running

DIY – Race Medal Display

| The Bee Life

I am excited to share with you my adaptation and more affordable DIY version of a Race Medal and Bib display for our home office.  I first saw the idea at a friend’s apartment, she had a cute single-bib holder with some text and hooks for metals.  As the weeks wore on and our race medals sat in a box in our office, I remembered the idea and went online to see how much these were! On Etsy, they range anywhere from $30 – $50, which while affordable, I knew I could do this much cheaper!

Step 1: Find a piece of wood that fits the desired size. Since B and I both run, I wanted to be able to display both of our bibs, separately so this had to be long enough to accommodate two 8-inch race bibs. I also wanted to have a catchy/cute phrase on the board too… more room needed.   It just so happened that we had a wood piece from our table that we got to sample stains from the carpenter… turns out this board was the perfect size to a T.  Cost = $0

Step 2: Measure + determine design.  I grabbed our race bibs, placed them on either side and penciled in the top holes for place makers and then eye-balled where I would want the hooks to go along the bottom for the medals.  The phrase I decided on was borrowed from one I saw online; “Soul Mates in it for the Long Run.”  This phrase is so fitting for B and I and goes back to the roots of when we started dating, four years ago.  It was maybe a week into dating and I was running my first half-marathon, while B was running a 10k.  The first person I ran into, in the crowd after the race was B, literally ran into each other, and if you have ever been in a race before you know how crowded they are! I knew it was something special when that happened.

Step 3: Paint backdrop. I had some left-over acrylic paint in grey and white (just what I needed) so I grabbed those and started to paint! Cost = $2.50

Step 4: Buy hardware. I needed little hooks for the bibs and then larger hooks for the metals.  The hardware store is literally 5-houses down the street and around the corner so a quick trip there and I was in business!  I ended up needed 1-pack of the smaller hooks  ($1.29) and 3-packs of the larger hooks ($1.35 each).  We also needed sawtooth hooks for the back and other hooks for the wall (about $5). Cost = $10.50

Step 5: Stencil + paint phrase. I wanted this to look better than all free-hand painting, so I printed out the phrase and cut the letters, traced in position to make sure I could fit everything, then painted! I then free-handed the other writing and added a cute personal touch of “est. 2011” – not perfect but it works!

Step 6: Apply hardware. This was a little tricky getting the square bent hooks into place and definitely took some patience, after starting a hole with the screwdriver we were able to get these screwed into place.  Afterwards I placed two large sawtooth hangers onto the back and then nailed 50lb weight picture frame hooks into the wall.

Step 7: Hang up + decorate with metals + bibs.

Total cost: $13.00

Now our race bibs and metals have a nice home… and plenty of room for more to come in the future!

Motivation Needed.

| The Bee Life

You would think that after 24 years of being on this earth, it wouldn’t be so hard to adjust to the time or weather changes… but it is! And it’s even harder when you have a head cold and your apartment heat doesn’t turn on unless it’s below 50… or so they say… ok… ok… gripe session over!

I have to admit that since the cancellation of our half marathon, which would’ve happened this past October 11th – I have not been working out or running. The most physical activity I’ve done lately is all the dancing I did at the wedding I attended this past weekend!! But I do know that I’ll have to run in 9 days because I signed up for the Bernie Kosar 5k Shuffle!

Who is Bernie Kosar? Well… from what I can tell he played football for the Cleveland Browns, and Clevelanders seem to like him.  But since that is WAY before my time, I picked this race based on the race metal, distance, and pure fact that it just looks like fun. Plus I knew I would need some motivation, and any 5k that you can get a metal at, is totally worth it in my book. I have also been desperately trying to get my coworkers to partake in a short “fun run” with me… I was half successful. I tapped in to a few different coworkers (from other departments) who will be participating, with their significant others.  It will be a fun time! Not to mention this race is officially SOLD OUT – so I don’t have to worry about it getting cancelled!

