Princess run for the win!

Holy Monday!! Today has def been a Monday with work and then the weather not cooperating with my need to run!! Oh well. We aimed for a 10k today but only went 5.3 miles. Felt pretty good afterwards though so thats promising. I love the feeling once I get started going.
Also, I got to try out my Rapunz skirt!!!

This Sparkle Tech skirt is literally perfect. I may or may not have even skipped and felt like a princess the entire run. And Karen got me a few gifts today too. A Rapunz wash cloth!!! It is so cute and thoughtful. And she gave it to me right before her bday-she's the best.

Finally, I had the best time participating in a run chat via twitter last night. It is so so fun to connect with fellow runners across the country and I hope that I get to meet a few for PrincessHalf14 weekend. Operation find my fellow bloggers!!!

Have a great Tuesday ya'll!

SOCKS

Yesterday I did some lifting and decided to put a bit more focus on my arms, particularly my triceps. They are quite sore today from that little escapade. Then today was supposed to be an off day but it was quite stressful so I decided to just do a quick mile to keep my good mood. It was relatively easy at a decent pace, completely enjoyable after a stinky day.

On a happier note I got my pro compression socks in today! WOOT They are literally so so perfect. I adore the color pink and the purple will go swimmingly with my Rapunzel outfit. YAY for me!

Well tomorrow is my early day at work so I should probably get some shut eye! Hope everyone has a fantastic Friday!

Blistering heat

Today was long run day!! Ran a 10k in the blistering heat. For some reason the park we run at has been redoing the trail and the shady way was of course the one blocked. So there were many improvisations to stay on the shadiest route possible. I finished it though and felt amazing and even got ice cream. (I love treating myself) I have begun to notice, as has Karen, that we have been running for longer, farther, and faster. So great to see progress and to feel better about running.
Also, switching up my running shoes and taping my achy shin really helped today and I had zero pain. YAYYY! KT tape is one of the greatest inventions ever.
Hope everyone is ready to get over the hump tomorrow!

Slack is what I am

I have been way slack and haven't posted in a while. WHOOPS but since last week's long run I did weights with Karen!! (Ps we are getting pretty good at this lifting thing I must say)  I'm not sure how the weather is where everyone else is but down here in Charleston when it rains downtown (which is where I live) it floods, I don't mean a little puddle either. I'm talking we have people kayaking down the roads! So it has been a rainy few days where I couldn't run let alone leave my house :(

Today we got back in the hang of running and went for a 5k around the local park. Something about this park makes me feel amazing after running. Second time its happened so I have since dubbed it my happy run place!

I am going to be jumping around for this post apparently but oh well. This last Friday I went to Trysports with Karen. Now this place is one of those rare stores that is actually helpful when you go shopping. Not only was I able to go for a quick little run to see how my form is; they also fitted me for the shoes I need to better myself. YES!?? It was amazing so now I'm going to be switching up my running shoes and probably purchasing some new ones.

Well hope everyone made it through their Monday woes successfully!

Gotta love your rest day

Today is my rest day and actually did it. I RESTED. Came home from work and went and bought some compression socks and OMG these things are like little clothes of magic. My legs feel amazing and I can move better AHH love.

I opted for black since it will go with more things for my initial pair. Now I will have to go get some purple and neon pink since they work so well!! Might try out some calf sleeves as well. 

In more exciting news... I got half of my Princess half outfit in the mail today!! Sparkle skirts have came through and the skirt is just amazing and comfy and just perfect! They also put in a handwritten note about how they wish me luck in my upcoming race. How sweet is that!?

Now all I need to do is decide on how I am going to make this outfit work. There are literally so many ideas for the top portion of Rapunzel's outfit and do I want to do arm sleeves, puffs? And do I want to have Pascal? I think yes to all of the above!!

Tomorrow is gym day for me and Karen so wish us luck!

Long run day!

It was long run day, was going to do 5.5 miles but ended up doing 6 thanks to Karen. Haha. We ended up taking a bathroom break and did not notice that we never restarted the GPS. whoopsies! Anyways running in this heat and humidity is like the worst thing ever. I have trouble making a good pace and my legs were just not on board with running today. Because of that I am taking a break tomorrow of no work outs, plus its fam dinner night now so it should be pretty awesome!

On another note, I'm super excited for this half marathon now and plan on making some costumes and being all around awesome. Also thinking about doing a full marathon now! but of course that won't be decided until I get deeper in this half marathon training.

Hope everyone has an amazing HUMP DAY!!!

Bring it!

BOO for the weekend being over but holy moly I had the best run I have ever had to date. I felt awesome and felt like I was making okay time AND ran more than I normally do. Naturally my friend Karen was with me and I did get to see a cute boy with two cute puppies so that made it all better! Heres a pic of my polar with my time and calories for a little over 4 miles.

Also, I got two new running skirts from lulu lemon and they are literally too perfect. They are just like running in shorts but girlier!! I went ahead and bought some shorts from them too and finally bought my skirt for my Rapunzel bottoms from sparkleskirts.com. EEPP I literally am so excited for my run in Feb. I am feeling ready and better than ever. BRING IT ON!

Squat like you mean it!

