It's been almost a year since I last posted anything on my blog. Completely unintentional but sometimes life gets in the way and it's better to just live in the moment and see what happens. I've missed this thing! And boy... has life changed since last May. Ha. If you'd told me then what I'd be doing currently, I'm not sure I would have believed you. It's this very reason that I want to start my small space on the internet back up and running again. I want to remember absolutely everything about this moment in my life.
So what's the big deal?
Well, I wouldn't say BIG--he was actuallly quite small. 6lbs, 10oz small in fact.
On March 6, 2017, Peter and I welcomed our first child and my future running partner, Cooper James.
He's happy, healthy, and a handful. All things little boys should be, right? Parenting is completely different than anything I've ever done in my life. Much harder than I could have imagined and requires a lot of patience, a lot of initial life changes, and lots of love. More love than I think I ever thought possible.
I'll do a recap at some point of my pregnancy and birth story, both of which were not nearly as bad as the horror stories I've heard. But I guess that's what happens when you don't know you're pregnant until 13 weeks in. Ha.
So, there you have it. It's crazy how much your life can change during the course of a year, huh? I now feel like it's the right time to reopen this space and begin documenting my life again. I've got big goals for myself--mom goals, fitness goals, running goals... and I need a place where I can come and hold myself accountable again. I want to be the best person and MOM (a month and a half in and still weird to say!) I can be.
It's been a hot minute since I've done a Friday Favorites post. Since I have a few minutes to spare this morning, let's dust off my favorite list and see what we've got. ;)
Ummm..... how is this even possible? Has it really been FIVE years since I graduated from college? Good grief. I guess this officially means I'm old? Or even worse.... an ADULT? I'm coming up on my five year work anniversary (at the same school I graduated from, ha), have a husband, bought a house, pay a mortgage................. yeah, never mind. I'm old.
2. Speaking of graduation, this popped up on my timehop today...
My best friends and I got together the night before graduation, reminisced about our time in college, and decorated our caps.. which at the time, was totally NOT something you were supposed to do. And then the next morning, we woke up and were totally classy and had kegs & eggs for breakfast. ;)
3. Moving right along, those same best friends are coming in for a spur of the moment visit. Funny how that works out. To think, five years ago we were getting ready to graduate college, had no idea what we were doing with our life (well, besides Chiz--I'm pretty sure she's had her ish together her entire life), and were nervous about the future and whether or not we'd remain close. I guess the answer is yes?! Maybe we'll start our morning tomorrow with a flashback in the form of kegs and eggs?
Or, since we're old, cream of wheat? and OJ? Is that more appropriate now?
4. In non-nostalgic stuff, I've had a Flapjacked Mighty Muffin sitting on my desk for the last 6 months or so and finally decided to try it this morning after I was too lazy to make my protein pancakes. Verdict? GOOD! I wish I hadn't microwaved it so long but for breakfast that's ready in 60 seconds, I could totally do this again.
5. And finally, my last favorite this week is my house. Adulting too hard right now. It's still VERY MUCH a work in progress but each day, we're getting closer and closer to making it our HOME. Renovating a house is probably the most frustrating/rewarding thing you can do. We've basically been living in a construction zone for the last 3-4 months but seeing progress is addicting! We MAY have it complete before summer's over.....Lol.
Here's a before and after picture of our master bathroom. I'm not sure if I mentioned it on here before but our ENTIRE house was carpet. Gross. And our master bathroom? It was basically the size of a SMALL closet. We've taken down walls, put new ones up, new floors, new paint......... it's been a process, no doubt. Maybe in the next month or so I'll give a tour of our full house. But for now, here's this to tide you over. And a picture of Mila. Just because. ;)
Happy Thursday! This is pretty much a regular occurrence around here lately but this week has been crazy. I thought life would slow down JUST a tad but of course, it's been full throttle since Monday. Go figure. :)
So, because I have about 10 minutes to spare, let's think out loud for a few minutes.
1. You know what's really hard? Being named head coach for a sport 2 weeks before everyone leaves for summer break. ha. This week, I've been scrambling to get in individual meetings, come up with a summer training plan, and just generally try and wrap my head around this entire thing. It's crazy but I'm so excited about this opportunity. It's funny how the universe works sometimes. I never dreamed I'd be a coach and especially not for running and especially not in college. :)
2. Speaking of running, I'm ending my (several) month long racing hiatus and tackling a 4-miler this weekend. It wasn't really on my radar but I got an opportunity to race for free that I couldn't really pass up so, here I am. I think part of the reason I haven't wanted to race is because I don't feel like I'm my "best" runner right now. I've been training hard but still trying to shake off some "winter weight" and I've definitely been faster. We'll see how Saturday goes though. My motivation is slowly coming back so this could be a good confidence booster.
