group mentality aka rocket fuel

Now I've never been a morning person, I more like a late-ish morning person... which is almost worst the not being a morning person at all. My silly body wants just 30 minutes more sleep then I want to give it- It's like I'm chronically late to my own party and I'm the only one to blame. So. Obvious lessons of is whine feast include the following 1. Go to bed earlier 2. Stop being a lazy slug and run in the morning 3. Motivate yourself to not be lazy by spending time around people who are not lazy.

Group mentality is a powerful thing... It's the driving force behind things like pot smoking or maybe eating one-too-many pieces of pizza because you wanna throw the box out. Looking back at the list, group mentality may seem like it sinks good intentions rather than boosts them however this weekend helped reiterate just the opposite.

Leaving Portland and heading into the woods of Leavenworth Washington with friends for a weekend getaway proved not only relaxing but enlightening. Some groups of 20 & 30 somethings would spend their Memorial Day weekend with activities such as beer games with ping-pong balls, grilling massive amounts of meat and sleeping until the start of Happy Hour the next day, my weekend unfolded very differently.

Don't get me wrong, we still corked a few bottles of wine and ate meat in excess however we also still worked toward our goals and trained for our upcoming races. We ran, biked, hiked, ate well and talked through our training issues, all the while laughing and enjoying each other’s company. The group mentality in this case was to get your ass outta bed and hit the pavement... the mentality to enjoy the surroundings you see in front of you and live the life you wanna lead. I could have so easily snoozed all weekend... and with hot dog in hand, played beer pong in excess... Instead I met people who understood my love of athletics and my training schedule and pushed me on. My 7+ mile run turned into an almost 10+ simply by a friend asking for a running buddy. After that run, the group hiked... so my ass when too... sore legs and all.



Moral: Groups (the right ones) can be more like rocket fuel.. they can help blast your past your lazy voice that's in your head and make your that much better.

Month off

Greetings oh ye fine followers. With the craziness of life comes the departure from my journalistic tendencies resulting in a monthish-long hiatus from writing. With a renewed sense of purpose and excitement I hit the blogging world head on once again.

The past few months.

It's been an exciting past four weeks for me. They've included like a weekend at the coast, Bridge To Brews 8K, Bridal Showers for the bestie and more.
Here's a few snaps from this month in my life:



A new PR for the 8K. 48 Degrees outside and this outfit was slightly lacking.


Some running. With race season up and running "crappy pun" my workout schedule has changed. More track workouts, less long runs


Lots of work. Things at Hood To Coast are picking up which means more time out from behind the old desk... time doing things like supporting our sponsors and unwinding how I can... for example, I dominated in an Iron-chief style Meatball faceoff!


First Timbers Game of the year!


Remembering old times. I decided not to run this years RnRPDX Half and cheer for a friend instead.. so glad I did. It's important to get out and support others achieving their goals and finding out their kickass potential. Here I am with friends at the 2012 event, what the hell am I doing.

Needing motivation, in a big way

When my schedule gets packs and more and more reasons to "skip" workouts come my way. . . I use anything and everything I can to stay motivated.

It seems weird to be saying this, but it's almost as if motivation is trendy right now, like everyone has lost the will to get up at 5am in the rain and run. My facebook wall is full of these:


They work, to a degree. But honestly, this is the thing that keeps me going.... a photo of little Adrienne


This little girl had big dreams. She didn't know in her lifetime she'd have to battle with her weight or know the feeling of warming the bench on the high school basketball team. She didn't understand limits or heartbreak or the possibility that things didn't work out exactly how we would want them to.... All she understood was Hope, and I owe it to her to make my dreams a reality (even if it is painful, embarrassing, humiliating and hard). The great thing about it is that I have the power to make my dreams come true, and for runner... that is so many :-)

Race Lessons from the Shamrock 8K

Well. My second race of the year has come and gone... and it rocked. The weather was beautiful, the crowd was energized and elated, and I had friends by my side! With every race, we learn something. Something about ourselves, our routine or our preparation and allows us to see the areas where we are in need of improvement. This race was no exception; great prep, a solid start and a few changes from my usual running routine helped get me into the mental and physical state to push hard to the finish.

