First L.A. Show & New Job
I’m trying not to let myself get high expectations for the Pasadena Marathon, but I can’t help it. I’ve already started visualizing the race during my shorter runs and my long runs and I’m starting to think, maybe I’ll PR… there’s no reason I shouldn’t. I think I’m in the best shape I’ve been in since my first Boston (my current PR) and I certainly have built up much more of a base since then. At the same time, I’m really training for the 50k and using the Pasadena Marathon as a training run. It’s my winter/spring marathon(s) that I have high expectations for. I’m trying not to put too much pressure on myself for this next one, but it’s easy to get ahead of myself.
The 22 miler I thought was last weekend is actually this weekend. I’m going to cave and get a utility built. What I miss most about my running group in Boston is how well supported the runs were. The Leggers has a beautiful course to run, but there’s usually only one water stop for the entire run, regardless of the distance. There are drinking fountains just about everywhere along the beach, but it’s just smarter at this point for me to be self-sufficient. I’m surprised I’ve gone this long without carrying my own liquids.
I made my debut at Genghis Cohen on Tuesday night. Adjoa Skinner hosts a show that features a few performers each week. I was a little nervous because I was the only one that went up without a band, but I think I made it work to my advantage. I believe in my material. I felt in control of the room and practiced enough to rely on my songs to get me through. I am very happy with the performance. The audience was very supportive and Adjoa seemed to really like me as well. I really need to get my EP recorded. These people are all going to go home and forget I exist!! At least I grabbed a few e-mail addresses, but I’d really like to be spreading my music around.
I’m playing at Live at the Lounge in Hermosa Beach tomorrow night. The same guy books for Genghis Cohen. He hasn’t heard me play yet. Hopefully he’ll be at Friday’s show so I can make a good impression.
I got a job at a specialty running store in Santa Monica this past week. So far so good. I enjoy talking about running to other people who can relate. One of the girls who works there, Katie, is planning to do the same ultra that I’m doing in December. It may be a little early to assess this, but I think I’m really going to enjoy working there.
I’m still watching the Olympics non-stop. The more I watch, the more I want to go. Does anyone have any Olympic training plans?? I’ve got until 2020.
Busy week- Update.
I’m obsessed with the Olympics still. I’ve been watching the re-plays for a week now. It makes me want to go to the Olympics. Sigh.
It’s been an eventful week for both music and running. I got a phone call from the Culver Hotel last week asking me to come in and audition as a lounge performer. On Wednesday night I played my two hour set trying my best to imitate what I thought they needed. I’ll find out this week if they’re interested in having me regularly. I hope they are.
I met with one of my music mentors, Harold, last Monday. He makes his living playing and writing, which is what I hope to do. He shared some ideas and contacts with me. As it turns out, he’s very good friends with some of the people I’m trying to make a good impression on, people who do booking and what not. Harold said he’d put in a good word for me. I’m going to follow up with him this week and continue to meet with him regularly if possible. He’s a great person and musician and is the type of person I want to be around. It’s a belief of mine that you need to surround yourself with the type of people that you want to be.
This morning I got booked at Genghis Cohen for next Tuesday. I’m very excited about this. Slowly but surely, the dates on my calendar are starting to grow, which makes me hopeful. I still need to solve the problem of me not having a good recording to share. I need to get that taken care of soon. I’m beginning to feel like I am missing out on opportunities to perform and share my music. I’m marketing myself like crazy as a performer, but leaving my audience with no evidence of my performance or reminder of my existence.
As for running- I recovered from last week’s 18 miler quickly. I go through phases of either loving running or just running to keep myself fit for the next time I love running. Right now I love running. I did an easy 10-miler with the Leggers this past weekend. They train using the Galloway method where you incorporate walk breaks. I’ve never done this. I’ve always run my long runs straight through and run my marathons straight through. I like the walk breaks though. They don’t slow down my splits. Actually, I’m able to run faster during the running time than I can when I run straight through. I think this will be a great way to train for and run my ultra-marathon this December. I will practice this method at the Pasadena Marathon in November as well. I’m reading Galloway’s Marathon book right now and I like it a lot. It explains why walk breaks can help achieve faster times and prevent injury. I mean, that’s exactly what I want.
Max and I ran in the People Magazine Red Carpet Fun Run 5k yesterday.