3. This past weekend, I headed to Charlotte for another girls weekend. I always love seeing my best friends and feel so lucky that not only do I have three but that everyone is dedicated to making sure we get to see each other as much as possible. I have friends outside of these girls obviously but there's nothing, and I mean NOTHING, like being with your besties. This weekend, we went to a fun horse race near Charlotte and had a blast. Nothing like reliving college with some jello shots at 10am, right? ;)
4. Our Mila dog is getting BIG. I'm pretty sure the last picture I posted on here, she was tiny. Not anymore folks. Last time we weighed her (over a month ago) she was right at 50lbs and keeps growing! She's right at 6 months now so... I think we're going to have a big girl on our hands. I never thought I'd turn into one of those crazy dog moms but.. here I am. I show pictures off wherever I go and have to catch myself from talking about her constantly. ha. I love this "little" girl though and she's brought so much joy into mine and Peter's lives.
5. And to end with, I'm currently celebrating the fact that I'm 2 classes away from finishing my MASTERS!!! Yeah! This semester has been insanely difficult so I'm thankful that it's OVER! :) I had two MAJOR projects due in the last 3 weeks AND had to take and PASS (!!!) my NASM Personal training exam. :) Time to celebrate!
1. I had my highest mileage week since my marathon last week--50 miles! I haven't pulled one of those weeks in a while but it felt good! I've been listening to my body and running how I want, when I want, and how long I want and last week my legs decided to go for it. I don't know that this trend will continue but we'll see what happens. Either way, it felt good to know I could still pull it off. ;)
2. I still don't really have any races planned. Weird? I don't know. Racing doesn't really excite me at the moment. I've enjoyed running for me and me alone the last few months. I don't need a medal or trophy or validation to know that I love this sport. Last year I raced a lot. And put so much pressure on myself to perform that it wasn't fun anymore. More updates on this to come.
3. This semester has really taken a toll on me, mentally and physically. I've used running as my coping mechanism--thank goodness. So many long, long, LONG days. I've taught a few physical education courses, my normal group-ex classes, working on grad school, working on a HUGE project for work (new software!), renovating a house, becoming a puppy mom, and trying to be a good wife. Whew. I'm almost at my wits end but thanks to running, I've managed to survive somehow. This is my last week of pulling off 10-12 hour work days multiple days (like, 4) a week. I can do this!
4. Probably my biggest (and scariest!) running/life update of all--I'm now a NCAA D2 Cross Country coach. I was a little hesitant to put this out there but decided it's my blog, my life, so let's do it. This was definitely something that was never really on my life "radar" and took a LOT of thought. This is just a part time gig for the time being--I still have my full-time, 40+ hour a week day job.
I kind of knew this opportunity was a possibility a few months ago when my name had been tossed back and forth for the job but I didn't really take it too seriously until our assistant AD came and spoke with me directly. Up until that point, I had no desire to take the job--mostly because I was afraid of failing. But after speaking with the assistant AD and talking it over IMMENSELY with Peter, I decided that it was a great opportunity and I'm always preaching to others that if you want to get anywhere in life, you've got to get out of your comfort zone. So, here's me getting out of my comfort zone. Big time.
I'm really looking forward to this opportunity and excited to bring my passion and experience to a great group of runners. I'm hoping my background in fitness can bring a new dimension to training and amp up the excitement for this program. I probably won't talk much about it on here (heck, at this point, I barely talk on here anyway) but you never know.
......
So, there you have it. The cat's out of the bag. This is what I've been up to lately--lots of running, little racing, and a new part-time gig. As always, I won't make any guarantees about when I'll be back again but now that summer is approaching, I'm hoping to start posting a LITTLE more regularly. I miss this space!
Sorry for the crazy long hiatus. The first 3 months of 2016 have been absolutely insane. I wish there was a better way to put it but that's about all I've got. Between renovating our house (pictures soon!), working on finishing up grad school (home stretch!), and my non-stop schedule at work, time to blog has been few and far between as of late.
