Top Ten Running Costumes

It's that great time of the year where we all get to dress up in our favorite costume for Halloween. For some of us it's a day, the weekend, or for brave, the whole week. It blows my mind seeing people continue this dress up theme for a long 26.2 miles but it has been done. And done so with creativity and passion. From tutu's to superhero costumes, this is the top ten fun costumes people have worn during a race.

Enjoy!

10.  A Chicken

9. Nerds Candy

8. Harry Potter

 

7. Hooters Girl

 

6. Gorillas in Tutus

 

5. Power Rangers

 

4. Christmas Tree

 

3. Anatomy Body Suit

 

2. Blue Men Group

 

and for the top spot...... 

1. The Dedicated Two Man Camel Costume

 

 Thank you for reading this week!

Post-Homecoming Detox

It certainly is that time of the year again where all of our diets seem to go straight down the drain. From tailgating to buying anything "pumpkin spice," the fall season never fails to make us take in those extra calories.

Yesterday was Illinois State's, as well as many other schools, Homecoming celebration and I'm sure we all ate one too many hot dogs or handfuls of chili dip. Feeling those post-homecoming decisions today, I know it is time for a cleansing detox. Whether you drank vodka waters all day (good for you) or preferred Busch Heavy beer bongs, I hope this easy detox can help you get back into the swing of things!

 

I have tried several different detoxes around summer time as well as the holiday season, and this water detox has always been the easiest to do. It's best to use a large gallon size jug and make one large batch so you do not have to cut everything individually each time you finish a glass.

What you'll need:

• 1 Gallon of water
• 1 Large cucumber 
• Handful of fresh mint leaves
• 2 Lime
• 1 Lemon

What to do:

• Cut all ingredients. Slice the lemons, limes, and cucumbers.
• Combine all of the ingredients in a large water pitcher.
• Put the pitcher in your fridge for 4-6 hours to let everything soak together. Or you could even combine everything and let it sit over night. 
• Enjoy!
• Once you fill a glass just add water to the batch. With the fruit sitting in the water you should be good to refill the pitcher several times without losing taste.

Thank you for reading, have a wonderful week! :)

Chicago Marathon Recap

I ran the Chicago Marathon this past weekend for my first time. It was such a fun race and I had a blast meeting people around me in my corral. People from all around the world came out for this event and it was a blast meeting new people. I met people from Mexico, Miami, Pennsylvania, and Brazil, just to name a few.

Here are a few pics from the race, enjoy!

 

 

The official shirt

 

 

My boyfriend Jake came to watch the race

My friend Matt ran Chicago for his second time this year!

 

When your dog looks better with a medal than you.


Now it's time to buy new shoes and start preparing for Honolulu! Thanks for reading this week!

Chicago Marathon 2015

Two more days until the Chicago Marathon! I've been training for roughly four months although it seems as if it has been year round since I ran the Illinois Marathon in April and haven't had much downtime since.

This past week I've kept my exercises relatively easy with minimal weight training to avoid being sore by start time and doing different types of cardio. I've mostly done the stair stepper although earlier in the week I did sprints and ran a few miles at a comfortable level.

There were a couple of things I've done much differently with this training versus previous ones such as incorporating weekly yoga into my schedule to help sore muscles, cut meat out of my diet (thanks to advice form my Uncle Jon), drank alcohol minimally, and truly have stuck to my goals I've set for myself.

I wanted to achieve dropping 20 pounds and finishing around 4 hours. Since June I have lost 15 which isn't necessarily where I wanted to be although improvement is improvement and I'm proud I've made it this far. In The Twin Cities Half Marathon I finished in ~1:55 which sets me up for a sub four for Chicago although my time my fluctuate a bit due to how I'm feeling day of.

Gear for the race:

Zansah Compression Sleeves
I'll use these the two nights before, the day before, pre-race, and post-race. Great to use if you have ever suffered from shinsplints. These were given to me as a "pass it on" gift from a worker named Clint from Often Running when I was buying my first real pair of running shoes. I've been extremely thankful for these, it was an surprising act of kindness I'll never forget.

Lululemon headband
I've worn this headband for each race therefore it's fitting to keep the tradition going.

Brooks Ghost 7 Running Shoes
I got these on sale for $70 from Often Running although the fit has been wearing and my feet slide now. I wore the vertex version for the Illinois Marathon and they absorbed too much heat. I probably will not buy this version again.

Marika Slim Waist Band
Awesome product. The fit is very light and doesn't bulge under your shirt while holding everything you need.

Balega Blister Resist Running Socks
Haven't used these socks much but my blisters are gross so I'm hoping they save my feet!

10 Ways to Keep Runs Fun

Run in different locations with varying mileage. Try diverse workouts, and do them with new running partners. Even better, find a local running group. Mixing it up helps get you out the door, keeps it fun, and boosts your fitness level.

