New Life, New Blog

I am back blogging. But I'm now over here. On Wordpress. Sorry, but I hope you'll still keep up with me!

Happy to be back!

~Marisa

This Is It

I've been putting off writing this post, but it's been a long time coming. This will be my last post on this blog. I've tried to keep it up, but I really am not cut out for this kind of writing. Which sounds crazy because isn't all I wrote about before my life? Day to day craziness and what not. It's true, that is what I wrote about but my life was in a completely different place then and writing about it was fun, almost therapeutic. But now writing about my life, as much as I love it, just feels like a chore. No one wants to read a blog that sounds like it was forced, that while reading it you can tell the writer would have rather been doing a million other things. Like watching more episodes of Top Gear or Castle. 

So this is it. Final post. The Single Girl is single no more and it's time to move on to other things. That isn't to say I won't write anymore. I will. You just might not know it's me. I can't believe this little ole blog of mine reached as many people as it did, and I've very grateful to have met the people that I have through it. Of course I still plan on reading all of your blogs and keeping up with you in real life and on twitter. Not falling off the face of the earth or anything. So to everyone who's stayed tuned all these years, thank you. It's been a privilege. 

Cheers, 

Marisa 

Urban Polar Explorers League

Finally. We got some snow. Boy did we get some snow. Which Drew and I couldn't be happier about because we both love the snow and the activities it brings. Our new favorite is that of snowshoeing. So for those of you interested in polar exploration, here is a little info on the gear I use and love when I set off on a snow adventure. First up the base-ics.

Wearing: C9 by Champion Compression Top and C9 by Champion Compression Tights

If you're going to be outdoors in the winter a good base layer is a must. Drew prefers wool base layers I'm a fan of  polypro because it is 1.) Cheaper and 2.) not itchy and I think dries quicker. To each is own though, just invest in a base layer. These actually serve double duty as this is my cold weather running gear. If I get more serious about winter camping and such, I'll invest in different base layers, but for now this works. And don't forget your socks! Liner socks are a must and don't they look hot?

Next up some mid layers, and word to the wise if you've got great base layers that keep you dry and toasty you DO NOT need a mid layer when it's 30+ degrees. If we had actually been out on the trails I might have been in trouble as I was overheating and when I took my down coat off, my fleece got wet and then I got cold which is NOT good. Learn from my mistakes here. 

Wearing: Columbia Omni-Heat half zip (SUPER warm)

This isn't mine exactly but it's basically the same thing

Also in that picture are my snow pants which aren't really a mid layer but an outer. Don't ask why I only wore a mid layer on top. (Dumb) Also I love my snow pants. They're from Patagonia and are da bomb. 

Next up on the super important list is making sure your feet stay dry and warm. Nothing puts a damper on your polar exploration like cold wet and turning frostbitten feet. So you saw the hotness that is the poly blend liners and on top of those I wear my Smart Wool socks. 

You don't have to buy Smart Wool specifically, but definitely invest in some good quality wool socks. My friend Mountain Man Mike likes Darn Tough socks, if you're looking to compare another brand. Sock situation settled you need BOOTS.

Like legit boots, not Uggs. (barf) Mine are Columbia and I heart them. They're warm and comfortable and most importantly water proof. Well warm and comfortable are important too. 

Last but certainly not least, are the accessories. 

Yes two sets of gloves. Kind of like two sets of socks. The black ones on the left are gloves that I use for winter running. They are moisture wicking and makes for a great base layer glove. The silver gloves on the right are my outer water proof gloves by Columbia (surprise) and under neath is my favorite pink fleece hat by Columbia (surprise again) This leads us to our final piece of polar exploration gear which is...the coat.

This photo is from last year. Sorry. But you get the drift. That is my beloved pink down coat by you guessed it...Columbia. And Mike thought I was obsessed with The North Face. Anyways this coat is amazing it's very light weight but very warm, which made my mid layer stupid and unnecessary and made me very very hot. If you have an awesome down coat and a great base layer that is all you need if it's at freezing or just slightly below. Trust. Also that coat is from the kids section. Don't hate, kids can go polar exploring too. 

So there you have it, my long and Columbia filled Urban Polar Exploration gear guide. Anyone else out there snowshoe or do any winter hiking? What gear do you love?

Cheers,

Marisa

This might sound mad but...

