Goals for 2017! Reading, Fitness, and Creativity

Happy New Year Everyone!!!
I'm so excited to start the new year and take on some new goals. I went a little bit crazy with the goals I've set for myself but I believe these are all relatively attainable within the next 365 days. Because I have so many goals, I'm not going to write out an explanation for each an every one (most are pretty self-explanatory) so if you'd like to know a little bit more about any of the goals I have written out here, click play on the companion video below.
Personal Goals

Create an art log of the year. Inspired by the many graphic novels and travelogues that I've read in the past, I really want to chronicle my year in an artistic way. I've bought a beautiful Leuchtturm 1917 sketchbook to draw, paint, write, and paste pieces of the year into in order to create a really nice tangible book of memories.

Track all of my work outs. Lately I've done a really bad job of tracking work outs. It's not really necessary that you track workouts in order to be successful, but it definitely helps! I want to track all of my work outs in some way, shape, or form in 2017, so this time next year I can reflect on all that I have accomplished fitness-wise!

Reading Goals

GoodReads reading challenge: Read 70 books

1. Read Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

2. Finish or catch up on 3 series

3. Start 3 new-to-me series

4. Read one classic every month

5. Read one diverse book every month

6. Use my TBR jar every month

7. Taper my book buying - buy with a purpose as much as possible!

2017 Reading Challenge

I had so much fun finding books that fulfilled the PopSugar Reading Challenge prompts in 2016 that I decided to do another reading challenge! While I had a great time, however, it did encourage me to buy a LOT of books to fulfill each prompt, something that as you now know I'm trying to cut back on a bit. For 2017, I created prompts that would encourage me to read the books that I already own! To give myself an extra challenge, the books I read for this challenge will be in addition to the books I'm aiming to read each month. (So my non-ficition, diverse, classic, and TBR jar book cannot be the same as a book I'm reading to fulfill one of the following prompts.) Hopefully that makes some sort of sense! The list of prompts I am using are below - feel free to join in on this challenge if this interests you!

1. A book with a color in the title

2. A book with a title that begins with "the"

3. A book with a name in the title

4. A graphic novel

5. A YA contemporary novel

6. A book that was published the same year you were born

7. A book-to-movie adaptation (read the book and watch the movie)

8. A book that features a character of a different religious background than you

9. A book that features an LGBTQ+ character

10. A book that is under 150 pages

11. A book set in a country you have never been to

12. The book that has been on your TBR shelf the longest

13. A re-read

14. A book with a one-word title

15. A book with a title that starts with your first initial

16. The newest book to your shelf

17. A book that features one of your hobbies

18. A book by a celebrity you love

19. A book that is 500 pages or more

20. A book with an animal on the cover

21. A book picked out by a friend

22. A short story collection

23. A book set during a holiday

24. A book set in multiple states or countries

25. A book by an author you know you enjoy

26. The first book you see on your shelf

27. A used book

28. A book by an author that is no longer living

29. Read a book with a cover from each color of the rainbow (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet)

30. A 2017 Release

I hope everyone has a very successful and positive 2017 and that you achieve all of your goals as well! Thank you for a wonderful 2016 and see you in the new year! <3

Spring 2016 Favorites!

Another spring has flown right by which means it's time for me to share with you all what my favorite items of the season were! I had quite an extensive list when preparing for this video but pared it way, way down to the things that stuck with me through the whole season. I really love all of these items that I talk about in this video and hope that you find something to enjoy among these items as well! Enjoy!

Items discussed in the video:
BLOGGER/YOUTUBER: FRANNERD
MUSIC: "Hamilton: An American Musical" Original Broadway Cast Recording 
FILM: "The Barkley Marathons"
FITNESS: Fitbit Flex & Garmin Forerunner 230
CLOTHING: Birkenstock Madrids
BOOK: "Greyhound" by Steffan Piper

June 2016 Goals

Happy June everyone! It has been a while since I've posted personal goals here on the blog. I did monthly goals when I first started this blog back in 2013 (wow!) and I switched to semester-ly goals when I started grad school, but I gave myself a break over the last year to just be present and enjoy my life outside of school and my first year as an honest-to-goodness full-time professional adult-type person. Now that we've had about a month to take a breather from the craziness of the school year, I thought it would be a good way to structure my slower summer life a bit by setting some new goals and sharing them here!

