5K Race on June 8th, New Sponsors, PossAbilities Triathlon

A lot of exciting things have been happening in May! I've been so busy running around that I haven't had the chance to post on my blog!

Come out for a free 5K Run to celebrate National Running Day! I am organizing this event to get together with runners in the community!

Event Schedule:

- 5:30 pm Bib Pick-up & Late Race Day Sign up
- 6:00 pm Race Start
Post-Race: Enjoy Freshii juice samples, a free massage, and enter in the raffle!
- 7:00 pm Raffle & Race Awards for Top 3 Male & Female
- 7:05 pm Talk by Joanna Grace Reyes on "Training in The Heat"

RSVP at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8KR5DKV

View the Race Course and Elevation Chart at: http://joannagreyes.blogspot.com/p/national-running-day-5k_25.html

I met Dr. Lingas, Physical Therapist at Precision In Movement, and he offered to sponsor me! I cannot thank him enough for taking the time to give me tailored workouts that improve my stability, mechanics, and strength! It has been helping me stay injury free and improve my performance in marathon training. It's only a 1.5 mile drive and he said I can come by anytime, which is super convenient. 

I was introduced to the owner of Athletic Retail Company and he offered to sponsor me! The sponsorship includes: shoes, clothes, watch, recovery tools, and sports nutrition. He sent me two pairs of training shoes, road racing flats, spikes, socks, and energy gels. These new partnerships have been a huge blessing! I was really in need of new shoes and fine tuning my body through physical therapy to heal a mild nagging pain that I sometimes feel.

(Left to Right) Dr. Pinder, Duyen, Me 

At the PossAbilities triathlon, I ran the 5K leg, my professor Dr. Pinder rode 11 miles on the bike, and Duyen, pharmacy student, swam 150 m in the pool. We finished in 3rd place! The day before the race, I volunteered to help at the registration booth and pass out race bags. This race supported Team PossAbilities, which is comprised of challenged athletes. There were special race categories such as leg impairment, arm impairment, and visual impairment. As I ran up the hill, men with prosthetic legs picked up their knees and extended their legs just as any other runner, but I could see in their facial expression that they were working harder than me; it didn't seem fair. It humbled me to see them pushing and doing their best. Having two legs is often overlooked and not valued enough.  I thank God each day for good health and the ability to run. Anyone can engage in sports and fitness and even compete at high levels as part of a healthy lifestyle!

My 7-year old cousin, who I spoke about in my last blog, ran her first race and finished in second place! I am so proud of her! She enjoys running, has a self-driven side, and has great work ethic from playing soccer and being in girl scouts! She also has two very encouraging and supportive parents. She is following in my footsteps as a runner and truly has the potential to accomplish her biggest dreams!

(Left to Right) Ed Ettinghausen, Me, Michael Bey

I enjoyed being a part of the panel discussion on "Plant-Powered Sports Nutrition," hosted by Vegan Vibe. Also part of the panel were Ed Ettinghausen "The Jester" (world record-holding ultramarathoner) and Michael Bey (calisthenics/yoga instructor). We spoke about the foods we eat throughout the day and what we found works for us individually to perform well in practice and during competition. Michael has a very unique diet, called intermittent fasting where he eats only one 3,000 calorie meal a day. He eats a huge vegan salad at noon everyday. He said eating once a day means that his body digests food all at once so that it can be more functional towards other activities during the day. Ed, who runs 100 mile races nearly every week, grew up as a vegetarian. When asked if he consumes supplements, he holds out his hand and replies "I take all the supplements that my wife hands me." He also takes Vega protein powder each day. The three of us agreed that each person's body is different and what may work for one of us may not work for someone else, so understanding your body's needs is so important to ensure you are fueling your body for optimal performance.

Ronald Carter, LLU Provost

On the school side: I passed all my midterms a couple weeks ago with A's and B's! I still have a few more weeks of school until the end of the quarter. I am so excited to be almost done with classes. I volunteered at the pharmacy graduation last weekend and watched as families and friends hugged, took many photos, and celebrated! While looking up at the stage, I smiled and thought "Only one more year."

Dr. Willie Davis

At the graduation, my advisor/Director of Academic Support/Associate Professor, Dr. Willie Davis, was given the "Distinguished Service Award for his many years of exemplary service, which have provided opportunities for optimum learning and student growth, as well as for his contributions towards maintaining quality education" (news.llu.edu). He lightens up the room with his humor and has a big heart and enthusiasm to teach and mentor students to become successful in school. Sometimes I even step into his office just to say hello, and once every quarter I join him for lunch with his other advisees.

On June 2nd, I will be competing in the USATF Southern California Championships at Pomona College. I will be running the 5K at the track, that's 12 laps. Race starts at 5:25 pm. There will be Olympic Athletes competing, such as Jeneba Tarmoh (2012 Olympic Gold Medalist in the 4x100 Women's Relay). She lives in Los Angeles and is a training partner of Allyson Felix (Olympic Champion and World Champion at the 200m and 400m).

Feel free to post a comment or ask a question!