Saturday's Long Run

So saturday was the oh-so-scary 5 miler. I haven't ran five miles in a long long time, and I was a little scared of such a high number, and such a long amount of time to be running.

Well, I definitely CONQUERED the 5 mile run.

I started out with an easy 2 miler with the roommate. We did a loop around our apartment and the river that runs near us, I stopped at home for a quick water break and to fix my heart rate monitor, and then headed out for the last three.

Well I, of course, ran too far, and the last three ended up being 3.82. So in total, I ran 5.82 miles. feeling so accomplished today! :) And in addition, I'm not at all scared for the 6 miler I have to run next weekend.

Things I learned from the run:

1. Running "long distance" (4-6 miles) is 70% mental, 30% physical ability. I think that if you can run 3, you can run five. You just have to be in the right mindset.
2. Running without a set path is best. Go where the "walk" signs take you. This is another reason why I love my Garmin. I dont need a set path -- I just need to run until that distance reads 5.00


Next time I'll have to bring my crappy little point&shoot so I can get some pictures.

I came home, did some stretching, took a trip to trader joe's and then made myself a pretty delicious (but ecletic) dinner.

I baked sweet poatoes using the "slow+low" method, and baked some trader joe's whole wheat pizza dough with pesto on top. delicious.

unfortunately no pictures, but I was too concerned with eating to actually take pictures. whoops!

Things I love Thursday - 3/17 Running Edition

Happy St. Patrick's Day! While I will probably be partaking in some activities this afternoon (probably just a green beer around lunch-time), I don't think I'll be going too crazy in the festivities.

I have a half-marathon to train for ;)

Speaking of the half, I definitely have some running essentials I'd love to share in the Things I love Thursday - Running Edition. 

 First of course is the fivefingers. The barefoot running thing can be a little intimidating at first, especially to those who either a. have not run before, or b. have ran in crazy heavy or crazy stabilizing shoes. I run better, faster, and with proper form in my fivefingers. I don't get as tired, and I honestly think they make me enjoy running MORE than I would in any other shoes. I have a pair of nike frees, which i use for treadmill runs, and a pair of asics that I bought two summers ago when I was doing all that crazy running. I like both of those shoes. But i LOVE my fivefingers.

Let me now introduce you to my ipod shuffle, Elle Woods. Elle Woods has "endorphins make you happy" inscribed on the back. She is my motivation for physical activity. Lately I've been running to the black swan soundtrack and Adele's 21. It's been great.

Running clothing - here we have the lululemon run swiftly long sleeve tee which is all kinds of incredible. yesterday was the third time i've worn it running and its NOT SMELLY. love. plus its super comfortable, doesnt ride up and has awesome thumbholes. Paired with a pair of (livestrong) nike tempo shorts and i'm good to go. this was actually my running outfit on the cruise ship and I am SO excited that I can wear it in Michigan again.

Another important part of running is the running HAIRSTYLE. now i know running is def. not a beauty pageant, but when you have long hair, it can be really frustrating to find something to do with it that isn't bothering you on your run. for me, the SIDE BRAID IS IT. it is actually my new go to hairstyle for everything, thanks to a Women's Health article talking about how its perfect for straight hair after using dry shampoo (love dry shampoo, esp. klorane)

Finally, my last necessity is my garmin (stats from yesterday's easy 2 miler). Nothing is more accurate for keeping track of your runs. I love that I can glance down and see how I'm doing in terms of distance and pace. And let's me honest, map my run sucks balls.

So that's them -- the things I need for successful runs. I do know that I'll need to get my hands on some sort of water holding device for longer-distance runs. Any suggestions?

Running

Getting back to running.

The last time I ran consistently was two summer's ago. It was when I bought my Garmin Forerunner, and was determined to train for a half marathon.  Seeing as I have yet to have any racing bibs or tee's, that didnt happen.

Running for me has been an off and on thing since then, and it was within the past month that I decided if I was going to keep up with it, I needed a schedule and a goal. I know that running consistently makes me feel better physically and mentally, and is actually really great for my body personally. I've never really had any running injuries (minus weird hip pain that I got once, but hopefully my 2x's a week yoga will take care of that now), and I've never really struggled with running.  In middle school I was on the track team because my best friend was, and while I was never great, I could keep up in practice, I could get through the runs and the friday morning practices in the dark. I wasn't a runner per se, but I could run.

