Jess Runs

Friday Confessions Part Two

2012-01-27T10:06:00.000-05:00

I've been sick with some sort of nasty head congestion/sore throat for most of the week and haven't done one bit of working out since volleyball on Tuesday night.

This makes me feel lazy. (And it doesn't leave me with a ton to blog about.)

But, it's supposed to be in the 60's this weekend in DC. I'm hoping I feel up to a bike ride at some point. Got to take advantage of the warm days when I can.

In light of not having anything workout-wise to share, I thought I'd share some more Friday confessions.

My SmartTrip card (the card you need to ride the metro in DC) disappeared Tuesday night after my volleyball game. I called Metro to report it, and apparently some loser had picked it up and been using it through out the subway system. Metro froze the card account and can transfer the remaining balance on to my new card. Hope you enjoyed your free ride while it lasted, jerk.

I have not been sleeping well this week. Monday night I tossed and turned in bed for hours. I think I finally passed out around 2 a.m.

I tend to get realllll cranky when I don't get enough sleep.

Our volleyball team dropped from first place to second place in the standings this week. Bummer.

I lost power at my house this morning for no reason other than it was raining a little. It's hard to work from home without the power and the Internet so I had to go into the office. Getting ready in the dark is not fun, but I managed to find clothes that matched in my closet. So I'll count that as a victory.

I'm starting to get really antsy for summer. I'm glad we're supposed to have nice weather this weekend. I'm so over the rain and the cold winter days.

I bought a wetsuit yesterday. It was on crazy sale and it was actually cheaper for me to buy this one than to rent a wetsuit for the two tri's I have coming up this spring. Buying a wetsuit makes this whole triathlon thing seem very real.

What are your confessions for the week?

Volleyball Slump

2012-01-25T08:10:00.000-05:00

Quick note about the mobile version of my site: I know not many of you access my site through the mobile version, but for those of you who do, I've had to disable it for a while because some of the mobile coding is interfering with my comments plugin. I'm working to figure out if there's anything I can do about it and how to resolve the problem, but for now, the only thing that works is disabling the mobile site. Sorry guys! Hoping to have a better solution soon!

Last night my volleyball team struggled a little bit in our games and we ended up finishing the night 2-2, after beating a really fundamentally sound team and then losing to a scrappy team.

Our league plays a little bit different than most. Instead of playing three games against one team, we play two games against two different teams round-robin style. We also only play until 17 to keep the games moving. It's definitely a little bit untraditional and it's taken me a while to adjust, but it's kind of fun playing two different teams each week.

The last couple of weeks we've been finishing 3-1 on the night and as a result had claimed the top spot in the standings.

I'm sure after last night, we'll drop though.

Our team is far from a group of super stars, but we are pretty competitive, and it's always frustrating to lose games you know you have the skill and talent to win.

I'm the kind of person who comes home and ruminates on everything that I did wrong in the games. Every missed dig or every misplayed set.

Don't worry, I don't just focus on the negative. In one game I did serve for 12 points in a row and had a few clutch digs, but I learn more from where I messed up.

I also feel the need to analyze the entire game with people. You know how when you just finish a great run (or a crappy run) and you just want to talk about it for a while. Yea, I'm like that with team sports too. Emily and I probably talked about the game for a solid 40 minutes last night.

Next week it looks like we'll be facing some stiff competition, but I'm hoping we can rebound and get a couple more wins.

My First Triathlon Training Plan

2012-01-24T08:04:00.001-05:00

Wow, putting together a training plan that covers a 10 mile race in April, a sprint tri in May and an Olympic tri in June that still leaves time for things like my volleyball and softball leagues is much, much harder than I expected.

In fact, it took me pretty much the entire afternoon while I was home yesterday.

I wasn't sure how to approach it and with training dates that didn't line up nicely it was challenging.

Training for the 10 miler needed to start in the middle of February.
Training for the sprint needed to start at the end of Feb.
Training for the Oly needed to start at the end of March.

I looked at a ton of different running and tri training plans, and finally came up with a hybrid that I think will work.

End Feb./beginning of March

If you're interested in seeing the full training plan, shoot me an email and I can share the Google calendar with you.

I selected a 10-miler training program from Runner's World that only has you running three days. That leaves four days for cross-training or possible rest. In the beginning of my training the emphasis will be on running to get me ready for the 10 miler. I'll bike and swim on the cross-training days to build a solid base.

Then once my 10 miler is over in April, the training plan shifts focus to more tri-centric workouts. Running times get shorter while swim and bike times increase. And bricks will be added to the plan on a more regular basis.

Looking at the training plan seems a little overwhelming at times, but I think mixing it up with swimming and biking will keep things from getting stale.

When I'm training for road races, I tend to run into the problem of getting bored or burnt out half way through training, I'm hoping a plan with this much variety prevents that from happening.

But it will certainly be a test of my time management skills. The pools around here don't open early enough for me to swim before work, and getting to bike trails takes time, but I'm confident I'll be able to make it work. it won't be as easy as slipping on my shoes and heading out for a run, but I'll get it done.

Triathletes, how do you make time to fit in all your training?

Marathon Running Chart

2012-01-23T15:01:00.000-05:00

Guys I am a major infographic nerd, so when I came across this cool chart on marathon running, I had to share it.

