Hi friends! Currently the amaz. hubs and I are vacationing in China! Woot!Woot! Hopefully we will be back soon with pictures to share.
Running Tip: How to run when you go on vacation
1.) Make a running priority list - I know that I have to get a 13 miler and a 8 or 9 miler in while we are gone. I have to. I would also like to get in some 3 or 4 milers on my recovery days, but we will see what happens.
2.) Scout out the area you are traveling to - We are traveling to some pretty touristy areas. Good ol' Google, helped me find some running trails already plotted around the city that other tourist have run. If you stay in hotel (we are cheap-o so we stay in hostels) you should SO use the treadmill in the exercise room!
3.) Pack your running clothes/shoes - we are traveling for 7 days. We are ONLY bringing carry-on luggage. If I can fit in my running clothes, you can fit in yours!
4.) Do it! Yes, you may have to wake up at 5 am on the day you fly out to go run in the dark, but you can sleep on the plane later. Think of how hard you have worked to get here - you don't want to loose it :)
Happy traveling and running!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
The Check-List for International Flights
I made a New Year's Resolution to blog twice a week. I should have resolved to blog twice a week for every week I am in the same country as my laptop.
We are currently in China!!!!! Hopefully we are toasty warm wherever we are - it is supposed to be COLD!
Before getting married, I had never flown internationally. Now I think I am into the double digits on the number of international flights I have taken. I thought I would share my check-list for all the international flights we take. You usually have to fill in a customs form when you are on the flight. Some countries check every single line of the form and some don't. But just to be on the safe side, here you go:
____ Passport (if you have a visa, this should be in your passport)
____ Reason for entering country
____ Address of your destination (even if it is a hostel or a hotel, try to have a fairly complete address)
____ Phone number of destination
____ ARC (this is our Alien Registration Card, we have to have it when we leave or re-enter Korea, otherwise it is bad news bears)
____ Estimation of cost of items purchased in another country that you are bringing in with you
I think that is the basics.
Now go fly internationally!
We are currently in China!!!!! Hopefully we are toasty warm wherever we are - it is supposed to be COLD!
Before getting married, I had never flown internationally. Now I think I am into the double digits on the number of international flights I have taken. I thought I would share my check-list for all the international flights we take. You usually have to fill in a customs form when you are on the flight. Some countries check every single line of the form and some don't. But just to be on the safe side, here you go:
____ Passport (if you have a visa, this should be in your passport)
____ Reason for entering country
____ Address of your destination (even if it is a hostel or a hotel, try to have a fairly complete address)
____ Phone number of destination
____ ARC (this is our Alien Registration Card, we have to have it when we leave or re-enter Korea, otherwise it is bad news bears)
____ Estimation of cost of items purchased in another country that you are bringing in with you
I think that is the basics.
Now go fly internationally!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Running Tip Tuesday #4
I can't believe that there are only 10 weeks and a few days until my marathon! Training has been going well.
Running Tip: Have a mantra
I, personally, have struggled with having a positive mental attitude while running for pretty much my whole running career. It is way easier for my mind to list the reason that I should run slower or just take today off than to focus on the benefits I am gaining from running. So here is what helps me when I catch myself making excuses to turn around a mile or two early.
What helps you when you are feeling mentally or physically fatigued while working out?
Running Tip: Have a mantra
I, personally, have struggled with having a positive mental attitude while running for pretty much my whole running career. It is way easier for my mind to list the reason that I should run slower or just take today off than to focus on the benefits I am gaining from running. So here is what helps me when I catch myself making excuses to turn around a mile or two early.
- Have a mantra. I like to think of some short, fun phrases to repeat in my mind whenever I start feeling fatigued during a hard workout or race. {My mantras don't particularly help me on easy run days, but maybe they would help you - whatever tosses your salad.}
- These are my mantras: adjuma power (if you live in Korea, I feel like you will enjoy this one - hahahaha) USA!USA!USA! (Most of the time I am the only American running - I most likely won't do this after moving back to America). Strong to the finish (I only say this one in the last mile of my workout or race.)
- Count backwards from 100. If I have a 1/4 to 1/2 mile uphill stretch coming up, I put my head down, lift my knees, and start counting backwards from 100. It helps me up those lllllllooooonnnnngggg hills.
