The Green Girl's Disney Princess Packing List

The Green Girl's Packing List

Luggage

• Slippers
• Pajamas
• Pillow case
• Socks
• Underwear
• Sports bras
• Swimsuit
• Flashlight
• Belt
• Mr. Green Garmin
• Mr. Green Garmin charger
• Mr. Green Garmin heart rate monitor
• iFitness Belt
• Road ID Ankle ID
• Sole Runners baseball cap
• Kool 'N Fit
• Sole Runners shirt
• Black Columbia Sweet Peak Full-Zip Hooded Jacket
• Long-sleeved grey shirts
• White t-shirt
• Grey t-shirts
• Jeans
• Green cargo capris
• Grey cargo capris
• Grey pants
• White Hoodie
• Green pullover fleece
• New Balance 1012's

Toiletry Kit

• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Microban Standing Toothbrush Holder
• Plackers Dental Flossers
• Olay Daily Facials Cleansing Cloths
• Dickinson's Witch Hazel Daily Facial Towelettes
• Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel
• Antiperspirant/Deodorant
• Citrie Shine Mist
• Facial moisturizer with SPF
• Sunscreen
• Q-tips Cotton Swabs Pack
• Travel comb
• Travel brush
• Spare hair elastics
• Phiten discs
• Bondi Bands
• Daily vitamins in individual zip bags
• Poo Pourri
• Toilet seat covers
• Clorox Disinfecting Wipes To Go
• Tide Travel Sink Packets
• Shout Wipes
• Bausch & Lomb Pre-Moistened Lens Cleaning Tissues
• Giovanni Peppermint Surge Sanitizing Towelettes
• Spare zip pouches
• Eyeliner
• Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow in Suede

Medication/First Aid Bag

• Allergy medicine
• Sinus medicine
• Diphenhydramine
• Ibuprofen
• Pseudoephedrine
• Day/Night Cold Medicine
• Salt packets
• Bandages
• Sports tape
• Bodyglide
• Peaceful Mountain Muscle Ice

Backpack

• Nathan Speed 4 hydration belt
• Bottles for hydration belt
• Gatorade powder for hydration belt
• Mobile phone charger
• Digital camera charger
• Power adapters
• Grey hoodie
• North Face Venture Raincoat
• Eagle Creek Comfort Travel Pillow

Purse

• Camera
• Spare camera battery
• Mini tripod
• Mobile phone
• Sunglasses
• Diphenhydramine
• The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Facial Blotting Tissues
• Bath & Body Works Island Margarita Anti-Bacterial Gel
• Giovanni Peppermint Surge Sanitizing Towelettes
• Lip balm
• Bondi Band
• Moo Mini Cards

The Green Girl's 'Say Goodbye' Trail Cairn

say good·bye [sey good-bahy]
verb The act of saying
goodbye to all the things
you need to let go of 

The Green Girl finally managed to 'Say Goodbye'.

After my running epiphany at the top of Bill Eckert Trail yesterday, I felt a certain sense of empowerment and liberation.

As I ran back down the trail, I realized I was finally ready to Say Goodbye.

Ironically, after spending years trying to figure out the optimal way to perform this ceremony, it came to me in an instant.

I decided I would Say Goodbye and then I would leave the goodbye in the dirt of the trail.

I ran until something told me I should stop. I quickly grabbed a stick and dug the letters into the damp ground.

On a whim, I decided to erect a small cairn above the word. I felt the symbolism was apropos.

I stood there and mentally bid farewell to each thing one by one.

As expected, some things were easier to release than others.

When I had separated myself from the last piece of emotional baggage and that metaphorical weight had been lifted from my shoulders, I took off down the trail as fast as I could.

The Green Girl's Griffith Park Coyote Run

The Green Girl went trail running at Griffith Park this morning.

Griffith Park resides in the eastern Santa Monica Mountain range. The park covers more than 4,107 acres and features over 50 miles of trails.

At the base of the trail, there was a coyote. I gingerly walked by and started my ascent up Fern Canyon Nature Trail.

I passed a natural amphitheatre built by Boy Scouts. The secluded path was narrow and the ground was uneven. The trail appeared to branch off frequently.

Since this was my first time running at Griffith Park and I was alone, I didn't feel comfortable continuing on this path so I retraced my steps. I had concerns I would end up getting lost.

I was thrilled to discover a much more well worn Fern Canyon Trail branched off of Fern Canyon Nature Trail.

Fern Canyon took me to Old Zoo Trail behind the former zoo. From there, I turned onto the Bill Eckert Trail.

