Ellie Goulding – Run Into the Light

I think I am going to use this for my race tomorrow. It’s only 30 minutes maybe that will help push me to finish before the playlist ends???

Pasta Party!

I used to be on the rowing team, in high school and college. In high school every Friday night in the spring rowing season, the whole team would gather at someone’s house and everyone brought a dish to eat. They were called pasta parties. I’m sure more sports than just rowing have pasta parties, but I have only ever been to rowing parties.

Anyways the point of a pasta party is team bonding, I guess, and also  carb loading before a race. I am lucky enough that I have a friend from my rowing team in high school that lives close by still and also happens to have a race tomorrow. Since we will both be running 5ks tomorrow morning we decided to have our own little pasta party this evening. I am bringing the pasta and she is making some delicious sauce.

I am so nervous for my 5k tomorrow. I know I shouldn’t be, I have been training (well as much as I can, weather and shin splints permitting). I guess my biggest worry is that I won’t PR. I think I will really do nothing but worry until I cross the start line. Last race that’s how it was too. I just go into shear panic standing and waiting for the race to start and then once I started running I just followed the race plan I made for myself and got into my groove.

Speaking of grooves, I really need to decide on my playlist. I have been having this love/hate relationship with my running music lately. I thought that because I only listen to my running music when I run, that it would keep me motivated, but if my mood or whatever shifts a bit, I sometimes want to change the music. I think I have had the same running playlist for too long now, but I don’t know what else I want to put on there. I have debated just using Ellie Goulding’s “Run Into the Light” playlist, specifically made for running by Ellie. There is another one she made with Nike, that is her second album remixed for running, the only thing is while I have listened to it before , and like all the music, I have never run with it, but maybe that’s a good thing. I hate knowing what song is coming, or having predictable music when I’m running. I need to be surprised.

Here is the link for “Run Into the Light” on YouTube. 

Here is the link to Halcyon Remixed from Nike.

On my race plan for tomorrow, I took a page out of my rowing book. I think running and rowing strategies are a lot alike, more than I originally thought. Don’t get me wrong the two sports are completely different but race plans could work similarly for both. I have heard people say you shouldn’t start fast, but I find that with my adrenaline pumping it’s hard to start at a comfortable pace, so I sart out going a bit fast, and then wait for the adrenaline to calm down a bit, and settle into my groove. Then at set intervals, usually every half mile, I push myself and try to pass a few people. My rowing coach in college used to call these little moves “gut checks”. At first I thought it was a weird way of saying it, but it does really get you going again when in your head you amp yourself up for it. At the halfway point That is the big gut check! It’s more than just a small push, I make a huge push at that halfway point. Leading up to it I just say to myself “it’s gut check time! Time to show them and myself what I have.” It’s a good way for me to get myself mentally ready for what I’m about to do. Then it’s back into the pace I have set for myself, until the finale. The last quarter mile or so is when you unleash any energy you have been conserving. I thought before that the end would be the worst part, when you can see the finish line, but haven’t yet crossed it. But NO, the end is the best part! When I see that finish line get closer with every step I take it pushes me to get there that much faster.

So now it’s time to go worry for the rest of the day, then have some pasta and get a good night’s sleep (yeah right). Right, lots of water today! Staying hydrated is key, to taking in carbs tonight.

Spring!

It’s in the air and in my step today! 

Today began day 1 of the second chance 20 miles in 12 days challenge for me and my friend Brooke. Since we both got sick and the weather was uncooperative for the last challenge we are both optimistic for this challenge. We have until the end of the month to complete 20 miles and I am trying out my cross training approach again this time. I need to push myself to run longer distances, instead of my 3 mile comfort zone, so I am personally challenging myself to not run everyday and still complete the 20 miles only running every other day so really in 6 days. On the in-between days I want to stick to core exercises, squats and focus a little more on arms. I have tiny little noodle arms, I really want a little definition there (I hope with my small frame it’s possible). 

Last night in anticipation of the first day of spring, and the first day of the new challenge, I stayed up kinda late making a new running playlist. I am surprised to find that what I really wanted to run to was still a lot of Ellie Goulding.  After listening to her pretty much everyday, and going to her concert last week, I am still pretty obsessed. But she has some great up-beat music that really inspires me to get up and go. I also have become recently infatuated with a little bit of Fifth Harmony mixed in there (they surprise me, with all of them being such great singers and being so young). Also on this mornings playlist was some Florence + The Machine, Sky Ferreira (if you haven’t heard of her, you should really check her out), a few re-mixes of some classic songs such as the ever popular workout song, Call On Me, and The Body Rockers’ I Like the Way, and we can’t forget some Skrillex, and of course as my brother can probably tell you, no workout playlist is complete without a few great songs from Bassnectar. But my new song obsession right now is, Boys Don’t Cry, by Natalia Kills, I just want to listen to that on repeat all day at the moment.

I was so excited to get up and listen to my new playlist (which is limited to only when I run) that it was easy to get up and go out this morning for a run, I just want to go for a run multiple times a day, just so I can listen to some great music!

Anyone have some other good song suggestions?                                             I am always looking for new music!

New Places!

I went for a short weekend trip to Philadelphia, PA this weekend. I went with a college friend to go see Ellie Goulding in concert (she was amazing btw!)

The morning after the concert I was still on a pretty good high, I just loved being in a new and exciting place, and had so much fun the night of the concert, so I decided why not take a run to burn off some adrenaline and get my blood flowing before a long drive back home.

I left the hotel and just started running, not really sure where I was going or how far. Running in such a big city was such a neat experience. It was so different from what I am used to. Even early in the morning the streets were so busy with cars going everywhere and people crowding the sidewalks. I am not used to stopping at every other corner to wait for the walk signal, or dodging food carts and newspaper stands, but I loved every minute of it!

I think that being in such a new and different environment made it easier to run longer than I had planned. I was just going to go for a short jog just to get a feel for the city but I ended up going about 3 miles and still made pretty good time, if you count stopping and going through all the crosswalks. My mind was so focused on “where should I turn next?” and “watch out for that car,” and “don’t run into the back of that person,” that I wasn’t focused on how far or how long I had been running.

Don’t get me wrong, I love running and ending up at the beach in the mornings, but I wouldn’t mind running in a big city like that at all either!

My playlist for this run included all the songs that Ellie Goulding sang  the night before, reliving all the wonderful moments from the concert. I am absolutely in love with Ellie Goulding! She was so great live, the best concert I have ever been to! She is also a very avid runner too. I was kinda hoping I would run into her on the streets the next morning, but  guess I’m not that lucky…