STORY TIME.

So, I caught my eyes in the mirror during a super sweaty, super cardio-heavy, do-jumping-jacks-until-you-hit-the-ground-intense Yoga Sculpt class the other morning.

A few thoughts were going through my head as I locked eyes with myself & the sweat trickled down my tomato-red cheeks… in this order, naturally:

1) I feel like a BADASS.

2) I need to do this every damn day. Like every single day no matter what. I freaking love using weights in yoga.

3) Except I should probably intersperse it with running… and HIIT… and regular yoga… so maybe I’ll do sculpt every other day. Or more, whatever. I can double up. I love doubling up. But will I have time for everything else I need to be doing every day? Uh… prob not.

4) Am I as in shape as I was a few months ago before I took so much down time for my Panchakarma? There’s no way I’m as in shape as I was when I was training for the marathon. Or when I was doing OrangeTheory 5-6 days a week. There’s no way.

5) Do I *need* to be as in shape as I was when I was doing either of those things? Was that *too* much cardio for me? Should I drop the running thing and just dive fully into the every day yoga thing? Would that be better for my body and joints in the long run?

6) Stop obsessing, Jordan. Stop obsessing.

7) What if I start TEACHING sculpt classes?! Then I’d really have to take sculpt all the time to make sure I was on my A game. Yeah, that’s totally what I should do.

8) Must. Get. To. Yoga. Every. Day. No. Matter. How. Busy. I. Am. With. Work. And. Blogging. And. Life.

9) What does being “FIT” mean anyway? I look like I’m in better shape than I was when I was pounding out 30+ miles a week… don’t I? Or is it just these pants?

10) I pray to god I’m still fit enough to run the half marathon I’m signed up for in two weeks. I wonder if these sculpt classes will help with my endurance…

11) Do I look fit to the other people in this room? Did I even KNOW how fit I was before I took all that time off to rest and recharge? I didn’t even *appreciate* it.

12) Why are these jumping jacks so hard for me?! Why did I drink all that coffee this morning?! Heartburn, heartburn, ow. Why is my heart beating so fast? I am a distance runner, or at least I was… WHY is this cardio so HARD?

You get the picture.

On and on.

So, YEAH. These were just a few of the thoughts going through my head as I powered through the sweaty, weighted, and also somehow crazy enjoyable and cathartic class that I was in on Friday.

Pre-yoga selfie before the very class I’m talkin’ bout.

Do I take being fit for granted?

The main thing that got me thinking was actually #11 on the list above… “did I even appreciate how fit I was when I was busting out 16 mile runs and calling them very doable, *short* distances, and going on with my day as normal afterward?”

The answer is… no, I didn’t really appreciate it. I didn’t quite give myself enough credit or actually stop to marvel at how hard I was working and how far I had come from hardly running at all ever.

Because even when I was doing all the cardio in the world, hopping from OTF classes to road running to the occasional yoga class all in one day just to stay a litttttle open in my legs and hips… I still believed I was just “sort of” in good shape.

Why? Because all of that exercise wasn’t effortless for me, the way I thought it should be or would be if I was totally, completely, and seriously in “REALLY GOOD SHAPE.”

Why did I think that and basically give myself zero credit for busting my ass to workout hard every day? I have no idea.

Instead, I actually focused a lot on what I thought I SHOULD be doing. I thought I should be training harder, running faster, running more often. I thought I “barely skated by” with training for the marathon, even though I poured my heart and soul into that training process for 7 whole months.

Exercise is never going to feel effortless the way I envisioned it should for people in the best shape of their lives. I mean, it shouldn’t be at least if we are actually pushing ourselves and getting stronger and going faster, and growing and evolving.

And I also talked a bit in my post the other day about how we should always appreciate our physical ability to exercise, because it’s a legit privilege that we so often take for granted.

So yes, even though my fitness level isn’t the same as it was before I took time off for my Pancharkma (also equally as necessary and important in my wellness journey)… I am still in good shape & should be appreciating that and giving myself credit.

I work hard to be as healthy and fit as I can possibly be. I swear I don’t give myself nearly enough credit… and for being such a self-aware person about all things fitness + wellness, if I’m not giving myself enough props — are ANY of us?

