Bulletproof Attitude & 1 Trick to Develop Mental Toughness (The Alvin Matthews Story) by Jimmy Dean Freeman
Alvin Matthews is a current member of Team NutriBullet (training for the 2016 LA Marathon) and many years ago trained with the SoCal Coyotes in pursuit of running a marathon on all 7 continents. As a runner, Alvin completed marathons on 6 of the 7 continents (and the North Pole too).
In April of 2014, Alvin fell 3 stories off a roof and cracked his cervical spine rendering him quadriplegic. As he healed/recovered and went to physical therapy (after surgery to fuse C5-C7 vertebrae), Alvin’s diagnosis was refined to “incomplete quadriplegic” as his paralyzation is chest down. He has limited (and uneven) use of both of his arms and hands, although precious little strength which he’s currently working to build back up. Due to the difficulty of working with his health insurance, he has not been to physical therapy in over 3 months.
Alvin was barely able to complete 200 meters in his wheelchair on his own power 2 months ago. As you may have seen in the video (above), on Sunday, November 8th Alvin completed the Calabasas Classic 5k in 2 hours, 4 minutes and 54 seconds. He pushed up the hills and on the flats on his own power, and on the downhills he had his mentor Ralph (a very experienced wheelchair athlete with 13 years of racing under his belt) and me making sure he didn’t slip backwards down the hill, and also to steer/break on the downhills as he didn’t have the strength/leverage at higher speeds to break. His wheelchair is not designed for racing. Our plan is to purchase one of these hand-cycles for Alvin (see picture below).
We (his coaches, teammates and friends) aim to raise $15,000 (or more) to cover the costs of a new racing hand-cycle (a specialized wheelchair that will allow Alvin to utilize to restore his strength and health) and put Alvin back into the physical therapy he needs to perform everyday functions. Alvin dreams of being able to drive again, he plans to race a marathon on his 7th continent (South America) to complete a huge personal goal, and he also plans someday to be able to walk again. Doctors have said he’s a 1-in-a-million shot to walk, and Alvin’s response was, “why not be the one who does?”
ALVIN’S MENTAL REFRAMING TECHNIQUE
Alvin has a very simple reframing technique when he’s struggling: he simply reminds himself that there are people less fortunate than him. Kids and adults in hospital beds, fully quadriplegic and unable to move, to exercise, to perform every day functions. So whenever you are struggling, think of how lucky you are to be able to do what you do. Whether you are a runner or a walker or a hiker, every movement is a gift. Cherish those gifts.
AN INVITATION TO DONATE
Alvin has inspired all those on Team NutriBullet, and on the Coyotes, and in his life. His positive attitude in the face of these challenges is infectious. We thank you for anything, even if only $10. If you can give more, I thank you, Alvin thanks you, his family and his teammates are grateful for every contribution. We will publish our grand total and how much the hand-cycle costs (and how much more we put towards Alvin’s return to physical therapy). Thank you, thank you, thank you so much…
DONATE HERE —-> http://bit.ly/GoFundALVIN
Jimmy Dean Freeman is a proud father, a keynote speaker, and an endurance running coach living in the Los Angeles area. He has spoken to many groups including school assemblies, Fortune 100 companies (Disney, Nike, etc), as well as local clubs and athletic groups.
From bloody strawberry beet, to gory pumpkin spice, we’re looking for your most creative, most healthy holiday Blasts!
Show us your frightening creations for the chance to win a brand new NutriBullet PRO and our full line of NutriBullet SuperFoods! Just follow @NutriBullet on Instagram and post your best halloween-themed photo with #NBBloodyBlast between Oct. 26-31, 2015 to be entered; two winners will be chosen.
NutriBullet makes healthy eating a breeze. Maximize the nutrient availability of your food and your body’s ability to absorb it, with no mess and no hassle.
Official Rules
The following rules and requirements (the “Official Rules”) govern the “My Bloody Blast” Contest (“Contest”). Please read these Official Rules before entering the contest. By submitting an entry, you acknowledge that you have read, understand, and agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of Capital Brands, LLC, (“Sponsor”) the contest sponsor.
THE CONTEST:
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. INTERNET ACCESS, A VALID EMAIL AND AN INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT ARE NECESSARY TO ENTER THIS CONTEST.
This is a contest to find the best user generated photographs depicting healthy Halloween themed recipes created by using a NutriBullet®.
