Run Post 2 - and I love America

Good afternoon friends!

Today I broke my week-long break from the gym. Kind of. I went on what was supposed to be a 5mi run but ended up being in the neighborhood of 7.5mi because I got lost. Topeka streets don't always run from one end of town to the other, so sometimes you turn right to run up a hilly street, only to find that you haven't paid attention and now you're much farther south than you ever planned on running. Or maybe just I do that.

As aforementioned, I found a street this morning with rolling hills. I have a love/hate relationship with hills from my marathon training. We did a hill workout about every 2-3 weeks and they always hurt while you're doing them, but feel good later (like most fitness moves!). There are 3 ways to go up hills. One is to skip. Yes, skip! Another is to do the "high knees" motion that you may have learned in high school. The other is to make long bounds so that your feet spend less time on the ground and more time in the air. Today I elected to try the high knees motion. My legs are super short so I hope you can imagine with humor what they look like making small steps forward but big motions upward.

Thankfully I completed the hills sector of my workout before getting lost and running in an aimless square around a group of churches. 

I don't honestly regret taking the week-long break because I was able to have extra energy for all the fun things that come with sorority Bid day!

This morning's run was rough on more than one count. One being that I got lost. Another being that this weekend was my 21st birthday! I will not even pretend that I don't look forward to my birthday all year round. 

Alas, while this morning's run wasn't the easiest, it gave me some quality thinking time.

Today is a day that will forever live in the hearts and minds of Americans. Being a firefighter's daughter, today carries some extra weight on my heart as I remember and appreciate those men and women who went into those buildings with the odds stacked against them. Everyone in their collective efforts to try to cushion the blow of that day on our country are very much appreciated and prayed for. God bless the USA.

My favorite firefighter, my father.

Life Post 2

Good morning friends!

This week has been nuts I tell you. Sorority recruitment is a wonderful and exhausting thing! However it is my favorite time of year to be a sorority woman because I get to spend almost every minute of every day for a week with the wonderful women I get to call my sisters!

This is my 'Big', Shelbie!

And my Little, Haley!

So with this week being as crazy as it's been, I've decided to take about a 5 day break from working out completely. My legs are itching for a run but there's not enough time in the day to fit in a good night's sleep, work, class, sorority recruitment, and a run. So, I'll be eager to go back when this week concludes. 

I've been super stressed lately because my classes this semester are actually hard (to me). The problem is, I'm really dramatic when it comes to my grades. So, a couple bad grades on homework and I'm already mourning the loss of my four semester run at straight A's. 

But, TGIF I suppose. I would like to leave you with this picture of my sisters and I after recruitment, eating 33 McChickens and 33 McDoubles. Because I think it is hilarious. And I think Hungry Runner Girl would approve and I think she is the coolest.

Anti-stereotypical sorority picture, gotta love it.

What are your plans this weekend?

What's the hardest class you've ever taken?

Running Post 1

Hello! How is your week going? 
Mine is crazy hectic, but I've turned to the two kinds of therapy that help me most. 

Caffeine and running!

This week is sorority recruitment week which, unless you went through it yourself, is really hard to put into words. It takes a toll on the body, mentally and physically. So in order to get through the late nights and short days with as little conflict as possible, I've tried really hard to get my fair share of endorphins everyday. 

Yesterday, it was only 82 degrees out. Which as compared to lately, was a welcome cool front. However, as a rule I learned in Marathon Training class; add 20 degrees to the temperature outside for a good estimate of what it will feel like to you while running.

Thus, yesterday was still a '102 degree' run. So I went out with the distance in mind: I wanted to complete 5K before I ventured back to the house to get ready and look presentable for the evening.

So in 102 degree runs, one must stay cool. I chose a sleeveless running top and my traditional Nike tempo shorts but I also donned a white running hat. This was probably the best decision of the day because not only did it keep my head cool, but it also prevented me from squinting into the sun. Squinting takes a great deal of energy out of you when your body is running. 

Rarely will I take pictures of myself ESPECIALLY after a run, but I wanted you to see my outfit!

