June Lookback // July Goals

Alright. Confession time. June was absolutely horrible. I failed on all of my goals. It was very bad that I won't even look back. I don't want to. I just can't.

(source)

 Anywho, hopefully July will be lots better since I am actually good with training. Realizing that I will have to run two half marathons within a month of each other is really pushing me to train. I've been running throughout these first few days of July. Started out with two miles everyday and then today I kicked it up to three. Hopefully next week I can bring it up to four and so on throughout the weeks ahead. These are my main goals throughout July:

1. Stretch: I know this was one of my June goals, but I don't think I ever did it once and that's why I got calf cramps. I realized that I need to stretch before and after my runs, that way I am not begging to stretch during my runs once I get cramps. Had to learn that the hard way.

2. Eat better things for running: This is kind of the same as eating healthier, but I really want it to focus on my running. Such as eating bananas to help my calf cramps or drinking Gatorade to gain more electrolytes.

3. Run 5-6 miles: I really need to kick up the training. I am extremely behind and it's making me very nervous. I most likely won't be ready on race day, but it is crucial that I am running at LEAST 5 miles by the end of the month. It is definitely doable since I am running 3 miles right now.

So there you have it. My July goals. I'm hoping I can do a lot better than my June goals.

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment." -Jim Rohn.

NIKE

So, it's official. I got into the Nike Women's half marathon! I received this amazing email as soon as I got back from Hume Lake:

I have to admit, I was completely surprised. I went into this thinking that I wasn't going to get in. I thought I wasn't going to have to keep training after Disneyland half but it looks like I am. And with hills. Ugh. The dreaded hills. I have no idea how I will even try and train for those. I know I have to and I know that somehow, some way, I will conquer those San Francisco hills!

I'm so happy to be sharing this news with you guys and I am glad I can share my journey on this blog. Happy running :)

October 20th here I come!

Train Insane or Remain the Same

Yesterday I ran a pretty hard run but only for a short amount of time. I wanted to run around 1.5 miles with around a 9:00 minute mile. I really want around a 9:00 or 10:00 minute mile for race day on September 1st (It will be here before I know it!) so I'm trying to train closer to 9:00 minutes that way I have some wiggle room.

I've kind of been getting bored in my runs, which sadly, makes me want to stop running. Then I end up not getting to my goal or not conquering what I wanted to. I haven't been really into my running playlist so I thought that maybe I should do a run without music. Didn't go too well. I lasted like a mile. Lol. So yesterday I thought I should change my course. Instead of running out on the streets, I ran around all of my connecting neighborhoods. It was kind of nice because I could set little goals to myself like "When you get to that green house, you can turn around and go back" or something like that. Whereas on the streets, I would get confused on which tree I set my goal at.

The new course actually helped me a lot! I ran at a 9:27 pace for 1.44 miles. I was done within 13:39 minutes (I didn't want a super long run yesterday).

I actually felt really good afterwards too. And lately, I have been feeling like I'm going to either pass out or throw up when I run. I felt so good but also completely exhausted afterwards that I literally laid down on my grass and stayed there for a while. People walking by probably thought something was wrong with me.

Yeah so that's me lying down on the grass. Great picture huh? But that face literally describes how I felt. Even though it was a short run, it was definitely a great run :)

QOTD: Have you ever had a great run, short or long?

Nike Running App

 When I first started running, I wanted to find the perfect app where it could tell how many miles I've gone, know my pace for every mile, calculate my average pace...etc. I thought about doing those Couch to Half Marathon apps but those are walk/run. I didn't want to tell people that I walked/ran a half marathon, I wanted to tell people I ran a half marathon! After searching for many days, yes I searched for days, I'm pretty sure I found the best running app ever. The Nike Running App. It fits every single expectation I had for a running app. I usually need music when I run (see my music playlist HERE) so I wanted an app that would allow me to play music while I ran. You would think that would be a common thing in a running app but most of the running apps I looked at didn't allow you to play music. Anyways, this app lets me do so many things and I will give you a little tour of how this amazing app works...

So this is your "home" page. It tells you how many miles you have ran total, your average pace, how many runs you have been on, and how many Nike Fuel points you have. It also has little facts and different goals that you have conquered. For example, the one on my screen today said that I ran .15 miles more and 0"22/mi slower than the average of all of my past runs. Pretty neat. It was also tell you your fastest mile, 5k, 10k, or your longest run.

