Christmas ideas for runners! (Aka stuff you can buy me)

I have a confession: I hate spending money on running gear. Hate it.

I will drop $100+ on a race and not think twice about it (hello, Nike Women's Marathon) but if you ask me to spend that much money on a jacket that I will wear daily for months it makes me want to cry.

Because of this I love Christmas because I can ask for whatever I want and then let someone else pick and choose what they want give me and I am truly happy with anything I get. The socks I wear are $10 a pair and even just one new pair makes me giddy. I mean, what better way to celebrate the birth of the messiah but with new shoelaces? Honestly.

Here are some ideas of things that I personally love that the runner in your life (or you!) might enjoy.

A good winter running jacket
If you live in a cold climate then winter running can be extrememly rewarding if dressed properly for it but they can be pretty expensive. I just got this jacket during my running store's Black Friday sale and while it was painful to fork over the money for it (I did get an awesome deal though) I have run with it every single day since and I have no idea what I did winters before this without decent outerwear. It keeps me warm but not too hot, water and snow run right off of it and it has a lot of reflective bits. I'm in love.

Link

Winter running pants

During the sale I also picked up a great pair of running pants. I really like how light they are while still keeping me warm but not TOO warm. That's the key, not overheating. I don't know how these will compare to my beloved Under Armor winter pants (that don't fit right now so that is the last we will speak of them until they do) but in 30-40 degrees they've been awesome.

Link

Running mittens

The worst part about winter running (in my opinion) is wet feet. The second worse is cold hands and the best way to prevent that it by some good mittens. The problem is that they are expensive. $30 for mittens is CRAZY so your runner might not want to buy them for themselves! But let me tell you what...they are worth every penny. Mittens allow your hands to stay warmer than gloves because they let the heat from your fingers combine instead of seperating them it to their own personal isolation cells where no heat can mingle. I don't have running mittens right now but that's probably changing this weekend before I find my fingers falling off in self defense.

Link

Smartwool socks

Wet feet, you say? Get your runner some Smartwool socks. They are usually around $20 a pair which is enough to make me hyperventilate when I think about buying more than one pair at a time but a pair as a little gift would be perfect (do you need my address? Let me know). They are too much for me to run in in the summer but in the winter we are solid (they are all I wear to work in the winter, too which is classy when my dress pants ride up and you see my bright green knee high snowboarding socks but I won't stop wearing them  and you can't make me!). My feet do still get wet sometimes but they stay warm and pretty happy and the people running with me don't have to listen to me whine...as much...because I always whine ;) And other than the thick hiking ones that I wear snowshoeing I run in pretty much all of the other ones.

Link

A subscription to Runner's World Magazine

This is one of the presents I have looked forward to getting for the last three years and my mom never lets me down, I love this magazine and have gotten so much knowledge from it that I would be sad without it. This year I am looking forward to my subscription running out so I can get it on my iPad and always have all the issues with me since I like to reference them. And by reference them I mean force people who could care less about running look at photos of what Kara Goucher eats post race (I have chocolate milk, in case you were wondering. It's the best recovery drink out there).

Link

The Runner's Rule Book

This book is a really easy read but pretty comprehensive on what to do and not do in the running world and even better is that it's FUNNY. New runners will find lots of great info (don't wear all black unless you're a ninja, the other runner's will laugh at you) and seasoned runner's will probably nod their head a lot and get a good chuckle from it (no, you're not the only one making fun of that person wearing all black). 

Link

The Runner's Field Manual

Written by the same dude who wrote the Runner's Rule Book, this is a bit more info on the running world written with the same ease and humor but in the style of a boy scout's field guide. I love this one equally as much as the first.

Link

Anything!

I truly love and appreciate anything that anyone gives me in relation to running because I rarely buy anything new for myself. There are tons of other things that you could give from big to small like:
-A running GPS
-Entry to a race
-A rack for hanging medals (check Etsy for some cool ones)
-A folio for storing bibs
-A handheld water bottle
-Gels or Shotbloks
-Get crafty and look up your runner's favorite race they've done (they probably talk about it a lot because we always do) and print a picture from the race and put it in a frame along with their race time and a spot for their bib. You can get the pictures and times just by using Google and digging a bit (but don't be googling my times because I am a tortoise right now but will still be fast enough to Mr. Miagi you in the face if you pick on my 10:30 minute miles ;)

So there you have it, I hope that helps someone!

Oh! And what am I hoping Santa will bring me this year?

Link

The Garmin Forerunner 10. Isn't she beautiful? Fingers crossed!

What are you hoping for this year, running or otherwise?

August weight loss and running report

My August weight loss didn't go as well as I'd hoped (I wanted to try for 10lb lost, what was I thinking?). I "only" lost four lb but hey, that's 4 less on me! My measurements have gone down and that is better than the scale going down so I'll take it. I'm pretty sure I'm not losing weight as quickly because I'm not eating enough calories. I just don't eat a lot in general and when you take sugar and carbs out of your diet your caloric intake is almost non existent. At least mine is, unless I decide to eat bacon every single day which would be gross. I am not on that "OMG BACON IS THE MOST AMAZING THING EVER!!1!1!" bandwagon. I mean, it's good with pancakes but I don't die over it. Except for the burgers at Nosh in Portland, Maine that have bacon ground into the burger meat and they're amazing. My September goal is 5lb, something attainable I think... I hope.

As for running my mileage and workouts were good for this week, here's the run down:

Sunday: 10 miles
Monday: Physical therapy (trust me, it's a work out)
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: Jullian Michael's 30 Day Shred workout
Thursday: 3.5 miles and physical therapy
Friday: Rest day (PT made me really sore the day before)
Saturday: 5 miles

Total mileage: 22.5! I'm finally past the 17 mile barrier I've been hanging out in!

I'll be missing my running group tomorrow and Tuesday so I am going to try and stay focused and get my miles in anyway. I've been rotating shoes between my old busted Ravennas and the devil Mizunos and I am getting less blisters. I'm still getting them but not as many and they're in different spots which is good. The ones that frustrate me (and hurt) the most are the ones that form right under and area that had one a day or two before. I am thinking of switching to Nikes for my next shoes, I keep seeing a lot of people wearing them and it makes me curious to see what they would be like. I haven't had a pair of Nike's since high school so I have an unbiased opinion of them. Plus I could create my own color combo online and they will make them for me, how awesome is that?? Here's what I came up with:

How awesome do they look? I mean, really. They're pretty amazing and I can even get my name on the tongues which is an A+ in my book, I like all of my things branded with my name so no one touches my stuff. Yes, I'm an only child. Why do you ask?

My back is pretty ticked at me when I run anything over 6 miles but I just need to work on getting it stronger. I haven't been showing as much improvement as Noah the PT would like so when I go to my doctor recheck on Friday (the one that determines if I can go back to work or not) he wants me to discuss with my dr having xrays and/or an MRI done. Awesome. Pttthhhhb. I'm trying to stay positive but I got really upset when he said that on Thursday and I almost became a blubbering mess so we only did an hour's worth of exercises vs 1.5-2. I'm hoping that I can regroup the next few days and rally to bring my positivity level back up because being a piss ant isn't going to get me anywhere.

