It Is Still A Mile

Source: rippedandfit.tumblr.com via Briana on Pinterest

Power Workout

Today I successfully went to the gym, yay! I only had half an hour to spend on the treadmill, but I figured something was better than nothing. When I started running, I was extremely focused on running for a certain amount of minutes at a time, mostly because that is what Women's Health Magazine suggested I do. More recently I have been more focused on running for a certain distance at a time, mostly because I want to push my limits and really see what my body is capable of.


Last time I ran and tonight, I ran a whole mile without stopping (12-13 minutes-ish), and additional running minutes after. Specifically, today I warmed up for three minutes, ran a mile, walked five minutes, ran five more minutes, did a five minute cool down and then stretched. I was pretty happy with myself. I went at a pace of 13:24, which happens to be my fastest pace ever!


After my run I went to Silver Diner  to get my free milkshake. Did you know that if you go to Silver Diner with a valid student ID on Monday you get a free milkshake? It's the best thing ever. I know it's not too great for my diet, but I do get it with fat free ice cream.

via makemytaste.com

Doesn't that just look delicious? Don't worry, it was. 

As I have previously mentioned, I am kind of addicted to Pinterest. Today I found an incredible food blog, Skinny Taste. I currently do not have access to a kitchen that I can actually cook for myself in, but if I did I would definitely cook everything on this blog. 

via skinnytaste.com

Delicious, right? It's Chicken with Leeks, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, in White Wine Sauce. I can't wait to try this in my own apartment one day...or at my parent's house.

More next time, 

B 

#FemaleProblems

I spent my Saturday shopping at consignment stores. It's not really something that I am in to but my friend really enjoys it so we went. We have learned a few things over our many consignment trips, the most important being that the best shops are in Annapolis. Yesterday we visited New to You and Return to Oz. Being the sorority girls that we are, we are always in search of vintage Lilly Pulitzer clothing. Yesterday, we hit the jackpot! I found the most amazing vintage Lilly skirt - I can't even describe to you how beautiful it is. There is only one slight problem... it is too small. It is a size 8, which I am not, but there is one slight piece of good news - it zips. It zips!

So now you are all probably wondering why I am sharing my adventures in consignment shopping with you on a running blog. I am committed to having this skirt zip and fit perfectly by college graduation, which is 3 months from now. I WILL wear this skirt to graduation, and I WILL tuck a white t-shirt in to it, and I WILL look fabulous. And the only way I am going to achieve these goals is if I continue running! See, full circle.

I failed pretty much all of my goals from last week, I'm pretty disappointed with myself. I only ran 4.3 miles, and went to the gym twice. I did stretch after both workouts, though, which is a vast improvement. This week, I will be better.

Goals for this week:

Run 15 miles
Drink at least 40 ounces of water a day
Stretch after every workout
Go to the gym 3 days

All of these goals are pretty doable. I made my mileage goal lower and days of the week at the gym pretty low because I am leaving on Thursday to go visit Columbia in New York because I have recently been admitted to their graduate program. I am really excited!

Anyway - that's all for now! Happy Oscaring to all!

Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

Throughout my time in high school and middle school I participated in a variety of team sports. I played volleyball, water polo, and softball. I always had fun, but I have to be honest with you, I hurt my ankle a little bit in the process.


via thebleacherreport.com


Just kidding! My ankle isn't on Curt Schilling's level...yet. So why did I share this with you? Yesterday I was supposed to go running, but walking around my campus my ankle was really bothering me. My wonderful roommate told me that running would be a bad idea, so I listened to her, I tend to listen to her. Even though I didn't go running last night, I still went to the gym and did 20 minutes on the bike and 20 minutes on the elliptical with a mere 5 minutes walking on the treadmill at the end. The good news? My ankle feels better and I fully intend on going running tomorrow.

Food For Thought

Source: Uploaded by user via Briana on Pinterest

Milestones

Today, I ran for over 4 miles. I ran 4.32 miles in exactly one hour, and am probably a little too excited about it. Every time I add another mile to my run, I feel super accomplished and like I should celebrate in some small way. It is at that moment that I realize the additional mile is a celebration in itself.

