2008 November | Running Without Music

Auction Yourself Off

11-30-2008

Here’s one great fundraiser idea – to auction yourself off. No, silly, not in that way. To the right is a screenshot of Veronica Belmont’s (host of Qore on the Sony PlayStation network and Revision 3′s hit show, Tekzilla) auction to win a 30min personal chat with her, benefiting a non-profit organization called Child’s Play. The winning bidder was $777! Other online celebrities participating in auctions are Gary Vaynerchuk, host of WineLibrary TV, and Felicia Day of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog and creator of the guild. Participating charities include Child’s Play, Washington Women’s Employment & Education (WWEE), Wine for Wheels, Animal Haven, and Mr. Holland’s Opus.

Ok, this is just one idea, and I know not all of you are huge online celebrities. My friend Vanae of vanae.com auctioned off a dinner date for her Team In Training fundraiser and I believe the winning bidder was $750! She’s still an up and coming video blogger, and look what it got her. I think it’s all a matter of how you market it, and who you market it to. Of course, you’ll have to have safety in mind especially if you accept bids from total strangers online.

There’s plenty of things you can auction off besides a date, or an online chat. You can offer services like website consultation, marketing, web design, or even babysitting. Get creative. I’ve also seen successful online (or actual) garage sale fundraisers selling old CDs, DVDs, clothes, and other items.

100PU – Initial Test

By: Marvin Tabangay

11-30-2008

training

For all posts from now on related to my Hundred Pushups training, I will add a “100PU” to the title.

Today, I started the program with their Initial Test. The site says:

To perform the test, simply execute as many good-form push ups as you can. Don’t cut corners and please don’t cheat – the last thing you want to do is end up in the wrong level of the training program! The results may be humbling, but trust me, honesty is the best policy if you want to maximize your strength gains!

My initial test = 23 push ups, which puts me at rank 3 of 7 (higher the number, the better). I’m cool with that. This rank tells me what column in the chart to follow. I will then have to do a certain number of push ups three times a week, slowly increasing for the next 6 weeks to come. I gotta start somewhere right? I can compare this to my marathon training because at first I was a little shocked I couldn’t do 3 miles in the first practice, but in due time I was able to do 26.2. So I have to be patient, and trust that this training program will help me meet my goals. Baby steps, I know.

Pride & Power

By: Marvin Tabangay

11-30-2008

experiences, videos

Remember the movie, Cool Runnings, about the Jamaican track runners who decided to do a bob sled team? I previously posted about motivation, and here’s a scene from the movie where they would look themselves in the mirror and get hyped up.

Sometimes it takes just that to jump start your runs, especially at the big event. Maybe not as extreme as that, but that little voice in your head can do wonders.

Hundred Pushups

By: Marvin Tabangay

11-29-2008

training, websites

Since I’m still on a TNT break, I’m continually exploring what else is out there. A few months ago, I came across a program called Hundred Pushups, which is a 6 week training course to get someone to do 100 consecutive pushups. Upper body marathon, maybe? I’ll give it a shot the Monday after Thanksgiving. Why Thanksgiving? I’m not going to hold back in Thanksgiving. Delicious homemade meals with family? I can’t say no! From that point, it will be about 8 weeks until the next marathon season starts, so a 6 week program would be a perfect fit for my schedule!

We’ll see how it goes – I will record my training on this blog (see? it’s much more than a running blog), and see my progress from there to see if this really works.

Want to try it too? Visit Hundred Pushups.

Runnin’

By: Marvin Tabangay

11-28-2008

videos

I just had to. “Runnin” by The Pharcyde.

Motivational Signs

By: Marvin Tabangay

11-26-2008

photos

What motivates you during your run?

During a big race, you’ll get a lot of spectators with many creative signs to help you through. Some will make you tear, some will make you smile. This one will make you laugh:

Speed Dating Marathon

By: Marvin Tabangay

11-26-2008

fundraising

It’s a marathon of mini dates to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! My friends at the Westside TNT team are at it again with some fun and exciting fundraisers!

Who: L.A.’s most Eligible Bachelors and Bachelorettes
What: Speed Dating to find a cure for blood cancer
When: Sunday, 12/7 5pm-7pm
Where: Joe’s Tavern 8771 West Pico Blvd at Robertson

How it works:
26 of L.A.’s finest will be yours for an evening of titillating conversation in the hope’s finding you your Miss Right or Miss Right Now…For 2 hours bachelors will circle around the room stopping at each beauty’s table for a 2 minute mini date. At the end of the evening you will have the option of giving your email address out to Miss Right. If she also felt the sparks the moderator will send you her email address. You are then free to continue the love connection on top of the warm fuzzy feeling that you are helping cure cancer!

Cost: $20

RSVP: Courtney.Gush@lls.org

Running the Grand Canyon

By: Marvin Tabangay

11-26-2008

videos

Here’s a video that I came across YouTube of athletes running the Grand Canyon last year, South Rim to North Rim and back again via the Bright Angel, North Kaibab, and south Kaibab Trails! 48 miles in 12:20. Check out that cliff! Watch out for that rock!

Mind What You Eat

By: Marvin Tabangay

11-26-2008

health

Active.com Nutrition came out with an article titled, “Simple Strategies for Better Eating Habits“. It’s a great article answering some of the common questions I had on my initial search for eating healthier. Nancy Clark, the writer, talks about common perceptions of certain foods, like protein, if it’s something you really need. Is organic food better for you, or does it even make a difference?

She also writes, “If you want to improve the quality of your diet, think about one thing you could do each day to contribute to a healthier intake. Write down your goal for the day, then assess your level of confidence in achieving that goal. For example, your goal might be to eat fruit with lunch.”

A closer look into my nutrition and eating habits will be something new I will incorporate in my training. I have never.. yes, NEVER, paid attention to what I eat. We’re not getting any younger, and my metabolism clearly isn’t as what it used to be, so I’m making a point now to be mindful of what I eat. I will explore many different tools in the next few weeks and I’ll report then to you here. Probably the closest form of nutritional discipline I’ve had is refraining from drinking coffee and soda. I won’t go out of my way to get any of those. Even that said, if it’s there, I’ll try a different alternative. I really don’t need caffeine to keep me awake through the day. I’ve already noticed that being active alone does wonders for me day to day.

The next big nutritional challenge. Thanksgiving in a few days.