It is going to be interesting. I can already feel my legs getting tired and complaining. Hopefully it will go well. But I can always back out if my body doesn't hold up.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Race Report and Cover Shot

I completed my 26th half marathon this past weekend in Scottsdale, Arizona. I love this race; unfortunately, my quad does not. I pulled it on Tuesday and after mile 4.5 I struggled with pain. I had to walk a bit, so my time was 50 seconds slower than last year, which is unacceptable. But I do LOVE this race.

Also, just last November I finished an Ironman. This November I was featured on the cover of Scottsdale Health Magazine. November is a good month for me :) I don't recognize myself with my new dark locks, which actually are even darker in person.

The article can be found by clicking on the magazine's site here.


Friday, November 19, 2010


Gone!

My Rapunzel hair is gone! Vanished to a dark garbage can in a salon in Mesa, Ariz. My Lady Godiva hair is no more! I have hair that reaches just below my shoulders and is a brown/reddish color. It is now life on the dark side for me. I have in extensions for volume. I am trying not to pull it out, so wanted to do something to help. Hopefully this will.....but it is just hair and can always be changed.

Sunday, November 14, 2010


Race Report

I finished Iron Girl today--10 mile run around Tempe Town Lake. I ran into an old friend and we got to talking. It slowed my pace down, but sometimes good conversations are better than PRs. Love running during the winter here. I love getting bundled up and peeling off the layers as the sun rises. So a half marathon on Sat., 10 mile race today and half marathon last Sat. Is it time to slow down? Never.

Saturday, November 13, 2010



Race Reports #24 and #25

I finished my 24th and 25th half marathons exactly one week apart. I flew to Santa Barbara with the flu for a gorgeous, yet hilly race. It finished right on the beach in Leadbetter Park and was a simply breathtaking course--through a woodsy area, along the coastline and through the hills. I loved it, despite my sore throat. I was glad to be out of Phoenix that weekend for personal reasons.

Seven days later I did my 25th half marathon in Mesa. Flat course, but didn't get my best time. Oh well. Still recovering from my illness. I have been dehydrated lately and I lie in bed at night and my muscles are spasming--not exactly how I should feel before a race.

Now I am going biking to try to spin out some lactic acid because I have a 10 mile race tomorrow known as Iron Girl. It's an all female race around Tempe Town Lake. I love it. This will be my 4th year doing it. So I'll be covering 23.1 miles in two days, not even a full marathon. No prob.

Still in braces :(

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween!

I dressed up as a hula girl this year and baked a graveyard cake. I thought I was being original and handpainted RIP on Milano cookies and stuck them into chocolate cake with mashed up cookie crumbles to look like dirt. The shape of the Milano cookies looked like gravestones. We had a potluck at work so I brought in my cake and someone else decorated a cake in the same way, only much better. My cake looked like the before version; his looked like the after version. Mine was Step 1, his was Step 2. So funny.

So I am all moved out of my place and a renter is in. I am now in Mesa, Arizona. Glad moving is done. So stressful. Many years in that home. A longer commute to work is now my plight. But all is good in my life. Just my trichotillomania is out of control. I have a wig and a cosmetologist is going to work with me on getting extensions.

Friday, October 15, 2010

So I did something...

Really stupid. I mean really stupid. I signed up for 50 mile, or 80 kilometer, race. Not sure if I will be able to pull that off. I haven't been running well at all. I have gotten some very slow marathon times and my slowest 5K to date just two weeks ago. So it may not happen, but I paid for it, so I want to do it.

I broke my retainer right before I left for South Africa and within 5 days my teeth shifted so much I have been back in braces for 3 weeks and have to go at least another 2 more. Huh? Is this right? I thought I was done with this a long time ago.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Happy birthday!

To my mom!

Love seeing the men hoisted from the Phoenix in Chile. So moving.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Happy birthday!

To my dad!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Good news

I've had people throughout my life say some really not nice things to me. I've had more rejections than I care to count, but this week I got some really fantastic emails that uplifted my spirit. If I am feeling down, I will read these over and over until I feel better. An article came out about my running marathons on 7 continents and the response was unbelievable. I never thought I'd hear from anyone about it, but messages like the one below starting popping up in my inbox on Facebook from total strangers. Life is full of surprises and sometimes they are the good kind.

******
You don't know me but my wife and I read the article on the LDS Living website about how you have run marathons on all seven continents and I just wanted to thank you for being an inspiration to us. We got into triathlon last year to help us lose weight, and we both lost about 60 lbs but we've been in kind of a rut the last several months (we've maintained but still have a loooong way to go to get to our goal weights). We love traveling, and after reading the article about you we got totally re-energized about our weight loss and training goals, and we've decided that we want to follow in your footsteps (figuratively and literally) and we're totally planning on doing either marathons or triathlons on all seven continents.
So anyways, thank you for being awesome and congratulations on all you've done. You rock!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Sick

A website did a story about me running marathons on seven continents here. The girl who interviewed me was really sweet.

I have been sick from traveling since I got back from Cape Town. Saturday I was extremely sick with a terrible migraine. But I am getting better :)Despite my illness, I participated in a 5K race and did get my worst time. I blame sickness.

I broke my retainer hours before I was to get on a plane and in less than a week, my teeth shifted considerably, so I am back in Invisalign. I can't believe how fast my teeth changed. Within 15 minutes I was in pain. So I hope to have my straight teeth back soon.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Other news

I went down to the wharf and listened to a very interesting (meaning weird) talk on hare krishna and meditation. There was a wellness fair going on that I wanted to see and turns out it was new age wellness.

I also went to have traditional South African dining and ate Boboti and it was delicious. It is a meat dish with custard on top with rice and jam. Sounds strange, but it was one of the best meals of my life. Plus, I also ordered South African dough bread and white hot chocolate. Sweet and savory together? It works.
I did it!

Running a marathon in South Africa? = Loads of money
Running a marathon in Antarctica = Even more money
Becoming one of the youngest people in the world to run a marathon on all 7 continents? = Pretty freaking priceless

I just finished the Cape Town Marathon and can now officially say that I have run a marathon on all 7 continents. I plan to do it again.

I have also managed to keep myself alive. It's been touch and go. As much as I would like to have a Lifetime movie made about me, I am not interested in becoming Natalie Holloway 2.0.

The race was hard and I had to walk almost immediately. I got a side stitch at mile 2 that didn't go away. I was sick all last night so was super dehydrated. My legs were cramping all night, so knew I was in trouble. I think I had a touch of stomach flu. Plus, the night clubs went outside and people were up to 5am. In fact, when I left for the race, people were just headed home. It was insane and I had to listen to it all night long. I struggled and composed different strategies going from mile to mile to make it through. But I finished in the rain and cold. Yesterday was perfect weather, but not today. I am so cold I'm shaking. I also broke my camera. I hope the pictures are okay. It's the buttons, so probably not the memory card.

Yesterday I went to the townships where people were displaced during Apartheid. It was poverty like I've never seen. People live in these total shacks with 5/family or a hostel with 3 families with 5 people each and they all share these communal bathrooms. But they are lucky to have bathrooms. Many of the shacks used communal porta-potties, where they also showered. It stank and was very sad. The children were sure cute though. I got invited to go to the local pub, which was men sitting on the ground all drinking beer from one large tin-no such thing as cups. They invited me to drink their beer, but I said no. They all looked really offended. But I am American and offensive is how we roll. They talked with that clicking noise.

