A Little Bit Like Forrest

In sixth grade, I was required to Run The Mile for the first time in my life. I remember being absolutely flabbergasted when Mr. Cifarelli announced that I had completed those four GD laps in 8:08. It had felt like an eternity, and yet I don't remember the run being particularly difficult. Just wait, A.K. It gets worse.

 

At my high school, gym class was only required through 10th grade in order to incorporate Driver's Ed., as well as one last attempt at Family Life. I took Advanced P.E. in 11th and 12th grades for a bit of "exercise." I'm going to use that term loosely, because it was mostly my mouth that got exercise. Even then, we were still required to Run The Mile.

 

During the spring of my junior year, my friend Tiffany and I were positively dreading the mile. She smoked like a chimney, and I wasn't in any kind of shape for "distance" running. We agreed to run the straights and walk the curves of the gravel track outlining the football field. We began at the same pace, but Tiffany took off and I was left in her dust. I think I finished in under 15 minutes, but there were only 2 people finishing behind me. My classmates had been standing around for some time, wondering what was next on the agenda. Big whoop, Troy. I pretty much decided then and there that running was NOT for me.

 

At Longwood, undergrads are required to take one Physical Education course. I picked one my first semester (to get it out of the way) called Basic Activities or some crap. We dabbled in tennis, dodgeball, military drills... whatever whimsical notion crossed my teacher's warped mind. We didn't do much running, so I was off the hook again.

 

When I moved into an apartment for my junior and senior years, I decided--after a few months of prodding encouragement by one of my roommates and a gnawing sense of guilt--to check out the fitness facility the complex offered.

via

Small is definitely not an understatement, but it basically suited my purposes. I could crank up Saved By the Bell, crank out a few miles power-walking, and examine the weight machines without feeling scrutinized. I did what I thought was running, but I found out how ill-prepared I was for my sorority's annual Miles 4 Smiles 5k event that my dad "ran" with me during the spring of my senior year. I doubt I even jogged half of the damn thing. I was also foolishly allowing my brain to believe that my body was losing weight and that I was taking care of myself... between bites of thin-crust pineapple and onion Papa John's and sips of PBR.

 

Finally, when I moved into my current apartment 13 months ago, I decided to make permanent changes in my fitness, my diet, and my lifestyle. Things have only gone uphill since! I celebrated every new distance milestone and every new pound lifted. I recorded everything meticulously, and I continually set new goals and challenges for myself. I don't know when one can consider herself "A Runner," but I do know that running is a sport that provides me freedom, pride, health, challenge, and spirit.

Maybe that's what a runner's high truly is -- "I just felt like runnin'." Everyone says I'll know it when I experience it, so maybe I'm looking for it too hard. Maybe I'll find my true runner's high when I least expect it.

 

Until then... have an excellent Thursday, blends!



I'm Officially a Runner!

It's finally here!!

Race day dawned sunny and cool -- and early. When I was a little girl, I was all about early. These days, before 10:00, you might as well not bother. Regardless, the race began at 9:00. That meant I was up at 7, out the door with Dad and Caroline at 7:45. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. Dad reminded me last night that my body has been conditioned to run; my greatest challenge would be in my mind. Quickly as I ate my cereal and my Chobani, I created a playlist on my iPod of hip-hop songs and good beats (Mann, Cobra StarShip, Sam Tsui, DNC, Jay Sean, New Boyz, Nicki Minaj, etc.). I have to say, I don't think I could have run the entire 5k without my music.

The three of us began the race abreast. After a few minutes, Dad and I broke away from the pack. He ran with me for 2.5 miles. He touched my shoulder shortly after we passed the two-mile mark and said, "I'm going to finish the race with Caroline. You have less than half a mile left. You're gonna do it!" I gave him a thumbs up and I was on my own. His support was all I needed to finish strong. That last half-mile flew by, particularly the huge downhill slope, and the last segment that I sprinted. Just when I thought my legs couldn't handle much more, I found my second wind and I crossed the finish line with the biggest, goofiest grin:

I finished in 37:39.4 (the time on the right began when the competition runners crossed the start line; I timed myself from start line to finish line). Photo thanks goes to my wonderful man, Ian.

Dad and Caroline finished about 8 minutes after I did. I was so thrilled to be able to see them cross the finish line!

Being handed that medal was, without a doubt, the highlight of my day. I knew that I would finish the race, but I felt as if that pink and gold medal signified specifically for me that I had run the entire race without stopping once!

We ate brunch at 3rd Street Diner afterward. My short stack of blueberry pancakes and apple juice hit the spot ;) On the agenda for the rest of the day is (1) basking in the glory of my run and (2) watching Bridalplasty with Caroline. I could not be more proud of the three of us :)

I really cannot say enough good things about wearing compression shorts underneath my running shorts. Not once did I have to tug my shorts down or worry about chafing or sweat. Unfortunately, I felt my headband slipping about a mile into the race. I didn't want to lose it, so I just finished wearing it around my forearm. I ate hair for the second half of the race, but it wasn't the end of the world. Happy race day!

P.S. Thank you to everyone who sent encouraging texts, tweets, emails, and blog comments my way!

Run About It, Read About It

Interestingly enough, I ran across an article last night via Twitter about common mistakes runners make. I thought maybe these mistakes could help explain my knee pain.

It would appear that I'm making two out of three of these mistakes.

Guilty!

The third mistake, which I am proud to say I am not making due to my need to change my footwear up, is overusing the same old pair of sneakers.

Not a problem!

The article recommended that runners change their sneakers out every 200-350 miles (or about every 4-6 months, depending on how much you run). This isn't a problem for me, since I have yet to make my 50-mile monthly goal, and I keep my new sneaks almost solely for gym use.

On a related note...

As I mentioned yesterday, I took a planned day off from running this morning... but I was still itchin' for a cardio workout. I couldn't resist the elliptical, and that 45 minutes felt gooood! Well, not so much on the knee. The soreness occurs immediately following a workout, though it doesn't hurt while I'm exercising. Tomorrow, I'm definitely taking the hint and making it either a rest day or strictly an upper-body strength training day. I know I need to be smart about treating my body, but I can't help but be excited that I have fewer than 20 miles left to accomplish in the month, and 14 more days!

Have a phenomenal Monday, and take advantage of this beautiful weather!

Worried Worry Wart

One thing you've probably gathered (from many of my posts) is that I'm a worrier. I worry about the future, the past, the present... hell, I worry about worrying. I'm just a person who is concerned about everything.

One of my concerns right now is how I will exercise when I'm in OBX next month (T-minus 44 days!). As Colleen so graciously reminded me when I blogged about this dilemma pre-Mexico, vacation is about taking a vacation from your norm and your routine. If exercise fits into your schedule, congrats to you; if not, enjoy your vacation without feeling pressured to exercise. Since I have really dived into working out, eating right, and taking care of my body, exercising on vacation is a priority to me.

Ian doesn't exactly share my concern, but he understands it. In February, he called the neighborhood association of the house we'll be staying in, and they told him that for $50 per week, we could have an all-access pass to their clubhouse and fitness facilities. Well, our house has its own pool, hot tub, and billiards room, so that hefty $50 would be spent on a treadmill. Plus, as I pointed out to Ian, if we bought the all-access pass, we'd feel obligated to work out (or waste our money), as opposed to fitting exercise into our schedule naturally.

We considered the possibility of running, which is free and which can be done any time, but neither of us was keen to run several miles in the blazing NC heat. Even in the a.m. when the sun isn't so beastly hot, we'd have to set an alarm in order to beat the sun. That isn't ideal, as we both love to sleep in. We'll definitely consider running at dusk, though.

I also know, after having been to OBX twice before with Ian's family, that I hardly ever don't always make the healthiest food selections, particularly on restaurant nights. If you've ever been to Jimmy's Seafood Buffet or Captain George's, you know that you cannot pass up the hundreds of fresh seafood delicacies. I tend to snack a lot, drink too much carbonation and not enough water, and eat too few veggies and fruits. My eating habits are vastly different this year, so I'm relying on my self-control to assist me in making better choices.

I don't think swimming will be much of an option; the ocean is always frigid down there, and the pool at our house is of a nice size but too small for doing laps.

(You can see that I've given this a great deal of ill-consumed time and thought...)

Which brings me to my point -- I'm working on devising an at-home workout I can complete if I so feel the need to sweat it out while on vacay. I don't own any free weights or exercise equipment (e.g. jump rope, stretch bands), so I'm looking for free and simple exercises.

For a cardio boost, I'm thinking jumping jacks. In terms of strength-building, I can rely on Ian to be my sit-ups partner, and I can do push-ups. Even if he isn't in the mood for exercise, I know he won't mind helping me out. We also love to walk on the beach to collect shells and at night, which is great exercise because of the resistance the sand offers. And, of course, there's always planks to challenge myself.

