I'm Not Trying to Hurt Feelings, I Swear

My brain is in a weird place this week, so bear with me. Today I'm linking up with Fairytales and Fitness for their Friday Five 2.0! Today's theme is, apparently, routine and why I'm tired of it.

1 - I don't miss racing very much, but lately I've been missing how much I used to love races. Does that make sense? Without races, running becomes much more about fitness, routine, and maintenance than about fun, challenge, and achievement. Or maybe that's just me.

Collecting medals used to be such a great motivator!

Racing less means I'm saving money and time, and I still love running, but I miss the days when the prospect of a new bib or medal to add to my wall filled me with determination and joy. I guess I'm just a jaded runner now!

2 - I've been having trouble staying interested in some of the blogs I follow. This is going to sound hypocritical given today's post, but I think part of it is the link ups. The routine of the same types of blog topics all being posted on the same day is creating monotony in my reading. I'm completely part of the problem - I've gotten into a blogging rut and I feel like my posts are stale and formulaic lately.

I'm also kind of bored with my workout routine, so I think maybe the problem here is routine in general and not blogs specifically. I don't know. I can't be the only one who feels this way, right?

That said, I'm not trying to hurt feelings...I absolutely care about my blogger friends and what's going on in their lives and I want to keep reading their blogs! Maybe I just need to add some new and different styles of blogs to my feed to get some variety going!

There are lots to choose from but I don't know what interests me!

3 - Which reminds me! I'm so excited that this afternoon I'll be back in Elizabeth's classroom doing a circuit! I feel like we haven't done many school workouts lately and I miss them!

4 - I'm testing a theory because of my calves and wearing super old running shoes on some of my runs lately. The theory is that maybe I retired my old shoes too soon and, seeing as Kayanos used to be perfect for me, maybe they still are. I'm so glad I'm a hoarder who never gets rid of old running shoes!

So far it seems to be working out; we'll see how it goes! I heard a rumor that this year's Asics are wider in the forefoot again so maybe I'll get lucky with the 24s and I can keep using my 22s in the meantime.

5 - Elizabeth and I have been trying out some new running routes. We've run from her house a couple times, run from mine, looped into unexplored neighborhoods, and generally just broken from our habitual routes. Our area can be tough to find new spots to run in because we gravitate toward well-lit roads with good sidewalks, but it's been nice to branch out.

If you're trying to map out new routes, I highly recommend routebuilder.org. Matt has used it for paddling, too.

I guess because the weather has been nice, we've been able to go earlier (when the sun is still up), so that's opened up more options for us.

Am I the only one tired of repetitive link ups?
How many miles do you like to try to get out of a pair of shoes?
How often do you look for new running routes?
Have your feelings about racing changed since you first started running?

ABK

Blog Mistakes & Evolution

Monday night around 6pm, I thought it was about time I updated the header over here at Hit the Ground Running. Little did I know, it would cause a little stress and take two hours of my time to fix.

To keep a long, boring story short, what happened was that I considered turning my blog blue instead of its usual purple. Rather than changing the colors manually, I fiddled around with the template, and the next thing you know, the blog was restored it its original settings, which meant it was coral!

I shouldn't have clicked that...

Luckily I had saved the specs for my backgrounds, headings, fonts, etc. So I dug out my external hard-drive and set everything back like I had it, one setting at a time.

And this is why we back things up. I was so relieved I still had this!

Then I played with the header. Choosing pictures is really hard! I felt like all the running photos were redundant, but I wanted to pick photos that were important to me currently and more recent than in the old header. 

I also cleaned up the text a little; I wanted a simpler look to go along with my focus on simplicity in my running this year. I'm not a graphic designer or artist by any stretch of the imagination, but I think I did okay.

The pictures I settled on are: me after PR'ing the A1A marathon; Kristin and me crossing the finish line together after running the Gasparilla 15k; me contemplating life at one of my favorite running spots; me and Matt on my birthday at the A1A half; me doing my two favorite things at once.

My header has been through quite an evolution as I've gotten more into blogging. Here's what it used to look like way back in the day:

This was the first time I ever created something like this, and I was pretty proud.

Then, I decided my photos needed to be more fitness oriented, so I got rid of the headshot.

Of course, then I discovered PicMonkey and loved how streamlined I could make everything look! I never liked the space between all the pictures in this one, though.

