Get in Gear 2014

Last Saturday I ran the get in gear half by myself, while the boy ran the 5K. It started out as a beautiful day for a run, but once I finished it was cold and started raining... and basically it's been raining ever since.

I had a great race that resulted in another PR!! I shaved another 12 minutes of my half time (with a bathroom break)!!

The race itself was organized really well. My race, as well as the 10K, started at 9 AM. Followed by the 5K at 9:20 AM. Hans and I showed up about 2 mins before the gun start so I had to climb over a table and join the heard. Haha. One thing I should mention is that one of the reasons that I love this race is because we can walk to it. Okay back to the race... The first part of the race is great and you run through some residential area. I hate having to stop to use the port-a-john but shortly after the 5K I said eff-it and just went. I surprised myself by not only hitting the 5K at 28 mins but also still hitting mile 4 before 40 mins. At mile 5 you lose the 10Kers and continue to run along the river for an out and back. It was at about mile 6-7 that I thought I was maybe going to have to bow out because my knees started to hurt, but I pushed through. There were times I thought that I was barely moving, but apparently I was moving along because somewhere around 10 miles I saw that I was 1 hour 35 mins into the race and knew there about 3 miles left. As the image above shows I finished the race at 2:02:35.

I know a PR is different for everyone. Obviously there were people who ran faster than me, but it sure does feel good to know that I'm getting better. When I turned the final corner and saw the clock at the finish line I got a bit giddy. I did my thing where I race people at the finish line and had a good laugh with a woman at the finish line when we pushed each other to finish strong. That's one of the things I love about running.

Now to air my grievances... Overall I had an enjoyable experience at this race, but the after party was a bit weak. I ran my race in two hours and I know there were plenty of people behind me, so I was surprised to see some of the sponsors packing up already. The boy told me that there were ALOT of people who did the 5K but it's still disappointing to see. The Redbull people had already packed up, Dick's Sporting Goods was down to just giving people coupons for spinning the wheel, and apparently the Preferred One people had disappeared but boyfrand was able to get some frisbees after his race. They were giving out free t-shirts from past races so I did enjoy that. I feel like I should disclaim that I'm not all about free stuff, but it is a little disappointing to see sponsors wrap up before the race is even over and all the finishers have crossed the line.

The post race food was also so-so, it had your typical bread, chocolate milk, bananas, nut roll, and yogurt. By the time I got to the line, it was sort of slim pickings. The yogurt was put into little cups instead of getting a single serve container. I guess when the 5Kers finished there were like 3 full lines for people to go through, and when I showed up there were 2, but they definitely could have been condensed into one. I should probably stop talking about the quality of food, because it really wasn't bad. 

What has REALLY been getting to me lately is when moms/dads run a race and then go through the food line with their kids. NO, your kid did not pay $60 to run a race and earn the post-race food. I know it seems silly to get that protective over a banana, but I've been seeing it more and more lately. I ran just as far as you did and I want my bag of chips and salted nut roll as much as you do, so yes, I'm going to be upset when I don't get mine because your kid did.

A small piece of my cubicle wall "Wall of Greatness"

Enough of the ranting. It's time to be happy about the PR and look forward to doing it again this weekend at the Lake Minnetonka Half. (Although I'm a little nervous about my knees beings jerks again.) Have a good Thursday!!!


What do you do with your bibs and medals? 

April Showers

Does anyone else think April is just flying by? I feel like I've been running all over the place and still putting more to do on my plate! 

I had a nice Easter weekend- I wish I still got Monday off, but I suppose I should just start accepting that I'm an "adult" now and this is how the "real world" is. Haha.

Some highlights so far- 

RUNNING!!! I'm in marathon training mode at the moment, so much of my activities have to be planned around getting my run in. Unfortunately this has meant giving up on the whole30 challenge, it's just too much to focus on while training. The plus side to this training is that I've been able to piece in some new races along the way to help get in the miles. 

This past weekend I ran the Hot Chocolate 15K. It was a good race- but FULL of hills and wind.

I wasn't kidding about those hills...

I had a pretty good race time wise too! I love seeing improvement in myself. 

The next two weekends I have half marathons to run, I'm not sure if I'm going to strive for PR's or just getting in the miles. Maybe one of each.

Moving along...

I also took a random trip to Las Vegas!! There isn't too much to this story- we woke up on Saturday and decided to take a trip. We ended up with a room in the pyramid at the Luxor thanks to Hotwire.com. We filled our time with drinks, the pool, food and a walk to the Las Vegas sign.

And because he's just too adorable...

Finnegan just loves it when I come home (can't you tell)

Otherwise, I think the rest of my month will continue to be filled with running and rounding out final plans for my NYC trip with my mom next month. I've also purchased a new computer that isn't getting here fast enough and once it is here I plan on jumping into redesigning my website and updating my portfolio. I can do it on my laptop, it's just not as fun. ;)

Whole30 Day 3

So far, today has been a good day.

Foodwise: I've stuck to the plan and didn't even need my snacks today. I think I've found the magic egg/veggie equation for breakfast (1 whole egg, 2 egg whites and a veggie mix, guac and some hot sauce... and bacon.) I'm sure sometime next week I'll be wanting to switch up the eggs (I did this last time) but I'll take that as it comes. For lunch, I had a huge taco salad with bison meat and I didn't even miss the "good stuff"- cheese, tortilla, beans, etc. I'm not quite sure what I'll have for dinner, but I'm currently thinking steak.

