Tag: Running

• Rain Run Fun

  Posted at 8:19 AM by Brittany, on October 29, 2012

  Saturday morning my alarm went off at 7am. I woke up to the one sound I didn’t want to hear on the morning of a long run. Rain. I wanted so badly to stay in my warm bed, with my cat purring in my ear to lull me back to sleep. Instead, I got myself up, gathered my things, and set out for the hour drive to my race destination.

  I enjoy running in the rain. I run better, I run faster, and I run happier. HOWEVER, I don’t like starting a run when it’s already been raining. When it’s already raining that mean’s it’s cold, and it’s wet. Basically I need to already be running before the rain starts. I say this now, but always end up loving the rain runs regardless. Naturally I wore something to protect me from the elements.

  

  Gloves and a headband. Oh and a short sleeve shirt..because I am probably the only runner in Washington that gets hot on a 40 degree run. The wait before the run was cold, and wet. This was going to be my first solo long race. I arrived early, got my running number, and couldn’t help but want to go home.

  

  Umm..wtf is this? Had I known it would have been such a hassle to print off running numbers without any identification of the race, I would have taped a piece of computer paper to my chest to save them the 2 bucks. I paid almost $40 for this race, you’d think the running ID’s would be a LITTLE better than just a 5 and a 6 slapped onto a white sheet of paper. If I were in charge it would have looked more like this.

  

  Much better

  Anyway, I grabbed my number and there had to be maybe 10 cars waiting with me. TEN..this was a race..WHERE were all the people!? It didn’t take me long to figure out this was a small race. I don’t like small races. I had over an hour to kill, and had to sit in my car watching the rain fall because it was wet, and there weren’t many people to talk to. Still kind of wanting to go home..

  

  I had one of two choices: I could either suck it up, run this race alone and be bored and soaked, or I could call and beg someone to come run with me, not be bored, and still get soaked. I chose the latter.

  My friend lives 4 miles from where the race was, and happened to have a free schedule for the day. He showed up and ran this race with me, and it was one of the BEST run’s we’ve had to date! I have to say, this was a very unorganized race..but we made the best of it and had a blast. Not only did we run 10 miles with a good amount of hills, but I cut 10 minutes off my previous 10 mile PR. We finished 10.2 miles in 1:45:46, and the 10 miles in 1:43:46.

  I didn’t care about the rain, I didn’t care about the hills, I didn’t care about the woman that had no idea how to run an aid station and had us pouring our own Gatorade, I didn’t care about the lack of organization, I didn’t care about the awful running ID, all I cared about was having a fun time.

  

  After the run we had to stop at the store to get food. I saw this meal on another blog and had my mind set on this post race carb feast. Please excuse the photo quality, I needed calories more than I needed a good photo.

  

  If you have access to a car, drive to the store right now. Buy a sweet potato and a can of baked beans. Your life will be changed. As if this meal wasn’t enough, I was later surprised with vegan ice cream and Oreo’s to make my own vegan friendly dessert. I swooned.  Whoa long post..almost done.

  So what’s the moral of this story? Don’t be a race snob like I was, a run is a run is a run. It doesn’t matter if it’s a huge event with 17,000 people (Disneyland Half) or if it’s a small run with 40 people. We are all coming together for a common hobby, and that is to enjoy a good, solid, hard run. Would I have enjoyed this race as much if I were alone? No, but I got lucky having someone right around the corner. Let’s be real though, this running number doesn’t really fit in on the running wall.

  

  hahaha

  Q: Have you ever been somewhere and wanted to leave, only to realize you needed to suck it up and either call for backup or enjoy the opportunity? I wouldn’t have left this race, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as fun had I been alone. 

  

  | 42 Comments Tagged Running, Vegan

• Solo Running

  Posted at 9:28 AM by Brittany, on October 22, 2012

  Over the past year I have noticed a lot of differences between running alone and running with a partner. My running partner lives far away now..far far away..too far away. This means my runs are all done alone. It wasn’t so bad at first, in fact it was nice to get out with my thoughts and just..run. Then while I was on my latest run I thought about all the down sides to running alone.

  Running alone means..

