Very overdue
The Experience!
Thursday (10/13)-- The town car picked me up at 6:30am on Thursday (10/13) and I was whisked away by a man named Carlos who smelled like my godfather :). We entered the glorious city of San Francisco... and that's when it all began.
We (Alyssa, Roxy, and I) were taken to La Casa Verde, given a quick introduction to everyone (all Entourage and people involved to be discussed later), tour of the house, then straight to hair an make-up! Our Nike clothes were stylized by the one and only Samantha Jo Alonso! Thursday was dedicated to driving around SF taking gorgeous pictures, bonding with the other girls, and just kind of settling in. We all had two outfits for our photoshoot and then the girls who shot their pictures earlier in the day had the option to stay home and hang out or go with the girls, we all decided to stay together-- I think that really helped with our bonding! :) We went home and had a great dinner made by our chef, Angela Windholz. The house got quiet around 9pm, but Melissa, Alyssa, and I spent at least an hour updating our Facebooks, Twitter, etc etc. and went to sleep at like midnight. lol Friday-- On Friday we all woke up 7:30am and went for a 2 mile run at 8am with Nike personal trainer, Marie Purvis! Long story short, we lost Melissa! I was clearly freaking out because she was one of my roomies, my girl, my homie! We lost her on a pretty intense hill and I was willing to climb up the thing again to find her!
After our run, we stretched with Marie, and hooray! we found Melissa! After all that madness, we had a little down time and then we got ready again but this time it was for Lady Footlocker! We went riding on the BART to Union Square and Roxy was ready to throw down! There was a man who in short was being a pure jerk, and she was not taking it! She let him know that she thought he was a huge jerk and I was so thrown off by everything I didn't know what to say. Anyways, we went straight to Lady Footlocker to get our personalized Nike AW 77 hoodies! We all got to choose a saying that finished this, "I Run to Be..." and something in the front. I chose on the back to say, "I Run to Be Fearless" and on the front I got my name and "Runway Crew" underneath it. :)
After we told the generous gentlemen what we wanted, we headed straight to Straits for lunch. It was so nice to eat nummy food with the ladies. I've never been to Straits before, so it was quiet delicious!
I got to know the girls more which is always fun! After lunch, we headed to the house and got ready for the Cole Haan party! At first, we were supposed to dress nice for the party and then get into our first outfit from our photoshoot the day prior. Then halfway into our make-up, they made a change and now we were going to this fancy party... in our bright sporty gear! lol The folks at Paul Mitchell were able to hook me up with this: 
After our hair and make up, we all headed to the Cole Haan party!When we were there, we ate mingled, and Stephanie even bought some boots! We had a hoot of a time, but let's face it.. .we were all excited and nervous about our Runway! At the part we met two amazing and gorgeous athletes, Kara Goucher and Shalane Flannigan!
When 6:50pm hit, we all walked across the street to our runway! We saw the other 50 girls who would be joining us walking the runway, and man did they look fierce, fearless, and fly! We ran into Sam and she fixed our outfits, and some of us needed changes to our outfit because of various reasons, so she got that all squared away for us! Thx Sam
!! When we got to the runway and we saw people practicing... and then we practiced! Those 7 girls worked it like model staus... and my dummy... east side came out of me and of course I threw my hands in the air! ...Literally! It was hilarious and people loved it... so I kept it for the real thing :) We were all so pumped and ready for 8:05pm to hit! We met Catt Sadler from E! News! She was super nice and she looked nervous too. All 8 of us were dancing and grooving and fist pumping to the music. I really had a great time backstage; I'm sure everyone else thought we were crazy idiots haha. When the time came to run the runway, we all walked fiercely and proudly representing the 2011 Original Runway Crew! I was lucky enough to have Kelvin and, one of my best friends, Matthew come see me work it! Here's the video of our madness on the runway:After the runway, we were all still so pumped we all were thinking about having a dance party back at our house, but once we got home... Oh glory glory there was food and I think everyone kind of forgot about or was hit by the tired train because we all dressed in our pajamas and some went straight to bed, while others kind of lingered in the kitchen eating everything in our path. But before we all headed to bed and stuff, we met with Scott, a pacer from Nike. He is really a funny and intelligent guy! He was telling us about shoes and answering questions about shoes we had. He even tried to convince Stephanie to ditch her K-Swiss and run Nikes. On top of that, he knew exactly what model of Brooks I ran in! Weird... that guy knows his stuff! I wish I got a picture with Scott, he was too cool! If Scott is reading this, please add me on Facebook! haha! After sir Scott left us, we all were wandering around and like I said earlier, some of us went to bed, and some of us ate everything.I'm pretty sure Rebecca was even taking a quiz for her nursing class, online! haha! Melissa caught a bit of a sore throat, so she hit the sac early, and me and Alyssa stayed up a little while; I dozed off soon after.
