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Friday Favorites: Comfortable Pace and Being Kind

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We made it to Friday. Did this week seem especially long to anyone else? I’ve been thinking it’s Friday since about Tuesday night, and I’ve been pining for the weekend ever since.

Sweet, it’s nearly here.

This weekend has some serious running endeavors planned out, and I’m a little afraid. Mainly because Sunday is supposed to be a—GAH—20 mile run.

Damnit. I said it, therefore I’m accountable.

I’m planning on approaching it with this mindset: I’ve done it before, it’s only two miles more than I ran two weeks ago, and there will be many cookies on either end of it.

Also, I have this new strategy in tackling long runs—or any run, for that matter—and it’s new to me. It’s called: Running at a Comfortable Pace.

Groundbreaking, right?! I have this really horrible fixation on running at or below MP(Marathon Pace) on, oh, every run I do. It’s not an extremely difficult pace, but it’s not exactly comfortable either. This habit is so silly. Runs do not always need to be as fast as you ideally would want, and in fact it’s good for you to do some slow and steady miles in addition to quicker runs.

Blah, blah, blah…I know this, and I need to get better. Unfortunately, I am a distance runner who still has the brain of her former sprinter self. However, yesterday morning I was incredibly intent on running at a comfortable pace. I knew not checking my watch and panicking if I wasn’t around 8:00 minute miles would be hard, but I really wanted to just “feel it” instead of push it. Highly successful run; I finished 12 miles in 1:41:30, and although it’s not MP, it’s not bad for being a very comfortable run.

Let’s get to some favorites though, and I’ll leave 20 sweaty miles for Sunday AM.

– $5 round-trip airfare

HOLLA

Thanks to lucky timing and to my Alaska Airlines credit card, I ended up paying out-of-pocket FIVE DOLLARS for my spring vacation to my home turf of Los Angeles, CA. Okay, yea sure, that also means that I won’t have another free flight until I purchase thousands of dollars worth of things on my card—but the novelty of a $5 flight is still awesome.

That being said, I am PUMPED for this trip. I love to travel, whether it’s to a place I’ve never been or to a place I’ve been dozens of times. I’ll be meeting up with my family for a week of desert camping (better than it sounds) and perusing through Lotus Land looking for Seth and Sandy Cohen.

– My Timex watch

This was a 10 miler I clocked recently. NBD

You can keep your fancy Garmins and heart rate monitors. My little blue Ironman Timex and I are just peachy-keen happy with one another. I got this guy(or maybe it’s a girl, I actually never thought about it) a little over three years ago, and s/he’s been kicking ever since.

Don’t tell my baby blue, but I have toyed with the idea of getting a real Garmin watch. I know it all—keeping logs of my heart rate, my splits, my mileage, etc. would be an ideal addition to training. I know someday (don’t tell lil blue!) I’ll get one, however for right now I like not knowing my miles and calories burned on a moment’s notice. There’s something fun about doing the math after a run to figure out my pace and rate, and even when I do get all fancy and digital I plan on keeping my trusty Timex sidekick around. She(I decided female feels right) and I have been through a lot together in my life as a runner, and I could never, actually, let her go.

– Holiday Appropriate M and M’s

If you ask me to make dessert, I WILL make too much and I WILL bring options

Correction: Accessorizing Desserts with Holiday Appropriate M and M’s

BF and I decided that for V-day, we would make dinner together and he would provide the libations and I would provide the dessert. Obviously I was torn with this task; not because it was too daunting or I didn’t have time, but because the possibilities were too endless. In the end, I couldn’t decide and ended up just supplying us with two options. This was a very good idea, despite the fact that I think I’m still sweating brownie batter.

And yes, the plate above was originally intended for the two of us.

And no, we did not finish all of it. I do have some self control people—and plus, the best part of making yummy things is having BF bring them to his office and therefore winning girlfriend points.

– My Car

{This isn't actually my real car, but it's pretty darn spot on}

So I didn’t actually own a car myself until I graduated college, therefore buying this car was not only a milestone in becoming an adult, it was a milestone in gaining automotive liberty!

I absolutely love this little Toytoa Corolla, named Glinda, and she’s been a trooper ever since I got her—off Craigslist, I’ll have you know. Sure, she’s had some interesting moods at times, as in she doesn’t feel like starting, or she doesn’t feel like shutting down the engine when the key is out of the ignition…THIS HAPPENED.

