Tag: Running

• I Think I Can

  Posted at 10:46 AM by Brittany, on June 25, 2012

  Saturday morning I accomplished something I had never done before.

  

  I put on my running gear, and ran up a mountain. I had completed six races prior to this one, all ranging between 3-6 miles. The mileage varied, but the terrain was always similar. Road runs with inclines and declines. It was time for something new.

  Before starting this race my only concern were the slugs. I hate slugs, in fact I loathe slugs. Most people are afraid of spiders and heights..well I am afraid of slugs. I don’t exactly live in an area that accommodates this fear. By the end of the run I could have shared a Snuggie with all the mountain slimers. They were the last thing on my mind.

  The weather was decent upon arrival. It wasn’t raining, but it wasn’t sunny. Typical weather for a Washington day.

  

  I love my hot pants.

  I am a big fat weenie when it comes to running up hills. I would rather donate blood.  The hills I normally run up are tough, but don’t last more than a mile. This mountain had over three miles of straight incline. We climbed and climbed with a few small teasers of rest. I might have whined.. OK I whined. The run was 5.3miles total and 3+ miles were STRAIGHT uphill. My time was sLOooOwww, but I finished. The run looked something like this.

  

  Obviously 3rd grade paid off when all I could draw was one type of NW native tree. This is what the trail looked like..I think. I didn’t see much trail because my slug radar was on, and by the time I got to mile 3 I stopped caring about the slugs and started thinking about where on this mountain I wanted to die. I was sure my heart was going to give out at any moment. I was comforted by the amount of people I saw walking up the hills. Including the marathoners. These hills were NO joke. “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.”

  5.34 miles later I was done. The decline was great, though it wasn’t enough. I don’t know how it was possible to climb up more than we came down..but I swear that’s how it worked out. I am proud of my accomplishment, and can now add “trail runner” to my resume..maybe. I partied with the trail runners, these people are a different breed. I tried to fit in by getting muddy, but I am sure they laughed at my rookie attempt.

  

  After the run it was all about refueling.

  

  My first trip to Chipotle. A veggie bowl with rice and beans. Swoon. I must admit the run was enjoyable when the terrain was flatter, and the views were of mountains and tops of trees. I don’t see another trail run anytime soon in my future, though someday I will give it another go. For now..my focus continues to be on the Disneyland half-marathon training!! 2 weeks down, 10 weeks to go!

  Q: Who out there has completed a trail run? Did you hate/like/love it? I hated the hills, liked the decline, and loved when it was over! I’d like to give a big fat thank you to my boyfriend for putting up with my complaints and pushing me to keep going. 

  

  | 45 Comments Tagged 5 miles, Chipotle, First, Race, Running, Trail Run

• New Digs

  Posted at 8:41 AM by Brittany, on June 22, 2012

  I have been a frugal frump for about a year now. I refused to purchase proper running/workout gear because I swore my cotton t-shirts were perfect for covering my sweat laden body. With that, I also never had much success finding running gear that looked good. I already run like a pregnant tortoise, and I don’t need tacky clothes making me look worse. The bottoms are always too snug, highlighting the no no spots. The tops are awkward fitting and my lady parts hang out too much. I am running, not shaking my tail feather for money.

  I set out the other day to purchase an arm band for my iPhone/music because I was being frugal with this as well. I have been putting my music player in my sports bra for the past few years, and it was time I upgraded and stopped looking as if I had a botched boob job. While at the store, I decided to check out the workout clothes just to pass time. Lo and behold I found a black tank top to run in that would be perfect for summer (I have run in this top three times now and love how comfortable it is.) This sparked a fire inside of me to keep going. I wanted more. I got in my car and headed to the mall where a miracle happened.

  

  Thumbs up is a good sign..I tried on multiple tops and bottoms. My goal was to find a pair of running shorts that didn’t make me look like I had bulging elephant trunks coming off of my hips. These shorts in the picture are my new obsession. I am in LOVE! I’ve run in them, cross trained in them, and worn them around the house. I can’t take them off!

  I came home with FIVE new shirts, a new pair of shorts..and the most amazing running pants. Seriously..prepare yourself.

  

  O.B.S.E.S.S.E.D! I am wearing these tomorrow for a trail run! I’m hoping the green will help me blend in and look as if I am the speed of light. I have wanted hot pants like this for so long.

  I will no longer be wearing heavy cotton shirts that soak up sweat like a sponge. I had fooled myself for far too long, these new clothes are heavenly. My only embarrassment now will be the cheesy grin on my face while running in these light weight clothes. Something like this..

