Couch to 5K - Complete!

(Big thanks to my madre for taking all of these pictures. :) )

Well kids, I did it. I ran my (second) 5k without keeling over or giving up halfway through! I'd call that a relatively decent accomplishment. :)

The race started across the street from NW Personal Training and it continued through downtown Vancouver, WA, across some bridges, and through some kind of historical battlefield! This was my first time in Vancouver so I'm not the greatest tourguide, but the course was beautiful. Remember, when a race director tells you it will be relatively flat, they're lying. 

Sure, it's relatively flat when you're walking or looking at a map, but those itty bitty hills KILLED ME. And when I looked around, everyone was walking those hills. Even the big muscular guys that could have crushed my head with a bicep. I was feeling pretty discouraged about how much walking I was doing, but when I pulled myself out of my pity party world I realized that I wasn't the only one having a hard time!

Timing chip!

So yeah, I guess I really do like to match and accessorize even on race days.

I promise you I don't usually wear Nicole Richie sunglasses to work out. Really! I wasn't planning on it being so freaking sunny or HOT. 80 degrees is gorgeous when you're hanging out, but awful awful awful when you're running up and down hills and across sunny battlefields. Also, I'm just a wimp when it comes to being hot. I live in awe of all of you that run outside in Florida during the summer. CRAZY PEOPLE! 

My dad decided last minute to participate in the 5k too! He signed up for the walking division and kicked some serious booty. 2nd place overall booty - holla!

There's my dad! This was the start/finish line (duh, obviously...big sign up there!). There was a TON of police support along the route, but the last 1/2 mile or so was when things fell apart - runners kept getting lost! We didn't really know where to go and the officers were trying to direct us and stop traffic at the same time, which made things a little bit confusing.

Such. A. Dork. 

This was right after I finished and about 30 seconds before I had a mini temper tantrum because I was hot and didn't feel good and I wanted to sit. down. right. now. (I'm sorry mom, thank you for putting up with me!)

Oh and guess what? 2nd place in my age group! I was NOT expecting this at all. Seriously. My time was 34:06 - almost a minute slower than my first 5k (33:11). But hey, I was still under 35 minutes, which makes me happy because I'm slow. Okay, maybe it's not that I'm slow...I just like to walk a lot!

Whew. I can honestly say I'm glad this is over. This was a really tough race for me both mentally and physically. I sound like I was running a marathon or something, but the shorter races can be a challenge too! 

Almost forgot...the music! I don't remember listening to these songs at all, but my iphone says I did! haha I guess that goes to show how focused on putting one foot in front of the other I was. 

• Shirt Off - Blank & Young Ivy
• Rude Boy - Rihanna
• We'll Be Alright - Travie McCoy
• Typical - MuteMath
• Run Joey Run - Glee Cast
• Women Lie, Men Lie - Yo Gotti ft. Lil Wayne - TWICE! Told you it's my fave running song.
• Summer Girl - Jessica Andrews 
• California Gurls - Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg
• Bottoms Up - Keke Palmer

Aside from the random country song that slipped in there, this was a pretty sweet playlist for the run. 

Okay, I've got a few more posts coming up (probably today), including one about the giveaway I won from the fabulous Jess of Makeunder My Life and Jess LC Jewelry.

Couch to 5K - Second to last run?

65 degrees and sunny when I headed out this morning. Finally. SUMMER! Yesterday it was in the mid-80s and there was lots of sunshine and I about died of happiness. So gorgeous.

Today's run was...well, it was a run. I didn't have fun and I wanted it to be over. Maybe because it was warm outside? I don't know, but I wish I could have an easier time enjoying my runs. I see people out there and read blogs of people that love running and I wish I could feel the same way!

Today's playlist:
Chillin' - Wale ft. Lady Gaga
Rude Boy - Rihanna
Women Lie, Men Lie - Yo Gotti ft. Lil Wayne (This is the BEST song for running)
Drop the World - Eminem ft. Lil Wayne
Pretty Girls - Wale ft. Gucci Mane
Ridin' Solo - Jason Derulo
Becky - Plies
All the Way Turned Up - Soulja Boy ft. Roscoe

If only the people driving by knew what I was listening to! haha Definitely not what you would expect from the little girl jogging by in her all-pink outfit and sunglasses.