Here is a recap of those all-important items:


PRE RACE:

THE OUTFIT: I planned a trip to Nike the day before the race to pick up some spring training items... it was SO TEMPTING to buy something green to wear at the race the following day however I'M SO GLAD I DIDN'T

Someone once told me, "nothing new on race day" and they were right of course. We've all (me included) put on a fancy new shirt or socks only to have them blister and chaff us during the race. I resisted and went with an old standby. I wanted to feel fast so I opted for a tee shirt, sleeves, shorts, gloves and headband.

LESSON: Good choice. No chaff and I felt fast

MEAL: 1-Slice Whole Grain Toast, Peanut Butter. 1-Banana. Water.
LESSON: This was a good amount of food to eat ~2 Hours Prior. Light and easy yet not too filling

START: I live about 2 miles from the start and decided to run there to warm up.
LESSON: Warm up! I couldn't help but notice how great my muscles felt as I ran through the start shoot. Warm and ready to push forward, I was able to start out fast than normal with the help of a good warm up.

RACE: I see it constantly: headphones. I'm guilty too, I started wearing them during training and for a while, used them during my races. It felt good to listen to music and it helped the time pass.

LESSON: WRONG. I thought it felt good to listen to music and help the time pass... its not. During a race, I need to push.. push my body and push my mind. This takes a level of focus and concentration found in a place without music... a place without distraction. During the 8K I didn't listen to anything but myself- this allowed me to have the dialog I needed to push though the hard moments and reward myself in other moments... it felt amazing.

FINISH and LESSON: As the shoot neared, I felt the feeling every runner or walker seeks. The reason we enter races if the first place... to feel the benefits of hard work. I was greeted warmly by a hug from a friend and the satisfaction of knowing I ran hard and left it all out on the course. 7:37 min/mile average. I'll take it!

Athletic Clothing Care MUST HAVES

Training for kind any race or competition takes a lot of time and effort as well as plenty of training gear! My days of running, swimming and biking have put both my body and my stuff through the ringer. I wanted to share with you some of my favorites that help lessen the impact on your body and your gear.

CLOTHING CARE
Dry Fit Fabrics, the blessing and curse of modern technology. Most people work out in them AND discover the same few issues. . . 1. Smell 2. Wear Out and/or Pilling. To help combat this issue, I use a solid method for cleaning that works AND keeps clothes fresh longer!

WASH- After sorting athletic clothes from the regular wash, I turn every INSIDE OUT. This helps keep the decals/zippers and reflective material safe and protected. Post sort, I wash in warm on the delicate cycle using Charles Soap

Soap leaves scented additives behind on your clothes to make them smell great. I have found that this simply mask the nasty odder without addressing this issue. Charles Soap was created for retailers to use to remove the harmful additives left of clothes during their creation. ALSO, it is flame retardant.

TREAT THOSE STAINS- Get some gel on your shirt? Get those stains out and fast! I use OxyClean and it rocks.



DRY SMART- I don't dry ANY of my goodies in the dryer! Use a drying rack instead to help save your garments as well as cut down on electricity.

Found this in a cookie

A little dedication to the miles and and miles that have been made amazing by good company. Thanks Tawny and Mike J, Saturday morning long runs aren't the same without you!

Weekly Recipe: Taco Seasoning

For the longest time, I made tacos with those premade seasoning packets. No more. Those packets, although tasty has 1. NO MUCH SALT 2. NO ENOUGH FLAVOR 3. NOT ENOUGH SPICE

The solution? Make your own! Use an empty spice bottle or baggie to make this up. Best thing is, its completely adjustable. Change what you like to please your taste buds



Here's what you'll need:

1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix in a bowl and boom! Add to ground beef (Use 94% lean organic beef or turkey- I use sliced veggies) after the meat has been browned and the grease drained. Add seasonings and about a 1/2 cup of water to simmer.

Enjoy those tacos!