Tinkerbell-Brained and Good Intentions

I'll admit it, I'm obsessed with Tinkerbell.

Pretty sure she's my spirit animal.

I mean, look at the similarities! 

She slouches... I slouch...

She's so pale you can see through her... I'm so pale I don't need to wear reflective gear at night...

(just kidding on that, be safe, folks!)

Uhm, she makes creepy faces... I definitely accidentally do that!

Ok, not the best examples. But I also like to see her as somebody who was a character in the stories of other peoples lives until recently (she has a 4 movies about her now).

And that's kind of how I used to feel. Like I wasn't important enough to have my own stories. Like I needed to be in the company of others to have anything worth saying. Like my voice was merely a bell that others couldn't understand.

With running, I choose my story on my own. I get to spend a good amount of time secluded while outdoors, and I get to think about things that are important to me. It's not like I make a list of things to think about before I leave (although that would be interesting to try sometime), I just think about what needs thinking about, spontaneously. Oh goodness, I hope that that makes sense. Haha.

For example, the other day I realized that I might be very upset if my mom doesn't run the Tink 1/2 marathon in January. But I think the hurt feelings will come from a place of sadness that she wasn't able to do it. I mean, able to do it physically and mentally, not due to a scheduling conflict (which, if you're reading this mom, you better have that weekend wide open! My heart will be seriously broken if you aren't at least there with me, running or not). I just really want my mom to be able to do this. One of the many reasons I push myself, is because I want to believe that she's thinking of how hard I'm working when she does her workouts. I want to inspire. 

I want to inspire. 

No really, I draw my strength from inspiring others to find their strength.

So like Tinkerbell, I might still need people to believe in me for me to be strong. 

But more importantly, I'm like Tink because I'm determined to keep trying. Really, really determined to keep trying. I might make some misguided choices (i.e. everything Tink does in her newer movies), but they will always come from the best intentions. 

Do you think good intentions are enough when committing to a new path?

Getting Inspired In Unexpected Places! (seriously a post worth reading)

Today I had my first group training session! It's set up to help people prepare to run the MOOnlight rac in July. I probably won't actually do the race, but I wanted a training group.
Here's a cute picture of the mascot:

 Anyways, the training group was really fun and BR2 showed up only a couple minutes after me so we started out together. 

I was really trying to push myself to go fast and have short walking intervals, but about halfway through, I realized that this was an opportunity to run with some new people!

Don't get me wrong, I love BR2 a ton, but I run with her all the time. 

So as I was turning to go back, I noticed somebody who had been going pretty slow, but was clearly pushing herself. Something in me said, "Don't make this run about you!" and so as I as going to pass her going the other way, I turned around and asked if I could jog with her the rest of the way. 

She said yes! And I had an awesome time!

It was her first time running in a looooong time, she said. But she ran most of it!

She was slow, but it was good for me to actually jog at a pace that didn't tire me out, so I could learn that pace for longer runs. And I really enjoyed talking to her! She was probably in her 40's, and she said she had a couple of kids, I think. I don't know, she just reminded a lot of my own mother. 

When I told her of my plans to run the Tinkerbell Half in January 14, she got really excited and said that that sounded like a goal she wants to add to her life! How cool?!

She kept telling me that she wouldn't mind if I went ahead and went faster to finish sooner. But it wasn't about that for me! I can go run faster later, but I really was inspired by her! It was like holding up a mirror to me a month ago during my first run and it made me realize that I've progressed so far in only a month! I'm even thinking about stepping on the scale again soon.

By the end she even said how nice it was to have somebody to keep up with. Haha.

Anyways, I had a seriously realization yesterday when I was trying to do my furthest distance so far.

I realized that I'm not running to lose weight anymore. I realized that it may have been the reason I started, but now, I run to be better. Like, I don't care anymore about how quickly the number on the scale drops. 

All I care about now, is getting to the end of a workout. 

Did I blow your mind? I hope I did. Haha.

What inspires you to keep going?
Have any of your goals changed lately?

Tinkerbell on My Mind

So I might be obsessing over Tinkerbell right now. 

It could have to do with me watching all of the good seasons of The Biggest Loser already... 

But I'm also staying pumped for the Tink 1/2 in like... 8 months. 

Last week I watched the the Secret of the Wings:

And today I'm watching the first Tinkerbell movie:

It's aptly titled Tinkerbell. Just if you were wondering. Haha. 