I just finished making a green smoothie and it's in the freezer right now. I know they're really good for you, but I can't bring myself to drink it! haha I'm hoping the extra cold-ness will help...I'm not a fan of a warm smoothie.
Do you drink these green monsters? What's your favorite recipe? 


Race on Saturday! 

Couch to 5K - The final countdown!

5 days and counting until the 5k this weekend! I'm excited, even if I'm still not over this cold I think it's going to be a really fun race. They have bands and a costume contest! When we lived in Portland I noticed that PDX-ers love any excuse to dress up in crazy costumes.

Today's run...55 degrees and cloudy (of course). So so so humid! I'm still really congested in my chest, so I made sure to take it easy while I was out there. 20 minutes of running, with one walk break in the middle. Not an epic run by any means, but it got the job done. I'm looking forward to doing more strength training after this weekend. I really miss lifting weights!

Today's music...

• Liberty Walk - Miley Cyrus
• Oops, I Did it Again - Britney Spears
• Obsessed With You - The Orion Experience 
• Magic - B.O.B. ft Rivers Cuomo
• Nth Degree - Morningwood
• We'll Be Alright - Travie McCoy
• Don't Pretend - Travie McCoy

Lots of good sing-along-songs! 

Today's question...

What's your favorite song right now? I'm loving California Gurls by Katy Perry, it's seriously the perfect summer song. How fitting for today - the first official day of summer!

Couch to 5K - W7D3 & Your Hometown!

I'm pretty sure I've been on week 7 for about three weeks now!

Today's run wasn't the greatest thanks to my bum foot and my super congested lungs, but I guess some is better than nothing, right?

Listened to...
Hollywood - Marina & the Diamonds
I'm On A Boat - The Lonely Island ft. T-Pain
Closer - Kings of Leon
Robot - Miley Cyrus
Poker Face - Glee Cast
California Gurls - Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg

It was 55 degrees and sunny at 9am. Today's high is 63 and they're calling for rain - again. Are we sure it's summer time? Seriously people!

This IS the Pacific Northwest though, so I guess this is normal?

We're known for three things here...

via.

via.

and of course this....

 

via.

Seriously. Lots of this.

via.

Though of course you know if you're a real PNW-er you don't use an umbrella - ever!

What's your region known for?

Couch to 5K - W7D2

Basic info: 58 degrees, Sunny.

Ohhhh man today's run was capital R-o-u-g-h. BUT! I think that was absolutely needed to kick my butt. I realized this morning that my upcoming 5K is less than THREE weeks away. Yikes!

As I left the house, I set a goal for today's run. Now remember, I haven't ran (seriously ran, not that treadmill half-running junk) in like a week and a half. Would my legs fall off? Would my side stich spontaneously combust? I'll get to these in a minute.

So the Goal: Run 2 miles in less than 25 minutes.
I know that's easy peasy for a lot of people, but I'm slow and I'm okay with that!

How I did: 2 miles in.....21:31! Hollaaaa!
This was with like a million walk breaks (okay, like 4) by the way. But when I ran, I booked it.

My legs didn't fall off - yesss - and I didn't get one single side cramp or stitch - double yessss! Unfortunately, I thought my lungs would explode, and I wouldn't have had to stop if I had been able to breathe. Why won't this get better? Doesn't lung capacity expand and increase when you work out consistently?

Today's music:

• We'll Be Alright - Travie McCoy
• India Ink - 311
• Undo It - Carrie Underwood
• Can't Be Tamed - Miley Cyrus
• Sleepyhead - Passion Pit
• You Look Better When I'm Drunk - The White Tie Affair
• Run Joey Run - Glee Cast
• California Gurls - Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg

I love allllll of these songs. Perfect music for today's run!

Couch to 5...oh screw it.

I'll be upfront. I ran. I got tired and bored and cranky. I stopped and lifted weights instead. The end.

Okay, okay.

Yesterday was gross and rainy - surprise! - so I went to the gym instead of suiting up for inclement weather.

Quick treadmill workout. 

Music:

Car Crash - Marr Nathanson

Sympathy - Goo Goo Dolls

The LIttle Things - Colbie Calliet

Pretty Girls - Wale ft. Gucci Mane

Hyyerr - Kid Cudi ft. Chip Tha Ripper

Brooklyn Girls - Charles Hamilton

Obviously you can see I was struggling with this 'easy' workout. You know it's bad when I switch from the 'chill' music to my hip hop and rap.

