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

Asheville Half Marathon

My birthday was on June 5th, so for my weekend I went to Asheville!  Ray and I had lots of fun, ate lots of local food, and had a nice weekend away.

But, of course, it included the Asheville Half on June 7th, Saturday.  I'm not going to go into a lot of details, I'll sum it up in a few words.  Hills.  Heat.  Hills.  Hills.

It was an inaugural race, but it was put on by the people who run the Cooper River Bridge Run, which is a 10k that's been going on for 35 years I think, in Charleston, SC.  Despite this history, I had a lot of problems with the race.  Some were being a back-of-the-pack-er issues (I ended up walking completely after mile 5 of so, ending just under 4 hours), which should not have been an issue since that was the advertised cut off time, and the race indicated they were walker friendly.  I also had/have an issue with my time.  My starting time was recorded, but I have no finish time.  I called their "office", which I believe to be a cell phone number whose voicemail box was full already, due to other complaints (I know this from their Facebook page).  I called originally June 10th, couldn't leave a voicemail, but was called back later that day from a different number because they saw the missed call.  I let them know what was happening, and they said they would look into it and contact me back.    I had actually somewhat forgotten about it, and ended up calling back on 6/24, and the phone was actually answered.  I have no idea by who, because they just answered with a "hello" despite it being an office phone, which threw me off as well.  Got an e-mail from the director that I was copied on, going out to two other people, the next day, just asking them to update my chip time to 4 hours.  First of all, I told them it was just under 4 hours, and I'd rather have the real time than just have them put a time in!  But, despite that, I haven't heard back from them.  I just e-mailed them again today because this post reminded me of it.

So, overall, I'm not too impressed.  They also advertised music every mile.  I didn't see a station for it each mile, and also most of the bands/musicians were shut down by the time I got there, so that was disappointing as well.

I highly doubt that I'll do this race again in the future, but I may definitely still go to Asheville for my birthday weekend.  Maybe I'll just spectate and cheer others on from now on.

I think that catches me up on race recaps.  I've been doing less because of the summer heat.  Have you taken a summer break at all?

Lauren

Take Away My Blogger Title Now!

Wow, y'all.  Almost two months since I last posted and I left off in the middle of a recap.  Please just take away my blogger title now, because apparently I fail as being one!  I've been working a lot, and summer semester we have 5 week classes, which means that we were learning 12 weeks of information in 5 weeks.  The past five weeks I was taking 3 classes, so work was super intensive.  I've had almost no time to work out, blog, or do anything really.

I'm not going to do a detailed post about the rest of Nike.  It hurt.  I did too much walking the day before.  I should have learned from Disney, but Ray had never been to DC, so I wanted to let him sightsee!  I finished.  It was gorgeous but physically tough.  I'll leave you with a few pictures! Hopefully I'll be back to regularly updating soon.

Lauren

Nike Women's Half DC Weekend - Leading Up to the Race

So, a week and a half later, I'm finally posting about Nike Women's Half!  I won't go too much into detail, since each mile by mile is getting kind of fuzzy, and many others have done extremely in depth recaps that sum everything up much better than I could!  This is going to be slightly long because even though I'm not going in depth, I'm just taking out most of the weekend in one post, so bear with me!

We drove up to DC on Friday.  We hit about an hour outside of DC just before five o'clock.  At one point we literally moved two miles in an hour.  It was absolutely horrible and took us just over twelve hours.  For comparison, we barely hit traffic on the way home and it took just under ten hours.  We found this amazing place called Ray's to the Third so of course we had to stop there!  Amazing burgers and delicious shakes!  It was a perfect choice.

Saturday morning, we got to the expo just as it opened to avoid the lines I'd read horror stories about from last year.  We had absolutely no wait to pick up my packet or my t-shirt!  It was a much longer walk from the metro stop than we thought, but luckily it was gorgeous out.  The expo was interesting.  It was kind of nice to not have people trying to sell you things or sign up for races, but there also wasn't much to do.  We did see Meg and Kristy at the expo, so that was super exciting!  I did get my hair braided at the Paul Mitchell station and it stayed up beautifully, so that was a major plus!  After that, we went up to Nike Georgetown.  I got a couple of shirts, and they're so soft and comfy!

We had some time to kill before the #runnerslove meet-up, so we went down to the bank for Ray, then up to the LUSH Cosmetics store.  I was so happy we found one and didn't even have to go out of the way to get there!  I love my LUSH, but sadly we don't have one anywhere near here.  I found it interesting that hardly anything in Georgetown opened until 10 or 11.  Finally it was time for #runnerslove at Sprinkles Cupcakes.  Oh my goodness!  The cupcakes were to die for and the company was even better!  It was so nice to finally get to meet a few of the people I'd been waiting for, and to see some familiar faces!  After Sprinkles we went up to this little park and sat and talked for a while.  It was so gorgeous and perfect out!  Then Kristy, Meg, one other blogger whose name I horrible don't remember, and Ray and I went up to Alex and Ani.  My sister is a huge fan of them, and I finally got my first bracelet with an anchor charm!  