I mean, I really hope some of us are. We freaking deserve it.

My Biggest Challenge With Being Super Into Fitness:

My biggest challenge is that I’m always going to want more. My accomplishments are never going to seem like “enough.”

Finished the marathon, felt awesome, couldn’t wait to do it again and “train harder” and run faster.

Nailed my handstand in yoga, was stoked, couldn’t wait to hold it longer and learn how to press into it more gracefully and impressively.

Flowed through a kick ass yoga sculpt class (the one I mentioned above), felt incredible, and couldn’t wait to “do this way more often” so that I could be ripped and lift heavier weights and feel stronger.

Bumped up my “base pace” at OrangeTheory, was super happy, and really all I could focus on was how I couldn’t wait to be faster and have my pace feel more effortless and less ridiculously hard.

UMMMM. Do we see a pattern here?! So much wanting more!! Never satisfied.

A gorgeous Tamara Muth King photo below… My happy place, yoga in my living room. 

It’s okay to want more and to keep on pushing ourselves and never be fine with being stagnant, and I suppose it’s not the worst trait in the world to push ourselves, but I also think we need to show ourselves more LOVE and appreciation for all that our bodies do for us.

It just struck me so hard when I realized: “I’m definitely not in the same running shape as I was a few months ago, and I definitely did NOT appreciate what great cardio shape I was in at that time.”

I think a little bit of appreciation would go a long way.

Then the fitness would be about feeling good & proud rather than always pushing harder, harder, harder.

Rather than being terrified of falling off the wagon, and rather than being afraid to even take a few days off to rest or fill our time with other necessary things.

Really all of this is just food for thought, because I was so taken aback when I realized that I shrugged off every single compliment people gave me about “being so fit” this year and didn’t even believe them, honestly.

WEIRD, right?

It’s very hard for us as humans (and perfectionist humans, especially) to be proud of ourselves and give ourselves the credit we would give to someone else.

I specifically remember being in a really tough OTF class, having a very doable time with it, and not allowing my friends’ constant praise of: “OMG you crushed that class, I’m so jealous of how fast you were with such a low heart rate” to even soak in a TINY bit. I straight up did not think she was correct.

So my goal for myself moving forward is… appreciate. It goes a long way, and it fits right in with all of my self-care goals & vibes this year.

Who wants to do it with me? We can hold each other accountable!! I actually want to create a challenge around this with prizes, etc. Would LOOOVE any / all thoughts + feedback! XO 

Another TMK photo!

I have been shocked ever since starting to run consistently that running is just as much of an ever-evolving process as yoga is. In such a different way, of course, but in many ways (patience, endurance, practice, ebbs & flows, good days & bad…) very much the same.

BTW, cross training with hiking is ALWAYS a good idea. Anything that gets your heart rate pumping is a great way to cross-train!

As I mentioned in my last running update post, as of early July I had not been training for anything specific. My last race was the Vine Body Sole half marathon in Napa Valley in May, where I finished with a time of 2 hours & 3 mins, a.k.a my half marathon PR (personal record)!

But my training sched is about to change, because I just signed up for the Big Sur Half Marathon. I am crazy excited about it, and I am mainly excited because sooo many of my favorite humans will be running it with me. Alexi, Jonathan, Chelsea, LAURA CONLEY (all caps because she just committed!!!), Tamara, and a few more who we are still trying to hook in. Oh I may have even convinced the guy who does valet for the coffee shop I go to every day, hehe.

I think races are so much more fun when you sign up for them with other people. That way we all hold each other accountable, travel together (Big Sur is about a 5-hour drive from L.A., so we will make a weekend trip out of it!), and celebrate the race afterward together. I have never done a race alone, but I have done a few with just one other person (hey, Alexi!) and I think we both agree it’s a lot more fun when there is a crew. People who GET IT that you just ran your heart out and want to celebrate that accomplishment!

And just because you sign up with other people doesn’t mean you run side by side with them the whole time… No, that would be ridic hard for me, I can barely keep my own pace, LOL. But if you run a similar pace to them then you see them throughout the race and that’s just as cool! Running is a very introspective thing, for me at least, and even though I loved running & chatting with other people while I trained for the LA Marathon with Team Nutribullet, I like to clear my head while I run and get in the ZONE.