I wanted to run for 25 minutes, but that obviously didn't happen. Instead, I hopped off the treadmill and pumped some iron! Ha, for the first time in a long time I was at the gym around 6:30 pm instead of 10 pm. Lots and lots of guys working out, and very few girls! I always feel a little weird being one of two or three girls lifting weights along with twenty guys.

After I did some bench-pressing and lat-pulldown-ing I reverted right back to my old (good) habits and did my abs super-circuit. I felt great and the time flew by, which is not something that typically happens while I'm running.

I want running to by my sport. I want to run a half-marathon or a 10k, but I also want to have fun doing those things. When it comes to running, I enjoy everything except for the actual act of putting one foot in front of the other and moving. Yeah, definitely not a good sign. When are these endorphins supposed to kick in? Isn't this an addictive sport? Yikes!

SO. I have a 5k scheduled for the 4th week of June. I'm still going to be running that, and training for that, and hopefully I find the fun in running again! Yesterday's workout didn't follow the C25K plan, and I'm going to try to run for distance rather than time for the next few work-outs.

In other (cookie-related and nail-related) news...

Time for cookies again! Popsicles, in honor of summer!

And bows! In honor of...bows!

And a question for you: what's your workout of choice? If you had to choose one word to describe how it makes you feel, what would it be?

Couch to 5K - W7D1

Friday was Day 1 of Week 7!

I don't have much to say about this run. The weather has been much nicer here at home in Oregon than it has been at school. Even though it was pretty outside, I just never really got into the groove. Boooo!

What do you do when you can't get into the groove while you're working out?

No playlist for today, I listened to another podcast! This time it was 5 Successful Counterfeiters from Stuff You Should Know. Very interesting!

While it was nice to be home for a few days, I'm already back on campus. So much for a 3-day weekend, right? I have to work this afternoon, unfortunately. The weather's back to being cold and rainy, so I don't feel like I'm missing too much.

Here's a better picture of these nails, because I can't get enough of them!

And currently, I'm rocking this...

I hope everybody has a great and safe (and sunny) Memorial Day!

Couch to 5K - W6D2- Again!

The run:
55 degrees. Sunny! Don't worry mom, I remembered to wear sunscreen today. :)

Instead of doing Week 6 Day 3, which consists of 25 minutes non-stop running, I decided to repeat day 2. Not to worry though, it's pretty similar with two 10-minute intervals of running separated by a three minute walk break.  I did have to slow down to a walk for a minute during my second interval, but other than that things went pretty smoothly for me. Pacing is my biggest struggle - the only time I can keep an even pace is  when I'm on a treadmill - but I think I'm finally improving!

What did I listen to today?
Nothing! Okay, that's not entirely true. I didn't listen to music today. Instead, I went for a run with my new friends Josh and Chuck from Stuff You Should Know! I listened to their 'How Urban Planning Works' podcast. I've never tried running with anything other than music and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it! Not only am I working out, but I'm learning things too! Andddd that's the end of my Public Service Announcement for the day. :)

Operation Cookie Update!
Oh yeah, this hasn't stopped! I mentioned on Saturday that I had made another batch of cookies, and they are now safely residing at home with my parents. And by safely residing, I mean the last 5 are cowering in fear of being eaten. I guess they enjoyed them! My mom sent the cutest text this morning that said "resisting the cookies." I'd call that a success!

These might be my favorite of the batch.

I didn't quite get the correct shade of red, but they're still cute. 

More marbling. Who knew it was so easy?

And a star for good measure. 

I'd call this test run a success!

And a question for you: what's your favorite sunscreen?
As I mentioned, I wore some on my run today and I'm really not a fan. Sunscreen is absolutely imperative, but I still haven't been able to find a brand that isn't gross. Right now I've got a tube of Aveeno Active Naturals Positively Ageless and it's...okay. The biggest problem I have is with it staying white on my skin and turning kind of sticky and powdery at the same time. Almost as if it doesn't soak in? This could be because it's a higher SPF (55), or maybe it's from the 'Enviroblock triple defense technology'. Do you have this problem with your sunblock? I'm glad I've found one that doesn't sting when I sweat, but I hate not being able to touch anything without getting white stuff everywhere.

