My Marathon Diaries

Fast food is healthy right?

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 21:55:00 +0000

Fast food is way to delicious. I usually never eat it but this weekend being Halloween I celebrated like it was my 21st birthday. Which led to the worst hangover in my entire life, i literally thought I was going to die. You know you have reached an all time low when you are puking in QFC grocery bags while you tailgate.

Why am I telling you this? Good question, I just think its funny when I do dumb stuff. Which tends to be often. Point being that since I was so hungover I didn't get a chance to eat for about 24 hours, I could have eaten a piece or cardboard at that point. But instead I had my dad drive me to the nearest Jack In The Crack and I proceeded to order a burger with curly fries- ate in my bed like a depressed fat women and then passed out. This morning I woke up and drove to Taco Bell and got more fast food.

Moral of the story: don't drink and eat fast food. I find that when I have my fridge stocked with fresh food I will most always reach for it.

Welcome Back.

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:08:00 +0000

It has been sometime since I have even looked at my own blog homepage and that my friends is sad. This is not by choice but more of how our sick world works. I will be somewhat vague as to why I have no been in touch with the social media world for sometime but you are all smart and I'm sure you can figure out why!

It was brought to my attention that my blog may not be the most professionally appropriate avenue to be using for communication. Which baffles me because it is about running, training, nutrition, and celebrities- where is the negative in that?

I realize that sometimes I post gross mishaps that potentially other bloggers might be to embarrassed to admit, but isn't that what makes social media and freedom of speech so great?! I do recognize that there are some things that could be dialed back, maybe I won't say shit as much or maybe it would be better if I wrote it like this- sh$t. Now it's happy sh$t instead of mad shit. Anyway I digress, the realization I came to was that life is too short to now enjoy the things that make life living for.

So in the end. I am going to step back into the wonderful world of blogging and if repercussions come my way then so be it, but I can't fault myself for doing and expressing the things I love Running has become a part of my life, just like work it to is something I want to grow and be successful at, and just like you need coworkers at work to help you with projects- you need peers in the fitness/running community to share your goals and aspirations with. Being part of a community is so much more that just blogging and talking about your feelings it is a place to go and share your goals and support others on reaching and achieving theirs as well. So I'm happy to be back and hopefully my friends that have stuck around will continue to do so and maybe more will jump in and contribute as well. I can't wait to start catching up on everyone else's blogs and read what I have missed out these last couple months.

Xoxo
-Megan@ marathon diaries

" Imperfection is beauty. Madness is genius and it is better to be absolutely ridiculous then absolutely boring "

- Marilyn Monroe

Hot as hell and chlorine water

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:39:00 +0000

So ill do my full review later but I thought I would just touch a little on the Labor Day Half in Woodinville,WA this morning.

Let the bitchfest begin: I don't want to be a complainer but heck I at least want to be honest.

1) the race didn't start till 9am which wouldn't normally be a problem in Seattle. But on this day it was supposed to be close to 85.

2) HILLS. This really isn't a complaint But it ties in with how the course was laid out.

On a positive note- the hills were good in that I now know I need to incorporate more hills into my training schedule.

3) Nasty water at the water stations. I had my Nathan water bottle with me - thank god.

I wanted to finish under 2 hours but I finished right around 2:19 unofficial time.

Hope everyone had a good labor day weekend! Did anyone else race or run this weekend ??

-Megan

When I grow up

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 19:46:00 +0000

I love the phrases "do what you love" or "I just feel so blessed to be doing what I love each and everyday"; I am going to call bullshit on those right now.

I read a great article the other day, click here to read it for yourself. But I will summarize a few things from this article.

Career decisions are not decisions about "what do I love most?" Career decisions are about what kind of life do I want to set up for myself?

You tell yourself that a job has to be something you would do even if you weren't getting paid- that is just stupid

The reward for doing a job is contributing to something larger than you are, participating in society, and being valued in the form of money.