I also have started planning my costume. Because why not? Something to do, right? I'm thinking I'll go for Ariel. You know, because she was a mermaid, and I used to be a swimmer, and then she had to learn to walk, and I'm learning to run! Ok, super cheesey. 

But if you look at my instagram @bustyrunner, you can see that my hair is red now, too. But that was just to cover up a horrible orange color I experimented with... yuck.

Today is Salad Thursday, also! My BR counterpart will be here later for delicious salad bar time! It's a tradition that started before the running did, but only by a little. It used to be salad Wednesdays, too... but we started running and going to the farmer's market instead... so this week we're trying Salad Thursday!

There will be tons of pictures, I'm sure.

What are all of you eating for a healthy treat with your friends?

Soreness, Cats, and Family Commitment

Good morning everyone!!

Today I woke up to a cat pawing me in the face. She's a pretty big, kind of lumbering, type of cat, so she doesn't move quickly at all. So when she manages to get up on my bed, she plants herself in one spot and only starts to move when she realizes that I'm asleep. When she was first getting to know me, she only tapped my arm, or back. Apparently she feels closer to me now, and will paw at my face instead. Such a sweetheart. 

Gahh, today I am very very sore. Yesterday I had a great day of working out! 

I did some cross training in the morning using my mystery box! I'll talk about that more another time, but it's amazing and makes getting a workout for my arms, abs, and legs more fun and easy. What could be better than that!?!

I also ran my personal best for distance in a half hour! 

I'm on week 4 of couch to 5k. I tried 4 times to do the week 4 workout, and I finally got it done yesterday! It's such a great feeling! 

...Except for how sore I am today. My bum is not so happy with me... Or it's really happy with me and has a very funny way of showing it.

My soreness solution: 

1 NO ALCOHOL: alcohol is dehydrating and you need to stay hydrated to be able to work out anyways, but things like "drinking the pain away" only make the hurt worse the next time you work that muscle group. 

2 ICE ICE BABY: and heat. I like to switch between ice packs, then stretches, then a warm bath. If it's extra sore, I use Epsom salts. I'm pretty sure that they're lit bits of magic. 

3 SUPPORT: If it seems like more than a sore muscle, and I might need support in the area the next time I run, I use KT tape. Like epsom salt, it's made of magic. Various websites that try to explain how it works say things like, "it adds an exterior support to interior weaknesses" or "it brings extra blood flow to a recovery muscle group" but really, I think it's just magic. 

4 MASSAGE: it's least painful to do this either immediately after icing or in warm water. Usually soreness is caused by lactic acid, so digging into the sore area can help break it up and relieve the pain. It kind of hurts to do it effectively, but it will lead to a faster recovery. There are also a TON of tools out there to help you reach all the potentially painful areas on your body. I prefer to use the boyfriend method of, "if you help my soreness go away I'll make dinner!" Haha.

5 GET MOVING: Many times, going out and being active again will help you get through minor soreness. My knees get sore if I do lunges or squats in the morning, but the ouch goes away after a little warm up to my jog, or even during a brisk walk. Just getting blood flow in the area can help break up the lactic acid that is a typical cause for soreness.

That all being said, I'm not a doctor. I just know what works for me. If you're experiencing pain that doesn't resolve itself, you should go see a doctor. Your primary care physician can recommend a sports medicine doctor if that seems like something you'll need. 

Have I mentioned that I'm horribly slow? I'm horribly slow. Like, embarrassingly slow. My mile pace, if I ran a mile straight, would be like, a 12 minute mile. No joke. But I keep going, hoping that one day I'll be a little bit faster, and sometimes I am!

My personal motto when running is:

"I may not be fast, I may even be as slow as a heard of snails through molasses, but I'm running."

And that's more than most people can say!

But family commitment:

I told my mom that for mother's day, I'd like to do a 5k with her.

This evolved into deciding to do the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in January 2014, and it's so motivating! I open the page every day to see the countdown. Right now, I haven't even done a full 5k, but I will run a half marathon. And in a year, hopefully a whole marathon.

It won't be easy, but it will be worth it.

I talk to my mom a few times a week, using the excuse of wanting to stay motivated with her. In actuality, I just love my mother, and I love talking to her! She sees a personal trainer at the gym she was once really active at, and now (after a few years off) she's back working out with him!! I'm so proud of her!! She's my inspiration some days and others I'm her mentor, but I just can't believe that at 54 years ols, she's going to train for a half marathon. How freaking cool is that?!

I'm sure I'll have more to say later. Have a good day every body!