Running Away from Adulting

"Only I can pass my own finish line" This is literally what I have to chant to myself every single day. There isn't a single aspect of my life that isn't applicable to this. Why? Because I'm a 75-percenter. Have you ran a race or completed a project and came to that little over halfway point and just felt like *bleck*? Thought about why you even started in the first place? Asked what it's worth to finish through? And what if no one else cares if you don't complete it - is it still worth doing? Yeah, that's me.. with just about everything. And for a long time (and sometimes still), I either found the easy way out or a shortcut. But honestly, I felt that everything I did could have been done better if I just put a little bit more work into it. I only had myself to blame.  So instead of just sitting there in pity of being sub-par from my potential, I started to ask myself EVERY FREAKING DAY: "how bad do you want it?" ...

Let this sink in. Ever been injured and prescribed not to run for days, weeks, months, even years? It can feel like you've had a chunk of your heart ripped out (yes, I'm exaggerating). But what if you were never able to walk on your own two feet? What if you were told that you could never run again? Now how do you feel? This isn't me being a Debby Downer, this is bringing awareness of what we have to be grateful for. I definitely take this for granted from time to time. When I'm having my own pissy-party about running a pace slower than I planned, I have to remind myself that the ability to run is a gift. So when you're out there ready to give up, upset with your pace, or even just not feeling like running period, remember that this very moment that you have the ability to put one foot in front of the other is an absolutely privilege. Take a moment this week to look at yourself and be grateful of your body's ability to move.

Okay! So I'm going to be starting this Monday Motivation. We can't expect ourselves to feel go-getter-ish all the time; we all experience mental slumps at some point. And sometimes, we let ourselves to just sit in the slump we're in. But if you're like me, you may feel like you can't escape the hole and are begging for something to kick you in the butt and back to your optimistic self.  Well here's your weekly kick!... well, slight nudge. So I signed up for my spring marathon, and I am beyond scared. The thought of developing another stress reaction or fracture lingers. What if I can't hardly walk again after a 20 mile run? What if I suck at keeping prescribed paces during my track runs? Why the heck am I even thinking that I should run 26.2 miles for fun? Should I even try again?  Its like I'm giving up before I'm even starting... Giving up is easy. But what happens if I don't give up?  Why do we give up? One reason is be...

Hey guys! During this period of time where I'm not running as much and have been focusing more on strength, I decided to give a local hot yoga studio a try for 30 days. I have done hot yoga before as well as Yoga with Adriene at home sometimes - I'm just not consistent when I don't have a studio to go to. As I've learned in nursing school, repetitive movement (i.e., running) can be really hard on the body. By being proactive in taking care of ourselves, we can reduce and postpone the likelihood of injury and 'feeling old' when we stretch our muscles. I feel a notable difference in my body when I practice yoga more regularly, and so I'd like to take the time to highlight some of the benefits yoga can do for runners, and really for everyone. Stress Reduction I think the yogic practice and stress reduction is pretty common knowledge. I feel soooooo much more grounded when I walk out of the studio. That 60-75 minutes in a 100 degree room r...

Wearing a single sweat-wicking/fleece Nike layer, running tights, and headband for warmth. So Pittsburgh's weather is weird. In the beginning of November and I was still in a tank top and shorts. Not even a week later, and I'm scurrying around looking for gloves and scarves. With the cold coming in, I've decided to put out some tips that I use to stay warm while also continuing to run outdoors. Dress Less Many websites like this one, suggest dressing for 15-20 degrees warmer. I love being comfortable, but it's so easy to overdress while running in the cold. With the added layers though, we are blocking the excessive heat and sweat from leaving our bodies - and overheating is not good! Yes, you'll be a little cold initially, but you'll thank yourself when you're not wrapping your coat and other 4 layers around your waist with 10 more miles to go. But Not Too Less! Anyone else part of the Cold Hands and Feet Club?! Even if you're not, your ...

Oh Pittsburgh Marathon, please come back soon! Happy Monday! So as some of y'all read on my recap from the EQT 10 Miler , I had a ton of knee pain following the race, and having a lot of difficulty with walking up and down stairs. I've taken this past week to work on strengthening, RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation), and preparing myself mentally for the remaining days of 2017.  And what do these coming days entail? Setting up for Spring training! I've decided to utilize Matt Fitzgerald's Racing Weight Quick Start Guide .  The book is super user-friendly and allows me to keep running, add strengthening exercises, and eat a more wholesome diet geared for strengthening while also losing some excess fat stores that have scientific evidence for slowing runners down.  --- But Crystal, you aren't fat. You're at a healthy weight now. You don't need to lose weight. (insert whatever comment you will) I am doin...

