26 days until the marathon

I wanted to write a quick blog about how I'm feeling. Just one long run left before the marathon. I feel ready. I know what I'm going to wear. I know what I'm going to eat. I have my pace in mind. I've trained to climb the hills of the course. I'm done listening to doubters (including myself). 

I've had aches and pains in this journey. I remember one of the first things I felt was foot pain, like October or November 2023. I felt like I had a stress fracture in one foot. I remember googling "obese running problems" to see if there was any correlation between weight and running and foot injuries. What I found was that it was actually inversely proportional. Heavy runners tended to run slower and have fewer foot injuries. Lighter runners tended to do too much speed work too soon and get stress fractures. So I kept plodding along.

I don't know which of my runners it was that asked me, don't you have any injuries? and I remember saying, no because I do the proper stretching, strengthing, and rehab. But that's not entirely true. I got a mean case of shin splints around May and June 2024. It hurt so bad even to walk. I think it was probably muscle weakness in the calf that caused it. And I continued to stretch, and do strength exercises, and work through the pain, and buy new shoes! And more calf raises. And curtsey lunges without putting weight on the back leg.

I guess it was about a year ago that I went in and got assessed for new shoes. I was probably following a 5k training plan back then and didn't really look like a serious runner. Those shoes worked well for me and I ended up getting three more pairs of that style. I got reassessed last week and they recommended a pair of New Balance. More lightweight, more cushion. 

I remember it must have been around October or November when I started having pain in my psoas. Or hip flexor. I ordered a dance warm-up that I thought would help. I asked on the Coach's chat for the LA Roadrunners and they said it was most likely a weak muscle. And that the solution is not more stretching or foam rolling but more strengthing. So banded marches it is. What I ended up doing is attending Fit4Mom Stroller Strides classes and then swapping out the exercises I should be doing for my rehab and running strength instead of whatever the instructor tells us.

I don't know what day it was but one morning it was really cold. I had some knee pain. But I put on my knee-high leg warmers and ran anyway. As long as my knees were covered, it was okay. If the leg warmer slipped below the knee, it hurt a bit. I'm guessing it was Lassen (January 30th). Adding speed and treadmill and hills at the same time. Probably too much. 

I would love to write more about how I'm feeling, but I have to run to class. Enjoy this Venn Diagram I made about the similarities and differences between Motherhood, Marathoning and Teaching.

self-love

What is the greatest love of all? Learning to love yourself. Whitney Houston became a mom in 1993, but recorded this song in 1984.

Katy Perry became a mom in 2020, but recorded this song in 2010 when I was doing my internship in Germany. I remember hearing it on the radio and feeling so homesick for SoCal.

Miley Cyrus recorded Party in the USA in 2009. I loved hearing this song when I was in Germany. It made me homesick for Los Angeles and I wanted to hop a flight back right away. I didn't appreciate Miley as an artist too much at the time, but now she's one of my favorite icons. Being proud of the USA doesn't ring as true for me anymore, hopefully this country will check itself before it wrecks itself.

I listen to my Disney Hits playlist and one of the songs that hypes me up the most is this one by Hannah Montana. Miley says she's not ready for motherhood, but there's still time, she's only 31. Her memoir Miles to Go was published in 2009. I really enjoyed the memoir of Jessica Simpson called Open Book. She talks about going to the Disney auditions and how messed up the whole process was.

Niki Minaj became a mother in 2020, but recorded Super Bass in 2010. Honestly, I was having a tough week and I put on this song and immediately felt better. The years I spent working on my PhD were some of the darkest times in my life but I have such a strong connection to the music from that era. 

Meghan Trainor (has two children born 2021, 2023 both via C-section). She wrote "Dear Future Mama" published in 2023 after PTSD from her first delivery. The song came out in 2023 and the video stars the ultimate momager Mrs. Kris Jenner herself. I'm wondering why Kris hasn't run for president yet. WE NEED MORE WOMEN IN POWER. And moms especially because they understand the sacrifices made to create life.

Meghan wrote "Made You Look" after her therapist asked her to stare at herself in the mirror for 5 minutes. She's always touched on themes of body positivity, but this song is truly all about it. I remember seeing this on Disney's Magical Holiday Celebration in 2022. While all the other artists were singing Christmas songs, she went ahead and dropped this song while wearing hot pink. It felt out of place for the program, but I loved it. This would have been filmed while she was pregnant with her second baby.