“The Essence of Health is an Inner Kind of Balance.” – Dr. Andrew Weil

Since I haven’t been as active, as I’d like to be or need to be – I’ve made sure I am more conscious of my food intake. Smaller portions, little snacks, veggies, fruits and protein plus the occasional sweet treat! In addition, B and I plan to start doing the “FastDiet” aka the 5:2 diet. This diet consists of five days of normal eating, and any of the other two are fasting. Meaning 500 calories (for women) or 600 calories (for men)… although this depends on your activeness and size/height ratio. My aunts have been doing this for a few weeks now and have already seen gradual weight loss. I just ordered The FastDiet Cookbook and The FastDiet to get started! I like the idea of this diet, because it isn’t a radical lifestyle change, you don’t have to food prep for 7-days a week and you’re able to enjoy a night out… or three! It seems like a good balance.

How do you stay motivated during these darker and colder days?

Week 6 Training – Halfway Point

| The Bee Life

The end of this training week will mark the halfway point, exactly 6 more weeks until the Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon! The last few weeks have unfortunately been very sparse with the training aspect, so time for a harsh reality check.

Week 3 – I literally did nothing

Week 4 – I got a short 2.65 mile run and my long 5 miles in – for a grand total of 7.65 miles

Week 5 – One 4-mile run

Week 6 – Still in progress

I have 4 days left in week 6 to get some additional miles in. I really hate writing and publishing this for the world to see, but I have been severely lacking motivation…. major runners block.

Tough love 

How do you push through your long days to get those miles in?

Week 2 Training: Lions, Houses and Bands

| The Bee Life

Now that half marathon training is in full swing, I came out strong in week two, and boy… did it feel GOOD!  I haven’t had a solid workout week like that in a LONG time… sadly I’ve come to realize that these types of weeks will be few and far between due to work, life, and everything else. I just need to stay motivated and remind myself of how good it feels.

Monday – 3 miles
Completed: 27:09

Tuesday – 2 miles or cross
Completed: Walk 1.5 miles

Wednesday – 3 miles + strength
Completed: 28:24

Thursday – 30 minute cross

Friday – 30 min. run
Completed: 29:51 (3 miles)

Saturday – 4 miles
Completed: 37:38

Sunday – Strength
Completed: 1-hour Spin Class

Week Total Miles: 14.5 miles

On top of training we had a jammed packed weekend.  Friday night, Bentley and I went to Twilight at the Zoo which we have had the pleasure of attending for 3 years now!  A little rain tried to ruin our evening, but it quickly stopped and turned out to to be a beautiful night!  Food was sparse, but beers were flowing.  My favorite animal spotting of the evening was a Malayan Sun Bear, he was a cutie! Bands were scattered throughout the zoo each with a different genre!  We wish our friends would’ve been able to join us but we still had a fun date night together!

Saturday, my parents came into town from NY!  In between the downpours and crazy boomers, we were able to go to Lakewood’s Art Fest to visit our favorite vendor, Foundry Woodprints we have a small collection started of illustrated  vintage prints of downtown Cleveland.  We also have a bunch of wooden coasters, because they are just so fun!  In two weekends, Foundry will be at a festival at Edgewater Park!  Saturday evening we went to my cousins marching band competition, yes you read that correctly!  He is a senior in high school and has been traveling all summer with a marching band-camp, grueling through 12-hour practices and sleeping on gym floors,  the whole thing is quit impressive.  Plus we got to see more family, which is always fun.

Sunday, I started my day with a 1-hour spin class at Harness Cycle, it was an awesome and challenging work out. I was glad I got back for another class.  Followed by Brunch at Market with my parents, aunts and B.  Followed by house hunting!! Followed by me being absolutely exhausted by the time we got home that evening. This week has continued with the trend of busy, lots of work duties with little working out. I am finally at the part of my week were fun is ahead of me and hopefully a workout or two squeezed-in before the start of Week 4 training! I just hope I can let the good training weeks, outweigh the bad!

Happy August 7th Everyone!

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Week 1 Training: Inspiration

| The Bee Life

Last Monday was the official start of half marathon #7 training! As of today, one week down – 11 more to go before the Cleveland Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon.  As I mentioned in my recap in May, I didn’t train very well… I’d like to think I am off to a better start this time around.

