Tag Archives: blog

Mountain Goat Run 10 Miler (1:08.23)

By Posted in Running Tagged , , , 43 Comments

I wrote a pretty lengthy recap on my dailymile a few days ago, I didn’t think I could possibly find more to say…but alas…I can always find more to say. 

The Mountain Goat is not a race you run to PR.  You run it because it’s hard and hilly and everyone in the Central NY area knows that…Coming off my half marathon at Nike last weekend, I knew I would be rolling in the pain train this weekend.   I wasn’t exactly sure where this race would go but really wanted to be under 70 minutes.  (That may seem like oh Hollie surely you can do that stop underestimated your goals…no this is a hilly hard course).  The gold standard for woman is 70 minutes and every female that finishes sub 70 gets a gold medal (males I believe it’s 60 minutes).

Moving on, so once I knew that placing wasn’t an option and that I would be hovering around 70 minutes I made that my goal. 

The race itself started at 10:20.  It was already extremely hot when I got there but found parking, mused around and did a 2 mile warmup.  I left at 7:45…because well I had nothing better to do and god knows I don’t want to frantically be there at race start.  (or speed there)

We all lined up and I got a glimpse of Jason (who had given me some pretty solid advice about the race and later broke an hour!  You go on with your bad self).  Also at the start, I saw someone from my Potsdam calculus class…it was super awkward because I was literally like (out of nowhere mind you…you went to Potsdam right?  We were in the same ACalc class some 3 years ago…)…creepings kind of my thing. 

So with that we were off.  Mile 1, I felt like I was not moving very quickly and was literally running elbow to elbow with people.  That is something I’ve never experienced in any race…I had to keep reminding myself that I did not want to roll out the pain train just yet.  So I hovered with a 6:41 first mile.  (I was secretly hoping some of these people might roll the pain train because it was a hot sweaty mess and it smelled).

Mile 2 we had the first set of hills and I passed 3 females… I really only pay attention to females…sorry dudes…don’t care what you do…minus I talked to a nice one for a couple sentences.  (7:03 mile)

Mile 3-5 had some serious brutal downhills.  I thought I might roll down the hill faster…since I run on my toes (literally a human ostrich…fun fact it’s how I walk too) downhills have always been a struggle.  Both these miles were high 6:50s.

Mile 5 was preparing us for mile 6 and was pretty flat..(6:46)

Oh mile 6…the mile I nearly cried on…the mile I passed 4 more girls…the mile I cursed more than a sailor…yes that is mile 6…(7:03)

Mile 7: The mile started to tell me I was almost done and also the mile I realized that 48:45 did not give me much run leeway for sub 70 minutes.  Oh and I saw 2 boys stop and walk…people running in the sub 70 minute range that needed to walk.  Oh hills. (7:05)

I don’t really remember mile 8 except high fiving a little boy saying thanks my main man.  (6:59)

Mile 9, I began picking it up…so I you know…break 70 minutes.  (6:21)

Mile 9-10 I literally said…oh yes we are getting that sub 70 and turbo charged it…literally one man said da faq did you come from little lady…I said (as I’m going into cardiac arrest by this point…must…have. ..gold.. medal…haha)

And I did.  Those race photos I probably look like I’m about to run to get some coffee or something, I’m pretty sure the only thing I had on my mind was a sub 70 minute time. Hashtag all that determined, focused stuff people do…(yes I realize I spelled medal wrong…but I’m over it)

memountaingoat1

It was nice to see so many familiar faces.  I’m looking at you Heather and Christine.  As well as a lot of others.  It was certainly a great final Syracuse race and I’m 100% glad I did it.  Did I feel awful the entire time?  Absolutely.  Is this a PR for me?  No, it’s 4 minutes slower…Did I have great time?  Duh.

Heather and I

Heather and I

Questions for you:

Hilliest race you have ever done?

Do you high five spectators, talk or anything during races?

Because I do all three.

MEDEL

Hashtag Blogger Problems

By Posted in Reads Tagged , , , 69 Comments

I hope I still have readers after this post…whoops not really.  I made a list of things that quite frankly, if you have ever chatted with me in real life than you probably already know…but those who haven’t need to get a taste of a LOLZ rant.  I like to blog…I really enjoy it but there are a lot of things I hate and don’t care for.  Sure I could stop reading said blogs (99.9% I have) but the very few are just a nice train wreck waiting to happen.

Why?

