Tag: Half Marathon

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 10:03 AM by Brittany, on November 1, 2013

  1. This book is totally giving me a science high. With a combination of nature talk and scientific facts ABOUT nature, I get lost in the text. I even read the chapter about snails.

  

  If you’ve read my blog for a while you’ll know I have an odd fear of slugs/snails..this was a big deal to read that chapter!

  2. I was on a runners high for a solid week after my last half marathon. Thank you for all the kind comments I received on that post. I just want to say that I officially hate hornets, and I will make it my life mission to stay away from them. My stings got so itchy I wanted to GNAW my damn leg off. I have had a huge red ring of death around the entry hole for over two weeks, and I am convinced something is breeding inside my leg.

  3. Sometimes I kinda, sorta, love where I live.

  

  4. I have only run a handful of times since my race, and after a much needed break the last couple weeks I am ready to get back to a schedule. I also miss spin class..like..a lot. I ran my fastest 5K a couple days ago with a time of 26:44. That’s an 8:37 pace. I was elated.

  5. I have been doing a lot of this lately..reading WITH my coffee.

  

  A good book and a good cup of coffee. Perfect morning.

  6. I finally downloaded the new iPhone update, but only after seeing it improved picture quality. I resisted for weeks, but I am a sucker for a good photo. I need a real camera…

  7. I want this chair at my table. This chair would give me permission to eat my food as if I were a tornado. Who says only kids get special high chairs?

  

  8. I went trick or treating last night (no, I do not have kids..) The quote of the night was when asked for our ID’s and my friend said, “we’re 13….plus 13.” I died. I’ll stop when I am 30…maybe. I gave all my loot away though, no milk chocolate for me.

  9. It’s November, and Starbucks is preparing for the holidays with a super awesome sale! I got this mug I have been lusting over for only $5! I had a partner discount too, but still!

  

  10. I am so in love with fall. I just can’t get enough of the colors, the smells, and the baked goods. I know one person that doesn’t want summer to end, but she is craayyy.

  Q: What’s your confession!?

  

  | 51 Comments Tagged Fall, Half Marathon, Halloween, Nature, Reading, Running

• Poulsbo Half Marathon

  Posted at 8:02 AM by Brittany, on October 14, 2013

  BOOM shaka laka-I am now a third time half marathoner. I have to admit I was slightly worried going into this race for multiple different reasons. One reason being that my training wasn’t quite on par and I actually ended up skipping my last long run due to the fact that I was a week off when I started…oops. Mentally this sort of tripped me up.

  

  Ever seen a fish with legs?? This is my shirt.

  Secondly, and as much as I hate to admit to this, I was worried to be alone during this race. Emotionally this was a huge accomplishment for me and almost as if I was fully closing a door to my previous chapter in life (almost.) Running this race alone meant that if I hit the wall, I had to pull myself through. Thankfully my mind was right this entire run.

  

  The course was amazing, with winding back roads and views of the foggy mountains and colorful leaved trees around every corner. Views of the water and farm land for 80% of the course. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful location. October is officially my favorite time of year to race. Perfect fall running month.

  

  This is what happens when you ask a stranger that doesn’t know how to use an iPhone to take your picture. Blurry photo. Owell it’s all I’ve got!

  I prepared the day before by consuming carbs slowly throughout the entire day, and capped off my night with a giant bowl of veggies and pasta. I also made sure to guzzle water and ended off with 100oz by the end of the night. I’m OK with that!

  

  Miles 1-8 were great. I felt strong, and I knew at this point the run was going to go well. Once I hit mile 8 I needed to stop for the bathroom..NEEDED. This added 3 minutes to my chip time, but I made sure to stop my Garmin while I…was…going to the bathroom. HA.

  The hills started to get intense around mile 8. Giant hills, which would then balance out into mild, gradual hills, which would turn back into giant hills. I had to walk a few of the intense hills and I have no regrets about that. I was already sitting good for a PR.

  Mile 10.5 was the game changer. I suddenly felt something sharp on both of my calves in almost the same spot on each side. I thought maybe I brushed against a thorn, but then realized that would only make sense on one side. When I looked down I got my answer. Still clinging for dear life onto my pant leg, butt inside my skin, was a hornet. Ugh. One of them fell off or escaped who knows, but I had to flick the other one off while running.

  At first things felt fine, but when I got to mile 12 my calves were KILLING. All I could feel were the throbs from the stings. Of course the last 3miles were some of the hilliest and I was dyyyinnngg. Finally at mile 12.5 it was smooth sailing and the roads balanced out.

