Tangent Tuesday

A couple of tangents on this here Tuesday:

-Since last Thursday, I've only gotten two runs in.  When I skipped Saturday's run, I was feeling really guilty for not getting the run in, and planned to make it up on Monday, in order to get my miles in.  Sunday came around and even though I was absolutely exhausted, I got 5.25 miles in, and it felt great!  Monday came around and I was planning to do 3 miles after work, but then I took a nap instead (I NEVER NAP... this is how we know I am tired).  When I woke up from my nap, around 5:30, I put on my running clothes and my mom looked at me and said "You are crazy if you're going running right now... you're exhausted. Listen to your body and take a break".  So I did! I put my jammies on, ate a snack, and got into bed at 7:30 pm.  I need to remember that it is OKAY to skip a planned run.  Skipping one run is not going to make or break my finishing a half marathon, and I need to remind myself of that.

-I found the best running shorts ever.  The brand is Hind.  They are lime green and turquoise-ish. I got the pair at Marshall's last week, and tried them out on Sunday, LOVED them, searched for them online to order more, and failed.  Hind's website only has like, 6 clothing items total on it, so I feel lost and confused where to look next.  PLEASE HIND, help me find these shorts.

-For some reason I keep thinking back to last summer when one of my brother's friends saw me running and told my brother he thought I ran funny.  I wonder if I really do run funny?

-I've started watching a TV--> DVD series called Foyle's War.  It's like "The Mentalist" during World War II. You should watch it too!

-I've had a serious twitch in my left eye since Monday morning.  Starting to get old. 

I'm the tiny head peeping through in the back row.

-I'll be getting a 5 mile run in this evening.. I put a few new songs on my running playlist that I'm SUPER excited about.  Including THIS.  WHY are all Pharrell songs so catchy?  Sidenote: I lived in Miami for a brief while and when my girlfriends came to visit we met Pharrell and he was a precious human being.

Smoothie ingredients.  This is one smoothie.  JUST ONE!

-I got a wooden chair and a wicker laundry basket at the Goodwill the other day for a total of $11.79.  I plan to refinish the chair painting it some obscenely bright color, and the wicker basket is now holding throw blankets at my boyfriend's house.  

I think that's all I've got for today!!! Have a great afternoon!

What's going with you on this Tuesday?

What's your favorite song on your running playlist right now?

Have you ever met a celeb? What was he/she like?

Hydrating: In the Heat and All the Time!

As of last week, the weather here in Connecticut is officially summer weather.  Hot, humid, sunny, sticky, nasty...  I know I shouldn't be complaining because we had such a brutal winter, but, I really hate the humidity.  Anyway, the weather change has brought up the issue of hydrating before/during/after runs.  It's important to hydrate all the time, not only when it's hot.  Dehydration can be mild to severe, and in severe cases, life-threatening.  It's not a matter to be taken lightly, especially with summer upon us!
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or registered dietitian. I do not claim to cure any cause, condition or disease. I do not provide medical aid or nutrition for the purpose of health or disease and claim to be a doctor or dietitian.

Dehydration is simply when your body does not have enough fluids as it should.  Signs of dehydration include, but are not limited to: dizziness, dry lips/mouth/skin, fatigue: mental and physical, darkened urine, lightheadedness, and increased heart rate.  I've always heard that if you feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated.  Therefore, even when you don't feel thirst, you should be consuming fluids to prevent future dehydration.  However, there is also a condition called Hyponatremia, which is over-hydration. This occurs when you drink too much fluid or hydrate with only water, which can flush electrolytes from the body.  Symptoms of Hyponatremia include, but are not limited to: headache, confusion, nausea, fatigue, and muscle weakness.

A general rule of thumb for staying accurately hydrated on a daily basis is to consume 1/2 of your body weight (in pounds) in ounces of fluids.  Example: if you weigh 140 lb.s, you should be consuming around 70 ounces of fluid per day.  This does NOT include if you are exercising!  If you're outside running for an hour and sweating profusely, you must consume more fluids to compensate!  If you want to get really technical, you should calculate your sweat rate.  A simple step by step guide is listed here on the Runner's World website.