  1. You comment on 100 blogs.  Please, you are being fake, do you tell 100 friends they are your best friends?  No, shut up.
  2. Also with commenting, if you read bigger blogs…fine.  Who cares?  Don’t hide it and be the first to comment every single time.  I DO read bigger blogs but when did I say I didn’t…I also shop at Walmart and department stores a lot versus small stores…oh no.
  3. You write to please your readers.  I know for a fact this post will probably get some criticism…oh well.  We can’t be mature and please all the people all the time.  Be true to yourself.
  4. That being said, I read the comments of blogs as equally as I read the actual posts.  An example: Oh my stars LOLZ, you make the best recipes…I love you.  (That is a waste of a comment…stop it now, it’s borderline creepy…I want to hear I love you from hm…5 people in total).
  5. This right here in every situation.  If two people comment on a post:
    1. LOLZ, you make a valid point here…I don’t like peanut butter the texture is weird.  I respond with: yeah peanut butter is gross and I haven’t eaten it in years.
    2. LOLZ, I love peanut butter how could you say such a thing, my heart is shattered into 1000 pieces?  I respond with: It’s not that I don’t like peanut butter, I just don’t purchase it a lot.  It’s still awesomesauce bomb.com material.

Either you like something or you don’t.  Stop changing your mind to please every commenter or blogger.  Stop kissing ass.

  1. You blog for the people and only for the people.  Just to be clear, noone blogs solely for themselves.  Duh.  However, when you start to say…well I stopped writing about my hobby (mine is running) because no one was reading…how do you know?  Because no one commented on my training log?  Oh no…
  2. I’m not saying post everyday about your personal life…but stop with these every day blogger themes.  Of course you don’t have a personal life, you are too busy commenting on 10000 blogs and writing 100000 word themed posts.  How about Wake the Fuck up Wednesday…that can be tomorrow.

That’s all I have to say for now but I’m sure there are more.

Question for you: Most obnoxious blogging problem? 

Blogging Inspirations

By Posted in Personal Tagged , , , , , 33 Comments

There are a lot of people and bloggers, both where I live in Upstate and VA and around the world I look up too.  A good portion of them I have met in real life…a good portion I have not.  Regardless, I like to read their blogs and try and model a lot of what they do.  Part of the reason I started blogging in the first place was to connect with those that ran, swam, and had similar lifestyles as me…both athletically and not.  The other part that I didn’t really realize some 3 years ago when I started blogging was the amount of people who didn’t have similar lifestyles as myself and that I would end up looking up too.

That being said, I decided to share (with really telling anyone…so surprise!) some of the bloggers I really just look up too.

Laura S.

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It’s hard for me to imagine that I’ve literally been talking to Laura for close to two years now.  My where is time going? She supported me through my first running injury (stress fracture), through personal life problems and just anything and everything in between.  Although she doesn’t blog entirely too much she has a very strong social media presence.   She has always been willing to give me advice when I need it, helped me out in tougher (unblogged times) and she is honestly just plain awesome.

Laura A.

laura

I’m so glad that Laura and I connected.  First, she is an incredible runner. (Obviously no secret considering I enjoy driving out to run with her and I never used to run anywhere but outside my front door).  She is such an inspiration to me and has run anywhere from a 5k to a full marathon.  (She is training for a marathon in a few weeks, wish her luck!).  I always enjoy hanging out with her whether running or not, and absolutely love that I can talk to her about anything.

Caitlin (Rose Runner)

Yes, I stole this photo off your blog...I couldn't fly out this week to the west coast to take a photo myself...

Yes, I stole this photo off your blog…I couldn’t fly out this week to the west coast to take a photo myself…

Every time Caitlin posts, I’m literally glued to my screen reading it.  Although we have never met in real life, (please take me to California), I find her extremely inspirational.  She doesn’t post crap, she doesn’t need a coach and she continues to have great runs.  She has the same sort of passion for running, food, blogging and life in general that I do.

Kris

Seriously, I was like oh my lanta...a photo with Kris?!

Seriously, I was like oh my lanta…a photo with Kris?!

Kris is an extraordinary runner from VA Beach (ie: my area back home).  Not only that but she is a genuine and inspirational woman.  She has given me advice in numerous occasions (outside of running) and her running and races inspire me every time.  She is actually running Boston in a few days (and I can only hope she PR’s…but I know she will, she has PRed every marathon).

Shannon

Shannonandi

I could write a lot about how inspirational Shannon is.  Shannon has overcome a lot of hard struggles in her life that led her to where she is today.  A dietetics major (which I can’t imagine reading BS on blogs that claim to know about nutrition and learning the real talk in school) and having the actual credentials.  Anyways-she is truly inspirational and really has helped me through a lot. Just to give you an idea of what level we are on, it’s before 6 am…I’m writing this post and we are currently texting.  True story.

Finally, don’t forget to vote and tell all your friends to vote for the #coffeeaday contest.

Questions for you:  Who do you look up too?   

Blogger Thoughts

By Posted in Personal Tagged , , 34 Comments

Here are some interesting blogs topics I’ve found for discussion:

You leave for a week or two…schedule guest posts or no?

I might schedule a couple of interesting ones when I go out of town…I scheduled a couple of posts when I went to Texas but I don’t stress about it. I didn’t schedule every day and don’t think I ever would.  No one cares that much if I’m gone for a couple of weeks…

Blog about significant others?

Occasionally…

Yummy...frog legs...he is a healthy living blogger and doesn't know it...

Yummy…frog legs…he is a healthy living blogger and doesn’t know it…

How long do you take for a real life event to happen to announce it on the blog?

