Fitness Fun and The Color Run

Whether you’re a hard-core aspiring Olympic runner or someone whose daily exercise consists of mall walking, The Color Run is a race that I highly recommend you sign up for.  What is this color run, you ask?  Well it’s a 5k (3.1 mile) race where runners/walkers get sprayed with a designated color at each kilometer.  Pretty simple, right?  And by the end of the race, you’ll look something like this…

I participated in the Los Angeles Color Run at Dodger Stadium on February 2nd and it was one of my favorite race experiences to date.  My best friend, Michele, and I are race addicts.  We’ve done several 5ks and half marathons together, even traveling as far as Orlando, Florida for the Disney Princess Half Marathon last year.  Needless to say, we are always looking for a new and exciting race experience and The Color Run seemed like the perfect opportunity. 

Pre-race!

So, Michele, some of her roommates, and I signed up for the LA Color Run and had an amazing time.  The race is not timed and many people walked the course (which we all speculated was actually a little shorter than 5 kilometers).  There were people of all ages participating, though the majority of the runners seemed to be in their early twenties.  The race takes off in different waves so that the runners don’t get all “clumped up” together, which I think is a really great idea.  Even though the race technically started at 9, our wave didn’t take off until 10 or so. 

At each kilometer, we entered a color zone where volunteers were throwing paint at us (it was actually a dusty/chalky substance).  It was absolutely hilarious to see what everyone looked like once they left a color zone and our group would stop to take pictures of the color blitz that had just occurred. 

Post-race!

The best part of the race, though, is that everyone is laughing, smiling, making jokes, and just having an overall great time.  It’s such a different atmosphere from the races I’ve done in the past.  No competition, stress, or nerves… just good ol’ fashioned fun.

I would recommend doing the race with a big group of friends!  As mentioned earlier, you DO NOT NEED TO BE A RUNNER!  We actually walked a good amount of it!  Wear as much white as you possibly can (white shirts are actually mandatory at the start line) and be careful to keep your mouth closed during the color blitzes unless you want your tongue and teeth to be colorful as well!  Oh, and have fun!

The Color Run is a race series and travels to over 100 cities in the United States!  It calls itself the “Happiest 5k on Earth” and I would not disagree with that claim.  Oh and if you’re not already convinced that you should sign up, I’ll mention that there is a HUGE post-race party, which includes food, music, and of course, more color! Check out the official video of The Color Run to learn more!

Born to Run

The minute you see Caroline Draper, it is clear that she is an athlete.  When she arrives at the coffee shop where we planned to meet for our interview, she is wearing a pair of black sweatpants paired with a grey WCC sweatshirt.  Her curly blonde hair is pulled back into a loose ponytail at the base of her neck, and her bright pink Adidas racing flats complete her outfit.

Caroline is a member of the cross country and track teams at Loyola Marymount University and her life is far from ordinary.  Caroline runs more miles a week than many people drive.  The typical college girl counts carbs.  Caroline carb loads.  And while most college kids are nursing a hangover Sunday morning, she is out at the break of dawn for her weekly long run.

Even at the age of six, it was clear that Caroline had a knack for running.  In first and second grade, her elementary school held a lap competition to get the students active.  The kid who ran the most miles by the end of the year would receive a trophy and (perhaps more importantly) bragging rights.  While seven-year-olds dread running the thought of running a mere mile, Caroline’s daily lunchtime runs were the highlight of her day.

“I would show up to school every day in running shorts and my best friend and I would always try to eat our lunch as quickly as possible so we could go run laps.  All the boys would want to race against us and we would always beat them,” says Caroline with a big smile on her face.  “And then in second grade, I ended up running 250 miles—more than anyone else in my school—and I got a huge trophy.”

And so Caroline’s running career began.  She went on to run cross country and track at the middle school, high school, and college levels.  Her older sister, Ahnie, was also a runner and by the time Caroline entered high school, running had become part of the Draper family’s everyday life.  Caroline attributes much of her success to having such a supportive family.

Caroline and her family after a cross country race in Oregon her senior year of college

“Ahnie was there to always be my running partner, which was awesome.  We’d go on family vacations and my sister and I would have to get up early to get our runs in.  It makes it so much easier when you have someone to constantly train with and motivate you,” says Caroline. “And when Ahnie went to run for LMU, my mom and my dad would ride the bike alongside me during my runs.  Sometimes they’d even drive the car and meet me every mile to check in on me and give me water.  It was great to have so much support.”

