Surprise! I do have a [non-running] life!

This weekend was entirely too short and went by entirely too quickly! It was, in fact, my 29th Birthday Bash put on by RB. I have never had a birthday celebration like this!
First, we got all dressed up at Rebecca’s house and she did my hair and make-up. She also found this dress for me – which I love. I haven’t felt this pretty in a really long time! It was so much fun to pretend like we were 15 again and get ready in Rebecca’s room jamming to tunes and trying on different outfits until we found the perfect look:
Dressed to impress!
We started off the night by going to the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens for the 3rd Annual Columbus Wine Festival. I had never been to a wine tasting before, but after Saturday – I will be going again! It was so much fun!
RB and Me at the Conservatory
It was a perfect evening to be outside and enjoy the gardens while sampling from a selection of more than 275 domestic and international wines – all available at Giant Eagle grocery. Score! I have to admit, my favorite thing I sampled was not wine, but Black Cherry Vodka. Mixed with Diet 7UP, it was like bliss in a glass. Just don’t count the calories. You don’t want to know, and I am glad I only had a one ounce taste.
Yay! Wine!

Then we met up with our lovely friend Kristina at Sushi Rock downtown.

Kristina, RB & Me.
We ordered four rolls to share, including the Spider Roll and Lobster Roll. The sushi was very good, although I was not fond of the Spider, which is the one I picked out. It was really fun to go out with the girls and eat food I don’t get to eat very often (no one in my family likes sushi!).
Waiting for dinner.

After dinner, was Phase III of the party and it was already 10:30 p.m. Usually, I am in bed by then and I haven’t really partied since college (I think). We went to the Roharik Productions Summer Creative Industry Mixer III.

It was awesome and not like any other party I had been too. There was music and locally distilled vodka as well as some really interesting and artistically creative people there [read a lot of models]. I really like the photographer, Matthew Roharik, who I got to meet. The party them was The Police Line-up based on Matthew’s stunning photo:

So, you know what that meant! Come to a photography party – you can pretty much count on having your picture taken to get in the door!

Guilty or Innocent? Your guess is as good as mine!

I really appreciate this party. I know it sounds strange, but it pushed me WAY outside of my comfort zone.

Me trying to be normal? Again, who knows!
I’m not used to going out and having fun around people I don’t know. I get nervous in crowds and I don’t typically enjoy the party scene. But, the people at the production party – and RB and Kristina – were very welcoming and I didn’t feel awkward because of any of them! It was stepping outside of my own comfort zone that made me anxious at first. I ended up having a good time, though and I was – gasp! – out until 1:00 a.m. Let me tell you, I have turned into a party animal!
Sunday, the fun wasn’t even done; I went to a Tarot Card reading with RB and found out some very interesting things.
  • Listen to myself for a change and do not let others push me around. I apparently need to focus on myself and cut on the interferences. The reader even said, “You can tell people no.”
  • Don’t let anxiety disrupt my health and my rest. Along with that, remember something happy or joyful every day.
  • Problems arise for a reason, not because I did something wrong or because I need to fix them, but because I can learn from them and grow as a person.
  • In regards to my future, my hard work and decisions will pay off and my family and financial outlook is solid. The reader said I will have the opportunity to take risks and I should not be afraid to do so.
  • ‘The Hermit’ card showed up a lot, which apparently means I need to start listening to myself and focus on what direction I want my life to take.
Interesting, right?
How’s that for an awesome weekend?! 
Tell me about your weekends! Have any of you been to a fancy party and had fun? Have you been to a tarot card reader? What do you think about psychic readings? Do you believe in them or take them to heart? I’ve been asking everyone for their opinions!
Until the next mile marker, 
 

In case you missed it:

Look for me!
Please consider voting for me to be a part of Team Refuel! You can do so once a day until September 15th HERE. Search for me by name – Sara Wyen. To learn more about chocolate milk as recovery fuel and what I plan to do with the grant money if I am selected, please visit THIS post. Thank you. I appreciate any votes that I receive and the time you take to think of me.
These could be yours!
Today is the last day to enter my GIVEAWAY for a pair of CEP Compression Shorts HERE. You get extra entries for voting for me too!
   

Dream Big, Set a Goal & Go For It!

Let’s travel back in time, shall we? Remember these posts? Remember when I checked off one goal for the year and then apparently stopped working on them?

Well, I do!

My 2011 Goals:

  1. Run the Pittsburgh Marathon in May. Check! On May 15th, I became a Marathoner!
  2. Lose the last 50 pounds the healthy way.
  3. Be at my goal weight of 150 pounds by this summer.
  4. Be a committed, reliable, inspiring, encouraging, and helpful Pace Coach to the 13-minute per mile pace group and help newer runners achieve their dreams of running a half marathon or marathon.
  5. Obtain my ACSM Personal Training Certification by April 2011.

