Join me as I travel around the country to fulfill my goal of running a marathon or half marathon in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia!
Convo during dinner with my 88 year great-grandmother:
Betty: I bet your boyfriends are missing you. Me: Boyfriends?! I don't even have one. Betty: Oh, I'm sure you do. Me: No, don't you remember my ex-boyfriend? He used to have dinner with us all the time. Betty: No, I don't. So what happened to him? Me: He dumped me. Betty: Oh, you probably just weren't wild enough for him. Me: Ummm, okay, I'll try to work on that.
HAHAHA. Why don't I video tape my conversations with her?! Maybe I'm single because my idea of getting dressed up on a Friday night is wearing my new $11 hoodie from Target that I was way too excited about:
Speaking of laughter, I almost peed my pants last night laughing so hard during the new movie Bridesmaids.
I won't ruin it for those of you who haven't seen it, but you should probably get to your nearest theater a.s.a.p. It is the best movie I have seen in a long, long time. A little bit 27 Dresses, and a little bit female version of The Hangover. The entire thing was hilarious, and it wasn't just because I pre-gamed the movie. (See grandma, I'm totally wild!)
1. I rarely go to the movies anymore. Any other suggestions for recent flicks I should see? 2. How many living generations are there in your family? There are 5 in mine right now. I'm really interested to see if anyone can beat that.
Hope you're having a great weekend! p.s - Sorry this post had absolutely nothing to do with running. I've been lazy all day and haven't done any physical activity other than laughter.
My current half PR is 2:07 so it will be a challenge for me to get a sub 2 hour PR this fall, but I really want it. I'll have to train hard and I'm all for doing that, except for this:
Yeah, summer hit DC with a Chuck Norris type roundhouse kick. I have no idea what happened to spring. We literally went from winter to summer in a matter of days.
When I got off work yesterday I went for a 3 mile run in that miserable 90 degree heat. I took Trixie (the dog) with me and we both struggled through the 3 miles. I'm sorry, I might be delusional, but didn't I run a marathon earlier this month? Now I'm struggling through 3 miles? Sweet.
Today is my last day as Trixie's mom. She only escaped once while I was watching her, so I call that a success. Clearly, I'm not ready for children any time soon.
How do you guys train throughout the summer? Am I going to have to give in and spend un-godly amounts of money for a gym membership just to run on that evil treadmill?!
Maybe I should just make a shirt that says "Running in the Summer Sucks" Well hopefully, I'll just win one of Kiley's awesome home-made shirts that say "Running Sucks" because that sounds close enough to me. Go enter her giveaway! (or don't so I have a better chance of winning) ha. Just kidding ;)
My sleeping habits have become almost as atrocious as my eating habits (who let me buy that pint of Ben and Jerrys yesterday?!). I stay up so late every night and suffer struggle through the next day. Do I go to bed early the next night to catch up? No, I just get a second wind around 9 pm and stay up til 12:30 again that night. Makes sense, Sam, makes sense. It is seriously affecting my mood and my exercise habits (I'm slow and sluggish on runs, if I even make it out the door). It also affects your metabolism and can hinder you from losing weight! DANG IT. Even NPR did a story on sleep deprivation in teens recently (oh, c'mon just let me believe my age isn't that far off from being a teenager, would ya). And listen to this fact I learned: Lack of sleep also causes levels of growth hormone to decline. This reduces muscle mass and strength, increases fat tissue, and weakens the immune system.Source
What the heck am I doing to myself?! That episode of the lifetime t.v. series "Army Wives" on Netflix is not worth my health! Enough is enough. Last night I set an alarm on my phone that will go off at 10 pm every week night telling me to go to bed. Yes, I am 8 years old and need someone to enforce a bed time. Only problem is that iPhones have snooze buttons, a feature that did not exist on my mom when I was 8. We will see if I can stick to it. Maybe my iPhone could just give me a little electric shock if I try to hit snooze when the 10 pm alarm pops up. Is there an app for that? PATENT! TRADEMARK! Whatever it's called, just don't even think about stealing that idea. Prob gonna make millions on that app, guys.
