Monthly Archives: April 2012

Flower City Half Recap (1:29.39)

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So about Flower City half marathon.  I needed a day to let this race simmer-in fact I didn’t even write a race recap until now (12:30pm).  I’m not really sure why the race itself bothered me so much, but it did.  I don’t even know what I was expecting to do but whatever it was-I didn’t do it. 

So anyways, about the race.  I went down to Rochester, NY the Saturday before.  Picked up my race packet…all the jazz and was in bed by 10pm.  I ended up driving down with Justin (awesome 50ker), Shannon (a cross country teammate of mine…her first half!) and Justin’s friend Evan.  It was such a fun car ride (all crammed into my car…with gas station coffee of course).

The morning of the race, I was feeling good (not great) but a bit tired and groggy.  We got to the race around 7 am (and it started at 7:30).  Somehow the rest of my party (ie: the boys…ran off past Shannon and I and we never even saw them till after the race).

The race started and I threw off some shirt and began.  It was quite cold, so I had to bring my first ever throw away article of clothing.  It ended up being yellow so I looked like a giant lemon between my yellow shorts and shirt (poor wardrobe choice)  I felt pretty good for the first mile (a bit stiff) but I hit mile 1 at 6:40.  Immediately, my thought process spiraled downhill and I mentally checked out of the race…at mile 1. 

I knew the hills at this race were going to push some of miles ABOVE 8 minutes (and they did).  I knew it wasn’t a PRing race (and it wasn’t).  I also knew there was another female very close to me and it just put me in a state of anxiousness (if I’m being honest…).

So with that, I hit the second mile in exactly 13:00.  Then I kept a rough 6:30 pace until mile 7.  At mile 4, they told the other girl and I we were number 9 and 10.  (I literally could not see any other females AT ALL…and I could see about 2-3 min up).  (Come to find out-an elite running group came and the first 6 females finished below 1:24)

So with that, we entered Highland Park.  A brutal couple of hills.  It climbs about 200 feet within less then half a mile…then flats and turns around and climbs an equally as painful hill.  It hurts but I am a hill runner and I like to drop people on hills.

And I did.  I didn’t see that girl again and my mind was put into ease.  At mile 9, the 1:30 pacer paced me and it was honestly devastating.   I didn’t even think I was going above a 1:30 pace, but it just put me more mentally down.

(Come to find out they finished the race in 1:27.5X!)

The rest of the race was a bit of a blur actually, I couldn’t get my gel open and it legit exploded on my face.   I was just focused on finishing and getting this race done with.  It wasn’t a race that I wanted to last forever (like last week).  It was just a race that I wanted done and over with.
When I could see the end of the race, I picked it up as best as I could and ended up finishing in a 1:29.39.  For the hills, this is a good time.  For racing last week, this is a good time.  I’m not thrilled with it but I’m willing to accept it and move on.  Not every race can be your favorite.  *I don’t need anyone to tell me to be ecstatic with my time or something along those lines and please don’t.

But on a side note my (brother’s that I stole) flats developed a hole on the side.  lolz.  

Questions for you:

Do you like hills? 

How many miles do you put on your running shoes? 

WEGO: Six sentences about Blogging

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WEGO: Write something of interest in 6 sentences

**This is perfect for us simpleton folks (ie…me). 

Ode to Blogging

Blogging is the greatest stress reliever in my life.  I could ramble away about meaningless nothings and be happy.  I have met great people who share similar interests in real life and interwebz life.  I have transformed as a person through blogging changing majors, finding running and quitting swimming. I seem to never run out of things to blog about or that interest me, similarly I never run out of blogs that interest me.  Plus I can look back to see what I was doing a year (or almost two) ago. 

Question for you: Write 6 sentences about any topic and post it. 

WEGO Bffers for Life.

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WEGO: The First Time I… Write a post about the first time you did something. What is it? What was it like? What did you learn from it?

I couldn’t really think of any first time things I’ve done recently. 

That is a really weird sentence but it happens.  I was going to write about the first time I ran a road race that I’ve enjoyed (but I did here).  The first time I decided that a math major wasn’t for me (here).  The first time I contemplated quitting swimming and vlogged (here). 

——-

I’ve been waiting to use another bonus prompt (because there are so many great ones).  I choose the one that said to write about your best friend.

It’s absolutely no secret that my best is aDuBs.  We have been best friends for the past million years (what can I say…we are time travelers…). 

Bests friends fo lifee.

