Running

Kardashian Anniversary + Weekend Updates

| cheriarmour

So, once again, this weekend was bananas.  Is that what adult life is?  You work during the week, and then you go into your weekends which are packed to the gills with things to do?  I’m starting to feel like it is.

Okay, so first things first, as you read this, Austin and I are celebrating our Kardashian anniversary.  You see, Kimmy K and Kris Humphries were married for grand total of 72 days before they decided to end things, so since we’ve been married, Austin and I have been really excited about celebrating that special day.

Hashtag never forget.

Moving right along…so me and Austin are huge Halloween people, but this year, between the wedding and the purchase of the Merrie home, the holiday snuck up on us this year, and a few days before Friday, I found myself without a costume or without a plan for the day.  After huddling with some friends, and the donation of a costume from a sweet member, I made some plans and ended up as Zoe Saldana’s character from Star Trek.

Star TrekThe costume ended up being a total hit – who knew so many people were secret Trekkies?!  I stayed out way, wayyyy too late, and suffered through Saturday morning’s class and ended the day at a baby shower for my step-sister-in-law.

Sunday?  I raced!  Because of the relay I have coming up, I had to hold back a little and stuck with the 10k.  The start was extremely chilly, and because the marathon started about 20 minutes before our race did, I was able to steal a cheap Hanes sweatshirt from the marathon toss that had occurred, and toss it later.  And luckily, because it was cotton, it was a literal sauna in there.  Cotton is rotten, except, when you’re freezing and you want to create a sauna inside your shirt.  Mile 4, I ditched the sweat, and finished the 10k strong in under an hour.

Here are a few snaps from the morning!

Legs felt strong, and they felt like they could do a lot more, leading me to believe that I am ready-eddy-eddy for this ultra relay end of this week.

My weekend was absolutely nuts.  What were you up to this weekend?

I can fall asleep anywhere.

| cheriarmour

First and foremost, can we all thank my amazing husband (who’s gotten a lot of love on the blog this week), for doing something to my poor laptop to make it run faster?  I have this adorable pink Dell that my dad got me for my Elon graduation in 2009 – I’m trying to squeeze a few more months out of it while I save up for a Mac, and you guys better watch out for the Mac attack because I will be on that thing, editing photos and writing like a crazy person.

Moving right along.

So, yesterday, I participated in Peachy Keen’s fall fashion show.  Remember,  I did their show last spring?

Because of the fashion show (which was a blast) here’s what my day looked like.

The night before, I stupidly drank two extremely large glasses of wine, knowing full well I wanted to be up and ready to go to work by 6am (ish) so I could work for the day and then head to makeup for the show.  So I woke up, feeling awesome (absolutely not) and sobbed through a shower.  Or at least I felt like sobbing.

I worked for the day, got a 5ish or 6ish miler in, and headed to makeup for the show.

The show was Frozen-themed, so makeup was pretty, blue, and ethereal-looking.  And the second I got done with makeup, I laid down on a bench in the dressing room with a tiny pillow, and fell asleep.  I felt nothing, heard nothing, and have no idea how long I was out for, bout it was just long enough to feel refreshed and walk the show no problem.

I don’t want to spoil anything for when the real shots are done being edited and all that fun stuff, so take a little gander at this backstage…

Peachy Fall Show

Makeup was awesome, hair looks good, and the show went off without a hitch.  I even felt myself moved by the spirit, and danced a little on the runway.

IMMEDIATELY following the show, I kid you not, I asked Austin to unzip the back of my dress, and I faceplanted on the bed at about 8:45pm.  The only other time in my adult life I ever remember going to bed that early was once when I had a Zumba training that I went to after a wedding.  I promptly found myself wide awake at 4am, in a mod dress from Loft, wondering where I went so wrong in my life.

But I digress.

What are your guys’ weekend plans, especially given that this weekend is Halloween?  

Me?  Come hell or high water, I will play with this…

LetterpressThis is my new baby that I have yet to get a chance to play with!  I finally got my L-Press from Charlotte, so I would love to break it out and play with it, and in my WILDEST fantasies, get it up and running in time to shoot off some holiday cards.  I can dream big, can’t I?

Does your significant other support your running?

| cheriarmour

I try to keep my husband at a minimum on the blog.  Not because I’m not crazy about him, because I absolutely am.  But more because he didn’t ask for his life to be splashed across the interwebs.  But occasionally, I just can’t help it!

