Running Journey

My New Job

It's official!  Yesterday I was offered a job.  Yay!  I should receive the formal offer letter today or tomorrow then I can put in my notice here.  I guess my notice is put in now if my boss reads this post.  hah.  Actually I'm sure he's never seen this blog.  I'm excited to start and it seems like a great group I'll be working with.  Tentative start date would probably be the week of June 18th.  I think I'll also have to go to Texas for a week or two of training.  Allex, TX - just north of Dallas.  I don't suppose there are any good trails there??  I'm thinking there might be a bit of treadmill running coming my way.  Yuck.

The new place is just a few more miles up the freeway from my current job.  Unfortunatley it's also almost right next to South Coast Plaza.  Dangerous :) 

I've been hearing (recently) about this resteraunt called "Native Foods".  It's a vegan place and it's only abou 1 mile from my new job!  No I'm not vegan, but I do like to eat more healthy and more "raw" when given the chance.  Maybe it will become a new lunch hot spot for me. 

Anyway... that's about it.  I'm looking forward to it!  I'm also looking forward to this weekend.  Doing a short run (others are going longer) in San Mateo Wilderness.  Mr. Kirk Fortini is joining us and keeping me company on the short but sweet 6 miler.   It's a pretty rough unspoiled area and so close to home!  No motorized vehicles of any sort are allowed and bikes aren't even allowed.  I was supposed to do the 19 mile loop originally and see a good portion of the area but that will have to wait for another time.  I'm giving my camera to Greg for the day so he can take lots of pictures for me (and I can see what I missed!)

After that it's home... then 4:30 church followed by a trip down to San Diego to meet up with some of the OCTR crew at Skip's condo.  Saturday morning Abbie, E-Rod & Me are doing OCTR "support/cheering" for the Rock N Roll Marathon. 

Happy Running & Dirty Feet!
Jessica

P.S.  Seems I've had some new visitors lately and new commenters.  Thank you (both new and old readers) so  much for your comments!  I love them so keep 'em coming :)

My New Shoes

I did A LOT of research - and asked around.  I came up with some shoe options to try.  I have high arches which means I need more cushion in my shoes - and good arch support.  I was told by Road Runner Sports once that I am a neutral runner, but their test involved walked barefoot across a mat.  I'm pretty sure I slightly over-pronate which contributes to problems on the outside of my foot.

So, I LOVE my Montrail Continental Divides and I'm not ready to give them up but I'm thinking they might not have the cushioning I need for longer runs (or when I'm hurt).  I picked up a pair of Vasque Velocity's and North Face Ultra 103's.  They both claim to be well cushioned and good for those with higher arches.  They also are supposed to stop over-pronation.

This morning I went on my first weekday morning run in a long time.  It's hard to get out and run in the morning, make it to work, etc.  I just planned on going in a little late today.  So I strapped on my new Vasque shoes (trying North Face next), inserted my new insoles (also good for arch support) and was off to Whiting Ranch.

We had a great turnout for a weekday morning run.  What an awesome group we have!  There were 9 of us total.  7 members + 1 new member (he joined today) + Addy.  We did a great 5 mile loop with 900' of elevation gain and I felt good.  At about mile 2.5 I was starting to think my foot was giving me that "I'm gonna start hurting" feeling.  But.. the next mile was all downhill (steep in sections) and I felt okay.  I was happy to complete the 5 miles with no pain!  I'm not healed yet and still taking it easy but it would appear I am on the road to recovery.  On Saturday's run I'm going to try out my new North Face shoes.   My first observation on the Vasque shoes is they are awesome!  Not just because I had no pain but they felt great.

Happy Running & Dirty Feet,
Jessica

My Brief 5K Report

There were a lot of OCTRs signed up for the Saddleback Memorial Half Marathon and 5K.  We ran into Lisa & new member Tim just before the start of the half marathon.   Never saw B, Paul, Greg, or Sue.

Kayla and I met up with Abbie & E-Rock and did a short warm up before the race.   We saw Mari near the starting line but even when she's standing still she is too fast for me to catch up with.   At first we weren't sure it was here since her name wasn't on the calendar entry for the event.   But then we saw her abs and figured it out. The fast crew (Kayla, Abbie, E-Rock) left me in the dust right from the start.   I'm pretty sure Mari left them in her dust...