Blast my angry rap music, pay attention to my breath, take in the scenery, learn something new about the environment, observe others, pick up the pace when I feel like it; you know, all that jazz.

So!! I am STOKED to be running the Big Sur Half Marathon in November. (Funny story: I started drunkenly calling it the Half Sur Big Marathon the other night… Big marathon sounds more terrifying than it should, haha.)

My Training PLAN:

After a brief convo with my running coach Jimmy when I ran into him at OrangeTheory the other day, he said I should be working my way up to 18-ish mile long runs on the weekends if I want to PR in this half marathon. That way, I can bump up my speed for the 13.1 miles because it will feel like a breeze of a distance after the 18.

Some people might find the idea of 18 mile long runs scary, but I am weirdly thrilled about the challenge. I am happy to have a concrete number in my head rather than a loose training plan I throw together at the last minute like I usually do.

I also have plenty of time between now and November, so I can write out a training plan to work myself up to the 18 miler and feel like I have lots of good, solid time to accomplish it.

Since I will be doing my 300-hr yoga teacher training at the same time as training for this race… I am going to have to have my training sched on lock, unlike how I sometimes can be way more loosey goosey with it.

My Fave Running CLOTHES:

As usual, I am loving training in my Nike activewear and obsessed with my Nike RN Fly Knits. I like the Fly Knits better for walking and jogging than for actual training, mainly because they are so cute and the support isn’t 100% there like it is in some of Nike’s performance-based shoes. So I bring them with me and rotate them out to wear them to brunch after my long runs.

Also, the SUPER COOL THING is that you can purchase your Nike Frees on a 30 day trial, so if you don’t like them after using them for 30 days, you are guaranteed a full refund. How awesome? I mean, you’ll probs love them, but still. You can head here to learn more about that!

I am pretty obsessed because they are super flexible and dynamic, and they also have a new soft foam feature that gives extra cushion while you run. I always look for that extra support in a shoe. (Read: I NEED that support!!)

Here I wore them on the most epic waterfall hike in Kauai to Wailua Falls. My HEAVEN!

My Nike clothes are always my go-tos, especially on vacation in Hawaii when it is hot AF outside and there is no way I am putting on full-length pants.

And the NEON, you guys!! Is it not the best thing in the world? I legit live in these shorts. I even washed them in the shower on vacation so I could keep wearing them… Does anyone else do that? LOL.

And this top: yes, please.

I had so much fun running in Hawaii. It is humid, yes, but as my Ayurvedic practitioner and I decided the other day, humidity suits me. Like weirdly well. My whole body tends to function better in the humidity… Athletic performance, sleeping, digestion, all of it.

I just love to run with a VIEW. That is why I am so excited for the Big Sur Half. There is literally no prettier place in the world. Remember my trip to Big Sur last winter with my BFFs?!

L.A. Marathon, Baby!!!

Also… I am still signed up for the LA Marathon in March, HELL YES. So this half in November will hopefully get my booty motivated to keep on training right up until the full!! And I convinced my boo Danika to do it with me… which is the best part about it, by far.

If you haven’t read my marathon recaps, you can check out Part 1 & Part 2 here. Fun fact is that they are two of the widest read posts on TBB, EVER!

Is anyone else training for anything right now? What are your running go-tos? Tell me all!

Shop the Looks Below!

In case you haven’t read my previous marathon posts, let me catch you up to speed: I’ve been training for the LA Marathon with Team NutriBullet since September, and the race is THIS SUNDAY. I have always wanted to tackle a full marathon, but the main thing holding me back from committing to one was purely just fear. I was terribly afraid that I wouldn’t train hard enough which would result in me either getting hurt while running it or having to bow out of running it entirely. I was also afraid that I didn’t have enough time to train the right way, or that it wasn’t the right time. AND I was afraid that because of my extreme past, that I would take the training too far and overexert myself (i.e. get hurt) or have time for nothing in my life other than running. (Kinda like when I had time for nothing in my life other than veganism because of how extreme I was about it.)

