Jun 5, 2012

Five Tips to Conquer a Warrior Dash

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Now that the summer racing season is here, awesome running events are happening all over the place, and I’m SUPER excited about it. I kicked off the season with my very first half marathon, and now I’m proud to say I survived a Warrior Dash! I’ve never been so muddy and stinky in my entire life, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

My boyfriend and I, along with five of our friends, participated in a Warrior Dash in Logan, Ohio on Saturday. I wanted to do this last year, but no one else did, so I was thrilled when we managed to pull together a big group! I think we’re going to make it a yearly tradition, too, which I’m even more excited about!

In case you don’t know, a Warrior Dash is a short race (about a 5k length) with a handful of obstacles. Each course is different, but they all challenge you physically and mentally. Our course started with about one and a half mile hill (that sucked) and featured a dozen obstacles, including a cargo net-climb, a rock-filled creek and a (small) wall of fire.

Warrior Dash

Unfortunately, we lost one of our teammates—Justin went down with an ankle injury!

Though I survived, there are some things I wish I had known before the race that would have made it much easier. So, out of the goodness of my heart, I’m sharing some warrior wisdom so that any future warriors can get out there and kick some serious ass!

1. Train on hills. This is first because I think it’s the most important! I had no idea how big the first hill was going to be, and it wasn’t exactly a pleasant surprise. Now that I’ve talked to people about the race, it sounds like most courses involve a hefty hill at one point or another. Start incorporating hills into your workouts so you don’t end up sucking wind like I did!

2. Wear tight clothing. I was lucky enough to get this memo before race day, and I’m glad I did! You will get so muddy and wet that you’ll weigh an extra 10 pounds at the end of the race, and loose clothing will just hold more water and weigh you down even more!

3. Strengthen your upper body. This might not apply to everyone, but don’t neglect to strength train your upper body. Though this wasn’t an issue on too many of the obstacles, I definitely wished I had more strength in my arms and shoulders for some of them! You’ll likely have an obstacle or two that requires you to lift or pull your body weight, so be prepared.

4. Wear old (but comfortable!) shoes. Again, your shoes will get super muddy, completely soaked and basically all but destroyed—so wear a pair you don’t care too much about! A lot of people actually donate their shoes after the race (I did!), so you might want to consider that as an option. Just make sure they’re comfortable!

5. Have fun! For me, the Warrior Dash was all about having a good time, not about winning, and I think it’s much more fun that way! Get a group of friends together, pull together a costume (if you’re that coordinated) and have a blast. Events like these are all about the experience, not about setting records—unless that’s your way to have fun!

Have you ever participated in a Warrior Dash or another type of mud run? What did you think?

Filed Under: Events, Fitness Tips, Personal · Tagged: , , ,
May 31, 2012

May Foodie Penpals

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Now that Memorial Day has come and gone, I feel like summer is really here. On one hand, I’m super excited about that—I’ve got a summer filled with weddings, races and a vacation! But, on the other hand, all I can think about is how fast time is going! Example: I can’t believe it’s already been a month since my last Foodie Penpals post!

The Lean Green Bean

Last month was my first time participating in Foodie Penpals, and I’m so glad I decided to join in! This month my package came from Amanda, and she did a great job. Considering I gave her some unique guidelines (vegan, no refined sugar), she managed to pull together a great assortment of goodies!

FPP - May

That salsa was delicious!

Can’t see what’s in the photo? Here’s a list of what Amanda sent me:

  • 365 Freeze Dried Peach Slices
  • Fredericksburg Farms Old San Antonio Tomatillo Salsa
  • Primal Jerky
  • Tazo Peppermint Tea
  • Two Degrees Bars

Like I said—Amanda did a great job! I’ve been wanting to try Two Degrees bars for a while now, so I was happy to see not one, but two of them in my package (I highly recommend the chocolate banana flavor). Though I’m not much of a tea drinker, the Tazo tea was also delicious—cool, refreshing AND sweetened with stevia! Everything was awesome, but my favorite item in the package was definitely the tomatillo salsa (and my boyfriend can agree with that one). It had great flavor and an even better kick!

