My Interview over at Bouffe a Bambini

The very sweet Hanna over at Boufe e Bambini has featured me on her blog, go pop over there to check it out!

She has a huge heart and is optimistic, athletic, and fun...and she happens to be a critical care RN too :)

Hanna, thank you SO MUCH for interviewing me, hope you can heal up soon and get back out running ASAP!

Have a great weekend folks!

Instagram

Two weeks ago I discovered Instagram and now I feel like a professional photographer haha.

I find myself wondering, how on earth did I survive without it??  (joking, sort of)

I thought it was just another form of social media that was going to suck up my time...but I was WRONG.  It is easy to just pop on there and check out some awesome photos without draining too much time.

Here are some of my fav photos that I've taken so far:

pool!

ominous sky mid-run

the giant "battleship" sub

middle of a fab 8 mile run

at the end of a nightshift

 Find me on Instagram!  @NeonBlondeRunner

If you use Instagram, leave me your name so I can follow you (if I don't already)!


What's your favorite filter?
My favorites are "lo-fi" and "earlybird", but pretty much all of them can successfully transform a mediocre photo into a piece of art.

Naked Foot 5K Race Recap

I ran the Naked Foot 5K in DC yesterday and had a BLAST!

As you know, I won an entry from Andrea at the MF Dre (thanks again Andrea!!) so I headed up to DC on Saturday night for a little race action. 

The Naked Foot 5k included an entire weekend of "natural running" festivities and clinics (including free foot massages, "foot-painting", awesome raffles, a free kids 1K), but I was coming from out of town and was tight on time, so I was only able to make it for the event on Sunday morning at 9am.

What to wear?

The race was focused on running naturally or barefoot, but I have NEVER run without shoes on, so I figured it wasn't the time to start.  I've taken my Altra shoes for a couple runs, but nothing more than 1 mile at a time, so I figured it wasn't the time to do 3.1 miles in those either.

So I settled for my 4mm drop Saucony Kinvaro shoes, I figured those were sort of natural-ish, but with plenty of cushioning.

Pre-Race

I met up with Amanda from Miss Zippy before the race and I felt like I was meeting a blog world celebrity.  I've been following her for a while and she always impresses me with her running knowledge, speed, and motivation.  It was wonderful to met her and she was just as genuine and kind as I'd imagined.  She's amazingly tough, she ran the entire 5K COMPLETELY BAREFOOT!

The Race

I had ZERO strategy going into the race, other than to push myself.  I haven't done speed work since my marathon in May, so I thought this would be a good excuse to get in some faster miles.

This was not an uptight race-race.  Most folks seemed to be doing it for "fun", which I enjoyed because it took off any pressure.

The race director described the course as an adventurous, fun, twisty-turny "cross-country" course.  It took us through the woods, a winding muddy path, followed by an open field, some concrete, and a couple foot bridges.

At times I felt like I was on an obstacle course when I was jumping through the woods, but it really was fun!

The only part not fun about the course was the HEAT.  I am a sissy and I thought it was super hot and humid.  Made me feel like I was working way harder than I actually was.  But nothing you can do about that, so I just went with it.

The race was over before I knew it (wow, 3.1 miles flies by!), I was huffing and puffing.

Results

Not sure what my time was because I didn't stop my Garmin at the right time and they don't seem to publish the results.  But that's more than fine with me, after all it was not a PR sort of road race.

I finished either 2nd or 3rd overall woman, woohoo!

Not sure if it was 2nd or 3rd because the race folks didn't seem to keep track of it and Tappan thought that there was one girl ahead of me and at the end?

For my overall placing, I ended up winning a $50 gift card to Hudson Trail Outfitters, a local outdoors store!!

Pretty sweet shirt.
Thanks HTO for the $50 gift certificate!

I was impressed with the folks who ran the race barefoot.  I did see more than a few people limping around at the end though, so hopefully no one got too injured.  Hopefully it was more of just chafed/blistered skin, but a couple appeared to have legitimate issues.

I really enjoyed this race, it was a nice change of pace.  It was organized by a young-ish couple from Colorado and it felt very cozy and local, which I enjoyed.  

It attracted a diverse crowd of runners, including a girl who ran the course WHILE HULA-HOOPING.

Thanks to the Naked Foot 5K team and to Andrea for a memorable race!

Do you prefer local cozy races or giant races like the Rock 'n' Roll series?

I enjoy small and local all the way!

Naked Foot 5K

I am excited because I get to run the Naked Foot 5K in DC with the amazing Miss Zippy on Sunday!

We were both lucky enough to win free entries from the fun and spunky MFDre.  Thanks, friend.

What on earth is the Naked Foot 5K?
Does this mean we're going to be running together naked?  
Haha no.

The "naked" part of the title refers to the fact that they want to promote natural/minimalist running.  "Naked" does NOT refer to the dress code :) ....

Taking my new Altra's out for a spin a couple weeks ago.
Thanks Altra!!