At least the first one was a good one? I want to be inspired again, to reach my goals and feel the sweet success of achieving something great. I want to say Yes! Did that, now what’s next?

I have been working on a goal/vision board to keep me motivated. And, I recently entered the Goal Board Contest to win a pair of glam gloves by RB!
Here’s my board:
Sorry the picture is not very clear!

It keeps me motivated because when I start to get those negative thoughts in my head (I can’t; I’m too fat; I’m too slow; It’s too hard; etc.) I can remember what I did before and know that I can achieve great things! I have pictures on it from my first half marathon and my first full, as well as my bib from Pittsburgh.
As you can see, my Mother is a huge inspiration to me. It keeps me going to know that my mom would never want me to quite running. When I see her picture, especially her smiling and waving at the Finish Line after her first 5K, I want to run every day because she no longer can. There are several pictures of her on my board, including one of her holding me when I was only days old and a picture of her, me and Bart Yasso. That was a great day for us. We both got to meet our running hero.

And, of course, the Lucky 13’s keep me motivated when I want to give up! I have never found such loving, supportive, caring and encouraging friends as I have in the running community. I am thankful every day that I have each and every one of them in my life. They have been right by my side – through thick and thin, no questions asked – and I know I can always turn to them for advice, guidance, tough love and support – or just plain fun! They are my rock(s?).
I want to update my goals too. Things are hard right now, no doubt, and I have some pretty big things on the horizon. I need to slow down, take time to myself to figure things out, but I don’t have to give up. I may not reach these goals in 2011, but I will reach them. Maybe even before I am 30 years old! Here are my updated goals (in no particular order):


  1. Run the Pittsburgh Marathon in May. Check! On May 15th, I became a Marathoner!
  2. Run the Goofy Challenge in January 2012! 39.3 miles in 2 days to honor my mother!  
  3. Lose the last 50 pounds the healthy way.
  4. Reach my goal weight of 150 pounds.
  5. Be a committed, reliable, inspiring, encouraging, and helpful Pace Coach to the 13-minute per mile pace group and help newer runners achieve their dreams of running a half marathon or marathon.
  6. Inspire someone every day.
  7. Obtain my RRCA Coaching Certification.
  8. Work on making my relationship with my husband the best it has ever been.
 What about you? What are some of your goals? If you haven’t entered the contest, tell me about your goals in the comments! 
Look for my photo!
And, please consider voting for me to be a part of Team Refuel! You can do so once a day until September 15th HERE. I am on Page 5. To learn more about chocolate milk as recovery fuel and what I plan to do with the grant money if I am selected, please visit THIS post. Thank you. I appreciate any votes that I receive and the time you take to think of me.
Until the next mile marker, 
 

Strong Body by Rebecca Runs: Show me your goal board for a chance to win!

Please welcome, Rebecca of Strong Body by Rebecca who has a great giveaway for you!
Everyone who lifts weights regularly knows how important a good pair of lifting gloves can be to protect your pretty little hands from calluses and blisters. 
I encourage my clients to use weight lifting gloves to protect their hands and make them feel strong and pretty. I fancy the gloves up for my clients with genuine Swarovski crystals! The gloves are Harbringer brand and are very good quality. 
Glam Gloves by Rebecca!
So, not only are gloves a necessity when sculpting your Strong Body – GOAL BOARDS ARE TOO!!! They are so important for visualizing where you came from and where you want to go. They can also motivate you to accomplish your dreams and reach for the stars. They serve as a constant reminder to keep striving to be the best runner, athlete, mother, daughter, husband, wife, sister, friend, role model – person – we can be.
One of my recently achieved goals was to run a race with Sara!
Ideas for your goal board include:
  • Pictures from the past, present and idealistic ones for the future.
  • Pictures, quotes, ideas of/from people who inspire and motivate you.
  • Quotes to keep you going!
  • Key phrases or words (mine are Entrepreneur, business woman).
  • Goals! Goal Weights, Goal distances, Time goals and any other life goals…..you don’t have to stick to fitness and health!
  • Anything that keeps you motivated and reminds you of who you want to be.

Some of the amazing fitness ladies on my goal board:

Do you  have a goal or vision board? If not, have you thought about creating one? 
Show me your Goal Board for your chance to win a free pair of your very own Glam Gloves!
Here’s how to enter for YOUR chance to win:
1. Go to my FACEBOOK page – and upload a picture of your goal board.
 Or EMAIL ME at strongbodybyrebecca@gmail.com by August 25th.
2. Tell me what your biggest goal is for the remainder of the 2011 year!!

