Sun Runnin' Fool

Sun run season is almost upon us. It's coming up April 27. I signed up on a whim and was hoping I could convince nick to join me. Apparently that was wishful thinking. I believe he gave me an "absolutely not" when I asked him. Im not too concerned on finding a running buddy as I do enjoy running solo.

I started training in March, committing myself to one "long" run every weekend as I have Bootcamp Monday Tuesday Thursday during the week. I started out with a five km run and have been upping it by one km every week. Tomorrow should be 8km but I'm in whistler and am going to substitute a treadmill run for a real one, so we will see. I have a way harder time running that type of distance ona a treadmill, I always want to just up the speed and get it done with sooner but then I get a side Cramp and end up dying.

I don't have Bootcamp for the second half of March so I'll be able to get in a few extra runs and will do some speed work at the track too! Wanna race? Meet me at LSS! :)

I'm aiming for a sun run finish time of under an hour and hopefully under 55 minutes. Last week I ran  my 7 k in 41 min and it was sub zero temperatures. I think in milder weather I'll be able to pick up the pace and hit my goal!

Check it out, I got a new iPhone arm band. I'm sure this will also make me faster. Hiding my phone in my sports bra has gotta be slowing me down :/

healthtastic.

Let's talk about health, baby. let's talk about you and me. Let's talk about all the good things and the bad things. Health, baby. Let's talk about health!

I hope that song gets stuck in your head! Ok, so I've decided to do a spiel on health by sharing some of the things that I do as part of my normal routine that I believe keep me healthy. I actively pursue new ideas and trends to see what others are doing to keep themselves healthy and fit. Some I try out and nix within a week or so and some things I keep and mix into my own routine. Hopefully one or more of these things will make your life a little bit better! Ready? OK!

#1. I take vitamins, daily. What kind, you ask? Depends on what's on sale when I go shopping for vitamins. Currently I take a multi vitamin, a cranberry pill, and biotin (helps to metabolize carbs, protein and fat - rumoured to make your hair grow faster). Occasionally, I take Omega 3 pills, probiotics, vitamin C and echinacea.

7. I squeeze a lemon in my first bottle of water in the morning. Lemon water helps balance your pH, has tons of vitamin C, aids in digestion and helps the purging of toxins. The rest of the day, I drink plain boring old water, but lots of it so that I don't dry up like a prune.

#4. Oatmeal for breakfast, every day.... sounds boring, but I've been eating it for years and never get sick of it. I make mine with skim milk and add in banana, ground flax and vanilla protein powder. Sometimes I get wild and will throw in blueberries, chocolate chips or even nuts. It's a hearty, well-rounded breakfast that keeps me full until snack time.

5) I work out 6 days a week, doing both cardio and weights. One of those workouts if spent with my personal trainer who gives me the extra push I want and the accountability I need. I spend a lot of time on the treadmill with my ipod, and find it helps me get my thoughts in order. I also love running really fast. I especially love running in front of the mirror because I feel like I'm racing myself.

6. I eat 3 meals a day and a couple of snacks. Eating often keeps my metabolism up and stops me from ever being hungry. I try to eat lean proteins, lots of vegetables, whole grains and low fat dairy. That being said, I rarely choose salad over fries at restaurants and I will take a steak over chicken almost any day of the week.

2. I have warm baths with Epsom salts a few times a week. Some of the countless health benefits include relaxing the nervous system, curing skin problems, soothing back pain and aching limbs, easing muscle strain, healing cuts, treating cold and congestion, and drawing toxins from the body.

8. I don't watch a lot of TV, especially since I JUST finished all 5 seasons of Sons of Anarchy and have nothing else I want to watch... I spend a lot of my free time reading. I read somewhere that reading burns more calories than watching TV because your brain has to work harder. Reading also keeps my vocabulary up to snuff. Speaking of vocabulary, you'd think with all the reading I do that I could come up with a better word than 'snuff'!

3) I get an embarassing amount of sleep. On weeknights I'm usually in bed by 9:30 and up at 6:30, which is 9 hours each night. I like to think I bank some of those extra hours for the weekends where I'm up until 4AM.

The end. That's it? Yep! I know, I know, nothing earth shattering. I am not a health nut by any means. There is an equally long list of things I do that are super unhealthy (see: binge drinking, McDonalds, aspartame and all-night partying) but I can definitely tell you that everything on my list is shelly tested and approved! Are you on pinterest? Go check out my healthtastic board here.

