Seal Rock, Oregon

Back in mid August, my family and I headed to the Oregon Coast for a week for vacation. Below are some photos and great memories we shared together.

Here is a panorama of the end of the beach.

Here is a little background on the photos below: We rented a beach house right with a 1 minute walk down a trail to get to the beach.

The time on vacation was spent hanging out with family, relaxing, exploring the beach, and for me: running on the beach!

The beach was beautiful when we went, most of the days we were there it was sunny and warm. Going down to explore the beach was something that never got old where we were there.

This was taken at the top of the stairs leading down to the beach.

This was taken on one of my beach runs at the very end of the beach, about 1.5 miles from where our house was.

This was also taken at the end of the beach on my run.

Another thing to note about the beach was the amazing sunsets we were able to watch. I didn’t get many photos of these, but they were beautiful. Full of orange, pink, purple, and every color in between.

This photo has a weird glare to it, as it was taken inside the house with the glass door in the way of me and the sunset.

This one was taken down on the beach before we headed to build a fire pit on the beach for a bon fire later that night.

I can’t remember the last time I had been around a real fire. With the burn bans normally in place when we go camping, it has probably been 3-5 years since sitting around a real fire. I forgot how warm and inviting they are. Waking up the next morning with my hair and clothes smelling like smoke was a great feeling.

Here are the embers before we put the fire out for good that night. Even from the embers, it was amazing how much heat was being given off.

This was the first time where we opted out of camping in Winthrop and switched it up with a beach house in Oregon. It was a bittersweet change. It was really nice having a bed to sleep on and a private bathroom down the hall. The one thing I did miss from camping was being forced to unplug from technology, as at the campground there is no service.

I think that unplugging from the world and just being surrounded by nature is a good reminder of what is important in life and what you can go without. Most for the time at the beach house, I would look around and everyone was either watching TV, on their phone, or IPad. This is something I was guilty of too, but I wish I would have taken more time to unplug and be with those most important in my life.

Week 37

September 9th- 3.18 mile run

This run was another route I decided to run backwards. I started off running around campus and quickly decided to do a little trail running and get a hill workout in. I haven’t done this type of training in awhile, I was able to gain over 500 feet in elevation.

As I was running through Sehome Arboretum, I ended up twisting my ankle on a root. I finished off my run, but am hoping I didn’t injure myself. I made sure, once I got back, to rest, elevate, and ice it. I’m hoping tomorrow it won’t be too sore. I want to try and get a long run in either tomorrow or the day after (depending on how the ankle is feeling). Only time will tell!

I’m aiming to get a 4.5 or 5 mile run in. Right now I seem to be capping out around 3.1, which is awesome but I think it would be good to push myself to start running longer distances again.

September 10th- Rest

I’m mad at myself for rolling my ankle yesterday in the arb. It felt okay yesterday, but today not to much. I think I internally bruised it and will need to let it heal before running on it again. This feels like a setback, as I have been so motivated the past couple weeks to run and push myself to run longer distances. Hoping this little injury doesn’t put me too far behind!

September 11th- Abs

My ankle is still sore, so I opted in for a ab session today instead of running.

September 12th- Rest

Okay, can my ankle be healed already?!?! I’m starting to get antsy, but I know I need to be patient and let I heal so I don’t injure it more.

September 13th- Rest

Today was a moving day. My family helped move my grandma into a 24 hour care facility. I spent the day packing up her stuff and helping move it to her new home. As the day drew on, I couldn’t help but notice how sore my ankle was. I’m hoping this heals soon, as I want to start running again!

September 14th- Rest

This week is not going too well with running. I am really regretting rolling my ankle on Monday! I am going to let it rest for the remainder of the weekend and try to do a short run on Monday to test out how it is feeling.

September 15th- Abs

I opted in for a quick ab session tonight. I decided to try that app again that does a fully body workout. I decided to go for 20 minutes instead of 10 and I could definitely feel the burn! I really liked this workout and will need to keep it in mind for the future.

Post Running Recovery

Within the last couple of weeks I have been trying to run longer distances and increase my elevation gain. With these challenges, comes new recovery techniques I have started implementing and thought I would share with you as well.