Britney Spears (has two children born in 2005, 2006) recorded Gimme More in 2007 and Work Bitch in 2013. Sometimes I wonder if this sexualized version of Britney was her idea or some idiot man's idea. 2007 was the year she shaved all her hair off, which I also did in 2010. I didn't do it because she did it, but it's kind of cool that I also got to experience hair-less-ness. I did it for basically for the same mental health reasons, and also I didn't need the hair at the time. I was running half marathons every weekend for fun and it was just easier not to have to wash and style my hair.

It's so hard to believe that Gimme More was recorded one year after she had two children. She would have been 24-26 years old then. She recorded Work Bitch when she was 32, the same age I was when I finished my PhD, got sober, and started working at CSUN. The Woman in Me is her memoir published on October 24, 2023. I still haven't read it yet, but I want to.

Lizzo is such an icon I would need an entire post devoted to her. I don't think I heard this song before today. She wrote it in 2015.

Tempo is the Lizzo song I have on my running playlist. Honestly, my playlist is one of the big motivators in my arsenal. The last long run, my headphones died at mile 17, and I couldn't run without my music. I had to walk the last mile.

Love this song because it was the time when people were emerging from the pandemic quarantine. Everyone was so traumatized by the isolation and uncertainty. Lizzo welcomed us back, and this video was filmed at CSUN. I remember getting hyped up watching Watch Out for the Big Grrrls in 2022.

It was so significant to me that I actually acknowledged the following artists in my PhD dissertation. I could not have survived that program without my playlist. I blocked out all the haters and did my experiments in sync.

Beyonce became a mom in 2012 and had a set of twins in 2017. Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé came out in 2019 and Beyonce did a halftime show on Christmas Day in 2024 that was epic. Run the World came out in 2011, which was during some dark times in my life. Rather than doing less after becoming a mom, it is arguable that Beyonce's best work has been done after she had children.

Lady Gaga released The Fame in 2008 and Born This Way in 2011. Her music spoke to me in a way that is not easily communicated. I would listen to the album from start to finish on my little mp3 player. It was a Sansa, and it saved my life. I don't know if I still have it or if it eventually went to e-waste. The Edge was like the climax of my PhD. I felt like I could do anything because I came through the fire. Sometimes I still wish I had the tracklist from that music player.

Rhianna has two children born in 2022 and 2023. The song I remember most is Shut Up And Drive but mostly because of RuPaul's Drag Race. The song was recorded in 2006 and released in 2007. Drag Race All Stars Season 2 Episode 5 aired in 2016, ten years later. Finally, Miss Justin aka Alyssa Edwards was crowned in 2024 the first place winner of Global All Stars, nearly another ten years later. "She's not old, she's established." I've always been obsessed with drag queens because who would willingly want to dress as a woman when you're a white man? Women have some power but we just need to learn how to flex it like men do.

Shakira released She Wolf in 2009 and then went on to have two children in 2013 and 2015. I'm so proud of the women who stepped up to the mic at the 2025 Grammy Awards and let us have it. I don't know but you might still be able to watch it on Paramount+. I really felt like these women have staying power. They have been around for a long time and are finally getting the recognition they deserve AND using their power to speak truth on behalf of more vulnerable people.

What about you? What would be on your playlist entitled: Anthems for the Resistance?

And also: Why don't we celebrate matrescence? I mean yes, we throw a baby shower, but it's somewhat of a celebration for the baby. The gifts are all for the baby. What about the mom? Where are her gifts? We as moms give up so much of ourselves, it's hard to put that in perspective. Where would our society be without moms? There would be a population crash for sure.

I feel like we really need the 4B movement and we need to speak up and act up. I feel like women are taught to sit down, be quiet, follow the rules, and basically give up our power. I think to some extent men hate us because we have the power to create life and they don't. They want to enslave us basically. And we end up hating ourselves because they hate us. That's the patriarchy. 

I've been so stuck at work, I've been thinking about all this and not able to sit down and do one bit of work. I'm sick of feeling like a raw nerve, so vulnerable. But that's the power of women also. We can be strong AND vulnerable. We can share our feelings and not be thought less of. Men keep making these rules and women keep following them. We need to step up and be leaders. The power given to women with Title IX needs to be magnified, strengthened, and flexed now. 

I know women can't do it all, it is very all-consuming to create life and raise children. But also, we need to demand the flexibility we need to parent AND work. We need to allow women to have babies AND feed them AND show up for work. Because if you're not sitting in the boardroom, your concerns and your needs and your perspective and your ideas (which have immense value) won't be taken into consideration. 

Yes I understand some of my anthems might not be your cup of tea. But maybe you want to take a moment to create your own power playlist. Listen to it, do some weightlifting. Then get out there and show up. Show up for the people in your life. Speak your truth. Be brutally honest. Be authentically yourself. We have to keep moving forward, we're not going back.

aftermath of the wildfires

Most people I know are starting to unpack their "go" bags. People who have evacuated will return home next week, or the following week. If they have a home to return to. 