  

  Perhaps now I can get a better running photo.

  Q: What do you run/workout in?? Do you ever wear cotton t-shirts?

  

  | 56 Comments Tagged New Digs, Running

• 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

• The Best Race I Ever Did Run

  Posted at 12:42 PM by Brittany, on May 22, 2012

  There has been minimal running talk here lately, but that does not mean it hasn’t been happening. I have been running twice a week, cycling twice a week, and whatever else helps to fuel my cookie addiction. Sunday I ran another race. This race counts as the May race for my, “one race a month” goal. This race was hands down the best race I have yet to run. Let me tell you why.

  Reason Number One: SWAG BAG!

  

  Now before you get your pants into an excited bunch, I did NOT run a marathon. I ran a 5 miler. The capital city marathon had three races: a marathon, a half-marathon, and a 5 miler. Due to the fact that there was a marathon and a half going on, this meant a real swag bag. None of those paper envelopes filled with a running chip and a race number. The shirt was a tech shirt, not cotton. I was in running heaven.

  

  

  Reason Number Two: Spectators, Water Stations, and Course.

  This was my sixth race this year, and this was the first time I really felt like a runner. There were people around every corner cheering us on, watching us, and giving us that extra boost of energy. Water stations were at every two mile mark, and I was able to snag some electrolyte SUGAR crack water each time. I didn’t get tired once. I wanted to keep running. The course was awesome. Through neighborhoods, and main roads..it kept winding so I never felt like I was running a straight away towards my death.

  Reason Number Three: My new 5mile PR.

  I’ve run 5 miles multiple times, always somewhere in the 10:00 min mile range. I never want to get too run happy and tire myself out. I tried to hold back in the beginning because the first half was almost all uphill. I held a comfortable pace and enjoyed every step. I ran a 9:38 min mile pace, and I finished 5.11miles in under 50 minutes which was my goal (and a new 5mile PR). Yay. I don’t have a picture of the PR, but it looked something like this.

  

  Everything about this race has kept me on a constant runners high. I had such an amazing time, and I didn’t even get food after the race (aside from some PB pretzels I stole from MF.) Normally I am more excited about the food than the run, but this time it was ALL about the run. For all you foodies that don’t get excited reading posts like this, I will leave you with this valuable food information. I polished off an entire box of cookies, two chocolate bars, enough spaghetti to feed all of Italy, PB sandwiches fit for Shrek, more chocolate, more cookies, and lots of gas worthy veggies– anything to get that extra push over the finish line.

  Q: What is the best swag bag you have received from a race, or from another event? For running, this was the best one. I have a new lunch bag and a comfortable new running shirt. From a different event, I once got a bag of womanly items like makeup and candy from a women’s expo. In that swag bag was a tongue scraper, to scrape your tongue and get rid of the nasty bacteria. I can’t live without my tongue scraper, toothbrushes will never do the job of the scraper. 

  

  | 38 Comments Tagged 5 miles, Race, Running, Swag

• Running For Doughnuts Makes You Run Faster

  Posted at 5:48 PM by Brittany, on April 29, 2012

  There is something “off” about people that wake up at 5am to go running. Fortunately for me, I was never really “on” in the first place. This morning that’s exactly what I did, I awoke at 5am and headed to Seattle to get my run on. My running partner had to attend to more important things, so this was my first solo race. I was a bit apprehensive about going alone, but it turned out to be a smooth day. 

  Smooth flow number one – Timing. I arrived an hour and a half before race time. This ensured zero lines when picking up my race packet. 

  

  Smooth flow number two – Parking. Arriving early means prime pickins for parking. I was literally parked 30 seconds from the starting line. 

  Smooth flow number three – First to use the biffy. Ohh this was a real treat. A brand new outhouse, ready for me to destroy. An hour and a half driving in the car was more than enough time to brew my morning…what rhymes with brew..

  Smooth flow number four – Starbs across the street. I was able to walk to Starbucks, get a coffee, feel the crack caffeine sink in, and use the biffy a few more times before the race.

  The smooth morning continued as I laced up my shoes with my sweat pink laces, and I headed off for a walk around the lake. 

  

  I awkwardly asked for my photo taken, it was almost like asking Santa for an unreasonable gift..it’s just..awkward. 

  

  If you look closely you can see an adorable vein protruding from my neck. This was obviously due to the caffeine stuffing its way through my blood stream. Bring on the shakes! You’ll also notice a small chunk missing from the bottom left corner of my race number. 