I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things soon! I've got lots of exciting updates that I want to share, including a fun (aka, TOUGH) fitness challenge I started today as a way to get back into the weight room on a more regular basis.
On the running front, I'm still running almost every day but still no races yet in 2016. I'm doing my first Spartan in 2 weeks so all of my efforts have been put into that as of late.
So, there you have it. My plan is to be back tomorrow for Tuesday's on the Run.
Have a wonderful Monday and go out and kick some ass.
Happy Tuesday and more importantly--Happy Tuesday's on the Run! It's been a hot minute since I've talked about running on my "running" blog so I figured there's no better day than today to jump back into it.
In case you didn't know, I ran my first marathon back in November (and it was awesome!). I had a pretty decent race and even hit my B goal of getting under 4 hours. Crossing the finish line was a moment I'll never forget and definitely ranks up there with getting married, engaged, and buying a house.
So, with it being such a momentous time in my life, why am I finding it so hard to commit to any races in 2016?
The thought of racing at the moment just.... doesn't sit well with me. I love racing and it ranks up there as one of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning. But right now? I can't even bring myself to LOOK at any upcoming races. I've lost some of that racing MOJO and I need to find it.
That being said..... I'm in no hurry.
There are a variety of reasons I contribute to my current mindset--
1. I raced a LOT last year. I ran an insane amount of 5k's, a few 10k's, and snuck in 3 half marathons along with my full. I put a lot on my plate and ate every single bit of it. I had a ton of fun and don't regret any of those races but man... looking back, I should have been smarter about planning.
2. I put a TON of pressure on myself to perform at the highest level possible. I won a lot of races last year--either overall female or my age category. When you start winning, people expect you to win every single time. And that turns into a LOT of pressure, a lot of nerves, and a lot of self doubt when you don't perform at your best. I remember one day in particular last year--I had 20 miles on my training plan and ran a half marathon that morning (1:42), 4 miles after, and then laced up for a 5k that night at 8pm. I won overall female but finished in a little over 22 minutes. And I was UPSET. HELLO! Do you understand how crazy that is to be upset?? Looking back on it, I do now! Ridiculous. The fact that I was still in good enough form to RUN a 22 minute 5k should have been good enough.
3. Post marathon blues. Running your first marathon is a funny thing. You work your ass off for 5-6 months for a race that lasts 4 hours. I put my blood, sweat, and LOTS of tears into that race. And let's be honest... waking up on a Saturday morning knowing you have to log 18 miles isn't exactly the most fun way to spend your weekend. (Those of you who do this often, I commend you!) The next day after I crossed the finish line, it kind hit me--running a marathon was that end-all item on my running bucket list and it was officially completed. The feeling of "What now?" hit almost immediately.
So, here I am at the end of February, with racing season getting ready to kick into high gear, and I'm sitting here twiddling my thumbs. I'm still running--in fact, I log miles almost every day. I could probably go out and wing a half marathon tomorrow and have no issues. But... I'm not. At least not yet.
I've learned a lot from running. I've learned to be patient, to follow through on something from start to finish, to believe in myself, and I've learned that my body is capable of some impressive shit. But I've also learned that I can't force myself to do something when my heart isn't fully there yet.
Am I worried that I'll never rekindle my relationship with racing? No. I'll get there. I'm a competitive person and you can't keep me down for too long. I'm signed up for a few OCR's and am very stoked about those. But when the time is right, I'll know. It could be next week, it could be next month, heck... it could be next year.. but I'll get there.
I'm back from my girls weekend--barely! I tried going back to work today (Wednesday) and had to come home a few hours early due to a nasty stomach bug. Yuck!
But on the bright side, it was an awesome long weekend, I celebrated like a 20 year old, and had the absolute BEST time with my girls!
That being said, I thought I'd pop in today with something a little more serious. Well, not SERIOUS but just some issues/problems/lack of motivation I've had recently.
I'm a fitness instructor/personal trainer for a living and sometimes, I think people think we have it all together. If only! I have issues just like the next person and to be completely honest, lately, I've felt a little all over the place.
Peter and I are right smack dab in the middle of a MAJOR reno and have been living with my parents for the last month and a half. We have zero space, zero privacy, zero MONEY and it's been HARD! We're making due but man, it's been stressful.
That on top of working some absolutely INSANE hours at work recently--we're talking 12-14 hour days every. single. day., teaching multiple classes, fitting in my own workouts, and some additional stressors at work and I'm wiped guys. Which I guess it's no surprise that I'm home sick today, huh?