In other randomness, I opened my g-mail account almost exactly 3 years ago. I don't have the patience or time to delete any of those dumb advertising e-mails I get from every single website I've ever been to, so I just let them sit in my in-box. Today I hit 10,000 un-read e-mails. Whoa. Maybe people like me are the reason google just installed that little "important" yellow tab on some e-mails. Don't worry, absolutely all blogger e-mails have a tab, none of you will be lost in the madness of my inbox.
p.s. - How am I supposed to eat healthy when people at work give me free delicious super-cute cookies like this one??
Good thing I ate this for dinner:
Just the salad, not the twelve Luna bars. ha.
1. How many hours of sleep do you get on average? Do you still go for runs even when you're super tired? 2. Is your office full of left-over food from meetings? How do you avoid it?! It's FREE! (I have no idea why I think I'm still in college and on my Ramen-noodle budget).
So obviously no not a visual change yet, but I definitely feel the change. I'll admit to only doing the DVD 3.5 times this week, shy of the 5 times a week Jillian recommends. This is partly b/c I had too many adult beverages this weekend, and partly because I didn't really want my abs to dial 911 when they ignited on fire. Jillian Michaels really likes to combine cardio with her ab workout. This results in me screaming at the t.v. and scaring the dog half to death. I find myself yelling things like "burpees are evil!" "damn it Jillian, my butt keeps popping up like a Mexican jumping bean, how do you stay so steady in plank position?!" "how do you not need a rest and/or water yet, you devil woman?!" Maybe taking pictures in front of different mirrors isn't the most accurate way of recording progress. I should probably invest in a measuring tape or something like that.
Did you think I broke into someone's house so that I could have more than 11 inches in my efficiency to do my work-out DVDs? Sounds like something I would do, but really I'm just dog-sitting at my cousin's house for the week.
So sweaty. Hair is lookin a hot mess after Jillian kicked my a$$
Ha! Look at my face. I think I'm sayin "Oooh, is that a little muscle definition I see down there?" Nope, just a kit-kat bar that I swallowed whole. False alarm, folks.
On a side note, who watched the Bachelorette last night? I'm thoroughly disappointed in the selection of eye-candy. I usually do pretty well on March Madness brackets, so I'm guessing I'll do pretty well on this bachelorette bracket too. Who wants to fill one out?! $5 entry?! haha. Also, apparently the douche who readily admits to the camera that he could care less about her is from Tampa, Florida. Just great, my home town is representin some quality men.
Guys, It happened again. A complete stranger commented on the size of my thighs. Honestly, when did this become acceptable? I don't think this guy intended to be hurtful like the other guy, but still, get some common sense would ya? This is how it went down: I get on a subway train at the same time as this semi-drunk guy and there is only one seat. Him: You wanna sit down? Me: No it's okay, I'm good. Him: Okay, yeah you look pretty athletic. (I'm wearing running clothes). Do you run? (He sees my country music marathon bag). Oh, never mind, guess you do. Yeah, figured you must be a long distance runner, not a sprinter cuz you have really big legs. (He sees me shooting lasers out of my eyes at him). Well, you know cuz sprinters are usually super skinny. Me: Yeah, I'm clearly not a sprinter. (Exit train).
From this moment on I refuse to be embarrassed about the size of my legs. I'm taking a Kim Kardashian approach to this situation (you know, the way that she loves her bootay). The next person who says something about my thunder thighs better watch out. My response will probably be something like "Yup, they're each a 23 inch circumference of pure strength that I will most likely use to pop your head off if you say one more word to me."
Okay. End Rant. In other news, I had an awesome weekend. I wore my new boots to the Eric Church and Jason Aldean concert. Enjoyed some great music, time with friends, perfect weather, and way too much beer :)
That's me, with the thighs.
1. Did you do anything fun this weekend? 2. What is one thing you are self conscious about that you are going to start loving today? (doesn't have to be a physical attribute).
Yesterday I won a necklace on Team Lando's blog! Woo hoo! I was so excited for my first win. If you don't follow her you should because she's a runner and an awesome new mom. In an effort to pay it forward and in appreciation for having more than one hundred followers I am having a giveaway too! But first you have to read about my day.