My run club is offering four options for this weekend's long run (1) and (2) are in Griffith Park on Saturday and Sunday, which is being dubbed the "Bunny Hop" Half. (3) is a half marathon in Orange County around the back bay. (4) is an entirely virtual run that you can do on the treadmill, which is only 75 minutes.

I've pivoted as best I can, given the circumstances. I'm trying to be easy on myself for missing workouts. I trust my training has been enough to fill the Fitness Bank, as our couch calls it. The theory is that you train to fill the bank and cash out on race day.

The drawback to indoor workouts is that you use different muscles on the treadmill. I realized it myself when you do a "hill" workout on the treadmill, essentially you're always running on flat or uphill but never downhill. Our coach says that it is almost a different set of muscles. And when you return to running outdoors, you will feel sluggish.

The Coalition for Clean Air suggests that outdoor activities should be avoided until we have a good rain. The coalition comprises representatives from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD).

These times feel reminiscent of COVID-19 early days because people are masking up. There is a lot of uncertainty around risk exposure.

Upsides to the treadmill, you can control your speed much easier. You can read your heart rate. You don't have to wait for the light to change to cross the street. You can watch TV or read a digital book while walking. You don't have to worry about what street you're on, where to turn, or where you can go to the bathroom. You can be unencumbered by your water and snacks. 

I like to look at the houses when I'm out in the city. I want to smell the smells (unless it's urine). I like the vibe of the traffic and hearing whatever music people are listening to. I enjoy waving to people on bicycles, pushing strollers, or dog walking. I don't like getting cat-called or followed by strangers in trucks. I don't like it when cars run red lights. So, there are dangers (risks) associated with indoor and outdoor running.

For me, the timeline went like this:

Sun, Jan 5 - long run with LARR, got my ass handed to me by running too fast
Mon, Jan 6 - Fit4Mom class without kiddo, walked the steep hill
Tues, Jan 7 - walked the school drop-off (skipped morning workout)
Wed, Jan 8 - ran indoors at CSUN
Thurs, Jan 9 - long walk with kiddo 
Fri, Sat, Jan 10-11 - stayed home with kiddo (no school)

Sun, Jan 12 - ran indoors at Planet Fitness, but not a long run.
Mon, Jan 13 - Fit4Mom class without kiddo, walked the steep hill
Tues, Jan 14 - ran outdoors, new route, didn't feel great afterward
Wed, Jan 15 - walked the school drop-off
Thu, Jan 16 - ran indoors at Planet Fitness, but not a long run
Fri, Jan 17 - rest day
Sat, Jan 18 - Half Marathon in OC

I've spent today mostly making sense of where I'm at and where I'm going. I redrew the calendar on the chalkboard and the white board. I could've done more but I'm going to stop now.

powerful hermana

I have been searching for the perfect sports bra that doesn't chafe on long runs. I noticed some hotspots after the holiday half marathon. I generally don't feel it while running but in the shower it burns and then it takes about a week to heal. I knew that my SheFit bras were great for HIIT workouts. They do start to rub on runs longer than 2-3 miles. I thought my Enell bras would suit a half marathon, but they chafed where it clasps in the front. I have the Freya bras, which I will continue to test. But it was time to try Crowned Athletic. Do I really need to start collecting a new line of sportswear? No. But have I been doing a lot of research into which of their bras are supportive? Yes. And have I been waiting for one of their collections that isn't too low-cut? Yes. And have I been checking weekly to snag it when I have the funds available, and the collection isn't sold out yet? Yes.

I purchased the Changed Fate skort, bra, and headband directly from Crowned Athletic. I loved it immediately. The skort has big pockets. One feature that sold me was that people said online that they could run without underwear. It might save me some briefs-area chafe if I don't wear briefs. The shorts under the skirt have huge pockets on the sides of each thigh, and the skirt covers it so it doesn't look like you have a massive bulge on the sides of your legs. There's also a pocket in the back for your phone and ID.

I did wear this set out on two long runs. A 15-miler at a faster pace and a 16-miler at a slower pace. I did get some minor chafing in my armpits, which may have been from the hydration vest, the arm sleeves, the sports bra itself, or the shrug I was wearing to stay warm. Finding the best starting time for a long run has been challenging. If I start at 4:45am, it's super dark and cold, but I'm home before it starts to get above 60 degrees. And it's easier to run in the cold. If I start at 7am, it gets too hot by the end of the run, but I don't have to carry any lights.

