Date and time: Saturday, October 18th, 2014
Events and price: 5k zombie run
Location: Blue Lake  Park
Number of runners: ~250 
Beneficiary: Evergreen School District Foundation

My race recap of the second annual Run2Survive Zombie Fest is up on the Energy Events blog! The new location at Blue Lake Park was really nice, and the weather was surprisingly warm for mid-October. It's a super fun event with cool medals and delicious cocktails afterwards ;) Although I'm terrified of zombies, I really enjoyed doing zombie makeup on myself again this year, and grossing everyone out. I wish I had remembered to order the creepy contact lenses in time though... so I've already ordered a pair for next year's race!!! 

Even though my body was exhausted, and I would end up running one of my slowest half marathons of 2014, the Girlfriends Run for a Cure Half Marathon was SO MUCH FUN. 

HUGE NEWS... I have been given the amazing opportunity to be one of the Ambassadors for the Vancouver USA Marathon!!! I have been dying to be an Ambassador since I first heard about the program last year, and after running VUM for the very first time this June, I'm in love. I love this race. It was my fourth marathon, but definitely my favorite--you can check out my race recap here. It was such a well-organized event and so much FUN--from the course, to the swag, to the volunteers, to the medals, to the brew fest, to having BART YASSO there! And in 2015, VUM will be celebrating it's fifth year, so you know that Energy Events is going to put their heart and soul into making this the best one yet. I've already started discussing training with Coach Ron (Train with Energy) and can't wait to get going!

It's been more than two weeks since the Portland Marathon! It's been busy, and there's just so much to say about running a marathon...

Sunday, October 5th, 2014
Downtown Portland, OR
Benefiting the Going the Distance Foundation

I'm excited to be a part of a breast cancer awareness campaign by Sketchers! They encouraged me to share a personal story about supporting the fight against breast cancer, and they also sent me a pair of their GOrun3 Awareness running shoes to try out and review.

Who do I wear my Sketchers GOrun3's for? I wear them for those who weren't as lucky as I was. I personally feel compelled to raise awareness for breast cancer because in December of 2010, I found a lump in my breast. At the time, I was a healthy, active 25 year old and I had finished my first marathon that year. Finding that marble sized lump terrified me. Even though I knew it felt different than the grainy lumps they warn you about, I couldn't help but feel like my life was on hold. After numerous tests and visits to my physician and various specialists, and after being told it "probably" was just fibroadenoma, I insisted on finding out for sure and had a biopsy. Fortunately, it was just fibrous tissue. But that biopsy scar is still there, reminding me to continue to check my ta-tas just in case. I am extremely grateful and fortunate. But because I know not every woman was as fortunate as I was, I feel that it's very important to encourage women to do self-exams, and to raise awareness of breast cancer.

The Sketchers Women's GOrun3 running shoe is one of six breast cancer awareness products that donate a portion of their profit to the American Cancer Society. I love it when companies create cute products for the cause! The GOrun3 seeks to create a barefoot-like running experience combined with some cushioning. The soft soles do keep you feet safe from gravel or whatever else the road may throw at you and offer a fairly comfortable ride. (Note: these shoes have less support/pronation control than my current running shoe, the New Balance 870v3, and the structure of these GOrun3's is looser as well). I LOVE the white geometric cutouts over the pink material, under the grey mesh--talk about stylish! 

Lastly, I want to mention that Sketchers has offered a small monetary compensation to bloggers participating in this campaign for every time that readers click through the links to the GOrun3 shoe. Rather than accepting this for myself, I will donate 100% of the funds that I personally receive through this campaign to fight breast cancer. You do NOT have to buy the shoe--if you just click on the link, I'll earn a little money, which I can then donate to the Kearney Center! Please click here and encourage your friends to visit my blog and click the links also. :)

What do you like most about the Sketchers GOrun3? Which Sketchers Awareness shoe are you most interested in trying? 

I was so excited to find out about the inaugural OHSU Institute of Development & Disability's Harvest Hustle 5k, benefiting Camp Odakoda, a camp for adolescents with autism. OHSU is an amazing institution and supporting adolescents with disabilities is a cause that's very close to my heart, since my three half brothers have varying degrees of autism, I've been a volunteer counselor at day camps and overnight camps with disabilities, and I've worked as a special ed paraeducator for a few years. I'm really excited for this inclusive community event, and hope that you'll join me! 

Race name: OHSU Harvest Hustle

Date and time: Sunday October 19th, 2014

Events and price:
5k run/wheelchair race; 1k family walk/run/wheelchair race; kids dash
Adult: $30.00
13-17: $10.00
3-12: $5.00
0-2: Free

**Join or organize a team of co-workers, family, and friends and receive a$4 registration discount. Use promo code, MEMBER. Please make sure to enter the correct team name during registration.**

Location: Naito Parkway; Portland, OR

Beneficiary: Camp Odakoda, a camp for adolescents with autism.

Following the event, there will be a Harvest Festival, with live music, food vendors, and giveaways! It sounds like a great time, and a great cause. I hope to see you there!

Last weekend I went to Portland VegFest and it was so cool! It was my first ever time getting a "Media Pass"... it felt so cool and so strange when vendors asked who I wrote for, and I said, "Myself! I write my own blog called Lipgloss and Spandex." It was a fun and surreal experience and I'm so grateful :) I'm lacto-ovo-pescitarian but am definitely interested in eating vegan more frequently for a variety of reasons, and I also dragged along my friend Ardara, who's currently going vegan! (#plantstrong #fartstrong). The event was held at the Convention Center and was huge! 

Even if you have ZERO interest in being vegan at all, this is still a fantastic event. There's so many THINGS, from food to beauty products to household products... It's just cool to see what all is out there, and see how many amazing products there are that also happen to be vegan. For just $8 you get so many samples! 

Oregon Brineworks was one of the first vendor tables that I hit up because they had naturally fermented ginger and pickles and beets. But my favorite product was the Real Ketchup. It was just YUMMY. They were just serving it with pretzel sticks, but you could tell it was GOOD.

There were also several vegan bath and beauty and skincare companies with tester products and items for sale, some fitness groups and products. I love 100% Pure (especially their Coconut Body Cream...) and Pacifica (their perfumes are delicious). But I was pretty much food-focused at the expo, since I really need to get back to eating healthy foods! It was a great all-around experience for checking out all of the fantastic vegan options out there. And you definitely get a TON of samples. I would absolutely like to attend Portland VegFest again next year. I really loved the open and welcoming atmosphere of the event.

I've kind of been in a panic today. Tomorrow I'm turning 29. And I'll be running my fifth marathon, the Portland Marathon. I signed up for it because it actually falls ON my birthday this year--it's a sign I was supposed to do it, right? But it's the first marathon I haven't really trained for. For about the past month or two, I've been at work almost all of my waking hours, and have only really run on the weekends. It makes me nervous in general and especially for a marathon because it's a good way to get yourself injured. I considered doing 13.1 instead, but after talking to my coach and deciding I wanted the experience, I intend to finishing the full marathon tomorrow. I don't know how it will go. I considered run/walking. I think my goal is going to be 4:30, but really I need to just put out my genuine best effort and not self-sabotage by worrying.  

Good luck to everyone running Portland Marathon tomorrow (and the Half also)! See you at the finish line :)

Date and time: Saturday, September 27, 2014
Events: Half marathon & 10k 
Location: Battle Ground Village; Battle Ground, WA
Number of runners: ~400
Beneficiary: Doernbecher Children's Hospital Foundation