I’m running Ragnar in Las Vegas in less than two weeks, and unlike the typical Ragnar relay, we are considered an ultra team, meaning that instead of 12 runners over 36 legs, we are 6 runners over the 36 legs.  I’m so looking forward to it, and yet, a little apprehensive about running over 34 miles over a few days.

But, despite my apprehension, my body, my mind, and my legs feel strong.

In prep for the race, I’ve run at a few odd times – and last night, it was around 9:30pm.  Luckily, I live close to the state university, and can stay pretty safe running on campus during these odd times, or can call my brother to run with me.  And every time I push off at these strange times, Austin offers me a butterfly knife, and asks if it’s completely necessary for me to run at those times, in the most worried and caring of ways.

And this time, the poor thing was in no position to come with me, because he sprained his ankle terribly playing volleyball at the Y.

Exhibit A
Exhibit A

But I’m taken with how supportive Austin has been of my running. When we met, I was just doing some running for maintenance.  Despite being an avid weightlifter (which doesn’t  classically mix), he ran my first 5k with me.  Then my second.  He cheered me through my first half.  And then stood out in the cold during my first two fulls.  And now, even though he can’t come to Vegas with me, he’s been so supportive, and making sure that in the midst of all my training, that I’m staying safe and happy.

 So how does running fit into a relationship?  How should running fit into a relationship?  For you runners, weightlifters, triathletes, golfers, how does your sport fit into your relationship?  And is your significant other supportive of how you stay fit?  

For us, even though Austin has never expressed any interest in taking on the challenge of a full or an ultra, running has always been something that we could enjoy and do together.  And it makes me feel supported by him, that we aren’t in competition, but that it’s something we can do side-by-side.  Running can be so solitary, and yet, it makes me feel so close to so much and so many people.

You? 

Weekend updates!

| cheriarmour

I hope your weekend was really good.  I’m surprised I’m still standing upright, because I got a toooon of stuff done.

BeagleSo for starters – if you’ve come to our house in the last year or so, I’ve sworn up and down that we were not getting any more pets.  We have two cats, and a poodle that I love dearly, but of course, I could not keep my word.  We inherited a sweet beagle named April, and we’re fostering her until we can find her a nice, sweet home to stay at.  Prilla is a typical beagle, and unlike the poodle, who’s often off the leash, sniffing around the backyard, when you open the door, Prilla jets off.  But we’re enjoying having her!

I got notice that my replacement Fitbit has shipped!  If you’ll remember, I am a complete idiot, and mere weeks after getting my Fitbit, I was dancing, and looked down a few minutes later to discover that my new fun toy was missing.  I spent the week on the phone with the company, who very graciously decided to send me another, since I’d already replaced it.  All this, just in time for my next new toy…

fitbit.0The Fitbit Surge, the answer to the problem that EVERY single runner that owns a Fitbit has – how dumb do I look wearing my Garmin and my fitness tracker at the same time….

Now to convince my husband that I need another gadget (I don’t)….

CardSpeaking of that sweet man that I love, I was at the paper store to pick up some cards, and found this!  How cute, right?  It’s by a company called Emily McDowell, and the creativity that just oozes off her work is simply inspiring.

Which brings me to this!

My letterpress machine showed up!  After deciding just after our wedding that I was obsessed with all things paper, I called around to some folks, one in particular in Asheville, who have antique letterpress businesses.  One girl in particular, the very sweet Nicole, from Mink Letterpress, actually called me back and walked me through getting started with pressing beautiful paper.  She told me about the Evolution Letterpress, and about a few local paper specialty shops that have workshops, so those are things that I’m really looking forward to in addition to the stationary conference in New York next Spring (if I can afford it 🙂 ).

And finally…

IMG_1454The weather here is gorgeous, and I finally, finally feel like I can run without getting nauseous.  Which comes just in TIME for my Ragnar in Vegas next month.  In two weeks, I’m running 35 miles over the course of a weekend, along with 5 other girls.  Eep!

How was your weekend? 

 

Headphones

| cheriarmour

So, first things first. I have a dirty horrible confession to make.

I’m a little obsessed with “Ew!” Jimmy Fallon and will.i.am’s single that they put out a few weeks ago.  I don’t know what it is about the single, but I really die for a star’s alter ego, so that’s probably it.  Nicki Minaj had Roman, the little British boy.  Katy Perry had Kathy Beth Terry who made her appearance in the T.G.I.F video.  Taylor Swift just looked like a dork in the “You Belong With Me” video.  And now, there’s mir.i.am and Sarah.