Anyway, once I had the photos figured out, I finalized the look with a new subheading and uploaded it...only to decide that the background was a smidge too dark. So I remade it all over again. And then I decided I didn't like the zoom on one of the photos, but by this time it was 8pm and I wasn't going to waste the rest of my night on this thing!

Just kidding, I fixed the zoom, and it took me another 30 minutes because I was having trouble matching the background color perfectly again.

Now...back to contemplating the color scheme...

When's the last time you updated your blog's look?
How did you choose your header pictures?

ABK

Updates, Goodies, and Articles

Updates: It's been way too long since I've updated the basic layout and pages for HtGR, so I spent yesterday and today getting some of that done. Besides the new header and the new color (I'm still getting used to the purple - the blog has been pink since 2012!), I've updated my About Me and What I'm Reading pages. Definitely check them out...some of you may be featured on there!

Goodies: Last week I wrote a review for Vega Sport's sugar free pre-workout energizer. I had such a good experience with it, and the other Sweat Pink Ambassadors had such good things to say about their other products, that I've decided to try them out exclusively for marathon training.

Before I made that kind of commitment though, I wanted to try what else they had to offer. I reached out and requested some samples, and Vega did not disappoint! I returned from my weekend away to this lovely collection of goodies!

I can't wait to try these out!

Articles: As summer heats up, there's been a lot of talk in the running community about how we keep ourselves motivated to run despite the humidity and soaring temperatures. Most people jump to recommend signing up for a race...but what about runners who don't really like racing?

This article from Runner's World addresses just that. Even though I love racing, I don't like to race in summer, so I found the recommendations insightful. Also, it's a good reminder that there's an entire population of runners who just love to run and don't really like the race experience or covet bling, and that's totally fine! It's too bad you don't see more writing out there geared toward those runners.

Also on my reading list this week was this article from the Women's Running Community on Facebook. Now that training is looming (more on that later this week), I'm scheduling in all my runs for the twenty weeks or so, and of course that leaves me wondering when is the best time for cross/strength/core-training. I love these four exercises because they're simple enough to do at home, but very effective.

Share a helpful or interesting running article in the comments!

Share a new blog you've been loving that I should check out!

Are you particularly loyal to a specific brand for training/fueling?

ABK

Perfect Timing

Make sure to check out my guest post over at Heather's blog Run Like a G! In it, I discuss why, despite obstacles and set-backs, I am dedicated to running a marathon.

And if you don't already follow her, you should. She's so positive, friendly, and down-to-earth. Her blog is a joy to read.

ABK

A Sunshiney Start

I'm supposed to be running right now, but for some reason it decided to pour. Instead, I'm going to start the year with a Sunshine post!

Meg over at Meg Go Run nominated me at the end of 2013, and her questions were just too fun not to answer!

1. How did you come up with the name for your blog? I wanted something that had running in the title and had to do with perseverance...Hit the Ground Running just kind of popped into my head!

2. What would your memoir be called? Awkward Moments: Living with Bitchy Resting Face.

3. What is your "day job"? I teach language arts and reading to 8th graders. It's pretty awesome.

That time I discovered my students read my blog.

4. What are 3 of your proudest fitness accomplishments? 1) the first time I successfully ran a mile without taking a walk break. 2) Going to the gym alone, despite my anxiety disorder. 3) My last half marathon, which I ran while sick. It was horrendous, but I really proved something to myself that day.

5. You HAVE to change your first name. What do you change it to? Penelope.

6. What is the best concert you've ever been to? Okay this is embarrassing, but I rarely go to concerts. The best would have to be my first, which was *NSync with Britney Spears opening. I didn't even know I knew the band until they took the stage, and then I was like "Oh my gosh, I know all these songs! WOOOO!! I LOVE YOU JC OMG!!!"

Can we just bask in the beauty of the 90s for a moment?

7. Tell me some things on your bucket list. Run a race in another country; sky dive; run in snow.

8. Describe your dream house. My dream house would overlook the ocean but have forest/mountains behind it. It would have lots of windows and balconies perfectly set up for eating breakfast while watching the water.

9. Name a celebrity you find oddly attractive, one that wouldn't usually occupy one's 'hottest celeb list'. Jeff Goldblum.

I don't know, I just love him!

10. Tell me 5 of your favorite blogs. I went with running blogs but there are plenty I follow that aren't. Check out my "What I'm Reading" tab to see more...although it needs to be updated!