One of the highest risk times for depression is in your twenties, when you finally realize that your "dream job" is not going to be taste testing beers in Aruba (or maybe that is my dream job) and when you realize that you are never truly going to be simply doing what you love.

Do not what you love, Do what you ARE

I love this. But it is hard to really narrow down what exactly you are? How about this - do something that caters to your strenths. Do something in fact Do Anything.

She mentions one other thing that I want to finish with mainly because it is something that directly relates to my life and things that I have been struggling with. A job can become so stressful, to the point it consumes you (or me rather). A job is simply part of my life, NOT my life.

Relationships make your life great, not jobs. But a job can ruin your life – make you feel out of control in terms of your time or your ability to accomplish goals – but no job will make your life complete

This is a bit of a different topic for my blog but I would love to hear your opinion? How did you find your job, do you "love" your job, looking for a new one?

~

Megan

Family Time

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:36:00 +0000

Just thought I would post some pics of hanging with my family in California. It has been so hot down here, you pretty much have to be where there is A/C or near the water in order to survive.

happy hour $3 margs!!

Here is some pics from family lunch that Nathan took. Thanks Nathan!

my cuz Matt and his new wife Bree

Nathan being gansgta... and Ethan not paying attention

Today we are heading to The Cove Waterpark to hang out. I really am dying to get in some running since it has been 4 days. But my knee is finally feeling better so I think I can get back to it.

Tomorrow I head back to Seattle.

Califronia Girl

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 03:27:00 +0000

I love California. It is so much fun, always sunny, and the beaches are amazing.

I haven't done much running since I have been here but my knee has been really sore since the kickboxing class and I for sure burned at the beach today. BUT we are planning on hitting up LA Fitness for a spinning class.

Other than that I have been doing nothing but chilling and hanging with my family & Loving every minute of it.

P.S. It is 9pm and it is 92 degrees out. How about them apples.

Why is it so hot on planes

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:51:00 +0000

I am sitting on the airplane waiting for people to sit down so we can get out of here!!!

But I got to thinking.... Why is it so much work to get to the plane or maybe it is just me.

The lady in the security line behind me yelled really loud: "man you sure do have your hands full."

Thank you lady in the matching pink jumpsuit for saying that. Yes, I realize I am unorganized when I get to the airport. Nothing is ever in my bag, I always have a coffee (which spilled everywhere in line. Awesome) and when I actually make it to the screening part they screen my bags 8 million times before I can go through. Then I do the mad dash to my gate because I always get to the airport at the very last minute.

But the time I sit down, which is now. I am sweating and fanning myself with the latest Self magazine. Which has Jennifer Hudson on the front! Eek.

I guess it's just me & no wonder people always give me weird looks at the airport. I always thought it was because I was ridiculously good looking.

Man I wish I had another latte right now.

Morning Runs.. Haha

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:00:00 +0000

I just realized when I wrote this title it could be interpreted multiple ways. Anyway moving on. I having bitching and moaning for weeks now that I have been unable to drag my dead body out of bed in the morning.

WELL MY FRIENDS THAT CHANGED THIS MORNING.... I went to bed early and BOOM I flew out of bed like my ass was on fire. Ok not quite but I made it to the gym busted out 5 miles by 5:30am.
It felt great to get back on track and to finally accomplish one of my goals... I forgot how nice the gym is in the morning AND there was a super hot guy at the gym this morning to top it all off.

Speaking of super hot guys in speedo's doing sychronized swimming... how great was The Bachelor Pad.

Not much has changed:

Vienna is still bat shit crazy- she started crying because she didn't win and she used to do swimming in high school and she tried her best and doesn't understand how she didn't win???! REALLY VIENNA REALLY?
Kasey still sounds like a frog
Graham is weird
Jake and what's her butt = awkward

That is all for now. Back to the Bachelor Pad

Celeb Stalking

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:16:00 +0000

Workout:
Friday: Rest day
Saturday: 3 mile run around Greenlake
Sunday: Walk around Greenlake with Leslie and Baby!

