Undeterrable has Moved!
Hey everyone! Did you know my blog moved? I miss you guys!!!! Head over to http://www.undeterrable.com and subscribe there!
Thanks!
Laura
Link didn’t work?
I’ve heard that the link didn’t work in the last email sent out. Sooo sorry! Check out my new site here:
Thanks!
Moving day!
Hey everyone! Wanted to let everyone know that I officially moved my blog! You can visit it *here*.
What does this mean?
First, it means I’ll be able to much more with my blog now that I am self-hosting, including the ever-so coveted give-aways!
Second, it means that your current blog subscription will no longer work. That’s easy to fix though! Just click over *here*, enter your email address in the box on the right (under “Follow Me”, and click subscribe. I would be eternally grateful 🙂
I’m so excited for this next chapter in my blogging and I hope you will join me!
Thank you for all your continued support!
Well… crap.
This is what I woke up to at 645 this morning. Instead of a nice easy wake up before heading off to the running group, the husband and I cleaned up spilled water (what didn’t soak into the wood floors), swept up broken ornaments, and set up the tree… again.
Such is life 🙂 It’s still beautiful.
Operation Griswold
Thanksgiving has come and gone. The food babies are finally going away and we’re all able to button our pants again.
In other words, IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME!
One family tradition that I love is the obsessive watching of Christmas Vacation. Seriously, I can recite most of the lines.
Inspiration at its finest
Today was all about cleaning the casa, decorating, and getting our Christmas tree. There was only one small crisis when our tree stand didn’t fit and the husband had to go on an emergency Ace Hardware run. Other than, freaking Christmas cheer everywhere. Leland hasn’t even peed on or destroyed the tree yet.
I also rocked out to Christmas music while decorating which ups the awesome points to about a million. I was informed that I should leave the singing to Josh Groban, but I think he might appreciate a duet.
Someone doesn't appreciate my rich alto tones
Here’s how things are looking so far:
Shopping
Hey hun, take my picture with this random tree...
All done!
One of my many skating ornaments
Merry Christmas. Shitter's full.
And this is only the beginning…
50 Little Things – Week 7 (The final week!)
Week 7 is done and gone. 50 days of being thankful for the beautiful moments in life.
I learned 2 things from this challenge:
- If I want to remember it, I need to write it down.
- It is so easy to get caught up in the negative, but when you stop the notice it, beauty and serendipity is all around us. Some days I had trouble deciding which event (big or small) to highlight.
Previous recaps can be found here:
Kickoff
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Friday, November 18
Girl’s night! Yes… we saw Breaking Dawn. Yes… I inhaled some popcorn… before the movie even started. Overall, I liked the movie, I just wish that Bella/Kristen Stewart didn’t look like she had to poop walking down the aisle.
Saturday, November 19
Double movie weekend! Husband and I celebrated my grandmother’s birthday by taking her out to see J. Edgar in the theatres. It was interesting to me because while the entire movie was unknown to me, Grams remembered the events. I definitely need to read a little more history.
Sunday, November 20
Who doesn’t love a Packers win while hanging out with the husband?
And my boyfriend, Clay Matthews
Monday, November 21
Received 2 AWESOME compliments on today.
1. The fabulous Katie told me that on the way to work she couldn’t wait to read my Monday Morning Motivation. Yay!
2. A coworker chatted with me about H2c (which I will run in 2012!), opening with, “So you’re a runner, you run marathons…” Why yes, yes I do. Thank you for noticing.
Tuesday, November 22
I REALLY love it when I walk up to the MAX platform right when the train shows up. I didn’t get a seat this time, but at least I didn’t have to stand out in the rain.
Wednesday, November 23
For the first time in quite a while I ran a sub 10 minute mile. And then I continued to run… fast. It felt awesome. I’m back!
Coincidentally also bringing sexy back. Especially with this face.
Thursday, November 24
Happy Thanksgiving!!! I am so thankful that both my parents and my in-laws live so close together that we are able to spend the day with both families. And eat two meals…
Diet is not a verb.
