Tag Archives: healthy

Sniffles, Wind, and Other Training Woes

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Check out this dreary weather from the Route 66 Half Marathon! It’s really hard to get motivated to run in less than perfect conditions.

This girl is back in the training saddle again! I’m training for my second Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon, and I am surprisingly not having that hard of a time with it. I can definitely tell that I have lost less fitness between this half and the Rt. 66 half than I did between last year’s OKC and Rt. 66. Taking an entire summer off of long distance running really takes a toll on the mileage base I had built up, but I really don’t have the motivation to run outside in 90 degree weather.

Which leads us to today’s topic… running in less than ideal conditions.

Two weeks ago, the wind was really proving why it was featured so prominently in the song “Oklahoma”. It was not only sweeping down the plain, but was also sweeping up the leaves, rustling up the dirt, and knocking over several skinny bicyclists.

I did not want to go run in 25 mile per hour winds. Already dressed in my running clothes, I spent 15 minutes Googling “skip windy run” to see if someone on the Internet could justify my laziness. Alas, every blogger told me to suck it up and run. So I did. While I was a bit slower than usual due to the extra effort it took to run into the wind for half the run, I was really glad that I sucked it up and ran.

But let’s consider another, more challenging situation…

Currently, I have some kind of allergy/cold mess hanging out in my nostril area. Last week, I really did not want to go hit the pavement for 7 miles with the sniffles. The sun was shining, however, and there was scarcely any wind. So, I compromised with myself and did 4 miles at a pretty quick clip. I know it was definitely better than nothing, but a teeny part of me feels guilty that I didn’t finish the run (even though I really did feel like poop).

What do you guys do in less-than-perfect running conditions? Do you reschedule your training run for a different day? Skip it altogether? Compromise and do less mileage for the day? Help me out (and also console my guilt).

Runners Tell All Linkup: My Running Story in 250 Words

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I’m so excited to participate in my first ever blogger linkup! Here’s the story of how I began running in 250 words.

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I totally bandit-ed my first race.

Oops.

I now know that’s an incredible runner sin, and I am super sorry.

My best friend invited me to run in a 5k with her and her family a week before Christmas 2011. I had never entertained the idea of running, but I wanted to hang out with Nikki, so I said I would be there.

I ran a mile and a half the night before, just to see if I could.

It took me 39 minutes to jog/ run/ walk my way through the Dallas Design District. But I was hooked.

Cut to New Year’s Eve 2011. I decided to really take the plunge. I made it my New Year’s Resolution to run a mile every day during 2012 (or an equivalent number of miles). 365 miles in one year.

That was the first resolution I’ve ever kept.

In 2012, I made the 5k my race. My first real, I-paid-money-for-this 5k took place in approximately 19 degree temperatures. I made a dorky tutu and tromped all over OU’s campus gleefully, knocking 3 minutes off my first race’s time.

I can now run a 5k in less than 30 minutes without killing myself.  I’m two half marathons into what I hope will be a lifelong love affair with running.

Like I’ve said before, running makes me feel strong. I am so blessed to have a hobby that lets me do things I never thought I was capable of.

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What I Ate: a delicious breakfast creation. Lemon-rosemary bread from the Hoot and the Howl, avocado, and a gooey fried egg. It required a knife and fork. It was luscious.

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Photo of the Day: a quick selfie from a rather loud colored gym outfit I wore last week. Sorry for the lack of posts, I’m working on a massive Cuppycakes redesign that should be rolling out around Valentines Day!

Photo of the Day: Homemade Sushi

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Making your own sushi is really easy. Maybe I should write a post about it- it’s way cheaper than going out for sushi, you can put whatever you want in the rolls, and did I mention that it’s super easy?!

The Cost of Being a Runner

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I was inspired by Meghann’s recap of how much it cost her to train for an Ironman, so I composed this little recap of my spending over the past year on my tiny running habit. While I’m not an Ironman by any means, I did drop a pretty penny for a college student!

Race entries (Oklahoma City Half Marathon, Route 66 Half Marathon, and about 6 5ks- some of which were free): $260

Hotel costs for out-of-driving-distance races: $225

Food while traveling to races: $30

New shoes (I replace mine yearly): $120

Running gear that was purchased this year: $75

Miscellaneous racing stuff (fuel beans, Nuun, fuel belt): $50

Extras (race shirts): $50

TOTAL: $810

Close to $1000 spent on running last year! Oof. Luckily, some of these costs were covered by my family (shoes by my parents, a hotel room by my aunt). I still included them, however, to present a more accurate picture of the cost.

What do you think? Too much spent on a little hobby? I honestly thought it might be more, but I’m okay with spending this amount on something that brings me so much happiness. $1000 sounds like a lot, but it obviously wasn’t all at once and I save up for a while before I blow cash on large items like half-marathon entries or a new jacket. Do you have a hobby that costs you some serious cash?

