7 month check in??

I had this idea to do a mid-year check in on all the goals I set at the beginning of the year (and the other day I listened to a podcast with Chalene Johnson on push goals and how to be successful at setting and maintaining goals that reminded me again), but now it’s August, so it’s kind of less a mid-year check in and more….a mid-year plus a little more check in.  The good news is I’ve been doing productive sorts of things in the meantime!  Mostly!  But anyway!

• Practice yoga more regularly – I started the year off REALLY strong with this, going 2-3 times a week and just loving it.  I still love yoga (especially a really awesome juicy hot vinyasa class with enormously loud music where I can just lose myself in my body), but…..it’s summer, and being in a 100 degree room full of other sweaty bodies is just harder to find the motivation for right now.  BUT I’ve still been going around once a week, and putting in a lot of work on the “flashier” aspects – after months of trying, I finally nailed getting up into & holding bound headstand without any sort of wall! (Actually my first successful bound handstand with no wall happened on a precarious cliff edge at Mesa Verde in Colorado….

• Incorporate more strength training – YES!!  I’ve been going to barbell-based group fitness classes two days a week, which have been fabulous, even though they use simple iron grip equipment & not full size bars – I’ve definitely seen large strength improvements. My squats, chest & back have gone up exponentially and I’m slowly dragging my biceps along as well.  I just started a new boot camp program and let me tell you what, outdoor tire flips & prowler pushes ALL DAY make you feel pretty bad ass.  My new goal is to get into my gym’s Alpha Training (similar to Crossfit, with Olympic lifting & WOD-style workouts) by the end of the year!

• Read 50 books – I’m at 36! Definitely on track to finish 50+ by the end of the year.  Reading is something I haven’t done that much of in the past couple years, and it has felt REALLY good to get back into it.  I’ve been carving out an hour or so at night to do nothing but read from the comfort of my bed (I’ve even in the past week been starting to leave my phone OUTSIDE the bedroom charging through the night, which I never thought I’d be able to do…) and it’s such a nice way to wind down at the end of the day.

• Get more done – I’d say this is about 75/25.  I HAVE been doing much better at planning out my days to make the  most of my time, and I’ve gotten a lot of things done that I’ve been wanting to/planning on and at forcing myself to just get up and accomplish a task, but there are still those 5-10 minute jobs that I just can’t find it in my not to procrastinate on…

• Write more – PFFT. Moving on.  

• Run at least 6 races – I’ve done 3 so far (The Color Vibe, Hightail to Ale, & Insane Inflatable 5K) and have another one scheduled tonight (Glow in the Park!), so I’m almost there J  Looking at a Halloween race as well as maybe something closer to winter (Hot Chocolate 5k in Columbus is a possibility). I actually really like running when it’s colder out!

• Brew one batch a month – I’ve kept CLOSE to this. I’ve also gotten a lot more scientific in my brewing & started doing a much better job monitoring the process & my efficiencies, which I think has made a pretty substantial difference in overall quantity.  I’ve made a few really quality brews this year, and I’m pretty excited about this barleywine that I’ve got fermenting away right now, as well as the watermelon gose that’s currently in the works!  The second half of this goal was to seriously look in to an apprenticeship or volunteering at a brewery, which I have NOT put time and effort into yet, but I have one lead (a friend is head brewer at a brewery that is expanding) and one potential lead (a brewery run by a guy in my homebrew club is slated to open in a couple months), so the possibilities are out there….  

Bon bon bons & beers beers beers <3

•  Go camping for the first time ever! – YES!!  This happened and it was fabulous!  I went out to Colorado over my birthday and was treated to some glorious company, incredible beer, mountains to die for and also an army of Scottie dogs (no, really).  Despite the fact that it happened over a month ago, I still want to write about the experience so maybe someday…

Overall I think I’ve made some pretty decent progress – obviously there’s some things I’ve skimped out on, but 2015 has been MUCH more good than bad when it comes to personal improvement, and there’s still 5 months left!

the happiest 5k take 2!

Team Fit Britches 2014!

I have a turbulent history with 5ks - first I was all about them, then I decided I only liked silly themed races that didn't require me to just flat out run, then I realized they make me 400% miserable and swore them off in favor of exercise I actually enjoy, and now it seems like the tides are slowly turning. 

A few months ago a friend of mine and I decided we wanted to do a theme race & I suggested, based on my past experience last summer, The Color Run. (This may also have been influenced by the fact that doing the Toledo race meant we could go to the zoo & to Maumee Bay Brewery afterward.) We recruited some friends and ended up with a group of 6 & the team name "Fit Britches." (Thanks, autocorrect.)

