2013 RBR 25K

It happened again! I ran the River Bank Run 25K race for the fifth time on Saturday. I was a little unsure about how this race would come together. I've been running/training pretty consistently since January. I maybe didn't rack up as many miles during the week as I have in past years, but managed to make all my long runs happen. Going into the race, I just wanted to finish and finish strong with a time that I could be happy with.

The forecast was for cool temps and it included rain. The weather for River Bank Run is infamously rainy or threatening to rain. So I've grown to expect that. They said it probably wouldn't rain until later in the day. I left my house wearing long sleeves, capri running pants and my fingers crossed. While it was a bit windy on certain stretches of the course, it DID NOT rain! The temperature was perfect - probably around 45, maybe 50 degrees toward the end of the race.

I started off the race with one my running group buddies, who I happened to spot in the chute. We couldn't find any of our other friends, so we ran and just kept looking. My buddy is faster than me, so once he got warmed up, around the three mile mark heading onto Indian Mounds Road, I lost sight of his neon yellow shorts. So I was on my own in the midst of 6,600 or so other runners!

Indian Mounds is notoriously non-descript. You're on a paved path through the woods next to the Grand River for about four miles, with nothing but tree after tree to your left and right. Thankfully, I think there are two aid stations to break it up, but otherwise, it's you and the trees. My strategy for getting through the woods and most of the race without over-thinking anything was to keep my head down and limit my sight line to the few steps ahead of me. All about staying in the moment so I could stay on pace.

I was pretty happy to find as I passed each official time clock at the mile markers that I was keeping the exact pace I wanted - 10 minute miles. Just after the half-way mark coming out of Johnson Park, I was surprised to run into another running buddy. We chatted into the hills on Butterworth before turning onto Maynard and then drifted apart.

Turning off Maynard back onto Butterworth, there was an aid station with handing out tissues. There was a lady standing there with a box of tissues and she was like an angel! It may seem like such a small thing, but with the cooler air, my nose had been sniffling a bit, so a tissue was super appreciated. So she deserves a huge shout out!

I could tell I was slowing down just a bit, and made a point that if walked at all through the aid stations, that I would try my best to hustle for a bit before leveling my pace off so I could make up the time. It seemed to have worked. When I hit the "one mile left" marker, it was looking really good for me to make my goal time, if I kept hustling.

Another great energy push is seeing people you know along the course! My friend K, her husband and boys were out cheering at the turn from Garfield to Lake Michigan Drive. Seeing them right there as the last few miles were coming together was perfect! A few of the guys from the Running Club were out there along the course giving high fives and cheering. Their presence is always appreciated.

Turning the corner onto Ottawa, I kept my head down to make it up the hill. It's funny to call it a hill, because when you drive that street in your car, you'd never even notice that you're going down hill. It's a one way when driving, but running up the incline after you've run 14 or so miles, you're definitely conscious of the fact that you're going up hill! I just kept running. As I neared the finish line, I heard my mom call my name. She was cheering me on and it worked! I found an extra bit of energy to sprint it out to the finish line, crossing just under my goal time.

My official time was 2:39:24. That's a personal record for me!! I'm so excited!! And get this, it's 14 minutes and 32 seconds faster than last year (I have no idea what happened last year - it was and hopefully always will be my worst RBR 25K time!) I felt great afterward, even jogged on an off back to the car since I had started to cool off and knew I'd be warmer if I wasn't walking.

I'm not sure what's next. Do I go for another marathon? Do I do a few half marathons? If we have another sweltering summer like last year, I can tell you one thing, I won't be racing. The heat it just too much. I'm going to take a few days off, and then get back to my runs during the week and something a bit longer on the weekends.

Grateful for such a good race!

When one door closes, you get a new window

Last October, after thinking about if for a few years, I finally had my bathroom remodeled. K asked me about it tonight and I realized that I shared pics over on FB, but never posted anything about the process here. So...here we are. Better late than never!