Two summer's ago I got up to about 5, 5.5 miles, and then my running petered off. Well right now I'm back at 5 miles again. According to the Hal Higdon Novice half-marathon training plan I've been using, I was supposed to get 5 miles in last weekend. Instead I ran 4.38 with a group of current and prospective Michigan Law students, and Dean Z, head of admissions/the school.

There's a few races before the Princess Half next February that I'm thinking about -- a few in south eastern Michigan, and one in the UP that I would LOVE to run, but I'm not sure that I could convince anyone to go with me.

I do have good news on the motivation for the Princess Half front though. Via complete chance and early morning twittering, I discovered that miss La Caffeinista, my fellow wolverine, is super interested in it as well. So we'll have to motivate each other.

I also just found out through my crazy downloading of everything I could find on this year princess half, so I don't have to wait until Jan/Feb of next year for pretty much the same info, that the race goes towards the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, one of my absolute favorite charities. So now I have even more of a reason to run it.

Overall, I'm really happy with my training right now. It's not overwhelming, its very do-able, and with weather like today

I am more than happy to get outside, get some VitD and just run.

I have some running essentials, that I'll probably share with you tomorrow (maybe a running-themed Things I love Thursday?), but for now, just know that this is your call to keep me on track, accountable, and motivated.

Are you a runner?

Goals and (self-purchased) Gifts

hey blogging world.

a new goal + a new purchase has brought me back to you all.

first, the purchase:

yes my lovely bloggie friends that is a canon rebel t1i.
i got an awesome deal on it at my favorite tarjay last thursday and I couldn't say no. i picked up the last one in the store, and i am so in love.

also, check out the awesome michigan law shirt

while i'm still learning how to use it, the photo quality is so much better than my crappy little point and shoot. i took it to the michigan hockey game (last game at yost of the year! so sad!) and the pictures are incredible.

oh canon rebel, currently nameless (but not for long), how i love you.

and the goal:

So see that nice event at the very bottom?

See this nice winter 2012 school schedule:

The Disney Princess Half Marathon 2012 is the first weekend of my spring break next winter.

Life goal?  here i come :)

I've actually started half-marathon training since I discovered the jogging track around the Norwegian Sky is freaking incredible at sunset. 

There's a few half's i'm considering for the summer, and if Admitted Students Weekend was any indication, Michigan Law should actually be pretty good for running support (I, and about 20 other prospective and current students def. went on a jogging tour of Ann Arbor (like I needed it) with Dean Z, head of admissions).

I'm excited to have a destination half-marathon on the horizon. It gives me a bit more to look forward to than just a half-marathon around southeastern Michigan.

And registration isn't until July-ish, so I do have some time to back out (although I'm hoping that since I've blogged about it, I won't actually back out).

Now training in December and January will totally suck balls.  But I think I can pull it off. It will def. require some hardcore winter running apparel, but I think it will be a worthy investment.

I have bunches more about UM Law admitted students weekend, running consistently again in general, and the new camera baby, but I'll save it for future blogs.

Disney Princess Marathon, February 25, 2012, Here I come.

Things I love Thursday - 2/17

Hey hey, look at that its Thursday and I have a hot minute to blog about what I love this week.

Life has been revolving around

a. midterms, for both me, and the undergraduate students in Toxicology, the course I am the graduate student instructor for.  You'd be surprised how much prep goes into writing and preparing an exam for a group of 60 students to take.  Their exam is going on right now, I have another exam in a week, and a paper due on tuesday.  Fun stuff.

b. Spring break prep!  although it is not nearly spring, The semester break at Michigan occurs next week and I am headed on a Bahamas cruise for 4 days.  very excited for sun and relaxation!

Anyway, here's what I'm loving:

clarisonic mia 

i snagged this baby from beauty.com for 20% off and i am in love.  while i have yet to see results (they say a sin cycle is 20 days, and im only on day 8 with the clarisonic), it has made me notskip a single face-washing.  so thats definitely a great start.

mott's fruit snacks

so ignore the crappy picture that someone from amazon took of the costco box that they are reselling, but these babies rock.  i dont feel bad eating them because they're made from a bunch of fruit and vegetable juices and taste great.  

lululemon slipless headband

i'll be honest, i have yet to use this in a workout situation but just from lounging around the house, its perfect.  stays in place and doesnt budge

30 rock s4 on netflix instant play

i always forget how FUNNY this show is.  its my go to for background while eating dinner, or other similarly mindless tasks.  liz lemon, you are my hero.