  

  If you thought I waited until after I ran to get my free doughnut you are out of your mind. I was not going to wait in a line and get the bottom of the barrel doughnut, I wanted first picks. 

  

  Post race I only took one bite out of that horse hoof. I had an upset stomach so I decided I wasn’t going to eat the whole thing. DO NOT fret, I gave it to someone else. NEVER waste! I still got my celebratory bite, and that was all I needed.

  Speaking of upset stomach, yesterday I had similar tummy issues and I only ate a bagel and a protein bar. I was sure my run today would be affected due to this. I could only muster a few bites of a sandwich this morning, and a few sips of water. During the run I felt sluggish. My chest hurt, and I wanted it to be over. Come to find out, I managed a PR and ran the fastest 5K to date. I ran 3.12 miles in 29:58, a 9:36 pace. I ran a race on this very same course two months ago and my time then was a minute and 34 seconds slower. I’ll take the improvement! I only wonder what my time would have been had I fueled properly. 

  Although I wasn’t hungry for a doughnut (blasphemy!) I went to Mighty-O’s to get myself a vegan sugar fix. 

  

  I figured there is no way to justify buying a dozen doughnuts for yourself..so I settled on 5 mini’s. 

  To sum up this post, today I ran my first race alone, I ran for doughnuts, I ran faster than past races, I christened a port-o-potty (seriously this is a big deal), and I survived the streets of Seattle without getting hit by another car. I think my post title pretty much says it all. I’d say it was a successful day. 

  Q: Best post race treat you’ve received, or if you’ve never completed a race what WOULD you run for? Few things can beat a free doughnut…except maybe a free cat. 

  

  | 43 Comments Tagged 5K, Donuts, PR, Race, Running, Sweat Pink

• Rice Rice Baby

  Posted at 10:24 AM by Brittany, on April 3, 2012

  For the past week, many of my meals have revolved around rice. Brown rice of course, specifically the brown rice medley from good ol’ Trader Joe’s.

  

  The protein/fiber content is great, and the addition of the radish seeds gives a nice crunch to the mix. Of course I don’t pummel spoon fulls of just rice into my mouth, I make a rice pile and fill the sides with tree’s and bushes.

  

  This meal happened a few times: Rice, asparagus, red bell pepper, vegan sausage, zucchini, Brussels, beets, and broccoli.

  Another ricerific meal that was duuhh-lish-ous included this..

  

  I really only bought this to have an excuse to say “punjab” multiple times in one hour, but this stuff was so good. I didn’t like the packaging, and I didn’t like the heating option. Instead of heating the foil like packet in water on the stove, I emptied the contents into a pot and then put it on the stove. Heating foil/using a microwave are two warming options I avoid. I need to get an invincible hamster to run hours on a wheel to produce heat for my food, that would be ideal.

  The final product..

  

  This time I made a rice mote, and filled the punjab in the center. Then surrounded the outside with trees and plants.

  Moving forward. I have found a veggie (and vegan) friendly peanut sauce to make up for my oops moment, when I bought peanut sauce with anchovies in it. Unfortunately the sauce I bought this time lacked in flavor and punch.

  

  Fortunately I had enough peanuts to make up for the sauce.

  

  As you can see, I put my math studies to good use by using geometry on a daily basis to make a circle out of my meals. That’s really all it’s good for.

  As for my vegan update, I have successfully completed one week eating a vegan diet, and I have to say the week FLEW by. I only thought about cheese once and that was the first day of being dairy free. Since then it’s been easy (given it’s only been a week) and I plan to continue eating vegan for a little while longer. I will write a post dedicated to my thoughts and physical state after a bit more time.

  I’ve also completed one week cutting out sweets (except the extra jelly I’ve been adding to PB&J’s) and this was a bit more difficult. I thought about cake multiple times throughout the week, but I persevered. I deserve a medal for this I swear. I might even go longer than the week. I’m exuding God like strength with this task.

  Running is great, Saturday I ran 5 miles at a 9:52 pace and each mile felt better than the one before it. Cycling is good, Thursday night spin classes are becoming my favorite. Monday nights not so much. Those are all the updates I have for now!

  Q: How do you eat your brown rice?

  

  | 52 Comments Tagged Brown Rice Medley, Cake, Food, New food, Running, Spinning, Trader Joes, Vegan

• Dairy Free

  Posted at 11:32 AM by Brittany, on March 26, 2012

  Before I jump into the topic of this post, I want to share a quick and easy Thai inspired meal. You’ll need four items: Rice noodles, peanuts, a sauce, and a vegetable (Or go balls wild and have multiple vegetables!)

