Thursday, February 28, 2013
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Andrea's Pasadena Rock n Roll race report
Submitted by Andrea Barber @andreabarber
6:30 AM: It is dark and cold in the parking lot of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. I, my friend Cory, and #Run3rd Captain Extraordinaire Sean Astin are all huddled under a heat lamp in the media tent. It's 46 degrees out! (New Englanders, don't laugh.) Sean and I are standing on chairs to get closer to the heat. Sean is telling us all about his new vegan diet, which I gotta admit is fascinating and admirable. I also must admit that I have learned more about nuts and legumes than I ever wanted to know. : ) Sean asks what my projected finish time is for this race. NOPE, NO WAY. Not falling for this trap again, Astin!! You see, Sean and I have had this ongoing bet ever since the Hollywood Half last year. He continuously underestimates his finish time, and then he continuously runs 6 minutes faster than me. It doesn't matter how fast or slow I run - Sean will inevitably run 6 minutes faster. Sean mentions that he is hoping to finish in 2:30 based on his Tinkerbell time. I mentally make note of this, but do not give away any hints about my projected finish (which is actually about the same - 2:30).
6:30 AM: It is dark and cold in the parking lot of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. I, my friend Cory, and #Run3rd Captain Extraordinaire Sean Astin are all huddled under a heat lamp in the media tent. It's 46 degrees out! (New Englanders, don't laugh.) Sean and I are standing on chairs to get closer to the heat. Sean is telling us all about his new vegan diet, which I gotta admit is fascinating and admirable. I also must admit that I have learned more about nuts and legumes than I ever wanted to know. : ) Sean asks what my projected finish time is for this race. NOPE, NO WAY. Not falling for this trap again, Astin!! You see, Sean and I have had this ongoing bet ever since the Hollywood Half last year. He continuously underestimates his finish time, and then he continuously runs 6 minutes faster than me. It doesn't matter how fast or slow I run - Sean will inevitably run 6 minutes faster. Sean mentions that he is hoping to finish in 2:30 based on his Tinkerbell time. I mentally make note of this, but do not give away any hints about my projected finish (which is actually about the same - 2:30).
Heather's Pasadena Rock n Roll race report
Submitted by Heather Stewart @captainstewie
I Love It When a Plan Comes Together.
The Pasadena Rock 'n' Roll Half was a culmination of many plans coming together:
1. This is my final training “race” before the LA Marathon (LAM). I will run more and longer distances, but this is the last race.
2. Organizing when to pick up my bib, when to get to Pasadena and where to park was a plan in itself!
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY…
3. There was finally a solid plan to meet up with some #run3rd Captains. Andrea and I had made “plans,” if that’s what you can call them, at two different races, and Disney races are crazy places to try to do meet ups, plus this would be my first opportunity to hobnob with our fearless leader!
The Pasadena Rock 'n' Roll Half was a culmination of many plans coming together:
1. This is my final training “race” before the LA Marathon (LAM). I will run more and longer distances, but this is the last race.
2. Organizing when to pick up my bib, when to get to Pasadena and where to park was a plan in itself!
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY…
3. There was finally a solid plan to meet up with some #run3rd Captains. Andrea and I had made “plans,” if that’s what you can call them, at two different races, and Disney races are crazy places to try to do meet ups, plus this would be my first opportunity to hobnob with our fearless leader!
Is #Run3rd a Prayer?
 |
| ©starcontinuum.net |
Is #Run3rd a Prayer?
Sean Astin @Sean Astin
Yes. No. Maybe.
#Run3rd is an invitation to people of all faiths or no faith at all. The basic premise is that we naturally put our own needs first. This is markedly different from most religions which place God above everything. Therefore, #run3rd is not intended to be a formal prayer; rather it is an exchange of sorts between people. The #run3rd dynamic does, however, carry some important similarities to praying. The essence of a #run3rd dedication is an outward sharing of some piece of our self. There is no substance other than an impulse to include others in something special that we feel. Its only tangibility is the backlighting of characters on a Twitter screen, and the notion that somehow we are being seen and heard and appreciated.
When someone asks for dedications, three key dynamics are in play. First, a person requesting that others make dedications is acknowledging that it is right and good to value other people. Second, they are offering to be a repository of sorts for the sanctity of other people’s concerns. Third, the absence of any financial or other contribution places this offer in a unique category strongly resembling prayer. Many faith teachings convey that absorbing the pains and hopes of all beings is critical to achieving heightened spirituality. In this way, the time and consideration that goes into asking for and making #run3rd dedications is an exercise in sentient communication.
