Tag Archives: fitness

Runners Tell All Linkup: My Running Story in 250 Words

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I’m so excited to participate in my first ever blogger linkup! Here’s the story of how I began running in 250 words.

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I totally bandit-ed my first race.

Oops.

I now know that’s an incredible runner sin, and I am super sorry.

My best friend invited me to run in a 5k with her and her family a week before Christmas 2011. I had never entertained the idea of running, but I wanted to hang out with Nikki, so I said I would be there.

I ran a mile and a half the night before, just to see if I could.

It took me 39 minutes to jog/ run/ walk my way through the Dallas Design District. But I was hooked.

Cut to New Year’s Eve 2011. I decided to really take the plunge. I made it my New Year’s Resolution to run a mile every day during 2012 (or an equivalent number of miles). 365 miles in one year.

That was the first resolution I’ve ever kept.

In 2012, I made the 5k my race. My first real, I-paid-money-for-this 5k took place in approximately 19 degree temperatures. I made a dorky tutu and tromped all over OU’s campus gleefully, knocking 3 minutes off my first race’s time.

I can now run a 5k in less than 30 minutes without killing myself.  I’m two half marathons into what I hope will be a lifelong love affair with running.

Like I’ve said before, running makes me feel strong. I am so blessed to have a hobby that lets me do things I never thought I was capable of.

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I Said, Brrr, It’s Cold Out There: Running in Cold Weather

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(Hope you guys all got my sweet Bring it On reference in the post title.)

The above picture was the view outside my window this morning. As you can see, we’ve had a little snow lately. I live in Norman, Oklahoma, which has experienced sub-freezing temperatures for what seems like forever (but has probably only been a week or so). Usually I’m a big fan of snow days, but I’ve been trying to train for my third half-marathon and it has not been going according to plan.

Every training cycle I studiously mark each run in my planner, scaling up to 10 miles two weeks before the race. Basically all of my scheduled outdoor long runs have not occurred, thanks to this lovely snow and ice that coats my sidewalks. I’ve been trying to catch up on the treadmill, but it’s so difficult both mentally and physically to do these long, slow runs on a treadmill. Can you imagine running for two hours basically in place?! I’m not sure if TLC has enough episodes of trash TV to get me through that kind of struggle.

Do you have any tips for training in cold weather? I’m sure runners who experience this kind of weather all of the time are laughing at me, but it’s a real challenge for this Texas born runner!

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Photo of the Day: a quick selfie from a rather loud colored gym outfit I wore last week. Sorry for the lack of posts, I’m working on a massive Cuppycakes redesign that should be rolling out around Valentines Day!

Grocery Shopping Revisited

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Last time we talked about groceries, I told you my couponing tricks of the trade. Strangely enough, I’ve completely abandoned couponing. I’m just too busy to take the time to hunt around, and I found myself falling into the trap of buying unhealthy things and buying things I don’t need.

But cheap groceries without couponing is still possible! Here is an example of what I buy each week and how much it costs.

The total for these groceries was $23. And this is what I got…

  • organic spinach
  • celery
  • baby carrots
  • 4 sweet potatoes (small)
  • 3 apples
  • cucumber
  • 2 packages of sliced mushrooms
  • a loaf of freshly baked bread
  • small log of goat cheese + honey
  • frozen butternut squash ravioli (SO GOOD OMG)
  • 3 pork chops

With the lunch meat I had leftover from Target, this food definitely lasted me a week. I even still have the ravioli left to eat tonight! You can see that I am still buying food that I think is good for me to eat (less Cheetos, more mushrooms) but not spending an insane amount of money.

Unfortunately, my budget for the week got a bit…derailed by my fear of the impending winter storm that Oklahoma got. I went and bought extra food for the weekend for me and my roommate. Oops.

In a future post, I will try and provide you guys with an example of my meal plan!

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Photo of the Day: me, all bundled up yesterday for the Route 66 Half marathon. It was a little chilly.

Cold Weather Running for the Scared and Shivering

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You all know I’m running in the Route 66 Marathon this weekend, and it’s finally time to start my favorite part: packing! Here’s what I’m bringing to ensure that I have perfect control over everything I CAN control (i. e. everything but the fact that there might be snow on the ground).

