Endurance Race Series Ambassadorship

My history with the Endurance Race Series has been a long one, quite possibly from almost the beginning.  During the first year of running, when Mike Numon challenged me to run a 5k, which I completed; he then challenged me to run a 10k by the end of the summer.  I spent quite a while trying to find the perfect 10k for me.  I really liked trail running (as opposed to street running), and I needed something with relatively little elevation gain.  I can't remember where I found the Denver ERS 10k, but I think possibly on the internet or running magazine.  It seemed to fit the description  that I was looking for.  I had been training for longer distances, but when I ran my first ERS 10k, it was the first time I had run 6.2 miles.  I ran the whole thing as well, no walking.  I had fun, loved the post-race party, the medal, and the people.  It was the only 10k I ran that first year, but I started looking into the race series for the following year.

The following year we ran four of their races (Denver, Glenwood Springs, Snow Mountain Ranch, and Louisville).  I am not sure why we didn't run more, or sign up for the whole series, but we were new runners, and didn't know enough about the running community.  Plus,  6.2 miles was a lot for us at the time. We really enjoyed the Race Directors Jeff and Craig, as well as the Volunteer Coordinator, Denise.  The following year we signed up for the whole series.  We have run the entire series three times!  It's not only the trails that bring us back, but the people that manage the series, as well as the people that participate in the series.  These people are mostly down to earth kind of people, friendly and are there to have fun.  We have also made several good friends because of running the series, and we get to enjoy each others company more than just during the race season.

Last year the Endurance Race Series started an Ambassador program.  The program required you, as an Ambassador to run all the races, wear ERS Ambassador Gear, pass out you Ambassador discount code cards, work the booth at another race for promotion, post on Social Media, and help out at the ERS races.  You also got to run all the races for no cost!  Both Tom and I applied, and Tom got one of the Ambassadorships!  I didn't get one, but I still enjoyed going, running, and helping out at the ERS races last year.  Tom did a great job being an Ambassador, and it was fun helping him reach out to people and post for him on Social Media.  At the end of the year, Jeff (Race Director) gave me an ERS hoodie for helping out!  I love it, and wear it all the time.

This year I got asked to be an Ambassador!  I was so excited!  So far, it has been so much fun, and the race season hasn't really even started.  We are required to work for our Season Pass this year, getting people to use our codes, which wasn't too difficult.  It made you reach out to runners that you know, to running groups, and just talk to other runners that you encounter.  It has been a really good experience so far.  We are also required to do a training race.  Tom and I did our training race a few weeks ago in Longmont at the course site for this years Longmont event.  We had a good time, and met several runners that came from Arvada to run with us, as well as Season Pass holder Glen Ort. Tom and I traveled 180 round trip miles this past weekend to be with Stacy Allen Boyd for her training run in Morrison at Deer Creek Canyon.  Beautiful trail and views, but the trail was so muddy I couldn't run on it because of my injury.  For being an Ambassador, we were given products from some of the Series Sponsors.  We received an Ultimate Direction hydration vest, Gnarly Protein and hydration samples, personal discount code cards, and really great ERS Ambassador gear to wear.  The season hasn't even started, and it has been fun meeting new runners by making contact and passing out my discount code card along the way.  I am really looking forward to the race season this year, and I am hoping that my MCL injury is well on it's way to healing when it begins. 

Being part of a team is something that is personally important to me.  Before I retired, and was working as a Supervisor.  I felt that just being a supervisor wasn't just about supervising, but it was about working as a team.  I think it is important to work with the people on your team, everyone brings something different to the table.   I play ice hockey, and everyone on the team is important; no matter how good you play, or whether you can score goals or not.  You work together with the levels that each player is able to play at, and use it to develop a play. That's how you score goals.  Learn about your team mates, find out what their skills are, and help to them to develop new skills and excel at their current skills.  The ERS Ambassador team brings 5 people together that have different goals, achievements, running paces, and different skills.  We have leaders that recognize the importance of what each person brings to the team.  That's what team work is all about.  The Race Director (Jeff), the Volunteer and Ambassador coordinator (Denise), and the Ambassadors (Rebecca, Erica, Stacey, Tom and I) are a team; and that's just another reason I am excited to be a new Ambassador for the Endurance Race Series.

