Author: devonpass

Hi, new Seattlite! Hope you’re loving this beautiful city so far.

I run with the American Cancer Society’s DetermiNation team to train for the Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon on June 25. It’s the first running group I’ve been a part of, and I love it! You can join DetermiNation or the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training to train for a specific event. I highly recommend it if you want to stick to a great training plan, meet new people and raise money for a good cause!

Otherwise, you can check out the Seattle Running Club and this page on Meetup.com, which lists a variety of formal and informal running groups in the Seattle area. Some health clubs have their own running groups, too, so you can check into that if you plan on joining a gym. Good luck!

Oh yeah, I belong to a gym! I’ve been running outside so much that I haven’t been to my gym in more than a month. I know because the last time I was there, I checked out some books from the nearby library, and now they’re about a week overdue…

So I returned the books, and returned to the gym for a quick 1.5 treadmill run, immediately followed by a 75-minute power yoga class. I was dripping sweat during yoga. If anyone thinks it isn’t a workout, just find a faster-paced class and you’ll get your sweat on for sure!!

I was very pleasantly surprised with how comfortable I am at a faster pace on the treadmill. 10:00/mi used to be my warmup pace and 9:30 was my manageable-but-sort-of-hard pace. This time, 9:30 wasn’t challenging at all, and I ended up running comfortably-but-sort-of-hard at 8:27.

I popped off the treadmill when it was time for yoga and I wasn’t even out of breath as I cleaned the machine. Crazy!!

I was a 10:00/mi girl for so long. It feels good to know how far I’ve come… and dream about how far I’ll go.

…get crystalized salt stains on their face from sweat? THIS girl, right here!

Had a great track workout with the DetermiNation team last night: 1.5 mile warmup, 4 x 400 fast w/200 easy running in between, 1 mile cooldown – total of 4 miles in 35:45.

I’m feeling much, much stronger than the last time I did a speed workout!

Went straight to the Whole Foods salad bar to grab dinner: spinach, arugula, tofu, chickpeas, wheatberries, cherry tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, mushrooms, soybeans, black beans, corn and tzatziki for dressing. Yum and YUM while I watched The Biggest Loser finale!! Love that show.

Yes, I rocked my salt stains at Whole Foods.

I was…

• 150/427 overall
• 7/28 in my division (F 20-24)
• 45/253 of all females

I’m pretty happy!

Today, as with every Tuesday, the weather has miraculously cleared up and it’s sunny just in time for track practice with the team.

I really don’t feel like going… but I will. That’s when I know I need to go the most!

irunnyc replied to your post: Race dreams

I think you can do even better than those predicted times! You already saw that during this race, your 10k time was better than your last race. You’re training and improving constantly, so aim high and if anyone is capable of doing it, it’s you!

Self-doubt has always held me back from going after big goals – this wonderful comment is a great reminder that I should believe in myself!!

Thank you, irunnyc!!

I think these predicted finish times, based on my 15K time, are looking pretty sexy.

A sub 2-hour half-marathon and 4:09 marathon? Yes, please!

I know that so many factors go into finish times and these are just based on formulas, but still… I like to dream!

I didn’t work out tonight and instead tackled some nagging tasks, like cleaning the bathroom and putting away all my laundry. My room was a messy nightmare from this busy weekend. Now it’s a nice, clean, pleasant place to be!

Since this post is already pretty random, I’ll just end with an exquisite birthday present I received yesterday that I think some of you will appreciate.

It even came with its own funnel. Efficient! : )

I have not always been a runner. I started running in 2010, and only seriously started running and racing after I did my first 5K in Sept. 2010.

I didn’t start running to specifically lose weight, but I have lost the extra 15 or so pounds I carried around through college – that was due to my total lack of exercise and the fact that I considered Cheetos and Keystone Light to be primary food groups. My college roommate still likes to mention the fact that my favorite rainy-day activity was to skip class and eat frosting from a can while watching Oprah’s 20th Anniversary DVD. 100% true.

But the main reason I started running was because I was bored, exhausted and unhappy with my life after graduating college and starting my first full-time desk job. This post explains in great detail that period of unhappiness and how I got out of it. This kind of sums it up:

I started running. I made calculated efforts to become more adventurous, and started saying “yes” to a lot more invitations and activities. I started initiating activities myself. I went skydiving. I registered for my first 5K (very scary). I made an effort to eat healthier and get more sleep.

I feel like most of it has happened since the beginning of September. That’s when I stopped looking for approval from someone else, and instead started becoming a person that I approve of.

I realized that I couldn’t just sit around and wait for something or someone to come along and make me happy; I had to think about the things in life that would bring me joy, then pursue them.

Running brings me joy. I’m very goal-oriented, and I find it exciting to challenge myself (hence all the races and new distances I have lined up). Being fit also makes me happier because I don’t struggle to simply make it through each day anymore; I’m now full of energy.

I’m proud to call myself a runner now. I’m very flattered if it seems like I’ve always been one. Thanks for the question!