Heart Your Life

#37 and #38

2012-01-23T21:38:00.006-07:00

I ran half marathon #37 and #38 less than 24 hours apart. #37 was on a cold, wet morning in Temecula, CA through vineyards and started at a winery. Too bad we had to run through mud and trails in a rainstorm. #38 was in Pasadena, CA and was almost a complete trail run up a very high hill that I had to climb. It was more of a hiking/running half marathon. I am still running horribly and got my worst times. I struggle to run at all. My dad thinks it's all mental. It think he's right. It's hard to watch my racing times fall to over 35 minutes of what I am used to finishing. It's depressing.

I did go to LA and did touristy things after my races.

Project Jennifer 2012

2012-01-23T21:35:00.001-07:00

I decided 2012 would be known as Project Jennifer. I would be more social, get back into running shape, take my vitamins and have happy things happen to me. Because I've had enough of bad things.

On New Year’s Eve, I went to California Disney Adventure Park, Disneyland’s other park. Because it was so crowded at Disneyland, Disney offered a free day pass to use at Disneyland anytime in the month of January if you bought a one-day pass to Adventure Park. I was already planning to go to the Adventure Park, so that was a nice surprise. It wasn’t even 2012 and already good things were happening.

Then I got sick and had to go to the first aid center for medication. Then despite being sick, I ate a hot dog and went on a roller coaster—and got more sick. And on the roller coaster I lost my hair band.

Then I drove home at midnight down to San Diego in the deepest fog I’ve ever seen. My visibility was two feet. I’ve driven in blizzards with better visibility. I ended up accidentally driving off the freeway and onto an exit because I couldn’t see the road. I got back onto the freeway and drove 2 miles/hour until I found another car driving with its hazard lights on. So I followed him for 10 miles, but then he took off on another freeway. I was totally stuck. It was like driving through a cloud. I found my way down to a city and got off the exit, but couldn’t see anything. I drove right up to a brick wall because I didn’t even see it. I finally found a sign for a motel, which was super seedy.

But it said “Vacancy” and all I wanted was to wait out the fog.

I asked for a room, got to the room, only to discover it was occupied by squatters. So I went back to the front desk and said there were people in the room. The guy called the room and someone picked up. Obviously they aren’t intelligent squatters. He then called the police and I was just standing there wanting a room. I finally got a room only to find a prostitute in front of my room. So I had to go around her. Turns out she was in the room next to mine and had plenty of work to do…all night long. So I slept with the TV on. I was afraid to use the bathroom because I was afraid of getting an STD. It was gross.

The next morning I got back on the freeway and felt super sick. There was carnage and dead animals all over the freeway, obviously hit from people who couldn’t see them in the fog.

Welcome to 2012.

Then I got a phone call from NYC producers asking if I’d be interested in taking my case from small claims court, in which I am suing a guy over spilling liquid and breaking my laptop, to reality court TV. That is my dating life. Entertainment for the masses.
And I’ve been sick for 6 days straight.

I need to rename Project Jennifer. Any ideas?

2011-12-20T22:22:00.005-07:00

Happy Holidays!

I've been feeling particularly un-Christmasy this Christmas season. I think it is because it's my first Christmas completely away from any type of family. So to lift my holiday-plagued spirits, I went to the best place I could think of--the happiest place on earth. Disneyland had the most beautiful decorations and rides that were transformed into a holiday theme. A fireworks show at night was set to Christmas music and it snowed on Main Street. It was magical.

The next day I watched a boat parade. The harbor shined with plenty of lights strung along loads of boats.

I drank peppermint hot chocolate and tried to feel Christmasy. It worked for two days.

2011-12-11T13:01:00.006-07:00

#35 and 36

I capped a year of racing--the worst racing year of my life. I've watched my fitness fade into oblivion and I don't know how to get it back. It's really frustrating. I'm struggling to run. It's like I've just stopped being able to do anything physically. I struggle just to run 2 miles.

I raced my 35th half marathon and got my 32nd worst time. I did my first nighttime race. It took place in Vegas, my first trip there since 2008. Race officials shut down the strip and we all raced down it at night under the bright lights. I did not run fast and the race was pretty disorganized, as you can read about here. But it was fun to run at night. My brother also happened to be in town, so I hung out with him. We even hit up a Vegas club right after the race.

Exactly seven days later I raced my 36th half marathon in Los Angeles county. It was a nice, pleasant course, but I finished 28 minutes over my usual time, making this my 31st worst time on a fairly easy course. It's sooooo frustrating. I don't know how to get my running back. But I did get my all-time favorite medal. It was called the Holiday Half Marathon and the medal was in the shape of a snowflake. Pretty cute. But where or where did my running ability go??? How am I running two minutes per mile slower than I've ever run, even slower than when I first started running. It leaves me feeling very depressed.

So that was 2011--20 races total and my slowest times ever.

2011-11-30T22:29:00.004-07:00

Thanksgiving!

I spent Thanksgiving in Phoenix. Here are a few random things that have happened lately:

1. Some jerk spilled hot tea all over me and my expensive Mac laptop that I hadn't even paid off yet. I understand accidents happen, but it cost me over $800 to fix and the jerk split, never even apologizing. I hope karma comes back to him. So now I am going to be living in my car because I have no money to pay for it.

2. I got to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the 610 Stompers were my favorite part.

3. I finally joined Skype. I'm a little late in the game, but it's really awesome.

4. I got to see some good friends in Phoenix and makes me realize how much I miss it.

Here is the new pride of America.

2011-11-06T17:16:00.004-07:00

Iron Girl

I ran a 10K today that was a bit hilly and we ran right into a head wind. But it was an all-female race and those are always fun. No boys allowed. That's pretty sweet. I moved and now live across the street from the beach. Last night I watched the sun set over the Pacific, but the condo where I live is very cold. I am confined to my room with my space heater right next to me. I moved myself this weekend with no help. I am really sore. I am discovering there are a lot of Australians who live in this area, which makes me happy. I get to listen to their accents. I seem to find them at Starbucks. I've been to three Starbucks in the area and have heard the Aussie accent in each one of them. One of them has an Aussie barista who always calls me his mate. I know he calls everyone this, but it makes me feel good nonetheless.

