Call Me Crazy !

For those of you who don't already know, I'm training to participate (notice I didn't say running...don't want to offend "real" runners...LOL) in the Los Angeles Marathon being run on March 20th. The route is awesome; winding its way from Dodger Stadium to the Santa Monica Pier. My daughter-in-law Lauren and I are doing it together. She will absolutely run circles around me, which is waaay ok, and knowing that actually drives me to train harder. Thanks Lauren, I'm so proud of you! But jeeze Louise, it's seriously hard work, and makes me wonder, "What the heck was I thinking ?" when I suggested it in the first place!  I'm just praying my feet and ankles hold up 'til it's over. I plan on getting in shape for this thing and staying in shape. Yay me!

Holy cow, as I'm writing this I'm watching "The Bachelor" (don't laugh...well yeah, go ahead and laugh) and it's only the second week and there is soooooo much DRAMA already, crying girls, bitchy girls, OMG it's hilarious. The way some of them are acting makes them look really ugly! Hahahahaha!

OK back to my marathon. I can't believe I really used to be able to "run!" I ran "Baker to Vegas" (B2V) for heaven's sake, what the "bleep" happened?! Oh yeah, several surgeries and a couple of decades (and pounds...ouch). I crack myself up!  But you know, I think a huge part of doing something like a marathon is mental. There's something that I always say to people that ask me if my feet are ok.  Even though they hurt most of the time, I tell them, "I'm just glad I HAVE feet!"  There are sooo many people that are far worse off than I'll ever be. No pain, no gain.

Well, I wrote in yesterday's blog that this is intended to be an autobiographical blog, and I just remembered my B2V story that makes me say to you "don't ever trust a policeman when they say 'trust me!'"

So....I was but a lowly boot, aka, officer still on probation, assigned to Shootin' Newton, when the B2V team captain approached me and asked me if I would be an "alternate" runner on the team.  I was very hesitant because #1, I was a boot, and #2, my best mile was just under 8 minutes (not great for a relay race), and #3, I would be the only female on the team. He said "trust me, you won't have to run, but the rules say we have to have an alternate and there isn't anyone else available." I told him no, but because of excuse #1, I wasn't really allowed to say no. Chuckle chuckle. That being said, the guy PROMISED me that Newton had never ever had to use an alternate runner and they'd never had a female actually run in the race, and certainly didn't want that to change (what a bunch of chauvinist pigs...yes, pun intended...tee hee).

Fast-forward about a month to Baker, California, March of 1987. At about 6 in the morning I hop into the chase van with a few other guys and we just drop off and pick up runners as they start and finish their particular leg. There are 20 legs, each one a little different (hills, distance, etc.) Mind you, I wasn't even going to spend the night in Vegas after the race. The plan was to ride in the van from B2V, and then head home. I was dressed in running shorts and a t-shirt. I had nothing to eat or drink because we couldn't make "pit stops." I was dozing at about 2 in the morning when one of the guys shakes me and says, "You gotta run!" Oh funny haha. He said "No, I'm not kidding, it's snowing over the pass and the runner for this leg (#13...how telling) can't get over the pass from Vegas, where he's been waiting." Really ??!! I didn't even have a jacket! The snowstorm had come out of nowhere and caught everyone off guard. So, I borrowed an unlined windbreaker from the driver, who wore about a size 100, and stepped out into a cold-hell!

OMG, I've never been so cold in my life. I'm sure I looked ridiculous with my bare legs sticking out from under this tent-sized jacket. LOL!! I can't remember how many times I caught myself from falling because the ground was so icy. It was unbelievable that I was actually running in a snowstorm! I did finish, but don't even know if I ever knew what my time was. I was just numb and glad to be finished.

That 1987 B2V Race is indisputably the most infamous of all the B2V races ever. Nooooo, not because I ran in it, but because the 1987 B2V Relay was halted at Leg 14 due to "blizzard" conditions on Nevada Highway 160 over Mountain Springs Pass. Seriously??!!  They couldn't have halted it one leg earlier!??  My luck :0

So there you have it, my first relay race was "infamous"...and Newton had its first female B2V runner.....hahahahaha on them !!!

So with that, I encourage you all to challenge yourselves with staying young at heart and to treat your body like it's the only one you'll ever have (boy that was brilliant wasn't it ! LOL). Be good to yourself.  Believe me, it's so much easier to STAY in shape than to GET in shape!