   When you want to go on a run, all you do is click the "run" button in the top right hand corner. Then you get to the "Run Setup" page (left). This is when you make your options for your run. It lets you choose your music, location, and how you are holding your device. The one thing that I recently discovered is the "Run Type" option. At the very top, you tap on whatever setting it is on already (in my case, time run) and then it will bring you to this screen (right). Now it know exactly was run you are running and how to track it! It amazes me.

When you click the options tab, it tells you all of your past runs. If you turn your device horizontally, you see the picture below which is a graph chart about all of your runs.

The last thing to mention is the end of the run. Once you are finished running, this screen pops up. It shows your progress throughout the run. After your run you get to choose how you felt, where you ran, and if you have Nike+ shoes you get to tag your shoes. It's really cool to see that when I first started running 2 miles, I felt sick and horrible after. But now, I always choose the "I felt great!" happy face. 

As you can see, I would definitely recommend this app. It's pretty amazing. Hopefully you can give it a try!

QOTD: What is your favorite running app?

Sephora Disney Collection

As some of you may know, Sephora has a special line of Disney products called the Disney Collection. Basically they have picked a princess and come out with nail polish, eye shadow, lipstick, and perfume that interpret that specific princess. In the past year, they have come out with two different princesses: Cinderella and Jasmine. Today, Sephora has released the third and final princess that will complete the Disney Collection: Ariel!

 I am so excited for this because I was most likely not going to purchase anything from the Disney Collection unless they came out with an Ariel line. Sephora hasn't released the specifics, but they said that the line will premiere later this June. Hopefully I can get my hands on it and show you guys how it looks! Here's the teaser Sephora released today:

It looks fantastic and I'm thinking I might wear it during the Disneyland Half Marathon (since I'm dressing up as Ariel). Can't wait to buy!

QOTD: Have you bought something from the Sephora Disney Collection? 

Running Playlist

Throughout a long or short run, I need music. And not just any music; I need music that will get my excited and hyped up to get through the next 30-50 minutes. Some people are the type that can't even listen to their music when they run, but I am obviously the opposite. I get bored easily, so going through the same course everyday without some music to make it enjoyable would make my run horrible. I actually run faster with music. Anyways, today I thought I would share my current running playlist with you all for those of you who need new pump-up songs or for those of you who are just interested on what type of music I listen to. You can tell a lot about a person from the music you listen to. So here it is:

1. "I Lived" -OneRepublic
2. "I Need Your Love" -Calvin Harris (feat. Ellie Goulding)
3. "Let's Kill Tonight" -Panic! At The Disco
4. "I Knew You Were Trouble" -Taylor Swift
5. "My Life Would Suck Without You" -Kelly Clarkson
6. "3" -Britney Spears
7. "More" -Usher
8. "Lucky Strike" -Maroon 5
9. "The One That Got Away" -Katy Perry
10. "Giving Up the Gun" -Vampire Weekend
11. "Counting Stars" -OneRepublic
12. "Let The Groove Get In" -Justin Timberlake
13. "Figure 8" -Ellie Goulding
14. "22" -Taylor Swift
15. "Set Off" -Hey Monday
16. "Something Good Can Work" -Two Door Cinema Club

This isn't even the full playlist but I think you guys get the gist of what I listen to. Love it or hate it, this is the stuff that gets me through those tough runs. 

QOTD: What kind of music do you listen to on your run?

June Goals

Happy hump day! I hope everyone celebrates today because we are so much closer to summer! I can see it. Today I thought I would share my fitness goals for the month of June. I'm hoping this post will keep me accountable for these goals and really make me realize if I'm staying on track with half marathon training.

1. Run at least 4 days a week. This sounds dreadful to me but I know I need to make it happen in order for me to get on track with training.

2. Run 5 miles. This also seems very dreadful. The most I've run while training is 2 miles. I just need to remind myself that September 1st is not that far away. Crunch time!

3. Stretch. I admit, I am horrible at this. You think being a dancer and a new runner I would be very good about stretching, but sadly I am not. I really hope I can learn to stretch before my workouts as well as after my workouts.

4. Eat healthier. This one will be very tough since summer is just calling my name to sodas, candy, chips, and chocolate. I'm telling myself I can still have those things, I just need to have them in minimal amounts.

Hopefully at the end of the month I can say I did all of these things. Have a great day everyone!

QOTD: Have you ever made short-term goals?