Couch to 5K - W6D2

Took a break from my cookies for a run! I headed downtown this morning, which was a nice change of pace. I don't have a GPS or anything, but I could tell ran a lot faster than I usually do. Maybe because I had a lot more to look at? This route was definitely a lot more interesting and stimulating than the one I usually run.

Our weather hasn't been great at all this past week, but the rain held off until I finished. 52 degrees and very cloudy. I tried out the new Champion top I posted about a few weeks ago. Even though it took forever and a day to get here, it totally redeemed itself this morning! Super cute and comfy.

Music: Girl Talk!

• In Step
• Give Me A Beat
• Shut The Club Down
• Don't Stop
• Play Your Part (part 1)
• Here's The Thing
• Hands In The Air

Girl Talk and Super Mash Bros are probably my favorite songs for when I just want to run with a beat. I seriously can't get enough of mash-ups either. If only I had those skills!

Other random tidbits:

• I'm about 95% done with my second batch of decorated cookies. This was my 'trial run' for the designs I want to do for the end-of-the-year potluck my class is having. They turned out pretty well, and I think instead of eating all of them I'll bring all 28 of them home to my parents! 
• Iced coffee is still my addiction. Recently I discovered that World Market carries mini bottles of Torani syrup. UM. Awesome! I bought the raspberry this morning, and I'm drinking a raspberry iced coffee right now. So delicious. I have a bottle of International Delight coffee creamer in the fridge, but for some reason I don't think it's as flavorful as the syrups are. Maybe I'm doing it wrong?
• Last.fm radio is almost as good as Pandora, if anyone's looking for an alternative. I've been using Last.fm since 2007, and I love to look at the charts of my top artists and songs! 

Hope everyone's having a great weekend!

Couch to 5K - W6D1 - I ran. And I baked.

I said I would, so I did!

Just back from my first run of week six. Today's run consisted of: 5-3-8-3-5 (run/walk). This is my very last week of intervals! I don't even want to think about the next two weeks right now. Twenty minutes feels like a long time.

Temperature was 54 and cloudy, but I did see a little bit of sun as I finished my run. Even though I wanted to stop, I pushed myself through all of the running intervals, and I'm glad I did that. I'm working on this whole perseverance thing! Total distance (not counting warmup/cool down) was exactly 2 miles.

And today's music:

• Magic - B.O.B. ft. Rivers Cuomo
• Don't Let Me Fall - B.O.B.
• Crossroads - John Mayer
• Desperately Wanting - Better Than Ezra
• Assassin - John Mayer
• The Kids - B.O.B. ft. Janelle Monae
• Come Original - 311
• Hit The Ground Runnin' - Keith Urban

Kind of a weird mixture of genres, but it worked for me! 

Finally, two cookie pictures! They're from my iPhone so they're not the prettiest, but I couldn't wait to show them off. :)

L- My second attempt at outlining with a piping bag. (You don't want to see my first try! And I ate it.)

R- Check it out, I can draw even lines!

Not the prettiest picture at ALL, but this is some of my progress so far. 

I wanted to let everything dry so I could try out some more techniques today.

Definitely not as pretty as the cookie blogs out there, but I have to remind myself this is the first time I've made cookie cutter cookies without crying! Haha! What can I say? I'm a perfectionist. For years the only kind of cookie I would make were the kind you drop right onto the pan. And now I love rolling and cutting. Go figure!

Couch to 5K - W5D3

Week Five is finished! I'm not sure if I'd call today's run fun, but it was an experience. :)

Overcast and 55 degrees, but I'm pretty sure it was closer to 60 near the end. Right when I got to my car a few raindrops began to fall, but we're not due for real rain until later this afternoon.

The first 10 minutes flew by, and I felt pretty comfortable. As soon as I hit the halfway point though, things started to go downhill. My lungs were not happy to be working hard so early in the morning. I took a minute or so walk break - so I guess you could say I cheated - but other than that I just pushed myself to finish. Slowwww goings though, I only ran a little over 1.5 miles. I think that's about a 13 minute pace? That's okay for me though!

Unfortunately, my knees complained for the entire 20 minutes. I'm not sure if this is normal aches and pains or if it's something else. Previously I've had arch problems and hip problems, but never anything with my knees! I'm 20, I shouldn't feel this old. Found some icepacks in the freezer, so we'll see if those help any.