If Foodie Penpals sounds like something you want to try, keep reading to learn how.

  • On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get her mailing address and anything else you might need, like information about allergies or dietary restrictions.
  • You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
  • The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15, and the box must include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box to a fun recipe—use your imagination!
  • You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your package depending on its size and fragility. Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!
  • Foodie Penpals is open to bloggers as well as readers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on her blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month!
  • Foodie Penplas is open to U.S. and Canadian residents. Please note, Canadian residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from U.S. to Canada and vice versa.

If you’re interested in participating for June, please click here to fill out the participation form
and read the terms and conditions. You must submit your information by June 4th, as pairings
will be emailed June 5th!

If you could create a Foodie Penpals package to send to yourself, what would it include?

Filed Under: Events, Personal · Tagged: ,
May 9, 2012

My First Half Marathon

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One hour, 58 minutes and 47 seconds. That’s how long it took me to finish the Pittsburgh Half Marathon, and I couldn’t be happier!

Anxious about the day ahead, I popped out of bed with my alarm at 3:45 a.m. After getting dressed, packing a few last minute things and eating breakfast, I was out of the house in just under an hour. I took the T into town (my first time—woo hoo!) to avoid a parking nightmare and save myself some unnecessary stress and was in the city around 6:15—bright and early! My parents, sister, boyfriend and his mom were all downtown to cheer me on.

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This is just one of my loyal groupies!

Since my friends and I arrived so early, I killed most of my time hanging around with my family. I even showed off my fake tattoo, which thoroughly freaked my mother out for approximately half a second.

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13.1, baby!

The race’s official start time was 7:30 a.m., but I didn’t cross the start line until about 7:40. I stuck with my friend Kate for the first 10 miles or so, until she had to stop for a bit because she rolled her ankle (yet she still managed to finish in two hours!). Thanks to her help, my (official) average pace was 9:04. Though these don’t quite match up with my official time, here are the splits my GPS tracked:

  • Mile 1: 7:48
  • Mile 2: 9:24
  • Mile 3: 8:48
  • Mile 4: 8:55
  • Mile 5: 8:34
  • Mile 6: 8:29
  • Mile 7: 8:22
  • Mile 8: 8:24
  • Mile 9: 8:59
  • Mile 10: 8:47
  • Mile 11: 8:59
  • Mile 12: 9:29
  • Mile 13: 8:51

Like I said, those splits aren’t accurate—just look at my first mile! Hearing my time every mile through my iPhone app helped to motivate me throughout the race, especially after I lost my running buddy. Knowing that I had 15 minutes to run my last mile in order to hit my sub-two hour goal definitely put a smile on my face, too!

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I’m not sure what was yelled to get my attention for this photo, but it looks like it definitely confused the runners around me.

All in all, completing a half marathon was one of the most satisfying accomplishments of my life. Sure, the training was tough, I suffered a minor injury and I even had one of my toenails fall off last night (sorry, I had to share), but it was all worth it. I’ve even signed up for another half marathon—I just hope my groupies will be there to see me run in it!

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 Thanks for cheering me on!

Are you a half marathon runner? What are some of your favorite races?

Filed Under: Events, Personal, Physical Health · Tagged: , , ,
Apr 30, 2012

My First Foodie Penpals Package!

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Can you believe May is practically here? 2012 has been flying by, and I’m not sure I like it! Though I’d like time to pass a little more slowly, I am excited about one thing that comes along with the end of April: a post about my first Foodie Penpals Package!

The Lean Green Bean

Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean started the Foodie Penpals project in September, and I decided to jump on board in April! My package came from Maria of Pappa Don’t Preach, and let me tell you—she set the bar SUPER high. I loved everything about her package, including the zebra print duct tape she used to wrap it up!

 FPP - April

Everything was as good as it looked—I promise!