  • No one there to talk with. I get bored easily, and who’s to say I wont dart into the road if a squirrel catches my attention?
  • No one there to laugh when you snot rocket all over your clothes. People driving by don’t count..in fact that’s more embarrassing when a stranger sees you.
  • No one to high five after the run. Running is great alone, but coming home to brag to my daily mile is nothing like accomplishing a great run with another person.
  • No one to save you from weirdos. OK this is seriously getting annoying. Every time I go running I get scared. I see weirdos in their cars honking at me, waving at me, smiling at me, turning their heads to see me. Then there’s the weirdos on the street. I need to get some mase. It’s like night and day my comfort level running with someone vs. alone.
  • No one to push you that extra mile. You mean I have to find my OWN motivation to keep going!?
  • No one to laugh at the other runners with. I’m not that mean I swear..
  • No one to brainstorm ideas for lunch with. ALWAYS think about what’s going to be consumed right after a run..well..after I cool down of course.
  • No one there to cry/hug when you achieve a new PR.

  There are still some good sides to running alone like feeling strong, accomplished, independent, letting your thoughts run wild, and being one with nature. Basically I have been spoiled by having a good running partner, and now that I don’t have one anymore..it sucks! If any of you runners need a slow, but fun running partner, I’m your girl! Seriously, I don’t want to envision a scene from CSI while I run anymore!

  Q: Do you prefer to run/workout alone or with others? I do like both, running I like with another person. Hiking I like with other people, but classes at the gym I can handle alone. 

  

  | 40 Comments Tagged Running

• Love

  Posted at 8:09 AM by Brittany, on October 15, 2012

  Lately there have been a few things I have been loving. First and foremost would have to be my fall walks. I have been going on quiet a few walks the past few weeks, some with a partner and some alone.

  

  I don’t know what it is about the blog world, but I have never “met” so many people who love fall just as much as I do. It must be an unspoken rule that to blog you must love the season of pumpkins and crisp air.

  I went for a longer walk into town and back a couple days ago, and the walk was about 2.5 hrs. Nothing crazy, just another walk. The next day..I felt like I was hit by a bus. I can run 13 miles in 2.5 hrs and feel fine the next day, but walk for 2.5 hours and feel like I just gave birth out of my hips?? I have no other explanation other than I haven’t been eating/drinking enough. My appetite has been off so I haven’t been eating much, but there is no excuse for the water consumption.

  In an attempt to help with my energy levels I made myself a batch of the most amazing balls. I have been loving these for weeks, it’s damn near an addiction at this point. Please do yourself a favor and make these today. It takes 20 minutes of your time, and will “money back guarantee” balance your serotonin levels. I’d like to thank Gimmie Some Oven for this amazing recipe. For a coffee kick version of these click here.

  No Bake Energy Bites 

  

  • 1 cup dry oatmeal
  • 2/3 cup coconut flakes
  • 1/2 cup almond butter
  • 1/2 cup ground flax-seed or wheat germ (both turn out equally delish)
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I tried Crasins too and they were great)
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1tsp vanilla

  *Note: Peanut butter also works in place of the almond butter, however both need to be creamy, and preferably store bought jars. While I love my self ground nut butters, they are much too dry for this recipe. If you must use fresh nut butters, try adding a little bit of coconut oil to ensure the end result isn’t too dry. Otherwise the bites won’t stick together!

  Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. Store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge up to 1 week..if they last that long!

  

  If you’re lucky, the last ball you roll will end up having twice the amount of chocolate chips. I am saving that one in the top right corner for last! These are great as bites on the go, but I have been eating them as a dessert as well. SO good.

  Sometimes if I am feeling really wild, I will make these with both chocolate chips AND crasins. Best of both worlds!

  

  Q: What’s your favorite no bake recipe??

  

  | 51 Comments Tagged Fall, Recipe, Running, Vegan

• Farmers Market Finds

  Posted at 6:03 PM by Brittany, on September 18, 2012

  September is half way over, which means the farmers markets are going to come to an end very soon. In order to start my last “hoorah’s” of the summer, I made a trip to the farmers market to get some inspirations for dinner. I didn’t know what I wanted, but as always I found more than I needed. I needed something to go with polenta. I have never made polenta before, so this was new for me.

  After walking a few laps around the market, I settled on a handful of hot peppers (like..cry your eyes out hot!!!!), a blue bell pepper, 2 beets, and a peach the size of my face.