First of all, it was a giant process to just to find a contractor who wasn't trying to finance a new boat or their kid's college education with my bathroom remodel alone. Ugh. Seriously, I had one contractor who gave me a quote that was five times higher than what I actually paid the contractor I ended up choosing. It was ridiculous.

So anyway, the process went so smoothly once I found my contractor and it turned out exactly how I wanted it to. My contractor was great to work with. I think it really helped that I had been thinking about this remodel for years. I already knew exactly what I wanted the finished bathroom to be, so going into it, there weren't a bunch of things I had to make decisions about.

Not going to lie, it was a little dicey to be without a bathroom - this is the only bathroom at Casa Starr Fish. Let's just say I got by with a little help from friends and family. Traveling a few days to New Orleans for work also helped. In all, the demolition of the old and the construction of the new took less than two weeks.

Are you ready to see how it all came together? Who doesn't love before and after images? First, let's look at how yucky the original space was:

Old gross tile in the shower. And yes, behind that mini shower curtain, that's a window in the shower. A regular, wood frame, double-hung window In.The.Shower.

Not for long!!! Along with the wall tile, that window was the first thing to go! 

This is the exact kind of window I had envisioned in all  my bathroom remodel dreams. The contractor just made a larger, wider space for the new window and filled in the leftover space from the old window. I don't have images, but they even did a fantastic job matching the siding outside. It doesn't even look like the old window was ever there.

TaDa! This is how cute the new bathroom looks! I had the lighting updated. Also replaced the old tile floor with new tile. And replaced the old crusty sink with a new sink and sink cabinet.

 Here's a peek behind the curtain at the new window and shower tile. The window and tile make me so happy! It's perfect!

Here's a close up of the sink and sink cabinet and you can also see the floor tile. The sink and cabinet are from IKEA. Originally, I wanted to put a pedestal sink in, but when I was sourcing materials, I realized even the smallest pedestal sink would not fit properly. It would have overwhelmed the space. So this is what I came up with and it's quite perfect. 

So there you go! That's the story of my bathroom remodel. If you have any questions, drop me a line or leave it in the comments.

Valtari

Sigur Rós: Valtari on Nowness.com

When I first came across this video months ago, I watched/listened repeatedly. The song is really working for me today. Can't. Stop. Listening.

And the dancers? They make me want to go back in time and take dance classes. Or take them now. Unbelievable!

Oh, and a warning if you're at work...shirts come off at the end of the video, so it's slightly NSFW, but in a really artful way.

Don't you worry...

Struggling tonight with lots of heavy feelings about Boston, about the state of our world. What it all means. What I'm supposed to do. I was sitting in a quiet house feeling all those heavy feelings and I realized these lyrics were going through my head:

"Don't you worry, don't you worry, child.
See heaven's got a plan for you.
Don't you worry, don't you worry, now"

As kooky or hokey as it might sound...I believe it. I'm having a really hard time waiting...but I have to believe it's all for a reason.

I hope you are well tonight, knowing there's a plan for each and every one of us.

Now: Music

28 Days by erikino.

Listen/watch. Repeat. Leave a comment if you liked it!

Currently: The Retail Edition

Happy St. Patrick's Day! What's left of it anyway. Did you wear green? I'm wearing a kelly green top to keep any pinchers at bay. Ha!

So on to what's current: the retail edition.

Since St. Patrick's Day is nearly over and all the stores have been in Easter mode since Valentine's Day, I have a new Easter candy to tell you about. Vanilla Creme Marshmallow Peeps! I was at Tarjay yesterday and did a quick walk through of the snack area and peeped these new Peeps! I'm a pretty big fan of regular Peeps, so much so that I did not want to buy the package of 12 or whatever, because I'd likely eat all of them. So when I saw a package of three Vanilla Creme Peeps, I was intrigued and they jumped in my cart. My review in one word: delicious! I highly recommend if you're a Peeps fan!