Saturday-- This day was really relaxing, we woke up and went to Nike Town for breakfast. During breakfast, we heard Joan Benoit Samuelson speak... if you don't know who she is... LOOK HER UP! She is definition of amazingness. Moving right along, After Nike, we finally got a chance to go to the Expo and pick up our race-packets and enjoy the expo!
We had lots of free time, and I hung out with Roxy and Rebecca, and then Kelvin and Justin came to hang out with me. We checked into the boys' hotel room, early! We wandered around the Expotique and we all did the fun stuff like make smoothies and listen to music in massage chairs! 
. When 4:30pm hit, we were to report back to Cornelia near the truck and that's when we all took the BART back to the house. We were kind of in a rush because we were LATE to a meeting with big Nike representatives that were going to ask our opinion about certain shoe ideas in certain scenarios. That was a quick session since the gals had to leave around 5:30 and we got home at like 5... heh heh.. More time to relax... and then dinner with Shalane Flanigan and Shannon Rowbury! Those ladies were so easy to talk to and it was so nice to ask them about their fears, flubs, accomplishments, best pre and post meal... and then a little bit of entertainment celebrity gossip too.. 
:P. After dinner we met with Annie the pacer from Nike, and she talked about the course with us and kind of prepped of for what to expect and how to fuel and ask us some questions. It was really amazing to get some insight on the course and how we could ask her questions about when's the worst and best part ahaha. I wish I would've gotten a picture with Annie, she was really a cool gal and if you're reading this Annie... add me on Facebook! haha. We all went to bed around 9:30pm, but like the days prior, me and the girls stood up a little late and Melissa even put her bed on the floor! One little thing I failed to mention earlier was that A) Melissa's bed broke on the first day... twice B) the people who fixed the bed actually stuffed pillows underneath it to make it level C) it wasn't level.. lol and she was sleeping crooked the whole time!. Ok, back to my story. I went to bed at 10pm and our time to wake up was 4:30AM. Sunday (RACE DAY) -- Woke up at 4:30AM and was freakin' PUMPED... sleepy at first, but after realization that I was going to be running 26.2 miles today... excitement, nerves, anxiety, shaking, all kicked in at the same time! AH, crazy! So crazy, I failed to take morning pictures of all the girls which I really wanted to do, sorry girls! If you guys have any pictures, please send them my way, I'd love to put it in this section! Well, we all got ready and on our bathroom mirrors were pieces of paper titled, "FREE POSITIVE THOUGHTS"; it was from our stylist Sam! I took one and carried it in my pocket during the marathon. We left the house at 6:00am and I was a little scared we weren't going to make it on time! We got to the place around 6:30am, and man talk about VIP, our van had a little sign on it that said, "MEDIA B" and Ja got out of the car and moved the fence.. and we were in! Some of the girls needed to use the restroom and instead of waiting in the never-ending line of ladies, we got taken underground to a staff bathroom! Again, we ran into Kara and Shalene... starstruck as always, I was like "go in front of everyone!" lol. After we all went, we went straight to the starting line, ...FRONT OF THE STARTING LINE! We were just in time for the national anthem.. and as always I started getting teary eyed and the singer was great! The Nike folks held a contest, and she won! Good for her. :) No camera here. But here's a still shot of some of the girls listening to the national anthem. Then in 3, 2, 1.... WE WERE OFF!!
MARATHON RECAP: To be done in tomorrow's (or possibly next week's) blog entry. But here are few pictures to prove I finished lol! :)
After our run, we had until 1:30-2:00pm to hang out with family, relax a bit, and then get back to the house! I chose to relax with some of the girls and some of the girls went to hang with their family. When we got back, we took a shower, hung out, ate... oh god.. there was Ghiradelli chocolate conveniently placed all over the house that I resisted since Thursday... I ate like 5 when I got back to the house :D. On the last day, Nike allowed us to bring 2-3 guests into the house and join us for dinner. Adrian, Kelvin and Justin came to the house and I gave them a grand tour of the place.
