Instagramming and Running

I went on a long run on Saturday.

I knocked out 12-miles along my favorite route---heading south on the Lakefront Path.

My run consisted of Instagramming (is that a verb?) more than running and it was the most fun I've had in a long time. (Ahem, loser.)

Join in on the fun! For your viewing pleasure:

Chicago skyline from the Shedd Aquarium

Soldier Field

Flags at a memorial for fire fighters

Sailboat in the harbor. This boat had a full, uniformed crew. So cool!

Chicago Yacht. I'll take one, please. 

Cursed

My summer marathon training is cursed. Cursed, I tell you!

Saturday morning I woke up at 4:30 am all gung-ho and ready to conquer 15 miles. I even laid out my running clothes the night before. 

And then I was instantly doubled over, sick.

So, yeah. I didn’t run Saturday. But as soon as I felt better I managed to go to yoga!

On Sunday I ventured out on my own and ran 6 miles. Hurrah! I know that 6 miles isn’t even close to the 15 miles on my training schedule, but considering that I haven’t run for weeks (not kidding, it has been weeks) then it’s not too bad. I ran through my new neighborhood to try to get know the area a little better. In Logan Square, there are these pockets of neighborhoods with gorgeous homes, big leafy trees, and laughing children. But the main roads are dirty with vacant storefronts, trash everywhere, and a crazy amount of broken glass. My apartment is on the intersection of two major roads. Sad panda.

Back to the point. Right now, my marathon training is in salvage mode. I’m already waaaaaaay behind and I’ll miss the crucial 18- and 20-mile weeks because that’s when I’m on a vacation in Lake Powell. I cannot run there, as we are literally on a boat the whole time, but I did just buy some swim goggles to keep up my fitness.

So, new goal: Keep with the biking and yoga, continue running as best I can, and, well, just go out and enjoy the marathon. I know I’m not going to win the thing (*snort*), or even set a PR, but I can enjoy the training and eventually the race if I just relax, do my best, and have fun.

Fun? Fun, you say? Watch, there will be a post as I freak out about the race---again---in just a few weeks.

Learning New Things About... Myself

Despite the 20-some-odd years of living within my head, I'm still learning new things about myself. My thoughts, emotions, likes and dislikes---you name it. It's all fascinating, and sometimes a little shocking.

Things I've recently learned about myself:

I bought a dress (gasp!). I never wear dresses unless attending a formal event, such as a wedding. I love this dress and I feel like I belong in the show Mad Men while wearing it. Except that it has been sitting in my closet for 3 weeks. For some reason, I can't seem to wear it in public. Sigh.

I don't like coconut milk (or anything coconut flavored, really). I made this great spicy Thai Green Curry recipe. Except that it calls for coconut milk to mix the curry. Coconut is a giant mask that covers the taste of everything surrounding it. It's like crop-dusting your food with coconut-foul. The leftovers are now sitting in my fridge, untouched. Next time, I'm using broth instead of the abomination that is coconut milk.

The Denver Art Museum has free admission on the first Saturday of every month. I need to go more often. I recently killed some time just wandering around their gift shop and it took everything in me to not buy out their print and card collections.

I often pride myself as being a very motivated and hard-working individual. But some days I need a little help getting out of bed when the alarm goes off. (More days than I'd like to admit, actually.) So I took some cornball advice and created a motivational poster. The magazines I clipped from also tells you something about me: Better Homes & Gardens (thanks, Christy!), Runner's World, and Oxygen. There is a lot of blank space because I plan on regularly adding to it. This poster has only been in my life for a couple of days, but I already love it! It's amazing what a few words and a little bit of glue can do for you.

From Eco Street

Moving. Moving is scary, scary shiz. First, though, I need to find a new position that suits both my interests and my skills. I'm excited about the prospect, and a little nervous. But if it isn't hard then it isn't worth doing, right? Right??

In the end it'll work out. It always does.

And I'll have fun learning new tips and tricks about myself along the way.

My Favorite Websites

From i can has cheezburger

Everyone has their favorite websites. Some are fun, some are educational, and most are downright a waste of time (the best kind!). That's the joy of the internet. That's the joy of communication.

In no particular order, here are the websites that I have bookmarked and check regularly:

First of all, Twitter. I love and adore Twitter---10 times more than Facebook. Fb is incredibly narcissistic. Admit it, we all develop and stress over our perfect profiles and posted pictures. Twitter, on the other hand, is about the conversation. I've learned sooooo many things from 'listening' to everyone. Life is about learning and growing---and sometimes kvetching---and this online community will get you through it.

Career-Oriented/Money
I Will Teach You To Be Rich (also check out Ramit's book)
   Steller information with great, accessible writing---saving, earning, investing... everything. Also, he makes me feel better with links about why it's better to be a poor renter.
Ms. Career Girl
   A great little blog from another 20-something career girl just trying to make it in the world.
Mint.com
   Instead of checking every separate bank/credit card site, I log into this little gem. It also shows my IRA account and my earnings vs. spending for the month.

Girly Things (a.k.a. websites that prove I have no taste or skill)
Fab Finds Under 50
   This woman, Kimberly, can make clothes from Wal-Mart look good. Incredible!
Wardrobe911
  The clothes featured are a rather expensive, but I like seeing the combinations and possibilities.
New Dress A Day
   I can't even sew on a button. This girl rocks. You have to check out the level of inspiration and creativity here.
The Pioneer Woman
  Every woman I know and love can't get enough of this site. It's a nation-wide phenomenon. Everything about this site rocks. Everything.

Fitness and Health
Athlete Creator
  From Dave, someone I now call a friend. His rants can be entertaining.
Stretch Exercise Eat
  From another friend, Adam. He's a lawyer based in Korea who can hold a conversation about anything and everything . I'm proud to say that I've introduced him to the awesome that is Sons of Anarchy---thus the "Opie" hat featured in TXP.
Fit Day
  A great site for tracking your daily calories and exercise. When it comes to losing weight, it really does come down to calories in versus calories out. This helps to quickly and easily track everything---especially if you stick with it. Like any diet, I go back and forth with using this site consistently.

News
The "Breaking News" feed in Twitter is the bomb-diggity.
New York Times
  Fascinating in-depth articles and great writing. If you want quick and easy stories, this is not the place to go. Otherwise, it's my top news source.
CNN
  This site, however, is quick and easy. All the top news in the world. Oftentimes, scanning headlines will give me the lay of the land for the day.
MSBC
  This site a little more eye-catching with pictures and slideshows, but I often get frustrated with how many videos they post online. If I wanted to watch videos, I'd turn on the TV.
Drudge Report
  Not exactly unbiased, but Matt Drudge is well-known for spotting the biggest stories.
The Denver Post
   I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. Even your website is terrible.


Random/Fun
TMZ
  I mean, really. It's TMZ. It's fun and keeps me up-to-date with my Lindsay Lohan obsession.
The Oatmeal
  The comics are HI-to the-LARIOUS! Two of my recent favorites are Juicy Fruit and Email.

What are your favorite sites? What am I missing? I'm sure there's a site---or five---that need to be added to my list.