I am well aware that this post makes me sound like a huge hulking meathead, but I'm okay with that. I also realize that this isn't a very sophisticated workout plan, so I'm all for suggestions, tips, comments, etc. Thanks!

Have a fantastic Thursday, blends :)

Falling Down on the Job

Okay, okay, I admit it.

I've been the worst accountability buddy.

One of my gym buddies, Lauren, has been my long-distance accountability buddy for months, and yet we've actually checked in with each other only a handful of times. She was much better about asking me whether I'd gone to the gym and motivating me to feel better before I began 5K training than I was for her. After I began my training program, I was pretty darn self-motivated, so I stopped checking in with Lauren and she stopped checking in with me. What I really need her to say now is, Don't eat those curly fries! Really? Another scoop of ice cream?! But while we were still agreed-upon long-distance gym buddies, I should have made more of an effort. She's too cute for me not to!

My other accountability buddy, Bekah, and I go to school together, though we never run into each other because she's an undergrad and we "live" on opposite sides of campus. She was much better about texting or tweeting me to see if I'd already run. I hardly ever remembered to text her, and when I did, it usually read something like, Yeah, I ran Monday and Wednesday and did weights on Tuesday. Oops, forgot to text you (again)!

It appears that not only do I not take many photos with my accountability buddies, but that all we do is drink beer!

I think the good news buried under the guilt here is that my friends and I are able to hold ourselves accountable for going to the gym and fitting exercise in our schedules where we can. Bekah recently began using the same 5K training plan I'm using, which definitely excited me! She's tried to get me involved in numerous actual 5K events -- as opposed to treadmill marathons -- and so has Lauren, but my timing and scheduling this semester have not yet allowed for it.

I think both of them would tell me not to worry about feeling like I fell down on the job (because they're both very motivated and forgiving women), but I'm one of those people who always honors without fail likes to honor commitments I've made.

However, 32 days from today, my dad and Caroline and I will be running in the Susan G. Komen 5K event in Richmond (my first race ever!). They'll be my new short-term accountability buddies :)

Have a marvelous Monday, and don't be too hard on yourself today!

P.S. Have you and a friend ever been accountability gym or exercise buddies? If so, how long did you maintain it? If not, is it something you're willing to try?

P.P.S. Today is the last day of my H2O Challenge. Thus far, I've only managed to drink 48 oz. of water in a day once. I don't think today's going to be a different story. It looks like 24 oz. of water plus 2 cups of coffee per diem is my norm. At least now I know!

H2O Challenge

As I was sipping my delicious Kiwi Strawberry Propel Zero last Friday morning gearing up for one of my longest runs yet, I decided to issue myself a challenge: Beginning Monday (because weekends at HSC are not ideal), I'm going to drink 48 oz. of water per day for one week. Currently I drink about half to seventy-five percent of that. Judge me if you must.

I began week 9 of my 12-week 5K training program this morning, so drinking adequate water is vital. The last 4 weeks of the training program call for running a certain number of miles rather than a certain length of time. Now that I've run more than a 5K three times during my prescribed 45-minute runs, I thought running 3 miles this morning would be challenging but doable. I was right! It always feels good afterward, but during these longs runs I get what I like to call jelly legs and I'm sweating like a drug testee on Niacin. (Side note: sweating absolutely does not bother me when I exercise. I'm not one of those girls who prefers to "glisten." In fact, I tend to have the mentality that the more I sweat, the better cardio workout I'm having.) I always try to hydrate well before a run (but not so much so that I'm bloated or I cramp up), and I try not to guzzle my whole water bottle as I complete my 3-minute cool-down. Needless to say, sweating and physical activity require water, water, water!

I have to say, running on the treadmill has become very enjoyable for me. If I miss or skip more than a few days in the gym, I truly miss it. Call me crazy... But I'm being honest with myself and with you all. Anyway, I'm straying a bit from the topic at hand. H2O it is. Thus far, I've only consumed about 15 oz. of water, so I'll get those extra ounces in as I half-consciously sip my water during class and dinner. Updates to come. Have a happy hydrated Monday!

P.S. I forgot to add this little jewel to my Greek Week post. It was duct taped to one of the main doors leading into/out of Ian's dorm hall:

A Revolutionary Revelation

This morning I was totally not stoked about pretty much dreading the gym. It was a weight training day, it was a Wednesday, it was below 60 degrees, I knew I was pushed for time, I hadn't slept well, I needed to wash all the linens before I went grocery shopping... I had a host of other excuses. It still makes me chuckle a bit when I think about how I used to live for weight training days so I wouldn't have to go near that goshdarn dreadmill. These days, a great run is exactly what I crave.

