Category Archives: Running

Step One: Start Running

Whether or not you’re a runner, you have inevitably heard several of the “buzz words” surrounding the lifestyle of a runner. Things like carbo load, “hitting the wall,” fartleks, and PRs are terms that most everyone has heard of. That said, I’m realizing that there are countless instructions, definitions, workouts, and basic “must dos” that seem to come with this sport.

And honestly, I think it’s all a little silly.

Running is so simple, so natural, and it’s something that requires very few gimmicks. That’s part of the reason I love it, and really why I think it sticks so permanently with the people who do it. As technology and sports science has excelled over time, however, the basic premise of running has been dissected to a point where there’s nothing simple about it. Or at least, that’s what it seems.

I’m totally and completely guilty of it—I pour over Runner’s World, running books, articles, blogs, and virtually anything offering advice and insight into running. And why not? I love running, I love talking about it, writing about it, reading about it—so it only makes sense that any information available for us runners would be of ample interest.

However, I think something that’s happened is that we’ve developed this sense of what’s “right” and what’s “wrong” when it comes to “how to be a good runner.” And I’m actually beginning the think that these overwhelming do and do-not-do mantras are taking away from the greatest thing about running: how simple and accessible it is.

Sure, there are some basic should and should not dos when it comes to this sport. For example, you should probably move in a forward rather than backward direction, and you should keep your eyes open instead of closed. Oh, and due to societal “laws” you should probably not be naked. But other than these types of very basic logistical nuances, I am would like to believe that running doesn’t actually have rules.

Running is very much tailored to each individual, and what works for you is exactly what you should be doing. If a Slurpee and a hot dog the night before a race helps you, then by all means that’s what you should have. If you need to warm up for 20 minutes, or if you can go 100% straight off the bat, that’s what you should do.

I’m not trying to discount all the statistics and research that’s been done toward running. There is definitely credibility in it all, and I do find value in exploring the information myself. But, I think we tend to forget the most important fact about running when we overwhelm ourselves with the paperwork.

I think Barney Stinson says it better than anyone else…

That’s it! Well, maybe not how to run a marathon exactly…but certainly how to run.

Just…start running.

Once you start running, you begin to learn the finer points of it all—what kinds of shoes work best, how far you are comfortable going, what kind of fueling is most effective. But keep in mind that it’s what works best for you. One of my favorite things about running is that it is very much custom to each individual runner themselves. What works for me might not work for someone else and vice versa. It’s all about experimentation, and although we might take some advice to improve upon weaker areas of our running careers, I’m a big believer in the idea that if something’s not broken, there’s not point in trying to fix it.

And truly, mistakes are going to be made. But that’s when we turn around, take a look at some of our options, and decide on a different course of action. I know that the mistakes I’ve made as a runner have made me much smarter and generally more knowledgeable about my strengths, weaknesses, and my areas for improvement. Sure, there are times I wish I would have known better, but I do believe that trial and error can be a much more effective learning experience than simply following a set of rules that have been spoon fed to us by the running industry.

So when you feel exhausted by the never-ending questions of barefoot versus cushioned, Gu versus Gatorade, and Asics versus Brooks—remember that the most important thing to do is to just…start running. The logistics will fall into place, and in the end you’ll be happier that you listened to your own body’s instructions rather than the competing voices of the running industry.

They’re all good guys, but keep in mind they’re still a business—and their prevailing goal is to make a buck on promoting “NEW SHOES” and “THE BEST SPORTS DRINK EVER” and “COMPRESSION SHORTS THAT WILL MAKE YOU AN OLYMPIAN.”

Yea, the shorts might be awesome…but give yourself some credit, and trust yourself and your running enough to question if you actually will benefit from the newest running fad. And ultimately, I think everyone should keep in mind that running is a very basic human action—and maybe keeping it simple and obeying nature is actually the best way to keep us safe and make us faster.

So there you are. Some of my thoughts on all the rights and wrongs and to dos and not to dos about running. Tomorrow, I’ll be having some fun with the stereotypical “rules” of running and how my own habits measure up. Check back then, and have a great night!

Question…do you get overwhelmed by the ever-changing “rules” of running?

An {Exercise} Affair to Remember

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

I hope you have spent the day doting on a loved one, or simply doting on yourself. I personally see nothing wrong with showering yourself with love on Valentine’s Day, because—after all—shouldn’t we show ourselves the same kind of affection we show others? I think so.

If you’ve read this blog for more than 9 seconds, you know that I have a mild obsession for activities that make me sweat. Running is my numero uno {Read: The title of this blog.}, but as you know there are other physical activities that get me all giddy inside as well.

That being said, I’m realizing that my feelings for each of these activities is very parallel to stereotypical romantic relationships. Say what? you ask. Well, allow me to explain it to you in my Valentine’s Day Tribute to the Three Lovers in my exercise life.

SPINNING

Oh spinning, you dirty little Casanova.

Spinning is the essence of a steamy, infatuous, lustful relationship. You all know the kind. It’s gets you all hot and bothered (yes, literally) and you find yourself somewhat addicted after just a few meetings.

Just think of the kind of music that plays in spin. Fast, upbeat, invigorating, Britney…you get the point. It’s not true-love-let’s-have-babies music, it’s “You’re hot and I’m interested for tonight” music.