Getting up at 4:30am to head down to Toledo made for an interesting drive...

At the starting line with my ladies, Alisha & Emily - shout to to Alisha for the super cute idea to amend her shirt to state "Fit" Britches, haha.

A pre-color shot of us with the classiest of all backgrounds...

It was a beautiful sunny day, but early enough that there was a touch of chill, so it was perfect running weather. I've been doing a lot of pacing work at the gym lately - I learned a huge part of my problem with running is my tendency to shoot out the gate way too hard and burn out before a mile is even up, so I've been doing a lot of steady paced runs at around 5.5-6 mph on the treadmill, and you guys, did it ever help.  I broke away from the group and ran a comfortable race in which I never thought I was going to die or hated my life, in about a half hour - despite stopping to get coated in paint every kilometer. And I felt GREAT. I couldn't believe how actually pleasant running 3.1 miles was!

An epic attempt to be coated in every color possible.

Of course the after party was phenomenal as usual - that's something the Color Run has always done right. Between the DJs and the dancing and the Zumba and the color packet throwing, it's by far the best post-race celebration I've been to yet (and that includes the ones with beer!).  It was also really lovely that the weather was a little cooler than my previous Color Run - the color looks much better when it's not caked all over your body with sweat ;)

Rest assured, Color Run, I will be back in 2015!

hot date on the detroit river

In my favorite place, showing off my other favorite place; whats a Canadian/American girl to do?

Skye & I and the most obnoxious tech shirts
I have ever seen.

I did the best thing ever this weekend, which was a 5k for a super amazing cause that I wholeheartedly support with NONE of the mega-stress that usually surrounds a race for me (that impending doom leading up to the moment that it starts, then abates for the first two minutes of feeling good, and then picks back up and spirals into the WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF despair that keeps me company for the rest of the race as I feel like my body is being broken down into a thousand miserable little non-runner pieces).  Why? Because my non-athlete friend Skye was in town from Ohio to support the cause with me, so as part of the deal to get her up here I agreed to walk it with her.  HA!  Take that, running!  (I admit though, I felt super guilty watching people pass me knowing I could pace them or even finish before them, had I been trying - and also kind of disappointed that I didn't truly run it because the course was BEAUTIFUL.)

The race we ran was Mickey's Run up in Windsor, sponsored by the Windsor Spitfires hockey team. The Spits are near and dear to my heart, and even more so is former captain Mickey Renaud, in whose honor the race is held to benefit the Windsor Spitfires Foundation.  I wasn't able to run the inaugural race last year because it was the same weekend I had another 5k planned, so I was extra excited to run this year.

Part of the track we ran - the whole thing was this beautiful & I want to go back and run this course for real some day.

The beautiful finisher medals we got.

After the race, we headed down to take a nice walk by the Riverfront before coming back to Detroit, & then decided that it was such a beautiful day that we should take advantage of it by staying outside, so I drove us over to Belle Isle to spend a few hours!  I can't remember the last time I was on the island, but it was definitely a perfect decision. I've been wanting to go to the aquarium ever since it reopened.  I wasn't disappointed - it's AMAZING to see it in working condition again - and even more cool is the fact that it's still undergoing renovations, but instead of trying to hide it, the aquarium almost flaunts this fact, filling open display tanks with local artwork, advertisements for local interests and signs for coming attractions.  Hallways under construction are only haphazardly blocked off, so visitors can see the work being done, and the employees are more than happy to tell you what they're working on renovating next. Such an amazing display of what makes Detroit so special.  We also spent some time walking through the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum and dipping our feet in the river before heading back home.

Riverwalk selfie!

Belle Isle Aquarium.

The beautiful koi pond out back of the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory made me long to be back in Asia. I could sit out there all day just basking in how peaceful it was. Unfortunately there was a wedding photo shoot going on when we were there, so this is as close as we could get :(

Enjoying the beautiful Detroit River.

Of course I couldn't leave without some spoils from the LCBO..........

Amazing Michigan history including a full spread on the Edmund Fitzgerald (which, as I pointed out about forty times as we walked through, is also an awesome beer).

We could have probably stay there all day to be quite honest - but we ended up leaving around the middle of the afternoon to meet up with some friends, grill some delicious venison burgers topped with blue cheese & horseradish sauce & marathon as many episodes of Orange is the New Black we could before passing out (which was way early....being out in the sun all day is exhausting!). 

Most delicious lettuce wrap I've had in a while....