Yesterday was pretty exciting at work. A few members of our team had to present some of their new ideas for potential clients. Amy and I gave a presentation about reaching out to potential clients in...just guess which field...yup you guessed it, the health and nutrition field! I knew y'all would be super proud of us. Did you know that this generation of children will have shorter life expectancies than their parents due to obesity...that's the first time that has happened in over 200 years. That fact is super scary and we all need to help change it! (Yeah, I know preachin' to the choir here...you guys are all leading by example and I think you're awesome!)
See! I actually DO own clothes other than spandex and t-shirts :)
After work I went to volunteer at Capital Striders. They are having an awesome trail race this weekend followed by happy hour (evening race). Unfortunately I have the first country concert of the summer to go to or else I would so be there. I went to help stuff the freebie bags. Although I've done a bunch of races I've never been a volunteer to help put on a race so it was really nice to give back to such a great community.
To reward myself for volunteering I allowed myself to eat massive amounts of fro-yo. Putting flyers in bags=burning 1,500 calories, no?
Trust me, that's fro-yo. You just can't tell because I like to get every topping imaginable.
Afterwards I made it to my cousin's house where for the next week I am the proud momma of this lil pup:
She's a scrappy lil Mexican dog named Trixie
I'm gonna try to take Trixie for a run tomorrow morning...she's pretty energetic so I think she'll do fine. I just hope she doesn't make me look bad in front of all the other running dog-moms in this richy-rich neighborhood.
Okay enough making you suffer through the play by play of my day. Don't lie - I know you're here for the free goods. If you win you get a saucony bag and a tech wicking t-shirt!
I'll be honest, the shirt is a little big. It's unisex and I got it at my latest race, but they ran out of size smalls. I'm 5'8" and as you can see below it's a little too big for me. If you're taller, or have a man friend who might want it, or if you just like your shirts a little big you should enter the giveaway b/c it's a really nice shirt. I like it, but I just don't like things to go to waste and I know this one will just sit in the back of my closet.
Apparently, awkwardly holding my arms out like that will allow you to see the real size of the shirt...or at least that's what was in my mind at the time.
Mandatory: Follow me and then leave a comment Optional: Post to your blog and then leave a comment Giveaway ends Friday the 27th!
Sam decided to take a break from blogging and let me – Amy – provide the recap for the Harper's Ferry Half Marathon we ran this past weekend. The race was my first race of any length; as you will see in the recap, I apparently like to jump right into things by doing it the most difficult way possible.
Six weeks ago, Sam first mentioned to me that she was running a race in Harper's Ferry. I offered a place to stay – my parents live 20 minutes away – and to tag along and cheer her on. She took this as an invitation to launch a full-out campaign to convince me to run the race with her, despite, as you may remember from earlier blog posts, my struggle to run five miles, even with the promise of a free Chick-Fil-A sandwich at the end.
I thought that, if nothing else, “training” would provide a way for me to combat the ever-present free food and cupcakes that always seem to be lurking around our office, and also give me a reason to get off my couch and quit watching the same Mad Men episodes over and over. So I told Sam I would consider it, and would “practice” and see how I was feeling about it in a few weeks.
I’ll admit that my training was extremely half-assed. I ran two or three times a week, jumped straight from running three and a half miles to seven, and didn’t really change my eating/drinking habits. But as I started running more, I felt like maybe 13 miles wouldn’t be so bad. However, DC is built on a swamp, therefore the city is pretty flat. Growing up 20 minutes from Harpers Ferry, I knew exactly how it was in the middle of the Blue Ridge mountains and was aware of just how steep the narrow roads going through the town are. My first thought was of the church that is up on a hill and to get there you have to climb approximately 3,000 tiny, steep steps. Running 13 miles of that? Uh, sure. Sounds like a ton of fun. And then Sam sent me the course description:
Local runners have crafted one of the most challenging and beautiful half marathons in the country.