My favorite section is the part that deals with race fears. I used to be so afraid I'd come in last at races that I only signed up for huge races that accepted walkers, knowing they would definitely finish after me no matter how slow I ran.

(Source)

Friday Confessions

2012-01-20T08:09:00.000-05:00

Sometimes when I wake up on Friday mornings, I get that stupid Rebecca Black song stuck in my head because I'm so excited for the weekend to almost be here. Please tell me I'm not the only person that happens to.

Sometimes my work email refuses to open on Fridays. It's as if it's saying, "Come onnnnn, do you realllllly have to work today." Yes email, in fact I do. I'd appreciate it if you would load the first time I log in. Kthanxbai.

I always think I'm going to use Friday as a day to get in a nice run while I'm working from home. It rarely happens though because I just convince myself to do it Saturday instead.

I telework from my bed, in my PJs. Best.office.ever.

I love my volleyball league, but I wish the standings on the website would get updated more quickly. We were in second place last week and I just want to know if that's changed! Yes, I am that person who stalks her rec league standings. I'm a competitive person like that.

I eat Nutella out of the jar with a spoon. It's delicious. Sometimes I do the same with peanut butter.

Speaking of peanut butter, I don't really like the all-natural stuff. I'd prefer Jif any day of the week.

And on that note, I'm off to find breakfast. Perhaps a bowl of oatmeal with some Jif...

What are your confessions for the week?

Fun Night At Tasti D Lite

2012-01-19T08:19:00.000-05:00

Last night I had a great time hanging out with some of my favorite people at Tasti D Lite in Dupont Circle.

Iphone picture stolen from Megan

Greg, the owner of the Tasti D Lite stores in DuPont, had reached out to me asking if I wanted to host a blogger meet up at Tasti D Lite. I could invite all my blogger friends and he would provide us with free delicious frozen treats.

I don't know a single person who would turn down a chance at free dessert, even if it is the middle of winter, so the event was on!

All we had to do to get our free frozen treats was tell the employees at the store one health and fitness goal for 2012.

My goal

Then they would whip us up any of the hundreds of flavors of Tasti available.

I tried the Nutella -- which was out of this world good. Yes they mix real Nutella into the dessert.

I also sampled lots of other people's flavors and was a big fan of the Black Cherry, Strawberry Shortcake and Birthday Cake.

I was a little overwhelmed by the number of flavors available and seriously wanted to try them all. There were several varieties of peanut butter that sounded delicious. There was a brownie flavor I'd like to try and I had my eye on key lime too.

To me Tasti D Lite tasted just like regular soft serve ice cream, but it's got a fraction of the calories, fat and sugar, because it's made with skim milk instead of whole milk.

I thought this comparison chart between Tasti D Lite, fro-yo and regular ice cream was pretty cool.

Overall the night was a huge success. Everyone seemed to have a really fun time mingling, meeting new friends and enjoying their desserts.

I have to say a huge thank you to Greg and his staff at Tasti D Lite. They were amazing in making us feel welcome, whipping up all sorts of flavors and teaching us all about Tasti D Lite.

And by the end of the night, they had even started hanging some of our health and fitness goals on the wall next to their flavors menu.

Tasti D Lite is a New York chain, but they are expanding in D.C. Right now their main location is on P St. in DuPont Circle, but they have another location scheduled to open in Columbia Heights later this year. So if you're in the area, I definitely recommend you check it out!

SOPA/PIPA

2012-01-18T08:06:00.001-05:00

Learn more about where SOPA/PIPA stand now and why some of the biggest sites on the web, like Google, Wikipedia and Reddit, are protesting today.

The First Time I Fired A Gun

2012-01-17T08:12:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend, I shot a gun.

It.was.terrifying.

My friend begged me all week to go to the shooting range on Saturday morning. I tried to get out of it, suggested lots of other fun plans (like running). I didn't want to go at all.

Guns scare me and the last thing I wanted to do was hold one in my hand and actually fire it.

But his incessant pleading eventually wore me down.

I caved and next thing I knew I sitting in NRA headquarters, taking a test on gun safety, wondering how I'd been duped into this.

My new fancy NRA range card

I passed the test, got my NRA range card and eventually our little group was standing in a lane at the firing range. As the guys assembled guns and filled magazine cartridges, I was scoping out the people in the other lanes.

Some of them matched every single NRA stereotype you could imagine. Others didn't. I couldn't believe the number of little kids that were firing guns.

Eventually our little area was set up and ready to go.

At this point, I was still hoping I could get out of the actual firing a gun thing and just sit and watch the guys, but they weren't about to let that happen.

After a brief rundown of safety and how to aim, I found myself holding an H&K USP (9mm).(It was some sort of handgun).

I stood there for a while just holding it.

Then figured I should probably just get it over with.

So I squeezed the trigger.(The range doesn't allow photos of any type, so you'll just have to take my word that I actually shot it).

I fired all the bullets at the target and actually managed to hit it a few times.

When it was empty, I quickly handed it over and was hoping to be done.

But nooooo, the guys had other plans.

In total I fired:

AR-15 BHAR (.223)
AR-15 carbine (9mm)
H&K USP (9mm)
the AR-15 HBAR (converted to a .22)

(this list actually means nothing to me, my friend just sent it in case I was curious).

The AR guns were huge and scary and I think semi-automatic. (Google them if you want to see pictures) One of them had so much force that the bullets went clear through the target and ricocheted off the back wall like 150 feet away.