- Repeat encouraging Bible verses. I think I repeated, "I can do all things through Christ who strengths me." about 9304820348 times during my marathon last year. I have recently memorized Psalm 73:26, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
- Focus on the benefits. By focus on the benefits of running, I really mean think of one delicious piece of food in your kitchen right now (hello clementine oranges!) and how you can eat it as soon as you get done running.
- Trick yourself into running just a bit longer. My cross country coach in high school was instrumental in my running career. The first time I went running with him, I could run for 3 minutes. (Impressive, I know!) He would always challenge me to run as long as I thought I could and then "run to the next tree" (we ran in a park). And then run to the next tree, and then the next one. You can run to the next tree. Or you can run for 2 more minutes (really you can). It helps me to just think about running for 1 more minute, 1 more mile, or 10 more minutes (whatever is applicable).
What helps you when you are feeling mentally or physically fatigued while working out?
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Happy Birthday Binks!
Not to steal your thunder, Binks, but here are two blog posts I have just finished up!
Happy Birthday Mom! We hope you are having a great day!
One of my favorite memories with Binks: Getting lost/going on adventures.
We would get lost/confused while driving quite often throughout my high school years. Usually we were driving somewhere and we decided to take a detour or the scenic route. Usually it would end up that I would pull out the map and try to help my mom figure out where we were and where we needed to go. This is the best part: it was really fun. We usually had a vague idea of the direction that we needed to go. We dubbed these times, "going on an adventure". I think one specific adventure included a three point turnabout in a "driveway" that was NOT made for three point turn-abouts (it may have taken more than three turns to get turned around). AND my grandparents happened to following us this particular time AND they did not really know about going on adventures. I think I was laughing so hard that I was crying. Good times, good times. I just reread this and it sounded kinda lame...it wasn't people, it wasn't.
- Pizza Party
- My photos of making pizza with Bob and Mark!
- Thanksgiving Afternoon
- that one time we went walking and ended up eating fresh kimchi....
Happy Birthday Mom! We hope you are having a great day!
One of my favorite memories with Binks: Getting lost/going on adventures.
We would get lost/confused while driving quite often throughout my high school years. Usually we were driving somewhere and we decided to take a detour or the scenic route. Usually it would end up that I would pull out the map and try to help my mom figure out where we were and where we needed to go. This is the best part: it was really fun. We usually had a vague idea of the direction that we needed to go. We dubbed these times, "going on an adventure". I think one specific adventure included a three point turnabout in a "driveway" that was NOT made for three point turn-abouts (it may have taken more than three turns to get turned around). AND my grandparents happened to following us this particular time AND they did not really know about going on adventures. I think I was laughing so hard that I was crying. Good times, good times. I just reread this and it sounded kinda lame...it wasn't people, it wasn't.
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| Blast from the Past - love you Mom! |
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Running Tip Tuesday #3
Hi friends! Before I can give you the running tip for today, I want to share a fun little part of my Korean life. (Context maybe or may not be one of my new top 5 strengths).
Before we moved to Korea, I rarely watched the Discovery Channel. Okay, so I actually can't remember ever watching the Discovery Channel before moving to Korea.
Then we moved to Korea and our TV has about 3 channels that are in English: the FoxLife channel (America's Funniest Home Video 24/7 Channel), Fashion Channel (America's Next Top Model, Project Runway, etc...but it is only in English 50% of the time), and the Discovery Channel. Oh there are also about 5 channels of CSI, NYCSI, Law and Order, CSI Miami, and any other show similar to those. (This is why Koreans think that 99% of Americans own guns.)
So I watch the Discovery Channel once or twice a week now: Dirty Jobs, Man vs. Wild, Brew Masters, Dual Survival, Mythbusters, How's it Made, and Man, Woman, Wild. For whatever reason, I usually end up turning on the TV right as Man vs. Wild is coming on. Bear Grylls is amazing. And he has taught me quite a few survival techniques (in case, you know, I get lost while running and must construct an overnight structure out of my water bottle and the piece of gum that I am chewing.)