  

  I stopped my Garmin when it reached 13.1, with a time of 2:09:28. A twelve minute PR from my last half marathon. I kept running about .1 of a mile more to cross the finish line and accept my medal. Second proudest running moment of my life. First was Disney. Along with my bee stings, I got my first subungual hematoma on my right foot. Real runner alert.

  To be honest the last two weeks leading up to this race I was ready to take a break from running. I even said to myself a couple times during the race, “just finish this up and then you can take a break from running.” After getting a PR and once again experiencing that high of crossing the finish line..I already want to find another half marathon. This race empowered me in ways I thought impossible, and re-sparked my fire for running.

  

  Thank you to all my blog friends and family for the texts, and messages wishing me luck.

  Q: Do you stop your Garmin when you take a bathroom break? Maybe it’s cheating, but I always stop my watch. My time is for when I RUN, not for when I go to the bathroom!! 
  

  | 86 Comments Tagged Accomplishment, Disneyland, Half Marathon, PR, Running

• Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Run

  Posted at 3:57 AM by Brittany, on October 9, 2013

  How’s that for a title? This just about sums up the run I had on Saturday. It was my scheduled long run for the week, and I had high hopes going into this run because I took it easy on my runs all week leading up to Saturday. Things were fine the first mile or two, and then it just went downhill from there. Actually it went uphill..lots of uphill.

  

  Always..

  I was supposed to run 11 miles. Ok cool. Nothing I couldn’t handle after annihilating my 10miler a couple weeks prior. Well, my body had a different plan for the day. My run went a little something like this..

  • Mile 1- Felt pretty good, Katy Perry’s song Roar made me feel like a boss.
  • Mile 2-Feeling good still.
  • Mile 2.5- HOLY CRAMP WHERE DID YOU COME FROM..OWWW
  • Mile 3.48- Shit I am DEAD..how am I going to complete 11 miles today.
  • Mile 3.5-STOPPED TO BREATHE
  • Mile 5-STOPPED TO BREATHE
  • Mile 6.5- STOPPED TO BREATHE
  • Mile 7- STOPPED…FOR GOOD.

  Around mile 3 I was already dead. Struggling, needing to stop, guzzling my water, and chewing my Shot Bloks like I hadn’t eaten in 5 days. I was suddenly very fatigued.

  

  ALL THE CAKE!

  I had to stop at least 3 times to breath and then I noticed a blister forming on the arch of my left foot. Awesome. After feeling like I couldn’t go on anymore, I called it at 7 miles. Ugh. Mentally this sucked. Come to find out it’s almost “that time” which not only explained the fatigue, but also explained why I wanted to cry for stopping.

  

  Every time…

  I was able to end my run on my favorite road and admire the farm land while I waited for my mom to come and pick me up. Mom to the rescue once again (number 6.)

  

  I came home, got cleaned up, went for a walk, and ended my day with a drive through the mountains. I was bummed for not completing the scheduled 11 miles, but I let it go and accepted the 7 that I did accomplish..even if it was a struggle. Time to up my food intake!

  

  

  View from my drive. I love where I live!

  The very next day I checked my training schedule to find that I am a week behind..OMG WHAT!? That meant I needed to attempt this run again..so I did. I ate an entire loaf of bread and a giant potato the night before, and I ran/walk/hobbled 10.8 miles in just under 2 hours. Slowest run I’ve had in months..but I did it. My entire being is just “off” right now mentally/physically/and emotionally, but this too shall pass! Bring it on half marathon #3!

  Q: What do you do when something doesn’t go according to plan?

  

  | 58 Comments Tagged Carbohydrate, Half Marathon, Running

• Dear Insanity

  Posted at 9:23 AM by Brittany, on September 25, 2013

  Dear Insanity,

  We need to go on a break. It’s not that I don’t love you, really I do. Nothing makes me sweat like you, or grunt like you, or want to cry like you, but I just can’t give you all of my attention right now. Yes..there is something else in my life that is more important. With a half marathon just around the corner, the two a day workouts are starting to take a toll on my legs and I can’t keep waking up sore and dreading our time together.

  We had a great first month with each other and I promise I will come back to spend the second month with you, but right now running gets all my attention. It’s not fair to either of you for me to give 90% of me when you both deserve 100%. I do want to thank you for helping my endurance though, without you my longer runs would be tough(er).

  I will continue to spend time with you on my cross training days, on days when I have shorter runs and feel like King Kong, and even on some of my “rest” days, but we will not be together on a daily basis. I am not as hardcore as I thought I was in the beginning of this, “train for a half marathon and do Insanity at the same time” adventure, and I have accepted that it’s time to tone it down. Mentally I want you, but physically I need a break.