The contest begins on October 26th 2015 at 12:00:01 am PST and will be open for submissions until October 31st 2015 at 11:59:59 pm PST (the “Entry Period”). Two winners will be announced in early November 2015. The computer clock of Instagram is the official time-keeping device in the contest.
ELIGIBILITY:
(a) The Contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, except those states where this contest would be void or prohibited.
(b) You must be 18 years or older to be eligible to win a prize.
(c) Go to www.Instagram.com and log on to your account. Follow the directions to upload and submit a photo of your food item/meal that you made using your NutriBullet. You can take a picture of the ingredients or list them out in the copy with the photo. You must tag the photo with #NBBloodyBlast and tag @TheNutriBullet. You must also post it publically so the NutriBullet team can access the photo. Please note that only photographs of food items (e.g., meals or drinks) and or ingredients will be eligible to win this contest.
Employees and directors of Sponsor or any of their parents, subsidiaries, agents, representatives or affiliated companies, and immediate family members and persons who live in the same household as such employees or persons, are not eligible to participate. “Immediate family members” shall mean parents, stepparents, legal guardians, children, stepchildren, siblings, stepsiblings, or spouses. “Household members” shall mean those people who share the same residence at least three months a year.
TO ENTER THE CONTEST:
There is ONE WAY TO ENTER
(a) Go to www.instagram.com and log on to your account. Follow the directions to upload and submit a photo of your healthy Halloween themed food item/meal that you made using your NutriBullet. You can take a picture of the ingredients or list them out in the copy with the photo. Include the hashtag #NBBloodyBlast. You must also post it publically so the NutriBullet team can access the photo. Please note that only photographs of food items (e.g., meals or drinks) and or ingredients will be eligible to win this contest.
Entry into the Contest is free, all you need to do is submit at least one photograph and follow the instructions above (e.g., to submit your photograph via Instagram).
There is no Limit to the number of entries you may submit. You may submit an unlimited amount of photos during the entry period of the contest. Submitting more than one photograph will not increase your chances of winning.
Questions or comments? Please contact Sponsor for any comments, questions or concerns. Sponsor may be reached via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thenutribullet Twitter at https://twitter.com/thenutribullet and or Instagram at https://instagram.com/thenutribullet/.
GUIDELINES:
(a) All entries shall become the sole and exclusive property of the Sponsor, when submitted, and will not be acknowledged or returned. By submitting your photo you hereby grant the Sponsor a worldwide, in perpetuity license, to use any, and all portions of the photo in any way and via any media, in association with the contest and/or the promotion of the NutriBullet® product, without attribution or compensation to you, or your successors or assigns, or any other entity.
(b) Photo Guidelines: Your photo must be in a file format and size that is accepted by Instagram. Entries will not be eligible if they contain illegal, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, pornographic, offensive, indecent, obscene, libelous, invasive of another’s privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable as determined by the Sponsor in its sole and absolute discretion. All material contained in the photo must be original and owned by you and may not contain ANY copyrights, trademarks, intellectual property, or other proprietary material that does not belong to you. You may, however, use the NutriBullet® logo and other artwork from the NutriBullet® product solely for use in this Contest. NOTE: Your photo may be posted online into a “Gallery” and viewed by other people. Winners’ photos and recipes may be used on the NutriBullet website in a gallery of User Generated Content.
(c) Proof of Submission: Uploading and sending your picture is not proof of receipt by Sponsor. Sponsor shall not be responsible for lost, late, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, illegible, or misdirected entries. Sponsor shall have the right to reject any photo submitted if it does not comply with the guidelines set forth in these Official Rules. If you have any questions about your submission, please contact Sponsor (see links above).
(d) Copyright: All entries must be originals. You must be the sole owner of all materials, images and other creative elements that comprise your entry. Your submission of the photo is your representation and warranty that you are the sole owner of the photo (and/or have obtained permission from anyone appearing in the photo) and have the right to freely submit the photo. You also represent and warrant that the entries that you submit (i) do not infringe any other person’s or entity’s rights; and (ii) have not been submitted previously in a Contest of any kind. By submitting your photo and thereby entering the Contest you agree to hold Sponsor harmless from all liabilities, including costs and attorneys’ fees, from your breach of this or any other representation and warranty set forth in these Official Rules.
JUDGING/WINNER SELECTION
(a) At the close of the entry period, all submissions by eligible contestants will be voted upon by the NutriBullet internal team (“Judges”) chosen by Sponsor. The Judges will select the two winners. The two winners will be announced in November, 2015. The criteria used to evaluate the winners will include, but not be limited to: recipe originality, creative presentation, use of NutriBullet, quality of the photo and how well the contestant’s personality is reflected in the photograph.