And the sweat. Oh, the sweat. Spinning can get your pores going more than any other cardio workout there is. I can run for 18 miles and never sweat the way spinning for an hour does. It’s not that running doesn’t know what it’s doing, and in fact—I do sweat a lot—but there’s really nothing quite like a good drenching from a spin class.

{Sex joke inserted here}

In the end, it’s not going to work out. The gym isn’t always open, classes and instructors come and go, but you never forget the jolt you get from spending an hour atop that bike.

I realize I’m walking right into these, but I’m not sorry?

YOGA

You know that best guy{or girl} friend you had all through those rubbish relationships? (Yep, Adele reference right there). The friend that had your back no matter what, and even if you didn’t talk for a few weeks, they were right there to pick you up.

That’s yoga.

Reliable, dependable, and ready to pick up your pieces when I’ve been spit out by my other lovers.

You see the other lovers, despite being debonaire and flirtatious, have a way of breaking me down. That’s the problem with intensely deep relationships—they can hurt just as easily as they can make me feel invincible. Luckily, yoga is there—ready to swoop in and cradle me in its loving, non-judgmental arms.

Yoga brings me back to life when things get rough, and many would argue that it should be yoga that I end up with when all is said and done. The problem is, though, there isn’t any passion with yoga. Sure, it brightens my spirits and is fun to hang out with, however it doesn’t quite have the ability to get me going the same way my other lovers can.

Think Johnny and Marissa from the OC, Gustav the farm boy from Ever After, or Dan Humprey in this season of Gossip Girl.

All of them are {this} close to nabbing the leading lady, but at the end of the day, they are cast into the “we’ll always be friends” role.

By the way, if you didn’t understand any of those references, I’m slightly judging you.

Kidding, but for real you should watch Ever After. Or, hit up Netflix and let Gossip Girl ~~ruin~~ take over your “I’m way too old to watch this show but I can’t stop” adult life.

Running

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the leading man in the production of my Exercise Love Life.

Running is the sappy love songs you pretend to hate in public but secretly belt in your car.

It’s the yin to my yang, the Noah to my Allie, the Mickey to my Minnie.

Okay, maybe that didn’t totally translate, but you get the point: Running is the love of my life, and no matter who else tickles my fancy, there will never be anything quite like running.

Running does all the things that a perfect mate should: It knows when I need it most, it challenges me to do my best, it helps make my days better no matter what, and—most of all—it’s unconditional. Running will always be there to rejuvenate my love for life and for myself. Sure, it can be tough on me, and sometimes I may even think I’ll give up on it. But even if my back is turned, running is still right there, ready to guide me when I need a hand to hold.

Being a runner is one of the titles I pride myself most on, not because I think it’s impressive or somehow gives me leverage, but I love the feeling of encompassing myself with an activity that is so simply happy.

Because in the end, all we want from our relationships is to make us happy. And although spinning and yoga can liven my mood, there is nothing quite like the overwhelming joy of a good run.

So there you have it. I’ve learned a lot from each of these relationships, just as we learn a lot from our relationships in our real lives. Certainly, the complexities of romance are far less simplistic than “How do I want to work out today?,” and I know it’s a lot harder to typecast actual people quite so stereotypically. However, when we strip relationships in our lives to their bare bones, both with people and the things we partake in, we can see the ways in which they build us up, knock us down, and how they have shaped our experiences.

And to those of you who know my history a bit, I must add this side note: BF might have held the best friend role in high school, but he has also been all three of these aforementioned relationships at one point or another, which together has given us a wonderfully dynamic, passionate, and all-around wonderful romance that I’m so grateful for everyday.

Hey, it’s V-Day. I had to give at least one sappy shout out.

Now, go eat your weight in truffles, and know that no matter who you may or may not be celebrating with, the most important kind of love is the kind you have for yourself. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned over my 23 years, it’s that the ability to make ourselves happy is the most valuable Hallmark card of them all.

And yes, I do still watch Gossip Girl and have no intention of stopping.

NOW YOU! Tell me some of the loves in your life! Running, Ryan Gosling, Chipotle burritos, Harry Potter, anything!

Impromptu 25k Race Recap

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Hello! Welcome to Monday…I’m not sure about you, but it definitely feels like a Monday to me. Starbucks debuted Valentine’s Day cups though, so that’s helping.

Dear world, if you slap holiday-themed decoration on everyday items, I will love it and I will purchase it.

I had a good ole sleep-in day today—7:15 am feels like heaven recently, and I find that quite humorous. I was zonked last night though, and some quality REM was necessary—especially after the long run I cranked out earlier. Despite feeling a bit sore and tired, though, this run was positively great, and I finished feeling very confident in my training.

Let me back track a bit though: I was scheduled to do 18 miles yesterday, which to me is when the real work begins. I’m confident up to about 16 or so miles, but after that it feels like unchartered territory. My first 18 miler last time I was training (which was the furthest I’d ever run at that point in time) was a doozy, and I can remember walking verryyy slowly for the rest of the day afterwards.

So, on Saturday as I was preparing to ~~top off~~ gorge on my ~~fuel supply~~ carbs and cookies, BF discovered that there was an ultra event being held tomorrow…10 minutes from our house…on the exact course I would be following for my own run. Oh, and it was free.

DUH. I was in.

The race was called the Fat Ass 50k (cue irony), and there was the option of doing a 25k, a 50k, or (for the bravest of the brave) a 75k. Obviously I signed up for the 25k (15.52 miles) and planned on just tacking on some miles at the end to reach my scheduled workout.