All in all, this experience was pretty terrifying, and I'll be very happy to never hold a gun again.

But at least I can say I tried it once.

Free Frozen Treats For Everyone!

2012-01-12T07:47:00.000-05:00

Or at least every one in the D.C.-area that's free next Wednesday!

As many of you know, the D.C.-area bloggers/readers try to get together once a month for food, drinks and general good fun.

For our January gathering, I've been working with Greg, the owner of Tasti D Lite in DuPont Circle for a fun project. He has very graciously offered to host me and as many of my blog friends/readers as we can fit into his store.

Oh and of course, he promised to give us some free frozen treats! (You can check out the menu for all the goodies and flavors available!)

Here are the details:

When: Wednesday, Jan 18th between 5 and 7 p.m.

What: Free frozen treats, good friends and fun!

How to participate: All you need to do is write down one health-related goal you've made for 2012 and hand it to the server. Your goal can be anything from pledging to eat more fruits and veggies, to training for a 5K, to striving to walk more, etc.

Where: Tasti D Lite - DuPont Circle
2029 NW P Street
Washington, DC 20036

RSVP: We need a general count of how many people will be there. Please let me know if you plan to attend by Monday, Jan 15. You can leave me a comment or shoot me an email.

Feel free to spread the word and invite all of your friends, coworkers, etc. Seriously the more the merrier (just make sure to note that when you RSVP!)

If you're in the D.C.-area and free next Wednesday, I'd love for you to stop by for a little bit.

Oh and if you're a blogger in D.C. join our Facebook group so we can keep you up-to-date on other fun meetups!

That's What She Sets Team Debut

2012-01-11T08:40:00.000-05:00

I think it's safe to say after one week I'm pretty obsessed with my volleyball team.

Also kind of obsessed with our very bright yellow team shirts.

After spending all summer and fall playing softball and football, I wasn't looking forward to heading into winter without at least one team sport on my agenda.

Rec league sports are just too much fun.

So I convinced my friend Emily to sign up for a volleyball league with me.

It's been ages since I've played volleyball for real -- probably not since middle school. But when Matt and I were dating, he was super into volleyball (still is) and I spent a lot of time watching his games, picking up on strategy and learning how things work.

Turns out I actually absorbed some of the hours and hours of game strategy I listened to over the years, and I was able to put some of it to use last night in our first game.

We won three out of the four games we played last night (probably should have won the fourth too, oh well!)

For a bunch of people that had never met each other until a few minutes before the start of the game, we pulled together pretty well.

There was definitely a bit of that awkwardness of a bunch of new people playing together for the first time. No one wanted to be too aggressive with calling the ball or stepping on people's toes, but by the end of the night we were working much better together and we're beginning to get a sense of people's strengths and weaknesses on the court.

I, for example, can dig a ball pretty well, but ask me to set, and well that's just comical.

Oh and somehow I became the team captain, which is pretty cool. I like being in charge of stuff.

I think it's going to be a great year for team That's What She Sets.

Vega Sport Nutrition Review

2012-01-10T08:07:00.004-05:00

It's a pretty well-documented fact on this blog that I'm not very good at post-workout nutrition.

I've tried a million different things all with varying degrees of success: chocolate milk, EAS Myoplex, Gatorade Recovery smoothies. You name it, I've probably experimented with it.

But my main problem is I'm never consistent with anything. I love chocolate milk, but I rarely have it in the house. EAS I save for after really, really long workouts, and the Gatorade stuff is kind of pricey.

When the Vega Sport team asked me if I was interested in trying their vegan sports performance products, I figured it was worth a shot to see if I could find something I liked and something that might stick.

Like a few other sports performance systems, the Vega Sport system has three parts: Prepare, Sustain and Recover. (Basically, pre-workout, during workout and post-workout nutrition options).

When I first got the box, I was pretty impressed with the packaging and design.

This describes me fairly accurately

Score one for the design people, this box is awesome.

But it got even better when I pulled off the top and products literally exploded all over my counter.

There were gels, protein powders, energy bars and several other goodies I was excited to try.

The first thing I tried was one of the post-workout protein powders. The directions said mix the powder with a glass of cold water.

I very carefully measured out the exact amount of water called for, dumped in the tropical flavored powder and mixed it like crazy.

Nothing grosses me out more than drinking a gritty protein shake. I can't stand the feeling of powder flecks running across my teeth.

But luckily, the Vega powder dissolved really well in the water. And my favorite part was that it didn't taste overly chemically or leave a bad after-taste like some protein shakes tend to do.

I was really happy with the taste and thought the shake did a nice job taking the edge off my post-workout hunger.

While I'm certainly not a vegan (I'm not even a full-time vegetarian) I think the Vega products offer some great options for workout nutrition whether you're a meat-eater or not.

My First Brick

2012-01-09T11:23:00.000-05:00

Mother Nature has been gracing D.C. with some really beautiful weekends this winter, and this week was no exception. On Saturday temperatures climb into the mid-60's.

Every time the weather inches into the 50's or 60's I've been trying to get a good bike ride in. I'm a wimp when it's cold, but Saturday gave me the perfect opportunity to get in a nice solo ride.

As I spend more time on the bike, I get more and more comfortable riding in the D.C. traffic.