I want to run another marathon next year. Yes you heard me correctly another marathon. As much as I bitched about training for it...I actually miss it. For the last 2 months I've woken up everyday...not hurting. It's  weird. Yes I know it should be weird to wake up everyday hurting but I can't explain it. I've been hitting the gym but it's not the same. Call me a masochist I guess, but I love that feeling of every muscle in your body and every force in the universe telling you to quit at mile 16 of 18 and powering through. Running is more of a mental game than a physical one for me and I just can't get the same thing out of the gym. I sound like someone on crack. Hello my name is Marisa and I'm an addict.

My only hesitation is, as I'm sure you haven't forgotten, I'm getting married next year. I want to run the Minneapolis marathon which is June 2nd so in all reality it shouldn't be a problem. What I'm afraid of is injury. I can't afford to be injured. I won't have time for it. Also it is a very big time commitment and I don't want to half ass my training, but I also don't want half ass my wedding either. I need to make a decision and fast because I will need to start training beginning of February if I do decide to do it. 

My other option is to do 2 half marathons instead of a full. The Minneapolis Half in June and then the Twin Cities Half in October. Honestly I don't know what to do. I really really want to do the full in June but I'm thinking it might be selfish to devote so much time to training again and leave Drew to deal with the wedding for 5 months all on his own. 

Thoughts? Anyone else run a marathon before their wedding? 

Speaking of weddings....MY DRESS IS HERE!!!! I go pick it up next Thursday :)

Cheers!

Marisa

I'm calling myself out

Remember that one time I said "hey I have a desk now so obviously I'm going to sit at it and write super awesome posts again." Then I didn't. I have no excuses why I didn't I just didn't. Probably because I had nothing super awesome to write about. Apparently I thought my desk would make my life exciting and so cool I would be bursting with awesome posts to write. Anyways, my last couple of posts have been all wedding related and I REFUSE to let this become a wedding blog. 

So! Maybe some of you have noticed but it is now December which means that it is BIRTHMAS TIME!!! The most wonderful time of the year! Which means I can go back to posting pictures of things I want and hoping that someone (Drew) gets a hint. Or two. My birthday is Christmas day after all. First up:

(Kate Spade Carlisle Street Stacy)

I need a new wallet yo. I already got myself a new Kate Spade bag for my birthday ( I needed it stop with the side eye.) so I desperately need a replacement wallet for Ole Green thats been around for like 5 years. Yeesh. 

Next:

(Osprey Aura 65 Pack)

Our honeymoon (if we're able to take one right after the wedding) will be backpacking in Glacier National Park for a week. This is really just a necessity. 

(Red Valentino Glitter & Patent Mary Jane)

If I have to tell you why I need want these then clearly we aren't friends.

There you go folks, Birthmas wish list 2013. What would you add?

Cheers,

Marisa

Hey I'm Over Here!

Hey everyone! So I've got a real life desk these days so I plan on being around this blog of mine more often. But if you're curious about wedding happenings please check out our wedding website! I don't update it too much right now but will probably post more over there as the big day gets closer. Here is a picture of my desk

(15%) Built all by me!

We went to Ikea on a Saturday. It was madness as usual. But we made it without fighting or breaking up, and did Liz Lemon proud. 

Looking forward to being around here more often!

Cheers!

Marisa

317 Days

Honestly it feels like 17 days. I think this is the real reason I wanted to elope and not have a big wedding. Details. Ohhhh the never ending details. What if I pick the wrong centerpiece? What if Drew doesn't decide to give monogrammed Brooks Brothers umbrellas as groomsman gifts like JFK? What if my hair looks more Elizabeth Taylor than Jackie Kennedy? Will people care if they don't get to blow bubbles at us? Should I just get some god damn bubbles?

I know, not everything is going to go perfectly. But that doesn't stop me from losing sleep at night worrying about bridesmaid dresses, or bouquets and bridal party gifts and what kind of suits the boys should wear.

Ugh.

In other news we finally got my ring sized. You know like 3 months later. Turns out I have the tiniest of fingers. Ring size = 4. Thats right 4. Like the size most peoples fingers were when they were 10. Oh well.

