Team Bethany

THANK YOU!

2010-10-23T16:51:00.001-07:00

(I apologize for the delay)

You can ask anyone who knows me, I am not often rendered speechless. Even if I can't think of something incredibly witty and charming to say I can inject an enthusiastic "Dude!" or "Whoa!"

When I spoke with Denise a day or so before the event, she told me there was going to be about 12 volunteers and 7 dogs working the crowd. I will admit that I was a little disappointed. I knew this was such an amazing opportunity to network and schmooze and I had hoped there would be more. But I didn't let it bother me...I just knew those folks and doggies were gonna have to "work" it hard all day.

As I turned the corner right before mile 26, I saw Julie Wright and Ewin (well I saw their goldens first!). And I got really excited. They then started running to the others to let them know I was coming....or at least that is what I HOPED they were doing! I didn't think they were quite the type to taunt me with "See? We're faster than YOU are!! Neener Neener Neener!!!!"

When I passed the group I saw quite a few volunteers and quite a few dogs....but I will admit I was in a bit of a haze at that point. Everything seemed a bit distorted especially the distance to the finish line...as I've said people often forget the Point 2 of the 26.2 but those last .2 miles were excrutiatingly long! It could have actually been 1 dog and 1 volunteer with my vision and brain playing serious tricks on me.

Julie V. and Elaine and Kate (Or at least I thought it was Kate...if it wasn't I apologize!) greeted me and Elaine walked with me to the booth, which was quite a distance (probably only about 50 yards but it felt longer!) I see Julie and Ewin with their 2 beautiful goldens and just got the best feeling. I know I'm biased but seeing beautiful goldens after a run is just the best way to restore. I then see The Guru and Beth with their doggies, Comet and Daisy. I got hugs from all 4 and when I looked over Beth's shoulder, I saw the booth. My breath caught in my throat and tears came to my eyes. The booth was PACKED! I saw so many wonderful volunteers and so many goldens and I imagined harps playing and angels singing because this was heaven!!!!

Denise told me, and of course I saw the pictures later of all the volunteers and the 16!!!!! beautiful goldens that were there throughout the day. I'm told that we were the most popular booth in the festival, that there were lines of folks wanting to pet the goldens. I know that Denise has thanked those wonderful folks who helped make this an extraordinarily successful event but I would like to thank them again.

Thank you so much:
Jan, Cecily, Jo, Diane, Kriss, Patricia, Cindy, Tom, Tina, Mary, Jessica, Linda, Eva, Joanne, Elaine, Julie, Sandra, Kate, Joan, Ed, Bobby, Beth, Colleen, Denise, Paul, Cameron, Garrett, Tom, Nestor, Jennifer, Dan, Julie, Ewin, Cindy, Bruce, Pam, Carole and Ron.

Without you folks, this would not have been as successful as it was. I am truly blessed to know all of you.

I especially would like to thank Eva, Joanne and Elaine for going above and beyond in helping us get the booth set up. They rented a hotel room to make sure they would be there early on race day and I just can't thank them enough.

I would like to thank all of you who helped to raise money for this amazing organization.

I would like to thank all the folks who picked us as their charity of choice. Last year we had 41 participants racing on our team. This year we had 66!

I would like to thank Mr. Art Seagren who gave us a superb piece of real estate at the festival. Our location right next to the entrance/exit made us highly visible and was a big part of our success.

And Denise. Oh Denise. Thank you for making the finish line festival booth what it was. Thank you for taking on the responsibility of calming my butt down when I would be freaking out about, well, everything. I'm sure there were times when you REALLY didn't want to take my phone calls, but you did and I appreciate that more than you know. Thank you for being my friend.

Thank you Mr. Marty Friedman, Marathon Guru for all of your help and encouragement. You have become a great friend and I once again couldn't have finished without you.

It's funny, I hadn't been finished with the marathon for 3 minutes before I started getting asked if I would run again next year. Probably because last year, I was insane enough to say yes right away. This year, I was like "I don't know....THAT would be CRAZY!"

My goal this year was to finish in under 5 hours. I didn't come close to that and I will admit that I am a little disappointed with my time. I thought I was prepared and honestly, I wasn't. I didn't train nearly as hard as I should have to achieve that goal.

In the few days since this year's race, I decided that finishing in under 5 hours is a goal that is important to me. So instead of training to finish in the 5 months before next year's race, I will train for speed starting November 17th (Guru says to wait a month before I start training for speed).

So to answer the question you are all wondering.....

YES! I WILL BE RUNNING AGAIN NEXT YEAR.

I hope that you all will be there too!!

Thanks again everyone and PEACE OUT!!!

READY?

2010-10-16T18:23:00.000-07:00

So the marathon is in less than 24 hours.

I am as ready as I'm gonna get!

I have siphoned as much knowledge as I could from the Marathon Guru. (Don't worry, I left him a few brain cells to rub together!)

I have my geek-cessories packed and ready to go.

I have my gaggle of kleenex ready to catch the real runner in my family (my nose!)

I will shave my legs to make me more aerodynamic!

I will eat carbs tonight to give me energy.

I fought off the cold that threatened last weekend thanks to vitamins and witch potions.

My bib # is 889

We are almost to our fundraising goal! Even if we don't make the $26,200 (everyone always forgets that POINT 2) we raised a significant amount of moolah for the wonderful goldens! WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!

Thanks Everyone, for everything. I'm so proud of all of you and honored to be a part of this organization!

Peace Out!

LETTER TO MOTHER NATURE

2010-10-04T18:57:00.000-07:00

YO MAMA!

I know that you are really busy having your way with us. You know...messin' with the thermostat. I mean come ON Mama, 118 degrees!!! And then going from record breaking highs one week to dumping rain on us the next?! Are you trying to get us all sick? Did the Tooth Fairy tick you off again? The Easter Bunny steal all of your eggs and hard boil the bejeezus out of 'em? Take is easy, Sweetie. Have a massage. Drink a martini. All will be fine.

So there are only 2 more weeks until the marathon and I have a few requests. I know that Pops (Santa) usually takes care of these things but I don't think he reads his letters until December and that you know, would be too late.

So, if you could please get all of your weather shenanigans out of your system BEFORE race day that would be swell. I request a nice 70 degree, clear beautiful day for the 17th.

I don't know how tight you are with the traffic gods but if you could ask them to make it easy for anyone coming to Long Beach as part of the most bestest Golden Retriever Rescue EVER, that would be really nice. Tell them we'll bake them cookies or at least bestow numerous wet golden kisses on them if they do!

Is there some way you could attach, like, invisible turbo chargers to me heels? I mean nothing that requires rocket fuel. I don't think anyone would believe it if I finished in 5 minutes. I'm talking under 5 hours...even if only by a minute. That would be great.

So I know that this is asking a lot. But if you could grant these requests I promise to eat my vegetables...I'll even clean my room!

PPPPPPLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSE MAMA?

Thanks MAMA NATURE!! You're the BEST!

Be well!

SELECTIVE RETENTION

2010-09-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go?!?

There is less than 5 weeks to go until race day! YIKE-EEEEE!

Training has been going about as well as can be expected. My long distance runs are up to 20 miles. My feet hurt. My back hurts. My brain hurts....but all in all I'm doing pretty well!

I have never given birth but I liken my total lunacy of doing this again to Mothers who have more than one child. I'm told that if women remembered how painful giving birth was, no one would have more than one kid! Selective Retention.