Keep a vegan/vegetarian diet Monday-Friday

If you've been reading along with my blog or watching my vlogs through 2016, you'll know I've been more conscious about what I'm eating when it comes to meat and dairy products. It's mostly for health reasons, but also for moral reasons as well. I'm generally a pretty tired person and it's so annoying to me when I want to get 100 things done but all I have energy for is to zone out in front of some Netflix. Your body does have to work harder to break down meat and dairy products, expending more energy that you can be using to do other things! I decided I'm going to take a crack at cutting out meat during the week to see how I feel. Hopefully it does bring me more energy and better health!

Read at least 3 books

I'm in the middle of two reading challenges (which I'll be giving you all an update on later this month!) and I have some more spare time to sit down and read during the summer so I need to embrace it! I just asked for some recommendations for books to listen to on my runs and my lovely Facebook friends gave me a bunch of titles to check out. If you have any books to recommend, please leave the titles in the comments! I would love to check them out.

At least 5,000 steps a day

This goal doesn't really have any rhyme or reason other than making sure I get my body moving every day. I spend a lot of time on my butt and as I mentioned in my first goal, I can generally be a very tired person. Hopefully setting this goal will make me feel more energized an motivated to move around every day. I am training for an October marathon for the 4th year in a row so I'm hoping that 5,000 won't be too tough to attain, especially on days where I actually have a training run scheduled. I just need to make sure I'm still moving on my off days!

Join a local running group

Danielle, my friend from work, and I are both training for an October marathon ad have decided to be long-run buddies once our training runs get up into the double-digits for mileage (honestly it makes all the difference to have someone you can run with!). I'm super pumped about that, but I also want to find a group in the area that consistently meets and runs for fun. This is something I've been wanting to do for months now, but now that I have some more free time during the week to commit to a group I felt like this was perfect time to try a few groups out. I've already scoped a few out on MeetUp so I'm planning on attending a few of those events and maybe making some new running friends!

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I have a lot coming up in June that I'm very excited about! Brett will be officially done with grad school by the 18th which of course calls for a big celebration, and I also will be moving back in with him at the end of the month after a year and a half of living apart! We are so excited to start another new chapter of our lives and see where the journey takes us from here! The summer time is always such a wonderful time for us - we're both a lot less busy, are able to spend more time together, and are generally far happier because of it. Add in these two milestones and it makes for a wonderful season ahead! :)

I will be giving you an update on my goals at the beginning of July to keep myself accountable. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful June and that you've just as excited about summer as I am! <3

Providence Marathon Training Update #2

Woof. I've been dreading this blog post.

I'm going to be super honest with you guys. I've been absolutely sucking at training this time around. I don't know what it is, but I'm constantly making excuses for myself *not* to run. Between it being too cold, the roads being too dangerous from New England winter weather (which, if we're being honest here, hasn't really been that bad!), me getting sick (which I actually think is a good reason not to run), or being too tired or too busy.... I've been letting myself slide in my training, which is not okay at all. I really need to cut it out if I want to run another marathon.

I don't know if winter marathon training makes my running motivation completely MIA (I am one to seriously reduce my mileage in the winter time due to busy schedules and lack of sunlight), but winter training is what I've signed up for if I want to run a spring marathon. Perhaps it's the fact that I haven't officially registered that makes me think that I can skip out on runs and be fine because I still have the option to back out if I wanted (which I don't, but hey, the option's there). Whatever it might be, I need to get over it. I really need to give myself a kick in the pants so I can be properly prepared for Providence in May.

That all being said, I don't have much to update you all on in terms of training. I'm going to change that for my next update. I'm not going to say "I hope to change that" or "I'll try to change that" because that's just too lenient. I'm going to change that for my next update and be excited to write it for you all. My goal is 3 runs a week - one short, one mid, and one long. I'm going to hit that target and come back to you all with exciting running news and be pumped to share it with you all!

68 days 'til #RUNPVD.

Current Workout Plan {Fall 2015}

I"m going to be honest with you all - when it comes to lifting weights I generally have no idea what I'm doing. Even being a varsity collegiate athlete for four years, I don't feel like I retained anything that I learned! One of the perks of dating a Strength & Conditioning Coach, though, is that they can write work outs for you and make you feel like less of an idiot in the weight room, which is exactly what Brett is doing! Hooray! I thought I'd share my workouts that I've been doing the last couple of weeks so you all can take a crack at it if you'd like!