  Until I see you again, stay insane.

  Brittany

  Q: Have you ever tried to bite off more than you could chew with workouts?

  I found my self “half-assing” my Insanity workouts and decided that it was time to neck it back. I was also feeling fatigued in my quads (from all those damn squats!) on my runs which was not going to work for me. I need my legs strong and refreshed for longer runs. The sporadic Insanity workouts have been working much better than the strict every day routine. Like I said, I will come back to the every day craziness once my race is over! 

  

  | 41 Comments Tagged Half Marathon, Insanity, Running

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 5:23 AM by Brittany, on August 19, 2013

  1. Last week I started Insanity. I also started training for my next half marathon two weeks ago, this has made for some very sore days. Insanity has made my calves so sore they want to punch me in the face. I have to walk down the stairs like a pregnant woman.

  

  2. One of my coworkers has a YouTube channel. She vlogs, I blog..we are basically a match made in heaven. We also both love to get cracked out on coffee, best friends for life. Her videos seriously crack me up, I just adore her.

  3. My runs lately have felt like I’m eating a cloud. So fluffy amazing. I just want to cry they are going so well. I would like to thank good music and a good mindset. This song in particular gets me REALLY FREAKING JAZZED! I get chills and run fast..aka 9:00 miles.

  4. This past weekend I went to Seattle’s Hempfest for an hour. I felt like I needed an adult for 50 of those 60 minutes. So many characters…I might have been a bit scared.

  5. I inhaled the banana breads I baked last week. I shared half of the haul (thank God) but the other half was gone in just a couple days. They tasted better with each bite!

  

  6. Speaking of Insanity (and food), it has revved up my metabolism so much that it’s like everything I eat literally passes right through me. No stopping to pass go and collect $200. No complaints though, my intestines feel like a wrung out sponge. So fresh and clean.

  7. The other evening I spent a good hour sitting on my couch looking outside and listening to the rain. I had both my cats with me and it was the most relaxing evening. I cannot wait for fall. This was the first rainy day in a while, bring it on mother nature!

  

  I love this photo.

  8. One of my regular customers at work told me that she was texting her friend while running, and forgot that she was running. I don’t know what endurance gels she takes but I want some. I would pay serious money to zone out like that, until she said she fell…

  9. This finally happened after a three month separation..

  

  10.“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 74 Comments Tagged Chipotle, Confessions, Half Marathon, Insanity, Random, Running

• Other Options

  Posted at 7:25 AM by Brittany, on August 8, 2013

  Let’s be real, most coffee based beverages are jam packed with extra calories, fats, sugars, and so on. I have never been a “fancy” coffee drinker, and 98% of my days I stick to black coffee with absolutely nothing added, but with free drinks being thrown my way I’ve tried to get creative. I’ve already shared my Starbucks smoothie creations, and I always get my iced teas unsweetened, but what if I want a coffee drink with a little pizzazz?

  Insert the coffee frappuccino, the most basic of frappuccinos with just enough oomph to make you feel like you’re in with the “foo foo” drink club. I don’t care for the crazy sugary flavored fraps, and really enjoy the flavor of just the basic coffee. However, this is still a frappuccino which means it gets a sugary binding agent to help hold the goodness together. Well I don’t like that, so I decided to NIX the frap syrup base all together and sub in some natural sugar..in the form of a banana! PERFECT binding agent and GREAT flavor pair.

  Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE me some sugar, but I would rather eat a cookie or an entire cake than get my sugar from syrups. To each their own. I also swap the frap roast (coffee portion) for fresh espresso shots for more of a coffee flavor. Swoon.

  While I am on the topic of work, and other options, I just want to say my commute to work is quite enjoyable. It’s about a 20minute drive, and I am able to take back roads that I adore. Taking the road less traveled instead of the freeway makes for a calm drive to and from. One of my favorite roads on this commute is full of farms, cows, and a produce stand.

  

  It’s adorable and makes me crave fall.

  On a completely unrelated note my cereal spoke to me the other day.

  

  Is this real life!?!

  Those blueberries fused together to form a PERFECTLY proportioned Mickey Mouse head! This must be a sign..it’s almost been a year since I have been to Disneyland, which means it’s almost been a year since I ran my first half marathon!! I want to go back! I have officially started training for half marathon number three..here we gooooo!

  Q: What’s your go to drink at Starbucks (or any coffee shop?) I have like five.

  

  | 64 Comments Tagged Disneyland, Half Marathon, Starbucks, Work

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 6:50 AM by Brittany, on July 19, 2013

  1. My dad once told me, “a sandwich is not a sandwich without some crunch.” I couldn’t agree more. Chips make for the ultimate crunch in a sandwich, but so does kale and chard.

