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Raw Food Potluck

I had a speaking engagement at a local raw food potluck tonight, and it went so well!  This organization is basically a group of people who get together and spread the word about Raw food/veganism, and I was asked to be the speaker at their monthly potluck.

I took along one of my closest friends, Jess, who I have referenced before.  She was my roomie, and is also a trainer at my gym, so we went to share our knowledge with these raw foodies about not only eating well, but exercising, and how we train at State of Fitness.

It went so well!  There were 40+ people there, and they were great!  Such great energy, great questions, very engaging people.  They made speaking about what we are passionate about very easy.

After our presentation was over, we had a number of people come up and personally thank us, but also ask us more in depth questions.  One woman came up to me and just started sputtering off the issues she has been having, in search of help, and was so genuinely thankful that we had come that night and might be able to help her with her ailments.  It is amazing what the human body can accomplish when it is being fueled and worked properly 🙂

Just all in all a very rewarding experience.  I had one gentleman in the audience who told me that I was “exceptional”.  It was such a sweet compliment, and all around just a great experience.

Good food too 🙂

Pug > tea time

So, I know I said it was a “nightmare”…

but, my terrible first trail race is over, and I did about 7 minutes better than I thought AND came in 13th out of my age group. My time wasn’t great, but that’s not so bad, right?  And all I can do now is get better.

So… I am already looking at other trail runs and I found one that sounds AWESOME!! I have really wanted to do a night race, and while looking for one, I stumbled upon the “Midnight Sasquatch 15k”!  It is a trail run that starts at midnight and the course is lit by glow sticks.  How much fun does that sound?

I also think that someday, I really do want to do a 50 miler.  No timeline for it yet, but someday.

Possibilities

Let’s talk about trail running…

And the nightmare of a half marathon that I just endured this morning.

OH.MY.GOSH…  It was hell.  This race was 85% up hill, and I don’t even know how that works seeing as we finished right where we started, but these weren’t just normal hills, these were all but walls of dirt where you had to start using your hands to climb.  Just insane inclines.

And HOT!  There were long stretches through fields with no shade what-so-ever.  It wasn’t supposed to be over 80 before noon, but it was 93 when I crossed the finish line at 11.  With the humidity, it was like running through water (really fun with asthma).

I am pretty much a walking disaster on any given day, so this trail run with roots sticking out all over the place had me thinking “hello shattered ankle, I can’t wait to meet you later”.  I even started the day by forgetting a glass of water on top of the car and watching it roll of the side of my car and shatter on the street at the first stop sign.  I am hazardous when left to my own devices, much less trying to run over roots and stumps.  BUT, I made it with only getting slightly tripped up about a dozen times and not actually falling (winner me!). 

I met some really cool people along the way, though.  This was unlike any race I had ever run in the effect.  I paced a man for the first half who told me he had open heart surgery a year ago, and this was his ultimate goal.  For the second half, I paced 2 girls from Kalamazoo that were just nothing but fun!  It was such a pleasure just joking and chatting with these strangers that you are basically going through hell with.

I have never been so happy to have a race over with, and even though it was a nightmare, and I feel like I got insanely drunk and then threw myself down a hill, it is over, and I have that experience to learn and grow from. 

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Last night, I went to a concert with some friends of Paul that were in town at a local dive bar.  I had never heard of this band before, but our friends promised good music and a good time.  They were not wrong.

The headlining band we were there to see what Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, sort of a mix of goth-country, gospel, and alternative, but one hell of a show, just fun music, and a crazy atmosphere.  I was surrounded by ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE.  It was a small show, maybe 100 people, but I was overdressed in my khaki shorts, v-neck tee and flip flops.  

I mean, there were people covered in tattoos, dread-locks, mohawks, long beards, no hair, hippie sun dresses, people wearing holy shirts (I mean literally with holes), large people, tall people, short people, just all sizes.  And no one cared!  Everyone was there dancing however they wanted to dance, jumping around, doing there thing.  

It was so refreshing to be in a crowd of people that were all so different from one another not judging and not caring.  I don’t surround myself with judgy people, but being so conscious of my weight all the time, I can’t help but notice people around me.

I tried hard to stay out of my self-conscious head, and just focus on all of these people, out there, dressing how they want to dress, dancing how they want to dance, and making no apologies for any of it.  I loved it.

Tomorrow, I have my next half-marathon.  I am not planning on a PR, but it will be my first all trail race, so it should be fun!

Happy Friday!

Karma is a bitch…

So, Paul has recently been put in charge of my sweet tooth.  We don’t generally keep “sweets” in the house, but anything even remotely close, I will eat.  

Upon buying a bag of my favorite treat outside of chocolate (pull and peel twizzlers), I asked him lovingly to hide them from me, and only allow me one per day.

Now, I realize how unfair it is to make him the “bad guy”.  I’m a grown woman, I should have the sense of control to not binge on sweets… but this just isn’t the case.

So today while cleaning, what should I stumble upon, but the stash of sweets.

I immediately text Paul to let him know that security has been breached and the stash has been compromised, BUT, I am no where near a sweet tooth attack.  

A few minutes later I decide that I will have just one twizzler… just one.

2 delicious bites in the high-fructose corn syrup beauty, I start to choke.  Raw throat, eyes watering, spit up a half-chewed piece of gross, choke.

I have learned my lesson about unsupervised snacking.

Anchor Man

30 Day Running Challenge: Day 20

Have you ever followed any sort of training plan? Which ones and how did you like them?

Yes!  I would be completely lost without a training plan.  For my first marathon I was training for (then got sick for 😦 goodbye $140) I used the Runner’s World training plan from their book “Marathoning For Mortals”, but for the last marathon and for my next one I am using Hal Higdons Intermediate training plan.  I like it because it doesn’t include a required amount of hill or or fartleks.  Though I think these are very necessary, I find this training plan to be effective and not intimidating.

kitten kitten kitten kitten

This picture has nothing to do with running, but I love it.