Positive Sports Coaching

As soon as I returned from my fabulous vacation in Hawaii, school started for the kids and I have been oh so busy with all that that I haven’t found much time to sit still and just write. I have SO MANY OTHER things to blog about right now (race recap, more giveaways, gear reviews, Nike training update, et cetra) but last night, while I was attending a Positive Coaching Alliance workshop for my kids’ first season in soccer, I was inspired to share some of the things I learned…

After a long day of work and school followed by a hour and a half kiddo soccer practice, I was not too thrilled to attend a workshop from 7pm-9pm last night. Not. At. All. Further, as I didn’t participate in organized sports growing up I couldn’t really relate to or answer any questions that applied to the game of soccer or competition among youth. My mind kept wandering out of boredom but then I found myself taking notes and started applying the principles I was learning towards running.  (I’ll work on applying it all to the kids’ soccer too, I swear!)

Race Recap: Angel Island 12K

On August 3rd (way late, I know, I’ve been SO busy!) I completed the Envirosports Angel Island 12K and it was such a great day and race! I signed up for the run after being asked by The Guardsmen to join their team and do a little fundraising for the cause and I couldn’t resist. On the heels of my 3 week vacation, I was dubious about the challenge of a trail run like this but was excited to finally participate in a race I’ve wanted to do for several years now!

One of the main reasons I’ve wanted to do this race is, well, Angel Island. LOVE it there, it is so beautiful and there is little that I find more entertaining than that ferry ride out to the island. I’ve never run there before but now I can officially say that I’ve run the perimeter of Angel Island! And this was my first Envirosports race too- I’m an EnviroVirgin no longer!

There, right there, I want to run THERE.

Winners of the Nike SF Slots!

Source: Whole Foods Oakland

Thanks to Whole Foods Markets, I was pleased to giveaway 5 guaranteed slots to the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco this October. After validating approximately 300 entries this morning, I am happy to finally announce the lucky winners (RaffleCopter counted the entries and Random.org chose the winners)… drum roll, please:

1. Roberta H.
2. Joan L.
3. Natalie A.
4. Gabriela R.
5. Eliza D.

Please email me at running4thereason@hotmail.com to claim your entry and get further information regarding your registration.

Congratulations to you all and I will see you there!!!

And if you didn’t get into the race for 2013, never fear- I will be setting up a Group I.D. again for the 2014 Nike SF lottery so there is hope for you yet!  Be sure to follow Running4theReason to stay in the loop!

Thank you again to Whole Foods for the opportunity, thanks to everyone for reading and participating, and most of all Happy Running to everyone!!!!

Related articles

• Giveaway: 5 Slots to Nike Women’s Marathon SF! (running4thereason.com)
• My Nike Training Plan (running4thereason.com)

Sunday.Runday.Bitday.Beerday.

I realize today is Monday but I had such a great day yesterday that I wanted to share it with you yesterday but didn’t quite get around to it!  Anyhoo, Saturday I woke up with a tummy bug and basically slept the entire day away- I HATE it when that happens- so I was determined to make Sunday a great day. And that I did!

Kicked Sunday off with a long, blissful trail run at Redwood Park in Oakland. Because I wasn’t feeling completely 100% I told myself anywhere between 5-7 miles would be fine but after I ran (literally!) into a couple friends running the Skyline 50K, I got distracted and lost. Missed a turn somewhere and ran 9 very hilly miles total trying to find the trail that led me back to the car.

Fantastically, it was a perfect 9 mile “loop”!

Color Run Winner and Discount Code

The random winner of the free entry to my The Color Run SF giveaway is Christy who wrote:

I haven’t been able to run a Color Run yet, but have seen the run pictures from family and friends. Looks like so much fun! Totally looking forward to a chance to get blasted with color and have an amazing time with the friends, family and our awesome Bay Area running community. 

To get your code to register, Christy, please email me at running4thereason@hotmail.com and I will send it to you!  For everyone else, you can get $5 off your entry with the code COLOR5OFF.  This code is valid in ANY city where The Color Run is not sold out.

Besides Christy and I- is there anyone else running the SF Color Run in October???

Related articles

• The Color Run Giveaway! (running4thereason.com)

Giveaway: 5 Slots to Nike Women’s Marathon SF!

Photo source: Nike

I woke up this morning with a tummy bug and am not feeling very well at ALL, ugh- yes, I skipped my long run, yes I am very upset about that but hopeful for tomorrow!  As I was on my way to die a slow miserable death horizontally on the couch I checked my email and was happy to see that Whole Foods Market had reached out to me, offering a give away of FIVE (yes, 5- I keep re-reading the email and it still says 5!!!) slots to the sold out 10th anniversary running of the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco this October 20th.

Please note that this give away is just for a ticket to register, NOT a paid entry to the race- winners will have to pay for their own entry, transportation, commemorative schwag, etc.

I know you know this will be my 4th Nike race and I know you know that I put together a group ID for the Nike lottery in June- and WE ALL (over 200!) GOT IN!!!!- so if you decided not to register for Nike SF via my group yet now wish you had, you still have a chance!!!! 

My Nike Training Plan

Photo credit: Nike

If you follow this blog and/or my Facebook page, you know that I created a group ID in order to enter the lottery to get into the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco this October. Thanks to the power of social media, approximately 200 happy readers/runners utilized the code and our entire group was selected!!!  WOO HOO!!!

This year is the 10th anniversary of the race and will be my 4th Nike run- I did the SF full in 2011, the SF half in 2012, ran Nike DC half earlier this year, and now am getting ramped and amped up for #4!  I’m wrapping my head around training for all those hills and getting my plan together for a successful 13.1 come October 20th. 

The Color Run Giveaway!

Even though I am asking right now, I am giving too! So today, I’m giving away one entry to The Color Run 5K in San Francisco on October 26th.

“What’s a Color Run?” you ask? Well, the picture above is your answer: an un-timed race of 3 miles in which thousands of participants are doused from head to toe in a rainbow of colors.  And there are only two rules: wear white at the start and get completely plastered in color by the finish!

Seems crazy but it is really, really FUN!!!  The Color Run isn’t about your 8, 9, 10-minute-or-whatever-mile pace, it’s more about having the time of your life!

The Guardsmen Raffle

On August 3^rd, I am competing as a member of The Guardsmen Trail Run Team in the Angel Island 12K Race to raise money for Bay Area at-risk youth and the Saint Francis Memorial Hospital.

I became a big fan of The Guardsmen after participating in their Presidio 10 race last year and then again when I did one of their trail training runs earlier this year- I met a lot of The Guardsmen volunteers and after speaking with them about their cause, I was happy to help spread the word.

The Guardsmen help at-risk Bay Area youth by providing outdoor education programs and scholarships. They are committed to making sure that fundraising dollars are spent wisely- approximately 90 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to support programs for kids- so I am holding a raffle in their honor!

Today’s Reason: The Movies

Run, Forrest, Run!

There’s something kinda strange about me and if you know me in real life, I think you would agree- when I find something I really like, I don’t easily let go and even start to identify with whatever that thing may be. Some call it obsession, I call it passion.

One of my first loves was radio, and I listened constantly as a kid, enjoying every genre of music, knowing all call letters and the on-air schedules of all my favorite DJs. I grew to also love singing, dancing, anything purple, red wine, fine dining, and then eventually- you guessed it- running.

I originally went to college to study acting and at USC I had to start working full time in order to afford such an expensive school yet found no money leftover for head-shots nor any time leftover to audition. I then decided go the academic route instead and when I got into film school, my absolute obsession with all things cinematic began…

… but if you think this post is about running movies in general, you’re wrong.