Hopefully, the person who makes or places a #run3rd dedication in the Twitter sphere feels something very positive about trusting a little piece of themselves to others. Likewise, the person who reads the many #run3rd dedications should feel a sense of pride and nobility for the privilege of taking the emotional weight of those people’s feelings on board. Carrying the thoughts, hopes, dreams and yes prayers of others, in their minds and hearts, even physically printing them out and toting them in a pocket, completes the #run3rd cycle.
The question becomes, does it matter? If no money is being raised for charity, if there is no doctrinal expectation of providential intervention, then why make #run3rd dedications and why accept those that are made into our consciousness?
The answer is… because. Because the currency of a #run3rd Twitter dedication is the hope or good feeling that comes from knowing that a piece of ourselves is being transmitted to and perceived by others, and that potentially, that act alone will be beneficial in some way. It is a salutation of sorts among mostly strangers in the ether. It’s a type of gesture that can be made that says, for a moment in this busy world, I see you, I note the existence of you and your loved one or cause, and it means something to me. It says I hear you and I accept you. It says that what’s important to you, counts with me. Prayers may derive great power from the collective will of those praying and perhaps in its own way, either with or without the express invocation of God, #run3rd does too.
And it’s hard to work into the body of this text, but the word LOVE deserves a mention!
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Fort Langley 10K race report
What do you say when you have accomplished something you never thought might be possible? “Horse poop and Wedgies.”
Now I know what you might be thinking: How does she come up with that? Well it’s all in the experience of running that perhaps someone out there might understand, or perhaps I am just that unique.
This was my first 10k official run ever. I had just attempted a 12 miler the day before for training and was wondering if I had overdone it just before a run. I had my doubts, but nope, this in some way was the best thing that could have happened. It gave me the idea of the length, and of course a 10k was half of the distance and so the run seemed that more easy to do.
Sean's Pasadena Rock n Roll Half race report
Submitted by Sean Astin @SeanAstin
What? Back in Pasadena only a few short weeks after the Rose Bowl Half?? But why? Simple, I re-discovered at the last minute that even though I had known about it but had forgotten about it, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series was in town… and as I looked closely, saw that they hand out some bitchin’ medals at their races.
This was my first Rock ‘n’ Roll race, but it will absolutely not be my last. And now, most importantly, many people, more than usual lately in fact, had made sincere and heartfelt #run3rd dedications. I wanted to honor them in the way I am accustomed to. And so, as it turned out, even though I knew it but had stupidly forgotten, TWO count them TWO #run3rd Team Captains, @andreabarber and @captainstewie would be leading the way through the famed streets of the New Year’s Rose Bowl Parade. Of course, the brilliant #run3rd Team Captain @Leahmari11 was also on hand to REPRESENT!!! Plus, there were the simultaneous international exploits of @Voxpax2 in Canada. It just had to happen.
So, I popped into the expo on Saturday and coincidentally happened into an old friend Bob Babbitt who I met many many years ago at the Malibu Mini-Triathalon. On that day my trainer, Kurt Broadhag and I were privileged to team up with 8yr old Rudy Garcia-Tolson. He swam, I ran and Kurt biked. The thing is that Rudy is a double amputee. I carried him from the ocean to the bike area. Such an inspiration. He’s an old old man now [not really, he's 24!], a sponsored triathlete and everything. [Read more about Rudy and Sean here.] Well, Bob and I met back up in Pasadena and had lots of fun.
What? Back in Pasadena only a few short weeks after the Rose Bowl Half?? But why? Simple, I re-discovered at the last minute that even though I had known about it but had forgotten about it, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series was in town… and as I looked closely, saw that they hand out some bitchin’ medals at their races.
This was my first Rock ‘n’ Roll race, but it will absolutely not be my last. And now, most importantly, many people, more than usual lately in fact, had made sincere and heartfelt #run3rd dedications. I wanted to honor them in the way I am accustomed to. And so, as it turned out, even though I knew it but had stupidly forgotten, TWO count them TWO #run3rd Team Captains, @andreabarber and @captainstewie would be leading the way through the famed streets of the New Year’s Rose Bowl Parade. Of course, the brilliant #run3rd Team Captain @Leahmari11 was also on hand to REPRESENT!!! Plus, there were the simultaneous international exploits of @Voxpax2 in Canada. It just had to happen.
