A Cause Greater than Oneself



The Semper Fi Fund, recently featured in the North County (San Diego) Times.


















This year, I am running the Marine Corps Marathon to benefit the Semper Fi Fund, an organization that provides assistance to injured U.S. Marines returning from war.

This is my first year running for a cause. But it won’t be my last. In fact, now I can’t imagine running a race any other way. Running for charity has added a whole new dimension to my training – it has forced me to run for a cause greater than myself. 

As runners, we are so fortunate that organized races today have adopted more charity partners than ever.  Whether you feel passionately about our troops as I do, or about Alzheimer’s, Breast Cancer, children’s cancer, or (fill in the blank with the cause of your choice), it is easier than ever to raise funds and awareness for a cause which you care deeply about.

In this charitable age, it turns out that the benefits are mutual for runners, charities and even the participating races themselves. The New York Times running blog reports that running for a cause has provided a huge boom to organized races: http://marathon.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/21/running-for-charity-fuels-a-boom-in-marathoning/. Now that’s what I call a win-win-win.

Whatever your cause, I encourage you to seek out a charity partner on your next race. Most races have a section on their website called “Charity partners.” Simply click through the race's official website and find a cause that’s right for you. In the meantime, here are the Charity partners for what I consider “the top three” races in the U.S.:

The Marine Corps Marathon: http://www.marinemarathon.com/Register/MCM_Charity_Partners.htm

The Boston Marathon: http://www.baa.org/utilities/charities.aspx 

The ING New York City Marathon: http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/galleries/charities/index.shtm. 

As for my Marathon effort, I invite you to read more about the Semper Fi Fund and the incredible stories of young spouses they have supported, the injured U.S. Marines and NAVY personnel they have assisted, and the homes they have retrofitted for heroes returning home in much different conditions than they left. If you’d like to support my team’s effort for the Marine Corps Marathon to benefit the Semper Fi Fund, you can contribute here: http://www.active.com/donate/semperfifundmcm2011/jenniferk

Here’s to running for – and living for – a cause greater than ourselves!

The X-Factor



The Mothership: 24 Hour Fitness HQ in Carlsbad, CA


















I’ve heard people talk about cross-training for years.

How it helps your performance, flexibility, reshapes your body, and protects against injury.

Well, turns out they were right.

Over the past year, I’ve taken to cross-training like Tammy Faye Baker at a mascara sale. And it has been a real eye-opener.

I can honestly say it has made me a better runner.

While I rarely give shameless plugs and the truth is, I’m not really even a “joiner,” I have to give credit where credit is due. After God and self, all the credit for my current conditioning goes to 24 Hour Fitness. (And before I start World War III, I am sensitive to the fact that you East Coast’ers have Krunch Fitness – or fill in the blank with your local fave – but 24 Hour Fitness owns the West Coast. If you’re workin’ out anywhere in California, you’re there.)

If you haven’t been to a gym in a while, let me tell you: They’ve made it so easy to cross-train, they have removed all barriers and excuses for anyone to be out of shape. (How dare they. Bastards.) Whether it’s getting a personal trainer who can tailor a program to your specific needs (and believe me, I’ve had some weird ones over the past few years), or simply immersing yourself in one of their “Group X” classes, you owe it to yourself to get in there. The personal trainer you have to pay for, but the classes, those are free. (We love free.)

While working in Southern California, I’ve had the privilege to work out at the corporate headquarters of 24 Hour Fitness in Carlsbad, California (pictured, above). When I’m there, I almost want to write them a thank you note or ask at the front desk if there’s a guestbook I can sign, with a note telling them how much they’ve changed my life. Because if it hadn’t been for the cross-training – which they have made more accessible than ever for this amateur athlete – I wouldn’t be where I am today. And I certainly wouldn’t be running a 5K a Day.

So, 24 Hour Fitness, if you’re out there and you're listening… Thanks!

For Those About to Run, We Salute You

We are a nation of runners.

If Paul Revere hadn’t had a horse, I’m convinced he would have run cross-country to tell the news.

I was reminded of our nation’s love of running tonight as I found the treadmills at the gym more crowded than usual this Monday night.  And I mean really crowded.

Then it dawned on me. It's the day after the women’s World Cup championship game. And not just any World Cup game. One of the most exciting series for the U.S. in recent years. Not since Brandi Chastain ripped her shirt off at the Olympics have Americans been so in awe over women running up and down a field. Everywhere I went this past weekend, people were abuzz and impressed by the sheer athletic ability of these women – specifically their running endurance, which was on full display. And that’s the thing about professional athletes, they inspire the best in all of us.

You don’t have to be a championship athlete to run. People run every day in this nation. In fact, it’s truly the people who keep this place running and I think it’s high time we salute them. The soldier returning from war with one less leg to run on. The first-time runner. The student athlete. The FedEx guy delivering that special package from Mom. The fireman who runs into the building, not the other way around. The mother of four running her first half-marathon. Just a few of the people who make this nation great.

To the U.S. women's World Cup team, you have the salute of an inspired nation. Welcome home. You make us proud. And more importantly, you make us want to get out there and run.

Mama Needs a New Pair of Shoes

I read somewhere that you should replace your running shoes every 500 miles, or every 6 months.

Well, I have had my running shoes for six years.

I'm laughing as I type this. Six years is a mighty long time. To have anything. Let alone a pair of running shoes.

While the idea of bringing home a shiny new pair of shoes is exciting, I have to admit I've grown attached to my treads. I've bought the exact same model since I started running in college. Saucony Grid 3000's. And always in pink.