Now, go be healthy!

scabs

This weekend, the day before my sister's wedding, I tripped and fell when I was out for a run. Of course I was wearing shorts so there was no barrier between me and the sidewalk, resulting in a rather scraped up knee. I tried to tuck & roll, so as not to hit my face or land on have to break my fall with my arms (which would surely end up broken as per usual) and was only partially successful. Although the roll added an elbow cut, a hip bruise and a shoulder scrape to my list of injuries. I am considering putting a complaint in to City of Langley regarding their faulty sidewalk as I am SURE it is the same place I tripped and fell two years ago. I haven't been back to investigate, but I'm pretty sure there's a monster living in the sidewalk who trips unsuspecting runners. Luckily I had Jessica with me, so she immediately pulled me up with hardly a laugh. After a few blocks we continued our run to the closest Starbucks where I proceeded to drown my embarrassment in a Venti Americano. Please note that I was a very Big Girl about the whole thing and didn't even cry. I posted the bloody knee picture to facebook and within 15 minutes Amanda had called to tell me that I wasn't allowed in wedding pictures anymore.

There were mostly two response types to my owie, neither which was heartfelt concern, but instead I was asked:

1. Why the heck were you running the day before your sister's wedding? and/or;
2. How do you fall running?

The answer to both questions is essentially because I suck at life. OK, maybe that's a little harsh. It's simple though, I like running, but am a clumsy girl. Really, I'm more surprised that I don't fall more often.

"So how is my knee?" you ask kindly. Well, it's scabbing up nicely, thank you. I had applied liquid bandage to my wound this weekend in hopes that I could maybe put some makeup over top, but it was too disgusting so I just left it out for all to see. PS, liquid bandage totally looks, smells and burns like nail polish and I'm pretty sure it's not really a good idea to put it on fresh cuts. Anyways, I spent most of the day trying to peel off the reminents of liquid bandage, which was kind of fun. I was hoping the scab would be a bit more pickable, but it needs a bit of time. Instead I picked off my entire manicure. Yes, all ten nails. After doing that, it kind of hit me that I think I have a picking problem. I quickly googled "picking scabs" to try to scare myself into not picking them any more. I came across this rather intriguing website called www.skinpick.com and this is what it has to say:

Picking scabs is a remarkably self-perpetuating way to act out obsessive-compulsive tendencies that often signal an underlying, often as-yet-undiagnosed mood or anxiety disorder. Patients often describe the experience as comforting even though painful. And very unsightly. 

Psychological symptoms that are often associated with picking scabs are depression, low self-esteem, addiction, eating disorders, and anxiety. A history of trauma or some sort of abuse is almost always involved.

Quite often the habit gets started as a way to relieve the pent-up frustrations or fears when other ways of dealing with conflict are not effective. Feeling that verbal communications are ineffective leave the scab picker feeling there is no other way to express the emotional turmoil going on inside.

Most people will pick a scab from time to time with no significant harm done. It’s when the act of picking the scab brings on emotional relief, desired pain, or pleasure that medical intervention is advised.

Wow. Insert :s face here. I'm pretty sure I just like a good de-scabbing and that I'm not bat sh*t crazy. Although, just to be sure I'm going to buy The Complete Guide to Compusive Skin Picking Disorders (CSP) skinpick.com for the low price of $29.95.

Gross, right? But I bet you totally wanna pick it too!

even blogging about running makes me tired.

ok ok ok. stop badgering me! i'll do the stupid Sun Run... my decision process was a fateful one. saw a friend at the bar on saturday, found out he moved down the street from me. got a text today saying he needs a running buddy tonight. next thing i know my Sent messages show me agreeing. stopped at the mall on the way home and got me a pair of all white nikes. not sure if they are 'runners' per se. can't wait to try them out. slash omg. what did i get myself into? my couches are so comfortable and warm and running is so not. i should take a lesson from that new fad surgery they're doing in CA- they implant this wire patch into your tounge so it hurts to eat; this makes you skinny. i wonder if they could implant one into your butt cheeks, so you'd never want to sit down, this would also make you skinny. perhaps. that or you'd find new creative ways to be lazy.

so on wednesday i am acquring a furry roommate. he doesn't pay rent, but i hear he snuggles pretty well. Ted, of the Clark clan, is coming to visit while they party in Florida. I think we're going to have a great time and hope he doesn't mind staying home all alone. Slash if he does mind, i hope he doesn't take it out on any of my carpet or furniture. what happens if i fall in love with ted and don't want to give him back to katie. do u think this would be a point of contention in our relationship? she's pretty level headed and forgiving, i imagine we'd sail through it just fine...i guess we'll wait and see on that point.

breaking news: running on a track tonight! this means my brand new runners will be safe from dirt. phewf. i am going to go eat a protein bar because i hear thats what people do when they excersize.

ps. if you don't hear from me it's because They were wrong, excersise CAN kill you. if this is the case, please bury me in my new white runners and my black party dress.