When Brett writes my workouts, he keeps my running in mind (I'm trying to improve my speed) and my desire to one day have arms as nice as Michelle Obama's, so there's a lot of hamstring, arm, and back strengthening going on in these workouts. I also try to integrate some cardio in before I start lifting in order to warm up my muscles. I did workout 1 for 4 weeks and I plan on doing the same for workout 2 (I'm about halfway through!). I may interchange these for a while (I mean it's really up to Coach Angel!) but if I get some new routines I'll share them later on in a winter update post! :)

Workout 1

Perk of having a strength & conditioning coach as your partner: they email you workouts so you don't feel completely lost at the gym. Yay for lifting heavy things! 💪🏻 Thanks Brett! 😘 #SAfit

A photo posted by Riley (@rmfickfack) on Sep 29, 2015 at 4:00pm PDT

Day 1

3x10 - Squats

3x10 - Trunk Twists

3x10 - Hamstring Curls

3x10 - Flutter Kicks

3x10 - Lunge Pulls

3x10 - Bent Rows

3x10 - Sumo Squats

3x10 - Dumbbell Curls

Day 2

3x10 - Dumbbell Bench

3x15 - Calf Raises

3x10 - Tri Kickbacks

3x40 seconds or more - Planks

3x10 - Dumbbell Press

3x25 seconds or more - Side Planks

3x10 - Dumbbell Side Raises

3x8 - Dumbbell Swings

Workout 2

So pumped to integrate the bar back into my workouts! Lifting heavy stuff makes me feel like a BAMF. 💪🏻🏋🏻 #instafit #SAfit #girlsthatlift #bodybyAngel #spacepants

A video posted by Riley (@rmfickfack) on Oct 26, 2015 at 2:28pm PDT

Day 1

3x10 - Goblet Squats

3x10 - Band Press

3x8-10 - Lunge Pulse

3x8 - Hang Cleans

3x10 - Ab Rollouts

3x5 - One-leg Hamstring Curls

3x8 - Lateral Squats

3x8 - Inverted Rows

Day 2

3x10 - Dumbbell Incline Bench

3x8 - Reverse Lunges

3x10 - Tri Push-Ups

3x10 - Reverse Curls

3x8 - One-leg Hip Extensions

3x10 - Dumbbell Plank Rows

3x10 - Dumbbell Front Raises

3x10 - Dumbbell Lateral Pull-Overs

If you have any questions about how to do any of these exercises please let me know in the comments! Perhaps Brett & I can do an exercise video for you all to show you how to do some of these things safely and effectively. At any rate, I hope you all enjoy these workouts! Happy lifting! 💪

The Most Picturesque Campus on Planet Earth

Wow - it's been over a month since I've sat down and told you all what's been going on in my world. How's it going, everyone?! Things have (per usual) been busy, busy, busy. I feel like I've been getting into a solid rhythm at work and really getting the hang of my job. There are still plenty of learning moments, of course, but not feeling quite so uncomfortable and that I have no idea what I'm doing on a day-to-day basis is pretty nice!

Since my last update I've been getting back into the swing of a fitness routine, which has been super nice. You know that I ran two major races on back-to-back weekends, but I've also been getting back into a routine at the gym. It's been super helpful that Brett has been writing me work outs so I don't feel so lost in the gym, and it's also been super helpful that a few of my friends from work have been joining me at the gym after work! (I like to call it work out club.) Having people to joke around with between sets makes everything way more fun. :) Now if I can only force myself to start stretching regularly (this has always been my fitness weakness) that would be ideal.

We've had a string of freaking GORGEOUS fall days the last couple of weeks, and I feel like I've really been taking advantage of it. Mount Holyoke has a tradition called Mountain Day where they cancel classes (which is a surprise for students!) and everyone hikes up Skinner Mountain to the Mount Holyoke Summit House, takes in the view, sings the alma mater, and (my favorite part) eats ice cream. Even though it was two days after the Maine Marathon, my director and I hiked all the way up the mountain and it was beautiful.

