Run a 5k? Check.

Day one in the Cities: Madisyn, Baylee, myself, & Whitney

Whit & I shopping like the professionals we are {not} in the Mall of America.

St. Paul Cathedral – The gorgeous church Whit & I went to mass at Saturday night.
{We also changed in the car in the parking lot right outside
& gave the greeters a bit of a show on accident. Oops!}

Bay & I stayed up till the wee hours of the morning making team shirts for all of us.
{Go Team Kicking Ass(phalt)!}

Bay’s inner B.A. came out as she wore her sunglasses at night, and flipped off my camera.

We arrived at the fair grounds bright and early,
with Bay & I {literally} running on only three hours of sleep.

We were only four of over 19,000 who ran the Color Run in St. Paul Sunday morning!
{So. many. runners!}

The four of us looking rather clean before the race!

Bay made me run/jog the entire thing with her.
{Well, all but less than 1/4 of a k I power walked next to her.}

We finished!
{& more importantly, survived!}

Bay ended the run looking a little something like Braveheart.
{Her left contact was dyed completely blue! Ha, that’s one way to get colored contacts!}

The four of us all colored up.
{Hehe, let’s just say we got some funny looks every time
we stopped at a gas station on the way home!}

The weekend was absolutely wonderful, and the race, although definitely challenging for someone as out of shape as me, was 110% worth doing! It was a very laid back and fun experience, and I would recommend the Color Run to anyone who wants to run a 5k for the first time! The best part of the entire weekend was the emotional high I had after finishing. It’s a great feeling, knowing you can accomplish something like that.

Hope all of your weekends were just as wonderful!

Always,
L.A.

P.S. I meant to post this yesterday, but once I got home from work I crashed almost instantly and slept a whopping fourteen hours through the night!

Taking notes from Alice

{via}

A suitable quote for the morning in which I’m going to attempt running a 5K.

If I were a contestant in the Hunger Games, the reason I would die is without a doubt my lack of speed. {Well that and I don’t possess an ounce of stealth.}

Happy Hunger Games everyone!
Err…I mean: I’ll see you on the other side!

{I know I said I was going to be optimistic about this run, but that’s the best your getting from me.}

Always,
L.A.

Frozen raspberries: An update of sorts

{via}

Call me crazy, but I am absolutely in love with frozen raspberries as of late.
Can you say delicious and healthy? {And yes, I do eat them straight out of the bag. No shame.}

Remember that post about a month ago about trying to get back into shape & such??

Well these yummy little guys have sure made my journey that much easier. To keep you all updated, I’m down 11ish pounds thus far, but to be honest, it’s not really the number on the scale I care about. {Although I will admit, that is nice too.} Since I’ve decided to take control of my eating habits, I’ve just felt…better, you know?

I’m seeing muscle definition gradually return to my legs and I’ve been running a little further every day. Yes, getting up in the early morning just to put on four miles sucks something fierce, {especially for an infamous night owl and over sleeper like myself} but it’s definitely been worth it. & Even more so when my size 12 jeans and shorts are suddenly going on like cake these days. {Praise, Jesus!}

My first 5k is this weekend, {getting ready to check that bad boy off my leap list} and to say I’ve been nervous about it is an understatement, but I’ve finally just made up my mind that this, no matter how slow I may go or how many times I have to stop and walk, is going to be fun. If I die due running like only crazy people do, {because in my book, only crazy people would ever seriously run} at least I’ll die having a good time with a bunch of my girlfriends and covered in colored corn starch.

{Alright, alright- even I know I’m being melodramatic when I talk about death due to 5k, but hey everyone’s entitled to those moments.}

Always,
L.A.

20 before 20

1. Go on a road trip
2. Run a 5K
3. Get my ears pierced
4. Go on a date
5. Register to vote
6. See the ocean
7. Keep a journal for my someday husband
8. Learn how to drive a stick shift
9. Take piano lessons
10. Get my passport
11. Finally read the Harry Potter series
12. Write at least one piece for my school's paper
13. Climb the rock wall on campus {or at least try}
14. Lose 20 pounds
15. Join a club on campus
16. Read the Bible daily
17. Buy a Polaroid camera {& learn how to use it properly}
18. Decide on a major
19. Get a 4.0 first & second semester
20. Write a blog post every day for 365 days

....And all before June 25th, 2013.


Finally! My list is complete! Over the next year I plan to do all of these things, and I cannot wait to share the story that comes with each one of them with you all.

What about you? What are some things you have on your leap or bucket list??

Always,
L.A.