Feature Friday: Home Gym Essentials

Happy Feature Friday on a Saturday! You know how somedays you’re just really not into doing certain things- well, that was me yesterday. I got through some chores/things on my to-do list and then I just really wanted to lounge on the couch and do nothing. SO, I did just that. I think sometimes I get into such a mindset that I need to ‘go go go’, when in reality-> it’s OK to not do everything on your to-do list. If you did everything on your to-do list in one day, then what would you have to look forward to tomorrow? I would (most likely) make another to-do list. ANYWAYS- enough on my tangent. I wanted to share with your some of my home gym essentials that I LOVE to have at my disposal (and there are still a few things that I definitely want). Now that most of the fitness centers around me are closed, I’ve slowly started to incorporate my favorites weights/foam rollers/tools to have at my disposal. No affiliate links here- just sharing what I love to hopefully help inspire someone else to continue to build their tools!

• Foam Roller - love to use this to massage my IT band, back, glutes, quads

• Massage Ball - love to use this to massage out my feet and calf muscles

• Resistance Bands- use them to help warm-up my glutes and legs before a run!

• Floor Sliders- I use these for SO much (they slide well on a Yoga Mat). Lunges, skaters, planks on my knees with pushing one arm out at a time..

• Pilates Ball- I use this to help engage my core. Donkey Kicks, between the legs for bridges or clam shells, behind my low back to help me engage the c-curve in my spine..

• Free weights- These have certainly been hard to come by during the Pandemic (and I’m still looking for relatively inexpensive heavier weights), but they are great to add to your collection!

• Ball- Love to do hamstring curls on this one.

• Treadmill- OK, this one is definitely only if you need one/ will use it often, but we LOVE our Nordictrack so so much. I never thought I would look forward to running on a treadmill, but ours is so sturdy and fun and I love to run fast on it.

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Any other favorite home gym equipment essentials that you love?

Checking In: Keeping Track of My Mileage, Currently Obsessed Over, This Was Nice

HI! I’m HERE! Things have finally FINALLY settled down a bit, but WOW am I surprised at how crazy-busy life has been lately. Between moving things in, having our first guests visit (Alex’s parents), two exams in one week, and running less-than-ever, I have really had NO free time. Any free time that I have had, I’ve been trying to fit in a run or maybe maybe five spare minutes to read before falling asleep.

As I’m typing this, I was questioning whether I even wrote my 50 miler race recap. Oy. I’m tired. I did, however, run one of my fastest 5ks ever!

We also made it on our first hike last weekend! Up Black Cap mountain and it was so nice. Hoping to get in another good hike this next weekend. I just really loving being in the mountains here whenever possible.

I also did a WHOLE LOT of studying last week. Probably way more time than I should have, but I’ve been loving all of my classes lately!

Gilmore Girls- always applicable in everyday life. Also, my view almost everyday:

I’m hoping to do a full recap of how the first 6 weeks of Nursing School has gone- so look for that at the end of the week. I certainly won’t be holding anything back or sugar-coating it all (if you were wondering). I’ve also been obsessing over ice cream stands and twists in a cone again. Soooo good.

I’ve also been skipping some runs lately. Don’t get me wrong- I LOVE to run, but I’m also really enjoying this new season in my life where I’m trying out other activities (hiking, cycling, strength training) and just generally enjoying the perks of not being in serious training mode. So, my sneakers may be in my car waiting for that run that I just never got to that day and I’m not worried.

"Disclaimer: I received an Strava Summit Membership to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!"

Since I’ve basically put all of my personal life stuff on hold lately, I’m also REALLY thankful for Strava to keep track of my weekly mileage.

Also, how cool is it that they partnered with my last race and the photos directly linked with my Strava account? I also really love how you can track so many activities (including YOGA!), it can keep track of your elevation gain (so awesome when you do races like Mt. Washington!), and get kudos from your friends after your activity (important when you run solo most of the time like me to still feel like you’re part of a community)!

I will have my Mt. Washington Road Race recap up for you tomorrow (look at me all organized again!) and hopefully my nursing school first 6-weeks experience and what it’s been like to leave a full-time salaried job to go back to school on Friday.

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How do you keep track of your running mileage?

Favorite thing about Summer?

Ice cream- soft or hard serve?!

Checking In On Monthly Goals!

I cannot believe that March is tomorrow?!? January felt like it lasted a million years and then February happened in a blink of an eye! I also feel like the days between 60-90 before a goal race fly by. I’m less than 60 days away from Eugene Marathon! I’ve got some goals that will help me reach my goals there this month and will help set me up for success later on. I also got my hair cut yesterday- what do you think of my selfie?! I was pretty tired by the time I got done, but it was well-worth the 6 week wait to get in with my normal hairdresser!

I’m also excited to FINALLY be done with my book and onto a new one. YAY for new reads! Book review for the one I just finished will be up tomorrow.

Before we look ahead to March goals that I’ve set, let’s see how February went. Spoiler alert: It didn’t go great, but also could have been worse (looking on the bright side of things!). Looking forward to hitting some more goals next month:

• Read 2 books- CHECK!

• Ski @ a new-to-me Mountain..not so much

• Do 1 pull-up …not so much

• Yoga 1x /week- CHECK! Loving my routine of yoga at home a few times a week

• Meditate 1x/week- CHECK! Feeling good with the new Calm App (I used to use Headspace, but have liked the change to Calm instead lately)

SOURCE

March 2019 GOALS!

• Yoga 1x/week

• Meditate 1x/week

• Ski @ 1 new-to-me-mountain

• Do 3 pull-ups

• Daily gratitude of 5 things (listing them out everyday. I normally do something similar in my journal, but want to make a conscience effort to list them out)

• Visualize race course (Eugene) 1x/week

• Save $$$

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Tell me what are some things you’d love to accomplish in March?!