In high school, Caroline proved to be one of the fastest female runners in San Diego.  She was recruited by the University of Southern California, the University of Arizona, and Loyola Marymount University.  She was convinced that she would go to a “big” university, but ended up committing to LMU, following in the footprints of her older sister.  She explained that because Ahnie ran for LMU, she got to come visit her sister several times throughout her college career.  This allowed Caroline to “see an entirely different side of the university,” which solidified her decision that it was the right school for her.

Ahnie and Caroline after a race Caroline's freshman year of college

Caroline has now run four years for LMU and is currently in her final track season before she graduates in May.  Running is a sport with a high burnout and injury rate because of the toll that it takes not only on the body but also on the mind.  This past cross country season, she ran a 21:10 6k (for anyone who’s wondering that’s a 5:40 mile pace for 3.72 miles) and successfully achieved her goal of being one of the top three female runners on her team.  But being a college runner is not easy.

“I have a love/hate relationship with running.  It’s tough because I expect a lot from myself, and so there’s the mental pressure to perform well for my team and for myself.  But I do love being competitive, and that’s what keeps me motivated.”

Caroline and her teammates before a cross country race her junior year

Caroline’s biggest setback came in her sophomore year during cross country season.  She had come out of her freshman year feeling strong and ready to take on the role of a leader on the team.  After training hard all summer to reach her goals, she injured herself and was unable to perform.  In one of her first meets, she says she “absolutely tanked” and came in 10th on the team (four spots lower than when she was a freshman).

“I sort of closed off because I was so disappointed with myself.  I didn’t get to travel to the big meets with the team, which I did my freshman year so I felt like I had regressed,” recalls Caroline.  “On top of all of that, the trainers at school didn’t know what was causing the pain in my foot, which made it even more frustrating.  It was just a really negative semester.”

After the season ended, Caroline went back to San Diego and met with the physical therapist who had treated her throughout high school.  He diagnosed her with posterior tibialis tendonitis and advised her to get custom orthotics for her running shoes.  She then went through a long, tedious process to break them in.  She began walking in them, then running ten minutes at a time, and now does all of her runs in them.  Caroline says they completely changed her feet and took away her pain.

“It was definitely a rough season, but it really lit my fire for track.  I decided I didn’t like the position that I was in and it was a bummer to experience that, but it made me super motivated for track to come around.  That track season I literally [set a personal record] in every race that I ran.”

Caroline and her sister Ahnie after a track meet sophomore year

Though running competitively in college can be hard on the body and on the mind, Caroline says that she couldn’t imagine college without it.  Running ignited her competitive spirit, kept her in shape, led her to meet some of her best friends (and boyfriend), taught her to manage her time, and gave her some of the best memories of her college career.  Caroline jokes that after graduating, she is going to going to stop running completely and retire.  But in reality, she knows that after taking a month off, the competitor in her will drive her to run again.

Caroline and her boyfriend/teammate Sterling after a run in Mammoth

“It’s been a long four years and I’ve sacrificed a lot of free time.  You know, tonight’s a Friday night and most people will be going out, but I have to get to bed early for my race tomorrow,” says Caroline.  “It definitely wears on you, but there’s so much I love about running that I just don’t feel right when I’m not doing it.  My body doesn’t always love it, but I guess it doesn’t hate it enough to make me stop.”


And...for your viewing pleasure, a video of Caroline cooling down after her race this past weekend:

I bet hearing about Caroline really made you wish you were a runner.  Well, if you're looking to get into running here are some of Caroline’s running tips:

1. Set goals.  Running is a goal-oriented sport and setting small goals for yourself will help you to stay motivated and recognize your successes.
2. Make a good playlist.  Music is a great motivator.  If you’re a beginner, tell yourself to run until the end of a song.  If you’re a little bit more advanced, make a 40-minute playlist and run until it’s done.
3. Build slowly but don’t be afraid to test your limits.  Guaranteed that you’ll be able to run further than you think.  Running is uncomfortable, but the more you do it, the easier it will get.  Your body will adapt and get stronger.
4. Go somewhere cool to run.  The prettier the scenery, the more rewarding the run will be.

Mark Boal and Zero Dark Thirty

Last Tuesday, I attended an event that was part of The Loyolan’s First Amendment Week, featuring a speech from award-winning writer and director Mark Boal.  