Once again, I urge you to apply for Ambassadorships for products that you love and care about.  At this point, I had two Ambassadorships, #mysoxyfeet and the Endurance Race Series.  Both are dear to my heart.  Make sure that they don't conflict with each other if you have more than one.  I wear the ERS gear (shirts and hats), and wear MySoxyFeet on my feet.  No problem.  Next time I will talk about my newest Ambassadorship, #skirtSports, a company that designs running skirts in Boulder, CO.

See you out on the trails . . . . .

My Soxy Feet Ambassadorship

Since I can't run for a while, and since this is a "running" blog (?), I thought I should take some time to write about my Ambassadorships.  When I first started running, I had no idea that companies had "ambassadors", and what were they anyway?  The longer you stay in a sport, hobby or your career you continue to learn things about them.  Being an Ambassador is like being a walking advertisement board with all kind of information about the product.  You also represent the company and the product.  I suggest that if you are an Ambassador to something, make sure that you love it.  If you want to be an ambassador to more than one company/product, make sure they don't conflict with each other.  Also, fill your role as an Ambassador by doing what is required of you - basically, it's like a job.  I am an Ambassador for three different companies now, so instead of being retired, I like to say that I have three jobs :-)

My first Ambassadorship started just over a year ago, #MySoxyFeet.  I saw the invitation to be an Ambassador for My Soxy Feet on Facebook.  I had never heard of the company, never had seen their products, and never tried their socks before; but it just felt right.  I really wanted to be part of something. Since retiring, I needed to be part of something new and exciting. So, I decided to apply, why not?  A couple of months later I got an e-mail from Jason and Melissa telling me I had been chosen to be a My Soxy Feet Ambassador!  I was so excited, but also, I hadn't tried their socks, so I was a little worried to represent a company that I didn't know much about.  But, I took a chance, and so did they.   I ordered the shirt and the compression socks, and proceeded to fall in love with this company, and people who run it. 

I was so excited to get my Ambassador gear in the mail.  The compression socks were amazing!  So, of course, after that I ordered some of their other socks.  My Soxy Feet socks are now the only running sock that I wear.  After wearing their regular running socks for the first time, I never gone back to any other socks.  They never blister, they are comfortable, they support my foot, they keep my feet dry from any sweating, and they are super cute.  My Soxy Feet also offer you free socks for wearing and tagging the socks on social media.  Wow, how fun is that, no problem for me.  You get points for pictures on FB, Instagram, Twitter, etc.  I just do FB and joined Instagram to help advertised the socks.  So, a couple of times a year, I have the opportunity to cash in my points and get some free socks - this however doesn't keep me from buying socks as well.  They also offer their Ambassadors a discount for themselves, and a personal discount code for me to give to others.

There is also a couple of bonuses of being an Ambassador for My Soxy Feet other then just the fun of taking sock pictures and getting free socks. First, they have an Ambassador's FB page, and I have "met" other Ambassadors, and talk to them about running and other things and have become friends with them.  Second, the owners,  Melissa and Jason Corp.  I can't say enough about Melissa and Jason.  Melissa follows me on FB, she sends messages to me via Messenger, adds the cutest notes with every order I make.  She is kind and caring, and loves to run as well.  I have made wonderful friends because of My Soxy Feet.  I am so proud, happy and privileged to be part of this company.  I love their socks (and other products), and I love helping to help them get their product out there. I have been able to get some of my friends to order their socks as well, and they love them too.   The company is  based out of Florida, and I hope someday to meet them and the other Ambassadors that live there.  I am a better person for being an Ambassador for MySoxyFeet.

Be an Ambassador for companies you love.  I love MySoxyFeet .