The half marathon course is almost completely enclosed in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and the preserved Civil War era towns of Bolivar and Harpers Ferry. The route includes close to 1000 feet of total elevation gain and 2000 feet of total elevation change. You will experience a mix of trail, road, and crushed gravel paths. You will view the confluence of the Two Rivers- the Shenandoah and the Potomac. The steep uphill portions will test each runner’s strength and will. The fun and challenging downhills will be a wild ride you’ve rarely experienced in a run. Breathtaking views of the rivers, historic buildings, mountains, scenery will stimulate the senses and inspire you to reach the finish line.
Elevation change? Mix of trail, road, and paths? Steep uphill portions? Challenging downhills? One of the most challenging half marathons?
Just like West Virginia, this course is Wild and Wonderful.
And so, for whatever reason, despite cautious warnings from my much wiser family, friends, and boyfriend - perhaps because Sam is a convincing lobbyist - I signed up anyway.
We began our journey Friday after work by taking the train from DC to my parent’s house. I warned Sam that the train is often filled with loud western Marylanders and West Virginians observing Friday happy hour on the train. Sam thought I was joking and her mind was blown when we walked onto the train to see the guy across the aisle from us doing the crossword and drinking a Miller Lite.
My paparazzi-ing was not as subtle as I'd hoped
When we got to my parents’ house my mom had a pasta dinner ready. After carbo loading, Sam and I settled on the couch to watch a few episodes of “Say Yes to the Dress: Big Bliss” on TLC before heading to bed. If you’ve never seen a size 28 woman with a budget of $1,000 looking for a frilly, pink and black wedding dress, you’re definitely missing out.
Saturday morning we drove out to Harpers Ferry to the white water rafting store that was serving as the race headquarters, to find this very impressive half marathon starting line.
I know we're in West Virginia, but really?
We parked in a field (parking was denoted by a handwritten 8 1/2 x 11 white sheet of paper with “PARKING” written on it in black marker). Sam and I checked in – apparently they assigned bibs alphabetically and Sam and I received numbers next to each other – 444 and 445.
Pre-race, when we were still friends.
At check-in we were also informed that, despite having provided our t-shirt size when we registered online, they had run out of small shirts. Lame.
The weather was overcast but warm so Sam and I debated whether or not to keep our jackets in case it rained. We made the right choice in deciding to ditch them. When we were back at the car the race organizer asked via megaphone if it was anyone’s first half marathon, to which he advised, “it's a very challenging course, you can still go home.” Terrific. He also added that wearing headphones was allowed, but the roads were not closed off so if we chose to wear them, to be aware of the traffic. This is about the point where I really started questioning both my judgment and my trust in Sam.
The race started fairly anticlimactically (as you may imagine from the start line itself) and we began running down a paved road. About half a mile in, just as we were about to start on the first of appx. 4,000 hills, I received a text from my mom that “Go Amy! Good luck as you near the finish!” Appreciated the sentiment, but at that point I was just concentrating on staying alive, and rather than the encouraging message it was intended to be, the thought of how far away the finish line was not exactly a morale booster.
From about half a mile to mile two, we ran through a field. They had mowed a path through said field and denoted which way to go with spray-painted arrows. Again, shocking considering this race was very high tech. Running through the field was basically straight uphill. Struggle. We looped back down to the road we started on and ran back toward the starting line. As we passed the start, there was the longest, steepest hill I had ever come across. At that point we were passing back by River Riders and as I struggled up the hill, the temptation to veer off to the left and take a nap in my mom’s car while Sam finished the race, was looking better and better.
At the top of the hill we then ran through a campground/trailer park and into the woods. We added dirt and mulch to the myriad running surface experience. I kept expecting a scaling wall or some other bootcampesque obstacle to suddenly appear in the middle of the path.
Action shot of Sam on our impromptu Warrior Run.
Then back on to a (thankfully flat) paved road, where we passed by some old civil war cannons. I was able to catch my breath, and then back into the woods we went. At the end of the second wooded area we got to finally run downhill, alongside traffic. We swung back down into the woods and at one point we crossed a wooden pallet being used as a makeshift bridge and ran along the sandy banks of the Shenandoah.
Blue Ridge Mountains! Shenandoah River!
As we neared the town of Harpers Ferry I had mostly regained control of my breathing and wasn’t feeling too bad. I was afraid to stop running for fear I would lose all momentum and not have the energy to keep going. This puts us at about mile 6. I swear country miles must be longer than city miles.