The race wasn’t timed, or marked after the 1st mile. I finished with 22 minutes. The race felt easy and relaxed which made me feel good about the time. I predict if it had been more competitive and marked all the way through, I could have easily knocked a minute off. I’ll put that theory to the test next month when I run the skirt chasers 5k. Anyway, it was my first 5k in a year and it felt good. The 5k has been a very difficult race for me psychologically in the past. I ran cross country in college and those races put my head through the ringer. I’ve avoided doing 5k races after college because I felt such a burn out from it. I would get too emotional while running them and lost the ability to relax. I think I’m over that for now and have the fitness and the ability to get very competitive very quickly if I decide to. Though the 5k isn’t my goal right now. I think that I will improve my 5k time automatically as a result of my marathon and ultra marathon training though.
And yes. I’m the weirdo who craves coke immediately after a run.
Last week I was hired to coach a track club in Beverly Hills. It is ages 5-18 and they practice twice a week. The other two coaches are NCAA track and field bad asses that intimidate the hell out of me. My brother Austin (2x All American track runner for LSU, 400, 800, 4×400) told me to try not to be intimidated, that I have knowledge in distance and endurance training that a lot of runners don’t have. I can learn a lot from the other coaches and I can help them out tremendously by just lending a hand. So far so good.
This week holds a 22 miler. More to come.
A clearer mind- 18 miles later
Yesterday morning I woke up before 5:00 and went on an 18 mile run. It was the best run I’ve had in a while, easier than my short 4-6 milers have been, and it was the prelude to the best day I’ve had in a while.
Since being laid off of work, I’ve been trying to find solutions to my lack of income while prioritizing my music career and my general emotional needs. I’ve literally been brainstorming for 2 weeks. Yesterday morning was the first time in a while I was able to put some of these thoughts to rest, even if just temporarily, while I ran along the beach watching the sunrise. Later on in the day I printed out resume’ stuff, cover letters, etc., and happily made some prospective employment runs, but taking the time I needed for myself, for my body, was a vital part of me accomplishing anything yesterday, and really woke me up to a message my body has been trying to send to me: I need time alone with you.
The last few months have consisted of me moving across the country, moving in with my boyfriend (first live-in boyfriend!), getting laid off, my dad getting married, lots of travel, and lots of beginnings to new and very ambitious career projects. Exercise has become another thing to pile on top of the list of things to get done in a day lately. Although I feel relief and satisfaction after going to a Spin class or going on a run, it seems I had temporarily lost the ability to spend time alone with myself without anticipating the next curve ball heading my way. A result of this has been me not really being the best person I can be.
My run yesterday took me about 3 hours. That’s a good chunk of time to dedicate to yourself.
But not really.
I’m in a situation where I don’t have a husband or children and am able to get up at 4:45 in the morning and run for 3 hours, and I look forward to seeing how I will handle taking care of my body and mind when I do have more on my plate, but the important thing to remember is that it is a piece of my personal maintenance. I had 3 hours to breathe in sea air. 3 hours to sort through ideas. 3 hours to be creative. 3 hours to listen to every message from my body, from my toenails to my knees, my hips, my abs, my arms, my breath. When was the last time you listened to your own breath for longer than a half a minute?
The investment of yesterday’s 3 hours was what made me a better person for the remaining 21 hours. I was a better girlfriend, a better stranger, a better candidate for my hopefully new part time job at lululemon. I loved myself more. I was present with what was going on around me while at the same time, still listening to my body and bonding with myself over what an accomplishment running 18 miles was.
This quote was on the Lululemon website:
“Your outlook on life is a direct reflection of how much you like yourself” and I’ve been thinking about it all day.
I think it’s absolutely a true quote. I also believe that the way you treat your body directly effects your outlook on life. Taking true and meaningful time to invest in your own health and well being will drastically effect reactions to stress, conflict, emergencies, relationships, and everything else you face in a day. In the end, you are the only person responsible for you. It is no one else’s job to listen to your body. If you don’t do it, then it won’t be heard. If it isn’t heard, chances are, you won’t feel heard either.
It doesn’t have to be 3 hours. But it does need to be a constant and consistent investment in time.
Anyway- the run went well. I’m looking forward to the Pasadena Marathon on November 16th. I’m going to add a little bit of speed back into my runs this week to have a decent time for the Skirt Chaser 5k next month. I’d like to run it in 22 minutes or less. Not a PR, but I don’t want to aim too high for my first 5k in a year.
Also, musicwise- I booked another show. Finally things feel like their kind of picking up out here.