Music for today:
When I Look To The Sky - Train
Following Rita - Train
Getaway - Train
Counting Airplanes - Train
Sex On Fire - Kings of Leon
Closer - Kings of Leon
Use Somebody - Kings of Leon
Be Somebody - Kings of Leon

Lots of variety, right? ;) I'll always love both of these bands, but I probably should have chosen something with a little more power for my 'long' run.

Today was also the Capital City Marathon! I hope everyone that ran had a great time!

Couch to 5K - W5D2

Week 5 is halfway done. Not only is it Wednesday (finally), but I only have one more run left this week!

Today's run:

• 52 degrees
• SUNNY. Must find a cooler hat to wear. 
• 2+ miles. I have no idea how far I ran exactly, but it was at least 2 miles.
• The first 8 minutes were cool. The walking break was wonderful. The next 5 minutes were okay. The last 3 minutes were hell. 
• I only walked when I was 'allowed'. I considered skipping out on the last 3 minutes since it was all uphill, but I stuck it out.
• When I say I ran today, I mean I shuffled slowly.
• My knees hurt. :(

All things considered, I'm really proud of how well week 5 has gone so far. It hasn't been easy at all, but I've been getting though it! I don't want to talk about Friday's 20 minute run. That may be small potatoes to many runners, but for this girl it's going to be tough!

Music was all over the place today: (Click to listen on Youtube.)

• Marry Me - Train
• Level - The Raconteurs
• Driving With The Top Down - Ramin Djawadi (From the Iron Man soundtrack!)
• Aint No Rest For The Wicked - Cage the Elephant
• Break Anotha - Blake Lewis
• Her Diamonds - Rob Thomas
• Shirt Off - Blänk & Young Ivy

Love all of these songs. Love love love. Just what I needed to hear this morning! 

I've got LOTS of writing to do for class tonight, a bunch of research to finish for a meeting on Thursday, classes to register for, a 20-page draft to write by Saturday, and some more workouts coming up! What a busy week it's been, but I only have 24 days left of school! Yes, I'm counting.

Couch to 5K - W5D1

Today was the very first day of week 5, which may be the most intimidating week of the entire plan.

It started out simply enough, with 5 minutes of running followed by 3 minutes of walking. Each time the little man inside my iPhone told me to run, I did. And we repeated this three times.

On Wednesday I get to run for 8 minutes. Then I walk for 5. Run for 8 more minutes. That's totally doable.

Friday? Well. On Friday I run for 20 minutes. TWENTY MINUTES. With no walking. Oh man.

Cross that bridge when we come to it though, right?

So for today's run:

• 47 degrees
• Cloudy. (I miss yesterday's sun! But it's supposed to be in the 70s on Thursday and Friday. SO EXCITED)
• 2 miles - according to MapMyRun. I'm not sure how accurate this is, but I'll go with it. One day I will have a Garmin. One day!

Music wise, I felt the need for some hip-hop. 

• Hip-Hop Saved My Life - Lupe Fiasco ft. Nikki Jean - LOVE this song.
• All Of The Above - Maino ft. T-Pain 
• Chillin - Wale ft. Lady Gaga 
• (Apparently I was all about the featured tracks!)
• Ridin' Solo - Jason Derulo
• Pretty Girls - Wale ft. Gucci Man
• Women Lie, Men Lie - Yo Gotti ft. Lil Wayne (my boyfriend.)
• Can't Be Tamed - Miley Cyrus

Oh hey, Miley. Not too sure how she got in there! Okay, true confession, I really like the song. The video isn't too bad either. Sure, I feel like she's trying hard to be Britney circa-2000, but it's all good!

Last night I made the cutest, yummiest apple cinnamon muffins. I highly recommend them, and you can find the recipe here. (Don't worry if your batter isn't pourable like the recipe says it should be, mine wasn't but they turned out delish.)

And now it's time I get down to work. Right now I feel like what little motivation I had at the beginning of the quarter has disappeared. Unfortunately, I still have 3 weeks left! And during those 3 weeks I have 2 HUGE papers to write. Come back motivation....come back!

Couch to 5K - W4D3 - I talk about stairs. A LOT.

