Training Recap! And Liebster Award (x3)

May 15, 2014
To those that have nominated me for a Liebster Award, I truly apologize for not responding and not paying it forward sooner! As you know by now, I was traveling all of last week and have not had a moment to catch my breath until now. Phew!

Before I respond to my Liebster nominations, I want to give you a brief training recap. It might not actually be brief. I’ll try, but I tend to get excited when I talk about running and training, so we’ll just have to see where this goes… 😉
It has been a fulfilling, excruciating, accomplished, and uplifting seven weeks of half marathon training. There are officially three days left until race day. I’m not as nervous as I would have thought I would be, which I’m sure will all change come Saturday. But as of now, I’m calm and confident. I’ve put in the hard work and have been dedicated throughout my training. I’ve seen noticeable increases in stamina and pace, and I’m looking forward to the race. Even if I don’t match or beat my goal time, I’ll still be able to proudly slap my 13.1 sticker on my car after. 😉
Looking back, training has been awesome. I’m much stronger and faster now that I was even for my 10-miler back in March. I feel lightyears ahead of where I started. I’m a little sad, truth be told, that training for my first half marathon is coming to an end. What is wrong with me?! For months I’ve been complaining about being tired, and having a schedule, yadda, yadda, yadda. And now here I am, on the cusp of race day and having my life back, and I’m sad?! Ah, the life of a runner…
We’ll just have to see what the fall brings, won’t we?
On to the Liebster Award! I’m so honored to have been nominated three times! Special thanks to Susie at Suzlyfe, Leslie at It’s a RUNderful Life, and Em at Whatever Floats Your Oats for the nominations. 🙂

A refresher: what is a Liebster Award? It’s an online award given by bloggers to bloggers. The rules are:

1.) You must link back to the person who nominated you
2.) You must answer the 10 Liebster questions given to you by the nominee before you.
3.) You must pick 10 bloggers to be nominated for the award
4.) You must create 10 questions for your nominees
5.) You must go to their blogs and notify the nominees

Instead of answering all 30 questions, I’m going to pick a few of my favorite questions from each of the above ladies to answer.
1. If you could be any animal in the world, what would it be?
I’m going with Cheetah on this one. Because frankly, cheetahs are badass. They’re fast, stealthy, and unwavering. Bam. 
2. Toasted or untoasted?
It depends. If I’m going for cinnamon sugar toast, obviously toasted. If it’s a bagel it could go either way. If it’s a fresh bagel, untoasted with cream cheese. If it has been in the refrigerator, toasted with butter. That’s all I got… 
3. Pen or pencil? Paper calendar or virtual calendar?
Pen if it’s a list, pencil if it’s a calendar. Paper calendar. Always paper calendar.
4. What inspired you to start your blog?
I was bored. I had a baby who slept all the time, and I had nothing else to do and no one to talk to. So I started blogging. My blog has since taken a strange, winding path over the years, and now here I am — running on happy. 
5. What is your favorite recipe to cook?
Swiss chard quiche. It’s that good. 
6. Where is your favorite quiet spot?
It used to be at a place called Squaw Rock located in the South Chagrin Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks. Now it’s wherever I can find silence, even if it’s the bathroom. 
7. Do you prefer exercising in a group or individually?
Individually. On long training runs it’s nice to have a buddy, but I find it hard to focus and stay motivated. If I have someone to talk to, my motivation dwindles. 
8. How do you maintain a healthy lifestyle in a busy world?
I choose to stay healthy and active. It’s not hard to accomplish once you’ve made the conscious decision to not let negative influences invade your life. Making meals at home is much easier and more cost effective than hitting up fast food. And waking up before the rest of the house is up for the day is zen-life in itself. 
9. Describe yourself in three words.
Motivated, determined, altruistic. 
10. Are you a baker or cook? Is cooking fun for you, or tiring?
Yes. 
And now for my nominations! This is going to be tough. So many great blogs out there, such little time!
Ginger at Mini Me Wannabe
Heather at Shorty Runs
Michelle at Run Bake Blog
Carly at Rock the Dogs
Penny at This Penny Tris
Here are your questions… go! And make it fun — add details where possible. 😉

1. What’s your favorite color? 

2. Are you the tortoise or the hare? 

3. What’s your favorite book (and author!)? 

4. Peanut butter: smooth or crunchy? 

5. Skiing or surfing? 

6. Compression socks or sleeves? 

7. Favorite sport? 

8. Favorite splurge item? Could be food, date night, movie, clothes… details! 

9. What’s your favorite city? 

10. SUV or car?


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