The Green Girl's Run Along The Strand

After volunteering at the Christmas In July 5k Run, the Green Girl went for a run.

I started at Dockweiler State Beach and headed north on The Strand.

The Strand is a 22 mile paved bicycle path that runs along the coast from Pacific Palisades to Redondo Beach.

Despite the warmer temperature, I felt strong today. I felt quick on my toes and I was able to maintain a good pace without pushing myself.

When I hit Ballona Creek, I crossed over the bridge to the Ballona Creek Bike Path but instead of following the path east, I headed west towards the narrow peninsula.

At the entrance of the headland, there was a gate that was fashioned to prevent bicycle traffic from entering. I zigzagged my way through and continued down the path.

This section consisted of a paved bi-directional path bordered by rocks. Fishing lines were propped along the sides.

A considerate seagull moved to the side when he saw me heading in his direction.

I luxuriated in the beauty of being surrounded by a body of water on both sides. The gentle sound of waves crashing against the rocks soothed my soul as I reveled in the sensation of the cool ocean breeze.

I ran the length but instead of turning around right away, I stopped to sit and just enjoy the scenery.

On my way back, I realized I had rediscovered a certain joy that's been absent from my runs for awhile now. I felt liberated.

Christmas In July 5k Run

The Green Girl volunteered at the Christmas In July 5k Run today at Dockweiler State Beach Playa del Rey. I proudly represented Team Jamba Juice by wearing my gear.

The race was organized by a small group of Team In Training triathletes to raise money for the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

I knew one of the organizers, Sara, through Team In Training from back when I was training for my first marathon but we'd never actually met in person. I came out to show my support but I was also looking forward to finally meeting her.

I helped mark the registration area and set up the water station.

There were about a hundred participants registered for this race. It was amusing to only see two porta potties and no line!

The post-run area had bananas, oranges, and water for the runners. Tents were set up by Activate Drinks, Guayaki Organic Yerba Mate, and KIND Snacks to offer free samples to the participants.

Small plastic cones were used to designate the course route along with copious chalk markings. Volunteers in fluorescent yellow vests also assisted in directing the runners.

The race itself went smoothly. Since we had enough designated water station volunteers, I went ahead and took pictures of the runners going by.

As a volunteer, I received a Christmas In July drawstring backpack and a matching water bottle along with a sample of Biofreeze.

The Christmas In July 5k Run was a small race with a really big heart.

The Green Girl Witnesses A Running Epiphany

After nearly melting in today's heat, the Green Girl waited until the sun started to go down to go for a run with one of the Sole Runners, Michelle.

We headed down to the Shoreline Pedestrian Bikepath and headed east.

The hazy sky muted the sunset colors into a beautiful pastel palette.

We passed a handful of beach volleyball courts with games in progress. We saw sailboats and cruise ships.

To the west, we saw a sliver of a crescent moon.

A runner shuffled by and I commented to Michelle that I thought if she ran like that, she could probably go a little faster. We're both back of the packers but she's significantly slower than me so I usually run ahead and then take pictures until she catches up. This arrangement works well for us.

She stopped to observe his technique and then tried to imitate his movements.

She commented that she wasn't used to lifting her knees up so high. I fell in sync with her stride and compared our knee heights. It didn't seem like she was going unusually high to me.

As an experiment, we continued at this pace. All of a sudden, Michelle exclaimed that for the first time in her life, she actually felt like she was running. I looked over at her and quickly realized I'd never seen her look like this before. I blurted out, 'You look like a runner!'

Michelle's running epiphany was our primary source of entertainment and amusement for the remainder of the run.

Before we headed home, I snapped a shot of the Grissom Island off-shore oil rig for my friend, Kitzzy. I always think of her and her boyfriend when I see it because like everyone else who sees it, they couldn't believe it was an oil rig.

Grissom is one of four oil islands named after the first four NASA astronauts to die in the line of duty - Freeman, Grissom, White, and Chaffee.

The artificial islands house oil and gas production equipment. The brightly colored facades designed to disguise the facilities make them look like they could be part of Pleasure Island.