Week 4 is finished! 54 degrees and sunny, no wind, rain or freak hailstorms in sight. About an hour before I ventured out I had some breakfast, and I was rewarded with no headache. Hopefully this means I don't have to give up my beloved homemade iced coffee. Fingers crossed!

Anyway, along with my usual musical recap, I thought I'd post some pictures of my run from beginning to end. Let's go.

Definitely tripped over these when I woke up. Grrrrreat start to my morning. 

The keys are what's really important here, but can we take a look at everything I have due this month? I can't tell you how excited I was that I could fit everything on this calendar. That's how close I am to being finished with my junior year!

 (And yes, I really should NOT be complaining. I'm absurdly lucky to not have to deal with finals. But these 50 pages of writing ARE a little intimidating!)

Moving on! I'm really here to grab my keys. Don't you just love the wristlet? 

I popped off my house-key and stuck it in the inside pocket of my shorts.

Let's talk about this for a second. I love my Tempos. Really, I do. However. I do not love the 'internal card/key' pocket. It just has a little flap, no velcro or snaps or anything. Knowing me, I would lose my key without realizing it halfway through my run. Super fun. 

So this morning, instead of switching back to my cute leggings with the zippered butt pocket (sexy, right?), I improvised.

I binder-clipped my key to the pocket.

That's right. I folded it over itself and clipped it in there with a mini binder clip.

How'd it work? PERFECTLY. Please try this.

Hey Lily-Mae! Isn't her ducky sticker the cutest? A friend decorated her on Cinco de Mayo, she's even got a dinosaur on the back. Yes, I name my Apple products. You should see the reactions I get from the Genius Bar. Priceless. (Don't let me forget to tell the story of the unfortunate passing of Celia!)

I have an iPod Nano (Costell), but I rarely run with him. For one, I don't have a Nano sized case (though I could use this one!). Also, I'm using the C25K app on my phone! I absolutely love the app, but I'm not the world's biggest fan of running with an armband. Oh well.

These headphones are great too, they don't fall out! They're not noise-blocking, but that's not a downside for me at all. Safety first!

Ready to go! 

Oh man, I must have missed 'how to take a myspace pic' day in middle school. 

I'm not that weirdly proportioned, I'm just bent over. Cute. You also can't tell in this picture, but about halfway through my run I realized my shirt was on inside out. Skills, I tell ya, skills!

It was (and still is right now) gorgeous outside.

And there was absolutely no one outside. 

I think I saw maybe 5 people the whole time I was out.

Oh yeah, we keep it classy. 

You would think this pro-graffiti area would discourage people from spray painting other places, right?

Yeah, it doesn't.

One of my many 'gradual uphill' slopes.

Aka a freakin' hill!

Um, it looked more intense in person?

These stairs are horrible.

I had to stop and walk down them.

Not because my legs hurt.

Oh no. It's worse than that.

They confuse me.

You read that right! These are the most confusing stairs in the world.

Instead of being shaped like this:

|---|

they were built like this:

\---/

Which means unless you start at the very middle of the top (which you can't because there's a supper pillar), you have to walk down them diagonally (sideways?)

It's bad enough when you're having a good day, but you should have seen my trying to get up and down these stairs last winter. I had given myself a concussion during yoga (I'm awesome), and this was just way too much for my brain at the time. I literally stopped and stared at them for quite some time until my roommate realized I was seriously struggling to comprehend how to use the stairs.

Like I said, I've got skills.

Once I got past the stairs, time flew by!

The only time I struggled (aside from you-know-what) was during my last 5-minute run. I had a bit of a side cramp and my legs just felt dead. I walked for about 20 seconds and then I just powered through!

Home again, home again! 

I'm glad to be done with week 4, but I can't say I'm too jazzed about what's coming next. I remember hating week 5 last time I did the C25K program. But if it's all about the mind-set, then I need to push that aside and think positively!

And today's music: As promised, it's Britney!

(You Drive Me) Crazy (The Stop! Remix)
Rock Me In
Blur
(I Got That) Boom Boom
3
Radar
Outrageous

Ehh. I love Britbrit, but these songs didn't do much as far as motivating me. Possibly because I've heard them all a million times by now?

I hope everyone's having a beautiful Saturday. Get outside and do something! :)

Couch to 5K - W4D2 - YES, really!

via.