So, I popped into the expo on Saturday and coincidentally happened into an old friend Bob Babbitt who I met many many years ago at the Malibu Mini-Triathalon. On that day my trainer, Kurt Broadhag and I were privileged to team up with 8yr old Rudy Garcia-Tolson. He swam, I ran and Kurt biked. The thing is that Rudy is a double amputee. I carried him from the ocean to the bike area. Such an inspiration. He’s an old old man now [not really, he's 24!], a sponsored triathlete and everything. [Read more about Rudy and Sean here.] Well, Bob and I met back up in Pasadena and had lots of fun.
Reflections on #run3rd
Sean Astin @SeanAstin
For over a year, people have been making very unique, very special and often very personal “Dedications” for their loved ones, using Twitter and the #run3rd hashtag as a vehicle. But now, the hashtag #run3rd has begun to transcend the medium that gave it life. Whether it’s written with a sharpie on someone’s arm or leg or printed on a sign pinned to a runner’s shirt, the hash tag #run3rd has become an emblem of sorts.
I’ve grown quite fond of the look of it as an object in its own right. It sounds silly, but I genuinely like the way the # sign sets it off and the letters r-u-n and r-d surround the always mystical and numerologically curious 3. The #run3rd silhouette is unique, distinctive, even beautiful. When it’s embossed on a hat or glimpsed streaming on someone’s ‘mentions’ strand, #run3rd has become a beacon. Like all symbols that humans use to convey meaning, #run3rd instantly evokes from those in the know, a specific emotional pulse.
Here’s a test. Take a quick look at the hashtag: #run3rd. While it is unassuming, it clearly means something real and positive. The letters alone would be too bland and random to grab the eye, but together in this way, they are somehow confident in their meaning. In fact, #run3rd has it’s own very distinct identity. For me, #run3rd is synonymous with hope, caring for others and perhaps even selfish pride in our own capacity for empathy.
Beyond these profound qualities and embedded in the #run3rd iconography is an expectation of the addressee about the “Dedication.” These heartfelt requests were first directed at me, personally of course, but then organically expanded to include any receivers of the #run3rd “Prayers” if you will. That is to say that, anyone who read the #run3rd twitter strand and decided to reflect on, think about, respond to or even include the wishes, dreams and requests in some way, even for a moment, became owners of the dignity and purpose of the messages.
Formally, #run3rd Team Captains and loyal well wishers (be they runners or no) and ultimately all who accept the “Dedications” on some level into their hearts as they head out of doors are the mortar that bind these determined and righteous hashtag characters together.
For over a year, people have been making very unique, very special and often very personal “Dedications” for their loved ones, using Twitter and the #run3rd hashtag as a vehicle. But now, the hashtag #run3rd has begun to transcend the medium that gave it life. Whether it’s written with a sharpie on someone’s arm or leg or printed on a sign pinned to a runner’s shirt, the hash tag #run3rd has become an emblem of sorts.
I’ve grown quite fond of the look of it as an object in its own right. It sounds silly, but I genuinely like the way the # sign sets it off and the letters r-u-n and r-d surround the always mystical and numerologically curious 3. The #run3rd silhouette is unique, distinctive, even beautiful. When it’s embossed on a hat or glimpsed streaming on someone’s ‘mentions’ strand, #run3rd has become a beacon. Like all symbols that humans use to convey meaning, #run3rd instantly evokes from those in the know, a specific emotional pulse.
Here’s a test. Take a quick look at the hashtag: #run3rd. While it is unassuming, it clearly means something real and positive. The letters alone would be too bland and random to grab the eye, but together in this way, they are somehow confident in their meaning. In fact, #run3rd has it’s own very distinct identity. For me, #run3rd is synonymous with hope, caring for others and perhaps even selfish pride in our own capacity for empathy.
Beyond these profound qualities and embedded in the #run3rd iconography is an expectation of the addressee about the “Dedication.” These heartfelt requests were first directed at me, personally of course, but then organically expanded to include any receivers of the #run3rd “Prayers” if you will. That is to say that, anyone who read the #run3rd twitter strand and decided to reflect on, think about, respond to or even include the wishes, dreams and requests in some way, even for a moment, became owners of the dignity and purpose of the messages.