So apparently I am took the easy route this weekend and did nothing.

In other news... Let's talk about celebrities getting their fitness on.... also Kim K wedding did anyone watch? I haven't yet... no spoilers.

Ashley Tisdale... Holy Crap her abs are ridiculous.

Watson has been spotted numerous times in workout gear in Philadelphia, where she's filming a new movie, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. A bit of a gym rat, Watson also enjoys hiking, walking and even playing hockey. In addition, she eats a healthy diet — avoiding junk food and other overly processed foods for more nutritious eats like whole grains, lean proteins and unsaturated fats

She is unreal. I don't have anything else to say about her at this moment

No one else but Gwen Stefani can workout in red lipstick and look good doing it.

"There are certain areas of the body that dancing won't tone, so I still stretch and do crunches, lunges, and arm moves just about every day," says Dancing With the Stars' Julianne Hough. She maintains her sculpting plan off-season too, when she runs for 30 to 45 minutes on most days. We asked Julianne to show us the 15-minute fitness workouts she does to supplement her dancing.

I threw this one in for me.

Pippa is a freak out nature and just ran a dualthon a while back. Every picture I see of her she is running like 20 miles or biking 50 miles. She is a machine.

Reese is too cute. She looks amazing after two kids.

In other news. I had my fair share of babies this weekend.

Isn't he CUTE! Leslie and I shopping and yogurt bar buddy :)

Baby Elle fell asleep while getting a bath... lucky.

Honestly best Friday night ever. Falling asleep with this little snuggler... they smell so good and make the cutest noises. So in love....

I realize you guys are going to get sick of these pics and I promise I will try not to flood my posts with them. Acutally I think I am going to make a separate tab for Baby Elle pics... That way you guys don't leave me!

Labor Day Half is coming up soon... what is everyone running???

Vienna and Kermit the Frog

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:36:00 +0000

Workout: 10 miles in 92 minutes: Treadmill: With Music

I am so bummed. I thought I snapped the camera in time to capture the most precious moment last night.

Baby Elle... I'm sure you all remember her

Little bundle of joy :) Love her... anyway she was screaming her head off last night after she got her first bath. My brother was changing her diaper and Mackenzie had her 2 paws on the changing table and was giving wet nose kisses to Elle.
IT WAS SO PRECIOUS!!

Let's talk Bachelor Pad for a minute:

Ah Vienna. You are straight dramatic trash, and no matter how annoying you are I will STILL continue to watch The Bachelor Pad.

Has anyone told her Kasey sounds like Kermit the Frog. What is in his throat? Doesn't that bug the crap out of her.... I know it bugs me.

On the upside: How cute are Ames and Jackie! And then he ran after her limo are you kidding me- I teared up at that part. And not because he was wearing red pant but because it was such a super cute moment. Presh - love them

P.S: This is my fourth week in a row that I have set my alarm in attempt to get back into the morning routine- It is not working.

I am hoping once I am done with the part-time job at the salon things will go back to normal.

Any tips on morning motivation??

If not you can just tell me how much Vienna and Kermit annoy you :)

Auria Headphone review

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 21:00:00 +0000

I was contacted by Auria a while back to test some of their headphones and let them know some feedback on the product. I waited quite a while to do this, mainly because I really wanted to test them... I have been wearing them for about 2 weeks and then went back to my SkullCandy headphones just to compare them. And let me tell you the AURIA KICKS A$$...

The thing I love the most about the company itself is that they are athletes. What motivates them (taken from their website):

As athletes ourselves, we were dissatisfied with key aspects of earphone designs. We were frustrated by earphones constantly falling out. We wanted to listen to music over extended periods of time without ear pain or discomfort. And we had a desire for great audio while also allowing ambient sounds to be heard.

Love that... couldn't have worded it any better myself. It is so true too, I spend a lot of time readjusting my headphones and then sometimes just taking them out. They pride themselves on 1) having them fit your ear properly 2) still being able to blast your music and rock out... but also hear car horns and other noises out on the road 3) they look cool you can customize it any way you would like. I chose the hot pink and black ones!