After about a mile dodging traffic, I got to Beach Drive -- a stretch of road trough Rock Creek Park that is really popular with runners, bikers and families out to enjoy the weather because on the weekends parts of the road are closed to traffic.

(Source)

This makes it a pretty ideal spot for me to practice going faster on the bike.

And go faster I did!

My splits on the closed-off section of road held steady around 14.3 mph. Not speedy by any means, but definitely better than the 6 mph that I started out riding.

I did about nine miles and then on the way home decided that I was in the mood to run.

So I did a speedy transition in the my house, pulling off my helmet and slipping on my running shoes, then headed out the door for a two-mile run off.

Oh my goodness, my legs felt like jelly. It was such a strange feeling going from bike to run.

I felt like I was moving through molasses, but somehow I managed to keep an 8:40 average pace over those two miles.

And with that, my first brick is in the books!

Now I can only hope Mother Nature will continue to give us gorgeous spring-like weather on the weekends all winter long. Nicer days make it so much easier to bike and run!

Keeping It Fun in 2012

2012-01-06T09:09:00.000-05:00

I have never had such a hard time writing out my goals for the year.

I'm so Type A that by this point, I usually have my entire race calendar planned. But this year, the drive to have my whole year scheduled from Day One, just isn't there.

It's weird.

And I think it's because I'm cheating on running with swimming and biking.

Running used to be my one and only love. I would pick out races freakishly early and get super excited about them. I'd plan out a race calendar, start figuring out training plans, the whole nine yards. But not this year.

Instead, I'm having a ton of fun experimenting with triathlon training. I've really enjoyed my pool workouts and the couple of rides I've gotten in on the bike.

So, I'm embracing my indecision and I'm officially dubbing 2012 the year of mixing it up and keeping it fresh.

My two goals are simply avoid burnout and have lots of fun along the way.

This leaves me the flexibility to pursue whatever fitness endeavors I'm in the mood for at the time. If I want to tackle a marathon, I will, but if I want to spend a ton of time on tri's that's OK too.

No pressure. Just have fun. And ideally, run lots of races with friends!

Me, Hannah and Meredith after the Hot Chocolate 15K

On that note, I have registered for three races in the first half of 2012:

The GW Parkway Classic - a 10 mile run in April that I'm doing with a coworker

The TriRock Annapolis Sprint Tri - My first tri ever! 500m swim, 12 mile bike, 5K run in May that I'm doing with my cousin's husband.

The DC Tri - My first Olympic Tri! 1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run in June that I'm doing with a friend.

I'm super excited for the two triathlons, and the GW Parkway Classic is one of the DC races I've wanted to do for a while.

I'm sure I'll end up with lots of other races on the calendar as the year progresses, but in sticking with my goal, I'm going to try not to plan them too far in advance. I want to keep things fun and fresh this year.

If you have a race you're doing in the DC/MD/VA- area that is super awesome that you think I should do too, let me know. I love racing with friends and can be talked into almost any race.

How One Break Up Defined My Entire Year

2012-01-04T11:03:00.000-05:00

~~I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to write this post.~~

Actually that's a lie. I know exactly why it's been so hard to write this post and why I've been avoiding it forever.

For me, 2011 was a bi-polar year. I had a lot of really amazing highs --

won a work award, was honored at a fancy pants gala, got my face on the cover of a magazine,

smashed my half marathon PR --

but there was one heartbreaking low that really defined my whole year.

Back in May, Matt and I broke up.

To say I was completely blind-sided would be the understatement of the year.

It was a random Thursday in May. The weather was decent, I was looking forward to the weekend and glad to be home from work.

I was more than a little surprised to get home from work, open the door and see Matt standing in my living room (yes, he had a key.)

Then he said the four worst words in the world, "We need to talk." And just like that a nearly three-year relationship with the guy I thought I was going to love forever was over.

I'm pretty sure I hyperventilated as I choked on tears.

I spent the next several weeks in a numb stupor. I couldn't eat because my stomach hurt so much and I lost an absurd amount of weight in a very short time. (Don't worry it's all back now. I have tailgate season to thank for that.)

I had never been so grateful to be swamped at work because it kept me distracted. I'd hold it together on the Metro ride home and by the time I got to my front door I was sobbing again.

It was a long summer.

I was grateful for my friends who dreamed up crazy things for us to do to keep me busy and get me out of the house (Backstreet Boys concert anyone?).

I was grateful for my softball team and our post-game margaritas.

I was grateful for days at the beach and I was happy to be outside in the sunshine.

Still running took a major back seat.

I didn't have the energy or the motivation for distance running. I embraced shorter distances and the mental clarity that came with them. (In light of what you know now, this post probably makes a lot more sense.)

I ran with family. Tried to run for the fun of it. In the process I managed to set a new 5K PR.

When fall rolled around, I started to feel like my old self again.

Tailgate season helped. Being surrounded by friends helped.

And like the cliche says, "Time heals all wounds."

And yes, time really helped.

It's been almost 8 months now and I'm definitely in a better place than I was back then. There are still days when I'm sad for what I lost and miss the way things were, but those days are fewer and farther between.

In many ways, this singular event defined 2011 for me. And I don't mean that in a bad way.

Yes at the time it truly sucked more than anything in the world, but since then I have grown so much and learned so much about myself and what I ultimately want out of life.

I know I'm strong enough to stand on my own two feet. I have a job I love that I'm pretty good at. And I have the best damn friends a girl could ask for.

