Friday Five: 5 Things I Did This Summer

Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia host Friday Five, and today is talking about this that happened this summer! I'm going to let the pictures mostly speak for themselves this week.

1. I went to school.  It was brutal.  4 week semesters! They're normally 16.

I might have studied in a bar - sorry Mom and Dad!

2. I finished moving into my new place!

3. I ran a half marathon with my big sister!

4. I ate.  This is just a small selection of the food pictures I have from this summer.

5. Most importantly, I spent time with family! A week long trip with Mom, Dad, brother, sister (in law), and 2 nephews!

Did you do anything exciting this summer? My favorite time was when I was on vacation.  It was amazing to chill out for once and spend time with family I hadn't seen!

Lauren

TotR: Runners I Admire

April from Run the Great Wide Somewhere, Patty from My No Guilt Life, and Erika from MCM Mama Runs host Tuesdays on the Run. And look! It's actually Tuesday.  Today we're talking about Runner Role Models or Runners we admire.

There are so many wonderful runner bloggers that I definitely look to as role models!  I don't really know enough about the "professional" running scene to look up to any of them, though there are many incredible women!

Three of the women I look up to most in this blogging community are Patty, Amy, and Julie, for similar reasons.  They're all running moms, which I greatly admire.  They all have a love of Disney that I wish I could rival.  But most of all, they taught me there's nothing wrong with being a back of the pack-er.  In fact, they've taught me to be able to embrace it!  Amy, Julie, and Patty helped me see the more fun and social aspect of running; it doesn't all have to be about great speed.  

Patty

Julie

Amy

Another runner I greatly admire is Cynthia.  She's the mom I hope to be when I'm blessed with little ones of my own.  She's fast and more importantly, she's so dedicated to every aspect of her life.  She manages to balance being a mom, having a job, and staying in shape to not only run, but do triathlons!  Every time I read about her busy weeks on her blog, I get tired just thinking about it, so she must be exhausted.  I greatly admire her, both as a person and a runner.

Cynthia

While there are many more people I could add in here, the last one I will is Karen.  Not only does she run, she's also been a race director, which is something I would love to do some day!  She always seems very happy and positive.  Karen also does a lot for and in her community, which I think is fabulous!  Not to mention, she's a nurse, which is super demanding in many ways.

Karen

These are just a few of the many runners I read adventures about and look up to!  I tend to have "real" people as role models more often than professionals or celebrities, just because they're more relatable.

Who do you look up to in the running world?

Lauren

Friday Five: 5 Running Tips

Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia host Friday Five, and although this is a day late (sense a pattern here?), this week's topic is 5 Running Tips!

While I'm certainly not the most proficient runner, there are definitely some life lessons I've learned so far.

1. Get the right pair of shoes!!! I think any runner will tell you this, and it's so so important.  I started running in Nike Frees.  Such a bad decision! They've now retired to my weight lifting shoes and work just fine for that.  I then went to Asics, the GT 2000 model.  They worked pretty well for me, but I still had some arch soreness and tenderness for me.  We have a "natural" running store in the next town over, Georgia Game Changers.  It was there that I found Newtons, and I've fallen in love with them! I still get some arch soreness, but it's usually just when I'm undertrained, so I don't blame that on the shoe at all!

2. There are running clothes that are both comfortable and cute! I have thighs.  Big ones.  As much as I love cute little Nike, etc. running shorts, I just can't do them! They ride up and then there's chafing, and no one likes that.  I also live in Georgia, which means pants or capris just aren't an option the majority of the year.  I finally found SparkleSkirts which are long enough, never ride up, and are super cute! They also have really functional pockets.  I never run in anything else now!  The point is - find what works for you.  I thought if I couldn't wear the cute little shorts, I couldn't be cute running, and I was totally wrong about it.

3. You don't have to run every day to train for a race.  There are a lot of people out there that run 6 out of 7 days a week.  That's wonderful for them.  But it doesn't work for me.  I don't have the patience for it, quite frankly.  And I don't need to run that much to race well.  Galloway's plans call for 3-4 days of running a week and that works just fine for me!  It seems to be a theme - you just have to find what works for you, and not feel the need to do what everyone else is doing.

4. Running brings you into a great community.  There are bloggers I follow because of running alone that I've met in real life who are amazing people!  There are huge blog communities online, such as link-ups like this one.  Or on Tumblr.  Or on Facebook.  There are local running groups, or local chapters of national running groups such as RWB.  I definitely haven't taken as much advantage of these groups as I should have because I'm not the most social person, but they are available and definitely something all new runners should look into!