What I felt more comfortable doing was signing up for a half marathon and proving to myself that I could fully commit to the training process, so that’s what I *originally* set out to do. The reason for that is that I have run three half marathons in the last few years, and every single time I fell off the training wagon sometime several weeks before the race. Because of who I am and because I always push myself to my limits when it really comes down to it — I ended up running all three races even though I wasn’t prepared. The most I’d ever run in the training process for each of the three was 6 or 7 miles at a time. So the full 13.1 was always a doozy — BUT it was doable, considering how active I am to begin with. I just have never been much of an outdoor runner, so the word “sore” would be a vast understatement for a week or two after all three races…

When word got around that I wanted to run a half marathon (I blog for a living, so my words tend to “get around” pretty quickly), one of my fellow OrangeTheory Fitness Ambassadors (whom I had yet to meet at the time) asked me whether I’d be interested in training for a full marathon. My first response? HELL NO.

Enter Jimmy Dean Freeman. He is one persistent dude, and I mean that in the best way possible. He told me about the NutriBullet training program he was coaching, and assured me that there would be many, many other first-time marathoners on the team. He also told me there would be five coaches & a bunch of mentors who had participated on the team in previous seasons. Oh, and an added bonus, I would get the half marathon I was looking for, because there was a 5k, 10k and half marathon scheduled into the training program.

I told him that all sounded awesome, and deep down I knew it was exactly what I needed if I was ever going to tackle a full marathon, but I was still scared.

“But… I have a book coming out in November!!” I told him.

“So? We only train on the weekends and Wednesday nights.”

“I know, but I’m going to be traveling a lot when it comes out, so I don’t know…”

“Why don’t you work your schedule around it? Travel during the weekdays and come back on the weekends. It’s worth it.”

Hmmmm. Well that all seemed true. And I did just get a kitten so I knew I wasn’t going to be traveling as often as I was used to. But still! The fear. My one last-ditch attempt at letting my fear take over was telling him that while it all sounded GREAT, I would prefer to participate up until the half marathon in January and that would be enough for me. Then I’d be done.

His response? “That’s not an option.”

And after a little more back and forth (all over a few juices at Juice Crafters with his adorable baby girl Bardot hangin’ in her baby carrier), he convinced me. That was that. I committed to applying.

Then I applied to the program, got accepted, and the rest was history. We began training 6 months ago (SO HARD TO BELIEVE), and I walked in to the team of 100+ people knowing only two of them, not counting Jimmy. It was a little intimidating to say the least… Especially because the one person I knew really well wasn’t at our first couple of practices. Plus, for all I knew, everyone else ran alllll the time and I’d be the slowest person out there.

But that totally didn’t happen. On our first run, it was clear to me that while there were super experienced runners on our team, there were also runners of all levels, and everyone seemed really friendly and open. There’s something about running alongside someone for 1, 2, 3, 4+ hours that makes it easy to be vulnerable with them and start to share things about yourself that you might not even know until you find yourself saying aloud.

And that bond only intensifies when you train alongside a group of people for 6 full months, all with one crazy big goal at the end of the journey to look forward to and to keep at the forefront of your mind. It’s an amazing feeling to know that there are so many other people in your life who are feeling A LOT of the emotions that you’re going through… the anxieties, the fears, the doubts, the excitement, all the ups & downs.

Speaking of– on a more personal level, the rapidly approaching marathon has brought up some serious emotions for me. A lot of the emotions I’m experiencing aren’t even in relation to the marathon itself, but rather about other aspects of my life that I’m starting to view differently under the lens of this one huge, intense goal approaching.

This isn’t particularly shocking, because I tend to react strongly to all sorts of big things in my life. When one huge event is about to happen, it kickstarts something inside of me that makes all the “maybe I’d change that” parts of my life seem way, way, way more important than ever before and as if they need to be acted upon right then and there.

I try to look at all of them pragmatically — but in all honesty, I usually just feel like an anxious mess until I work out each issue individually. Maybe that means I shove a lot of things under the rug until I can’t hide from them anymore? Yeah, probably.