So beautiful that when my parents visited the campus on the following Saturday, I just had to take them up to the summit as well! (But we drove up because my legs were basically dead at that point and I had to preserve them for the B.A.A. Half the next day. Did I mention I'm a dummy?) I gave my parents a tour of the MHC campus as well (MHC's campus in the fall is basically the most picturesque thing on planet Earth), and after 3 hours of walking we got a delicious lunch at the Yarde House and Quakes (ice coffee + ice cream blended together - YUM) at Barstows before heading to the top. I'm happy that my parents got to see how beautiful MHC and the surrounding areas are!

Brett's still immersed in football, and his grad school will be starting up again very soon (last year - almost there!), but I've still been seeing him practically every weekend which has been so nice! Hanging out with him tends to pull me out of my own world of worksleepworksleepworksleep, so I'm happy we're still making sure we have a little bit of time together each weekend. This weekend we're planning on having some snacks and some drinks at my friends Erin & Cullen's house for the Patriots game. I'm heading into several crazy weeks of intense programming for student orgs so having relaxing days like this planned and on my schedule are super helpful to unwind with!

I have a feeling that these next few weeks are going to fly by. Brett has a birthday coming up (his GOLDEN birthday - 27 on the 27th!), Halloween is right after that, I'll blink and it will be Thanksgiving (and my sister will be visiting!), and before I know it the semester will be over (this is how it always works). Although I'm trying to deny that winter is coming (I guess I'm not a Stark), I do really enjoy the time I get with family and friends during this time of year, so I'm looking forward to the holidays. Especially my favorite day of the year - HALLOWEEN! I can't wait to share my costume with you all! :)

Day in the Life: Wednesday, February 18, 2015

I've seen these posts occasionally and I think they're so interesting! I love reading how people go about their typical day and to see how similar or different their days are from my own. I know I vlog and show you guys the things I get up to in video form, but there's something about going over each detail of a day, hour by hour, to really get to know someone, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

Right now, no two days of my life are the same. I work at different places each day, have different classes, meet with different students, and I usually have to adjust my personal life accordingly. This post will chronicle what a typical Wednesday looks like for me this semester!

7:30 AM: My alarm goes off, but I don't really need to be up for a while. I usually set my alarm thirty minutes to an hour earlier than when I actually need to get out of bed because I have a SERIOUS snooze button addiction. Depending on how tired I am I can literally hit the snooze button over and over again for an hour. It's a problem.

8:10 AM: The time I actually got out of bed this past Wednesday. (I forgot to shut off my alarm, as you can see in the above photo.) I'll get up, brush my teeth, and do morning routine type things. I'm usually really dehydrated when I wake up so I tend to drink a lot of water to start the day off. I always, always, ALWAYS need water by my bed in case I feel parched in the middle of the night.

I had a few things to finish up on this particular Wednesday morning, so as I was waking up I sat in bed and accomplished those tasks. This Wednesday included finishing up and publishing a blog post! I was behind on writing blog posts this week (it's been SO BUSY) so this week's Tuesday post went out on Wednesday. (Super exciting, I know.) I also made sure I say good morning to Brett before letting the day get too far away from me! (Try not to vomit at how "cute couple"-y we are in our texts.)

Brett's currently in Florida on a recruiting trip for his job, as New England slowly enters an ice age.

9:00 AM: Time to really get moving for the day. 9 times out of 10, I make my bed before leaving my apartment. I just really love coming home to a made bed, and it makes your whole room look 10 times cleaner and organized than it may actually be. It only takes about 2 minutes, so why not put in the extra effort? It looks like I slept pretty gently the night before this particular day so it was pretty easy to get everything back to where it needs to go, but some nights I kick my blankets all over the place. Who knows.

INSTA-CLEAN.

I don't have to be in to work until 12PM on Wednesdays, so I try to take advantage of the free time I have off in the morning. I usually won't get home until 11PM or so on Wednesday nights and usually all I want to do is shut my brain off, so mornings are prime time for me to GSD! This Wednesday I kicked off my day with some yoga.

9:50 AM: Headed over to the gym! As you've read in basically every post for the last month, Massachusetts is a wintery hell wonderland right now. This is what my walk across campus to the gym currently looks like:

I usually use the gym for its cardio machines, specifically the treadmill. (Sometimes I'll lift if I have time... I know, I know, I need to be better about this.) Running outside in the winter can be really nerve-wracking, especially in the area I live in (fairly traffic-y with snow banks lining the roads taller than me - not the best combination for not getting hit by a car), so I've been running inside since Juno hit in January. Sad, but a lot easier to deal with. I like to pass the time by watching trashy shows. The latest episode of Real World was the show I watched on this day! #noshame

10:30 AM: Usually my workout cut-off time so I can get back to my apartment, shower, change, and get ready to leave for work. 