2011-10-27T21:47:00.002-07:00

Happy Halloween!

I got to spend 10 days in Phoenix and two weekends in LA visiting friends and family. So fun! Happy Halloween! I don't think I am dressing up as anything this year. I plan to stay home and watch Castle.

2011-10-03T12:32:00.006-07:00

Utah

I'm hanging out in Utah right now experiencing the amazing fall foliage. I went hiking with my brother, slept too many hours and saw cousins, aunts, and uncles. The mountains are brilliant.

2011-09-11T14:30:00.003-07:00

#34

I ran my 34th half marathon yesterday and got my 33rd worst time. I am going backwards in my fitness. It was a trail run and that makes it harder, plus it was almost all uphill and the name of it was "HeartBreak Half Marathon," which should be an omen of what was to come. It was hard and I wasn't feeling well. But that's life. It took place on a military base and many military men were running carrying American flags, which was appropriate because it was Sept. 11th eve.

I then went to dinner with a group of friends from Phoenix in town for a triathlon today. The race took place on Sept. 11th and began with skydivers carrying a 30 foot flag down to earth. I then met a friend to watch a movie. It's a nice way to spend the weekend--with good friends. Friends and family are what you get you through this life.

Ten years ago I was driving to work and heard about the attacks. I immediately ran into work and called my dad who traveled for a living--this was before I owned a cell phone. He answered and I was so glad he was safe. I was lucky, unlike so many others.

2011-09-07T21:02:00.007-07:00

#33

I ran my 33rd half marathon in beautiful Kauai, Hawaii. The scenic course took me through a tunnel of trees, next to a sunrise over green-covered mountains, palm trees, and ended right next to the ocean. But it was crazy hard. One of the hardest in the US I was told. I even had to stop at a medical tent to assist with blisters. I got my 32nd worst time, but loved it and want to do the full marathon next time, which I've heard is extremely hard. I stayed at a condo with an ocean view, a huge pool with sand on the property, and relaxed and watched movies on one of three flat screen TVs. I cooked for myself, read a book and relaxed by the pool and sat in a very hot and lovely jacuzzi. How about that for a race???

2011-08-23T20:52:00.001-07:00

#32

I ran my 32nd half marathon this weekend in San Diego. It didn't go as planned. I slept very little and ate very little this week and struggled in a long run last weekend, so was just happy to finish. I actually ran the first 10K at exactly the same pace I run every half marathon, which was a surprise. But then at mile 7, I sort of was done. So I finished in 14 minutes over my usual time. Boo!

2011-08-17T07:20:00.004-07:00

Weekend

I spent the weekend in Los Angeles visiting friends and they all made me feel so good. It's nice to have a great support system. I tried to run, but have been having problems with muscle aches. I think it is stress. I haven't been feeling well and I think that is stress related as well. But every day is a new day and a new opportunity.

2011-08-10T21:28:00.009-07:00

Another Triathlon

I cannot make running pretty:

I am not sure what is going on with my outfit here. I call this look "Running Bag Lady."

I completed the Camp Pendleton Triathlon this Saturday and it was a doozy. It was actually the hardest swim I've ever done. Ever. Hands down - in the history of any triathlon I've done. It was an ocean swim at a military base. Let me break this race down as to the pros and cons of racing at a military base:

Cons:
Terrible swimming conditions. I had 4-foot waves, 59-degree water temps and strong currents that carried us in the wrong direction. I almost took a DNF. Turns out, this military base is located there for a reason: It has some of the roughest waters in the area to train the Navy Seals.

It takes a long time to get on base and you have to show photo ID. One way in, one way out.

All the military men were trained to call the women "ma'am." So "good job, ma'am" "do you need water, ma'am?" were what I heard throughout the race. I felt very old.

Pros:
Hot men everywhere. All the aid stations were lined with hot, muscular men in uniform. Men were literally EVERYWHERE. And all were in uniform. I'll repeat that: UNIFORM. Plenty of eye candy.

Men were out on the bike course with rifles and machetes. They were protecting the triathletes from terrorists. So that's one less thing I had to worry about during the race.

So because this was on a military base and plenty of gorgeous men would be around me and since I look like the above pictures when I race, I decided to wear aviators instead of my typical athletic sunglasses. I was hoping to be more Angelina Jolie than looking like I was hemorrhaging.

I've been struggling in life lately. But I've found a song that perfectly represents how I feel. I have added the song as the theme song to this blog post and have pasted the lyrics below:

Run by Collective Soul

Are these times contagious
I've never been this bored before
Is this the prize I've waited for
Now as the hours passing
There's nothing left here to ensure
I long to find the messenger

Have I got a long way to run [x2]
Yeah, I run [x2]

Is there a cure among us
From this processed sanity
I weaken with each voice that sings
Now in this world of purchase
I'm going to buy back memories
To awaken some old qualities

Have I got a long way to run [x2]
Have I got a long way to run [x2]
Yeah, I run [x2]
Have I got a long way to run [x2]
Yeah, I run [x4]
[background:]
Have I got a long way to run [x4]

2011-07-23T19:24:00.008-07:00

5K Race and the Greatest Freak Show on Earth!

I ran a 5K race this morning that ended on the 50 yard line of Qualcomm Stadium. I was hoping to go incognito at this race, but no such luck. A few people I know found me. I didn't want to sprint this 5K and fortunately or unfortunately, I was not able to anyway. The first .74 miles were uphill, which slowed my pace. It took 2 minutes over what I usually do, which is a lot for a 5K.

But then I went to the wonder that is Comic Con--the greatest people watching experience of my life. I took a special service shuttle running from Qualcomm Stadium to Comic Con where I saw all these South Park exhibits and every dressed up. It was like Halloween in July. I saw costumes and costumes. Pretty much like being in a live Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Tomorrow I am going to Los Angeles once again for the second week in a row to see a friend who moved there. That means I have spent exactly one weekend in town since before Memorial Day. I travel TOO much.