I'm lucky to have it as good as I do.

So while 2011 was an emotionally hard year, I'm trying to take the lessons I learned and use them to pave the way for a kick ass 2012.

Unplugging in the New Year

2012-01-03T08:09:00.000-05:00

Christmas vacation just went way too fast, and I can't believe I'm back in the office at the start of a new week.

I really enjoyed my time off though. I spent about five days in Allentown with my family and got to catch up with friends from high school and several of my cousins and aunts and uncles.

I also thoroughly enjoyed being away from the computer.

I absolutely love working full time in social media, but sometimes it can be draining to get home from work and then spend more time on Facebook, Twitter and blogging.

So over Christmas break, I made an extra effort to step away from technology.

I only blogged a handful of times, I checked Twitter maybe twice and I barely updated anything on Facebook.

Instead, I spent time shopping with my mom, watching football with my dad, grabbing lunch with some friends, helping another friend pack their apartment, going on a nice long bike ride and sneaking in some swims and some runs. Oh and visiting puppies at the Humane Society (might have been my favorite part of my vacation!)

This vacation reminded me how nice it can be to step away from the Internet and enjoy living in the real world.

Oh and that the world won't stop spinning because I didn't tweet at all.

I still plan to blog regularly because I love it, but I want to remember to take time for the real people in my life too.

In the new year, I hope to share more than just my workouts and my new adventures in the world of triathlons, but I also hope to share some of the every day fun stuff going on in my life.

And I hope by stepping away from the Internet every now and then, I'll have more fun life experiences to share.

Have you ever taken a step back from technology?

These Shoes Are Made For Walking

2011-12-29T09:45:00.001-05:00

One of the things I love about living in Washington D.C. is that I can walk almost every where I need to go.

But all the walking around I do kind of limits my footwear options.

When I'm walking blocks and blocks to get places, I'd much rather be in comfortable shoes that don't destroy my feet, knees, hips, etc. Usually that means I'll be walking around in a pair of old running shoes.

Hardly the most stylish thing ever.

So when reps from Teva and Ahnu reached out to me and offered to send me some more stylish (but still comfortable) commuting shoes, I was happy to take them up on it.

I picked three different styles to try out that all served different purposes.

These hot pink shoes from Teva were my "fun shoes."

They were bright and bold and just a little bit out there. But man were they comfortable.

These black shoes from Ahnu were perfect for wearing during my regular work commute.

They were less noticeable than my running shoes under my black work pants, and they let me carry my "office-appropriate" shoes in my purse until I got to work.

These grey shoes from Ahnu were my more practical "Sunday errand" shoes.

I wore them when I had to lug groceries home from the store or haul veggies home from the farmer's market. They were great for wearing out and about as I knocked errands off my list. I appreciated the extra support they had (at least compared to my beat up running shoes).

I was a big fan of all three pairs and was glad to have something other than running shoes to wear when running around town.

Biking the Capital Crescent Trail

2011-12-27T07:30:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday before I came home for Christmas the weather was in the 60's in D.C. and I thought it was the perfect day to take my bike out for a second ride.

I'm still really nervous riding my bike on the busy roads in D.C., but luckily the D.C.-area has several well-maintained trails perfect for biking and running.

On Thursday, I decided to explore the Capital Crescent Trail for the first time. This is a great trail that runs from Georgetown in D.C. all the way into Montgomery County, Maryland.

View of the Potomac from the trail

Seven miles of trail from Georgetown to Bethesda are nicely paved, while the rest of the trail is crushed stone.

I took my bike to the paved part of the trail and set out on my ride.

I was a little shaky at first. There were a lot of people out running and biking, and I was worried I'd crash into someone.

But after I was going for a few minutes, I was getting a pretty good feel for shifting and braking.

I started feeling more and more comfortable picking up the pace a little bit.

In total, I did a 14 mile ride in just under an hour and ten minutes. According to Garmin, that works out to something close to a 12 mph pace.

I'm hoping we get some more mild days in D.C. this winter so I can take my bike out for some more rides. My bike confidence is definitely building with each ride.

A Little Christmas Fun

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

With just a few days to go until Christmas, I thought it would be fun to play along with and take this holiday quiz that I've seen floating around the blogosphere. Fill free to steal it and play yourself! If you do share a link in the comments so I can go check out your answers!

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate?

Hot chocolate for sure. Preferably with marshmallows or whipped cream.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

Santa allows wraps the presents.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?

We do colored lights on our tree but white lights outside. I'm a big fan out white lights outside.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?

Nope.

5. When do you hang your decorations up?

Usually sometime over Thanksgiving weekend because that's when everyone is home. But this year I think my parents did most of the decorating after I was back in Maryland.

Love my Terps ornament

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

My mom's candied sweet potatoes are definitely my new favorite. I used to absolutely hate them as a little kid, but now I can't get enough of them. At Thanksgiving, the leftovers didn't last nearly as long as I would have liked.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?

When we were little, my brother and I used to wake up at like 3 a.m. to sneak downstairs to see if the presents were there. Then we'd try to wake my parents up and insist we open them right away. Yea, Mom and Dad were never too thrilled about that. Now we can barely pry my brother out of bed at 11 a.m. to open presents.