Not a lot of people speak English here. I'm surprised. Mainly Afrikaans.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Good news and bad news

So good news is the night club across the street was closed last night so I got a proper night's sleep. It is a beautiful day today. I also watched a travel show on Cape Town and they showed this Greenmarket Square. I knew I wanted to go to that when I got here so I asked where it is, turns out, right outside the hotel. I can literally open up my window and look at it. I also had such a good night last night. I found Victoria's Wharf which is this beautiful shopping mall right on the water with tons of outdoor restaurants and bands playing.

So for the bad news....I am totally shaking right now and pissed. I feel like my trip has a sour taste now. I got up to explore Cape Town on foot. The weather is outstanding and so I walked by the parliament buildings and into these gardens with roses all over. Table Top Mountain is very bright today. Then for the first time ever of my life with all 30-35 countries I have visited, I had an attempted mugging. I was out in the middle of the gardens with plenty of people around at 9:00am, in daylight. One man walked next to me and said do you have any change, I said no. I always keep my money hidden, but I had a camera in a pocket with my jacket zipped up so no one could pickpocket, but he could see the outline of it. So he made a grab for it and I said "NO!" I turned to run and his friend, the accomplice, boxed me in and started to make a grab for me too. I hit him and started running. I ran right to a couple and said "those guys just tried to mug me!" I was shaking. They then gave me a lecture about walking by myself and I shouldn't be doing it. I said yes, I am leaving right now. I went back to my hotel room and almost started crying. That has never happened to me and I travel alone a lot. It was so scary. I am now scared to go anywhere and with every step I take, I keep looking around at everyone. I don't think I am going to run tomorrow with an iPod, just in case I get mugged during the race. I am so ticked off too. I wanted to say to that couple, well, I am single and don't have anyone to be here with, so it is either walk alone or sit in my hotel room and by doing that, this vacation and the money I spent is pointless. Sometimes being single sucks. I want to go explore the city, but scared to now. Part of me just wants to get out of town and forget the race. I plan on going on a tour this afternoon to some towns of people who were displaced with Apartheid. Maybe a tour will be safer if I keep with others. I have never experienced this before. Pray for my safe return. I am taking cabs everywhere now.

Friday, September 24, 2010


Greetings from the bottom of Africa

I am in South Africa at a lovely wharf along the waterfront having a beautiful evening with a beautiful sunset in a lively part of town. I came to Cape Town by way of Dallas, by way of Amsterdam and then flew from there. It took 30.5 hours in transit from my home to the hotel. But I am not exhausted. In fact, I didn't sleep more than 1.5 hours last night. I am waiting for the crash to come.

On my flight to Amsterdam we all got our own TVs (yeah for non-American airlines!) but, only two entertainment systems on the plane didn't work and guess who was one of those people? Me and the girl next to me. Lucky though, after two hours, it was fixed and I was back watching Modern Family and the Office, plus my choice of dozens of movies. I'd start a movie and decide I didn't like it, so move on. I think I only watched one movie all the way through.

Then I got to Amsterdam and the plane went right over one of the lovely Amsterdam canals. I love Amsterdam and I really wanted to just walk outside and be in Europe. The airport tempted me with all the wooden shoes and European chocolates for sale and photos of the canals and tulip fields. Dang it! I've never flown to another continent and it was just a layover to another continent. It was insane.

Then after that 9 hour flight and 2 hour layover (plus the 2.5 hour flight to Dallas, plus its 2 hour layover), I got on a plane to Cape Town. Somewhere over Tel Aviv, I know this because they had monitors all over the plane showing us where we are in the world just to tease us how far we were from South Africa, I got really sick. So the rest of the flight was tough, but I stayed awake the entire time. Since I had already gone through all the movies (I was flying the same carrier), I devoted this time to reading and listening to all the CDs they had in the entertainment library. I have a new love: Susan Boyles. Her CD is actually really good. Then by way of some weird karma, the entertainment system went out for all but 2 rows and guess whose row still had the entertainment system working? Mine. I always tell people life is the great equalizer.

I got into Cape Town and it is actually really hilly. I thought it would be flat, but no. Plus, it's kind of scary the area of town where I am staying. I will not go out at night. Then I got to my room and it is totally ghetto. It is probably the worst room I have stayed in, even worse than my jail cell in Copenhagen. The TV doesn't work, the alarm clock doesn't work, so I asked for a wake up call which never came, and the security deposit box is broken. In addition, there is no heater and it is really cold here. Plus, it turns out that my room overlooks a disco club just 20 feet away, which played music until 3am and I could hear every song as if the radio was being played right in my room. It was good music and really cool American club music, but I was tired and had to listen to that. Four pillows covering my ears didn't do the trick to keeping the noise away.

This morning I went down to the lobby to wait for my tour to pick me up and told the receptionist/concierge/security/not-makes wake-up calls guy (the hotel is ghetto, so one person does everything) that it was so loud last night and why didn't he give me my wake up call? He slept through it. Then he said that it is a national holiday today and so everyone was out late celebrating the long weekend. Everyone has today off.

Oh and get this, my birthday is a national holiday in South Africa! How lovely is that?? Being the vain person that I am, I always thought my birthday should be a national holiday and in South Africa, it is! It is Freedom Day and a national holiday where everyone shuts everything down and celebrates. If I lived here, I would never have to work on my birthday again.

So I went on an African Safari today and saw the big 5. It was magnificent, but cold. It was wonderful. I saw lions and elephants and birds and cheetahs and rhinos and then sat by a pool and relaxed. Some people on the safari knew I was doing a race here so they asked the question, as usual, are you going to win? First of all, there is such a thing as stupid questions. Second of all, I'm in freaking AFRICA! What do you think? This is the land of runners. I'm having really bad problems with my calves. They keep spasming and making it hard to walk. I am very nervous and think it will be a really hard time.

Then I went to the expo which was right on the water and just gorgeous and I met a gorgeous guy named Paul (what is up with cute guys with that name?) who is here from Tampa. (I wished I could have said the same-- cryptic message).

Saturday, September 18, 2010



Open Water Swim Race

I participated in the fall Open Water Swim Race this morning and wore a wetsuit, which I instantly regretted. Phoenix is having record-breaking temperatures at 110. It is so hot you can't breathe. But hopping into the water was freshing. I did a hot six mile run after the race. I ran into a bunch of friends from Ironman and found out a girl from Scottsdale is doing the same marathon as I am, which is coming up soon.

I also went to a women's expo to hear Helen Hunt speak and I bought a wig. It is my second wig. My trichotillomania is completely out of control, so I bought a brunette wig that is cut to be a bob. I am channeling my inner Anna Wintour. If I add my thick Chanel sunglasses, I look like her, just taller. Five seconds after I put it on, a very good looking man started yelling at me "Are you married?" "Are you married?" That NEVER EVER happens, as in NEVER EVER. I think I will wear this wig all the time.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Workouts:

Saturday: 20 mile run
Sunday: 20 mile bike, 4 mile run

Legs cramped in the heat. I am worried for my next race! My dog felt so badly for me coming in from my 20 mile run. She put her paw on me and just rested it there. You have got to love dogs.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

So you had a bad day

I spent the Labor Day weekend doing what I usually do during this holiday: not laboring. I visited my favorite place, the bookstore, and discovered a new fav author. Despite the heat advisory and unbelievable temps Phoenix is still having, I managed to run miles everyday and complete a couple long bike rides.