My motivation to pick healthy, fresh, and nutritional foods has definitely been on the back burner. Instead, there's been a lot of chocolate and a LOT of ice cream in my diet as of late. And it shows. I don't think it's super noticeable to others but my clothes are fitting just a little bit tighter and overall, I'm feeling more sluggish and get drained more easily.
And let's be honest--my diet this weekend consisted of a LOT of fried food and a LOT of alcohol. I don't regret it but I certainly don't feel awesome today, stomach bug or not.
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But you know what? This weekend was exactly what I needed. It was my chance to relax, get off schedule, and have FUN for the first time in a few weeks and it felt good. Damn good. And coming home yesterday, I felt motivated to get my butt in gear for the first time in a few months. It kind of blows that I'm sick today but hey, what can you do.
So, I decided that with the first day of Lent being today (yesterday), I'm making a goal for myself. For the next 40 days, I've decided to make better choices, get back to tracking, and get rid of sweets. I'm normally not on board for cutting items out of your diet completely but in my case, my sweet tooth is getting slightly out of control and I need it.
Sometimes, you just need a little kick in the butt and this weekend was mine. I'm ready to start feeling my best again! And not to mention, I've got some OC races coming up, want to get in a half marathon or two, and I'm going to LA in July!
So with that being said, I guess there's nothing left to it but to do it! I'll keep you guys updated with my progress or lack thereof but I thought the best way to keep myself accountable was to throw it all out there.
Quickly popping in today with a list of my current fav's! Enjoy your Wednesday--we're almost to the weekend people! :)
Drinking: Advocare Chocolate Meal Replacement shake... one of my favorite sources of protein in the morning! So good.
Wanting: To live in my own house! Reno is coming along SLOWLY but we're getting there. I'm so ready to make new memories and start a family and be a grown up.... okay, just kidding about that last part. Never going to happen.
Feeling: Old. My birthday is on Sunday! Also, kind of feeling the urge to start the process of considering starting my own personal training/fitness business....still just a thought but one I've been thinking about more and more lately.
Eating: EVERYTHING CHOCOLATE! I feel like February = chocolate. Anyone else?
Listening To: The "Hotline Bling" Remix. So. Good. And side note, please tell me I'm not the only one who automatically thinks about Jimmy from Degrassi every time they listen to Drake?
(side note, can't actually find the one with Drake on the track too but close enough)
Pinning: EVERYTHING FOR MY HOUSE! I officially made a "Projects for Peter" board and it's slowly but surely filling up... ;)
Loving: My husband. He is amazing. And has been working non-stop to get our house ready to move into. I'm amazed each and everyday at all that he has done and feel so unbelievably lucky that he is MINE! <3
I've also been on a big snapchat kick lately. I've had way too much fun with it. ha.
Okay, and duh, my dog.
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Clicking: Youtube! I've found so many awesome fitness vloggers and have been watching non-stop! I love it.
Excited About: NASHVILLE! My birthday + my bff's = trouble! We're heading down Friday for a long weekend away and I'm BEYOND excited. After some crazy long hours of work lately, I'm ready for a weekend of relaxation and FUN.
Buying: I bought some samples of PEScience Protein yesterday after hearing everyone rave about it. I love when companies have sample sizes because I'm so picky about my protein!
Saying Good-Bye To: 28. I've had lots of good and not so good times during the last year but as with anything, I wouldn't change it. I'm a firm believer that everything is a learning experience--both good and bad. And let's be honest--I've learned a LOT this last year. I feel like I've become a better wife, trainer, friend, daughter, sister and person this last year... so I'd say it's a win. Here's to my last year in my 20's!
Hey friends! Happy Thursday! My week's have been feeling super long here lately with way too many 12-13 hour work days so I'm always glad to see the end of the week roll around. I figured I'd do a little catching up today with some Thinking Out Loud.
1. I have a love/hate relationship with my 5am work days. I love how quiet it is, I'm super productive in the wee hours of the morning, and it's pretty nice to TECHNICALLY be done with work at 2pm (although most Tues/Thurs I'm not out of here until 6 or 7... yikes). That being said, my 5am work days are NOT good for my bank account. Apparently I turn into an online shopping fiend and buy ALL. THE. THINGS. Just me?