Do you have a favorite mascara? I got a sample of Benefit's They're Real! Mascara from Sephora. My favorite, tried and true mascara is Voluminous False Fiber Lash Mascara from L'Oreal, but I do love to try a new product. So I've tried They're Real! a few times now since I got the sample. The brush has strange, plastic-y fibers that I haven't quite gotten used to. Once it's on, it actually looks good. It doesn't clump, but I've also noticed that it flakes a bit during the day, so you end up with tiny black specks on your cheeks. That's not cool. Maybe I'm doing it wrong? I'm going to keep trying it out here and there to see if it can completely win me over. What's your go to mascara?

Grand Rapids is now home to a Home Goods and a newly relocated TJ Maxx. From all the traffic you'd think the stores were giving away $100 bills to everyone who walked through the door. I managed to grab a parking spot in the heavily crowded parking lot and took a gander at what the fuss was about. The stores have separate entrances, but are connected, since they really are the same store. The Home Goods just has more of what the normal housewares section of our old TJ Maxx had.  It will be nice to have Home Goods as an option for house things. The TJ is a lot nicer and more spacious than the old location just across the parking lot, unfortunately though no $100 giveaway! No purchases were made. Will wait until the hype dies down, so I can browse in peace!

I opened with a sneaky sugar snack, which was a total treat since I'm trying real hard to keep to healthy eating these days. I've long been a fan of almonds as healthy snack. I recently came across these 100 calorie snack packs of cinnamon roast almonds by Emerald Nuts. For some reason I can't find a link to them, but trust, they are yummy and the perfect snack size. Do you have a go to healthy snack? Do share!

Now: Music

Music is totally one of my things. I listen to music pretty much all the time and although I don't play an instrument or arrange music of my own, I'm captivated by other people's musical creativity. I've been that way as long as I can remember. One of my earliest musical memories is from before I was in kindergarten, so I was probably three or four. My parents were playing some classical music on the stereo and I started crying and told them to "turn off the sad music." Clearly, I connected with music on an emotional level at an early age.

My musical taste now is all over the place, as evidenced by what's high up in my current musical rotation:

• Torches by Foster the People. I've been running to this album for a few weeks.
• Unapologetic by Rihanna. I had heard a couple singles and thought, "meh," but hearing the whole album, it has grown on me.
• Saturdays=Youth by M83. This is mostly super chill, hipster music that would make good rom/com movie soundtrack music.
• Lula Divinia by Shiner. This one's a throwback. I used to listen to it a ton, but somehow lost the CD. I recently procured it again, so I'm catching up! 

I'm usually an iTunes on shuffle kind of gal, but for some reason I'm into the start to finish thing with these particular releases. 

Also here's a couple random songs I've also been digging:

San Tropez by Fyfe: 

Sail by Awolnation:

Like? Don't like? What's got your ear these days? 

Weekend Uniform

Does your hoodie match the rug like mine does? Ha! #favoritecolor

Do you ever get so enamored with an outfit you feel like you could wear it forever? That's where I'm at with this outfit. Call it my weekend uniform. I wore a variation of it last weekend and this was Saturday's outfit. I realized that it's pretty much screams teen skater boy. Right?! I posted a pic of the hoodie/hat combo last weekend on instagram and got some random likes from the 20 and under crowd. Kind of hilarious considering how old I actually am. But I love that I can still pull this off. It's comfortable, yet I still feel pulled together and stylish.

Shoes: Wedge high tops from Target with a a little stud detail on the velcro strap.
Pants: Skinny gray cords that I've had for a few years.
Hoodie: From the boy's section at Target. No joke. I love it though.
Jean jacket: BCBG Maxazria Jeans.
Hat: Calvin Klein from Nordstrom Rack. Picked it up after Christmas and pretty much have been wearing it non-stop since.

What outfit are you rockin' on repeat?