One reason I began running is because I have a negative view of my body. I really want to love the way I look, but I just don't. I know I must sound like every other 20-something you have ever met, but it really bothers me. While exploring pinterest I was lucky enough to stumble upon a string of ads created by nike. I have no idea why these advertisements have never been published anywhere that I have seen. They are seriously awesome. Ok, enough of me talking about them - here is one for you to see on your own. I want to keep the suspense running though, so I am only going to show you one for now.

Source: google.com via Briana on Pinterest

I hope you enjoyed that - and stay posted because I will continue to post the Nike ads when I feel appropriate.

Anyway - back to my bad body image. I have never been happy with the way I look. I am tall - almost 5'9'' - super curvy, have frizzy brown curly hair, and eyes so dark they could be mistaken for black. The only thing I like about my body is my nose (I love my nose), and I LOVE my hair when it is under control. Today, I had a really significant breakthrough with my own mind, though. I realized that if my body is physically capable of doing everything I want it to do, then why should I care what it looks like? I never thought that my body would be able to run/walk over 4 miles, and I have achieved that in a little over a month. I can't wait to see what I will accomplish as I continue running. 

The Color Run

I have to do the color run. Let me tell you why. The color run is a 5K that occurs throughout the country. At every "K" throughout the run you get sprayed with different colors. SPRAYED. You have to wear white clothing, and at the end you appear to be splatter painted, splatter painted! I love color and splatter paint and I think this would be the most fun thing associated with running that I could possibly do, possibly ever.

Why this might pose a challenge to me:

I am from Los Angeles, California
I go to school in Washington DC, but I graduate in May
I am applying to graduate school and do not know where I will be after May 21st-ish

Dates of runs:

Los Angeles: April 22nd
Washington, DC: September 22nd

I will be in DC on April 22nd and I have NO IDEA where I am going to be on September 22nd. Issues.

Anyway, I really hope that I am able to compete in this run, and I hope you choose to sign up too!

Here is a quick video about the color run from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZWsfHC-0d6A

Technical Difficulties

Yesterday, my computer committed suicide. Now don't get me wrong, I do not make light of suicide, but it happened. My laptop is four years old, and is extremely top heavy. If I leave it open it will sometimes just close on it's own. In January, the trackpad broke - I have been using an external pink turtle mouse since then. Yesterday, my computer closed itself on top of the external mouse and shattered the screen, and no, I am not kidding.

Just keeping you updated on my life, now back to running.

I have learned recently that running two days in a row is not something that I am really physically able to do, my legs hurt! So this week, along with every week, I plan to run on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and maybe Sunday. Today I was really compelled to run, but thought that I should start next week off fresh and ready, but I still wanted to go to the gym. So today I did 20 minutes on the stationary bike and went 3.5 miles, did 20 minutes on the eliptical and went 1.3 miles, and finished with 10 minutes on the rowing machine doing 1.1 miles. Although I didn't run, I am still pretty proud of myself for going to the gym.

According to my Womens Health Magazine plan, I am running in intervals. For example, I will run for 5 minutes, walk for up to two minutes, and repeat for about 6 times. So far, the furthest I have gone is 5 minute intervals for 6 intervals.

Goals for this upcoming week:

Run 20 miles
Run at least 1 day with 6 minute intervals 5 times
Stretch every day

Pinterest

So I have recently gotten in to Pinterest - might be my new obsession! Anyway, I have a running pin board, and I am finding inspiring things that keep me going, and I think they will keep you going as well. I unfortunately cannot give credit to this image/quote since it was not indicated on pinterest, but it helps keep me positive.

Taking time off

Today I ran for the first time since February 6th -- and let me be the first to tell you that taking 10 days in between runs is a horrible idea.