8. What is on your Christmas Wish list?

Is it a "wish list" item if I already know I'm getting it? I picked out the Zensah compression sleeves that I've wanted for a while now.

9. Do you open a gifts on Christmas Eve?

No. How could we do that if Santa hasn't been to the house yet?

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

Sad fact, I don't have my own tree this year. But last year, I bought lots of little glass balls in maroon and gold. I thought it looked pretty.

11. Snow? Love it or dread it?

It's fun for the first day, then it needs to go away immediately and stop messing up the traffic in D.C.

12. Real tree or fake tree?

I've only ever had fake trees. Growing up, my Dad never wanted to risk tree fires with a real tree.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?

I've had lots of great gifts over the years. When I was little I remember being so so excited about getting Mall Madness (you know that board game where you race through the mall to buy stuff). In more recent years, my Under Armour stuff and other general running gear has been some of my favorite.

14. What’s the most important thing about Christmas for you?

Going home and getting to see friends and family that I don't see very often otherwise.

Like my uncle, my cousin and my mom

15. What is your favorite Holiday dessert?

My family doesn't have any sort of traditional holiday desserts, but my uncle makes a mean cheesecake.

16. What is your favorite tradition?

On Christmas Eve, we go to dinner at our family friend's house. There are four or five families that show up in the afternoon. We eat dinner, go to Christmas Eve Mass, and then go back for dessert. We've been doing it for years now and it's my favorite part of Christmas.

17. What tops your tree?

A star.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving?

I am obsessed with giving gifts. I love trying to pick out the perfect thing for someone and then I get really antsy waiting for them to open it. I love seeing their reaction.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?

All I Want For Christmas Is You.

20. Candy canes, yuck or yum?

Yum (in moderation)

21. Favorite Christmas Movie?

Mickey Mouse's Christmas Carol followed closely by Love Actually.

22. What do you leave for Santa?

Milk, cookies and a carrot for Rudolph.

23. Do you have a Christmas morning tradition?

Wake up, open presents and then my dad makes us a big scrambled egg breakfast.

24. Do you prefer to shop on-line or at the mall?

Definitely online. I like to avoid the crowds when I can. Plus free two-day shipping with Amazon prime is pretty much the best thing ever.

25. Christmas letter or Christmas card?

I don't send my own, but my family sends cards.

And that's a wrap!

From my family to yours, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

Office Holiday Party

2011-12-21T08:47:00.000-05:00

Last week, my office had its holiday potluck complete with gifts

a well-stocked fridge

a visit from Santa

and a Wii bowling tournament where I took home the grand prize!

After eating some seriously delicious food at the office and listening to Christmas music with my coworkers, I am officially ready to head home to PA for some family Christmas festivities. Tomorrow night can't come fast enough.

Running for My Granddaddy's Memory

2011-12-20T07:33:00.001-05:00

Hey guys! Today I have an awesome guest post from Jackie about running a race with a charity organization. I've never actually run a race for charity, but I have tons of friends who have and I thought Jackie's story was touching and wanted to share!

Jackie Clark blogs for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance's blog. She also has a personal blog, Jackie's Arc, that shares health and fitness tips. Jackie has been participating in charity marathon running for the past 3 years. To stay in shape she runs 5-6 times a week either outside or at her local gym. Feel free to contact Jackie with any questions jclarkmca@gmail.com.

There are many things that I have done in my life for worthwhile reasons, but none more so then when I entered the 2009 5K Run For The Cure marathon for mesothelioma research. This is a cause that is near and dear to my heart because I lost my grandfather to this dreadful disease at a time when the mesothelioma survival rate wasn't high because of lack of knowledge. So for me running this race was about giving others the chance that I didn’t feel Granddaddy had.

The most important part of running the marathon, aside from raising funds, was to prepare myself both physically and emotionally. Of course raising funds were also important, which meant finding sponsors to contribute and support me in the marathon. Obviously I went to friends and family first, and luckily the business my grandfather worked for was eager to support and contribute as well. In fact, when my church members and my co-workers discovered that I was running this marathon for my grandfather’s memory to help raise money for research and such, the fundraising was no problem at all.

Now that I had the finances covered it was time to cover the physical part, so I began training. Of course I couldn’t just get out and start running, I had two months before I had to run the marathon, while that seems like a lot of time, its really not when you look at it in physical fitness terms, which meant it was time to get serious and get into good shape.

I started by walking twice a day for a week. I would walk in the morning before work and then in the evening afterwards. This helped stretch my legs and such out as well as helped me develop the muscles and strength in my legs.

After a week of the walking and increasing my speed it was time to start running. I began slowly and for a short distance, after a week I increased my distance until I worked my way up to the full distance.

Finally, the day of the marathon came and I was ready and eager to run.

Although it was hard to finish, I did, and I raised a good bit of money for mesothelioma research, which I donated in Granddaddy’s name, something I thought fitting since I felt his presence there.

Although I was thrilled to even finish the race I was a little disappointed that I came in 27th place out of 57 runners (It was my first marathon experience, lets keep that in mind!) However, the fact that we raised approximately $23,257 dollars for mesothelioma research on April 18, 2009 in Mobile, AL, more then made up for that small disappointment.

Have any of you ever run a race for charity? How did you go about fundraiser? And did you train with a team to help you build endurance?