I'm hoping to be able to use my mom's wedding band as my own providing they can seperate it from her engagement ring. It's already a size 4. So I guess that explains where I get my small fingered-ness from. Oddly enough of all the details I obssess over the wedding jewlery is not one of them. I could care less. I'd actually rather not wear an engagement ring, it's clunky and obnoxious. Everyone was all "oh I never used to wear jewlery but I don't even notice my engagement ring anymore", well guess what people I still notice and it still drives me nuts. I take it off as soon as I get home and on weekends I often leave the house without it. Not wearing a ring does not make me not engaged. I wish the exchanging of goats or something was still popular. I love goats and would love to have one.

In other news...

My dress is still not here and that makes me sad. Yes it's been less than a week since I ordered it. I still want it here now.

317 days to go.

Cheers,

Marisa

Saying Yes To The Dress

Yesterday was the day. Yesterday was the day I went to get my dress. My wedding dress. I have never been so excited for anything in my life. Honestly I never planned my wedding growing up so I never had a plan or vision in my head from the start, but once we decided to go ahead with a non-elopement and a full wedding my Type A-ness took over and plan, vision was locked down. The vision for my dress: Jackie Kennedy. 

Having done pageants in high school and college, I've worn a wide array of dresses. Spaghetti straps, halters, strapless, sweatheart necklines, and a-lines, mermaid, sheaths and fit and flare cuts. So the only dress that said "bridal" to me was a ball gown. I wanted a simple classic elegant ball gown in organza, tulle, or chiffon. Something that would look light and airy for an outdoor wedding. No laceup back, no pickups, no ruching, and very little bling or appliques. Again, the motto of the day was "think like Jackie O!"

Lucky for me my consultant at The Wedding Shoppe in St. Paul was awesome and also a lover of Jackie and ball gowns. She also did not mind my I know what I want just bring me only these things attitude. I know on Say Yes To The Dress girls go in wanting one thing and ending up with something they thought they didn't want. I am not that girl. 

Drew's mom and my friend Andrea came along and took tons of pictures for me. I tried on some really great dresses with only one dress I just didn't like, and here they are.

This was the first dress I tried and I obviously loved the shape. I did love the skirt too, I really love textured bottoms, but it didn't fit my "what would Jackie do" theme. 

I really loved this dress, it fit perfectly off the rack and it was just beautiful. The skirt was tulle and had beading and appliques similar to those on the skirt of Kate Middleton's dress. However, while beautiful and a ball gown, it still wan't my Jakie O vision. The next dress.....this was the only dress that I just didn't like.

The bodice...not bad. A little more bling than I wanted but it was pretty and classic at least. But that skirt. Ughhhhh that skirt. The tulle would just not lay flat at all. I just envisioned my poor bridesmaids trying to corral it at our outdoor ceremony every time I moved or a little breeze blew. Not a fan. 

Then we tried on my dress. Well not quite my dress as it was the entirely wrong fabric (taffeta. the HORROR) but the neckline was perfect the overall silhouette was perfect, then we added a birdcage hair piece and everyone was sold. I knew it from the moment I saw it on the website that it was the one for me and it was true. It has been ordered and will be arriving in 4-6 months :)

A big thank you to my mom who generously gave me a budget of $1500 for my dress. However, I luckily got my dream dress at a dream price only spending about 1/3 of the budget! Which is good because I just can't imagine spending $1500 on a dress I'm going to only wear once, even if it is my big day. 

So another big thing checked off my list! I'm so excited I can't wait for it to get here. Why does it have to take soooooo long? 

Wedding Cheers,

Marisa

Marathon Recap

Well it came and went. I didn't die, and more importantly I finished. I've been talking about running a marathon for YEARS and now I finally have. To be honest it still hasn't sunk in. I kind of feel like I just went out for a long run on Sunday, NBD, nothing to see here. However, my body is a constant reminder that indeed it was no ordinary long run on Sunday but a marathon. Here's how it went down.

(Be advised this is LONG)

Saturday:

Got up rather lazily and putzed around the house for a while, then went into cleaning mode as Jeni was arriving that afternoon. Once she got here we hit up Mall of America for lunch and some shopping. I bought my first pair of sweat pants in about 5 years. This may have been a bad choice.

That night Drew made us all dinner and I angrily pounded on my laptop cursing Spotify, iTunes and all other MP3 technology for being so complicated that NO ONE (me) can understand it. Finally got the little shuffle programmed and charged, watched some tv, took my hippie magic sleeping pills (valerian root) and was asleep by 10pm.