Now, this by no means was an “official” event. No bibs, no timing chips, no mile markers. There was, however, a fuel station at the halfway point, and plenty of chow and water at the finish, which in my opinion completely made this official. Any run where I receive free Gatorade and fig newtons is completely sanctioned in my mind. It also kind of added to the “ultra” feel of it all. Based on my research of these crazy-person events, they really work with the bare minimum in terms of race support. Runners normally supply their own fuel, there is hardly any finisher recognition, and close to no one even knows the events are even going on. That’s kind of how this race felt, and I loved it: People who just love to run, gathered together for some Sunday morning splendor.

So, 8 am rolls around, and about 75 or so runners are bouncing up and down for warmth, just gunning for the “Ready, Set, Go!” I was having too much fun people watching to focus on being cold. I always read about ultra runners, so it was quite a giddy feeling to be lined up at a start line with them. I would say it was pretty evenly split between those running the 50k and those running the 25k, which was comforting—although I was shocked at the ages of many of the 50k’ers. I was without a doubt the youngest by at least ten years, and there were a lot of 50k runners, clad in their “Marathon Maniacs” jerseys, who were definitely over 60. I was so impressed, inspired, and happy at the thought that running can be accessible to anyone who chooses to take it on.

This was the start line. The start of a spectacular day.

Off we went, and despite the fact that I insisted I would simply be running a casual run, the same as I would if I were alone, the race atmosphere had me all pumped up. My uber-competitiveness got the best of me, and pretty early on I got it in my head that I wanted to compete. I held onto a 7th or so position for the first 8 miles or so, and I knew that I was the first female—which frankly felt pretty great. I also felt very strong; I was really hydrated and somehow all my fueling and stretching clicked together in symmetry. I was all by myself for the rest of the race, enjoying the weather (45 degrees and SUN) and smiling at everyone I saw. Although the “race course” was the same route I take all the time, somehow it felt and looked different when put in the context of competition.

I finished in 2:03 ish (according to my trusty Timex) which I was definitely happy with. I was the first female to finish…which I suppose means I won? Exciting!

wooo!

I logged my time with the Race Director (who, by the way, was wearing pajama pants with beer steins on them and yellow Crocs), and headed back out for 2.5 (slightly slower) miles to complete 18 for the day.

The whole run (the race part and the after part) was awesome, and I loved the impromptu randomness of it all. Racing made 18 miles go by much quicker (both literally and mentally) and it was really fun to run with some of Seattle’s distance fanatics. My kind of people.

BF finished 12.5 miles himself, and we reconvened after our respective long-runs for Sunday morning bagels and coffee. I would also like to note that BF paid for such bagels as he lost a bet Friday night in which a certain Los Angeles basketball team beat a certain Denver team at their home court. Yea, it happened.

LAL

In the afternoon, we took our homemade appetizers(a task we took very seriously) to a friend’s house for Superbowl festivities. Neither of us were very partial to either team, however I admittedly love Tom Brady and was sad to see the Pats lose. No matter, I was more concentrated on eating as many various appetizer things as possible, and I definitely came out victorious in that endeavour.

A thing of beauty.

It was a lovely Sunday, and after completing that race/getting 18 miles under my belt, I’m feeling really geared up for my long runs to come.

Also, I changed my expected finish time for the Eugene Marathon, to 10 minutes lower than I originally signed up for. Assuming that it didn’t totally jinx me…I’m feeling good about the decision, and it’s helping motivate in a big way.

Hope your weekends were good, cheers!

Question: What do you care most about for the Superbowl? The game? The commercials? The food?

Bad Runs Happen

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There’s really no way of bouncing out of a bad run:

They’re shitty, they suck, and there’s really no getting around one. Once a bad run starts, you’re kind of in it for the long haul.

However, there are two good things about bad runs:

1) Everyone has them

2) They make you a better runner

I realize these things are really difficult to remember when your legs feel like lead, your head is aching, and every morsel of your being questions why you ever try to run in the first place. When bad runs happen, these are the things we experience—and it’s hard to focus on anything else.

Case in point: This morning, I had a really crappy run, and I’m still a little irked by it. It was mainly my own fault, which is perhaps the biggest reason I’m still beating myself up about it, however taking the blame didn’t make things go any smoother. I was wayyy too dehydrated to be going on a longer run. I got cocky (as we runners tend to do) and was all, “Psh, whatever…I’ll be fine.” Unfortunately, that sneaky little bugger that operates the universe decided to make me pay for being an irresponsible runner.

My legs were dragging, my head felt heavy, and about halfway through I got a massive side stitch that last, oh, until the end of the run. At one point I actually had to keel over a stop because the cramp was so excrutiating. I could hear the Running Gods laughing at me. Yea, yea, yea…that’s what I get for potassium deficiency.

At the end of the run, I really just wanted to be done. As opposed to my normal state of being amped up and satisfied and all the stars-and-rainbows things that you’re supposed to feeling after running, I was really just happy to be done. I had had a bad run, and the best part about it was that it was over.

Now, these less-than-ideal runs definitely suck, no question about it. Trust me I was thinking some not-so-pretty thoughts through those last few miles, including stealing a bike from the child riding past me. And no, I’m not kidding, and yes I do feel bad. However, we can learn a lot about ourselves when we’re at our low points as runners, and I’m starting to realize those points are equally as important as the fab!awesome!stellar! runs that we always hope for.