However, Monday morning I was greeted with some deeply disappointing news. I had been very much hoping for something to happen and emailed myself everyday saying that it would happen and saying a prayer each time. I figured if I wrote (typed) my goal, it would have to come true right? Well, it didn't and it was a major (major!!) bummer and gave me a headache in the process. On top of it, I asked my parents if I could move back in with them. I would rent out my house to save money and pay off the car I was forced to buy when Saturn decided that it didn't want to drive anymore.

My parents haven't said yes. I don't expect them to either. But if they do, I will be a 33-year-old, single girl living with my parents. How attractive is that? It wouldn't be for a long time, just to pay off my car and some bills. Plus, I think I would like it. It's lonely living alone in my house. I come home to my DVR and as often as I try to start conversations with my TV, it just doesn't seem to talk back.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Favorite things about my Utah trip:

1. Danced with my cousin's 4-year-old
2. Ate ice cream at 10pm at Iceberg with my cousin, brother and his girlfriend
3. Went to a baby shower and saw loads of cousins and aunts
4. Saw my grandma who is suffering from Alzheimer's and a brain cyst. She remembered me for a small period of time.
5. Got to go running on the Jordan River parkway
6. The weather was heavenly

Arizona is suffering from a heat wave and extreme heat warnings. It was 113 today at 5pm with 50% humidity. Then a storm came and it was 100% humidity, with 108 degrees. Yuck.

I just finished reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I now must finish the trilogy. I couldn't put it down. I can't wait for the movie with Daniel Craig, my celebrity crush.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Weekend

I am going to spend the weekend in Salt Lake City where it is 85 right now and my temperature outside reads 111 at this exact moment. It's so hot I cannot even take the luggage out of my car. I get to go to a baby shower for my cousin who is flying in from Colorado just for the event, pregnant belly and all. Yeah for cooler weather and family.

It is my 4th trip to Utah this year. I love it up there and love running there. This weekend I get to run at the parkway trail with a SLC running group.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Saturday fun

I am having a productive Saturday. I woke up at 5am for a 12 mile run. I then ran errands and met tile guys back at my house at 8am. I had my bathroom and laundry area retiled and it looks like a new house. I am so happy about it. While they were retiling, I did yard work and cleaned. What you can do by 9am is wonderful.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Weekend

This weekend was a bit muggy, which is a bit of an understatement. The air was thick and running in it felt like running through water. I tried to put in a good 12 miles on Saturday, but could barely breathe. I had to walk too much, so gave up. I decided Sunday would be better, but after a short time I couldn't take it anymore. So I headed to the nice air-conditioned movie theater and saw Inception. I now have a new celebrity crush named Tom Hardy. He is cute and has a wicked accent, which I always adore. I looked him up on Wikipedia and unfortunately, he is a mere 5'9 (so the other actors in the movie must be extremely short). But he was fun to look at while the movie was a total mind trip. And luckily, my new car has good air-conditioning to get me here and there.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Triathlons in Tempe?

Fall triathlon season is in jeopardy. Tuesday evening a dam broke and all the water from Tempe Town Lake rushed into the Salt River and now the lake is gone, literally gone. Fish were flapping around on dry ground and unfortunately passed away. What was once a lake is now dirt and some deteriorated plant life. The mayor thinks that it will be "likely" fixed by November, but what about the Sept and Oct races?

I am heading up north this weekend for cooler weather. I will at a cabin with my parents and their friends and will totally be the fifth wheel. I am used to it. I tend to stick to myself anyway. But I welcome the chance to be rid of the heat and run in better temperatures than 116.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Car Shopping

I ran 12 miles in over 90 degrees Saturday morning and then the humidity hit. I had to go car shopping, which was brutal in the heat. I told the salesmen to stay inside and I'll come get them if I need them, trying to keep them away from the heat. I think it was 114 yesterday.

I did find a car, a Kia Sportage. It's an SUV and I am now going to spend way more in gas than I ever have...and I feel like a soccer mom driving it. It is so much car for little old me. But I do feel empowered looking down at all the cars on the road. I like to think I am moving up in the world, literally. My poor Saturn went to car heaven and I asked the dealership to take care of it and treat it with love and affection; it was my baby for 7 years. Now I have a car payment for the first time since 2005 and this time around I'm living alone without a roommate, so my expenses have drastically increased. I am trying to think of what I can do to earn extra money...I think I may pawn some of the presents ex's have given me over the years.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

California Again

I went to Orange County, CA for a work trip and it was heaven: 73 and I could run outside. I miss those days. Phoenix is just too hot to run outside at all. I got in a really good workout and got up early on Tuesday to workout again. Phoenix's heat just drains me.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

So you had a bad day

Some days are wonderful. Most days are blase. But some days are bad. Wednesday was one of those days. Tuesday evening my car did something weird. I'm not sure what it did, but it was definitely weird and then the engine light came on. So I got up early to drop it off at my mechanic. Unfortunately, I got the news that my beloved Saturn is done. I can still drive it, although cautiously, for a little bit. The repairs cost more than the car itself and now I must go car shopping. I hate shopping of any kind, especially anything involving automotives.

So R.I.P. Saturn. You've been with me for 7 years--through years and years of hot summers, one cold winter in Utah, up through the canyons in blizzards, in 117 degree summers, two roommates and my living alone, being parked on the street, being broken into twice and yet you've always held up. I will miss you and hope my next car is as reliable as you once were, but you are not reliable anymore. I'll have to update the blog with my new purchase when that takes place.

So anyway, on with my day. A bottle of shampoo exploded in my make-up bag and all of my makeup, including my now-destroyed powders were soaked or ruined. Alex was injured on So You Think You Can Dance, my favorite contestant. I went hiking after work with a couple of girlfriends and I got so sick I had to turn back. Usually I'm the one wanting to go faster and harder, but I had to leave them to continue on without me. The heat just got to me. I got a severe headache, started shaking and nauseated. I came back slowly down the mountain and felt like I was going to be one of those hikers you see on the news having to be airlifted off the trail. Everything started spinning and my heart felt like it was going to pop out of my chest. My heart rate was near 190 for just walking down a trail slowly. Sickening! And above all, depressing. I hope I am not out of shape. I hope it was just my body saying "get out of the heat you moron." I can handle that. Then I went to a writing class I am taking and my pen rang out of ink. Then I tried another pen and I broke it. Then I went shopping online for a new car and it is so expensive. What a day.

I am still missing my trip to Salt Lake for the 4th of July. I miss cooler weather!!

Monday, July 5, 2010



4th of July

I spent the 4th of July in beautiful, cool Salt Lake City. I landed in 73 degree weather and it was heaven. Utah had a rainy spring, so the mountains were so green they looked like Hawaii. It was breathtaking. I went to Park City with my brother and then watched fireworks and had a BBQ with my aunt, uncle, cousins, brother, brother's girlfriend and friends. I ate too much, but what else is new? We lit off fireworks in the street.