So judge me. A ton. I enjoyed it.

Moving right along…

So, I’ve had a terrible run with sports headphones since my second year in grad school, when someone broke into my Taurus, touched my dirty gym clothes, and stole my favorite Nike headphones which were subsequently discontinued.  Blarghhh.  From then, I lost literally like 3 pairs of earbuds, the old ones, and one of the new ones during a big race.

At that point, I started using Yurbuds, and one after another pair either went missing, or I let folks borrow them, only to never see them again.

So today, I broke my usual Fleet Feet regimen since I was near the REI, and headed in to grab a pair of headphones for a few really long training runs over the next few weeks in prep for Ragnar.

#1, the people are REI were really nice, and 2, on our little frequent REI account we had a $17 thing, so I only paid like 6 bucks for the headphones.  Holla!

What’s really cool about this particular pair of Yurbuds is that they’re gender-specific, which can be pretty stupid, like when it comes to the Bic For Her line, but this one is good because it’s a little tinier and shorter, perfect for my ears which are absolutely teeny.  So here’s to being able to hang onto this pair for longer than a day or two, hm?

Yurbuds

Favorite headphones? 

Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh

| cheriarmour

So I ran Raleigh’s Rock ‘n’ Roll race last year, the half.

The race was amazing, extremely hilly, but an awesome representation of our city.  I tried to capture it all when I actually ran it last spring, but when I run now through downtown, I remember little things.  Like when I started tearing up at the mile at Dorthea Dix’s Campus when there were pictures and American flags with our fallen soldiers on it.  Or when the priest near the start was blessing us.

So anyhoo, I registered again.  For the full.

God help.

If you’ll remember, during my last full marathon, I woke up with a stomachache, ran anyway, and proceeded to vomit from mile 18 on.

Come to find out later, I’d developed a gnarly case of gastritis after my grandmother passed…

HospitalAnd I sort of didn’t run anything intense after that, save for a few half marathons last spring, for fear that I would be vomiting on someone’s front lawn once again.

But I’ve braved the registration, and I did it.

And now I suppose I’ve got to train.  Humph.

Also, sorta thinking about an ulta. A 50k!  Eep!

Have you signed up for any races this spring ??

Weekend updates.

| cheriarmour

While you’re reading this, I’m actually sleeping in my little brother’s room at my parent’s party pad in downtown Charlotte.  I’m in town here only for a day or so, but that’s totally cool, because it gives me a new terrain to run on, and keeps things interesting.

So a few interesting points about this weekend.

  1. My Fitbit is turning me into a lunatic. I don’t think people really believe me when I tell them that my competitive nature has taken me to really really ugly places.  But to put things into perspective, my first summer working at Camp Pocono Trails, I was playing Gaga with the kids, and they would make fun of me for how into the game I would get.  At the top of my lungs, I’d scream that I would be the “LAST. WOMAN. STANDING,” as I picked kids off with the dodgeball, one by one.  They thought it was a game.  I knew better.  Well now that I can see how many steps I’ve taken, a friend of mine and three of her coworkers challenged me to a “Daily Showdown,” so I proceeded to walk to the bar, walk home from the bar, and continue walking well past 11pm.  I came in second, and I can’t really talk about my defeat, that’s how painful it was. Fitbit Competition
  2. We had a shed put in the backyard on Saturday.  So I wake up on Saturday to check out the shed, and it actually was pretty cute!  Then I look over at one of the guys installing it, and he’s wearing swim trunks and no shirt.  No judgement here, I’m just truly curious about his choice in attire.  Shed Install
  3. And finally?  I’m feeling really ready to sign up for something serious.  I got over my running hump, and running is starting to feel like a natural state of being for me again.  I’m playing with a few options – I ran Shamrock a few years ago for my first full, and I’d be interested to try it again to see if I’ve made any improvements.  I also have an entry for Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh set up, but since they haven’t released the full course, I’m not sure if I’m ready to commit without knowing the course.  Raleigh is terribly hilly, and that race can either be really really awesome, or kinda miserable.  I also am playing with the idea of like a 50k or so, to delve into the world of Ultra Marathons, but don’t tell my husband.  We watched a documentary about Dean Karnazes, and for some reason, I still have the itch to see what I can do.  I have zero interest in being a regular 90+ mile a week girl, especially with all of the teaching I do, but once or twice?  I think it would be worth it!