Sunday:

Up on my own at 5:10am ready to rock and even ahead of my alarm. I slept like a rock for a solid 7 hours and I was sooooo grateful I did. First things first, grabbed my water bottle and a Clif Bar. I hopped in the shower which probably seems odd but it helped wake me up even more and get moving. Regretfully I did not have a checklist written out and as a result I forgot one major thing that morning: body glide. I will never ever ever go to sleep without writting out a morning checklist again.

Besides that little slip up, I was fueled, caffinated and bundled up ready to head to The Dome at 7am. Starting temperature: 28 degrees. So you might say it was a bit chilly. I refused to run in anything but my shorts though. It was all I had trained in and the idea of switching up my gear even the week of gave me panic attacks. I opted for a very light weight, moisture wicking long sleeve shirt though so you know that basically kept me toasty warm.

So! After handing off my sweats and saying my goodbyes I headed to my corral with my adrenaline pumping, which did actually keep me quite warm.

Now, I don't know about the rest of you but I get super emotional when I run races. If I don't cry at least once on the course something is wrong. I wasted no time then at the starting line as I was starting with the soldier in his fatigues, boots and all, full pack carrying the flag. I might be sniffling right now too.

Finally it was our corral's turn to go and we were off. I honestly felt great, maybe because the enormity of what I was embarking on hadn't quite hit me yet. Either way I made it out of the city with ease and continued on my merry way enjoying all of the clever signs people had. My favorite being around mile 10 or 11. It said "Don't stop. People are watching".

At mile 9.5 I had to go to the bathroom and sadly so did a lot of other people. I lost a lot of time there but my alternative was peeing my pants so I opted for the lost time. During this time the soldier had caught up to me so we conmenced with tears on the marathon course part 2. I managed to sqeak out a "good job, sir." as I passed then scurried off so no one could hear my sniffling....again.

HALF WAY POINT!!!

(me about to raise the roof at the halfway point)

Before I knew it I was at the half way point and was feeling fantastic. I couldn't believe it. Drew, Jeni and his parents were there to cheer me on and at that point I was like wow. I'm actually going to finish this thing. If you had asked me 2 weeks ago if I was going to finish the marathon, I would have said no. I felt in no way prepared for it. But here I was, half way done and not defeated!

Things got a little boring after that, but I was then on my own turf where I had run 5 million times over the summer and knew the course really well. Also at mile 16 there were bananas. They were glorious. Then at mile 18.5 a little girl was handing out homemade chocolate chip cookies. That little girl was my savior.

At mile 19.5 my little cheering crowd was there again and I couldn't believe I was about to hit the 20 mile mark. I had run 20 miles and was still going.

When I hit mile 22 though, the marathon bitch slapped me into last Tuesday. I physically felt the toll the previous 22 miles took on my body and good lord was I hurting. My IT band especially and my feet because of my idiocy. (No body glide) Not gonna lie the last 4.2 miles were tough. Incredibely tough, basically the hardest thing I've ever demanded of myself. I'd already gone 22 miles and needed to go another 4.2 and my body was all hellllll nahhhh.

But I did. I kept going. I don't even know how. I did have to walk almost a mile while I choked down an energy gel. I knew I needed it but man was it hard to force down. When I hit mile 24.5, Eye of the Tiger was on repeat and there was no looking back.

The beautiful thing about the Twin Cities course is that the last half mile is downhill. And you get this amazing view of the capital and the finish line. When I came over that hill to see that, commence tears on the marathon course part 3.

I think I ran faster? Maybe I didn't but it felt like I was running my heart out to get across the finish line. Stomping on those chip timing mats felt so amazing, like I"M HERE I FINISHED!!!! I was a wreck at that point trying to navigate my way through the finish tunnel through my tears, when a volunteer saw me, put his arm around me and said "congratulations, this is an amazing accomplishment." I lost my shit then. Just found a little grassy area sat down to stretch and eat my banana between sobs.

While I am super proud that I finished, I know I could have done better. I slacked a lot in the last month of training which I know hurt me. It's hard to know what to expect if you've never run a marathon before, even if you read all the information that is out there the distance is just not something you can comprehend until you do it. Now that I have done one, I undestand the distance, I understand what it demands and I respect it. I know I said I wouldn't do another marathon again, but I will. I know I will. Despite the pain and the exhaustion and the mental beat down it was absolutely amazing. I want to try again and I want to do better.

It's Almost Here....