In 1.75 miles, the Bill Eckert Trail increases in elevation by 900 feet. The view at 935 feet was well worth the climb.



A peacefulness came over me as I gazed out over the city. I stared at the majestic snow capped mountains in the distance and my eyes danced on the fluffy white clouds in the sky.

Standing there, I had an epiphany. I've always struggled with the whole meditation thing. I would try over and over again in vain to force myself to meditate. The more I was told to relax, the more my brain would go into overdrive.

Running is my meditation. Running is where I can find clarity of thought.

Sole Runners Drizzling Saturday Morning Run

The Green Girl joined the Sole Runners for a Saturday morning run at Marina Vista Park.

After a deluge of overnight rain, the precipitation had dwindled down.

The Marina water level had increased and the surface was almost even with the top of the rocky shore.

Coach Steve and I briefly chatted about the RRCA Certification before the group headed out for our run.

As the run progressed, the clouds vaporized and the sun warmed the morning air.

It was a surprisingly resplendent morning for a run.

Farthest Star Cookies Cookie Shots Winner

Farthest Star Cookies - Cookie Shots Sampler

How far the star
      exceeds our grasp
How far the star
      extends our reach
The Green Girl is thrilled to announce the lucky winner of the Farthest Star Cookies Cookie Shots Giveaway!

Farthest Star Cookies is the Home of the Original Cookie Shots. Farthest Star Cookies provides a unique selection of cookies made with liqueurs and well known cocktails.

Farthest Star Cookies is also a proud sponsor of the upcoming Los Angeles Angelman Syndrome Foundation National Walk.

There were a total of 31 Farthest Star Cookies entries submitted via blog reply or email. The winning number, 14, was randomly selected based on results from random.org.

The winner is Stephanie Anne from Running To Health! You will be receiving the Cookie Shots Sampler.

Congratulations, Stephanie Anne! Please send your mailing address to giveaway@therunninggreengirl.com.

CasITa-to-5k Overcast Run on The Strand

The CasITa-to-5k went for a run on The Strand after work on Tuesday.

The CasITa-to-5k has strayed from the Cool Running Couch-to-5k Running Plan and instead, we've just been alternating between maintaining and increasing the walk intervals.

One of the outcomes of my RRCA Coach Certification has been a paradigm shift in how I will approach training going forward. I will be applying my newfound knowledge as I put together a first time half marathon training plan for one of the CasITa-to-5kers.

Using the walk/run intervals, we are able to comfortably and consistently run 3 miles so we will continue to increase the running time. I still have my hopes set on a Spring graduation.

The Spring 5k race will be twofold. It will be the official CasITa-to-5k graduation but it will also give me a baseline to build the half marathon training plan.

The RRCA Certified Coach Running Green Girl

The Green Girl is an RRCA Certified Running Coach!

In this country, there are two major running coach programs that are respected in the running community as qualified sources for running. The USATF (USA Track and Field) Certified Coach program focuses on youth to adult track runners. Though qualified to train track runners as well, the RRCA (Road Runner's Club of America) Coach Certification is more concentrated on training plans for athletes ranging from a 5k and beyond.

The course was taught by RRCA Coaches, Patti and Warren Finke.

Both Patti and Warren have completed over 170 marathon distance or longer events. In addition to teaching coaching certification seminars, they are the founders and directors of the Portland Marathon Training Clinic. Patti is also an exercise physiologist.

Patti and Warren are also the authors of the text used for the course, Marathoning, Start To Finish.

The course started off with the physiological effects of exercise followed by the the phases of marathon training.

Topics such as basebuilding, sharpening, tapering, race preparation, carbohydrate loading, recovery, and supplemental training were covered.

The material was comprehensive and highly efficacious. Patti and Warren brought forth years of experience - including trial and error - through their teaching and storytelling.

I walked away from this course a more well-informed, enlightened, and RRCA Certified Green Girl.

The Green Girl Is Registered For Tour DaVita

The Running Cycling Green Girl just registered for the Tour DaVita.

The Tour DaVita is a 240-mile bicycle ride benefiting the The Kidney TRUST, a non-profit organization focused on the prevention and awareness of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

The route will take us through the rolling hills of Massachusetts and Connecticut along the Connecticut River.

This whole cycling thing is unchartered territory for me but I am looking forward to the challenge.

For starters, I am going to start looking at reasonably priced bike options for green girls who are under five feet.

