Spring is here to stay!

Well this week has been an off week so far for me. Boston, trying to plan my summer weekends because apparently half of them are taken, and trying to get into the groove of a spring schedule! I'm currently trying to figure out the right balance this week of work, running, crossfit, and me time!  Due to some personal stuff I didn't make it to the gym last night. Breathing and not letting exercise become a stressor instead of a stress reliever is really important to me. I'm still working on releasing guilt from my life so it's tough. I spent some time with my bf and if we've learned anything from this week, it's to cherish the people we love. I still can't believe how warm the weather has been, but I definitely welcome all the sunshine and extra Vitamin D in my life.  My favorite things to look forward to in the beginning of spring are:

1. Iced coffees

I had one from Dunkin Donuts earliers this week that was delicious! I need to peition that they carry almond milk or figure out some way to transport it with me when the iced coffee craving strikes!

2. Sundresses

Target is so awful because I need to stop myself from buying another sundress when I go there. Who am I kidding, most times I cannot resist!

3. Baseball

Haven't been to my first game yet, but love heading out to the baseball park and enjoying an  ice cold beer!

4. Running in shorts

This was very exciting the first time I did it a few weeks ago. I hate bundling up and dealing with cold wind when running, ugh. Too bad I am vampire pale and rock some really white legs in shorts!

Miles for Boston

I wrote my quick post yesterday about jumbled thoughts on the Boston tragedy. I ran 6.5 miles last night in honor of Boston, and today I'm repping some race gear. Runners are a strong and united community! I'll post tomorrow about the 5K I ran on Sunday which included a first and some new fitness swag I've got. 

(excuse my dirty mirror and big crappy phone!)

Also today if you are trying to take your mind off of everything, check out my guest post on My Food N Fitness Diaries ,which is a super fun blog run by Ashley. My post is all about other ways of relaxing besides running or working out!  

Hug the people you love every day :)

Shock-Boston Tragedy

This is going to be a stream of consciousness post full of run on thoughts. I watched parts of the Boston marathon this morning via the interwebs and was excited watching Shalane and Kara finish (go US women woo!).  

I loved all the running support and love on twitter, etc. from the running community and people's blogs I follow. 

Then later I hear the news, and that explosion video haunts me. I've been on the verge of tears all afternoon. Limbs and blood and horrific images. I wish the news wouldn't show all that. As I just recently registered for my first marathon, Boston has become a lifelong goal of mine.  I am crying thinking of those people crossing the finish line and the usual elation I feel and the people I have cheering for me. Thinking they could be in danger to watch me run makes my heart ache.

 I was excited to get my custom Nikes, which were my anniversary gift, in the mail today. I felt sick even opening them today knowing, from volunteering with the intent to become an occupational therapist, that some people have been hurt and will not be able to run.  If you happen to read this insignificant blog, remember that we are all people. 

Pain and love are what make us all human but if you have ever run anything you are also a runner. Those are  our friends out there that were hurt. Even though I usually feel like an amateur, today I am proud to be a runner and be part of such a strong, supportive community.  Hug the ones you love and your biggest supporters tonight. I'm going to go for a run. I don't know what else to do. Miles for Boston tonight. 

(Saw this image on instagram and don't have the proper credit)

Major Goal Underway

So it's been on my radar for months now but at the Cherry Blossom Race Expo last weekend I officially took the plunge and signed up. Saturday, October 12, 2013 in Baltimore, MD I will be taking on my first full marathon! AHHHHHHHHHHH!

 I ran the half marathon last year, which was a month after my first ever half.  I hadn't really trained much for it and the hills were killer, but I beat my previous time so it clearly wasn't that bad .  I felt unprepared and even forgot my Ipod at the start line, but I rocked a purple and black tutu so I got lots of support from people cheering on the girl in the tutu.  

If you want to see why I'm scared you can see the 2012 elevation map here.  Yikes. 

My goal is just to finish the race and become a marathoner so why should some hills bother me though? I might try to join one of the Charm City Run store's training groups since I've never ran more than a half marathon and doubling my mileage is a daunting task to me. I think I would like having a group of people to run with and to give me all the support I need.  This is a major life goal for me but people need to challenge themselves to push themselves to be their best. 

I didn't think in October 2011 when I ran my first 5k that in 2 years I'd be a semi-speedy runner girl taking on a full marathon. 

Cherry Blossom 10 Miler 2013 Recap

This past Sunday's DC Cherry Blossom 10 Miler turned out to be a fabulous run! It was another one of those races where I felt I should have prepared more and ended up having a nice run anyways!

Saturday I headed over to the expo after getting into the city later in the afternoon. It was in the National Building Museum (I still don't know quite what that means), which is a gorgeous place to visit. Look at those pillars!

