Tag Archives: Color Me Rad


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Running “Smart” Isn’t Always Fun.

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Color Me Rad 5k

To make this long story and day short, my ankle isn’t feeling any better. It was feeling on and off throughout this easy, shake out run, but afterward i noticed it was swollen and painful. I made the decision late today to play it smart and safe (even though there were tears and a lot of back n’ forth) that i’m not running the marathon tomorrow. I had a hard time making it though the  Color Me Rad 5k, i couldn’t even comprehend going another 23 miles.

I wanted to elaborate on this just a smidge before I head back to my icing, compression, and wine. Yes that’s what I prescribed myself.

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This ankle pain–which is in my Achilles tendon btw–is a new pain. This isn’t something I hid from you guys, or trained on and ignored. I don’t feel like I’ve overtrained or overused this, however I have complained about tight calves for some time, which i think may have contributed. But the sharp pain and swelling is new and happened just last week. As soon as i noticed something was up, i took 2 complete rest days, tested it today and not much has changed. I’m still in pain.

I’ve seen way too many runners injured by ignoring symptoms (hello, i did this a few years ago) and too many times, runners just push themselves into big injuries. There is a big difference in muscle soreness and actual pain. Knowing the difference helped make my decision a lot easier even when I had to fight with my inner self –who wanted to run and was soooo ready to run!–and tell myself that one race wasn’t worth the risk of being injured for weeks or months.

Talking it out with a few friends (thanks Lauren & Emmeline!) helped me realize i was being smart about this. The best decisions aren’t always the easiest and this was a miserably hard one. My goal for this race was to complete this marathon comfortably—which won’t happen with my ankle the way it is. There’s always another race, tomorrow is another day.

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pretty much what I looked like today.

I don’t have any good questions today, tell me something positive cause I can’t handle sympathy comments 😦

Also- you guys make everything awesome. i was really pumped up from all the support and comments, i can’t wait to make everyone proud!


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Night Running! (plus other things to make running fun)

Monday: 4.2m treadmill 8:17/pace

Tuesday: still snowing out, i’ll let you know how the treadmill goes.

My sister sent me over a picture text the other night… and said “First run in two years, ” then shortly after “Yoga > Running.” I will agree to disagree on that, but i do love me some yoga and i miss running with Abbie. She spent a summer with me 2 years ago and we ran almost everyday and usually at night. I haven’t ran at night in over a year (besides the Cosmic Run) and i miss it a lot.

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Yoga Bod + 50 Degree LA = Runner. I’m great at math, i know.

Night running is kinda like running down a hotel hallway; you feel super fast, and you’re hyperaware of noise & lights like a bat and with the sun down you don’t have to squint.  Just the thought of night running gets my heart rate up. Here are some more things I find super fun about running and takes the monotony out of just putting one foot in front of the other…

-Running with friends. Way more beneficial than Words With Friends (seriously does anyone play this game anymore?) Running with yourself can be therapeutic for sure, but running with friends can make the time go by so quickly and usually with great conversations.

-Running to playgrounds. Whenever i’m having a rough run and am taking more walk breaks than i like, I try to run toward a playground and find swings. Nothing makes me happier than feeling weightless while swinging my tired legs in the air. Also, you can break up the run by doing inclined pushups on the playground, tricep dips on a bench, pull-ups or hanging leg raises on the monkey bars. You get the idea.

-Say “Hi” to each person you pass. Sometimes when your goal isn’t pace/distance/time, it makes running go by a little easier. Making an effort to say “hi”, nod, wave, smile, give a thumbs-up or peace sign can really make you feel like you did a small good deed for the day. Plus you never know who is having a rough day and could really use a small act of kindness. Believe me, i’ve been on the receiving end of a few kind gestures while running and it not only gave me a boost, but also a warm fuzzy feeling 🙂

-Leave your watch and take your camera. If you’re like me, you spot amazing things on occasion when you’re out running. I’ve seen plenty of animals, beautiful skies and landscapes that I wish i had taken the time and energy to stop and take photo. If you leave the Garmin at home and grab a camera you won’t care about pace and the run becomes a “find a photo” run, which can lead to new running paths and taking your eyes off the few feet of pavement in front of you.

-Sign up for a Fun Race. I can honestly say that doing the Color Me Rad 5k & the Cosmic Run 5k this year were so much more fun that I originally anticipated. The idea of running an un-timed race for fun, was a foreign idea to me. Now i need these fun, just go out and enjoy the race atmosphere, races. They keep me happy, make me feel like a little kid and give me the opportunity to experience a race in a different way. I could never PR at a course where they throw colored cornmeal in my face, but why would I want to PR a race like that?? The beauty is the fun and not taking running so seriously.

Do you have any pictures from your runs that you want to share? Send them to me and I’ll have a Reader’s Picture day!

Don’t forget today is the last day for my giveaway! It ends at midnight!