July | 2014 | hellyontherun

One of the things I’ve been loving about blogging is finding other blogs to read. I’m not sure if it was because Colby and Tina commented on a post I wrote or if they commented on my fave, Salt’s blog at one point, but the girls that are It’s A Marathon AND A Sprint are one of my favorite finds.

Last week when I wrote about the awesomeness that is Janji, it was because I had discovered the company through their blog. I love blogs that are informative, honest, humorous, and written by people who care about what they write. You see this in every post Tina and Colby publish.

So it was such a great surprise to find out they nominated me for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award! Surprising because they’re the ones that inspire—not only with their running talents but with the way they write. I’m an English teacher and writing is my thing, so when I read good stuff from good people it makes me want to be a better writer. Thank you Colby and Tina for being such awesome people and considering me for this award.

The Rules:

Thank and link to the person who nominated you
List the rules and display the award
Share seven facts about yourself (I know, I know. MORE stuff about Helly???)
Nominate 15 other amazing blogs and comment on their posts to let them know they have been nominated
Optional: display the award logo on your blog and follow the blogger who nominated you

Alright, I’ll try and make this short and sweet 🙂

1. I don’t like the distance number stickers people put on cars. Nothing against people who do, it’s just not my style. And it’s not just the distance stickers, I’m not a fan of putting any type of bumper sticker thing on my car. You won’t find a stick figure family on the back of my Chevy.

2. I also don’t snot rocket. Again, it’s just not style. Most of the time, I carry a small hand towel or a Runningluv type thing to wipe snot from nose and if all else fails, I’m okay with using my shirt. Gross maybe, but I think snot rockets are grosser.

3. I loved wrestling growing up. My brother and I were huge fans of the World Wrestling Federation (now known as WWEntertainment). I grew up watching Ravishing Rick Rude, The Million Dollar Man, The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels, Bret the Hitman Hart, the Ulimate Warrior, Mr. Perfect, and of course Hulk Hogan. I even went to a few live ones and let me tell you, it was pretty amazing.

I stopped watching shortly after the Stone Cold Steve Austin era ended and when I no longer could smell what The Rock was cooking.

4. My high school job was working at a saddle shop. I wore boots and Wranglers and sold western clothing and cowboy hats. I listened to country music all day and hung out with the the guy who made saddles. It was so cool to see something beautifully handmade begin from just a scrap of leather.

If I ever do a 50 mile race it would be this one only because of the awesome buckle you get when/if you finish.

5. I don’t like soft ice cream. Ice cream from Dairy Queen just doesn’t do it for me. I’m more of a Baskin Robins or Cold Stone type of gal. My favorite flavors are chocolate, chocolate chip, and sherbet. I may even get all three together 🙂

6. Getting lost is my thing. When I was young, I’d always somehow stray away. On summer vacations, it became a running joke that my family would lose me. I got lost at Disneyland one year, at the beach another year, and at our State Fair one October. Luckily all three times I was found pretty quickly.

One time, in my sleep, I rolled off the bed and then somehow ended underneath it! All while still asleep! My parents freaked and even called the police but there I was, snoozing under my bed.

7. I love American history. I know that a lot of people like traveling abroad because of so many historical attractions and don’t get me wrong, I love to do that too, but I love learning about our own country’s beginnings. I’m so pumped for the Marine Corps Marathon because it will be my first time in D.C.

As a teacher, I teach freshman, sophomores, and juniors and I love teaching juniors the best because it’s all American literature. I get to read the The Crucible, Edgar Allan Poe, and The Great Gatsby all day. Heaven.

My nominees (in no particular order):

1. Confessions of an Amateur Athlete
2. The Running Schlub
3. Blog About Running
4. Run Away With Me
5. So Very Slightly Mad
6. This Mama Runs For Cupcakes
7. Black Dog Runs Disney
8. PB&PRs
9. Little Green Running Shoes
10. The Little GSP
11. Life Between the Miles
12. Piper’s Run
13. Running on Healthy
14. Slacker Runner
15. Running Vegetarian

Please check out these awesome blogs!

–What are some good blogs you’re following nowadays?

–Thoughts on my random facts? Wanna share one?

If you’re in the states, I hope you have a great 4th of July tomorrow!!

It’s crazy to think half the year is gone! Is it me, or did it fly by??

I love new months. I know that we shouldn’t wait for a new month or a new week to start anything, that we should start whenever we have the urge or desire or want to, but there’s something about the beginning of a new month that gets me excited about what’s to come. Usually this is when I’m the most motivated.

I uploaded last night’s run (I somehow didn’t learn and went out again in 104 degree weather–106 according to my Garmin info) and looked at my total miles for the month. It was my lowest to date.

There’s nothing wrong with that and honestly I needed a low mileage month. Leading into marathon training, I purposefully wanted to lessen my mileage and rest the legs.

Looking at June’s miles made me want to look at the rest of the year. I had set a goal back in January to run 1000 miles in 2014–a goal that I didn’t care if I met or not but was interested to see how close I got.

Then I started looking at all I’ve done up to this point. I was busy!

Here’s January-June Mid Year Review:

January
Total Miles: 93.75

I ran my sub 2 hour goal half marathon this month and rocked it! I was also pretty deep into marathon training at this point.

February
Total Miles: 77.46

This month was taper month. I ran a great 10k where I placed in my age group and got my first double medal 🙂

March
Total Miles: 93.58

March Marathon Madness!!! My first marathon!!! Unforgettable. Hard. Life-changing.

I learned so much from my first. I love that I don’t have anything to compare it to yet–right now, it’s my best one 🙂 And you never really forget your first.

April
Total Miles: 85.3

Hello Europe!! I was still running pretty consistently here as I prepared for Rock n Roll Madrid, Spain. Another remarkable, unforgettable moment in my life. Traveling through Spain, Italy, and France with my husband was just the best ever.

This was also the month my brother, sister, and I ran our first race together–a family 5k 🙂 (I PR’d in the rain!)

May
Total Miles: 62.95

Oh this is the month I crossed the Grand Canyon twice, no big deal. 😀

June
Total Miles: 47.19

REST!!! You can tell from how busy I’ve been that I needed a good ‘ol month of rest. And even then I had to spice things up by doing my first trail race (and first night race)!

I can’t even explain how excited I am for the rest of the year. I have so much to look forward to (my son turns 1!) and am already so blessed. I’m especially glad I have this outlet where I can document my experiences–sometimes I go back and look at old posts, it’s like sifting through a memory album 🙂

Thank you for being a part of my journey! Here’s to the rest of 2014!
–Do new months motivate you?

–How has your year been so far? Running and life-wise??

hellyontherun

Monthly Archives: July 2014

Very Inspiring Blogger {An Award}

Helloooo July!! Mid-Year Review