I saw the speedy trio right after I crossed the finish line.   E-Rock finished in 20:something.   Abbie around 22:45.   And Kayla right at 23:00.   Not bad for a first time 5K for her!   Abbie said she briefly saw Alexa finish shortly after them.   I guess we could have done a better OCTR meet up at the race. 

My foot held up well.   I ran a 9 minute mile at mile 1.   I knew that was good but a little fast for me with all the time off I had.   Mile 2 was 11 and mile 3 was 10.   I averaged a 9:53 pace which is good.   My main goal was just to be able to take it easy and finish without any foot pain.   I had no pain.   Slight discomfort for a bit but no pain!  I think 30:45 qualifies as my slowest time since my first 5K in 2003 but I wasn't trying to set any PRs.

Happy Running & Happy Memorial Day!
Jessica

Hamstews Can't Swim

(based on a true story)

I wrote this short story for a creative writing class in college.  The teacher liked it so much he asked for permission to include it in his book (the one he uses for examples to teach the class!)  Here it is for your Sunday afternoon amusement :)

     The sun appeared as a monstrous yellow balloon floating high in the sky, as it shined brightly through the thick glass of the patio door, into the living room beyond, where I played with my best friend, Fred, the white, fury, little hamster, whom I had begged my parents to buy for me.  The steady drone of the air conditioner was a constant reminder of the scorching heat on the other side of the protective glass.  Being a relatively new household member, Fred was loved very much by me in my untainted youth of five years old, than my absent older brother, Eric, who wasn't nearly as much fun to play with as Fred.
     A voice drifted around the corner, originating in the kitchen where my mom prepared a dinner that had the distinctive aroma of spaghetti.
     "Jessica, put Fred back in his cage and wash your hands.  Dinner is ready,” hollered my mom.
     Skipping into the bathroom, I was enlightened with a marvelous idea; to rid Fred of the germs he carried, all he needed was a good wash.  Then I would never have to wash my hands after we played.  Carefully, I plucked Fred out of my hand, using his soft pink tail as a handle.  Body wiggling, Fred was plopped into the toilet water like a swimmer taking a dive.  Water splashed, as Fred's fur became slick from moving in and out like a bobber.  Several times, I dunked him, until I was sure that he had been cleansed of his germs.  As I lifted him out of the water, he gasped for the air that he had been denied, while he was submerged.
     "Did you enjoy your swim, Fwed?"  I questioned, unable to pronounce my "r" due to a speech problem that my mom said would go away when I was older.
     Eyeing the blowdryer, I thought, this should work', after all it's a hair dryer, and he is all hair.  The switch clicked as I slid it into the on position.  Air began to blow at Fred, who dangled still, from his tail.
"What did you do to Fred?"  My mom inquired with concern as she appeared from around the corner and pulled the plug.
     "I just gave him a bath.  You said he was dirty."
     She grabbed a towel, then Fred, and marched into the living room to dry him off.
     "I'll see what I can do, "she told me, "but I can't promise you anything.  I think he is dying."
     Dying, I thought.  I knew I should have cleaned him better. A few minutes went by before anything was said.  My mom attempted to help Fred, which was quite a change from the day that she tried to get rid of him by kicking him out of the house. Fred was too smart, though, because he came back the minute I called his name, definitely smarter than the average hamster. Curiosity filled me as I watched Fred's fur fluff up like cotton candy.  How long will this take?  Suddenly my mom stopped scrubbing back and forth across his fluffed out fur.
     "He's dead,” was all that she said as she tossed Fred into the garbage can.
    “I just cleaned him mom.  Why did you put him in the there?”
    “He can’t play with you anymore, Jessica.  We better eat before dinner gets cold.”
    “What am I gonna do now?  Ewic’s in the hospital, I’m not hungwy and Fwed’s in the gawbage. I guess this means ‘hamstews’ can’t swim…

My Mt. Baldy Day

Addy is "back home" for 5 weeks and I invited her to join on some of our OCTR runs while she is here.  The first one being an air-gasping 8 mile run (with 4000 feet of climbing) to the to the Top of Mt Baldy and 4 miles back down to the lift.  We later learned that this would be Addy's first trail run in Southern California.  What a way to start!

