My Katie Couric Interview

It has been a week now since I was on the Katie Couric show. I can't believe I even get to type that! I was on the Katie show!! A producer contacted me a couple days after the Tutugate story broke and asked if I could come out to New York the following week to appear on the show. Initially I didn't think I could do it since I had an important meeting set up for that Tuesday with a customer, but the meeting didn't end up working out and fortunately I have a very gracious boss and he let me take Monday and Tuesday off with short notice to fly out to New York! Best part of the trip was that the show flew David out with me too!

 

Soon after I confirmed for the show I saw this video that Katie posted on twitter. I have to say this is the coolest video I have ever seen!!! Check it out for the fun surprise cameo! View the video here.

 

 

Katie Tweet That Made My Day

 

 

I was already thinking about making Katie a tutu and after watching this video I decided to make her one as well as Lynda Carter. I had asked the producer what Katie's favorite color was and she told me to make the tutu any color, something bright, and whatever color I chose Katie would like. Well, I couldn't just make her any color tutu! I started googling pictures of her to see if I could see a color trend in her clothes. Not that something like that would necessarily reveal her favorite color. My favorite colors are purple and green but I never wear those colors. After seeing a lot of red, blue, and black dresses I was still stumped. None of those colors seemed right. I then decided to look up Katie on Wikipedia and that's where I found my inspiration. I read about how Katie lost her husband years ago to colon cancer, that she lost her sister a few years ago to pancreatic cancer, and that she lost her father most recently to Parkinson's disease. I looked up the awareness ribbons for each of these diseases and came up with the perfect tutu. Blue for colon cancer, purple for pancreatic cancer, and grey for Parkinson's ... and brain cancer (for me!). Lynda's tutu was a bit easier, I made her an all blue tutu like my Wonder Woman tutu, minus the sloppily glued on foam stars.

 

 

The "Katie" Tutu

 

 

David and I flew out Monday afternoon and got into New York pretty late. We went straight to bed and the next morning I was up early to go for my first run in Central Park.

 

 

Airplane Selfies - David's Digging It

 

 

I've been to New York about a dozen times but have somehow never ventured outside for a run. I met up with my friend Peter (fellow former San Francisco Marathon Ambassador) that next morning and we did a nice 4 1/2 mile loop inside the park.

 

 

My First Central Park Run - LOVED It

 

 

The Katie Show sent a car to get us at 12:15pm for the 2:30pm taping (we had car service everywhere!) and a few minutes later we were at the ABC studios. We hung out in the green room for a bit with a handful of other people before I was brought up to hair and makeup.

 

 

Hanging Out In The Green Room

 

 

Cheese Platter In The Green Room - Ewe!

 

 

After hair and makeup we went back to the green room and I went over the segment with the producer. I was really worried about being asked questions I wasn't prepared to answer and sounding like an idiot on national TV. Fortunately the producer role-played 10 questions with me, gave me feedback on some of my answers (elaborate more about that point, include details about this point, feel free to show more emotion when you talk) and told me that Katie would probably ask me 8 of the 10 questions we went over. Whew! No surprises!

 

 

Almost Time For My Interview

 

 

Before I knew it my time to go on had come. We were watching the show from the green room and when my segment got closer they brought me upstairs to go backstage. David had the option to sit in the audience or stay backstage, so I asked him to stay backstage so I could see him immediately before and after I went on. After a few mic checks and several minutes of sweaty palms and my heart beating out of my chest, I received the queue to walk on stage. Don't trip! Don't trip! Don't trip! And .. OMG it's Katie Couric! We're shaking hands! We're hugging!! I just hugged Katie Couric!

 

 

Just Me & My Buddy Katie Chatting

 

 

The whole interview was surreal. Although I was extremely nervous the whole time I was on camera I felt that my interview went well, and that I was able to adequately answer all of the questions. The tutu that I had made Katie was placed behind my chair and we were supposed to pull it out at the end. As soon as we cut to the commercial break after the interview ended Katie said "Oh no! I forgot the tutu!"

