First 10K Race

July 4th marked my first race as a "runner." As part of our training, some of our team signed up for a race to test out the race waters before our actual event. We did the Pacific Palisades 10K. There were about 1,000 runners, some participating in the 5K (a nice pace through the Pacific Palisades neighborhoods) and some pushing on through the 10K which included a number of killer switchbacks in Will Rogers State Park, and one long hill in the last two miles. I learned a lot in the process about pacing, focus and how much running downhill hurts my left knee!

Seth (who was recovering from a cold funk) and Schmiegel cheered me on from the sidelines. It was a fun day, and big accomplishment for me. Next race up....the half marathon we've been training for!

The TRAIN TO END STROKE TEAM

What Happened to June?

Wow! I can hardly believe it is already July. And not even the beginning of July, we're headed towards mid-July. How do these things happen? The end of June brought the big celebration of my birth. I am usually much more excited about this birthday, but I really had some issues to work through with turning 30. Luckily, I have some great friends who cheered me out of my funk, and encouraged me to not look at what I haven't done in the last 30 years but at what I CAN do in the next 30. So, here's to the next 30! I'm sad to say I don't have one single photo of my 30th celebration :( but it was a GREAT weekend!

Back when I was still 29 (at the beginning of June), we were very happy to have the Lakers make it to the finals. No, we haven't become basketball fans. It just meant that Joya's work would bring her to LA for a week! Yay! It was a great week getting to spend some time with this sister we hardly get to see. Schmiegel was smitten with his Auntie, and I think she felt the same way. :)

A Refreshing Saturday

Saturday morning we were up early again for our training.

This week training took us to the hills of Griffith Park. I was a touch nervous as I drove through the park. Lots of hills, lots of people, and 6 miles of running ahead of me. The week before my Saturday run of 4 miles had not gone well. I had a great week of training with Seth, but 6 miles sounded like a long way.

As I said before, if you push through what seems difficult, and push through the wall you think you can't pass, it turns out it isn't as hard as it once looked. I am proud to say that I ran the entire 6 miles without stopping. And better yet, I felt GREAT! I spent the run listening to Alicia Keyes, thinking about my looming 30th birthday and spent time praying for some dear friends who are going through a difficult time. I felt for the first time that I was in "the club." That insiders league of runners, with the small nod, lift of two fingers and a breathless "morning." It felt good to feel strong. Each week I run further than I have ever run before, and this brought tears to my eyes on yet another run.

We spent the afternoon hanging with Seth's sister who was in town for work. It was a chilly day in Santa Monica, so we opted for indoor activities vs. hanging pool-side. Lunch, massages, drinks on a beautiful patio, it was a refreshing Saturday.

May Recap

May was a fun and, as always, a very busy month for the Caskey's. Seth was busy with work, classes and securing those last two blessed vouchers that now make him SAG elegible (cue hallelujah chorus). The most fun for me in May was my friends coming to visit the west coast.

B's Visit
Barbara - or B - came out to LA for a visit. B and I worked together at Simply Selma's as cohorts in shopping crime. We laugh constantly at our own sarcastic comments, and in all have a fantastic time. I took her to every corner of this city! We went to tapings of "Til Death" and "Ellen," hiked Runyon Canyon, and shopped in Old Town Pasadena, Santa Monica, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills. In between there were lots of margaritas, sangrias and glasses of wine, as well as a couple stops at some of LA's best cupcake shops. Actually, I made B run down 3 blocks in Brentwood so we could get to Susie Cake's before it closed (and yes, their cupcakes are that good). The star sighting of her journey was DL Hughley, who sat behind us at one of my favorite breakfast spots (Jumpin Java). He has an amazing smile, and a very bold pair of red and black plaid pants. It was a fantastic week, and made me remember how much I love & miss this friend.


Shan & a very cold San Diego
Just before Memorial Day weekend, my very dear friend from high school - Shannon - was in San Diego for a conference. So, I took the train down to spend the day with her. It was a strangely freezing (low 60s) and very overcast day in beautiful sunny San Diego. Since neither of us had a car there, we relied on public transportation to get us around. I wasn't quite on my navigation-A game. (Hey, it's been awhile since my semester abroad.) Long story short, after about 20 minutes I realized that we were on the tram headed to Tijuana, not Gaslamp Quarter. It was absolutely wonderful to spend the day with a dear friend, just talking, laughing and catching up on life. We ended the night with one of the best martini's I've ever had. Our visit was short, but so much fun! So thankful to have her in my life still. Shan, has it really been 15 years?

