Slow and Steady Finishes the Race

Marathon training. …not going to lie, it’s been a struggle. Bouncing back from being sick, I’ve just felt like my legs each weigh 100 lbs and I’ve been wearing out fast. Also, I think I’m running too fast (for me, anyway). Before I officially started training for this marathon, I was running a mile, maybe 2 miles at a time, and I was averaging 9:15ish/minute miles. I’m usually like a 10:00-10:30/mile. Running 1 mile is not the same as running 5. I’ve been able to hit my goals, but running longer distances has been hard since I've been running way faster than I used to. Sometimes I end up walking for a bit. My legs are just tired.

Plan: RUN SLOWER. I just get so excited to get out there that I start pounding the pavement with a little too much zeal. Not good for training. Well, except for every once in a while. That’s what I’ve read, at least. Also, I’m going to get back on my bike and cross train. I used to go to an indoor cycling class, but I haven’t been in 3 weeks. At first it was because I was sick, but now it’s just hard to get up in the mornings because I stay up late talking to my roommate. The class starts at 5:30AM. And it’s like a 15-20 minute drive from my apt. Moral of the story: I need to get to bed earlier if I want to build my legs and endurance back up without so much impact.

Also, I’ve decided to take an extra rest day this week, so I’m not running today or tomorrow (I’m scheduled to run 3 miles today). But then on Saturday I’m shooting for 4-6 miles. Last Saturday I got 5 miles in, so hopefully with this extra rest I’m giving my legs, things will go well this weekend I’ll be able to keep progressing.

So overall, training’s fine, but it could be better. I’ll finish this week off, and then continue with training next week, but I’ll add cycling into the mix just to build my body up a little more. Right now my training plan has me running Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, but maybe I’ll switch out my Thursday runs for cycling so I can still fit it in without overworking my body. Either way, I’m optimistic, and still confident that I can run this race. :)

Life?

Life is good. :)

My first race EVER: A 5k for my little brother's friend who was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Quick Update!

This one's going to be quick, because I've been super busy lately and I actually have to get to bed but I wanted to update the documentary!

Soooo... I got worse sick. But I'm better! I found a 16-week training program (which is pretty similar to the 18-week one I was originally following), and I'm confident I can run this marathon. Today I ran an easy 2.5 (well... there was a good little hill for the first mile, so it wasn't easy peasy lemon squeezy, but the distance wasn't bad. Plus, what goes up must come down when you're running in a circle). Tomorrow I'm going to run 2-3 miles, and then 4-6 on Saturday. I'm actually running fewer miles than the program suggests (just by a little bit), but that's because I'm bouncing back from being sick and I've been counseled by a trusted X-Time Marathoner not to over-train. Therefore, I'm playing catch-up... kinda. The most they have me running before the marathon is 20 miles, but if I just run 18 or 19... it's like the same, right?

I'm confident that I can do this! I want that marathon BAD! AND, when it's over (and I've recovered), I have a possible Ragnar, and a probable Ragnar Trail relay (on an ultimate team)!! AHHHHHHH MY HAPPY PLACE. :) :) :)

...well, one of the many. :)

life?

life is good. :)

also... there are no volleyball games for a month.

I'm going through withdrawals already.

but life is still good. :)

Less Than Satisfactory...

So last week got off to a great start! However, my stuffiness has only gotten worse… On Friday I felt pretty nauseous and I still couldn’t breathe through my nose, but I helped run a stake dance that night and of COURSE I went all out on the dance floor! …in spurts, with more songs sat out by the end than danced. I learned my lesson on Saturday when I woke up feeling like I got hit by a bus. I didn’t end up running my six-miler. Am I confident that I can run six miles? Yeah. Am I worried that I missed this first longer distance in my training? Slightly… But it is what it is, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t just doom myself. I’m still all in for this marathon, and am determined to not miss any more days. I’m forgetting about it and moving on!

