Everything I'm Excited About In This Very Moment

1. My new nike vomero 7's. They'll be the shoe I run my half-marathon in!  I took them out for a (fartlek) spin and they were absolutely perfect.

2. Surfing trip in Pismo in September.
3. My new nike running capris-best my tush has ever looked! Everything looks so firm and sculpted. Tempted to invest in a second pair.
4. My long run Friday: I went 7.4 miles, tried some vanilla plus caffeine Gu (which kept me perked up) and listened to podcasts (Hypothetical Help is hilarious) which kept me running longer. I always do better when I'm distracted from running which is why I love running with friends. And it was awesome! I came back and had a total endorphin high. Now I finally understand why people go for such long runs. (My previous longest run was a little over 5 miles. Maybe I'll try 9 miles next weekend.)
5. All the books/CDs/movies/books I have from the library! This needs to stop lol.

6. Back-to-school shopping next week.

7. I'll be 18 in 2 weeks! Holy cow. I'm hoping to receive one of these-it would make my long runs a little easier.

8. Meeting my roommate in person at move-in! She seems really nice and like a good match for me.
9. Just everything about Cal Poly! PolyPaws, Distance Running Club, Neuroscience Undergraduate Society, Geek Week, Wind Ensemble, Rec Center (trying everything from swimming to Body Pump)-the list is neverending.

10. BBQ next weekend-a bunch of friends are coming over for a back to school/birthday/end of summer get-together. We're gonna have ribs and pasta salad and fruit salad and a dessert bar. It'll be great.
11. This will sound funny, but I'm already looking forward to winter break! I'll have had finals the week before so I won't have to study at all over break. It'll be the first year in a while that I'll truly be able to enjoy and celebrate the holidays-plus I'll be running my first half marathon the second weekend I'm home, earning myself some serious lazy cozy time the rest of the break.

Have a happy Sunday!

It's About Time

I've gotten really unmotivated about my running lately. My main reason for running is simply to feel good and stay happy. Well, since school got out I've had nothing to stress about and have been rather content doing really wimpy runs. So what do I naturally plan to do to get back into running?

Yep, I think I'm going to train for a half marathon.  There's a really lovely one down in Palo Alto during my month-long winter break and it's small (250 people). No hills. Great views of the Bay Area. Lots of open space. I figured it might be a nice first half marathon. In 2010 it was an absolute mess due to torrential downpour but last year it was crisp and clear. So we'll see how the weather is this year. But I'm really excited about it!

Training: the make/break-it factor of this whole thing. I've never had a gym membership before, so I've never made an effort to check my pacing or do speedwork or any technical running stuff. But having access to a treadmill at college opens up a world of possibilities! Like maybe actually doing real mile repeats at a 8:25 pace. There's a 10-week plan in one of my old Runners World magazines so I know EXACTLY what I should be doing each day! And it still leaves me time for spinning and yoga classes and swimming (which I don't do now but might try).

Isn't it beautiful? And completely doable too!

So that means thaaaaat I gotta get better at fueling my body. I've finally found my ideal pre-run snack (spoon of peanut butter and half a banana) and post-run breakfast (overnight oats are my new best friend) but my energy levels crash around 4pm on days I run. So my challenge will be finding food that will keep me going later in the day. I'm going to experiment with smoothies because they're ideal for eating in the middle of my afternoon classes without being completely obnoxious and I can make them super duper yummy. Plus, they'll help me incorporate fruits (and some veggies) into my diet continuously. 

I can't wait for mine to arrive sometime next week:

Favorite smoothie? Ever ran a half marathon?