On August 26th – I will put all of your vision boards in an online photo gallery on my business FACEBOOK page. Whoever has the most people LIKE their vision board – WINS!!! I might even throw in a few extra things if you win, but they are top secret right now! 😉


So, what are you waiting for? Get started today and show me your Goal Board for your chance to win!




Thanks, RB! I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone’s goal boards! They are always inspirational to me, even if they are not mine.

This IS a running blog, believe it or not.

Wow. Where has the week gone and where have I been? Oh yeah, that’s right, not running because my knees have been screaming at me this week. I took a half a mile walk yesterday afternoon and they were sore. Not good. I’m getting tired of waiting for them to stop protesting my every move. 
Oh, and I swear this is a running blog – you’ll see! 
My birthday is in a couple of weeks, but I’m not overly thrilled about it. I have not been looking forward to my first birthday without my mom. She always made birthdays special in the way that only mom’s can and they usually involved getting a fun pair of socks or, in recent years, something to do with running. But, it’s obviously not the gifts I will miss, it is her. For 28 years she called me every birthday and sang Happy Birthday to me – the whole song – first thing in the morning, no matter what else I may be doing. She and my dad sometimes brought me a festive balloon to work or took me to lunch. There was always a big family dinner and an ice cream cake. Even though I’m not a huge fan of any kind of cake. It’s tradition at our house. Our birthdays were special to my mom – there would be emails and text messages and snail mail galore. For my parents, my sister and I truly were gifts to be celebrated. 
Even though my mom is not here, I know I am not forgotten.
Last night, I had the opportunity to hang out with these lovely ladies for a little pre-birthday action:
 That’s my sister Mollie, Me and RB. We grilled out (Bison burgers and corn on the cob!) and RB made Strawberry Shortcake with whipped cream for desert. Okay, I lied; I do like that cake, but mostly because of the strawberries.
There was beer too:
 I cannot believe I did not know this existed – I swear I could have chugged it like lemonade!
And RB gave me some pretty awesome gifts that she said she wanted me to have early.
Awesome Gift #1: Encouragement Changes Everything by John C. Maxwell. 
 I believe I could use a little of this right now. I think we all could!
Awesome Gift #2: The Long Run by Matt Long. 
 YAY!!!!!!! I have wanted to read this book for a long time about the NY firefighter, marathoner and ironman who was run over by a 20-ton bus and nearly died. He goes on to run the NYC Marathon after being told he would never even walk again. “Running saved my life,” Matt says and he has become a symbol of hope and recovery to the running community. I can’t wait.
Awesome Gift #3: Lore of Running by Tim Noakes, MD. 
 Am I a total nerd if I say I feel like a real athlete when I hold this book? Just check out the thickness:
 I have dreamed of this book. I want to literally absorb the information that it holds. Every last bit of it. It has been dubbed “running’s most extensive book [that] provides unsurpassed information on physiology, racing, injuries, and the individuals and events that shaped the sport’s history and modern form.” Eeeeek!
Thank you, RB! You’ve made my birthday special already.
Of course, since I’m not running, the weather broke in Central Ohio. Mid to upper 70’s, 50’s at night, no humidity and not a cloud in the sky. Perfect, if you ask me. Why won’t my knees cooperate??
Sadie is at least enjoying the cooler temperatures and taking in the fresh air:
Grace has to wait her turn to snag a spot by the window:
It was dark by the time she got her turn, That poor puppy:
It’s a beautiful evening to sit on the porch, blog and enjoy the re-installed fountain:
 I wish I had a lemonade-style beer right about now.
The baby ducks (who are growing up fast, I might add) even came by to visit:
Then they brought the masses:
No, my neighbors have not made it clear by avoiding all eye contact with me as they creep by that I am weird for taking pictures of the ducks.
Live a little, guys. You would do it too if you had a blog.
How has your week been? Tell me your running adventures! Have any of you read any of the books I got for my b-day? If you have, what did you think? Tell me in the comments.
Until the next mile marker,
 

Strong Body Cyber Training Winner!!

I have so many GOOD [gasp!] things to share about this weekend, BUT first…
Thank you all for entering my $100 Training Giveaway for 100 followers courtesy of Strong Body by Rebecca.
I had 56 total entries and the winner is … 
AMY who had this to say about why she would like to train with RB: “I would love to win this so I could have someone that knows what they are doing direct me in my fitness goals. It would be really nice to have someone to tell me the things I should be doing and how I can push myself and not just have to guess!”
 CONGRATULATIONS, AMY! 
Please email me at sara@wordstorunby.com no later than Friday, July 29 so that I can pass your information on to Rebecca to start Cyber Training in August!
Until the next mile marker,