I think Changed Fate looks cute with the LARR tank top. I ordered a lime green top with my name on it for race day. I also think the calf sleeves are a nice touch. They offer mild compression without too much pressure. The argyle-print gives me something Merida might wear. I guess they're both from Scotland. It's good for visibility, which is great when I'm running alone. But it did seem a bit loud when I was running with a group that was not running on the roads. The irony of the name LA Road Runners when they only train on trails has not escaped me. I have the Green Mermaid Headsweats Running Visor from Sparkle Athletic that I got used. In some light it looks black and the Changed Fate print can look dark when you're not shimmering in the light. I guess I just prefer more vibrant (lighter) colors. But some people say that the darker color is an advantage because it doesn't show gross sweat patterns. I like the concept of Mama Bear.

That's been one of the challenges of marathon training, finding a way to carry the quantity of carbohydrates you need to fuel these long runs. If you don't practice what you plan to eat on race day, you risk eating something that causes GI distress. These are some of the things that I have had good luck with so far. I also have used Clif Bloks (not pictured here). The thought with having the Crowned Athletic skort is that it might be possible to NOT wear a hydration vest. If I could carry enough food with me, considering that there would be several Gu electrolyte stops along the race course, I could run without a heavy vest or bulky belt.

I got the genius idea to use Post-It notes to show visually all the training runs I have left until the full marathon. I wanted my husband to see which weekends would be a long run and which would be a taper. Unfortunately, the Rose Bowl Half has been postponed due to the fires. Our coach said that we can go ahead and run the program for training week 19 twice. It's incredible how unsettling it was to have a week with this disruption. I couldn't run outside due to poor air quality from the Palisades and Eaton fires, which were completely massive. I did two training runs on a treadmill: one at CSUN SRC and one at Planet Fitness. The road runners still suggest that we shouldn't run outside, but I did anyway this morning. It's that time in the semester when I have to plan and set those intentions into motion and then go on cruise control for the rest of the semester. Plan the work and work the plan.

Fueling Plan for a run that starts at 7am

7:00am - Gu 23 g
7:30am - 3 Clif bloks 24 g
8:00am - Gu 22 g
8:30am - Fruit Strips 24 g
9:00am - Gu 23 g
9:30am - Fruit Strips 24 g
10:00 am - 3 Clif bloks 24 g
10:30am - 2 fruit snacks 20 g
11:00am - Stroopwaffle 26 g
11:30am - Clif bar 48 g
Noon - Rx bar 23 g

The goal is to get 50-60 grams of carbohydrates per hour while running. 

According to Jeff Galloway, there is something you should do within 30 minutes. Reloading immediately with 100-150 calories is advised for a 5k or 10k. If you reload immediately, it will prevent that feeling of hunger later in the day. For a half marathon, 300 calories. For a marathon, 600 calories. Try to find something that provides 80:20 ratio of carbs-to-protein. You should be drinking 8 x 8oz glasses of water after the race. At least 6 is important. Soaking your legs and feet in water that is 20 degrees cooler than the air temperature for 15 minutes is very beneficial. Taking ibuprofen is extremely effective with runners. If you have the right run/walk/run, you can avoid the aches and pains.

Our coach for the LARR suggested baby food as a source of carbs while running. I tried that on a 10 mile walk and it was comical how much I was farting. I have no idea what they put in this brand of baby food, which I bought at the grocery store because it was on sale. Never again (for me at least).

I did a cost comparison of some of the things I do enjoy taking on runs. Because running-specific snacks can be overpriced, I wanted to see if there was a significant difference in terms of calories only. I'm not talking about electrolytes or caffeine. Some running-specific snacks have electrolytes and/or caffeine added. I've been taking SaltStick Electrolyte Fast Chews since the disaster of cramping badly at the Santa Monica Classic. During the race, I knew that I was taking in only carbs by eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but I didn't realize that I should be taking in a lot more electrolytes than I was. Now I take two SaltStick tabs per 30 minutes. I alternate taking salt tabs and carbs, so that I'm doing something every 15 minutes. My intervals are 2 minute walk, 1 minute run. Turns out that 1 minute is long enough to eat something. And then I have 5 intervals until the next time to do something, chewable. And each time I chew, I also drink water, so that helps me stay hydrated without having to think too much about it.