• Heather at Girl Goes Running
• Kristina at Blog About Running
• Rachel at Life. Or Something Like It.
• Beth at Shut Up and Run
• Janelle at Run With No Regrets

Answer any of the questions above!
What are you doing this week to make sure your new year starts out as sunny as possible?
What's something I might not know about you?

ABK

Guest Post Alert!

Not over here, but over at See This Girl Run!

Alyssa was kind enough to ask me to write a guest post, and I was humbled and honored to do it! She is such a bubbly, positive energy on the blogosphere! (This is my first-ever guest post, so I was especially excited to write it for someone who's so inspiring and genuinely likeable!)

Okay, exclamation-mark overload.

Anyway, I wrote an entry just for her blog on building mental toughness. Many of us have been struggling with our training lately, it seems...Summer makes it difficult to stay on track. But this is a great opportunity to find out just how strong we really are!

Check out my post here, and tell her hello!

ABK

MTWR 6 & Sunshine Award!

My laptop is in the care of Best Buy's Geek Squad right now. For the last few months it's been telling me my memory is too low to do anything, and I've been working off a remote disk drive. Yesterday, after installing some Windows updates, the laptop refused to connect to the internet.

So today I'm blogging from Matt's laptop. If things look wonky, that's why. This is a post in two parts...my weekly marathon training update is the first, and the Sunshine Award is the second.

Today I was scheduled for 12 miles. I got out an hour later than planned, just as the sun was coming up. What I've learned in Florida is that the heat won't get you necessarily, but the humidity will. As I dumped water on myself and wished I had brought all four bottles in the fuel belt (I only brought three), I realized being wet wasn't helping.

Post-run, I immediately stripped off my shoes, compression sleeves, and socks...

The humidity stops water from evaporating from your skin and clothes...so then you just end up steamy and wet. Evaporation, as we all know, is what creates a cooling sensation.

I also started today's run with intervals, and probably shouldn't have. I never found a good groove; I finished the end of the run without taking breaks, and that helped. I fueled with blueberry-pomegranate Gu Chomps this time, and they were delicious!

...And dunked myself in our pool.

My  Nike+ app helps me keep track of the mileage on my shoes. I got a nice reminder today...but the proofreading made me cringe. Seriously...someone is being paid to make these kind of mistakes.

Once you see it, you'll know what I mean.

This week went pretty well, all things considered. I'm feeling back on track and a lot less slumpy. I just have to keep holding myself accountable!

So onto the Sunshine Award! I've seen this floating around the internet, of course, and have even been nominated before. I didn't follow up on it that time, because to me it's a little chain-lettery, but this time I'm inclined to pass it along.

Why not? It's fun, spreads some joy, and allows others to know how much you appreciate them!

The award is circulated to bloggers to let them know that reading their posts brings some sunshine into your life!

(I have no clue what the white blocks around the words are all about here...Oh well!)

The Rules:

1.  Include award logo in a post or on your blog (above).
2.  Link to the person who nominated you - The truly awesome Heather at Run Like a G!
3.  Answer 10 questions about yourself.
4.  Nominate 10 bloggers to receive the award. Link your nominees to the post and comment on their blogs letting them know they’ve been nominated. There are so many to consider, and so many of them have already been tagged! Let it be known, if I comment on your blog and/or you're on my "What I'm Reading" list, your posts ALWAYS bring me sunshine!

Heather's Questions for her Nominees:

1. What is your favorite thing about running? Testing my limits, finding my sanity, and proving to myself over and over that my body is an amazing machine! I love that it's a challenge!

2. What FRIENDS character are you more like? (Fe/male) I was a lot like Phoebe when I was younger, but I think now I'm definitely more like Rachel (with a smidgen of Ross's geekiness!)

You know you wanna be this cool.

3. If money wasn't an option, what country/island/place would you explore for a week? (ONLY ONE!) Mauritius! It's a small island nation off the coast of Africa and looks just heavenly. (Plus I love their blend of cultures and the way they work together. Their politics are my dream-world for the US.)

Basically, this is at the top of my bucketlist right now.

4. Bodybuilding - yay or nay? Not for me, personally, but I support those who follow that dream!

5. What do you LOVE about your body? (Only sunny answers!) I love my big ol' brain...and my legs. Running has truly taught me to love my legs.