But instead of viewing that side of me in a negative light, I actually see a lot of positives in my inability to be content when I know that certain things in my life aren’t going well. It enables me to be in touch with my spiritual side, because when I find myself tangled in anxiety and fear, I need the guidance of a stronger presence to help me reflect. It draws me to yoga, meditation, journaling and most recently to an INSANELY awesome conversation with an animal communicator. I’ll go into more depth about that soon if anyone is interested… but it was one of the most therapeutic and cathartic experiences I’ve gone through in a long time.

That hyper-anxious side of me also brings me closer to those around me, because I veryyyy much value the guidance and advice of my close friends and family. It allows me to open up to them in a way that I simply don’t let myself when I am “pretending” like everything is going well (even when I don’t mean to pretend).

And ultimately — it helps me make decisions that enrich my life in the best ways possible in the end. Even if it means letting go of someone who’s been important to me, letting go of a commitment that I previously thought was necessary and important to my life, or making path-altering decisions when it comes to my business and brand. I know it can be shocking to some people, especially those close to me, that I can just let go of something immediately once I know I’m done with it. My parents even laugh about it (all the time)… but the truth is — I think I hold onto some things for SO LONG that by the time I realize they no longer serve a purpose in my life I need to get rid of them simultaneously.

I have also been doing a TON of reflection about where I am in life and where I want to go. As a full-time blogger, I have the ability to focus and hone in on any particular area that interests me the most… And I am currently figuring out what that will look like over the next few years. It could even mean going back to school to get a Masters degree (and finish it this time — lol), spending an extended period of time in another country, starting to teach yoga again, or all of the above.

Beyond where I’m going, I am really trying to focus on where I am right now, in this moment. I am taking control of my health in a way that I really haven’t over the last year and a half and trying to get my post-veganism hormone problems under control — and focusing on ME in the context of my own body rather than in the context of my brand/business all the time. Gotta take care of myself first!

I try to remember that all of this is exciting even though it can also feel overwhelming. And I want to give an immense thank you to Team NutriBullet, Jimmy Dean, and everyone I’ve grown close to on this team & from running in general for helping me reach not only the approaching marathon, but all of these reflections about my personal life that have given so much more clarity.

This whole experience has taught me SO MUCH, but I think my main takeaways are as follows…

• Let go of fear and anxiety when it’s holding me back from committing to a big goal, because I am stronger than the fear and there are way more scary things in the world than my goals.
• Be open to change and fluctuations in the daily routine of life, so that everything that bothers me doesn’t pile up when I just can’t hide from it anymore.
• Try new things more often because they are the best way to really, really challenge myself and come out on the other side with an entirely new perspective.

What do you guys think?! Can you relate to parts of what I’m feeling (or maybe all of it)? What about you marathon runners out there… What should I expect come Sunday?!

You also may know that I am a pretty extreme person, so this combination of excited yet super nervous emotions isn’t totally out of my comfort zone. Before I get into full detail about how my training program is going, I want to touch on the importance of cross-training.

Wearing Victoria’s Secret athletic wear. In honor of their mystery product launch, you will receive a free sport pant with the purchase of any reg priced sports bra! All details lower in post!

Cross-training

I am not a runner by nature. I didn’t grow up running, and most of the sports I played didn’t include a ton of running. I have always been more of a yogi, dancer, Pilates, HIIT kind of girl with short intervals of running. I have run three half marathons before, but all of them were wayyyy out of my comfort zone and I somehow along the way each and every time lost my motivation to train properly.

This time, I am doing it differently. I am running about four days per week, but I am also highlighting the importance of cross training. When I signed up to do this marathon, I knew that in order to stay on my A game I was going to have to incorporate workouts that I was already really comfortable with and have loved for a long time in order to make the training work for me. So in between my long runs and easy, slower paced training runs, I do a lot of YOGA, HIIT (high intensity interval training) and lots of long walks in my neighborhood.

