Dream World

Wait for the guy who gets up early 
to cheer for you on race day.
The one who waits for you at the finish line 
with Starbucks and a foam roller.
The guy who encourages and supports you 
every step of the way.

Wait for the guy who surprises you with 
race entries or running shoes instead of jewelry. 
The guy who delights in weights, 
protein shakes and the outdoors.
Whose idea of a perfect date is a gym sesh, 
good hike, sporting event or outdoor concert.

Wait for the guy who wakes up 
with the same drive to be better than yesterday.
The confident one who grabs and pulls you in 
for a passionate kiss in the middle of a crowd.
The guy who can't wait to show you off 
to his friends and tell them all about you.

Wait for the guy who looks at you the same way 
I look at my Nike Frees... ❤

Tiffany's necklace for 13.1 miles ...CHECK!

Team Nom Noms

You can't run a half marathon and not have it change you in some way. It never gets easier, you just get better. We've heard it all haven't we? It's true, though. Each time you learn something new. Maybe about yourself or maybe about life. What did I learn about myself? I learned that I really love to stuff my face post race LOL bring on all the goodies!! haha OK so race time... I finished later than my last half. I know, how is that possible? Did you even train, bro? So my first half I finished with about a 2:20 time. This time I finished with a 2:30 time. Oddly enough, I felt like I did so much better this time around. I did a lot better with pacing myself and my recovery time was almost non existent. I was ready and able to play at my soccer game that same night. I didn't play, though for fear that I wouldn't be able to function the next day and wanted to give my legs a break. Smart move? who knows! I was walking on sunshine the next morning, though. The last half I did put me out of comission for a solid week! 
The race itself was incredible. Great weather for it and who doesn't love a nice long run around our Nation's Capital through a few monuments? It's always been a bit of a dream for me. To have the monuments be my morning runs. Sadly, I'm not close enough to DC to make that a habit :(
So I hit a nice, lovely, monthly female obstacle that morning and thought for sure I was not going to get through the race. Got my breakfast in with good time and finally made it to my corral before it closed. Just barely, though! Anyway, can I just say this was by far the best race I've done so far?! There were about 15,000 runners and who knows the amount of spectators. The signs were hilarious and I very much enjoyed the shirtless men holding up motivational signs. My favorite being "I like fast girls!" School marching bands, dancers, DJs and I'm assuming local bands posted up at a few stops to keep the energy high. There were plenty of water, Nuun and energy chew stops throughout the race. Even bathrooms! I've heard that is definitely a luxury to have at races. Thankfully, I haven't had to experience a dire need for one during a race, but man those lines were long. Not too many inclines... Just a few. Or maybe I just didn't notice because I was in la-la land seeing all the smiling faces and loved ones cheering on their favorite runners. One thing, I thought was interesting was after about 7 miles, walking was starting to hurt. It got to the point where running was actually alleviating. A lot of it had to do with the shoes of course. I was running in my Nike Free 3.0s and before you elite runners start rolling your eyes... I'm fully aware they're terrible for walking. Running however feels glorious so I don't want to hear how "bad" they are for me. Midfoot striker here who does NOT over pronate. I repeat.. does NOT over pronate lol 
Point is, I finished yet another half marathon and felt on top of the world. So much energy, love and dedication from beginning to end. BFF was with me supporting me the whole way and informed me that one of the runners got proposed to at the finish line. AWW!! how sweet, right? Well yes. It really was. I'm not one for sappiness, but I'm not going to lie. Having someone wake up at the ass crack of dawn to stand for a couple hours holding a sign waiting for you to pass by all because it's something you love and they want to have a part in, supporting you every step of the way with encouraging words and chants... it's pretty fkin awesome. I don't have that. In fact, I never really have. Not that I've had several years of a running lifestyle either, but I never really put much thought into it until this race. I've always been happy with my cheer team, but having a special someone waiting for you at one of the mile markers or the finish line of a race like this would be pretty great I imagine. Maybe one day I'll find a crazy who would love to wake up early to stand for hours hoping to catch me for a second on race day. Someone to meet me at mile 7 with a brand new bottle of water, Nuun and/or energy gel OR maybe even someone crazy enough to just run it with me! Until then, I'll just keep doing what I do best and stay high on some endorphins! :)

"What we find in a soul mate is not something wild to tame, but something wild to run with." - Robert Bault

So Many Feels!

