Haircuts & a Humbling Trail Run

This weekend was a kick back. Since I did 22 miles the previous week, I settled back with 14 this past Saturday. It may have been a beautiful morning, but I just wasn't feeling this run. I did manage to finish time, however.

Later that day, I decided to make a big change to my appearance.

I feel like I have been making progress in improving certain aspects in my life and needed to have a change in appearance to match. So snip snip! Off with her hair!!!
My hair hasn't been this short since 2002.

Didn't I look dazzling in my freshmen photo?

The next day was Peter's long run day and it was my idea that we take it to the Appalachian Trail. It was going to be hot that day so sticking to the shade would do us both some good.

I let Peter own this session since it was his last long run before the Mad Anthony Half on September 12th. I thought letting him chose the pace would be the courteous thing to do so he could train as his body needed to prior to the race.

Since Peter typically runs at a slower speed than I do, I assumed that this would be a great recovery run from the day prior. I was ready to run lazily through nature and enjoy the sights. Unfortunately, Peter had a different agenda.

Within 30 seconds, my husband was already gaining distance. He was sailing over roots and rocks and flying up the hills we typically walked.

I can't even fully describe what I felt as I watched him pull ahead of me and out of sight. My ego was punctured and I was frustrated that I could not keep up. I wanted to be angry at him, but I couldn't bring myself to feel the emotion. This was my husband and I should have been proud of him. I just had a difficult time accepting the reality.

For the 2 years Peter has been running, I was always the fastest and the one who ran the longer distances. Yet, on this day, I was now realizing that he was the better trail runner. I have been the one holding him back.

We set out to do 50 minutes out and 50 minutes back. Since Peter got ahead, I turned around in a different area. I yelled out that I was going back and within minutes he had caught up with me, showing me his battle wounds with pride.

Although part of me wanted to be like "Well, that's what you get when you run too fast on the trail," I just admitted that he was stronger than me on this aspect. I am truly glad that he found his running niche.

I guess there's a time in everyone's life that someone close to you will show you up in the thing  you thought you were the best at. Whether it is with your husband, wife, sister, brother or friend. One day, you will have to swallow your ego and celebrate their accomplishments.

Have you ever made some dramatic changes with your looks?

Have you ever been shown up by someone close to you? How did it make you feel?

Silent Saturday: BIG Changes!

 

Bulu Box Review & A 50% OFF Coupon!!!

This past week, Sweat Pink gave me the opportunity to review Bulu Box! Bulu Box is a subscription service that provides "healthy discoveries" right to your door! Being a runner and a certified fitness trainer, I thought that this was right up my alley, so I was thrilled when I was chosen to receive a box to review!

My delivery came just last week and I was tickled just by seeing the box itself. Some of the quotes written on it were pretty nifty! Here was one of my favorites:

But that was just the beginning. I was excited to see what was inside.

The box contained 5 sample products:

1. 2 Quest Nutrition Peanut Butter Protein Powder Pouches
2. Moveit Energy Infused Gummies
3. Yerba Prima Daily Fiber Formula
4. Mediterra Savory Bar with Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil
5. Earth's Care Anti-Itch Cream

I never tried any of the products prior to receiving them in this box, nor have I heard of any. Still, I am always down for trying new things!

The first item I tried was the Savory Bar. According to the packaging, this product is all natural, non-GMO, gluten free, and kosher. I was happy to find that this was a quality product made of basic ingredients as well.

When it comes to snack bars, I typically eat Powerbars, Nature Valley or Cliff Bars, all of which have a sweet taste to them. Knowing that this was made with tomatoes and basil, I had to keep an open mind.

When I took my first bite, I paid attention to texture. It was chewy, but the cashews and pecans hidden within provided me with a satisfying crunch. The taste was mild. It wasn't overwhelming with spices like I initially thought it was going to be. This was good considering I am used to a sweeter snack. The basil definitely seemed to be the dominant flavor in the bar, but you did catch a hint of the tomato. YUM!

Though this snack is out of my scope, I would have it again and be open to trying their other flavors!

After enjoying my bar, I decided to wash it down with the Yerba Prima Daily Fiber Formula. This 15 calorie mixture is made with premium quality ingredients and appeared to be gluten free based on the ingredients (did not see it was certified on the label provided).

I mixed the powder with water as instructed and noticed that some of it did not dissolve.

I am not certain if this was intended or not, but I mixed it to the best of my ability.

When I took my first sip, I was greeted with a very light orange flavor. It was not very citrus-y, but very tasty. As I made my way to the bottom of my cup, I found that all the undissolved contents sank. This resulted in a texture and thickness that I was not fond of. I had to chug the remaining to take the full serving.

I did not notice any changes in digestion from taking this product and that may be from only having a single serving. It may be best to take regularly to reap the benefits. Still, I do not believe I would buy this product again based on texture alone. May be better mixed in a smoothie.

This past Saturday, I tried my 3rd sample, the Moveit Energy Infused Gummies.

