Sunday, May 29, 2011

RJ's Graduation

Roger and I are proud parents.  RJ graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications at the University of La Verne.  In the fall RJ will enter a Masters of Science program at Cal State Fullerton.  Congrats RJ and we wish you continue success!  I love you!

SUCCESS HAS NO LIMITS...


There are no limits
to what you can do.
Your talents and abilities,
your uniqueness and warmth,
your strength and dedication
in everything you do -
all of these will help you reach your dreams.

There are no limits
to what life has to offer you.
The world is full of possibilities,
just as you are filled with promise.
Seek, discover, and embrace with openness
the richness of experience.
Believe in yourself
and you will always know success.
- Michelle Richards-

Nanny Goat 12/24 Hour Run May 28, 2011

This was Nanny Goat's 3rd year and its best year!  Each year the race has grown and become one of the most popular 12/24 hour race in Southern California. Nanny Goat 12/24 hour race takes place on a one mile dirt loop on a private horse ranch. Why do I like to run (power walk) 12/24 hour races?  The camaraderie!  I had the pleasure to spend some time with many of my ultra marathon buddies and made some new friends too.  I did 31 miles.
I am officially Marathon Maniac celebrity "Tony Endorphin Dude" #1 fan! I'm a Endorphin Dudette.
Lot's of marathon maniacs and friends ready to take on the 12/24 hour challenge!
The men in pink were ready too!
Deo MM#22...Luv u Deo!
The amazing Jean going after her 3rd buckle!  You go girl!
Yes he's running in sandals!

Celebrity Tony "Endorphin Dude and Yolanda "Endorphin Dudette"

I am not a human being, I am dynamite.

I am not afraid...
I was born to do this.

Realize how good you really are.

I dared to dream big dreams, and then I willed them to happen,
I'm convinced that most people can achieve their dreams and
beyond if they have the determination to keep trying.

Listen to your dreams -
those are the sounds no one else can hear.

Miracles happen to those who believe in them.

Doubt your doubts.

Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good
we oft might win by fearing the attempt.

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.
The certain way to succeed is always
to try just one more time.
- Thomas Edison-
Thanks Steve for a race well done!

Monday, May 23, 2011

Let Your Light Shine

Allow Your Own Inner Light to Guide You...
There comes a time when you must stand alone.
You must feel confident enough within yourself
to follow your own dreams.
You must be willing to make sacrifices.
You must be capable of changing
and rearranging your priorities
so that your final goal can be achieved.
Sometimes, familiarity and comfort
need to be challenged.
There are times when you must
take a few extra chances
and create your own realities.
Be strong enough to at least try
to make your life better.
Be confident enough that
you won't settle for a compromise
just to get by.
Appreciate yourself by allowing yourself
the opportunities to grow, develop,
and find your true sense of purpose
in this life.
Don't stand in someone else's shadow
when it's your sunlight
that should lead the way.
- Deanna Beisser-

In the "Spotlight" with Barb

Meet the amazing 61 year young Barb from St. Louis.  Last week at the Pasadena Marathon Barb ran her 100th career marathon!
Barb Wnek completed her quest to run a marathon in every state on December 11, 2010 at Kiawah Island, NC.  and will run her 100th marathon at the Pasadena Marathon on May 15.   She is a physical education/health teacher, kindergarten-sixth grade, in the Ferguson-Florissant School District in St. Louis, Missouri.  Barb also teaches for the Gifted Resource Council’s Summer Camps which include Space Academy, Math, Marvels and More, Ancient Academy and Junior Science Searchers.  She has been teaching for over thirty years and holds a masters degree plus thirty hours in physical education with an emphasis on exercise physiology.
She has written two books published by Human Kinetics for physical education teachers, the most recent is Celebration Games Physical Activities for Every Month.  Barb loves to use her creativity in her teaching techniques.  She was selected as one of Dole’s 5 A Day Creative Teachers of the Year and invited Jackie Joyner-Kersee to attend her award presentation.  Jackie came and spoke to her students.  Because of her creative teaching ideas, Barb was selected as an Olympic torch bearer in St. Louis for the 2004 Olympics. 

Barb inspires her students to lead healthy active lifestyles through a program she created called the Health Bee.  It is the culminating activity for her health classes for the school year.  Students compete for trophies by answering questions about health and along with each question there are costumes and music.  Elvis the Pelvis and the Bone brothers, the Salad Sisters and the Vitamin D-vas are just a few.  In addition to running marathons, Barb country-western dances on a television show called St. Louis Country which airs in St. Louis on Saturday nights.  Barb is 61 years old and has no plans to retire or slow down any time soon.
-Barb-
    
http://www.sgvtribune.com/ci_18070402?IADID=Search-www.sgvtribune.com-www.sgvtribune.com

Monday, May 16, 2011

Pasadena Marathon - May 15, 2011

The Pasadena Marathon is one of my favorite marathons.  Despite a rainy start I had fun and ended a third Pasadena marathon smiling!  I finished 6:35:43
It was a pleasure to see the beautiful and awesome Nadia!
I saw Maniac Hector last month at the Labor of Love 100 miler and he finished his first 100 miler.  Well Hector is at it again.  This was Hectors first double!  He did Palos Verdes marathon yesterday and here today at Pasadena marathon.  Congrats Hector!  What's next?  Lake Tahoe Triple?
This is Carolina and it's her first full marathon!  Congrats girl you did it!!!
There were many Maniac Divas on the course...
You will always see Amazing Joe "aka" Jo Jo Starbuck on the course too!
It stopped raining and the sun came out...Yay!
Alberto the Barefoot runner

Beautiful medal this year!