We ran by the Armory, the John Brown Wax Museum, and some restaurant that permeated the town with the smell of warm sugar. All uphill, of course. Sam tried to start a run two minutes, walk one minute pattern but I decided that just walking it all was a preferable option. On through the town of Bolivar (although its spelled like the South American liberator, its pronounced like “Oliver” with a B), past the gunsmiths shop (an actual working gunsmiths shop, not a historical façade), to the turning point, which meant more downhill. Thank God. We even got to go down one hill that was probably an 85 degree incline. I’m not too good at math so I’m hoping that comes across how I was hoping – it was basically straight down. We also couldn’t see any other runners around us at this point which made us a little scared that we were going to have to live off Sam’s energy gummies as we found our way through the woods of West Virginia.
Since this post is getting kind of long, its time for a little Country Roads intermission…
(Bonus points to anyone who got the country roads reference in my caption above)
Despite some soreness in my knees as we came back through the town (I have self-diagnosed my bad knees as a combination of Lyme Disease and spending four years of my childhood crashing onto ice while chasing the illusive dream of becoming an Olympic figure skater), at this point I was feeling alright. As we passed the 10 mile marker on our way through Harper's Ferry, Sam yelled “this is the farthest you’ve ever run!” That, and the fact I didn’t feel like I was dying quite yet, made me a little more confident that I could make it through three more miles.
We got to mile 11 and realized we had to run up the hill we ran down around mile 4 or 5. What idiot designed this course and put a mountain at mile 11? I realize a course through mountains means there probably aren’t too many less hilly, alternate routes but I was about ready to admit defeat. Since I couldn’t decide whether to just sit on the side of the road and cry or jump into the river, I kept going. We resigned to walking up much of this hill – as did almost everyone else we could see. Once the course evened out and we got to a water station at the top of the hill, we were forced back into the woods for the last mile and a half.
We got to the top of the last hill and I felt like I was literally falling apart. Things started catching up with me and I felt like I was going to projectile vomit 300 yards before the finish line. My left knee chose the last three steps before the finish line to start to give out so I’m sure I’m hunched over and have a serious look of agony on my face in my finish line pictures (which I have not seen and will not be shared).
In the How I Met Your Mother episode “Lucky Penny,” Marshall slips on the bathroom floor and injures his foot, putting an end to his preparation and training to run the New York Marathon. Barney scoffs at Marshall’s training plan and bets Marshall that he could go out and run the marathon the next day without any training.
Apparently fairly similar to my training philosophy.
Barney goes out, runs the marathon in a respectable time, wins the $50 from Marshall, then gets stuck on the subway when he loses all ability to use his legs.
That's how I felt in the last .1 mile.
We finished in 2:33. Out of the 26 women ages 20-29, Sam finished 22nd and I was 23rd. Finished? Check! Wasn't last? Check! Given the insane course and my lack of preparation, I'm fairly pleased with the result. It definitely helped to have Sam there with me - I probably would have walked a lot more or completely given up if I was running by myself.
We got our medals, and more importantly, the free Panera bagels, pizza, and beer that were provided.
Celebrating surviving 13 miles by devouring that piece of pizza and Cold Trail Ale.
We stretched, got to listen to a guy who sounded like Bob Dylan play a guitar (by that I mean the words he was saying were completely incoherent), and watched the kids’ one mile fun run before heading back to pass out watching Project Runway.
I made it (also, congrats to you all for making it through my extremely long post – hopefully it didn’t take you 2 hours and 33 minutes to read). I don’t necessarily feel like I conquered the world, but I survived the longest run I’ve ever done on a course that was apparently designed by Satan himself. At work Monday everyone was asking whether I plan to run another one. After that race, any other course seems extremely easy. Right now, for me running still seems more like a chore and not necessarily enjoyable so…Maybe? Probably? We’ll see how convincing Sam is.
I'm gonna start this new thing where every Tuesday I show you a picture of my baby beluga belly and you try your hardest not to laugh.
Summer is coming and I want abs! I'm pretty self conscious about my abs, mostly because they are non-existent. Not only am I doing this for a beach body, I've also heard lots of good things about how core work can improve your running. This morning I started Jillian Michaels' 6 Week Six Pack.