Add Wearing MySoxy Ambassador gear on top of the Monster Hill

Riley sleeping on MySoxy socks

Me after an 11 mile run with MySoxy compression socks

From Good to Bad

Last Thursday was my last run for a while (of course at the time I didn't know that), and it was a good one!  We were supposed to run 5 miles for Horsetooth Half training; but I felt so good that I ran 6 miles.  I actually felt really good, and wanted to run more, but decided not too push that good feeling into a bad feeling.  My hips/back was a little painful, but overall, I felt great.  I had a couple of PR's on some of the sections up and down the Monster Hill, and felt really great about it.  The run was beautiful, the weather was perfect, and most importantly, no wind.  I also got some encouragement from someone at the top, a women said "great work up that ass-busting hill".  Wow, that made me feel even better. I can say that this was one of the most enjoyable runs I've made up the Monster Hill.

I wore the High Five Skirt Sport for the first time, and had no issues with it.  #skirtsports  I had to buy a medium in this skirt, as the skirt part in the small was a little tight.  I did notice that there wasn't as much compression in the shorts underneath that I normally would like, but other than that, it was great.

Top of the Monster Hill with my new High Five Skirt Sport Skirt and ERS shirt

The sign by the CSU stadium, no more football will be played here

The next evening I had a Hot Flash Hockey game in Denver, at the APEX area.  Of course I was looking forward to it, and was excited to play with my team.  This team is kind of rough, and we were prepared for them to have a grudge against us, since we beat them with a very short bench last time we played them.  The game went into overtime, and we won in sudden death.  We were winning at the beginning of the second period we were winning 1/0.  At one point I went for the puck and had it on my stick and somehow two girls from the other team came from behind and I got pushed down.  My knees came together in a "butterfly" position, and I felt a pop on my right knee.  I went to the bench, and a couple of the girls asked me if I was OK.  I said "no".  I got ice from a guy that was with us on the bench, and sat there with ice on my knee.  The game got tied up that period. 

During the period break, Karen, who is a Veterinarian looked at my knee, and said it was probably a Medial Carpal Ligament injury.  She told me to keep ice and compression on it.  I went into the locker room, and wrapped it with some Vetwrap for compression.  It did swell up, but not as bad as I thought it would.  It definitely hurt. 

I was able not to cry all the way home, but when I got home I started crying.  I cried off and on for  two days.  I couldn't believe that I am hurt and unable to run and play hockey. I have had so many injuries in the past 4 months, I couldn't believe I have another one.  This one I know would keep me from running.  I am mad at myself for playing hockey at all, because now I can't run.  But I love hockey as well.  I am devastated.   It hurts, I can't walk well, my knee is stiff.  I CAN'T RUN.  I CAN'T RUN. Running is my therapy, I don't know how I will get through this.   Somehow I have to be strong and make the healing start and get better so I can run.

I called an orthopedic physician, and have an appointment on Thursday morning.  Today I went to my gym class, knowing that I might not be able to workout much.  I couldn't do the running warm up but I did some of the mat warm up, and Joey changed my workout so that I could work out.  I did planks, and bridging, and the first half of a Turkish Get-up.  The second part of the workout, he also modified me so that I didn't do the squats.  I can't tell you how much I appreciate Joey.  I thought I was going to cry, but he was glad that I made the choice to come to the gym and do what I could.  It made the difference. I thought my knee might be more painful for workout, or swell up, so I went home and put ice on it.  It has not swell up, nor does it hurt more.  In fact, it hurts less.  I feel somewhat hopeful now.  Maybe it will just be a strain, which should take 1 -2 weeks for healing.  A tear will take four weeks, and a rupture will take six weeks - at least that what my research came up with.

I am going to try my best to stay positive, I can beat this (well, I hope). It there is no swelling tomorrow morning and it feels better, I will start doing some rehab exercises.  These exercises mostly keep the joint mobile and develop or keep strength in the quad.  It says you can do with some pain, but don't force.  So, here I am trying to fight another injury.  I know I am supposed to run, but maybe this might be the rest that I need.  Maybe the extra time I need to get other projects done.  I don't know.  What I do know, is that I have the Horsetooth Half to get ready for, and I hope I can get there.  I hope I don't fall into a pit of despair. I hope I quit crying.  That's all.

Monster Hill, I will be back . . . . . . .

Hot Flash Hockey Team