I had a 22 mile run ahead of me, so I thought having this before heading out would be very beneficial. I received the berry flavored pack and these little morsels had smiley faces! What's better than eating happiness (one had a frown...wtf)? Ha!

Anyway, I loved the taste. They were very fruity, but they did take some effort to chew. I am not certain I would eat these while running, but before or during a break should be fine!

Maybe it was a coincidence, but I had an amazing run! I was supposed to do walking and running intervals, but ended up running the majority of it and under a 10 minute pace! For me, that is amazing!!! Especially for such a high mile run! I think I will definitely be ordering these gummies! Thanks, Bulu Box!!!

On Sunday, I decided to try out the Quest Nutrition Peanut Butter Protein Powder.

This product contains 23 grams of protein without all of the added sugar (each serving contains less than 1 gram! Whoa!). It is also soy and gluten free!

Though you could just mix and make a shake out of it, I decided I would bake with it! The pouch says right on it "Great for baking" so I make waffles packed full of protein.

I make enough waffles to last us a few days!

The waffles were DELICIOUS! I am not going to lie, I think they may have been my best yet. What's even better about the powder sample is that I got TWO pouches! I can make the waffles again this weekend!

I fully recommend this product and would definitely buy some of my own!

My last item in the box was not a food item, but a topical ointment. It was an Anti-Itch Cream by Earth's Care.

This was perfect for me. Since I frequent the trails, I am always getting eaten up my mosquitoes (I must be really sweet). I have received so many bug bites and find myself scratching the areas raw! I received one bite on my foot and lucky for me, had this anti-itch cream handy.

The relief was immediate and I have not had to scratch since! So if you require a cream to give you temporary relief from poison ivy, sunburn, insect bites and then some, this cream would be great for you!

To conclude, if you are a health and fitness nut,  someone looking to clean up your lifestyle, or one looking to add healthy discoveries to your life, you should definitely check out Bulu Box's subscription service. They do have a lot of great products that they provide to sample, but they are also available in full-sizes if you end up loving what you get.

They also offer two different subscription types to cater to your needs (an Original and a Weight Loss Box) and different monthly options to satisfy your budget! You can also save more by using my coupon code SweatPink at checkout! This will give you 50% off your order (HUGE savings!) if you chose the 3 month option!

Let me know if you decide to subscribe and what items from their site you would be most interested in!

Week Update

This summer has been one of the best summers I have had. If you know me well, you know that I NEVER say that about summer since I am typically allergic to the heat and humidity. I still am, but there's been more to it than that.

For one, everything is just beautiful lately....

I went for a trail run on Monday and despite the heat, the beauty of everything was what kept me going. It was my first trail run in over a week and I was itching for this. Though I felt a little shaky, I did very well and just felt so connected with the world in that hour.

Later in the week, there was a pretty good storm that went down this week prompting me to take more pretty pictures.

Although it put me on the treadmill one night, I didn't mind watching Bones for that hour of my life. David Boreanaz = YUM!

Second reason I have loved this summer is because I have been more connected with my mind and body.

They both have been neglected for 27 years. I feel like a whole new human being now that I have taken the time out to meditate and do yoga. It has done wonders for me at home and work.

Finally, this summer has shown me that I am a lot stronger than I have ever been before. Not only have I taken on training for an ultra, but I have been able to handle distance running with ease! My perspective on long runs has completely changed. I no longer feel that I have to meet a certain goal other than to just get it done. It doesn't matter if I have to run, walk, or even crawl to get it done. I just have to finish. Suddenly, the pressure has been eliminated.

I had a 22 mile run yesterday and I was able to do it without feeling any doubt that I would finish.

The plan was simple. I just had to run from my house to Williamsport using the C&O Canal. It was a  perfect 22 miles. I intended on walking every hill and then play with walking-running intervals while on the canal. I was thinking I would run for 20 minutes and walking for 2, but altering those numbers depending on my energy.

I followed my plan exactly for the first 90 minutes, but like any plan I make, it usually gets changed. This run was different though. Instead of feeling tired, I felt energized. I thought I would change the intervals to where I would run longer!

I decided to run for 40 minutes and as I was about to take a 2 minute break, I encountered another runner I have seen on the path before. She asked if she could run with me since we were headed to the same place. I agreed even though I felt a little intimidated. She was fast and looked strong! I hoped that I had enough Cliff bars to keep up.

We immediately began talking like old friends. And it really helped! She had the miles pass by so quickly. One of our miles even dipped under a 9 minute pass. Whoa!

I felt really good to run with someone new and I was proud of myself to take a chance on a stranger. I hope I encounter her again soon.

I finished the run just under 3:40, which put me just under a 10:00 pace. It was time to celebrate with pizza. It is a tradition to get pizza running anything more than 20+ miles. Peter and I got 2 and devoured them both by day's end. :)

Today, I planned on running only 6, but believe it or not, I did 13.1 with Peter. I felt good...well, great. I wasn't sore or tired. So I didn't think there was any harm in trying another long run.

So we ran from our house, to Dam #4 and back to the house.

