sane seen safe

This post started out as a Month of Mama recap and it definitely still is that.

4/30 MomsIRL

5/1 Chiro

5/2 NaughtyIRL

5/3 Bowling with Sally

5/4 eighth and final workshop

5/5 Albert dentist + New shoes

5/9 Dance your way to fitness

5/10 Mothers day Target run

5/13 Chiro + ultrasound

5/14 Watched Netflix on the couch + Dinner with Rashid

5/15 Chem Grad Party

5/16 Cobra 5Kai + Karin party

5/17 Salute to Recreation

5/20 submitted grades + Walmart run

5/21 donated blood

5/22 summer chop haircut

5/23 applied for EDD + D Line

5/24 IKEA scavenger hunt

5/25 Memorial day

5/26 eye doc

5/27 Dodge Bros walk + Skate

5/28 watched Netflix + LORs

5/29 kindergarten graduation

5/30 decluttering + Happy Ice

5/31 pool / recovery day

In summary, it was a good Month of Mama.

I titled it SANE, SEEN, SAFE because that's how Fit4Mom classes make me feel. Being in community with other moms helps me keep my sanity by lowering my expectations. I feel seen by the other moms who are all in the struggle. And it's amazing to be in a safe space with other women. MomsIRL, NaughtyIRL, and Moonlight Rollerway rainbow night are examples of safe spaces. I wish everywhere would feel safe for women.

Marathon Spending

The marathon experience this year was great. I've got no regrets about signing up for LARR. I've had a wonderful time using the premium waiting areas and getting on the coaching calls every Thursday. I didn't love this year's shirt, but that's okay. I wish they were doing a brunch this year, but it's okay, they did one last year. Maybe it's only something they do on a milestone year like #40.

Registration $187.50
Photo Package $43.19
Gu and Bloks $62.76
KPA dress & orange shorts $52.03
Old Navy outfit for expo day and medal monday $72.46 + $21.94
Footwear $806.59
CHI Massage $75
LARR membership $127.00
Total $1448.47

We didn't get a hotel this year, either the night before or the night after the race. This spending is about on par with what we've done in the past.

https://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2025/11/cost-of-racecations.html

I've already registered the family for the Mission Inn Run.

$55 Kayla 10k
$40 Mike 5k
$25 Albert 1/2k

And we'll have a hotel for that weekend.

Considering the Nike After Dark half marathon, the Bimbo Global 10k. Very glad we didn't register for the Palm Springs Half because we were all super sick that weekend anyway.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nlowhAJIjB3sM-9cfg-DOi0__HRAWyN1w2tEz_LIxPg/edit?usp=sharing 

Anyone who knows has made a powerpoint presentation of upcoming races and their registration dates. I'm still working on this, but I'll try to get it updated.

sparkle squad

I am writing this post as I have decided that I will not renew my Sparkle Squad membership. If you're interested in joining, membership opens starting JUNE 10th. 

The first sparkle skirt I got was the minnie mouse one. I saw that the red with white polka dots skirt was in a sparkle skirt "starter kit" and I was horrified to see that I was so basic. 

I also dorked out with the compression socks, which were also part of the cringy "starter kit." Next I got the magical shapes skirt, which I thought would be perfect for Disneyland.

Then I started collecting the sparkly ones. I got this brilliant idea to have my sisters dress up as the three fairies from Sleeping Beauty. And this is the best picture I got of all 3 of us together.

Then I joined the sparkle squad and had the opportunity to buy a bunch of skirts for a low price. There is always a sparkle squad signature skirt for each year. 

I also got the visor with the reflective detail. I got an extra one and gave it to my MIL for Christmas. I got a lightning visor, too. I got a Tinkerbell visor as well and a mermaid visor.

I got one tank top that says "strong women make waves" in advance of Kamala Harris winning the election; my hopes were high for a minute there.

I like this Encanto skirt. I have no idea why I don't wear it more often. I also love this Be Awesome trucker hat. I wear it so often and get lots of compliments about it.

The squad had some fun dress-ups to celebrate the summer Olympics. I got a gold sparkle skirt and many others from Poshmark (used). The squad facebook group also offered used skirts and visors. I found a lot of calf sleeves and some shwings on Poshmark too.

I got the snowflake skirt for the Holiday Half, and then I think I tried to stop buying sparkle skirts. I have so many, and I rarely wear them. The reason is that they're kind of unnecessary. But I still want to collect more because I'm silly and love collecting stuff.

I did get the checkered flag skirt because we already had some Lightning McQueen t-shirts from a Halloween costume, and I thought it would go well with the Lightning visor I already had. But again, I haven't even worn it yet.