 

 

Tutu Photos With Katie

 

 

During the break someone brought out the tutu I had made Lynda Carter which I put on and Katie put on the one that I had made her. I later saw that she (or most likely her social media manager) tweeted out the picture and she also replied to my tweet about meeting her that day.

 

 

Rockin' The Tutus With Katie

 

 

Overall the whole experience was amazing. Never in a million years would I have thought that I'd meet Katie Couric. Never in a million years would I have thought that the innocent request for a photo of Tara and I would result in tutugate. It's been two weeks now since the media storm started and the whole experience has been one crazy ride. We've helped raise almost $7000 for Girls on the Run and the fundraising and sponsorships haven't yet ended. I'm pretty sure everyone now agrees ... #tutusrock.

You can view our whole interview here.
 

 

 

 

 

#tutugate to #tutusrock

Assuming you have the Internet and haven't been out of the country for the past week, I'm pretty sure you've heard about Tutugate ... aka when Self Magazine called a cancer survivor marathon runner lame. Well that lame runner is me!

 

 

Back in February Tara and I got a request through our Glam Runner website from a Self photo editor for a high res photo for a "write-up on running tutus". We were immediately excited and happily sent along a photo of us at the LA Marathon back in March 2013. This was a special race for us and a monumental day, and we were thrilled over the prospect of being featured in the magazine. (More on my blog LA Marathon: Powered by Chemo.)

 

 

LA Marathon - March 2013

 

 

Fast forward a couple months and I had totally forgotten we had even sent in the photo ... until a friend of mine texted me the picture. (Just the picture alone, not the caption around it.) I immediately got excited and ran out to get copies for friends and family. I scoured a couple drug stores and was unable to find it, but David was able to pull up the digital issue on Next Issue. Insert jaws dropping onto the floor. They used us in the "BS Meter" column where they rank things from Legit to Lame. We were sadly on the lame side. I couldn't believe it and went back to make sure I didn't misinterpret the email. I hadn't. The request didn't say how the photos would be used. Should we have asked? I then texted the picture to Tara and posted it on my personal Facebook page. After being validated by the outrage of my friends, I then posted it on our Glam Runner Facebook page. The story blew up from there.

 

 

Self Magazine BS Meter

 

 

I was contacted the next day by a reporter from NBC 7 in San Diego who wanted to do a story on this incident. I asked David "Is this really news? Should I say yes?" I decided to say yes but didn't think the story would go far. I was wrong. The story first aired last Wednesday night at 4pm. By 7am the next morning it had almost a million views on the website! Are you kidding me?

 

NBC 7 Interview - The Beginning of the Storm

(View the interview here)

 

That next day CBS contacted me and wanted to do a feature for the CBS Morning News. Really? I couldn't believe how many people were interested in the story!

CBS Morning News Feature

(View the interview here)

 

 

I saw on twitter that the story was spreading like wildfire among runners, and then among other people as well. People were outraged that we were being made fun of, and started posting disparaging tweets directed at Self Magazine and the Editor in Chief, many proclaiming that they were cancelling their subscription and never buying Self again.
 

Front Page of Yahoo!

 

Over the next few days the storm continued. The story was getting picked up everywhere and friends started sending me links from various websites running the story. I was shocked when I saw the story make it to USA Today (article), Huffington Post (article), HLNtv (article), Yahoo (article), Perez Hilton (article), and many others. It was even the top trending story on Facebook. Was this real life?