2011-07-22T00:36:00.003-07:00

Weekend

I spent the weekend in L.A. and ran for 16 miles round and round the Rose Bowl. Sad to come back to reality.

2011-07-13T19:58:00.004-07:00

Funeral

I went to Salt Lake City this weekend to attend the funeral services of my grandmother. It was nice to see family and my two brothers. But it was a bittersweet affair. A journal was discovered after my grandma's passing. Apparently she kept one starting in 1976 for 10 years, writing in it off and on. Several entries describe things I did as a child. My favorite: my grandma, my uncle and I were sitting down to dinner and my grandma gave me mashed potatoes and gravy. I said, "Yuck!" So my uncle said, "Just pretend it is ice cream and chocolate syrup." I said, "Okay, then I'll pretend to eat it, too." I was three--and just as stubborn and snarky then as I am now it appears. And for the record, my feelings on mashed potatoes have changed, but I still don't like gravy.

2011-07-05T22:08:00.002-07:00

RIP Grandma

Tonight my grandmother passed away. She was a wonderful lady who loved me very much. I miss you already Grandma! I hope you are making your chocolate chip cookies for everyone in heaven. I'm glad your pain is gone, but it is those of us left who suffer.

2011-07-04T14:27:00.005-07:00

Happy Fourth of July!

I got up at 5am this morning to drive to Coronado for the Independence Day 15K (it rhymes!). The place was packed and I didn't run well. In fact, where I usually am at the 10 mile mark was what I finished in....But I walked back to my car and had at least 15 cars drive by asking if I were leaving. I realized I was parked just a block from a 4th of July parade and had a prime parking spot--and parking was at a premium. So I decided to stay and watch the Coronado 4th of July parade, which was three hours long. Wow! It ran the gamut from a moving, living statue of Iwo Jima to Star Wars characters on segways. But at least I did something 4th of Julyish. As I left Coronado Island, all I saw were cars trying to get across the bridge and I have no idea where any of them will park.

2011-07-03T20:37:00.006-07:00

Disneyland--Because aren't we just all kids in adult bodies?

For the holiday weekend I went to Disneyland on Saturday and had the best day ever. How can you not? It's the happiest place on earth.

Lessons learned at Disneyland:

1. While everyone knows I am not a big fan of kids and Disneyland by no means cured that (especially after 7pm when kids were so tired and restless standing in yet another line), it was cute to see their faces light up when a Disney character walked by and all the girls dressed up in princess costumes.

2. Disney does it right. They funnel people in and out of the park like clockwork.

3. Disney also shows an appreciation to single people. On a couple of rides, you can tell the attendant you are a "single rider" and they give you a pass to cut to the front of the line. Literally. One ride had a 50-minute wait, but I was given a "single rider" pass. So I rode up a special elevator and as I came out, I walked right onto the ride. Very VIP. Thank you Disney for recognizing the fact that not everyone goes to your park with kids and strollers in toe.

4. I love Disneyland. I didn't want to leave. I ate beignets in the shape of Mickey Mouse ears full of powdered sugar and honey...because beignets shouldn't be eaten in any other manner. I rode my favorite ride since I was a little girl-- "It's a Small World" and my second favorite "The Tiki Room." I climbed the Treasure Island tree house, watched a 4th of July fireworks display and fell in love with all things Disney all over again.

Saturday I went to Downtown Disney just to stay around the park a little while longer. My original plan was to go to the beaches at Newport Beach, but that plan was thwarted with excessive traffic, so I decided on Laguna Beach, but also ran into insane traffic. So I went to flip a U-turn and found myself at the head of a massive trail system with hikers, totally by accident. Well, being as I was already in my workout clothes, I grabbed a water bottle and got my cross-training on (and burn off those beignets). I hiked for 2 hours somewhere off of the 133 highway in the middle of nowhere OC. A park ranger saw me and said I looked like I was going to go for a run. I like to think he said that because I look like I have a runner's physique, but then I realized I had a bright T-shirt that had "Marathon" splashed in bright gold across the front. So maybe he could just read. Or maybe I really looked like a runner. I then stopped at Oceanside at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. I like it because they serve all-you-can-eat mango salsa. And any restaurant that serves all-you-can-eat mango anything will certainly get my patronage.

Tomorrow I run in a 15K Independence Day race. Too bad I am still sore from my Seattle Marathon and now from trail running (and sick to my stomach from eating too many beignets and mango salsa).

2011-06-25T20:58:00.004-07:00

Seattle Marathon

Having grown up in the Seattle suburb Puyallup and going to college at University of Washington, it was time to run a marathon in the city closest to my heart. I hadn't been back since July 2006, so it was time to pay a visit to the Emerald City.

I got into Seattle at 2am on Thursday night due to delays. Then there was a huge line at the car rental...at 2am...what? So by the time I got my car it was 2:30 and I booked a hotel nearby the airport to avoid waking up friends I was going to stay with. I want to charge Southwest with it. They are a terrible. I don't enjoy them anymore. I don't care to entertained. I don't need singers. I don't need the humor or cheerleader flight attendants. I just want an airline that can get me somewhere for the time I paid for. I understand weather delays and things out of their control. But how do they manage to have three-hour delays with every single flight? I just flew from Seattle to San Jose (on a delayed flight, of course) and the flight attendant kept making jokes and adding "just sayin" at the end of everything. "You can store your young child in the overhead bin. Just sayin." "You can't form a line in the front bathroom. If you gotta go, you gotta go to the back. Just sayin." Well, if they can't fly me on-time anywhere, I will switch airlines. Just sayin. The other flight attendant on this flight bedazzled her apron...Why? So she could be sparkly and shiny.

Now I am sitting in an airport in San Jose with another near three-hour delay. I was supposed to land in San Diego at 11:20pm. I have been up since 2am and now will be up for 24 hours straight. Thank you Southwest. You suck. Just sayin.