They were a little hard to get into my ears and it took a couple of tries but once I figured out how to get them into my ears and they were comfortable they felt and fit like a glove.

PROS:

love the colors

the volume control on the headset- also has a button to pause your music and start it again which is a really nice feature.
the sound quality is great - the skull candy ones I blew the speaker inside them on the first day. I really like to blast my music... but these ones I had to turn the volume DOWN they were so loud!
the are very durable. I am super hard on my headphones and the Apple ones never last...but these ones have been holding strong.

CONS:

The cord is a little long. and I don't know if this a con for these particular headphones or just headphones in general. Why can't they be retractable??
I ran part of the See Jane Run with these bad boys and it was really muggy out, same with running indoors at the gym when I get really sweaty they tend to start slipping out. :(
They do collegiate personalization for your headphones but they don't have the UW Huskies on there!? What's up with that.... they need black/purple with the W logo in purple now that would awesome!!

All in all I really enjoy the headphones the sound quality is great, they are easy to put in once you get the hang of them, and volume control is really handy. I would def. recommend purchasing these bad boys OR you can wait till I do my giveaway and you could win a pair!!

Does anyone else currently own a pair of these... If so chime in and let me know what you thought of their earphones??

In the meantime check out their website and start prepping for which pair you would pick and stay tuned for a GIVEAWAY!!

Dear Spinning Instructor

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:22:00 +0000

Workout: 60 minute spinning class/4 mile run (37 minutes)

I rediscovered something great this past week/weekend - SPINNING. I forgot how much I love it.

I went on Thursday and on Sunday morning. Thursday evening was great- I ran 5 miles before and then knock out a 60 minutes spinning class with a really fantastic instructor.

Sunday was a different story: the lady was super sweet and I do feel bad that she was here on the weekend that she requested off.. she was supposed to go to Deception Pass and hike or bike or something. Now you might ask how I know so much about this lady that just walked into the room merely 1 minute prior.

Answer: From the minute she walked into the room she NEVER stopped talking. Period. She told us about the local farmer's markets, the China Wall, the music that was playing, The Beach Boys, growing up the in the Colorado Rockies, her dad's farm, the great bike rides around the area, how hard it is to bike in sand, on and on and on...... once we got off our bikes to stretch I RAN for the treadmills. I don't mind talking- obviously I wouldn't be doing this if I hated talking but during a spin class- I mean come on.

I don't mind when instructors are talking to you about spinning, the what is coming up next or proper form, etc but the nonstop questions are a bit much- at one point she looked at me and asked: "where did get your shoes?" WHAT?!?!?

If you do one thing this next week or weekend friends- DO THIS:

GO SEE CRAZY STUPID LOVE.

Do you need any other reasons to go??

Baby Elle is Here!!!

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:16:00 +0000

Workout:
5 miles on the treadmill (58 minutes) - 60 minutes spin class.

I just thought I would recap on what a great weekend/week it has been.

We celebrated my dad's birthday last weekend - his 60th!! man he is getting old.

And the pops making a really creepy face... moving on.

The whole family... except me obviously I am taking the picture. I heart them.... speaking of we have a new addition to the family!!!

Isabelle Marie McArthur - Born August 11th, 2011 @8:09pm - 6lbs 120z (the 12 oz account for all the hair on her head)

I adore this pic of my brother holding his first child. Makes me tear up just looking at it.

LOVE. That is all.

Baby Elle

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 04:30:00 +0000

So my family has been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the newest addition to the McArthur family. Her name is Elle Marie McArthur and she was supposed to be born today but she is being a brat and baking in the oven for a little longer. So Thursday is supposed to be the day that she
gets to come out and see how dysfunctional her freaking family is. I'm just kidding ... Not really.

Anyway we are all very excited and waiting anxiously to hold her and love her.