Here is my week breakdown:

Monday – 3 miles
Completed: 27:32 (3.59 miles)

Tuesday – 2 miles or cross
Completed: 17:57

Wednesday – 3 miles + strength

Thursday – Rest
Completed 🙂

Friday – 30 min. cross
Completed: 1-hour Spin Class

Saturday – 4 miles

Sunday – Strength
Completed: 31:41 (2.30 miles)

Week Total Miles: 7.89 miles

I gained a little extra inspiration when we went to support a friend’s brother at his movie premiere on Wednesday night called “Running the Edge.”  It premiered in Cleveland at Capital Theater, the film follows the journey of a man and his family while he works to break the record for running the Colorado trail…which is 468 miles long.  His goal was to complete this in 8 days, 7 hours and 17 seconds, running anywhere from 12-14 hours a day and getting minimum sleep.  It was incredible, his determination, time spent and self-discipline it took to accomplish this was beyond motivational. 

Friday, I was able to try out the local spinning hot-spot, Harness Cycle, for a co-worker’s “Bride Ride Happy Hour” … a sweaty hour work-out + happy hour afterwards, was my kind of night!  The spin class was a lot of fun, especially with all the girls from work!  Not to mention it was a challenging work out (which I am always game for), mainly because it was really different from the spin classes I am used too. This class made you work your body more in tune to the beat of the music … and good music at that! I have always been a fan of group classes, because they help me stay motivated and push myself harder than I would if I was working out alone. I am definitely hoping to get back to Harness, the work out was great, and their studio is beautiful!

My goal is to continue to push myself harder each week regardless of the busy weekends and long days… because the busy weekends never stop!  

Are you training for a half marathon, or any kind of race?  What keeps you motivated? 

Happy Training!

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78.6 race miles + a few hundred in training

| The Bee Life

Yesterday I finished my 6th half-marathon, which helps me cross off one of my NYE resolutions for 2014!  (And I will be running my 7th half-marathon and potentially my last this October!)  Before, during and after every half-marathon, I always ask myself… “Why am I doing this?”  and every time I have a different answer.  Sometimes it’s because I like challenging myself, physical and mentally and other times I am trying to beat my own goal.

If you’re not a runner, or if you’re not a long distance runner, the sounds of running 13.1 miles for essentially 2-hours sounds crazy ridiculous.  But when you tack on 12-weeks of training that includes long weekend runs (10 or 11 miles) you might think that is even more crazy. Well yes, it is.  Unfortunately this race, I struggled both in training and on my actual race (because I didn’t train enough).  I am still trying to find the balance between work, life and my workout life, it has been a roller coaster this year, but I am confident and determined!

This year, the Cleveland Rite Aid 10k, Half and Full Marathon had a new route around the city – which was really great, moderate hills and a change of scenery.  However the last 3 miles down the shoreway to the finish were tough!  To add another twist on running 13.1 miles I decided a few days in advance that I would try and live tweet during my run, and I did! #emrunscle2014

I crossed the finish line at 2:14:05
Bentley finished at 2:02:39 – and he didn’t stop! I couldn’t be more proud of him!

Here are a few in case you missed them:

After every race, it is hard not to feel extremely accomplished and this race was no different! Especially when you check the time and see it’s 10:30am to realize you’ve already run 13.1 miles and finished a free beer, wouldn’t you feel accomplished? Or just me? 🙂

If you are planning to run a half marathon here is the training routine I use, it allows for a mix of running and strength training, which is VERY important. These routines also allow for a variety of levels including beginning, intermediate and advanced, even a walking program!

I hope to document my training for my upcoming race in October, although that won’t be until end of July… and I hope to be able to train better to end my half-marathon career with a bang and lucky #7.  Of course I plan to have updates before then! Much fun is looming in my future, our friends are getting married this weekend, we will be traveling to NYC for an upcoming weekend – just to name a few!

Happy Running!
xo – eb

 

3-Season Hibernation

| The Bee Life

Where to begin?