6. Tell me your favorite season and give two reasons why it is your favorite season. I love autumn. The weather starts to get cool, but the days are still long enough to enjoy.

7. Do you believe in love at first sight? Not really, but I do believe in sparks.

8. If you could have an exotic animal as pet, which would you choose? I already have an exotic pet...Archie the little lovebird! But if I had to have another, I'd go with a snake.

(Do yourself a favor and watch this video. It'll make your Sunday that much brighter! I swear, this bird wants to be a basketball player; he gets it in the garbage can 9 out of 10 times.)

9. Have you read Harry Potter? YES! I reread the series every summer. I get something new from them every time I read them. HP is definitely my favorite series.

10. What is your favorite cereal? Gluten Free Rice Krispies...but sometimes I splurge on Cocoa or Fruity Pebbles. Mmm sugar!

10 Questions for ALL of you!
1. What is your ideal weekend?
2. When you were in school, what was your favorite subject?
3. Name one teacher who you remember - for something positive - and tell me why you remember them.
4. What was your first race?
5. What is your favorite takeout food?
6. What's the earliest you've ever gotten up to go for a run?
7. What's the latest you've ever headed out for a run?
8. What is something you've accomplished that you're proud of?
9. Who is your biggest cheerleader/motivator/supporter?
10. If you could go back in time and change one event from your life, what would you choose, and why?

Answer the questions in the comments, or feel free to repost to your own blog. I'm tagging EVERYONE!

Have a great Sunday!

ABK

Running on Fire

This week I started (and finished) Scott Jurek's memoir Eat & Run. Although I took exception to some of it, I highlighted more than I expected. I think some of his mantras and keep-going attitude rubbed off on me this week.

Even if you're uninterested in running ultras, this is worth the read.

Yesterday I had one of those mid-week mini-long runs of 6 miles. I’m still having trouble fitting more than 4 miles in before I have to get back home for work, so I saved the run for after a full day of teaching.

My calves burned the entire time. I was going to cut it short but I decided to push through. I was really glad that I did the entire thing. I walked at the halfway point, just to have some water, but then continued and ran the whole time.

I think the burning calves were caused by the cross training that I did earlier in the week.

Here's a picture of all the people on the treadmills during rush hour at our gym. I'm glad this was on my cross training day, so I didn't have to claim one for myself!

It's hard to take a non-blurry picture while on the stair-stepper! Whodathunk?

I would still rather be sore during a longer midweek run than on my real long run on the weekends, so I think that I'm going to keep doing cross training early in the week (on Tuesday or Wednesday).

This might be TMI, but I also have another UTI…seriously the worst illness to have while running. I felt like I was going to wet myself for the first three miles of this run. I seem to be getting them more and more often. This might have something to do with how often I'm working out and how much I’m sweating.

Post-run collapse...But inside I was grinning.

Anyway, I was on my first dose of antibiotics when I went for my run last night, and that definitely didn’t help. I didn't feel very well or have a lot of energy, but I pushed through.

I was playing with the idea of only doing 4 miles. I bargained with myself, wondering how many miles I could add to a scheduled shorter run to make up for it. But in the end, I stuck with it; the run was tough, but that made it good.

The hard runs are what train us for greater distances; finishing this one will do more for my marathon training than hundreds of Good, easy runs ever would.

Needless to say, I'm really, really glad I finished.

Oh, also, I listened to Pandora on this run and "Come On Eileen" definitely gave me the boost I needed around mile 4.5.

(Look for a guest post from me in the near future on Alyssa’s blog, See This Girl Run, on building mental toughness!)

How do you find the silver lining of a tough run?

How do you fit in longer mid-week runs?

What's the best 80s song to run to?

ABK

Bucket List

Not that I'm spending a lot of time thinking about death or anything, but I've been putting together a bucket list over the last few months of things I really want to do sooner rather than later. As in, before it's "too late". Whatever that means.

I'm currently working on #3 on my bucket list: run a marathon.

Most of my bucket list is running related, but not all of it. I wrote a post on Matt's and my dream to sail the world, and that's definitely at the top of the list. I also want to go skydiving, and I'm thinking that's in the nearer future than our world journey.

My sister skydiving for her birthday last year. Her boyfriend is a skydiving fanatic!