Addy came to my house and we left there at 6AM this morning to meet up with Pete and Eric about 30 minutes away.  Eric was gracious enough to drive and by 7:15 we found ourselves at the base of the Mt Baldy ski lift.  We did bathroom stops, got ready, etc.  The other 3 left for their run around 7:45AM.  My foot has been bugging me this week so my plan was to take the lift up and walk around a little up at the "Notch" at 8000 feet.

Time seemed to pass pretty quickly after I got to the top of the lift and it wasn't long before I saw (and heard Eric) trekking his way up the mountain.  He had a very steady and rhythmic breathing pattern that almost sounded like the chair lift at first!  But hey - it works for him.  He had been running ahead and back down to Addy and Pete the entire way up.  It was about 4 miles for them but I think 4.9 for Eric.

They re-grouped and were off (walking) - this time with me.  I walked with them for a short while and we all admired the views off the other side of the mountain.  Not too long after that Eric was running up the mountain while Addy and Pete started their steady hike up.  I kept going but was walking slowing and carefully - testing out my foot.  I stopped at a point just before the trail got REALLY steep and went back to the lodge to hang out a bit.  I had a bite to eat and ended up talking to a woman waiting for her friend (they were hiking).  Then I talked to 3 women who were hiking and training for the new Team in Training hike activities.  After talking to them for a while I went on another short hike then back to the lodge to wait.  It was really such a beautiful day it was hard to complain.  Sure I would have rather been running.  But - the animals were out. The air was fresh.  The pine trees were all around.  It was very relaxing.

They did come back a bit later than I had expected - and they had smiles on their faces which I did expect. 
They just climbed/ran to the top of the highest mountain in the range and had a beautiful day to do it.

All in all it was a great day and wonderful to meet Addy.  She's such a great positive person full of energy.  We'll be seeing more of each other through the next 5 weeks on trail runs, etc. as she joins OCTR for some more fun!

Happy Running & Dirty Feet,
Jessica

More Pictures Here

My Film is Not Yet Rated

After dinner and an emotion breakdown over the pain in my foot (more on that later), I watched the film "This Film is Not Yet Rated".  It's a wonderful expose on the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) and specifically on it's infamous "Ratings Board".

The MPAA website lists the ratings system as "voluntary".  Yet - try making making a an unrated film in Hollywood and see how far you get with it!  Part of the problem with the system is that the Motion Picture industry in this country is control by 7 large companies.  The film states these 7 companies represent 95% of all films in this country.  AND these 7 companies are controlled by 7 larger conglomerates that control "90% of all media" in this country.  I'll let you watch the movie to learn more but it's easy to see the system isn't really "voluntary" - among other things! 

Most people in the business just consider it a form of arbitrary censorship with ratings board member identities being held more secret than who Deepthroat was.

That is - until this film was made.  Here is a list of suspected ratings board and appeals board members.

So - go watch this film!  It is very education, interesting, informative and well-made.

Oh and my foot...  I was being a nice keeper of my body and trying to take care of it.  Since I was having foot problems I went out and bought a mountain bike Wednesday after work.  I went for a 25 minute ride when I got home.  It had a couple stream crossings, some small hills.  Nothing too intense.  I work up Thursday with worse pain in my foot.  It was pretty bad last night and was shooting pain.  Did biking make it worse?  WTF???  It is MUCH better today.  But geesh.  At this rate you might as well take me out back, shoot me, and send me to the glue factory.  My entire summer racing schedule is up in the air at this moment...

Oh - and this afternoon I'm going up to LA to meet up with a friend I met while in Thailand.  How cool is that?  I'm not looking forward to the traffic.  I could probably run to LA faster than I could drive up there some days.  Wait.. that was before my mystery foot pain.  Ugh.

Jessica

Happy Birthday Star Wars!

30 years ago... in a galaxy near you...

Yes it's true.  Star Wars is turning 30 today.  On this day in 1977, Star Wars opened on just 32 screens across the nation.  It is one of those movies that changed things forever.  Special effects, marketing campaigns, etc.  The movie industry has surely never been the same since.

Star Tribune Article
Want to go to the Party?