Hydrating during runs is also important.  If your run is less than one hour, you can consume water if you like.  Anything over one hour it is necessary to consume fluids.  4-6 ounces of fluids every 20 minutes is recommended (starting after an hour).  Water, electrolyte water, sports drinks... these are all options for hydrating during runs.  It's key to plan how/when you're going to drink during long runs.  You can use a belt with water bottle holder, bring money to purchase a water bottle along your run, plan your route to include passing by your house to refill water, or plant water bottles/sports drinks along your route before you start.  For me, when I get to the point of longer runs, I plan to drop waters/sports drinks off at my friend's houses along my routes.  I don't think a water bottle belt is the best option for me, as I like to have minimal weight added during running.  

**Other than sports drinks and regular water, I LOVE infused water (so does my sister!)  My favorite is just adding cucumbers and mint to a mason jar of filtered tap water.  I'm going to try infusing strawberries and oranges into water this weekend!  Other than remaining super hydrated this weekend, I'll be getting in two runs: my "long" 5 mile run on Saturday, and 3 miles on Sunday.  I'm in search of a good 5 mile route around my neighborhood, so I'll probably drive around and map out some courses later today.

Delicious cuke infused water YUM!

Random Friday Photos:

OBSESSED with this quote... Beyonce kills it all day errrrday

My Friday lunchbox. Not pictured: 24 OZ fruit smoothie for breakfast!

One of my weekday running outfits..  Runner's World started a new series #RUNootd on Instagram/Twitter!

How do you stay hydrated? 
-By drinking at least 1 gallon of water every day (more if it's a running day)

Do you make infused waters? Please tell me your favorite combination:


What are you up to this weekend?  How many miles will you be running this weekend?
-A 6 year old's birthday party.  8 miles total.

Thursday Thoughts

I attended the "Yelp Helps Gala For Good" at The Society Room in Downtown Hartford last night.  It was all about giving back, volunteering at local Hartford groups, and learning about great things Hartford has to offer.  One of the booths was the Hartford Marathon Foundation.  I think I scared the girl working the booth with my enthusiasm and excitement about the Hartford Half.  Regardless, seeing the booth made me want to research the HMF a little bit more.  They're a really cool group that's been around for a while, and they have donated over $5 million to different Hartford area charities.  The HMF offers a variety of training programs, for running, triathlons, and/or swimming and cycling.  They've also got a neat blog that features different types of interviews, events, race recaps, tips, etc. It is a great organization, and I'm thinking about volunteering once in a while for some of their events!  I'm very excited about running in these HMF races:

• Red Dress Run for Women, Saturday, July 12, Elizabeth Park, West Hartford
• Riverfront Scramble #3, Thursday, August 21, Hartford Riverfront, Hartford
• Old Wethersfield 5k & 10k, Sunday, August 24, Old Wethersfield
• NU Hartford Marathon, Saturday, October 11, Hartford

I'm finding that running is exposing me to a lot of things in Hartford.  For example- the Riverfront Scramble series is a series of 5k's throughout the summer, along the Hartford Riverfront, which I barely knew existed.  They have paths and trails near the water in both Hartford and East Hartford.  It's cool to discover new things in a city that I've lived in for 12 years!  It's really making me love this area even more than I already did!

I carried my phone with me for the first time possibly ever on a run on Wednesday.  I was running in the South End of Hartford, and I just felt nervous for some reason, so I took it with me.  I found it quite annoying, actually, because it's big and bulky and I don't like carrying anything in my hand.  It was nice to see my splits though, and the MapMyRun app connects to my iTunes, so I can choose songs for whatever pace I'm running.  I also stopped to take a photo on my run (see below).  I'll probably not carry my phone with me again, any time soon.

Here is a recap of my week in photos:

I stared at these 2 pillows for 30 minutes before finally deciding on the left pillow.

Had this awesome salad on Wednesday... a crab cake on top!

New socks! They're thick, plush, and awesome colored, just how I like them!

I ran across a bridge and had to pause to take a photo. 

Rachael and I at the Yelp Helps Gala For Good! Raisin' the roof

My MapyMyRun summary from Wednesday's run!

That's all for today! 

What's on your weekend agenda?

What is the race you're most excited about running?

What do you like most about where you live? Do you find that you're constantly learning new things about your city?