Foremost, we are given the opportunity to recognize what poor preparation does to our bodies. As a runner, we cannot expect our best performances to just happen when we are dehydrated, improperly fueled, burnt out, poorly stretched, or even just sleepy. If we are to expect our bodies to cooperate on our runs, there are necessary tasks we must do to ensure that we don’t drive ourselves into the ground.

And certainly, situations arise where proper preparation is somewhat out of our control: A friend’s birthday is the night before a long run, our calves never fully relax no matter how much we roll them, or our work schedules make 8 hours of sleep virtually impossible. These are things that can be worked around, and while they may not be ideal—the definitely don’t inhibit our ability to run.

But what I’m talking about is when we just let basic principles slip through the cracks. Take your’s truly, for example. Yesterday, I sweat an insanely disgusting amount in spin class. Like, think of the NBA players when they get interviewed at half time and they’re dripping all over the reporter. That was me, maybe worse. Then, I managed to only drink one water bottle the whole day. ONE. Don’t ask me why, it was stupid and I just forgot that I was planning a 12 mile run in the morning.

Fail. And a rookie fail at that.

However, today I have been uber intent on making up for that mistake. I’ve drank a ton of water, and will probably continue to until my pee is clear and I’ve gained 5 pounds in water weight. Lesson learned, for now. And that’s the beauty of bad runs—they break you down so that you’re forced to admit what needs to change. I know that when I’ve run too many days in a row, my body lets me know it, and it’s not very kind in doing so.

Gaining this sense of humility makes us take better care of ourselves, and it also helps us to respect the sport of running. More specifically, it helps us to respect ourselves more for being able to run. Bad runs make good runs feel like gold, and we undoubtedly would take our good runs for granted if we weren’t thrown a few gnarly ones every so often.

So the next time you have a bad run, instead of letting your mind get angry that it wasn’t all peaches and sunshine—let your body do the talking. Our bodies are wonderfully responsive, and when we listen to want exactly they want, or don’t want, we gauge a better understanding of our own habits and needs.

I Try to Only Talk About Running…

State of Emergency

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In case you don’t live in Seattle, or you haven’t read anything on Yahoo, Weather.com, or any other news source, the PNW is facing some insane weather conditions. Schools have been closed for two days (looking like it will be three), ice and snow have been falling from the sky—yes I said ice—, and power outages are happening all over. So far, so good here. Still have power, no car calamities, and BF has been working from home for the past two days. Having a WFH buddy has been fun.

To those of you new to this blog…BF is the secret identity name of my boyfriend.

BF, I know you've been around me for 48 hours straight, but hopefully you still like me.

Yesterday, as we awoke and the roads had been laden with ice and snow, I decided that it was a great excuse to take a day off from exercise. I haven’t taken a day off in a while, and so it was the perfect set up to laze around inside. And laze we did. Apart from a short walk at the end of the day and two trips to Starbucks, we stayed in our little home all day. Mac and cheese included.

By the time we were up this morning, I was getting a bit restless. I hadn’t run outside since Saturday…and normally when I take a day off I am up and ready to go the next day ASAP. That doesn’t work so well when ice has coated the snow. Gym was not open, clearly. Literally, there was a layer of ice ON TOP of the several inches of snow, and you needed to break through it in order to clear any of it away. Cleaning our cars off was neat. Driving was even neater.

The best part? Frozen rain fell all morning; little pelts of freezing misery, which made the whole melting thing really difficult.

We are in a State of Emergency, as declared by the state, and the National Guard has been called.

So, what did I decide to do this afternoon?

A run is the best idea during an ice storm.

So, some of you may think I’m a fool and crazy. And that means you’re very smart, I am.

No one should feel the need the run on top of snow and ice, with a headwind, with mini icicles blowing in their face. If this doesn’t sound appealing to you, then I applaud you for being sane.

I am not sane, and I was in my own State of Emergency. This run, however, was awesome.

I didn’t realize how bad my cabin fever had been until I started putting on my running clothes. I hadn’t run outside since Saturday, and so I was really antsy to feel that wind in my face and get some miles behind me. Also, as I officially declared that marathon training had commenced on Tuesday, it was a bit paralyzing to have my wonderful running path stolen from me by Mother Nature.

Screw you, Mother Nature, I say.

(Not really, I’m sure she’s an awesome lady and snow is actually really pretty when it doesn’t inhibit my ability to run.)

But seriously, I decided to act on my habitual, compulsive defiance of obvious variables and go for it. I bundled in an ear warmer, billed hat (most key element), half-zip, long socks, tights, and gloves (second most key element) and I went on my somewhat-apprehensive-but-kind-of-excited merry way.

2 forms of head gear are better than one

And truly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. The snow was compacted enough (thanks fellow West Seattle snow strollers!) that I didn’t really sink into it, and there was enough ice pellets/snow on top of the compacted snow to add some traction. I had to watch my step pretty carefully, and there were points where I had to keep my head down completely so as to avoid getting ice bullets in my eyes, but overall it worked out perfectly fine.

The end of my run was a trek up the hill by our house, which if you haven’t heard, is a monster of a climb. At this point, it was snowing pretty significantly—and let me tell you about how much fun it is to run up a mega steep incline with non-compacted snow to slosh through.

Hint: it’s not.