I've never been consistent or stuck with a work-out DVD, so I think that keeping myself accountable on this blog is a good idea. It's just going to take some guts to push the "publish post" button. Here goes nothin'.
Week 1 photos:
Diet change is in the works too - no more muffins for this muffin top.
Maybe Jillian can help me with that double chin too?
Hopefully Jillian can get my tummy toned in 6 weeks so I'll be ready to rock on 4th of July Weekend at the lakehouse! woo hoo!
p.s. - If you're wondering where Amy's race recap is you can blame it on a few too many brewskies at the Nationals game last night...don't worry it's coming!
Keep your eyes on the prize here, folks. Don't go snooping around my whole print screen now. And if you already did, well rest assured I DO NOT spend my weekends watching Netflix and googling "how to make banana chips." I am wayyy wayyy cooler than that ;)
In appreciation for all of you stick around to read my ramblings for some reason I announce a giveaway this week. It's nothing too extraordinary since I just had one, but hey everyone loves free stuff. Also, come back by this evening for a guest post from Amy about our trail race this past weekend (and it was her first race ever!)
Half marathon 14 days after my first full marathon? I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed.
What Was I Thinkin when I signed up for this? I believe it went like this:
1) Oh! A chance to knock out another state without having to travel too far. Cool. 2) It's a half road, half trail race...never done that before. Cool. 3) The money goes toward the organization I volunteer at (FLoC). Cool. 4) It's near Amy's parent's house. So you can convince her to run her first half marathon ever. Cool. 5) It's exactly 2 weeks after your first marathon and you have no idea how long it will take you to recover. Not Cool.
The cools outweighed the not cools, so I went with it. It was a very complicated process. I used trigonometry and my graphing calculator that I haven't seen since 11th grade to figure it out.
Tomorrow morning Amy (my co-worker turned friend turned running buddy) and I, will run the Two Rivers Heritage Half Marathon in Harper's Ferry, WV.
The weather outlook is less than desirable. Hot and Possibly Raining. I got this from Amy yesterday:
Obviously, she's pretty entertaining so you'll want to stay tuned for her guest post on our race recap. Good luck to everyone who is racing this weekend! We might be racing. Or Amy might be racing and I might be taking a lovely stroll through the mountains of West Virginia for 3 hours. Let's hope that wild animals (or wild mountain people) don't eat me alive. Okay Sam, that was kind of rude coming from a girl who wears cowboy boots to a law firm on Fridays.
1. Have you ever done a trail race? Any tips?
2. Why does it always rain on weekends when I want to be outside instead of during the week when I'm stuck in an office building all day? (This is not a rhetorical question - I'd really like a scientific answer to this please).
A squatting owl is probably more accurate, but whatevs, you get the point (the point is that my whole life I have stayed up way too late so now I'm pretty much nocturnal). This week has been no exception. When you find yourself watching Oprah at 1 am for three nights in a row some drastic steps need to be taken. For me, my body decided to take them for me by demanding that I fall asleep in my work clothes at 6 pm last night.
I woke up at 11 pm in the most frantic and crazy way, throwing off my covers and jumping out of bed and thinking "Omg, it's dark! Is it night or morning? Am I late for work? Where am I?!?" Ha.
When I found out it was night I calmed down, and then got sad for missing my evening run...or did I? Yes this little miss spontaneous over here put on some running clothes, my neon brooks jacket, and laced up.
I ate this for an impromptu 11 pm dinner:
Then I went for a 5 mile midnight run around the monuments (Mom, if you're reading this, don't worry, it's all a lie. I really just locked my door and went back to bed).
Don't I live in a cool place?? Feel free to come visit and run a race with me in this awesome city.
Washington Monument
This memorial has the ability to scare the crap outta people in the daytime, so you can imagine its effect on me at night. It's so life-like!
Visiting my good friend Abe...woops, I cut off his head
There he is!
1. What's the most spontaneous or random run you have ever done?
2. What are your tips for running in the dark? Reflective gear? Mini flash light? Mace? For me it's that bright jacket and not wearing my ipod only wearing one earbud so that I'm more aware of my surroundings.