The next day I got up early to go running. I adore running in Salt Lake. It was one of my favorite cities to run and it is a tradition for me to run at Brighton High School in Sandy. Its track is located at the base of the Rockies and overlooks a good portion of the Wasatch front. I packed all my gels, water bottle and running clothes, but realized that morning that I forgot my running shoes. So I "borrowed" my brother's car (without asking) and went to the only thing open: Target. I would NEVER buy running shoes at Target, but I just needed something for a couple of days and Target would have to do. So I got my shoes and headed to Brighton only to find out that the track was gone. Totally gutted. No fair!!! But I ran anyway and loved it. I got to run in the middle of the day and felt like I could run forever. It was only 73 and it makes such a difference from 100 or the dreaded treadmill.

I spent another night with my cousins and played games and watched a movie. I miss everyone there. I miss it terribly. I was depressed getting on the plane and having to come back to the blazing inferno of Phoenix. I landed and felt like I was walking on the sun.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Good News!

My little brother who moved to Salt Lake City has a girlfriend. I can't be happier. I think I am probably happier than he is right now. I found out via Facebook. I logged in and on my homepage it said J. Purdie is in a relationship with K.D. Say what?? I didn't even know. I am out of the loop with my own family.

My two girlfriends, one of whom also lives in Salt Lake, are getting married this week. Both were unlucky in love, so I couldn't be happier.

In a related story, hell has frozen over.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Heat!

It is so ridiculously hot. I went to a movie and came out and couldn't even drive my car. I couldn't touch it. So this weekend was spent either in the pool or inside with the air-conditioning on full blast. I hate to see my next electric bill.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Scary

Sometimes I go running near work. It is through a canal in a not so good part of Phoenix. Today this happened. Last night I went with my parents and a friend to the Diamondbacks game. As much as I loved the eye candy of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, the beating of the Yankees and all the home runs were far better.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Happy Father's Day!

I found two videos I really like. The first is a tribute to my dad. The second is a video of a kid crying because he's not a single lady. Most girls cry because of the opposite reason. I love it. We should all want to be single ladies!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Karate Kid

Go see Karate Kid! I went to see the movie tonight all by myself because none of my friends wanted to see a "kid's movie." Yes, it is a kid's movie, but I went for the scenes of Beijing and the Great Wall, which I just got back from less than a month ago. However, the movie turned out to be pretty cute--the underdog wins and triumph of the human spirit. The movie had a beautiful aeriel view of the Great Wall and its spectacular vistas. It made me realize how awesome my life is--I don't just get to live vicariously through movies, sometimes I get to experience it in real life. I ran a marathon on that thing and it was so awesome. I went to many of the places shown in the scenes.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Engagements

I have three friends that are engaged. I also got one wedding invitation in the mail yesterday. And, I just found out that another girl I know was in San Diego getting engaged at the same time I was there racing. Happy times for them. Tis the season for love. Meanwhile, as for me, I'm thinking about getting a dog. So maybe it is the season of love for me, too. I heart dogs.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Arizona Road Racers Summer Series Races

Well, the gods of health have not been too kind to me this year. I was sick for 3 weeks with a respiratory infection from Feb-early March, then had the flu when I went to Peru for a marathon (at the doctor's office the day before I flew out) and now I am sick again. I wasn't feeling too well in San Diego and the night I came back I figured out why when I woke up with a sore throat that has turned into a full blown flu. Nyquil has been working its magic, but wears off every morning at 4am.

I did somehow manage the energy to attend a friend's birthday party last evening and had a wonderful time, with my kleenex in tow.

This morning I participated in the summer series #2 that Phoenix has...it is a series of 5Ks which start very early in the morning and go through the summer, which is quite insane if you think about it...the hottest city in the country having running races in the hottest time of the year. But since I had already registered before my illness, I dragged my body out of bed at 5am and ran and it was so hard. I thought I was going to throw up. But the day is still young and I am still hurting from my running, so it could still happen. Shortest race, but felt like the longest. I didn't get a good time. Oh well.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

San Diego Rock N Roll Half Marathon

I completed my 23rd half marathon this past week in America's finest city. The day started out with a wake-up call at 4:15am for a 6:15am start time. The emcee of the race was Samantha Harris of Dancing with the Stars fame. She is as annoying at 6am as when she was on the show.

The race was a rolling hills run with a few miles on the freeway. The marathon split apart from the half and at one point, the half ran alongside the full and the top athletes ran next to the runners in the half. So I got to run alongside the group of Kenyans and see their special nutrition stations and pacers. They passed me like I was standing still.

I also went to the beach and saw Coronado Island for the first time. I laid on a towel in the sand and did absolutely nothing :) I came back into Phoenix to 110 degrees and icky, unbearable heat, of course. It's Phoenix!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Blogging

I love reading my friends' blogs. I feel so voyeristic, maybe that's why I am addicted to some reality shows. I feel a part of their lives without actually being there.

I have been busy at work lately with a project I am struggling with, so sometimes working late. I did get to do some charity work through my job and actually peeled and cut potatoes in the process. I really love working in large kitchens like what you see on the Food Network or Top Chef and charity work magically puts a smile on my face.

I am going to San Diego this weekend for yet another race. Can't seem to slow down.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Tribal Sprint Triathlon

I woke up at 3:30am for an early triathlon which had a start time of 6:15--a 1 hour and 15 minute drive from my house. I'm not even close to being a fast swimmer or biker, but I love to run and I thought my goal for this race is not let anyone pass me on the run. I accomplished the goal. Not a soul passed and yes, there were still people behind me. I'll take the small accomplishments as I can get them. I really love the run course, as it is a lot of trail running, which you don't often find in a triathlon.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Hiking

I hiked Squaw Peak tonight for the first time. It was step after step again. I also saw an old friend I grew up with who was in town. I ruined all the working out I did by eating Australian licorice in marionberry flavor. It tasted like my hometown of Puyallup, Washington when I used to buy berries on the side of the road. So I got a taste of Puyallup with a Puyallup friend. How sweet is that?

Wednesday, May 19, 2010





Great Wall of China Marathon

On May 15, 2010, I completed one of the hardest marathons in the world and loved every minute of it. I felt stronger than Lima and didn't struggle as much, even though my finish time was longer. I went with a marathon tour group to Beijing and had the absolute best experience—met lifelong friends.

Race Day
My group got up at 3:00am and took a two hour drive to the start line. When I was getting out of the bus, I heard "Jennifer" and turned around and yelled, “shut up!!” A group of people I did Antarctica with were standing right there! It was an Antarctica reunion! Then I walked to the start line and bumped into a bunch of Phoenix runners I know. Shut up again! Apparently we all meet up in random parts of the world to run.

So the race started and up the hill we went for a 5K elevation change of 1000 feet and the entrance to the Great Wall, where I climbed over 5100 steps of various sizes. So hard and the course bottlenecked quite a bit. But then we got to the road and ran through the villages. It was awesome!