So despite the slowww going at the end, I finished 12.75 miles (a bit more than I normally intend to do on Thursdays), and I was thoroughly infused with a sparkly feeling of adventure and accomplishment.

post-run giddiness/shivering

It’s really quite liberating to defy all the norms of inhibiting weather and go out and face it head on. I loved this run, not just because it was necessary and made me feel better about beginning marathon training, but because it helped me remember that running is so accessible—no matter the conditions. Sure, I was slower than normal and had frozen sweat/snot on my face the whole time (hot, yes), but I felt incredibly free—of both my cabin fever and the restraints that we so often let get us down.

Currently, BF is planning on working from home again tomorrow, and he made the impulsive decision to bake us some cookies.

APPROVE

Wait, you thought I dated him for his looks, humor, and charm?

Nah.

…kidding

…am I?

Hope everyone in Seattle is safe and warm, and everyone who’s not here…enjoy your ice-free sky. Bad weather really makes you not take things for granted, such has a windshield that doesn’t take HALF AN HOUR to chip/scrap/defrost.

Question: What’s your favorite snow day activity?

Olympic Trials and Eugene Registration

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Hello! Welcome to Tuesday, friends. Hopefully most of you had the day off yesterday and spent your time sleeping in and doing fun-day-off types of activities. For those of you in Seattle (or anywhere in the PNW for that matter), I hope you are staying safe and warm—snow has engulfed us!

It’s funny to see the snow juxtaposed with the ocean. Although I’ve lived in the area for over 5 years now, I still associate the coast with yearlong greenery and a general sense of Summer. The snow is reserved for winters in Colorado and the ski slopes.

Needless to say, when the two clash, I get somewhat thrown off.

West Seattle on Sunday at noon. Doesn't exactly look like a seaside neighborhood, eh?

(source)

Moving on. This weekend was full of running-related fun things. Saturday morning, BF and I tag-teamed a 10k race (each of us ran a 5k and our times were added together). The race was unbelievably cold, rainy, and windy—however we were both glad we did it and we’re planning on doing more in the future. For a full race recap, click here.

After the race, we visited Super Jock ‘n’ Jill, a running store near Greenlake in Seattle, where I officially registed for the Eugene Marathon!

I’m super excited, as this has been the race I’ve been hankering to do for my Spring Marathon. The course is supposed to be fantastic, the weather will be ideal, my grandparents will be able to come, Prefontaine’s legacy will be in the air…it will all around be an awesome experience.

After registering, BF bought a stellar new running top on sale, and we made our way back home where we watched the Olympic marathon trials. I watched both the men and the women from mile 16 or so to the end, and I was engrossed the whole time. I don’t know what’s so enthralling about watching people run, but I loved it.

Not a great picture, but this is BF in his hot new running top.

{Spoiler Alert}

I was really excited for all three of the females who qualified for the Olympics. I love Kara Goucher, and I was really happy for her to make the team after being injured and that whole having a baby thing. Also, Desi Davila is such a hard worker and after reading all about her in Runner’s World Mag this month, I was gunning for her to get a spot. The first place finisher, Shalane Flanagan, ran a 2:25:38 and—get this—it was her SECOND marathon. SECOND. As in, she qualified for the Olympic Trials in her first marathon, and then WON the Olympic trials in her second. Seriously ridiculous. Chick’s got some guts.

I have this Olympic athlete envy problem, big time. Honestly, if I could choose I would probably be a 7 ft. tall pro bball player, however I have always had a big admiration and affection for Olympic athletes. My dad worked for the Olympic Training Center for several years, and so I’m sure this is where it comes from. My biggest/loftiest/far featched dream is to be an Olympic runner, gymnast, or beach volleyball player. Or all three?

Seeing as I am neither a 5 foot, 19-year-old or a 6-foot-tall gazelle of a woman, I would say I have the best shot of the running dream. Okay, maybe I’ll just focus on going for a run later today instead. But I can dream people, ok?

Late in the day on Saturday, after finishing the trials and restlessly lazing around on the couch, I decided to go for a leisurely run. The sun had come out, the wind had marginally died down, and after watching some bad ass chicks knock out 5 minute miles like it was cake—a little neighborhood run seemed quite doable.

I covered 8.5 miles, rounding out my day for a total of 11.6. I loved the run—I felt energized, relaxed, and generally grateful to have a capable and working body. The sun set over Puget Sound as I passed by, and it was nothing short of glorious.

This was my first time doing two-a-day runs, and I was pretty pleased with how I felt overall. Because my first run (the 5k race) was done much quicker than my normal pace, I felt no pressure to do the second run especially fast or aggressive. I understand why more elite athletes and runners use the two-a-day runs as a way to cover a lot of mileage in one week. While I do enjoy showering and being done working out before 9am, I’m not opposed to using this strategy during this training season.

Which brings me to my most forefront thought of the day: marathon training.

I HAVE TO START NOW.

I am wavering between being excited for completing 18, 20, and 22 milers every weekend and being completely freaked out and overwhelmed at all the dedication I am going to have to put forth. I am blessed to be wired, psychologically, to handle the strict nature of marathon training, however that’s more on a day-to-day basis. When I look at the schedule I’m slowly creating in its entirety, I get panicked about all the time and sacrifices necessary to get through it all.

One day at a time though. And it starts, oh, say tomorrow. I actually haven’t determined an official start date because I have a week or so of wiggle room until I officially need to acknowledge that “I’m training for a marathon.”

These are the things I do know, going into training season…

My mileage is higher now than when I started training before.