The folks at the Naked Foot 5k are passionate about getting people of all ages outside, moving, and having some fun.  <------  LOVE THIS

The Naked Foot 5K in DC consists of a barefoot-friendly 5K plus a two day festival for everything that represents active, healthy, and natural lifestyle in Washington, DC on June 23rd and 24th.  Sounds like a blast to me!

The 2 day festival includes:

• Saturday:  clinics on natural running, nutrition, and more
• Sunday:  5K followed by demos and booths for alternative fitness and lifestyle practices, holistic medical services, eco-friendly businesses, organic foods, and beverages

Unfortunately, I'm only able to make it to the events on Sunday, but the entire weekend sounds like fun.

Bibs are $40.

Ready to get OUT of the crowded gym and ON to the roads

And to make the whole thing even more awesome, I am going to hopefully get to run a few add-on miles with Amanda :)

Would you ever run 3 miles barefoot?
I honestly am not able to even go that far in my zero-drop shoes yet.  I'm really trying them out slowly because I don't want to get injured.  And I'm still not comfy with the idea of running with NO shoes on, knowing my bad luck, I'd probably step on a tack.
...So the plan for Sunday is to run for fun in my cushy comfy shoes, not for time!

PS major #fail...still working on putting a dent in my e-mail inbox...

E-Mail INBOX

I am pretty relaxed about some things in my life...

...and then there are some things that I'm just over-the-top uptight about!

For example, I am pretty OCD about trying to keep my e-mail inbox "cleaned out."

For me, a "cleaned out" e-mail inbox should have like 5-10 e-mails max.  It should only have e-mails that are about unresolved issues or current ongoing conversations.

*NOTE:  this doesn't mean that it happens all the time, it's just what I tryyy to do.

Annnnd I've been majorly slacking/busy and I've accumulated WAY too many e-mails that I want to sort through.

As a result I am....

• missing events that my friends tell me about, 
• feeling like a bad friend/relative
• forgetting to get back to people about running dates, and 
• just feeling an overall sense of being really darn unorganized.  

The part that bothers me is that I feel like I'm letting people down by not getting back to them about stuff.

I've just been so busy....but enough excuses.

Enough about my dumb problem, there are so many worse things going on in the world.

I've been too busy running + stuffing my face to keep up with my inbox...
(BTW Apparently a "large plate" menu item refers to the plate size, not the food portions.)

Instead of complaining about it, I'm going to try to do something about it today!

Time to get cleanin'.

How do you like to organize your e-mail inbox?

I like to try keep my inbox at 10 e-mails max and then file everything else away into folders as they're taken care of...otherwise I lose track and forget things.  BUT in reality, this is difficult to keep up with!  I really need to practice the "touch it once" method!!

Writing a Blog Post while Offline

Maybe all of the blog world already knows about this....

BUT did you know that you can write blog posts while you're offline?

-NO more long boring car road trips as a backseat passenger

-NO more boring commutes on the subway/bus (for all you city folks)

-You can blog while you lay out at the pool or favorite park (what I happen to be doing)

A little light reading and relaxing...
and now I have the option to blog at the pool too

You can put together a blog post (including photos and links) and then just post it when you get back to an internet connection!

So what type of software should you use?

I came across the following types of OFFline blog editors:


For Windows:
-Windows Live Writer (feature-rich and FREE)
-BlogDesk (FREE)
-Qumana (both mac and windows)


For Macs:
-MarsEdit (FREE 30 day trial)
-Ecto (not free....)
-Qumana (both mac and windows)


source:  about.com


I have an apple MacBook, so I decided to check out MarsEdit because they have a 30 day free trial and most of the reviews were happy with it.  


So far, it's easy to use and pretty intuitive.  I'm still working on figuring out font sizing and color...


Have you ever used an OFFline blog editor?  
Mac-users...what's your favorite type of OFFline blog editor?
This is my first post!  We'll see if it works....

The Roosevelt Richmond VA and Giveaway Winner!

**Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes on Tuesday!!!**

RUMOR has it that the Roosevelt was one of Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day Lewis' favorite restaurants when they were staying in Richmond recently to film the Lincoln movie...or maybe they never even went there, who knows.

I've heard so many amazing reviews of the Roosevelt and I've always wanted to try it out.  But I don't venture out to new restaurants all that often...so Tappan surprised me on my birthday by taking me there!

Birthday Replay:
After sleeping all day post-nightshift, I started my day off at 5pm with a sweaty 6 mile run at an 8:16 pace.

One of my fav costco running tops

After getting cleaned up, Tappan surprised me with a dozen roses.

Roses are my favorite flower--
in fact, ROSE is my middle name!

Followed by a lazy hang out session at my favorite park in Richmond-- Libby Hill Park.

Libby Hill Park never gets old for me and Tappan knows how much I love it up there, so we always try to stop by on holidays.  Yes, I'm a little strange, but the park makes me feel so excited about life for some reason.  It has a gorgeous view of the city that makes you feel like the possibilities in life are endless.

Libby Hill Park

We then popped over to the Roosevelt for an AMAZING dinner.

The atmosphere made me feel like I had been transported to a decade from the past.  I felt like I was a character in the Great Gatsby, sitting in a saloon on the east egg.  And at the same time, I felt like I was having a home cooked meal.  It was relaxing.