Ray and I headed back to the hotel to drop of all of our goodies, and then headed into the "real" DC to do some sight seeing.  First we saw the Capitol and a few other important buildings (I'm a horrible sight seer, really), and then stopped in this little cafe to get a sandwich for lunch.  We then headed to the White House, then the other end of the Mall to see the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, etc.  It was a very touristy day, and was a lot more walking at about 10 miles than I meant to do.   Oops!

We finally got back to the hotel, and then went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner.  Oh. My. Goodness. It was delicious!  I wish we had one here.  We tried to get to bed early and succeeded partially.

I've included just a few of our way too many pictures below!

Liebster Award!

I was so touched to find my name linked on Rachel's blog this morning, nominating me for a Liebster Award!  Well, actually, I didn't even recognize my name at first because I keep forgetting I changed the name of my blog, but once I figured it out I was super excited!!  Thank you, Rachel! =)

The Liebster Award is an online award by bloggers for bloggers. It helps to generate attention for new and upcoming bloggers, generally those with 200 followers or less.

1.) You must link back to the person who nominated you.
2.) You must answer the 10 Liebster questions given to you by the nominee before you.
3.) You must pick 10 bloggers to be nominated for the award (with a small following).
4.) You must create 10 questions for your nominees.

5.) You must go to their blogs and notify the nominees.

Which, by the way, I did not get notified =P I'll assume Rachel was just busy with school work, and was going to get to it today.

Here are Rachel's questions for her nominees, and my answers.

1. What is the greatest food you have ever eaten?

This is a really really hard questions.  I'm picky about foods that I label absolutely outstanding.  

2. What is your favorite household appliance?

Out of the ones I have now - a toaster oven!  I hate warming things up in the microwave, so I use the toaster oven when I can.  It's so much easier than preheating the whole oven!

Out of the ones I have/will have - a good blender! That way I can make smoothies and apple sauce and all sorts of things.  I have one now but it doesn't work very well.

3. What is your spirit animal, and why?

I kind of feel like I identify with turtles.  They're associated with wisdom, and I feel like academically I am fairly smart.  Also, when it comes to running, I definitely identify with the tortoise from Tortoise and Hare - slow and steady wins the race.  But, in other elements (for them the water), they're fast and  glide right through things.  When I'm in the zone or in my element, I get to work and get things done.

4. If you could achieve one goal to make the world a better place, what would it be?

I think a big one would be eliminating childhood obesity.  There are so many things I would change about the world, but this one is just getting so much worse, and I feel it's fairly easily remedied.  It also affects so many aspects of the children's lives, from their physical health to their mental stability, so I feel like it would really help if that was gone.

5. What is the strangest thing you are afraid of?

Uhm, I don't know?  None of the fears I have are that strange, they're all fairly normal.  I guess the least normal one is masks.  I'm kind of scared of them when they're on their own, but people wearing masks absolutely terrifies me.  Morph suits too.

6. If you could be friends with a television cast, which cast would you choose?

Probably Supernatural.  They're not really my age, so it would be kind of weird to be friends with them, but they do awesome work on the show, and from all of the blooper reels and interviews it seems like they're genuinely sweet and fun people!

7. What is the most important attribute you look for in someone when forming a relationship (platonic or romantic)?

I think acceptance is one of my biggest things.  I haven't had the best past, and I've done a lot of things that I'm not proud of.  To be close to someone, they have to be able to accept me, including all of my past, and the emotional struggles I still have because of that.

8. If you had to come back and life your life all over again, what would you change?

So many things.  And I hate that, because I try to live without regrets, but there are some things I just can't.  I wouldn't have stayed in most of my high school relationships, if I started them at all, because really none ended well.  I would have appreciated what I still had after high school and when I first started college and not moved to Iowa - that's my biggest thing I would change.  I also wouldn't have drank and been as ... promiscuous as I was when I first went to college.

9. If you could play any instrument, what would it be?

Guitar!  I play piano already, but I would love to be able to play guitar.  I love the sound of acoustic guitars, but I have tiny hands and it's hard for me to be able to play it.

10. What word would you eliminate from the English language if you had the chance?

Rachel, you're mean for making me pick just one!  I'm just going to go conceptual here and assume that when I eliminate the word, the feeling goes away too.  Envy.  I wish that people, including myself, would just stop being envious of how others look or what they have, and be able to be happy with what they have.

As I was writing this post, over the past few days, Lauren also nominated me!  Thank you so much name twin!  Here are her questions for me:

1. So far, what is your favorite race you have run and why?

I think probably the Enchanted 10k at Princess Half Marathon this year.  The atmosphere was just great, and it's the first time I've truly had fun racing, and it felt easy!  I loved the course too, and really the only negative thing I have to say about it was the humidity.