I've been rocking black pants, a comfy sweater and scarf, my winter boots and fuzzy socks pretty much every day to work. It's basically my winter uniform. When there's snow on the ground I don't tend to get too adventurous with my wardrobe... getting outside is enough effort as it is!

I usually like to be on the road by 11:15 to give myself plenty of time to arrive right at noon. I was a bit behind on Wednesday but I'm usually quick about making up for lost time! (i.e. Having Tupperware full of fruits and vegetables ready to go in my fridge to throw in my bag if I'm in a rush so I have something healthy to snack on at work. I promise the gummy bears are the only junk food item in there, and are usually used as comfort food during class!)

11:20 AM: On the road to BSU. It's been a nightmare driving everywhere lately. The snowbanks take up a solid portion of the roads and when you're trying to turn into traffic you cannot see around them. I was even hitting traffic on this day for snow clean up crews to get snow off the roads and free up some lanes. Crazy.

This is what a two-lane, two-way street looks like right now.

Can't see a thing around snow banks. You basically just have to drive into the road and hope no one blindsides you.

The clean up crew I was sitting in traffic for.

For whatever reason when I'm as busy as I am during the semester, I often go long periods of time without eating. Not because I don't want to, but because I'm literally so busy doing other things that I forget to eat. I did that this Wednesday, so I made sure to stop at my local Dunk's for a quick road bagel for brunch. Then it was highway time!

On the way into work I'll usually listen to sports talk radio (the Sports Hub, for my fellow Boston sports fans). I don't find myself really sitting down to watch games during the semester with all I have to do, but I enjoy getting updates through the morning & midday shows. They're usually pretty entertaining and make the drive go by faster!

12:10 PM: Again, a bit behind schedule but I made it to work. This Wednesday I had back-to-back meetings scheduled all afternoon, but pretty much all of them cancelled on me which gave me the opportunity to get some administrative tasks done. Much needed! As you know, I rely very heavily on my planner to help me navigate my crazy schedule and list of to-do's. (The page on the left was what I was working off of for this day!)

1:45 PM: Much needed mid-afternoon coffee time! There's actually a Dunk's in the same building I work in, which is pretty dangerous for all of us coffee addicts that work in the office. My co-advisor for PC and I have been making it a bit of a post-meeting routine the past few weeks! (Hence why I often don't drink coffee in the morning - I know I'll likely get one in the afternoon!)

4:00 PM: Due to the Monday holiday, all Monday classes were shifted to Wednesday, making it so I had a lovely 6 hours of class scheduled for this night. (4 PM to 9:40ish PM, depending how class goes.) Each of the classes in our program meet once a week for about 3 hours, and on Mondays I usually have two classes - Student Affairs Administration and Helping Skills for Student Affairs Professionals. I also have two Wednesday classes which meet on a bit of an irregular schedule (one is bi-weekly and one meets 5 or 6 times during the semester), so it may not have made a difference either way on this night!

9:50 PM: After my brain is sufficiently fried from class, I finally make it back to my car. I usually listen to Podcasts on my way back home (I don't really like the afternoon or evening shows on the Sports Hub), but on this night the Bruins were playing so I listened to the game on the way home. (P.S. This season is heartbreaking... D:)

It randomly started dumping snow while I was driving and it accumulated on the road pretty quickly. I say it every year, but this year I am truly desperate for the winter to end. My car has been a trooper but I don't know how much longer poor Dory can hold up!

10:40 PM: Finally get back to my apartment. I am trying to eat more plant based foods just to feel better and be healthier, so I snacked on fruits, veggies, and a granola bar throughout the day and evening (I didn't end up eating the gummy bears! #willpower). It really isn't filling at all, so I'm generally starving when I walk through the door but I'm usually waaaay to exhausted to cook anything extravagant. This night I made myself some brinner consisting of a blueberry bagel with butter and some scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese. Easy and delicious!

11:30 PM: After I shove food in my face, I'll crawl into bed to say goodnight to Brett over FaceTime and watch Netflix until I pass out, which is usually around 12 or 1 AM. If I have more energy I'll read or write, but after 6 hours of class, all you want to do is not think anymore!

