Tag: Half Marathon

• Taking A Week Off

  Posted at 10:07 AM by Brittany, on February 13, 2013

  A couple weeks ago I tweaked my knee. From running 11 miles in crap shoes, to attending too many spin classes and getting the B.A.C. (badass chills..this is when you know you are going HARD!) I of course didn’t listen to this nagging irritation in my knee, and I continued to workout on it. I took it easy in spin, but I didn’t take it easy with running.

  

  I actually had the best run of the year this past Sunday. A 12 miler around my favorite lake.

  

  Aaannndd then shit hit the fan. The second I hit stop on my watch I felt my knee yelling at me. Ugh..WHY! It was swollen to the point I couldn’t make out my patella anymore. I’m 99.9999% sure I have a slight case of runners knee. I’ve had it once before, and without the $20 copay and some cold hands rubbing all over my knee, I’ll do my own self diagnosis.

  Here’s the dilemma: I have a half marathon this Sunday. *&#*#&$@@!!! I am not a natural runner, half marathons take training for me. I have been training for two months for this race, and I am so excited. I am staying optimistic that I will still be able to run this race (even if my pace is 15:00min/mile!) I’ve been R.I.C.E-ing like it’s my job, and I am not doing ANY physical activity this week. No running, no spinning, no WALKING! Nothing. I’m skipping three days of scheduled running in HOPES that I can still participate this weekend.

  It was clearly my turn to get spanked with the injury stick, but boy is this rough. I never understood how hard it was to sit back and do..nothing. It’s only been THREE days, and I am going stir crazy without movement. For all my friends out there that have serious injuries and are sidelined for months..you have my sympathy and support! I’ve naturally been drowning my sorrows with cupcakes, and I made these on Sunday night. I of course veganized the recipe and they turned out pretty good, not enough mocha flavor though.

  

  My pictures were not pretty, so I am using theirs.

  Tomorrow is Valentines day, and then the day after that is my birthday. I would loveee to run a half marathon for my birthday…just sayin. Happy day of love to you all.

  

  

  My favorite accessory.

  Q: Any tips/suggestions/comment/ideas/stories about knees, or about cats that anyone can help me withhh!!?

  

  | 57 Comments Tagged Birthday, Cupcake, Half Marathon, Knee, Running, Valentines day

• Dance Party

  Posted at 4:16 PM by Brittany, on February 11, 2013

  When I was in elementary school, birthday celebrations were almost more exciting than meeting Santa. Kids would bring treats to class, and the last 15minutes were reserved for an in class party. These days birthdays seem to come and go without the blink of an eye. I usually like to keep my birthday on the low down, unless I get free stuff..then it’s time to party.

  

  I think I may have talked about The Veggie Grill once or twice before..it’s safe to say I am obsessed. It just so happened that I received a, “welcome to grill club” and a, “happy birthday” coupon all in the same week! This meant a free meal (for birthday) AND a free dessert (for joining grill club.) All I had to do was give my e-mail address..SOLD!

  

  One of those plates was free, along with the carrot cake. Vegan comfort food never tasted SO good. Happy Birthday to me. Along with eating my weight in food, I bought myself some birthday party pants earlier that day.

  

  My life is so black and white..time to add a little color.

  $10 dollar pants on sale at H&M, dance party indeed.

  Q: Do you have a big celebration for your birthday? Mine is on Friday, but I have a half marathon on Sunday and want to take it easy the few days before! AKA I am a grandma and will probably bake some cupcakes and fall asleep by 10pm. 

  

  | 70 Comments Tagged Birthday, Food, Free Stuff, Half Marathon, Hot Pants, Vegan, Veggie Grill

• Stick With What You Know

  Posted at 8:56 AM by Brittany, on February 8, 2013

  Confession: I have been running in the same shoes for a year now. Any running expert will tell you shoes need to be retired anywhere around 500miles of usage (I’m looking at you dad..shoes from the 1990’s!.) Oops..I think I exceeded that. I can’t help it..I’m as frugal as they come! I finally..FINALLY went last week to buy some new shoes, but it didn’t go so smoothly..

