Race Recap: Conquer the Overlook 2015

I’ve got a lot of catching up to do! My short, depression-based reprieve from blogging is over, and I’ve been busy busy busy. First up, I want to tackle the race I did before the depression struck… a race that completely wiped me out. It was called Conquer the Overlook, and it took place at a familiar venue: the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook in Culver City, where there’s a 282-step stairway carved up the side of a huge hill:

I’ve been here a couple times before for a workout, and you can see lots of great pics in my post about going at dawn. It’s a challenging stair climb, and here’s why:

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Inside A Mental Health Mini-Breakdown

Here’s a behind-the-scenes tip from a veteran: When a blogger disappears for a while, unannounced, something is going down. And it’s likely not good.

I haven’t posted in about a week, and I can tell you right now that, in this instance, I definitely wasn’t in a good place. I was feeling depressed and worn out. I was having a What’s the point? moment. Dealing with depression isn’t easy. It never will be.

This Week’s Stair Training Was Better Than Last Week’s…

…although pretty much anything would’ve been better than last week’s.

Let’s start with the pictures! We had access to the passenger elevators this week (instead of the freight elevator), and I took a picture every time I rode back down to the lobby. The number of pictures equals the number of climbs, so let’s count them!

ONE. (Standing upright.)

My Lego-tastic, Simpsons-tacular Reward Weekend

SNACK TIME! Everybody gets a grape!

I went a little bonkers over the weekend with my Lego Simpsons minifigures. But with good reason.. I EARNED IT! In July, I started the Bowflex Summer Strong Challenge, a 30-day program designed to increase your strength training. I gave myself an incentive to complete the program: only after

Watch My 5-Minute Presentation on Stair Racing!

In June, I went to the Fitbloggin’ conference in Denver. I had a blast hanging out with a couple hundred other health and fitness bloggers, seeing old friends, and making new ones, too. (Here’s my recap post.)

I WAS A SPEAKER, TOO! I gave a well-received presentation during the keynote event, called Ignite Fitness.

I haven’t talked much about this yet, because I was waiting for the video to go online. THE VIDEO IS NOW ONLINE, and you can watch it RIGHT HERE!

Knock Knock. Who’s There? IT’S GEORGE FOREMAN’S BEEF!

Do you get giddy when packages show up at your door? I do. I get really excited when big packages show up!

This big package is from George Foreman’s Butcher Shop! I didn’t know George Foreman had a butcher shop, but seeing as how he’s

Stair Training Has Resumed…and I Really Need Your Advice

I had a very nice two-month hiatus from stairs, but now that’s over. I’m back in the stairwell! Training began last week. I’m not quite ready to share my entire fall racing schedule, but the first one will probably be the Stair Climb for Los Angeles, in the 75-story US Bank Tower in downtown Los Angeles (more on that in a future post, but here’s my recap from last year’s race). One of the cool things about this race is that they arrange training sessions in a neighboring skyscraper, which is awesome, because the best place to train for a stair race is on stairs!

This is the Wells Fargo Center. It’s 55 stories tall. 

My Chilled Kale and Corn Chowder is Gluten-Free, Vegan, and DELICIOUS.

How did you spend your Saturday afternoon? I spent mine soaking my nuts.

Get your minds out of the gutter! I’m talking about cashews.

I had no idea that soaking nuts was a thing. It’s popular among folks that

30 Days of Strength Exercises…COMPLETED!

Today I did five minutes of skaters, an exercise that sorta replicates a speed skater’s stride without the nuisance of ice skates or ice.

It was Day 30 of the Bowflex Summer Strong Challenge, which meant that once I finished the skaters… I had finished the challenge! WOOHOO!

Pea Salad with Avocado Dressing

I’m liking peas right now. I’ve never disliked peas, but I’ve never eaten them much. Prior to last month, I had only bought peas twice in a decade, and it was bags of frozen peas to ice injuries.

But now I’m eating peas a whole lot more, and coming up with fun ways of eating them, like this salad:

My Pea Salad with Avocado Dressing is easy to make, too. I started with