So Saturday was a sick day, which actually turned out kinda nice. I’m dog sitting my brother’s dog while his family is out of town (she’s a rescue dog and has lots of insecurities), so I spent the day at his house watching movies, reading Harry Potter, making sure the dog didn’t pee in the house, and planning out how this week is going to go. I’m usually running around most days of the week from one thing to the next, so it was actually kind of nice to take a real day off. Sunday came and I didn’t feel much better, in fact, I felt worse. There was pressure in my head, and everything up there was pretty sensitive. Ugh. However, I woke up yesterday feeling a lot better (nose still malfunctioning, but it’s whatever), so I went on a little jaunt to get my legs moving, and then today I'll shoot for 3 and get back on schedule. Small snag, but I guess it's good that it's early on and I can adjust easily, right? :)

Today’s Run

·         Distance: 3 Miles

·         Course: Indoor track. Flat.

Leyyyyyyygo!

Life?

Life is good. :)

OOOOOOOOH OOOOH! SHUT UP AND DANCE WITH ME!

K I just fixed my last post because the table I inserted containing my training schedule was messed up... so if you were dying to look at it, you may now see the whole thing. :)

ANYWAY.

3 miles down! Easy peasy lemon squeezy. :) Felt good! It was GORGEOUS outside. Perfect for a run! Fun story: I wanted to stretch afterward on some grass across from my complex, so I was walking there when these two guys in a car stopped me. They're looking for a place to live so they just asked me questions about my apartment complex, but at the end they were like, "Are you staying another year?" to which I responded, "Yeah, probably."

It's not a cool story unless we pretend they were completely smitten by my sweat and flushed face.

Anyway, they asked my name, said goodbye, and drove off. But because I sometimes find joy in making nothing seem like a big deal, I recognized this opportunity presented to me to escalate this situation just a smidge. So I Snap Chatted this out to some of the peeps (I actually used to hate Snap Chat, but it's kinda the thing with some of my ward friends at the moment, so it's whatever):

haha. :)

Now I get to do this again tomorrow! Which means that I have to go to bed, but I wanted to fill you all in on my first day! STILL HAVE SOME RUNNER'S HIGH LEFT IN ME. I know that not everyone experiences this feeling, but I do, and I sometimes think that I get RH enough to compensate for those that don't!

Life?

ahhhhhhhh :)

Life is good. :)

...cause 99 mph is how fast that I like to go! :)

GUYSSSSS MARATHON TRAINING OFFICIALLY STARTS TODAY!!

K so I haven’t technically started yet, but I’m excited because I run my first little jaunt later today!!!

Here's my training schedule:

Dark Blue: BYU Men’s Volleyball Home Games

Border: Muh Birthday

(you can ignore that stuff, it was just for my info, but long story short, it was pretty complicated to take off and being honest here, I didn't want to go through the trouble.)

I’m following Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 marathon training program, but I’ve moved stuff just a smidge to fit my needs (such as running my long distance days on Saturdays as opposed to Sundays as my race is on a Saturday, and other small tweaks like such as, the Iraq).

SO. Here’s where we’re at:

Distance: Three miles today. Definitely doable.

Status: I’m getting over a cold-ish whatever thing, but it’s not bad. I just can’t breathe through my nose. Smallest possible cough. Hopefully going an easy 3 miles won’t prolong my stuffiness, because I was done with the leaky faucet nose as soon as it started. Other than that, no injuries to report, so I’m good to go!

Course: Flat for today.

I’ll probably still write about it after I run it but I’m just so excited that stuff’s getting real!!!

K I’m sometimes a music runner, sometimes not. But I’m pretty freakin pumped right now and today is going to be a music day to kick this all off! :)

Song of the Day: Shut Up and Dance (Walk the Moon)

Life?
Life is good. :)

the brother. ...and lizard.

On paper, the numbers seem to make sense.

I’ve taken different paths in my life than a lot of my friends, and yet, we’ve still had similar experiences that we can relate to. How? Check out these fun numbers:

I’ve never served as a full-time missionary, but I talk about my Ragnar Relay Races like other people talk about their missions.