The last week was kind of insane, and I guess this is where I can tell you a little bit about myself. As you already know, I am 21 years old. I am currently a senior at the University of Maryland, and I am writing this blog as part of an English elective I am taking this semester. I applied to 10 graduate schools this fall - all for counseling and school counseling - and am now traveling like a crazy person to all of their interviews. I am also a proud member of a sorority on campus, and am a member of the Panhellenic Association executive board. I am the risk management chair for approximately 1,500 women in the social sororities on campus. Our formal recruitment process just ended this past Monday, February 13th, and we were working around the clock over the last two weekends. I also work as a tutor at the athletic department - I tutor Division 1 athletes. Last Thursday I drove down to UNC for an interview, and came back late Friday night. Needless to say, there was not much time to run in the last 10 days.

Today I was organizing my Lilly agenda, my Google Calendar, and my work schedule. I decided that if I put running in to my Google Calendar, then I would have to run - especially since my computer and my phone magically sync and my phone buzzes when something is inputted in to my Google Calendar! It's awesome. Anyway, I put in to my schedule to run 3-4 days every week until graduation - May 21st. On run 10 days ago, I went my furthest distance at my fastest pace, I went 3.84 miles in 53 minutes. I was so excited. Today I decided that I was going to try to go 4 miles, and I didn't care how long it was going to take me. A 10 day hiatus proved to be extremely challenging. Today, on February 16th, I ran 3.2 miles in 47 minutes and 54 seconds. I knew that my goal for the day was too high, but I really thought I could do it. I was disappointed, but my running partner told me to not be discouraged because I had taken so much time off. I am planning on running tomorrow at either 3 or 5pm, and don't worry, I will keep you updated.

In order to track my runs since the beginning of January, I have been using the RunKeeper app on my iPhone. I recommend it to everyone because it tracks your pace, distance, calories burnt and total time run - it can be used as a GPS, so it just follows you while you run, or you can enter your treadmill activity and it will also give you all of your stats. It is also extremely useful because it keeps a log of all of your runs, so I don't have to look very far to see how far I have come.

Where to start?

When I started researching beginning running, I consistently found the same 3 pieces of advice

1) Invest in good running shoes
2) Invest in a good sports bra
3) Don't exceed your personal fitness level

Although I had never run before, I had a pair of Asics Cross-trainers that I would wear for regular work-out activities. After my first running attempt, I learned the hard way that they just would not do. At 21 years old, I was experiencing hip pain, hip pain! I did some internet research, and I learned that regular work-out shoes have extra padding on the heel of the foot, which can cause a runner, beginner or experienced, to heel strike, which is just putting excess force on your heel. Being the magical place the internet is, I found Newton Running Shoes; a shoe company that believes in the barefoot running movement. Now before you ask, no, I am not running in the glove for your feet shoes, I have normal looking sneakers. I bought the Lady Isaac, a shoe that has extra padding on the ball of the foot as opposed to the heel of the foot. After one run, I knew that I had invested in good running shoes; I had no pain anywhere.

Investing in a good sports bra might be more important that investing in good running shoes, at least in my opinion. On that first day of running with my bad shoes, I was also wearing an extremely unsupportive sports bra, that was a huge mistake. My sister-in-law is a runner, and just so happens to be extremely well endowed. She suggested to me that I try LuLuLemon's TaTaTamer. I was lucky enough to find one on sale at the store, and was extremely pleased with my purchase.

My personal fitness level on January 4th: not good. The thought of becoming a runner intimidated me, so I once again turned to the internet. I have a love for Women's Health Magazine, but seriously, it's kind of an obsession. Their website is chalk-full of general health tips ranging from exercise to food and even sex life. They have a beginning running plan that I have started numerous times before, but this time I decided to keep with it. I have been going a little slower than the plan outlines for me, but I am proud of my accomplishments.

Briana's Beginning Running Tips: Good shoes, good bra, slow and steady wins the race, good music (and an iPod arm band thing)

The Beginning

It started with a New Years Resolution. For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to run. I have always been envious of scantily clad girls running along the beach in their sports bras and spandex pants. I know this may sound incredibly superficial to you, but at least I have a goal. Although it is now the middle of February, I would like to share my experiences over the last month and a half along with my current progress and my plans for the future. On January 4th I started running, even though I could barely run for a minute at a time. On April 7th I am going to run a 5K, which is 3.1 miles.