Packet pick up was yet again organized,smooth, and not super crowded.  I picked up a few more BondiBands because I love how they keep all the layers of my hair in place and the sweat off my face. I decided to buy a black one that said "Run happy" on it for the race.  It's the Brooks Running motto, which I LOVE, and also is the vibe I wanted for the day.  The other big thing I wanted to do was sign up for the Baltimore Running Festival since I missed the super early bird pricing and they were offering a discount (more on that to registration to come!).

Afterwards my boyfriend and I took advantage of the wonderful spring weather, including looking at some actual cherry blossoms in bloom! We split a snack at Good Stuff Eatery that included rosemary french fries and a toasted marshmallow milkshake with an actual toasted marshmallow and fluff in it. It was worth every calorie! Eventually we met up with my friend whose house we were crashing at.  We caught up over pizza and beer at Mellow Mushroom. I had a delicious vegetable pizza on a gluten free crust and a beer (or two).  I drank some chocolate Zico and water to rehydrate and fell asleep to a movie.

Due to my less than wholesome dinner and the terrible sleep I got, I was really anxious in the morning.  I took a warm-up jog to the metro, which was full of runners, and made it into the red corral with 10 minutes to spare! It was a lot colder than I had expected, so I was glad I wore my black arm sleeves from Saucony, which have become one of my new favorite running items.  

Pre-Cherry Blossom 10 Miler 2013

This Sunday I'll be running the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in DC!

Cherry Blossom 10 Miler holds a special place in my heart. It was my PRD or longest distance at the time last year. I was so nervous and anxious last year. I had signed up for the 8:30 pace group but the pacer ended up running around 8:00 miles, so I finished in 1:20 and was elated. 

I was on such a great runner's high when I finished even though the cherry blossoms were past bloom and the day was gloomy.  I had the hugest smile on my face when I finished and remember feeling so good and strong.  I hope I feel that feeling again when I finish on Sunday.  Since I've run this race before, hopefully I'll be a little more relaxed about getting to the start line. 

The weather is predicted to be 72 degrees and sunny (according to weather.com as of 5 seconds ago). 72 DEGREES. That's warm. I'm going to wear a new Brooks running skirt so I'll report back-I hope there isn't chaffing! (#runnerproblems) I have brunch reservations at Old Ebbitt Grill after the race so that will be delicious. I'm hoping for some pretty blossoms, fast running, and a big smile on my face the whole time :) 

If you're down in DC for the race, lookout for me!

Cherry Blossom Playlist and the Gluten-Free Bar Review

Hello and Happy Thursday! A fellow SPA, Kim from My Healthy Nest is hosting a Spring Playlist Link-Up on her blog today. I love music, especially when I'm running or working out so I thought this was a great idea.  I'm running the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in DC this Sunday so I thought I'd share some must have songs on my playlist!

Lately I've been into making my own granola bars and protein bars but love to keep some packaged ones on hand for when I'm on the go or need something that will stay fresh in my purse for when I need a snack. You know I love Questbars and also like Luna bars and KIND bars.  The most important thing I look for in a bar is that it is not loaded with sugar and that I can understand all of it's ingredients. 

I recently was sent some samples to try by Gluten Free Protein Bars (GFB).  In the last year I have figured out that I am gluten sensitive, after an array of GI issues and a diagnosis of IBS, so I am always on the look out for gluten-free products that are tasty! GFB's mission statement is to make the world's best gluten-free protein bar, with a lot of focus on taste! I was even more excited when I came across GFB's website and saw this info:

Looks pretty awesome, right? I tried a sample pack of their four bar flavors: Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Chocolate, Cranberry Almond, and Oatmeal Raisin. 

An Overdue Half #3 Recap-Caesar Rodney Half Marathon

 So I've been slacking on writing this post because I'm so busy lately, but on St. Patrick's Day a couple weeks ago I ran the Caesar Rodney Half Marathon in Wilmington, DE.  It was the 50th Anniversary of the race which is apparently the oldest continuously running half marathon in the country! Impressive for a race I hadn't heard about!

I signed up for this race because the registration was cheap, I was itching to do a long race in the beginning of spring, and people said the race was well-organized with about 1400 runners.  However, people also said the race was HILLY. Now, I ran the Baltimore half marathon last year and plan on running the full this year (AHHHHHH!), and that is one hilly course as well. 

I looked at the elevation (here), and it was comparable to Baltimore so I felt okay about my hill training.  I had to train for the race in the winter, so I'm a baby and did a lot of treadmill runs.  I tried to get a long run in once a week but wasn't following a training plan and sometimes had less than stellar runs.

Due to my spotty training, before the race I was really nervous but just got layered up and found myself running once the cannon sounded (which was really loud!) to start the race. I was running and not expecting a PR or a fast run and decided to just have fun and hopefully not struggle through the 13.1 miles. It was really cold and windy weather, which I hate, but eventually I found myself chugging along at a pretty nice pace.