Does anywhere out there run in Nikes? What do you think of them if you do?

Rules of running on the road.

Today ended up being a pretty good day. Why? Because my eyeliner came out perfectly. Scoff if you will but if you are a wearer of liquid eyeliner then you understand. You have one chance to make it perfect and if it comes out badly your whole day is pretty much shot. But if it comes out exactly the way it should it's bound to be a banner day.

I was in Rochester today and at one point I was in a really pretty but very busy neighborhood. I was leaving one of my hospitals and came to a stop sign to turn right onto the road in front of me. There were parked cars on both sides of the street and all along the street in front of me (the road I was on and the one I was turning onto created a T shape). It was hard to see because of all the cars parked on the road but I fully stopped, checked both sides and turned right. What I couldn't see, because he was on the ROAD on the other side of the parked cars and not the sidewalk where he belonged) was a runner. I didn't come anywhere near hitting him but I did cut him off because I couldn't see him at all so as he ran by me he whacked the back of my car.

Of course this whole thing annoyed me because as a runner I know that I did nothing wrong. I couldn't see him, he wasn't running where was supposed to be and it was the middle of the day in a busy neighborhood. I drive a different rental car every week for work and this week I had a Kia Sportage which has a million more blind spots than my little Mazda3. Yes, pedestrians have the right of way but they need to be aware of the fact that there are a lot of blind areas in a situation like that and act accordingly. Likewise cars need to be as aware as they can of runners as I know a lot of people who have been hit or run off the road either by accident or intentionally. I do most of my running on trails but there are some places I like to run when I am traveling (Stroudsburg, PA is a prime example, I love running in that town) so when I am in a city or busy town I am always more aware of cars.

Here are some rules of running that I stick by in urban situations:

1) Don't wear dark colors. You're not a ninja and people need to see you. My favorite running clothes are bright fluorescent colors with reflective strips so that people can see me coming.

2) Don't run on the road if you can run on the sidewalk. I know that sidewalk running can be difficult but you vs a car isn't a battle you want to partake in.

3) Be aware that you seeing an oncoming car is easy but it's not always easy for them to see you. Likewise a huge shoulder you're running on can be very small to a car so try to run as far to the right as you can if there is traffic.

4) Don't run on roads with ear buds in. I've already squawked enough about how I feel about running with music anyway but this is too dangerous.

5) Stop at red lights and stop signs if you see a car coming. You need to obey traffic laws, too.

6) You aren't invincible and you won't always win even if you think you are in the right. Always assume that they didn't see you if you're not sure.

7) Please be aware than not all drivers are friendly to runners and they may very well try to run you off the road or even hit you.

8) If a car is rude to you or clearly saw you and still didn't stop or slow down give the side a whack but only if you're not sure that they won't get out and beat you (which is why I never do it because I am pretty much convinced that I am only 5 seconds away from someone's road rage at all times).

9) Most of these rules apply to a road race too, especially a small one. Not all races shut down roads or if you're at the back of the pack like my disastrous Mountain Goat this year then even if they had the roads closed they will eventually start to reopen them.

10) If you're running in a group and see a car either ahead of you or behind you yell "car!" to let everyone know. Usually they're more aware of a group but you can never be too safe.

Or you could ignore all of this just run trails to avoid this. That's what I usually do :)

Stuff people who don't run say

I went running today for the first time in three weeks (other than the Boilermaker) and it was so awesome I thought I might cry. Then when I saw that my MapMyRun app automatically uploaded my distance and time to Facebook I almost cried again because it wasn't anything to brag about. 3.1 miles in 39 minutes is 5 minutes slower than my first 5k time. I'm determined not to beat myself up over it because I took it really slow and walked some in case my back hurt. Instead the opposite happened, my drive home was the first drive since I was injured that my back didn't say a word to me. Right now is a different story though because I spent most of the day cleaning my house and it turns out my back doesn't like me scrubbing the toilet. I don't like it either, Back, but it needs to be done.

Depending on how I feel in the morning I am going to run again. Mentally I was a million times better and I managed to stay awake for most of the day with the exception of 10 minutes when I fell asleep sitting up like I have narcolepsy because these muscle relaxers and I aren't friends. Now I'm sitting against 3 ice packs which is super awesome (except not).

Guess what IS super awesome?? Two weeks from today is the women's Olympic marathon. I'm really excited to watch Kara Goucher run it and I'm interested to see how Desiree Davila does since she came out of nowhere in Boston 2011. I'm pretty sad to see that Deena Kastor didn't make the team though, she's pretty amazing. To prep for my Olympic marathon watching I am reading Kara Goucher's book Running for Women . I've had it for a few months but found it while I was cleaning today, it got lost in the shuffle of the library of my house. I'm not as excited about the men's marathon but if I come across it I'll probably watch it to see Meb and Ryan Hall duke it out.

Yesterday I came across this hilarious video called Stuff Non Runners say:

IT'S ALL SO TRUE!!! Let me clear up some misconceptions for anyone who was wondering:

1) There is only one marathon distance and it is 26.2 miles. If you aren't running that distance, you aren't running a marathon. A 5k is 3.1 miles, a 10k is 6.2 miles, a 15k is 9.3 miles, a half marathon is 13.1 miles and an Ultramarathon is anything over 26.2 miles (I usually see them between 50-100k or as 24 hour runs).

2) No, I won't blow out my knees because I take care of them. I wear good shoes, I take rest days if something hurts, I roll my IT band if it's unhappy and I run 100% on trails (pavement is the devil for knees because there is no give and rods are highest in the middle and slanting on the sides so one leg ends up in the position of being longer than the other). And if I DO blow out my knees, I had some good running days to talk about.

3) For as much as I hear the people who have "bad knees" line it must be a national epidemic ;)

Just run, people!

Boilermaker 2012 Recap

Boilermaker 2012 has come and gone and it went better than I thought it would.

Getting to the race definitely didn't start out the way I wanted it to, that's for sure. I am chronically late to everything in my life except for races, I like to be there at least an hour early. For a big race like the Boilermaker I am much happier with an hour and a half especially since I knew so many people running it. I really wanted to get to the start line and walk around, talk to people, take pictures of random things that I could then post on the various sources of social media I flood on a daily basis but that wasn't meant to be. The people I was going to follow so I could run with my friend showed up to the meeting place an hour later than I did and it was over a half hour still to get to the race (I live about an hour away). I was less than happy about it and probably slammed every door on my car several times when we arrived at the place we parked because I am super mature and am therefore a door slammer and have been for years. I know, I know, I'm not perfect. If I was what would I have to work towards for the next 50 years? The good news is I am usually only mad for about 30 seconds and then it's over. I am also notoriously grumpy on the morning of a race until I am parked and at the start line and then I'm fine, I just get really anxious until I am THERE. Consider yourself warned if you ever run a race with me.