2. One of the things I bought? I finally broke down and bought a new pair of Saucony Triumphs! I've been wearing my current pair WAY too long (like, got them back in early October and they probably have close to 800 miles on them.....). Even better? I got the 2.0s in the color combo I've been lusting after since they came out. <3
3. Peter & I are going on one month living with my parents. I'm so beyond grateful that they've let us mooch off them while we complete some MAJOR work on our house but oh my gosh... I'm so ready to have our own space again! And Mila needs a yard to run around in!
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4. Probably the most depressing point of this entire post--next Sunday is my LAST birthday in my 20's. UGH. Can we talk about how freaking painful that is to even type??? Since I knew it was going to be kind of a downer, I decided to go big for my last twenty-something birthday and my best friends and I are heading to Nashville for an extended girls weekend / birthday celebration! I'm sad I won't be spending my birthday with Peter but I'm excited to go out and party like I'm 21 again... or something like that.
5. So, our house. I guess I owe a bit of an update, right? It's coming along nicely. When it's all said and done (well, for now), I'll post some pictures but basically, we gutted both of our bathrooms and started from scratch. Hence the reason we're staying with my parents. Our house is AWESOME but needs some TLC so we figured we might as well get some MAJOR projects out of the way before we get in there. Both our master and guest bathrooms had CARPET--GROSS! Not to mention our master bath was basically the size of a small closet. ha. We made it bigger, made our master closet bigger, and made a new laundry room to make our guest bathroom more functional. So, that's where we stand at the moment. I'm so excited to show you guys the final product! And let me tell you.. the people on TV make this whole process look a whole lot easier than it really is. Especially the decorating part!
6. And finally, probably the most exciting news--I'm going to the IDEA World Fitness Conference in LA in July!!!! SO FREAKIN EXCITED! My boss and I always try and find a fun fitness conference to attend to get CEC's and learn new things/get new certifications/HAVE A BLAST and I finally talked her into this one! I've been dying to go! So STOKED! And plus, I've never been to California so there's that. :) Any tips or rec's for a first timer?!
Have a wonderful Thursday everyone! Time to go save the fitness world... or something like that.
One day, when grad school is over and we're not renovating a house and it's not January at a gym, I'm going to get back to a regular posting schedule. I miss this space and having a chance to get out my thoughts on a SEMI-regular basis.
Until then, since it's snowing outside (a LOT), work is closed, and everyone is still asleep (early bird gets the worm, always), I figured it was about time I wrote a Friday Favorites.
1. THESE BROWNIES! Only four ingredients and they are KILLER! I added some additional water, a few chocolate chips, and just a tad bit of Splenda and they turned out super fudgy and delicious. Even my husband approved which is a good sign. (I used a mashed sweet potato)
2. I have absolutely NO races on my schedule besides a Spartan Sprint and.... I kind of like it? That's not to say I haven't been training because to be totally honest, I've worked my butt off so far in 2016. But I've been training hard because I WANT to, not because I HAVE to. There's a big difference there. Towards the end of my marathon training plan, it was beginning to become a chore and I hated that. I decided that this year I would just take it one day at a time. When it's time to sign up for a race, I'll know. I've been running 30 races or so a year for the last 3-4 years and it's time to RELAX (relatively speaking).
3. Mila. Mila is crazy and hyper and basically everything a puppy should be. She will drive you nuts chewing on everything she shouldn't be one minute and the next come up and snuggle while you're trying to fall asleep. She's been such a wonderful addition to my little family.
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4. SNOW!!! Remember that time last year I was off of work for 2 weeks straight and HATED IT? Apparently I've seemed to forgotten that because with 10-14 inches in the forecast, I'm pretty excited. I've stocked up on my peanut butter and protein bars and I'm ready to ride it out over the weekend.
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5. So, today's apparently the one year anniversary of starting my blog. I never in a million years thought I'd stick with it a year so... cheers to that! ha. I'm excited to get back into regularly blogging and maybe eventually one day take this blog a little further. Once I get through with grad school. And renovating my house. And January. ;)
Have a wonderful weekend and for those of you on the East coast like me, stay safe and warm!
I don't drink coffee but lately I don't really blog either so.... why not catch up with a pretend coffee date?
If we were having coffee, I'd tell you all about how the moving process sucks. I'd also tell you that I've moved every. single. year since I was a freshman in college. And you'd probably think I'd be an expert at it but.. I'm not. And I may or may not be a hoarder.