Alright enough of that mushy stuff. I have been absolutely worthless on running lately mainly because I can barely move my neck to drive let alone hop on the treadmill or the pavement and bust out some serious mileage. So last night I took it easy and did 6 miles in about 55 minutes on the treadmill. Which felt great but afterwards I could barely move my neck. It is just really frustrating because I have another half marathon coming up on labor day that I really don't want to have another DNF on the old progress chart. But my mileage and endurance have really gone down the shitter. And with baby and work all the time running seems to be slipping away from me.

I know I have talked about priorities and making what you love part of your everyday life but honestly it is really difficult. This is a total rant session and I'm sorry you all had to read this but hopefully my next post will be about precious Elle.

Fro-Yo is the New Black

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 16:13:00 +0000

I have said it before and I will say it again. Fro-Yo is the modern day crack addiction, it is the new black in the dairy industry and the public is eating it up. And by public - I mean ME.

I seriously have a problem, the Fro-Yo place or as we like to call it at the salon: "The Yogurt Bar". We go everyday like it's Church- I did start to notice that I am the only one that loads my entire cup to the brim. The whole self-serve concept is great and I know the yogurt is roughly around 130-190 calories, BUT at what point does the term moderation go out the window?

Thank God Cooking Light put things into perspective for me ( Here are all the rules you should follow- and I will tell you all the rules I don't follow):

THE MAIN EVENT: 1/2 cup of Fro-yo or 3.5 ounces (the say to weigh it before you put your toppings on? - what if you have to much do you scrape it off???)

TOPPINGS BAR: So I'm going to go out on a limb and assume the brownie chunks and cheesecake chunks I have been piling onto my fro-yo isn't that healthy for me.

1. Strawberries: 1/4 cup=15 calories (btw I always put these babies on)

2. Sliced almonds or coconut= I have never see these options at any yogurt bar!!! and who wants that on their fro-yo. Nasty.

3. Choco chips ( a must) + bananas = bomb.com

4. Now if you like candy like I do: here is an option they give you
1 tablespoon kit kat +1 tablespoon Butterfinger+ 1 tablespoon chocolate covered raisins=155 calories

*Um who the heck puts 1 tablespoon of kit kat on there yogurt?

NO ONE.

BTW I am so slacking on this week's running. It is so bad I am afraid dailymile is going to kick me off their website for being a complete running loser.

Mileage so far this week: a big fat 0

Just Friends

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 17:42:00 +0000

I don't even know where to begin with the Bachelorette. I am speechless and that doesn't happen very often... I think I am more heartbroken than Ben F. I have been team JP from the very beginning but the last couple of episodes I changed my mind; and switched to Team Benny Boo. He is just the better option.

BEN F. SHOULD HAVE BEEN CHOSEN.

How could this happen???

He is the more realistic choice, he was REAL and honest about his feelings for Annoying Ashley... and if she was going to reject him she should have at least done it before he got down and proposed to her. WTF Ashley... you seriously are as dumb as I thought you were.

Naturally I had to stay up till 1am to watch the 2 hour finale, the After The Rose, and Jimmy Kimmel Live; I know I am obsessed.

I just am having a hard time believing that after her sister said all that crap to JP that
1) he would still want to marry into that family know her sister pretty much hates his guts and
2) that Ashley thought it would still be a good choice.

Not that my brother's opinion is the deciding factor in my life but if he tells me that the guy I am dating is a complete dickwad I am probably going to step back and think a little harder about what I am doing. *Not that would ever happen to me because I pick dream men that are all winners* But just saying...

Ugh I was so chubby. This is my bro's wedding day pics. So cute and now they are expecting there first kid anyday now!

Anyway I am going to go watch all the episodes over again.... and maybe workout tonight!

The Great Hydration Debate

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:53:00 +0000

Had an interesting conversation with a friend the other day when she asked me about how much water I drink during the day - I told her I try to drink 2 gallons a days.

She asked WHY? ....

Um.. I don't know 2 gallons seemed like a good number? Then I got to thinking what if that is to much or not enough or just the right amount. I have always heard drink half your body weight in ounces or something like that. But who knows if that is true.