There were other elements to the squad membership. Like there were a ton of Elfster swaps that happened. There was a pumpkin swap, a sock swap, a friendship bracelet swap, and a Valentine's day card exchange, a sticker swap. But it felt like a membership (that you pay for) to a club that gives you opportunities to buy more stuff throughout the year. I did friend a bunch of people on instagram. I've written previously about the components of the Sparkle Squad that I do think were a great idea. Besides the follow train and the spirit days, we were encouraged to:

• share BRAND/ AMBASSADOR discounts
• share race discounts or coupon code
• ask for the Traveling Squad Unicorn Necklace
• download and share Accountability trackers in Canva

So I will say farewell to the squad. Thank you for the inspiration and best of luck in the 2025-26 season. I had already decided not to renew this membership, but now that CSUN has offered me WAY less classes, it's a necessity for me to cut out any and all unnecessary spending for the foreseeable future until things improve for us financially. And this post is one that I started writing on April 22nd and just now finished, so that's a 6-week delay! Gorsh. We've been busy.

Planning Your Racecation

Let's talk dollars and cents. We did not renew our Disneyland Magic Keys because I wanted to spend the equivalent amount of money on race registration fees instead.

• http://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2024/03/farewell-magic-key.html

I've written about the races so far in 2024

• Jan Disneyland 5k http://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2024/01/rundisney-debrief.html
• Mar LA Big 5k http://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2024/03/la-big-5k-2024-race-report.html
• May OC http://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2024/05/bike-month-and-month-of-mama.html
• Jun CdM 5k http://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2024/06/cdm-scenic-5k-2024-race-report.html
• Sept SMC 5k http://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2024/09/santa-monica-classic-race-report.html

Cost of each racecation:

• $1466 Disneyland (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)
• $3975 for the year, which is only half over

Why were these races so expensive if the registration fee was only $377 for the whole year? Well, that's because I included things like gas, parking, hotel, costumes, shoes, sports bras, and food. I got a little carried away preparing for the Santa Monica Classic, but it was my birthday month and I bought a whole bunch of sparkle stuff. It is a balancing act to allocate funding to:

1. Consumables (food, shoes, sports bras) which are temporary investments and need replacing 
2. Experiences (travel costs including hotel, gas, parking, race registration) ephemeral
3. Permanent items (race photos, clothing) could be useful, reusable or simply memorabilia
4. Memberships (squad and run club) which provide information and a sense of belonging

As we always say, everyone has hobbies. Some hobbies are more expensive than others. The two races I want to register for next are:

• Citrus Heritage Run (January 5, 2025) Half-marathon $97.68
• Palm Desert Half (February 16, 2025) Half-marathon $69.90

Maybe my reason for these two races is stupid. But there is a special challenge medal for doing three races in Riverside county and I'm already registered for one of them, which is in less than two weeks. Of course, since these events are so far away (distance-wise) we would need hotels along with them. The Citrus Heritage Run is cute because it's where we got married. And the Palm Desert run is of interest to me because I think Palm Springs in February will be delightful. I want to take my son to the Palm Springs Tram and go up the mountain to hike in the cable car. I think he'll get a kick out of it.

There is a concept in the running community of a "catered training run" that you're not just out there running 18 miles, but you're using one event as a training run for another event. And you don't have to do those miles alone, and you don't have to do those miles unsupported. I don't know if it's a formal term, but it does seem to permeate the runDisney community, ostensibly because while training for Dopey you need to run/walk a lot of miles, which gets boring.

In debriefing our previous racecations, we have done a reverse packing list, where I wrote out everything I brought and added items I should have brought. With the idea that we will eventually optimize the items that best support the racecation.

What we learned is that we should just always bring swimwear even if we think we won't use it. Bringing some kind of comfort item like a nightlight makes early bedtimes a breeze. We have to remember to bring vitamins, medications (prescription and over-the-counter), and electrolytes. A box of toys was a big hit for kiddo. I would love to write more but I have to get ready for class. So grateful it is nearly the halfway point in the semester. I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel already.

Mid-session Check-in

I feel like Session 3 is flying by. It's weird because I had a race in the middle of the session, which was somewhat strange and may have influenced my training cycle. But I'm trying to carry on and integrate the training plan from the LA Roadrunners, too. We are now officially in week 2 of the marathon training cycle.

I ran with the LAM 5:45 - R/W 3 group this weekend. I debated between that group and a slower one, but I decided to challenge myself. The sign said something like 13 minute miles and I thought it would be a stretch but I figured as long as it's run/walk I should be okay. It was hard to keep up but I did it. And afterwards I felt great.