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Do you feel guilty when you don't put your all into a workout, for whatever reason? Do you find yourself spending the rest of the day trying to compensate for it?

2014 race schedule

I hate running, but ALL I POST ABOUT is running!  I think I might be exaggerating just a tiny bit when I say I hate running.  It also seems crazy to be planning to do things as far off as October (7 months away!), but it's so much fun to have a full schedule to look forward to & get excited about!

Of course things could always change, but as for right now I'm looking at...

• February 15; Cupid's Undie Run.
• April 6; The Cocoa Classic.
• June 21; The Color Run.
• June 29; Spartan Race (In Ottawa!!)
• May 2; Hightail to Ale (Thirsty 3 Series Race #1).
• August 16; Running Between the Vines (Thirsty 3 Series Race #2).
• October 5; Scrumpy Skedaddle (Thirsty 3 Series Race #3).

Also hoping to do the Mustache Dache again - but 2014 dates haven't been announced yet - as well as Warrior Dash...bringing my total to at least 9, which is 2 more than I did this year. Not only that, but I think I have a nice blend of serious, timed races, and just-for-fun silly themed races.  Ready, set, race!

Question of the Day: What races are you planning on running this year?

will run for chocolate!

I've mentioned before that I only really like to run kitschy "theme" 5ks - the Hot Chocolate 5k is only half that. It's basically your standard 5k with a twist - instead of the usual water and protein-filled post-race snacks, this one gives you a giant mug of...yep, hot chocolate! Along with chocolate fondue and plenty of stuff to dip in it, including marshmallows, Rice Krispies, pretzels, and a banana.

Originally we were going to run this race in Detroit, but the date got canceled! So...road trip!

Unlike any 5k I've done so far, this one only had packet pickup the two days prior to the race, at a mini Runner's Expo in the convention center next door to our hotel. The Expo might have been small, but it was mega fun! There were a few different booths from local health, nutrition, and fitness related businesses, a stack of running-related Christmas tree ornaments, tons of discounted fitness merchandise including clothes and shoes, walls of chocolate-related running merchandise, and best of all, a chocolate marshmallow sample of what was to come at the race... 

They had these in all sorts of race lengths - 5k, 13.1, 26.2, even some that just said RUN! I bought this one as a Christmas gift, but got the same for myself in hot pink, as well as one that says, "May all your miles be merry". Too cute!

Only a small preview of what was to come when we finished the run...

I ended up buying 3 ornaments, a discounted Nike workout shirt I'd had my eye on for a while, and a new cool-weather Hot Chocolate 5k compression shirt. Oops! 

The race itself was at 7:30 on Sunday - getting out of bed to be there at 6:15 (the time or packet suggested) was rough, but I loved that the whole even was so early in the day - awesome for those of us who have to drive 4 hours home.

The weather was a bit of a downer - steady downpour all morning that let up just a little but before the race (and then was stop and go the whole time...), but it was a nice temperature to run, and our race packets came with really nice quarter-zip running tech shirts with hoods, so we were all set! 

The course wasn't as gorgeous as last weeks romp along the water, but downtown Columbus is full of some really lovely old bridges and buildings, and the race went by super fast. I didn't PR, but I'm not unhappy with my time either. And moat importantly, Theresa and I got a whole bowl of chocolatey goodness to warm up with afterward!

The mug/bowls came with a cup of hot chocolate, some chocolate fondue, banana, marshmallow, rice krispie treat, mini pretzels & a Keebler wafer - chocolate overload!!

I could only eat/drink about half, it was so big, but soooo yummy!!  I'm ready to take a little 5k break now, after 3 in 3 weeks, but it's been fun, too. Thanks for the memories, Columbus - you're pretty all right!!

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Have you traveled for a race or a fitness event before?

3.1 is still too much

Like (I think) I said in my intro post, I hate running!  Don't get me wrong, I love cardio - I'll take hour

long dance fitness classes all day long and love every second of it, but just plain running feels like torture.  Some people say you learn to love it, some people say it gives them time alone with their thoughts & lets them step away from the real world for a bit, some people just enjoy the physical aspect of it.

Absolutely loving this Race T-Shirt!