What really sparked my interest in writing this post was rolling my ankle earlier today while trail running through Sehome Arboretum. Feel free to read about that post here.

One thing that is super important after any type of physical exercise is the recovery you implement afterwards. To be honest, I wasn’t very good about this and of course suffered the consequences the next day of really stiff and sore muscles. Recently, I have been trying to change this and really put as much focus into stretching, eating, and recovering as I do when I’m running. I started to do a lot more research on how to take care of my body and wanted to share some of that here, not only as advice but also as a good reminder for me.

Diet: Pre and Post Run

One of the major things I notice when running long distances is the runner’s trots. If you aren’t familiar with this, then count yourself lucky. For me, running messes up my stomach to the point where I would be sitting in the bathroom 30 minutes after my run shitting my guts out (sorry for the gross image). I did some research on this and found out that:

This is a common thing among runners. It is more common in females than it is males and occurs from the constant movement of the stomach while running.
Diet can play a role in the occurrence of this. While I have not be able to fully rid myself from this problem, I have been able to lessen it by eating healthier foods.
- This includes more fruits and veggies with my meals and eating out less. Once I started this, I noticed a big difference in the urgency to “go”.
- Cutting back on processed sugars was another one I tried. This was a little harder for me to do, but I did notice a difference.
Staying hydrated as also helped with the aftermath of being in the bathroom. It is important to replenish all the water you lost through sweating. This not only helps with runner’s trots, but also during running and the recovery afterwards.

A post run drink I have tried as part of my recovery process include chocolate milk. Chocolate milk is supposed to be really good for you after a run. It helps replenish the sugars your muscles lose during running and it restores your muscles so they are ready for your next workout. Between this and stretching, I have noticed a significant difference in the soreness of my muscles the next day after a long run.

These are just a few diet changes I have made and seen results from in the past couple of weeks!

Stretching

This is something I never took too seriously. I knew I should be stretching, but it wasn’t until running longer distances again where I really started to notice the need for this. To fix the sore muscles I was feeling the next day after running, I made sure to not only stretch, but also include a cool down at the end of my run.

Right after finishing my runs, I don’t immediately stop and start stretching. Instead, I make sure to do a slow jog that eventually leads into a walk. By doing this I can really feel where my muscles are hurting and try to focus on those areas when stretching.

After this, I set aside 10-15 minutes of static stretching. This is mainly for calves, thighs, hip flexors, and sometimes shins and arches depending on how they are feeling.

Since making these changes, I have noticed a change in how I feel the next morning after my long runs. I no longer feel stiff and am able to run the next day. Who knew these simple changes could make such a difference in how you are feeling the next day!

I feel like I’ve taken a new approach to running during late August and most of September (maybe because of all the free time I have without classes?). I have been slowing down my pace by not trying to race myself and I’ve made sure to take care of my body both before and after my runs. This has had a huge impact on my motivation to continue to run and push myself to longer distances and higher elevation gains.

Week 38

September 16th- 3.61 mile run

We are finally back! After taking a week off to let me ankle heal I was able to get a run in today. It took me awhile to warm up and get into a comfortable running pace, but once I did I didn’t want to stop running!

I made sure not to over do this run, as I want to make sure I give my body time to get back into running and make sure my ankle is fully healed.

September 17th- Abs

September 18th- 3.33 mile run

All day today I have felt lethargic and unmotivated to do anything. This included while on my run. While I was able to get a 5k in, it felt like it took forever and drug on. I was able to push myself to get to 3 miles, but I wish I felt more drive to get to 4 or 4.5 miles.

September 19th- Rest

September 20th- Abs

September 21st- Rest

September 22nd- Abs

Week 36

September 2nd- Rest

Today was so long! We got back from Leavenworth, then headed back out again to go sailing with Alex’s side of the family. I got back up to Bellingham around 10pm and went straight to bed. I’m excited to start up running again this week!

September 3rd- 3.79 mile run

I got back from work and had a hard decision to make: run Lake Padden, or run my Fairhaven route. I opted for the Fairhaven run. It was a little harder than I remembered. The hills killed my legs!

