Stretched Too Thin?

I committed to being in two places at the same time on the same night. Ugghhhh! It's exciting that I've found enough ways to get involved out here in LA, but clearly I need a better calendaring system to track everything that is going on. I love my iPhone and don't know how I survived without it, but I can't stand the calendar on the iPhone. I miss my Blackberry calendar like crazy. It would sync with my work calendar and the only negative would be the reminders ringing through the evening or weekend. Now, I am trying to keep a paper calendar and a calendar on Outlook at work. By my latest goof up, you can see how well this system is working and now, I have to figure out a way to undo my commitment to something. This situation coupled with all of the other things I have going on (intense training for two more half marathons, teaching two spinning classes per week, projects in preparation for the upcoming training class at work, taking on more coaching at work because it's a way for me to make the impact I want to make at work, advisor duties with ADPi, trying to start a networking group and being a puppy mom) put me over the edge. Maybe it's not a calendar issue, but a stretched too thin issue?

On my walk home from the office to feed my dogs (I really miss Joe when he is traveling because he takes care of our buddies on Wednesday nights before my spin class) I felt overwhelmed and in need of a break. All I wanted to do was crawl into my bed, read (another things I am trying to do more of to acquire more knowledge) disgusting and take a nap. I was grumpy and agitated. I even yelled at the gross man peeing outside for being while I was walking my dogs. (Might not have been the smartest confrontation!). I grudgingly headed to the gym to teach my class.

My entire demeanor changed when I walked into the cycle room. Some of my favorite people were taking the class and all of the bikes were full. As soon as the music started my bad mood started to lift. By the time class was over, I almost forgot why I was so agitated to begin with. The benefits of exercise are numerous. Not only does it keep you healthy and into this season's leggings, it de-stresses you and puts you in a better mood. Tonight's class reminded me that I am here to make an impact. In order to make an impact, I am going to be involved in a lot of things. I want to serve the community, help mentor and shape the sorority experience for the women of ADPi, work out like a crazy woman and strive to hit new goals and take on more at work. I like being busy and giving back. Sure there will be times (like today) where I feel stretched way too thin, but I know I'll bounce back to my positive self and be thankful for all of the opportunities I have. Now I just need to figure out a way to stretch the hours in day.

Here is my mood uplifting play list.

Beachball (Myon & Shane 54 Remix) - Nalin & Kane

Bodyrock - Moby

Give It 2 Me (Paul Oakenfold Remix Edit) - Madonna

Now You See It - Honerebel feat Pit Bull & Jump Smokers

Run This Town - Group Cycling Volume 11

Memories (Featuring Kid Cudi) - David Guetta

I Like That - Richard Vission

Wonder - Dj Tiesto & Armin Van Buuren

One Night In Bangkok (Vinylshakerz Screen Cut) - Vinylshakerz

Greenlight (Freemasons Remix) - Beyonce

Lifter (Original Mix) - Alex Kunnari

Show Me Love (Club Mix) - Michael Mind

If We Ever (Featuring Makeba) - David Guetta

Stay - Radius

WIN BIG

A while ago I was having lunch with my boss and we were talking about success and getting ahead. He told me that I can't keep doing the same things and expect to get different results. Around the same time I was reading the book The Success Principles by Jack Canfield (seriously inspiring!) and thought about creating a networking group. I did a lot of networking in STL for my job and because it was easy to do in the city. I enjoyed networking and meeting new people. (I met my amazing wedding photographer at a networking event.) I missed meeting new people and making connections here in LA. It was getting old just working out and going to work. I researched networking groups in downtown LA and didn't come across any that interested me or worked with my schedule. (Wednesdays are spin class nights!) I decided to create my own group to meet my needs.

It took me a while to execute on my vision. I described my vision to my study group at work and got the feedback that it is better to have a few good quality relationships rather than a bunch of people you'll never contact. My group encouraged me to build some strong relationships and not bother with the hassle of organizing an ongoing networking group. Despite their advice, deep down inside I knew I wanted to try to start a group. One day I was walking my dogs and it hit me. Create a networking group for women in downtown LA. I am very interested in women in business and want to meet more women professionals who are focused on success. Targeting a specific group of people in a specific place seemed much more doable than just creating a networking event.