Trending on Facebook

 

 

The Editor-in-Chief of Self quickly tweeted an apology to us, posted one on facebook, but the Self bashing continued. I was really surprised by how much outrage there was over the story, and I hate to think that it was ONLY because I have cancer. I guess even worse than just having cancer, I have cancer and we also make tutus to donate a portion to charity. How dare they make fun of a cancer patient? Well hey, what about the non cancer patient? My friend Tara was right by my side in the picture and is my 50/50 partner in Glam Runner and I'd say only 20%  of the posts I saw got past the part where I have cancer and started questioning why a magazine was running a snarky piece like that at all, especially in a magazine that was supposed to empower women. Shouldn't we as women be here to lift each other up? Shouldn't we support each other to be individuals and to be confident in who we are?

Love This Meme

 

 

Throughout the whole media storm I was actually never 'mad' at Self. If anything I was hurt. I felt betrayed and misled, and was kind of embarrassed to be called lame. The Self Editor-in-Chief reached out to me and wanted to apologize amidst all of the frenzy, and on Friday I finally had time to give her a call and ended up talking to her for almost an hour. She apologized a million times, told me that the piece doesn't embody what Self is all about, told me that they're getting rid of the whole BS meter feature, and defended the magazine as being a huge supporter of cancer survivors and Girls on the Run, two types of charities that our tutus have raised money for. I accepted the apology and did a phone interview which was posted on their blog later that day, but the social media hate monsoon continued.

Self Blog Interview

(Full article here)

 

 

On Friday I was also contacted by the Today Show and the Katie Couric show. OMG!! I confirmed with the Katie show first and promised them that I wouldn't do any other national interview before their show aired. That means I turned down the Today Show, and later turned down Inside Edition. Was this really happening? I couldn't believe it.

Interview with CBS at the #tutusrock Beach Run

 

 

Before this whole Tutugate debacle started we had a little over 1000 Glam Runner facebook fans. That's from three years of being in business! Over the course of four days we skyrocketed up to 36,000 fans. Really. With that came a flood of orders. We had to take down the ordering page and instead put up a donation page for Girls on the Run San Diego. Within a few days we had raised $4500 for them. It has been amazing! Tara and I make tutus at home after work or on the weekends. Since we try to have lives outside of work and making tutus, we usually only make a few a week, and that is about the demand that we have. We suddenly had a month's worth of orders in a few hours. Insane!

Tutu'd Runners at the #tutusrock Beach Run

 

 

This whole mess has really resulted in a number of positive things though and while I kind of wish it hadn't happened in the first place, I think nothing but good has come from it. It started a conversation across the country about bullying and judging others for what they are wearing. It has raised a lot of awareness about Girls on the Run, the organization that we are Board Members for, former coaches for, and that we help raise money for. And it has shown us how much our friends and family love us, but also how much love and support strangers can provide as well.

Glam Sisters for Life

 

 

It has been exactly three years since Tara and I started Glam Runner, and I'm so glad we did. We've had a lot of fun, we've made a lot of people smile, and we've been able to do a lot of good with something as simple as a few yards of tulle and an elastic waistband.

(Click here to donate to Girls on the Run San Diego.)
 

 

That's a Whole Lotta Tutus

I've run three marathons so far this year and have run the last two as a Solemates fundraiser for Girls on the Run San Diego. As you know, my non-working hours revolve around running and Girls on the Run (GOTR). I've been involved with GOTR for 2 1/2 years first as a coach, and then as a Board member and Marketing Chair. I'm currently coaching my fifth season of GOTR and I love it! 

OC Marathon - May 2011

San Francisco Marathon - July 2011

Marine Corps Marathon - October 2011

The program is meant for the girls, but it has really changed my life as well. Over the 12 weeks we go through a curriculum that teaches the girls about themselves, their friends and other people, and finally their community. I've seen dozens of girls become more self-confident, outgoing, aware of themselves, and athletic. 

Girls on the Run Sparkle & Shine 5K

My friend Tara and I have been fundraising all year to help support and grow the organization in San Diego. The program costs $200 per season per girl, and about 40% of the girls in our program are on scholarships. With our combined fundraising we've raised $3000 over the past six months! That's a whole lotta tutus! $3000 is enough to fund an entire team of 15 girls! 