Seth & I get to play!
Finally, Seth and I found some time to do fun stuff together. In mid-May, we made it up to The Getty Museum. The view alone was amazing! We browsed through a few of the galleries, but were most taken by the incredible view of the city. The Getty hosts free events & concerts once a month on Friday evenings. We went to an improv/comedy/cirque-de soleil-esque performance. It was highly entertaining. And a very fun evening.

Views from the Getty


View to the West


Seth looking east out over his city. Oops! I didn't realize he was in the shade.


North West above the 405


I loved the view of the ocean. If the 405 wasn't involved, I'd want to live in Santa Monica.


This city isn't really that big.


Got to Get Away

In the end of May, we were able to sneak away for a few days. We headed up the 101 to Ventura. Many people asked us - "what's in ventura?" Not a whole hell of a lot. But, that is exactly what we needed. We read and slept in the sand, had some local brews, went to wine tasting, invented a martini at a little bar and just relaxed. We ended our trip with a run along the beach and lunch at a cafe on the harbor. It was a delightfully relaxing weekend.


Ventura Pier


Post Beach Nap


Sad to see the weekend end.

Also, in May we started training for a half marathon - you can read more on that in the blogs below. But I can't sign off this blog without mention our furry child. He had a pretty good month too!

Training Week #3

The alarm going off at 5:30 every Saturday morning will take some adjustment! But we were up again early this morning and back at Lake Balboa for our team training. We ran a little over 3 miles - and I felt fantastic at mile 2.5 up until the finish. Running is like anything else difficult in life - you may not feel like you have it in you, but if you just push through the hard part, you will come out on the other side stronger than you thought you could be.

It was a great morning!

Week 2

Training Week #2
Saturday morning. 5:30am. My alarm is going off. Whose idea was this? Every Saturday for the next 15 weeks I will not be sleeping in. Instead I will be at my marathon training by 6:45am. And running by 7. Crap. It was my idea. To make matters worse. It is freezing, cloudy and looks like it is going to rain. We leave the house and start making our way to Lake Balboa where we will train for the next 3 weeks. It starts to rain. It starts to pour. Seth looks at me with a look that says – seriously? Seriously. We huddle under a tent with about 20 other trainees and our coaches. We start to stretch in the rain. Seth and I communicate with no words - Seriously? I can’t get sick. Are we really going to run in the rain? We decide running in the rain and being sick the next two weeks isn’t worth it. We go to sign out – no one blames us. But then as if a scene in a movie, my pen goes to sign my name out and the rain stops, instantly, all at once. We look at each other and laugh, then run over to join the group. We run 2.4 miles and the sun comes out.

Heartfelt thanks to three friends – Nancy, Maricia & Torie for their donations this week.

Week One

Training Day #1
Before
Excited and nervous. Both are pulsating through my veins as I prepare for my first day of training. I keep in mind that today will be light – it’s a “kick-off” after all and we are only running a mile. But I can’t help but think, what I have I done? 13 miles. Thirteen miles. 3 ½ hours of running. Potentially less. But Disneyland is a timed course. I have to finish in 3.5 or be picked up by a car. I’m not getting picked up by a car. So I sit nervously. Watching the clock and waiting to leave for this next step.

After
Back from Training Day #1 and I realize that I have nothing to worry about. Sixth to finish our first mile. I felt good. I felt comfortable. But it was HOT! We didn’t start our mile until 10:45am (after orientation) which put the temp in the valley at about 90+ degrees. I think I’ll stick with running in the morning, that mile felt like 2.

The program we are running with – Train to End Stroke – benefits the American Stroke Association. In order to receive their training & benefits in preparation for this half marathon, we each have to raise $2100 for the association. So, if running more than I’ve ever run in my life wasn’t hard enough, we have to raise a combined total of $4200. This makes me more than a little nervous. But, sitting today and hearing how the funds are used, makes me hopeful. One lady shared her story. At the age of 27, she suffered a stroke. I couldn’t believe this! 27? No offense to my elders, but I really equated stroke to age. While age can be a factor, it is not the only factor. Because of funded research at the UCLA hospital, this woman not only survived the stroke but fully recovered. She was able to receive a cutting edge treatment quickly that led to her full recovery. She was fortunate that she lived near one of these research facilities that receives funding from the American Stroke Association. Without that treatment her life would be drastically different. The funds we raise go towards more research and putting treatments like hers in more hospitals. I am excited to be a part of making that happen. The $4200 we raise will literally save and change lives.

Thirteen point One

We have some exciting news to share! We are joining with the American Stroke Association to train for a 13.1 mile HALF MARATHON and to raise funds and awareness about the 3rd largest killer in our country. We were amazed to learn that someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds and someone dies as a result of a stroke every 3.1 minutes, with 29% of those victims being people under the age of 65.