It can help to plan your runs for the week ahead. Keep in mind that every run you do should have a purpose to it. Runs can be easy for recovery, fast for speed, long run for endurance, or hill workouts to build strength. Plan your route and distance of the run with the purpose in mind.

RELATED: Run your first—or fastest—marathon ever! Train smart with the Big Book of Marathon and Half-Marathon Training.

And, most important of all, keep it fun. Regardless of how hard or easy, or how long or short, the run should be fun. Experiment! Find the workouts and the running routes you enjoy the most and incorporate them, but keep searching out new options to keep it fresh, exciting, and interesting.


Here are some suggestions for mixing up your week:

1. Run to a destination. For example, run to the gym or run to complete an errand—like going to the post office. You can meet up with friends so you have a ride home or plan to run back home.

2. Easy/medium/hard run. For a speed workout, run easy for three minutes, at a medium difficulty for two minutes, and hard for one minute. Repeat this sequence for the duration of your run.

3. Landmark runs. After a warmup, run hard for a short interval to a landmark like a mailbox, a driveway, or a streetlight along the route; then jog easy for recovery to the next landmark. Repeat.

4. Explore a new running area. Go to a park, or a new neighborhood popular with runners.

5. Try a trail run. The concentration needed for trail running engages your mind as you figure out how to traverse uneven terrain, rocks, roots, hills, water, and other obstacles. It's a great strength builder, too. (Check out these 21 trail tips to get you started.)

6. Plan a hill repeat run. Find a hill in your area that is about a quarter mile in length with a nice incline. Run one mile for a warmup then tackle the hill. Run up the hill and jog easy down, then turn around and run up the hill again. Repeat several times. Run a one-mile cooldown afterward.

7. Try a track workout for speed. Run a one-mile warmup. Time yourself and run one lap at a hard pace; then, jog or walk one lap for recovery. Repeat four to six times. Set a consistent pace for the hard laps and stay within a five-second variance for each lap. Gradually increase the number of laps you run over the weeks.

8. Make running dates with friends. Nothing like good conversation to help pass the miles.

9. Running on a treadmill? Try using a pre-programmed hill run or interval run. The treadmill will automatically speed up or down or add an incline. Varying the pace and incline will engage your mind. (Our chief running officer, Bart Yasso, has a few favorite treadmill workouts you could try as well.)

10. Register for a race. There is nothing like making a race commitment to get you out the door and focused on training. Select a local race or go for a destination race. Finding a race somewhere you have always wanted to visit is a great motivator and a fun way to tour that area. If you have already done some races, select a race that presents a different challenge—like a new distance, a trail race, or an obstacle race.

From: www.RunnersWorld.com

Twin Cities Half Marathon

This past Saturday I ran the Twin Cities Half Marathon in Bloomington, Illinois. The weather was perfect and the course was nice and flat. I PRed with a time of 1:55 which was really exciting as I was shooting for a 2 hour half time. Hoping Chicago goes smoothly so I can keep this pace and try to knock some time off for my sub 4 marathon goals.

Placed 3rd in my age division! I couldn't believe it considering I literally never win anything.

Congratulations to Jake for for running his first half marathon!
He did awesome and I am so proud of him for kicking butt doing so.  I warned him when we first started dating that I was going to try turn him into a runner. Now time for a marathon.


13.1

Running is for crazy people.

You get blisters. Your legs are sore. You cramp. You sweat literal salt. Your feet kill. So why do it?

I've had my fair share of questions from friends and family asking "you're crazy why on earth would you want to run 26.2 miles." If racing interests you I'm sure you have too. So why do it? What answer do you give? Because its fun isn't going to cut it, it's apart of my lifestyle now sounds crazy, and quite frankly there isn't one specific reason.

Why do I do it?

1. It is the time during the day that nothing else really matters. If something is bothering me the next thing to do is tie shoes to my feet. I get into a "zone" that clears my mind from all the stress and anxiety I may feel. Normally I don't run with other people, not that I don't like to but more so going on a long run is important to me in a different way. 
2. Signing up for the next race keeps you accountable to keep up on your fitness as well. I'm not totally in shape and where I'd love to be and that's okay. I eat pizza at midnight and drink pitchers from the pub every once in awhile but if I'm in the (month before) homestretch I may only go out twice. 
3. It may be expensive but it's cheaper than smoking (to put it in perspective).
4. Getting that new pair of shoes is the greatest feeling in the world. Breaking them in is not. 
5. That last month of training feeling knowing there's no turning back now. (Good luck getting that refund).
6. That robotic feeling after mile four.
7. Its exciting to talk to others about their personal experiences with running, marathons, triathlons, whatever the distance may be.

We all have our own reasons for doing what we enjoy. What's yours?