If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that even though it didn't really feel like Christmas this year (it was 70 on the 25th) and that I didn't even get to put up a tree or decorations because of the move, I still had a great time visiting family and friends. I'm grateful for the gifts (mostly Lowes gift cards, ha) but more grateful for the time I got with my loved ones. No gifts will ever beat that.
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If we were having coffee, I'd tell you about how a week before 2015 was over, I realized that I was only 60 miles away from hitting 2500 miles for the YEAR. And if you know me, you know I couldn't NOT go for it, right? So.. I did. And it took me up until the very last day of the year but I managed to run 2500 miles. And not get injured. I talk more about my journey on Tuesday.
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If we were having a coffee date, I'd tell you about how terrible I am making interior design decisions. My husband likes to think it's "easy" but hello, we have to LIVE WITH IT FOREVER!! Okay, maybe not forever but at least for the next few years. Owning a house is hard. ha.
If we were having a coffee date, I'd tell you how I'm having a hard time deciding what my goals for 2016 are. I want to do something BIG but not sure what yet.
And finally, if we were having a coffee date, I'd tell you about how instead of partying hard on new years, my husband and I kept it pretty low key.... if low key includes picking up the newest addition to our family, Mila. (I wanted Miles (running) but she's a little lady so... MilA it is).
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I hope you all have a wonderful, lazy, active, whatever-you-want-to-do kind of Saturday. It's my last day off before all of the madness of January joiners begins on Monday!
Before I get into my Tuesday's on the Run post, can we talk about the fact that I'm wearing shorts around on December 22nd? This weather is insane and coupled with the craziness that is moving/renovating TWO bathrooms in our new house... well, I'm in serious need of some Christmas spirit people!
Anyway, I've already done my 2015 running highlights so I figured I'd pop in for TOTR with a fun survey I've seen floating around lately.
1. Would you rather run along a beach path or on a mountain trail?
As long as the beach path isn't directly ON the beach, that's my pick. ha. I love running AT the beach, just not on it. This sounds totally stupid and I feel like I SHOULD love it but.. I get bored. ha. My favorite place in the world to run is on Hilton Head island though! We go there every year for the Fourth of July and I've found this SWEET running path that takes me directly to the beach. So, I run 3 miles there, take a breather while watching the waves, and then head back. It's PERFECT.
2. If you could choose the flavor of gatorade at your next race’s aid stations, what would it be?
Lemon Lime all day, every day.
3. If I gave you a $100 gift card to a running store, what would be the first thing that you would purchase with it?
Shoes, duh! I've only mentioned it about 10 million times but I'm dying for the new Saucony Triumphs! BEST SHOE EVER!
4. Do you prefer to follow a training plan or wake up and decide then how far and how fast you want to run?
Wake up and run. I'm not a fan of training plans. I know some people need them for structure (which is awesome) but for me, I felt "trapped". Toward the end of my marathon training, it took some of the joy out of it. I love just letting my body dictate my run and going with the flow.
5. Would you rather start your run with the uphill and end on the downhill or start your run with the downhill and end with the uphill?
Start on the uphill. My motto is to get the hardest part of anything done first.
6. When you can’t run, what type of cross-training do you choose to do?
Any and every kind. ha. Insanity / HIIT workouts are my favorite though! In 2016, I plan on incorporating a lot more weight training to my schedule as well.
7. What is your preference—> Out and back, point to point or loop runs?
Depends on the day and my mood.
8. If you could recommend ANY running related item to a new runner, it would be a—>
A good pair of running shoes, no doubt. The "add-ons" are great but if you have a good pair of running shoes, you can conquer the world. ;)
9. Do you ever see any wild animals while out on your runs?
Just a few dogs here and there.
10. Ever gotten lost while out on a run?
Hmmm....... I don't think so?
11. If you could have one meal waiting and ready for you each time you got home from a run for the next 30 days… what would that meal be?
If calories don't count.... I'm going with a brownie sundae with lots of whip cream. Sweets are the way to my heart!
12. Capris or shorts… what do you run in most often?
SHORTS! I hate running in tights or capris. I'll rock tights/capris if it's under 40 and raining/snowing but other than that, I wear shorts about 99.9% of the time.
13. At what mile (or how many minutes) into your run does your body start to feel like it is warming up and ready to go?
Usually about a mile in I start getting in the groove.
14. What do you do with your key when you run?
I'll hold on to it or if I'm carrying my water bottle, tuck it in the zipper part.