Mouthwatering menu.

My favorite part of the menu was the "snacks" portion, which included delicious noms like this pimento cheese with homemade potato chips:

Pimento Cheese and homemade potato chips at the Roosevelt

I was happy.

Thanks for a delicious dinner Tappan!

The NEXT day (Wednesday), I went for a fun 5 mile run at a 7:56 pace with Brittany and a local running group.

Followed by a little last minute surprise dinner at my favorite Thai restaurant with my girlfriends!

Brittany brought cake pops for dessert, yum!!!

Ok now onto the good stuff.

The winner of the 2 bibs for the Color Me Rad 5K is......

Lindsay from Chasing the Kenyans.  She has an impressive running resume...and she never ceases to make me laugh, she has the best sense of humor.

Thank you all so much for entering, I wish I had enough bibs for each of you.

Have you ever tried cake pops?
They're amazing....

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday woohoo!

My b-day last year

Somehow, I think that every year of my life has gotten better.  So I'm pretty excited to see what comes next.

The possibilities in life are endless,
...like this awesome infinity pool.

Yes, we all have ups and downs and I'm sure there have been some major highlights in earlier parts of my life (trips, accomplishments, school, etc.)...but in general, I like the direction that my life is moving.  I'm moving more confidently in the direction of my dreams.

I want to always have a youthful zest for life, so as long as I keep the right mindset, it doesn't make a difference to me if I get older, right? :)

Do you love celebrating your birthday?
I do enjoy a special "me" day, but I don't usually make a huge big deal out of it in terms of having a large celebration.  I just got off of work (an overnight shift, followed by a meeting = exhaustion), so my day is going to first consist of a few hours of sleep...followed by...we'll see!

Outer Banks

*it's not too late to enter enter my Color Me Rad giveaway HERE.

I quickly jumped back into reality after a vacation week in Duck, NC, one of the little communities along the Outer Banks.

Hangin' with Fred, my new best crustacean friend.
(inspect lower right corner)

Cue the highlights!

Running the Outer Banks:

28 miles TOTAL of running:

-10 miles at 8:09 pace

-3 miles at 7:22 pace

-6 miles at 7:49 pace

-3.22 miles at 8:44 pace

-6 miles at 7:57 pace

I could get used to doing my post-run stretching with the ocean as my back drop...

Beaching it up in the Outer Banks:

Jockey's Ridge-- largest sand dune on East Coast

Twirling at sunset!

A little baking

Horsing Around in the Outer Banks:

Outer Banks horse statues are everywhere.

Photo from last year's trip!

Eating in the Outer Banks:

I cooked a bunch of stuff, including deviled eggs!

For those of you who know me, you understand that this involved some major branching out for me.  I'm slowly gaining my confidence in the kitchen.

Cuddlin' in the Outer Banks:

Tappan, huge thanks to you and your family for a wonderfully relaxing week!!

Do you go to the beach every year with your family or friends?

I usually go to Bethany Beach, DE a few times per year, but I've only made it up there once this year since my marathon there in December 2011!

Jockey's Ridge

Yesterday was 3 miles at  7:22 pace, followed by...

.....flying!

....at Jockey's Ridge State Park.

The largest sand dune on the east coast.

Breathtakingly beautiful park.

Free admission.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Any fun weekend plans?  Races?
More beach time over here and then back to reality in Richmond.

I'm Slow...

Yes, yes, I know I'm sluggishly slow in getting this post up...but better late than never.

Blaming it on vacation-brain!

Happy National Running Day

I started yesterday with a super long sleep-in session.  Nothing new there.

To celebrate National Running Day, I went for a 6 mile jog at a 7:49 pace.  It was not slow, rather it was my comfortable 'auto-pilot' pace, with a little help from the ocean breeze.

Tappan biked next to me, I loved having him as my run-companion.  Of course he bikes faster than I run, so it was a lot of up-and-backs for him, but it was still fun.

My arm looks like it's disconnected from my body in this photo.
Don't worry, it's still attached, I just checked.

I don't always do holiday/theme/bandwagon posts like this, but I do want to take a second to dote on how much running means to me!

My Ode to Running:  

I love you, let me count the ways haha ;)

(in bullet form, of course, you should know that you can't expect real poetry from me, a biochemistry major...):

• I am naturally a type A/uptight person and running helps take the edge off of life for me :)
• I love all the people that I have met through running
• Just TRY to remember the last time that you regretted a run...I can't think of ONE example
• I may be on the 'introvert' end of the spectrum and running helps balance me more towards the middle
• I love having an activity that I can enjoy doing alone, just as much as I enjoy doing with other people
• Running is an automatic RESET button during a crappy day
• Jumping out the door to go for a run is SIMPLE-- no gym or fancy equipment needed.  Don't need to follow a plan, just go with it!
• The positive feelings that I get from running SEEP into all other parts of my life, throughout the day

I could probably ramble on forever, but at the risk of sounding like a love-sick puppy, I'll leave it at that :)

What's your #1 reason that you run??

It makes me feel so alive!