The Green Girl's Track Workout

Last night, the Green Girl attended her very first Sole Runners track workout at Long Beach State.

I was really reluctant to attend because I haven't had good experiences with speed training but at the last minute, I decided to go. I also hesitated because of the scorching sun but something inside me told me I should give it a try.

We started off with our ChiRunning body looseners and then Coach Steve had us run three easy laps around the track. I struggled to run at about a 13:30 pace in the heat.

Once we were warmed up, he had us do some 100 meter drills. We did skipping, high knees, heel kicks, and crossovers. I refrained from participating in the crossovers because I am terrified I might sprain my right ankle again.

After we were thoroughly exhausted from the drills, we walked a lap and then Coach Steve instructed us to run a lap as fast as we could and then walk about 50 meters out and 50 meters back to the start to start the process all over again.

I started out running as fast as my little body could. I was huffing and puffing immediately. I looked down at Mr. Green Garmin and he told me I was doing a 7:50 minute mile. Gasping for breath, I slowed down to 8:00 but all that speed upset my stomach and I had to stop before I puked all over the Long Beach State track. There was no way I could maintain that speed over 400 meters.

After that, I slowed down significantly and walked a lot. I was grateful as the temperature decreased and an occasional breeze wafted through.

It finally came time for our cool-down of two easy laps. My stomach had settled at this point so I joined the group and was able to maintain a 10:30 pace. Coach Steve commented that I had gotten a second wind and I laughed and explained to him how I'd gone out way too fast on that very first lap.

We finished with Coach Steve leading our post-run yoga in the grassy area in the middle of the track as the sunset cast shadows over our mats.

The grass was plush so the ground was soft beneath our yoga mats. I was pleased to see some improvement in my pose transitions. I also focused on keeping my wrists straighter when I did downward dog.

I wore a brand new pair of New Balance 1012's to break them in before San Francisco. After the run, there were little bits of the dark red track material stuck to the sole.

For the first time in my life, I felt satisfaction instead of frustration after speed work. I'm glad I gave the Sole Runners track workout a try.

MLB All-Star Charity 5k Race Report

The Green Girl did the All-Star Charity 5k at Angel Stadium. Along with the Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest, the All-Star Charity 5k is celebrating the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

One great thing about this event was that 100% of the registration fees are going to cancer charities.

The All-Star Charity 5k was my first event representing Team Jamba Juice. I had on my Jamba Juice branded apparel and I applied a Jamba Juice tattoo to my left leg.

I met up with my coworker, Brandy, her husband, Oscar, and another one of the Sole Runners, Isabelle, under the giant Anaheim Angels baseball cap.

We made the obligatory porta potty stop and then lined up at the Starting Line. The majority of the runners were decked out in the Anaheim Angel's red so I blended right in with my Team Jamba shirt.

In the first mile, I ran into another member of Team Jamba. We chatted briefly and then I took off to catch up with my friends.

The course was conspicuous and the hydration stations were well-marked. The crowd support was literally non-existent but the energy among the runners and walkers was palpable.

Shortly after we passed the Mile 2 marker, the course led us into the stadium, and around the perimeter. Although it created a significant bottleneck, I really enjoyed the experience and didn't mind the fact that the clock was ticking as I strolled the baseball field.

Participants were featured on the JumboTron and you had the option to give an announcer your name to hear it read over the loudspeakers.

I was absolutely thrilled when we finally crossed the Finish Line and I received my very first 5k medal.

I grabbed the green Jamba Juice bag containing the stacks of Jamba Juice coupons from my car and headed back to the post-race area.

As soon as I started asking people if they would like some $1 off Jamba Juice coupons, others would overhear and come over and ask for a few. The response was overwhelmingly positive. It made me feel really good to see the pleased expressions on people's faces when I handed them the coupons.

Handing out coupons went so well that I gave away almost the entire batch within minutes.

After the race, I headed over to the All-Stars FanFest to help out at the PennyCollector.com booth with the smushed pennies. I also handed out more Jamba Juice coupons.

I'm thrilled that my first race representing Team Jamba Juice went so well. I had a really good time and it was great to see how receptive everyone was to the $1 off coupons.