Living in Topeka is a total advantage to runners because streets and sidewalks are lined with big, old trees. So I found some shady residential streets to run on and explore.

See how shady the sidewalk becomes with the help of some old oak trees?

The combination of my correct running attire and the shade that the canopy of trees created over the sidewalks made for a solid afternoon run. I completed 3.25 miles in about 35 minutes.

The hour after your run is a critical period of nutrition and hydration. The body needs calories and water, stat. A habit I started six months ago is taking my water bottle (in yesterday's case, Gatorade) in the shower with me. That way, while I rinse off in the cool water, I can still be hydrating too. It's easy to forget when you're busy with other things (like showering). If you ever complete a grueling workout (running or otherwise!) and you're in a pinch, try my tip!

Well that's all for now. Have a wonderful rest of your day!

Lifestyle Post 1

Hi friends! As my description said, I didn't want my blog to be limited to just running because most of you probably don't give a flip. And that is OK! So I wanted to share some other things about myself.

This is my family in all of our Christmas card glory. My mom, Cathy, is a real sweetheart and is famous for her chocolate chip cookies. My dad, Mark, or as I like to call him, Chief, is the most humble guy I know. He's the Chief of the fire departments in my home town of Newton, Kan. And last but not least is my little brother Matt. He's almost a foot taller than I.

We also have a dog, Harvey. And he brings us lots of laughs.

I am a Zeta Tau Alpha at Washburn University, so even when I'm not home, I have a family up here too. I could dote on them forever but I won't, not now.

This is Bobby and I at Navy Pier in Chicago on the 4th of July.

When I'm not doing school, working out, or spending time with any and all of the people listed above, I like to bake or craft or spend countless hours on Pinterest. By no means am I a health nut, but I have been recently accused of being a healthy eater. So whatever that means. 

I'm in school to hopefully eventually become a news reporter for a TV station. My high school speech teacher told me he knew this was what I'd end up doing when I was a sophomore. I laughed it off. And here I am, 5 years later, in school to do exactly that. Everyone I know is really supportive of my dreams, and sometimes I get random numbers and email addresses of people they know that are in the Journalism field. I've been able to practice reporting a couple times here at WU, especially with the Leadership Institute! 

Well hopefully you know me a little better by now. I'd love to know who is actually reading this thing. So please, leave a comment! Tell me all about yourself and what your dreams are. Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Howdy

Okay so let's start this journey out with some honesty: I don't like blogging. I'm not good at it, I don't find my life interesting enough to be documented, and I'm afraid that everything starts sounding the same after awhile. But that aside, I'm happy to be sharing some of the highlights of my days with whoever reads this!

The focus of this blog is going to primarily be running and lifestyle-related posts. I've loved running for a long time as a coping mechanism and because, quite frankly, it makes me a nicer person.

This past semester (Spring 2013) I enrolled in a Marathon Training class at Washburn University (where I go to school). Every week we built up our mileage and the expectation is that eventually we would run either a half or a full marathon. I had my sights set on a half until a conversation with my father that went like this:

Dad: If you can run a half, you can run a full.

And how do you argue with that? So I set my long-term goal at a full marathon (26.2 miles). 

The class taught me a lot about running, obviously, but so much more than that! We learned about dietary and lifestyle changes to make, workouts that work, how to get the results you want, pacing, etc. And running long distances isn't for everyone, but if you have a half or a full in your crosshairs, please go for it! 

I could not have survived the long workouts if it hadn't been for my pal and ZTA sister, Bonnie McKee. We run an identical pace and have the same tendencies when it comes to running (read: We don't like to talk while we run). Bonnie witnessed me trip in the street and was always there on the early Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday mornings to be encouraging.

So on April 20th, I ran the Garmin Marathon in Olathe, Kan. I was blessed enough to have my Dad and my boyfriend there to cheer me on. Four times during the race they met me and I shed a layer of clothing to them and they gave me a Clif Bar. I'll post all about my marathon at a later date. 

Thanks y'all for reading, stay tuned to this work in progress!