Well, the title says it all... so.many.feels. We're already into April and I have been one busy lady! I landed a job at one of my favorite running companies. I'm only working part-time, but it's been pretty awesome since day 1. I basically get paid to watch sports all day and play on the treadmill. Oh yeah, there's training involved too for a couple months which isn't too bad because it's so easy to learn and read about something you're already so interested in. Potomac River Running is mainly known for their personalized shoe fitting process, but I actually didn't know about all that until way later. I got to know about PRR through their races. I've done quite a few and have spent a lot of time checking out their website for future races which led me to see the several fun runs, trail runs, clinics, trainings/classes and workshops they offer. They're very involved in the community and offer great products for pretty much anything running related. Of course I want to work there! The interview was a nice change from what I'm used to. I didn't even know how to dress since I'm used to office jobs. Let's just say I was a little over dressed! They told me if I came in to work looking like I was dressed, they would send me home. That means I get to wear my workout gear everyday I work. Not a bad gig if you ask me. What's even better is that it's only 2 miles from home! If you haven't guess already, let me confirm for you that I do in fact walk or run to and from work. It's a nice little trail with a few creeks and bridges. I will enjoy it more as spring and summer come into full bloom. No more snow please! I'm so over it! 

Next up on the updates is I finally started school. That's right. I am not only officially enrolled, but I have already started attending. I'm only taking one class to finish up the current semester, but it's already been a nice eye opener. Bye Bye social life! As if I really do that much these days anyway lol I've learned to set time aside to study and actually do my homework! That's a huge milestone for me actually. There are only a few more weeks left in the semester so I'll be picking my course load for summer very soon. Full time student, part time employee. I think I'm going to enjoy getting used to this. I won't lie... I felt so out of place on the first day. I know it's not a big deal, but I feel like I did everything backwards in life. Going to school and working part time is something I probably should've done when I got out of high school, but instead was more interested in making the money full time. The thought of going to class, actually studying and completing the assignments was of no interest to me. Today I sit in my lectures being probably the most attentive and nerdy of them all, but you know what... I love it. I've come a long way and I know it's gonna take a while to accomplish what I want, but I'm just happy to at least be starting it. If I'm not out running, playing soccer, volleyball, working or in class then you can bet I'm probably at home like this... 

"He who opens a school door, closes a prison." 

- Victor Hugo

Get Up and Go...

oh Man, where should I even begin? I've had so much going on lately, I haven't been posting anything at all. OK well I've been posting on IG, but not so much my little blog. So let me start with HI! Hope you're doing well and that you have a few minutes to read up on what's been going on :)
I left my job/industry at the end of January. I know I talked about leaving in my last post, but I want to elaborate on it. It was rather unexpected and I was a little unsure of how things would pan out once I left. Yes, I had a "plan" or rather an idea of how I wanted things to go, but as much as you plan things, they don't always turn out as you hope. Well, this has definitely not been  at all what I expected. I honestly don't remember the last time I was this happy about a decision I made! I knew I'd basically have all of February off before starting new employment. So that meant PLAY TIME! In a nutshell i spent pretty much all of February having a great time. I've been doing my runs in more sunlight and enjoying more of my meals now that I have more time to cook what I want! I've also been playing Volleyball weekly and continued with Soccer during the week as well. Additionally, I've gotten all my ducks lined up for school and I am officially enrolled in classes. I start my first one next week! I can't wait! Time to shop for a new backpack!!

So with all that in mind, I went on a mini weekend vacation to Ocean City with a great friend of mine and then the day after we got back, I headed off to Mexico for one of my best friends' wedding. They decided on a destination wedding in Puerto Vallarta Mehiko and before you ask... yes, I actually made it a point to run while I was there. Running on the beach is definitely different than running on pavement! Still... who wouldn't want to run in 85 degree weather when they had just ran away from 13 inches of winter wonderland as far as the eye can see?! Oh man, I nearly kissed the sand the instant i stepped foot on it. The wedding was amazing and Puerto Vallarta was beautiful as always! It wasn't my first time there... I actually have family there so I've been making it more of a priority to visit. Look how pretty it is!! That's just one of the several beaches we visited on the trip.