All I remember about last year is what a wonderful feeling it was to cross the finish line. And to have people that I admire and respect waiting for me there. I forgot about the pain each long run generated as I prepared for the big day. I forgot about my inability to gracefully climb stairs after a long run or in fact my difficulty in just plain walkin' without looking like I'm 142 years old desperately looking for a railing to hold on to to keep me upright. Or how funny I must look holding on to the vanity for dear life as I VERRRY SLOWWWWLY lift one violently trembling leg into the pants I have positioned perfectly on the floor so that I don't have to lift my leg more than a few inches. Then switching arms to balance as I shakily lift the other leg into the other leg hole. And when I have successfully gotten my legs into their correct pants-puttin'-on-position, I wish with all my being that I had The Force with me to lift those pants to their proper place on my behind so that I wouldn't have to bend over to do it myself! Selective Retention.

And speaking of pain and Mothers.......

I poke fun that no one reads this blog. 2.2 readers I've joked. Well, my very own Mother admitted to me that she doesn't read it. MY VERY OWN MOTHER!!! I feel like a red-headed step child. She doesn't read my blog!?!?! So here is a picture of her in a bathing suit....that'll teach her!!! Doesn't read my blog.......

Be well everyone!

TECHNOLOGY

2010-07-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

It's crazy to think how far we humans have come. Remember cassette tapes? Beta and VHS players? Floppy disks? The cool drive-up bank tubes that you placed into a slot that then got suctioned to the teller? Toilets that you had to flush yourself?

I remember how cool it was to get call waiting on our home phone. Now, most people don't even have home phones because cell phones have taken over.

And gone are the days of a cell phone that just makes calls. Now you can listen to music, take pictures and video, surf the web and cook dinner.

Amazing if you think about it. And new stuff keeps zooming up every day! You buy the newest, coolest ninjaist Cyborg Zomboid (or whatever) phone and you get home, finally figure out how to get the stupid thing to work and BOOM! They announce that version 2.0001 is coming out next week and it is sooooo much better than the old geezer phone you bought today and that you should rush right out next week and buy the new better version for $1000 bucks. I mean really....

But if you ARE one of those who is gaga for gizmos, you probably have A LOT of phones laying around collecting dust. Know what you should do with them? Give them to us!!! The GRCGLARescue will receive anywhere from $5-$100 for your used cell phones! The more recent the model, the more we get, so come on Seeker-of-the-new, give us your phones!!!!

And for those of you who are the exact opposite and have had the same cell phone since LiLo had a career, maybe its time to upgrade and then give us your old one.

But don't keep this to yourself!!! Ask friends, family, neighbors. Ask co-workers. Have a Comm department at your work? Ask them for any used phones!! One of our volunteers even went to a wireless store and asked for their trade-ins and got a bunch!! This is easy money! And the best part? All proceeds are going to Team Bethany and will help us reach our $1000 a mile goal. And the even bester part? Those funds WILL BE MATCHED BY OUR WONDERFUL A.D.!!!!!

So I'm gonna go round me up some phones. The list of locations where you can drop your phones off is listed on our site or you can go here: http://www.grcglarescue.org/RP_WebDoc.asp?ttid=295

When I get home tonight, I'm gonna watch a VHS movie on an analog TV with no remote, while listening to my Walkman and talking to my Mom on my rotary dial phone (yes...I'm a multi-tasker!)

What movie you ask? I'm thinking E.T. That movie is one that could never be remade because nowadays, E.T. could phone home quite easily. But he would definitely get hit with some serious roaming charges!!!!

Be well everyone.

Peace Out

SERIOUS TIME WITH BETHANY (not to be confused with nappy poo time with Bethany...that's later)

2010-07-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

HOPE...Hope. Say the word out loud. What do you think?

It's not really a pretty word as just a word, if you think about it.

HOPE

It rhymes with dope and scope and mope and grope. All not really great words (although grope can be good if it's from someone yummy and dope is turning it's image around and can be used to describe things that are good...like "Man, that song is dope!" (Unless it's rap then its just dopey...but I digress).

HOPE

What makes hope beautiful is its meaning. Hope is the thing that we all have and I think its one of the things that makes us wake up everyday and do the things we do. We hope for health. We hope for love. We hope for success. We hope that the Bears win the Super Bowl (some things we hope for are easier to come by than others)!

HOPE

I have adopted 2 wonderful dogs through this amazing Rescue. As the 2.2 of you who read this blog know, my first doggy was Summer. One of her many nicknames was Snarky Barker because she was a bit cranky towards other dogs. Because of her age and her snarkiness, she wasn't an easy placement. She was in a boarding facility on behalf of Rescue for over a month until the dog (god spelled backwards) genie granted my wish to adopt my sweet Baby Sums.

HOPE

I have said in the past that I am a bit obsessive. And although I joke about it...it is entirely true. I look at our available dogs page almost every day. So I'm usually aware of the dogs that are on our site for long periods of time and worry much more about them when they need a foster home. I knew my dog Sweetness, who was Boston on our site, was available for a long time. He needed a foster home almost the entire time.

HOPE

Sweetness is deathly afraid of other dogs. And I'm not talking slightly afraid. I am talking extreme, blinding, crazy terror. It makes me sad when I think about him living in a place where every moment of every day, he spent in fear for his life. Are any of you deathly afraid of something? I mean paralyzingly fearful? Sweetness lived surrounded by the thing that scares him more than anything on this planet for OVER TWO MONTHS!

Although I wasn't ready to adopt another dog so soon after Summer, Sandy told me that Sweetness (Boston) was growing older by the day...almost unrecognizable from the day he was brought in to Rescue. In tears and sobbing, I told Sandy that I would pick him up that Saturday as a foster only. Of course, I failed miserably!

HOPE FOR A BETTER LIFE™

Because of my two babies, the Hope for a Better Life™ program means a lot to me. Because of their need to be an only dog, Summer and Sweetness spent over 90 days total in boarding. 90 DAYS! At $18 a day, boarding Sweetness and Baby Sums until they were adopted cost Rescue over $1620!!!!! And they still came to me Snarky and Fraidy!!! I can only imagine how Sweetness in particular could have benefited from the Wags N Wiggles 4-week residential training program. And how better spent that boarding money could have been to help him get better. I know that things happen for a reason and I love him so much and can't imagine life without him, but I would rather have not had him in my life if he could have gotten out of Boston Hell sooner.

HOPE FOR A BETTER LIFE™

The GRCGLA Rescue now has a program that can help other dogs that come in to our organization with fear and/or aggression issues. Goldens that would have otherwise been euthanized because they were unadoptable due to their behavior challenges now have HOPE! Because of the GRCGLA Rescue's Hope for a Better Life™ Program these dogs will get a second chance to be loved and cherished. They will (hopefully) learn through this amazing program that whatever was done to them to make them afraid is in the past, and nothing but love and obsessive devotion is in store for them in the future.

HOPE FOR A BETTER LIFE™

Of course, amazing programs need funding. I am just flabbergasted that an Anonymous Donor has offered to MATCH EVERY DOLLAR DONATED TO TEAM BETHANY to go to the Hope for a Better Life™ Program. EVERY DOLLAR! So that means if you donate $10, its actually............$20! (Sorry, had to take my shoes off for that one!) $100 is $200! $500 is $1000! 1 BILLION is...well I don't think the A.D. would match a billion but I got a little carried away!

I'm wondering why this A.D. wants to be anonymous. I would love to meet them and give them a big old hug and smooch! Sweetness says that maybe they are germaphobic and wouldn't want a kiss from me. I tell him that WHO WOULDN'T want a smooch from ME!?!?!

Then Sweetness says that maybe its a corporation, a huge conglomerate and I would have to give out A LOT of smooches and that would take up time that I should be running and I tell him....good point.

So, A.D. whomever you are, thank you for this amazing gift. YOU ARE HOPE to so many Goldens. I HOPE you know how much your very, incredibly generous matching gift donations are appreciated by us all!

Now...as promised....it's NAPPY POO TIME!

BE WELL EVERYONE!!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

2010-06-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

I hope all of you Daddies out there had a wonderful day with your peeps and pups!