I need to do speedwork.

I will probably train above 26 miles.

I will do everything I possibly can to not get hurt.

Based on those 4 truths, I will have a bonafied, set-in-stone training schedule hopefully by tomorrow or Thursday. It will probably be a conglomeration of the last program I followed, the programs of fellow marathoner bloggers, and my own crazy ambitions. Stay tuned peeps.

Question: Are you thinking about a Spring race? How are you deciding which type of training schedule to follow?

Running with Friends and My First Personal Ad

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I know I’ve said it before, but I’m really really really over the whole dark-til-8am thing.

It has been taking every single bit of my willpower to hoist myself out of bed at 6am, and that’s after getting plenty of sleep. It might be a version of that seasonal mood disorder, but instead of getting down about the weather I’m just down about the darkness.

This is somewhat strange to me, though, as the dark to me is very solitary in a comforting way. I love running in the dark (although starting off isn’t always fun), and once I get going I love the feeling that I am alone in the quietness of the early morning. It’s different in the Summer when the sun is shining overhead on my early runs, although it may be the same time that in the Winter I feel completely alone.

I know feeling alone might ordinally evoke a feeling of sadness, but for me it’s kind of the opposite. No, I’m not emo, depressed, or completely socially inept—only slightly—,but I’ve always been the kind of person that likes to be by themselves. When I was younger, I preferred to entertain myself as opposed to playing with friends or having sleepovers or whatever was normal for younger girls. I was a bit of a loner, and it was completely fine with me. Today, I still enjoy being alone, although I have managed to accumulate some people that I love spending lots of time with.

{If you are thinking I’m a huge weirdo at this point, it’s okay—you probably should.}

I think the fact that I like being alone is one of the reasons I love running so much. I’m accountable to no one, and I have the unique opportunity to count on no one but myself for strength and guidance. Additionally, running alone activates a certain automated calm within my brain; it’s as if my consciousness has adapted to recognize the act of running as one in which it must let go of lingering thoughts and concentrate on the present moment.

With that said, I am both puzzled and curious about the runners who run together. I can count on two hands the number of runs in my running career I have done with someone else, and although those people are great friends and runners, I honestly can’t remember actually enjoying those runs. I’m sure it’s due in part to the fact that I wasn’t used to it, however I think it’s also just the nature of who I am and the running habits I’ve developed.

My question, then, is why do some runners prefer to be alone, and why do some prefer to be with friends?

Is it simply in our personalities? As in, I’m somewhat anti-social, therefore I prefer antisocial running?

Or is it more in the way we learned to run; if you started your running career with another person, are you drawn to the group-running setup?

I ask these questions because I am, truly, very interested in pursuing some more social interaction in my running. I have heard and read several stories about the power of having a running buddy, and I can only imagine the kinship that comes from sharing miles together. There are running groups in my neighborhood, however whenever I think, “Okay, this week you’ll go,” I shy away from it for the sake of my solitary runs. I think it’s one of those things I need to admit is on my “I’m scared to do this” list and just suck it up and go for it. I did make a New Year’s declaration to banish the things that scare me, didn’t I?

I have this dream of finding a few people that I can do my long runs with, sign up for marathons with, and make cookies and drink wine with while gushing about how much we love running and each other. Sure it’s romanticized, but I can’t help but think that friends who run together have an exceptional bond that’s rare and lasts a lifetime. So this is my personal ad:

If you’re in the Seattle area and think the best way to spend your Sunday morning is to run for 10+ miles and you’re therefore somewhat insane, pretty please contact me for a run date? I promise to provide gorgeous scenery, a stellar recovery breakfast, and an odorless presence. Just kidding! I’ll smell a lot. But so will you, so we can still be friends.

In relation to this topic, I AM excited to say that I have a running/friendship combo coming in the form of a relay race this weekend. BF signed us up to relay a 10k race, and while it won’t exactly be running together—it is closer to group running, right? Our team name is Grizzly Bird, and I’m still hoping to convince him to make shirts with me…

Hope everyone’s week is going well so far!

Question: Do you prefer to run alone or with a friend?

Returning from My Nest

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Greetings!

Serious apologies for my absence, I’ve been in vacation mode big time– which fortunately comes with a lot of fun activities but unfortunately loosens my diligence to blogging.

However, I’m here with a recap some of the fun things that have happened over the past week, including some favorites (per standard Friday procedure.)

Lucky enough for me, my favorites for this week tie in nicely to some info on the happenings in snow-covered Colorado, where I’ve been spending the past holiday week.

As I’ve mentioned, BF and I took an early flight out of Seattle on the 24th, and we’ve currently been stowing away in our respective homes in Colorado Springs since. It’s been lovely here so far, and I love having some leisurely time with my family.

I have fortunately (and somewhat miraculously) been able to maintain my running while here, and although the altitude has definitely stretched my lungs to their capacity, I’m grateful that my physical condition is good enough to work around the compromising elevation. I’ve run 4 times since I’ve been here, the longest run being 12 miles, and I’m looking forward to building up some powerful red blood cells that can gulp oxygen like a beer-bonging frat boy.

So, in order to make this week-overdo post at least somewhat manageable in terms of length, I’m going to try and condense my trip recap and my Friday favorites into one glorious sequence. Prepare yourself, because I don’t really know how this will turn out…

I’ll try, though.

Friday Favorites!

1) Ice Skating

Mommy and me.