Anyway, I got in and was walking toward my rental and saw one car in the parking lot...a beetle. I thought, please, please do not let that be my car. Oh yes, it was. It was the smallest car in the world after a Smart Car. I even once drove a Geo Metro and it had more space than this thing. My six-foot body and carry-on luggage was all the car could handle. Plus, I started driving, and maybe I've gotten used to driving an SUV, but I was seriously worried about road rash on my butt. I felt like I was sitting on the road. This car was so low to the ground I couldn't even see anything out of the rear view mirrors other than tires. I felt like an old lady driving this thing.

But walking out to my car, my foot started to hurt immensely. My plantar fasciitis had returned in full force, just 1.5 days before a marathon. No! Boo!

I stayed the night in the hotel and the next day went to the expo to get my racing stuff for a race in which I wasn't sure I would even do. I then walked around Pike's Place Market and watched the ferries come in and ate lunch at Westlake Center and then took the Monorail to Seattle Center to see the Space Needle and buy some of my favorite grasshopper fudge--one of my favorite foods in the entire world. One bite and I was so happy. It was even better than I remember and worth every single penny. My foot started to hurt worse and worse, so I had to get off of it. So I said good-bye to Seattle and drove to Puyallup. Seattle had beautiful sunny skies and was even more cosmopolitan than I remembered. It has "chocolate bars" where you can sit and eat pieces of chocolate and cute restaurants and cafes. All I could think walking around is that I am so lucky to have grown up in the most beautiful city in the world. So I started my long drive to Puyallup with crazy, crazy traffic. It took 1.5 hours to drive not too far south. Then it started to rain and I couldn't see anything. Oh yes, that is the Washington I remember. I got to my friends' house and iced my foot. I wasn't feeling well in my stomach since Thursday night, so they gave me some medicine. I went to bed and didn't sleep more than 3 hours because of stomach pains....um, I was running a marathon in a few hours so stomach pains are about the worst thing that can happen, aside from foot pain. So I was not set up for a successful race.

The alarm went off at 3am, but I was already awake since 2. My stomach was cramping so badly I didn't drive straight to the parking garage for the marathon. Rather, I drove from grocery store to grocery store looking for Imodium. But nothing was open. I finally just figured I'd try a gas station and see if I would have luck. Success! Gas stations carry Imodium. So I took one...and it didn't work. I was standing in the starting chute so sick to my stomach. And wearing three socks and feet taped up hoping for the best for my other pain. Well, within 90 seconds of running, my foot was killing me, but magically it only lasted 1 mile. I think it is because my foot became numb from the concrete, so it worked (although now I am paying the price). But my stomach pain did not go away. By mile 11.5, I was hurting. I really was regretting not switching to the half. It was going to be a long, long race and I contemplated dropping out. But by mile 15-20, I felt a lot better. But at mile 22, I was so tired and my stomach pain was back and it was a tough few miles at at the end. But the course was beautiful. I got to run in the tunnels, on the Alaskan Way Viaduct, on Lake Washington Bridge! They shut down the bridge and I ran right out onto the water. One of my favorite parts of the marathon course were these signs of soldiers whose lives were taken in war--pictures of young men with their children who no longer have a father. Standing just past those signs were people holding American flags for everyone of those soliders. It was really emotional and I started to cry, but that made it hard to breathe, so I tried to think happy thoughts to be able to keep running.

It was really, really special to be running in Seattle. I love that city. But my body did NOT! It was very hilly and probably the hardest city marathon I've done, excluding the adventurous ones of China and Antarctica. But I managed to finish, crying from mile 25 on. It GPS'd at 26.5 miles and I literally collapsed at the finish line. I've seen that happen on TV at races, but never in real life, until it happened to me. I crossed the finish line, staggered and collapsed. There was a line of medics right at the finish to grab me. They brought me to the medical tent and a doctor came over to see me. I told him about the stomach pain and medicine I was buying at 3am. He had me elevate my legs, but they didn't have anything for me to keep them elevated, so they built a little stand made of water bottles and I lied down and brought my feet up. The doctor had me take sips of a drink and eat pretzels. He then had me sit up and then eventually stand up. I've never gone to a medical tent for medical reasons. I did go after my Ironman, but that was just to get a free massage. The medical people asked who was with me to watch over me in case I got faint and sick again. I said, "I'm by myself." They were worried for me. I am always by myself at races, so I watch over me and I know myself better than anybody anyway.

So I found out that my car was parked 2 miles from the finish line in the parking garage and walking after a marathon isn't exactly an easy thing to do. So it took me about 40 minutes to hobble back to my car and was freezing. I was wrapped up tight in two mylar blankets.

My plan was to go to LA Fitness to shower and then go to Bellevue Square (this cool shopping mall) to shop before my flight at 5pm. But the race had a lot of wave starts, so I didn't cross the start line until about 30 minutes after the first people did and then the race took me longer than I expected it to, then I spent over 20 minutes at the medical tent, then a 40 minute walk back to my car, so was already running behind my planned schedule. Then I got out onto the freeway and there was soooo much traffic. I thought, "What is going on? Why is there so much traffic?" Um, hello stupid. There's this thing called a marathon in which all the streets are shut down. Hence, traffic. So Bellevue Square was out. So I found an LA Fitness near the airport and hobbled my way in with plenty of stares. Yes, I just ran a marathon and I have salt crystalized to my face and my eyelashes are now white and I can't walk and I'm bleeding from chafing in areas I didn't use anti-chafe cream. But there's no need to stare.

I then went to the airport and my bag got flagged by security. Naturally. It always does. But for the first time, the security agent dumped all the contents of my purse and coin purse out. All my coins went all over the bin. All my papers were everywhere. He just turned it upside down and shook everything out. And he didn't put it back. My bag always gets flagged, so I am not surprised when it does. But I've never had an agent do that.

I had to fly from Seattle to San Jose and then San Jose to San Diego. Both flights were delayed. I will now be up for 24 hours straight. Got up at 2am, will return to San Diego at 2am.

It will take me 10 hours to get from Seattle to San Diego this evening. A flight that can be done in 3.5.

I hate Southwest.

Just sayin.