#notclearon

One of my favorite hashtags on Twitter is #notclearon. Since I'm not limited to 140 characters here, I thought I'd share some of my favorite (or not, as the case may be) items and situations I'm not so clear on. Then, if you're feeling it: leave one or two of yours in the comments. Or if you have an explanation to one of mine, feel free to leave that in the comments as well. Maybe we can clear some things up!

People who don't shovel the snow off their sidewalks. #notclearon You might not walk on them, but believe me, other people do or try to and then have to move it on over to the street, which is sometimes more dangerous than the prospect of slipping on an icy sidewalk.

People who put an invitation out on FB or Twitter for people to join them for some activity then back out when people step up. #notclearon Why even put it out there for the world then?

Bloggers who post outfit pics of themselves in the snow, but they don't have a coat on. #notclearon The  coat makes or breaks an outfit and posing without one in at least one picture is just lazy fashion blogging.

Supposedly nobody likes to talk on the phone, but everyone driving is talking on the phone. Who are they talking to? #notclearon

Shows or movies without likable characters. #notclearon

Why hasn't someone figured out how to teletransport yet? #notclearon I want my particles to be able to zip here and there whenever I want to see my fam and friends or the world!

Not setting an out of office notice on work email and voicemail. #notclearon

Week four Harlem Shake videos. #notclearon

Let's get clear! What are you wondering?

Toaster Dreams

I've been watching BMW motorcycle videos on youtube. Admit it, you totally do this too! This 1972 BMW R75/5 (Toaster tank) is beautiful! I want one someday, or something a little smaller since I *am* a lady. This particular bike is bad ass and so much cooler than anything built since.

The sound of these bikes is so distinct! Add it to the list of reasons I want one someday. You could blindfold me and start up a few different bikes and I'd be able to tell you which one was the BMW.  It's such a sexy sound.

Overall, the design and engineering are top notch. German engineering, yo! This model is considered a vintage bike, but they're known for their reliability.

I want!

Favorite iPhone Apps

Before I switched from a Droid phone to my iPhone 5, I had app envy. My friend with iPhones would be talking about apps they're using and loving and I had no frame of reference since many apps did not have a version for Droids. But then..it was finally time for me to upgrade. I've had my iPhone since the end of October and feel like I've gotten settled in well enough to talk about some of my favorite apps.

Instagram. So if you've got an iPhone, you've gotta have Instagram. I can't stress how much I love this app - I love the idea of documenting the things you see throughout the day, and seeing what everyone else feels is worthy of instagramming/sharing. All the different filters are fun to play around with too. I usually rock #nofilter, but usually flip through all of them looking for the best lighting/effect.

My Fitness Pal. Someone at work told me about this app about a month ago. Admittedly, today is only my second day using it, but so far I'm hooked. Basically it's an app to help you track your daily calorie intake and exercise. When you get started, you have several different options for what you want to accomplish, whether you want to maintain your current weight or lose weight. Then, essentially it's a diary that you can keep track of everything you've eaten, your exercise and even your water intake. To say that the database of foods is vast would be an understatement. And it's easy enough to add a food if you don't find a suitable match in the database. I entered my homemade hummus yesterday.

Voxer. This can be used in a walkie talkie type fashion with friends - talking back and forth, but you can't talk at the same time. Or if you're not on voxer at the same time as your friend, you just leave your voice message and they can listen to it whenever and reply at their leisure. I have a friend who's in Australia right now and it's fun and free way to keep in touch.

Starbucks. If you have a Starbucks card, essentially the app takes the card's place. You load money on it just like you would a card. It keeps track of all your Star Rewards as you make purchases. They send you messages about the week's free music download and promotions.  And the best part of all, instead of paying by swiping your card, you bring up the payment screen and they scan the money off your phone. Sweet!

What are your favorite apps? I feel like there are so many more that I should have, but don't! Do share!

Roshambo

This is what it's all about.

Love.

Connection.

Adventure.

Together.

Greatest Love

Valentine's Day story from my Tar-jay run at lunch.