We went ice skating two days after Christmas, and despite the fact that it’s slightly horrifying when you first step on the ice, it turned out to be super fun. I realized that there aren’t too many activities that you participate in as a child that can be equally as enjoyable as an adult.

I highly recommend participating in something you used to do but somehow fell away from. Sure, it’s a little scary and the likelihood of falling on your ass and embarrassing yourself in front of a ton of speed-skating-triple-axel-doing 5 year olds is somewhat high, however there is something refreshing about returning to basics and reminding yourself of a long lost fun time.

2) Miniature Fruit

I must write a book about this cutie. It will be called, "The Littlest Tangerine."

So this doesn’t entirely describe much about my trip, however I’ve consumed about 100 of these little babies (thanks to multiple shipments from my grandparents in California), and they are spectacular.

I love little, cute fruit, and whenever I have the option of miniature versus regular sized anything, the tiny things almost always win.

3) Running-Themed Gifts

Best ornament ever! Running shoes that strangely look very similar to mine.

This year, my family rocked it and gave me several gifts related to running. It started out with my lovely running shoes ornament, which is spectacular, but I also received socks, energy gummies, a gorgeous long sleeved tech shirt, AND a “26.2” sticker! I have been too nervous for whatever reason to buy one for myself, so I was PUMPED to be bestowed with a lovely pink one bought by my stepmom (who has also run full marathons).

The gifts helped remind me that running is an ongoing work in progress. It doesn’t just exist for warm weather, training season, or racing– but it exists wherever and whenever we want it to, which is frankly an awesome thing. I love knowing that wherever I am, so long as I have my beloved Asics, I can lace up and return to the quiet, happy place that running provides me.

4) Beauty and the Beast- RETURNING!

Midnight showing? Ohh yes.

So, if you haven’t already heard, Beauty and the Beast is the best Disney movie of all time, and Belle is not only the most independent and educated princess out there– but she’s also the prettiest. No discussion on this matter, sorry.

Anyways, my beloved favorite Disney movie is coming BACK to the big screen. It’s in 3D this time, which I guess is cool if you’re into 3D, but frankly I’m just pumped that I get to make a date night out of going to the movie theater and seeing this timeless classic

I recommend you go too.

5) My Dog

Beauty sleep.

If I’m being perfectly honest here, I haven’t always gotten along with our dog. She’s manipulative, hysterical, and frankly does anything she can to get her way…and in the past we’ve clashed big time. However, now that I don’t see her as often and our interaction is limited, I have found this sneaky little pseudo-lab to be a bundle of love.

I think it’s partially due to the fact that the rest of my family practically considers her to be a fourth child, however I do love coming home and knowing that this pup will never change…and that we will still love her for it.

A little creepy, a little cute, a lot of love.

I do have a lot more updating to do on my trip, and I’ll be sure to flesh out more details later on. However, for now I’m enjoying staying in the moment and not letting my consistent desire to chronicle my life override my ability to actually live it.

In a nutshell, I’m loving being with my family, this holiday season has been truly wonderful, and I’m looking forward to basking in the hope and promise that a new year brings along with it.

2012 is going to be great, I can feel it.

Resolutions and more vacation highlights are soon to come! Right now, I’m going to concentrate on soaking up my mile high vacay (literally) and abusing the dessert-after-every-meal holiday excuse until the very last second.

It’s getting bad people, but I’m not stopping.

Also, I’m going to the Lakers vs. Nuggets game on New Years Day. Dear Denver, please don’t kick me out..I can’t help my passion for the purple and gold.

Yes, there it is for the world to see… I’m a Lakers fan through and through.

Tell me about your holiday celebrations! Any annoying dogs you got to cuddle with or fun shaped ornaments you received?

Friday Faves and Explaining my Hypocrisy

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Happy Friday to you!

I’m definitely excited to reach the end of the week, however I’m also horrified that come tomorrow Christmas Eve is ONE WEEK away. I’ll be flying with BF to Colorado at 7 am on Christmas Eve morning, where we’ll spend the next 10 or so days hanging in our hometown. I’m really excited, it just seemed to creep up so quickly!

Alright, so obviously Friday Favorites will be presented shortly, however I need to take a brief minute to explain a bit about the conflicting posts that I had this week. On Tuesday I wrote all about being a morning runner; as you might remember I went on and on about the advantages of doing your workout in the morning, and from my high and mighty thrown I advocated how everyone should push their inclination to hit the snooze button aside and strap on some running shoes.

Something like that, right?

So then yesterday[during a particularly foul mood, could you tell?]I admitted that earlier that day I had neglected my plan for a usual Thursday morning run and went back to sleep instead. Directing contradicting my message about being all go-getter-ish.

Nice Robyn, negate your OWN advice on your own blog. Talk the talk and then immediately not walk[run] the walk?

However, that’s not exactly what happened, and let me explain—because I think explaining this conflict of principles will offer some insight into my own development as a runner.

I’ve advocated on this blog the importance of rest, both for runners and for regular exercisers in general. Rest offers muscle recovery, mental reprieve, and an overall rejuvenation of our motivation. However, I admittedly have a difficult time following this advice, and it finally caught up with me yesterday morning when I ignored my alarm.

