LA (Part 4): Playing Tourist

With my running and blogger meet-up fun over (read about it in Part 1, 2 & 3), I had just one thing left to do on my LA bucketlist: tourist time! :P

After lunch with my friend Dave and a Patriots win (WWOOO!!!), I headed to the Metro to make my way to the Walk of Fame and Chinese Theatre. Dave gave me step by step directions so I wouldn't get lost. Purple line to Red line to Hollywood-Highland.

I emerged on to exactly what I expected LA to look like --- tourists, sun, celebrity impersonators and Starbucks.

Yes, I had to drink Starbucks. There are no Dunkins in LA and I had been up since 5am so caffeine was necessity. Since I never go to Starbucks, I had to text my wife for instructions on how and what to order. ;)

After getting some caffeination, it was time to hit the Walk of Fame.

I have no idea who Taylor Holmes is, but had to take the pic based on the last name. Hmmm this might be him! Thanks IMDB.

It was so surreal to really be in LA. I just wish my wife was there to enjoy it with me. Sightseeing wasn't as much fun without her. Plus I was by myself so making comments to myself wasn't as exciting either.

The Chinese Theatre was cool ... and of course I had to go around and put my feet in celebrity footprints.

Pretty sweet to see up close and personal.

There was even Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.

I wanted to take a pic with Shrek, but alas there was no one around me to help. And I wasn't about to pay a celebrity impersonator to snap one. :P

I wasn't really sure what was around the area to check out (I am a bad tourist)! So I just wandered up and down Hollywood Boulevard checking out the stars, the shops and the people.

I was also soaking up as much sun as possible since I knew it was cold and overcast back in Boston.

As I was walking back towards the Metro, a sign caught my attention on my right side.

There it was in the distance - THE Hollywood sign.

Now I didn't have time go go climb up and take a picture with it so catching it from a distance would have to do this trip.

By this time, it was approaching 3pm and I was getting beat. Thankfully my teammate Ray was able to pick me up a couple Metro stops down and give me a lift back to his place.

At that point, it was nap time. I was getting drained. Plus this whole time I was sick so my body was ready for some RnR. He had a family event to go to so I chilled until I had dinner with my girl May (from ReducedFatGirl.com) at Blue Dog Beer Tavern. It was great to have some one-on-one time to catch up (since this weekend was the first time we got to meet up in real life) and share some beer. Mmmm local craft beer...

After Mae dropped me back at Ray's house, it was time to hit the couch. I was pooped and would be spending the next day traveling back to Boston. A long cross-country adventure.

I flew from Burbank to San Francisco and San Francisco to Boston. I was taking off from Burbank at 1:20pm and arriving in Boston at 1:00am (the next day). Oy! Thankfully we were able to make up some time and I landed at 12:20am-ish.

But the flight from SF to Boston was nearly empty so I moved myself around until I was able to get a complete row to myself. Hello legroom!!

I then paid the $8 to United to get the unlimited TV access. TOTALLY worth it for a 5+ hour flight, right? I watched The Heat, Hangover 3, Monsters University, Diners, DriveIns and Dives and so much more. But my favorite? The first episode of my cousin's show of course - The Pete Holmes Show on TBS (weeknights at Midnight ET).

How cool is it to see someone you know/related to on TV?

***

There is so much more of LA I wish I could've seen - like hello a beach!! - but for the limited time I was there, it was amazing. I was able to see some amazing sights, soak up some sun, enjoy some local craft beer, run some miles and meet some of the most awesome people on the planet.

What more could one ask for in a less than 65 hour trip to the opposite coast? ;)

Haunted Trails Of The Night 10k

Soooo have you ever signed up for a race and didn't realize it was happening? Oh no? Is that not normal?

Well it has happened to be more than once ... and on one Saturday night (October 26) in LA it was no different.

Let me back it on up.

As we may remember when I left us off on Part 1 of my LA trip, I was in California to run the Rock 'n' Roll Los Angeles Half Marathon and meet some amazing social media friends.

Once we left the meetup, we headed back to my teammate's house to change and head to his brother's house. He had told me about the 5k his brother was racing that night. Ohhh hello race. My ears perked up. We chatted that morning that if they had an extra entry that I would be fact be interested in running.