You can get your caffeine by chewing RunGum (fast forward to 1 hour 30 minutes in the Rise and Run Podcast episode 157). I've never taken RunGum, but maybe I need to "add to cart." It really is two months until the full marathon. I am considering bundling the Gu that I have already bought into Ziploc bags for each of the training runs that remain, so I can be sure I have enough to get me through to the finish line. I may need to order one more pair of running shoes, but I haven't done the calculation on that. I'm considering getting a pair of Ariel GTS 24's but I'm not sure if I should go a half or full size up to prevent losing a toenail. Maybe I should visit Fleet Feet Encino since I'm already going to have to pay full price, since the stock of Ariel 23's are pretty much gone everywhere.

• Oct 2023 white purple coral ghost 14 = 178 miles (these are gone)
• March 2024 black Ariel 23 = 250 miles (don't run in these anymore)
• June 2024 grey green Ariel 20 = 194 miles (don't run in these anymore)
• Sept 2024 grey pink Ariel 23 = 204 miles
• Nov 2024 grey green Ariel 20 

Item	Qty	Price	Cals	Srv	$ / Srv	$ / Cal
Aldi Fruit Snacks	12		70	1		?
Aldi Fruit Strips	21	$5.00	100	2	$0.24	0.00240
Aldi Stroopwaffles	8	$3.49	170	1	$0.44	0.00259
Aldi Kind Bar Dupe	4	$2.69	210	1	$0.67	0.00319
Box of Raisins	6	$2.00	90	1	$0.33	0.00367
Mini Sesame Bites	20	$11.75	160	3	$0.59	0.00369
Aldi Rx Bar Dupe	4	$4.49	220	1	$1.12	0.00509
Target Date & Nut Bar	5	$5.19	190	1	$1.04	0.00550
Larabar	8	$10.99	220	1	$1.37	0.00623
Clif Bar	1	$2.00	260	1	$2.00	0.00769
Pretzel Individual bags	10	$7.99	100	1	$0.80	0.00800
Kind Bar	1	$4.00	190	1	$2.00	0.01050
Good & Gather protein bar	4	$8.99	210	1	$2.25	0.01070
Honey Stinger Stroopwaffle	1	$1.69	150	1	$1.69	0.01127
Rx Bar	1	$2.60	210	1	$2.50	0.01190
Gogo squeeze yogurt	10	$10.99	90	1	$1.10	0.01200
Gu Stroopwaffle	16	$29.50	150	1	$1.84	0.01227
Clif Mtn Berry Bloks	18	$52.49	100	0.5	$1.46	0.01460
Gu Raspberry Lemonade	1	$1.60	100	1	$1.60	0.01600

Christmas Eve

It's winter. I'm still overweight after getting back into running and training steadily for over a year. It's Christmas day tomorrow and I'm nervous. Did I do enough to make it magical for my son? Am I being a good wife? Have I been a good sister, daughter, and friend this year? 

Have I done enough to build muscle and bone, to slow the gradual progression into middle age? Is high cholesterol going to kill me? Is it related to perimopause? Should I be on a cycle synching diet? Am I doomed to gain and lose the same 70 pounds over and over each decade of my adult life? Was there ever any hormonal reason for my infertility?

Why are all the female characters in Taylor Sheridan's dramas totally psycho and sex-crazed? Is that really how men see us? Or is that how they want us to be? Are they powerful because of their sex-appeal or are the sex scenes just there to keep you engaged in a storyline that is littered with foul language?

At what point do you take away a child's access to the world wide web? How far can you go with gentle parenting until you don't punish your child at all? How can a child comprehend boundaries if they never have a consequence of crossing the boundaries? How many miles can a child walk before it damages their growth plates? How can I teach my child to make friends on the playground when I don't even want to?

How many more training runs can I do before my toenails fall off? No wonder I can't sleep. I am seriously worrying about a ton of crap. This is the stress of the default parent. I managed the holiday magic. I went to the things. I finished up my work. I made the lists and checked them twice. Are holiday cards obsolete? Are cards just clutter? Are our family photos someone else's junk mail? Are we trying too hard to shove our cute little ones in other people's faces? What's the point if you don't feel a sense of connection?

How many miles are on my last pair of shoes? If I just broke out a new pair, will they last me until the marathon? When will my chiropractor be healed from his hip surgery? Why didn't I ask for a referral to someone else in the meantime? When can I get a massage? How can we afford all the repairs from getting out car fixed? Should we just buy a new car now?

And let's not even go too far down the rabbit hole of the next 4 years. By the end of it, my son will be almost 9 years old. What do I remember about being 9? Not much. I guess I was a big sister. My siblings would have been 3 and 1 year old. Yep, definitely don't remember this time at all. My parents were probably just barely surviving themselves.

