HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

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?

 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

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

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

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!!!!!

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!!!!

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