Seth and I are training together, as this race and this program have a personal meaning. In September 2006, Seth’s grandfather, Bill Robinson (aka PawPaw), passed away as a result of multiple strokes the first of which was in August 2005. In that year, PawPaw fought back by regaining his speech, use of both arms and eventually the ability to stand on his own and make determined steps. Proud of his determination to walk again, we run for him. We also run for two dear family friends, who in both cases were saved by their children who quickly recognized the signs of stroke and got their parents to the ER. So, we also run for Kathy and for Gary, celebrating with them on their recoveries, and the other 4.4 million stroke survivors.

We will run the Disneyland Half Marathon on August 31st and ask you to run with us in spirit by pledging your support. We both have a goal of $2100 each to reach for the American Heart Association to fund more research and more education programs on this silent killer. Your contribution is tax-deductible and greatly appreciated! Every dollar makes a difference toward stroke research and education.

Finally, please make yourself aware of these 5 life-saving warning signs of stroke.
1. WALK - is their balance off?
2. TALK - is their speech slurred or face droopy?
3. REACH - is one side weak or numb?
4. SEE - is their vision all or partly lost?
5. FEEL - is their headache severe?

Fast action on these signs improves the odds of survival and recovery.

We are excited about this training, this race and raising funds and awareness for the American Stroke Association. To support us, please click on either of our fundraising pages:
http://lattes.kintera.org/erica_caskey?faf=1=1703318115
http://lattes.kintera.org/seth_caskey?faf=1=1703350268

Thank you for your encouragement and support!

New Beginning

Turning a Corner

As many of you noticed (and notified us) our blog postings stopped not long after our arrival to LA. Well, Seth got busy with classes, auditions and freelance work. And I, well, I had nothing positive to say about LA at the time. I'm happy to say that I turned a corner. It took almost a full year. I'd say November 2007 is when it happened.

I remember the moment that I realized it. I was driving east on the 134 freeway from Pasadena, rounded a corner in which I could see it all - downtown, the valley, the Griffith Observatory, and thousands of rooftops glittering the hillsides. It was an unusually smog free moment and one of clarity for me. This city is rich with opportunity, overflowing with moments of possibility and pulsating with passion and hope. It is city, beach, industrial and small town in a mass of crowded streets and diverse people. And it hit me, like a ton of bricks. I like this city. I regretted the admission all at once.

Life in the Left Lane

A tidbit you should know about life in Los Angeles. Making a left turn onto just about any road is a hateful experience. Just as they don’t believe in providing refrigerators in apartments, Los Angeles also doesn’t believe in the left turn arrow. One would think that with so many cars on the road, that getting around should be made easier, not more difficult, so as to provide less traffic jams, not more. This kind of logical thinking is apparently not welcome in the golden state. Instead I am forced to run a red light time and again. It is unwritten code that no matter how much traffic is oncoming you creep into the middle of the intersection, and at the yellow (or solid red light) light gun it and say a prayer that none of the oncoming traffic is planning to run their red light.

There are a few choice streets that do have the left arrow, but refuse to utilize it. They’ve gone to all the extra trouble to create the left turn lane, hang the stoplight with the left arrow signal, and yet they have still missed the mark. The left arrow stays green long enough for one car to get through free and clear, a second car to barely get through (depending on how fast they are out of the gate) and a third car to blatantly run the red light. Last night I was told by a local that up to 5 cars are safe without getting a ticket.

That’s just trying to turn left. Trying to find or get on the freeway – is anything buy user friendly. First of all the freeways are called by both their number and their given name. These are used interchangeably depending on who you are talking to or who is giving the traffic report. For example, the 101 is the Ventura Freeway, UNLESS you are heading west, then the 101 is the Hollywood Freeway. BUT at the same time the 170 is the Hollywood Freeway as is the 134 (sometimes). Are you with me? Me either. The 101 also changes directions. For example, you may want to get onto 101 West, but the sign says 101 North. The 101 East is also 101 South. So, if you are to visit have your secret decoder ring handy. You’ll need it! When you finally figure out which freeway it is that you want to get on, good luck finding the entrance. There will be a sign less than 20 ft from the on ramp telling you 10 (no direction east or west) with an arrow. If a car is blocking the sign at that particular moment, you’re screwed. Or if the trees have grown up over around it (which is often the case), the sign is also blocked. Then directly at the on ramp the signs says “Freeway Entrance” doesn’t tell you which freeway, just “Freeway Entrance.”

And some people wonder where road rage comes from?

E