Deena Kastor..My New Marathon Hero

Those of you who know me well know that I've been on a fitness-excercise-triathlon-running kick for the last couple of years. I guess it's fair to say that it's no longer a phase that I'm going through; rather, it's a lifestyle that I choose to live. Few things in life give me the same kind of satisfaction as going for an amazing trail run with rolling hills and beautiful greenery (or brownery/ reddery/ yellowery during AZ summers)or a 60 miler ride on The Beast (my bike) exploring the city. Not to mention the thrill of racing and accomplishing things that you thought were previously insurmountable. I love it all.

Regardless of how much I enjoy leading an active lifestyle, training and racing does take its tolls on you. When your glutes-thighs-feet-back-knees-shins are constantly in some degree of pain and you're upping your intensity week after week, day after day trying to get better, faster, moremoremore, rinse and repeat, you sometimes forget why you started doing all of this in the first place.

Well, last thursday, I watched a movie called Spirit of the Marathon which captures the stories of six different runners, all training for the Chicago Marathon. From the 70 year old man who wants to complete his 6th marathon with his daughter, to the Kenyan world class runner Daniel Njenga who wants to provide a better life for his family, each runner has a truly amazing and poignant story to share. I definitely shed a few tears of empathy in the movie theatre...not gonna lie.

Anyway, coming back to the title of the post, one of the runners whose marathon story unfolds in the movie is Deena Kastor, the 2004 olympic bronze medalist who is hoping to win her first marathon ever. As I watched her going through the training, running 140 mi a week (I don't even bike that much a week!), getting injured, facing set backs but steadily over coming them and staying positive no matter what, I guess I found a new motivation. Things don't always go according to plan and things aren't always easy, but to be truly great, and to achieve true excellence, you have to learn to cope with things and find a way around your obstacles with a smile on your face and a "bring it on" attitude.

I went to Deena's website last night to check her out and guess what! Her favorite running shoe is the same as my favorite running shoe: The super lightweight Aasics DS trainer! So I guess that makes us solemates haha. I was pretty stoked to make that discovery and now I'm even more in love with my new DS trainers than I was before.
My Asics DS Trainers :)
Deena Kastor and Paula Radcliffe, the winner of the NY marathon just 9 months after having a baby, are my Marathon Heros and I guess having the same trainers as one of them makes me one step closers to being like them :)

Serves You Right Health Net

So I work for a health insurance company (Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona to be specific) and I like to stay up to date on what's going on in the Health Insurance world. A few weeks ago, I read a story on Health Net and it's awful, awful practice of dropping their "expensive", long term illness patients illegaly in the middle of their treatment. Not only do they drop these people, they reward the employees who are responsible for finding loop holes in their contracts!

Well, today, as I was doing my daily round of the Wall Street, I was so happy to read an article on a Los Angles attorney forcing Health Net to pay $9 million to a sick hair dresser named Patsy, who was dropped by Health Net in the middle of going through Chemo for breast cancer. Can you imagine having to face such a traumatic experience only to find that the company you invested in so that they'd protect you from harm and illnesses decides to pull the plug on you? It baffles me...it really does.

The LA city attorney has sued Health Net for 1600 more cases similar to Patsy's. I wouldn't be surprised if they end up paying a billion dollars in reparations. And I wouldn't be surprised if that STILL doesn't stop them from continuing the practice of kicking people off their policy. Nothing wrong with hoping for change though I suppose

It's about that time eh mate?...Righto

Like the title says...it's about time I created a blog. Considering how much I LOOOOVE to talk, write and opinionize and considering how much I can obsess over the minutest details of anything that interests me...it's amazing I haven't already created a blog. Wait..I don't think opinionize is a word...well, it is now :)

I've already talked the heck out of my family, friends, colleages, strangers, dogs and even plants and now, it's the World Wide Web's turn to lend me its ears. So hello cyberworld, this is me. And this is my blog. I hope you all enjoy my mixed bag of musings.