So my training begins tomorrow. Don't get me wrong, I have been running for months now. But actual full-on, no excuses, get-off-the-velcro-couch training starts tomorrow. I'm tired just thinking about it!!!

The good part of training is I DO get to eat pretty much anything I want. When you run progressively increasing miles 5 days a week, you burn A LOT of calories.

Last year I swore off candy, cocktails and ice cream. This year, I'm only gonna do candy and ice cream. I decided giving up cocktails was a tad too extreme! You don't want me going completely coo coo, do you? I blame the lack of consumption of alcohol to my saying that I would do this again so shortly after I finished the first one! Coo Coo for cocoa puffs, I tell ya!

So I'm gonna go enjoy my last day of freedom. Maybe go to Cold Stone, get a scoop of ice cream, with candy on top. Go freeze my brain...maybe when it thaws I will have come to my senses.

Be well and Peace Out!

ARE YOU INSPIRED?

2010-06-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

As I started my run around the country club today, a group of cyclists passed me going the opposite direction. This in and of itself is not an unusual site. There are a lot of bike clubs in this area that use San Vicente and the West side as their playground.

But as I continue I see more and more cyclists. Like Hundreds. I go about halfway around the country club when I see a sign. The Aids/LifeCycle San Francisco to Los Angeles Bike-a-thon. It is a 7 day, 575 mile bike ride to raise money to help (hopefully) end Aids.

There were cyclists who were wearing mohawks on their helmets in every shade. Rainbow 'hawks and neon 'hawks. There were some that had stuffed animals or feathers or bright red afros attached to their helmets. Others had squeaky toys that they squeezed throughout the ride. Some had what I'm guessing were heavy duty pipe cleaners sticking out...kinda making 'em look like lighting bolts coming from their heads, and my favorite...a PLANT!

Some were dressed in crazy outfits. I saw a lion and a tiger and a bear (oh my). I saw a man with so much cra....stuff on him that he looked like a pinata. I saw a man in a riding outfit made to look like a tuxedo. It was fun to watch as they passed me by.

When I was running the marathon last year, it surprised me how much some stranger saying "great job" helped keep me going. So I thought it only fair to pay it forward. I would only see them on part of my route, but every time I was on San Vicente, I would clap and shout "good job" and "way to go" while giving a thumbs up.

Since I was running and chewing gum, I was taking a great risk trying to shout and clap and thumb at the same time! I only stumbled once...providing comic relief to those tired riders.

Not only was it amazing to see literally hundreds and hundreds of cyclists riding for a great cause, but it was amazing that I got a couple of cat calls, whistles and a, "Daaaamn, baby!!" even though I wasn't at my most attractive. My boyfriend doesn't have to worry though, they were all from women!

It was an inspiring run for me. It made me think how great it would be to some day have hundreds of people running to help our goldens. I just checked their website and they raised over 11 million bucks! Can you imagine?

So I'm hoping that you all are inspired to get out there and train for any of the Long Beach events, or inspired to get signed up and become our number one fundraiser! The marathon is 18 weeks from tomorrow (YIKES!). We can do this! And although we might not get close to 11 million $28,000 is a completely obtainable goal! (the leading fundraiser for AIDS/LifeCycle has raised over $52,000! If any of you raise that much, you can have as big a portrait as you want!!!!)

Get Inspired, Be well and Peace out!

CHALLENGES

2010-06-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

So last year, I put forth a challenge to all of you to eat lots of ice cream. ICE CREAM! The only condition was for every scoop, you put a buck into a jar and give it to Rescue.

To put it nicely, you guys TOTALLY sucked!

The only reason we got any Scoops donations was Sandy walked around Dogtoberfest and GUILTED those of you who were there and had cash left to give it over!

So this year, I am putting forth another challenge and this time, since you all are challenge CHALLENGED, it's an easy one. (Although people, I thought eating ice cream was pretty darned easy...and yummy!)

I am challenging all of you to be the top fundraiser for the GRCGLA Rescue through active.com!!!!!!!!!

If you go to http://www.active.com/donate/GRCGLARescue2010, you will be taken to our fundraising page. At the top is says "become a fundraiser".

You can sign up to fund raise EVEN IF YOU DON'T PARTICIPATE IN ANY EVENT!

You can post a picture of your favorite golden baby and say why you love the breed and why you are raising money to help our wonderful baby goldens! (If you have any questions, let me know)

Then you can send it to every single person you know and ask them to help YOU win!

And what will you win?
The winner will get 2, yes TWO 4"x4" pet portraits done in oil, done by yours truly.**

With her permission, here are portraits commissioned by Rescue's own Jo B:

If you are a super duper spectacular fundraiser...and I mean WICKED, NINJA GOOD (I'm talkin' at least $2500) we can discuss one bigger one.

So folks, are you up for the challenge?

Be well and get busy!!

**I paint from your original photos. Originals will need to be approved by me. Close up photos work the best.

The Marathon Guru

2010-05-20T19:15:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, Marty Friedman, aka, The Marathon Guru, aka, MG, aka, G, aka, The Slave Driver, played a very important role in helping me get trained for last year's marathon. I should probably add Attila and Crazy Man to the list because not only has he once again offered to crack the whip on me but he has told me he will help any of YOU that are interested in milking him dry of expertise!

I will warn you in advance that he is very serious about running and he has no problem telling you that you are a total and complete slacker...if you are!

But all kidding aside, G has a plethora (ooh ooh...one of my favorite words!) of information that is helpful to any runner, whether a newbie or someone who can make it around the block. If nothing else, he has proven to be a great motivator (Get movin' Lead Legs!)

So if you have any questions for Marty, you can email him at the following address: mjfriedman2@verizon.net

I know that he takes Hershey's Kisses and Reese's Peanut Butter cups as payment.

Be Well Everyone!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

I hope that all of you people mommies and doggie mommies had a wonderful Mother's Day!

I have had a few people ask me how the half marathon went...proving that no one is reading this!

And that's ok.... since no one reads this thing...I thought I would give poetry a try:

The sky is blue
the grass is green
I'm really glad I have my spleen

My knees don't knock
my eyes don't cross
Sweetness thinks he's the boss

My eyes are green
my hair is short
Football is my favorite sport

I hate my neighbor
his name is Michael
I wish I could ram him with my cycle

I love Goldens
I love cheese
Give me lots of both please

Some say I'm weird
Some say I'm quirky
Too much caffeine makes me jerky

I could go on...But I won't.

I will save the rest for the next time I feel like no one is reading this thing.

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

TOENAILS and BLISTERS and CRAMPS OH MY!!!!!

2010-04-26T19:53:00.001-07:00

So I will admit that I became somewhat of a slacker after the marathon. OK. A TOTAL SLACKER after the marathon. I would run, if I was lucky, MAYBE once a week. (I DID go to the gym.......twice)

At first, it was because I was sick and had a gnarly pulled muscle in my groin.

Then..it got really COLD! I really don't like running in the cold (I know...totally lame excuse!)

But I am happy to say that I am once again back to training and I gotta tell ya, my body is REVOLTING! (I know...I'm settin' myself up on that one!)

The toenail that got all icky was finally growing back nicely. It has already started to get all funky again...and this time it's bringing my big toe along with it!

No matter how much I spend on good shoes and socks that wick. No matter how much Vaseline I slather on, I get blisters. Big, yucky painful blisters. I believe that blisters are my body's way of getting back at me for all that it knows I'm gonna put it through for the next 5 and a half months.

On top of sore toes, fire breathing blisters and knees and ankles that are asking me "Are you SURE you want to do this again? We did this once already...we didn't much like it the first time!", I keep getting cramps when I'm running too! Nothing serious...just my body trying to "talk" me out of doing this again...personally, I think this is another way my body is forging a coup against training.