Running Tip #3: Sometimes, it's all mental
So much of running is trying to stay positive mentally. Right now, I don't have a running partner. I run by myself everyday. It is not always fun and it is not always easy (even when I do have a running partner, running is not always fun or easy.) But I have learned (for the most part, I am still human) that the more positive I am about running, the better it goes. If my alarm goes off at 5:30 and I lay in bed thinking about the cold, dark, lonely run I am about to go on...I don't want to go. But if I remind myself that is less than an hour of being outside and I will feel better for getting up and getting the blood pumping, then I am more likely to get out of bed and go run. Personally, staying mentally positive is most important during long runs and hard workouts. I do not love the thought of running 18 miles (3 hours or so) all by myself.
So back to the Bear Grylls/Discovery Channel thing. I have heard Bear on several episodes talk about how postive mentality is so important to survival. It is important if you can make fire from two sticks, but it is more important about how you react to your fire making attempts.
I think the same is true for running. It is not always about covering the mileage or hitting your exact splits, some days it is about staying positive despite the cold, rain, wind blowing in your face, legs aching, just wanting to stop because you feel so tired (not that I have had any runs like that recently).
Happy Running!
Before we moved to Korea, I rarely watched the Discovery Channel. Okay, so I actually can't remember ever watching the Discovery Channel before moving to Korea.
Then we moved to Korea and our TV has about 3 channels that are in English: the FoxLife channel (America's Funniest Home Video 24/7 Channel), Fashion Channel (America's Next Top Model, Project Runway, etc...but it is only in English 50% of the time), and the Discovery Channel. Oh there are also about 5 channels of CSI, NYCSI, Law and Order, CSI Miami, and any other show similar to those. (This is why Koreans think that 99% of Americans own guns.)
So I watch the Discovery Channel once or twice a week now: Dirty Jobs, Man vs. Wild, Brew Masters, Dual Survival, Mythbusters, How's it Made, and Man, Woman, Wild. For whatever reason, I usually end up turning on the TV right as Man vs. Wild is coming on. Bear Grylls is amazing. And he has taught me quite a few survival techniques (in case, you know, I get lost while running and must construct an overnight structure out of my water bottle and the piece of gum that I am chewing.)
Running Tip #3: Sometimes, it's all mental
So much of running is trying to stay positive mentally. Right now, I don't have a running partner. I run by myself everyday. It is not always fun and it is not always easy (even when I do have a running partner, running is not always fun or easy.) But I have learned (for the most part, I am still human) that the more positive I am about running, the better it goes. If my alarm goes off at 5:30 and I lay in bed thinking about the cold, dark, lonely run I am about to go on...I don't want to go. But if I remind myself that is less than an hour of being outside and I will feel better for getting up and getting the blood pumping, then I am more likely to get out of bed and go run. Personally, staying mentally positive is most important during long runs and hard workouts. I do not love the thought of running 18 miles (3 hours or so) all by myself.
So back to the Bear Grylls/Discovery Channel thing. I have heard Bear on several episodes talk about how postive mentality is so important to survival. It is important if you can make fire from two sticks, but it is more important about how you react to your fire making attempts.
I think the same is true for running. It is not always about covering the mileage or hitting your exact splits, some days it is about staying positive despite the cold, rain, wind blowing in your face, legs aching, just wanting to stop because you feel so tired (not that I have had any runs like that recently).
Happy Running!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Once every 6 months or so....
About once every 6 months of my life, I get caught up. I think, as of this moment in time, I am as caught up as I am going to be!
I am sure by next week at this time, I will once again be behind. Such is life.
- I am completely caught up on my two online classes. I have no homework to grade hanging over my head!
- I am completely caught up on my letter writing/pen pals!
- I wrote two blog posts from last year:
- I am completely caught up on Bible Reading and maybe even a little ahead!
- I am one or two Facebook messages away from being caught up.
- I am one or three emails away from being up-to-date.
I am sure by next week at this time, I will once again be behind. Such is life.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Running Tip #2
It is definitely winter here. It is cold out. If the pavement is dry, you can run outside. Wearing the proper clothes when running outside in the winter is so important to having a successful run!