Just Like Riding a Bike

2011-12-19T07:42:00.000-05:00

You know that phrase, "It's just like riding a bike" that's supposed to describe how easy it is to remember how to bike ride (or really do any activity) even if you haven't done it in years and years?

Wellll I'm pretty sure that phrase doesn't apply to me.

The last time I rode a bike was probably more than 10 years ago.

And we'll just say when I took my new bike for my first outdoor ride this weekend, it didn't all come back to me.

I am terrified every time I get on the bike. I'm scared of going too fast and losing control. I'm scared I'll get hit by a car. I'm scared I'll pitch over the front of the handle bars and break something.

It kind of reminds me of when I started to learn to drive. I was definitely that girl who was afraid to go faster than five miles per hour.

Turns out the same thing is true on the bike.

At one point, I was riding down a hill at a blistering 6 mph.

But I could climb the hill at closer to 10 mph because I felt more in control and much comfortable going marginally faster.

(You know something's not quite right when you go faster up the hills than down the hills!)

I'm sure it will just be a matter of time before I gain some confidence on the bike, but right now I'm seriously wondering if this whole triathlon thing was the best idea ever.

Swimming and running aren't going to be an issue, but this whole bike thing. I just don't know.

Out Of Shape

2011-12-16T08:19:00.001-05:00

Remember two weeks ago when I could run 9.3 miles without a problem?

It is absolutely amazing how fast running fitness disappears.

That was my last race of the season and I promised myself some time away from running to focus on other things and to give myself a mental break.

In less than two weeks, my running fitness has evaporated.

I went out for a run last night and I was sucking wind after 3 miles. I felt like I was pushing so hard, but every time I looked at my Garmin I'd see I was running approximately a 10:30 pace.

I felt so out of shape and like a major slacker.

Then I remembered it's the off-season, time off is good, and it's really nothing to be upset about. Sure fitness levels disappear fast, but they can come back just as easily with a little bit of work.

Trying to Find Balance

2011-12-15T07:27:00.001-05:00

Finding balance is never easy especially when we're constantly told we can have it all and do everything, you know, that whole superwoman complex. But trying to have it all and do everything is a one-way road to burnout town.

Trust me, I know.

I've been experiencing that a lot the last several months, between major work projects, the end of half marathon training and a jam packed social calendar.

I blog a lot about trying to find balance between work, fitness and my social life, but it's something I constantly struggle with.

When I'm training for a race, I tend to go overboard and sacrifice just about everything else at the expense of my training. I skip happy hours or nights out to make sure I have enough sleep to get in my long runs.

When I'm not training, I make up for all the skipped social events by jamming my calendar so full I can barely function.

Tailgates are my favorite social event!

Here's a glimpse of what a typical weekend looks like for me during the off-season:

Friday evening - Happy hour with friends
Friday night - Movie with friends
Saturday morning - Run
Saturday afternoon - Bike shopping (or other errands)
Saturday night - Out with friends
Sunday morning - Church, grocery shopping, other errands
Sunday afternoon - Lunch with friends
Sunday evening - Sunday Night Football or collapsing on the couch exhausted

Lately I've been trying to avoid the extremes and find a more happy balance.

Here's what I've been trying:

1. Setting a goal to get in three workouts each week. Rather than having to do certain workouts on certain days like when I'm training, I'm shooting to just get up and move a couple of times each week. This lets me be flexible enough to fit in workouts and social events.

2. Learning to say no. I love having a full calendar and spending time with friends and family, but there are only so many hours in a day and unless I learn how to clone myself, I can't be everywhere at once. I really struggle with turning down invites, but I'm trying to make more me time in my calendar so I'm not burnt out all the time.

3. Adding in variety. I don't think I've run once since the Hot Chocolate 15K, but I have done lots of pool workouts, which I'm really enjoying. I find that mixing up my workouts in the off-season helps prevent mental burnout and gives my running muscles some much needed rest. Plus swimming works my arms, so it's nice to have that bit of balance in my workouts.

4. Getting enough sleep. A jammed social calendar sometimes really cuts into my sleep and I end up burning the candles at both ends a bit too much. I'm pretty sure that's why I got sick last week. So I'm trying to be more diligent about getting my eight hours of shut eye. Even if that means going to bed early like a granny some nights of the week.

5. Not stressing about missed workout. Yes, I have a goal to move more in the winter, but if it doesn't happen it doesn't happen. I was sick last week and worked out once. I've only worked out once so far this week because I'm still tired and run down. It's not the end of the world. I obviously just need to be getting more sleep and and get better at saying no. But in the meantime, not stresses really helps.

I'm far from having this balance thing down to a science, but I think I'm getting a little bit better. At the very least, I'm embracing the off-season and enjoying my time off from serious training. So if nothing else, I'm good at finding balance there.

Last-Minute Gift Ideas For Fitness Fanatics

2011-12-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Normally I'm really on top of all my Christmas shopping and have everything done way ahead of time. Last year I had all my Christmas presents taken care of before Thanksgiving (New record!). This year, not so much.

As I've been trolling the Interwebz trying to find gifts for friends and family, I've also stumbled upon a lot of awesome fitness finds that I think would make awesome gifts.

Bonus: You can get most of these things online which saves you from battling holiday crowds at the mall! Just make sure you pick that rush delivery option if you're really under the gun.