Once the wedding was over and done with, the next trip was out to Ohio for the Arnold Classic Sports Festival. I'm not sure if you've ever been to one of them, but if you haven't I'd definitely make it a priority. It was incredible! So many fitness heros! Not only that, there were so many events and activities going on from gymnastics and cheerleading to amateur boxing. There were bikini competitions and contest giveaways. Some of our favorite apparel and nutrition companies were there and to just go ahead and tell you the best part: i got to meet DANA LINN BAILEY!!! Not only that, but ROB BAILEY and SEAN SARANTOS!! You might know him as Sean Fitness Freak. He was the most animated one out of the 3 to meet. We met a few other Instagram Fitness Gurus and even saw the lovely muscle barbie. We left with bags full of samples and new gear. I would love to check out the LA Fit Expo one day. I'll get there eventually! Everything in due time.

Now that it's March and play time is over, I've started looking into some work to keep me busy when I'm not at school and of course, pay those bills! I know I've basically done a complete 180 in life and it does freak me out sometimes. I know I'm taking a huge risk doing all this, but if it gets me to where my heart is then that's fine by me. I'm so lucky and thankful to have such a great support system. I know it will be a huge adjustment both in just my regular day to day as well as financially. I figure it's a small price to pay and I might as well get it started now so I can start living my dream sooner than later! I know it's crazy, but sometimes crazy is what it takes to make your dreams come true. Race season is rapidly approaching and with this Nike Half Marathon next month I'm sure you can imagine I'm just going to keep getting busier and busier. I love this new life of mine, though. I wouldn't change it for anyone or anything :)

Fuck it. I'm Leaving.

This past week has been very stressful. I know i mentioned before about the field I am trying to break into career-wise and how currently I do nothing of the sort. I've spent the last several years in int'l business doing mainly coordinating type work. Well, things have gotten beyond overwhelming at the office and I finally hit my breaking point. I wasn't planning on making this move so sudden, but i'm just ready to move on. I'm ready to start what I want and I don't want to waste my life any more at the dead end position I currently hold for employment. Not that I hate the company or anything. I do like the company and i really enjoy the coworkers I have, but when you know it's time. It's time. This past Friday, I submitted my resignation. No, i didn't just decide to do it solely because I was fed up. I knew it was coming, but I didn't realize it would come so soon. I had the talk with my boss in hopes we could come to a new arrangement and he basically said no. So if there would be no change, I wasn't going to stay any longer. It's just not worth it. Since submitting my resignation I've been asked to rethink it and that it would be discussed again as upper management was trying to work on a better situation for me. I gave them more than 2 weeks notice, though. I knew there was a lot left to do and well I wanted to finish my tasks up. Not looking for glorification, just venting because with this longer than 2 weeks to go I find myself counting days till I leave, but at the same time have been approached a number of different times to offer an alternative rather than just leave the company when I had a plan already to begin with. If management can come up with a solution, I'm open to hear it, but if nothing changes I am more than happy to walk. I think what bothers me most is how much it was affecting my day to day mood. Sure a run always makes it better, but i spend so much time at the office that it surpasses the high on life i get when running. Well those last 2 weeks are coming up and right now I just hope I can finish up as much as I can before leaving. 

In other news, we started the season already! Soccer of course. We have an incredible team. A lot of talent with different personalities. That can be a good thing or bad thing. In any event we got our work cut out for us. All the talent in the world is no good if we can't all work together. We had our first game last Wednesday(not this one) and I was having a day from hell(I know... shocking haha). Anyway, worst day ever, right? All i wanted was to just go home and sleep till the day was over, but as team captain that's a big no no. I eventually made it out to the game and although we lost I had a great time doing shenanigans. Let me tell you, it was about 20 degrees and at least half of my face had gone numb within 1o minutes of game time! Moral of my story here... sometimes we have to do things we don't want to, but in the end it only helps make us stronger. It was a tough lesson to learn that day, but it was much needed. Look how happy I was by the end of the game :)

And finally, I just wanted to brag about these AWESOME Nike Frees i designed online. I've been DYING for Nike Flash Pack gear, but let's be honest here... I can't afford any of it! but i can afford the shoes. I designed some Flash Pack 3.0s to say Sunshine Memoirs on the tongues of each shoe. I started training this year with 3.0s for the half in April and can I just say it is definitely a different feel than the 5.0s i have been using?! My calves feel like they're on fire every time i take them out. Good thing I still have some time to adjust and get used to them before the serious training begins. i did really enjoy getting them muddly already, though. What do you think? they're pretty legit aren't they?! haha More to come, just wanted to share my awesome new kicks! Have a beautiful week ♥   

2013 Photo Recap

I made a little video of the main 2013 shenanigans. 
Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed putting it together!