BUT this little girl has been quite reliable, and I still perk up whenever I see her ready to take me all the places I need to go.

– Random Acts of Kindness

This photo is completed unrelated. But it works for some reason, doesn't it? Also, you're welcome.

Listen up: Today is National Random Act of Kindness Day!

I will fully admit that I think this recent onset of “National” holidays is a bit fishy, but as someone who both loves holidays and communal kindness, I’ll pay attention to this one.

Something I wholeheartedly believe in is the concept of Paying it Forward. We live in a world where approximately 99% of our energy is focused on Number One. We are self-serving creatures by nature, and in a lot of ways we cannot help it—it’s how we’re hardwired in order for survival. However, since I’m pretty sure that the majority of Americans aren’t currently being run down by lions and are within 50 miles of some source of food, I think we can take at least a day to do something for someone else.

{And if you are currently being hunted by safari animals or you’re in a desolate region without food or water, WTF are you doing reading this blog? Also, I know you have either a smart phone or a laptop, therefore I don’t really feel bad for you.}

Moving on, I dare you to try reaching outside of yourself to do one nice thing for someone else. It takes such little effort, but it can make—in my opinion—all the difference in the world. It’s as simple as giving the change in your pocket to the homeless man you pretend to ignore every day, complimenting a stranger on their bag (this should be genuine—btw), or paying for a stranger’s coffee. I am convinced that acts of kindness have a chain reaction, and they are a perfect example of small efforts making a big difference. Paying it Forward is one of the most accessible and simplest ways in which we can make a change in our world. And frankly, with all the hostility, anger, and self-absorption that clouds our outlook on society—we could all use a little more kindness. I truly believe this, and I think you’ll find that doing something nice for someone else will bring a spring to your step as well.

Kindness doesn’t need to be altruistic. But we do need more of it.

 

5 more faves in the bag! I hope you are getting psyched for your weekend ahead, and if you’re willing to share…

What Random Act of Kindness have you received before? What are your Friday Favorites?

Friday Favorites: Girly Weekend Glory

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I always love Fridays, however this one is especially awesome because (drum roll please…)

I get to spend ALL WEEKEND with my sister Corey. She goes to school about 2 hours north of me in Bellingham, and although that’s not that far, it’s far enough to where we don’t get to see each other as often as we’d like. Hence, when we plan a weekend together—we take special care in ensuring that it’s the best kind of fun possible. My sister and I have fairly identical lists in terms of the things that make us happy, and so when you couple together mutual excitement for certain activites—oh, it’s just great.

Nevertheless, our weekend will be filled with perhaps the girliest activites possible—including but not limited too: Pedicures, shopping at the Lululemon OUTLET (yes, it exists), eating delicious food, and seeing The Vow.

C'mon, you know you're curious...

 So I’m not a diehard fan of these super cheesy chick flicks, but they’re always fun to get wrapped up in—and The Notebook may have changed my 16-year-old life, so here’s hoping for a Rachel McAdams repeat.

Seriously though, do you remember the raining/”It still isn’t over!”/bedroom scene?

Holy hell.

Anyways, amidst all these fun endeavours, there will be some running involved. My sister is getting her hot yoga on tomorrow morning, so I really have no excuse to not do my long run. Plus, Bellingham is where I ran my first half marathon, so I have a running soft spot for it. I’m hoping for 16 miles, but we’ll see what happens.

I’m also bringing my sister and housemates these to ensure they let me come back.

Heyyy Corey I hope you don't read/see this before I get there!

 

In a nutshell (I really don’t like this expression, but there aren’t too many alternatives) , I’m pumped for the weekend.

Now for some Friday Favorites…

-Thumbhole Shirts

pink thumbhole shirts get bonus points

So I have been having this issue recently where I wear a grand total of three different outfits—all the time. It’s bad, and I should really encorporate the rest of my wardrobe because I’m sure it’s cold and lonely in my closet.

But for now, running and yoga clothes are really what I’m preferencing—specifically long sleeved shirts with thumb holes. I love these shirts both on cold runs and in everyday life (see latte-holding photo above). For someone who is chronically cold, a little added coziness really makes me happy.