  I had no specific shoe in mind, I just wanted a new pair. I have to admit I was partial to Brooks for a few reasons. Number one being I reverted back to my high school days of being a brand snob, and Brooks are just “cool.” They also make vegan shoes..double cool. Oh and my boyfriend runs in Brooks, and so does Scott Jurek..triple cool. I’m telling you now..what an awful way to base your shoe choice. You can possibly guess by now I ended up buying a pair of Brooks.

  

  Brooks Ghost 5..what a GORGEOUS shoe.

  Gorgeous as this shoe may be, after a 4mile test run something wasn’t right. Just my luck that with a prettier running shoe would come problems. Any shoe I’ve ever worn that was “pretty” (heels, fancy flats, studded flippy floppys) ended up causing PAIN! NO PRETTY SHOES! So despite Brooks awesome reputation, pretty shoes, and catchy slogan..I had to take these vegan shoes back.

  

  I decided to buy another pair of my old shoes, but no one had them in store so I had to wait a WEEK and order them online. I ate a lot of cookies to pass the time and drown my sorrows.

  

  I also had to put 11more miles on my old shoes, which really ended up hurting my knees. My left knee still hurts. Ugh..never waiting a year again! I did have a good run with my running partner despite the knee pain, and the views were awesome too..but nothing is worth hurting your body!

  

  1896 Olympia Brewery. I need a beer to sooth my funky knees!

  I am now coming to the falling action of this story. Yesterday I received my new shoes. There is something magical about seeing the UPS or FEDEX truck outside your door. Oh so magical.

  

  Aesthetically these shoes are awful. Absolutely AWFUL. They look like they were colored by a 5yr old, funny that they have similar colors to the Brooks. Physically..these shoes were like running on CLOUDS! I AM SO HAPPY with these shoes! I took them out for a run IMMEDIATELY and could have cried I was so happy. It was such a good run I even found some chachachaangge.

  

  That’s a whopping $0.11 cents, and I sure did STOP running to pick those coins up!! I can’t get to Disneyland without money people!

  The moral of this long story is: STICK with what you know!! The tread difference on the bottom of these two shoes was embarrassingly pathetic. I was LONG overdue for a new pair, and I am stoked to have my beloved Asics. I am now partial to Asics because they WORK FOR ME, this is how you should choose a running shoe! Maybe one day I will run in some Brooks, but until this shoe is discontinued I will stick with what I know!

  Q: What do you run in and whyyy!?

  

  | 68 Comments Tagged Asics, Brooks, Disneyland, Free Money, Half Marathon, New Digs, Run Happy, Running, Vegan

• Balance

  Posted at 11:27 AM by Brittany, on September 12, 2012

  There’s been a lot of running talk on these streets lately, and for good reason. I just finished my first half marathon and am still jazzed about it. (And thank you all for your kind words on my half marathon post!) In order to live by my favorite word, I need to balance this blog with a post dedicated to some food! While I was in California I went on a last minute trip to LA (GIGI I LOVE YOU I’M SORRY!) I had my heart set on trying some of the famous cupcakes made at Babycakes NYC. I have been DYINGGG for a good cupcake, and being vegan tends to limit the options.

  

  This place is 100% vegan so I just haddd to try their goods. Driving around LA was sketch..I mean..SKETCH. There were transients everywhere and I was having a hard time imagining a cute cupcake shop in the parts I was driving through. Fortunately the location I made it to was less sketchy than the first. Once I arrived I was shocked by the prices..$4.75 for a cupcake the size of my pinky toe?! Then my hawk eyes found a two for one deal on day old cupcakes. Two cupcakes for $4.25…deal.

  

  Red velvet and Vanilla banana

  Visually I was not impressed. How hard is it to make the icing look nice? Foul number one. Texture was that of a muffin..UGH. All I wanted was a MOIST, fluffy cupcake! These cupcakes sucked, and were NOT worth the money. They flavor was mediocre, but my biggest complaint was the density of the cake. I could have made these at home for $0.25 each. Fail.

  

  Thankfully I found a cheap vegan restaurant that saved the afternoon.

  

  I shared a Pineapple “chicken” burger, and a Seitan wrap. Both of which were deeelicious, and the bill was a whopping $14.

  

  

  
  So. Good.

  That night I then feasted at the Spaghetti Factory to carb load for my half marathon. I got up the next day, ran 13.1 miles, went to the hotel to get cleaned up..and set out to find some more food. This is about to be my favorite part of this post. Prepare yourselves. After the run, I was walking like a wounded wildabeast. I was emotionally hurt from the cupcake experience the day before, and I was desperately needing something douched in chocolate.