So I figured I would do a little research:

OVER OR UNDER HYDRATION: THAT IS THE QUESTION?

I found a great little article pertaining to this debate for Craig Horswill who is the research fellow for the Gatorade Sport Science Institute; both recommend that you stay under 2 percent dehydration. So for a 130lb women should lose no less than 2.6 of fluid (preferrably MUCH LESS) during any run. Others argue that there is no further evidence that says you need to replace 100% of fluid lost during a race.

Women, smaller runners, slower runners, and those who are not as well trained face the greatest risk of hyponatremia. "Based on the lab data we have, women tend to overdrink and they typically have a lower sweat rate than men," says Horswill. The idea that every runner needs to down a cup at every aid station can be a dangerous one, warns Dr. Maharam, because such a rigid fluid-replacement strategy doesn't account for differences in body size, running pace, terrain, climate, metabolic rate, and sweat rate.

Question is do you drink at every water stop? I typically have certain water stops that I will hit throughout the half marathon and then the full. However, being that the Rock N' Roll Seattle was my first full after mile 15 my muscles were starting to cramp so I decided I would alternate between water and cytoplex at every water station. For the half marathon I typically stop at mile 7 and mile 10 (or somewhere around those mile markers depending on where the position the water stations)

ONLY DRINK WHEN YOUR THIRSTY?

Now there is a novel concept. The thought process being that thirst is an great indicator for telling your body when it needs hydation. Our thoughts have always been that when you are thirsty it is to late- your body is already on its way to dehydration. But all other walks of life keep hydrated by this method, why not humans?

They found that drinking less than what thirst dictated resulted in a two percent drop in cycling performance during an 80 kilometer time trial, and that drinking more than thirst dictated did nothing to enhance performance. "We concluded that if you drink according to the dictates of thirst, your performance will be optimized," says Dr. Noakes.

TO EACH THEIR OWN:

Everyone is different. And you can be your own determining factor of how much fluid you need to take in during a run/race.

Figure out your own sweat rate- this will give you a nice understanding of how much fluid you lose and need to replace
Urine:

if you are peeing water- to much water
if you are peeing lipton ice tea- not enough water

trusty scale:

gaining weight during a run- to much water
losing more than 2% your weight during a single run- not enough water

This is a long wordy blog post but I thought it was interesting and always good to brush up on basic knowledge, especially with most of the country being hit with hot, humid weather. Not Seattle of course, but everywhere else.

Twitter Necklace

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 23:46:00 +0000

Workout: 6.89 Miles around the block. Ran the last two days without my Garmin. Just enjoying being outside in the sunshine.

Been a couple of days since I have posted anything. So sorry about that I'm sure you all have been dying to read my witty ancedotes.

This week has been a really great running week for me, not a great cross or strength training week but there is alway next week to work on that.

Remember that posting I did a while ago about trying to run doubles or 2 a days... yeaahhhh not really working for me at this very moment. For some reason I am having a hard time prying my warm dead body from the sheets every morning at 4am. To give myself some credit though, it is a little hard to get up in the morning at 4am when you are getting 5-6 hours a sleep a night and working 12 hours a day. But boo hoo... cue the violin Megan right?

In more exciting news! I finally bought the most awesome necklace from Erica Sara Designs- her link is located on my right sidebar. If you haven't checked out her stuff yet head over there and see what you are missing. She does everyday designs, wedding, and RACE BLING!!

I bought this little puppy----

I don't know if you can see it but it has my twitter feed on it... @marathondiaries !! how cute :)

It arrived in less than a week in a cute little box

The thing I love the most about it is how dainty it looks. Such a cute necklace and I love the concept.

The gold really compliments my pasty white skin- don't ya think?

Day1: Doubles

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:53:00 +0000

So Day 1 of the Double Trouble is in the books for this week. But I have one slight problem= the morning run... I literally cannot pry my dead body out of bed at 4am when I go to bed at 11pm. It is just not working for me.