I diiiiid it! I diiiiiid it! It was 53 degrees and SUNNY and I ran outside and I loved it!

For some reason I also decided I would run up (and back down) 3 hills, which may not have been my brightest idea considering I'll be running again tomorrow, but hey! It was fun.

We're supposed to FINALLY hit the mid to upper 60s this weekend and into next week. Spring, is that you? Are you here to stay? I hope so! We've had enough crazy weather (hail storms!) in May already.

The tunes for today included:

• Mercy
• Gives You Hell
• 4 Minutes
• Express Yourself
• You Keep Me Hangin' On
• Hair/Crazy In Love (I've officially decided I hate this one.)
• Sweet Caroline
• No Air
• Don't Stand So Close To Me/Young Girl (My favorite song from the 1st half of the season!

Yes, ALL from Glee! 

Now, I have to be honest here. I loved the pilot episode. I loved the first few episodes. And then things went downhill. This article points out a few of the issues the show's facing right now, which I couldn't agree with more. My parents watch the show, and my dad told me last night that they fast-forward (or bloop-bloop, as my mom calls it) through everything but the songs. Sadface!

Hopefully it's just a case of the show and the writers needing to find their legs again, and things will pick back up to how they were before. 

Tomorrow I'll be doing day 3 of week four and then enjoying the beautiful weather!

Couch to 5K - W4D2 or not.

Hey y'all. This morning's run did not happen. Not because I was sick or injured, and it definitely wasn't snowing or hailing or anything like that. It just didn't happen.

Excuses: Lack of sleep, dehydration, too much Applebees, the creative writing revision that's due by 6pm tonight.

But hey, that's life! I'll be moving day 2 to Friday, and then I'll do day 3 on either Saturday or Sunday. So it's okay. :)

Instead of heading outside this morning (46 degrees, getting warmer!) I headed to Starbucks to pick up a little something special.

Ohhh yeah. See that cup? It's resuable. See that straw? That's reusable too. I'm in love! It's a travel cup, but it LOOKS like a Starbucks cup.

Um yeah, so I'm pretty easy to please. The first time I saw this cup was last spring when Danica mentioned it on her blog. (Sidebar - her blog was the first running blog I stumbled across, and it's also what got me started!) I knew I had to have it, but apparently I was the last person in Los Angeles to find out they existed. So naturally everywhere was sold out.

But this year...I got lucky! Thanks to J, who reminded me that these exist and that I needed to get my booty into the 'bucks to get one pronto. Yeah, I called it the 'bucks. I'm cool.

So instead of running, I will be doing this:

And then I will be doing a lot of frantic revising for my 20 pages that are due tonight, a lot of reading of the ELEVEN HUNDRED page book that I need to finish very soon, and a lot of Cinco de Mayo celebrating after class tonight!

Also, Diana left a comment asking for some more deets about my C25K journey, so watch out for a post on that soon!

Couch to 5K - W4D1

Week 4, day 1, you're done!

I'm obviously not skilled with iPhone self portraits, because I cut out my thumbs up! 

I'll work on it, promise.

So let's break it down:

• 45 degrees, sunny, raining, windy. Yes, sunny and windy. And raining. I like to call them sunshowers. They kind of suck. It was pretty though!
• Awful headache partway through. I kind of thought my head might explode right there in the middle of the road. Maybe from allergies? Caffeine? Probably the allergies, considering I haven't had any caffeine today. Have I told you how much I love iced coffees though? This is a new thing of mine, and if that's what's causing the problem I'll be one unhappy camper.

Listened to: With links!

• Up! - M83 (This is my go-to airplane song. Love listening to it during take-off. Yes, I know that's not really allowed. Shhhh.)
• Collapse - MuteMath
• Typical - MuteMath
• Chaos - MuteMath
• Backfire - MuteMath
• Spotlight - MuteMath
• Armistice - MuteMath
• Bulletproof - La Roux

Lots of variety today, right? I know I said I was going to do the whole Glee thing, but I just wasn't feeling it this morning. Instead I listened to a little M83, a little La Roux, and a LOT of MUTEMATH!

They're probably one of my top 5 bands and if you haven't heard them you should definitely give them a try! Typical is from their first album, and Backfire is from their most recent. 

So, Glee on Wednesday, Britney on Friday? Sounds like a plan!