May the force be with you
Jessica

My Pet Peeve Thursday

I have a pet peeve when it comes to trail running shoes. When you buy a road running shoe it is easy to match up your arch height, cushioning needs, pronation level, etc. with a cushioned, control, support or racing shoe.  Many running stores have their road shoes sorted in this way and many shoe companies list these features in regards to their various shoes.

So why don't we have these options for trail shoes?  Road shoes are listed by their types and trail shoes are just trail shoes.  What's the deal?  What if I pronate - which trail shoe is good for me?  What it I have high or low arches?  Etc. Etc...

This concludes my pet peeve Thursday...

Jessica

My 10,000 Feet

I'm resting my foot and not running all week because I really don't want to miss out on our group run Saturday.  We are running to the to of Mt. San Antonio - otherwise known as Mt. Baldy.  Every September there is a race here (basically the same route we are doing).

You start at 6,000' and run up to 10,000' over 8 miles.  In our case then we run back down for a 16 mile run.  I certainly can't run 16 miles.  Maybe not even 8.  But I do plan on running/hiking 8 miles.  From 6,000' I can take the chair lift up to 8,000 and then "run" 4 miles to the top.  I'll probably hike it mostly.  Mainly because I don't want to push it with my foot - but also becuase I'll probably be gasping for air.  I'm really excited to get up to the top though so hopefully my foot is okay.  After reaching the top (10,064') I will come back down 4 miles to the top of the chair lift and take it back to the car.  I think some of our runners might do 12 up + 4 down + the chairlift.  It does provide for some different options.

Also - Addy - who is from Orange County will be down here "visiting" for a while so she is joining us on our run!! (and hopefully some other runs in June).  Another blogger meet up.  Yay!!

Happy Running & Dirty Feet,
Jessica

My Missed Opportunity?

About a year ago I was running with Lisa and we were talking about filmmaking related stuff.  She had this idea to do a filmmaker show sort of like American Idol.  Contestants with competitions, etc.  We fleshed out the idea quite a bit on our run.  It was a great idea but creating a TV show of that scale is no small task.

Enter Mark Burnett & Steven Spielberg: "On the Lot"
Their new show debuted last night after American Idol.  I guess if you are these two guys you have the means to make the show that Lisa and I talked about on our run last summer.  Maybe one of their spies was listening to us???

Anyway... I didn't know about the show until it was too late to get on it.  The film submissions were due in the middle of February when I was gone half way around the world.  I'm keeping my eyes open for the second season.  It was fun to watch last night.  They have an interesting group of people.  I'm sure some of them are VERY talented but some of them?  Yikes.  I like the way the show is laid out though.  If showcasing things are going to have to deal with if you  are going to be a successful filmmaker:

1. Pitching your project
2. Stress of deadlines
3. Obstacles
4. Dealing with people - especially difficult ones

Any filmmaker has pitched a project if they have looked for funding on a film.  Maybe not as formal as they did on the show - on stage in front of a panel of 3.  That can be intimidating I'm sure.  But you need to be able to sell your project AND sell yourself.  If you can't do both, then you are lost.  The filmmakers have 24 hours to make films.  I like this.  Deadlines happen all the time in this business.  You have to work under pressure.  Can't take pressure? The business might not be for you.  After all, time is money.  An extra day of shooting can kill your budget.  Obstacles happen.  You need to be as prepared as you can and things will still happen.  You need to be able to adjust on the fly.  Dealing with difficult people.  Yes this happens.  Get used to it.  If you can't work with someone that you HAVE to work with you are in trouble.  It was TV - they love to show the drama so it was interesting to see the big clashes already with some of the filmmakers.  They wont' make it to the finals if they can't learn to work together despite their differences.

I'm going to enjoy watching this show. AND I'm going to try to get on it if there is a season 2.  I always go for the big projects - feature films.  I neglect the short film angle.  All these filmmakers had to show case their short film work to get on the show.  So starting immediately I'm working on some short film ideas.  I plan to shoot them and have them ready to go.  Competitions like "On the Lot" often ask for short films and I don't have any ready to go.  I made a lot of them back in Minneapolis as part of  team.  Some of them were quite good.  Although I helped write and direct (and edit) they are not really "mine" to showcase.  So it's time to create some short films.  I think my first one will be about running.  Anyone want to act? :)

Jessica