(b) For Winners’ Names: As an alternative to seeing the names of the winners on the NutriBullet page you may also, after November, 2015, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: NutriBullet My Bloody Blast Contest Winners, Capital Brands, LLC, 11755 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1200, Los Angeles CA 90025.
PRIZES:
(a) Winners will receive a NutriBullet and a collection of our Superfood Blends (approximate retail value $220). Winners will be notified in early November, 2015 via Instagram from the @TheNutriBullet Instagram account. Winners will have 48 hours to reply and confirm their eligibility before another winner is chosen in their place. Each winner will be required to sign and return, when requested, an affidavit of eligibility, prize/publicity release and an assignment of rights to their Submissions. Contest materials, entries and Submissions are subject to validation by the Sponsor. By taking part in this Contest you agree to be bound by these rules and all decisions of the Judges and Sponsor, which are final and binding on all aspects of the Contest.
(b) Prize recipients are responsible for any and all federal, state, and local taxes imposed as a result of receiving the Contest prize.
GENERAL CONDITIONS/INDEMNIFICATION:
By participating in this Contest and/or by accepting any prize that you may be awarded, you agree that the Sponsor, their respective parents, subsidiaries, agents, representatives and or affiliated companies, units and divisions; and their advertising and promotional agencies and prize suppliers; each of their respective officers, directors, agents, representatives and employees; and each of these companies’ and individuals’ respective successors, representatives and assigns (collectively, the “Indemnified Parties”) shall not be liable for any and all actions, claims, including any third party claims, injury, loss or damage arising in any manner, directly or indirectly, from or relating to this Contest, including entry and participation in this Contest, or the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prize. By participating in the Contest and/or accepting any prize that you may be awarded, you agree to fully indemnify each Indemnified Party from any and all such claims by third parties. Entrants also authorize the Indemnified Parties to use their name, voice, likeness, biographical data, city and state of residence and entry materials in programming or promotional material, worldwide, in perpetuity, or on a winner’s list, if applicable, without compensation unless prohibited by law.
Sponsor is not obligated to use any of the above-mentioned information or materials, but may do so and may edit such information or materials, in Sponsors’ sole discretion, without notice or further obligation or compensation. The Indemnified Parties shall not be liable for: (i) late, lost, delayed, stolen, misdirected, incomplete, unreadable, inaccurate, garbled or unintelligible entries, communications or submissions, regardless of the method of transmission; (ii) telephone system, telephone or computer hardware, software or other technical or computer malfunctions, lost connections, disconnections, delays or transmission errors; (iii) data corruption, theft, destruction, unauthorized access to or alteration of entry or other materials; (iv) any injuries, losses or damages of any kind caused by your participation in this Contest or resulting from acceptance, possession or use of a prize; or (v) any printing, typographical, administrative or technological errors in any materials associated with the Contest. The indemnified parties disclaim any liability for damage to any phone, computer or other electronic device resulting from participating in, or accessing or downloading information in connection with this Contest.
The sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, modify or suspend the Contest for any reason and also if a virus, bug, computer or phone problem, unauthorized intervention or other cause beyond the Sponsor’s control, corrupt the administration, security or proper play of the Contest. Sponsor may prohibit you from participating in the Contest or winning a prize if, in its sole discretion, it determines you are attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest by cheating, hacking, deception, or any other unfair playing practices and or if found to be intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other participants or Sponsor and or its’ representatives. ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE CONTEST’S WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHALL RESULT IN, AT A MMINIMUM, DISQUALIFICATION FROM PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEY FEES) TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.
SPONSOR:
Capital Brands, LLC, 11755 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1200, Los Angeles CA 90025. Please contact Sponsor for any comments, questions or concerns. Sponsor may be reached via:
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thenutribullet.
Twitter at https://twitter.com/thenutribullet and or Instagram at https://instagram.com/thenutribullet.
This Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed, approved, or administered by Facebook, Inc. (“Facebook”), Twitter, Inc. (“Twitter), or Instagram, Inc. (“Instagram”).
Before the training season began, every prospective participant and mentor was asked, “Why we wanted to be a part of Team NutriBullet, and who or what inspires us?” I can honestly say that it took me awhile to find an answer to the second part of that question.
