on the calendar

cannot WAIT for november 17th to roll around. 

13.1

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i may have repeated the lines above to myself more than once during my training for the half. i especially needed some self-pep talks on days when i knew i had to run 8, 9, 10 miles. it's pretty awesome what you find out that you can actually do when you push yourself beyond your comfort zone. as each run got longer in distance and time, i gained more and more confidence until hello 13.1 miles!  

{photo credit: liz}

{photo credit: me}

{photo credit: kelly}

{photo credit: kelly}

{photo credit: me}

{photo credit: kelly}

i had so much fun on race days with all my girls. the best part was definitely crossing the finish line and throwing that heavy medal around my neck. although, stuffing our faces with bob evans farmer's breakfast after the race was a close second. 5,000 calories never tasted so good. mmmmm. 

if you've never done a race before, do it! they are so much fun, and if you train with a friend or two, you will have built-in cheerleaders. bonus? you get bragging rights for a long, long time. 

if anyone is interested in training for a half, this is the training program i used for both of mine. it's pretty easy to move days around if your schedule conflicts with what he has laid out. 

get out there and start moving! 

april mix

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happy april! yes, i realize it's almost the middle of the month, and i'm just now posting a mix. forgive me?

this month it's all about music to get you off your butt and on your feet. inspired by my running playlist for my half marathon, i've compiled some tunes to get you up and moving. go dance, run, karate chop wood, whatever.

comeback kid : sleigh bells

a-punk : vampire weekend

robot : trip lee

invincible : ok go

sprawl II : arcade fire

all alone : boygenius

need you now : cut copy

shake it to the ground : rye rye

eyes wide open : gotye

lonely boy : the black keys (see video at the end of this post for inspiration)

crystal clear : chancellor warhol (feat. particle people)

get by : will brennan

boyfriend : justin bieber

11h30 : danger

this is the remix : girl talk

do it again : holy ghost!

big mouth : santigold (free!)

festival : sigur ros (starts slow, gets awesome. good for a cool down)

i run for fro yo

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i run for fro yo (and pizza and cupcakes and bacon and brownies). i run to stay fit. i run to good music. i run up hills and down. i run on trails. i run on busy roads. i run in cold weather. i run in the hot hot heat. i run when it's the last thing i want to do. i don't run when i know i should. i sweat a lot when i run. a lot. 

i recently signed up for my second half marathon. i did the same race with some friends a couple of years ago, and it was such a fun time. (when i say fun i don't mean the kind of fun you have when you go see a hilarious movie with your friends. i'm talking about the kind of fun that happens when you cross the finish line after 13.1 miles and your legs feel like dead tree trunks, sweat is stinging your eyes, and you're on the verge of feeling like you might need to puke. somuchfun!)

my friend liz is doing the race, too, and we have been racking up the mileage together. i've never really had a running buddy before. i'm used to running solo, but it's nice to have a friend next to me on my route. sometimes we gab. sometimes i'm too busy huffing and puffing to pay any attention to what's going on around me. 

i realize this post makes me sound like i'm a running fanatic. let it be known that i don't run when it's 100+ degrees out. i don't have bird legs. i don't have 2% body fat. i'm not one of those girls who run around in short shorts and a neon sports bra. sometimes i get butterflies before a run, but that's only if i have new music on my ipod. i wouldn't say i love running. i would say i like it just fine.

i would also say that one of the main reasons i sign up for/train for races is for the t-shirts. chyeeeahh.