I can't believe I just went on my second to last training run. It's so crazy, I feel like I've been training forevveerrrr. However, I am really excited for the marathon. I don't care about a goal time, or a goal pace or anything like that. I've never been a fast runner and most likely never will be. I'm okay with that. I like running  because, well....I just do. I find it relaxing, I get a lot of thinking done and it's great exercise. I'm competitive by nature, Type A and all that, but running was my non competitive thing. Something I just did for me. I lost that this summer training for the marathon. I know so many other people training for marathons and other races and I started to feel like if I wasn't as fast as them, then somehow I was less of a runner. That my race wouldn't be as important because I ran it slower. Like oh you didn't run a 4 hour marathon....thats not a real marathon then.

Which I know is ridic.

Finally this week (better late than never) I realized that, if my running for fun without caring about getting faster or setting a PR or going further would get me kicked out of the cool "serious" runner's club, well that is just fine with me. I'll party it up at the kids table. Because you know how many people don't run marathons? A lot more than do. I'm in the group that does. So that in and of itself is pretty damn awesome. And that is why I am so pumped to run on Sunday. 

With that I will leave you with an engagement pic taken yesterday by Drew's brother.

I call it, inspired by 007.

Marathon Cheers,

Marisa

Update: Marathon and Wedding

First the wedding deets: Montana wedding out. Duluth, MN wedding in. Thats all I really have at the moment on the wedding. We're heading up there on the 29th to scope out some venues and do some cupcake tasting (yum!) so I will have more fun things to report then.

Marathon update:

It's hard ya'll. It is so hard. Not impossible and I don't want to discourage anyone thinking about running one. However it really is just not for me. I'm a social person, always have been always will be. I like happy hours, weekend get aways, during the week get aways, weekend partying, weekend being lazy from time to time. So when you have to run so much during the week, and you are still exploring the new city you moved to, still figuring out how to make two lives mesh together in one condo, and still wanting to find time to just chill or party with friends....I just can't. No marathon training does not last forever, and maybe some people will think I'm lazy or weak willed for not wanting to give up 6 months of my life to train, but whatever. Obviously I can and I have, but trust I will probably not do it again any time soon. With all that being said, I will still be very proud to cross the finish line on October 7th.

So what we're taking away from this post is

1.) Duluth wedding

2.) running 13.1 miles or less is the best (for me)

3.) I'm sorry that I'm not sorry that I like to party

Cheers,

Marisa

Marathon Training: Burnout

Well here we are folks. Week 13 of 18 of marathon training. And I am burned out. Forcing myself to do my training runs during the week is the hardest, most painful thing I have to do these days. A combination of a lot of traveling and work stress has just drained me. I can't seem to get back on track. My feet hurt, I have 5 zillion blisters, I'm always hungry and always tired. I won't lie to you times are tough right now. Oddly enough though, I still look forward to my long runs on the weeknds. Like quick 5 mile run on a Tuesday? Are you effing kidding me? 5 miles?? On a Tuesday???? WHYYYYYYYYYY????? But 16 mile run on a Sunday? Oh, well that sounds quite lovely actually. Don't mind if I do. Perhaps it's because I don't work on Saturdays and I also don't work on Sundays. So it's nice to get outside and go for a run. But these training runs during the week.....shoot me now. I also just bought my second pair of Brooks. As much as I hated to drop another $110 after only 3.5 months, I also remebered it was also close to 300 miles later and time to start rotating in new shoes. Especially with the marathon getting close. 37 days close to be exact. I hope I get out of this slump soon, because I can't afford to slack right now. No injuries this year please. Any other runners have experience with marathon burn out? I'll take any and all advice.

Cheers,

Marisa

p.s. Thank you for the congratulations and well wishes. We are excited :)

It's a love story

So once upon a time, like the end of May 2012, Drew and I were hiking on a mountain in South Dakota. We talked about the future, did we want the same things etc. All those things couples talk about at a certain point to see if they'll make it in the long run. Then we took a break on the descent and sat on a rock looking at the views of the Black Hills, and Drew asked if I would marry him. I said yes and he gave me a rock. Literally it was a quartz rock we smuggled home from the hike. 