It was nice and easy, but I am pretty exhausted now. I have never run anything over 30 miles in a single weekend. I am quite proud of myself for pushing through, but I am looking forward to taking a load off.  Pretty sure I earned that.

Anyway, I hope you all had a great weekend yourselves! Let me know how your long run went!!!

Silent Saturday: A Week in the Life...

Race Recap: Krumpe's Do-nut Alley Rally 5K

This is going to be a very basic recap as I have zero pictures of the event. I forgot my race belt and was opposed to carrying my cell phone in hand. But, because the Krumpe's Do-nut Alley Rally is a HUGE 5K event in Hagerstown, I feel that regardless of having pictures, it deserves a post in my blog!

First, let me talk about Krumpe's Do-nuts (or more so show you the delicious do-nuts that are born in this shop).

Photos from the Krumpe's Do-Nut Facebook

It is not uncommon that you will see a line of locals standing on Do-Nut Alley as they anxiously wait outside the shop to place their order.

Photos from the Krumpe's Do-Nut Facebook

As you approach the line yourself, you will be greeted with the tantalizing smell of fresh dough being fried. You may wonder if you are absorbing calories with each breath, but your taste buds are already in overdrive and your mouth begins to salivate. Calories are now the last thing on your mind.

Photos from the Krumpe's Do-Nut Facebook

You then begin to recall your last Krumpe's Do-nut. Each bite is soft and warm as it melts in your mouth. It doesn't matter if you chose creme-filled, glazed, or a twist. They all offer the same pleasure and satisfaction. You WILL come back for more, whether in a week, a month, or like me, a year.

Whenever I attend the Krumpe's Do-Nut Alley Rally, I go with the intention of having their creme-filled, powdered do-nut. If I am going to eat a do-nut, I am going to go ALL OUT. It makes running the 5K well-worth it.

So, on to the recap!

This year, I had little idea if I wanted to run for time or for fun. Because I have been training for the ultra, I have had little to no concern of pace. I knew that for this 5k, I was not going to have a PR and I was okay with that. I mean, it is always fun to get an age group award, but I was okay with letting my competitiveness slide this time. Still, it didn't mean that I did not want to do really well, hence why I was on the fence if I wanted to push it or hold back.

When Peter and I were at the start, I joked about letting him win. It wasn't until the gun went off and Peter shot off in front of me that I wondered if this was the first race he would beat me in. As I watched him separate from me, I found that I was okay with it. I mean, he and I are at two different ends of the training spectrum. He is training for his second half marathon and I am training for my first ultra. Training varies...heavily.

Peter looked back for me when he realized I was not with him. I think he was also surprised that he left me in the dust. I wish he hadn't turned around because I feel that it slowed him down. I ended up catching him and we exchanged a quick hello and goodbye as I passed by.

Photo from the 2013 Krumpe's Do-Nut Alley Rally

During the race, I made a mental note to not look at my watch. I did not want to track my pace and guilt myself for not meeting a certain time. My goal was to focus on what my body wanted to do. Still, like all of my races, I pushed. And I pushed hard. Harder than I trained to do. Hard enough to make myself want to vomit by the halfway point.

It was hot and muggy like it always is in August. But I still come back every year. All because of that damn creme-filled do-nut. Sure, I don't need to run like the wind to get the free do-nut. In fact, I don't have to run at all to get the free do-nut. The victory tastes better when I race and race hard for that do-nut.

As I approached the final stretch, the devil on my left shoulder told me to walk. The angel on my right told me to push through since I had less than a quarter mile to go. I listened to the angel and sprinted across that finish line with a time of 24:53.

Photo from the 2014 Krumpe's Do-Nut Alley Rally

I immediately went into cheerleader mode. I wanted to crash. I wanted to fall on the ground and sink into the earth, but I knew my husband was not far behind. I screamed, yelled, and cheered for the finishers as they passed while keeping an eye at the top of the hill for my love. He barreled down around minute 28.

Photo from the 2014 Krumpe's Do-Nut Alley Rally

It seemed we, as well as many of our other runner-friends, were in the same boat: Exhausted, hot, and uncomfortable. Most importantly, we were DONE and we earned our finisher's medal: The Krumpe's Do-Nut. I located my creme-filled prize and savored every crumb. The powdered sugar covered my lips when I bit into the dough and the creme squeezed out of the sides. It was messy and I probably looked far from lady-like but...YUMMMMM! Mouth-gasm.

Photo from the 2013 Krumpe's Do-Nut Alley Rally

Though the weather is always more than I can handle, I generally enjoy the Krumpe's 5K which is why I have participated in it for 3 years now. Unfortunately, I will be passing on this race next year. For those of you who have read my past posts, I plan on taking time off next year. I plan on having several months away from races and training. I need to run to run again, reconnect with the love of it. However, that doesn't mean I won't come to spectate. Especially if my husband still decides to participate.

So if you are ever in Hagerstown in August, I recommend you participate in the Krumpe's 5K. If you are in Hagerstown and it is not August, FIND KRUMPE'S DO-NUTS and buy every do-nut they offer. You will not be sorry!!!