When we finally parked it was about 7:10am (technically 10 minutes after the buses were supposed to stop running to take us to the start line) and the race started at 8:00am. Thankfully there were buses still running as there were so many people but we didn't get to the actual start line until about 7:40. By the time everyone else stopped at the bathrooms I got to the start line literally less than 10 minutes before the race started. To say I was unhappy about it is an understatement but it is what it is. I'll know better next time. I did somehow manage to see a guy I graduated high school with in the sea of 14,000 runners which is funny because the last time I ran it he was the only person I saw that I knew at the start line as well.

*Side note: My dad used to work for Utica Transit Authority for 30 years which then got bought out by Centro but he used to always run buses for the Boilermaker so when I was little I always got excited on Boilermaker day because he would bring home things that people left on the buses. Once he brought me a name tag from McDonald's and I think it was one of the best things of my young life since I only got to go there once every two or three months so it was a magical wonderland to me.

The race itself went pretty well. I got caught up in the crowd and went out way to fast and psyched myself out of the race within the first mile and a half. It was a total head game because I was so scared I would be almost dead last like I was at the Mountain Goat that I thought I couldn't do it and that I should drop out. I was actually thinking to myself that I hated racing and I have no idea why I keep doing it (which is a total lie but running is a mind game and that's why I like it so much). But my friend was awesome and stayed with me (I helped her through her first Boilermaker two years ago so she helped me through this one) and after walking for a bit I was able to find a manageable pace and run the rest of it.

The route itself isn't that exciting and if you remove the hometown appeal and spectators from it I would probably say it's one of my least favorite routes to run. Most of it is on flat road with no shade which is hard for me to run when I love hills so much. There are two hills, Heartbreak Hill and the hill behind the golf course that a lot of people say are hard but after training for the Mountain Goat for three years straight I don't think they're that bad. You are all formally invited to run the Goat next year and tell me what you think about Colvin ;) The best part of the road behind the golf course is the amazing view and the almost mile of race you can bang out going all downhill. What makes the race AWESOME are the amount of amazing people that gather to cheer on the runners. It is almost a solid 9.3 miles of bands and people cheering for you and belly dancers and Irish step dancers and it's such an amazing sense of support and community. Right before the last hill of the race there were a group of kids who had made up a chant and a little dance about it being the last hill which was so cute. I probably stopped 4-5 times to hug people that were either watching or volunteering and I would never try to run this race for time and cut that out. The best part is that my babysitter (aka my second mom, the most amazing woman I know) and her husband are in the same spot every year and they get so excited for my gross sweaty hugs and I cry every time I see them.

I made sure that I stopped at most of the water stations to stay hydrated and around the 6 mile mark I totally ran out of energy so my friend was sweet enough to share her Shot Blocks with me. It was the first time I had tried them and I was worried about how my stomach would react but I had no issues. I have been thinking about carrying gummy bears with me during long runs so I think I'm going to start since they really seemed to help. Overall I ran it pretty slow and conservatively which is what I've been training for anyway. My goal was to come in at around 2 hours and I came in at 2 hours and 14 seconds. I have this weird ability to predict when I will finish the race within 5 minutes and this one was no exception. When I ran it in 2010 I finished it in 1:45 but that was because I was with my friend who had never run 15k before that day and I am pretty sure I could have done it in under 1:30 (she could have finished this year's in much less than 2:00 but she stayed with me the whole way). My goal next year is 1:20 because I want to be able to finish the Goat in 1:30 (only because you get a medal). Lofty goals, I know, but I can do it.

After the race I felt sick like I usually do but not as awful as two years ago and I think it's because I drank so much water and ate the Shot Blocks. I am starting to figure out that if I don't replace my electrolytes then my heart starts acting up and there was no Gatorade on the route. I also has the biggest blister I have ever gotten in my running career when I finally sat down and took my shoes off. Not big in circumference, big in that it was probably a quarter inch high (yes, of course I took a picture of it but I am sparing you all, you are welcome). I wore my Mizunos and I officially HATE them. I am going to still get the rest of my miles out of them and then I'm going back to my Ravennas. My friend actually said she was surprised to see me wearing them because they are a lot more of a stability shoe than I usually wear and she's right, for some reason Fleet Feet always wants to put me in stability shoes and nothing good comes of it (I know my Ravennas are light stability but they don't bother me nearly as much).

Right after the race hanging out on a random train caboose.

I stayed for a little bit after the race but not very long, there are way too many people at the after party and I hate huge crowds. My back was starting to hurt pretty bad anyway so I went to my mom's instead (she lives about 20 minutes away) and laid in the middle of the back yard (literally) for a half hour while she tried to convince me that the frogs in the pond they built a few years ago answer her when she makes frog sounds at them. I wish I was making this up but she's a little crazy (it's a genetic thing that I clearly inherited).

This video will show what I mean by a lot of people, it's a time lapse video of the 2010 after party start to finish behind the Saranac Brewery and it's so cool! If you're wondering how many people wander into the after party for the free beer the answer is about 40,000.

Overall the race went pretty much as I expected. There were so many people I knew running it for the first time this year and it was awesome to check Facebook after the race and see my feed blowing up with people's times and pictures of the race. I am really happy that I was able to train for it in a conservative way instead of trying to push myself too hard too fast and I can't wait for next year. As for what's next for me, it looks like it's going to be the Wineglass Half Marathon in Corning, NY in September (mostly because of the medal, it's made out of glass because of the Corning Museum of Glass and I am obsessed with decorative glass pieces). In between that I have Beach to Beacon 10k in Maine in August (which means I get to run TWO races with Joan Benoit Samuelson this year, B2B and the Wineglass although she will be far ahead of me, she is the first women to ever win the marathon in the Olympics) and a 5k I am doing with some friends in Boston which will probably involve a lot of drinking and me trying to find my way to Sweet cupcake shop in Cambridge.

I'm sure there will be more races I'll add in but those are it so far. I am also going to start the Half Marathon training program with Fleet Feet on July 31 to try and reduce my times which will be my first ever coaching, I am SO EXCITED!!! (that needs more !!!!!!!!!)

By the way, does anyone else cry like a baby at the end of Undercover Boss or is it just me? It's probably just me but it really does get me every damn time.

Sometimes I run a lot. Sometimes I don't.

Sometimes eating healthy is dangerous. Take, for example, eating cookies in bed. It's annoying to have cumbs in bed but other than having to sweep the sheets 15 times in order to finally fall asleep without little pinchy things annoying you there's no other harm. However should you eat an Almond Coconut Kind bar in bed it's all fun and games until you wake up in the middle of the night with an almond sticking straight out of the back of your thigh.

This is a completely hypothetical thought, of course. I would never eat in bed. Ever.

So last week...training week 6? 7? I don't even know. Apparently in my mind it was a taper week because other than my 7 miles on Sunday I didn't run again. Not once. I was even in my very favorite town to run in (Stroudsburg, PA) Thursday night and I didn't run there because I slept until 7am on Friday which is extrememly unlike me because I am almost physically incapable of sleeping past 6:30. I didn't even run on Saturday because I just layed around in bed half of the day and watched Season 5 of Top Chef from Netflix instead which was important because I have only watched that season 3 other times.

