Couch to ATHLETE!

I was talking with a friend of mine last week regarding her new adventures in cycling. She was telling me about how the views of her city are so different by bicycle and her familiarity with neighborhoods has developed since she began riding. About three months ago an gentleman at weight watchers told me that you never really see a city until you run the city. On my own, I have discovered that the lens through which we explore life changes based on our experiences, our attitude or our ability to be empathetic. I am often found telling a story during training sessions that we all have a choice when we wake up in the morning whether we are going to roll out of the right or the wrong side of bed. We can choose, when standing in the long line at the grocery store, whether we are going to have line rage or simply read the magazine or chat up another person in line. Yesterday morning I woke up on the right side of the bed, however life had different plans for me. I woke up late, rushed a...

Miles Upon Miles Upon Miles? Some people run for charity, while others run for exercise, to make friends, to accomplish a goal or even for fun. Well  I've discovered I run for three big reasons... Bragging Rights One of the coolest things about training for a marathon is being able to say, I ran 30 miles last week. Well I can't officially say that as my training came up a little short last week BUT I can say I ran 26.5 miles last week. I guess that means I ran a marathon. I could check it off my bucket list! Ha, I don't think that qualifies for the 26.2 magnet that I am looking forward to slapping on the back of my vehicle in October. So for those of you who have to see my Facebook feed on a daily basis, I truly apologize; but seriously it is fun to let the world know that I just finished a seven mile run, or twenty mile bike ride. It truly makes me feel like I accomplished something in my day. Therapy People always told me to go out and get some exercise i...

It seems to be silly to be blogging about heat considering it is about 65 degrees outside right now, but damn it was hot last week!!! As my regular followers know I use Google as my main reference point for research, self diagnosis and random entertainment. I know this method of research is very scientific and the best way to figure out how to cure afflictions (wink, wink) and so I trudge on with my random searches for skin rashes, warts, plantar fascia and the list goes on... The past two weeks I have been worried about dehydration because of illness and the sizzling heat. I spent most of my days trapped in my house two weeks ago and then quickly realized it had turned into summer outside. Not only did I need to figure out how to keep hydrated with the flu (I'm finally admitting that is what I had) but also with 90 degree heat and 90% humidity. I of course went to my trusty source to figure out how to ensure I stay healthy. You want to know what I learned??? Use common se...

The three of us after the Soldier Field 10 Before I got seriously ill this past week I had the pleasure of running the Soldier Field 10. Not only was it sponsored by my favorite running store, Fleet Feet Sports, it had the best venue and most awesome finish line. Imagine yourself finishing a 10 mile run on the 50 yard line on Soldier Field. So it is true I am not a big sports fan but you still get caught up in the excitement when everyone around you is hyped up and the theme song for the Bears was playing while you run through what I believe to be the same tunnel the players run through to get on the field. So last week I was a Soldier and today I was a warrior! My friend Erin and I headed down to Logan Ohio to participate in the Warrior Dash. Although amazingly fun, it was also amazingly difficult! Most of the event went straight uphill, and I'm not talking about a slow incline, but rather an uphill that was covered in mud and freshly rained on. Running up the hill was nearly...