Glam Runners Tara & Monika

Showing off a Big Tutu Order

Since we have both fundraised multiple times over the years we've exhausted the financial love of our families and wanted to make something to give back to our supporters to make their donations more worth it. We came up with the idea of selling tutus back in April as a fundraiser, and our "business" Glam Runner has caught on fire! We've made tutus for runners, for couples, for men, for kids, for teams, and for people who just want to have a little fun out there on their run. 

Glam Runner Family

Glam Runner Couple

Glam Dog Cooper

See more Glam Runners Spotted in Races here: Glam Runners in Races.

I am so thankful to the support of our friends and family with our little adventure. My friend Christina specifically is our best customer and has a shameful amount of tutus. Thanks Christina!! 

Glam Runner at the Burning Man Black Rock City 5K

Christina's Tutu Collection

Even though we've met our original fundraising goals, we are still in business! We are currently making tutus in preparation for the GOTRSD Sparkle & Shine 5K on December 11th, and are taking ongoing orders to continue to support GOTR. If you are interested in adding a little more fun to your runs, check out our website! www.glam-runner.com   /End shameless plug for our tutus. :)

The Technicolor Tutu - One of Our Faves

My First Guest Blog Post

Recently I was asked by Vanessa Runs to write a guest blog post about Girls on the Run, Solemates (the GOTR charity program), and Glam Runner tutus. Through a friend of a friend Vanessa found out about the tutus we were making to fundraise for Solemates, and ran her first ultramarathon in one with a few other friends!

Vannessa Runs in Green

 

Vanessa & Friends Running the Mind the Ducks 12 Hour Run

After running the race she was interested in finding out more about Girls on the Run and our fundraising efforts, and asked me to write a guest post on her blog.

Check out the post "Running with a Purpose: Girls on the Run"

GOTR Sparkle & Shine 5K

This past weekend marked the end of the Spring 2011 season of Girls on the Run in San Diego. This was my fourth time serving as a Head Coach at Carmel Valley, with my first three seasons coaching for Girls on the Run (elementary school age) and this past season coaching for Girls on Track (middle school age).  The 12-week GOTR program leads the girls through a series of lessons where they learned “All About Me”, “All About My Team”, and “All About My Community”. Throughout the season they played different active games and went  through a variety of exercises, all while running more and more each week until they reached the day when we had a Practice 5K. At this season’s Practice 5K I was amazed to see that every single one of the girls ran *at least* 3 miles! Some ran a little bit more. I know these girls would be in great shape for our season end 5K and was really looking forward to this day.

Carmel Valley Girls on Track ROCKS

Season End Celebration

During our last session together before the 5K, we always have a season end party that includes craft time, awards, and treats! Throughout the season each girl gets one bead for every lap (1/4 mile) that she runs. At the end of the season she gets the beads back to make a necklace, keychain, bracelet, etc.  In total the nine girls in my group ran 1000 laps equaling 250 miles! (Weird how it came out to exactly 1000.)

Craft Time at the Season End Party

The girls also receive “Molly Awards” named after Molly Barker, the founder of Girls on the Run. This season’s Molly Awards were: Funny Firecracker, Athletic Superstar, Super Sweetheart, Smiles for Miles, Mega Miler, Future Marathoner, Ready to Run, Shining Spirit, and Ray of Sunshine.

Girls on Track Molly Awards

Running For a Reason

Side Story – A few months ago I decided to sign up to be a GOTR Solemate while I trained for the San Francisco Marathon. Solemates is the charity leg of Girls on the Run, and fundraising from Solemates goes directly back into the program helping it grow and reach more girls. I had raised money for Solemates last year while training for the Rock N Roll Marathon, and prior to that David and I had raised money for Back On My Feet while training for the Marine Corps Marathon. A couple years prior to this I also raised money for the American Cancer Society while training for the Chicago Marathon. Do you see where this is going? I’ve asked my friends and family for donations several times by now, and felt bad going back and asking for money again. 