Boal’s most recent film, Zero Dark Thirty, chronicles the massive hunt for al-Queda terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden.  The film has recently come under attack for its graphic portrayal of the torture of terror suspects as well as a misleading portrayal of that torture (many believe that torture necessary in gaining information about Bin Laden).

Though I haven’t seen the film, I enjoyed Boal’s speech and agreed thought he had interesting views on First Amendment Rights.  Perhaps the most noteworthy thing that Boal spoke about was what he believed the purpose of his film was.  He explained that he wanted Zero Dark Thirty to provoke questions, conversations, and thoughts and that his ultimate goal is to make the news more accessible, real, and compelling.   He believes that this film is valuable because it made hundreds of thousands of people aware of a situation that they wouldn’t have been aware of had the film not been made. 

Boal explained that the film stayed true to the essential story.  Many complained that the interrogation techniques portrayed in the film were more brutal than those actually employed and hence accused Boal of defending torture.  Essentially the belief is that because such a large chunk of the film is devoted to showing torture interrogation that many leave the film believing that that torture was necessary in Bin Laden’s capture. To this, Boal said they were missing the point, that every interrogation technique seen in Zero Dark Thirty was performed by Americans as a matter of national policy.  He says that this film doesn’t tell anyone what to think.  Instead, it encourages the viewers to think for themselves and come to their own conclusions.

To be honest, I don’t think I know too much about the film, but here is my take.  I think that the film is suggesting that waterboarding led to the capture of Bin Laden.  The film clearly suggests that waterbooarding aided in getting useful information in leading us to Bin Laden.  Senator John McCain and two Democrats object to the fact that torture was used to obtain key intelligence. 

So what is your take?  Do you think that the film is glorifying the use of torture interrogation techniques? Check out the trailer...

Inspiration!!

It's that time of year.  You made a New Year's Resolution to lose weight, hit the gym for a few weeks, cleaned up your eating habits...but now, you're falling off the horse.  I've seen it at my gym.  The New Years "Resolutionists" are thinning out as people begin to lose motivation to stay in shape.

That's why I want everyone to read this story!  I'm serious...read it.  It's a little profile that I found on Yahoo! about 41-year-old Jennifer Hodges.

(photo via yahoo.com)

She lost 212 lbs and gives a little explanation of her journey which includes her "Stick With It Secret" at the end!

I love reading stories like this because they keep me inspired to stay in shape and treat my body well.  A little afternoon pick-me-up to get you to the gym :)

Is it really enough?

(photo via www.bloomberg.com)

If you haven’t heard already, on Friday, February 1st, the U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed new rules for the standards of food sold in schools.  Basically, these new rules would ban candy, high-calorie sports drinks, and greasy foods in elementary, middle, and high schools in an effort to combat childhood obesity.  Instead, school vending machines would sell water, low-calorie sports drinks, diet soda, and baked chips.  Schools that currently sell fatty a la carte options in their cafeterias would be forced to replace those foods with “healthier pizzas, low-fat hamburgers, fruit cups and yogurt,” according to the Huffington Post.

Is this a great proposal?  In my opinion, yes…but I don’t think it’s enough.  I believe that in order to truly live a healthy lifestyle, you have to want to be healthy.  Yes, I understand that most kids love junk food—they want cookies and candy and French fries and chocolate and soda.  I know I did.  And I also understand that the capacity for a child to understand how the human body works is also limited.  BUT… I think that in order for this proposal to have any lasting impact, we need to change the way that we educate children about food.

I never knew.  My parents ate healthy and made me eat healthy.  I never was allowed to buy lunch at school, but I would trade my sliced apple or baby carrots to anyone who would give me something sugary.  And for the most part, that’s how it’s always going to be.  Kids want what they can’t have.

So what would I propose?  Let’s be real here, healthy living is probably one of the most important things a kid (or anyone for that matter) could learn about.  That’s why I think that all schools should be required to teach a healthy living class, educating kids in a way that makes sense about the importance of eating healthy, exercising, and taking care of your body.  Kids need to understand that their bodies “work better” when they fuel them with healthy foods.  And they need to appreciate those foods.  How do you get the kids excited about health?  Make it a competition.  Kids love competitions and prizes.  For example, if you do 30 minutes of exercise, you get a point.  If you replace your cookies with veggies at lunch you get a point.  Etc. Etc.  I’m no expert on government affairs, but it seems to me that though this proposal is a step in the right direction, it is not enough.  You can force kids to eat healthy for some degree, but in order to really promote healthy routines and lifestyles, you have to make them want to eat healthy.