LET YOUR STRESS OUT
To appear strong, we offten try to hide our struggles.  But keeping our problems locked within us only serves to isolate us from people who care about us and who want to help or comfort us.  The less willing you are to share your problems with loved ones and friends, the more those problems will come to overwhelm you- and the greater effect those problems will have on your life and your health.
David Niven, PH.D.





In the "Spotlight" with Jane

Jane a grandmother from Washington State is awesome!  She runs ultra marathons!!!
Hi, I’m Jane and I'm 48 years old.  I’m a mother, grandmother, wife, boss, employee, abuse survivor, knitter, reader, and much, much more.

Why do I run? Because I can. Because I always have. Because it is a constant. Because it is how I maintain a small hold on my sanity. Because running mirrors life.

I have ran for as long as I can remember. I ran track in junior high and high school. I ran cross country in high school. I ran through abuse, I ran through marriages, divorces, pregnancies and raising my children.
 I have completed 61 marathons, 14 ultras, a handful of ½ marathons and 20ks, and countless 5ks and 10ks. I’m not fast (any more), but I can keep going. My favorite runs are the trail ultras. Mostly because I love to be out in the woods. I love to hike and backpack – but running these races is almost better. All I have to do is show up and someone else has marked the trails to minimize the chances of me getting lost. AND the best part is there is food and water along the way! I don’t have to carry all of the food I will need or worry about where a good water source will be; it’s all provided. Also, if you get injured, you know there will be someone out there to look for you. I know. In 2009 I slipped and broke my ankle on a trail run. The biggest thing I learned from that is if I am ever running off road I make sure to carry an emergency blanket with me. No matter how close you are to civilization – it can take a long time for you to get out (I was 2-1/2 miles from a trailhead – it took 3 hours for rescue to get to me and 3-1/2 hours to get me to the trailhead). It was a hot day and I did have an emergency blanket with me and it made the wait much, much more comfortable than it would have been without it.
 Running is when I get “me” time. My family knows that if I am running at home on the treadmill . . . don’t talk to me. It’s my escape. I treasure the time alone. Even when you run with others, you can have times of silence – with just your breathing for company. I run to reflect and think and clear my head. Or confuse myself more with all of the thoughts.

Running mirrors life. Some days it is good, some days it is horrible. Some days it seems like you just can’t go on. Others, you feel like you can go forever. It is as integral a part of my life as breathing. I can’t imagine not running. When life sucks, I run. When life is great, I run. When depression hits, I run. As long as I can move and put one foot in front of the other, I can feel that there is some hope and possibility of life left.

If I eventually become too old and incapacitated to run, I know I will still be running in my mind. As long as I can still imagine the feeling; and feel the “high” from running – all will be possible and well. I can no more imagine not running than I can imagine not breathing.
-Jane-

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mothers Day

This is my mom and she has been in the hospital since January 19th.  She's suffering from chronic heart failure and advance kidney disease.  Last week she went on dialysis.  Please put my mom in your prayers.

At 3 yrs "Mommy, I love you."
At 10 yrs " Mom, whatever."
At 16 yrs "My Mom is so annoying."
At 18 yrs "I wanna leave this house."
At 25 yrs "Mom, you were right"
At 30 yrs "I wanna go to Mom's house."
At 50 yrs "I don't wanna lose my Mom."
At 70 yrs "I would give up EVERYTHING for my Mom to be here with me."
I love you Mom! Happy Mother's Day!

Gladiator Rock' n Run - May 7, 2011

Happy Birthday to me!  Turning 50 has changed my life and I'm loving it!  I'm 53 and still trying new things and having fun.  I challenged myself to the Gladiator Rock n Run...Please don't laugh...I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up!
The Gladiator Rock n Run 3.15 run consist of 14 obstacles. Here we go...remember no laughing...
The Terrible Tires were easy...well for me...
The four amigo's
Everyone was so helpful...okay...I needed some help on the Fools Spools!
They ate mud...
I conquer the 8ft Wall of Fame.


Crawling in the mud is a lot of work...


I can cross off mud run on my bucket list.. Life is what you make it...make it fun... Happy 53rd birthday to me...Yolanda "Walking Diva" Holder

Monday, May 2, 2011

OC Marathon - May 1, 2011

OC Marathon Rocked! Beautiful day in Orange County!!! 
I finished 6:19:20

"WE ROCK"  We run Orange County's kids.  We run Orange County's kid is a nonprofit, public-service corporation that provides a after school intervention program for middle and high school students in the Orange County, California area. Based on the idea that life is like a marathon, the mission of WE ROCK is to teach our community's teenagers the important life skills of goal setting, self-reliance, discipline and self-confidence through the design and delivery of instructional programs focused on the proper training for and completion of, a marathon.  Kyle and all of the We Rock kids, you are awesome!  



 Congrats, We Rock finishers!!!
Life is an opportunity, benefit from it...
Life is beauty, admire it...
Life is bliss, taste it...
Life is a dream, realize it...
Life is a challenge, meet it...
-Julie Weiss-