The pacer, Mariana, had a sign with a QR code. When you scanned it, it brought you to the WhatsApp for this pace group. We could immediately connect with each other and share photos. It was actually awesome. I overheard another woman struggling with all the apps. Komoot and Strava and now WhatsApp. They were saying that it was a lot of technology to begin marathon training. They were having trouble downloading all the apps and finding the right one in the play store.

It was a real treat to run in such a big group, but some of us are still learning the rules of the road. Go two-by-two or single file depending on the path, so we can all share the space safely. If you spot a hazard-like a hole, step, bike, anything potentially dangerous, shout it out! If you hear someone in front of you calling out a danger, pass it on down the line, so everyone stays prepared. But don't call out every twig or leaf, we don't want to cry wolf so often that we miss real dangers.

She sent a message explaining all the notation in the training plan and specifically how that translated into our pace group, which I found really helpful.

• R-pace (repetition): zone 5, for 200 to 800 meters
• I-pace (interval): zone 4, for 800 to 1600 meters
• T-pace (threshold): zone 5, 8/10 effort, 5 to 10k pace
• HMRP (half-marathon race pace): pace expected on race day, high end of zone 3 - 12:58
• MRP (marathon race pace): pace expected on race day, zone 3 - 13:09
• easy: zone 2, 6/10 effort, 12:34 to 13:45 minutes per mile

TO WHAT EXTENT HAVE YOU MET YOUR RUNCLUB GOALS?

My goals this time are to continue building community among my runners, become more confident in my ability to lead, and keep training and building my fitness. I want to be more serious about cross-training and possibly have my sister write me a program. I am doing a good job of getting my miles in, but I could do better at cross-training and weight training.

WHICH COMPONENTS OF THE PROGRAM SUPPORTED YOUR PROGRESS? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)Here are some Facebook groups that I draw inspiration from:

• Team #runDis
• StreakingwiththeCOOLKIDS
• Crowned Athletics
• #RunDopey

I think some aspects of the Sparkle Squad, the LA Roadrunners, and the Rise and Run Family could translate to the Fit4Mom West SFV RunClub+. Sparkle Squad does a bracelet swap and a bunch of "getting to know you" posts right at the beginning of the year-long membership.

• share BRAND/ AMBASSADOR discounts
• share race discounts or coupon code
• ask for the Traveling Squad Unicorn Necklace
• download and share Accountability trackers in Canva
• create INSTAGRAM hashtags and @ tags#womensupportingwomen #womensrunningcommunity #womensrunning #inspiringrunners #runningmotivation #runnermotivation #motivationforrunning #runninginspiration #instarunner #instarunning #instarunclub
• tell them to like & comment each other's posts
• follow train: Comment with your INSTAGRAM handle. Please copy & paste the web address of your profile, so people can click through & follow with ease. e.g. @sparkleathletic: www.instagram.com/sparkleathletic
• Spirit Days - themes for dressing up in running attire

WHAT ABOUT RUNCLUB+ SURPRISED YOU OR DID NOT MATCH YOUR EXPECTATIONS (WHETHER POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE)? YOU CAN SHARE YOUR GENERAL REFLECTIONS HERE.

I met Juliet Ulanday from Fit4Mom SFVNELA and she is their RunClub+ coach. They also run at 8am on Sundays. She recognized me from my Instagram, so it was the first time someone recognized me from social media only because I'm unsure if we've ever met in person. We were both cooling down after the Santa Monica Classic. Her husband was forthcoming in sharing that managing the run club is challenging and that waning participation is universal. It made me feel connected to a larger running community, and it made me feel happy that I posted so many sweaty selfies on Instagram. At least they're reaching someone.

WHAT SUGGESTIONS DO YOU HAVE TO IMPROVE SESSION 4 (October, November, December)?

I tried having an after-run coffee/brunch with the gals during week 3, and it was kind of nice. We ended up staying another hour after our 3-mile run because one of our runners went to the wrong park and then had to drive across town to get to where we were. I felt it would be nice to do a little walk with her, and then we got coffee since we were already at a mall. It was something I wanted to try and I think it went well. Maybe not something we must do every time, but it was nice for a change.

Week 1 Homework
https://youtu.be/OzuF2Pym-Yg

Apps
https://youtu.be/hXFw_F1grb4

What is the magic mile?

https://youtu.be/CnvuBDT8aD0?si=qL_AZIhEOmRM2Wmj

Videos that I still want to make:

• Mission Inn Run course
• Holiday Half Marathon course
• Cycle Syncing
• How and why to keep a training journal

I also want to write a blog post about family-friendly Disneyland days and another one about budgeting and planning for races.