2011-06-20T13:08:00.003-07:00

Phoenix, Arizona

I am stuck at Phoenix airport waiting out long flight delays--as usual. I am not the luckiest of souls when it comes to on-time flights. I spent the weekend in Phoenix and surprised that the heat didn't bother me. I actually kind of liked it. I did spend 8 miles on a treadmill, trying to run inside rather than out. But my foot is not healed and spent the better part of Sunday night putting ice on it and stretching it. I hope to run again soon, actually really soon--I have a long race out of town this weekend.

I did get to see my dad for Father's Day, had my hair dyed even darker brown (although I miss being blonde) and am back in Invisalign. Those were all the major happenings of my time in the Valley of the Sun.

2011-06-12T19:53:00.001-07:00

Foot problems

I've been having foot problems for about a month in which my feet felt like they were on fire. But I kept running and going and not stopping. Now, I've done some serious damage and my feet have turned blue. Turns out I have developed plantar fasciitis and cannot walk. I have a marathon out of state in less than two weeks. This may not happen. I am very depressed. We are having such nice weather and I am not spending it outside running.

2011-06-06T10:55:00.006-07:00

Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon

What a great race! I got to work at the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon this past weekend in San Francisco. I went to a triathlon club party on Friday night on Hyde Street at an amazing apartment with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and downtown. Then Saturday I was at the expo chatting with people about their racing experiences and Sunday I covered the race. Media personnel got to go out on a boat and witness 2,000 athletes jumping off a ferry and swimming to shore. I am signing up for the lottery next year because I want to do it. I was filled with raging jealousy for all those who got to participate.

2011-06-02T12:11:00.004-07:00

Memorial Day Weekend

Friday: San Francisco

I went to San Fran to do a tv interview on the upcoming Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. I go back to San Fran tomorrow for the race :) Someday I will do it. Just working it this time.

Saturday: I spent the weekend in LA for the holiday. I ran 20 miles around Rose Bowl Stadium which was good and awful at the same time. Good because it was a change of scenery and saw some celebrities going undercover. Bad because running 20 miles is never fun. I also went to see my great uncle who lives nearby.

Sunday: Saw a fireworks show in La Canada, Calif.

Monday: Watched a hometown parade and went to a BBQ. Experienced Monday blues.

2011-05-21T14:15:00.003-07:00

Jennifer Lancaster

One of my favorite authors is Jennifer Lancaster and she is currently on a book tour--one of the stops was San Diego! And she came to the Barnes and Nobles that I pass to and from work and where I actually go to sit and read her books! What are the odds of that?? I got to meet her and she signed two of my books. I was number 101 in line...over 150 people showed up. Do yourself a favor and read one of her books--I recommend Bitter is the New Black to start. She is snarky and witty and my favorite type of literary voice--like a Sarah Vowell for the bubblegum audience, not so political or intellectual, but just as funny. I want to be friends with her. I think our negativity would mesh well together.

2011-05-19T16:50:00.006-07:00

Knoxville, Tenn.

I got to go to Knoxville for a triathlon this past weekend. Matt Reed, my favorite triathlete, was the first-place finisher. Knoxville is more colonial than I had imagined and Saturday was pretty dead...and I was right downtown. Due to many travel fiascos, I got in at 3:30am Saturday morning and left at 6am Monday morning (which is 3am CA time). Bags under my eyes and all, I still loved being there to see a triathlon because there is nothing better. I also found a creperie and a candy store with barrels of old-fashioned sweet treats. Knoxville food = heaven.

2011-05-14T11:59:00.004-07:00

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

I once again attended the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books where I saw Duff Goldman of Ace of Cakes fame, Danica McKellar of Wonder Years, Jennifer Weiner who is one of my fav authors, Rainn Wilson from The Office, plus many more. I enjoyed it and got to have a second birthday celebration just a few days after my real birthday.

Rainn Wilson

Duff Goldman who is opening a store in LA and he will serve the San Diego area. Time to save money for cake!

Another b-day cake for me

2011-04-28T10:25:00.003-07:00

My birthday

I spent half the day in the office and the other half in Los Angeles. I got to visit a triathlon store and then got to visit the USC Triathlon Team and pass out some magazines. Super fun! Then I met some friends for dinner and they made me the birthday queen. Super cheesy photo of my crown! I don't look that cheesy outside of a camera shot.

2011-04-27T08:01:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday. I made it through a glorious year. Here are the top-20 big events since my last b-day:

1. Ran a marathon in Peru, China and South Africa.
2 Accomplished my goal of running a marathon on all seven continents.
3. Got press for it. Here's one example.
4. Cut off my waist-length hair and went brunette. The jury is still out on that one.
5. Got a new job
6. Moved to California
7. Signed up for my 2nd Ironman. This time it is New Zealand.
8. Got a new car
9. Rented out my house
10. Had my trichotillomania spiral out of control
11. Haven't been able to get it under control
12. Interviewed a few celebrities
13. Pretended I'm BFFs with such celebrities
14. Ran 6 half marathons from Santa Barbara to Arizona to Utah
15. Completed another few triathlons
16. Finished my book. Now in revision stage.
17. Done some public speaking events about my running a marathon on all 7 continents
18. Got pulled over by a cop for the first time ever. Got let go. (Thank you officer!)
19. Got published in some national magazines
20. Traveled to Costa Rica to write about triathlons

Whew! What will next year bring? I hope happiness, an ability to change my relationship status on Facebook (pretty sure that's a long shot), wealth (another long shot), Daniel Craig at my door step declaring his undying love for me (not likely), Curtis Stone fighting with Daniel Craig because he also has declared his undying love for me (it could happen), the cancellation of The Real Housewives of Miami (listen up Bravo--it sucked), Modern Family and Cougar Town having new episodes every week (pay the writers more money, they deserve it), successfully crossing the finish line of Ironman New Zealand, getting over something personal (probably will take therapy), and getting a PR in a race. All that would make me a happy thirty-something.