  In order to prevent cramping or muscle tightening, we went to walk around some shops to keep the movement in our legs going. It just so happened we went back to whole foods for some more PB. This is where I saw it, the most magical sight I have ever laid my eyes on. The most gorgeous vegan cupcake with a simple, but CLASSIC icing job.

  

  

  The icing to cake ratio was perfect..simply perfect. The cake was MOIST, chewy and tasted just like a naughty grocery store cupcake! THANK YOU WHOLE FOODS! I have been gawking at these pictures for a week now, I just can’t stop thinking about this cupcake. I am lucky the closest WF is over an hour away, or I would purchase one daily. The moral of the story is, if you find a shitty cupcake don’t give up hope..just go to WF!

  

  Q: What’s one experience you’ve had with recently with food that left you with disappointment on your face and pain in your heart? Sorry Babycakes, your muffin cakes aren’t for me.

  

  | 29 Comments Tagged Cake, California, Food, Half Marathon, Running, Vegan, Whole Foods

• Disneyland Half Marathon

  Posted at 3:44 AM by Brittany, on September 9, 2012

  

  One of the most memorable and amazing weeks of my life has come and gone in the blink of an eye. September 2nd was I day I will never forget. All the training, the tears, the pain, the struggle, the whining, the complaining, the food, the running, has all paid off because I am officially a half marathoner. My goal was to run/jog the entire time..no walking. Goal complete!

  

  
  4:00 am came and I hauled myself out of bed. I struggled getting to sleep the night before. I was panicked that I wouldn’t wake up, and that I would miss the race. This caused me to toss and turn like the ocean. This was the first race I have done where we started in the dark. It took 20 minutes after the initial gun shot for my corral to start because this race had 17,000 people. At about 6:05, I was off.

  The first 3 miles were magical..I am so corny right now, but I don’t know how else to put them. I was able to run through Disneyland and California Adventure, with hundreds of other people that shared the same passion for running and Disneyland. My only complain with these miles was the congestion of people. It was stop and go for almost the entire time, this was a hassle and a slow down.

  Miles 3-7 were neutral. I started to get some stomach kinks at mile 7 due to the fact that I hadn’t used the bathroom prior to running, so I had to stop and let the gut beast out.

  At mile 9 I was given a Gu shot..aka the TAR shot. It was chocolate flavored, so it tasted good…but was SO thick that I thought I was going to choke. I couldn’t eat it. At this mile I ran through Angels Stadium which made me feel like a BAMF.

  Miles 10-13 were tough. I had to turn my brain off and chant the word, “run.” I was tired, and excited all at the same time. I finally made it to the finish line..and I might have cried. OK I cried. I was tired, I was excited, I was proud, and I was amazed. This was a moment I will cherish forever. I earned my first running medal and I couldn’t feel more proud.

  

  So proud I wanted to wear it all day.

  

  This thing is like solid gold. I felt like a king. The run was tough near the end, but if I could do it all over again I would. I’m sad that it’s over, but so glad that it happened! Thank you to everyone that wished me well before the run.

  

  Q: Tell me something that you accomplished this past week!? A HALF MARATHON BABAY!

  

  | 52 Comments Tagged Disneyland, Half Marathon, Running

• DLand Expo

  Posted at 3:23 PM by Brittany, on September 1, 2012

  Yesterday I went to my first running expo. For all the races I have run thus far, I was able to pick up my packet and tshirt the day of the race. This race is different in the fact that if you don’t pick up your stuff early, you don’t run. I also had to sign a waiver explaining that if I die of heat stroke, the wild pigs are able to eat my leftovers.

  

  After what felt like a half marathon of walking, I found the expo. There were so many people here it was unreal. The booths were fun to look at, and I was able to snag some samples of Clif Bloks which I really liked. Fortunately for me they will have some at mile 9.

  

  I snagged my running bib (which is THE coolest one yet) and headed to the expo. There were multiple times I felt someone’s sweaty armpit on my shoulder, arm, and hands..I wanted to die. I don’t like other people touching me that I don’t know! I was a bit disappointed that there were no freebies at this expo. I paid $150 for this race and they gave me a tshirt and a baby clif bar. I still love you DLand.