Training Week 6 (or 7):
Sunday: 7 miles

Womp womp.

But here's how I feel about it:

I read a lot of running blogs where the ladies are super mega awesome and bust out double digits DAILY and think nothing of it and which is amazing. But I'm not one of those girls. I love to run but it doesn't always come easy and that's ok. I am also a single woman who routinely works well over 40 hours a week and who travels almost every day by car which, for some reason, makes you feel like someone beat you silly with a hockey stick after a while. I have a unique situation but so does everyone really so you know what I say? Just do the best that you can and don't beat yourself up over it. I'll never be someone who runs 40 miles a week, I don't have the time or the desire. But what I CAN be is the best runner I am able to which some weeks is 20 miles and some weeks is 2 miles.

And sometimes that means laying in bed instead of running. To let my muscles rest. Or something.

I busted out 7 miles yesterday and 2 today though (only two today because my back is really unhappy with me, I have no idea what its issue is. Might have something to do with all the driving I did last week and sitting at my desk today). Probably 3-4 tomorrow and 5-7 on Wednesday and then nothing until Sunday which is the BOILERMAKER! Start praying for me now. Please? For those of you running it you'll already have been at the after party for an hour and will be headed home by the time I cross the finish line but guess what? I'm crossing it. Yeah buddy.

Gratutious bun shot:

What would you do for a Klondike bar? (Training week 5)

I think I must hate my Mizunos. And I think that because I noticed all I've been wearing lately are my Ravennas and I noticed that because I got THREE blisters today, one of which was in the middle of my foot. I took my shoe and sock off twice during my run thinking I had a rock or kitty litter in it (Trixie likes to shove both of her paws as far as she can get in my shoes and dig in them, it's still a mystery) but I never found anything. Then when I got home and took a shower I realized I felt like I was still stepping on something and lo and behold...a massive blister where no blister should be. Wanna see it?

HOW DO YOU EVEN GET A BLISTER THERE?? And you're welcome for the literal and not figurative view of my injury.

Now I need to figure out if there is a statute of limitations for returning those Mizunos to Fleet Feet because I need new Ravennas asap. And by asap I mean next week because I went to the grocery store and Ulta (in my desperate attempt to track down Essie's Tarte Deco nailpolish to create the perfect ombre manicure with A Crewed Interest and Haute As Hello but alas they are still out) and it turns out that having a blister in the middle of your foot makes you waddle like, as my dad would say, John Wayne so there's no way I'm leaving the house again to go to Fleet Feet today. But blisters in weird places are a sure sign that your shoes are far past their lifetime, at least for me. Next up will be another bruised toenail and I'd like to avoid that since in another four months or so the current one I have had since February should be gone.

As for my training this week (is it week five? Yes?) it was eh. Work, again, was as crazy as I expected and I was as beat as I expected. I did get a really good run in yesterday, my stomach was raging an epic battle with me that slowed me down (I have the worst stomach of all time) but I felt great for the running parts of it. So great in fact that even though yesterday was my long run day of seven miles I decided that I should do the same thing today. Not my brightest idea ever since you should have some rest between long runs but even though I felt a lot slower I was only 2 minutes slower which was awesome.

Training week 5
Sunday: 5 miles
Monday: 2 miles
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 2 miles
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 7 miles
Total: 16 miles

I was thinking today that I won't have the motivation I've had to train once the Boilermaker is over so I want to try and find a half marathon for the fall...or August or September or whatever. I've started looking and I have some options but I really like my halves to be special unlike most shorter races where I will run anything. Maybe it's because I've only done two so far but I like them to mean something so I don't want to just run one to run one. And I HAVE to get a medal at the end, it's a requirement. Let me know if you know of any and I will keep you all posted since I know you're dying to know ;) I do have a dream race lined up for February and as soon as I officially sign up for it I will tell you all about it.

Also, confession time...I downloaded the MapMyRun app yesterday and it is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. I rescind everything I ever said about running without something telling you your mileage in your ear along with your pace and THEN mapping the entire thing so you can compare it day to day. AMAZE!

In other awesome, amazing news as of yesterday...

I HAVE OFFICIALLY LOST 30LB!

That's right kids, 30lb gone of the 55lb I gained from not running and being a stupid dumbass in love. That means only 25lb to go until I am at the weight I was at about a year and a half ago and 40lb until I hit my ultimate goal weight (I stopped losing weight when I started my job and understandably so because I travel all the stinkin' time). I'm pretty happy about it and have started squirreling away cash for an awesome prize for when the next 25lb are gone. When I hit 75lb lost before I bought my first iphone (now I carry around two, one for work and one for home so the excitement of that has worn off) and my mom was "supposed" to buy me a Tiffany's necklace when I hit 100lb lost but she conveniently forgot that conversation. No biggie, the amount of clothes I bought made up for it ;)

In relation to that I have a new obsession as of yesterday and I know it won't go away anytime soon which is baked potatoes. Now that they are in my head I won't be able to go a day without eating one, much like my grape obsession a month or two ago (which was killed when grapes went out of season and now they're sour with tough skin). Also, I just bought sugar free Klondike bars while I was waddling through Wegman's to see what they were like and they're ok. They have some flavor but not a lot, I think it's good for my massive sweet tooth that I've had lately but I don't think I would choose them if I wasn't off sugar. I swear if I could throw myself into the chocolate river in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory I would happily die of aspiration pneumonia or drowning just to do so in chocolate.

I thought it appropriate to post my Klondike bar next to my favorite running blog of the cutest girl EVER who runs crazy amounts every day and is somehow always ecstatic about it. Believe you me, I'm not ecstatic right now.

These posts always get so long and I always have five million more things to say. Someday I will start posting daily...someday. I want to start posting about fashion and things since I have had a lot (and by a lot I mean four) of girl who have asked me to so be looking for (aka avoiding) that.

Progress and training week 4

Is it normal to fill the hard drive of a 16g iphone? Probably not for the normal human being that really just uses it for email, taking pictures, listening to the same song on repeat, watching youtube and playing Temple Run until their eyes bleed (there was a new version just released and you better believe that took up the majority of my Friday night) but once a week or so my phone tells me I don't have enough memory to take another picture and I still can't delete enough stuff on it to upgrade the software. It probably has something to do with the 2500 pictures (no joke) I have on it but you can't erase memories! At least that's what I will continue to tell myself until I am forced to put them all on my Macbook and delete them from my phone *sob*

Anyway, as I was going through my phone deleting pictures so that I could take yet another photo of something ridiculously adorbs the bun was doing (no idea what it was but I can promise it was not her newest trick of using my FACE to launch herself onto the ottoman) I found a picture of me in my favorite dress that I took in April and I just happened to take another picture in the same dress the other day. Of course I needed to splice them side by side and guess what?