What did you do this weekend?

Fitbit

| cheriarmour

I blogged a few weeks ago about how I was in a little bit of a running slump.  And almost as soon as I wrote those words, I went on a run the next evening that felt like my breakthrough.  A friend and I comfortably ran nearly seven miles and chatted, and I felt a little bit of my old running self coming back.

I’ve also found that sometimes, when I’m in a slump, if I buy myself a new toy, I seem to be able to overcome the slump rather quickly, since I’m focused on whatever new pair of shoes/jacket/shorts/watch, and it kind of kicks my motivation back into gear.

Well I’d been thinking about a Fitbit for a while, and going back and froth on weather the purchase would be a worthy one, since I’m pretty active.  But last week, after a particularly rough day at work where I’d received a ranty email (is ranty even a word!?), I was feeling very sorry for myself, and went and picked up a Fitbit off of my wedding registry at a cool 15% off (yay!) and I got to setting it up.

Fitbit

I think the original reason why I went back and forth on the Fitbit is that I wasn’t sure what it could offer someone like me who’s super active – buuut I will admit, the thing is pretty darn cool.  A few points?

  • It comes in a pretty sleek design, and isn’t super obtrusive, which is one of the main reasons I can’t wear my GPS constantly.  I don’t feel uncomfortable popping it on with my business casual during the day, and it fits in with my workout clothes just fine.  (As a point of reference, it sort of looks like one of those Livestrong bracelets folks were rocking in the early 2000s, and it’s not a whole lot heavier).
  • It was really really easy to set up.  You take it out of the box, put it on, and you just kinda go!  There’s a little dooder so you can sync it with your computer, and there’s a super simple app for your phone.
  • On aforementioned app, you can track your calories that you’ve eaten.  Not that I’m a super-stickler about my caloric intake, but it’s something that I loosely like to keep an eye on, and that tool was invaluable when I was losing some college weight – being able to keep track of everything I put into my mouth.
  • If you’re at all competitive, or like big round numbers, Fitbit sets a goal of 10,000 steps per day for everyone, and it encourages you – even on a day where you’re taking a break – to get up and move.  Just because it’s your day off doesn’t mean sit around for hours and hours, and Fitbit sort of reminds you of this.
  • …But I can see how this amazing little piece of technology can make obsessive folks such as myself, well, a little more obsessive.  If I feel like I haven’t hit my steps, I will move heaven and earth to make sure I hit those steps – I have to watch that in myself.
This is not indicative of my usual - I'd run over 7 miles, taught a class, and worked at the store that day!
This is not indicative of my usual – I’d run over 7 miles, taught a class, and worked at the store that day!

So overall, I’m loving this little gadget that I’ve thrown into the mix.

Do you have an Fitbit?  An app?  How do you keep track of your activity? 

Sweat Hope 5k – small but mighty

| cheriarmour

Earlier this month, I told you guys about the Sweat Hope 5k, and this weekend was the big event!

So Saturday morning, after about a week straight of rain, I woke up and the running Gods smiled on Raleigh, and I woke up to nothing but straight sun and beautiful temps.  I headed down to Wake Med Soccer park in Cary, and easily found my way to the race, where Whole Foods, Sola (a local coffee shop), Headbands of Hope (obviously), and a few other local vendors were set up.  I got my bib, and lined up with a little over 300 other runners to run the 5k, which started promptly at 9am.

HoH 5k1

I’m almost ashamed – I’ve lived in Raleigh on and off for the past fourish years, and until Saturday, had never run at Wake Med Soccer Park.  I was surprised!  The trails were really packed down, well-maintained, and ridiculously hilly!  For 3.1 miles, we ran up and and and up and down and up again – easily one of the most challenging 5k courses I’ve run.

HoH 5k

Overall, the race was a blast, incredibly well-done, and I would totally do it again, and hope to again next year!

*****

So in my secret life, I sing and recently recorded a song with an extremely talented local rapper for the purposes of performing it at a show on Sunday night.  So me, the husband, Marc “Franchise” Jusino, and a bunch of spectators hit the stage on Sunday to compete in a show.  Spoiler alert: we didn’t win, but we totally should have, but I have a lot of respect for the guy who did win.  Excellent excellent performer.

ShowBut we totally should have won!

What’s one cool thing you did this past weekend?