In the parking lot, I  could hear music coming from a white Lexus SUV that was searching for a parking spot. As it got closer, I could hear Whitney's "Greatest Love of All" emanating from the vehicle. The lady driver must have been at full volume. Not your everyday car jam, right? Then I thought, "oh, I guess that's fitting. It is Valentine's Day after all."

I wouldn't call myself a Whitney fan, but will say from my childhood, I'm pretty sure I know all the lyrics to that song. The children are our future, right? Back in the day when I was a kid listening to that song I don't know that I was really paying much attention to the lyrics. It was just a fun song to sing along to. Here's the thing, as a kid these lyrics must have set in:

 "Learning to love yourself. It is the greatest love of all."

Seeds planted all those years ago, that learning to love yourself business has been a big lesson in my life. I agree 100%. They say, you can't love another if you don't love yourself. And someone who doesn't love themself cannot fully love. Can't argue with that.

Happy Valentine's Day from my heart to yours.

Currently

This is me right now:

Feeling a bit of wanderlust. Plans to hit Coachella did not come together this year. Tickets went on sale today and I am somewhat sad that I'm not going. The line up is RIDICULOUS, but am now seeing not going as an opportunity to spend the time and money elsewhere. Just have to figure that part out.

Obsessed with ankle boots. I've been looking for a pair for a while and have found TWO! Of course! Friend at work told me that I should just get them both, because "you don't splurge on anything, really." Um, talk me into it - as if I needed the help! And I just had the thought - "think of all the money you're not spending on Coachella this year."

 Sam Edelman Myron Ankle Boot

Ella Moss Print Ankle Boot

Online dating? It's been a few years since I briefly (very briefly) tried it. I've dated a couple gentlemen in the meantime that I met in real life. Considering the online thing again since I am not sure where or how I'm ever going to meet the "one" in real life, so it's back to the thought that increasing my odds might not be such a bad idea. Except...except, people seem to be in two distinct camps when it comes to online dating - they either love it/have met their match or they have creepy tales of how horrible it is. Toss of the dice. As with anything in life. So whatever, right?

Wondering "why are dudes like this?" "Like how they are." So I actually do meet dudes in real life. To date, many have ended up being super random. I've pretty much given up trying to figure anyone out. Dudes, y'all are random and I don't even know.

Where are the band aids? I burned my finger pretty badly putting something in the oven over the weekend. Have been putting neo sporin on the burn and keeping it covered with a band aid. I used the last one this morning. You know what? There are a lot of band aids in one package. I certainly am not accident prone, but somehow I managed to use them all up doing who knows what to myself. If I had to guess, there would be lots of band aids used for running/shoe related injuries. Ha!

Back on the mat. Tonight I'm going to an actual yoga class. It's been ages since I've been to a class. I'm excited and sort of anxious about it. What if I don't remember the poses? Then I'm like, dude, it's yoga, go with the flow. So that's what I'm going to do. Oh, and I painted my toes, so at least I'll have cute toes! ...so I just got back from class and it was AH-MAZING! Hot yoga, yo! It felt so good. I think it's going to be a great way for me to cross train during running season. Already have a plan to go back! My arms feel heavy already too - can't wait to feel that good-after-work-out hurt tomorrow!

Digging grapefruit. So why do I love grapefruit so much this winter? I bought a bag of them this weekend and have been eating one a day since. I thought I'd end up giving my mom and her hubby some, but they already had some and now I'm happy they didn't want them. I want all of them. So tart and sweet. Why don't I like to drink grapefruit juice then? If it's not straight outta the fruit, I don't want it.

That's all I've got for now. Gonna drink some more water so I don't wake up with muscle cramps after sweating like a beast in yoga tonight.

Happy New Year, Ninjas!

Another year and here we are. Happiness and new year's blessings to you!

I'm not much into resolutions. This is more my speed: every day is a good day to be the best person I can be, learn new things, meet new people, be healthy and generally find ways to keep life interesting.