  

  

  Perfect bread:greens ratio.

  2. I’ve consumed way too much coffee lately. Sigh.

  3. I won the most amazing giveaway a few days ago. I was lucky enough to finally try Lindsay’s healthy bites and OH MY GOSH. They have been taunting me for months, but after tasting them..I died and went to heaven. Please order yourself some, NOW!

  

  4. I was supposed to store my healthy bites in the freezer, but that was not necessary. I knew they would be gone within a few days…I was right…

  5. I got my first pair of compression socks in the mail. They are cozy.

  

  Black..to match my soul.

  6. I signed up for my third half marathon in October. Whoop whoop. I am super jazzed.

  7. The only reason I carry a bag while I’m away on day trips is to smuggle food with me.

  

  Food and a rubber-banded wad of cash…to buy more food.

  8. I’m almost ashamed at the amount of PB I have eaten in the last week. Almost, but not really. I will be getting more the moment I hit publish on this post.

  9. My cat has learned how to climb up jackets that are hanging on the wall. Such a ninja.

  

  Please notice the tongue slightly sticking out. Such a creep.

  10. This post is ridiculously sporadic and has little to no depth. For a more meaningful post go back and read my last post about my amazing running. I love running. YAY running.

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 75 Comments Tagged Cats, Confessions, Half Marathon, Random, Running, Vegan

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 7:55 AM by Brittany, on April 20, 2013

  1. Remember the Grinch that tried to steal Christmas, only to be shocked when the people of Whoville came together stronger than ever? Even without their gifts? Yeah, that just happened in Boston. Runners unite, even without their medals.

  2. I have separation issues. Specifically with clothing, I recently gave away some too big race shirts, and old work shirts, and it was like giving away a piece of my soul.

  

  

  I did keep four TJ’s shirts…baby steps.

  3. My running has been below average lately. I blame this on the fact that my knee is killing me. The bizarre part is that it’s not the knee that was hurting me before my last half marathon. Whatever, they are trying to take me down..damn knees.

  4. On sunny days I like to spoil my children and let them outside. It’s like Christmas in April for these furry boys.

  

  He got so dirty I soon regretted my decision.

  

  5. That jungle cat in the above picture has a new name: Richard Parker. Simply because I was so blown away by the movie Life Of Pi that I now call my cat by this name. This movie rocked my world so hard I couldn’t stop thinking about it for days…

  6. I love nature…like a lot. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before.

  

  7. I’ve been obsessing over burritos lately. Better yet burritos with the entire kitchen mashed inside. Newest obsession: Beets inside the burrito.

  8. Last night I combined a store discount along with a coupon to get $2.00 off, making my total $1.99. Couponing at it’s finest.

  9 and 10. While I haven’t been running A LOT I have still been running, and I was given some gels to try out on one of my longer runs. I’ve tried GU Gels, Shot Bloks, Chia Surge, and now Huma gels, a chia energy gel. I love chia seeds so I happily accepted the gels in exchange for my honest review.

  

  This is a new company, and I am all for supporting small businesses. They have two flavors right now, strawberry and apple cinnamon. I have to admit that I am not a fan of fruity flavored gels like this, so the strawberry was not my jam. I did however LOVE the apple cinnamon gel. The flavor was amazing and I would eat it with my oatmeal or toast before a run, if not straight from the packet.

  

  The texture was smooth, perfect for those of you skeeved out by chia seeds and their gelatinous texture when wet. I was surprised when I couldn’t even tell the seeds were in the mix. I would definitely buy the apple cinnamon gel again for my longer runs. Delicious AND nutritious.

  

  

  Click photo to be taken to the website.

  You don’t have to be a runner to enjoy these gels, these are perfect for any cardio like activity. If you’re interested in trying these gels, and supporting a small new business you can use the discount code: BLISSFULBRITT  for 10% off until April 30th!

  Q: What’s your morning confession?

  

  | 48 Comments Tagged Boston, Confessions, Half Marathon, Review, Running, Vegan

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 9:23 AM by Brittany, on March 9, 2013

  1. I have eaten the exact same lunch the past three days and I am officially obsessed.

  

  Spinach, kale, broccolettes, and sweet potatoes. Topped with mustard and nooch.

  I dream about this bowl.

  2. I have competition. When asking my (autistic) sister if she had a boyfriend her reply was, “*****. He is a good guy.” Well that’s odd, ***** is my boyfriend. Hahaha.

  3. I have FINALLY finished Scott’s book.

  

  I still want to be his best friend.