This particular pair? They've been to the Middle East and back with me. They've taken a jaunt 'round Londontown. We've cruised through races from L.A. to D.C. together. They were there for me when I went through excruciating months of physical therapy. They've gotten me through a lot.

Nevertheless, I suppose it's time to cut the strings, so to speak.

The Evidence: Six-year-old shoe. Exhibit A: A hole so gaping, I can fit my entire index finger through it.

Time to tap into my single-girl salary for a new pair.

But where does a girl begin? A lot has changed in six years. Shoes today have spacesuit technology in their soles (hello, Nike Lunar), and some have almost no soles at all (what's up with that, btw?). Some even have microprocessors built into the heel to track your every training move. This alone makes my head spin, as I can barely remember to charge my iPod before a run. And of course there are the other considerations: low arches, high arches, wide foot, narrow foot, and of course the most important part: they have to look good. And I mean really good. As in, zing-over-puddles-on-a-rainy-day good. That's right, I said zing.

So, this is the week I'll trek on over to the RoadRunner Sports megastore in Southern California to check out the vast selection. But first, I'm curious to hear from you. What's your favourite pair? Are you brand loyal? Or do you just have to have the latest trend? What's more important: cushion, performance, or fit?

Help me choose my next pair. Tweet me. Blog me. I don't care. Just help me. Because, as you can see, it's high time to hang up these laces.

By the Numbers

The pesky thing about a goal – and I mean a really, really specific one – is that it’s really, really hard to ignore.

3.2 miles.

Otherwise known across the pond as a 5K.

It’s what I promised myself and the rest of the blogosphere I would run. I’ve emblazoned the number onto my brain. Some days, it feels as if someone tattooed it to the inside of my eyelids while I was sleeping because now I swear I see it everywhere. (Price of gas? $3.20. Next exit? 3.2 miles. What time of day is it? Oh look, it’s 3:20. So goes the torture…)

I readily admit there are days I don’t want to run. And I mean really, really, really don’t want to run. Yesterday happened to be one of them. But I do it anyway. Just like a good little girl. And just like Nike told me to.

Compare and contrast to “the old days” when I would set out for a run and commit to running 15, maybe 20 minutes. I certainly didn’t measure the distance. And if I didn’t feel “into it” at any point during the run, I might even leave the trail and call it a night altogether. What I didn’t realize at the time... It was as if I was committing a thousand small surrenders. Of my body. Of my soul. Of my self-respect. Without even knowing it.

And that’s the thing about a good goal. Whether you like it some days or not, it sets a clear marker to achieve. In black and white terms (or neon green, in my case), my goal looms out there like a beacon that keeps guiding me until I get the satisfaction of watching that number light up the screen. Trust me, I’ve tried to cheat, cut corners, short-circuit my runs, but ever since I threw down the 5K a Day challenge I can’t bring myself to cheat. Because no matter how many people I might end up disappointing, the truth is I’d only be cheating myself.

I encourage you to try it for a week. Pick a number. Set a goal. Then run it, repeatedly. Don’t stop a minute – nor a mile – before you’re supposed to. Then see how tall you stand when you finish that day. And the day after that…and the day after that.

So, let's go, America.  Give me your tired, your weary, your digits...

The State of Running

Visiting the State Capitol of California today, I couldn't help but look forward to one of my personal favourite runs around the perimeter of Capitol Park.

Whenever I look upon this great Statehouse, I am reminded of all of the cities and counties that are represented under that dome.  And, (our perennial fiscal calamities aside), I am often reminded of the beautiful state in which we live.

With 840 miles of coastline and gorgeous weather year-round, California surely has to be “the running Capital of the world.” Everywhere you turn – whether it is on a beach, a sidewalk, a neighborhood street or right here in Capitol Park – Californians are outdoors, and we are running.

I would venture to guess that California has more runners per capita than any other state in the union. And, thanks to our status as “the most populous state in the nation,” we no doubt have the largest sheer number of runners pounding the pavement.

That’s why it gives me great pleasure, ladies and gentlemen, to announce today that The State of Running is strong.

You see, our budget may be flailing, our roads may be crumbling, the earth may start quaking, and our state may go up in flames, but at the end of the day, Californians will still be running. Perhaps for our lives. But we'll still be running.

In all seriousness, there is no shortage of Marathons, 5Ks, 10Ks and Half Marathons from which to choose. Every time I turn around, I see an ad for the San Francisco Bay to Breakers race, the Los Angeles Marathon, the San Diego Rock n’ Roll Marathon, various Nike races, The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and the list goes on and on and on...

And we have something to show for it.

Californians are generally known as being more physically fit than their counterparts in other states. Among our counties, Marin County near San Francisco strides across the finish line first as the healthiest county in California. San Diego scores a respectable 16th. And Sacramento ties for 30th with Monterey County (somewhat surprising, as I’ve been to both and believe me, Sacramento ain’t no Monterey.) But I digress. If you live in California, you can check out your County ranking here to see how you rate. 

Here’s to good health, California!

Day of Rest

And on Sunday, she rested.

Legs need rest. And, as it turns out, even God took a rest on the seventh day. Which actually makes me feel better for taking this self-imposed “day off” from the running trail.

Genesis 2: 2-3 says:
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Verse in hand, I headed out to the neighborhood pool today to rest these weary, road-tested legs.

I hope that wherever you are, you took a rest, too.

We’ll be back at it tomorrow.