Heading into 2013, I'm looking forward to more running, more travel, finding more ways to be creative and keeping my heart and mind open to new experiences.

What are you looking forward to this year?

Boys Don't Cry

Someone sang this song to me in a voicemail once. This version. I realize it's song by the Cure originally, but it was this version. The whole thing could have played out a bit like a movie scene, but it didn't.

Carry-On Luggage Only? YES!

Are you the kind of traveler who has to pack everything you “think” you might need and then some? I used to be that way, but on my last few trips - beginning with my trip to Costa Rica - I learned how travel with carry-on luggage only. I know! I was super overwhelmed at first at the thought of doing it, but now I strive to make it happen. Most recently, I went to Paris for seven days carry-on only! Here are some tips that may help figure out how to travel with carry-on luggage only.

• Make a list of what you want to bring. Start by thinking of all the outfits you feel your best in and feel most comfortable wearing. Put everything on the list that has to come with you including things like your camera, laptop, phone charger, etc.

• Come up with an outfit for each day you’re going to be away. Just one outfit for travel to and from your destination. I suggest wearing your bulkiest items in one outfit, provided they all work together, so you don’t have to take up space with that pair of boots, jeans and a chunky sweater. 

• If you collect pieces that are within the same color family, you’ll be able to mix and match your pieces to create different outfits using fewer items of clothing. For my trip to Paris I was gone for seven days and I packed one pair of skinny jeans and one pair of black skinny jeans. I wore black leggings for my flights. Then packed more tops that I could layer/change from day to day and coordinate with the bottoms.

• When I have my list complete, I have pull those items from my closet and dresser and lay them out on my bed. Here’s where you take a close, hard look at everything before actually putting them in your suitcase. See if you can remove any items. 

• Pack clothing that travels well and roll it up to save yourself a touch up with the iron when you arrive at your destination. This obviously doesn’t work so well when you have a formal occasion to attend or business attire to bring with you, but do what you can.

• Gotta tell you, my biggest ordeal when trying to get myself on a carry-on only travel diet was paring down my lotions and potions. This girl has an extensive collection of skin and hair products. The first thing I did was ask “is this absolutely necessary or can I live with out it?” On a recent trip to New Orleans, I left my travel hairspray because I knew it would be humid and it wouldn’t be any use - I’d just style my hair in a way that didn’t require hairspray - braids, buns and top knots. Other life-savers when it comes to complying with the TSA’s 3-1-1 requirement - small refillable travel size containers so you can bring your favorites with you and sample sizes from your favorite beauty lines. I’ve used a sample size eye creme from Aveda for my last few trips. 

Have you ever traveled carry-on luggage only? Any tips to share? If you haven’t tried it yet, but are thinking you want to, just go for it. If you’re anything like me, you’ll never go back to overpacking any paying to check that giant suitcase full of things you may not even wear. Good luck and happy traveling!

Oh, Eiffel Tower...

...you had me at sparkle! Here's a little video I shot while in Paris. One of my favorite moments of the whole trip. The only bummer of the video is that we weren't closer. This was on the Bateaux Mouches on the Seine.

Late July

Small Houses - "Late July" from Spencer Wells on Vimeo

I caved today and responded to something I probably should have let go. It was this song. I couldn't not say something. Music brings people together, right? I guess that was my (not-so-secret) hope. Now I'm sharing this with you so I can move through that hope, so as to not get discouraged or disappointed. Because at the end of the day, it's just friend's sharing music with each other and that's a lovely thing.

My love for music is so strong and this song is another that's been playing on repeat lately. I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Small Houses play a show over the weekend. They played this beautiful song called "Late July." It was already a favorite of mine and I almost cried. Hearing the explanation of the song at the beginning of this clip makes me love it even more. Hope you do too!

Not in Love

I'm sort of obsessed with this song by Crystal Castles right now. Being that it features the voice of Robert Smith from the Cure makes it all the more angst-y. Completely fitting, I'd say. This fan video is pretty great too!