So I'd say I have been running seriously for about 3 weeks. I had planned on doing a half marathon this coming weekend. I knew that I hadn't been training long enough to do it so I told The Guru that I was gonna run a lot this week to get ready. He said NO! NO! NO! Go in under-trained. Well, I went against the Guru's advice (Blasphemy, I KNOW!) and ran a 9 mile long run on Saturday. Well it might has well have been 90 miles! I was so tired! My legs were like mush.

So I am rethinking the half marathon this weekend. I don't want to do anything that will set me back on the big picture! But this has been a much needed wake up call that it's time to get serious!

I hope that you all have at least started your training. Whether it be for running, walking or biking. If you haven't, IT'S NOT TOO LATE! Start now and we can get revolting bodies together!

And if your body says: "No way, Jose" or "Au contraire, mon frère" or "You are out of your FRICKIN' MIND, Homey", Just remember, we are doing it for the DOGS!!

Be well everyone and here we go again!!!!

2010-04-20T20:04:00.000-07:00

Click here for a downloadable flyer to print and distribute.

Race Day is OCTOBER 17th 2010

2010-03-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

Hello All!

I am pleased to announce that our Rescue is once again an official charity of the Long Beach Marathon!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!

Race Day is OCTOBER 17th 2010

Do you think we can exceed last year's totals in every possible way? Do you think we can get a full-on Team to participate in whichever race? Do you think I can finish in 5 hours without dying?!

I think we can! On every level, we now know what to expect and I think we can blow last year out of the water!

So I hope that you all started your training. If not, it is definitely not too late to start training for any of the races. Just to let you know there is the Full and Half Marathon, biking the course and a 5k. You can walk it too!

We will once again need at least 20 participants for any of the races (we had 40 last year...a lot that we did not even know!!) and 20 volunteers to work the expo or work on race day. This is completely separate from the volunteers we will need for our finish line festival tent area.

Of course I will have more info as it we get closer to the race, but put it in your calendars now because I want there to be so many of us and our beautiful goldens that we will be the talk of the day! We can all wear cool, matching shirts!

Be well everyone and IT'S TIME TO START RUNNING!! (from the movie "Running Man" with our governor and Richard Dawson. In the movie, contestants have to run for their lives for a game show. If you need motivation, just think: You won't be running to save YOUR life, you will be running (or walking or biking or volunteering) to save the lives of our baby Goldens!!!)

FINITO!!!

2009-10-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

As most of you have heard...I finished my marathon! 5:33:39. Not bad for my first time. I had hoped for a bit faster but I am in no way disappointed!

There are so many people that need to be thanked for all that WE AS A TEAM accomplished for Rescue!

I'd like to thank Ms. Sanya for being her usual bombilicious self for making the blog look so great and for keeping the running total (like the pun?) of all of our donations. I hope she knows how much her efforts to make our site look fantastic are appreciated!

I'd like to thank all of the folks who either offered up their time to volunteer to work for the marathon so that we satisfied our obligation to them and to those who hung out at the Finish Line Festival with all of the beautiful Golden babies! It was wonderful to finish and be around people I like and respect so much and to be around the dogs who just loved giving me kisses! (I think it had something to do with sweat...)

Thank you to everyone who joined the GRCGLA Rescue team. We ended up with 40 participants! Hopefully we will get a lot more for next year (yes...I am planning on a next year!!!)

I would like to thank Barbara Davis and Denise Buczek for their tireless efforts to get this fundraiser out to everyone. WE ROCKED THIS THING!

I would like to thank everyone who generously contributed to the thermometer. Every little cent is appreciated and added to our PHENOMENAL total of $28,200.00!!!

I would like to thank my beautiful Baby Sums for flying next to me during my run. She brought many of her new friends and they gave me the boost I needed. All I had to do was think about them and I didn't feel quite so tired (well I did but it got my mind off of it). I love you, Pretty Girl.

I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Mr. Marty Friedman, aka, The Marathon Guru, for all of his help and wisdom. He took a lot of time giving me tips and advice and I could not have finished without him. A couple of times during the race I heard his voice in my head saying: "come on, lead legs!!"... Of course he told me many times to think of him saying more positive things like "Go Golden runner girl" or "you are the most amazing, wonderful, super duper runner of all time" but all I could think of was "Lead Legs"...which they were! Thank you Guru, so very much, for everything! (Guru is the guy I'm hugging...getting him all sweaty!)

And last I would like to thank everyone who sent me good luck wishes and words of encouragement. I want you all to know how much those words meant and mean to me. And thanks to all who have read this blog and to all who've said they enjoyed it. It was fun.

Things I have learned from running a marathon:

I can't run and drink water from a cup at the same time
I can't run and have a coughing fit at the same time (I ran the marathon with a cold)
I can't run, chew gum, eat GU, and hold water at the same time (are you noticing a pattern here???)
GU is my friend. I love GU. I am going to carry a GU with me at all times. Bury me with a GU (They had run out of GU (energy gel) at the first station that it was offered. So I had to wait until mile 16.5 to get a darned GU! I thought I was gonna die! I was literally thinking of who I would have to kill, maim or bribe to get one. Good thing I was so weak I couldn't have squished a bug!)
My nose runs faster than I do.
Doggies think I am the yummiest after a run.
Toenails ARE for sissies!! (One of my toenails is falling off.)
Blisters are BAD!
Cupcakes are GOOD!

And, all kidding aside, I am one of the luckiest people to be surrounded by folks like you. It is my honor and privilege to be a member of this organization. I am so proud to be a part of the GRCGLA Rescue.

Be well everyone!
Peace out!

CONGRATULATIONS BETHANY!

2009-10-11T14:59:00.000-07:00

She completed her very first marathon in 5:33:39!

IT'S HERE!

2009-10-10T10:52:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that the marathon is tomorrow!

When I started this, I had 22 weeks to train. It seemed so far away. It went REALLY fast.

I am excited and nervous.

I am also VERY excited that my Chicago Bears have a bye this week. I asked them to not play on the day that I run my first marathon. So nice of them to not play on a day that I wouldn't be able to watch them. My people are so good!

My bib # is 958. You can see how I'm doing by going to this link: http://www.liveraceresults.com/liverc2/Default.aspx

Enter in my bib # and you will see how slowly I am getting along ;)

If any of you have nothing to do tomorrow...come on down to Long Beach with your beautiful doggies! This is a wonderful opportunity for the GRCGLA Rescue. We can use all the help and all the Golden Babies possible to make us the most popular area of the Finish Line Festival!!!

Be well everyone...and I will see you on the flip side!!!

SCCCOOOOOOOOOOOOOPS!!!!

2009-10-01T17:25:00.003-07:00

Hello everyone!

It is October 1st. The day the ice cream challenge comes to an end. I hope that you have all eaten so much ice cream that you never want to see ice cream AGAIN....or at least until next weekend!

If you would like to project how much more ice cream you will eat this year and include it in the total...that is completely acceptable!!!

So dump that kitty and Count D' Money!!!!

If you will be attending Dogtoberfest this Saturday, please write a check for the number of scoops and bring it to the festivities!! I will be there with a HUGE envelope to take all those checks!!!

If you won't be attending Dogtoberfest, please write a check and send it to the PO Box ASAP (PO BOX 491209 Los Angeles, CA 90049). Please write "SCOOPS" in the memo. Send it soon as we would really like to add it to the total and make that thermometer go up, uP, UP!!!

Thank you all in advance for accepting this HORRIBLE challenge!!! I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I have missed the lusciousness of all that yummy, yummy chocolatey goodness!!

Be well everyone...YOU ROCK!!!!!!!