– Target

I fully own how ridiculously American it is for me to be so passionate about a corporate chain store, but I really can’t help it and I’m not going to try and stop. I love everything about Target, even just being there smelling the buttery week-old popcorn in the cafe. I spent a solid hour there yesterday just kind of wandering around looking at the myriad of things, and I loved it.

Yes I bought a few necessary items too…it wasn’t a total “Oh my God Robyn what a waste of your life” moment. And by necessary items, I do mean Valentine’s Day things and a new shirt.

– Cooking

My medallion-shaped masterpiece!

I know what you might be thinking…

“Isn’t this the chick who only posts food pictures of Chipotle and store-bought cookies?”

I’m not out to fool anyone…I do love to cook, I just don’t happen to do it too often. Which is why, unlike many fitness bloggers, I don’t put up every meal I eat. First of all, because that’s super boring, and secondly because I really don’t think you want to see pictures of green smoothies and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches repeated over and over again. I’m a creature of habit, what can I say?

That being said, when I do decide to get crazy and actually cook something, I really do enjoy it. Last night I decided to go nuts and make a main dish AND a side. Really out there people. I made two things I know BF doesn’t particularly care for because he’s out of town, and it was delightful. Roasted eggplant with tomato sauce and zucchini fritters—both easy, healthy, and delicious.

– The Stick

I hate you. But my muscles love you. So we can be civil.

So, I should first say that I actually loathe this device. BF and I take turns kneading out each other’s calves with this little devil, and by the end both of us are in so much pain I’m surprised we don’t break the thing in half. Seriously, I nearly have to bite a pillow just to keep my composure while getting massaged horribly abused by this God foresaken thing.

However, this little guy makes my running so much better, and I’m convinced it helps save me from injury and chronic soreness. Therefore, it makes the favorites list, despite all else. You can stick around my painful friend. (Do you see what I did there? I hope so, because otherwise I just giggled by myself.)

– Chocolate Soy Milk

Mmmm this stuff is the best. Both BF and I use it as a run recovery drink (if you haven’t heard, choco milk is stellar for muscle repair post-run), and I use in my coffee as well when I make a pot at home.

Truth be told, dairy and I don’t get along well thanks to my digestive issues (please ignore the feta and sour cream in the picture above). And so, soymilk and almond milk are life savers—and delicious ones at that. If you aren’t a fan of soymilk but are trying to lessen your dairy intake, I do recommend trying this chocolate variety—because chocolate makes everything better, and I know a lot of anti-soy people who are sold on this variation.

 

There you are! 5 more Friday Favorites in the bag, and I’m feeling peppier than when I started. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

NOW YOU! WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE THINGS THIS WEEK? WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE WEEKEND?

Naked Running and other Happy Things

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This morning, I ran naked.

Except that I was wearing clothes, unfortunately.

Actually, I think running naked would be uncomfortable…both physically and socially.

Anyways, I did run sans watch and iPod, and I realized that it may have been the first time I’ve ever done this. Even though I’ve been growing accustom to running without music, I always know the start and stop times of my runs, at the very least. Obviously wearing a watch is essential to training properly in terms of gauging speed and splits and such. However, there is added pressure when wearing a watch—and this morning I found that it can be quite freeing to do some runs without knowledge of time.

I wasn’t too set on running this morning: My legs have been tired recently, I had a very poor performance on yesterday’s run, and I was kinda blah about the idea of running. However, building my mileage right now for Eugene is necessary, and I knew that a slow, short run-around would actually make my legs less stiff. The lack of strictness to this run is what inspired me to throw aside my watch and iPod, and just like that…off I went, naked, into the sunrise.

And it was beautiful; Seattle has been taken over by sunshine (I know, RIGHT?) and although I didn’t feel too fast, it was nice to just be. I also saw two lab puppies, which inevitably helps any situation go from 0 to perfect instantly.

I love puppies, I need one.

Anyways, let’s get to talking about our favorite things, shall we?

– berry veggie Naked juice

I am definitely a smoothie-at-home kind of person, but sometimes it’s quite nice to just buy a pre-made blend of fruits and veggies. This (new?) Naked juice is just the ticket, and I love it. If you don’t like beets or beet juice, I recommend staying away from this concoction, but if so I definitely suggest giving it a try. There’s also not as much sugar in it as other juices, which I appreciate because I prefer my added sugar to come from cookies, not from juice.