Throughout the race in the villages, little kids came out and yelled "hello" with their cute faces. All were standing there wanting to give us high fives. Little girls picked bouquets of dandelions to give to us and when we'd take it, they'd get so excited. I'd ask to take some of the kids’ pictures and they would all give me these incredibly funny poses with the peace sign. They were the most precious thing I've ever seen in my life. Adults came out with their kids and started clapping and I couldn’t stop smiling through my pain. We ran past a school where children would sing a song each time a runner passed. They all held flags and would jump up and down singing. What a beautiful running experience!

We went up many hills and had beautiful views, then through farmland on very strange soil with lots of rocks.

Then came the wall again and this time around was so hard. It started at mile 21 and was the most hilarious thing I have ever seen in my life. If someone ever asks me what the funniest thing you’ve ever seen, I will say mile 21 and 22 of the Great Wall of China Marathon. It looked like a war zone. Bodies were strewn about. People just collapsed over the steps. I looked over next to me and a woman was crawling up the steps and I felt so badly for her, but then three minutes later I was doing the same thing. It actually made it easier to crawl. One guy was cramping so badly he was laying over the whole step and we had to go over him. Men who looked incredibly, incredibly, incredibly athletic would take 10 steps, and then turn around and just sit. One girl sat down and tried going up the steps backwards while sitting. There was also no water for the hardest part of the course. The aid stations ran out (Lima all over again). So there were all these empty water bottles lining the wall and all of us who weren't dead lying on the steps were going through them trying to find some that had just even a little water in them. We all looked homeless or dead. I'm glad my sense of humor was still alive because this was the funniest thing ever. By the end, the last 5K was downhill and I just ran an 8:30 pace.

Beijing
I went to a silk factory, the Forbidden City, saw the flag raising at Tiananmen Square, went through local neighborhoods on rickshaws, had lunch in local person's home and saw all the Olympic stuff--Bird's Nest and the Water Cube where Michael Phelps won all his medals.

We had an evening gala for all the runners, which included an ice sculpture of the Great Wall. The gala took place at the Beijing Hotel, which is grand and luxurious and I was escorted in by men holding umbrellas over my head—how celebrityish did I feel?

I also went to the Temple of Heaven, which lived up to its name. It was a park that had Chinese people doing all this line dancing and exercises and just simply playing together. I've never really seen adults play. They had hacky sack, cards and people doing sing-a-longs. In one area, there was a band playing with a conductor and everyone had song books. So someone would get up and say let's sing page 98 and everyone would turn to that page and this whole crowd would start singing. How cool is that??? One area of the park had people doing all these dances like the electric slide and another area had these couples ballroom dancing, then a designated area with outside gym equipment. I've never, in all the places I've ever been, have ever seen anything like it.

I also went to an acrobatic show with these young men and women who are Cirque de Soleil and Chinese gymnastic team trainees. They are incredibly strong and mold their bodies into very uncomfortable-looking positions. At one point, about 15 women were straddled on top of each other on one single bike as one girl kept pedaling.

While out shopping at the market, I bartered for a necklace with a Chinese symbol on it. I could choose between a symbol that said “Love”, “Happiness” or “Good Health”. I chose good health. I pondered why I would choose health over love and happiness. Why is health the most important to me? Is it because when you have your health you have everything? I think it is because if I can fill my life with experiences like the one I had in China, running and discovering a new place in the world and doing what I love, it makes me happy. But I cannot do that without my health. I guess if I have my health, I can continue to do what I love and that brings me an incredible amount of joy and happiness.

Saturday, May 8, 2010


Danskin SheRox Triathlon

Finished another triathlon today, just a sprint, but loved it. It's hard work and you push yourself to the limit, but it's over before you know it. I haven't been swimming much this year, but it was a short swim and caught up with many in the wave before me. The race was an all-female triathlon and those are sooo much better. I can't say that I miss the men coming at me at 25 mph on the bike. I now leave for China in two days. That is one tough racing schedule:
1. Lima Marathon (which was the worst marathon ever!) on 5/2
2. SheRox Triathlon on 5/8
3. Great Wall of China Marathon on 5/15

Three races, three weeks in a row. I'll rest when I'm dead.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010




Lima, Peru Marathon

My life is mostly awesome. I have a good life and do a lot. However, there are three instances when my life is not awesome: 1. when I get migraines, 2. when I get sick, 3. when I run a marathon. My life is especially not awesome when all three things happen at once.

I ran the Lima, Peru marathon this past weekend. It was my second trip to Peru. One of my very good friends lives there and is a beautiful, hospitable person and I purposely picked this marathon to also visit her. I had the best time meeting her friends, speaking loads of Spanish and eating delicious Peruvian food of perfect cuts of meats and chocolate caliente con crema. I loved my short, quick trip to South America. However, I cannot say the same about the marathon.

I had just come off a nice half marathon in Salt Lake City and felt fantastic, ready to run a 42K with no problem. I had finished an Ironman last year and ran an easy marathon. So I thought, it'll be fun to see the city on a running tour. Unfortunately, I got crazy sick a few days before I left. I was in my doctor's office the day before I flew out begging for medicine. The morning of the race I woke up covered in sweat and legs cramping--not ideal for running miles and miles.

The race was definitely an experience. The course was open to traffic and people drive like New Yorkers on steroids--only one rule--go as fast as possible and don't worry about pedestrians. As I was running, I heard a honk behind me and turned around to see a huge bus full of people nipping at my heels right on the course. Runners had to obey traffic rules and stop and wait for the light. I ended up getting hit by a motorcycle. Additionally, I was sick and the course only had 7 aid stations, 4 of which had water. But I was so far behind because of the accident and complete leg cramping, two of the aid stations had closed down. I had no gels, no water and couldn't run because it hurt so much. I almost dropped out twice. I even had to borrow a cell phone from a fellow runner to tell my friend I was going to be finishing much, much later than originally anticipated. One cop told me I had to remove my iPod because of the danger and another offered me his half drunken bottle of Gatorade (I think because he felt such pity for me limping through the course). It was hard to find my way through the course because I was so far behind I couldn't follow other runners. I find it funny now, but my humor had disappeared by the 4 hour mark. I had to stop to ask people which way to go. Thank goodness for my Spanish otherwise I would have ended up running half way to Bolivia.

I will not say my time, but it did take me much longer than the marathon I ran in an Ironman, which I didn't start until 9 hours into the race. Better luck to me next time.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010



Happy Birthday to Me

In my 32nd year, I accomplished the following:
1. Completed an Ironman
2. Completed a marathon in Europe
3. Ran 4 half marathons from AZ to UT
4. Completed another half ironman
5. Lived by myself
6. Completed many triathlons
7. Wrote a lot
8. Had braces for 4 months and now have straight teeth

In my 33rd year, I will do another couple of international marathons (I hope, depending on my health) and work on my writing and cooking skills and maintain a positive attitude. Last year I learned that misery does not always love company.