• Number of Ragnars Run: 3
• Collective Number of Hours Slept While Racing: 9ish
• Collective Number of Hours Spent Racing: 106ish
• Number of Different Teammates I’ve Had: 33
• Total Number of People I’ve Known on My Teams Before Race Day: 2

Though these strenuous, rewarding races are nowhere NEAR a full-time mission, I’ve had so many amazing experiences and met so many wonderful people while running these Ragnar Relays that I just never stop talking about them. You’re away from home, you don’t know anyone (pretty much the case for my Ragnars) – missions/Ragnars are a total, immersive culture shock! Everyone’s way too excited to be there, too – runner’s high, the Holy Ghost, call it what you will. Food is minimal (unless you get fed; thank you, Mr. Wadsworth!), rest is rare, and the masses think you’re crazy. Also, personally, I’ve completely fallen in love with every place I’ve run a Ragnar in (Wasatch Back in Utah, Colorado, and Las Vegas) and I want to go back all the time. However, as is not uncommon for LDS missions, I never gained any weight running these races (unless it was in leg muscle). 

It’s no secret here that I’ve never dated anyone, but I go through Ward Activities Co-Chairs like some people go through boy/girlfriends.

• Number of Times I’ve Had This Calling: 3
• Collective Number of Months Served For: 31
• Number of Co-Chairs I’ve Had: 8

As a side note: It honestly feels like this is my permanent calling, and that other people who get it when I get called somewhere else are just borrowing it. …also, this is my favorite calling. :)

I’ve had co-chairs that I’ve freakin LOVED (in the most friend-ish way – I’ve actually never “like” liked any of them. …I take that back, I did like one of them, but now we’re just friends), and I’ve had co-chairs that looked promising, but that I actually didn’t work too well with. …/didn’t work too well with me. I didn’t really know what I was doing when I first got called, and my first co-chair and I actually parted ways pretty quickly and aren’t even really friends now. Some served with me for months, some only for a couple weeks. Some are just like me, some are soooooooo different. Some people have boyfriends/girlfriends, I have collaborative partnerships.

As another side note: While these partnerships have been similar to the structure of romantic relationships, honestly, the lessons I’ve learned through having friends (both boys AND girls) have given me more life experiences and taught me more life lessons that are similar to the experiences/lessons that my friends have had through dating other people.

And thus we see that God uses various methods to teach His children the same lessons so that each may learn in the most effective way. :)

Life?

Life is good. :)

I love people, and I like to think that sometimes I understand them.

When I’m in the process of getting to know a person, I like to think about what their spouse is like, or what their future spouse might be like. I can’t really give generalizations about what kind of Significant Other a person chooses (or will someday choose) says about them, but it’s interesting for me to think about. I’ll give you a few examples of couples I know that might give you an idea as to why I find this fascinating:

Couple Numero Uno: Total Opposites

The Husband: He is crazy. Like, daredevil, maybe a little arrogant, fun-loving, adventurous, prideful (but still a great person), outgoing, loud, confident, kind of a bro. Also unorthodox and slightly inappropriate at times, as most famously noted in his Sacrament Meeting talks. It’s freaking funny, but it makes his wife roll her eyes a bit. ;)

The Wife: She’s like the sweetest person ever. Quiet, relative to her husband, but definitely able to stand her ground and not a pushover. Super nice, very loving, approachable, generally happy. Strong testimony. Overall great person.

The Combination: They definitely complete each other. Some say that opposites attract, but others say that’s only true to an extent. I tend to agree with the latter. So what qualities do we see in the husband that we don’t immediately see in the wife? What about the other way around? Or what similarity do they have that we don’t see in either one? It’s fun to look for that kind of stuff. I would say that this relationship is complementary, but they have to have some strong, underlying value or characteristic or something that they connect with, right? Sometimes, as we look closer, we can figure out what that is, but other times… well, we may never know. :)

Couple Number Two: Basically The Same Person

The Husband: Mostly reserved, but has been known to let go sometimes and bring out his goofy side, competitive side, etc. Hipster. Very smart. Creative thinker. Great friend. Very easy to talk to. Hard worker. Overall a wonderful person. :)

