My profession…flight attendant. I have actually been in quite a few commercials and a couple of movies, very small parts. Recently, I went to New York and auditioned for a small part in a Walt Disney film starring Sandra Bullock. I didn’t book it but it was about the opportunity. If you do a good job they’ll remember you and call you back. It was a great opportunity and I’m always grateful for them. The bottom line is, like running, you do the best you can and the rest is out of your hands. It is a dream and it’s fun. If I do the best I can, then I feel great.
I started running in…in junior high.
My life/sport philosophy…fit and healthy people are happy. Do what you like. If you like running, do it. If you don’t, don’t. Do something physical. Try something four times to give it a chance and try different things. Eat healthy and sleep. Aim for balance.
My favorite spot to be active…I love going to Palos Verdes on a clear day, doing the 15 mile loop. I also recently went to Lake Tahoe and skied and was amazed by how you could see so many mountains. The weather was perfect and you could see the lake at the bottom and it almost like you were going to ski into the lake. I liked swimming in Kona, trying to act like an Ironman Triathlete. I didn’t swim the whole course but part of it.
Athletic highlights…My first triathlon I ever did was in 1995 in Waikiki. I did run a marathon when I was 18 and prior to that I trained with a girl who was pretty experienced. Before that marathon I had only run 8 miles. My cross country team, my swim team and my ski team in high school all went to state. I wasn’t the number one player but I contributed. I was fortunate enough to participate and compete.
My running experience with AREC has been…awesome. Not in a million years did I care and think I would run a marathon again. The group of girls I’ve been running with, Claudia, Mo, Karen, Ann and Kelly, were all running it and they inspired me to run a marathon. We all trained together, we’re all the same pace. It was just social and I didn’t care about doing a marathon again. Now I care about negative splits, times and all of that. Now I’m really into it and I’ve got two more marathons planned.
I’ve been with AREC since… last summer.
The best thing about AREC is… the fact that it’s such a positive group. I never have to run by myself anymore. I’ve probably put in more miles this year than I have in my whole life because of the camaraderie. It’s so great that Todd and Emmett lead the group that inspires those friendships.
I run because…it makes me feel good. It keeps my body fit. I can’t imagine not doing something. It releases my extra adrenaline.
When I’m not running I am…swimming, spinning or biking, flying, driving to Hollywood for auditions and sleeping.
My favorite running surface is…pavement.
My pre-race meal is…peanut butter on Ezekiel toast or any kind of grain toast and half a banana. When I’m training, I drink a coconut juice called One, but not until after a run. It has 660 mg of potassium, it’s pretty low in sugar and it’s 60 calories and it’s a rehydrating drink. I’ve read that it’s actually good for hangovers too. Sometimes I get excited to do long runs because I get to eat peanut butter toast.
After a race I treat myself to… usually I love a huge omelette, mostly egg whites, with lots of spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and feta cheese.
My favorite race is…Huntington Beach, Surf City Half, which was surprising because it’s a boring course but it’s familiar to me. The weather was horrible but I kind of liked it. During the run, I felt great! Before and afterwards was miserable.
My goal is…to drop a few pounds, about 7 pounds. I’d like to be leaner and more toned. I want to run Rock ‘n’ Roll in about 3:50 which would be about 10 minutes under my Boston qualifying time. My goal really is this: if I feel good, I’m gonna run. If I feel really good, I’m gonna go for it and go faster. If I feel bad, I’m just gonna slow down. If I feel really bad, I’m stopping. For me, that takes the pressure off. If it’s not fun, then what am I doing this for?
I don’t ever want to be one of these people who gets upset because I have a time that didn’t meet my goal. I think it’s great to have goals but it’s not going to make or break me as a better person.
My running mantra… “Relax and breathe. Relax.”
I’m inspired by…health, fitness, looking younger as I get older. It’s just really about health and staying as fit as I can be.
My best training tip…relaxing and having fun. It’s supposed to be fun. If it’s not fun, you gotta find something else. We don’t need to be so hard on ourselves. We put so much pressure. Why? We’re all great. We’re so lucky because we run.
The best advice I ever got was…wasn’t actually advice but was something I learned from my college friend. I was nervous because she was such a good runner. But she was very patient with me. It taught me to be patient with myself and with others. She was such a good role model to me because she taught me humility. I was very guilty of being very hard on myself. Being hard with oneself is paralyzing and can hold you down. Being patient, helped me to relax and take risks. If you do great, great! If you fumble, who cares? If you take a risk and it doesn’t turn out how you want, at least you took a risk. Being patient allowed me to take risks and taught me not to be afraid to fail.
I want to improve in…organizing myself and refinancing my condos, becoming more financially stable so I can relax more and continuing not being hard on myself. Always, go for your dreams. Continuing with acting and pursuing all my dreams that come up.
I love…being in love. I love my wonderful friends. I love my family. I actually really love my life!
I hate…I don’t hate. That’s a really strong word that I really choose not to use. What I really despise is people’s cynicism, behaviors and comments that are mean spirited and hurtful. People that try to dampen and crush my spirit. Luckily I don’t know many people like that because I refuse to hang out with them.
I wish for…great health my whole life and for all my friends and family. Financial security so that I can work less. And for a great movie part that wouldn’t make me too famous.
My best experience was… my first acting job. My first national commercial was for 7 Eleven. I used to dream about being on set with trailers. I drove up and there were trailers. There were make up people, wardrobe people and they were all there for me. I just sat in my car and took it all in. It was a really memorable experience. It was a big turning point. People told me I was too old to act. But I didn’t believe it. Here I was in Hollywood and I did it. After that I had a ton of commercials that popped up.
To all…Thank you to everyone who opened their arms to me. The running club is one of the best things I’ve ever done. I recommend it to everyone, whether they’re fit or not, whether you walk or run. Sometimes it’s one of the simple things that matter in life and this is one of those.
One thing I love about the running club is the amazing camaraderie. It is wonderful to be around so many people from different backgrounds, different ages, different levels, all having fitness and running in common. It is so supportive and inspiring! There’s Mark Fell organizing the trail runs, Todd organizing the summer marathon training, Emmett always watching and reporting our race times and even you (Tam) by interviewing all of us to share our stories with each other...It is awesome to a part of such a wonderful group of people!