Hello from sunny foggy Santa Monica.

What up, SoCal, why you so cold? But hey, we’re good: the forecast for Sunday is a marathon-perfect 64 degrees. Phew!

Let’s just say that, barring a sudden weather change for the worse, we’ll be luckier than those who ran in 2011 and had to survive this:

Meanwhile, since we spent pretty much the entire day driving, I thought I’d show you some of the highlights of our road trip.

My Instagram followers [@AleksRuns] were treated to this incredibly scenic and beautifully composed image this morning. Sorry guys! But yes, this was our “mileage” for today!
Before this trip, we’d only traveled to LA in September or November, and pretty much all the green you see here (and in the photos below) has been yellow and dry. Much better this way!I kept it classy all the way:
[Except the two times we had to stop in the middle of I-5, because "Mommy, I need to go potty"--this literally 0.2 miles from a rest stop, but "I can't wait." And "My bottom hurts, can you wipe it?"]

Overall, the road to LA is quite scenic (even if you have to drive down a straight mile for the better part of three hours). And then you approach LA…
Good thing we had to deal with this horrendous traffic for only 10 miles, then checked into our hotel and immediately went back out to find an Italian restaurant for carboloading.
Excuse me, I meant proper carboloading:
In this family, no matter how quick you are with the camera, someone’s fingers always get to the deserts first!

Tomorrow, we’ll have to brave LA traffic again to go to the expo to pick up my bib and, undoubtedly, purchase whatever kid stuff they have for sale.

See you soon, LA!

This morning, at 5:18 sharp, I walked into the gym beaming with pride at my speed and efficiency. I had woken up at 5 — and been in the car by 5:05. Swoosh!

Then I realized I’d forgotten a bunch of stuff. Like my contact lenses. And clean underwear. #Awkward.

That made me think, how many awkward moments have I had courtesy of running/ working out? Too many!

Below, I’ve sampled a few for you. Not because they’re not absolutely embarrassing, but because I know that any good ol’ runner, swimmer, cyclist, gym goer or weekend warrior has experienced at least a few of those themselves. And if I’m sharing, so must you.

The awkward moment when you…

1. Go to the gym and realize that you forgot clean underwear the minute you’re done with that particularly sweaty workout.
[Tip: Wash your undies, then use the swimsuit spinner/ dryer to dry it up. Good as new and you're welcome.]

2. Go to yoga class and realize that you haven’t shaved your armpits in a week. #Ohmmmmm.

3. Go for a run and Continue reading →

Why do you run?

I get this question all the time. If you’re a runner, chances are you do, too.

The answer is simple: I run because I love it, of course! And because today is Valentine’s Day, let me shout it out:

I ♥ Running!

There are many reasons why, but these are my top ones… I think. (Don’t be surprised if I do at least five follow-ups on this with “just one more,” OK?)

1. First and foremost:

2. The pasta dinners before long runs

3. The post-race parties with bagels and coconut water — and sometimes chocolate and champagne!

4. The endorphin rush

5. The hour (or longer) that I get to myself and my favorite music

6. Coffee tastes SO much better at 5 a.m. on race day

7. The anticipation of lining up at the Start line

8. The happiness of crossing the Finish line

9. Perhaps indecently…

10. And last but not least, without my ♥ of running, I wouldn’t have this blog. And that would be a shame, wouldn’t it?

Why do you love running?

Happy Friday! Or, for some of you, Saturday morning. I can never get around to writing these things before 9 p.m., and what do you know, that’s midnight on the East coast.

The East Coast is about to get some more snow, by the way, not to mention the cold wave hitting the Midwest (brrrrr), while here in Cali it’s all sun, warmth and cloudless skies:But it’s been a looo-oooong week, lots of work, some running, yoga, and a nagging pain in the butt that, contrary to what I thought, was not helped by the yoga in the very least.

So today, after I limped through seven slow and painful miles, I finally dragged that butt to the chiropractor. Love the chiropractor! The verdict: no butt injury (yay!). But my lower back vertebrae are compressed or something (or other), most likely a result of the plenty-hilly Coyote Hills half marathon I ran last Saturday. When you run hills, your alignment goes all off-kilter, and if you’ve become well too used to pancake-flat routes… oh well. Regardless, those views were worth it.

So now I’m lying down on a gigantic ice gel thing. You know the Sesame Street boo boo buddies? It’s just like that, but a boring ol’ square for grownups. BabyRuns decided I should have at least some fun, so he gave me a pony. Ponies help. Don’t ask me why we have them in the house, I don’t know.

Speaking of BabyRuns, he is now officially:That’s right, KarateKid! Loves it, too. I never thought I’d see him meditate but yes, he does it.

I can’t lie, I feel a little hurt that he seems to love something else more than running, but I guarantee you, Mr and Mrs Mickey and Minnie Mouse will not show up at karate practice, while we all know who’s running with them in the Disneyland Half (and kids’ run) this September. Oh yeah.

And speaking of races, tomorrow is Dirty Girl Run volunteer (and run!) day! So excited, I almost think I won’t mind having to wake up at 5:30.

And: tomorrow is also your LAST chance to enter the 408K Race free entry giveaway! For real, if you live around here, that race is NOT to be missed!

KarateKid said so!

How was your week?

Today’s run:
Good thing it was supposed to be an easy one, I limped for about five miles, then decided to run on tippy-toes (i.e. try some forefoot striking; no heel touching the ground) for the last two. It was actually fun and hurt less. I’m sure I gave quite a few passing drivers a good laugh, too.

Yup. I was that runner:

All day long today, I’ve been researching juice cleanses.

Don’t get me wrong, it was strictly for work. It wouldn’t even occur to me to voluntarily give up food and drink coffee so I can rid my body of toxins. Toxins, mind you, that shall reenter the minute the cleanse is done and I go back to good ol’ meat, carbs and caffeinated drinks.
>>I tried giving up coffee once, in college. It was bad.<<

But now I’ve wizened up on the health benefits of kale — did you know just a cup of the stuff has a smashing 1,328% of the recommended daily value of Vitamin K and 354% the RDA of Vitamin A? — and I’m thinking of trying a juice cleanse next year.

As, you know, one of my juicier resolutions. If not the juiciest. Ha!

Ryan Gosling, are you trying to tell me something?

The shortest juice cleanse is only three days and can be done (in the case of a serial long-distance racer) during an in-between races period. Don’t quote me on that, I just made it up.

Say, theoretically, a runner finishes a marathon, gives herself a few days to recharge the batteries fatty cells and liver, then does the cleansing stuff for three days. Goes back to normal; runs scheduled half marathon two weeks after that. Sounds like an OK plan to me. Yes?

Notice how committed I am already; penciling it in on a post-it!

-> Must research juice cleanses between now and March 17. <--

Have you ever done a juice cleanse? How’d it go? Where did you get the juice?

Today’s run:

Faked an interval workout today on the trail/ road behind our house. Does it count as intervals if you don’t do it on a track but still run six four-minute repeats at seven- to eight-minute mile?