I remember wanting to be the good girl. Wanting to be helpful. Wanting to avoid drama. Wanting to fit in. Wanting to have less scarcity. Resenting my dog. Actually really hating the dog. Why? Why does my son take out his aggression on his stuffed animals? Why do parents take out their aggression on their children? Because it's easy, right? And there's a pecking order. That's nature.

I feel like I can't calm down sometimes. I feel like I'm doing some of this work alone. Parenting work. I feel like my husband is doing the minimum and feeling like he's doing so much. I feel like he chides me for spending money on stuff but then hides his spending on his stuff. Like yeah running is a fun hobby but also it's for my health. Do I need a sparkly outfit for race day? No. But do new running shoes protect me from injury? Yes. Some sports bras give chafe and I'm still trying to figure out how to avoid that. 

No I'm not a medical doctor. No I don't want a mammogram. There are tests that I would like to run on myself but they have to be ordered by a doctor and the last time I asked for this person's help with checking my hormone levels, they didn't help me with that. I wish there were a fairy godmother for health stuff. Someone who would walk you through the right steps to get the outcome you are hoping for. I guess for me that would be a peaceful home life with less mom rage and a healthy body that is not going to be ravaged by inflammation, cancer, or osteoporosis. I want to have peaceful, healthy relationships with my family members and work collegues. I want to be a part of my community and uplift others. I want to finish this marathon and see how I feel after that. I know reaching one's goal in life doesn't automatically make you happy. It is more important that you see yourself in a positive light every day, all through the journey, regardless of how you look or feel every day. I try to squeeze in my self-care in 5-min increments. Just a little here and there. Not too much late night doom scrolling. But some nights, like tonight, I wonder if I'm enough. When we pack up all the twinkle and sparkle of Christmas, what's left?? My son is planning the days around his desire to shop for mystery cars at Target. He wants to go there every day for the rest of his winter break and collect as many as he can find or carry. He also wants a Transformer Barbie House for Christmas and I have no idea what that is or if it even exists. I did not buy it buy it buy it.

Holiday Half Marathon Race Report

The event itself: Where? How long? When? Weather?

Pomona Dragstrip hosted the start/finish line, registration, bib pickup, and gear check. This year the weather was really good. It was kind of foggy in the morning and that was good because the humidity held onto some warmth. It wasn't as cold as it could have been. It was not super windy. There was no precipitation. After about an hour the sun came out. The 10k, 5k, and kids race were on Saturday, December 14th. The half marathon was on Sunday, December 15th. We stayed at the Sheraton Fairplex hotel from Dec 13-15. We splurged on early check-in and late check-out.

Course description and evaluation of event logistics

I peed in a corner right before the race because the line for the bathrooms was super long. But that was kind of my fault because I left the hotel at 7:00 a.m. and the race started at 7:30 and it was about a half an hour walk. The walk from the hotel to the starting line was really good to warm up. 

I wore a sweatshirt, fleece pants, scarf, hat, and gloves. But then I took those off at the gear check. It was super easy to check my backpack. They provided plastic grocery bags if you needed it.

They didn't really do waves at the start line. Pace leaders were in the corral. They counted us down 5-4-3-2-1-go and everyone just started running. I barely had time to start my Strava and music. It was the most stress-free start line of the whole year.

There was a good amount of shade on the course, especially going around the reservoir. It was a lot hillier than I remember, but that made it really pretty too. The segment along the airfield between mile marker 5 & 6 was the worst for me because the road wasn't completely closed so they had us on a narrow shoulder with lots of rubble. I almost tripped. No fun but it was only a mile and the rest of the course was great. Between mile markers 12 & 13 was probably my favorite. It was a closed street. Finishers were backtracking to cheer us in. I was singing and trying to soak up the fun of the last mile.

How did you train for the event

I did my best to follow the F4M half marathon training plan, the runDisney Galloway marathon training plan, and the Roadrunners plan for the LA Marathon. I missed a week of training due to the ear infection I got right before Thanksgiving break. I still don't feel 100% from that. Luckily I have an appointment with a specialist on Wednesday. As it turns out, the doctor said my left ear was still infected on December 18th (after the race) and didn't clear up until December 30th when I saw him again for a follow-up appointment. It looks like I skipped 11 training runs out of the 39 I had on my training spreadsheet (28%) so it's no wonder I wasn't at my strongest on race day.

Your gear and nutrition

I brought a hat to wear, like a running hat with a visor. But my head got too hot. I ended up wearing my junk headband and gooder sunglasses.

My hair was up in two French braids and that really helped me stay cool. I'm glad I decided to wear shorts and a tank top with removable sleeves. I kept the sleeves on the whole race because it was chilly in the shade. I saw my "sparkle twin," who was also wearing the sparkle snowflake skirt. I ended up finishing the race with a bunch of really strong moms, strong teachers, and strong students and it was really beautiful. 