In case you have trouble seeing what’s in the photo, here’s a list of what Maria sent me:

  • Doctor Kracker Seedlander Snackers
  • Trader Joe’s Marcona Almonds with Rosemary
  • Trader Joe’s Organic Ginger Pear White Tea
  • Trader Joe’s Red Pepper Spread
  • Nuts Online Cacao Nibs
  • Nuts Online Organic Raw Cacao Goji Energy Squares
  • Pure Bars

If you’re not jealous—you should be! This package was amazing, and I’ve enjoyed everything in it. My top three favorite items were the almonds (the rosemary seasoning was phenomenal), the red pepper spread (it was great on sandwiches) and the energy squares (they’re naturally sweetened and delicious). Want to know how you can get involved with Foodie Penpals in May? Read on!

  • On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get her mailing address and anything else you might need, like information about allergies or dietary restrictions.
  • You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
  • The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15, and the box must include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box to a fun recipe—use your imagination!
  • You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your package depending on its size and fragility. Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!
  • Foodie Penpals is open to bloggers as well as readers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on her blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month!
  • Foodie Penplas is open to U.S. and Canadian residents. Please note, Canadian residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from U.S. to Canada and vice versa.

If you’re interested in participating for May, please click here to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. You must submit your information by May 4th, as pairings will be emailed May 5th!

Are you involved with Foodie Penpals or another blogging project? If so, share them here—I’d love to learn about more!

Filed Under: Events, Personal · Tagged: ,
Mar 26, 2012

Farm to Table Pittsburgh

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Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had as much fun this weekend as I did! In lieu of my usual weekend activities (read: watching recorded television shows and bumming around the house), I ventured downtown and went to Farm to Table Pittsburgh, a conference featuring vendors, demonstrations and speakers all focused on healthy living. Needless to say, I was like a kid in a (healthy) candy store!

Justin and I arrived at 1:30 and spent our first two hours or so just walking around and sampling all kinds of local goodies like jams, sauces, juices and wines. I loved being able to talk to the people who actually made the food we were eating—learning about their products and seeing their passion for what they do was awesome!

Most of the tables had foods to sample, but some of the exhibitors were just there to share information or tell you about their business. One of the more interesting people I had a chance to meet was Dr. Buzzatto, a holistic dentist located just 15 minutes from my house! Later in the afternoon, I listened to him speak about whole foods and their connection to health. A lot of the information he shared wasn’t new to me, but he did talk about something I had never really thought much about before.

Though I’m a bit embarrassed to share this, I’ve had a decent amount of cavities. They all popped up during my elementary and middle school years, long before I had any knowledge of or interest in nutrition. While all of those cavities are now filled, I honestly never thought about what they were filled with: mercury. The same stuff that fills thermometers and is labeled hazardous if spilled is sitting in my teeth and has been for years—ew! It’s not the most comforting of thoughts…

Aside from new information to freak me out and a rather large stack of flyers, pamphlets and brochures, I did come home with two delicious goodies! I bought a Pirouette Barre, a cinnamon pecan bar created by professional dancers who wanted a pre-workout snack filled with real, healthy ingredients—so they made one! I preferred Pirouette to Barre’s other flavor (Black Swan) because of its lighter flavor and occasional crunch from the nuts.

Kvass

My other purchase: Carrot Ginger Kvass!

I also bought a carrot ginger drink from Zukay Live Foods, a company that sells raw, probiotic, vegan salad dressings and drinks! After sampling almost all of their other flavors, I decided to go with carrot ginger because of it’s light, energizing flavor. Besides being super good for you, all of Zukay’s products are sugar-free! The kvass juices are slightly sweetened with organic stevia, and that’s just fine with me!

Being able to meet and talk to so many like-minded people was a great way to spend my Saturday. It’s so refreshing to be able to ask health-oriented questions (Is this vegan?) and not get confused looks in return! Deciding to go to Farm to Table Pittsburgh was definitely a good choice, and I can’t wait to go back next year!

What are some of your favorite healthy products? How did you first learn about them?

Filed Under: Events · Tagged: , ,