The yoga aspect of the training is huge for me. I have had such an intense, loving, and at times super up and down relationship with yoga for the last 10+ years. In a way I feel like yoga has saved my life (I’ll talk about that in more depth another time), and in a different way the practice has been one of the most challenging and personally competitive parts of my fitness and wellness journey. I have gone ALL IN with yoga, doing a 200-hour teacher training, taking classes twice daily for years, going on retreats to exotic locations, forming super close bonds with my yoga teachers / mentors, driving WAY too many miles to check out a new cool studio, etc. You get the picture. I have also fallen off the wagon with yoga for certain periods of my life — and I have been determined not to let this marathon training program be one of those time periods.

I can safely say that right now I fall somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. I am not 110% dedicated to yoga as I once was (and sort of would still like to be), and I have also not completely abandoned it for my running program. If anything, yoga has become infinitely more important to my body, mind, spirit and pysche while I train for this marathon. After I did a few of my first 12+ mile runs, I was in need of some SERIOUS stretching and zen. And because I am getting so much cardio from the running, it has allowed me to lighten up on myself with the levels of yoga classes that I have been taking.

Instead of focusing on really fast-paced, cardio-centric hour and a half yoga flows that leave me drenched and feeling high on life, I have been taking a lot of hour long slow burn classes that aren’t necessarily for the workout but more for recovery and mental relaxation. This is a huge shift for me, and to be honest I am really proud of myself for allowing my body to take a break and slow down in between my long runs. Being able to use yoga as a tool to do that makes me feel like so much more of a yogi than when I was busy trying to twist myself into an upside down pretzel in Level 3 classes twice a day.

#EXTREME, I know.

So, that’s my cross training regimen. Yoga a couple of times a week (ideally I would go more often, but homegirl only has so many hours in the day), a long walk with a friend once or twice a week, and usually a class or two of HIIT. Then three short ish runs per week with one long run on the weekend!

Plus, lots of stretching… Always!

The Gear

If you’re anything like me, you can’t get into the proper mental headspace of running if you are not comfortable from head to toe. This means having running shoes that fit you like a glove and don’t make you uncomfortable for even a second (until you’re so worn down from a long run that any shoe on earth would feel pretty freaking uncomfortable), and having ATHLETIC GEAR that is comfortable, doesn’t rub you in weird ways, doesn’t get itchy when you break a sweat, and also makes you feel confident in all the right ways.

I mix and match my athletic wear, as you guys know, and today I want to share my newfound love for Victoria’s Secret activewear. I am being compensated by them to write this post, but all opinions are completely my own (as always on this bloggy!). First of all — has anyone noticed how CUTE their workout clothes are right now? They are an awesome combo of style and sass, and obviously we know VS knows how to shape a woman’s body to make it look and feel good. And good translates directly to confidence, so I am all about it! When you are training to run a marathon… You need all the confidence you can get!

And workout clothes are not just about looking / feeling good, they’re also about performance. I do not wear or give positive reviews to workout clothes that get uncomfortable WHILE you’re actually working out. I wore my VS Knockout Capris on a 7 mile run in NYC yesterday, and they were ridiculously comfortable. I also got a ton of compliments… And then kept them on when I went to a yoga class at night! Can you say versatile?

And because it’s wintertime right now, I am all about this VS Zip Jacket… It also makes me feel like such a serious runner for some reason — it kinda screams badass woman athlete to me. Just sayin’.

Underneath: VS Player Tank (a must-have), and the cutest and comfiest Incredible Sports Bra. The bra is a brand new item and ladies let me tell you… It is supportive. This chick with the 32D’s would know. (Wow, I’m really baring all today, aren’t I?)

The PEOPLE

One of the absolute best parts of my training program thus far has been the people that I’ve met. When I began the program in September, I was going through a bit of a rough time in my personal life. Inevitably, on my superbly long runs with my new teammates, I ended up pouring out my heart and soul and then some. I also got to listen to what was going on in their lives and get to know these brand new people in my life in a super intimate way. At the end of the day, the most important part of any experience to me is the meaningful connections you walk away with. I am so glad that my coach JIMMY DEAN FREEMAN encouraged me to do the NutriBullet training program, even if he not so subtly asked me if I was planning on dropping out the other day because I have been gone so much… #thebloglife doesn’t allow a lot of room for a steady schedule. Which brings me to my next point…