They were amazed, just like I was; hahah! We all had dinner, talked, and laughed... and then it was time. The photographers weren't able to make it since they had to do lots of editing, and had to meet deadlines. We all asked if they could hold off for an hour and just join us for dinner. No luck :(. However, they video-called us! 
We were all so excited and expressed how much we would miss them. Afterwards, Cornelia called us all in one last circle to talk about our experience in our house and what our favorite part was. Some said the runway, some said the photoshoot, I said that the mere fortune and luck I had to meet wonderful people was my favorite part. I started to cry while people were talking because it hit me like a ton of bricks that it was all over, and that I'd have to leave this wonderful house, leave this wonderful people, and leave this wonderful experience. Afterwards, we slowly packed our belongings and left with our families. The boys helped me pack my things into the car, and we were off. It was over.
I never thought that I would be so blessed to have experienced such a plethora of amazing things happening one after another, after another, after another! This experience has been unique, and I don't know if there will ever be an experience in my running world that will match up.. EVER! So in a really small nutshell, that was my nothing less than perfect experience in the Nike house, with the Nike family, and the Nike Womens Marathon! I know, terrible ending... but I'm terrible with endings... so it's pretty appropriate :P. Now that my experience is over, I will talk about the people I've met along the way. Like I said earlier, it's been a while so my memory isn't.. not probably.. it isn't remembering things it would have only if I blogged earlier. Please don't be offended if I fail to mention you!The Girls
I had added the 7 other girls on Facebook (FB) prior to our Runway experience but I was still very nervous. All of our conversations were very superficial and mainly about how nervous we were about getting to San Francisco. Frankly, I was afraid I wouldn't connect with any of the girls and just kind of stay in my room, studying the entire time. Basically, I was wrong; completely wrong! And here's why:
Roxanne Ramirez:
The first girl I met on this experience, and honestly I was nervous about this lady! We picked up Roxy, and wow we hit it off! I was a little scared since on her Facebook, the only thing I knew about her was that she was a hardcore protector of animals. However, we talked like we knew each other since grade school and it was so easy to get-along with her! We ended running a part of the marathon together, and wow, we are so much alike it's pretty funny! She, on the other hand, is WAY more blunt and outspoken about her feelings. I can't say that I'm the same way, but I have so much respect for people that can do that without being total jerks about it. By the way, he boyfriend is pretty awesome too. Cool cat, I'd hang out with him! She lives in The City, so out of the seven girls, I'd see her the most. I haven't been to SF since the marathon but I promised her that whenever I was up there doing a run, I would definitely call her so she can come out and run too!Alyssa Andrews:
This girl is too awesome! With her SoCal accent and charm, Alyssa is super out-going and friendly which made it easy to talk to her. I thought it would be hard since she's a law student. She was one of my roomies in our eco-monster mansion home, and she was a hoot every time. Even when she had her quiet moments, she made her presence known to the room-- which isn't a bad thing. I wouldn't call her a diva... but she is. LOL. I honestly think that she wasn't trying to be funny on purpose, but her outgoingness (<-- that a word?) just kind of made her that way :)Melissa Gonzales:
My roomie! Everything happened to this girl, lol! She got lost, she almost got us lost, she got sick, and her bed broke... twice! This girl is really easy-going and down to do anything. In our room, she was always the first one to knock out. Her sense of humor is great and she is one the girls, I can see myself being friends with for a lifetime. Even with a broken bed, she didn't complain about it, she just moved it herself! She opened my Cole Haan bag for me, what a sweetheart... actually she did it on accident but whatever! hahah. Although she lives in SoCal, I plan to do a couple of races down there so I can see her and the other girls! Her and Alyssa were the best roommates that I could ask for! Rebecca Blair:
At first, I was a bit intimidated because she didn't talk to me when I first entered the house and I think she was the only one who didn't accept my friend request on FB yet, so I knew nothing about her! Now I know that she's a hilarious character from Fresno, who speaks like she's from the hood haha! She has a super deep heart and is very compassionate because she's a nurse in a prison (probably where she picks up her gangsta talk lol jk!)! *Thinks about her hilarity and giggles. She knows how to brighten a room, but when she's waking up or concentrating on a test, she can really stay quiet and get things done.Lindsey Thompson:
