Jingle Bells. Running Shoes Smell…

So the spirit of the holidays caught up with the RGR crew a little late but as they say “Better late than never!” So tomorrow morning Susan and I will be showing up at the Bank of the Cascades around 9:30 am for late sign up for the Jingle Bell Run. 

This 5k supports the Arthritis Foundation.  There is a costume contest and the Bend Christmas Parade happens right after.  What an amazing way to spend the day!  If you haven’t already signed up, look here for details.  If you have, see you there!

Posted by Annette

How to Be Lovely

I have not had the best of days today...It is sometimes difficult to maintain faith when it seems that no matter what you do, something throws things sideways. I possess quite affection for Audrey Hepburn...it is pretty evident if you were to come into my house. I have movie posters and photos of her around my home as well as a beautiful portrait of her on my right arm.  One of the many reasons that I adore Audrey is because she is the epitome of the true classy woman. She was humble, giving, loving and a real, down to earth human being. Audrey, to me is the girl that I wished lived next door to me.  As a girl she dreamed of becoming a ballerina, who was close to her family, who spoke about being unsure about the world, but shared about her journey of how she navigated through it. Regardless of what she encountered, she was, to me, someone who always sparkled and who reminded me that life in itself was a grand opportunity. I had a friend who gave me book a few years ago entitled "The Audrey Hepburn Way of Life: How To Be Lovely". written by Melissa Hellstern.  This book re-visits many interviews Audrey gave throughout the years of her life which addresses topic such as love, relationships, career and motherhood. When I have days like today, I like to pick up this book and re-visit her words to remind me that I am not alone in struggle and that everyday there is always something to be thankful for

I would like to share some of things that Audrey deemed as important  on "How to Be Lovely"
~Attitude is Everything
~Keep It All In Perspective
~Be Perfectly Human
~Live Without Regret
~Be a Good Student
~When Opportunity Knocks, Answer It!
~Wing It If  You Have To
~Know When To Walk Away
~Love Your Mother Anyways :)
~Be Present~Be Loyal
~Listen Well
~Laugh Often
~Be Genuine
~Distinguish Lonely and Alone
~Get a Therapist (friend or otherwise!)
~Find A Peaceful Place
~Have Faith
~Less Is More
~Have a Purpose
~Give Back
~Inspire others

Thank you Audrey for being my go-to on days such as these...you would have been a kick ass addition to my already amazing group of friends and Run Girl Run community. :)written by Susan

1st Mom's Run at FootZone!

Lisa with her running partner Nancy

 Lisa Nasr lead the first Mom's Run sponsored through FootZone this morning! She had a great turn out for the 1st time! come join her next Tuesday at 9:15 at FootZone,Bend on Wall St. (come even if you're not a momma!) RGR Susan joined Lisa for this run. We at RGR will be planning other groups runs separate from the ones that are offered through FootZone ( check out their schedule!)

One of our mommas!

Struggle

There are those days when everything seems like a struggle and every last bit of self esteem I have flies right out the window. 

Today I woke up and dragged my ass to CrossFit even though I didn’t want to. 

Today is not one of those days.

Posted by Annette

Do compression socks really work?

I thought same thing when I was going to races and seeing a variety of runners either wearing full socks or the calf sleeves.
Compression socks were created to help diabetics improve their circulation, and now they've become popular with runners and triathletes looking to boost blood flow and run faster. 
My gal pal, RGR member and fellow runner Lisa Nsar were sporting them on one of our girl runs and asked her how she liked them...she LOVED them and directed me to where she got hers which was Foot Zone. So, off I went to Foot Zone to check them out for myself. If you live in Bend and are a runner, you know who Max King is...the man, the myth, the running legend....well, as luck would have it, he was in FootZone the day I walked in and he explained to me how well they worked for him...in fact, he was wearing a pair of compression tights under his jeans...(hubba hubba!) with testimonials from both Lisa and Max, I was sold and chose a pair of bright pink calf sleeves. ( I am no wall flower when it comes to color)  :) 
After 3 months of wearing them running, waitressing and at times to bed :) I can unequivocally say, I LOVE THEM! that along with my ice baths ( you can read more about those HERE) my leg recovery has been PHENOMENAL! 
I just ran the notorious "Dirty 2nd Half" this last weekend blazing those hot pink compression calf sleeves, and let me tell you, I think every other part my body hurt EXCEPT for my legs..I kid you not. 13 miles on Sunday and the next day I was at gym doing a kickboxing class...and I am no super athlete :)
Check them out friends! 


by Susan
here is a great link that talk more about compression wear :)
The Science of Running

CASCADE LAKES RELAY 2012!

Wake up to Diamond Lake!

CALLING ALL LADIES! Susan, ( that's me!) is spearheading and will be team captain-ing the Run Girl Run recruited team for the 2012 Cascade Lakes Relay.... August 3rd and 4th. CLR is HANDS DOWN the best relay race EVER! Our team name is "Fox On The Run" :) I have a GREAT costume for the costume leg! Want to get the team established by the early registration cut off date which is December 30th. If we hit that date, the fee is $110 per person. I will also be gathering sponsorship from various businesses that will help defray that cost for each of us. Whether you live in the Central Oregon area or not, we would be SO happy to have you....I am telling you, you will have the best time with a great group of ladies.... drop me an email at: miss_gotshall@yahoo.com if you'd like to join the tribe :)
 I will be registering the team once we have the lucky 12 with fee paid and I have 8 confirmed ladies so far...we are looking for 4 more to complete the team. Keep it in mind and I will be broadcasting more info in the coming months :)

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO! It is the CLR experience to a "T"!