Random Musings

2009-09-29T09:14:00.001-07:00

First, I would like to thank all of the people I know (and those that I don't) that have registered to participate in one (or two!!) of the marathon events. They are taking time out of their busy schedules to help our baby Goldens and I can't thank them enough. I was also just informed that a great friend of Carole's and a vet that we use often, Dr. Kelpe, the owner of Santa Margarita Animal Care Center has signed up to run the marathon as well. (This is also where I picked up my Baby Sums!) Thank you Dr. Kelpe for your generous offer to help us raise funds!! I'm told he is using this as "practice." Oh the day when I run 26.2 miles for PRACTICE!!!!! He will probably finish, go home, shower and be watching football by the time I finish! Marathon as practice....sheeesh!

I have seen some cool and wacky things while running:

There was the man I saw biking with one of those kiddie trailer stroller thingys. Though instead of having a kid back there, he had his beautiful senior border collie, along for a beach ride looking quite happy and relaxed.

There was the woman I saw running with a baby stroller. The kid inside was the exact opposite of the border collie...screaming bloody murder. I was thinking to myself that it should have been the mom screaming, not the kid. Totally reinforced my decision to have dogs...not babies.

There is the woman who I see a lot who looks anorexic. She has the weirdest gait I have ever seen. It looks like she is running without bending her knees. And her arms are at a 45 degree angle with her fists angled down. They just flap in the wind. She is so skinny that I want to feed her a cheeseburger.

There was this man I saw on Saturday who was probably one of the biggest men I have ever seen. Had to be close to 7 feet tall and was just a wall of muscle. He was wearing a running get up that was easily 3 sizes too small for him. I laughed to myself that no one would ever tell him that he looked ridiculous in that outfit because he would squish them like a bug.

I have been training now for about 20 weeks. I have gone from running 2 miles to 22 miles. I have been completely upfront about my slowness. I get passed every time I run by everyone going in my direction and I am ok with this. Since I am in taper mode, I don't have to run the distances that I have had to in the past few weeks so I have been working on my speed.

I am just beside myself BaSCHIZZLED to announce that this past week I have actually passed people! (And NO! I am not talking about the woman with the cane...although I lapped her TWICE!!!) YES! People who were RUNNING!

I play the "Rocky" anthem in my head and imagined myself doing the Rocky dance at the top of the Rocky steps. I stop the image in my head when I see myself jumping up and down and then slipping, spraining my ankle and falling down those steps. You see, I didn't get the memo about the day they were handing out elegance and grace. So I got awkward and klutzy instead.

Be well everyone!

Fear

2009-09-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, I went bungee jumping. I'm gonna say that it is probably one of the most terrifying things that someone can willingly do. You have all these ropes attached to you and you are standing on a maybe 10" x 12" platform on the "bad" side of a bridge. You look down and you see the rocks that you will hit if the ropes don't work (they have always worked). They count down 3-2-1 and you jump! Holy Moly!

Here is a picture of my first jump in which I jumped off backward. You can see from my face that I am one scared Mamma Jamma! As scary as that first jump was, I jumped 2 more times. What a rush and what an accomplishment to face your fears and jump off of a bridge (3 TIMES)!

I will admit that I am feeling a bit of fear as the marathon grows close (3 WEEKS!). Fear is what has gotten me off the couch some days because I knew that if I didn't run, I would never be able to finish. I feared that I would let all of the doggies down if I didn't finish. Fear can be a great motivator.

The Guru (Marty) told me that this weekend would be my last long run before the marathon and he suggested I do 21 miles. So since I knew that this was my last long run and having that continuous nagging fear that I won't finish, I pushed myself just a little. I completed 22 miles. And now I am in what the Guru calls taper mode. I'm going to be letting my legs rest from now until the marathon (if you call ONLY running 12 or 14 miles in one day "REST"!)

So if you see me between now and marathon day (October 11th), I may not LOOK as terrified as I am in this picture; but know that I am that scared on the inside! But as I did with the bungee jumping, I will overcome fear and I can only imagine the feeling of great accomplishment I will feel when I cross the finish line into the wonderful field of goldens that I envision will be waiting for me. I only wish that the marathon would be over as quickly as the jump was.

Be well everyone!

Beauty and the Beet

2009-09-10T23:05:00.000-07:00

So I have made it clear that I look pretty when I run...pretty awful. I am a beet red, sweaty mess almost from the get go. I usually run around the country club near my apartment which conveniently has a dirt track around it's perimeter. By the time I'm finished running, my legs are covered with a thin film of dirt from having that dirt kicked up by passing runners. So to say I look a hot mess would be an understatement but I'm not supposed to look pretty...I'm running!

The other evening I was running around the CC and this woman runs past me. She is beautiful. Not a drop of sweat on her. Very stylish outfit. Her gorgeous, thick, chocolate brown hair is FLOWING behind her. I literally looked around for camera crew. I could see the commercial in my head:

(Shot of me running...)
Announcer: "Are you tired of looking terrible when you workout?"

(Shot of HER running...)
Announcer: "Now YOU can look amazing when you workout too! Just use LUSCIOUS LOCKS shampoo and conditioner. It not only makes your hair flow beautifully in the wind, it's patented formula actually STOPS you from sweating! Get LUSCIOUS LOCKS NOW and you will never look like this (camera pans back to me) EVER AGAIN!!!"

There was no camera crew. She was just one of those women that looks great no matter what. It's unnatural really. I'm not gonna say that I wanted to trip her and drip sweat onto her splayed body because that would make me sound mean and I am not mean. A bit envious maybe, but not mean. So instead I envisioned myself just HUGGING her! From the front. From the back. Mess up her perfect hair a bit. Yep...hugging her. Get her nice and sweaty...like me...the Beet.

Be well everyone.

A Fine Line

2009-09-03T14:09:00.001-07:00

I have realized recently that I am just THIS SIDE of looney! People who know me may be saying "Well Duh! We've known this for quite some time". But now I know!

I have always been obsessive about some things, like checking my purse repeatedly to make sure my keys are there. I tell myself..."Don't have to look again, they're in there" and what do I do? Check again...twice.

Being a part of this rescue has fed into my tendency towards obsession.

I look every day at how many dogs we have.
I obsess about how many need foster homes.
I obsess even more about the seniors who need foster homes (ROCKO!!!)I obsess about how we can raise more money to help.

Jenna shares my obsession and although I think she beats me in the obsessive department, I am a VERY CLOSE second.

Thank goodness I can use my obsession toward good and not evil! If I were evil, I would be thinking in my diabolical mind about how I could abduct Moseby without Denise EVER knowing it was me!

I have also realized that I am quite the gifted stalker!

I find that I have absolutely no patience when it comes to getting answers; especially when it comes to helping the dogs. You can ask the charity coordinator for the marathon....she probably hides under her desk in fear whenever my number shows up on her caller id! I mean...I know this is the 4th time I'm calling, the last being only 3 minutes ago but really...I need answers NOW!

I checked the Marathon site every day to see if any new participants signed up. Up until Friday I was SERIOUSLY freaking out about whether we would get enough people (We needed 20). I was very excited on Saturday when I checked to see that we have TWENTY EIGHT!!! Woo HOO! I don't have to stalk people anymore. (NO! I am not the crazy woman who was seen chasing after people screaming: YOU WANT TO RUN A MARATHON TO HELP HOMELESS GOLDEN RETRIEVERS?!)

So I am ok with being considered looney when it comes to Goldens. It's good to be passionate, right? Just be very glad that I stay on this side of the looney line...otherwise you would all have to worry.

Now...back to figuring out how to airlift Moseby out of the yard using helium balloons........