Shocking I know. :P

As we headed to his brother's house to play with some puppies before heading to the run, I figured a free extra entry had limited chance of happening so I wore what I wore to the expo to his brother's house. It would be cool to cheer his bro on. I love spectating races.

While in the car, his brother let us know that it was a 10k. Oh cool cool.

We get to Paramount Ranch, where they apparently film shows/movies. Sure.

[video width="480" height="480" mp4="http://www.weightoffmyshoulders.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/2013-10-26-21.05.51.mp4"][/video]

As we walk onto the lot, BOOM! There is Linzie from SeeSharpRun! Whhaa?? He had told me he was running a race that night, but what are the odds he would be at this specific one. Well, turns out he is an ambassador for the race series. Hollah!

Ray (my teammate) asks the race director Keira if she possibly has an extra space for me - the girl that has come all the way from Boston. And generously Keira said Yes.

Wow!

So there it was. After running a 10k training run that morning, it was time for my second 10k of the day. Bring it!

Sweet swag and Finisher's Medal!!!

I was ill prepared clothing wise, but thankfully had my Got Chocolate Milk #TeamReful racing t-shirt on and my regular running shoes. The two-sizes too big Lululemon yoga pants would have to work. :P

This race was also (if you couldn't tell by the name) being held at night and I did not carry a headlamp in my pocketbook. (Note to self: carry headlamp at all times) The rule was you had to have some sort of light with your person so out came my trusty iPhone Flashlight app. Yup, laugh away folks. ;)

Now the group offered me some little flashlights, but thankfully Linzie had the best headlamp ever invented so I decided that he would be stuck with me the whole race. What? We had met a few hours earlier that day so we were ready to become BFFs.

I have done three local trail runs here in Boston that aren't as intense trails as I would experience at this race and they were in the daylight.

Who doesn't love a new challenge right?

Here is how the site described the event:

Runners of all levels and abilities are given the chance to practice and experience trail running in the night. This race will be a fun and very safe event, and all the while everyone will be able to enjoy the spirit and festivities of the Fall season.

Join us for two 3.1 mile loops of runnable non technical single track trails. This course is a fairly easy course with very little hills or climbing. Witness the trails of the night become illuminated by glow sticks, goblins, and loads of fun! Stay after the race for a haunted post race party in the historic old ghost town of Paramount Ranch. This is a Trail Race that should not be missed!

Thankfully Linzie agreed to stick with me during the race so we lined up together and were ready for the two 3.1 mile loops. Keira let us know that there would be volunteers and glowsticks along the course letting us know where to go.

Oh! And since it was a Halloween themed events there would be spooks and ghouls along the course. Umm yay?

The horn sounded, we headed out and I started my Runkeeper. Oh yeah, I forgot the Garmin at the house. (Note to self: ALWAYS carry Garmin in my pocketbook)

Right off the bat I knew this would be challenging. Again wicked thankful that Linzie had his "it looks like noon on a Sunday" headlamp on because my flashlight app wasn't cutting it.

First incline in I knew I was in for a long race. Being sick didn't help with my breathing. Oh boy! I sounded ROUGH, but knew physically I could make it through.

Linzie was on my page. This race wasn't about time, but about conquering the feat AND making it through injury free. We both had that pesky half marathon in the morning. ;)

Let me tell you it is tough running at night (I rarely do it!) and I felt okay slowing down to avoid injury.

I tried to enjoy and soak up the experience as much as possible. It was great to chat with Linzie the whole time about running, the Boston Marathon, blogging, Run Disney, life, etc. We are both doing the Dopey Challenge so it was nice to commiserate on our craziness together.

And I loved that as we approached a steep incline Linzie would say: "Endurance training baby! Endurance training!"

Ummm ... yay! :P But it was exactly what I needed to hear.

I, again, am a newbie trail runner and I thought to myself how are we not done with one loop yet? We finally emerged to the Start to stop for water and start the next loop. My breathing was so labored due to being sick I thought about stopping. Then I caught a glimpse of the medal out of my right eye.

Oohhh no I will NOT NOT get one of those babies. (that enough nots?)

I grabbed a quick sip of water and we were off again.

Now, I thought the second loop would be harder than the first, but it really wasn't. I knew it would be rough, but I was okay with walking.