Monday, April 26, 2010


Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

I spent the weekend in Los Angeles attending the fabulous festivities of the Festival of Books that overtakes the campus of UCLA. I enjoyed celebrities and writers and celebrity/writers. I listened to Bernadette Peters sing, Henry Winkler read from his children's book, Meg Cabot give a very cute Powerpoint presention, Todd Bridges complain about child actors, Jeffrey Ross roast audience members, Alicia Silverstone discuss the power of super hero vegetarianism and female vampire novelists and single female memoir writers. I also ate delicious food, walked a beautiful pier in Long Beach and spent time with great friends. It was the second city stop of my around the world birthday tour. Happy birthday to me tomorrow. The next stop is Tempe, then Lima, Peru.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Salt Lake City Half Marathon



My poor quads are still burning and the lactic acid is staying strong. I have only gotten sore once before in a half marathon (this was my 22nd). My Salt Lake City half marathon was mostly downhill, which led me to pull off some 7:55 mile paces, but unfortunately, my quads were so sore by the end. Mile 11-12 was uphill and unfortunately, my body didn't kindly take to shifting from quads to other muscles and it slowed me down. However, I was fine with my finish time.

But, the race was beautiful with 70 degree temperatures in one of my favorite cities. The beautiful and fragrant spring flowers greeted me throughout the course, as did cherry blossoms with the wind blowing the pink blossoms all around. I loved this race and would do it again anytime. I love SLC and I love running, so put them together when it doesn't involve snow and I'm a happy girl.

I also celebrated an early birthday while in Utah with my cousins. We ate delicious thick banana splits and milkshakes at Leatherbys, discovered daffodils and spectacular colors of tulips at Temple Square, and toured the Gateway.

My poor brother was supposed to travel to Spain and France on Sunday, but his flight got canceled with the volcano. Soo sad.

I have been waking up early, stupid early. Friday I got up at 5am for a work function, Saturday I got up at 3:30am AZ time for the race and Sunday I got up at 5:00am AZ time to take my brother to the airport, only to have his flight canceled.

This weekend I will be in LA, then my birthday, then off to Peru for a full marathon, then a triathlon in Arizona, then the Great Wall of China marathon--my even poorer quads.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Ironman

I entered the Ironman lottery to go to the World Championships in Hawaii. Guess what? Yet again, my name is not on the list. .Wasn't meant to be...NYC and Hawaii weren't meant to happen this year. But I have the SLC half, Lima, Peru full, Great Wall of China full and a tri, so can't complain. Someday, somewhere my name will be on a list. I am hopeful. Doing another quick aquathon race this evening (swim and run).

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Fun Stuff

I can still salsa dance like I never stopped. I forgot how much I love it. I did a 5K race today and raised funds for Haiti. And...I came in first in my age group. Yeah! I got a medal that says First Place Female 30-34.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

NYC

I entered the lottery to get into the NYC marathon. You have to enter the lottery to get in. Here is my rejection:

"Dear Jennifer Purdie,
We’re sorry, but you were not selected in the ING New York City Marathon 2010 lottery. We appreciate your commitment to running with NYRR."

I'm pretty bummed out about it :( All of my friends got in except for me. Someone over Facebook emailed and told me to do the NYC or Boston Marathon for charity. He said his wife raised money for one of the marathon charities and got in to these races.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Happy Easter

I got woken up from an Easter nap by an earthquake. I thought I was going crazy. It's Arizona and AZ doesn't get earthquakes. I've been in quakes before in Washington and Chile, so know what they feel like, but could hardly believe this was happening in the southwest desert. I guess stranger things have happened.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

I'm engaged!!!



He is Australian Curtis Stone. You may have seen him on Celebrity Apprentice, Take Home Chef, the Today Show, Biggest Loser or Surfing the Menu. He is the love of my life and he gave me a 5 carat diamond ring. I am moving into his LA mansion and I get to listen to his accent for forever. April Fool's Day! This isn't even a believable April Fool's Day joke. Been playing jokes all day already. I love this day.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Good Traveling News

April 16-18th: Salt Lake City to run a half marathon (No Boston Marathon for me that weekend. Someday, like maybe in 20 years or when pigs fly, whichever comes first)
April 23rd-25th: Running in Los Angeles and celebrating my birthday, which actually falls on the 27th
April 30th-May 2nd: Lima, Peru Marathon and visiting a very good Peruvian friend
May 10th-May 18th: Great Wall of China marathon

Plus, a duathlon and a triathlon in between those events...but not training much since Ironman Arizona. Oh well, finish times do not matter, right? Wrong, but I'll have to try not care :)

My roommate of 7 years moved out and I'm living solo. Yes, I have a security system!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Bad Movie Weekend

Friday night I went with a past co-worker to see Hot Tub Time Machine. Yes, I want my money back. Yes, that was two hours of my life I won't ever get back. Yes, I washed my eyes out after it. The actors and directors had to have known that this cannot possibly be anything other than the worst movie ever made. Even the title alone reeks of stupidity. On Saturday night I rented 2012. Apparently, even though the world is ending and the continent is underwater, you can still use your cell phone.

But I did make a delicious discovery: The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. I'm sorry Starbucks, but I have found something better: raspberry scones that taste like Lucky Charms cereal and hot vanilla, which is like melted clouds. Yum!

I ran an 18 miler on Saturday and then biked 18 miles that afternoon in gorgeous weather. I also got a bit bronzed. It's fun looking at the stranger in the mirror. On to a new week of running. Got some marathons coming up!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Life

I got my itinerary to China along with the final invoice. Yes, everything good in life comes with a price.

I will do an upcoming post about my trichotillomania. I finally broke down and bought a wig. I was experimenting in the mirror with it after the shame I felt in buying it. I never thought it would come to that, but I have a problem and am seeking help.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Weekend

I spent the weekend hiking and biking in this beautiful "green" desert. I really mean green. With the amount of rain this winter has seen, we are left with beautiful lush hills, purple wildflowers, blooming cacti and the fragrant smell of lemons and oranges. Driving around smells like liquid detergent...and I mean that in a good way.

So someone I was hiking with has done Ironman New Zealand and he couldn't say enough good things about it...Crap, another race I must do!! Maybe next year as it has already past this year and after Ironman AZ, I am so tired of biking all the time. I heard from him that Qantas didn't charge him to check his bike box, so bless you Qantas. My dream is to do the Byron Bay triathlon in Australia, so someday that will happen. Too much travel and not enough time nor money, so I have to be picky about where I go. I want to go to Africa again, so I have that on the list as well.

Friday, March 12, 2010

What is your six-word memoir?

In one of my linkedin writing groups, someone proposed the following:

Members are asked to sum up their lives, their personalities, their individual essences, in six words only.

The responses have been very cool. Here is mine: Behind the curtain, you'll find me.

It's a bit cryptic, but describes my personality.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Oops...I left out someone from the previous post:

Scottish Gerard Butler

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Daydreaming about...

A marathon finish time such as this:

Competing in another Ironman in an exotic locale

Beautiful Channing Tatum

British Daniel Craig

Australian Curtis Stone

Academy Award Nominee Jeremy Renner

Monday, March 8, 2010

Migraine

Last evening I was enjoying watching the Oscars and my future husband, Jeremy Renner, who took his mom to the awards. How cute is that???

Anyway, just before he was to get up on stage, my vision started to go and a migraine came. I lose my eyesight during migraines and was up till 3am with pain. I am still feeling the headache today.

I just can't seem to catch a break with my health lately. I had a sickness that lasted almost three weeks and now a migraine. I am so ready to be in a better state of mind and body.

Friday, March 5, 2010



Antarctica

Today is the two year anniversary of my "running" the Antarctica marathon. I put running in quotes because I didn't exactly run it...more like crawled and cried. It was harder than Ironman, which I couldn't believe.