Farthest Star Cookies Cookie Shots Giveaway

The Green Girl is teaming with Farthest Star Cookies to offer a Farthest Star Cookies Original Cookie Shots giveaway.

Farthest Star Cookies is the Home of the Original Cookie Shots. Farthest Star Cookies provides a unique selection of cookies made with liqueurs and well known cocktails.

Farthest Star Cookies - Irish Cream Chocolate Chip

I am thrilled to announce one lucky winner will win a half dozen Farthest Star Cookies Cookie Shots.

The winner will be able to choose from Farthest Star's selection based on popular liqueurs such as Irish Cream and Crème de Banana, or popular cocktails such as the Northface.

There are two ways to enter this giveaway:

• Reply to this post and tell me which Farthest Star Cookies item you would like to win
• Send an email to giveaway@therunninggreengirl.com and tell me which Farthest Star Cookies item you would like to win

Bonus Entries (can be submitted in a reply to this post or via email):

• Blog about this giveaway
• Tweet about this giveaway
• 'Like' Farthest Star Cookies on Facebook
• 'Folllow' Farthest Star Cookies on Twitter

The deadline to enter this giveaway is Friday, February 18th, at midnight Pacific Time. The winners will be announced on Saturday, February 19th. This giveaway will be limited to the U.S. and Canada.

How far the star
      exceeds our grasp
How far the star
      extends our reach

The Green Girl Runs Out of Fuel on The Strand

The Green Girl's intention was to get in a 12 mile run on The Strand after work last night.

I missed my long run over the weekend and well, you know what they say about the best laid plans.

I had hoped to leave the office early but time sensitive issues came up. I didn't have a chance to eat lunch. I'm a snacker so I did manage to have some sunflower seeds, carrot and celery sticks with ranch dressing, an apple, and an orange during the course of the day.

When I arrived at The Strand, I was relieved to see the meters had a five hour limit and I inserted more coins then I've ever used on one of those devices before.

As soon as I started running, pangs of hunger hit me. I devoured an apple sauce and sipped on my sports drink to quiet my stomach.

My legs felt great but I could feel the tension in my neck and shoulders so I focused on some deep breathing. I gazed into the sunset and tried to relax.

Darkness had fallen by the time I reached the Hermosa Beach Pier. It was so peaceful running alongside the ocean at night.

Instead of going further, I opted to turn around at the 5 mile point since I figured I could just do an extra mile loop at the end to get me to my desired 12.

Unfortunately, I fell apart around mile 9. The sips of sports drink were no longer quelling the starvation cramps in my stomach. The thought of trying to ingest sports nutrition made me feel nauseous so I skipped the bars and kept running.

Interestingly enough, my body felt great and I know I could have run further than 12 miles had my stomach not been protesting so loudly.

I finally had to give in and cut the run short at around 10.5 miles.

I hit a drive-thru on my way home and got some soda to settle my stomach and a couple of cheeseburgers. After a nice, hot shower, I ate until my stomach stopped hurting.

Lesson learned, this will not be repeated.

The Green Girl's First Super Bowl Party

The Green Girl threw her very first Super Bowl party this weekend.

My boyfriend is a huge football fan so he decided to invite his family over for the big game.

This year's championship game was between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

As a Green Girl, I thought it was pretty cool that one of the teams had green in their name.

The party was an opportunity for me to get my junk food grub on. I even splurged with two glorious glasses of A&W Root Beer.

I listened to everyone talk about their Super Bowl pools and marveled at the winning potential.

I observed in amusement as the party goers yelled at the coaches and cursed the referees.

Everyone seemed to have a good time so I believe my first Super Bowl party was a success.

Happy Chinese Lunar New Year 恭喜發財

The Green Girl wishes everyone a very happy Chinese Lunar New Year.

According to Chinese astrology, our universe consists of five basic elements: Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth. It is said that everything in the universe, including humans, has a relationship with these five elements.

The Rabbit 兔 is said to be Wood. Wood rules the Eastern direction, and governs the season of Spring. Ruled by the planet Jupiter, the color of this element is Green.

While the Chinese Zodiac Rabbit represents tranquility and calm, 2011 may be considered an unfavorable year since it is a Metal year ushering in the Wood Rabbit. The Chinese believe the Metal element generally works against the Wood element.

The meeting of the two elements indicates we should be cautious this year and focus on a safe, peaceful lifestyle.

The Rabbit is the symbol of the Moon (the Yin of the Yang) and it is said that in the Year of the Rabbit, the Moon's wish granting powers are multiplied so the next time you see a Full Moon, be sure to make a wish!