Left picture was taking in April 2012 and the right was June 2012

It looks like this running 5 days a week/crying over no sugar/sobbing over no carbs thing is working. Hallelujah! (And if you can't see a difference please don't tell me because in my head the two pictures are the equivalent of comparing Rosie O'Donnell to Gisele). Also, what do I need to do to be as tall as I look on the right? Because anything over 5'2" would be amazing. Also squared, I am really glad to be rid of that awful Kate Spade iphone case, it looks pretty but it was awful. Can I say awful enough about that case? AWFUL.

My Boilermaker training went ok-ish this week, ok in that I ran, not in that I wussed out on many of the runs. To be fair this week at work was brutal (with the next two weeks doubling that) and Father's Day was today which meant I spent almost all five miles crying like a damn loon. I ran though and that's what matters and I'm hopefule this week will be better. I already have plans to get up at 5:30am tomorrow to be done with my run before I have to leave.

Training week four:
Sunday 7 miles
Monday rest
Tuesday rest
Wednesday 2 miles
Thursday 2 miles
Friday rest
Saturday 3 miles

Total: 14 miles. Eh.

But what keeps me running? Refer to picture above combined with this and there is my motivation in a nutshell.

I just realized that my elbow is sunburned from driving today. Fist pound to the other pale white girls who understand my pain, I also have a weird patch on my back from not being able to put sunscreen on it yesterday (SPF 70 btw).

Can I tell you a secret? I have no desire to do laundry today so I will be running in dirty socks tomorrow and it won't be the first time that's happened. And now you know.

Ding dong the ipod's dead.

My ipod died today and I'm pretty upset about it. It's the same ipod nano I've had since 2007 (I have another ipod but it's not the same shape and I let someone else use it for a year so it's full of bagpipe music that I am too lazy to figure out how to clear) so it's the longest relationship I've ever had. I'm not exactly sure what happened to it but I would be willing to guess that it has something to do with my dumb ass thinking it would be a good idea to run with it in my sports bra for the last 3 months. Sweat does nothing good for my hair so I can't imagine it does anything good for my ipod either. Can we have a moment of silence for my sweet little third gen ipod nano?

(UPDATE! I went to go take a picture of it and after drying out and a recharge it lives! I haven't plugged in my headphones yet to see if it's still making the crackling death cry it was earlier but I'll wait until tomorrow to push it).

In the meantime I'll provide you with a stock picture of its light blue amazingness while I allow it to recuperate on the charger.

I take the death of my ipod as a direct sign that I need to wean myself off of it and what better time to die than 1.5 miles into a 7 mile run? If you've been following my training plan (which I doubt you have because I can't even remember it unless I look it up) then last week my long run was 5 miles so this week I was supposed to bump it up to six. Somehow I ended up doing 7 though which is ok, better more than less. It wasn't a good run though: I was upset about my ipod, it was 80 degrees and humid by the time I started running at 10:30am (there was a race at the lake today so I wanted to wait for it to be done) so if felt like running through bath water and I hadn't had dinner last night so I was going on less than empty. The good news is that I did it although now I kind of want to die. Next week will be better!

Training Log, Week 3 (a day late):
Sunday: 5 miles
Monday: Dr appt so no running
Tuesday: 5 miles split (3 in am, 2 in pm)
Wednesday: 2 miles
Thursday: 3 miles
Friday: Rest day
Saturday: RAIN! So no running

Total mileage for the week: 15

After my run I went to a waterfall I really love with a friend of mine which was a good time. I feel pretty lucky to live in a place where waterfalls are so abundant because they're my favorite and if I could spend every day at waterfalls my life would be complete.

Yes, that is a picture of me on the internet with no makeup on and my hair looking like hale. You're welcome.

Oh! I also finished painting my bedroom last night! Which, coupled with the 7 mile run this am, is the reason I can not move off this couch right now (so if someone could come clean out the bun's mansion that would be great). I really love the color and I can't wait to start changing things around and redecorating it because, you know, that's what Pinterest tells me I should do even though no one cares but me.

Sorry for the bad lighting, it was late. And no, I do not like that book as there is much talk of dead animals that I was not warned about so I doubt I will finish it.

Speaking of Pinterest I tried to make this last night and failed:

Chocolate frosting from coconut milk

It wasn't anything that I did that ruined it, I tried two different kinds of coconut milk that wouldn't set up properly. One can kind of did so I tried to make it anyway but I had to put a lot of sugar in it (I can't use stevia which is what the recipe calls for) which defeats the purpose of it being a healthy frosting replacement that I can eat directly from the bowl with no cake required. Oh well, at least I tried.

Double run and bedroom progress!

My college roomate stalked my house today, like legit showed up on my doorstep and then posted a picture on my facebook for me to find of her being here. She was in the area for the college reunion this past weekend and she wanted to meet up today for lunch but I have that evil thing called a JOB that I keep showing up for because the bun eats exorbitant amounts of organic spring mix so I couldn't meet her. She left me presents instead one of which was this AWESOME shirt:

I have no Ohio State affiliation other than that she lives there but now I have a shirt to remind me of her with Hello Kitty on it which is a winning combo.

Today I got home from work at 4:30pm which is crazy talk. I want you to know that I love my job, I truly do. But I would be a huge liar if I didn't admit that sometimes it's really hard to not have a normal life with friends and things to do after work and getting home (to your own house) at a reasonable hour because you're too busy travelling all over God's creation. Therefore being home and done with work at 4:30 today was amazing and gave me tons of motivation to do things I usually can't (after a 20 minute nap on the couch that is...the bun talked me into it!).

This morning I ran for 3 miles but since I was home so early I decided to run for a few more miles. I headed to the lake, waited in the parking lot through a little torrential downpour, and then ran two hard interval miles. The first mile I pushed hard and guess what?? I RAN AN 8 MINUTE MILE!!! So, I am well aware of the fact that that isn't really fast but it's way better than what I've been doing. The next mile I alternated fast and slow and went home an exhausted mess. I will tell you this though: my Urban Decay 24/7 liquid eyeliner stayed put even through all the sweat because it's phenomenal and I never doubted it for a second.

I'm really glad that I ran 5 miles total today because I needed to work off the cake I ate last night. It was allowable cake because I've spent a lot of time at the doctor lately so every time I have to go I allow myself a piece of cake as a reward like I'm 5. However, just because I've ok'd it in my head doesn't mean I don't then need to work it off so that's what I did today since yesterday was a rest-and-eat-cake day. Also, I am outraged over how orange the lighting in the dr's office makes my hair, behold:

I guess it doesn't look that bad in the picture but in person it's ridiculous. The good news is I look fantastic in the shade of blue their gowns are in.

After my second run I came home and started painting my bedroom. I painted the smallest wall in the room so naturally I feel super accomplished, as I should. I am kind of missing the blue already but I think it will be a good change. I hope? I might cry about it though, no joke, but if I don't like it in another month or two I can just repaint it (not like I haven't done that before).

Did you know that tomorrow is National Running Day?? I won't be able to run most likely (maybe tomorrow night) but I will be in spirit with all of you who DO get to run! So get out there!