Soooooo why am I just telling you this now? Well we kept it to ourselves until now. We've finally made the rounds, told family and friends that yes indeed. We are getting married. We're doing a planned "elopement" in Montana, September 2013. We still haven't picked a date quite yet, but we're getting there. I'm not really into the whole wedding planning thing so don't expect a ton of wedding updates. Buttt if you don't hear anything about it for a while, maybe inquire about it. So I get my ass in gear. :) 

And of course here is the obligatory ring photo. It belonged to me Grandmother. I don't believe in wasting a ton of money on jewelry and also I don't support the diamond industry. Also I am all about heirlooms. 

Mountain weddings y'all.

Marisa 

Fights

Drew and I fight. Little known fact that I was a little worried at first because we never fought. Not even a little. Obviously after a few months of living together that changed. That is not to say that cohabitation has become a nightmare, but when two people go from single living to sharing a small one bedroom apartment, things that you may have been able to tolerate before now causes an eye twitching vein popping rage you can't seem to explain. (re: stop playing that goddamn electropop shit or I will cram that receiver DOWN YOUR THROAT!! or Stop leaving wet towels all over the house or I will set them on fire and STRANGLE YOU WITH IT!!) I'll let you decide who said what.

Okay so it's not that extreme, but point being sometimes we test each others limits and sometimes on bad days we crack. But here's the really awesome part:

We say we're sorry.

Yes, we both say we're sorry. Sorry for being crabby, sorry for yelling, sorry my lady hormones want to punch you in the testes for no apparent reason. Whatever it is, we act like grown ups admit our mistakes, and apologize and move on. This is huge for me guys. I'm not stubborn and I don't like talking about feelings, but I'll be damned if I haven't matured and learned how to admit when I've acted a fool and apologize. Telling your partner you love them is important, but I'm pretty sure saying you're sorry is like .01cm behind it in importance. 

So there you go. Couples therapy advice right there. No charge. Just keep reading. And maybe tell your friends. Or send me a new Kate Spade bag for fall.

Cheers,

Marisa

The New Place

We've been in our new place about a week and a half now. So far so good. It is most definitely a huge step up from where we were living. 

View from our bedroom deck

View from the living room deck

Our new closet <3 <3

Master Bathroom

New Kitchen

Having a real closet is sooooooo amazing. We can actually access all of our clothes!! And I actually have room to buy more! So many glorious new things. Also the his and hers sinks are great. Even if Drew still stands behind me and my sink in the morning. Old habits are hard to break I guess. As far as our location goes it isn't terrible. We are now officially St.Paul residents, but we're not as close to grocery stores or Target like we used to be. But I think it's a fair trade :) 

Coming up Drew and I are taking a trip.....To VEGAS!!!!! I'm so excited! I haven't been to Vegas since 2006 and it was a grand old time. Next Thursday cannot get here soon enough. We both definitely need a vacation. 

Cheers!

Marisa

Um....Hello?

Oh hey there. It's been a while. A really looooonnngg while. I kept trying to come back to blogging and every time it ended in an epic fail. I'm not really sure why. I have my speculations. Mostly being that I didn't have my own "space". Which perhaps is a lame excuse, but I just couldn't get into it without having my own room, or area or what have you. Now though, and those of you who follow me on twitter and instagram already know,we've moved! No we didn't buy a house. While we were still looking and living in our old apartment, the landlord sold the duplex and we were served 60 days notice to move out. Kind of killed the house buying plan. We did however, find a sweet condo to rent that is 1 bedroom + den which means that Drew has is own office area and I have the bedroom. While not my own office, it works just fine for me. So, now that I have my own place where I can write comfortably and in solitude I will be back! For good! I've missed blogging so much and I've had so much I've wanted to write about. This has been such a long hiatus, and I for one am glad it's over. Looking forward to catching up with all of you!!!

Cheers,

Marisa

9 Mile Run Day!

So when I last left you, I was suffering from some shin splints DREADING my long run day this weekend. I ended up not running Thursday, Friday AND Saturday opting to strength train Thursday and Friday and kept on icing. Also? I invested in perhaps the greatest invention ever. Seriously

(Yes I got the pink one)

OMG!!!!! It's so....it's incredible. It's amazing. My legs have never felt better. I have no idea why I waited so long to buy one. I combined this amazing yoga sequence for runners from Fitsugar with using the roller and have never felt better. So needless to say my 9 mile run went awesome today! 9.02 miles in 1:26:40. If you're curious and feel like stalking me you can check out my Nike+ page! 

