Because I Can

"The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. It's your mind you have to convince." — Vince Lombardi I spent a lot of time writing and re-writing this blog. I tried to be funny, creative, smart and inspirational all at the same time, but it just sounded so phony. If there is one thing I pride myself on, it is my authentic nature.  So, I hit delete and started over. Here’s the deal.  When I weighed over 300 pounds, I was constantly telling myself two “truths”.... More

The Second Time Around

When I decided to train for my first marathon back in late 2011, I wasn't at all sure there would ever be a second one. I loved running; I'd run several half-marathons, and I'd been kicking around the idea of training for a full for a while. But running 26.2 miles seemed a little nuts — I'll be honest: it still does! — and I wasn't sure I'd like it enough to want to do it again. ... More

Enjoy the Climb

Hills, you either love them or you hate them!  It really comes down to how you look at them.  Respect the hills, they train your body like nothing else.  Some refer to them as speed work in disguise.  I love them because I get to use my muscles in a different way, and the pay off is huge:... More

Try

I've been training for months now---losing track of just how long it's been, because it feels like forever ago that I started this journey into ultra-marathon running.  I decided to try to tackle The San Francisco Double Marathon for a few reasons--to raise money for a charity close to my heart, to push myself, to see what my body and ... More

Eating Healthy

Like many people I started running as a way to help lose weight.  After I got a heart rate monitor I quickly realized that I burned just as many calories running for 40 minutes as I did doing an hour long cardio-kickboxing class.  It wasn’t until I ran my first race that running became something other than a means to an end. Running was ... More

Laughing While Running

Well Hello There!  This is Carmel, SF native and Boulder, CO transplant and 2014 marks my first year as an SF Marathon Ambassador.  I am so excited to have been chosen for this group and have really enjoyed reading the blog posts written so far. This is my first post and I wanted to talk about a movement that is quickly spreading to all sporting events with spectators that I’ve really fallen in love with: HILARIOUS SPECTATOR SIGNS.... More

Love on the Run: A True Story of Finding Romance on the Track

Sweaty, exhausted, and maybe a little bit sore sounds like a good way to end a date, but not usually how you'd expect to start one. Unless you're a runner. But that's exactly how Gabe and Shawna started their first date, sharing a pizza at Little Star, still in their running clothes.... More

Try Your Best!

With the Brazilian World Cup coming this Summer, I am going to bring up an old soccer icon: Pele. He was considered by many as the greatest soccer player of all time, having won three World Cups and scoring the most goals of any players out there. ... More

My Reason to Run

This is not your typical TSFM blog post. I’d like to believe that I am your typical TSFM Ambassador because the role of a TSFM Ambassador is to represent every kind of runner, and what I’m about to chronicle is true and honest in both events and the feelings associated with them. It’s a real world kind of blog with all the glamour stripped away and just the honest truth left. I’m afraid that the lack of puppy dogs and butterflies may not sit well with some, but maybe there will be some who read this and it will resonate with them more than happy trees and perfect days with perfect runs.  Sometimes we go through challenging times. And sometimes those challenging times happen to coincide with training for a marathon. Or becoming an Ambassador for the San Francisco Marathon where your chief role is to inspire and encourage others to realize their true potential. To help them see that they are champions. To make them believe that they can, and will, achieve greatness on the streets of San Francisco. That, armed with a reason to run that is wholly unique and just their own, they will overcome whatever obstacles are before them to make it to that starting line on July 27, 2014. With recent events that I will detail a bit later, I’m finding this a bigger challenge than anticipated.... More

Ambassador Profile: Endorphin Dude

If you've ever run a marathon, chances are you've probably seen a dude with spiky hair in a cape fly by. That marathon caped crusader probably high fived you, cracked a 4th grade joke or two, and then ran off to grab a GU at the aid station. That's Endorphin Dude, and that dude is me. I run a lot of marathons. I run a lot of ultras too. And ... More