  

  I ended up making a pico de gallo style mix with the peppers, some tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and salt/pepper.

  

  I pan fried the polenta into small disks, and topped them with the pepper mix.

  

  I have to say these turned out really good. I was surprised. I paired them with zucchini lentil boats.

  This was my first time making zucchini boats too, the zucch was grilled and then filled with lentils. Along with some marinara served on the side for extra flavor! Since no meal is complete without something sweet, that giant peach was then grilled with brown sugar and cinnamon!

  

  I liked the addition of the manly arm in the photo so I left it. Grilling and farmers markets! I also feel the need to mention that TJ’s has a new seaweed salad that is awesome.

  It tasted just like the ocean.

  On the running front, I feel a little lost now that my half marathon is over. I have been experiencing the post run blues. After working up to this since January, having it be over is sad. I need to find another half to run so that I can continue with my running schedule. I find myself having motivation only for 3mile runs. During a 3miler I had last week I discovered it’s best to run with your eyes shut.

  

  That would be a small fly. I had to run with it for about 2 miles. It wouldn’t come out. Gross.

  Q: Who’s ready for fall!?!?! I AM! 

  

  | 24 Comments Tagged Farmers Market, Running, Trader Joes, 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

• “I Could See You From a Mile Away”

  Posted at 3:38 PM by Brittany, on August 23, 2012

  This is what my running shoes look like.

  

  The shoes themselves aren’t much, but the laces get me spotted from yards away. Multiple times now I have had someone tell me, “I saw your pink laces and knew it was you!” Or, “Those laces are hard to miss.” I like to think people driving in cars have this same thought, and notice me before they hit me.

  These laces were given to me when I became a Sweat Pink Ambassador, and I want to give some of you guys the safety of bright pink laces. I have my last long run before my half marathon this weekend. 10 miles!! In spirit of the 10 miles, I will be giving away 10 pairs of pink laces!!

  

  Don’t like pink?? Well…then I suggest you go to Walmart and get the color of your choice at an everyday low price. I know some of my readers are Sweat Pink Ambassadors as well, so for you ladies just leave me some comment love telling me about your experiences with your laces, tank top, etc..I won’t count your comments towards the giveaway!

  To make this easy, all you have to do to enter is tell me what you would do if you won a million dollars. I will pick my favorite 10 entries and call it a day!! Be creative! Giveaway is open until next Thursday!

  

  | 30 Comments Tagged Giveaway, Running, Sweat Pink

• Black Hole

  Posted at 4:24 PM by Brittany, on August 16, 2012

  My blogging has been terrible lately. I feel like I have been sucked into a black hole of busyness. I am nearing the tail end of a week long house sitting adventure, and I am ready to be done taking care of someone else’s dog. The chickens are cool though, they require minimal attention, and I probably give them too much. I have officially trained them to run with me, or after me..all I have to do is carry some food and they run like savage cheetahs.

  In exciting news, I have harvested every last carrot from my wine box garden.

  

  The biggest one was about the size of my hand!

  

  Simply gawwwjus! I have incorporated them into a few meals, my favorite being a good ol BBQ style meal. I smothered the carrots in maple syrup and cinnamon before sticking them in the oven for about 20 minutes.

  

  With a cut up potato (french fry style), baked beans, and a vegan vegetable burger!

  The temperatures have been in the upper 80’s, low 90’s lately and that makes for some VERY hot runs. I tried to portray how sweaty I was after a 5miler the other day, but instead I just look like a deer in headlights. “A” for effort.

  

  Bottom line is, running in the middle of the day when it’s 80 plus degrees makes me hate waking up to work at 4A.M. even more than I already do. I want to run mid morning like all the cool kids! That yellow VHS on the door was one of my all time favorite movies when I was younger. Rugrats christmas movie. I finally stopped watching it last year.

  It’s finally my weekend, and I plan to sleep, eat..sleep some more..eat a lot more..and then run my first 9miler. Woof.

  Q: What were some of your favorite movies growing up?? Anything Disney, Rugrats, and The Berenstein Bears V-Day movie was my jammm! 

  

  | 26 Comments Tagged Carrots, Running, Vegan, Wine Box Garden

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