The Challenges

Okay, so my two main struggles so far are really obvious to me. The first one is the mental struggle, and the second one is a time issue. The mental struggle can be broken down into two smaller categories: anxiety and fear. I am a very anxious person to begin with, and having a huge goal/challenge on the horizon that 100% depends upon my physical and mental preparation for it TERRIFIES me. 26.2 miles. Before I started training, that was double the longest distance I had ever run in my life. So there is a lot of fear mixed in with that… Will I be able to finish? Will I get hurt? Will I break down at mile 20 and feel too fatigued to go on? Will I eat the wrong thing the morning of the race and have stomach problems the whole way? Will I be able to fall asleep the night before? Will I get hydrated? Will I disappoint my family/friends waiting at the finish line?!

At the end of the day, I know those are all irrational fears. I know that I will be prepared and if the WORST happens, I will start and I won’t finish. That won’t be a life breaker. I really don’t think that’s going to happen — but if that’s the WORST, then why be so afraid?!

And the second issue is really just that of time. I am a notorious overcommitter, and I have a lot on my plate right now. I am used to my hour ish long workouts every day, but this training is intense and requires a lot of time and diligence. It has been great for me to learn and also to teach myself that I am capable of buckling down when it matters the most. So really, my struggles end up having a positive twist too, because learning to let go of fear and anxiety and also learning to hold myself accountable even when time is spread thin are two things I’ve needed for quite some time.

The NOW

Right now, where I’m at in my training program is pretty much 16 or 17 miles. That may leave me a little bit behind some of my teammates due to the fact that I have been gone so much and also due to the fact that I have a mental block right now about running further than that… So let’s see where these next few weeks take me! ALSO, I am running a half marathon this Sunday with my team so I am excited for that — it will be my first half marathon that I am actually TRAINED for, so I have high hopes that it will be more enjoyable than my last.

ADVICE?!?

I would love advice from any experienced runners and/or marathon vets. I have gotten so much incredible advice from readers so far, so keep it coming! I appreciate it more than you know.

THE CLOTHES.

You can shop the post below! I hope you like the Victoria’s Secret activewear as much as I do. If Gigi Hadid can rock it and look like a legitimate MEGA BABE, then YOU CAN TOO!! Gigi is life.

Also… this Sherpa zip up, though. #obsessed

ALL PHOTOS BY THE EVER FABULOUS ISELIN + HALE

And to be honest, thank GOD there are five months left, because this whole 26.2 miles business is going to be wild for me. I’ve run a few half marathons, including a really fun half in Central Park last Spring, pictured below:

How and why did I decide to train for a full marathon, you ask, when I have only done half marathons in the past and I sort of always said that distance was enough for me? (A half marathon is 13.1 miles, btw.) On top of that, I have never properly trained for my half marathons and never ended up running more than about 8ish miles in preparation for the 13.1… So not good. So extreme of me to continue signing up and running them with no guidance!

WELL let me tell you. I truly believe that when you surround yourself with likeminded people who inspire you, you’re much more likely to get motivated to try new things and take on new goals, no matter how big they are. I have been super lucky over the last year to have met a community of really awesome and inspiring people through OrangeTheory Fitness, where I work out and am an Ambassador for their Brentwood location.

One of my fellow Ambassadors is a marathon training coach, and he reached out a few months ago saying he’d like to talk to me about training for the LA Marathon. My first instinct was, “Yeah, no,” and I told him I was much better suited to run a half marathon and train properly for once before I could ever commit to running a full marathon. He wanted to meet up to talk about it further, so I agreed, but I was still pretty much convinced that I’d never commit to running the full.

When we met up he told me all about the NutriBullet Training Program he was the head coach of, and it sounded like a pretty awesome way to train. The program focuses on running and nutrition, and there are a whole host of coaches and mentors to guide you through three weekly practices. One practice on the weekends, and one optional Monday and optional Wednesday. (Obviously people serious about being ready for the marathon should go to all three.)

Starting to traiiiinn

I told him I’d like to do the training program and that is sounded great, but I’d like to only be a part of it up until the half marathon part of the training — which is this January. He probably hears that ish all the time, and he explained to me that if I were to take up a space in the program, I’d have to stick with it until the end.