I came up with the group name WIN BIG. WIN BIG stands for Women Into Networking for Bigger Impact and Growth. WIN BIG connects women focused on success in downtown LA. The women of WIN BIG want to impact their lives, careers and businesses. I created a Facebook page, twitter account and email address. I designed a logo (very simple and was created in word, definitely room to upgrade) and started to promote the event. I was hoping to get about 30 women at the first event.

I chose a trendy Mexican restaurant as the venue for the first event. I know the manager and Joe and I patronize the venue all of the time. (It's all about who you know!). I made name-tags, sign-up sheets and name-tents for the tables at the venue. Just a few women showed up, but they ended up being the right women. One of the women who attended the event even said she was interested in quality relationships. (Maybe my study group was onto something after all!). Even though I did not meet my attendance goal, I left the event feeling happy. The group decided they would like to have an event in October and we discussed strategies to increase attendance. (More personal invites are a must!). I created this group to help other women WIN BIG, but it turns out that I won big tonight. I got some great support from colleagues and reconnected with someone from college. It might have been a small group, but it was a good group. I think it is important to have a strong foundation. WIN BIG officially started and I am looking forward to the group growing, but more importantly to building quality relationships.

Half Marathon Play List

A friend mentioned that she looked at my blog for play lists. I promised her I would post more of my play lists and song ideas for working out. Since I just wrote about the Disneyland Half, I thought I would share my half marathon play list. Below you'll find enough fist pumping, beat bumping and hard rocking music to carry you 13.1 miles.

Start Me Up - The Rolling Stones (I always start a long race with this song. I first heard it playing over the loud speakers before the 2006 Lewis & Clark Half Marathon.)

Changes (dirty south remix) - Chris Lake (The first techno song I liked. Reminds me of a great night out with our friends from Tampa and of all the changes I've made in my life.)

You Are My Diamond (Feat. Kianna) - Tiesto (We named our dog Tiesto!)

White Horse (Whelan & Di Scala Club Mix) - Sarah Mcleod

Pjanoo (Radio Edit) - Eric Prydz ft Pryda

Hotel California 2k10 (N-H Project Impact Radio Remix) - The Eagles

Addicted Radio Mix - The Camel Rider & Mark Alston Featuring Mark Shine

Pig - Dave Matthews Band (My absolute favorite DMB song. I put the live version from The Gorge because it is long enough to help you zone out for almost a mile.)

Maybe Tomorrow (Christopher S & Mike Candys Remix) - Jaybee feat Deshayla

Ghosts N Stuff - Deadmau5 Ft Rob Swire

Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses (My running rule...no stopping when Guns N' Roses is playing! This song reminds me of my dad and riding in the Moonlight Ramble.)

Got the Life - Korn

Otherside (Benny Benassi Remix) - Red Hot Chili Peppers

One (Spencer & Hill Bootleg) - Swedish House Mafia VS Pharell

Louisiana Bayou - Dave Matthews (Joe loves this song. Made me think of him and how grateful I am to have a husband fabulous enough to wake up at 3:45am to drive me to the race.)

Alone Tonight (Original Mix) - Above & Beyond

Lake Shore Drive - Aliotta, Haynes, and Jeremiah (Team Daddy/Daughter's Chicago Marathon song. Came on as I was exiting Angels Stadium.)

Lifter (Original Mix) - Alex Kunnari (Love this song! Serious fist pumping!)

Night Ripper Tracks - Girl Talk (Almost there. Time to pick up the pace.)

Set You Free 2k9 (Spencer & Hill Remix) - N-Trance (I ended up skipping this song to end the race on the next song.)

Paradise City - Guns N' Roses (My favorite Guns N' Roses song. Really fires me up and helped me finish running a 7:30 mile)

Breath In, Breath Out - Ali Ft/ St. Lunatics (I added a couple of extra songs just in case I didn't finish under 2 hours.)

Soul Heaven (Fonzerelli Remix) - Henrik B Feat. Terri B (We named our other dog Fonzerelli!)

Enjoy! I hope some of these songs help motivate you through your next workout.

Disneyland...A Magical Experience

I have wanted to run a half marathon (13.1 miles) under two hours for a couple of years. I was always interested in achieving this goal, but never truly committed until this year. Something changed in me after registering for the Disneyland half. Disneyland became the run where I would set a PR and accomplish my time goal. I followed Hal Higdon's intermediate plan, bought new running accessories (shocking I know) and actually ran for time instead of for fun. I spent many Sunday afternoons running circles around Silverlake and made training my weekend focus instead of going out to the clubs. As a result, I had a magical experience during the Disneyland half and achieved my goal!