Why was it so hard for me to come up with an answer? I don’t know. Yeah, I could have said, my mom, or some other close friend or family member. For me I felt like that was a cop out and the easiest, most obvious answer.
In truth there is no one person who inspires me more than another. Yes I am in awe of my coaches, fellow mentors, and teammates who strive to achieve their athletic goals. Some of which have ran 100 mile ultras, or finished marathons in under 4 hours and have qualified for the Boston Marathon. Some day I want to be able to say I have accomplished these feats as well. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I am inspired by life and all things around me, and that inspiration is ever changing.
In the past four weeks I’ve had the opportunity to spend my weekends training with some amazing people. I love getting to know each of my teammates, learning their stories and reasons for being on Team NutriBullet.
One of these awesome individuals, which I met on day one, is Alvin. Besides being a really nice guy, Alvin is a very accomplished athlete. He is one of the few people who can say that they’ve ran a marathon on 6 of the 7 continents.
Alvin joined Team NutriBullet to train and race the LA Marathon in preparation for his dream race, the Volcano Marathon in Chile. Racing in South America will accomplish his goal of running all 7 continents. That’s a pretty exclusive club!
Marathon training this time around is very different for Alvin. In September of 2014 he had an accident that left him paralysed from the waist down. Now in a wheelchair he is trying to get into the best shape possible to realize his dream.
Alvin’s current wheelchair is not ideal for marathon training or racing as it is very heavy, and he has had a hard time getting it up to speed. It’s also very difficult for Alvin to control on the down hills.
In an effort to support Alvin, Team NutriBullet has created a GoFundMe page to help raise the funds necessary to get Alvin a handcycle. With a proper racing wheelchair Alvin can train and race the LA Marathon. Then it’s off to Chile.
Please help us reach our goal. Every donation of $10 gets you an entry into our random drawing. Check out some of the amazing products we’re giving away!
4
1-day Disneyland Park-Hopper Tix
(value $155 / ea)
No black out dates, expire 12/31/15.
Herbalife Sports Gift Basket
(value over $500)
Golds Gym Venice pass
(2 wk membership) plus three sessions with personal fitness trainer
Friday, August 28th is the day! Emails will be going out to all applicants (alumni and newbies) to either let them know they’ve made the team, or to please apply again next year.
I cannot even imagine how difficult it must be to go through nearly 300 applications and 200+ #TeamNutriBulletInspired Instagram videos, and only select 100 individuals for this team. I’m sure it goes without saying, but I am so glad that is not my job. How do you say no to so many people who are passionate about being apart of a team like this? Especially to those who are obviously a perfect fit for the program?
Coach Jimmy’s reaction:
I want to start by saying this is NOT a complaint, but selecting ONLY 100 athletes for this team is painful. There are 200 of you who are worthy. There are solid reasons for all 70 of you alumni who submitted R2Q and Instagram videos. You’re ALL great ambassadors, you all have a story to tell, and I want to keep working with all of you. Alas, that will not be the case. We hope that those of you we disappoint tomorrow will be open to what we have in mind for you (what I have in mind for you). To be clear, you are ALL worthy.
To those of you who applied and are not selected this year, please stay tuned as we will be announcing ‘Open Runs’ held by TNB mentors across L.A. We still want you to run with us and get ready for the 2016 Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon! Registration opens September 1st.
To those who applied... The Team NutriBullet Round 2 Questionnaire (R2Q) went out to all the Alumni yesterday, and to new applicants today!
For those of you who receive the R2Q, there will be a "task" to complete in addition to submitting the R2Q (with a deadline). The task will be the final step of the R2Q, and will require you to have a 'Public' Instagram account. Please follow the instructions precisely!
This test is quite simply pass or fail. The Team NutriBullet staff is using this task as a means to pare down the list of applicants to 100 participants. Please know that any questions (from random applicants) sent to the coaches or to Team NutriBullet about the final step, will be ignored. Good luck everyone!
The 2015-2016 Team NutriBullet LA Marathon training program application goes live on Friday, August 7th at 6:00pm PT, and is only available for one week!
I'm super excited to share with you all that I will be 1 of the 10 mentors for Team NutriBullet (TNB) this season. I had such a phenomenal experience last year, that I cannot wait for September to role around and the opportunity to meet all the new participants. So are you considering whether or not to join? Or whether or not TNB is a right fit for you? Here is what we're looking for.