2011-04-25T20:32:00.003-07:00

Easter Weekend

I ran a lonnnnngggg 20 miles and also visited the famous San Diego Zoo. Being fairly new to San Diego and without family around, I had no plans for Easter weekend. No ham dinners, no Easter dresses, no Easter bunny visits. So I went to the zoo. I've always had mixed feelings about the zoo. As I've seen wild animals in their natural environment, whether it be in the Amazon, on an African Safari or sitting on glaciers at the bottom of the world, I feel badly for the animals in confined spaces with strangers watching their every move. Granted, they are treated properly and fed well and do not have to survive in the beastly wild. Maybe I just feel like it's not the same as traveling to a foreign country and seeing them in nature.

But I did get to see a polar bear doing a horny dance looking for a receptive mate. So, there's that.

2011-04-19T17:02:00.006-07:00

My New BFF

I have a new BFF. His name is Dr. Sanjay Gupta. I got to interview him at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. You may know him from CNN or his books or his traveling the world and all his television appearances. We're now BFFs. No, not really. I did, however, get to speak to him about triathlons and there is no better topic of conversation. But I did feel significantly out of place at this hotel. I parked my Kia down the street (I'd hate for it to get confused among the line of BMWs out front) and walked in thinking about how many race entries equals the price of one night in this hotel. I figured I would need two hands to count. Then I saw men in power suits eating power breakfasts looking snazzy in Gucci. I was wearing heels for the occasion, not something I typically do (as 6'0 is just too tall). Turns out my BFF Dr. Gupta is not tall at all, so I was even more ridiculously tall. But we spoke about racing and I asked him questions and he was super nice.

This weekend I traveled to Salt Lake City and finished my 31st half marathon. I love this course, but it was cold that day. It started raining as I was driving to the start and then magically for once the God of Marathon listened to my prayers and the clouds held onto the water. I ran okay and finished in my normal time, which I was fairly happy with--no PR, but finally feel like my fitness is returning (sing Hallelujah!). Then five minutes after I crossed the finish line, it started raining again. Thank heavens I was off the course and heading back to my car when little drops started hitting my head. I got to also see beautiful flowers, including my favs--daffodils.

2011-04-13T20:49:00.002-07:00

Exercise is my friend

Saturday I spent at a CrossFit seminar in Little Italy--these guys are almost masochistic. I'm going to do it. It is a new exercise venture for me. Then that night I watched the triathlon races in Sydney, Australia on my computer. I was reporting on it for work and it made me long to be back in Australia. These athletes were racing through the city, on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and jumping into the water right next to the Opera House...sigh. The next morning I got up to report on the South Beach Triathlon. Then I went running for over three hours and got super tan...yeah! I go to Salt Lake City this weekend...brrr.

2011-04-07T20:09:00.003-07:00

Triathlons, Triathlons, Triathlons

Last week I went to a triathlon training camp with some professional triathletes in Morgan Hill, CA, just outside of San Jose. Talk about beautiful! I didn't know if I was in the south of France or the South Bay. I went on some spectacular bike rides :)

Then I got to spend two days in Oceanside, just north of San Diego covering the Oceanside 70.3 triathlon for work. My friend from Phoenix was also competing in it so I got to cheer him on and get a few photos. My office for those two days was the beach. Can't complain. I did get put on camera interviewing about 7 or 8 professionals....um...scary!

My interview with Jordan Rapp here

My interview with my favorite triathlete Matt Reed (I am biased because he is tall and has an Aussie accent. It's nice to see tall people winning). Click here

2011-03-27T19:48:00.003-07:00

Another 5K

I ran another 5K race in beautiful Balboa Park on Saturday. No PR for me, but what a lovely place--green, amazing architecture, grand museums. What a wonderful place to race and run. I will definitely be at this place doing long runs--so much to see. I've had lots of races either begin or end in Balboa Park, but this was the first run entirely in the park.

I also discovered a new area called North Park and went out for dinner with an old Phoenix friend who lives here.

I also was told by a guy this week that I am vain because I go to Starbucks. Huh? Well, color me narcissistic because I love my tall non-fat chai and pumpkin scone. I like to support Seattle companies, as I am a Seattle home girl. I shop at Amazon, love my green caffeinated company, and use Windows products. I heard that boys are classier in San Diego, but I am just not seeing it. Boys are boys wherever I go.

2011-03-24T17:03:00.002-07:00

Is there anything more fun than running in your underwear? I can think of plenty of more things that are more fun, but definitely not funnier. I did an Undy 5K this weekend and instead of asking for my T-shirt size, I was asked for my waist size. That is because Undy means underwear and we were all given boxers to wear. Loving it! It was for a fundraiser for colon cancer, so it was fitting. Several fundraising teams also raced and they were all appropriately named things like “Big Blue Booties” and “Queens of Colon” and “It is All ‘Behind’ Us Now.” Some really did run in their underwear. I was able to PR in this 5K and came in 12th out of 288. Not very many hardcore runners were there, which is why my higher placing finish.

I also had dinner with some people I was on tour with for the Great Wall of China Marathon. Five of us live in San Diego/Southern CA and we met and ate Korean BBQ. I have some built-in friends in CA because of my races around the world, which makes me a pretty lucky gal!

I am also discovering new places in San Diego and the more I learn about the city, the more I like.

2011-03-14T15:47:00.002-07:00

Ironman New Zealand

I signed for my second Ironman today: Ironman New Zealand. It's destination time again. Another Ironman? Ick. The training was intense and annoying, but I loved it. So should I do it or ask for a partial refund? Not sure. It's not until March 2012, so we'll see what happens from now until then.

2011-03-12T14:05:00.003-07:00

St. Patrick's Day 10K
I did another running race today and had a wicked good time until...something happened. The race was hilarious! People in California take their St. Patrick's Day seriously! I saw all kinds of green socks, Dr. Seuss hats in green, people dressed up as leprechauns complete with green leisure suits and bow ties, dogs with clovers, people with dyed green hair, a man dressed up as a pot of gold while two women dressed up as rainbows (including rainbow wigs) ran next to him. It was a sea of delicious green. I ran okay, but then afterwards I couldn't find my car. I looked and looked and it was gone! I went to an employee of San Diego's park and recreation to get help. He tried to help me find it and offered to call the cops. He got two other employees on the task and we drove around and around looking and to no avail. One employee called to see if any cars had been towed and nope, if it was gone, it was stolen. Noooo!!!! I wanted to cry, but then as the luck of the Irish, it was found. Turns out I thought the start and finish were in the same place, so I made my way back to my car based on where I thought I was...well, while we were out running, the finish line was being set up .5 miles down from the start. So I was looking for my car half a mile from where it was...how could that be any more embarrassing!!?? Well, when I finally got back to my car I looked in the rearview mirror and my face was covered with mascara--I mean covered. I looked like a monster. I had been walking around with all these people on a manhunt for my car with a blackened face. Sometimes I feel sorry for myself that I am still single and ask "All my friends are married, how am I still single?" Then something like this happens and I quickly answer that question.