I Love Breakfast

oh hello blog, nice to see you again.

I have a bit of time as I gather enough strength to stand in the shower for ten minutes.  I just got back from the great ass-kicking yoga session at the Lululemon Ann Arbor Showroom.

So now I'm just enjoying my barney smoothie and some applesauce.

What's a barney smoothie? So glad you asked!

This baby is just a combo of the following ingredients:

baby spinach, almond milk, blueberries

so green + purple = barney.
I always want to wear green and purple clothes together, but I'm always reminded that I will just look like barney.

so things have been busy. i think january is always a breeze and then february is just NEVER ENDING TO DO LIST. thankfully i have a bahamas cruise to look forward to at the end of the month ;)

for the past week, however, I have been making AWESOME breakfasts. lots of variety, lots of healthy delicious-ness. good stuff, all around.

I love breakfast - just like the adorable little girl in knocked up

Knocked Up - Ben Tells The Kids That They Are Having A Baby - Click here for another funny movie.

but breakfast is one of those meals that can be hard to squeeze in. luckily everything i eat is easy. and i don't have class until 11:30 every day, so I'm allowed to have lazy mornings.

Regardless, here's what I've been eating.

trader joe's british muffins - whole wheat cinnamon raisin

trader joe's has probably had these forever, but i just discovered them last time i was there.
i LOVE cinnamon raisin english muffins, but am always bummed that there's not a whole wheat version.  boy was i wrong.  these are perfect toasted with a pat of earth balance spread.  also not sure who desraeli and gladstone are, but i kind of love them.

trader joe's oats&flax + org blueberries

This was the sample at trader joe's the other day.  I had already picked up the organic blueberries because organic fruits are so hard to find in the winter.  and then i tried the sample of the oats + blueberries and fell in love.  such a simple delicious breakfast.

trader joe's multigrain waffles + dark chocolate dreams

Multigrain waffles with dark chocolate dreams.  LOVE.  also delish with bananas, but i didn't have any on this day :(

Obviously, trader joe's rocks for breakfast foods.
And seriously, none of these take longer than 5 minutes to make.

Things I Love Thursday - 2/3

This has been the laziest week of my life.  Thanks to the tuesday night "blizzard" and the lack of anything of significance being due this week, I have done very very little.


I have gone to the gym consistently though!  that's good?  


and i finished "something blue" by emily giffen -- bringing my 2011 book total to..... two.  Woooo!


Surprisingly, despite my doing very little I do have quite a bit to blog about, but no motivation to type.  


So we'll start it out easy with the things I love:

evol burritos

i have always been a fan of the convenience of frozen burritos, but i can't say i've ever loved them.  i love evol the burritos (which shouldn't be surprising since their name is love backwards!)

my favorite type is the regular old beans rice and cheese.  i'm a simple girl, what can i say.

plus they're a company with "whole food" morals, which i can always get behind.

and they have an awesome website!  

An (essentially) empty email inbox

Do you see that?!  1 unread message in my gmail!?  i dont think that has ever happened before!  and to be fair, the one unread message is a myspace deactivation link as a reminder than i need to save the pictures on there and then DELETE DELETE.  because when you search 'lauren alysse michigan' that's what comes up.  not good for potential employer/googlers!

regardless, the empty inbox is so freeing.  I LOVE IT.

Cancelled Class

although UofM does not have snow days, my Professor decided to cancel class on wednesday anyway!  so that meant i did not have to give a presentation that i was definitely not prepared for.  110% YAY.  And luckily class was cancelled about 2 hours after it started snowing, and before it was realized that we weren't going to get nearly as much snow as predicted.

Glee-inspired Nails

So the Glee Sephora by OPI collection made its way onto my nails this week.  I painted on Sunday night as well as Tuesday night during the snow storm and I'm so in love.

This is "I'm a Gleek"

and this is "Sue Vs. Shue"

Pom Cranberry Juice

i've been searching and searching since before 2011, and i FINALLY FOUND IT.

soooo delish.  my two favorite superfruits.