I stumbled upon this music video by Erin Sholl aka Lady Southpaw while searching for running or TNT related videos on YouTube. This is one great example that not all efforts outside of training has to go towards fundraising. It’s about helping people get motivated. It’s more than just running, and it’s more about inspiration. Her event and fundraising is done, but I’m sure this video will still continue to inspire others, and it’s great to see creative ways people promote the cause.
I participate whenever I can on other activities and sports. Another interest of mine is snowboarding. Although I still have that fear of falling while snowboarding (I dislocated my left shoulder a few years ago at Mountain High), I still love it. Honestly, I’ll only go after a rainstorm or if it’s Mammoth or Utah.
If you’re in LA this weekend from December 4-7, you should check out the Ski Dazzle® – The Los Angeles Ski Show & Snowboard Expo® at the Los Angeles Convention Center. They have really great deals everything you can think of for the next snow season – that’s where I purchased my snowboard, binding, and jacket. Also, some vendors would honor in-store discounts if you happen to go there and they don’t have the particular item you want.
Hours
Thursday December 4th: 4:00pm to 11:00pm
Friday December 5th: 4:00pm to 11:00pm
Saturday December 6th: 11:00am to 10:00pm
Sunday December 7th: Noon to 6:00pm
Prices
$17.00 – Regular Admission*
*Includes FREE $53.00 value Bear Mountain Resorts Lift Ticket Voucher!
$5.00 – Children 6 – 12 years (No Lift Ticket Bonus)
FREE – Children 5 and Under (No Lift Ticket Bonus)
My friend IMed me the other day of something called the Vibram Five Fingers. It took the toe-socks concept to another level. I hear though, that running barefoot is more natural, and better for your feet. I’m not gonna knock this product because I’ve never tried it. It looks like it would be perfect for bouldering and climbing situations, but for long distance runs, I’m not too sure about that. I guess it all depends on what kind of foot arch you have. Again, this isn’t a recommendation or not. I’m just exploring what’s out there in the fitness world.
This is what they have on their website: barefooting (bare•foot•n) n. 1. The exhilarating joy of going barefoot without leaving yourself exposed; 2. any activity requiring unconventional footwear offering the protection of a thin, flexible Vibram skin; 3. an intelligent way to deepen your connection with your natural surroundings.
I get a lot of my running information from various running websites, blogs, youtube, and other fellow runners. One avenue of information that I have been neglecting are the podcasts. I just started to listen to the top ones ranked by iTunes users, and so far it’s been very useful.
My first one I subscribed to is The Runners Roundtable. It’s a live show of runners from around the world share tips and tell their stories. It sounds like a conference call with 3-4 people, so you’ll get the usual blunders and mess ups, but that’s the beauty of these podcasts. It’s very genuine.
What sparked my interest is their latest topic on social media with runners. They expanded on Twitter, Facebook, and other niche social sites. They interviewed Phil from RuncastTV, a social video site by runners for runners. He talked about how the whole idea started from Last.fm. He noticed that after a Radiohead concert, many people uploaded videos and photos from that event, so he brought that same idea to the running community. I’ve checked out and signed up for RuncastTV (it’s free!), and although the interface is quite simple, there seems to be a growing community of runners. I’m member #228. It’s a great site to see the different sights and sounds from other runners from around the world!
One thing I haven’t really tried yet is trail running. I’m not sure if the Santa Monica Mountains count, but just by watching this video gives you a sense of some of the more challenging trail runs. You’ll have loose gravel, loose branches, challenging hills, crooked descents, and more unexpected encounters. What makes it all worth it I think are the beautiful landscapes you will run through.
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.
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.
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.
My friend IMed me the other day of something called the 
My first one I subscribed to is 