I'll probably have to stop doing my music recaps once I start doing runs longer than 3 miles. Lucky for you, that won't be for a looooooong time!

Couch to 5K - W3D3

via.

Week 3 is DUNZO!

Today's run went super well. I was up and out the door by 9:10 and back by 9:35. Not too shabby!


When I left it was 47 degrees, but by the time I got back it had warmed up to 50. BUT. WINDY! The wind wasn't consistently bad, but every once in a while there'd be a gust that almost knocked me off my feet. I felt like Mary Poppins.

What else? Oh, I wore some gloves today. My fingers get cold extreeeeeemely easily, so I decided to see if gloves would help. They were exactly what I needed!

Three things though:
1. Gloves + iPhones don't work. I knew this ahead of time but that didn't stop me from trying!
2. Yes, you can put your hair up in a ponytail wearing gloves.
3. Gloves + Short sleeves + shorts = pure sex. I mean really, I rivaled Heidi Klum out there! Or not. Totally worth it though.

Like I promised, I listened to country on today's run. Okay, more like rop/rock with a slight southern twang.

Here's what I heard:
Wide Open Spaces - Dixie Chicks
Stars Tonight - Lady Antebellum
Summer Girl - Jessica Andrews
My Life Again - The McCloymonts
That Song In My Head - Julianne Hough
Sweet Home Alabama - Lynard Skynard

It made me miss the south a LOT. Partly because I know that it's 70 degrees and sunny in Memphis right now, and also because all of my friends are just DAYS away from being done with school for the summer.

Okay, I'm about to head out for the day. Hopefully the rain holds off and the sun comes out so we can get outside and play!

(ps. The picture is actually of a postcard! Made by Paper Pastries, and there a ton of other cute city- and state-love themed things in the shop. I'm sensing a shopping spree coming on.)

Couch to 5K - W3D2

via

Day 2 was a success! I even saw some sunshine and blue skies while I was out! Apart from the stich in my side and the tightness in my shins, I felt really good and I finished the run strong. For some reason these shorter intervals are just FLYING by! And I'm pretty sure I won't be saying that for much longer.

I left at 9 and was back by 9:30. According the my phone it's 46 degrees but with the sun it felt much warmer! I loved it.

Usually I'm a hip-hop/rap kinda girl while I'm running (we're talking Lil Wayne, Three 6 Mafia, etc) but today I wanted to try something a little more low-key.

Here's what I listened to:

• So Much To Say - Dave Matthews Band
• If You See Kay - The Script
• Vanilla Twilight - Owl City
• Who Says - John Mayer
• Sound of Settling - Death Cab For Cutie
• Body Language (Remix) - Jesse McCartney ft. T-Pain (okay, I had a litttttle bit of my usual!)
• One Less Lonely Girl - Justin Bieber (Yikes!)

Certainly a departure from my usual, that's for sure! I wasn't sure if this kind of music would keep me going (or motivated), but it totally did! And I've gotta admit it's way easier to listen to John Mayer first thing in the AM than it is to hear Lil Jon screaming in your ear.

I'm thinking I'll try some country music on Friday?

Couch to 5K - W3D1

via

Week 3, nice to see you again. This is probably the fifth time I've done week 3 of Couch to 5K, but it's all good.

I left the house at 7:40 this morning (WHY was I up so early? HOW?!) and it was about 45 degrees. And cloudy, but is anyone surprised? Clouds are what the Pacific Northwest do the best. I used the C25K app I have on my iPhone, and it worked perfectly! I love all of the reminders and countdowns and the iTunes integration.

Before I took my 'break' from running, I frequented a nice and flat 2 mile loop - which I also ran today. I was out for half an hour, but I'd say I only ran for 20 of those minutes (just following directions, yo). Which meant I finished my run halfway through the loop and I had to decide if I should turn around or keep going. Seriously, I looked like a confused squirrel.

I developed an awful headache in the middle of my run, but other than that things went really well! Considering I've done the least amount of cardio possible since DECEMBER, I was seriously surprised I made it through my intervals without collapsing. So aside from the horrible headache (from running on an empty stomach?) and the stich in my side, I felt faaaaantastic!

No really, it was a pretty decent run considering it was only 8 in the morning.

If you had a totally free schedule, what time of day would you run? Tell me about it!