Confessions of an Amateur Athlete

As you may know, I've been battling some pretty painful Plantar Fasciitis.  It hit me 5 days before I left for my marathon. (Back story HERE )  I managed to get through my race, but thought I'd have recovered by now.  Well, long story short, I haven't. And the physical injury isn't the only thing I'm battling. The first week or two after the race wasn't too bad. But as the days whisked by, I began to get upset. An injured runner is like a dancer who can't dance.  I NEED to run.  Maybe it really IS an addiction. Maybe not.  But whatever the reason, all I know is I've spiraled through several emotional waves lately: ANGER    I would see runners out in groups or on solo runs, shooting passed me as I walked my dog.  And all I could think about is how badly I wanted to join them.  I wanted to scream back at them "I'm not running because I'm injured! Don't look at me!"   They're just throwing their athleticism in my face! 

Meet Sarah from Run Ginger Run ! She's a fellow BibRave Pro, inspiring runner, and all around great gal!  But don't take MY word for it.  Here what she had to say in our little Q&A on today's FEATURE FRIDAY! Q: Tell us a little about yourself and what inspired you to start running.  A:  I ran track and cross country in high school but then had the typical drop off that a lot of people experience when they go to college or get married. Then one day at work someone sent out an email and wanted to get a group of people together to do a local 5k. I signed up, didn't train, and barely survived the 5k! Thank goodness! Then I really got into long distance running when someone invited me to join their relay team and I actually trained for it and haven't looked back since! Moral of the story, invite someone to run a race with you, it could change their life! Q: Are you training for anything right now? A: Yes! I'm training for a few races righ

Rock and Roll-San Jose October 4-5, 2014 Use Code: BIBRAVE SJ Half-Marathon Discount: $20 Use Code: BIBRAVESJ10K 10K Discount: $5 **Codes end 9/28** Rock and Roll-LA October 26, 2014 Use Code: BIBRAVELA Half-Marathon Discount: $15 Use Code: BIBRAVELA5K 5K Discount: $5 **Codes end 10/19** Rock and Roll-Arizona January, 18, 2015 Use Code: BIBRAVEAZ Half/Full Discount: $15 Use Code: BIBRAVEAZ10k 10k Discount: $5 **Codes end 1/11** Ventura Marathon September 7, 2014 Use Code: Bibchat10 for $10 off Rock and Roll Philadelphia September 20-21, 2014 Use Code: BIBRAVEPHILLY Half-Marathon Discount: $20 Use Code: BIBRAVEPHI5K 5K Discount: $5 Honolulu Marathon December 14, 2014 Use Code: BibRave15 for %15 off

Yesterday my running group, #RunEatTweetAZ, joined forces to help a local girl fight cancer!  We signed up for a Virtual 5K and ran it together.  Was tons of fun! But the cool thing is that our little 5K run actually HELPED someone.  We weren't just getting out and being active, we were helping a young high school student in her battle against cancer!  It was a very heart-warming, and emotional run. And the cool thing is? Even though you may be miles away, or right down the road, YOU can help too!  The Virtual 5K Run for Courtney is going on throughout August.  That meas, you can sign up, go for a 3.1 Mile run anytime, anywhere, and you're run will have helped Courtney and her family! Plus look at these awesome medals! Fellow #RunEatTweetAZ member Traci, is the one who's organized this Virtual 5K.  I highly recommend you check it out, and sign up!  Make your miles count! The Brains and Braun behind the operation Check it all out HERE

Lately I've seen a ton of negative reviews coming from the San Francisco Marathon.  Such as THIS one. However, every race is an entirely different experience for each individual runner. And I'm here to tell you that I LOVED the San Francisco Marathon!  I had bad plantar fasciitis, was in pain the last few miles, but STILL had a great time.  So that says a lot.  Pictures are worth a thousand words, so I'll keep the PROs and CONs short.  Then we'll get to ALL the awesome pics. ;-) Now, here's a quick rundown of the PROs: --The weather was PERFECT!   Overcast, foggy, slightly chilly but perfect for a full marathon.  The sun DID come out a little later but not until about mile 20.  -- The start was practically right under the Bay Bridge and since we were staring early, it was still night.   The Bridge was all lit up and made for an awesome start! --The scenery! I wasn't the only one snapping selfies left and right!  We ra