I don't mean to brag, but is this not a baller-status blog now? Take a look around. I added some pages at the top, changed my background and added a personalized header. Let's talk about that header. I am not lying when I say that it was take 20 before I got that photo. The 19 before looked something like this:
What am I doing?! The hokey pokey?!
Did you get a copy of Runners World this month (the June copy)? Turn to page 90 (the article about "The Elements of Good Form"). Does this picture look like the diagram? Not.one.stinkin.bit.
This has me a little worried. Have I been running wrong for three years?! I know I'm a slower runner, and my stride is definitely not long, but I feel like it shouldn't have been such a foreign feeling to get that good picture that is now my header. It was seriously difficult and an awkward feeling and there is no way I could have kept it up for more than 15 strides.
I know there are things that are golden rules of form, like heel strike is BAD, but what do you guys think of all the other rules? Is there just one specific form that everyone should look like?
Landing on a specific part of your foot and holding your arms a certain height sound good, but then you have people like Pete Rea, a North Carolina running coach saying "For most people, I don't know if focusing on form is of great benefit."
For the next couple days my blog will be under construction! I'm going to try and be cool like all you legit bloggers and make a custom header. I'll also be working on trying to write a witty "about me" page and those fancy tab things. I'll probably need y'alls help.
It's too bad I can't get Exibit to hi-jack my blog.
Once in a while everyone should treat themselves to a day of pampering...no responsibilities. Just what you want, when you want. Today was that day for me. It.was.awesome.
I borrowed my cousin's car this weekend, so I got a ton of stuff done.
1. I got a haircut and was really excited/nervous for my tattoo!
2. But first I got a pedicure. 3. And bought myself a new running outfit:
I should invest in stock in Nike considering the amount of money I spend on their gear.
4. And bought new sunglasses:
Damn, I broke my strict no-sunglasses-inside-unless-you-want-to-be-a-douche-bag policy.
5. And drank a beer with lunch. 6. And bought some hand-made fudge.
OMG, would you look at that?!? The fudge shop gave me a piece that has a bite out of it!
errr...confession: I hate when I have such little self control that I can't wait 30 seconds to get my camera out for a blog picture.
7. And I went for a run in my bright neon Brooks jacket:
I'm half Sharpei. Don't judge.
8. Okay are you jumping around in anticipation yet?!?! I GOT A TATTOO:
What's really cool is that it's not just a random font...it's my handwriting :) This tattoo is pretty simple, but the artist is really skilled so if you're in the DC area and need any work done go to Amy X at Rick's Tattoo in Arlington. She's artistic, reasonably priced, and friendly (unlike a few other tattoo artists I've met). The wrist hurt less than my first tat. The placement is perfect b/c I can cover it up with a watch if I ever need to at work. I LOVE IT!
Today was the best day ever. For reals.
Questions: 1) If you could spoil yourself for a day (don't consider money for the object of this exercise), what's one thing that would be on your list of things to do? I would def have a personal chef bring me yummy things to eat while I lie in bed watching re-runs of Modern Family. Freakin love that show. 2) Do you have tattoos? What are they? 3) Isn't EMZ amazing?!? What's the longest (time wise) that you've run?
I'm a quarter Mexican so obviously this demands that I celebrate a fake holiday by drinking a lot of margaritas and eating 47,328 calories in enchiladas.
Don't worry, my Cinco de Mayo celebration was delayed until after a 4 mile run with my running group. Even got Amy to come out with me (if you're wondering, she did sign up for that half marathon after all...people are starting rumors at work that I'm turning our office into a running group. fine by me).
I go to bars looking like this?! And I wonder why I'm single. ha.
Tequila on a Thursday? Ah, brings back college memories.
Thursday was my first run since the marathon on Saturday. It was s-l-o-w, but pretty good overall. My muscles weren't as sore as I expected. My hips did hurt a little, but that's to be expected. Looking forward to another run this weekend...and dare I hint at...new ink??
Dang it! I was gonna surprise you guys, but I couldn't contain myself anymore...a new tattoo might be on the horizon :)