Frozen yogurt is my favorite! Tied with running, of course.

I love Ikea. Love with a capitol L O V E. Sadly, the closest one in any direction of where I live is 4 hours. I have no idea why Ikea and Chick Fil A hate upstate NY so much but they should stop and come closer to me.

The good news is that there is an Ikea about an hour from the very edge of my downstate territory so sometimes I suck it up to drive through NJ just to wander around the amazingness that is cheap Swedish design. Sadly, they no longer make the nightstand that matches the one I have (nor do they have one tall enough for my bed since it appears that the Swedes prefer to sleep with their mattresses directly on the floor whereas I am a princess and require my bed as close to the ceiling as possible) which was the whole reaosn for my visit so I left empty handed and confused about what to do with the left side of my bed. Although I didn't really leave empty handed because I was able to make the one hour drive worth it with one of my favorite things on the planet...

Frozen yogurt! One dollar. One hundred calories. One happy Mary.

Soft serve frozen yogurt also hates upstate NY. Maybe it's time to move?

To add to my frozen yogurt happiness I'm happy to report that I hit the goal weight I had set for myself for the end of May today! That means 8lb lost in May and 25lb lost since February. Go me! I'm not willing to tell you what the exact numbers are right now but maybe someday :) When I lost weight the first time I rarely talked about it and never talked about numbers and that's the way I am now. I always read that you need to create a support system and confide in people to be successful but that's not how I work in life and it's not how I work with weightloss. But at the end of it all I will probably share. I am not sure what the goal I will set for myself for June but hopefully it will be the same or better than May's because I don't have a week's worth of eating Chick Fil A and sitting on my bum to counteract.

This morning I did a three or four mile run (I'm not sure because part of the lake was blocked off so they could work on the trail so I had to turn around and back track). I did wear my Ravennas today and they felt a lot better than the Mizunos (do you like my lack of continuity where I call one pair by the shoe name and one by the brand name?) although I did get a blister. I'm not counting it though because it didn't hurt which means it didn't exist. My logic = awesome. My shoe saga continues though since I'm not sure what to do just yet. Maybe run in my hiking boots? Because THOSE never give me blisters.

Oh! But guess what! About 2 miles in I totally hit my sweet spot! The spot where my brain turns off, my stride lengthens and I just run. It's what I've been waiting for and I'm not sure when it will be back but for a mile or so it was there so I know that it's on the horizon! Hooray!

I'm taking tomorrow off from running to let my feet heel a little bit and because my knee hurt a lot today. I think it was because it was a lot cooler today, it's been in the 80's at 7:30am and today it was 65 and glorious. I run on a torn meniscus in my left knee that I opted not to have surgery on so sometimes the arthritis in it acts up and I need to give it a day or two to stop aching.

Saturday though, I'm back at it. Anything more than one rest day now and I get antsy. And that, my friends, means the magic is coming back :)

What do goats have to do with running? Girl gone crazy.

Did you know that goats have horizontal pupils to increase their peripheral vision? So do deer, horses and cows but they aren't as noticeable because their irises are dark vs goats who have lighter caramel colored irises. The fact that goats have such visible horizontal pupils freaks me out to no end however the babies are tiny and cute and I used to love feeding them bottles in tech school (maybe because milk replacer smells exactly like vanilla cake mix).

I enjoy random facts and even more so I love forcing them upon other people. I read a lot of books full of random information in the off chance that I could one day run out of things to say and be forced to pull from my reservoir of infinite knowledge to keep a conversation alive. You. Are. Welcome.

Another random fact: did you know that when you are named Mary people constantly ask you about your sheep or how your garden grows as if it is terribly clever? It's not. Also, I don't recommend calling me Mare. It won't end well for you.

A third random fact: I can NOT spell recommend without spellcheck. Or restaurant. Or conscientiously, despite all the spelling awards I won in elementary school. Some words are just elusive little devils.

massive tangents aside, the goats I saw at the zoo last weekend got me thinking about the Mountain Goat race which got me thinking about the Boilermaker in a few weeks which got me thinking that I am petrified of having the same outcome as the MG. I hope not though, that would be really freakin embarrassing with the amount of people I know there. My MOM goes to this race and she has never nor will ever attend any major events of mine so it's a big deal. I'm trying to do my training though, two weeks in and I'm already doing better than I was all of MG training. Note to self: you can not take a year off from running, become a chubby muffin and then think that one long run a week with prep you for one of the hardest races in the area.

I've put a few miles on my shoes now (almost 20 to be exact) and I'm not gonna lie, we aren't really friends. I'm getting blisters under my calluses every day and they HURT. It's like a deep pain that won't go away even when I pop them. Yes, I pop my blisters. No, I do not believe that I will die from it. 75% of the time they feel better after and I've had a layer of blister under a layer of blister under a callus before and let me tell you what...I'd rather have my wisdom teeth removed again then have that happen a second time. And my wisdom tooth removal wasn't a good one.

I'm still trying to give them time to see if I settle into them since 20 miles isn't really that much. I think I might run in my Ravennas tomorrow and see how that goes. I'm at a total loss here about what to do because I really don't think I need that much stability but it's obvious I need more than I thought. And yes, to my cousin Todd I am aware of the fact that you're yelling at me through the computer right now to start running barefoot...not happening, buddy.

Mileage so far this week:
Sunday: 5 miles
Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: rest day
Wednesday: 2 miles

My week isn't going too great, with my feet and with life. I'm pretty sure it's because I tried to give the bun a frozen grape last night and she was NOT happy about it. I was equal parts sad for her and laughing hysterically which is really cruel but if you had been here you'd have laughed too. I gave her an entire strawberry afterwards but I think the karma gods are after me now. I may have to buy her some parsley tomorrow or something to right this cosmic wrong.

Training schedule: Week One

Can I just tell you how high my level of excitement was when I came home, crashed on the couch in a sweaty puddle of my former self and turned on the tv to discover a Deadliest Catch marathon? Seriously, my little heart went pitter pat and all thoughts of accomplishing anything today went right out the window. Please tell me I'm not the only one that tears up when they show flashbacks of Phil Harris? And owns almost every season on DVD? I am? Oh. Awkward...

Have I ever mentioned that my running clothes never match? Ever? And if they do it was a total coincidence, like how yesterday I noticed that my hot pink shorts matched my new shoes which got me pretty excited until I realized that my bright green shirt with a big running shamrock on it threw the whole thing off and I oddly felt better about it. I will never be that girl who's running clothes match perfectly which is odd given how I dress the rest of the time but I take comfort in that chaos. It's almost like proof that my brain is capable of acting like a normal person's on occasion.

It's ok you're jealous. It happens.

And you can't really tell but my shoes are covered in a lovely layer of dust now, breaking them in is going well and I really like them. I keep getting blisters though so maybe I'm not as neutral of a runner as I thought?