Quick grammar lesson:
Verb: a word that expresses an action; something you DO
Noun: a person, place, or thing; something you can HAVE
Ok, why are we acting like we’re in 7th grade again? Because we’ve been messing it all up. We have changed the word DIET from a noun into a verb.
Huh?
(It’s about to get nerdy, y’all)
The origin of the word diet is a noun meaning “way of living.” It was something you had, something that sustained you for life. Today we use diet to mean something we do for a couple of weeks to get a few pounds off then get frustrated when the pounds come piling back on.
The only way to make a lasting change in your body and health is to make a lasting change in your habits. Part of those habits is to change the fuel you put in your body, your diet. Your diet is not temporary. It is your new way of living.
Your diet is not rigid. You can have that cupcake. You can have the glass of wine at dinner. You can even enjoy it. Your diet is simply more healthy choices than unhealthy ones.
Your diet is not a week of grapefruit followed by a week of cabbage soup followed by the return of 3 fast food meals a day. That is a recipe for disaster, pain, and frustration.
Embrace a steady “way of living” and nourish your body.
The Runner’s Christmas List
Ladies and gents, it’s that time of year. CHRISTMAS time! Well, almost. We still have Thanksgiving as a warm up for all the holiday festivities. Not sure what it is, but I am extra excited for this year.
One thing that stresses me out every year is trying to find the perfect gift for everyone. Sometimes I have epiphanies, and the rest of the time, well, it’s a process. This year, I’m here to help you guys with some gift ideas for the runner in your life! (Not going to judge if that special runner is yourself!)
Garmin – I don’t even want to remember what my running life was like without my Garmin. I use the Forerunner 110 and I’m not sure what I would do without it. The 110 is fairly basic but gets the job done. One important point with the 110 is that it does not calculate instantaneous speed, but does your pace over the current mile. For me, that is enough. The best part of the fabulous Garmin? The beep at each mile, especially the one at the end 🙂
iPod Shuffle – When I started running, I used my iPod classic faithfully. Every run, it was there with me. But seriously, that thing is bulky! It may not seem like it, but after 15 miles of having that thing strapped to your arm you’ll be ready to throw it off the next bridge. Enter the iPod Shuffle. Small enough to clip to my shirt or fit into my pocket when I don’t feel like listening to music.
Headlamp – I don’t own one of these, yet, but as the days are getting shorter I may have to snag one. I ran the other morning with several friends all wearing headlamps and they kept the path well-lit. And don’t forget about the other part of the visibility equation – being seen. A headlamp will help you been seen by runners, bikers, and vehicles. A must have for night running.
iFitness Belt– Back at the Vancouver USA Marathon Expo, I purchased my first iFitness Belt, AKA not-a-fanny-pack. I fell in love. I have the double belt, meaning that I have enough room for a phone, camera, ID, and nutrition. I am actually on my second belt because as awesome as it is, the belt is not impervious to dog chewing. I loved my iFitness Belt so much that I immediately ordered a replacement.
I'm sure you all assumed it was, but this is actually not my stomach.
Road ID – Safety is the name of the game, folks. Often I will run carrying my driver’s license just in case the unthinkable happens. However, even with my ID, rescuers would only know my name, address, and be able to look up my driving record. Enter the Road ID. My road ID shows my name, home city, birth year, my father and husband’s names/phone numbers, and that I have no known allergies. Should something happen to me, they will know just who to call. Also, if I had any serious medical conditions, I would be very glad that the pertinent information was waiting for them right on my wrist. I personally have a bracelet, but they also sell anklets and shoe tags.
Hi Viz running shirt – A while back, I headed to my local outdoor store to by a gorgeous and stylish bright orange vest to wear over my running clothes so that cars could see me and be jealous of my hotness. Instead, I left the store with an actually stylish bright green long sleeve Brooks running shirt. I debated with myself that even though the shirt cost more, I was at least 50 million times more likely to wear it. 50 million is a big number. I’ve linked to the actual shirt above, but any Hi Viz clothing will do. Bonus points – bright colors are much easier to see when spectating races!
See? It's very pretty.