See? Like this big beauty.

-Neon Sports Bras

Yes, I realize this is a picture of my boobs. Sorry about that.

Yes, you are looking at that picture correctly. My shorts bra STAINED my shirt via profuse sweating. If that isn’t cool, I don’t know what is. It’s also disgusting, sure, but like…have you ever seen this happen before?? Remember yesterday how I told you I was super dehydrated from excessive sweat during spin? Here is my proof.

I’m reallllyyy hoping that my shirt isn’t permanently stained, but for right now I’ve determined that not only is this my favorite sports bra, its my favorite piece of clothing. It’s bad ass, and it tells my other clothes whats up.

– Optimistic Forecasts

Is this real life???

See that right there??? That’s SIX days of sunshine predicted for the Pacific Northwest. Not only sunshine, but temperatures that don’t warrant wearing two pairs of wool socks and devoting my paycheck to the heating bill.

LOVE IT.

Sure, it might not pan out exactly as predicted, but I enjoy feeling excited for our weather.

– Scramble with Friends

I’m. Obsessed.

If you have the ability to download this game (it’s free), and you feel the need to procrastinate an excessive amount, I insist you get this game. It’s just like Boggle, but online and less noisy.

Find me, I’ll play you.

– Single-Tone Hair

Awkward self-portrait in the car...but no longer two-tone! And look! Sun!

I have been on a bit of a hair-maintenance hiatus since August, and although I can typically withstand a few months of root-grow out, enough was enough.

I was starting to look a bit like I belonged on People of Walmart, therefore I gave in and finally returned to my pretending-to-be-a-blonde hairdo. And I love it, and fineeee….I guess I don’t need to wear a baseball cap every day of the week.

 

That’s all for Friday Favorites! I’m starting to think I’ll compile a master list of all the random favorite things I recount every week…I feel it would make me happy to read. And happiness is good. Speaking of, if you are looking for a good pick-me-up, I highly recommend this video:

Questions:

Do you ever run/workout without a watch or iPod?

What are some of your favorite things?

 

2012 Miles and Friday Favorites

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Happy Friday all 🙂

Today is spectacular is Seattle, WA—blue skies, sunshine, and a nice-end-of-January crispness of 40 degrees. If you’ve never experienced the phenomenon of seeing Seattle residents break out of their cocoons when the sun comes out—I highly recommend it. Watching a bunch of people used to rain and clouds react to the sunshine is hysterical, and results in a lot of smiles, shirtless sun bathing despite the temperature, increased beach occupancy (again, despite temperatures), and wayyy too many, “How about the weather???”

I fall for it too, though, and you really realize how awesome sunny days are when you’ve been layered in clouds for three months.

The sun started yesterday afternoon, and I purposefully moved my morning run to later in the day for this exact reason. I woke up to hard rain on my window, and knowing that the sun would be out later was reason enough to sleep a bit more.

I was antsy and restless without my morning dose of endorphins and sweat, however the wait was worth it—the run was spectacular. Shorts and a t-shirt, no iPod necessary, AND I finished the 12.25 miles averaging 7:49 splits. This, for me, is very quick—and I’m not sure if it was the restlessness, the extra fuel/hydration, or simply the sun, but this time amped me up.

Moving on, along with scheduling marathons, half-marathons, and various other endeavors that require carbohydrates and result in a medal, one of my goals for 2012 is to run 2012 miles. BF came up with this idea, and once I hear a number—I have a hard time not wanting desperately to reach it. This goal is very dependent on staying injury free, and even with marathon training it will definitely be a stretch to reach it. I’ll keep quarterly updates on how this goal is coming along, but as of right now…the year is 7.37% over and I have run 7.68% of my goal. A bit ahead, which is great, but stay tuned…

Now onto Friday Favorites!

For those of you who are new, I decided that recalling your Favorite Things are a great mood booster…therefore I have devoted my favorite day of the week to listing some of my all-time and current faves.

1) My Shower, specifically…My Shower after running.

mmmmm, cleanness

So BF and I scored when we moved in terms of our shower. We live in an older house, so the tub is one of those raised, claw foot tubs with a curtain that wraps around the inside. The shower head, however, is a rain shower head and therefore engulfs you beneath it.

