Category Archives: Fitness
That time I randomly won a Warrior Dash entry…
Good morning friends! So this is the end of spring break….10 wonderfully carefree days where I did less blogging/homework/social media and spent much more time outdoors. No appointments or schedules….except one little thing that recently popped up on my calendar…
I told you I read tons of other blogs, including fellow marathoners. The week before spring break, Run Eat Repeat hosted a giveaway on her blog for two entries for the Warrior Dash 2015. It’s a big muddy obstacle course, kind of like the challenges on Survivor! Guess who won one? ;)
Southern California was between 70-90 degrees all week so I ended up staying for 9 days. Saturday was the race day, and I opted to stay through Sunday morning to do my long run at sea-level.
The atmosphere at the race was awesome! People always come in cute or crazy outfits for these big events, so there were lots of tie-dyes and tutu’s. The Warrior Nation Stage was huge with live music, Shock Top had a full bar (free beer for racers which I gladly donated haha), Rockin’ Refuel was giving out all their chocolate milk. There was a giant rock wall and other vendors, and we even played some corn hole while waiting for my start wave.
I was first on the start line, and we were sent off with two fiery blasts.
Only thing I would do differently is wear sunscreen. I didn’t know what the course was like (noooo shade) and I’m sporting a nice red nose to school today. Spring break souvenir? The path winded around some trails for about a mile before we hit the first obstacle, which was crawling under several barbed wire lines. Next we went through some trenches, climbed wooden ladders, traversed beams, scrambled over nets, pulled ourselves up with ropes, sludged through mud, crossed a stream, and slid down the utlimate muddy water slide.
My favorite obstacle was called High Tension: you balance and walk across a rope while holding onto another rope above your head while water rains down. So much going on! And the GRAND FINALE of it all:
Can we take a moment to notice the girl on the far left taking a selfie? Hope she has a LifeProof!
My expression doesn’t quite capture my thoughts at that moment, which were “Point me to the showers!” I knew it would be muddy, but wasn’t expected to fully submerge in the pit. Pretty sure I had some mud in my mouth and a nest in my hair. That outfit is now in the trash and after two long showers, I finally feel clean again!
I had fun doing this unexpected last-minute race, though I think from now on I’ll stick to mud-less marathons :)
So much for “Staycation”
Spring Break officially started on Friday. How else would I start my vacation but with a 14 mile run? I made it through the looooong outting (1 hour 45 minutes) by repeating the same 8 songs over and over and over. My iPod has 1,299 songs but I have my go-to’s when I need serious motivation. Since I have to run by myself, I opted to skip water and fuel this time (going against all running advice, I know) which I don’t want to do again. This weekend I’ll have a running buddy, but the next 9 long runs I’ll need to enlist a friend to ride a bike next to me. Accepting applications now ;)
I stretched, iced my quads and refueled with some good ole’ chocolate milk afterwards though. And yes, that is frozen edamame on my legs. When you don’t have ice, you make substitutes and if peas are A-OK then why not soy beans?!
Last post, I mentioned my “staycation” plans for this Spring Break. But then I remembered something….. I don’t like being cold, alone, or sedentary for too long. Sooo after my long run, I packed myself up and headed west. Senior year has made me more spontaneous. Southern California greeted me with 92 BEAUTIFUL DEGREES. I might not leave.
Grilling dinner on the barbeque, wearing a tank and sandals, and sleeping with the window open. IT FEELS LIKE SUMMER.
I’ve been here less than 24 hours and already the sunshine and seafood and company have made me 100% happier. Even though it’s Spring Break, fitness and nutrition are still priorities. It’s actually easier to workout and eat whole nutritious foods on vacation because we aren’t stressed or busy or exhausted from work. This morning I even treated myself to some brand new Asics, which I immediately broke in on a 7 mile run. My feet felt like they were running on clouds because I’d worn my old pair down so much through this marathon training.
On the agenda for tomorrow morning is a long bike ride down my favorite running path, a gym date and the rest is TBD. Just how I like it :)
P.S. THIS song came on during our shopping outting today and we learned what H.A.A.M. stands for. Apparently it is not Hard As A Muscle…
The Unpopular Sport
Last night, three of my friends rallied to watch the 10:30pm showing of McFarland USA, the cross country Disney movie about the true story of McFarland High School’s 1987 cross country team.
As a high school cross country runner myself, how could I not see this movie. There aren’t very many movies themed around long-distance running! (For good reason, I suppose…) We had the whole theater to ourselves!
Even I’ll admit, running is not an entertaining sport for mass audiences. You have to be a runner to really appreciate a movie dedicated to the sport. It’s not glamorous or commercial or suspenseful. Once, I raced a 10k at Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, CA, and my parents came to watch. There were EIGHT heats of the 10k and I was in heat #7. A 10k race = 25 laps around the quarter-mile track. About 40 minutes til the last person finishes. My parents sat through over four hours of laps so that they could watch me run for 37+ minutes. That is love! :)
McFarland was inspirational as any Disney flick, though I have to say my favorite Disney sports-themed movie is The Rookie. We did all definitely leave the theater feeling motivated to go for a run. But it was after midnight so we went to sleep instead ;)
*Side Note: the best trailer we saw was for the newest Nicholas Sparks movie, The Longest Ride. Yes, it looks exactly like all his previous stories. Yes, it looks predictable and cheesy. Yes, I will be going to see it. Trailer –> here.*
Training for marathon #2 is underway. I have a weekly schedule of workouts with ideal mileage, pace, hill repeats, speed intervals and strength training.Yesterday was some hill repeats, 60 second bursts up a steep grade with 2 minutes jogging in between.
Nutrition is especially important to fuel my workouts so I stocked up on some more protein and planned out weekly “mostly-clean” dinners. However I am completely exploiting the fact that more mileage = more ice cream.
We are in the middle of a couple winter storms. Snow = compromising on the treadmill. This weekend’s long run will test my mental abilities as I have 11 miles on the treadmill! Only some new music will get me through.
This song came on the other days as I pulled into my parking space. I’d never heard it before so I parked and sat in my car for 3 minutes, shazam’d it, and have been overplaying it ever since. :)