Age

2009-08-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

So I have been endlessly NAGGED...er, I mean asked constantly for pictures of me running. I finally found someone who would take some pictures and I owe a big thanks to Cindy for allowing me to get the nag...er, I mean blogmistress, Sanya, off my case. ;)

Unfortunately, my camara is a bit old and you have to hold the button down for about 10 seconds before the thing will take a picture. The zoom is a little ify so to actually get a motion shot I had to run really slow....(even slower than my normal pace!!) So if these pictures look a little posed....they aren't...they are just the best "action" shots my poor old camara could handle.

Speaking of old. A couple of weeks ago, the Guru asked me my age. I didn't mind but asked him first how old he thought I was. He completely lied and said he thought I was 21. All that running has obviously warped his vision...

In case any of you were wondering how old I will be when I run my first marathon, I turn 37 this weekend. I am telling all of you not to get birthday wishes but to suggest that EVERYONE eat a scoop of ice cream on Saturday...which I think should be the Official Rescue Eat Ice Cream Day. The challenge for everyone but me still applies because nothing has guilt, fat or calories on your birthday. So I will be indulging in a scoop (or 5) of chocolate malt ice cream!!! Yeeeee haaawwwwww!

Be well everyone!

The Most Precious Gift

2009-08-17T22:43:00.000-07:00

I knew from the moment I saw her picture that Summer was my dog.

I can't tell you what it was about her...but I had to have her. I think the forces knew too because everything that needed to happen for me to get her, happened.

My landlord, who up until then would only allow dogs 30 lbs or less in the building, said I could get a dog Summer's size.

Summer needed a home with no stairs and a person with a low car because of her arthritis...done and done. (I have stairs but they only lead to my studio...not anywhere she would have to go).

I found out that Carole was going to entrust this beautiful baby to me on a Monday. I was not going to be able to pick her up until that Saturday, March 15th. Talk about a LONG week. My boyfriend and I were so excited. He found this website where you can put in a future time and it will give you hours, minutes and seconds until that time. He would send me random emails with just times in them ie: "345,600 SECONDS UNTIL DOGGY!"

On Saturday, I got up early because I couldn't sleep. I left early to get her and that's a good thing because I was so excited that I got lost a few times heading down to Orange County. (I'm sure Carole was doubting my intelligence at that time wondering how I could get lost in the 5 minutes since I last talked to her!!!) I was so nervous and shaking with excitement that I guess I couldn't quite see straight because those signs said something different the first time I passed them!!!

I finally made it and saw her for the first time in person and she was beautiful. A little scruffy and a bit overweight but she was beautiful. Technically, I was going to foster her first but I knew from that first second that I was going to be a failure. I threw her in the car (well...not throw exactly....heaved is more like it) and escaped before Carole came to her senses and decided that I was too dim witted to be a parent to this wonderful baby.

Summer was calm and reserved those first 2 weeks or so. She would follow me everywhere. I started taking her on short walks. She had trouble going through doors (we nicknamed her the "Doork") and would bark at herself in the mirror. At first she had no interest in toys and would always hesitate a few minutes before she would eat.

I adopted her officially 2 weeks later and its funny, I don't remember that specific date because I knew she was mine from March 15th...so that is the day I considered her adopted. It's also funny that the moment the paperwork was signed...she became the CWAZY DAWG! Denise brought her a toy bone and she FINALLY played with a toy. She loved her Harry Barker bones. She would toss them in the air and try to catch them. She would chase them down the hallway. We nicknamed her the Perk-o-lator.

We went on long walks and she would bust out a short run. If she saw another dog she would puff out her chest and trot like she was a show dog. Remember those stairs that she couldn't climb? She climbed them...arthritis smarthritis. She was amazing.

She showed her obsessive love for anything she could eat after that. She LOVED her food. The once reserved dog who would wait to eat would practically knock me over in an attempt to get her nose in the kibble can. She would literally do circles in the kitchen waiting for me to give her her food. "Hurry up Mom! I'm STARVIN"!! She would think that no matter what I was doing in the kitchen me being in there meant that SHE was gonna get food. She also thought that paper, socks, dish towels, bike gloves and kleenex were food. I became a much cleaner person with her in the house.

She became famous (or infamous?) in the neighborhood. I would leave the balcony door open for her and she loved just laying out there with her head resting on the bottom rung of the railing. She made herself known to everyone...especially those who walked their dogs past her because she would bark at them. For whatever reason, Sums was not great around other dogs. I nicknamed her Snarky Barker and told her that if she didn't want to sound like a game show host, she had to stop barking at other dogs!

I imagine her barking down to those other dogs as if to say "You are SO lucky you are down there and I I am up here because I AM the QUEEN of this neighborhood and YOU are only walking in it because I say so!"

People would come up to me while I was walking her squealing "Oh thats the doggy from up there! She sooooo cute, pretty, beautiful....I see her up there everyday" I nicknamed her the Neighborhood Watch.

She would play and be so funny. She would do a donut and dive into the floor then roll onto her back. She would cross her front paws and do her "back dance". She was so funny. I nicknamed her Kooky Magooky.

If I tried doing anything on the computer she would come up and put her nose under my hand and lift it away from the keys. After I got my laptop she would ram her nose into the cover to close it as if to say. "those hands should be petting me!" When I was sleeping and she thought it was time for me to get up and feed her, she would come up to the bed and jab her nose into my face...or UNDER my face and lift...and continue to do that until I acknowledged her presence...and I could never get her to sleep past 6:30am! "Come ON, Mom!!! I'm STARVIN'!" I tried telling her that we got to sleep late on weekends but she wouldn't have it. I nicknamed her Demando.

My Summer was diagnosed with lung cancer after she had a seizure in April. Although I would not put her through the tests, they were quite sure that it had spread (or maybe started) in her brain and that tumor is what caused her seizures. It took us completely by surprise because she was doing so well. Mark had even nicknamed her Summer Button because she seemed to be getting younger everyday. We put her on phenobarbitol to hopefully stop the seizures but at her age (12), there was nothing to be done for the cancer. We were just gonna make her as happy as possible for as long as possible and after her body adjusted to the drug, she was back to her "normal" kooky self.

Last Thursday, my beautiful Baby Sums let me know that it was time to let her go. She went to sleep knowing that she was dearly loved by everyone who met her and especially by Mark and me.

People would always say to me that Summer was lucky that I rescued her. That may have been true but I think it was Mark and I who were the lucky ones...me especially because I got to be with her everyday for 2 days shy of 16 months. I got to see her blossom into the dog she was for almost the entire time she was in my life. Sums made me a better person. She made me happy when I was sad with just looking at me with those amazing eyes. She would watch over me when I slept, even if it was from the other room, and I would be comforted knowing she was near. She showed me what amazing things can be done when you just decide to do it (the stairs). Summer made me laugh with her craziness. We are the lucky ones to have been blessed with the most precious gift we could ever have been given...Summer's unconditional love. I am blessed and honored to be able to say that I was Summer's Mom. I miss her so very very much.

I also know that I am the lucky one because I am going to be running with my dog on marathon day. And everyday until then. And every day after. Because I know my beautiful angel Baby Sums, (the Cwazy, Doork, Perk-o-lator, Snarky Barker, Kooky Magooky, Summer Button, Neighborhood Watch, Demando, DAWG) will be by side, running next to me like she couldn't here...saying "HURRY UP MOM...I'M STARVIN'!

I will be running the marathon for all our Goldens but I will finish in loving memory of my most precious gift.

Happy days!

2009-08-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

I had a nice weekend.

My 3rd niece was born on Saturday. After a day of being called Baby Girl by the hospital and 3N by Mark and I (No Name Niece) they finally decided on Melinda Grace. She is healthy and beautiful...in that smooshed red faced baby kind of way. I can't wait to see her...but it won't be until after the marathon as she lives in Michigan.

While I was running 15.5 miles Oscar arrived from Taiwan.