Formally, #run3rd Team Captains and loyal well wishers (be they runners or no) and ultimately all who accept the “Dedications” on some level into their hearts as they head out of doors are the mortar that bind these determined and righteous hashtag characters together.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Sean's Tinker Bell & Rose Bowl Half Marathon race reports
 |
| Sean at Tinker Bell Half |
Ok, here’s the story. I ran the Tinker Bell Half Marathon on January 20. So, why should I run the Rose Bowl Half in Pasadena just a week later??? Simple: vanity!
I’ve been watching the #Run3rd idea blossom and grow. As each new Team Captain comes on board I feel more and more inspired. Hence, I feel the excitement to run in races to keep in lock step with the Team.
I missed several months due to injury and now I seem to be back in the swing of things. As usual, I don’t do things halfway. I jumped in with the New Years 5K after having precious few miles under my belt. Then I had to bail out of the Walt Disney World 20th Anniversary Half/Full Marathon weekend due to work here in LA. As good fortune would have it, the Tinker Bell Half came along and I was able to jump right in. [See more photos here, and videos here and here.] My time was slooowww (2:26:51), but it felt great to finish, and to have Team Captains Heather Stewart and Lupe Steele on hand! My Achilles held up nicely and my new approach to diet seemed to be working as well. I ran on Monday a few miles, and then (on the advice of a Boston Marathoner I know) took the whole week off.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Disney Family 5K race report
Submitted by Linda Iroff @LindaofNoteThe Disney Family 5K at Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend was the first big event I’ve been to (we’re talking 10,000 runners vs few hundred!) as well as the first time I’ve run (well mostly walked) with my daughter Joy. It was also her first race ever, and she'd not even trained for it!
The whole thing was a total delight!! Well the getting up at 4am sucked a little, as well as trying to choke down some food while still half asleep, but Joy and I managed to dress ourselves (wings & tiara for her!) and catch the bus to the starting area.
It was dark and chilly and in our general confusion we missed finding fellow #run3rd Captain Tony Conticello and the rest of the Pacebook Running Club. :-( Fortunately we had gotten the chance to meet Tony and other members of the club the evening before, and also met up Sunday evening after the full Marathon.
Surf City Half Marathon race report
Submitted by Heather Stewart @captainstewie
Sometimes I have to remind myself why I do this. Running is by far the most frustrating thing I’ve ever done. I am asking my body to do something it doesn’t always want to do. I am pushing myself past the point of exhaustion until I can’t go any further and then I keep going. I’ve changed the way I eat, the way I sleep, the way I spend my time.
And sometimes I wonder, for what? I can’t seem to get faster. I can’t seem to lose any more weight. Running often reminds me of what I can’t do.
And sometimes I wonder, for what? I can’t seem to get faster. I can’t seem to lose any more weight. Running often reminds me of what I can’t do.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Chilly Chase 5K race report
The Chilly Chase is exactly what it set out to be with chilly, raining and absolutely beautiful Vancouver weather (at least from a local’s point of view).
Today I had decided I was going to push myself. It was the first time I was using a running app on my phone. I have been using RunKeeper to keep track of how many miles I run and the time it takes me. It has its advantages and disadvantages but perhaps not in the way you might expect.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Friday, February 1, 2013
Heather's Tinker Bell Half Marathon Report
Submitted by Heather Stewart @captainstewie
If there is anything the Tinker Bell Half Marathon showed me this year it’s that I am truly blessed. Running has given me so much, but I think the coolest thing about running and Disney races especially is how people are brought together. My worlds collided at this year’s race, so instead of a mile by mile account, I’m going to give you a friend by friend account.
Blessing #1: First of all, the usual suspects were there. Ditto and her husband Cody and Ryan (the girl) all went down and spent the weekend together. We shared a hotel room, made jokes, did our morning ballet, got sufficiently frustrated by shuttle busses and anxiously rushed to get to the start line together. Although this is not our normal way (stupidly early…standing around freezing, but not rushing), it’s the same people and I can count on them to carb load with me and meet me at the finish line. Being the slowest of my friends, I ALWAYS have someone waiting for me!
Blessing #1: First of all, the usual suspects were there. Ditto and her husband Cody and Ryan (the girl) all went down and spent the weekend together. We shared a hotel room, made jokes, did our morning ballet, got sufficiently frustrated by shuttle busses and anxiously rushed to get to the start line together. Although this is not our normal way (stupidly early…standing around freezing, but not rushing), it’s the same people and I can count on them to carb load with me and meet me at the finish line. Being the slowest of my friends, I ALWAYS have someone waiting for me!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)