Do you ever do a daily gratitude list or visualize your race before you run it?!

I need your TIPS on HOW TO DO A PULL-UP!

Training Tuesday: How My Past Has Prepared Me For My Future

Happy Tuesday! I’m so glad that Monday is behind us and also that it’s a recovery week for me. I have two hard ‘workouts’ on tap this week (tomorrow morning with 8 miles @ goal marathon pace & then Friday afternoon  with 3 x 1 mile @ 7:20-6:50ish pace) and then 3 easy runs and that is all! It’s refreshing to have these weeks, where I’m 100% focused on recovery (i.e. getting my hair cut tomorrow and a massage booked ; ) , along with ample sleep). I also really love to train hard because it helps push me beyond what I believe are my capabilities.

Maybe you already know this by now, but I love to reflect when I’m running (anyone else there like to do this?). I know so many that say ‘don’t look back or don’t compare’, which normally I AGREE with, however with International Women’s Day coming up on March 8th - it got me thinking how grateful I am to have so much in my life and to have the ability to train hard every day. My parents sacrificed so much for me to be able to participate in sports growing up. Not only was I introduced to the great outdoors, but I learned how hard work and determination can help you reach your goals. I learned that with team work, you can achieve more than you would have just on your own.

TBT to my second-ever ice show. Those Annie-costumes were amazing and that is still one of my favorite songs. Also they put in pink. If only I had known how to pose in photos properly..

Way before I began running, I was super into figure skating. A very individual sport. I would train at 5:30 in the morning before school, after school, and on the weekends. I would travel over an hour to get to my coach several times a week and often sacrifice social events to prioritize my training and schoolwork. I loved how skating made me feel-

When I was on the ice, I felt free to be creative.

Strong even when I was falling. Resilient even when I didn't get the placement I wanted.

Being able to engage myself in skating gave me the confidence to pursue so many other opportunities outside of the rink.

TBT to when I would get my hair done for ice shows and feel like a queen for a few hours. It was amazing. I wish I had a reason these days to get my hair done ‘just because’

When I arrived to Syracuse (the first barrier that skating helped me break- I’m a first-generation college student!), I honestly had a hard time transitioning. It was a BIG school and I had lived a pretty sheltered life until then. I had never had friends who criticized their bodies or called themselves ‘fat’. I always appreciated my body for all that it did for me and never looked to food as somethings ‘bad’ for you. But WOW does college sure open your eyes to so many things! Unfortunately these thoughts started to hit me pretty hard and I no longer had skating in the same way that I had growing up. I still competed on the Synchronized Skating Team and trained when I could on my own, but once the negative seeds had been planted- there really was no turning back. I waviered through my college years; however my confidence was still pretty high (in some aspects). I guess that’s why I took on so many leadership roles and ended up taking something crazy like 18-20 credits per semester (WHO WAS I?!?). I also started to create those ‘bucketlist’ items - which is how I found myself running towards my first half marathon finish line.

LOVED these tights! I legit wore them for YEARS. I can’t find them anymore, but these are similar.

At the time, I had no idea how much an impact running would later make on my life. It’s funny how something that seems ‘impossible’ provides the most satisfaction when you achieve it. Finishing this race really boosted my confidence and gave me the strength that I had lost for a few years - I began to seek down opportunities that really terrified me.

I began exploring the outdoors.

I started hiking and camping by myself. When accomplishing these things, I felt strong. When others would question my plans or suggest that it wasn’t the best ‘idea’ to hike on my own- I was propelled to do it even more.

I began to stop questioning myself and then I started running more. I ran my first marathon and the confidence that came with checking off that accomplishment was incredible. I became hungrier to explore the outdoors and see everything that I could by foot.

This was a BIG breakthrough moment for me. I had never had the confidence to just ‘wear a sports bra’ out in public. Running gave me the opportunity to view my body in a positive way. You can find similar bras here. Also Mooney Falls is a MUST SEE.

I try to imagine what my life would be like if I didn’t have the opportunity to participate in sports like skating or running. If I didn’t have the encouragement and barriers already broken by other strong women (thanks to my Mom, Grandmother, Michelle Obama, K.V. Switzer, Michelle Kwan to name a few!) in my life to pursue crazy goals - none of what I’ve accomplished would be possible. It’s incredible to imagine where I’ve come from, but I still believe that we have more to go.

I will never take for granted the opportunity to explore the outdoors by foot. Not everyone is as fortunate and for that, I am grateful. Another thing that I’m also grateful for? Backpacks that hold all your crap and look cute. I’m currently adding these to my wishlist.

I’m fired up and ready to tackle some really big (SCARY) goals this year in 2019.

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Tell me- what barriers has someone else broken down to help you become who you are today?

What barriers are you LOOKING to break down?

What has the ability to participate in sports given you?

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! And This Or That

Happy Thursday! We’re off on our yurt trip and I’ll recap it tomorrow, but just wanted to share some exciting news with you. I’m officially a Bib Rave Pro!

I am SO EXCITED to join this amazing community of other runners, rate and review races, test out new brands, and learn from others along the way. I’ve always felt so isolated when living in a small Colorado Mountain Town, but this is just one of the organizations that I’m a part of that I know will help me feel ‘connected’ with other runners! Whether it’s communicating with them via social media, hearing their thoughts on products/races, and meetups during races! I can’t wait.

I also thought it would be fun to know your thoughts on the following below:

SO THIS OR THAT

Long run OR Speed Work

5k OR Marathon

Destination OR Hometown Race

Big OR Small Race

Solo OR Group Run

Headphones OR No-Headphones

Podcast OR Music

Beach OR Mountain Run

Trails OR Roads