I had a nice Sunday. Slept in a bit. I have been pretty sore lately, especially in my shoulders. (You would think with all the training it would be my legs that are sore...but nope. Its my shoulders). So I went and got (in my opinion anyway) a much deserved massage. It was amazing!

And then when I got home I remembered...FOOTBALL season started! Yes its just preseason but its still football!!! Yes I am a HUGE football fan! I am not gonna say which team I am a fan of because I don't want to make anyone who might have wanted to donate not donate because of which team I root for! (ie "Well I was gonna donate a MILLION dollars but Bethany is a _______'s fan!!! I hate the ______s!!!!")

If any of you are football fans....this is ANOTHER way to possibly get donations for this worthy cause. Throw a football party!!!! Have people pay a "cover charge" to get in. Or...for every touchdown throw a dollar in a pot. If there are fans from both teams present have a friendly rivalry and have them throw money in the pot for every point your team scores and visa versa! Be creative! (Of course, I am in no way promoting gambling!)

Have a great week everyone....and GO _______s!!!!!!

More fundraising challenge ideas...

2009-08-09T10:24:00.000-07:00

Skip Starbucks: If you work in an office, get with 4-5 coworkers who drink designer coffee and agree to skip it just one day; pool the money saved from passing on the latte and you'll easily have enough for a Baby Step. How about if you did this once a week until marathon time?

Brown bag it: Similar to the first idea, if you bring your lunch to work, or know people who do, encourage everyone to bring their lunch for a day (or a week!) instead of buying a meal. Combined the saved cash and donate to Team Bethany. Ditto the once a week thing!

Penny collections: Little kids can help by collecting pennies and other coins from relatives, friends and neighbors. Rinsed out soda cans make great collection devices. You'd be amazed at how quickly one dedicated kid can collect a Baby Step.

Dollar drives: Medium-sized kids with a pledge sheet collect $1 from 25 people to earn a baby step.

Party Proceeds: Some of our adopters have held Golden Retriever themed birthday parties for their kids. The kids forego gifts for themselves and the guest brings items or money to donate to rescue.

The Adventures of (Dut Dut Da Daaaahh) NIGHT RUNNER

2009-08-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

I have been running in the late evenings for the last week or so. It is so much cooler (temperature wise...I'm so past the point of "being" cool). Since my distances are getting longer (13.5 miles on Friday, 9 miles last night), I end up finishing when it is dark; and there's a whole new realm of dangers after dark!!!

There are fiery spears that mighty giants throw into my path that I have to carefully run around or be singed (street and bus stop signs)

When they do not hit their target (me) with their fiery spears, it angers them so much that they try to SMASH me with their massive fists. I elude them again with my swiftness (more likely my slowness) but the blows leave mountains of crumbled Earth that I must deftly maneuver. (Tree roots growing under the path that lift the concrete)

There are massive boulders that come up from the ground, ever attempting to make me trip and fall (Just rocks about 3 inches long but they DO try to trip me)

There are grenades left in the middle of the path to blow me to smithereens (dog poop....COME ON people!!! Pick up after your pets!!!)

There are angry trees that jump in my way and try to grab me in their arms (I was trying to go around the tree but there was someone coming from the other direction. I cleared the tree but it JUMPED out at me....EVERYONE SAW!)

The evil night villains tried to gas me with noxious fumes (A man that passed me on the path was wearing THE most disgusting cologne I have ever smelled. And it LINGERED...I thought I was gonna DIE!!)

They tried to blind me with laser beams so that I can't see all the scary obstacles in my way (Headlights are SO bright nowadays)

And I was almost attacked by a dragon spitting FIRE (It was actually a chihuahua yip yip yipping constantly as I passed)

I don't wear tights and a cape (thank goodness) but I am out there FIGHTING EVIL! All for the doggies I love so much!

So be careful friends, if you are out after dark. Who knows what the forces of evil will throw in YOUR path...and if you are on Montana Ave near Bundy, be careful of the fire breathing chihuahua dragon!!!

Excuses and lies

2009-07-30T22:38:00.000-07:00

When I got home from work last night, the LAST thing I wanted to do was go run.

Here are some of the excuses that ran through my head:

I worked late
I'm too tired
I'm so sore (I cross train once a week. On Tuesday, did nothing but various squats and push-ups for about 30 minutes straight...my butt is killing me!)
I'm hungry
I want to be with Summer
I have no clean running shorts
My blisters need one more day to heal
I should really vacuum

As those excuses were running through my head I started thinking about lies I could tell when someone asked me if I ran:

I DID run!
No...I had to work late and didn't get home 'til 9:30
I had to wash my hair
My car wouldn't start
I couldn't find my keys
I had to perform an emergency appendectomy on a goldfish
Summer ate my shoes

I know, I know! Only a terrible person would lie and say their senior Golden Baby did such a terrible thing.

So I ended up going for a run. No excuses. No lies. It sure would have been easy not to go but I did it for the doggies...and for the safety of goldfish everywhere (This may shock you...but I am NOT a goldfish surgeon)

Be well friends....I now have to go save the world! (lie)

Energy!

2009-07-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

The Marathon Guru (Marty) has advised me to have energy bars or the like ready to keep me sustained during my long runs. I have figured to this point that I haven't run long enough to need food sustenance plus I really don't have anywhere to put it (no pockets).

I have been running my long runs on the bike path at the beach so I have been able to drink from the water fountains there since between my iPod and box of Kleenex, I don't really have enough hands to hold a bottle of water. (Up to this point I have REFUSED to wear one of those water bottle waist belts. Unfortunately, as I learned on my long run on Friday night (12 miles!!!), I'm gonna have to add that "hip" fashion adornment to my plethora of geekcessories...NICE!)

Anyway, on one of my shorter runs this week I just ran around the neighborhood. So no need for fuel. I usually start my runs pretty slow. First, to warm up and second because I usually feel like I am never gonna make it past a mile. Once I get to a half mile or so, I get used to it and am able to get into my groove. Groove being about a 12 minute mile.

So I'm running along and all of a sudden, a bug flies into my mouth and down my throat. (I later realized that I was just about to pass the local Cold Stone. I must have had my mouth open and my tongue hanging out without knowing it. Note to self...keep mouth closed when passing the Cold Stone).

Now don't be grossed out, it's just a bug...protein if you will. But I gotta tell you....it must have been a SUPER ENERGY PROTEIN BUG because I found myself speeding up. I had energy. Lightness of step. I was haulin'!!! I ended up running that night at a pace that averaged an 11 minute mile. Amazing since my first half mile is run at about a 13-14 minute pace and my normal pace after that is usually a 12 minute mile!

So there is something to that sustenance thing! Not that I ever doubted the Guru!

I wish I knew what kind of bug that was...

Peace out

Preparedness

2009-07-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

Anyone who says that running is a cheap sport because you don't need any equipment obviously doesn't know what the heck they are talking about! Just throw on some shoes and go my eye!!!

I had to go out and buy the most expensive shoes I have ever bought (really)
I had to go out and buy running shorts
I had to go out and buy shirts that are "technical" shirts so that they make me feel "dry" when I'm really a sweaty mess
I had to go out and buy socks that have no cotton in them so that moisture can be wicked away so I don't get blisters
I got a blister anyway (so much for the expensive shoes and wicking socks!) so now I have to tape my toe
I have to put sunblock on
I have to put body glide on because my new shorts rub me weird
I went out and bought a watch that times me, measures my heart rate and infuriates me when it tells me my recovery rate is FAIR (I'll give you fair you stupid piece of...)
I have this band thing that attaches to my sunglasses so they don't fall off my face
I have this little pouch that attaches to my shoe so that I can carry my keys
I wear the COOLEST hat that says GRCGLA Rescue on it
I have my iPod
And, about 10 Kleenex because my nose runs faster than I do.