2011-03-10T19:14:00.003-07:00

What happens in Vegas...

Is that you get to run underneath the lights of the strip at night...Rock n Roll Las Vegas is now a nighttime run and all marathoners and half marathoners get to run on the strip with all its glowing glory. The marathon cut off time is 4.5 hours, which is not generous, but it would be fun! Me likie. I want to go to there.

My old salsa dancing friend I ran into at lunch invited me to go salsa dancing and so last night I got my salsa on. Salsa dancing is one of my eccentric hobbies and I am proud to say that like riding a bike, it is a skill not lost.

I am sad to say that Sally Meyerhoff, one of Arizona's most favorite runners and one of the top 10 marathoners in the country passed away. She was hit and killed while on her bike in Maricopa. She was getting into triathlons and training for an Ironman. She was also training for the 2012 Olympics. She won the Arizona Rock N Roll Marathon and she was friends with a lot of my friends. RIP.

2011-03-08T18:09:00.008-07:00

Memories of Childhood

I grew up in this small town (kind of small) called Puyallup in Washington state, a suburb of Seattle. When I go out running in California I bring back memories of my childhood. I smell bark, freshly cut grass and now in March, spring flowers. I even saw daffodils--my favorite flower. The town of Puyallup has a big daffodil festival, complete with a daffodil parade and every high school in the area selects a daffodil princess who competes for daffodil queen. Daffodils are so beautiful. They are like little sunshines on a stick. Much prettier than sunflowers (not to dog sunflowers; all flowers are beautiful, even dandelions, which I call flowers though they are technically weeds). But today out running I saw snails...snails! I haven't seen snails in years and the sidewalks were littered with them. Then as the sun rose their trails of slime started glistening. Most people would call it gross, but I loved it. Now I just need to see a slug and my California/Washington experience will be complete. Isn't running awesome? Even though I have been super slow at it these past couple of months, I still love it. Just want to get faster!! My finish times are embarrassing.

2011-03-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary!

Today is the third anniversary of my running the Antarctica marathon--the hardest race ever. Since then, I've run a marathon on every continent and completed an Ironman and ultra marathon. So in honor of today, I completed my 30th half marathon. I drove from California late at night and got in at 12:30am to get up at 5:30am for the race. Plus, AZ is one hour ahead of CA, so really, that's like 4:30am to me. The race was in Scottsdale and I ran into old friends and some people I met in Costa Rica! What are the odds of that? How does that keep happening! I ran into a friend from Phoenix who, turns out, works 2 blocks from me in San Diego. Small world. Well, the race didn't go well. Tough, hilly course and got one of my worst times. Something has happened to me. It's like all the fitness drained out of my body. 2011 has not been good to me racing wise. I've gotten 3 of my worst times in half marathons and they all seem like a struggle, which normally they are not. So what gives? I need to run more and try harder and get rid of the virus that keeps sticking around--go away already!!

2011-02-19T07:36:00.003-07:00

Bienvenidos a Costa Rica

I am in Costa Rica for my company covering the Rev3 Costa Rican triathlon race. It is extremely hot and humid, but I am loving every minute of it. You can catch up on it at triathlon.competitor.com. I get up early to drive 1.5 hours to the race site. Then I stay all day and drive 2 hours back. I've gotten lost a few times, but luckily I speak Spanish so can ask for directions. Tomorrow is the professional race and should be good. It's just super hot, but this week my office has been next to the beach in Central America and I cannot complain about that.

2011-02-14T19:56:00.008-07:00

Valentine's Day

This weekend, despite my ever-ongoing illness, I completed half marathon #28 and #29 just 24 hours apart. The Sat. race was in gorgeous Mission Bay running on Fiesta Island--flat, loved it. Sun. the race was at an area called Rancho Santa Fe in northwest San Diego, also known as the place for rich people. I saw plenty of woodsy areas and horse stables with estates tucked in behind greenery, just as the wealthy would have it. But the race itself was soooooo hilly. Out of all 29 half marathons, this was the second hardest (after recent #27, which was a tough trail race with the flu as well). I got my second slowest time ever. I think the tough course, mixed with the flu, mixed with the soreness from the half marathon from the day before left me for dead. So I have to just accept my time and try to get my fitness back. I have been posting some of my worst running times ever. 2011 has not been good to me racing wise... What happened?

But San Diego is gorgeous. My life has recently done a 180 and I love it. It is so beautiful here. I ran a race next to a beach??? And it wasn't a trip out of town.

Today, however, is Valentine's Day and once again I find myself alone on this day. Yes, I saw the flowers delivered to the girls at work--one even got pink tulips which are one of my favorite types of flowers. So I did feel a tinge of jealousy, but with all the wonderful things in my life I cannot be sad. I read yesterday that there are 100 million single people in America. With a country of just under 400 million, I am still in the minority, but that is a whole lot of people who are probably dining solo this evening as well. I am not so alone after all.

2011-02-11T20:22:00.006-07:00

Life in general

I've always thought my life is the great equalizer. When something good happens, it is inevitable that something bad will happen. It is the way my life goes. I am truly Even Stevens.

Well, I got this really great new life in San Diego and on my first day here I found out that a dear friend and colleague was killed in a car accident. RIP my good friend P.H. You were a joy to work with and I will miss you dearly. I just spoke to her on Friday and on Sunday she was taken from us.