  

  Real quick side note, this satay peanut sauce is NOT vegetarian friendly. I somehow missed this while skimming the ingredients. I read the ingredients to a similar product from a different store, and that one was vegetarian friendly. I assumed TJ’s was too. Mistake. Lesson learned- never skimp on reading the ingredients! Regardless, the meal was delicious and the peanut sauce has been donated to a non vegetarian. If you are a carnivore, omnivore, or even a pescatarian (the sauce has anchovies in it) you’ll love it!

  

  After making a head of broccoli hair, I had to resist the urge to make a peanut face. 10 minute meal. Boom.

  Onto the Brussels and potatoes of the post. Over the past six years I have evolved into a happy, healthy vegetarian. I started as more of a carb-o-tarian, which is what I call those that give up meat, but replace the meat with carbs instead of fruits and veggies. I have fallen in love with fruits, vegetables, and cooking over the past three years and have never looked back. I don’t crave meat, I find excitement in new recipes, and I enjoy telling people about my lifestyle (until they criticize and are ignorantly closed minded.)

  One question I often get is, “have you tried being vegan?” The answer is “sort of.” I have never fully committed to becoming “vegan,” but I have had my experimental weeks, two at the most, of eliminating any and all animal products from my diet. I LOVE cheese, and occasionally eat eggs, and along with this I eat products made with dairy. Although I may not drink milk directly, I am ok with using it in recipes, and eating foods made with milk, cheese and eggs.

  I’ve decided to give this vegan thing another go. However, I will not be calling it “vegan,” rather, “dairy free” because I am not going to be picky about where or how the food products are made. If the bread I buy is made somewhere that milk and eggs are present, but not included in the ingredients, I am ok with that. My diet over the next week, two weeks, or however long I plan to try this for will consist mainly of fruits, and veggies, along with the proteins, fats, carbs and other nutrients I will need. I will be completely dairy free including products made with dairy.

  This is not a lifestyle change, more of a fun challenge to test my creativity and willpower to resist cheese. Along with cutting out dairy, I am cutting back on sweets. OHH MY HOGSQUASH this will be hard. I love my cookies, but I need a serious detox from sugar!! Notice I said cutting back, not cutting OUT.

  With all this said, dinner last night was a dairy free success.

  

  This plate looks like something I eat anyway, but throughout the day my desire for a string cheese and wheat thins was ever so present. This meal made my nagging cheese beast disappear.

  Breakfast this morning was egg-less, but better than ever.

  

  Skittle rainbows have NOTHING on my color wheel of food. I will be including cheese, greek yogurt, and cookies back into my diet very soon, but for now I will enjoy the challenge of trying new things! This will also challenge me to figure out exactly what the items listed on the ingredient lists are. The sugar, and cheese beasts in my system need to be tamed for a bit. Did I mention I love cookies?

  On a random side note, but along the lines of challenges (running is a challenge I accept daily) check out this race photo from my 10K last week. 

  

  I’m pretty much a celebrity because this photo was an example photo on the website before the others were even uploaded. This is why there isn’t a giant PROOF written across the photo to ruin it unless you choose to buy it. Of course I was caught getting my Garmin ready.

  “The key to life is accepting challenges. Once someone stops doing this, he’s dead.” -Bette Davis

  Q: What’s challenging you this week? Not eating cookies. 

  

  | 30 Comments Tagged 10K, Challenge, Food, New food, Running, Trader Joes, Vegan, Vegetarian

• St.Paddy’s Day 10K

  Posted at 3:31 PM by Brittany, on March 19, 2012

  Saturday morning I pulled my money makers out of bed to stand in the freezing rain for 30 minutes, and to run 6.2 miles. I was cold, I was crabby, and I was nervous. I was angry it was raining. I usually love the rain, but I was tired and did not want to be soaked like a can of soggy beans. I arrived early to get my race packet.

  

  It was official, I was running a 10K. I had never run more than 5 miles at once..so this is where the nerves came in. I knew one more mile was attainable, but having never done the distance before I had some worry. I had hoped for a leprechaun wombat to run with me if I needed an extra boost. No such luck.

  Fuel in the form of sugary candy, should I need it.

  

  Turns out I only ended up eating one. That one the arrow is pointing to, I ate that whole thing..I even ate the wrapper like a savage wild animal. My hands were frozen to the point I couldn’t feel my fingers, without working fingers I couldn’t unwrap the sugary treat. I panicked, fearing my energy would dwindle and without thinking, like a homeless monkey..I ate the wrapped candy. I have yet to see the wrapper come out the other end..this must mean it was digested by my ferocious stomach acid. 

