Girl Scout Cookies (and other ways I sabatoge my goals!)

It’s Girl Scout Cookie season.  Girl Scouts here no longer take orders for two weeks and then deliver cookies.  They sell for two months and have access to get you your cookie fix the entire time.  Many boxes are conveniently kept waiting at their homes for anxious buyers.  Guess what?  I have a Girl Scout.  And our house is the home to many boxes of cookies waiting to go to their new home.  Unfortunately, many boxes have not gotten the opportunity to leave and have ended up in my stomach.  I really, really like Girl Scout cookies!  Thin mints, peanut butter patties, caramel delights, thanks-a-lots…yum (I will eat any flavor, those just happen to be my favorite.)

Thin Mints…Mmmmm

Tough Mudder Is Not Giving Out Finisher Shirts in 2015

*UPDATE 3-25-2015*

Tough Mudder listened to participants and have brought back finisher tees!

Read their announcement here.

*Original Blog Below*

Tough Mudders are military inspired obstacle course / mud runs that have drawn in millions of participants over the past few years.  Myself included.  I’ve done two Tough Mudders, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed myself at both events.  Tough Mudder recently released brand new promotions for new and improved obstacles.  The obstacles appear even crazier and more challenging than before.  The ‘Ring of Fire’ involves sliding down a fireman’s pole through a ring of fire (as the name suggests…) and dropping into a tub of water.  Awesome.

Another change to Tough Mudder, however, isn’t so awesome.  In 2015, Tough Mudder will not be giving out finisher shirts to those participants that make it through their courses.

Training for My Second Marathon: What I’m going to do differently this time

When I decided to do my first marathon, completing 26.2 miles seemed almost impossible.  I mean, I knew it was possible; lots of people run marathons.  I just didn’t know if I was going to be able to do it.  I kept that unsure feeling with me throughout most of my training.  Even after completing three 20 miles runs, I still didn’t know if I was going to be able to finish a marathon.

I did do it.  It wasn’t very pretty; it wasn’t the race I had planned to run, but I crossed the finish line and received my medal.  And then, a few months later I completed my first ultra marathon!  As I set out to start training for my second marathon, I no longer hold any doubts that I am able to do it.  I know I can cross the finish line.  This time around, I hope I am able to perform better.  (No focusing on time though!  Per my New Year’s goals, I am going to run races for the fun of it this year and set no time expectations.  In the past, this has helped to improve my actual finish times.  So, is planning to run for fun actually a plan to PR?  I really do hope to improve my times because I know I can do better BUT I don’t want to disappoint myself by not reaching a time goal.  I believe I over-complicate things! 😉 )

How will my training be different for my second marathon?

Runcations: My Top 5 Dream Vacation Race Destinations

January marks the start of a new year and a new race calendar.  As I plan out my runs for the upcoming season, I am excited about the events that I am able to participate in and enjoy.  I do, however, feel jealous of all the runners that sign up for awesome races that I cannot register for!  There are so many ideal running travel destinations all over the world.

While the constraints of time and money (mostly money) may keep me from attending the following events in the near future, it doesn’t stop me from researching and imagining how amazing an experience each race would be.  In no particular order, here are 5 of my top dream race runcation destinations:

1.  Italy

I’d be thrilled to run anywhere in Italy, but the race I have my eye on is the Rome Marathon.  The course takes you past many amazing sites including St. Peter’s Basilica and the Trevi Fountain.  My time would be a snail’s pace because I would be too busy enjoying the view and taking tons of pictures!

Stinky Workout Clothes: Does Using Vinegar and Baking Soda Get Rid of the Smell?

Workout clothes can get pretty smelly.  Newer workout clothes usually smell rather good after being washed.  After a month or two of hard exercise, however, the regular detergent doesn’t always keep clothes fresh.  Neither does the detergent specifically made for tough smells.  For me, my workout clothes usually come out of the laundry smelling decent, but the second I start to sweat, my good quality, sweat-wicking gear starts immediately smelling very unpleasant (and by unpleasant I mean an aroma of rotting roadkill.)

Now, I don’t mind smelling a bit at the end of a hard workout or long run BUT starting out the workout smelling stinks (literally.)  As you sweat during a workout, I think you adjust to your smell and don’t notice it as much.  When you start smelling almost immediately, you notice it – and if I notice it that much, I imagine I have a circle of stink around me that everyone else can smell as well!  (At the end of a marathon?  Of course I should stink.  After 1/10 of a mile?  No.)

5 Healthy Food Trends I Might Try in 2015

January always brings an onslaught of all things diet and fitness.  Advertisements start to switch right at the Christmas holiday to remind you of all the unhealthy ways you’ve been treating yourself over the season.  I know I am guilty!  I thoroughly enjoy all the yummy desserts and huge buffets present at most holiday get-togethers.  While I tend to do a decent job at maintaining my exercise routine through December, my eating definitely goes way WAY up.  (And it was all delicious!)

Now it’s January 2nd, however, and I feel mushy and bloated.  I need to get my diet under control so I feel better during my runs!  My approach is to aim for an overall healthy lifestyle that I can model for my children, and not a fad diet (although I am doing the cabbage soup diet next week.  I happen to really like cabbage soup!)

Here are 5 healthy food trends that I might try to integrate into my diet in 2015: