Hi. I'm Bethy. And I'm an athlete.

I've never considered myself an athlete. At least, not a real athlete. Yes, I know I probably should, but everyone has their insecurities. One of mine is that I don't really think I'm athletic, no matter how many races I run.

But something happened the other day at the gym. I don't typically choose to run on the treadmill, but since I was working it out during my lunch break, it was just convenience.

I snagged a treadmill right in front of the mirrors and started warming up. Then I glanced up. And I saw an athlete.

I'm not trying to be cheesy here, folks; I'm just telling you that for the first time, I looked like an athlete to ME. It didn't hurt that I was wearing short, black compression shorts and a black tank top. I could see my leg muscles contracting as I ran--I'd never done that before. Even my arms looked strong as I swung them in rhythm with my strides. And my face looked focused and determined.

I'm an athlete.

So no matter how many times I want to give up or I feel tired. Or even if I skip a workout. I've seen myself as an athlete in the mirror. And that's what I am.

{Gap dress: exactly | NYC scarf | Banana Republic boots: Exactly | Target earrings}

Back on Track

This is the first week of my half marathon training.

I once said that I wanted to do a marathon every year for as long as I could. After having completed 2.75 marathons, I'm feeling okay with slowing down a bit, especially considering how my joints are feeling after that last race.

But I slowed down too much. I've gained a little extra poundage. I'm sure no one else has noticed, but my waist has. And so have some of my pants. Yikes.

And what I've learned about myself is that I have to have a goal in order to stay on track fitness-wise. Otherwise, I get a little sporadic in my workouts.

So I've signed up for a half marathon in Wine Country in October. And I'm using Hal Higdon's training schedule again. Bring it.

gifted jeans

Old Navy top

Old Navy cardigan

Gap scarf

Banana Republic bag

Chelsea Crew wedges

THE COLOR RUN

Today this happened.

And the tagline was right. It is "the happiest 5k."

Enjoy the photos!

Me and Christie before the color.

With the hubs before the run.

Coworkers running together!

In the midst of the run--heading to the yellow color station.

Blued!

The Color Run after party.

After!

Partying in the color.

Messy coworkers.

THE END

Motivate me.

You know how sometimes you just realize that you've gotten into a slump or a rut? No?

I don't believe you. Not one bit.

My slump-rut is specifically related to working out. Buh. I cannot get myself back into a routine. I won't say, "no matter how hard I try," because I've admittedly not been trying too terribly hard.

Why is it that I can most easily keep up a running routine, but not a standard workout routine?

Beats me. But there's only one answer to this conundrum: Start running again. And stop putting it off. I have a 5k in July, which I guess is a little bit of motivation, but not enough.

Maybe a book will help. I going to start reading "Born to Run." I had forgotten all about the book until I read the New York Times piece "Caballo Blanco's Last Run: The Micah True Story." (Seriously moving read--you should check it out.)

How can someone run that much and get that much joy out of it? I might have known, at one point. So it's time to get back to that, little by little. It's sad how short of a run leaves me breathless these days; it's time to change that. Time to find a race to sign up for (at least a half marathon), commit to it, and get to training.

On a different note, I got my first piece published in the Huffington Post. Check it out!

Gap ikat shorts and top, Old Navy vest, gifted earrings

Not a failure

Failure is relative.

Saturday I set out at 9:00am from Stinson Beach to run a marathon. I knew it was a trail race, but I had no clue how difficult it would be. We ran across the beach and across the street onto the Dipsea and then Steep Ravine trails. Imagine going for a strenuous mountain hike--lovely, but all uphill. For a straight 3.5 miles. Running (or, trying to).

Then you get a nice break. Well, sort of. You get two miles downhill. Sometimes, you feel like you're going to lose your footing and fall down the hill, which means you really have to pay attention to each footfall. Not to mention all of the roots and rocks causing the terrain of your path to change and shift all of the time.

Then it's through Muir Woods for a quick, flat jaunt before heading back uphill and through the mountainous woods.

I could keep going, but I think you get the point. The trail was so beautiful, but also underestimated. I didn't really know what I was getting into, which was my fault.

The cut-off time was six hours, and by the time I had done the seven-mile loop twice, I was going to be cutting it close to make it for the couple-mile out-and-back. When I reached the final aid station, they announced that any more marathoners wouldn't be able to do the out-and-back because of time constraints.

I had been struggling with pain in my right knee and hip, so part of me was glad to hear it. I only had the 3.5 miles back to the beach along the Dipsea trail, which included the Dipsea steps (seriously--this was insane--just tons of steps constructed to slice right through the mountain) and a glorious view of Stinson Beach--my finish line.

In the end, I finished just 22 miles according to my measurement (the website says 21). And I burst into tears as I cross the finish line, partially due to my elation at having finished, but mostly due to the pain I was in.