Anyways, it is my pleasure to say that my highly intelligent bffer will be teaching English to Chinese students next year (for an entire year!).  I would love to go visit her and celebrate.   Anyways-here is yet another blog entry dedicated to my best friend who has gone through everything with me.  Go check out her blog too as she gets ready to travel to China and is there too!  

As always-we take great photos.

Happy Saturday!

Question for you: Who is your bffer? 

WEGO: Challenges with a Healthy Lifestyle

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WEGO: Write 5 Challenges about your health focus. 

I’m not sure of my exact health focus in all honesty.  I like to focus on overall wellness of being happy, enjoying your workouts (most of the time), and just enjoying food on the regular.  So in short my health focus is staying stress (and worryfree) with the emphasis on staying worry free to what others think of your lifestyle.

Challenge 1: Your friends “don’t get it”

So this is a problem that we as bloggers and people struggle with.  For instance, I have gotten plenty of comments about my food intake (from waitresses, from people reading my blog..ect).  People either assume you eat not enough when choosing a salad for dinner or the ever so annoying waitress who says “You are eating all of that?”

Both equally upset me-I don’t sit there and critique what others eat (nor does it particularly bother me) so I don’t understand why people get upset with what I eat.  Sure I notice if someone is getting a big ass burger, French fries and five beers, but who am I to judge-their business not mine.

Challenge 2: You are “busy” due to training or working out

My teacher could not have said it better last week.  Schedule your workouts in as your personal time.  People have told me countless times, oh Hollie you are just so busy, you should devote time to other things instead of running all the time.  Devote time to what…getting drunk with you guys and having a serious hang over?  I can assure you because I spend 1.5 hours daily running, I also have plenty of time to do other things.

Challenge 3: Your order contains bits and pieces from five different meals to make up one. 

I know a lot of vegans and vegetarians struggle with this.  It isn’t normally something I do, but I have heard of people specializing their meals.  I’m too awkward and confusing to do that.  I’ll just pick out the crap I don’t like. 

Challenge 4: The comment of, You are eating healthy, how are those salads going for you?

No.  You are an oblivious moron and “salads” are not the only healthy food.  (That’s all I have to say about that).

Challenge 5:  The ever so common: You eat healthy=you are trying to lose weight.  (then the slew of comments with do you have a problem blah blah blah.) 

Oh do I get that a lot.  This is my personal least favorite comment of all of them.  I get this in real life (when I don’t go out and drink…it must mean I have a problem.   I clearly chose to not get wasted the DAY before my half marathon and my only motive was to save calories).  I also get countless emails about it in the blogging world even though I don’t normally post anything about my food intake.

Anyways-if a comment can lead me to be snippy, it’s normally that one.  I have responded with “You are eating shit, are you trying to gain weight?”  What can I say…it’s a comment that often bothers me the most and I do not have a filter when I get angry.

That being said, you don’t eat with a single person your entire life anyways.  They don’t know what you eat when you aren’t with them, nor should they care.  Don’t make comments about other peoples food and just try and take the high road when people want to put a damper on your parade.  They don’t have to live in your body. 

Question for you: What are some challenges in your life, health focus?  Anything to add with this one? 

WEGO: FueledByLOLZ

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WEGO: Give your blog a tagline. 

Okay so I think this is another WEGO that I have previously taken care of.  My blog, afterall is called FueledbyLOLZ and I honestly think it depicts my life mentality and physically perfectly.

lolzen and running

My blog is not meant to depict what I eat and the food I consume, just know that I’m neither underweight (or coming close) nor do I have a terrible diet.  I would like to think I eat what I enjoy the most but don’t get too upset when that doesn’t work out.

lolzen and...drinking... (this is my 21st birthday) ;) Summer Series Race for all you VA Beachers

My life is fueled by laughs and by enjoying myself.  I think it’s pretty obvious that I don’t really get my panties in a bunch too much.  I like to keep a carefree lifestyle and not be as structured and scheduled as some might think.   With running and working out, as well as college, friends, family, and other miscellaneous things, I don’t have time to be upset when a certain aspect of the day does not go my way.

Lolzen and eating.

I can guarantee you one thing about my life (not much but one). 

lolzen and waiting to swim!

I try and enjoy as much of life as possible.  If I were one to get upset when things go my way and cry myself a river-well then I would have probably gone to the Olympics for kayaking through my life river.  I laugh.  I love.  I indulge.  I divulge.  I do things I enjoy.  That I hate.  That I thought I would hate.  Risk taker.  Life liver.

Fueled by lolz. 

Question for you:  What is your blog tagline?