Running Tip #2: Mittens not gloves
I only have one pair of mittens for running. I was washing them this weekend, so I had to wear gloves for my long run. I forgot how cold your fingers can get when you wear gloves. Gloves have more surface area so it easy to loose heat. I think I got my running mittens at Target for like 25 cents. If you are trying to run outside with gloves, give mittens a try!
Happy Running!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Running Tip Tuesday
I have made a New Year's resolution to blog more often.
and
I have 13 weeks and some odd days left until my marathon! Wootwoot!
So welcome to Running Tip Tuesday!
I am going to blog once a week about tips and ideas that help me. Then when I am old and I can not remember things, I will be able to reference these lovely blog posts and remember how I got myself to run 6 days a week.
Running Tip #1: Take a day off without really taking a day off!
This is one of my all time favorite tricks! I love taking days off of running, but I love knowing that I am sticking to my training schedule, burning calories, and spending some time outside with Jesus everyday. So this is what I do. I run when I normally do (right now that is in the afternoon) then I run tomorrow morning. TADA! (Or if you normally run in the morning, switch one run to the afternoon.) I have tomorrow afternoon off to do whatever I want. I also have 24 hours (or more) to let my body rest between the run that I "skipped" and the day after tomorrow's run. This might not sound very helpful, but I do this once a week and it really helps to keep me refreshed mentally.
Side note: Koreans have one word for "the day after tomorrow". Why doesn't English have just one word instead of four? It would make writing this blog post easier I think.
Happy Running!
and
I have 13 weeks and some odd days left until my marathon! Wootwoot!
So welcome to Running Tip Tuesday!
|
| {I made this all by myself} |
I am going to blog once a week about tips and ideas that help me. Then when I am old and I can not remember things, I will be able to reference these lovely blog posts and remember how I got myself to run 6 days a week.
Running Tip #1: Take a day off without really taking a day off!
This is one of my all time favorite tricks! I love taking days off of running, but I love knowing that I am sticking to my training schedule, burning calories, and spending some time outside with Jesus everyday. So this is what I do. I run when I normally do (right now that is in the afternoon) then I run tomorrow morning. TADA! (Or if you normally run in the morning, switch one run to the afternoon.) I have tomorrow afternoon off to do whatever I want. I also have 24 hours (or more) to let my body rest between the run that I "skipped" and the day after tomorrow's run. This might not sound very helpful, but I do this once a week and it really helps to keep me refreshed mentally.
Side note: Koreans have one word for "the day after tomorrow". Why doesn't English have just one word instead of four? It would make writing this blog post easier I think.
Happy Running!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
New Year's Resolution
I have set some goals for 2012. I know, I know, you are just dying to know what they are.
May I rant for one moment about resolutions? If you don't want to listen to my rant, just scroll down. If you make a resolution that is great. But if you make an objective, specific, measurable resolution - that is much better (in my opinion, but then again everything on this blog is my opinion).
- Physical: Run a marathon.
- Preferably in 3 hours and 59 minutes or less.
- Emotional: Set healthy boundaries, mainly in the time management area of my life.
- This means one free "night" a week. One night that has nothing on the schedule.
- Mental: Read books and blog
- I will read my fair share of novels this year for fun, but I want to read 2 "deep" books. Right now I am thinking one of them will be Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.
- I want to post on my blog twice a week. I also want to devote January to updating my blog and finishing up the posts that were scheduled for 2011, but I did not get completely done.
- Spiritual: I want to delve deeper into the Spiritual Disciplines.
- Ian and I have purposed to read the entire Bible in 52 weeks (as of right now, I am not sure if this is going to happen or not, but we will at least give it a try!)
- My verses for 2012 are from Ezekiel 36:25-27, "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command." I added the bold part. I love these verses. God has been convicting me of how hard my heart can be in some areas of my life. I want a soft heart.
- Marriage: I want to pray for Ian more.
- I am going to try to use my 30 minute walk to and from school to pray for my amazing husband.
"Say-hey-bok ma-knee pa-duh-say-yo" That is what I say in my brain to say "Happy New Year" (it does not translate anything close to happy new year, but it what Koreans say this time of year. It really means many blessings, or have a lot of luck or something along those lines).
Did you make any resolutions? What are they?
Did you make any resolutions? What are they?
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