Long story short, we talked about my fears and what was holding me back from committing. Then he assured me he’d coached thousands of people toward their FIRST ever marathon, and I started feeling like maybe it was an option. THENNN my good friend Kelly LeVeque (also an OrangeTheory Ambassador with us) committed to doing it, and there was no way I wasn’t going to get in on the fun and the crazy goal.

When I decided to sign up, I was filled with SO MUCH adrenaline and excitement I could hardly contain myself. I knew that this would be such a different training situation than any other running commitment I’d ever made because of the team and the dedication to practicing — and that I’d actually work up to those long distance runs and prepare my body.

And then there’s the whole food aspect which has been a CRAZY COOL experience for me to start really experiencing food as fuel and giving myself the tools to be as kind to my body as possible throughout this process. I will write a whole blog post on this next week… Because I am utterly convinced that running could be the best thing in the world for those recovering from eating disorders. (If done mindfully and at a certain point far enough along in the recovery process.)

Runkeeper App

So!!!! With all this running and my incredible #TeamNutriBulletInspired team by my side, I needed a way to map my runs to see how long each run was, to help me keep my pace, and to log all of my training hours so I can look back and see what the week / month was like, how I’m improving, how much distance I’ve covered, and all that awesome jazz.

You see, when you’re a perfectionist like me, you don’t just want to know you’ve run 5 miles because a course is supposedly 5 miles, you want to SEE that you’ve run 5 miles so you believe it and you can check it off in your head as truly having done it. Sounds #psycho, I know, but this is also such an incredibly large personal goal for me to be going toward that I want to be sure to cover ALL the bases.

The problem is, there are a lot of apps on the market that and I wasn’t really sure where to start. I am very particular and I have tried several fitness apps over the years that have been confusing for me to use and totally not user-friendly. Recently I heard about Runkeeper… And from the sounds of it, it sounded like it topped the charts of all of the other apps by far. But I still needed to try it first in order to see if it worked for me.

Spoilers… I fell in love with it. It’s SO NICE to have an app to keep track of all of the details of your run for you, and this app even has MUSIC inside of the app and tailors specific playlists for you based on your speed, mood and tempo. Yes, I’m serious. How cool is that?

So, there is the regular Runkeeper App and then there is the Runkeeper Go subscription service where you have personalized playlists, tailor-made training, and historic insights that show you just how much they’re progressing. I highly recommend the Runkeeper Go portion of the app, even though it’s $9.99 per month you couldn’t pay for this stuff elsewhere– it’s an investment in your health and fitness. Especially for new runners who need to learn how to log all of their info and stay on top of their training. You can also buy a yearly subscription for Runkeeper Go for $39.99. 

The app uses GPS to track distance and pace to help runners of ALL levels get started with a fitness routine and stick to it, which is helpful because in the past with other running apps I found it very difficult for the app to accurately detect my pace if I wasn’t going fast enough or slow enough — the numbers would fluctuate wildly and never seemed correct. This app seems to really be on point with my pace at all times, so far.

They also have a DJ section of their app where Runkeeper will sync all of your music directly from your iTunes library on an iPhone, and then it will automatically detect the mood and tempo of each of your songs. LOVE!

Oh, you can also tell the app how far you can currently run and how often you want to work out, and the app will put together a new workout plan for you for every week that will help maximize your results and help you move forward. On top of my coaches and my team… This app is for sure keeping me on track toward my goal.

Also, a fun fact is that Runkeeper was one of the first apps in the App Store when Apple launched Apps in 2008… That’s not something you hear every day, especially with a fitness app, and I think it’s a testament to how awesome it is.

Check Runkeeper out in the App Store & give it a try! You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram to check them out and see what they’re up to!

And if you live in Brentwood… You’ll DEFINITELY see me on my runs all week long, using this app and having a blast. Lots more updates to come, there is so much to say about this marathon training practice I hardly know where to begin. I’m going to be blogging about it at least weekly. Let me know below if you have any questions and I will try to cover it all in my upcoming posts— PLUS a Q&A soon with my running coach, Jimmy Dean Freeman himself!

Has anyone else trained for a marathon / Are you now training for a marathon?! Would love to compare notes and see what’s worked for you!!!