Friday, August 29, 2014

Friday Five: Fall Preview

MarCourtney, and Cynthia host Friday Five, and this week's theme is "Fall Preview".

I happen to absolutely love fall, because I like more temperate weather.  The Savannah heat is absolutely horrible, and really starting to get to me.  We have dropped from highs in the 90's into the 80's, but I'm craving cooler weather! It helps a lot with my running too.  The other day a good stretch of our run was in the shade, which felt about 10 degrees colder, and I felt like I was running twice as fast!

So #1 of my five is definitely a happiness for colder weather!

#2. Half Marathon Training.  Not just for me, but for Ray as well.  His first half marathon will be Space Coast, and I think it's going to be very interesting watching him go through the training.  I'm excited for it!

#3. Wine and Dine. I'm excited for the race itself, to see friends like Meg and Kristy, and to be back at Disney!

#4. Hot Tea.  I know that it's fully possible to drink hot tea during the summer, but I just can't bring myself to do it when it feels like over 100 degrees outside.  I do love it though, and have an adorable pink teapot and matching up, and I'm really excited to use it again.

#5. Boots.  Again, something I can wear in summer, but it's too dang hot.  I have cowboy boots and fuzzy Ugg type boots, and a pair of Uggs I'm eyeing.  I'm excited about being able to wear them, because they're adorable on their own, and about the fun other outfit choices it gives me!

What are you looking forward to going in to fall?
Lauren

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Tuesdays on the Run: Cross Training

PattyErika, and April host Tuesdays on the Run, and this week we're posting about cross training!

I will admit that in training up until now, I haven't really done any cross training whatsoever.  Now, I'm getting into it.  Honestly it's not for cross training/running purposes, that's just a plus, it's really just for general fitness.

My main form of cross training is power yoga, which I've posted about before.  I absolutely love yoga and can really tell a difference in the strength I'm building.  I haven't noticed all that much difference in flexibility, although I haven't been completely consistent with it.  Maybe with more practice, I'll get that.  I burn anywhere from 400-550 calories in an hour long class, so that's great too!

I'm working on starting weight lifting as well.  I have a friend who tends to go to the gym a lot to lift, and he has a friend that wants to go with him, so we're trying to work out a schedule for the three of us to go.  I've gone once with him so far, and other than that our schedules don't quite match up, but I'm working on it!

I'm also going to read the New Rules of Lifting for Women.  I've read from a few other bloggers that it's been really helpful for them, and then maybe I'd feel more comfortable going to the gym by myself.  I like going with my friend for the motivation factor, and because I'm completely lost on what to do.  I have the book, and I'll just have to read it now, so I'll try to update everyone if I get on that plan =)

I'm trying to be more consistent with both my cross training and running, in hopes that it will make me a stronger and faster runner.

I'd also love to cycle as cross training, but I never learned to ride a bike!  I love the idea of it, but I think now that I'm 22 (so old, I know ;) ) I've also developed a mental block against it.  The idea of falling absolutely terrifies me to the point of not even getting on a bike.  Maybe I'll be able to overcome this...who knows?

Are there any forms of cross training that you do that I haven't listed here?
Lauren

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Bobcat Scorcher 5k

Last Saturday, August 16, we ran the Bobcat Scorcher in Bluffton, SC.  It was 79 with 94% humidity.  The temperature didn't bother me one but, but I felt like I was breathing in air!  The race went through a gated community, and all of the houses were absolutely gorgeous.  It was a flat course, as with everything down here, and a really good run!

We finished in 44:38 which is a 14:21 pace.  We only took about 5 extra walk breaks, I believe.  We haven't ran much at all this summer, so I wasn't too disappointed.  It was also 1:20 faster than the race we did 7/26, so that was great!

To be perfectly honest, the main reason I did this race was because there were tie-dye t-shirts.  The bibs were too, and they were so cute!

Afterwards they had pizza, oranges, bananas, and GIANT pieces of watermelon.

Overall, it was a great race, though a really fast one.  I'll probably do it again next year, even if only for the t-shirts.


How have you been holding up in the heat?
Lauren

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Tuesdays on the Run: Mantras

PattyErika, and April host Tuesdays on the Run every Tuesday, and I thought participating would be a great way to keep consistent with blogging!

The theme of this week's link-up is mantras.

Thinking about it, I realized I don't have a technical mantra.  Most are short and sweet phrases that people repeat over and over again. 

My main way of pushing myself through things is to tell myself that I can do anything for just one minute. Since I do run walk intervals of a minute each, I just have to run for one minute at a time. In power yoga, we don't usually hold poses for a long time, so I usually have to power through for less than a minute. If I take things just a minute at a time, it makes them much more bearable. 

How do you get through hard workouts?

Lauren