We are seeking those in the Greater Los Angeles areas that are non-runners, as well as athletes of many different disciplines (dancers, yogis, boxers, surfers, cyclists, swimmers, gym goers, etc.), also regular runners who have never run a marathon, as well as people with marathon experience who want to join an amazing experience for the 5 months leading into the February 14th, 2016 LA Marathon (which is also the US Olympic Marathon Trials weekend).
In addition, we have a special initiative to find those with developed and currently active blogs (who are NOT blogging about running). We are also interested in people with a good following on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook who wish to be a part of this program. Bottom line: Do you want to run a very special LA Marathon, and do you have a story to share? -Coach Jimmy Dean Freeman
Below is a video about the Team NutriBullet program from 2014-2015. Check it out! Are you ready for a change?!
The upcoming season for Team NutriBullet and training for the 2016 LA Marathon is almost upon us! I was extremely fortunate to be a part of this program last year. My teammates and I received expert coaching and training, while NutriBullet staff helped us with our nutrition. I had an amazing experience, made a lot of new friends, and was able to run my fastest marathon in that crazy heat we had last March.
Applications for the Team NutriBullet 2015-2016 program, training for the February 14th, 2016 LA Marathon, will go up for one week starting on Friday, August 7th. The announcement of the team will be on Friday, August 28th and training will begin in mid-September! I’ll post the link for the application as soon as it becomes live.
Meanwhile check out this cool video, “Why We Run”. It’s about anyone looking to make a real change in their lives by taking on this transformative distance. Are you ready for a change?!
December has been a rough month for me. The team participated in the Santa Monica-Venice Christmas 10k on December 6th (pictured above), and my performance was less than stellar. I had managed to catch a stomach bug that lasted for a couple of days. Afterwards I've had to deal with fatigue and a couple minor flare-ups. To put it mildly my body is doing its usual, fighting me. As I write this I'm drinking a blast meant to help reduce inflammation. Despite some minor setbacks, training has been going well and I can hardly believe I'm about halfway through it.
As I take a look back at my 2014, I cannot help but be amazed at all the changes in my life. Two years ago I was in a dark, ugly, and unhappy place. Today I am following my passions and living a life full of grace. I'm so grateful to my family, friends, teammates, and coaches, for the love and support you've shown me. A big thank you to Carb Boom! and NutriBullet for believing in me, and helping me to achieve my athletic goals. I know 2015 will bring more opportunities for self improvement, challenges, and blessings that I can only dream of. I'm so excited for the future, but will definitely enjoy the journey. Happy New Year!
PAST BLOGS
WEEK 10 - "ELECTROLYTES AND FLUIDS" by RD Sarah Lefkowitz http://bit.ly/1tf4jDW
Week 9 - "SODIUM INTAKE" by RD Sarah Lefkowitz http://bit.ly/1JFtXMy
These past weeks have been a complete whirlwind for me. Has it really been three weeks since I started this adventure? It seems like it was just yesterday that I was anxiously waiting to see if I even made the team. Wow, time sure flies when you are having fun! I'll give you a quick recap of what's been going on in my world.
Week 2: It's all about building a good base. We received another great article by Sarah to follow-up the first, Marathon Training 101: Adjusting Your Eating Frame of Mind. Besides our individual weekly runs, the team meets on Wednesday nights for core strength training and speed workouts, and every Saturday for our long distance runs.
First Wednesday meetup and Coach Nicole handed a bunch of us our a$$es, so to speak. We did so many squats, lunges and planking that most of us couldn't sit very well if at all the next day. Second Wednesday workout we got more of the same, but it wasn't nearly as intense. The intervals we ran didn't seem as hard either. Am I getting stronger?
Week 3: Third week was all about getting ready for the team race. The NutriBullet staff have put together a few practice races in our training schedule to help us get ready for the LA Marathon. Coach Jimmy wrote, Marathon Training 101: How To Actively Chase Your Goal to help us be in the right mindset for race day.
And here we are, Team NutriBullet, this past Saturday. We ran the Say No To Drugs 5k, which was on the Universal Studios backlot. It was a pretty hilly course, but there was definitely a lot to look at along the way. My goal was to run it under 30 minutes. The course didn't have any mile markers, and I had no clue where I was distance wise as I made my way through it. When I finally saw my coaches, I didn't realize how close to the finish line I was, and didn't get my sprint in like I wanted to. Getting my finishing time I realized I missed my goal by less than a minute.