Although I’ve become much better at making sure I don’t overdo it in terms of running, I still enjoy doing something active nearly every day. Because I include a lot of variety, I often don’t realize that I haven’t taken a day off in a while. What happens, then, is because I don’t really recognize the fact that I’m burning out, I start to get grumpy about my workouts and less inclined to enjoy them. Yesterday morning, it finally hit me that the easier choice (sleeping in) was actually the better choice for me. And in lots of ways, it actually wasn’t the easier choice. This might sound somewhat elitist or snarky, however it’s actually more difficult for me to choose to take a break than it is to get to the gym or get out for a run.

Frankly, I love the way I feel both physically and mentally when I exercise—and so I see nothing wrong with trying to feel that way all the time. I treat my workouts, both before, during, and after, as an athlete would, meaning I know my limits, I’m fueling and refueling properly, and I’m staying safe. However, part of being a smart athlete is knowing when your body is saying, “Time out here tiger.”

So, in a nutshell, that’s why I completely contradicted my morning running post yesterday. I know I have the capacity the get myself up and run, but reminding myself that I also have the smarts and the control to know when I need a break is equally as important to both this sport and my own mental health.

I was very grateful for the day off yesterday, and today I felt rested and ready to gear up once again.

Running in the morning is great, but so is knowing when rest is more important than a daily workout.

Enough heavy stuff…let’s get to Friday Faves!!

I want to give a quick shout out to my coworker Leanne, who has started doing Friday Favorites on her blog as well. It’s spreading!

Also, this week on Glee, they sang “My Favorite Things” from the Sound of Music, and yes my head was exploding from the overload of my own favorite things all coexisting in one united spectacle. It was awesome.

1) Foam Rollers

"I will hurt you so good."

If you are familiar with this innocent looking tube of foam, you know one thing: This shit HURTS. Seriously, I have to hide my face whenever I use these at my gym, or else people will be all, “Why does that girl look like she’s constipated and about to cry at the same time?”

Not a pretty visual, huh? Yea, it’s not.

So why, you may ask, is this little devil on my favorite list? Well, despite how excruciating it may be, foam rollers actually do wonders for runners. If you can endure it, rolling out your legs after a run does an incredible job of loosening the muscles that get super tight when you’re running. Namely, your IT bands, pirifomis muscles, hamstrings, and hips in general. I find that if I spend just 5 minutes rolling my legs on one of these after a long run, I recover much quicker and I can prevent injuries from developing.

If you’re a distance runner and don’t already use one of these, get on it. The prevention in and of itself will be worth it.

2) Fro-Yo

Art.

Let it be known: I. Love. Fro-Yo.

Specifically, the newest fad of pay-by-weight fro-yo joints where there are several flavors available and endless amounts of toppings to choose from. The best part is that you get to make your OWN, therefore the opportunities for combinations (and quantity) are endless.

Last night, BF was in the mood for sweets(99% of the time it’s the other way around), and so when he mentioned fro-yo, I said, “I actually I love you a little more right now.”

No, I didn’t say that—but I might have thought it.

3) Nicki Minaj

I know she’s uber popular and overplayed right now, but I really cannot get enough of this chick.

I think she’s mega talented and unique, and her songs have me constantly dancing in my seat. In public. Just try her out if you haven’t yet, and not just Super Bass or Fly—but some of her lesser known stuff.

And yes, Mom, I know it’s explicit content.

4) Yoga

You know, just me on the beach, getting my "Tree" on. Damn paparazzi.

Yoga is a new found love of mine, and although it took me a while to actually learn to love it, I simply cannot get enough of it.

[When people say, “It took me a while to learn to love/like something,” it actually means, “I really effing hated/resented it for a long time.”]

There are so many reasons why I love yoga, both mentally and physcially, however I feel that the biggest reason is the sense of presence I get from it. Yoga forces us, whether consciously or not, to focus our attention on the present moment. I think it has a large part to do with the breathing, combined with the need to focus on each isolated movement.

No matter how stressed or distracted I may be, I never leaving a yoga class without feeling at least a little bit better and calmer. Yoga offers me an hour of stillness, which I think so many of us shy away from in our fast-pace world. We never long for the opportunity to be present because so few parts of our day allow us to really experience it. However, I truly believe that if we can connect with the present—independent of whatever else is going on in our busy lives—if even just once a day, we will can reacquaint ourselves with the beautiful things in life we so often take for granted.

Also…

yoga + running legs = ohhhh yaaaa

If you’re a runner, yoga feels fan-flipping-tastic, and it relieves our muscles of the impact they take on during running.

5) Peppermint Bark

For best results (and sustainability) store in freezer!

I always see peppermint bark around grocery stores during the holidays, and instead of shelling out to buy a small bag of it, I decided to make my own instead. I still shelled out a bit, but after making two batches of this seasonal treat—it was worth it.

This stuff has now become my drug of choice for December 2011. Not that I change metaphorical drugs every month, but you get the point.

It’s delicious, it’s pretty, and it makes a great present! I got the recipe from this post on the blog Peanut Butter Fingers, another recent addiction of mine.

There you have it, 5 more Friday Favorites! I hope everyone has a great weekend. BF and I will be racing on Sunday, so I’ll write a recap to post for Monday!

Now…tell me a few of your favorite things!

Run Birdie Run

…because it's the only way to fly.

Category Archives: Running

Step One: Start Running

An {Exercise} Affair to Remember

Impromptu 25k Race Recap

Bad Runs Happen

I Try to Only Talk About Running…

State of Emergency

Olympic Trials and Eugene Registration

Returning from My Nest

Friday Faves and Explaining my Hypocrisy