It's a long day but it really has just become part of my life. I do recognize that I'm extremely busy and that my schedule is insane, but I'm 100% used to it at this point and don't really mind it at all. Do I wish I had more time to myself? Absolutely. But I know once grad school leaves the picture I definitely will. Only a few more months! :)

I'd love to see your Day in the Life posts! 

Leave the link in the comments if you do one or have one and I'll check it out. :)

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend! <3

A Few of my Favorite Links {#11}

Happy Tuesday everyone! Several snow days and impromptu days off the past couple of weeks have allowed me to roam around the interwebs and accumulate quite the list of links to share with you all today. From the Patriots to puppies to adopting elephants (you read that right), I'm really excited to show you all my favorite things on the net as of late!

Patriots Win Super Bowl XLIX!

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THEY FREAKING PULLED IT OFF! The Patriots won their fourth Super Bowl Sunday night and what a game it was! I don't think I ever went through so many emotions while watching a football game in my entire life. I was happy, I was sad, I was angry, I wanted to hide and turn off the game all together. Seriously, you should have seen the room I was in on that final Seattle drive. We were all SO depressed! I did not think we were going to be able to pull off a win. I thought for sure that we had lost a third Super Bowl in a row. Then BOOM, our undrafted rookie makes the play of the freaking century. WOW. What an ending. We are the champions once again!

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Budweiser "Lost Dog" Super Bow XLIX Commercial


It seemed like this year's Super Bowl commercials erred on the depressing side (check out my thoughts on that here... #COMmajorprobz), but Budweiser stole my heart once again by continuing their #BestBuds legacy and claiming my #1 pick for Best Commercial of Super Bowl XLIX. Their 2014 commercial was also my favorite of last year's Super Bowl, so if you missed and are a puppy lover like myself, I definitely recommend checking it out here!
Here's What Real Healthy People Actually Snack On

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I'm definitely a snacker. I prefer eating many smaller meals throughout the day instead of sticking to the big three (though I'm a huge fan of breakfast), and I'm always at a loss for what to grab when my tummy is rumbling. I know I should snag an apple or banana, but when I'm hungry, having just a piece of fruit or a salad does not fill me up and leaves me a little frustrated. This list gives you extremely healthy options for snacks which also keep you satisfied for a few hours! (I especially love mashed avocado on wheat toast! YUM)

How to Be Productive Every Day

This is a cute little post from one of my favorite blogs, Lemon Freckles, that gives you a few handy tips on how to stay productive. Even though this post is aimed at students or those who are self-employed and tend to work without someone peering over their shoulder, I think these tips can really apply to anyone. Being productive can seem elusive on some days, and we all know what happens when we're not productive - we get stressed. Try out a couple of these tips to help stay on top of your mountains of to-dos!

#CowArt

A friend of mine posted this on her wall and I couldn't stop watching/laughing. A couple of farmers in the Mid-West decided to get a bit creative when feeding their cows and tried to see if they could get the herd to create some aerial designs! Click play to see what they create - so funny! :) 
30 Day Push-Up Calendar

I just completed this 30 Day Push-Up Challenge that I found on Pinterest! My upper body strength is pretty low, so I knew that I wanted to challenge myself to do more with it. I decided to kick off the year with this challenge and I actually got all the way through! The thing I liked most about doing a challenge is that I had an opportunity to exercise each day, even if my day was busy. I also really enjoyed that with this challenge, you're given rest days every 2 days so your muscles can grow and adjust. I really felt a difference in my upper body strength and will very likely be doing this challenge over again!

DoYouYoga

In searching for a February fitness challenge to attempt, I stumbled across DoYouYoga.com. (True Life: I just typed "DoYouToga" and almost didn't catch it...) This website is an awesome community of individuals learning and practicing yoga and features blog posts, a message board, and even video courses! I'm currently participating in a 30 Day Yoga Challenge video course which has been awesome so far! (I will be posting a full review when I am done!) If you're interested in trying out yoga for the first time or learning more about this form of exercise, I highly recommend joining! (You should also add me as a friend here!)