  

  I really can’t believe that in less than 24hrs I will have completed my first half marathon. In Disneyland. I am so jazzed, and tonight I am going to have a spaghetti feast at my all time favorite restaurant, The Spaghetti Factory. I am going to run like the wind tomorrow, and I know my man Buzz will be there carrying me to infinity and beyond!

  

  Move over woody, it’s my turn to be spooned.

  Q: Best expo you’ve ever been to? I’ve mentioned this once before, but I went to a women’s expo where I was given the most amazing tongue scraper. Any expo where you get free stuff is a good expo.

  

  | 22 Comments Tagged Buzz Lightyear, Disneyland, Half Marathon, Running

• 8M,9M,10M…13.1M

  Posted at 12:31 PM by Brittany, on August 29, 2012

  I never blogged about my last three long runs on my half marathon training schedule. I blogged about my 7miler, which still holds the title of best run I’ve ever had. The 8miler I had scheduled for the next week was tough. Mentally I was out of it, and the run was painful. I won’t elaborate much more than that, but I can assure you I looked something like this.

  
  The 9 miler was better. I stopped worrying about my pace, and just let myself run. My time was a lot slower than my 7miler, but I finished without a struggle. The only complain I had was during the last mile. My knees started to bother me, but I can thank my 9hr work day for that. I looked more like this.

  

  Slow and steady.

  This what I would look like as an animation, with a cauliflower arm.

  The 10miler I ran this past Sunday was the final long run before the half. I was worried. I have never hit the double digits and although it was only one mile further than the week before, I was nervous. Mentally I was psyching myself out. Finally I just went for it, and I felt great the entire run. EVEN with the ridiculous hills. Almost an entire 5miles of the run were uphill..ugh. It was a slower pace still, but I felt like THIS..

  

  Yea I was pretty much flying. I did it, I ran 10miles without stopping.

  This Sunday is the big day, I am running my first half marathon and I couldn’t be more excited. Be ready for some California based posts for the next few days! California here I come!

  

  Q: Tell me something exciting you have recently accomplished!! It doesn’t have to be fitness related, tell me anything! 

  

  | 29 Comments Tagged Disneyland, Half Marathon, Running

• Runner’s High

  Posted at 4:35 PM by Brittany, on August 1, 2012

  I ran 7 miles on Sunday. I ran 7 miles. I ran one more mile than my longest distance to date. I ran 7 miles.

  

  Days have since passed, and I am still on a high from this run. I ran from one town to another, and this run FLEW by. This was one of the best runs I have ever had. Lately I have upped my carb intake BIG time. I am really focusing on eating a lot of carb heavy foods on my run days, and so far I haven’t felt the usual fatigue I was used to feeling! This was the first run where I genuinely felt like I was ready for my half marathon.

  My only complaint on this run was towards my running shorts. There is a band of elastic around the bottom of the leg holes, and it’s never bothered me on my shorter runs, but this  time around mile 6 I felt it…the rash!

  

  Ewww..seriously…so gross (name that commercial.) This is nasty, and it hurt like whoa. I had a hard time focusing the last half mile because my shorts were grinding on my skin. I will def be needing new shorts for the longer miles. Anyway, to end on a positive note I am looking forward to my 8mile run this Sunday!

  A warrior meal was needed after this run. I channeled my inner frat boy while preparing this meal. Manfriend found some awesome vegan dogs, and I found this vegan macNcheezzee.

  

  Do you know where this is going..oh yes. Macaroni and hot dogs!!

  

  I couldn’t completely abandon my vegetables. Plus, I don’t know how to eat macNcheese of any kind without spinach. It makes the meal. I felt rebellious eating a meal almost completely packaged. It literally took 10 minutes. Needless to say I could run 10 marathons, sweat out all of my sodium molecules, and still have enough left over to go about my daily tasks after these packaged meals. Whooaa sodium!

  In random news: Lately I have been enjoying some coffee shop blogging.

  There is something about drinking tea, free wi-fi, and people watching while blogging that makes it feel like an adventure. I think next time I will bring a bed sheet to make a fort and my Buzz Lightyear cape to disguise me. Whenever someone drops a crumb from their muffin I will swoop in for the kill.

  Q: Do you like blogging in public locations like bookstores, or coffee shops?