Also, for whatever reason our water heater is up way too high and our shower can get HOT. I love being warm, and therefore I steadily increase my shower temperature throughout the duration of my bathing.

Showering after running, also, is almost better than a huge bowl of oatmeal after running—ALMOST. Specifically during this time of year, I feel like my body and muscles totally thaw out and relax in the shower after I run—and because running is refreshing on its own, adding a smelling good/clean factor to the cleansing runner’s high is magical.

2) Over-sized Food

14 inches of goat cheesy heaven

Okay, let me first say that I am the first person to criticize the American idea of portions. In my opinion, it’s the biggest reason for the obesity epidemic.

HOWEVER. Sometimes, I really really really love/need a massive piece of pizza, or a really big cookie. Lucky me—last night, both entered my belly, and they were very happy to be there. This slice of heaven came from Tallaricos, a restaurant in West Seattle BF and I had never been, and it was insanely large and insanely good.

3) Born to Run

I will admit….I started this book a longgg time ago, and put it down because it just wasn’t holding my interest. However, thanks to the persuasion of numerous friends and family members, I decided to give it a go once again. And I LOVE it. This book is all about those crazy runners out there—the types that do ultras every other weekend and enjoy running 100 miles up mountains.

These people absolutely fascinate me, and this book has me totally hooked!

4) Peanut Butter; or really any type of nut that has been turned into a creamy, delicious spread.

I honestly feel like I’m downplaying my love of peanut butter by putting it in my Friday Favorites, but seeing as this Tuesday was National Peanut Butter Day, it felt appropriate.

I actually feel that I should be writing an epic poem, an ode, or perhaps a love song about my affection for peanut butter. It’s deep, passionate, and above all—everlasting.

5) My iPhone

SO. This past weekend, I finally converted to being an iPod person. I’ve never had a smart phone before, and although I hate to admit it, this thing is…awesome. I don’t exactly know how to work it correctly yet, however it’s very shiny, simple, and allows for ample procrastination. All good things.

Also, it will make chronicling my experiences for my blog much easier, so that is quite nice.

 

In the words of Cartoon Network, “That’s all folks!”

I’ll be spending the weekend in Spokane with my dear friend Anna, so recap on that on Monday. Happy Friday!

Question: What are YOUR Friday Favorites?

Friday Favorites

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No banter today…let’s get straight to the favorites!

1) Baseball hats

(awkward self-taken photo)

Oh baseball hats, how multidimensional you are. You provide relief from rain and snow on winter runs, you provide shade and coolness during summer runs, and you provide an instant fix to a no-shower or bad hair day.

I admit I have gotten in a bad habit of putting off washing my hair and simply wearing a hat all day. I wash my body every day….mostly…however it seems that these past 3 or so months I’ve adapted to the every-other-day routine in terms of shampooing.

I’ve heard this is good for your hair, and as someone who has abdicated haircuts until further notice, I need all the “health” my hair can get. Sure, sometimes it lasts longer than 24 hours…or 36…but that’s what hats are for, and I love them.

{I really am a clean person, honestly}

2) Little Rae’s sugar cookies

Git in mah bellehh!

So, I have this an undying love for the huge sugar cookies from our specialty grocers, the Metropolitan Market. These cookies change shape with every season and holiday, and I think that they are actually intended for children, but they are a staple in my dessert repertoire. These beautiful V-Day hearts made their debut this week, and BF promptly brought one home for me after spotting them.

True love, people.

3) Bird of Paradise pose

This is not me. In case you were wondering.

(Source)

I really like this particular yoga pose for two reasons:

1. The name, duh. Whenever my instructor suggests going into this pose she says, “Let’s rise birdies.” Obviously I know she is really talking to me.

2. This is one of the only advanced yoga poses that I can actually do without drawing too much attention to myself. I normally go to beginner classes, meaning that each pose has the option of the easiest to the hardest degree of difficulty. I’m normally somewhere in the middle, which is just fine, however I do like being able to do this one with confidence.

4) Google

It’s just really, really helpful.

I’m nervous it knows me better than I know myself, but for now…I accept it.

Okay, clearly I’m running out stand-out favorite things for this week. But that’s okay, because I’m generally just thankful for all the great things in my life right now—and sometimes it’s best to just be content in the present moment.

Rain is washing away our snow right now, and despite the mass amounts of water draining all over Seattle—I’m hoping we are on our way back to some normalcy.