Route 66 Half Marathon Race Report, Part 1

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It’s gotten quite chilly outside the past few days, so let’s travel back in time to another cold couple of days…the weekend B, K, and I drove to Tulsa so that I could run the Route 66 Half Marathon.

We made the quick 2 hour trek from Norman to Tulsa and drove straight to the race expo. It was much smaller than the OKC expo, but it got the job done with much less waiting-in-line time. We perused the things for sale (and I promised K a 0.0 sticker for her Kia- still want one, bby?), made some inspirational race signs, then skedaddled to our hotel.

That night I crammed in a nervous Mexican dinner with B, K, and our friend Beth who lives in Tulsa. Seems like I always eat Mexican food before races?! Maybe they help me run faster. Who knows? We got home and I laid out all of my clothes for the next morning, pinned my bib to my pants, and strapped on my timing chip. I was as ready as I could be…but super nervous. I tried to go to bed at 10 pm, but I was so nervous that it took me forever to fall asleep and I woke up many times throughout the evening. At one point, I remember just praying that the morning would go ahead and come so I could stop pretending to get any semblance of rest.

Race day was COOOOOLD. Something like 12 degrees. We all layered up, B ran and got a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts (more on that later), we posed for cute pictures, and then, all too soon, it was time to hit the road.

Parking was a hairy situation, but we managed to park about 4 blocks from the start. And that little walk was INTENSE. The cold was mind-numbing. I sincerely started to doubt if I could run 13.1 miles in that weather. We waited (probably illegally) in the lobby of the Mayo Hotel until about half an hour before the race started— that’s when B and K ditched me to go post up with their signs near the 2.5/5 mile marker at Woodward Park.

Waiting in that corral alone yet surrounded by thousands of people was incredibly difficult. I couldn’t feel my fingers or my toes. My scarf wouldn’t hang right on my neck. This race was starting to seem like a dumb idea. Then the gun went off, and I started running.

And 5 minutes into the race, I was actively thinking “Where can I meet B and K in order for me to drop out of this race?”

I’m evil, so that’s where I leave you until the next chapter!

Grocery Shopping Revisited

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Last time we talked about groceries, I told you my couponing tricks of the trade. Strangely enough, I’ve completely abandoned couponing. I’m just too busy to take the time to hunt around, and I found myself falling into the trap of buying unhealthy things and buying things I don’t need.

But cheap groceries without couponing is still possible! Here is an example of what I buy each week and how much it costs.

The total for these groceries was $23. And this is what I got…

  • organic spinach
  • celery
  • baby carrots
  • 4 sweet potatoes (small)
  • 3 apples
  • cucumber
  • 2 packages of sliced mushrooms
  • a loaf of freshly baked bread
  • small log of goat cheese + honey
  • frozen butternut squash ravioli (SO GOOD OMG)
  • 3 pork chops

With the lunch meat I had leftover from Target, this food definitely lasted me a week. I even still have the ravioli left to eat tonight! You can see that I am still buying food that I think is good for me to eat (less Cheetos, more mushrooms) but not spending an insane amount of money.

Unfortunately, my budget for the week got a bit…derailed by my fear of the impending winter storm that Oklahoma got. I went and bought extra food for the weekend for me and my roommate. Oops.

In a future post, I will try and provide you guys with an example of my meal plan!

Cold Weather Running for the Scared and Shivering

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You all know I’m running in the Route 66 Marathon this weekend, and it’s finally time to start my favorite part: packing! Here’s what I’m bringing to ensure that I have perfect control over everything I CAN control (i. e. everything but the fact that there might be snow on the ground).

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1. My Mizuno Wave Rider 16s. They’re kind of important for the running to occur. Also, three pairs of running socks. Because I am a chronic sock loser.

2. Running tights. I got mine from TJMaxx about a year ago, but I’ll be bringing 2 pairs to the race because I will probably need both of them. Layering is key, kids!

3. Armband for my tunes. At the OKC Half, I held my phone in my hand, but I don’t want to risk dropping my phone thanks to the cold giving me stiff fingers.

4. My Lululemon half zip. I don’t think they carry it anymore, but it’s closest to the Star Runner pullover. It’s great at wicking sweat and also super warm.

5. Running gloves (with fingertips that work with an iDevice). It’s cold. Self explanatory. I’ll have B on the course to hand these off to in case they’re too warm.

6. A fuel belt. Not sure if I’m going to wear one with water bottles or one with just a pocket for foods. I was well hydrated without my own water during OKC, so I will probably be fine without it this time.

Other things I won’t be able to live without:

hot hands

sweats for the drive home

a scarf?

throwaway gear from Goodwill?

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What I Ate: lemon-Greek yogurt pancakes with raspberry jam and more yogurt on top. Super tasty. Recipe up soon!