Confessions of an Amateur Athlete

My training this week suffered.  I got in a few miles here in there with the pup, but nothing really to write about.  But to make up for it, decide to suffer on South Mountain this weekend. I've got the Ragnar Trail-Snowmass around the corner and that's going to be the Ultimate HILL challenge so, the mountain was a necessary evil.  12 and a half miles of rolling hills.  Rough, but worth the hurt. Earlier this week, I received a box of Pocketfuel samples in the mail.  I actually won it from a Giveaway over on Michelle's blog: http://ironwomanstrong.com/2014/04/27/try-tri-race-recap/ . I'd been hearing a lot of good things about Pocketfuel and was excited to try it out. Their "nut butter" blends are a variety of flavors of almond butter blended with very few natural ingredients like nuts, coco powder, chia seeds, etc.  They are great for those looking for a Vegan option.  Pocketfuel is soy, gluten, and dairy free. Honestly, I'm not se...

Hello there fellow runner/bloggers!  I'm looking to add diversity/variety to my blog with some guest bloggers!  Anything fitness related is fair game! It would be great cross-promotion for the BOTH of us, so just comment below OR send me a direct e-mail at j_heath0404@yahoo.com! Thanks and I look forward to bringing my readers some unique content from YOU!

What an awesome weekend!  Some of the most fun I've had in a long time!  First off, a little "break" from the running for one day, but still a fun day! Me, David, and Janie I celebrated my bday, the bf's bday, and my pup's bday all in one big birthday bash out at the park!  They all fall within a few days of each other so why not use that as an excuse to throw a pig party for my friends AND their dogs!   The BBQ was complete with Booze for the humans, and a cake just for Janie's furry playmates!  I couldn't ask for a better birthday celebration, and we've decided to make it a birthday tradition from now on!   Okay, okay... NOW for the running.   My Ragnar Trail team met for our first team training run together.  Two additional friends met us to join in the torture... er.. I mean "fun".  We hit some tough trails to get our legs ready for the terrain.  There were plenty of hills, rocks, and lots of heat!   We ende...

I called out for YOUR Questions on everything from running, gear, etc.  So here are my answers!  Didn't get a chance to fire off what's on your mind? No worries, you can always ask whatever you want in the comments below, and I'll be doing more "Ask Me Anything" posts along the way!  Here we go! Sarah asked: How are you able to run in the heat? Any special tips, tricks, gear, or supplements help you get through runs in the summer? I'm not a hot weather runner but my marathon training starts in July! I actually JUST did a post about my tricks to SURVIVING the HEAT! Check it out here: http://confessionsofanamateurathlete.blogspot.com/2014/04/surviving-hellish-heat.html   But I will say, my "coolest" trick (pardon the pun) is soaking a mesh hat and sticking it in the freezer.  Then I grab it right before my run.  Keeps my head cool and the ice water rolling down my neck is cold but feels great when its 100+ outside! Sabrina asked: The m...

I've seen a lot of other bloggers doing this, and thought it would be a great way for me to interact with my readers.  A lot of friends/families/readers have very specific questions on their minds, so this is your chance to ask!  Questions about gear, training, running, eating... or even just want to know more about my pup... post your questions down below and I'll create a post later with all the answers!  So fire away and check back soon!  I look forward to hearing from you!  Thanks and Happy Running!!

I'm honored to have been nominated TWICE for the Liebster Award !  The two wonderful ladies and amazing bloggers who nominated me are: Rachel from http://www.runningonhappy.com/   and Ashley from http://thesmallbutmightyrunner.blogspot.com/ So, what's a Liebster Award ?  It's an award given to bloggers by bloggers!  Pretty cool concept! Basically, you nominate fellow "up and coming" bloggers in order to help them gain more readers and get more exposure.  I'm so thankful for the two ladies who nominated me!  Rachel and Ashley have some really awesome blogs and I highly suggest you check 'em out!  It's kind of a "pay it forward" among bloggers (as Rachel put it). And so I'm excited to jump in on the fun!  Here's the general rules: Thank the blogger who presented the award and link back to their blog. Answer the 10 questions the blogger asked of you. Nominate 10 different bloggers. Ask 10 different question...

exxercisemenu.com Running can be tough.  Relationships  can take work.  Mix in the two, and you've got a recipe for either disaster ... or success , depending on the extra ingredients you throw in.  Training can take a lot of time and commitment, but you don't want that to effect your significant other.  Some couples are made of two competitive runners, others are made of one recreational runner and a competitive runner.  Or in some cases you have a runner, and a non-runner.  All of these couples can have a happy ending, but each case presents it's own challenges.  So what's the perfect recipe for a happy medium between running and a healthy relationship? I decided to ask my friends Rob and Tan for some insight into their "running relationship".  They've been together 13 years and are both competitive runners.  How do they make it work?  Here's a little Q&A from the happy runners! (full disclaimer, they...

I'd like to get to know YOU better!  Whether you stop by on occasion, or are a regular vistor to my blog.  So I've created a quick survey to learn more about what you'd like to see more of, how often you stop by, etc. All you have to do is follow the link, answer just a couple questions and... that's it!  Afterwards, I'll be able to get a general idea of how to make my blog a better experience for everyone and hopefully help my site grow!  I thank you for your time and really appreciate your help!   Survey Link Here  

ion-taylor-photography/flikr The temps are already picking up here in the desert!  So it's time to discuss my tricks to surviving the Arizona heat!  I say "surviving" the hellish heat because in Phoenix, we don't BEAT the heat... there's no beating 117+ digits.  Instead, we have to come up with ways to get in our long runs while not being burnt to a crisp in sweltering sun! Yes, it is a "dry heat", but so is an oven .  However, you'd be surprised what your body can get used to.  These days, I've acclimated so much that I'd prefer to go run in 90+ degrees then attempt a run in anything below 30. LOL. So how do I stay alive in the desert?  Here are the tricks I use during my summer training: Stay Hydrated This, of course, is the most important.  I always take EXTRA water with me.  I might normally only need a small handheld bottle for a quick tempo run, but during the summer I'll take a fuel belt to be safe.  My philos...

This Race Review comes from a point of view you may never have had a chance to see: A race organizer's perspective!  I played the role of course operations this weekend at the Pride Run 10K/5K .  In a nutshell, while everyone is out setting up the start/finish and the festivities there, I was in charge of getting the course set up for the runners (ie, cones, volunteers, water stations, signs, etc.)  This was like a 1/4 of the cones.  My dreams were full of these things all night afterwards! lol How did it go?  It was chaotic, it was stressful, but we pulled it off without any major hiccups!  And this was the first time the Phoenix Frontrunners had used this course (which is USATF certified too!).  The biggest issues were the things from the city we had asked for (cones, etc) were not there on time.  It's a good thing I work in news, so I'm used to cutting it close to extremely tight deadlines.  Nevertheless, it's a learning exper...

Phew! What a busy week!  So much going on but all of them great things! First off, an exciting announcement!  I've been accepted as a #BibRavePro!   An ambassador for the awesome runners who've created http://www.bibrave.com/   Think Yelp, but for races.  It's a wonderful resource for us runners.  We can research races we're considering when planning our race calendar, give shout outs about our favorite races, or warn other runners about the problems we've encountered with various races.  bibrave.com Plus, they have great giveaways periodically for those who write up reviews!  Becoming an ambassador for BibRave means great adventures to come and I can't wait to share them all with you! In addition, I've been helping out on the Pride Run 10k/5k this weekend.  I'll be acting as the course administrator.  Basically helping set up the course, making sure volunteers are in the spot, and a variety of other responsibili...