The alarm clock rang at 3:45am. I didn't sleep much the night before the run. Nerves, excitement and the anticipation of waking up before 4:00am caused a restless night. Joe took one for the team and offered to drive my dad and me to the event. (I'm sure Joe thought this would be a good idea after a few drinks one night and was regretting his offer the morning of the run!). There always seems to be traffic in LA, but surprisingly not many people were on the road the morning of the run. (I'm sure most sane people were tuckered out in their comfortable beds. Runners are not sane!). Joe dropped us off and my dad and I had an hour to kill before the 6:00am start. We found some clean restrooms inside a hotel (port-a-potties are the worst!) and made our way to the start corral. We scored with a place in the A corral. (I have no idea how this happened, but thanks!). The event drew nearly 15,000 participants, so it was incredible to start in the first group.

The 10 minutes before the race start felt like an eternity. I made sure my Garmin was picking up satellite connect several times, checked my play list, made sure my shoes were tied, thought about going to the bathroom and tried to visualize myself crossing the finish line under 2 hours. Finally, the gun went off and it was time to race!

Being in the A corral meant I was surrounded by fast runners. Yikes! I clocked my first mile around 8:30. (I needed to do 9:09 to come in at 1:59:59). I thought I am starting out to fast. I tried to slow my pace a bit, but running through the park was exciting. I loved the first 3 miles of the run. We ran through California Adventure and through Disneyland Park. The characters were out in full costume. I was having a blast. My dad was running ahead of me but waited outside the princess castle so we could run through it together. We ran past Space Mountain (my favorite ride) and memories of our evening at Disney with my sister flashed through my mind. My dad patted me on the back, spoke words of encouragement and fell back letting me race ahead. I came out of the park alone without my running partner (Team Daddy/Daughter!) and faced a hill around mile 4. Pig, my absolute favorite Dave Matthew Band song, blared through my iPod (I only run to this song in distance races. It's one of my weird running rituals) and I zoned out. Mile 5 was tough and negative thoughts started to flood my mind. (I took off too fast. I have a long way to go! I am tired. Can I do this?) As I was approaching mile 6 I saw port-a-potties and decided I better stop. (I stopped at mile 6 during both Chicago Marathons and during the Long Beach half, so my mind must associate mile 6 with a bathroom break.) I emerged from the gross port-a-potties full of germs and full of desire to make up the minute I just lost. After the break, my I refocused my mind of conquering the event. (I know distance running is mind over matter!). I repeated my affirmation (I am conquering the Disneyland Half under 2 hours and I feel ecstatic. I have never been stronger or faster. I've got this bitch!) and put one foot in front of another. Running into Angels stadium was incredible. There were tons of boy scouts standing outside the stadium cheering us on. The energy was fierce. Running through Angels stadium was incredible. I was on the jumbo-tron for a brief second (I felt famous). I knew I only had to run a 5k when I came out of Angeles Stadium. (It's all about breaking down the long distance into manageable distances I've run many times before). I checked my time, did some math in my head (surely this took a mile to figure out my time since math is not my strongest subject) and realized that I could make my goal. In fact, I could even slow down my pace and still reach my goal. The end of the race was kind of a blur. I remember pushing as hard as I could and picking up my pace. As I approached the finish line I made it my job to pass a man carrying a big yellow flag. I wanted to run fast and strong because I knew my husband was in the stands. I saw the clock and the 1 in the hour column and made one final push. Done! 1:55:41. I finished the race running a 7:30 minute mile. My fastest mile was my last mile. Incredible! (I need to start pushing myself earlier in the races. Note to self...more speed work!). I did it. I reached my goal and set a PR. It was magical when the race announcer started the countdown of those last few precious seconds for runners to cross the finish line under 2 hours. I already had a bottle of water in my hand, took my finishers photo and started stretching. My first real thought after finishing...I'm ready to sign up for next year. Maybe next year, I'll run for fun and stop to take pics along the way. But, something tells me I'll push for another PR. (I bet I'll cherish having a better time more than a picture with Minnie Mouse). I think it's safe to say I'm a runner and I'm a competitor.