@hamerk02 Miles of Smiles #holidayhalfmarathon ♬ original sound - Kayla A. Kaiser

The SRLA kids were cheering for Elsa or asking me if I were dressed up as Elsa, which I was. So fun that people recognized it.

My Muzen speaker died around 3 hours. My sister recommended I get a second vest and second speaker for the marathon. Then have Mike meet me somewhere mid-race and swap out. That made sense.

My fueling strategy was pretty simple. They had water stations mile 3, 6, and 9. So I took a Gu at every water stop. I did ate two electrolyte chews pretty much every 30 minutes. I've never done that before but I do think it helped. Like every time it felt like my body was starting to get crampy, I would chomp two of those. They're pretty easy to take without water because they're not sweet. And it seems like they work right away. I also ate two fruit strips around mile 6. And one stroopwaffle around mile 10. There was a water stop at mile 12 but by then I was out of fuel. Actually I had a Clif bar and an Rx bar but they were in the back of my running vest. I also put my dead speaker back there at mile 10. Since I had no water bladder back there, I needed some weight to balance the vest. If all the weight is in the front pockets it digs into the back of my neck.

The only mishap I would say is that I normally run with a hydration bladder. The one that I've been using has like a slider to close it, that is a separate piece not attached to the rest of it. And I forgot that slider at home. But it ended up being okay. I just grabbed one or two cups of water at every water stop. And it seemed like they had plenty of water stops. I didn't see a ton of mile markers in the first 5 miles. Maybe I just missed them. I kind of enjoyed knowing when we were at 3, 6, 9, and 12 miles. It made the time pass faster.

Specific experiences

It was really fun that the course for the half marathon went right by the hotel. So I got to wave to my son and my husband who came down to the gate and my son was screaming Mommy I love you. The 3-hour pace leader was really cool. He had on a Santa hat and a Santa beard.

Finish and associated emotions

I wanted to cry a little at the finish because I feel like I have been training for a long time to get to this point. Maybe I am already looking forward to having an off season. I know I still have a long ways to go to be ready for the full marathon. But it was rewarding to hear that my husband is proud of my training. He said some people only train up to an 18 mile long run prior to the actual marathon. Since I did 15 miles today, that impressed him.

Overall evaluation of the event 

I would definitely do this event again. If I feel up to it, it would be fun to do either the Golden Snowflake Challenge (5k on Saturday, Half Marathon on Sunday) or the Triple Snowflake Challenge (Half, 10K, & 5K for $140).

Race Spending

$80.50 for registration for the half marathon on June 5th

$16.90 for the kid's race (day of event)

$486.33 for the hotel (Sheraton Fairplex Suites & Conference Center by Marriott)

$20 for parking at the hotel

$688 for registration and lodging

We spent about $608 on food and entertainment. Dining at the Fairplex is really expensive and we bought hot cocoa, hot coffee, ice cream, churros, burritos, french fries. Imagine what you would buy at any fair and that's the type of food we bought. We also treated our friends to a nice dinner in the hotel (room service). There were many times we got food from the in-hotel restaurant. The good thing was that we didn't leave the hotel once we arrived. We had only a tiny fridge and a microwave in the room, we brought about 3x as much food as the size of the fridge. So we did keep the food we brought in a cooler and replaced the ice about every 8 hours, but it would have been better to stay at a hotel with a full-sized fridge. Although it was VERY nice to be able to walk to the race from the hotel. We also walked to the Imaginarium, which was a holiday light display and carnival. It costs about $20 per person to get in. It was definitely festive and Albert had a great time with all the photo ops. I would highly recommend that experience for people of all ages and abilities.

Finally, I spent about $200 on race costumes and gear for training. I got a Tinkerbell sparkle skirt and a matching visor. I got the snowflakes sparkle skirt you can see in the photo above. I found the "Let It Go" tank top on Poshmark. And I got a couple of shrugs, legwarmers, and knit shorts from a company called Move Dance. They've been super helpful in getting out in the cold for the morning training runs.

So altogether that means we spent about $1500 on the entire race weekend. How does that compare to other race weekends we did in 2024?

