Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Let me tell you a little story of why I'm a baby. As an almost grown child, not yet a teenager, I spent enough camping trips in the White Mountains to not be afraid of bears. There were bear traps everywhere, some containing bears that we were able to oogle at, and signs on every other tree warning you to drop to the ground if a bear came. Act like you're dead and it'll think you're dead. Because of that, I was not afraid of bears. Just act like I'm dead and I'll be fine? Easy! No worries about being ripped limb from limb!

Until last week when a friend ruined everything. Everything, I tell ya! We were on a hike and got to talking about bears and mountain lions, both of which we have in Flagstaff. We were talking about various people we know who have seen both animals while on hikes or mountain bike rides, which made them kind of real to me. I had heard of mountain lions occasionally being in peoples back yards and bears being seen on bike rides, but no real firsthand experiences. All stuff read in the paper until my friend told me some stories. At the end of our hike, I didn't think I was scared or anything and still felt the same un-afraidness of mountain lions and bears as before.

Queue to a week later when I went on a run/hike with Vince while he rode his bike. After a while of exercising together, we split paths so he could go one way and I could go another. I was good for the first 1/2 mile, then realized I was all alone at the top of the mountain where I was most likely to run into a dangerous animal, it was stormy and dark and sprinkling, and I was totally going to get eaten by a mountain lion or bear. Calm down, I didn't actually see any animals, I was just scared. And was so sure one was stalking me right then. What am I even supposed to do if a mountain lion attacks me?! So I ran. And ran. And kept running. Which in turn kind of scared me more because I was wearing a rain jacket that got noisier the faster I ran. I'm not very good with loud noises, let alone one that's right next to my ear, and my heart-rate just kept accelerating.

Finally, I ran into Vince after a couple miles alone and started to relax. I laugh at myself now thinking how silly I was, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to run like that otherwise!

Anyways, here are pictures, a mixture of iPhone and my 'big camera'.

Before we started I made Vince take a picture for our photo album, and of course he had to mess around for 20 shots before I yelled and started to walk away saying, 'SCREW IT, I DIDN'T CARE ANYWAYS.' One of the shots he put a banana on my head and laughed like a five year old.

This was when I was alone, at the outlook overlooking the city, which you can't actually see. It started raining more and I hightailed it back to the car. 

Dark and stormy!

After the run with my favorite girl.

By the way Beth, if you're reading this, I don't blame you. Or maybe I secretly hate you now.

Run your little heart out.

I started running again a while ago, and I think this is the longest I have consistently ran! I have been doing at least 3 runs in a week, but try for more, which doesn't always happen. I've noticed that the more stressed I've been getting these past few weeks with school and work, I've found more time to get running! How strange is that? I think it's because I have a routine down and I know exactly how long it takes me to warm up, run, and cool down, so I know I have time for it.

Now that I am in my routine though, it's getting a little too easy which is CRAZY. That means I actually have to push myself even more and go even more distance which is just baffling to me because I am not a runner. Maybe I'm just in denial though because I'm actually stoked when I find time to run.

Can you believe I'm stoked about my EYEBALLS sweating?
(Ha. I know my eyeballs can't really sweat...)

So here are some tips that have helped me not die:
(I'm not a professional, so don't blame me if you don't tie your shoe and you hurt yourself. Or if you follow my 'advice' and die.)

Warm up. In the past when I've ran, I never warmed up. Despite what everyone says, I didn't see the point and would just start running, make it about one block, and then feel like I was completely dying. Now I do a warm-up that's between 5 and 10 minutes and it makes it SO much easier to run. (I think I'll post my warm-up session soon if you're interested!)

Push yourself because you are most likely not going to die from running too hard. I know I'm pushing myself pretty hard when my ears are sweating so much that my headphones won't stay in them. Gross but AWESOME. The first day that happened I was pretty disgusted, but now when that happens I just get pumped and I run even harder!

Pay attention to how you run when you listen to certain music. When I started running I figured I should listen to super fast and super upbeat tempos really loudly but oh, how wrong I was. All it did was make me super stressed out and it felt like my feet were always tripping up because they were trying to keep up with the music which was IMPOSSIBLE. Now I listen to pretty low-key stuff and occasionally I'll get in the mood to crank up my iPod with some Streetlight Manifesto.

If you put you iPod in your sports bra, make sure the side without the buttons is what's touching your skin so you don't break it. I clearly didn't, because my iPod got all sweaty and sometimes won't let me flip through songs. Laaame.

Know your limits. Obviously right off the bat you aren't going to run five miles, if even one mile! I know I couldn't even run 2 full blocks when I started running and it was pretty depressing. The last time I had ran was in 9th grade and I had like a 12 minute mile. Pathetic, I know, so I don't know why I expected I could run fast and far just starting out! I had to learn that NO, I couldn't run non-stop or I would burn myself out for the next week. Take it easy starting out, but still push yourself!

Make small goals. Even now, I'll tell myself, 'Ok, I just have to make it to that tree and then I can walk for 10 seconds.' It's the small goals that get me through my runs, and usually by the time I make it to that tree I realize I don't even need a break and I tell myself I can make it a little further to that house, then that mailbox, then the end of the street, etc.

Wear good shoes even if they cost a lot of money. Seriously. I cannot tell you how amazing it is to have shoes that work for me. I used to go to the mall to get my shoes but I had no idea what I needed, and neither did any of the sales associates, despite what they say. Trust me, I worked at Lady Foot Locker and we would say anything to make a sale! If you're local, I HIGHLY recommend going to see Vince at Run Flagstaff downtown next to Absolute Bikes. He knows his shit, and he knows it very well. I've bought 2 pairs of shoes from him and they are great! I just got a new pair last month and my legs, back and ankles have never felt better after a run.

Pay attention to how your body changes. One thing that I've loved about running is seeing the transformation of my body and it's really encouraged me to continue running. When Vince and I were at a hotel in Colorado I looked at myself naked (hehe) in a full length mirror for the first time in forever and was SHOCKED at how my body looked. I wasn't toned at all! Since running, I can't believe how fast my legs got muscles, how great my ass looks, and what an amazing difference I feel energy wise. It's also changed my body in ways I didn't think it would, like giving me a stronger neck and abs.

So, that's all I've got. I'm taking running one day at a time, slowly but surely.  I'm going to be signing up for a 5k in November which I'm excited about! I'll be a running buddy to a teenage girl so I won't be timed or anything, but it will still be fun to participate in a 'race'. Maybe after that I'll sign up for a real one...