Monday and Tuesday had been great runs, and I had runs planned for Thursday and Friday, with Friday being another 45-minute run (my longest yet). I don't usually cram so many running days together, but traveling on the weekends means condensing my training schedule quite a bit.

So I tried something revolutionary -- I didn't go.

(WHAT?!)

I must say, it was relieving. I didn't feel guilty. I didn't feel as though I were wasting time. I didn't have to bargain with the devil or resign myself to eating only crackers and water today. I just didn't go. I got my morning started, I got the laundry started, and I even found a few minutes to remind myself that my body needs rest just as much as it thrives on physical activity.

I read many blog posts a week which are divided between the hardcores who never miss a day in the gym or an opportunity for exercise, and those who prioritize fitness but don't get their panties in a wad if they choose to miss a day here or there. I used to be the former, but I'd like to consider myself part of the latter group. Fitness and physical activity are important to me, especially on my journey to lose weight, but fitness is multidimensional and it's personal. I value well-rounded fitness more so than a bragging point of 365 days in the gym.

Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle!

And so, with that, I'm off to put to good use the free hour I've just given myself. Have a wonderful Wednesday, and don't be too hard on yourself today!

Expect the Exceptional

This post is going to be a very long rave review like you never saw!

Thanks for sticking around through my absence -- I elected not to write from Mexico because my only means of accessing the Internet was via my tiny iPod screen. I was able to check emails, but that was about it. I also wanted to actually utilize my time away from everything that stresses me out during my daily life (e.g. email, Twitter, homework, studying...)

So now I can finally tell you all about our Spring Break in Playa del Carmen!

We flew out of Richmond at an unholy hour last Saturday. It is weird that I get quite excited for airport Starbuck's and breakfast sandwiches? Who cares!

We flew from Richmond to Washington, D.C., and from there to Cancun. Immediately upon exiting the airport, alcohol was available cheap. I knew we'd come to the right place ;)

A one-hour van taxi ride later, we arrived at the Royal Playa del Carmen,

with this guy waiting to welcome Caroline and me to our Junior Suite:

Let me tell you, there was nothing "Junior" about it! The Playa del Carmen is an all-inclusive resort, so of course, I took full advantage:

I drank more mojitos this week than I ever have in my life, plus there were the requisite tequila shots and pina coladas, and mango daiquiris, Tom Collinses, gin and tonics, Bahama Mamas, local beer, moscatos, and more. We only sampled the bottles of liquor available in our suite once, because there were so many other drinks to try so many other places! The resort refuses to allow guests to go thirsty, and it does not limit guests in their consumption.

It seems I have a very forgiving liver.

My sister and I ordered room service for a late dinner our first night in Mexico, because we arrived at an odd time:

 Obviously, Caroline was too excited about her steak for a normal expression...

I experimented with foods this week that I had never tried before (or haven't tried in the past 9 years of vegetarianism), such as shrimp flautas,

lamb,

duck,

grouper,

escargot (somehow forgot to snap a pic of the presentation), guava,

ham,

breakfast sausage (not a fan),

and some of the most decadent desserts I have ever had the pleasure of meeting:

I think it's pretty safe to say that my lacto-ovo-pescetarianism fell by the wayside in Mexico...

I also experienced some activities I probably wouldn't have in Virginia, such as Mom taking a tequila shot at lunchtime,

being asked to dance in front of everyone by a member of the very talented and very handsome entertainment staff, "sexy Omar," during Caribbean Night,

seeing an honest-to-goodness Mariachi band play live,

getting in a great gym workout in the resort's gym,

absolutely loving my first hour-long, professional, full-body spa massage,

sunburning on one side of my body more than the other while lounging in complete shade,

and truly relaxing my worries and stress away.

I was so disappointed about leaving after only 6 days, but this gem in the duty-free airport shops cheered me up a bit:

Check the sunburn -- only on my face, and worse on the right side than the left!

Does anyone else remember the coffee-flavored Chup-a-Chups from years ago?! These could have fed a family of four...

The Royal Playa del Carmen's slogan is "expect the exceptional," and my expectations were met vastly exceeded. I will be going back to Mexico! Like, as soon as possible...

P.S. If you're on Spring Break, what are you up to? If you've already had Spring Break, what did you do? If you don't get Spring Break anymore, what's your next big vacation?