Questions: What are your plans for this weekend? Do you have any particular favorite thing that stands out today?

Friday (the 13th!) Faves

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I’m not really superstitious, so the fact that it’s Friday the 13th isn’t too significant for me. However, if something totally nut-so, crazy were to happen…I probably wouldn’t think it’s a coincidence. That’s why I’m glad that race day for this week happens to be tomorrow and not today.

BF and I will be tag-teaming a 10k tomorrow morning as a part of the monthly Magnuson Series races at Magnuson Park in Seattle. We’ll both run at the same time (each do a 5k) and then our times will be added together. I’m pretty excited, as I haven’t run a 5k since August, and I think it will be fun to do it in a relay-like style.

Race recap to follow!

GOOD NEWS. Nordstroms is super awesome, and they exchanged my claustrophobic shoes without question (despite the fact that they’ve been worn through rain, snow, dirt, etc. for about a month). I love good return policies.

I had to pay the additional amount for the upgraded version of my shoes, but it was a small price to pay for having happy feet. I’m really hoping these new shoes help relieve my plantar faciitis/tendonitis/annoying pangs in my feet.

Which brings me to…

Friday Faves:

1) Purple Asics 2170s

too much???

Okay, so these shoes have some serious amounts of pink and purple on them. There really was no choice of the matter; I knew these were the shoes I needed, and didn’t want to experiment with others.

With that said, I haven’t decided yet if I super duper love the fact that they scream “I AM A FEMALE,” or if I think it’s too much for me. I like the color pink, don’t get me wrong, but not in that “everything I buy must be pink, purple, or have hearts on it” kind of way.

For now though, I am liking the flashiness, and I especially like the fact that these little gems are treating my feet oh-so-good.

2) Puffy Coat

I am WARM in my freezing cold house! Hallelujah!

I swear to you, I don’t think I have ever actually been warm until I first put on this fluffy ball of heaven. My Mom and Kate have worn these uber puffy North Face coats for years, and they bestowed me with one of my very own for Christmas this year.

Thanks ladies!

Anyway, I am addicted to wearing this coat. I leave it on for all hours of the day, and I only take it off to go to bed. You think I’m kidding, but I’m not. I have even brushed my teeth and washed my face before bed while still wearing this coat. It’s divine.

Do I have circulation issues, you ask? Probably.

3) Thai food

noodles and tofu and broccoli and mmmmm

This is definitely not anything new, but I needed to pay homage to my everlasting love of thai food. It is really hard to find bad thai food, and luckily living in Seattle ensures that there will be thai restaurants—both hole in the wall and gourmet—on just about every other block.

BF and I have ventured to many a thai location, and we’ve found that the places that have no sign out front, completely inaccurate spelling on the menus, and cats roaming around on the inside are actually some of the best thai food you can find. Except that one time BF found a piece of raw chicken in his takeout.

That wasn’t too cool.

4) “Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson

This song seriously ROCKS. Seriously you guys, if you need an instant confidence boost or a quick boost of motivation, I recommend blasting this song. Dance too if you need to. My spin instructor Jeoff just added this to his playlist, and it is super motivating. I highly recommend adding it your workout/running/dance/happiness playlist ASAP.

A special shot out to Leanne in regards to this song. She knows why.

 

That’s all for today! Hope your Friday was great and your holiday weekend is splendid.

Question: What are your favorite things this week?

 

Fat Feet and Friday Favorites

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First off, holy alliteration. Please don’t hate me yet…I’m really not that nerdy.

Wait, yes I am.

So, the bad news is that my feet have started a revolution against me.

The good news is that I officially figured out why. For the past month or so, I’ve been getting some tendonitisy feelings after my longer runs in both my feet. It’s a new feeling, and I’ve been trying to figure out which abnormal factors have been contributing to these aches. Well this morning I realized why, and frankly I feel a bit foolish.

When I replaced my old pair of Asics with the “exact same pair” at the Nordstrom anniversary sale, I failed to checked the width of the shoes. Turns out, they are actually the opposite of what I need—narrow as opposed to wide. You see, I have Fred Flintstone feet, and therefore I always need the widest running shoes possible. It takes me a while to find shoes that work, and so when I do manage to nail down a certain pair—I stick with them as long as they’re on the market.