All in all, I'm proud of what I accomplished. Sure, I ended up being one of the slowest marathoners there (um, there were only 50 of us), and I was four or so miles short of a true full marathon, but I'm still proud. I realize (should have before) that it isn't exactly smart to run a trail race when you've only trained on city streets. That I guess I learned the hard way. I feel like trail marathons are at least twice as hard as road race marathons.

Would I do it again? I'm not so sure. In fact, I'm not sure if I should keep running marathons, with the way my joints were responding to this one. That's up for debate. They say trail races are gentler on your joints, but I'm not sure that I believe that. Or maybe it was just the steepness of some portions of the race that killed my joints.

Do I consider this a failure? Not at all. The amount of energy I exerted in this race was more that either or my road marathons, and that's saying something.

Plus, I got to spend a long weekend hanging out with the guy below. I might still be a little limpy, but all in all, it was definitely not a failure.

Day Runner

All my adult life, I've tried to be a morning person. I even succeeded for nearly two years in graduate school. I would wake up around 6am, head to the school gym to workout and then use their shower facilities to get ready for the day. The nice thing was that my office was just across the quad and I could store my gym bag there.

Plus, getting to campus around 6:45am meant I always got the best parking spot in my lot.

But when I moved to San Francisco, something happened. Oh, sure, I still manage to get up early to head out for a run or early coffee meet-up with a friend, but something's changed. I can't quite get the pep in my step that I had during my graduate school years.

This really struck me Wednesday evening when, instead of heading straight home, I took an evening from the office and back. I felt great and ran for nearly five miles, which is a big accomplishment considering I'm still getting my running legs back. And I felt like I could keep going. I even ran without using my inhaler first. (Nerd alert!)

All that's to say that I never feel that way on a morning run. I have to psych myself out just so I can get out the door. And it's still a struggle.

No, I won't be giving up morning runs all together--sometimes, the schedule just doesn't let me run in the evening--but I will be taking more advantage of evening runs.

Also, to motivate myself in my continued running ventures, I bought these shorts. Yes, in the "sequin black" style.

What about you? Are you a morning person? Evening person? Couch person?

 Old Navy vest and jeans, Gap top and scarf, Minnetonka mocs

Relaxed

Loving this one, y'all. Cozy, swingy... just perfect for Friday. Even a Friday spent at work. Oh, what's that you say? No, today's not Friday. I'm just that behind in posting. This outfit is from last Friday.

 Gap dress, NY&Co sweater, Old Navy scarf & earrings, Madden boots, F21 bracelet

So, the other night I was pleading my case to the hubs for us to take a trip to Vegas for the Rock 'N Roll Marathon and a long weekend. I want to knock out another marathon this year. I want to go somewhere with my husband. But do you know how much Vegas would set us back? Probably at least $1,000 total. Trust me, I crunched the numbers, and that's on the low end.

$1,000 for four days and three nights in a place that, yeah, I want to visit someday, but probably won't even like that much. $1,000 that we'd be wiser leaving in our savings account.

After the husband and I talked it out--man, he is much better at money than I am--we decided on a compromise. I still get to do a marathon and go on a trip with my husband, but just a little closer to home.

On November 5, I'll be running the Stinson Beach Marathon in California. That's less than an hour away from our little apartment in San Francisco. Just to give you an idea of the cost difference, the Vegas marathon cost alone was $165. I paid $70 for the Stinson Beach race.

We may even end up camping for a night or two. Talk about a cheap alternative to a couple hundred buckeroos for one night at a Vegas hotel.

Now I just gotta get to trainin'! I ran/walked 9 miles on Sunday and it just about killed me. Time to get back into marathon shape!

Happy National Running Day

Day 1 workout: Ran 2.5 miles

Shopping temptation radar (idea borrowed from Shopfast 365): 0, and feeling fine

I nearly didn't make it to a workout today. I won't go into details, but a surprise visit to the doctor's office had me a bit frazzled.

But I managed to squeeze in a short run before my friend came over for our "LOST" viewing. (Yes, we're just now starting to appreciate this show. And we're still on the first season. So no spoilers, please.)

And it's a good thing I did, because it's National Running Day! I feel a little closer to my long-distance friend, Syd, because we both ran today. (Syd, your spider story reminded me of my popcorn story. Did you read that? At least you didn't find that spider in your popcorn!)

I decided to take along the phone to snap a few pictures of my run. So enjoy this little pictorial tour of my short run!

P.S. I'm missing the hubs. I'm looking forward to him being back and our friend's birthday burger bash on Friday!

Sweaty Wednesday: Asthmatic Bethy

Top: from San Silvestre 10k in Guatemala (The back says "Tomorrow is a new opportunity.")    Armwarmers: Nike Women's Marathon    Tights: Asics    Shoes: Brooks    Hat: Nike

See what I did there? Like Asthmatic Kitty? Sufjan Stevens' record label?

Anyhoo, this is what I look like when after a run. Tired. But happy. My exercise-induced asthma is seriously kicking my butt. And I need an inhaler refill (or replacement? Do you refill or replace inhalers?).