Alright last thing that I think helped me out keeping me pumped today was my new/rearranged playlist. So here it is in case you're looking for some new tunes to keep you going:

Naughty Girl- Beyonce

Starships- Nicki Minaj

Yeah!- Usher ft. Lil John & Ludacris

Stronger- Kanye West

Dirt Off Your Shoulder- Jay-Z

Lose Yourself- Eminem

Glad You Came- The Wanted

Dynamite- Taio Cruz

When I Grow Up- Pussycat Dolls

Give Me Everything- Pitbull ft. Neyo

Shake That- Eminem ft. Nate Dogg

Sexy And I Know It- LMFAO

Gonna Fly Now (Rocky Theme)- Bill Conti

Sorry For Party Rocking- LMFAO

River Deep, Mountain High- Celine Dion

Rocketeer- Far East Movement ft. Ryan Tedder

Hello- Martin Solveig ft. Dragonette

Party Rock Anthem- LMFAO

I definitely need something that I can either 1.) Picture myself dancing to, or 2.) Something that makes me picture myself as a total badass (see Eminem, Rocky Theme)

Can't believe I'm in my 8th week of training! Only 5 weeks left until race day!!!!

Cheers!

Marisa

My worst enemy is back....

That's right I'm talking about shin splints. They are back, ruining my life as usual. I was supposed to run 5 miles tonight but by 3 miles I was hurting and by 4 I had to call it quits. Sooooo frustrating but better to take care of it before anything worse happens. (re: stress fracture) So I'm sitting here with my ice pack hoping that I can get this taken care of asap. 9 mile long run this weekend and I reallllly can't afford to miss it . I've been working so hard, I really would hate to see all my training go out the window. Anyone have advice for shin splints? I've been icing and ibuprofen-ing. Tomorrow is 3 mile run day, should I go through with it or skip and strength train instead? Those wiser and more experienced in marathon training I desperately need your advice! I'll update you all tomorrow on my "condition". Until then I leave you with this.

Cheers!

Marisa

Oh hey this blog is still here....

Okay no excuses this time. I really just didn't feel like blogging. I had no motivation, nothing to write about. I was just completely uninspired and rather than bore you with the mundane activities that consume my life ( I had oatmeal for breakfast!) I just decided to stop all together.

But that ends now because I once again have purpose.

I have joined the Under Armor's What's Beautiful Challenge. Real simple, I declared my goal and have 9 weeks to see it through. Under Armor has a series of challenges that need to be completed in those 9 weeks and I plan on document them here as well as on my page along with all the other things that happen with training. I really hope to make it to the finally three and be the new face of Under Armor, but am looking forward to this journey no matter what the outcome. So check it out! Sign up yourself! It's already been so much fun and inspiring seeing other women making a commitment to fitness and bettering themselves all around.

You can find my page here

Under Armor's What's Beautiful Challenge

Cheers!

Marisa

An Update

Hello all. It's been a very long time since we last blogged. I'm alive and well. Better than well in fact! As I'm sure you can imagine moving and getting settled in a new city, as well as moving in with your boyfriend and both of you getting settled takes some time. I really just needed to focus all my efforts on that and finding a job. When I last wrote I said that I was up for a job and would be finding out one way or the other about it by the end of that week. Never heard from them at all. I even emailed their HR/recruiters to inquire if the position had been filled, and never heard back from them. So perhaps I dodged a bullet on that one. I did however find a job shortly after that and I'm happy to report that I am loving it. It's a much bigger company than I am used to and I have way more responsibilities, but I welcome the challenge and the opportunity to learn and grow. 

Drew and I are doing well, and so far we've encountered no major conflicts. While I like the apartment we live in now, it is only a one bedroom and we both would like to have more space. So we are currently on the hunt for a house. It is proving more daunting that I expected. But we are on a month to month lease so we don't have any real pressure to find something quick. I want it to be something I love rather than just a place I wouldn't mind living in. 

So, that's been the happenings around here. Drew and I are are playing on a kickball team with some of my work co-workers this spring that I'm excited about. Also I've signed up for the Dam to Dam this year and hope to have better results and a non fractured foot this year. I've also signed up for the Twin Cities Marathon and am sooooo excited to tackle this challenge. It will be tough but I cannot wait for the feeling of achievement you get when you finish a distance race. 2012 is sure shaping up to be amazing!

I can't wait to catch up with everyone . I hope your 2012's are just as amazing!

Cheers!

Marisa