Here's is some info from the Cascade Lakes Relay website:

Now that the dust has cleared from our shoes, the mosquito bites have healed from our arms, and the promise of fall races looms, it’s time to think about next year’s Cascade Lakes Relay. That didn’t take long, did it?

But October 1st will be here before you know it, and that’s opening registration for the 2012 Cascade Lakes Relay.  Are you in?

welcome to the Oregon High Desert:)

2012 will mark the 5th anniversary of Oregon’s “Daddy of All Relays” (fifth year veterans will receive a special commemorative t-shirt), and with a current registration cap of 180 teams (if the cap increases, it will be to 200 and no larger), it promises once again to be a scenic, relaxing and traffic-free experience.

As race director Scott Douglass explains, “The Cascade Lakes Relay is about celebrating the sport, having fun, assisting and encouraging others during the race, thankfulness for the volunteer corps, and enjoying a relaxing experience in some of the most beautiful parts of Oregon with your best friends and family.  We look forward to providing this great experience at the 5th Annual Cascade Lakes Relay and we hope to continue to exceed your expectations for a great event!”

This was one of my legs past Mt. Bachelor!

The 2012 race will continue its charitable ways, once more offering the hire a volunteer program and giving local organizations many opportunities for fundraising.  The 2011 CLR raised nearly $25,000 through the hire-a-volunteer program for more than 20 non-profit and charity organizations in Central Oregon and collected over 3000 pounds of non-perishable food for the La Pine Community Kitchen and St. Vincent DePaul.

Once you are done signing up, you’ll be able to focus on the important things…planning your killer costume, purchasing bug spray, working on your van decorations and the other things that make the Cascade Lakes Relay so much fun.

Confessions of a Acupuncture Virgin

View of back. Also was treated in the legs and ankles

acupuncture |ˈakyəˌpə ng k ch ər|noun    a system of complementary medicine that involves pricking the skin or tissues with needles, used to alleviate pain and to treat various physical, mental, and emotional conditions. Originating in ancient China.
 The practice of acupuncture has been traced back as far as the Stone Age. The earliest known writings about acupuncture were published in second century Chinese medical books. And still, in modern day Western society, there are those who regard this ancient, proven medical practice as a reason for skepticism. Here's the thing though, billions of Chinese people around the world can't be wrong. There’s a reason why the practice of sticking thread-thin needles into key, corresponding points in your body has been so popular for this long. Quite simply, I believe it works. And having just tried it for the first time – I totally plan to try acupuncture again.

When I first started running on a consistent basis, I was not knowledge about how I should be treating my body in conjunction with getting active (stretching, cross-training, etc.) I also was not wearing the proper running shoes for my running gait. As a result, I developed debilitating ITS (Itiotibal Band Syndrome) which kept me from running or doing anything active for a few months.]Once I had my gait analyzed and got proper running shoes ( I ALWAYS go to Fleet Feet! analysis is FREE and they will get you in the RIGHT shoes!) and incorporated cross-training as well as using a foam roller when muscles are tight, I  was able to kiss my IT band issues away.
On September 10th, Annette and I were woman-warriors and braved the "Warrior Dash" a crazy, fun adventure race where you have no choice but get dirty!!! ( WAAAYYY fun!) I had signed up for this race over 6 months ago, so I held onto my old running shoes because I told myself that  I wasn't gonna run in shoes again that got destroyed by the mud. Note to self: DON"T DO THAT AGAIN!! this was a big mistake......running in shoes that didn't support me, caused ALL sorts of problems...my back was all out whack and guess what? IT and knee pain came back FULL FORCE. After running in pain for about a week after the race i said to myself "ENOUGH! I need to do something about this."
My friend Almine Barton is a licensed acupuncturist and personal trainer. She is one of THE most active people that I have ever known. Not only is she active, she is SO knowledge about STAYING active. Many of her clients are athletes and she treats over-use injuries as well as a plethora of other ailments sports related and otherwise. One of the MANY great things about Almine is that treats every one of her patients that walks into her office as an individual. She discusses with you the what, the where, the  how long and how comfortable you are with the different degrees in treatment and where the probable source of the pain problem is.  You will ALWAYS feel secure in the fact that she is providing you the best care possible. I learned alot from Almine concerning how and why she was using the treatment she was using.  My particular treatment involved a combination of acupuncture, Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation(TENS), and cupping. I was treated last Friday and have since run a 5 mile and 8 miler on consecutive days with considerable diminished pain.  I have a 2nd treatment tomorrow before I run the Dirty 2nd Half which is this coming Sunday. I am now true believer in acupuncture.....it has provided substantial pain relief in a natural, non-pharmaceutical manner.I encourage you check acupuncture whether it be for a sports related injury, women's health, anxiety, cigarette smoking, migraine headaches, back pain or for an array of various ailments. And GO SEE ALMINE! She is THE best! I know that it makes me sound biased because she is my friend, but in all seriousness, please check out the following links and learn about what I already know about her! and tell her I sent you!

Almine Barton :) aka "Kung Fu Kitty"

Almine Barton, L.Ac., C.F.T. ( a little info about the amazing lady)
You can make an appointment with Almine at Bend Wellness Doctor
Her blog, "On The Go With Almine" which is also linked to our blog.
written by Susan