I never really did the pre-workout meals before, but I'd like to change that this time around. I know I have a long run tonight so, I'm trying to get a game plan- the plan calls for some protein and healthy fats- does a bowl of taco meat and guac sound acceptable? haha

Bodywise: I don't have my fog today and this morning I didn't chug my coffee. It actually lasted all day. Somehow I feel sort of lighter. That could just be that I'm shedding some of my water weight, but I'll take it. On the train home, I was thinking about this too- maybe this light feeling is coming from the fact that I haven't been snacking between meals. It's nice to come home and truly be hungry. 

Snacking can be sort of a catch-22. It fills time, it makes a movie complete, it can be a comfort, it can be a happy hour, it can hold you over until dinner- for all the good snacking can be, it can hinder your good intentions to eat well. Most often I'm not choosing the best options when I want a snack. I'll be honest when I'm tired and stressed out from my day I don't walk in my door and go "Let's get some veggies and hummus." It's usually "Do we have any tortilla chips left? I need a way to eat the rest of this cheese." I go through phases with the healthy foods and the bad foods, I just wish more often the good option seemed more appealing. I know that it's okay to eat SOME unhealthy foods, it's just not okay to do it too often. Like Jillian says 20%!

Australia!!

We booked our Australia trip for September last night and I am so excited!!! Actually, I'm probably not going to think about it for a few months and then in August be super obsessed with it!

We are going for a full three weeks! I can't wait- let the nightmares about scary snakes begin!!!

Whole30 round 2 day 2

I've decided to go crazy and do another round of Whole30. Okay, so it's not that crazy but when you tell people you're cutting out sugar, carbs, alcohol, dairy, refined foods, basically anything white... they look at you like you've just told them you're going on a hunger strike for the rest of your life.

A short explanation of what Whole30 is: Eat only whole, real foods, while excluding foods like sugar, grains, dairy, and legumes which tend to cause issues in people's health and fitness. You don't count calories and the plan is pretty simple. More info here: http://whole30.com/

Why oh why am I doing this (Again!!)? Well, because myself and sugar have a very complicated codependent relationship. I love it!! Usually I have no problem with sugar. I can hide chocolate from myself. I can forget that there is ice cream in the freezer. On the rare occasion, I can even skip the dessert line at the buffet. However, if you put any kind of gummy, sugary, and chewy candy in front me LOOK OUT, it's about to go down. I'm sort of like Leslie Knope and her waffles...

What did me in this time? I found myself deeming it acceptable to eat jelly beans at 9:30 in the morning. Is it any worse than eating a glazed doughnut while drinking a mocha? Probably not, but I know it's not the best decision. It doesn't help either that working in an office is probably just as bad as working in a bakery- someone is always bringing in treats.

Basically, I am just using Whole30 as tool to cut down/out on some of my current bad habits. As mentioned above, I am wanting to cut down on my sugar intake. I'm also using it as excuse to not snack so much. When I get bored at work, I eat.

Day 1: By the end of the day I felt like I was in a fog and I started getting a headache towards the end of the day.

Day 2: I'm starting get that little fog, but I think by tomorrow I'll be fine. I'm also excited to cook some new food tonight. The chicken curry I've been eating is getting plaaayyyyyed out.

The Power of Saying No... To Yourself.

I've been thinking lately about how we reward ourselves for the goals/tasks we achieve (thanks Jillian Michaels). Sometimes I'm really good about it, and other times it can seem like I'm rewarding myself for being alive.

Of course I need a need a new phone...

Of course I need new running clothes...

Of course I need the next season of that show...

Of course...

Of course...

Of course...

Some things I have a justification for, other things I have been very creatively finding a need for them. I wish I could get back the times when I was younger and I actually had to save up for something. Right now I'm at a point where I am comfortable. I can go out to eat a few times a week, I can get new clothes when I want, I can afford to overspend at Target, I can sign up for races and I can afford to travel. I don't do anything of those things in abundance, but I have my moments. When I wasn't so comfortable I was really good about saying no to things, I need to get back there. It's a lot easier to say no when you need to prioritize where your money goes.

SO... why all of a sudden am I thinking about this AGAIN?

It always seems (for me anyways) that once it hits Black Friday, money just flows out of my wallet until Valentines Day. It' starts with the holidays. What would Christmas shopping be with out the "one for you, 3 for me" mentality? Then it moves on to the New Year. There are parties, late Christmas gifts, plans for the winter trips and whatever else. Then there is January... Post Christmas sales galore, winter clearances, gifts for your self because it's so soul-sucking-cold and depressing outside. By February, I've usually slowed my roll. I have my little freak out (wait, is that what this is?) about how much money I seem to be spending and demand that I reel it in a bit. I like keeping my Valentine's Day low-key, so usually it isn't that big of a deal.

This year Hans and I are going to Australia and my mom and I are taking a trip to NYC. After I booked our hotel room in NYC the sticker shock gave me a huge reality check. Although my parents will pay me back for the room, it still implanted in me the idea of "If you want have any money to spend while you are in NYC or Australia, you should probably think of how much you really NEED something now."

I hate the guilty feeling of "Why did I buy this/that, I could be using my money for this/that?" I think today I'm going to set some goals for myself and really think about what's important to me financially at the moment. Then, I will post them somewhere in the house where I can see them. What will my reward be at the end of it? Well, I kind of think I already have the rewards- I'm going on two amazing trips! But maybe in the meantime, I can think of few more meaningful things that can keep me in check (ie- running shoes, new backpack for Australia, white running hat).

This afternoon I'm going to start saying my new mantra:

No, you don't need ______ , you are trying to save for better things.

Happy

I ran my four miles under 38 minutes yesterday, PR for me. :)