Awesome Stocking Stuffers:

ID Bracelets:

There are lots of different options for carrying ID while running, but a new one I've recently tried is the FinishSafe tag. After you create a free profile online with your emergency contact information, FinishSafe will send you tags in a variety of sizes that you can use on your luggage, your keychain or your shoe. For an extra $7 you can order the FinishSafe sprint bracelet in a variety of colors to wear the tag on your wrist or ankle while running. If something happens to you, medical personal just enter the PIN number from the tags and can pull up all your information. Since your information lives in an online database you can update it easily whenever you want. Cost: Tags: free. Sprint band: $7.

Gym Bag Essentials:

I used to think gifts of shower gel, lotion, etc were all really lame, cop out gifts, but I've come to appreciate them more and more as I spend more time at the pool. It's just easier to keep a second set in my gym bag so I don't have to keep re-packing them. I'm a big fan of Bodycology lotion in Island Coconut because it smells like the beach.

Sessions with a Coach:

Whether it's a running coach, biking coach or swimming coach, a few sessions with an instructor can help improve technique, form and overall efficiency. I would love to have one or two sessions with a swim coach to help me with some of my stroke technique. I'd also love to have a running coach design me a customized training plan. Cost: Depends on the person and the service.

Under-the-Tree Presents:

Medal Holders:

These are fun and easy gifts to give to people who race a lot and have tons of medals just laying around. Medal holders give racers a nice way to display all the medals they've earned for their hard work. I got this one from Meli at Running on the Wall. I really like the design and the colors, plus she does personalization if you want your name on your holder. Since the brackets aren't super wide, I had to really squish some of my wider medal ribbons to make them fit. Cost: $16 - $50.

Compression Sleeves:

I've been asking Santa for compression sleeves the last couple of years and I think this is the year I'm finally going to get a pair. Compression sleeves help speed recovery after runs and most runners love anything that will help them get through some post-race soreness. Cost: $20 and up on Amazon.

Arm Warmers:

Perfect for when it's chilly at the race start, but not cold enough to warrant long sleeves. You can wear arms warmers for as long as you need to warm up and then push them down and run in your tank top or regular shirt without having to worry about taking off a jacket or pulling off long sleeves mid-race. Cost: $6 to $40+ on Amazon.

BodyMedia FIT Armbands:

It's no secret I am obsessed with numbers when it comes to fitness. I love measuring weight, speed, number of laps in the pool, really anything that I can possibly count in order to gain some sort of insight into my fitness. So it's no surprise I am a big fan of the BodyMedia FIT armbands. These little armbands that you wear throughout the day track calories burned, the peaks and valleys in your sleep cycle and a whole bunch of other fun data. Then you can upload it all to your computer to play around with it. The newest armband in the line, the Core, is smaller and sleeker than previous models. The company sent me a band to test and I promise a full review later, but I really love it so far. Cost: $180 to $260.

If the person you're shopping for has everything you can think of, you can never go wrong with a gift card to a running store or sporting goods store. I've picked up a lot of my favorite Under Armour gear that way!

If price weren't an issue, what would your ideal fitness gift be?

Per the FTC guidelines, some of these items were sent to me to test and review. I decided to include them here because I thought they'd make good gift ideas!

Why Bike Shopping is Like Wedding Dress Shopping

2011-12-12T09:15:00.001-05:00

Disclaimer: I've never actually been wedding dress shopping, but I watch a lot of Say Yes to the Dress.

I have spent the last two weekends in and out of just about every bike shop in the Maryland, D.C., Virginia area. I have tried a ton of different bikes, I've researched countless others online and I have compared prices, styles and a million other factors.

And the more time I spent in bike stores, the more I realized that shopping for a bike is just like shopping for a wedding dress.

(Source, Source)

First you set your budget. Whether it's high or low, your budget determines just how fancy you can get and what things you'll have to sacrifice in terms of fit, style, etc.

You spend countless hours trying different brands and designers to see which fits best. You go from store to store talking to sales people, explaining what you're looking for and they pull out options they think would work best.

You try them all. Some you can tell right away absolutely won't work, but others you keep in the running as strong possibilities.

This one was an epic fail. I actually fell off while test riding it.

With each new one you try, you're hoping you'll find "the one."

You target certain stores because you know they carry a style you've seen online and you're crushed to find out they don't actually have what you're looking for in stock.

Looked everywhere for this bike. Never got to try it.

Eventually you find "the one". It fits best, looks the nicest, and is in general the most awesome. If money weren't an issue, you'd buy it immediately.

The one

But then reality smacks you in the face when you realize it's easily $300-$500 over budget.

A small part of you dies inside as you put "the one" back on the rack and reconsider all the more budget-friendly options you've tried.

You pick one that could work. It has a good fit and you feel comfortable with it.

It's not "the one", but it will get the job done on the big day.

That's how I ended up with my new bike: the Fugi Newest 3.0.

It wasn't the Trek I really loved (and still think about), but I felt comfortable on the Fugi and most importantly, it didn't break the bank.

Just like some brides have to walk away from the dress because they can't justify spending whatever amount on something they'll only wear once, I had to walk away from that Trek.

If I fall in love with triathlons or biking in general, I will have no problem shelling out the money for a higher-end bike. But for this little triathlon trial run, I couldn't justify spending nearly $1,000 on a bike that I may only use a few times.

At the end of the day, I'm happy with my new bike and I'm anxious to get some riding time in so I start to feel more comfortable in the saddle.