First off let me say this: the KINVARA 2 kick A$$ seriously. Hands down a great purchase. From the minute I stepped onto the treadmill last night I was flying, but my legs felt great the entire time. I did 6 miles without a struggle last night. (Sidenote* It is amazing how much better I run when I am fully hydrated)

I can go on and on about the shoes but instead I will just show you how pretty they are again

Ahhhhhhhhh. I heart you shoes.

Today is day 2: And when the 4am rooster went off in my room- I promptly threw that thing against the wall and went back to sleep. FAIL. So now I have to run on my lunch and then run at night. So the first week of doubles is off to a rocky start but there is always tomorrow.

NOW IT IS TIME FOR BACHELORETTE AND ANNOYING ASHLEY :

Ryan: um... dude she told you there is no connection when you are talking about the earth and air conditioners okay? BORING. Now you are going to show up in Fiji and pout on the beach waiting for Ashley to come knock on your door....

Ben: You might be my new favorite guy. He is so funny and positive all the time.
Ashley: you are still annoying. Quit harassing Constantine- why does he need to jump into things you are in Fiji and your complaining because he doesn't want to hold your hand 24/7. Really? Knock that shit off.
Change my mind, Constantine might be my new favorite guy- I think him turning down the "fantasy suite" (btw so cheesy let's just call it the "let's get it on room") because he respects her, her family, and his family not to do that. Rock on with your bad self beau- shoot I'll date you.
Last and definetly not the lease... JP. Sweet sweet JP- you are too hot for Ashley and her annoying laugh, when will you read this blog post and realize how awesome I am. How awesome would it be if my next giveaway was a date with JP!

I am so glad today is almost over... Only 6 more days till the next Ashleypalooza episode.

What did everyone else think? Who is going to win????

Run Twice a Day?

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:30:00 +0000

A while back I read this article in Runner's World about running doubles or twice a day to gain not only competitive advantage but also fitness. So I thought I would give it a whirl for a couple of weeks (the key being to get my lazy a$$ out of bed in the morning again) - with the key being if you run at least 5x a week for more than 40 minutes you should be ready to run doubles.

The idea is to ease into running doubles. So the first week would look something like this:

Monday
A.M.: 6 miles easy
P.M.: Off
Tuesday
A.M.: 3 miles easy
P.M.: Intervals
Wednesday
A.M.: 5 miles easy
P.M.: 7 miles easy
Thursday
A.M.: Tempo run
P.M.: Off
Friday
A.M.: 4 miles easy
P.M.: 6 miles easy
Saturday
A.M.: 15-mile long
P.M.: Off
Sunday
A.M.: Rest or 4 miles easy
P.M.: Off

The formula is as follows:

Instead of going out for one run, divide your normal run by two. This gives you the distance of your first run. Your second run will be three-quarters of the distance of your normal run. So on a day in which you'd normally do eight miles, you'd run four miles in the a.m. and six miles in the p.m. (8 x .5 = 4 and 8 x .75 = 6).

And I will be doing my first run this week of my doubles in these bad boys!!

My new Saucony Kinvara 2.

Sunday Night=Family Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:06:00 +0000

This weekend we broke records here in Seattle people... you in other parts of the country are probably complaining because you have had record breaking weather that is like 120 degrees and crazy ass humidity... but we finally hit 80 DEGREES!!! boooooooyahhhhhhhh

*fun fact: Prior to this weekend Seattle only had 78 minutes of sunshine over 80 Degrees this entire year*

SO in honor of this amazing weather we took our Sunday Night Family Dinner outside to the BBQ. Well my dad did all the cooking while I sat around and drank a beer. But he made a delicious meal

I cannot get enough Salmon right now it is so good!

My Brother Bear...

In other news, for the first time this year I also decided to hang up my clothes and clean my room. And this is the thanks I get...

My entire shelving unit came crashing down last night and all my clothes are now back on the floor.
Where they belong.