I think I have been doing pretty well with my goal to get myself back into being a running lover and to get ready for the Boilermaker. Last week's mileage was:
Sunday: 2 miles
Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: 2 miles
Wednesday: 2 miles
Thursday & Friday: Nada. I used them as rest days/I'magirlanditsucks days
Saturday: Nada. I thought I was going hiking with my friend but it didn't happen

The good news is I did a pretty solid 5 mile run yesterday which made me feel on cloud nine. Today I mentally wanted to do 5 again, physically wanted to do 2 (I started painting my bedroom yesterday so I was stiff today and am brewing a migraine) so I compromised at 3 and am happy with that especially since a storm was coming and the humidity was awful, I hate sweating that much. Grosses me out.

The training plan I'm loosely following calls for my long run to happen on Saturdays but I like them on Sundays instead because it's what I'm used to. Last week I was supposed to do two three milers and one 5 miler and this week is the same. Like all other training plans I'm supposed to cross train on the off days but that just means more running to me. I already have today's three miles done so I technically just need one more this week, probably on Wednesday.

The awesome news is the two and three mile days are getting easier. It's all a mental game now and I know that because I end every run feeling like I could have gone longer. I'm taking it slow though so I don't push too hard too fast and end up where I was mentally at the end of the Mountain Goat. The only person I'm racing is myself and so far I'm doing pretty well.

Tell me I'm not the only one who loves the smell of new sneakers...

Remember when I said that I had a total life break down in Dick's Sporting goods a few weeks ago if I didn't get these new shoes as soon as possible?

Well I went to Fleet Feet today because it was across the street from a place I was working and these happened instead:

The Mizuno Inspire 8. Aren't they beautiful? They're so shiny in person (you can't tell in the picture but the blue and purple parts on the shoe are shiny!) and I MIGHT be in love at first step.

I know, I know, I'm such a fickle woman but there's a reason this happened.

I walked into Fleet Feet today in a dress (as I was working but on my lunch) with the intention of getting a new pair of Brooks Ravennas 3 only to find out they were no longer carrying them. You can imagine what happened next...

Shock! Horror! PANIC!!! TEARS! How could Fleet Feet do this to me? I trusted them and was loyal and this is how I was being repaid??!?

But Chris, the awesome lady who was assisting me, let me blather on about how heartbroken I was and she let me know that they were willing to order them for me. However then I told her that I had been thinking of trying new shoes anyway because I wasn't sure that the Ravennas were exactly what I need anymore and maybe this was a sign. I've been wearing them for over 2 years and I was a different runner then compared to what I am now. Plus I keep getting blisters on the end of my second toe after almost every run over 5 miles and blisters on the inside of my foot under my big toe.

Chris thought that my shoes were too small and that's what was causing my blisters but she measured me and my left foot was an 8 and the right was an 8.25 which meant that my running shoe size of 9 was accurate (I always go up have a size to allow for movement and swelling). She asked me if I was open to another pair of Sauconys (I hated my ProGrid Guide 2's) and I figured why not so she brought a pair out (I have no clue what the model was). I immediately didn't like them, they were more of a stability shoe and they were just too heavy and too much.

The next pair she had me try (did I mention that by "try" I mean run on the track in the store in my dress? Which is proof that I wasn't planning on changing shoes and also that I have no shame) were the beauties above, the Mizuno Inspire 8. Even just running a few feet in them they felt like the greatest shoes I've ever run it. There is a ton of flexibility in the toe and they're so light! They're completely different than what I'm used to running in but in a good way. They're the exact same heel to toe drop as my Ravennas but still feel like less shoe somehow (maybe it's the ounce less that they weight?). I'm not sure what it is but I am equally excited and scared to try them tomorrow because I'm hoping that they will be as awesome on the trail but worried that I just fell in love too fast and didn't put enough thought into them. The good news is that if they aren't Fleet Feet will take them back.

In other news I ran 3 miles this morning and it was awesome! I think my love of running might just be creeping back and not a moment too soon because my Boilermaker training started today. Pray for me ;)

Also, DiorSkin Forever Flawless Foundation is my new reason for getting up in the morning. Well, that and that it's strawberry season which is mine AND the bun's reason for getting up in the morning.

Also, if you want to read the specs on my new shoes you can check them out here.

Running playlist

I'm sorry I've been gone for so long! I spent last week in DC/Arlington/MD for work which meant absolutely no running (or doing anything else outside of working and hunting down every Madewell store I could). It wasn't my intention not to run at all but I was covering a territory that has been open for the last year so I had so much work to do (and so much TRAFFIC to weed through) that I was up at 6am every day working and didn't stop until 9 or so at night. In addition to that I ate at Chick Fil A every single day. Why? BECAUSE IT'S AMAZING!!! And we don't have them in NY so every time I am near one I have to go as often as possible which isn't conducive to running when your stomach isn't use to fried anything. My chicken spree did yield two results: a raging stomach ache as soon as I got home Friday night that didn't stop until last night and a 3lb weight gain (allegedly). Which isn't possible because it takes 3000 unused calories to make a pound of fat and there is NO way I ate 9000 extra calories but it was a good reality check (ETA: I weighed myself this morning and it was more like a .5lb weight gain. That I will believe).

I will say that if I did gain 3lb it would have been completely in cookies and cream milkshakes. So good. Too good. Oy.

ILU <3

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So I think if you've read anything on my blog in the past you know how I feel about running with music in general and that is that I'm not a fan. However I do understand than when you're just getting started it really helps with motivation. Today I ran a route I haven't run in well over a year but that was my normal route when I first started exercising and when I was just switching from walking to running in little bits I would time myself by forcing myself to run up until certain parts of a song, then through a whole song and eventually I worked up to running by quarter mile increments which are clearly labeled at this trail.

I was running when I took this. I gots mad skillz, yo.

I stopped running here for quite a few reasons (too flat, too straight out and back, too humid because of being by one of the most polluted lakes in the world, the tom meniscus in my left knee that I ignore most days hates that much running on concrete, etc). However given the amount of crazy hot runner guys out without their shirts on today I may need to rethink it, even if just for one or two runs a week ;) And the reason I ran here today is because there was a race going on at my normal lake which angered me as it was not a race I wanted to run yet interfered with my running, thus forcing me to the swampy air geese filled pit of blazing sun inferno that is this lake.

The trail on the left by the benches and the lake is the walking trail and the one with the dashed lines is the running/biking/rollerblading trail. I usually run down the walking trail a mile or two and then run back on the running trail).

Today's run brought back a lot of memories but it really made me think about how I need to start weaning myself off running with music. Because I was on such a flat out and back trail I really noticed how much I would match my pace and my stride to the tempo of the song which I want to avoid.

I took this while running and listening to music and watching hot guys and NOT paying attention to my Front Foot strike or breathing. Oh well.