September 4th- 3.2 mile run

I got another run in this week! I’m excited that I’ve been able to get two runs complete two days in a row. It feels good getting out and enjoying the sunshine before fall hits and the weather starts to cool off. I have started to notice the fallen leaves on the ground… are we really that close to fall?!? I’m hoping we get a little more sun before the weather change.

September 5th- 3.33 mile run

Today was a Lake Padden running day! I ran the usual route backwards. It’s interesting how new the route seemed, even though I’ve ran it so many times. I’m going to have to try this with some of my other routes to switch it up a bit.

September 6th- Rest

September 7th- Walk

Alex came up for the weekend and we ended up walking over 3 miles around campus. Although this isn’t as tiring as a run, I still thought it was good we got out for a bit and enjoyed the fresh air.

September 8th- Abs

I used one of the various workout apps I have downloaded to do a 10 minute full body workout. This targeted my arms, abs, and legs. 10 minutes was a good starting point for these exercises, but I think 15 or 20 minutes would have been better. Something to keep in mind next time I use this workout!

September

I am proud of what I have done throughout the month of August. I have gotten more running in than I have the past couple of months and I feel a lot healthier and confident because of it. I have recently had a lot more time on my hands with classes being out and working a part time job. While I am sure all of this has helped in my motivation to run, I believe my mindset has also played a role in this.

Towards the end of August I got back into running longer distances. As I started running a consistent 3 or more miles, I stopped worrying about my mile time. It finally dawned on me that every time I would go for a run I felt like I needed to race myself. I think this comes from my cross country and track background in high school. I finally stopped worrying about how long a run was taking me and instead am learning to enjoy the freedom of being outdoors in the sunshine, slowing down when I need to, and pushing myself to go longer distances at a longer pace.

Taking the pressure off myself makes me excited to go for a run and find new routes to take. I am continuing to enjoy all the running I am able to do outside and am already starting to dread the treadmill running that I know is around the corner as fall approaches.

Before laying out my goals for September, I want to take some time and reflect on the goals I set for myself for August. As a refresher, here were my goals for August: sign up for a race, run at least one four mile run a week, and keep arms toned at the gym.

Alright, signing up for a race did NOT happen! I looked into quite a few, but couldn’t believe how expensive they are!! Right now, I do not have an extra $50-$60 to drop on a race… Maybe once I have a more solid income this will change. Towards the end of August I was getting 3.5 to 4 miles in. Finally, keeping my arms toned at the gym was a hard one to accomplish due to the fact that the cyst on my wrist came back and was actually starting to cause me some pain. Instead, I tried to incorporate some ab workouts that would also work on my arms (like planks and mountain climbers).

As I look back on my goals for August, most of them did not get accomplished until the end of the month. I am hoping this changes in September! I want to start working towards my goals right away. With this being said, here are my September goals:

Run AT LEAST every other day, hitting 3 or more miles
Keep up with abs on the days I am not running
Really focus on keeping a positive and motivated mindset
STRETCH after run and make sure to take care of muscles

Monthly stats

September was a good month for working out. Week 37 was a little on the lazy side with four rest days, but other than that I am happy with the work I put in this month!

Week 35

August 26th- 4 mile run

Today was the first time in awhile where a runners high kicked in and I couldn’t help but keep running. My route was a little wonky as I would get closer to home and then detour not wanting my run to end. This happened a few times until the last hill got me and I realized how tired my legs were.

August 27th- Abs

August 28th- 3.04 mile run

Did another loop around campus today. My legs are still sore and tired from Monday’s run, but it felt good to get another run in for the week!

August 29th- abs

August 30th- 3.19 mile run

I came home to Seattle and got to do an old running route around my neighborhood. This route seemed a lot easier than I remember, maybe I’m just more conditioned than I was the last time I ran it.

Later today Alex and I are heading over to Leavenworth to meet up with his siblings to celebrate birthdays! Glad I got a run in, as I’m sure there won’t be a lot of time to go running this weekend.

August 31st- Bike ride and brews

We are spending the weekend in Leavenworth and decided to do a bike around town and winery tour. We hit up a few wineries, but in between was filled with sweating and biking to get to the next location! Definitely a fun way to scoot around town and get a good leg workout in!