  Long story short, the course had some wicked hills..and the first 3 miles were painfully cold. After mile 3 everything started to feel better, including my body. I finished the run with a 10:15 pace (WAYY faster than I anticipated) and an overall time of 1hour and 3minutes. Thank you spaghetti feast, you helped my buns of steel power up those hills. 

  Post run I wolfed down a delectable sandwich.

  

  Overall I felt a sense of accomplishment for my new PDR. It’s moments like this that make the painful days worth it. My March race is complete, and I can eat Reese’s Eggs guilt free for a few more days. I’ll keep you concerned cats posted on that Starburst wrapper..

  Q: Embarrassing running stories? Eating that wrapper is my top as of right now..One day I’ll be a real runner like those marathoners that shat themselves. 

  

  | 33 Comments Tagged 10K, Running

• New Digs

  Posted at 6:17 PM by Brittany, on February 10, 2012

  If you were to tell me a year ago that I would end up running more than I bake, I would laugh in your face. I started running to challenge myself with a sport many people steer away from. As I’ve increase my mileage I have realized my beloved five fingers aren’t going to be enough for my longer runs. With that said, I buckled down and bought a pair of running shoes. 

  

  I had my heart set on the bright blue and green pair of Brooks, but when I found out the running shop didn’t have a single pair of Brooks in my size, I opened my mind to something else. I tried on at least 5 pairs of shoes before buying the first and ugliest pair I had tried on. 

  

  My immediate thought when I put these on was, “these look like old lady shoes.” Despite the hideous yellow and grey, these shoes felt the best..or so I thought. I ran a couple miles in these and while I was running they felt fine, but then when I was walking around after my run I felt as if my foot was folding into the inside of the shoe. I am new to running shoes like this so I don’t know what I should be looking for. My feet are comfortable in the shoe, and while running I felt ok..so I am torn on how to decide if I love them. These weren’t cheap and I want to be sure I love them so I can get some serious mileage in. 

  I want this shirt to go with my new shoes.

  

  Somebody beat me to it…

  Q: All you running babes out there..how do you know when a shoe is perfect for you?! 

  

  | 24 Comments Tagged 5K, Race, Running, Shoes

• 5 Reason 5K

  Posted at 5:33 PM by Brittany, on January 3, 2012

  Sunday morning I awoke at 5am to set out on the journey of completing my second 5K race. I was out the door by 6 in order to catch the 7:20 boat across the water to Seattle. It was cold, windy, and dark. Little did I know that the weather would turn around to be something wonderful. Instead of boring you all with every last detail of the day, I will sum it up to 5 key reasons as to why it was a great run.

  Reason 1: Location–The park where the course was set had scenic paths and the trails were twisty. The last stretch of the run was along the water. 

  

  I assume we looked something like this.

  Reason 2: Chili–Post race, everyone was given a bowl of hot chili. Vegetarian chili was offered, and the line for the meatless option was three times shorter than the line for the meat chili. We walked up to get our bowls and waited less than a minute. 

  

  Reason 3: Free Loot–Along with the free chili, we snagged free coconut water(s), fruit,  and baby Lara Bars. 

  

  Do not be fooled by this photo..I grabbed at least five more handfuls of the Lara mini’s. 

  Reason 4: Unique race–Most races don’t have a wet and dry option. Choosing wet meant I signed up to run the last few hundredths of the race sopping wet. I took a detour into Lake Washington for the Polar Bear Plunge. I swore my body weight doubled after pulling myself out of the lake to finish the run. 

  

  After..

  The plunge took the breath out of my lungs because the water was so cold. Though the dive into the lake was refreshing, I felt slightly immobilized when I could no longer touch the ground. 

  

  Swim around the end of the line, dunk your head, and run out of the water.

   Reason 5: A friend-Having someone next to me made the time fly by. They grabbed my arm when I felt like I couldn’t swim, and they trotted to the finish with me dripping wet. 

  I finished 3.17 miles in 32:43. The pace was nice, and the weather was ideal. Sunshine and blue skies. I would most definitely do this run again. 

  The chili feed was not enough for my cheetah appetites so I ended up getting some more grub.

  

  

  Another piece of wall art to continue the collection.

  Q: What is the most unique race you have done? Definitely this one..jumping into a lake was fun. 

  

  | 26 Comments Tagged 5K, Race, Running, Whole Foods

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