GUYS! If you're in the Pittsburgh area (and run), you have GOT to run this race! It's like the Pittsburgh Marathon of the Fall. There is so much energy and excitement before and during this race; it's electric! Okay, I'll try to contain myself as I write this. But really, can you blame me? Just ruining the ending for ya, but... THIS GIRL GOT A PR! And the reason I'm extra excited about this? Because I literally just got back into running mid-September. I will make a separate blog post about this transition, but for now, lets talk about the race! Expo: The expo was quite small, tucked inside the shops at Station Square. But I did get to finally meet up with my girl Jen and her NEW husband after not seeing her since the Pittsburgh Marathon 5K! I'm so inspired by her and was so excited to finally meet up with her and run. Jen and I first meeting at the Pittsburgh Marathon 5K Race Morning: So my boss texted m...

Okay, so this honestly is more like a rave than a review. If you have brought up running clothes to me in person, then you have definitely heard me say something about Senita Athletics ! A ll opinions posted are my own. I paid for all clothes featured and am not receiving compensation for my review - just sharing the awesome clothes! I'm a broke nursing student, so I NEED a good deal. And it seems like any good athletic clothes are ridiculously expensive. My friend Steff introduced me to Senita from her blog, and I was SOLD. Not only are these clothes within a decent price range, but they're literally the most comfortable and best performing clothes I own. I would say that I love them even more than my Lululemon clothes I own, and its 1/2-1/3 of the price!!! Okay, lets get to it My first order: Breathe Tank in White , Sarah Sports Bra in Bahamas , and Swift Shorts 2 in Bahamas (Bahamas no longer on website). Total Cost: $70 but with ...

Phew, this was a week! So I ran the Buffalo Creek Half Marathon last Saturday ... in my new Superfeet Black Insoles. Then on Sunday, I ran 3 recovery miles... in my new Superfeet Black Insoles. Then... Monday: 5 Mile Tempo Run I caught some rainy miles while my car was getting tires put on. On the schedule: 1M Easy Pace, 1M Tempo Pace, 1M 5K Pace, 1M Tempo Pace, 1M Easy Pace  I was feeling a little sore in my IT band, so I moreso tried to feel the run and not push the pace too hard if my body was telling me no. I picked up speed as needed, but didn't hit my "5K Pace". It was rainy and I was exhausted, so whatever, I didn't get it. But I felt accomplished in knowing that I was able to at least move my body faster than I had started out at.  and guess what, I ran in my new Superfeet Black Insoles... MY IT BAND IS STIFF AND I'M ACHING So lesson learned: don't run a half marathon, 3 mile run, and 5 mile run in a row w...

Okay, so I signed up for this race just this past week. I was debating if I should run this as part of my EQT 10 Miler training, but not many training plans have distances longer than the goal as part of the weeks building up. But I knew a bunch of great friends of mine were planning on running it, and everyone raved at how fun it was. So here I am, a Tuesday before a Saturday race, signing up for a classic Pittsburgh fall race. I wasn't going to race it - just have fun. Since I wasn't racing it, I didn't really prepare. I didn't eat a bunch of carbs prior, slept horribly, did not hydrate enough, and even ate a Fiber One bar on my way to the race. Talk about long run poops... --- It was a beautiful morning for a fall race! Cool, sunny, and with such pretty landscape to enjoy. The race was downhill and on a trail. I'll be honest, I didn't feel like it was as downhill as my Garmin showed - maybe because of the crushed limestone versus asphal...

Coming back from injury made me both hungry and scared to race again. I didn't even sign up until the weekend before, but I had so many friends running it and thought to myself that I could at least run it as part of my 4 mile recovery run. Plus, the medals and shirts from this year were FREAKING AWESOME looking. The morning of the race was weirdly warm for October in Pittsburgh. I don't know how some of ya'll were able to run with long sleeves during that heat! Maybe I just overheat too quickly, and I hate being hot! I was getting dressed and listen to "suggested songs" from my current Half Marathon Playlist on Spotify. I found some really cool songs! They were my first few in queue for this race. I gotta say, a good song can really get your legs pumping! Fact: distractions can minimize the perception of pain, because as you'll find out, by the end of this race, I was hurting! SPEAKING OF THE RACE... I saw my good friend, who go...

You know how when you get on the bike at the gym, and you can choose that "mountain" option for inclines? So for the first half of the cycle, you'd go uphill, then ride easier downhill for the second half? Marathon training is not like that. And with the humidity we've been having here in PGH, it's as if I'm climbing up the mountain even steeper than before. My legs were definitely hungover from last weekend's half marathon up at Presque Isle. Monday's rest day, aka: the days that I double at work, was incredible; I pretty much stayed seated unless absolutely necessary or to stretch my tired legs. I made sure I was taking in enough protein and electrolytes to help my legs recover as best as possible.  Presque Isle Half Marathon Here's how this last week's running went: Tuesday: 4 Easy/Recovery Miles. 9:10 avg pace. I had a super busy day off of doctors appointments, errands, meetings, and meeting up with fri...