5.  It's ok to be last. It's ok to be slow.  A lot of the blogs I read are super fast runners.  They amaze me every time they post Garmin pictures after a training run, or race results on weekends.  I envy them, and I get jealous of their times.  Sometimes I feel disheartened comparing my times to theirs.  What I've learned over the years, and from doing small races, is that I am slow and sometimes I will come in last.  But also sometimes I'll place in races (and not by default!).  Just because I finish last, or close to it, doesn't mean I'm less of a runner or I ran a lesser race than those who came in first.  I ran my own race and did the best I could!

Running is definitely a great experience, but it's hard to go in to blind.  Well, at least for me.  Some people are natural runners and need barely any gear or help.  But the majority of us need support and help, and hopefully this can help someone!

What are your best tips?
Lauren

Old Port Shipyard Half

April from Run the Great Wide Somewhere, Patty from My No Guilt Life, and Erika from MCM Mama Runs host Tuesdays on the Run.  Today they are talking about Core Strength.  However, I'm horrible at doing core exercises and know nothing about them.  So you can take a peek at their blogs for some input on that, and I'll keep working on it!

In the meantime, I'm going to tell you about a race I've been meaning to tell you about! July 11 I was up in Portland, ME for another half with my big sister.  The one I ran the Savannah Women's Half with in March.  I flew up what was supposed to be Wednesday night, but ended up being Thursday morning, and came home the next Monday night.  We explored Portland and had tons of fun together!  

Friday night we went to a lobster bake.  Cori had to give me a lesson on how to properly deconstruct a lobster.  It's actually somewhat disappointing how little you get out of it...oh well! There was a band called Hello Newman playing, and it was a whole night of 90's throwbacks.  It was great, and helped to settle my nerves about the race the next morning.

As we were walking to the corral Saturday morning, I ran into my cousin Rob! I haven't seen him in at least 5 years, probably longer, so that was exciting!  We took off running and boy were we in for a surprise!  I knew it would be hilly, but it was so bad and painful!  Some places were straight up, and so many less were straight down.  Around mile 8 we got into Back Cove, which is a gravel trail.  This killed me.  Normally I love a softer surface to run on, but the extra effort of pushing off the dirt was killing me.  I don't think I ran at all after that. 

There was a woman I saw at the beginning and ended up walking the last couple miles together.  She usually organizes a 5k for her son who passed away, but couldn't bring together her own run this year, so she decided to run the half instead!  Her husband and other kids were waiting at the finish line and it was so touching to see.  

I was underprepared for this distance and for the hills, but I finished and that's what matters! 

What races have you done lately?
Lauren

TotR: Where I Run

Today for Tuesdays on the Run, the theme is Where I Run.  April from Run the Great Wide Somewhere, Patty from My No Guilt Life, and Erika from MCM Mama Runs host Tuesdays on the Run.  And yes it's Wednesday.  I had this written yesterday, but I might have forgotten to hit publish...

I'm sad to say that I don't really have a consistent place that I run, because I don't exactly consistently run :/ That being said, this is Lake Mayer.  It's a 1.4 mile loop so when I was running consistently, I went there a lot.  This means I don't have to carry water, etc. because I can leave it in my car, plus there's a water fountain there.  The only thing I don't like about it is the geese, because they make me nervous.

Other than that, here's a few exciting places I've ran:

Asheville, NC - ALL the hills!

At my school, where I did a 10k

Disney World! This is from Wine and Dine

On top of the super tall Savannah bridge

Tom Triplett, which I would run at all the time if it wasn't an hour away

And most recently, in Portland, ME!

I realized I tend to just take selfies when I run, so I don't have many pictures of where I'm actually running.  Here's a quick glimpse into it though!

Lauren

TotR: Goal Updates

Oh yes, hi little blog, I am still alive!  It's been quite a time this year.  Lots has happened.  I'll share more about this in another post.  I promise I'll try to blog more frequently! Someone should text me daily reminders that I have a blog ;)

April from Run the Great Wide Somewhere, Patty from My No Guilt Life, and Erika from MCM Mama Runs host Tuesdays on the Run.  This week's topic is Goal Check In's from "New Year's Resolutions" made in January.  Since we're halfway through the year this is a great time to do so.  Except...I realized I'd never posted a list of goals in January.

Therefore, I'm going to made Mid-Year's Resolutions instead of New Year's.

1. Lose weight.  Yes, this is always a big one.  Yes, I've been losing weight.  But I've also been putting it back on.  So I guess this goal is really lose weight and keep it off.  I'm not sure exactly where I am now.  Probably somewhere between 155 and 160.  I'd like to be around 140 by the end of the year.

2. Exercise regularly.  Ideally, I'd like to work out 6 days a week in various forms, but that's probably not likely.  So for now, we'll say an average of running, yoga, and weight training at least once a week.  Hopefully with a goal lower than what I actually want, I can attain it.