15. If you could relive any race that you have done in the past, which one what it be?
I've said it before and I'll say it again... the Kentucky Derby Half. The race of my LIFE.
16. What type of run is your least favorite type of run?
To be honest, I don't think I have a least favorite. I enjoy different aspects of them all.
17. What has been your biggest motivation lately to get out the door to get your run on?
To be honest, I just love to MOVE and I love the feeling you get after a long, hard run. There's nothing better. Not only that, I'm trying to fit in as many miles I can before the end of 2015!
18. When you go for a run, do you leave right from your front door or do you drive somewhere to start?
To be completely honest, most of my runs lately have been on the treadmill in the morning before work. It's just easier. ha.
19. When running in daylight—> are sunglasses a must or an annoyance?
Sunglasses. ALWAYS.
20. When you get tired, what keeps you from quitting?
I just legitimately love running. There are days when it's the absolute last thing I want to do but I've never, EVER regretted a run. Why quit something that brings so much joy? There will be a day when I can no longer lace up my shoes and hit the pavement but that day isn't today, and hopefully not anytime soon, so until then, I'm going to run my heart out.
I wish I could begin to tell you the whirlwind my life has been lately but I think that would take more than just a simple blog post! Life has been crazy-hectic the last few weeks (hence my lack of posting!) but I thought I'd pop in today (two days in a row!) and give you the low down on a few of my weekly favorites!
1. Christmas with my best friends. You guys are probably sick of hearing about my best friends but we make it a point every year to get together and have our annual Christmas celebration. It's been going strong since we were juniors in college--aka, a billion years ago! This year it was at my place (no traveling for me! yay!) and we had an absolute blast. And may or may not have crushed like, 5 bottles of wine and a random 40. ha. Needless to say, I certainly couldn't hang like I could when I was a junior in college... ;)
A photo posted by Sarah Smith Carlson (@sarahc33) on
2. Speaking of my best friends (ha), remember when we did that photo shoot about a month and a half ago? We finally got our pictures back and they are amazing! Seriously--if your bucket list doesn't include a photo session with your BFF's, add it now. I'll cherish these pictures forever. And when I'm old and gray, at least I can look back and say that damn, we looked good. ;)
A photo posted by Sarah Smith Carlson (@sarahc33) on
3. Good grief.. I guess I should have just dedicated this entire list to my BFF's but a trip to Nashville is in the works for my birthday in February! I decided that it's my last birthday in my 20's (UGH!) so might as well go out with a bang, right?! More details to follow on this. ;)
4. Dude. Can we talk about how Christmas is TWO WEEKS AWAY??? I'm no where near ready.. we don't even have a Christmas tree up this year.... but there's good reason for this..
5. .... BECAUSE WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! As of last Friday at approximately 3pm, Peter & I are officially home owners! And broke! ha. We bought a "fixer upper" and are totally excited/scared/nervous/pumped about doing a reno. It's not all totally horrible but umm, there's carpet in the kitchen. So.. yeah. ha. I'm excited for all of the hard work and headaches that are sure to follow. And finally getting a dog! Is it bad that that's probably what I'm most excited for?! ;) I'll be sure to take lots of before photos so that maybe one day and I can do a before/after post. :)
Have a wonderful Friday! I'm off to our work potluck--bring on the stretchy sweat pants!
Wow. What a year. I feel like it was just January and I was crazily committing to run 2,015 miles in 2015 (side note: I completed it back in September! AH!). This has by FAR been one of the best years running wise I've ever had. I PR'd EVERY SINGLE distance, won several races, and well, duh... completed my first marathon!
So, to recap it all and not drive you guys crazy, I'm linking up with Eat, Pray, Run DC to talk about my year in running.
Best Race Experience: Definitely the Richmond Marathon. I had an absolute blast, everything was well organized, it was a FUN race, weather was great... it was just an overall enjoyable experience. Maybe it's partly because it was my first 26.2 but I'll always look back on this race with a smile on my face. I worked my BUTT OFF for it and I'm so glad I got to mark it off of my bucket list.
Best Run: The Kentucky Derby Half Marathon, hands down. I went into the race not expecting much but ended up with a HUGE PR (1:36:58!!!). It was the run of my LIFE. It was the first half marathon I did where I felt great the entire race and never got that "I'm going to die" feeling. ha. I plan on doing the race again this year because I enjoyed it so much.