There were a few inclines where we had to walk up to catch our breathe and I said: "This is ALL counting towards my 1,000 miles run in 2013." Thankfully Linzie agreed. ;)

The terrain was uneven (as one would expect) and there were some turns where I started to slip slightly down the hill due to lose gravel, but with the help of the headlamp we were able to recover.

I wish I could better articulate the elevation we traveled. I unfortunately couldn't snap any pictures since well - it was pitch black out.

As we moved/ran/walked/hustled/chatted through that second loop, a sense of sheer joy came over me. I was going to do it. I was going to accomplish 2 10ks in one day. Damn pride came over my whole body. I would never have thought a few years ago that I would look forward to doing something like that.

We realized we were just 1/2 a mile from the Finish and it was time to kick it up. We wanted to finish strong and finish strong we did.

We came out of the trails and back to the main Barn area...

... and I was given my medal by the cutest little Star Trek character of them all. I wish I had gotten a picture of him. He was probably 5 or 6 and just the cutest thing ever.

I am beyond thankful for Linzie. I wouldn't have completed the race or had half as much fun without him. It is funny to meet someone you have chatted with online in person and you just hit it off. I felt that way with him.

The race was really well run, the course was easy to follow, the volunteers were excellent and the ghosts/ghouls along the course were definitely scary. I can admit I screeched more than once along the way.

And the post-race party/spread was amazing. These trail runners know how to snack ... and I like it. :)

My Runkeeper also did a really great job tracking the race since I was out in the hills.

I officially finished in 1:20:54 - good for 34th overall out of 69.

I can't thank Keira enough for this opportunity. It was truly life-changing.

If you are in the LA area, please please please check out on of Keira's trail races. The group was so welcoming to this clear outsider and I had a great time!!

***

Have you ever taken part in an impromptu race? Are you a trail runner?

Dani Dishes 11-4-13

On this episode of Dani Dishes, I'm giving a little overall life update: health, weight loss perspective, blogging, upcoming Weight Watchers photo shoot/trip to NYC and more!! :)

Dani Dishes 10-28-13

This episode of Dani Dishes takes place in Los Angeles and recaps an amazing weekend of fun, friends, beer, running and sun!!  

Going Going Back Back 2 Cali Cali

I'll give everyone a minute to finish up singing/dancing to the title of this post. Oh you know I busted a move while I wrote it. :)

dance

That is totally me in the middle!

Anywho, what we were talking about?

Yes yes Cali.

So this afternoon I am off to Los Angeles. Woo! This will be my first time to LA.

When I go to LA I will just see celebrities everywhere and become BFF with them, right? Oh is that just on TV? Ah. Gotcha.

I lived in San Francisco for about 10 months in 2007 while I was working for the Giants. I visited San Diego with the team, but haven't been back in Cali since 2011.

I am heading to sunny warmer brighter California (sorry chilly Boston) for the Rock 'n' Roll Los Angeles Half Marathon which is on Sunday, October 27.

I will once again be reppin' my Got Chocolate MilkTeam Refuel orange/black singlet, orange Sparkly Soul headband, "gunmetal" Sparkle Athletic skirt and orange Zensah compression sleeves & sports bra.

run

Still love this pic from Mission Meltdown from RnR Philly

I thought about dressing up in costume since it is so close to Halloween, but am saving all my costume funds for the Dopey Challenge in January. ;)

I am wicked excited to hit up the West Coast and hopefully meet some social media friends/blog readers/fellow runners/Team Refuel running mates/Weight Watchers friends. I am planning on being at the Yard House near the RnR LA Expo (at LA Convention Center) at 1pm on Saturday.

dani-rnrla-meetup (1)

Sooo if you are in the area please try and stop by! I would love to see as many people as possible. :)

I'm not sure how much of LA I will really see since I am not renting a car, but I'm sure running the half marathon will give me a glimpse into it.

Plus I will really just be soaking up the nice weather. :P

***

Many people have asked me how I am able to race/travel so much - frugality my friends.

Thanks to this blog and my Team Refuel sponsorship I have been awarded many complimentary race entries which I am truly truly honored and so thankful for. I would not be able to participate in some of the best local and national races without these honors.

