Friday Five: Race Rituals

Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia host Friday Five, and this week is all about Race Rituals!

I was thinking about this as I was reading over some of the other posts, and it's hard to think about any big things that I do.  However, there are some very small things that are very important to me!

1. Eat a Luna bar.  I find these are light enough that I don't have stomach issues, but keep my hunger satisfied.  Any kind seems to work for me, but I much prefer Peppermint Stick.

2. Flat Me.  I always lay out everything I'm going to wear the next day.  And then double, possibly triple check it.  And then panic that I'm still forgetting something.

3. A kiss!  I always ALWAYS need a kiss from my boyfriend, especially if I'm running without him.  For some reason it just makes everything right.  I don't think he knows this is a ritual, so shhhhh.

4. Leave late.  No matter how hard I try to leave on time, I always end up leaving at least 5 minutes late, and then panicking the whole way to the race.  I haven't been late yet, but there are some where I've had barely any time to spare.  This is probably a ritual I should change...

5. Drink beer.  I always drink beer after a race, even if it's just a sip.  This is also basically the only time I drink beer, so it is actually something special!

Do you have any race rituals? Link up if you do!

Lauren

Tuesdays...on the Run: Running in Costume

I promise you it's Tuesday right now.  It's not Thursday.  Nope...not at all.

Patty, Erika, and April host Tuesdays on the Run, and this week we're posting about running in costume!

If you've ever looked into a Disney race, I'm sure you've seen plenty of runners in costume.  I will say that the only time I've run in full costume was at my Disney races.  For Tower of Terror I was Ursula, for the Princess Half Weekend 10k I was Anna, and for the Half I was Elsa.

Usually, I tend to run in theme instead of costume.

This was for a Tunnels to Towers race, which is of course very patriotically themed.

This was a Reindeer Run 8k, a tutu with foam decorations.  I will admit that I took the hat off most of the way through and just put it on for finishing pictures.  It got way too hot!


This is the SparkleSkirt HotChocolate for a Hot Cocoa 10k.  (P.S. If anyone is selling HotChocolate in a medium, I'll take it!)


This is a Shamrock Run 5k.


This was for the RunTheBluegrass Half Marathon which was raising money for Boston Strong, and had a Boston bombing survivor there as well.


I usually tend to try to dress somewhat to the theme.  Small plug: SparkleSkirts makes this so easy and comfortable.  All of the skirts you see are SparkleSkirts, there are SparkleSkirts shorts under my Ursula tutu, and I believe a SparkleSkirt under my candy cane tutu.  I can't run without them, and I definitely wouldn't be able to do costumes without them!  They make a great cute base for anything.

Keeping it comfortable is definitely necessary for costumes.  My only problems have been getting too hot - my Santa hat, and my Elsa cape.  I just stash my extra pieces in my SparkleSkirt pocket, but that's just me.

What should my costume be for Wine and Dine? I haven't started planning yet!
Lauren

Friday Five: Fall Preview

Mar, Courtney, 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

Tuesdays on the Run: Cross Training

Patty, Erika, 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

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

Tuesdays on the Run: Mantras

Patty, Erika, 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

Power Yoga

I haven't been running much lately but I have gotten a lot more into my power yoga!

Before I was only going to the gentle classes. These were slower with less intense poses, and unheated. 

More recently I've been going to the actual power classes. They're heated anywhere from 90-100 degrees and wow, do I sweat!! It's a pretty intense workout and I actually still can't do everything. There are some things I have to modify or skip, but I can feel myself and my balance getting stronger each time. I get so excited every time I can do something new, and I'm definitely learning a lot about my body and capabilities. 

I also leave yoga feeling so relaxed and much more positive than when I walked in. I know it's corny but I really do feel at peace afterwards! And I get a good workout too. In an hour class, my HRM said I burned just around 500 calories. So I get to use it for myself and for my body! 

I also get to take super cute pictures like these. 

Do you practice yoga at all?

Lauren