Imagine that sometimes I don’t even put real world events on the blog…I went to work without blogging about it.  I went on a date without blogging about…generally I would prefer to tell all of those involved, wait a few days to let it simmer and then announce it.  But I never really have big announcements anyways?  My life isn’t that exciting.

What time of blog do you classify yours as?

A LOLZ blog.  Running, somewhat healthy living, coffee, pancakes and lolz…

LOL

LOL

Define healthy living blog.

I don’t really care.  Just kidding, I think that a healthy living blogging is someone who chooses to eat and live in a healthy lifestyle.  I consider myself a healthy living blogger.   

How often do you blog?

Mostly every day.  If I need a break then I take one…if I don’t need a break…I don’t take one.  I like to schedule posts at 8am because I am a morning person so I assume everyone else waits at 7:59 to get a post.

Why do you blog?

I blog because I truly enjoy it.  I enjoy the people I have met through blogging and I enjoy being able to bounce ideas of others and listen to peoples advice that have credentials to give it to me.  I don’t solely blog for myself…otherwise I’d write in a diary or Microsoft word.  If you tell me you “blog solely for yourself and no one else” well take a week and only type posts into Microsoft word.

Questions for you: Answer some…or all. 

Blogging about Blogging

By Posted in DailyMusings Tagged , , 63 Comments

I write this with no target or no one I’m directing this at.  I am merely just collecting all my thoughts about blogging-the good, the bad…the whatever else in between. 

On vacation I did a lot of thinking away from the blog.  I had scheduled a couple of posts and read a few blogs in some downtime I had but other then that…I existed…outside of the blogging world.  Not only existed but I don’t even feel compelled to give you a play by play and daily schedule of what I did…I don’t really share my entire life (shockingly) on social media and I prefer it that way.

I’ve come to realize as I move into another stage of my life, I don’t relate with a lot of bloggers who I used to read very regularly.  I find myself reading a few blogs and just complaining to myself or wanting to offer advice that they don’t want, need or it’s not really my place to say…after all I’m only reading a section of their lives too.

There was a point in my blogging career that I was reading about 30 blogs daily.  (Granted some didn’t post daily but there were upwards of 30 on my reader).  I found myself skimming posts and just wanting to write a comment to get the approval of said blogger.  It got to a point that I was stressed when I couldn’t read blogs.  I would always post blogs because scheduling blogs is easy.  I could write them all on Sunday…have them scheduled for the week and then read blogs and edit them throughout the week.  During that time period, the more peoples blog I commented on…the more that read mine.  I was achieving ultimate blogging status.

My “blogging” was golden…for me at least.

But then I realized or maybe grew up a little bit…if I don’t read the blogs (by read I mean skim) that I have no interest in…I’m saving myself time and I’m saving myself the issue of coming up with things to say that are really forced.  Point blank: Your blog can’t appeal to everyone and that’s fine.  I don’t need to pretend that I enjoy reading something that really just bothers me…or I don’t care about.

As I “grow up” and move into the “real world” I’ve found some blogs that I can’t relate too…

  1. A younger mindset.  I am young and I get that…I’m 22 and that certainly puts me into the younger category of bloggers.  But when you are still in a slightly immature mindset and half the posts are whiney or day to day boyfriend, school and work drama I can’t relate.  You will probably notice I almost never talk about work…day to day issues or drama…you don’t know whose reading and believe me on that one.
  2. Too many giveaways and sponsors.  I love free stuff…but really when every other post is laden with it…it loses its draw.
  3. If all you do is day by day themed posts…marvelous Monday…terrific Tuesday…WIAW…thirsty Thursday…erg you get the point.
  4. Multiple posts daily.   I have a job and a life so will probably only read one. ..Same goes for long posts….(I’ll eat my words for this post).
  5. This shouldn’t bother me but it does and will probably be the first for you to lose me as a reader.  I’m not sure if people realize that when you comment on someone else’s blog..it’s still you.  You can’t post “I hate peanut butter” on your blog and then tell another blogger “oh my lanta, peanut butter is the bomb”…but it works with everything.  Be who you are…don’t make up things on your blog, comments, social media…at least if you are going to lie…streamline it all and be believable.

That being said (and this post is getting wordy) but there are a lot of bloggers I can relate too.  Those who leave mystery to their life, aren’t the first to comment on every single persons post, honest…we all have bad days and bad races, runners, swimmers, even some of you bikers who I enjoy reading dearly.  The 12 blogs I am subscribed too come from all different walks of life: still in college, 30 years old, athletes of all backgrounds, losing weight, gaining weight, overcoming long term injuries, struggling to find a real life job, preparing to get married…met in real life…wish I could meet in real life…wordpress…blogging…tumblr…Those who chat with their readers or offer advice when asked.  (lesson learned: don’t give advice unless someone asks point blank).

But that’s that.

Questions for you:

  1.   How many blogs are you subscribed too?
  2.  What makes a good or not so good blog in your opinion?