After that I ran in Australia, then Denmark and now onto China this year. In fact, my visa is being processed as I write this. Hopefully no injuries and I can go. China is supposed to be harder than Antarctica, oh brother...

I don't do enough traveling and it is my favorite thing to do. It always makes me feel taken away from my daily problems.

Thursday, March 4, 2010



Jeremy Renner

So I know that is Charlize Theron in the photo, but I'm playing pretend it is me. I have a new love: Jeremy Renner, Academy Award Nominee for The Hurt Locker.

He is a bit shorter than I am, so the height difference of Charlize and myself would be nearly the same to Jeremy. I heard he is taking his mother to the Oscars...how cute is that?

Tuesday, February 23, 2010


Olympics

Since it has now been a week that I've felt like I'm on my death bed, I've had some time to watch the Olympics. I love the figure skating. I love the ice. I have such happy memories of the ice rink.

Back in high school I was grossly unpopular with boys. Actually, some things never change. I used to think I would be a late bloomer, but being as that I'm turning 33 in a couple months, I think I am a perpetual bud. But I digress. In high school I never went to prom or homecoming, so the nights of the dances, I would head to the ice rink where you just couldn't be sad. It was my happy place.

I love the smell of the ice. In fact, it is my favorite smell: freshly zambonied ice.

In college I would get up at 5:30am to catch a bus ride for an hour to the ice rink, skate, then take a bus ride for an hour back--all before I even went to class. That's how much I loved the ice.

Watching the Olympics makes me happy to see the skaters and jealous at the same time.


I have developed a bit of a crush on skier Bode Miller. He looks like actor Ed Burns. We would make a good couple because 1. We both have winter sports we enjoy. Clearly he's more talented at his sport though. 2. We both have good balance. I can stay up on two thin blades and he can stay up on two thin sticks. 3. We both are into fitness.

Jennifer and Bode's Fairy Tale:

I would be the ice princess skating all winter and he would be the king of the moguls. Our favorite food would of course be snow cones. Then during the summer we would cross train by running marathons and triathlons in beach towns.

And we would live happily ever after.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Still sick

Well, I'm still sick. Whatever I have seems to be clinging for dear life. No matter what I combat it with, the illness is winning. I will have to take this up a notch. What warrior moves do I have in battling germs?

With my sickness, it has forced me to not do anything. So I have caught up on movies this weekend and watched the Olympics.

I am at work again today, but my body and head are somehow still in bed.

I am working on a new website with my brother in Utah and very excited at what I will be creating.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Sick

This is the sickest I have been since 2007. I have this terrible infection and completely lost my voice. I went to urgent care last night and waited for 3 hours to see a doctor. Apparently, there are a lot of sick people out there right now.

I am ready to get better and get back to running. I miss it!



This was the view in my Valentine's Day half marathon! Gorgeous right? So pretty!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Pain go away

I am suffering from the flu this week. I was feeling fine on Sunday and even mentioned to someone I haven't been sick in a while. Then Monday comes and I'm down. It's pretty bad.

My roommate is moving out and bought a house. I will be living alone for the first time in a long time. Good thing for security systems!

Today is my little brother's birthday and he is celebrating it in the Bahamas. I am so jealous! Although I am having 76 degree weather here, so can't complain. Happy birthday J.!

Monday, February 15, 2010


Valentine's Day is about love right? So...

I spent Valentine's Day doing what I love: running. I ran my 21st half marathon in Apache Junction and got the same time I usually do. The course felt tougher with more hills, as it had changed this year. No more running through sweet neighborhoods with children handing out oranges to the runners. Rather, we ran a lot on pavement and only a small portion on trails. The neighborhood blocked a lot of the head wind, but with the new course, we ran into the wind which really slowed my pace down.

I then biked 25 miles to assist with recovery. I find that biking after a half marathon sort of spins the lactic acid out.

It was a gorgeous near 80 degree day. I was dog sitting all weekend and watched my favorite sport in the world: figure skating. I love the winter Olympics because of skating.

So Valentine's day had lovely weather, running, biking, figure skating and a dog for my date. I couldn't have asked for a better Valentine's day! Except if Curtis Stone had been around, things would have been brighter, but I take what I can get. This year my date was a dog, which is actually more than I can say for last year.

On Saturday I ran a 5K and placed 4th out of 14 in my age group. Small race and tough hill for first 2K, but didn't feel winded like I usually do at the end of a 5K.

Friday, February 12, 2010

This weekend

I have two races this weekend: one short, one half marathon. One of my favorite half marathons is this Sunday and just happens to fall on Valentine's Day this year, the most sickening of all the holidays.

When I was a kid, I loved getting cards for all 30 members of my class and eating candy. In my twenties, I was pretty indifferent to Valentine's Day. I never celebrated it, but didn't care. In my thirties, I have come to loathe this Hallmark holiday. I love the color pink, but hate seeing it plastered over the grocery and drug stores only to be reminded of this dreadful day. I do like conversation hearts, but that is about the only thing I can muster up to say nice about V-day.

But, this year I have this race. A beautiful run through the Superstition mountains in their beautiful brown and reddish colors, along with saguaro cactus lining the course. Part of the run is through neighborhoods in which children come out with buckets of cut up oranges for the runners. The view is spectacular and you feel very much in the heart of the southwest desert and cute spectators cheer on the participants. It isn't a typical asphalt run and I love it.

But, I am dog sitting for my parents who have taken a vacation to San Francisco for the holiday weekend. I do not get President's day off like they do. So the dog will be my date this year and will unfortunately be the only thing I have to talk to Valentine's night.

I will treat myself to the movie appropriately titled Valentine's Day and see Dear John once again and probably again. I will pretend Channing Tatum is my Valentine's day date.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Health Issues

I went out running this weekend and my knee gave out. I've never had that happen before until now. My quads and knee on my right leg hurt so badly I couldn't run and had to walk. Unfortunately, I was still 5 miles from my car and had no choice but to keep going. Very scary and I'm worried for a race I have this weekend. It took me a significantly long time to get done. In fact, I was only at mile 11 where I would usually be at mile 13.

I am also having problems with my heart. I still cannot sleep on the left side of my body.

On a happier note, I am in love with this movie called Dear John. I've seen it twice already and I will see it again, probably on Valentine's day. I will pretend Channing Tatum is my Valentine. I will also be doing a race on Valentine's Day and I can't think of a better way to spend this Hallmark holiday (which I loathe) than running and watching Channing Tatum in a military uniform.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Luck of the Irish

Today I am doing a brick workout of a bike and run. So tired from not sleeping well and having problems with my heart. I am not able to sleep on the left side of my body.

Last evening I went to an Irish pub with some people from work and listened to Irish music. My friend even was serenaded for her birthday by the band.