A part of one of my latest posts – back in February – eeek. I ranted on about my pathetic unemployment scare, fearing I wouldn’t get a job, especially before my 23rd birthday on March 16th.

Well… I didn’t get a job before my birthday, but I got the offer I had been waiting for, the first week in April. I landed my starting dream job at a local ad agency, as an Assistant Account Executive. I tell you I waited over a month because I had my first interview on March 1st… second one on March 6th… third one on March 7th… and then my fourth interview right after Easter when I was offered the position. Full-time employed, ladies and gents.

I was so excited I bought cake pops!

Here are some more highlights since then:

Christmas in July!

So this past December a group of our friends decided to have a Couple’s Costume Christmas Party. Yes I know what you’re thinking… THAT SOUNDS LIKE SO MUCH FUN. Well it was. So to keep with the tradition, I thought, why not celebrate Christmas in July?

Not to mention I was staying at my aunt’s house while they were on vacation, dogsitting, so I could truly entertain!  I made one of our party favorites, festive red and green jell-o shots. But here is the kicker, with pop rocks – best idea ever, thank you pinterest. I also made a killer beer cheese dip and brownie kabobs. We played plenty of rounds of beer pong.

I can’t wait till our December Christmas Party!

Half-Marathons. Yes. Plural.

Me and Bentley trained for and ran two half-marathons, four weeks apart from each other. Our first race was September 8th, The River Run through the Metroparks.  We started training end of July so that we could get a full 12-weeks in before.

The morning of the race, the weather was perfect, cool with a gentle mist falling.  We ran together the whole way until about Mile 11, then I cranked up the pace to try and beat my 2 hour mark.  I finished in 2:00:54. Bentley finished shortly after at 2:05:18. Both VERY respectable times if you ask me!

Our second race was in the beginning of October, on the 6th – the Inaugural Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon. I was really excited for this one.  There is just something about running through the city and the surrounding suburbs with crowds cheering you on along the way, a band rocking out at every mile, and cheerleader squads too!

My parents came into town to walk the ‘Mini Marathon’ which was a nice 5k – a few of my aunts and uncles accompanied them.

Bentley and I had a great pace in the beginning, we were killing it. And then at mile 10, there was a 80 degree angled hill that just about everyone walks on.  I was bull-headed and wanted to run the whole thing, only to look back to see Bentley walking.  I was bound and determined to finish this race with Bentley, as so many races we have run together – one of us usually ends up leaving the other behind.

We trained together. So we were going to finish together – despite Bentley’s immediate wishes. He wanted me to keep running, but I stuck with him to keep him motivated and rocking through.  Running 13.1 miles is no easy feat, even when you have trained for 16 weeks.

We ended up crossing the finish line, hand-in-hand and finished at 2:04:16. It is always the best feeling of accomplishment when you finish a race. Just need to figure out which race to sign up for next…

Weekend’s in NY

Bentley and I got away for a weekend at my aunt’s cabin, in the middle of nowhere just as you enter NY from PA.  It’s the perfect retreat.  We brought their dogs, Opa (the puggle) and Maya (a black lab) with us too!  We played corn hole outside, went for a run in town, got amazing and cheap homemade local ice cream.  We also drove a short distance to nearby Lakewood, NY – to go to Southern Tier Brewery.  We got a head start on some Pumking, fresh! It was so good, and the brewery was beautiful.  Unfortunately we missed out on a tour, as they were all booked by the time we got there. We can’t wait to go back and visit next time we are in the area.

We were lucky enough to get a few “Weekend Getaways” by going to visit my parents in Upstate New York.  We were able to be in town for my Mom’s birthday weekend – which meant that we went to a local brewery for some beer tasting with a bunch of friends/family! We went to Honeoye Falls Brewery, they had a lot of beers on tap to sample!  My brother and his wife came into town from the DC area that weekend also, so it was so great seeing them.  My Aunt Laurie, my bff from high school Katie and her boyfriend came, and then three of my brother’s high school friends came to the brewery.  It was so great catching up and seeing everyone!

Weekend’s in NY are always a whirl wind, always so much to do and go by so quickly! But always so much fun.

Thanks for reading my nonsense.