WEEKENDS // 5K, Arts, and Why ASU, Why?

This was such a busy weekend. Friday night, Mike and I had plans to go downtown, but I ended up crashing hard in the afternoon and didn't wake up until the time we were planning on leaving. We went to our favorite bar - Casey's - instead. That explains why we slept in so late on Saturday.

But, we had things to do on Saturday. Like, pick up my race packet for my 5K on Sunday morning. After grabbing my number and awesome new hoodie, we were thinking of something cheap to do. His parents got us a giftcard for this restaurant Citizen Public House in Scottsdale so we went there and ate the most delicious food. We were stuffed, but decided to go out for bar trivia (Third place!) and the ASU game. 

Here's the thing about ASU football. I never care about it. And then, they started doing well and my hopes got high. Last week's win over UofA felt so good. And, whomp whomp. We lost to Stanford. 

Sunday, we woke up at 5:30 AM to get down to Scottsdale for the Hot Chocolate 5K. I ran this race last year. This year, my baby brother joined me. He beat me -- by 54 seconds. However, this was my best time for a 5K yet and I can't wait to run another one. And maybe get Mike to join me. 

After running and breakfast with my family, I napped before Mike and I rode our bikes up to the Tempe Arts Festival. It was a lot of fun. I love getting to be outside and be cold - definitely not something I'm used to out here in Arizona. 

I was not enjoying the cold this morning before the race.

Getting a little bit more excited to run.

Nate with his Finisher's Cup.

Post race. I look dead.

WEEKENDS // The One When I Ran a 5K.

I had a fairly eventful week last week. Last weekend, my mouth hurt so bad that I could barely open it. I went to the dentist and he promptly removed one of my wisdom teeth. And, I was all alone since Mike left me to go to the store while I was in there. I'm not a huge fan of the dentist or any kind of procedure so this was a huge deal for me. And the rest of the week was spent in recovery mode -- which meant I laid on the couch, spaced out on pain killers, watched Fringe (my new favorite show!), and ate dairy-free ice cream.

Friday was a lot more of the same, but Saturday, I had to go run a 5K down at Tempe Beach Park. I wasn't going to let a tooth ruin it. It was a lot of fun and I did better on my time than when I ran my first 5K last year. I got an awesome shirt, a cheap beer stein, and a free beer. All in all, a good time.

Also, I used my Dr. Scholl's Active Series Insoles (Courtesy of Influenster) and my legs and feet were feeling great on Sunday morning. They were so comfortable during the run and definitely reduced the amount of shock from running on the pavement. I have a lot of pain in my right knee and despite running a lot, it flares after longer runs. Honestly, I had zero pain in my knee on Sunday morning. These insoles helped so much and I cannot recommend them enough. 

I didn't get to rest for long because Mike and I were headed up north to his parents' house. We went up there, ate some good italian food, and then we watched The Producers ... which wasn't good. We fell asleep IN THE COLD. In the morning, we started cleaning and I killed 6 SPIDERS because Mike refuses to touch them. Even to kill them.

Now we're home and I'm trying to convince Mike to sign up for a 5K with me. I convinced my little brother to run the Hot Chocolate 5K with me in December and it's going to suck when he gets a better time than I do.

Running. 

There I am crossing the finish line.

I just love how excited this guy is behind me. 

German music. 

Enjoying my post-run 5K.

Drinking responsibly, as always guys. 

QUEST TO ... BECOMING MORE ACTIVE UPDATES.

It's been about three months since I originally decided to get serious about becoming more active. And, despite the fact that I haven't really blogged about it, I've really buckled down on everything. I'm super excited to talk about my goals (which I updated on back in May too!). 

1) Finish Couch to 5K -- IN PROGRESS. Still. I know. I've had some setbacks. I've gone on vacation, but I honestly feel that with my new running shoes, I'll really be able to finish this goal. Someday. 

2) Do More Activities with my Boyfriend -- IN PROGRESS. We're trying. One morning, we got up early and walked around Tempe Town Lake. That was a thing. And we just recently got some bikes that we're trying to fix up so we can ride on the weekends. We also have plans to go hiking soon. This one is finally starting to see the light of day. 

3) Keep a Log  -- WELLL.... I try. I really do.

4) Get my Mile Time Down -- CHECK! With my new running shoes, my mile time dropped immensely. I'd like to see it go down some more though -- I'm hoping for a 9 minute mile soon. 

5) Run 3x/Week and Full Body Work-Out 2x/Week -- IN PROGRESS. Some days have been really hard to get to the gym, but I'm finally really getting back in the swing of things.

And now, for some NEW GOALS: 

1) Sign up for a 5K. I felt so accomplished after running my first 5K back in December. I would love to do it again and do it well this time. Now that I know I can handle it -- I want to push myself to a better time. I definitely want to wait until the weather cools down, but I need to start looking for races in my area.

2) Incorporate More Exercises Into My Workout. I already feel stagnated with some of my exercises at the gym and I want to learn other exercises to incorporate into my workouts. This just require the research.

3) Go Rock-Climbing Again. I loved rock climbing when I went and I think it's such an awesome way to be active and have fun at the same time.

I'm super excited that I am making progress and I have actually lost 8 pounds! from working out and counting calories. 

23 for 23: Run a 5K

I did it! I ran my first 5K and I'm so proud of myself. Training was difficult because of my knee, but I managed to do it and I actually finished.

I can't contain my excitement.

This was a great first 5K to run. It was right down the street from my house. And, we had a very chilly morning - so I couldn't even feel if my legs were hurting. 

And, the best part was that after I finished - I got a big thing of chocolate! 

It was a great experience and I feel so accomplished. I thought that the goal of having to run a 5K would motivate me to run, but the 5K has motivated me to run more. 

Goal #1 of my 23 for 23.

Running a 5K...

Please excuse my beauty and yes, that is a frown.

I used to run cross country in high school - well, I wanted to run cross country in high school and I trained all summer long before abruptly quitting once I realized - I couldn't really run that long. It wasn't my asthma that stopped me, but rather, my sheer laziness.

I want to get back in shape because my body in high school was ridiculous. But, gym memberships are too expensive and running is pretty much free. I live right next to the canal, so I can just go run there in the evening.

In a weird attempt to motivate myself, I signed up to run a 5K. So, on December 9th, I'll be running my first 5K. So far, I've heard that I'm crazy, but I'm really looking forward to it and it's great to have a goal.

weekend review.

Things from this weekend:

- I finally caught up on Downton Abbey.

- I love pumpkin bagels.

- Still training for that 5K, guys.

- And, it's always a bad decision to go to Mill on a Saturday night after a home football game.