So, despite the fact that I’ve been wearing these skinny shoes for oh about a month, I’m still going to try an exchange them. Stay tuned for results.

Don’t worry feet, you’ll soon be relieved of your narrow-footed prisons.

Moving on…

This week’s Friday Favorites!

1) Push Ups

Cute picture of the day.

So I realize this is a very simplistic exercise, however I have rediscovered my love for the basic push-up. I’ve been trying to do at least 20 a day, which I know isn’t a ton, but I really feel that there are tangible benefits to doing frequent push ups. Push ups work your chest, arms, back, and even core—making them an incredibly effective exercise. My personal favorite thing about push ups is that you can do them no matter where you are, so even if I’m away from weights or lifting machines, I can still get a decent strength workout by doing some of these babies.

If you are new to push ups, I highly recommend starting up a regular routine of doing them. Start slow, and focus on good form—meaning keep your butt down and bend your arms to a 90 degree angle. If you need to start on your knees, that’s totally allowed, and I think you’ll find that after just a little practice you’ll be a push-up pro.

2) NBA Basketball

Back in action, baby!

So I will be the first person to slap the hands (or faces) of all the NBA owners and players whose greed for way more money than any of them deserve delayed the start of the NBA season.

However, despite all the ridiculousness of the debates that took place, I am PSYCHED that the season has officially started. Basketball is definitely my favorite sport to both watch and play, and I can be entertained by pretty much NBA game on—whether it’s a team I love (Lakers, Nugs, etc.) or a team I loath (CELTICS). Thanks for getting over yourselves guys—this fan sure appreciates seeing your tall sweaty selves ballin’ again.

{This is a good place to let you know that if I were to be reborn, I would prefer to be a 6’9 black man with the arms of Dwight Howard, the shot precision of Dirk, and the athleticism of Lebron.}

It could happen people.

3) Athleta Spin Shorts

SO, I just got these for Christmas…and I’m in love. Despite the fact that I’m somewhat of a frequent spinner, I have never actually worn padded bike shorts during class. Because I don’t own any. I know it seems silly, and yes my butt almost always starts to hurt, but somehow I never got around to investing in a pair for myself.

In comes Christmas (Thanks Dad and Megan!), and I now have a cushioned tush during my spin classes. I also look more legit than when I wear running shorts and running shoes, which obviously isn’t actually important, but…it kinda is.

4) Lindt Truffles

The blue are the best, there is no discussion on the matter.

OM NOM.

5) Long Socks

awkward photo inside the locker room

I’ve realized that during the winter months, and pretty much every time the weather dips below 50 degrees, socks are hands down my favorite article of clothing. Sometimes I wear two pairs, and there may have been that one time when I wore wool socks with high heels.

Warm feet=happy Robyn

My sister introduced me to the advantages of long socks, namely the fact that while wearing boots you have an extra layer of warmth insulating your legs.

I’m a fan, and I think you should be too.

There you have it. Five more favorite things for Friday, and I feel peppier than I did when I started this post. That’s because favorite things make me happy, and also I know there are many episodes of Dexter and a beer in the near future. Fridays are awesome, and I hope yours is going great. Have a wonderful weekend!

Question: Please tell me what some of YOUR favorite things are, either for this week or for all time 🙂

 

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?

My Yoga Secret and Friday Favorites

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Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

Yes, a bit excessive, but isn’t that what the season’s about? Excessive spending, excessive cookies, excessive light displays? Whatever, I love it all. Well, not so much the spending, but giving gifts is wonderful and if that means a measly bank account then so be it.

If you haven’t gathered yet, I’m a nut about Christmas—and although I get sad when the actual day comes (indicating that the season is, sigh, over)—THIS year my Christmas celebrations are spread out all the way to December 30. So as far as I’m concerned, we’re just getting started!

This morning I paid some much needed attention to my arms in my leisurely, long workout. I feel like I pay so much exercise-related attention to my legs most of the time—because, you know, I’m a runner—therefore my arms get sad that they are merely used as banisters for my watch and iPod. Poor arms—fear not, I will give you some love!

Okay, done with the personification. But seriously, I did some serious arm work today—and I know I’ll be feeling it on my morning airport excursion tomorrow when I get to haul two heavy bags around with me because I refuse to pay to check a bag.