I had to cancel my run today cause of dinner plans that popped up and I'm really sad I did. So instead of running I did a half a mile on the tread mill and then did some weights. My bestie talked me into trying out squats today and OH MY GOODNESS I had no idea they would hurt my quads so much, oh the pain! But I know its making me stronger so that certainly helps.

So now all this rain is moving in so I hope it does muck up my running schedule in the upcoming week too much! Also, I remembered I had to take my measurements for a dress I'm being fitted for, my brobro is tying the knot this year! But that will make it easier for me to track my fitness progress from where I have come. EEP so exciting!

Glistening not Prespiring

I ran 5 miles today, which is the farthest I have ever gone!! Thanks to my friend, Karen, I actually made it. It was the hardest run I have had so far but as soon as I finished I was ecstatic! Afterwords I was able to have some ice cream which made everything better. (child at heart, y'all) This is a pic of how long it took me (not good I know BUT it was literally like a million degrees outside).

I also accepted an invitation to the gym with my bestie Jo and did some lifting as well. I am well aware that I probably did too much today but at least tomorrow is a rest day that I am soo soo ready for.

WHO LOVES PEANUT BUTTER? I know I sure do and I found the best thing since sliced bread (actually really really good on bread haha). It's this peanut butter from Whole Foods that taste like white chocolate with peanut butter all wrapped up into yummy goodness. Every peanut butter lover should try it ASAP.

Well I hope everyone has an amazing Thursday!! Keep on logging those miles!

More gym!

WE MADE IT!!! Monday actually wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be, love when that happens. So today I didn't run but chose to get on the stationary bike for 15 minutes and 10 minutes on the elliptical. I finally asked my bestie to join me at the gym and she easily agreed so she came with and talked me into doing some more weights. (I didn't fight her to hard though) Tomorrow I may try and take the day off to get ready for my long run on Wednesday. I'm actually really excited for my run this Wednesday cause I feel strong and ready for it finally. 

On an unrelated note, I've been thinking about my costume for the Princess Half and I am definitely going to be Rapunzel, not only cause she's the best princess but because I just love her outfit too. I talked my mom into doing the 5k so that gives me a second chance for another outfit. I'm thinking the newest Disney princess, Merida! I saw a running skirt for her outfit and she would be super fun to run as too. 

Well happy running to you all and hope tomorrow is great for everyone!

Weights and runDisney

Hope everyone is ready for Monday tomorrow after their long weekend!!

Today I started back with some slight weight training. I did a little bit of legs, arms and abs and it was AWESOME!! I forgot how much I like lifting and not constantly running or whatever. With that being said, I will totally be adding in weights at the very least once a week but hopefully twice a week. We shall see! Might should start back up on some protein shakes though, I do kinda miss them.

Also, runDisney did a twitter chat tonight that was literally so so so fun. I got to see why everyone loved the community and what they loved most about running in disney and who they liked to dress up like. This is me in my costume last year for the Royal Family 5K.

I was going for Ariel here but didn't put too much time or effort into it. This coming Princess weekend though I will be going all out and hopefully it will be even better than the last time I ran at Disney! (that will be hard to top though). Anyways the entire twitter feed has me super hyped now about running in Disney again!! EEEEP! Cannot waittt.

Slack Saturday

I had every intention of running 4.5 to 5 miles today with Karen but then I spent 7 hours helping my parents pack and move some boxes. So now I am exhausted from all of that but missing the runner's high. Probably for the best though since my legs actually hurt a bit yesterday!! But now since I have already committed to being a slacker I can have a glass of wine and watch reruns of the Walking Dead in peace while my body recuperates for weights tomorrow.
In the meantime, I think I am about ready to purchase my first running skirt. EEEPPP!!! I want the Rapunzel one (duh) and the Brave one. I'm sure they would be fantastic to run in and they are super duper cute too!!

Rapunzel wear

So today was a short run of 2 miles and 1 mile walk with my trail running friend, Karen. Karen RULES btw, she has gotten me off the couch many of days just by having it all planned out before hand. So we walked up to the park right around my house and ran around it a few times and while today wasn't my best run day, I don't feel terrible after it. Plus, I got to break in my new Rapunzel shirt that I adore btw!

It was super soft and the back has Rapunzel's hair flowing down to the word "run". Literally too cute. Anyways so we ran today and since its a holiday weekend and I burned lots of calories today I can have a glass of wine. or two. CHEEERS to the weekend!!!

Running as a belle

So a little backstory is needed here, I used to run my senior year of college a little over a year ago and stopped after I got my first full time job. My roomie/best friend of 20 years talked me into signing up for a 5k and then the annual Cooper River Bridge Run. So my first run was actually the Royal Family 5k in Walt Disney World. Not only was it beyond awesome but it relit my running flame!!

Since then I have signed up for the Princess Half Marathon of 2014 and plan on running the entire thing. So hopefully I am all done with training by then!

My name is Lauren and I am 23 years old and in Graduate School and have lived in beautiful Charleston, SC for my entire life. While it is beautiful it is also pretty hot and humid so while some days I run outside I do have a tendency to use my "dread"mill quite a bit. I have been wanting to create this blog for months so I am SUPER SUPER excited to finally have done it. Anyways, look forward to meeting all of you along my training journey!