  

  | 30 Comments Tagged Giveaway, Half Marathon, PDR, Running, Vegan

• I Love Carbs

  Posted at 10:58 AM by Brittany, on June 15, 2012

  One of my favorite things about half marathon training is all the carbs I need to eat. These will be my main energy source and with the running I will be doing, I will need A LOT of carbs! Carbs are my friend, they always have been. Any excuse to eat more bread is a GREAT excuse in my book. A lot of bread has been made around my neck of the woods, and it continues to get better each loaf.

  A couple weeks ago I shared a beer bread recipe from a vegan cookbook I have, but this bread was a bit dense. It was good..edible..but definitely needed something to go with it such as a jelly or PB. I have currently been sinking my teeth into the most amazing beer bread, with two simple variations. One with apples and cinnamon, and one with banana and chocolate. The loaves didn’t stand a chance and were gone within two days. If you take anything from this post let it be this: go make this bread..as soon as you can. Make sure you have friends with you because you WILL want to eat the entire loaf.

  Vegan Beer Bread 

  • 2.5 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup melted Earth Balance (I use the soy free one)
  • 1 bottle of beer

  Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan and set aside. Combine the first four ingredients, then add the Earth Balance, then the beer. Mix together and the base is done.

  -This is where the loaves can vary. To make an apple cinnamon loaf simply cut up one whole apple into small pieces and mix into the batter. Add a LOT of cinnamon..no measurements..just a LOT!

  

  -For the banana chocolate bread, using a banana flavored beer added extra banana flavor. Mash an old banana into the mix, and find your favorite chocolate bar to chop up. Add banana and chocolate to the batter.

  

  This is seriously SO easy to make. After deciding which variety you want pour the batter into a your greased bake pan and take brown sugar, cinnamon, and oats to lightly cover the top of the loaf. Pour a small amount of Earth Balance on top, and bake for 50 minutes.

  This bread is moist, flavorful, and a perfect snack on the go, or addition to your morning coffee. This bread doesn’t need anything except self control from the person eating it.

  Q: Have you ever tried beer bread with fruits and spices added to them like these two variations? 

  

  | 27 Comments Tagged Beer Bread, Food, Half Marathon, Recipe

• Done

  Posted at 8:22 AM by Brittany, on June 11, 2012

  I am done. I am officially done, done planning my vacation for the end of August. I started this planning process on January 18th. This is a specific date that I will come back to in just a moment. My tickets are purchased, my hotel is paid for, and my legs will soon be ready for a lot of walking..and..running. Had I waited just ONE month after January 18th, this trip would not have been possible.

  For the past two years this has been a day dream of mine, a goal that I didn’t think possible for various reasons. Finally I pulled the trigger and said go. The preparation for this vacation starts today.

  

  A closer look..

  

  On September 2nd I will be running my FIRST half marathon!! This isn’t just any half marathon, I wanted number one to be special.

  

  DISNEYLAND!! I am so unbelievably excited. Race registration opened on January 18th and was SOLD OUT by February 19th. Had I waited, this would not have been possible. I have been sitting on this “secret” for a few months. I wanted my trip to be complete before sharing. Along with running the half marathon, I will be going to Disneyland and California Adventure two of the days I am there.

  I wish I was running with Snow Whites Manfriends. My only goal for the actual run is to get a decent photograph. I’m talking about the ones that the “professionals” take. I don’t want to look like this..

  

  Seriously..how does that even happen. This was the last 5miler I ran and I felt GREAT during this race, yet I look like a 70yr old dying woman about the throw up her crackers and soup. I can’t believe I even put this on here, I invite you to laugh because I sure as hell had multiple laughing fits over this shot.

  With that said, I have no time goals. I am running this race simply to get my foot in the door and see how I like running 13 miles. After this race the opportunities are endless. Why did I choose DL as the first one? Possibly because it’s the happiest place on earth, and because not everyone can say, “My first half marathon was at Disneyland.” I can’t wait to share more about the training process, and then the vacation itself! Stay tuned, and wish me luck!!

  Q: If you’re a runner, tell me about the first time you ran your longest distance. If you’re not a runner, tell me about an athletic goal you have, or have already achieved. 

   

  | 56 Comments Tagged Disneyland, Half Marathon, Half Marathon Novice 1, Horrible Running Picture, Running

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