I ate a fortune cookie yesterday and my fortune read "Tonight will bring a romantic interest" and yes, my fortune came true. I saw the movie Dear John. I saw Step Up in the movie theater three times back in 2006 simply because of Channing Tatum. I might beat that record with this movie. He is in a military uniform most of the time and my eyes didn't have a problem with that...he is too cute for words.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Another half marathon

I ran my 20th half marathon this weekend and I've never struggled during a half marathon, not even when combined in a half ironman. It's a fairly easy distance for me. I'm not fast by any means, but it's a distance that doesn't wear me out. Till this race...My time was around what I always get, but the course was short. My Garmin at the end read 12.66 miles, so .44 short. So really, I ran slower than usual. At around mile 10, my knee gave out and so did my IT band on my left leg. Part of that was due to the Insanity video I had done a few days before and left me really sore. I did numb my legs before the race with Dr. Hoys, but it wore off and the winds picked up. The last 5K was straight into very heavy head winds and looking at my pace on my Garmin was frustrating. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't run faster with the wind.

A lady in my running group had a 7 minute longer time due to the winds, with a shorter course.

It's amazing what the elements can do.

The rest of the weekend was spent at a BBQ, watching a new movie and having four little girls over for a makeover party. I did their make-up and gave them manicures.

I've been so hungry lately and having heart problems. I don't know what is going on, but I really don't want to go to the doctor.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Groups

I joined a group on linkedin called "Ironman Finishers." I like being part of this exclusive group. It's like this special club I'm allowed to join.

I can't join the group "50 Marathons in 50 States" or "Boston Qualifiers". But I do have this and it is nice.

Discussions take place on the best Ironman courses and goodie bag swag and the expensive price tag of these races.

I have joined a number of groups on linkedin of which my favorites are the writers' groups. I learn a lot from those experienced with the written word.

This weekend I have a race, but unfortunately I did this workout video a couple of days ago called Insanity. It is the most befitting term for this form of workout. I am incredibly sore, just as I would be if I had run a marathon. Shame on me for trying a new workout days before another race.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Karma

Karma is a real, true thing. I totally believe in it. Anything that I have done, good or bad, has always come back to me.

So here's another instance of karma:

On Monday I was at the mall in Sandy, Utah and found a purse in the bathroom. I decided to bring it to guest services. I swear I walked the entire mall looking for guest services. I'd follow the maze of signs pointing me in one direction only to find out I'm on the wrong floor. Then every directory I checked had it listed on different floors. I would swear an engineer created this map. I eventually found it and then when I went up to the employee, I was treated rudely--all for trying to be a good citizen. But I said, I am doing this for karma. Someday myself or someone I know will lose something and it will be found.

Two days later I get an email from my dad that he lost a hard drive with substantial personal info such as social security numbers, addresses, tax info on it. I thought to myself...karma will return this hard drive. It will come back! And someone actually found it and returned it.

What goes around comes around.
Sundance Film Festival

I spent the weekend in Utah, a noble feat considering it is January. But I love to attend the Sundance Film Festival, so headed to the Wasatch Front armed with ski gear, my wool coat with faux fur and the thickest gloves I could find. It reminded me of when I was there just two years ago shopping for the Antarctica marathon. All my gear for that trip was bought in Park City while attending Sundance.

When I checked in for my flight on Friday morning, I thought my flight was at 9:40am. I checked in diligently at 9:40am for a seat in the A group, only to find out I'm B2. What? My flight was at 9:10am instead. How did that happen? Where did I get 9:40 from? Turns out I arrive back at 9:40pm on Monday. Oops. My bad. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but I am flying to Salt Lake, the land of families...and families on Southwest board right after the A group. So B is more like the C group.

But such is life and it is not the worst thing in the world...but here comes the bad news. I got my rental car and immediately headed to Park City in the mountains. The weather got worse and worse the higher I went to the point I couldn't see anything--zero visibility. Everyone is driving with their hazard lights on and pulling off to the side of the road. I'm in an economy rental and no doubt has no snow tires on it. I pull off to the side and turn on my hazard lights (at least I think it was the side of the road; I couldn't see anything). I then attempt to drive back onto the freeway, as I have to keep going; there's nowhere to turn around at this point. I head downhill as I was at the summit and my brakes are non-existent...no brakes at all. I try pumping them; I try everything, but the car will not stop or slow down. I immediately call my dad because apparently in guy school they teach you how to fix things and deal with a driving crisis. He tells me to put it into the lowest gear and just coast. So I do, only to see a semi-truck so close to my rear end that I can't even see its headlights. I panic. Then another semi is in front of me. All I am thinking at this point is..."I don't want to die in Utah." Of all the places to die, I don't want it to be in a rental car up a canyon in a blizzard.

I finally find an exit down the canyon and my car completely freezes up, no brakes, no gas. I restart the car and head back the other way to Salt Lake City. No Sundance for me today. I lost an entire day.

I call the rental company and say the car smells of an electrical problem and I barely have any brakes. So they say take it back; they have plenty of cars. So I do. Only to find out they only have huge long caravans to rent. Soccer mom cars? How can I look cool? The man at the rental car company said, "this should drive better in the snow." Oh yeah? Any car would drive better in the snow.

I nickname my rental Old Betsy. It is the longest car in the world. In fact, I couldn't even see out the back window it was so far away. Plus, for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to move the driver's seat back. So I am driving on top of the steering wheel in the longest car ever, but can't move back. I just started laughing so hard I was crying.

I then decide because my day of Sundance was over before it event started, I went to visit my grandparents. I surprise them, as they didn't know I was in town, and I walk in to find my grandmother...I swear this on my life...was watching....a marathon of the Real Housewives of Orange County. Is this backwards day??? I thought, okay, I have a hip grandma. Rock on.

I visited my cousins and went to dinner with them. We then watched a marathon of shows on hulu, one of which scared me. So, their three-year-old son brought me his action figures to make me less scared. "Superman will save you. Now you won't be scared," he told me proudly. So cute! I guess that is why people have children--never-ending amusement.

Sunday, I made it up to Sundance and had a blast. Saw celebrities, some documentaries and found the perfect hot chocolate of absolute creaminess and sweetness.

Monday, I saw more movies and had lunch with some ladies I used to work with and it was so wonderful catching up with them. Always good to keep in touch.

Salt Lake wasn't too cold for me. It was actually rather pleasant, except for when it snowed Saturday night. But much better than in December when I was there.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Triathlons and training

It has been 2 months now since Ironman and I didn't go through the typical depression after a big-time race. I went through a euphoria for two weeks, then back to normal. I am always planning the next race and don't want to stop training, so I don't usually go through a down phase after crossing a major finish line.

However, with that being said, I have gone through major, major difficulties in stamina. My endurance isn't what it was before Ironman when I was doing 5 hour bike rides followed the next day by a 15-20 mile run and swim. Now, I have a hard time mustering 13 miles of running. I did 15 miles last weekend and could barely muster the energy past mile 12. I have planned on doing a marathon on Valentine's day (as I thought that is the perfect way to spend a silly holiday), but now not so sure. I should run 20 miles this weekend and see. If I don't make it, I'll switch to a half marathon on Feb. 14th and complete a full in the spring... maybe 2 fulls in the spring when I'm hoping my stamina level is back and 20 miles is a walk in the park like it used to be pre-Ironman.

I am also planning my international marathon and very excited at where I will be heading. I will also find out if I won the lottery into the NYC marathon.

Plus, triathlon season is just around the corner. Unfortunately, I do not hear the pool calling my name. I can, though, hear my goggles yelling "don't touch, don't touch." Hmmm...