After a nice sweaty spin class, I did a weight circuit for my major arm muscles, including biceps, triceps, pectorals, and shoulders. I also threw in some ab work, because obviously:

1 sit-up=1 cookie.

Did you know that? It’s science.

Afterward, I made my way into the crowded pool for some quality lap swimming. I haven’t swam in a while, and a Spin’n’Swim day was necessary. Again, the arms were given proper attention, and I doubt that they will feel unacknowledged come tomorrow.

I’ve also managed to get my butt to yoga for the past THREE days in a row, which has been fantastic. I’ll let you in on a little secret about yoga and me—I really only go to the Level 1/Beginner classes. I’m decent at yoga thanks to some natural flexibility, however whenever I go to a more advanced class I find myself way too focused on being competitive and getting down on myself for not being able to do certain poses well.

I realize this negates the entire intention of yoga, but I know my crazy competitive self well  enough to know that an hour of yoga, at least for me, is better spent when I can focus on staying present, breathing deeply, and getting the most out of the poses/stretches.

I love the peace and calm yoga gives me, which is my primary intention in going, however my secondary intention is to relieve my running muscles as much as possible with simpler poses that require less frustration and more “Ahhh.” Therefore, I stick to the more beginner classes, and luckily I have two instructors at my gym who I LOVE and they both teach classes that are technically beginner but still result in a meditative yet strengthening session.

Okay, enough about chaturangas and weight lifting. Let’s get to Friday Favorites!

1) Pintrest

I love pretty things.

If you have a Pintrest account, I really don’t need to say anything more—because I know you understand.

If you don’t have an account, I don’t know if I should encourage you to join or vehemently warn you against it.

This site is SO ADDICTING.

In a nutshell, it’s a collection of nicely categorized pictures from all around the internet— all of which are totally gorgeous. You can easily spend an hour gawking at all the lovely images of nature, home decor, craft ideas, food, and literally everything in life you can think of that’s wonderful. It’s almost a better time waster than TV, and seriously you can get hooked easily. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

2) Love Actually

I can watch this movie year round, but I make it a point to watch it as close to Christmas as possible. No matter the circumstances going on in my life, no matter my mood, this movie will always brighten me up.

Also, Colin Firth.

3) Soy Mistos

Runner's World + misto= good day

{Disclaimer: a misto is the Starbucks way of saying “cafe au lait”}

Thanks to my coworker Leanne, this has been my Starbucks drink of choice for nearly a year now, and I am still never sick of them.

I needed to pay some tribute to this lovely combination of brewed coffee, steamed milk, and cheaper-than-other-specialty-drinks cup of love that gets me through my days.

4) A Very Special Christmas

This classic Christmas CD is the holiday tune-age that I’ve been listening to before I even knew what Christmas was.

Wait, that never existed!

You get the point—this special CD has been heard in my home during the holidays for as long as I can remember. It has currently been saturating my need for Christmas music this past week, and whenever I hear that first familiar sound of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” I get all warm and tingly as I’m transported back to my eight-year-old self, hoping only for a pair of sparkly shoes and a Jasmine Barbie doll under the tree.

Actually, I really don’t feel like I’ve grown up much since then—sparkly shoes would still be awesome.

5) MY BUMPER STICKERS!

photo repeat...shameless

As I wrote in yesterday’s post, BF won the super duper boyfriend award by getting me these custom blog bumper stickers.

Kidding, he always gets that award! But does he…? 😉

Seriously though, I’m giddy about these.

Will they make my blog the most popular site since Lolcats? No, but it doesn’t matter.

Because although these will more than likely only adorn my own possessions and the cars of family members who I will beg and plead to promote me will lovingly slap them on their bumpers, they symbolize a great deal of support and encouragement from BF.

And I love that. In all honesty, this blog offers me an opportunity the write about the things that I love. If tons of people read it, awesome! But if no one does, it doesn’t really matter because I have this space for some solitary reflection and me-time. Sure, I’d love to have a lot of readers—but for now, I’m loving the daily chances to develop myself as a writer.

These bumper stickers can be daily reminders to me of the importance of support and encouragement, from the people I love and for myself—because truly, you are your most influential and important cheerleader.

I hope everyone has had a great end of their week, and you’re getting nestled into a sweets-and-liquor-filled holiday celebration! Have any favorites you’d like to share? Let’s hear ’em!

 

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!