Then two days later I caught a horrible flu. I was smacked down to the ground. Fever, chills, temperature and coughing all night long. I didn't sleep for 5 days and my work said to me "don't come back till you feel better." I spent 3 hours in urgent care with x-rays, blood work, etc. only to be told by the doctor "there isn't anything I can do for you. Go home." What???? I WANT DRUGS!!! NOW!!!

Then in the midst of this horrific flu, I went to Los Angeles to visit friends and watch the Super Bowl. Well, I had signed up for a half marathon that same weekend and paid mucho dinero for it and didn't want to lose the money. So I did the race anyway. It was 27th half marathon. I was born on the 27th and it is one of my favorite numbers so was particularly excited to do this race...that is until I caught the flu. By mile 2.5 I had to walk. It was a super tough trail race so steep I had to walk portions of it (well, I walked most of it). I finished in 40 minutes over my typical time....ick!!! How embarrassing. So my 27th half marathon was the 27th worst and I got my 27th worst time. And I think I caught pneumonia because of it.

2011-01-29T13:19:00.003-07:00

CA Girl

I have a major change in my life. I resigned from my job two weeks ago and move to California tomorrow. I am moving to San Diego for a new position that is right up my alley. It is a bittersweet moment. I have lived in Phoenix for a long time and have sweet memories and wonderful friends. My life is awesome and I feel so blessed for all that I have been given. It is on to something new, but Phoenix will always be here.

2011-01-26T08:15:00.002-07:00

Salt Lake City

Spent the weekend in snowy Salt Lake City for the Sundance Film Fest. Had troubles getting back. I wanted to get in a last minute vacation before a big change this weekend.

2011-01-22T15:52:00.001-07:00

I'm an ultra marathoner!!

I am now officially an ultra marathoner :) I completed a 50K trail race today. It was super, super hard. Very grueling terrain like climbing up a mountain, plus we had to run in 8 miles of sand, just like running on the beach and 4 miles were uphill, so imagine running uphill on a beach. It was insane. Plus, we had to go over all this loose rock straight downhill and through gravel ankle deep. The terrain just kept changing. Plus, for the first 13.5 miles, there was one aid station. Then mile 19-31 had no liquids. I thought I was going to pass out from dehydration. How could they do this to us??? It is the desert! It is so hot, even in January.

But I finished :)

2011-01-09T12:58:00.003-07:00

First Race Report of 2011

I finished my first race of the year and it went...well, not so much fun. It was my first full trail running race. I've done some trail triathlons, but not a full running race. It GPS'd at 12.6 miles and took me longer than it takes me to run 16.6. It was 6 miles of climbing up a trail over rocks and boulders. I couldn't even run a good portion of it. Plus, not many aid stations existed because it was out in the middle of nowhere Arizona. It took me 1 hour and 15 minutes to drive to the start line, literally out into the mountains of nowhere. If you looked for this place on a map, I don't think it would be there.

Well, not only was it hard, but I fell. I fell and sprained my wrist, twisted my ankle, bruised my hand until it turned blue, skinned my knee and elbow to the point it burned, and ended up with about two pounds of cactus needles in me, which I spent the race of the race pulling out as I plugged along. It can only go uphill from here right? I managed to finish covered in blood and cried my way to the aid station. I was crying like a baby to the man trying to clean up my dirt and blood-soaked body. Poor man.

2010-12-31T10:41:00.006-07:00

Happy New Year!

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

2010-12-29T20:39:00.005-07:00

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

2010-12-20T19:53:00.004-07:00

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!

2010-12-13T10:03:00.007-07:00

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.

2010-12-08T07:57:00.001-07:00

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.

2010-12-06T10:08:00.005-07:00

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.

2010-11-19T10:25:00.005-07:00

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.

2010-11-14T11:30:00.003-07:00

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.

2010-11-13T09:51:00.007-07:00

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 :(

2010-10-31T21:04:00.004-07:00

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.

2010-10-15T08:34:00.002-07:00

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.

2010-10-14T09:04:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday!

To my mom!

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

2010-10-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday!

To my dad!

2010-10-10T18:21:00.003-07:00

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!

2010-10-05T13:14:00.004-07:00

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.

2010-09-26T07:06:00.002-07:00

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.

2010-09-26T03:27:00.004-07:00

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.

2010-09-25T01:33:00.003-07:00

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.

2010-09-24T10:34:00.005-07:00

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).

2010-09-18T19:29:00.004-07:00

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.

2010-09-14T20:57:00.001-07:00

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.

2010-09-07T18:06:00.005-07:00

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.

2010-08-24T20:40:00.002-07:00

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.

2010-08-13T16:21:00.002-07:00

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.

2010-08-07T13:07:00.002-07:00

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.

2010-08-02T18:33:00.007-07:00

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.

2010-07-22T20:35:00.002-07:00

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.

2010-07-18T20:47:00.003-07:00

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.

2010-07-13T20:09:00.003-07:00

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.

2010-07-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

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!!

2010-07-05T19:27:00.003-07:00

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.

2010-06-29T19:26:00.002-07:00

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.

2010-06-27T16:55:00.002-07:00

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.

2010-06-22T20:18:00.003-07:00

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.

2010-06-20T10:13:00.003-07:00

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!

2010-06-15T21:11:00.003-07:00

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.

2010-06-14T19:52:00.003-07:00

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.

2010-06-13T07:52:00.003-07:00

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.

2010-06-09T18:15:00.003-07:00

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!

2010-06-02T20:22:00.004-07:00

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.

2010-05-29T11:36:00.004-07:00

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.

2010-05-26T22:11:00.002-07:00

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?

2010-05-19T20:34:00.004-07:00

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.

2010-05-08T09:43:00.003-07:00

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.

2010-05-04T18:42:00.006-07:00

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.

2010-04-27T08:33:00.007-07:00

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.

2010-04-26T11:15:00.005-07:00

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.

2010-04-20T16:32:00.007-07:00

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.

2010-04-15T09:27:00.007-07:00

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).

2010-04-10T12:40:00.003-07:00

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.

2010-04-07T09:54:00.008-07:00

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.

2010-04-04T23:41:00.004-07:00

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.

2010-04-01T08:15:00.006-07:00

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.