Airline gift cards – I actually did this for my birthday last year. Knowing that I would be flying to DC for the Marine Corps Marathon in the fall, I requested Southwest Airlines gift cards for my birthday. It worked out great! Half of my flight was paid for and my family got to help support my racing in a different way.
Race entry fees – Costs to enter so many awesome races can add up. Treat your runner to a race.
Gift certificate for race support on the big day – This can be an amazing gift and can be done for little to no money at all. Race morning requires transportation, an extra set of hands, moral support, photography skills, and just about everything else under the sun. Give the gift of this support to your favorite runner!
Note: Except as noted I have used all of these products and the opinions expressed are my own. I am not receiving any compensation for mentioning these products.
Monday Morning Motivation
If it makes you happy, do it. If it doesn’t make you happy, find a way to make it work or get it out of your life.
Monday Mini-Goals:
Totally kicked butt on my mini goals this week. However, there were a couple of times that I only did this things because I knew I’d have to admit it on here if I didn’t. See! My little blog is holding me accountable!
Recap of last week:
1. Finish “Wheat Belly.” – Done! Officially eating gluten-free and feeling awesome!
2. Clean the bathroom. (Ugh) – Um, 80%?
3. Push Up workout 3 times. – Only got this in twice, but I hit up Body Pump 3 times, so I count it as a win.
4. Hit 25 miles for Pile on the Miles. – Blown out of the water! 32!
5 . Foam roll every night (Need to make this a habit) – Ehhh, not so good this week.
Up for this week:
1. Foam roll AND stretch at least 15 minutes every night.
2. 25 miles for Pile on the Miles.
3. Destroy the to do pile at work with productiveness.
4. Drink at least 2 liters of water everyday.
5 . Operation Griswold on Friday.
YOUR TURN! Any goals for this week?
Careful, Your Crazy is Showing
I’ve been called many things in life, but the common theme is that I’m crazy. Whether its my irrational fear of toilets* or the conversations I have with my dogs I will admit that I tend to be on the quirky side. I also do things like run marathons, get up at 4 am to work out, or set goals to read the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die.
Goals like these tend to happen, as Sir Edmund Hillary put it, because it’s there. For me, I’ll do it because someone else did, because said I should, or because someone put it on a list.
Hmm, I’m not sure how I feel about all that emphasis on “someone else.” Does that make me unoriginal? Honestly, I don’t think it matters.
I wouldn’t have started running had my friends not started. I saw facebook posts about training and races and I wanted in. I thought that if they were doing it and succeeding, maybe I could to. And you know what? I LIKED IT.
I wouldn’t have started a blog if it wasn’t for Tyler. His was the first blog I read. Then I started reading other blogs, eventually finding my way to running and fitness blogs because I could relate. It took almost a year before I decided to finally set up the wordpress account and go for it. I wouldn’t have gone for it had someone else not set the example for me, but I wouldn’t change these experiences for anything and all I can be is thankful that someone showed me the way.
What makes me different from anyone else out there? Tons of people finish marathons and read books and go on vacations.
The difference? I don’t want to specialize.
- Careful, your nerd is showing too.
I view myself a bit like a Venn Diagram. I think of all the things I’ve done that other people have done and then picture myself in that center spot. Above is where I am currently but I want to add to the Venn Diagram of life. Triathlete, published writer, ultramarathoner, well-read, well-traveled, yoga teacher, personal trainer, etc. I want to have done so many things that I’m alone in my little Venn Diagram center. A renaissance woman, if you will.
I don’t know what else I’ll try, but if you give me something, I’ll probably try it. (I’m not going to eat anything weird though.)
Ok, but WHY? I like running, why can’t I just be a runner? 100% truth time. I don’t want to be left out. What if there is something even more awesome out there? What if I try “X” and find out what my true purpose is in life? I know, that an awful lofty expectation of a simple activity or goal, but who the heck knows? Who knows where anything will lead me? I’m not satisfied with where am I and I want to will find my happy.
So yeah, I guess that makes me just a little bit crazy.
*While I have a fear of toilets, I promise that I use them. I just can’t watch the water swirl. Childhood trauma. TMI? Yes.
What is the one thing you have always wanted to try?
undeterrable 