Best new piece of gear: Probably my Fitbit Surge. I love that it not only tracks my steps but also has a built in GPS so that I can track my runs as well. I wear it every. single. day.
Best piece of running advice you’ve received: I'd have to say "run the mile you're in". As I've gotten more into distance running, sometimes I have a tendency to psych myself out over the miles I have left to run instead of focusing on the one I'm in. I did a much better job at this in Richmond than I thought I would and it really helped.
Most Inspirational Runner: Hmm... good question. I'd have to say all of the runners on my Instagram feed. On the days I'm really dreading a run, I look to them for the motivation to get up and get going.
Favorite picture from a run or race this year: This one by far. Okay boys, I'll take it from here... ;)
Race experience you would repeat in a heartbeat: I'm totally counting Spartan races for this one. I had a blast at Wintergreen and would totally wake up at 3:30am, volunteer until 1pm, race until 7pm, and not get home until 11pm all over again. It was that awesome. This was the first Spartan race I ever did by myself and it was so much fun. I met a lot of really great people, the race was KILLER, and anytime you can spend a day running up and down a bunch of mountains is a good one.
If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be? I only need one word--INSANE. This year, I ran more races, ran more miles, and ran more PR's than I ever have in my life. This was definitely the year of the run. I have no idea what 2016 will have in store but I couldn't be prouder of the hard work I put in during 2015. And man... was it EVER fun.
PS--Just in case you're interested, with 21 days left until 2016, I've officially ran2,348.4 MILES!
Needless to say, I think I'll be running a few less in 2016. ;)
Happy Tuesday! Good news--my energy/legs are finally back from my marathon! I've put in some major speed work and operation lose my 10 pound (ugh!) marathon weight gain is officially in session. I'm going to post more on that tomorrow!
In the meantime, today's Tuesday's on the Run topic is close to my heart--Gifts for Runners. ;)
I'd be happy with just getting these shoes for Christmas. I made the switch over to the Trimph's last Christmas and couldn't be happier. They finally updated the shoe and omg--I need them in my life!
I never got the whole compression sock thing until about a year ago. And these totally saved my life during my marathon. I think they were one of the reasons I was able to jump back in so quickly after my race. And plus, this version is pretty badass.
My schedule is CRAZY and about to get crazier starting next semester. I rarely EVER have time to cook a meal for Peter and I during the week but 30 minutes? I could totally commit to that! One of my many 2016 goals is to clean up my diet and this would be a perfect addition to my cookbook collection. :)
Okay, totally a DREAM gift but a Spartan Season pass would DEFINITELY be at the top of my list. I'm kind of obsessed with Spartan and plan on getting my Trifecta in 2016!
I seriously can't believe it's already Thursday.
ACTUALLY, I seriously can't believe that this time next week we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving!
Where the HECK has 2015 gone?
Anyway, time to do a little Thinking Out Loud--linking up with Amanda!
1. I'm definitely still on a major, MAJOR marathon high. It's super surreal. But that being said, I'm kind of lost at the moment. ha. I've never NOT had the thought of a marathon floating around in my head. It's been that ONE thing that I've always wanted to accomplish as a runner and now I have. I'm actively working on coming up with a few new goals but man... it's pretty awesome that I can now say "I DID IT!".
2. Speaking of my marathon, I've tried to take it FAIRLY easy this week. But man. I'm just so, so, SO exhausted! I've had a few easy runs (5 miles at most) but by the time 5pm rolls around, I feel like I could sleep for days. I plan on taking it nice and easy this weekend and hope to be back at ALMOST full force next week.
3. Let the holiday festivities begin! This weekend, I'm heading to Louisville for my family's Thanksgiving. I'm going to do my best to pace myself and keep it as healthy as I can. Carbs have been my best friend for about 3-4 months now and I have 7-8 extra pounds to prove it. ;) I also have Thanksgiving with my immediate family on Thursday and then Peter & I are heading to Charlottesville next Friday for his family's Thanksgiving. ha.
4. Okay, I'm totally a hater when it comes to decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving but I did buy a Gingerbread Glade Plug in for my office and it's AMAZING. I've had so many people stop in and ask about it--it's that good!
5. And finally... I bought another new pair of tennis shoes. The struggle is real ya'll. I bought a new pair of Mizuno's to teach/workout in and they should be here anytime. Peter and I recently did a MAJOR fall cleanup and we're not even going to discuss how many old shoes I donated........