I will be doing a lunch run today (5miler) and testing out my new Kinvara 2! I cannot wait, they are so lightweight and breathable - when I did a test lap around the block they were amazing I wanted to keep running! (Review to come later)

Thank you Self Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 20:25:00 +0000

Self Magazine Confirmed it. RETAIL THERAPY = a long life. I knew there was a reason that I shop like 4x a week and buy crap that I don't need but try and justify it while I am standing in line waiting to pay for it.

"I totally need this leather jacket even though it is August. I can wear it with so many things, I know I will wear it EVERYDAY I promise"

Self Magazine states that Women who shop at least five times a week outlive equally healthy non-shoppers. I guess whether you buy anything is immmaterial (but don't tell your significant others that :)0 )

So browse on my friends.

What do you ladies think... actually who cares right? Do we even need an excuse to shop??? I guess a little extra motivation and reassurance doesn't help! So those workout clothes you bought last week is adding years onto your lives!!!

Random Midday Picture Post

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:21:00 +0000

I never got the chance to post the pics from my sister in laws bday dinner the other weekend from the Meltin Pot, which if you don't have one in your area- be jealous. Not that it is some culinary masterpiece but it is pretty decent food and most important FUN! It takes like 3 hours to eat all of the courses they bring out and you are chatting and socializing in between.

Jen was opening her presents in between eating when we were there. It also happened to be Cuban Night so we partaked in the latin event and ordered the Fiesta Cheese, a boat load of meat, and the dessert is the BEST part.

My head looks like it is attached to my left shoulder. Which it is.

So cute. I can't believe she is due in 3 weeks!! So exicted. I got baby Elle her first pair of Seven Jeans that night.

Honestly the best part of the meal. At this point you are so stuffed you have to force feed yourself. They have giant bowls of chocolate and caramel that you dip the bananas, strawberries, cheesecake, brownies, and mallows into! Amazing.

Can't believe Baby Elle will be here soon.

I can smell the gym from here

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:18:00 +0000

I can smell the blood, sweat, and tears all the way from my office chair... I have never been so excited in my life to get back into the gym. I decided last night that enough is enough and even if all I could do was go and sit in the sauna- I was gonna do it.

9 days was way to long for me to sit and do nothing- I am starting to get cranky and irritable and quite frankly it's not fair to everyone else who has to put with me. And when I say nothing- I mean NOTHING. I am so freaking lethargic at night, which I blame on me being sick which it's could part be from that and part be from my body being stagnant for so long.

My goal for tonight: good question. I hadn't thought that far ahead. All day I just kept thinking " I can't wait to get into the gym and destroy it." haha

Well that isn't exactly what happened, per se but I did knock out 5 miles on the treadmill last night boys and girls and let me tell you I almost cried driving home last night.

Even though it was almost 11:00pm by the time I got home from the gym last night, I didn't care- I felt happy and energetic. I feel back on track (no pun intended) and excited to run in the Labor Day Half in September.

Too Cute.

Will You accept this Rose?

noreply@blogger.com (The Marathon Diaries) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:26:00 +0000

Does anyone else think Ames is a total cheeseball?

Ah the official hometown visits are upon us folks.... which means we get to watch Ashley in all her glory stomp through each home town being super genuine.

Lets talk major highlights:

How awkward was the kiss between Ashley and Ames. The just basically rubbed there lips together under a magnolio tree for like 5 seconds. And then big surprise- Ames is falling in love with Ashley
I want Constantine's family to adopt me, especially when the old guy starts making it rain with dolla bills when they are dancing. How freakin awesome is that?!?
Um.... Ben is a winemaker. Need I say more- if she doesn't pick him I will. And I love the fact that if his family doesn't like her the SHE is out the door.
Last but not least: JP - I think I love him, he is so precious and take her roller skating! And then he eats shit on the skate deck... priceless

I can't wait to get better and get back on the road again. Thank you all for the continued well wishes... sometimes it is mind boggling how awesome the running community is.