Social Running

Happy Sunday Runday! Although I typically don't run back-to-back days (I like to mix it up with yoga or whatever other active thing catches my eye), Crystal asked if I wanted to run this morning, so I figured I'd go for it.

I used to never enjoy running with other people. I'm not a fast runner, and it always seems like running comes very easily to other people. They always wanted to talk while I was sitting there huffing and puffing trying desperately to keep up with them. It really wasn't until I started running with Crystal that I genuinely enjoyed it. It's a different kind of running. It's social running.

What I get out of a run with a friend is totally different than a solo run. My solo runs are exercises in mental strength, mainly. It's all about how hard I can push myself and conquer all those negative thoughts in my mind. With a friend, it sometimes is about getting out there despite not wanting to run, and sometimes, it's a way to up the pace or change up the route. Running with friends makes me more comfortable with trying new things, whereas running solo is about challenging myself on the turf I'm already familiar with.

Shirt: GapFit [exact]

Shorts: Lululemon [exact]

Shoes: Newton Running [exact]

Sunglasses: Oakley [exact]

There's just something about a cloudy day that makes me want to wear bright colors! I love these T-shirts from GapFit...the material is just wonderful. It's nice both for daytime wear and workout wear. They are a big clingy, though, so you may want to size up if you're not comfortable with that! My new running shoes are starting to get broken in, too, so I'm pretty happy about that. I always feel weird running in brand new, spotless shoes!

Adding Some Color to a Cloudy Day

It's a pretty gloomy weekend so far here in SF. It's hot (relatively speaking), humid (again, relatively speaking) and there's no sunshine to speak of...the fog is lingering even during the day. It's kind of nice, though, because I never feel as bad spending a weekend being lazy when it's not particularly nice outside. I thoroughly enjoyed my morning of Netflix and coffee!

By mid-afternoon, though, it was run time. I was a little sore after Thursday's run with Crystal (it's amazing that you can lose so much in just two weeks away!), so I decided to do my 5k loop again. This time, I managed to push myself a bit harder. My speed was back up to normal times, but I was definitely a lot more tired than normal when I hit that 3.5-mile mark. Oh well...just incentive to keep at it!

Shirt: C9 [similar]

Pants: GapFit [similar]

Shoes: Newton Running [exact]

With it being so glum outside, I figured I'd brighten up my run with some fun colors. These pants are some of my favorite pants I own...they fit perfectly! I wish Gap still made their crop pants like this but, alas, they've switched from diamond gusset to triangle gusset and the triangle just doesn't work for me. 

I've been pretty good food-wise today. I had a nice strawberry yogurt parfait for breakfast, which was a nice change from my usual weekend splurges. I made a buffalo chicken sandwich for lunch that I went a little overboard on, but I'm not planning on having a large dinner to counterbalance that. How's everyone else's weekend going so far?

Corporate Challenge

It's been a bit quiet on the workout front! Fortunately, I'm getting my stitches removed from my back tomorrow and should be back to running and yoga very soon!

Today, though, I participated in the 3.35-mile J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge with a bunch of my coworkers.. I couldn't really run, but my back has healed enough that briskly walking worked just fine. Fortunately, my coworker Whitney was kind enough to walk with me! We did attempt to run for a few parts of the race, but my back just wasn't feeling so hot and I decided not to push it. Those little bits of running felt great other than my back, though! I'm anxious to get out and run again!

No clothing info today since you can barely see what I'm wearing! The shirt I'm holding (the finisher shirt) and the one I'm wearing (our team shirt) are both custom race ones, anyways!

More life updates coming soon...and hopefully, more running!

There's Always Room for Running Shoes

Since I won't be able to share much in the way of workouts over the next two weeks, I figured I'd write something a little different than usual. As I'm sure you've noticed, I tend to travel a lot. It's not always glamorous and frequently is just a quick jump across the country to go home for a weekend. Still, there's something about travel that has a tendency to throw off your usual routine, particularly where workouts are concerned.

So, what do I do when I travel?

I'm going to drop a bit more of my Dad's wisdom on you here. When I was younger, I was notorious for trying to pack everything humanly possible in my suitcase. Once, I remember asking my Dad if it was okay to include some running shoes in my suitcase for a family trip to Florida.

"There's always room for running shoes," he said.

That has stuck with me throughout all my travels. Whether I'm going to Russia for work or just going home for a weekend, I always bring my running shoes. Whether you're going to Vegas for a weekend or off to New York, there's always someplace to run. Ask at the front desk of your hotel and they can usually give you a map or rundown of local running trails and areas to avoid. The ability to run anywhere in the world is actually a big reason why I started running in the first place!

A few other good tips and tricks for staying fit on the road...

• Check out the hotel gym and pool. It may not always be big and fancy, but it's something!
• Some hotels, like the Aria in Vegas, offer fitness programs for guests. Ask at the front desk!
• Take a workout DVD along or sign up for an online workout program like Daily Burn (my sister swears by it!). These are usually designed to be done in smaller spaces, so a hotel room or guest bedroom floor should work just fine.
• Bring multi-purpose clothing. I personally love wearing yoga pants and leggings both for fun and workouts, so they serve double duty when I travel.
• Don't go too crazy when you go out to eat! Even though it's tempting to throw your cares to the wind on vacation, splurge where you really want to but don't go crazy at every meal.

Anyone else have any tips that have worked for them? Tweet your tips to me (@ripode) and I'm happy to add them in!