GOTR Solemates Goodies

Glam Runner

I noticed that some other friends who had raised money repeatedly for Team in Training did so by selling things and holding fundraisers. I was talking to my friend/fellow coach & Solemate Tara about this and we agreed we needed to sell something. But what? After kicking around  few ideas, Glam Runner was born! We’d sell tutus!  A week or so after deciding this our first order came in, 12 pink tutus for the GOTR Ragnar Relay team. We were in business! (More on the GOTR Ragnar Team on my blog: Girls on the Ragnar Run.)

Glam Runners Tara & Monika

Glam-Bonanza

Back to the race – Tara and I decided that we’d sell tutus  at the race. We sent out an order form to fellow coaches and the parents of our girls to get preorders, and also worked on an inventory of tutus to sell at our table. Since we were both pretty busy race morning tending to our coaching duties, the wonderful men in our life agreed to man the tutu tables. It takes a real man to sell tutus! (Or to wear one for that matter! We had three Glam Men at this race!) We weren’t really sure if we’d sell all of the tutus we had brought, and were amazed that not only did we sell out, but people were buying sizes that didn’t even fit them just to have a tutu!

Ben & David Prepare the Glam Runner Table

Line Forming at the Glam Runner Table

Running Buddies

There were nine girls in my group this season and we were just 1 of 15 teams across San Diego County, with a total of 180 girls completing this program. At the 5K each girl is paired up with a Running Buddy who can either be a parent, a coach, or a volunteer from the community. (For more information on becoming a Running Buddy click here.)

Niki & Her Running Buddy Mary

Girls on Track & Moms

Ready, Set, Run!

The morning seemed to whiz by and soon it was time for the race. The girls had  stretched, warmed up, and were ready to go!  The race was at Embarcadero South (located behind the San Diego Convention Center) and was an out and back course. 

Running Lead in a Glam Runner Tutu

 

GOTR Coaches Show Their Spirit

I maintained my usual position of course cheerleader and was armed with signs, cowbells, and my seasoned cheerleading scream.  :o) David was lucky enough to get to hold one of my two signs and cowbells himself, and did a great job cheering the girls on too! (While trying not to go deaf from listening to me scream for 45 minutes.)

Former Coach Heather Served as MC

As the girls ran by we waved our signs, rang our cowbells, and I screamed my head off. Some of the girls smiled at me, a few waved, others who knew me looked embarrassed when I yelled their name, and a few girls just went by in a daze.  It was fun to see all of our tutus going by on girls, moms, coaches, and a couple men! We definitely helped put the sparkle and shine in the day!

Little Glam Runner Girls

Glam Runner Adults

After the race we hung out for a bit and said our goodbyes to the girls. So sad, but one of the girls from my group is moving to Utah this summer after being a part of GOTR for five seasons. Her mom (a PE teacher) was instrumental in helping me start the Girls on Track group in Carmel Valley this season and helped fill 6 of the 9 spots on the team! Its hard to imagine GOTR without her, and I hope she settles in well with her family in her new town. 

We'll Miss You Stella!!

They’ve told me that Mt Pleasant, Utah doesn’t have GOTR  … um .. yet!!  GOTR  was started in San Diego a few years ago with one site and 6 girls. When I started coaching 2 years ago there were 6 sites and 80 girls, and now we have 15 sites and 180 girls! Maybe someday we’ll catch up to some of the mega-chapters like San Francisco (1700 girls) or Chicago (3500 girls)

Cousins Giselle & Sophia Came Out to Run

Summer Break

Now that the season of GOTR is over whatever will I do with my time?? Oh yes, work, focus on running, enjoy the summer with David, and build up the next inventory of Glam Runner tutus.  Interested in running your next race in a Glam Runner tutu? Fan us on facebook and check out our website for available styles and colors. 

Thanks to our Glam Runner Men!