3. Look into getting certified. I really want to become certified as a personal trainer and/or nutritionist.  I never looked into this before due to my ex telling me no one would want an overweight trainer or nutritionist...Now I want to actually look into it, get info on programs, and start saving money to do it.

4. Get a new PR running. I'd be happy with any PR, but preferably something in a 5k or longer.  

5. Read at least three books that aren't related to school.  I generally let school consume me, and only read related to that.  When I'm not in school, I'm generally just on the internet.  I need to start being productive and using my free time more wisely.

Any tips on achieving these goals?  Do you ever make mid-year goals?

Lauren

Publix Savannah Women's Half Marathon - 3/28/15

On Saturday, March 28th, my sister and I ran the inaugural Savannah Women's Half Marathon, sponsored by Publix.  Before I talk to you about running, I have to explain how important that sentence is.  I apologize for the sappy offshoot, but for me it's worth it!

I was adopted at birth, because my parents wanted to have a baby together but couldn't.  Cori is my biological (half) sister.  When I was 18, she found me on Facebook, and told me she wanted to be a part of my life.  I was overwhelmed at first, to say the least, but eventually did start talking to her.  Four years later, I'm so so so happy that I did.  Of course I love my non-biological siblings just as much, and nothing has changed there.  But, it's a lot different to have someone close to my age, and it was like having an instant best friend.  I met her in person for the first time when Ray and I vacationed in New England in Spring of 2013.  The second time was when she came down here for a long weekend, and a race!

Cori got in late Wednesday night.  Thursday was a pretty chill day.  Friday we had lunch with my parents, which I thought would be awkward, but ended up being really great!  Then we picked up our packets (which included a pasta strainer? thanks Publix!).  And then we got to be tourists and took a trolley ride! It started pouring rain about halfway through, but at least Cori got the true Georgia experience.  

Saturday we were up bright and early to head downtown for the race.  We were lucky to have Ray as our personal photographer and chauffeur (just don't tell him I called him that).  We were also lucky to get a parking spot right on the edge of Forsyth!  I was a little chilly at the start, hence the mylar blanket, but Cori is a Maine native as was totally fine.  I think it was around 50 at race start, and warmed up to about 65 at the maximum that day.  It was an absolutely perfect running day! Slightly overcast too.

The race started and ended in Forsyth Park. We made our way through a lot of downtown Savannah, a good chunk of which I'd never been through before.  Our midpoint of the race took us around Daffin.  We wound around a lot of squares, too.  It was a pretty course!

The water stops had really enthusiastic volunteers.  I feel like maybe there could have been one or two more, but I was pretty happy with them overall.  There weren't a lot of spectators out aside from the water stops, but my sister and I still had years of catching up, so we kept ourselves pretty entertained.  The spectators did pick up towards the end, when we were hurting, so that was good and helpful.

This was Cori's first half, so I was excited for her to be able to cross the finish line for the first time!  We were planning to do my normal 1:1 run:walk, but then ended up walking after mile 1.  Cori has some crowd anxiety issues, and they started acting up at the crowded start line.  It didn't help that we saw a lady fall within the first mile. She seemed to be fine, but it shook Cori up a bit, which I understood completely.  The 5k split off at around 2.5 miles so it did thin out a bit, but she had lingering anxieties.  So we kept walking.  

Let me tell you a thing - anyone who says people that walk races aren't true racers are so wrong.  Walking is hard!  And I knew it used different muscles from running, but I didn't realize just how severe the difference was.  I was hurting in muscles I didn't know existed.  I guess with run/walking I keep both sets of muscles happier.  But wow was I getting sore!

The only issue I really had with this race is there were a lot of out and backs.  Daffin Park was a big one - we went through that park at least 5 different times.  It's a pretty park, but not a big one, and it got boring.  And there was a lot of "go down this street for less than a mile then come back" which I didn't appreciate.  It was just mentally draining, and since we were both physically drained at that point, it just stopped being fun.  We soldiered through though, and finally crossed the finish line! Sadly there were no mimosas, but we got a banana and we were on our way.

After a shower and a change of clothes (which only happened after we contemplated living in the car so we didn't have to walk up the stairs), we headed out to Tybee for lunch.  We had wayyyyyy too much delicious seafood, but happy tastebuds!  Then that night we were off to get our matching tattoos.  These were last minute but so much fun! I also wouldn't recommend running a half and getting a tattoo in the same day.  And then working for 5 hours the next day...not the best recovery plan but oh well!

Cori and I didn't have much time left together, but we made the most of it while relaxing!

In just two months we'll get to run our next half together, and have more adventures!