Thursday, September 5

Sunshine Award: My time in the sun

I was nominated to receive the Sunshine Award by my pal Becki at Fighting for Wellness! This award is given to those who inspire us and bring sunshine into the lives of those who nominate others.

The relationship I have with Becki is purely online, so I feel special to be included in her nominees. We met through her blog. I've been part of fundraising for her first marathon, my own Arbonne Fit Kit experience, and a Facebook-based holiday wellness challenge. It's delightful to know someone who cares about many of the same things that I do. What a sweetheart!


Here are the rules for the Sunshine Award:

  1. Include award logo in a post on your blog.
  2. Link to the person who nominated you.
  3. Answer 10 questions about yourself.
  4. Nominate 10 bloggers to receive the award. 

Okay, so here are the questions Becki asked me...

1. When is your favorite time of day to work out?
Usually I like to run after work. Sometimes it's a struggle to get myself going, but once I'm running I am fine. If we're talking the weekend, then I enjoy Saturday late morning.

2. What is something you never thought you'd be able to do, but you've accomplished in spite of the obstacles?
Well, I'm a runner, which is a huge accomplishment for me. After breaking my left foot twice in college (I'm really good on crutches), my podiatrist told me the only time I should run would be to run away from something. Fortunately my foot is stronger than she thought. I started running almost two years ago (November 2011) and haven't looked back. I've struggled with my asthma more than my foot pain, but I still persevere with my asthma because it's actually gotten a lot better from running. I run as part of the fabulous Oiselle VolĂ©e team and couldn't be happier about that.

3. Do you have a go-to splurge item? What is it and when do you have it?
Oiselle gear. Gosh, I could buy every item they ever made. It's high-quality, fashionable running clothes for women. And the logo is a bird! I love, love, love birds! I try to reward myself with "mental money" for doing tough stuff (usually $1 per tough thing). When the mental money adds up to $100, which takes awhile, then I allow myself to shop. Who doesn't love new running gear?!

4. How do you make time for yourself?
I try to make every morning breakfast about just breakfast so I can chill a little, eat, read a magazine, or just sit in the quiet to wake up. Some mornings this isn't possible, but I like not rushing around to get going.

5. Where would you live if money were no object?
Probably San Francisco so I could enjoy a balmy summer. Then again, visiting Nevada and Utah were awesome because of the desert air and beautiful scenery. Ooo, but if we're going to get particular, I could easily live at Fallingwater here in Pennsylvania. What an awesome place.

6. Who is your go-to person for advice when you're trying to make a tough decision?
I have one friend I've known since middle school (you know who you are) and we take turns bending each others' ears. We don't get to talk or see each other much these days (heck, we're in different time zones!), but she always finds a way to help me. I always call her. 

7. What is the strangest food or fitness trend you've tried?
Anything I list isn't weird enough. It's been awhile since I tried anything truly outrageous. But I've tried liver. (Could we just not call it by its anatomical name? It would be much more appetizing, I think.)

8. What are you most looking forward to in the next 12 months?
Right now planning the next 12 months seems basically impossible because of my situation. One day at a time is enough. But hopefully I'll be able to get on my feet financially with a new job. I'm hoping my teaching gig will continue to go well too. 

9. What is your favorite childhood memory or family tradition?
When my youngest brother was born, I was only 6 years-old. I couldn't contain my excitement. I made him toys out of paper and tape--a rattle (crumpled paper with some rice in it, taped shut) and a doll (tissues folded up and taped together, with rubber bands for legs and arms). I spelled his name wrong on the card I made, which was a travesty because my name was always spelled wrong (!), but mom said it was okay. I loved having a baby brother. 

10. Do you follow a strict food and fitness plan or wing it? 
Oh, I definitely wing it a little too much. I have a training calendar I'm not following too well right now and I need to get back on that wagon. I also haven't been super careful about what I eat since doing the Arbonne Fit Kit in June. I like to plan things, but things like this in my own life seem to take last place sometimes.  

My 10 Nominees

1. Abby (@nycrunninggirl) 
Oiselle teammate and fellow nap aficionado :)

2. Katie (@katieeand)
Oiselle teammate and has a whole tab for "Puppies" on her blog

3. Danielle (@FoodosaurusRex) 
Oiselle teammate and super foodie friend

4. Kristy (@pghrunner)
hometown Pittsburgh girl I met at a race who knows her running game

5. Paulette (@paulettezf) 
Oiselle teammate and wicked awesome runner

6. Ayesha (@musingfootfalls) 
Oiselle teammate and darling of the SW

7. Catherine (@eatrabbitfood) at Rabbit Food for My Bunny Teeth, 
inspiring "you can do it" attitude and great pro-veggie blogger

8. Amanda (@risenbird) at One Mile to Go, 
Twitter pal who kicks my butt motivates me 

9. Sarah (@sarahchan) 
Oiselle teammate and beautiful newlywed

10. Regina (@rfaura) 
Oiselle teammate and awesome mommy-runner inspiration

And here are my questions for you, ladies!

1. What one thing do you do before you work out? (Race day superstition? Habit? Helpful hint?)
2. How do you keep running when you are mentally spent?
3. Since you're all on Twitter: what do you get out of your interactions on Twitter?
4. Do you go to races alone or is someone waiting there for you/running with you? Any reason why?
5. Would you rather run in boiling humidity or below zero temps? Why?
6. What is your favorite OMG-I-shouldn't-be-eating-this-but-it's-delicious snack?
7. Why do you blog? What's your motivation?
8. Someone is giving you a million dollars, but you can't spend it on yourself: what would you do?
9. What are your two favorite songs to listen to when running?
10. Have you ever struggled to get motivated? What helped? (If you haven't struggled with motivation, what keeps you going?)

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