I have to be honest, at first it bothered me that I was so close to achieving my goal, but had missed it. A bunch of unhappy thoughts started surfacing. Then I put it all into perspective. It was the fastest 5k I had ever run. My pace average was under a 10 minute mile, which I have never done. I was also in the top 10 for my age category placing eighth. That was also a first for me, because I have never gotten anywhere near the top 10 before. When I realized what I had accomplished I let the negativity go. That race was proof that I am making progress, getting stronger and faster. I'm well on my way to making my marathon goal. Bring on Week 4!
"Most people think your life changes forever the second you cross the finish line. Runners know that your life changes forever the second you decide to go to the starting line."
This is my first week with Team NutriBullet and part of our commitment for our marathon team is to blast at least once a day. What is a blast? That is what NutriBullet calls their smoothies, because you're not blending you're blasting!
Since Sunday I've been following some of the recipes the team nutritionist has given us. I was a bit skeptical about this whole process, but I have to admit I am really enjoying using my new NutriBullet Sport.
A lot of my teammates have gotten pretty creative in their blasts. One such teammate actually added green tea into her recipe, to give herself a little early morning caffeine boost. She's a fricken genius!
I know, she's probably not the first or the last person to add tea to their blast, but it inspired me to create one of my own. This time of the year I really enjoy pumpkin chai lattes. So my blast creation is a combination of an oatmeal breakfast, protein shake, and pumpkin chai latte. And so is born the 'Pumpkin Chai Pump'. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Chai Pump
Ingredients
1 small handful of spinach
1 cup organic pumpkin
1/2 cup oats
1 Tbsp golden flaxseed meal
1 ½ - 2 tsps Trader Joe’s pumpkin spice
10 walnuts or pecans
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup Tazo chai organic latte (concentrate)
1/2 cup Almond milk
Instructions
Blast for 30 seconds, or until smooth.
*The more spinach you use the less orange the smoothie will look. The flaxseed meal and nuts can be optional. To make the smoothie sweeter add 1 Tbsp of honey. If the smoothie is to thick just add more milk.
So I know I haven’t posted in a couple of weeks, and you’re all probably wondering if I fell into a ditch somewhere or something. Truthfully, I am fine and life couldn’t be better in my corner of the world. I don’t want to give the excuse “I’ve been busy,” because who isn’t busy with life, work, training, etc.
First imagine running a trail race at night with friends, all dressed in costumes, then getting scared by monsters hiding along the course. Afterwards you not only get a cool handcrafted medal for finishing, but you get to enjoy tons of food and laughs with friends, and monsters, in this old movie ranch. Sound like fun?
Well I for one had a great time meeting new people, checking out all the costumes, and getting to hear all the stories of people getting the bejesus scared out of them. This is one race I definitely want to run next year! FYI, registration opens in August of 2015.
So if you follow me on Facebook some of you have already heard this news. After I registered for L.A. Marathon on October 1st, an old friend, Jimmy Dean Freeman, announced that he would be coaching this year’s Team NutriBullet for L.A. Marathon. I obviously was already planning on doing the race, and I knew that this race team would have some of the best coaches and staff to aid an athlete reach their peak performance.
I thought to myself, “What do I have to lose?” I then filled out an application. That leap of faith was followed by a week of anxiously waiting to find out if I had made the first cut. Which I did, and that was followed by filling out commitment papers, and waiting another week to see if I made the final cut. The process was a bit nerve wrecking, only because I really wanted to be on this team.
I’m happy to say that I am one of a hundred participants that was selected. For those of you not from Los Angeles, this is the third year NutriBullet has put together a marathon team. NutriBullet actually sponsors each and every athlete by hiring awesome run coaches and nutritionists to aid us in our training. Here we all are at our first practice Saturday.
The focus for our team is mainly nutrition and then training for the LA Marathon. As a team we had a lot of nutrition questions. So one of our coaches, Sarah Lefkowitz, who is also a registered dietician put together this great article "Training for a Marathon: Cleaning Up Your Diet". If you're training for an upcoming race or just looking to get healthy then this article is for you.
Sidenote: I am very honored and grateful for this opportunity. I am still a bit awe struck that I’m even part of this amazing group of athletes. I plan to take my training to the next level. I’m reaching for my dream to be a better athlete and a faster runner. One day I will qualify for the Boston Marathon.
"Pain is temporary. Pride is prejudice. No, wait. That's not right. Pain is pride? Pride is temporal? Look I'll be honest. I'm at mile 18 of a 22 miler and I'm not thinking super clear. Also my Achilles thing is bugging me. I want pancakes."