Running... has turned me into a geek! Or as some who know me might say...has made me ADMIT that I am a geek!

Be well friends!

Geek out!

Temptation!

2009-07-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

I completed my weekend challenge and I am not dead! Ten miles! The last 2 were hotter than the hinges of Hades, but I survived!

I ran on the path at the beach and it was very hot and crowded.

As I was heading back to my car, dripping wet and red as a beet (my face gets annoyingly red when I work out) a girl was standing outside of a frozen yogurt establishment. She asked me if I wanted to try a sample!

At first, I thought the heat had really gotten to me and I was hallucinating this wonderful vision...frozen yogurt? Free? So much like ice cream but not quite? Would I like a free sample of cold, hopefully yummy, coldness?

The personality to my left says, "Go ahead, eat the yogurt...technically it's NOT ice cream...no one would know that we ate it...GO AHEAD!"

The personality to my right says, "No, don't eat it...it might not taste good, then we will have ruined the challenge and we will feel horrible for cheating."

The personality that sits somewhere on the top of my head and usually gets me in trouble (that personality is in charge whenever I have to say to myself, "Did I say that out loud?") screams at the girl, "How dare you?! Offering me pseudo ice cream when we are trying to not eat sugar! Do you NOT know who we are? Don't you read our BLOG?"

Thankfully, this was all in my head and happened in a matter of seconds so that Me, the somewhat sane personality could just say, "No thanks."

Challenges!

2009-07-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

First let me say Happy Belated 4th to everyone. I hope you were all happy and safe!

Second I would like to say 'thanks!' to Mr. Marty Friedman, aka, The Marathon Guru, for all of his advice so far. Marty has completed 17 marathons and has been kind enough to offer up his guruness to this rookie! His "ink blots" of wisdom have been so helpful! Thanks Marty!

Marty (The Marathon Guru) has challenged me to run 10 miles on my long run this weekend (last weekend I ran 8.5). Since I am a sucker for challenges, I have accepted.

I am also challenging myself by not indulging in my biggest downfall...SUGAR! I have an INSANE sweet tooth. I love the green, tropical fruit Starbursts, Now and Laters, cookies, ICE CREAM (chocolate malt crunch with those little nuggets of yummy malty goodness)...sigh...sorry can you tell I'm not handling this challenge very well?

So in light of these challenges I have either accepted or given myself, I have a challenge for all of YOU...

EAT MORE ICE CREAM!!!

I'm serious. I am not allowing myself sugar, so I want you guys to eat it for me...but THERE IS A CATCH!!!!

(This is also a way for me to know if anyone actually reads this blog since no one comments....I'm thinking I might have a couple of my personalities make some comments... ;))

For every scoop of ice cream you eat, throw a dollar into a kitty (a jar, not your pet). On October 1st, count the money in your kitty. Either bring it to Dogtoberfest or send it in to the PO Box (a check would be best...just put "scoops" in the memo). Make sure you send it before the marathon so we can add it to the total!

This is the best challenge! No more feeling guilty for that extra scoop! EAT MORE SCOOPS! If all of you eat 25 scoops of ice cream this summer...you will be sending me a baby step!!!! Baby Steps make miles!!! And miles make HAPPY GOLDENS!!!!

Eat wisely my friends...and tell me how HORRIBLE it was so that I don't wimper at the thought of crunchy, malty yumminess!!!!

Inspiration

2009-07-01T11:35:00.000-07:00

To the left is a picture of my Golden rescue, Summer and she is an inspiration. But she is not the only thing that inspires me to run.

I am inspired by the dogs that we have rescued who come to us broken and unloved. Who, with just a bit of affection and some wonderful vet care turn into amazingly beautiful, loving dogs. I am in awe of some of the most amazing transformations from scared and miserable to happy and loved.

I am inspired by the people in this Rescue who take time (a significant amount for some)out of their lives to help these wonderful dogs in the many ways that make this rescue what it is...THE BEST. I am in awe of all that you do.

I am inspired by the people in this Rescue who bring these dogs into their lives and homes who then send them on to their forever homes. We have some amazing fosters in this rescue and I am in awe of the gift you give these dogs in their transition.

Sorry if this sounds totally cheeseball but every person and every Golden (rescued or not) associated with this Rescue is my inspiration. Without all of you, we would be nothing and I am honored to be a part of this incredibly amazing organization.

Celebrity sighting in Santa Monica!

2009-06-25T22:33:00.000-07:00

Dash from the Incredibles! I mean he wasn't wearing his mask or anything but it had to be him...otherwise I just had my butt handed to me by a 7 year old!

I was running at a high school in my area. There was a mother walking the track while her son was laying there reading a comic. We passed him at the same time and the boy got up and was running at the same pace as his mom. Of course I passed them (as I should have)! I run around about 3/4 of the track and he BLOWS past me. I literally thought to myself, "How the heck can he be passing me?" So he gets back to his area and stops. I pass him. I go about 50 yards and he blows past me again.

I insist to myself that he must have special shoes or something and I forget about him...until he blows past me for the THIRD TIME! He gets about 15 yards ahead of me and HE TURNS AROUND AND RUNS BACKWARD! He smirks at me, SMIRKS! TAUNTING ME IN MY SLOWNESS. I sooo wanted to give him a nuggie and I would have...if I could have caught him! Humiliation my friends! Painful, horrible, utter humiliation! By a 7 year old. I'm going to go cry now.

2009-06-24T12:13:00.001-07:00

Running for Goldens

2009-06-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

If you can't participate in the event or are unavailable to volunteer, you can definitely be a part of the GRCGLA Rescue team by helping us reach our fundraising goal. You can use the donate button to the left and help me reach my individual goal of $1000 per mile!!! You will be making a huge difference in the lives of sick, injured and/or homeless Golden Retrievers.

Hello!

2009-06-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

I have been told on a few occasions that I am a bit cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs (in the nicest possible way, of course). I have bungee-jumped and para-sailed. I picked up and moved cross country without knowing a single person. I have EVEN roller-bladed WITHOUT protective gear (big mistake and I have the scar to prove it!)

So my next tad bit crazy event is running a marathon.

Crazy because, although I workout 3 or 4 times a week, this is the same girl who, the week before making this marathon-running decision was gasping for much needed oxygen after running around the parking lot of my neighborhood YMCA!!! I was literally thinking to myself, "Geez! You can't even run around the block, you slacker!" So after that realization, I started running. After a week, I was so full of myself, I mean come on, I was up to 2 MILES, I decided to run a marathon. And even crazier than that is I TOLD people I was gonna run a marathon!

So I looked up marathon information and found that the one that I could realistically train for and hopefully finish was the Long Beach Marathon on October 11th. In doing my research for registering to run I of course ran across the charity page. I thought, "Hey, maybe I can do this AND earn money for the doggies!" Guess what? I CAN do it for the doggies....but I'm not gonna do it alone!!!

I and anyone that wants to join the GRCGLA Rescue team will be earning money for our Goldens! Hopefully, our team will grow to include many of you! You can run the half or full marathon, bike the marathon or walk or run the 5k. If you join our team, you too can help to raise money for homeless Golden Retrievers!

If you can't participate in the actual event, no worries! We also need a minimum of 20 volunteers to work with us on Friday or Saturday at the Health and Fitness Expo or on Sunday during the race. The ICB provides training, t-shirt and meals for the volunteers. They will also provide community service hours for any of our volunteers that need to accumulate them.

If you know of ANYONE who would like to be a part of our team, let them know about team GRCGLA Rescue!!

Please go to the marathon website http://www.runlongbeach.com/ to get more info. And if you register, make sure that you join the GRCGLA Rescue team!!!

Thanks so much! Check back regularly, I will be updating my training progress!