$1466 Disneyland 5k (with two park days)
$284 LA Big 5k (no hotel)
$522 OC Marathon (without running the race)
$640 CdM Scenic 5k
$1063 SMC Classic 10k/5k (with no hotel)
$1075 Mission Inn Run 

$1499 Holiday Half Marathon

So it looks like the Holiday Half was our most expensive race weekend of the year. I think that's partly because it was also my husband's birthday weekend and we splurged more than we would have otherwise. Also, we didn't entertain friends at other race weekends besides the Mission Inn Run so that was an added cost, but also a totally fun way to spend the evening. And we went to the Fairplex for the Imaginarium, which was a pretty epic addition to the weekend. Even without those extra fun things, the hotel itself was I guess pretty pricy. And I forgot my husband's swimsuit so we never went to the pool.

I would say this race was a great way to end the 2024 race season. Because this was my build-back year, it felt major to have reached a half-marathon distance. Maybe I did it too quickly, maybe I could have waited longer to make my way back to running. But one thing I will say is that I'm grateful that I registered for TWO 10ks and TWO half marathons. Because the excessive heat interfered with the Santa Monica Classic and now the wildfires have postponed the Rose Bowl Half. It was a big boost to my confidence to have two chances to succeed at each race distance as I build up to a full marathon. I had considered registering for the Citrus Heritage Run and the Palm Desert Half, but I let them pass by. I decided that there would be other years for those events. A new date hasn't been set for the Rose Bowl Half, but I'll write more about that in another post.

my secret project

Walking my son to school on Monday, Dec 9th, I saw this furniture and thought it would be perfect. But my day was already spoken for. We were having a carpet cleaning crew come to our house and I had to be home all day. I told my husband I really wanted these for a secret project but he refused to leave work and help me grab them that day.

I tried to convince my husband to help me pick up the items on Tuesday, December 10th, but he said he had walked by this collection at the curb on his way to work and it was already gone. I didn't walk to school that day because we were having dangerously high winds. I had the car, but I was already committed to attend my son's winter program at his school and I didn't know how long it would take.

Walking my son to school on Wednesday, December 11th, I saw that it was all still there! You can't believe my joy. It was "Winter Gear" spirit day at school and my son was wearing his hat, scarf, gloves, and fleece PJs. He could feel my excitement and posed for a photo on the pink couch.

I was committed to help build gingerbread houses at my son's school, but I said to myself, "if I finish all 600 gingerbread houses, get home, and drive over there, and all of it is still there, I'll grab it." Well, blessed be, the furniture was still there!

Can you believe I got this couch into the van by myself? Well, I did! I called my husband to ask if he would assist me when I got to the loading dock at CSUN. He said he would meet me there.

We amazingly got the couch to fit in the elevator. We even squeezed it through the bathroom doors. I just had a feeling that this furniture was built to a woman's scale, it was lightweight (as I had suspected) and sized appropriately to fit through a regular door, in a minivan, and in a normal (not freight) elevator. One kindly student offered to help us carry it. I hushed them and told them to tell nobody what they had seen.

Well, that just got me even more excited. We ran back to the house to get the chairs and pillows. As I suspected, it all fit in the van in one load. We drove back to school and put all those things in the elevator in one load.

Getting the chairs through the door was no problem. I'm not wild about the arrangement, but, hopefully, someone else will step up and improve it. I love the transformation!

Before

After

I mean it's not a perfect boudoir but it's a heck of a lot more feminine than it was before. The students asked, "Is this a prank?" No, it's not a prank. It didn't help that I was dressed like some secret Santa's elf with a shirt that said "oh snap" on it. The students asked, "Can we sit on it?" Yes, you can sit on it! Then two former students recognized me and asked why I had to wait until they were graduating to make it cute. That made me so happy because I agree, it should have always been cute.

I posted on Instagram about 1 month ago:

My version of the 4B movement. Where I retreat into the Women's lounge at Nordstrom's and take up residence for the next 4-years. #radicalfeminism #womenonlyspaces #mycryingplace #psychologicalsafety

I was so devastated about the re-election of 45/47 that I needed a place to cry at work. I started looking for furniture with French Rococo eleganza vibes. I wanted gold, I wanted glamour. I wanted something that looked distinctly feminine. I spent an afternoon screenshotting furniture sets that had the look I was going for. I searched Buy Nothing. I shopped at IKEA. I was considering donating my own money to furnish this safe space that I needed in my life. 

I was trying to explain to my husband how architecture and furnishings can either make women feel a sense of belonging or exclusion, based solely on scale and placement. I have come into this restroom several times where there is a line of women waiting to use the toilet and one or both stalls are full of girls who are crying. They want privacy to feel their feelings. But this restroom felt cold and ugly, which could make one feel even worse. I wanted to make it feel cozy and warm, welcoming, and dare I say it, pretty. I'd love to add a mirror with some fancy trim, or some other touches to give it sophistication. What would you add?