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1. My Mizuno Wave Rider 16s. They’re kind of important for the running to occur. Also, three pairs of running socks. Because I am a chronic sock loser.

2. Running tights. I got mine from TJMaxx about a year ago, but I’ll be bringing 2 pairs to the race because I will probably need both of them. Layering is key, kids!

3. Armband for my tunes. At the OKC Half, I held my phone in my hand, but I don’t want to risk dropping my phone thanks to the cold giving me stiff fingers.

4. My Lululemon half zip. I don’t think they carry it anymore, but it’s closest to the Star Runner pullover. It’s great at wicking sweat and also super warm.

5. Running gloves (with fingertips that work with an iDevice). It’s cold. Self explanatory. I’ll have B on the course to hand these off to in case they’re too warm.

6. A fuel belt. Not sure if I’m going to wear one with water bottles or one with just a pocket for foods. I was well hydrated without my own water during OKC, so I will probably be fine without it this time.

Other things I won’t be able to live without:

hot hands

sweats for the drive home

a scarf?

throwaway gear from Goodwill?

Fitness Find: 50by25

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I was looking for race reviews of the Route 66 Marathon online last night in an attempt to get pumped for my race later this month, and I happened upon 50by25, a really extensive blog about Laura, the current world record holder for the youngest person to run a marathon in all 50 states! I got lost in her race recaps for about an hour last night, but it was totally worth it.

Fun Training Montage!

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There’s less than a month until the Route 66 Half Marathon, and I have not blogged as much about training as I did last time (obviously). Turns out that training during the fall is extremely hard for a college student who enjoys football games, sleep, and going to Whataburger at 11pm.

Midweek runs: They suck. They make my calves hurt toooooo much. I had a breakthrough a few weeks ago where I loosened my laces a bunch and my calves felt better, but now they feel worse. I don’t have this problem on long runs, which is confusing. I’m beginning a regimen of calf exercises to help combat the pain before the race. So, progress!

Long runs: Sporadic, but great! I’ve had a really odd schedule this semester (see: football on long run days), and combine that with all of the free 5ks floating around, and my long runs have been all over the place.  A couple of times I’ve done two-a-days or 3 miles at night (5k) and 5 miles in the morning to meet my total if I’m especially busy (or, you know, registered for a 5k). This weekend, I’m running 9 miles for the first time in a loooong while, but I’m excited. I’ve felt pretty good during most of my long runs, which is extremely calming when I look at the calendar and think “LESS THAN A MONTH!!”.

Overall: This training cycle has made me nervous. I keep thinking I am way farther behind than I was for the OKC half, but when I look back on my training posts, I’m definitely not. I keep forgetting that I also had a busted long run during that cycle, and that I got sick and missed a week of training during that cycle (last week I didn’t train at all due to B family fun). I’m going to be just fine. (I think.) Trying to adapt my attitude from “MUST PR” to “I’m going to do the best I can on this course”. It wouldn’t be fair to my hard work if I beat myself up over a non-PR on a course that I’ve literally never even seen before. Hills? Who knows!

Oklahoma Run to Defeat Diabetes 2013 Race Report

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I got a free entry to this race through my sorority, so I really just ran it for fun (as you can see from my time). Also, I had B’s birthday party the night before and was up late, so I wasn’t really in a state to run fast!

The race was pretty uneventful, except for a couple interesting moments. I almost started running in a different 5k by accident because the courses crossed! I also got scared that I accidentally ended up on the 10k course because I felt like I had been running way longer and had missed the split. Both of these problems were due to a lack of signage or volunteers, so if the race people can get this fixed, next year’s race should go off without a hitch!

The one incident that I will remember from this race happened at the end. I was making my way to the finish, and saw a guy running in front of me. I hadn’t really pushed myself too hard throughout the race, so I decided I would try and pass him. And pass him I did! By a pretty wide margin. My legs and chest were burning, but it felt good to have a small victory. Until B told me that the race announcer quipped “Isn’t it nice that that guy is letting her pass him? Chivalry isn’t dead!”

Excuse me?

No one “let” me do anything. I didn’t slip in at the end just ahead of him. I passed him by a lot! And it wasn’t because he wasn’t giving his all. I passed him because I was giving my all. I didn’t need chivalry for that. I know I was near the middle of the pack during the race, but that small victory was mine.

So there!