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

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WHY AM I JUST FINDING OUT ABOUT THIS FOUNDATION?! I heard about this organization through a monthly favorites video on YouTube. It is a wonderful organization committed to the rescue and preservation of Wildlife in Africa, especially orphaned elephants and rhinos. The best part? You can donate and foster an elephant or rhino! The program works by receiving donations from foster "parents" or families, and you can then receive updates and photos on how your fostered animal is progressing! SO AMAZING! I know for a fact that when I am more financially stable I am 1,000,000% going to participate. Take a look at their website and read up on the organization. It is wonderful! (P.S. Love, Life, and Elephants: An African Love Story by Daphne Sheldrick has shot right to the top of my to-read list upon discovery of this organization! #newrolemodel)

What links have you been loving lately?

Stumbling Through 26.2 - Part 2: The Gear

You might think or running and assume that because the activity is a pretty basic exercise that you wouldn't need a whole lot of gear to survive. That may be true for the everyday recreational runner, but for marathon training, you need to be prepared! The impact that running long distances has on your body can be pretty damaging and can lead to injury or illness fairly quickly if you don't have the right equipment to lay down the miles. Here are a few must-haves to get you through your training:

Running Shoes

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No brainer, right? The kind of shoes you wear when you're running play the biggest role in staving off injury when it comes to gear. Each runner has a different foot shape, stride, and way that they strike the road with their feet while they run, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to picking out your shoes. It takes an annoyingly long time to find a shoe that will work the best for you, but it truly makes all the difference in the world. I would suggest dedicating a solid few hours to this search, and even going to a running store where the employees are trained in analyzing the way you run and matching that to a shoe that will carry through the hundreds of miles that you'll be running in preparation for the big day.

Neon, Neon, Neon

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If you've seen any runner on the street, chances are they're wearing some sort of fluorescent color that you can see from 3 blocks away. It's not a coincidence that all runners tend to have the same color schemed wardrobe. It's really because it makes us look awesome stand out to vehicles on the road. I don't live in a large city, so in my running experience I have spent most of my training running on roads that do not have sidewalks and in some cases have quite a few blind turns. I've been in a few close calls with oncoming vehicles and I'm pretty convinced that one day I'm not going to be so lucky. (#runnersfate) BUT wearing bright colors help drivers see me and hopefully take the time to give me space to run. Neon and reflective materials should definitely be part of your wardrobe (ESPECIALLY if you're training in the winter months with less sunlight) if they aren't already!

Hydration Pack

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This is essential for your long runs! If you're not someone who likes to carry bottled water with you, you need to have a way to bring it with you. I suggest investing in a hydration pack of some sort for some hands-free hydration! Be careful with these if you live in colder areas, as they do have the potential to freeze and act as a nice weight for you to carry around on your back. (But I mean, that could count as additional training, right?

Fuel Belt

This is one of many types of Fuel Belts... find one that works best for you!
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(I like to call it a utility belt... anything that makes me feel a little bit like Batman is a win in my book. This is another essential for long runs. When you're running for more than an hour, your body needs fuel. Eating while running was such a strange concept to me, and sometimes I'm just not hungry while I run, but you need to refuel your body. That's where a Fuel Belt comes in! (I like to call it a utility belt... anything that makes me feel a little bit like Batman is a win in my book.) It has pockets and loops for you to put your favorite fueling materials in (granola bars and Gatorade blocks are my personal favorite) and it even can store your phone, ID, insurance cards, and any other fun things you'll need while you're on the road for a few hours.

Cold Weather Gear

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If you're planning on a spring or late fall marathon, chances are you'll be running in some pretty cold temperatures. Being outside for an extended period of time in single-digit temperatures is a nice invitation to frost bite, which is no fun, so make sure you're bundling up when you hit the road! I recommend a nice pair of gloves, a headband or hat that covers your ears, and some Under Armour Cold Gear to wear under your clothes (so worth the investment! I've had my set for going on 7 years now and it still works wonderfully!).

When it comes to marathon training, everyone's going to be different and use a variety of combinations of gear to help them through. Make sure you're picking out what feels right for you, and after a while you'll be able to tell what works and what doesn't!

More of Stumbling Through 26.2: Picking a Plan

Stumbling Through 26.2 - Part 1: Picking a Plan

The one thing I get asked the most by readers across my social media platforms is how I train for the races I run. I don't think I'm a training expert in any sense of the word, but I've been a distance runner for a couple years now and have definitely picked up a few tricks that work for me along the way. I thought it'd be great to share my pointers on how to get through 26.2 miles through a small series I like to call "Stumbling Through 26.2" or "The most accurate description of how Riley runs marathons". If you're interested in running a marathon, then I hope you find the next few posts helpful.

