Hello!
I hope the weekend treated you well. We have been getting all of our things moved in this weekend and I am more than exhausted. Lucky for me, I've got a great guest blogger on today to keep you entertained!
Have you heard of the Breathe Deeply and Smile blog? If you haven't, you better get your tush over there right now and follow Lauren! She recently ran her FIRST marathon and even landed a STELLAR time! So proud of you girl!
Let's dive in and get to know Lauren!
1. Tell us a little about yourself and your
blog. What inspired you to create a blog?
I started my blog Breathe Deeply and Smile a little over a
year ago after reading lots of other running and healthy living blogs and
figuring I could do it too! I blog about learning to live a happy and healthy
life while documenting my races, training, eating (there’s a lot), and random
things I like. I also often discuss trying to balance fitness, work,
relationships, and life while trying to stay stress-free!
2. When you’re not running, how do you stay
active?
When I’m not
running, I crossfit 1-2x a week and sometimes throw in a spinning or yoga
class. I love trying new fitness
classes and mixing things up!
3. If we took a peek into your gym bag, what would we find?
My gym bag is a
mess because I’m always moving things in and out of it. My stand-by gym bag items are
chapstick, lifting gloves, a tube of Nuun, an empty water bottle, an extra pair
of socks, hand sanitizer, my heart rate monitor, and an extra headband.
4. If you could only run in one shoe for the
rest of your life, what would it be?
This is difficult
because I don’t know if I’ve found the perfect shoe for me yet! I mostly run in
Brooks running shoes, and the ones I’ve run the most in are my Pure Connects!
5. What is your pre-race (or race day)
tradition?
I feel like I need
to refine my routine a little bit! I always have trouble sleeping the night
before and don’t like getting to the race area too early because it makes me
anxious standing around waiting. I wake up and get dressed and eat some toast
or a bagel with nut butter and a banana. I usually have a half a cup of coffee
and go to the bathroom and make sure I have everything I need before heading
out (a post-it reminder is a necessity for this!).
6. If you could run anywhere in the world, where would that be?
Oh gosh I want to
run everywhere! I’ve never run in a different country and think something
exotic would be beautiful, like on an island or the Great Wall of China or
something crazy!
7. If you could have only wish in your running
career be granted, what would that be?
This is a great
question! My only wish would to stay injury-free so I would be able to run for
many years!
8. What is your worst running experience to
date? How did you come back from it?
I don’t have one
really bad race or run story but a couple months ago I went out for a long run
by myself, and it just seemed everything was going wrong. The weather was
beautiful but my Garmin wasn’t locating satellites, my iPod battery had died,
and my legs felt like lead. I had gone for a run later in the morning and had
two cups of coffee that were not sitting right with me. I felt very
uncomfortable and needed to find a bathroom so I stopped at Starbucks, but it
seems my whole digestive system was still just off (without being TMI!) and I
had to slowly make it a few more miles to run back to my apartment. It was an awful run. I’ve learned to
limit the coffee right before runs since then!
9. What advice do you have for those who are
just beginning their interest in running?
Besides getting a
solid pair of running shoes (I recommend getting fitted at a local running
store!), my advice would be that it is important to switch up your workouts.
Besides keeping things interesting, incorporating speed work, longer and slower
runs, and hills helps you become a stronger and faster runner!
10. What race do you wish of competing in (or)
what race has been your favorite to date?
I like many
runners, my dream is to qualify for Boston! I just ran my first marathon this
past year at the Baltimore Marathon and met my time goal of 3:45 and even
though it was hard and awful at times, I crossed the finish line knowing I was
going to run another one. It was a great day!
11. (Finish this sentence) “I cannot leave for a run without ____”
A headband. I’m assuming
I’ve got shoes on already J
Seriously I can’t deal with hair and sweat in my face when working out!
12. Tell us about a moment where running has changed
your life.
I believe in that
cliché that running is my therapy. After I ran my first half marathon almost 2 years ago, I
found my boyfriend at the finish area and just started crying. It was this
involuntary thing and so strange to me. I was happy, but after running this race
that took a lot of hard work, dedication, and training, I just needed a release
of emotion. That’s when I knew
that running was going to be something special in my life.
13. Tell us how you stay motivated. What
inspires you?
Like many people I
think my motivation goes up and down depending on how I am feeling. There is
nothing like the endorphins from a workout and that feeling you get afterwards
when you kickass in the gym or on a run. I’ll keep running for those happy
workouts, moments of crossing finish lines, and days when I feel strong and unstoppable.
14. What aspect of running challenges you the
most?
The most
challenging aspect of running for me is the mental part of it.
You are always competing against yourself, your previous times, and your mind.
Sometimes it’s harder to fight the words telling you that you can’t do it in
your mind than it is to put one foot in front of another!
15. What is your go to power
song?
One song that has
been on my workout playlist for years has been Florence and the Machine’s Dog Days are Over. I like that the song has a strong and
positive message and the chorus of “run fast for your mother, and fast for your
father…” is especially motivating when running! Kanye West’s Stronger is a close second for the same
reasons and the awesome beat!
Thank you so much for
sharing your story! Make sure to check out more of Lauren at Breathe Deeply and Smile .
Please check me out all over the web!