I don't know if it's a New York thing or just a Lindsey thing, but she is a very quiet person. However, just because she's quiet doesn't mean she's shy! Lindsey is such a loving person with sarcastic and "did she just say that" quips! Fashionista by default and so calm that I just kind of want to hug her all the time haha. While I'm speaking 100 words a minute, Lindsey unconsciously kept me check by speaking slower and calmer, which in turn made me slower and calmer hahah. The first girl I got to know on FB, and the first real New Yorker I know!Heidi Lowry:
This girl is a G and I know it, she probably was the one that I talked to the least but that's because there just wasn't enough time! She was doing the race through Team In Training and that shows how much she cares, and we all know how much I love folks who are a part of Team In Training! Also from New York, she seemed more calm than some of the other girls. Actually, if anything, I was the most spazzed out one, but she laughed with/at me and that me feel ok. That girl sure knows how to work a runway! We were all trying to convince her runway night to drop it like it's hot at the end of the runway but no luck *snaps haha. Stephanie Baker:
is the girl we all want to be, well I know I want to! Stephanie has the awesome smirk and an even prettier smile! She is probably the sportiest one in the house and will talk about triathlons like it's her baby! What makes her even more awesome? She's a freakin' pastry chef. By nature, she has a really strong stature and laid back personality. She holds herself up with pride, as she should! Even though Steph is pretty chill, I did see her flip and have her fashion guru'ness come out when she was either rushing to fix her hair or deciding on what to wear. Throughout the weekend me and her really bonded, whether I was jumping in and out of her and Heidi's room or staring down the mean BART man with her and Roxy. 
Photographers 
First and informally, our photographers.. *going back in time* when we first got to the house they made us sure feel like Nike VIP! They were snapping shots and saying hello all at the same time! Our photographers/ videographers for the weekend were Dorothy Hong, Akshay Bhansali, Ja Tecson, and WeAreNotPilgrams all-stars Chad and Sam; I'm pretty sure there is more but my brain is having a lapse! Dorothy was like top dog, she was focused and knew exactly what she wanted but she totally started laughing and lightening up around us during the first few hours :). She is determined, talented, and fierce! Ja Tecson was like the family I have back home, he laughed when I did something stupid but had me do it again because it was a good picture.. lol! He reminded me most of a lot of my guy friends back in San Jose so he made me feel right at home. Ak was so funny and he'd be the guy that had the last word in a conversation and so funny about everything. At first I was kind of nervous because he was more quiet than the other photographers but maybe after 15 minutes he was like blahhh! everywhere... cracked me up the entire time! Chad and Sam made me laugh every time we had a conversation. Them separate, together, it didn't matter. One of my favorite parts of the trip was: Chad: "Car coming... ok good... wait no.. plane.. k we're good.. oh wai..." Sam: "This motherf*cker!" LOL. As you can see here, 1) It doesn't take much to make me laugh and 2) These photographers and videographers were so professional, hilarious, easy to talk to, personable, and all over good people.
Bloggers
Christy Mantilla:
Christy was one of the first gals I met and instantly recognized that was part of the Entourage! I recognized her first because her picture was my favorite on the Entourage page (not saying the other Entourage pictures weren't incredibly fierce). What can I say about Christ? Oh, I don't know, only that I wish she lived in California so I can hang out with her more!! Christy is one of those really down to Earth girls who can get along with anyone. As an SLP student, I totally recognized her mini accent and I love it! She's 1 part of WeCanPretend.blogspot.com and an unofficial photographers. I swear, almost the entire Entourage had their duty and then they were like photographers too! I really connected with Christy and I really wish I'm lucky enough to see her and Duda again!Duda Teixeira:
If there's one thing I wish, I wish Duda wasn't super sick during this experience! She was the very first person I met in the house and she looked fine. A few hours, I looked on the couch and she looked so sad and sick. She was a trooper though and really hung in there! I saw her throughout the weekend and she's so pleasant by nature, she just makes me smile! She is the other half of WeCanPretend.blogspot.com. Again, I wish they didn't have to live in Miami, FL! I'm feeling awfully tired and blogged out for the day but tomorrow I will talk about my marathon experience and the people I haven't mentioned yet. Ie, Angela, Marie, Sam, Cornelia, Heather, Kristen, etc, etc, etc! They deserve to have a good piece written about them, not a tired half-ass one! So I haven't forgotten you guys! I think this is good for now. Hope you enjoy :) Oh! Here's the Nike Runway Video too!