Today I'm going to talk about one of the most crucial components to training: picking your plan. There's a million and one training plans out there (found with a quick Google search!), so it's important to pick the plan that works best for you. I've used the Hal Higdon Novice 1 program for both of the marathons I've run because it fits both my schedule and my skill level equally as well.

Regardless of what program you choose, you should make sure of a few things:

1. You have at least one long run a week. These are your most important runs of each week. These are the runs that are going to impact your training the most and will ultimately carry you across the finish line on race day. These training runs will increase your stamina, strength, and allow you to practice your fueling techniques. One day of your week should be dedicated to these runs, probably a day of the week you typically have off. (You can always join the #SundayRunday club with me!)

2. Your training plan fits well with your day-to-day schedule. I typically shoot for fall marathons because I'm usually working a lot less during the summer and have more time on my hands to train. Training for a marathon takes a LOT of time (3 hour long runs aren't unheard of) and you should make sure you have the time to commit to it before registering for the race itself.

3. Focus on the first 3 weeks when picking a plan. If you feel like you can get through the first 3 weeks of a program comfortably, then that's probably the plan for you! Training plans are designed to train you (shocker, I know) over 16-20 weeks, and you'll start to build your endurance over the first few weeks, to then help you with the next few weeks, and so on. Don't focus on the fact that you'll have to eventually run 20 miles during your training. Take it one run at a time and trust that your body will build up the strength to get you through your training, because it will!

4. Put your plan somewhere you can see it. I usually put mine right in my planner where I know I'll see it every day, but you can put it anywhere - on your fridge, on the dashboard of your car, on your mirror - as long as you know you'll look at it often and be aware of the distances you need to run each week! It's easy to fall into the out of sight/out of mind trap when you can't see your plan, so putting it somewhere that you'll see it every day will help you stick to it.

With all of these things in mind, you'll be able to find the right plan for you. Starting a training program can be pretty scary, but if you trust your body and stick ot everything your plan outlines, you'll be able to get through it - I promise!

New Hampshire Marathon FINISHER!

Saturday I ran and finished my second marathon ever - the New Hampshire Marathon in Bristol, NH! 

Training for this marathon went much differently than training for Hartford last year. I've been so busy with other things since I started grad school, which included the entirety of my training for this race, so my mind hasn't been focused on it like it was with Hartford. I was pretty nervous that the race wouldn't go as well as my previous marathon because I wasn't mentally focused, but it actually turned out pretty great!

Louie and Nick originally planned on running this race with me like we did with Hartford, but with their busy schedules they didn't get around to registering in time, so I ran this one solo. My parents did come up and support me though, which was so awesome of them! I know waiting at the finish line of a race for nearly six hours isn't the most entertaining thing in the world, but luckily there's a lot of fun touristy things up in that area of New Hampshire, so they kept themselves busy.

The weather was predicted to be super rainy, and it definitely was a gloomy day, but luckily it was really just a cold, misty day, which is pretty ideal when you're running 26 miles. While I was running I overheard many of the other runners chatting about their own marathon experiences and aspirations. The Maine Marathon was actually the following day, and many of those that were currently running the NH Marathon with me were planning on also running the Maine Marathon the next day! (What?!) There was also one man running his 50th state for the 50 State Marathon Club which was very exciting. It's actually on my bucket list to join that club one day and complete that milestone of running a marathon in every state! The marathon field was relatively small (~300 people) so it was very cool to be a part of that race with such few runners.

The course itself was beautiful and quiet. It looped around Newfound Lake and through heavier wooded areas in central NH. Having the leaves changing colors provided for some beautiful scenery and lots to look at. There were water stops every 2 miles which was amazing, and there was one woman from Marathon Maniacs driving around the course and handing out snacks to all the runners - so awesome! Everything about this race was such an improvement from the experience that we went through in Hartford last year, and really encouraged me that I can still run at the pace that works best for me and be treated with the same support from the race staff as those that are faster than me.

Though it will probably be a little while before I run another, I'm definitely looking forward to my next marathon! This one has definitely motivated and inspired me to keep pushing myself to my limits and accomplishing all the running goals I have for myself. And of course, you'll be reading all about it as I continue to lay down the miles! :)