2. What is your favorite childhood memory?

I don't think I really have one in particular.  I have a few from second grade of me and my two best friends at the time at recess, walking around in the giant circle of trees, singing "Build Me Up Buttercup".  Things like that which remind me of how simple childhood was are some of the best to reminisce on.  

3. What is your favorite thing about blogging?

All of the people that I meet! There's just such a sense of community and instant friendship and it's lovely.

4. What are you most passionate about?

Probably learning.  I absolutely love to learn, about so many different subjects.  I also love to help others learn, and the "aha" moment.

5. What is your dream job?

Assuming I'd get paid enough to live in the house I want with the lifestyle I want, I'd love to own a bakery (cupcakes, and possibly macaroons) and run that as a full time job, while also getting paid to blog about races around the world on the weekends.

6. If a movie were to be made about your life, what celebrity would play you?

I would choose Anne Hathaway.  She's just such a down to earth person, and the celebrity people tend to say I look like.

7. If you could have played a character from any movie, who would you pick?

Hermione Granger! Without question =)

8. What is your favorite Disney movie and why?

Alice in Wonderland.  I've had an obsession with it for years.  I love that it's a children's movie, yet there's so much controversy with it about drugs and sexualization.  Plus, just all of the colors!

9. What is the #1 race on your bucket list?

Marine Corps Marathon.  A. Because I want to be able to do a marathon and B. Because I have a few very important Marines in my life.

10. If you could choose one food to have zero calories, what would it be?

Easiest question ever - chocolate!!  If not all chocolate, at least dark chocolate.

Here are my nominees: 

1. Megan at #runmeganrun

2. Becka at 50 Half Marathons in 50 States

3. Samantha at Dancing to the Finish Line

4. Andrea at Once Upon a Run

5. Amy at Pumpkin to Princess

6. Heather at Run Heather, Run

7. April at Run the Great Wide Somewhere

8. Meg at Runway Royalty

9. Kels at Blonder Side of Life

10. Amy at Point One Will Getcha

And my questions:

1. If you could run for any charity, which would you choose and why? (Stolen from #runnerslove)

2. What's your biggest "one and done" activity that you would do?

3. If you could live in any city, which would it be and why?

4. What's the furthest you've traveled from home?

5. If money was no object, what is the one major purchase you would make?

6. What is the proudest you've ever felt?

7. What is your favorite movie of all time, and why?

8. If you could meet any musical artist, who would it be any why?

9. What's your favorite restaurant?

10. What's your biggest pet peeve?

I look forward to hearing all of your responses!! And I truly appreciate the two nominations =)

Lauren

Red Shoes Run 5k Recap

A week ago, on April 5th, I ran the Red Shoes Run 5k with my uncle and my boyfriend.  It's to benefit our local Ronald McDonald House, which is a charity I've always felt really drawn to.  It was especially important for them this year because they were greatly impacted by mold last year, and were closed for about half the year.  They've recently reopened and are currently full, with about 20 families on the waiting list.  Afterward, the Children's Hospital at Memorial Hospital (where the Ronald McDonald House is located) held a Teddy Bear Hospital, where they had nurses and doctors diagnosing and fixing kids' teddy bears.  It was absolutely adorable!

My aunt and uncle were visiting from Connecticut for the weekend, and my uncle has been running for quite a while.  He usually runs about a mid-20's 5k, but both he and my boyfriend stayed back to run with me, even though they both probably could have placed had they not!  Well, I know my uncle would have, at the least.  We ended up finishing in 40:40.  We were on track for me to PR after the first mile, which came in at 12:06.  I tried to keep up the pace, but it just wasn't happening.  This was my first run after RunTheBluegrass, which was a mistake, so I was still tight.  Plus it was about 70 out, while Bluegrass was about 45 and felt like 32, so I think my body was very confused!  Mile 2 was 13:29, much closer to my usual pace, and the last mile was 13:54.  While I probably could have pushed harder and gotten a new PR, I didn't want to push too hard, and I'm mostly happy with this time.

This is known as the "mini bridge run" because we go up and over a bridge that goes over the highway.  Despite my hills at Bluegrass, it still kicked my butt, especially by being in the hot sun!  For about a mile or so after that, though, we were on a road that went through a wooded area, so it was shady and much cooler.

Overall it was a really great race, with a wonderful cause, and I look forward to running it again next year!

My uncle, me, my boyfriend, and his mom

Did you race last weekend?
Lauren

Still Alive!

Hi! I am still alive, I promise. But since my half marathon I've done one weight training session and one 5k (which I'll recap later, maybe today). 

I wasn't ready to fess up to my inactivity until now but I'm trying to give myself a kick in the butt. My legs have been cramping from lack of use and I have Nike at the end of the month! 

I feel like this whole year I've been in more of a slump than I have motivated. Well, I've been motivated mentally but physically...it just doesn't happen. 

Here's to changing that in weeks to come! 

Lauren