September 1st- Rest

We spent the day drinking and exploring Leavenworth!

July

“Some days it’s not about speed or miles, it’s just therapy… “

I cannot believe how fast June has gone. As I sit here updating my blog, I can’t believe it is time to look back at June and figure out what I want to change in July. To be honest, I am pretty unimpressed with my running and gym routines from this past month. I did not apply myself nearly as hard as I should have. I could sit here and make excuses about it being finals week, Alex graduating from WWU, or the gym not being open for the week of intercession. These are all valid concerns, but at the end of the day it has been my decision to not get out and go for an extra run or get creative in how I work out.

This is something I will change this month. I have a feeling being back on a set schedule will help with this. I will have access to the gym everyday of the week and will be on the same class schedule, which should help me figure out when the best time to go to the gym will be. I am thinking around 4 when my last class gets out will be the best option. Below is the schedule I have made for myself for the month of July. Unlike last month, I didn’t end up printing out a copy of this calendar. For July, I am hoping by printing out the weekly calendar below as it will motivate me to get out and workout each day I assign to myself.

Here is what I came up with for the month of July:

Monday- Long Run (3-4 miles if not longer)
Tuesday- Gym day (Arms, Abs, Cardio, Legs)
Wednesday- Run (2.5 or more miles)
Thursday- Rest day when Alex is here OR gym day (Arms, Abs, Legs, Cardio)
Friday- Abs and Arms
Saturday- Run (2.5 or more miles)
Sunday- Gym Day (Arms, Abs, Cardio, Legs)

I know this will change throughout the month, especially when I go on vacation and will have to alter what I do, but I do hope it gives me a good outline of what a “normal” week should look like.

Let’s hope July brings more results and motivation than June did and bring on that summer bod!!

Monthly stats

July saw my worst week so far this year with week 28 of seven rest days. Luckily this has not been a recurring habit and I don’t think it will be for the remainder of the year. The rest of July saw a good spread of gym, run, and rest days.

Week 26

June 24th- Rest

It’s my last rest day for awhile. I have come to that conclusion in the past few days. I have taken over a week off and tomorrow it is time to get back into a solid routine.

This routine will consist of going to classes Tuesday- Thursday and hitting the gym Monday- Sunday. I am going to deter from my original June calendar and make up a new routine for this week. I want to incorporate longer times at the gym and doing more than one activity.

My goal for Tuesday is as follows: Run at least 2.5 miles, dumbbell arm workout, and end with a quick core workout.

June 25th- Gym Day

Here’s how my Tuesday gym day went: I started off with a 2.5 mile run, did my full arm workout with dumbbells and ended with a 5 minute ab workout. I wanted to do a little bit of everything today at the gym to see how I liked it.

After completing the entire gym routine, I actually wasn’t a huge fan of it. The run was fine, but everything after that seemed a lot harder than normal. I think from now on I will only do these run days if I do a shorter distance run around 1 mile or so. If I do this, I have a feeling I won’t be as tired and skip out on arms and abs.

June 26th- Gym day

Alright, I tried the same thing I did yesterday but ended up focusing more on arms. I actually ended up using most of the arm machines, including doing my dumbbell workout. By the end of doing all the arm machines my arms were shaking and I could tell I wasn’t going to be able to lift anything else.

To help spread out the arm workouts and give them a rest, I ran a couple of laps around the track. I liked putting this in here because it gave me a break from lifting, allowed me to move around, AND I got to get some cardio in!

Towards the end of my gym routine, I also used the stair climber for a bit to help tone my legs. I was on there for about 10 minutes and could feel the burn after about 5. I ended with another 5 minute ab workout. With swimsuit season here, I thought abs should become another main focus of mine while I am at the gym!

June 27th- Rest

Today Alex came back up to Bellingham for the weekend, so I decided to try and spend as much time as I could with him before he goes back home Monday.

June 28th- Gym day

Instead of going to the actual gym, I downloaded a few different workout apps and tried them out. The one I decided to use today included abs, arms, and butt. I was actually really surprised at how hard these workouts are. I did a 5 minute timed session for each and was sweating a lot by the time I was finished.