The Wife: Mostly reserved, but has been known to let go sometimes and bring out her goofy side. Doesn’t like to watch her husband get competitive because he sometimes almost gets hurt. ;) Loves to be outside. Hipster. …excuse me, Non-Traditionalist. :) Very smart. Good thinker. Creative. Absolutely a great friend. Very easy to talk to. Hard worker. Overall a wonderful person. :)

The Combination: I know both these kids pretty well, and I LOVE THEM. :) That’s not relevant to this post, but it had to come out. Anyway, with couples like this, it’s no WONDER they got married, right? When I look at these kinds of couples, I see their common values amplified. Let me explain: Say you have this friend. You know he loves his family, is very religious, loves biking, and never leaves anywhere without his chapstick. Then he marries this girl who has had a rocky past with her family, but she’s also very religious, loves biking, and always has chapstick on hand. All of the sudden, his love of his religion, biking, and his chapstick seem to be much more important to him. Maybe you didn’t even realize he valued them so much. Orrrrr maybe you did and you saw this relationship happening 100 years ago. Either way.

*Two things: First of all, this doesn’t necessarily mean that he values his family less than these other things. Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t; it doesn’t matter. The point is that to you, the value he places on religion, biking and chapstick is deeper than you thought it was before. Second, the chapstick may be irrelevant, but it may also represent their shared love of small and simple things. You never know. :)

If a person is not married, then I try to imagine what his or her future spouse would be like. Will they marry someone mostly different than they are, suggesting a side of them I don’t know, or will they marry someone pretty similar to them, cementing the values I already knew they had? Or what if none of that is even applicable? Every person and every couple is so different that these things have to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Obviously, these are some more extreme(ish) examples, and there are varying degrees of differences and similarities. I didn’t even touch the Happy Medium couples. But hopefully, you can see why I find this fascinating. Some people look inside a woman’s purse, others inspect the window stickers on a car, and almost everyone Facebook stalks. But I think that looking at who they pick/might pick for their eternal companion (or, you know, like, spouse or life-mate or whatever if you’re not LDS or don’t otherwise believe in life after death and the bonds of marriage transcending that event) says a lot about a person, and can help us understand them on a deeper level. :)

Life?

TONIGHT IS THE BYU MEN'S VOLLEYBALL HOME FREAKIN OPENER!!!!!

Life is good. :)

The National Parks

Once upon a time I was in this class and I made a new friend named Caroline.

I like Caroline. She's super down to earth and kinda hippie in a Mormon way. Girl wore Chacos to class. #coolstatusright?

;)

So one day, I think I was looking for new music, and I can't remember exactly how I came to this, but I knew that Caroline listened to this band called The National Parks. Maybe I saw it on Spotify or something...? I honestly don't remember. But since I liked Caroline's style, I decided to give them a listen.

I'm always open to new music, searching for bands that just hit the spot for me. :)

I listened to a couple of their songs, and I liked them! But I quickly forgot about them.

Recently, I remembered this band and decided to give them another listen because I had remembered that I liked them. So I Spotify them again and started to fall in love with two of their songs. Their other songs are not bad by any means, I just tend to be slow with my feelings.

Heaven help my future husband... he is likely to have to wait in the friend zone for a while before I start to like him, let alone before we even DATE. 

BUTANYWAYS.

I soon learned to love As We Ran and Ghosts. I decided, "Yeah, I like this band."

So then today I'm on the Facebooks and I notice that my friend has commented on something about The National Parks and their song called Helsinki. I look a little closer and find out THEY'RE A UTAH-BASED BAND.

AND THEY'RE BYU GRADUATES.

WHAAAAAAAA???!?!?!?

It doesn't matter where they're from, I'd still like them either way, but this just made them so much cooler! And apparently, they were like 19 on some iTunes chart. BYU GRADS, GUYS. #ThatsMyAlmaMater :)

So cool, right?? Here are those two songs I love; give them a listen for yourself! :)

As We Ran

Ghosts

Life?

Life is good. :)