  4. I haven’t had sweets in too long. I lost count. I would shank someone for some Snackimals right now.

  5.  I went urban hiking yesterday. I didn’t know that was even a thing. It’s what you call walking around town, I guess it sounds cooler to call it urban hiking. Weird. The sights were still as good as a mountain hike though.

  

  6. I love the smell of cleaning products. It’s bad. Citrus smell, bleach, Ajax, laundry soap, cat litter..nothing like chemicals to awaken my senses. Who needs drugs when you can smell cleaning products…….JOKE!

  7. I’ve owned my car for 5 years and have yet to change the wiper blades, until yesterday. This may seem like no big deal to my desert friends, but I live in a state that rains..a LOT.

  

  With a combination of discounted blades at Costco, and an insisting family, I bought the blades. I also wanted to use them as ninja sticks.

  

  Fortunately for me I didn’t have to put them on.

  Now it just needs to rain.

  8. I have found the next half marathon I am going to run. Super jazzed.

  9. Sitting in a coffee shop reading a book, people watching, or blogging is one of the most relaxing things ever.

  

  10. I have found the most amazing app for my cheap frugal ways. I have this habit of picking up change when I see it on the ground. I get wayyy too excited when I find pennies, nickles, and dimes on the ground. Don’t even get me started on finding a quarter. I decided to track how much change I find starting from the beginning of March. I found at least $1.50 from January to February. Laugh away, that will buy me a free donut!

  

  So March hasn’t been a big payday yet, but I’m holding strong for the day I find those quarters! My friends won’t be laughing at the end of the year when they see I’ve found $5.00 for free!

  Q(s):

  • When’s the last time you changed your wiper blades?
  • What’s your weekly confession?

  

  | 63 Comments Tagged Confessions, Food, Half Marathon, Random, Running, Vegan

• Birch Bay Half Marathon

  Posted at 9:09 AM by Brittany, on February 19, 2013

  After what felt like the longest week of the year, I was able to successfully complete my second half marathon!

  

  The race would have been tough without this. 

  I contacted Pro-Tec Athletics about reviewing a knee brace, and Jennie with the sales/marketing department replied to me that same day. She was so helpful in suggesting a brace, and she ended up sending me TWO just to be sure I found one I liked. I ended up LOVING this patellar strap (the one she suggested), and I am SO impressed with this companies customer service. I’ll admit I was skeptical of a strap helping my knee, but boy was I wrong! This little strap worked WONDERS!

  Not only were these braces sent to me for free, they were sent priority mail and I received them the very next day. This was such a life saver. I wore this strap anytime I was on my feet for a long period of time. I wore it on walks, and I wore it for the race. My knee performed amazingly. I would recommend this patellar strap to ANYONE with runners knee, or anything similar. Oh and if it couldn’t get any better, Scott Jurek wears these braces..since we’re best friends and all. Thank you so much Jennie and Pro-Tec, you helped me run this race! Ok enough mush..onto the race!

  The location of this run was gorgeous. Along the bay for a good chunk of the race meant views like this.

  

  The race was flat for the most part, but did have some rolling hills. One of the hills was so beastly and lasted for over a mile (I am a wuss when it comes to big hills.) My pace held steady around 10:40 until I hit this hill and I dropped to an 11:40ish pace. That hill killed my hips. This was around mile 7 and I really started to feel the effects of being on my butt all week. While my knee felt great (yay) my hips were screaming.

  By mile 10 my thighs were burning so bad I thought they were going to cramp. This was a new sensation for me, and two days later they are STILL sore!! Miles 11-13 were on autopilot. At this point I wanted to be done. My legs were burning, my back was hurting, and my energy was GONE. I don’t think the cinnamon toast crunch I had for breakfast lasted longer than the first 3 miles. Free continental breakfasts are great! Thankfully I had my running rock with me and having him next to me was enough to keep going.

  With a bum knee, a week off from cardio (seriously this week off made me sluggish!), a lack of fuel, and massive hills, I finished without walking and I now have a shiny new PR.

  

  I chopped 9 minutes off from my last half! The Disney congestion during the first three miles made for some very slooowww miles. This meant I had plenty of room for improvement, and improve I did. Thank you to EVERYONE that sent me good knee vibes, it paid off!! I will be taking some time off of running to ensure my knee gets back to 100%. Hellooooo spin class! YAHOO time to look for the next half marathon!

  Q: Have you ever run/walk/biked in a race or something similar while injured? I saw two other people with patellar straps in this race, I felt like I was part of a special club! 

  

  | 75 Comments Tagged Half Marathon, Knee, PR, Running

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