These apps are something I need to keep in mind when at the gym! They have a lot of good routines and they actually go by pretty fast since you are switching what you are doing every 30 seconds.

June 29th- Rest

Today was another rest day. My abs are actually really sore from my workout yesterday, which is a good thing but it definitely put me in a not-so-motivated mindset.

June 30th- Abs

I used the app again to get a good ab workout in. I did another 5 minute session and could feel the burn. The ab workout is something I want to try and do almost everyday during July.

I am still in need of making a July calendar, but am hoping to get to this tomorrow (as tomorrow is already July 1st!) Where has the time gone?? It feels like June flew by!

Week 23

June 3rd- 2.7 Mile Run

Lake Padden Run BABY!! I was able to get out and enjoy the nice weather today by doing a quick loop around Lake Padden.

Today I decided to run the trail the opposite way I normally do. It was interesting to see how new the route felt and how fast it went by because of a new perspective of all the scenery.

This is also the first time I have ran in awhile and I couldn’t believe how freeing it felt. I’m not sure if this was exactly the “runners high” or just because I haven’t run in awhile. Either way, it felt really good to get out and enjoy the fresh air and sun.

I could definitely feel my lungs were unconditioned. This was apparent after my run when I got in the car to leave and my diaphragm felt like it was burning. This is normally the feeling I get when I haven’t run in awhile…. something I need to break the habit of!

GET OUT AND RUN!!!

This is going to be my motto for the week and I am going to stick to it for this whole week and the following week of finals.

June 4th- Rest

Today, again, was filled with group meetings and finishing up group projects. I met with one of my groups for three hours to work on video we need to submit Wednesday night. Before I knew it, it was 5pm and I was headed home to finish up some work for another class. It is that point in the quarter where crunch time starts to take over my entire day. I have been on the go since 9am and the time is starting to catch up with me.

I am the type of person who likes to get things done early, unfortunately a lot of people don’t function this way and it is starting to get to me and stressing me out. Once this week is over I will be home free for a couple weeks before the start of summer quarter hits. I can’t wait to have some time off to refocus and get on a solid running schedule before summer quarter hits.

June 5th- Bike and Run

This morning was a weird mix of a workout. I rolled out of bed and reluctantly headed straight for the gym. I got there feeling tired and not fully awake yet, so I decided to hop on the bike for a bit. I got about 10 minutes in and was feeling board of not moving anywhere and staying stationary. I decided to move to the treadmill and got a little over a mile in. This transition from bike to treadmill felt really weird on my thighs and made my legs supper tired for my run.

It probably wasn’t the best mix of exercises, but I was having a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do at the gym today! I also finally made my June calendar for the month, so I am hoping that will help alleviate some of the uncertainty and lack of motivation to workout.

June 6th- Rest

I decided to take my rest day today instead of Saturday. I got done with my presentation and decided to take the rest of the day off. It was. It was nice to get this break, but I need to make sure I hold myself accountable this weekend and hit the gym!

June 7th- 2.7 mile run

I ran to Fairhaven Park and back this morning. I got out of the apartment around 10:00 am and was surprised at how good it felt to run somewhat early in the day. The cold air felt good as it hit my face and filled my lungs.

When I got back home, I felt refreshed and ready to start my day. This was the best feeling! As it starts to get warmer out, I am hoping to try and get more of these morning runs in. I usually have a hard time getting up in the mornings, but if I get on a good schedule I am hoping it will become a part of my everyday routine.

June 8th- 20 min bike ride and weight lifting

Today was gym day, as I decided to take my rest day on Thursday. As I was biking, I decided I wanted to try and lift weights again to see whether or not that cyst would be affected.

I decided to use 10 pound dumbbells and do my normal bicep workout. It felt really good and I didn’t notice my cyst hurting. I am hoping the cyst doesn’t get bigger and I can continue to tone my arms again.

Overall, today was a good workout day. I felt accomplished picking up the weights again and am looking forward to hopefully integrating dumbbells back into my workouts.

June 9th- Rest

I ended up spending most of the day studying for my final on Tuesday and tying up loose ends in another class. It was a day well spent preparing for Tuesday. I can’t wait to get this test over with and have a week break until summer classes begin!