My first long run of the season & a mini trip

Hi friends! I hope you had a great weekend and aren't too exhausted from daylight savings time.  

I got my first long run in for half marathon training on Saturday. 

It was still chilly here but warmer than usual and was actually considered warm even though there was snow on the ground? Yeah, that. I'll be honest, I didn't really feel like it. I did and I didn't but with a few motivational tweets I went for it. 8 miles done. Just in time for the sun to set. 

Every year I try to do my first long run at the only place I trained for my very first half marathon. It was the park where I told my sister that I wanted to run a at least a half marathon because I'd never be able to do one if those fulls..until last May, of course. So every training season starts back at the same park where I started for just good luck. 

It wasn't the best run but it was a start. My legs were heavy until mile 5 but I only needed my inhaler twice. How many times I need my inhaler is usually how I rate a run. More than 4 times during a half is never good. 

After my run I went home to decide on a spur of the moment decision to drive to Columbus Sunday morning to go to the Arnold Sports Festival. I think my husband was just sick of me saying how much I wanted to go. As much as we didn't want to leave Hudson, we knew it was a worse idea to try to take him. Since we were only leaving him for the same amount of time that we would for a work day, we let him know the cat was in charge and gave him a few extra kisses before we were on our way. 

While we were gone he stayed home to catch up on his sleep that he lost the night before. 

 

Sunday: wake up at 5:00a.m. Leave by 6a.m.

Then we stopped in Washington, PA at one of our new favorite places. (thanks Katrina)  

Tim Horton's! 

After a 3 hour drive, Adam sleeping, and my singing, we made it to Columbus! 

We walked around for about two hours and watched a few shows before we started to head home. It was such a great experience but I wish we could have stayed longer. 

Adam and I decided that next year we'll definitely plan a better trip than deciding Saturday afternoon that we were going to leave Sunday morning. 

 

Running and CrossFit are my favorites.

Through my childhood- teen years I've played a lot of spots. I've pretty much tried everything except running. Weird... But, recently I was thinking about why I love running and CrossFit. I started CrossFit on June 15,2013 so not even a year ago. I've been running for the past 6 years and I like that because it's my alone time. I usually shut my phone off for my long runs so I don't feel obligated to check it. I swear, I can go all week without a single phone call and the second I get to the park to run, my phone blows up with text messages, phone calls, Facebook posts, tweets to me etc... I usually know someone couldn't get a hold of me when my sister shows up at the park to interrupt my run.  That's happened quit a few times. Anyways, I was thinking about every sport that I've played and why they didn't add up to CrossFit. Here's what I've come up with: 

Ballet/lyrical/dance/gymnastics: This was my longest sport. I started dance and gymnastics when I was 4 or 5? and graduated after 13 years there. I lived the sport but what kept me was my instructors. The students were nice but they all had their own cliques.  They weren't the first ones to care if you hit a "pr" or got technique that you've never done. Actually, they were kind of stuck up. 

 Soccer/Softball: Soccer and baseball are probably my two favorite sports. I started soccer when I was 8 quit until I was 12 and started back up until I graduated. Let's be honest here, I wasn't that great. I lost a lot of confidence when I would ask for help but the coach wouldn't help me. It wasn't a sport where everyone got a chance to play. I spent most of my time on the bench. The other players really didn't care if you played or not but if they didn't play then all he'll would break loose. 

Swimming: I swam for 8 years before Jr. High. I loved it, but I had to chose between swimming and soccer. Terrible idea. I was also "the fat kid" so I probably wasn't that good. 

Kickboxing: Kickboxing was my cross training to running. I loved it but you couldn't go at your pace and it stopped becoming challenging after high school.  At one point the class was full of age of 65+ and the next week it would be full of children. That's fine but our classes were so full that you could nearly get your workout in. 

I think that wraps everything up. So back to why I love running and CrossFit. 

Running: You don't need to relay on anyone. You put your headphones on or listen to you breathing and your good to go. There's no bench to sit on unless you're tiered. You are your own team mate. Whether you're first or last, someone will always be cheering you on. And if not, you'll have your thighs. 

CrossFit: At the CrossFit Box that I go too, we have two coaches. Anytime you need help with form, they are there to help without judging or being annoyed. I've also never felt so welcome in a sport. Everyone is your friend and will help and cheer you on. You can be fat, thin, fit, skinny, as long as you put out the effort in and try(without cheating) then you'll learn something. 

If you've never tried CrossFit, try it. I hope you love it. 

Last night, one of my bestfriends came home to visit. We went to Panera to grab something to eat and I had lent and my long run today in mind.  I always forget to ask for the apple when I go instead of extra bread. 

Last night I tried the "You pick two" again. I love the "You pick two" because you can always try something new. I also love that panera puts the calorie content beside everything. I stopped being a calorie counter but it's nice to know when I'm eating. I ordered half Mac n' Cheese and half of a Tuna Salad Sandwhich. That was the first time I had either. They were both great. Maybe a little too much bread but it filled me up for my long run this morning. 

Today's goal is a 10 mile run. I ran 5 the other day so I'm going to work on my long run today. It's supposed to be almost 50 degrees, so that's exciting! 

What's your longest run this weekend?