HOWEVER, after 16 paragraphs that is not what this post is about. A friend asked me to post what songs are on my running playlist so I felt like I needed to write the aforementioned bit in order to retain a small amount of my dignity (there isn't much so I hang out to it as hard as I can). Also, I get really excited when someone says that actually read this blog so I'll pretty most post about anything you ask me to (clothes posts coming soon for the same reason. Sorry, Uncle Jim). And let's be honest, what I am about to list isn't going to make anyone think very highly of me as a person. In fact this list might make most people weep in the same way that I weep every time I see ANOTHER damn post about "OMGIT'SSOGOODYOUHAVETOREAD50SHADESOFGREY!!!111!1!" on my FB feed. And I do mean weep.

But what I have in literary snobbery I make up for in my ridiculous taste in music. If you've met me then chances are good you're aware that I bow down to the queen of pop, Ms Britney Spears and will continue to do so until the end of time. No, you will never change my mind. Yes, if you go on a road trip with me then you will be forced to listen to her along with me singing along. You're welcome in advance.

I also like Nickelback. Those dudes just right the same song over and over which helps for some consistent running, so sue me.

Anyhoots, here is my list. I'm ok with you judging, I can take it. Just don't tell me about it ;)

My running playlist:
Living on the Edge, Aerosmith
Undo It, Carrie Underwood
Smooth Criminal, Alien Ant Farm
Boys (Coed Remix), Britney Spears
Til the World Ends (Femme Fatale remix with Nicki Minage and Kesha), Britney Spears
Bad Medicine, Bon Jovi
Remedy, Seether
Gasoline Remix, Pitbull and Lil John
Bad Girlfriend, Theory of a Deadman
Livin on a Prayer, Bon Jovi
Harder to Breathe, Maroon 5
Hey Baby (Drop it to the Floor), Pitbull
Crazy, Aerosmith
Yeah, Usher (I use this as a warm up, reminds me of college)
Hold It Against Me, Britney Spears
Cryin, Aerosmith (I was a big fan of Aerosmith back in the day, it stuck with me)
So Fine, Sean Paul
Stronger, Kelly Clarkson (MY JAM)
Break the Ice, Britney Spears
Feel It, Three 6 Mafia
Best of You, Foo Fighters
If I Had You, Adam Lambert
Get Busy remix, Sean Paul ft Fat Man Scoop
Paralyzer, Finger Eleven
Baby Boy, Beyonce and Sean Paul
Walk This Way, Aerosmith and Run DMC
Beat It, Fall Out Boy and John Mayer version (it's good, I swear)
Headsprung Remix, LL Cool J feat Justin Timberlake
Something in Your Mouth, Nickelback
Carry Out, Timbaland feat Justin Timberlake
Bottoms Up, Nickelback
Porn Start Dancing, My Darkest Days
I Know You Want Me, Pitbull
Shout at the Devil, Motley Crue
Burn It to the Ground, Nickelback
Living in a Dream, Finger Eleven
A Warriors Call, Volbeat (my current power song)
Fighter, Christina Aguilera (I finished my first 5k to this song)
Inside of You, Hoobastank
OMG, Usher
Never Again, Kelly Clarkson
Dirry, Christina Aguilera
Bad, The Cab
Pour Some Sugar on me, Def Leppard
Low Remix, Flo Ride ft Travis Barker
Poison, Bel Biv Devoe
Holding Out for a Hero, Bonnie Tyler
Make Me Wanna Die, The Pretty Reckless
Sweeter, Gavin DeGraw
Titanium, David Guetta ft Sia

And my current favorite jam which is on heavy roration in my life, not just running, I probably listen to it 5 times a day:

So yeah, that list was pretty embarrassing. I'm going to go run around outside in my underpants now because that's the only thing that will top it.

Confession.

I eat too much fruit. And by too much I mean not enough, it's never enough. I've been averaging 2lb a grapes a day and you'd think reading that that they're probably spread out over the course of the day but no, I eat most of them at once. I've been gone for work all week and when I finally came home last night the first thing I did was go to Wegmans and there were NO green grapes! I almost had a temper tantrum right on the spot but I reigned it in and got strawberries instead. They weren't nearly as good but as it's almost strawberry season I'm hoping to switch to them soon of which I also average 2lb a day when they're in season. I'm going to crack and go to Wegman's shortly though, I just can't go two days without them.

And now you know about my crazy fruit addiction.

Oh, and FYI I ate grapes from Target three times this week. Twice they were ok but once they were AMAZING. Target really is a magical place.

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I haven't run since the Mountain Goat. At first it was because I could barely move but then it was out of sheer laziness. I wanted to run every day but then...just didn't. And here's the awful truth of things:

I don't love running right now. And Sunday proved it.

Don't get me wrong, I still love the idea of it. I'm just frustrated because I'm not at a point yet where I can just run and be happy about it. I still get tired and walk a lot during long runs and I just can't find my groove (meaning when I completely forget about everything else except that I'm running and how awesome it is). It's a hard place to be mentally. I KNOW that I need to run. I know that I want to run. I know that the only way through this is to just force myself through it. But I was a little disheartened Sunday at being one of the last finishers in a race that I usually love. Want to know what sucks? When you're still running and trying to push hard and give it everything you can and they are breaking down the water stations. Or the people who were watching and cheering are packing up and leaving. Or the police drive by and tell you that you need to get off the road because they are reopening it and run on the sidewalk, through the bands that are no longer playing but are instead dismantling and getting annoyed that you almost knock over their high hat. Or when you're at mile 8.5 of 10 and one of the race officials rides by on his bike and announces to the volunteers "Only a few more left coming!" (to which I yelled, "That wasn't very nice to announce!!" and he turned around and apologized to me and asked how I was doing so I forgive him). Or that you literally watch the last finisher go across the finish line a mere 10-15 minutes after you.

It sucks.

But newsflash to myself: life isn't all rainbows and butterflies. It's not all cute bunnies who never poop and Cadbury Eggs that have no calories.  The truth of the matter is that I was one of the last people but it was at a very hard a race. A race a lot of people try to run but drop out of. A race that if I continued my pace and added on another three miles I would have beat my half marathon time in March by over a half hour and that's even with all the hills that I ran (of which the half I did in March had none) which is amazing progress. A race that 6 months ago I couldn't even have done.

It is so easy to fall into a negative mindset and I sure did this week. I was sad for no reason and spent every day just wanting to be at home with my fluffy girls and watch a lot of Deadliest Catch reruns (on DVD since I own every season) but instead I sat in my various hotel rooms eating grapes from Target and watching The Real Housewives of Anywhere reruns.

But I can't stay in this mindset. It does nothing good for me. Feeling sorry for yourself accomplishes nothing.

I don't love running right now. To be honest I am dreading it. But today I am going to buy a brand new shiny running journal and create a mileage plan. And tomorrow I am going to start it. And some days will be easy and some will be hard but I am hoping that in a month or two this feeling will be gone and I will be back to loving the one thing I love more than cake.

Did I just really say that? Because cake is pretty amazing.

But not as amazing as how I used to feel after running 10 miles of hills.

That right there is a happy face. And it's BEFORE they gave me my first Chobani Pomegranate yogurt ever, a yogurt I used to buy by the case at Whole Foods in Maine and drive home with on ice before they carried it around me. MMM.