But when it comes to travel and housing that is all me. I don't get any help/sponsorship for those so I use frequent flier miles to fly or I will ask my parents for a flight somewhere in place of a Christmas present. If it is a race in the Northeast, I have been able to get decent train tickets thanks to Amtrak or Bolt Bus. It isn't the quickest way to travel necessarily, but it is cost-effective. :)

For housing, I have been relying on the kindness of friends, family and teammates for a guest bed or a couch. A couch isn't the comfiest thing to sleep on the night before a race, but I will take it.

I try to also pick races that could become a racecation. If we are doing our one big vacation for the year, I will try to hook a race to it. For example, Disney in 2013 and 2014 have been our big splurges. Thankfully the wife goes along with that plan as well. ;)

tori-me

But racing is expensive so if anyone has ideas of ways to get sponsorship or help with travel/lodging please let me know!!

For now, I will start packing for LA and be thankful I have a nice teammate in Ray who is letting me crash on his couch this weekend!

***

Have you been to LA? Running RnR LA? Do you travel for races?

In The Reflection...

"Avoid mirrors at all cost" My old mantra.

For years, I tried to avoid catching my profile in a storefront or in a mirror at a friend's house.

I didn't need to see what I already knew.

I was overweight. No no I was obese.

I could FEEL that in my bones. I didn't need a mirror to confirm that for me.

So for awhile I tried to just use a tiny mirror to put on makeup and that was about it.

I didn't even like catching my reflection in the doors of the Subway.

Ugh.

As I embarked on my weight loss journey of 2005/2006, I did so in an unhealthy way - eating disorders. But, as the compliments came in: "Oh keep doing whatever you are doing. You look great." The inner confidence rose and I started looking into the mirror a little more. The outside had changed, but the inside was still the same.

I still looked into the mirror and saw the 230 lb me. Even though I was 180 at the time.

As I got healthier and the weight crept back on - out went the mirrors.

Again I hid in my own self-hatred and self-abuse.

But when I joined Weight Watchers in November 2009, I wanted to lose the weight in a healthy way and really start to feel the changes on the inside as well.

As the weight came off, slow and steady, I again broke out the mirrors and started looking. Again the cycle started, ugh you need to lose weight, too many rolls, you have more to lose, etc.

But, then I started reflecting more. Someone told me once to really inspect what you saw in the mirror. So instead of glancing head to toe on my body, I would just stare back into my own eyes. THAT was the true way to see my soul. To see what was on the inside.

Once I started looking past the physical and into the mental, I started changing my habits. If the old knee jerk reaction kicked in of negativity talking about my body. I immediately changed the focus back to looking in my own eyes and I had to follow it up with a compliment.

For example:

"Oh those thighs are so fat" ... "Those thighs have taken you through x half marathons and y marathons"

"You are so wide" ... "I have excess skin from weight loss and I am working on toning it up"

"You still look like you weigh 235 lbs" ... ???

And that's the one. The comment that creeps back into my head on a regular basis.

When I have a bad food week, when I look at race photos or when I am just feeling down, I can look in the mirror and still see the "before" me. So how does one banish those images?

That is the magic question. Here is what helps me:

1) It begins with an internal conversation (like above) that has to happen.

I remind myself that: I am no longer that person. I have come too far to discredit myself. I am WORTHY of the happiness I feel at my current weight. 

2) I try to figure out what is really wrong. I am clearly manifesting something other issue/emotion/problem into thinking I am back to my before weight.

Maybe I overate the night before. Maybe I am upset that I didn't get a job I applied for. Maybe I am just sad.

(Remember it is okay to just feel emotions)

3) Reach out to a close personal friend/confidant. Someone that has been through the journey with me.

4) When all else fails take out that before picture. I always keep one on my phone or in my WW tracker.

And if all that fails ... reach out to me! I'll set that mind right for you! :)

Occasionally you need to hear it from someone else ... and that is okay!

Why does it take the brain so long to catch up with the physical weight loss?

Who knows?

But we just need to keep snapping it back to the present ... aka Reality!!

***

Do you experience this same problem? How do you bring yourself back to the real image in the mirror?

Dani Dishes 10-21-13

On this episode of Dani Dishes, I'm sick!! Reason I missed the blog last week and how I'm coping. Plus, people finally receive their virtual birthday 5k medals!! :)  

Dealing with your "Before" when you hit your "After"

Butterflies and unicorns and rainbows

Exactly how I envisioned life after hitting my "goal weight"!!