I am not one of any of them.  Generally when I run a 5k, I spend the first minute thinking this isn't so bad, it almost feels kind of good, maybe today's the day I start to like running, and by about the 5th minute I'm thinking holy crap is this over yet? Why did I talk myself into this again?  Then I inevitably check my watch, realize I'm only about 1/4 the way through (I run about a 28:00-29:00 5k) and I spend the next few minutes thinking how after this one, I'm DONE.  No more 5ks for me, no more forcing myself to do something I hate.  At around the 10 minute mark, I start bargaining with myself (just make it to that stairwell and you can walk for a bit, we'll just run 2 miles and then we can walk the 3rd) - and coming up with reasons why the run feels so bad today (it's so windy, it's too hot out, it's a hillier course than normal, my calves were so tight this morning).  By this time I've usually passed the Mile 2 marker (but not noticed it, because I was too busy thinking about how miserable I am), and I spend the next mile looking desperately around for it.  Somehow the looking around usually winds me up settling into a decent pace and not hating my life so much, and about a mile goes by of peaceful semi-misery before I hit mile 3, try to do that thing where you bust it for the last .1 mile to get across the finish line, and then spend the next 15 minutes positively dying.

But then the most inexplicably glorious thing happens - all of a sudden you start to feel awesome.  Surrounded by a bunch of other miserable runners, all exhausted but high on endorphins, I look at my heart rate monitor and think hell yeah, I did that!

So I keep running 5ks.  I ran my first on January 1, 2013 - Lifetime Fitness' Commitment Day 5k - and since I've done 7 others.  I admit, as a run-hater, my 5k niche is basically the silly, kitschy, theme/obstacle/etc. runs that are pretty non-serious, as far as races go.  These past two weekends, however, I ran two pretty basic 5ks:

• Saturday 11/2 was the 2013 Run of the Dead in the Southwest (Mexicantown) area of Detroit.  The run was in celebration of Dia de Los Muertos, and the course took participants through Detroit's Holy Cross Cemetary (the 10k route went through a second historic cemetery as well).  The highlight of the run was absolutely the loop through the cemetery, where they also had members of the Living Arts Youth Ensemble performing a traditional Danza de la Muerte through the headstones.  It was tough not to stop running just to watch them!  It was a cold, damp, rainy day, but the run was really enjoyable regardless.  At the end they served us bottles of water, traditional tortilla chips from a Mexicantown bakery, and Mexican style cookies!  I finished the run in 28:58.8 (which is about 40 seconds from my PR), and 44th out of the 247 participants, so I wasn't unhappy.  And the Race T-Shirts were lime green and feature an awesome looking traditional sugar skull!!  I'm definitely in love with mine.

The Mustache medals were sooooo cute - and we also got chocolate mustaches
 for finishing!! I gave mine to my BFF Alyssa for coming to cheer me on :)

• Yesterday, 11/9, was the Mustache Dache Detroit.  I admit, there are three things everyone seems to be obsessed with that I just don't get - bacon, Shark Week, and mustaches.  The Movember thing is for a great cause, but I won't ever understand the obsession with it!  However, I had a couple friends who were planning on running this race, and it is a neat idea - plus it started at Atwater Brewery and I love few things more than beer ;)  This race started out extremely rough - the wind was crazy yesterday and for the first 1.5 miles it was basically blowing directly into us - and most of that section of the race was uphill!  I confess about a mile in I started to really think I was just going to walk - I even did, for about a minute or so.  Luckily right after my almost-breakdown, we turned the corner and started doubling back.  Suddenly the wind was at our backs, and the next mile plus of the course was run on almost completely flat ground right along the absolutely beautiful Detroit riverside.  It was sunny, the scenery was gorgeous, and I fell into a nice, steady pace that didn't even make me feel like I was going to die.  That mile and a half was probably the happiest I've ever felt while running.  Thanks to my poor start, I finished with a time of 29:39 - as soon as I saw the finish line and the clock time at almost 30:00 I busted ass to get across it!! While I didn't even come close to my PR time, I was determined to finish under 30 and I did.

After the race we got some seriously cute Mustache Dache medals, and a free beer at Atwater (my best friend had come down with me, so we split a Decadent Chocolate Ale (which was delicious), and a Hop-A-Peel, which was the perfect bitter end to an exhausting race.  I would absolutely do this 5k again!

Following the race, we grabbed some lunch at Slow's BBQ, took a little trip to explore the old Detroit Train Station, and hit up the Red Wings game (even though they lost, I got to see my boy Richard Panik assist on Tampa's winning goal, so it wasn't all for nothing!).

Next it's time to gear up for yet ANOTHER race next weekend - the Hot Chocolate 5k in Columbus!!  Enough already!!

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY:  Do you enjoy running?  What makes it tolerable to you or how did you learn to love it?  How do you feel about "trendy" theme 5ks (like color runs, obstacle races, glow runs at night, etc.) vs just plain old running races?