Have you ever been injured because of running? How?
Thankfully, I have never had any injuries while running. I sometimes need to ice my knees, but that is very infrequent. If I keep up with my glucosamine supplements and cod liver oil, I stay in good shape.
The best injury I’ve had (thankfully) were some awesome blisters from the Chicago Marathon.
30 Day Running Challenge: Day 12
How has running changed you or your life?
I am way more confident and feel so much more accomplished! I love feeling like I can take on anything because I just ran X amount of miles. What could be hard during a day after a 20 mile run?
It is sad to say on some level, but I just feel like I have more worth as a person because I have something that I do that I am so proud of, and I do it just for me 🙂
What kind of clothes do you run in? Actual running clothes or old t-shirts? Show us a picture!
I now have actually performance gear that I wear. I LOVE workout clothes, and would live in ADIDAS, Lulu, Nike… you name it, clothes if I could (even though I love fashion. It is like my Gemini twins doing battle again. One is a fashionista, the other is a little more low key).
It has taken me a long time to get here though. It used to be that any old tee-shirt and pair of short would do. Now that I am logging way more miles, comfort is key…and matching always helps :).
Here is a picture of me and my beautiful friend, Jess, post Warrior Dash last year. I am in Nike shorts and an Alo Performance tank top. (I’m on the right… and it just took everything in my power to not simply say, “I’m the big one”).
Where do you run: treadmill, street, track, trail? And why do you prefer running there?
I do most of my running on the Lansing River Trail, which is a paved trail circuit that goes along the Grand River/Red Cedar River though East Lansing and Lansing. If I had my way, I would LOVE to run on real trails through a national park or something.
I love the river trail though because I don’t have to worry about traffic or motorists yelling stuff at me, and it is beautiful! If I looked at pictures of some of the spots, I would never guess that it was in Lansing, but the river is so pretty.
Word to the wise by the way: Never eat spicy pad tai before a run… it does not feel good.
What’s the strangest or most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you on a run?
This is a fun one…. I was on a long run on the river trail right off of campus one evening, when my stomach started moving around and grumbling a little bit. I should side note that I am not a farter really. I have never been a gassy person. I can’t burp, I hardly ever fart, but let me tell you what, nothing gets gasses bouncing around and out like a run.
So anywho, there I was, rocking my way down the river trail, head phones in, when suddenly, I am pretty sure I need to fart. I do a quick look around just incase I do in fact let some bodily music slip, to make sure that no one is within ear shot. I had just come around a curve, but I hadn’t seen anyone on the trail in at least a mile…I’m safe.
Sure enough, not 5 steps later, over my head phones, I hear probably the biggest fart my body has ever produced… followed immediately by the Michigan State Men’s Cross Country team flying by me…
“Of course”… I say to myself…”that would happen to me”.
Good times
Show us a picture of your running shoes! What are they and why do you like them?
Well this picture is huge… and for some reason my computer wont let me edit it down…that’s what I get for having a 6 year old laptop.. but he still works so I’ll quit my bitchin’.
This is me and my running shoes. Now, remember that I work at a gym, so this is the footwear of my profession, and also am part of a shoe tester program where I get new shoes to try out and review (it is awesome!)
The 3 pairs in back are trail shoes, and I wear those when running hills on, well, trails.
The white pair in the middle is the pair of Pumas that I wore during the Chicago Marathon, and they were light and wonderful!
Now, I pretty much switch between the blue Puma pair that I am wearing and the purple Asics that are closest to me. I love them because they are both neutral shoes (I have a medium arch with a very neutral step), and they are very light with a flexible body.
I used to be OBSESSED with ADIDAS Supernova Glides. I bought them 3 years in a row, and only strayed because I was getting new shoes to test. Pumas have treated me very well, but I will always be devoted to ADIDAS. They have never let me down.
Can you tell that I just kick my shoes off when I get home? I just noticed that they are all still tied…
Happy running!
Who supports you the most with your running goals and why do you pick them?
My first few years of running were hard because I had very few people supporting me, but now I feel surrounded by supporters!
My biggest supporter, though, is my pheonmenal boyfriend, Paul. When we were just dating, he drove all the way to Chicago to cheer me on in the Chicago Marathon, spending the entire day chasing around the city with my best friend (my other biggest supporter) whom he had never met. He then drove me home that night so that I could sleep and relax.
He is always asking me about my runs, and has never hesitated to go where ever and when ever to drive me to a race, cheer me on and hug me at the finish line, and drive me home afterward. He is a good guy 🙂
My best friend, Julie, needs some recognition too, because she was always understanding of my running schedule in college and whenever we had plans. She knew that my running was important to me and never criticized it for being a priority. She, along with our other best friend, Liz, is always there to support me at a race if she can be (she cried all day during the marathon… she’s such a lover), and always sends supportive, motivational texts when she knows I have a race or a long run.
I feel like the list could go on and on, and I am so blessed for that! My great friend and former roommate Jess, who is an AMAZING runner, ran Chicago with me (or 2 hours a head of me, however you want to look at it), helped me stay on top of my training, was always lending me her cool running gear, and never let me go for a run without knowing where I was going and when I should be back.
Candace, my first college friend and fellow marathoner is always checking in on my running. A question of “how is your running going” can really go a long way in keeping you motivated and on track.
This got pretty long winded, but I feel like it is hard to pinpoint just one supporter, when everything that my friends do for me means so much!
To you, what’s the hardest thing about running?
Consistency! One day I can go out and crush 14 miles without thinking about it and the next day 2 miles feels like the hardest run of my life (or the next week, time matters not in this vortex).
I believe this has a lot to do with my head space. I know my body can do it, but some days I just cannot get out of my own head.
Running is about 25% physical, 75% mental… maybe more of a 10%/90% on most days.
What’s your favorite distance to run or race and why?
My favorite distance to run is 10 miles + because I feel like my best runs have been at 10 miles, and anything over 9 always sounds so bad ass to me (even though I frequently struggle through 5 or 6 depending on the day).
My favorite distance to race is 26.2 because to me it is just such an awesome challenge. I always meet so many different sides of myself while running that far. I start off strong, and then at some point, I have to meet and conquer the weakest, most insecure parts of myself. And it is great every time I do.
Tell us about your first race or when you plan to start!
My first race was a Susan G. Komen 5k in downtown Lansing, and I personally believe there is no better place to start racing than an event like this. I have been doing this race for 8 years now, and it is such an amazing experience.
An event like Susan G. Komen is so welcoming to a new or inexperienced runner. The whole point is to be there, supporting a cause, rejoicing with survivors, celebrating the lives of those who have been lost, and to champion the hope for a cure, and the run is just an added bonus. But it is just a very friendly, supportive place to run I feel.
I didn’t realize this until I went out to my first non-charity run, which was a 10k. I felt so out of my element and so intimidated. The runners were there to RUN, get PR’s, crush previous times, and beat out as many people as they could. I ended up running a great race that day, but it was just a different feel than I had been used to. ( I must note that I do feel much more comfortable at all races now that I have a few under my belt).
But, there will still be nothing like that feeling of your first race, and it was just extra sweet for me that I was running for a cause 🙂
Adventures of S 