*INSERT NEW YEAR MOTIVATIONAL TITLE*

New Year New Me? Uh NO. Try again!

All these new years resolutions... I mean I think it's great that people are at least trying to be healthier and live a more active lifestyle, but no resolutions for this girl. I definitely have new goals for the year, though. I've come a long way in the last couple years, but i'm not done. Perhaps the biggest delay is due to my absolute obsession with delicious food? Clearly, my number one priority is NOT abs, though they would be nice to have. Hmmm maybe haha Honestly, this year I just want to push myself even further and see what I'm really capable of. Looking into the trifecta for the Spartan Race, i have the Nike Half Marathon in April and looking into the Rock and Roll Half as well. Still need to decide on a full marathon for later in the year. That's right... a full *gulp* i'm very nervous about that. Maybe i'll see how the year goes before commiting to one? Also on the list... ROC Race! Have you heard of it? It's like the Wipe Out game show except in the form of a 5k and it's coming to DC this summer. There's no way I'm missing out on that! Might try the Warrior Dash again, but honestly I'm just trying to keep my focus on events I haven't done yet. I also heard about GoRuck Light. It's an event put together by special ops vets. I've seen some videos and checked out the site... def adding that to the list!

But OMG how effin cold was it today?! and to think I signed up for Winter soccer and for an outdoor league at that. I think my team hates me now and is starting to rethink the idea of playing outdoor in the winter. I don't blame them. I've already started getting emails about if we're still playing tomorrow night because of how cold it is. At first it seemed like a legitimate question and I was going to ask the league, but then i thought... hey isn't this what we signed up for? ugh! The good thing is with all these Christmas sales, I loaded up on cold gear. Now I can go about my morning runs in peace with the perfect gear to keep me warm. My hiking buddy would be so proud of me! For once I put my money towards quality gear that benefits me and I dont have to use all his gear when we hit the mountains during the cold months of January and February. You might call us crazy, but we actually LOVE it. I wasn't always keen on hiking during a snowfall or even in the winter at all, but as always he drags me out and well I can never say no. Wasn't long before I fell in love with the winter hikes as well. I love my friends and I love that they're so outdoorsy. They definitely keep me busy... as if i needed help with that lol 

So already there's a lot on the plate for 2014. I'm sure more events will get added as the days come because you can never really plan everything. Doesn't always work out how you imagined in your head. One thing aside from training that i'll be spending a lot of time on is finally breaking out of the professional industry I've been in for the last several years of my life. I've always loved sports and being active <wasn't always in the best shape for it, but eventually my body caught up with my heart> so I've always wanted to do something related to that. Now that im actively involved in more events and have a better understanding of health and fitness, I'd love to finally break into Sports Marketing. How cool would it be to market for Nike or even be a sports broadcaster! *day dreaming* haha well it won't be an easy switch, but it's not impossible either. It'll take time, but I'm already starting on it and with the help of some great colleagues it looks like i'll be ready to go in no time. I think my biggest challenge will be maintaining patience. I can be very impatient once i've decided on something. Hoping for a smooth transition, but im thinking it will be more bumpy than anything. Tends to be the case with me haha Well, wish me luck! Better days in 2014 :)

Here are the links to some of the events I'll be partaking in. Just in case you might wanna check em out too:

• ROC Race - Game Show Inspired 5k: www.rocrace.com
• Spartan Races - Obstacle Races 3mi, 8mi and 13mi options: www.spartanrace.com
• Rock n Roll Half/Full Marathon - 13.1mi or 26.2 miles: www.runrocknroll.competitor.com/usa 
• GoRuck Events - Events designed by Spec Ops Vets: http://www.goruck.com/en/events