But that wasn't reality.

Shocking I know. ;)

I've written on my blog (Weight Off My Shoulders) how the day after hitting goal the inner demons I fought for so long were still there. Except now they weren't buried under all the weight. They were right in front of me, raw and ready to be dealt with.

***

For years, I told myself: "If you just lost 50 lbs you would be so happy and life would be okay." And I remember having that EXACT same discussion with my aunt when I was 12. I remember riding in her car after we left the mall and saying to her: "I need to lose 50 lbs." Okay so apparently the number 50 was relevant or I just pulled it out of my ass - I'm not sure which.

But over and over I said once I lost the weight I would like myself. I would be happy. I would be able to release the thoughts of hurting myself and the depression would go away.

In 2006, I hit the bottom of dealing with two eating disorders and cutting. I had found a way to "control" my weight and my emotions. I got to my lowest weight in the beginning of 2007 (at the time around 180) and thought everything was okay!

EEEHHHHHHHH!

Nope.

But after an intervention of sorts with friends, I stopped the cutting and tried to take a handle on the eating disorders, which led me to regain almost all the weight I had lost.

Reenter depression.

So I joined Weight Watchers in November 2009 and was ready to lose the weight in a healthy way.

And damn those WW people for not only helping me get a handle on the healthy eating aspect of weight loss, but for showing me that it is more of a mental game than anything. You have the change your thinking in order to make the weight stay off.

Sneaky WW very sneaky.

So through the journey, the confidence rose, the happiness level with myself increased, but at the core of it all I still OWNED negative self talk.

I will say that thankfully the suicidal thoughts deteriorated over the course of time. THAT in itself is a huge F-in win!! I had those thoughts since high school.

But as I hit goal on January 2012 and Lifetime in February 2012. The little voice in my head was still there. You aren't worthy of this new life - this new you. You still suck.

So it was at that point. As I become the "after" that it was time to dig through all the emotional gunk to truly find out how I let myself get to that miserable 230 lb person.

And that is the journey I am on now. There is no quick fix to find out what was at the core of the pain, but as long as I keep searching I will find answers.

For many of us, the true work of reaching goal is when the mental game catches up with the physical.

That is why I put more stock into the non-scale victories than the number on the scale itself. Because when I read 15X on the scale, I am thrilled, but now I know I didn't solve all my life's problems by losing XX lbs. I will solve life problems by looking inward and truly facing what is going on.

Depression ... cutting ... self-loathing. None of that is fun, but I need to face it if I want to beat it.

Many people can go to therapy and work through these issues with a third party. It isn't for me. I tried it and hated it. But for some reason sharing those same inner demons on this blog, I find that release. I find that the weight gets lifted off my shoulders.

So I continue to journey.

I continue to tackle with my "before" as I live in my "after"!

The Mundane Day-by-Day

Why write a blog? I get asked this question on an almost daily basis.

Why did I decide to start this small slice of the internet back in May of 2011?

Why share aspects of my life with complete strangers?

Because otherwise I may not be here today.

I let so much weigh down on me over the years. I buried it deep below. I was hurting myself both on the inside and out.

So I decided to release.

Now this blog has evolved over the years as I have.

I don't share every single weigh in. I don't share what I eat each day.

Because life has changed. Also I was tired of getting criticized for what I eat.

But I was sitting back searching through twitter the other day and hearing more and more people complain about many blogs today - all they do is push product or host giveaways.

Yes when I read these comments I immediately think people are talking about me ... about my baby blog.

Cuhlearly not everyone is talking about me, but I take it personally.

I share on my blog what I want. I love talking about the races I have participated in and the new products that may help people improve their own training.

I thought about trying to be one of the bloggers that can write everyday, but it is too much for me.

Plus, I am boring. ;)

My day-to-day life is pretty boring: workout of some sort, lead some Weight Watchers meetings and watch some Netflix.

Woo! Now THAT is one exciting life. Right?

I realized it's okay to share the mundane occasionally ... if that is what I want to write about.

In the end, what I share on this space is up to me. If people want to read it great. If not that's okay too.

I will not please everyone, but the most important person to think about is myself.

Dani Dishes 10-7-13

On this episode of Dani Dishes, I work through my mental trouble of feeling "fat" recently & getting a special call from WeightWatchers.com!