But as running is kind of my main focus these days, most of the things I add to my list are running related. #2 on the list is to run a race in another country. Or just, you know, to run in another country.

I mentioned in my last post that I studied abroad in college. I miss Europe like crazy, and I miss traveling in general. I wasn't a runner while in Scotland, but one of the girls on our trip was...looking back at pictures of the trip and thinking of her getting up every morning for her runs, I'm insanely regretful that it wasn't for another two years that I joined the tribe.

Atop Calton Hill in Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh, Scotland

The Highlands of Scotland...on our way to Glencoe.

I mean, how can you look at those views and those hills and NOT want to run them? Plus, the weather in Scotland was constantly misty and cool, making it prime running weather.

I wouldn't say no to a run in London, either.

Princess Diana's memorial in Hyde Park

Hyde Park...can you spot Matt?

I loved every aspect of Europe would love to set aside six months to do races in the other countries I sorely miss: Spain, France, Italy, and Ireland. If only I had that kind of disposable income!

Topping my bucket list is a very easy-to-attain goal to run a race outside of Florida. After seeing all the Peachtree Road Race updates on the blogs I follow, I'm thinking maybe that will be the one!

---

On a slightly different note, I wanted to direct your attention to a blog I started following recently. Heather at Run Like a G is the author of one of the most relatable and enjoyable blogs to read these days. She's honest and open, but also has a really fun and laid back writing style. I never feel like she's trying too hard. I especially love the post she did today on positive body image.

runlikeag.blogspot.com

Keep an eye out for updates to my "What I'm Reading" tab, as I plan to add some blogs in the near future.

What's on your bucket list?
Have you ever run a race in a different country?
Link me to a blog you're loving right now!

ABK

Potpourri

If there's a such thing as a link-hoarder, I am definitely one of them. I click anything that looks remotely interesting, and often keep the window open until I feel I've really learned the information or have shared the article around with enough people. Right now I have 10 tabs open in Firefox, and many of them are days old.

The good news is that many of these are running links. I don't want to close them in case I can't find them again and am in desperate need. How will I ever know where I filed that article on the Seven Most Common Running Injuries? My bookmarks are cluttered and unmanageable. Once I bookmark an article, it's gone. Out of sight, out of mind.

So to remedy this situation, I bring you a kind of potpourri of a post. It will set my mind - and my browser - at ease, and have the added benefit of sharing a bunch of stuff I think needs sharing.

To begin, I'm keeping a few blogs open that I've been following semi-religiously.  Shut Up + Run has been around what seems like forever. SUAR is funny, blunt, and not afraid to let it all hang out. If you want an uplifting running-related read daily (and aren't afraid to hear the gross side of running), definitely check it out. (Two of her most-viewed posts are "How to Not Crap Yourself on the Run" and "20 Things No One Tells You About Running". She also occasionally does give-aways of great running gear.)

Hungry Runner Girl is another lighthearted blog run (no pun intended) by a seasoned distance runner (and new mom). I like that her posts always touch on running, but also include non-running daily-life stuff. (This blog makes me wish I had an iPhone to run with, or a tiny running-friendly camera...Oh, and mountains. It makes me wish I had mountains.)

For another blog that follows that tendency, Go Crow Go! is a mostly-running-but-sometimes-not blog that is more about personal growth and the journey. It's akin to my blog, and I like seeing inside someone else's head as they take the highs and lows of running in stride. Run Fat Boy! Run! is another such blog. His story, personal struggles, love for his family, and amazing endurance in the face of difficulties makes this blog worth the read.

I recently read this article on Yasso 800s and their magical ability to predict marathon time. I wish I could post the video straight to this post, but if you're interested, follow the link. It's an awesome concept and a workout I definitely want to try over summer.

 

Finally, I watched this TEDxTalks video featuring a long-distance runner/cardiologist with some interesting theories on running speeds and distances. Data seems to show that running is beneficial, but moderation is key. This isn't going to get me to stop running long distances, and the point isn't to tell us not to run marathons. But when it comes to running and health, this 18-minute video shares a lot of useful knowledge.

 

On a final note (I mean it this time), I woke up today with absolutely no muscle soreness and without any knee pain. Using my foam roller and flat-band have really helped my ITBS. I am so excited to start training again this week. I will definitely post some awkward photos of my new exercise/recovery techniques sometime soon. For the greater good, of course, and because I love a little public humiliation.

ABK