Running Survey and WildFire Giveaway Winners!

First, let’s start with the goods news! Congratulations to Jen, Nancy, Stephanie, Claire and Carlee for winning the 2 month membership to Wildfire! I’ve already sent your emails over to Wildfire and they should be contacting you with next steps shortly. I’d love to take a class with you if you’re in the San Diego area!

Thanks to Jen who blogs at Pretty Little Grub for letting me steal this fun running survey from her. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to talk running on the blog so filling out this survey was a fun walk down memory lane. I can’t wait to get back out there and training again !

1.  Would you rather run along a beach path or on a mountain trail? 

I would have said beach path for years but lately I’ve been loving those mountain trails. So this is a toss up. About 90% of my runs are on a beach path so I may just be spoiled!

2.  If you could choose the flavor of gatorade at your next race’s aid stations, what would it be?

None! I am not a fan of flavored sports drinks – they don’t quench my thirst at all! I used to drink nuun while Ironman training (always with another bottle with pure water) but now I just do salt tabs if necessary for electrolytes.

3.  If I gave you a $100 gift card to a running store, what would be the first thing that you would purchase with it?

Maybe a sports bra because I HATE spending money on a good supportive sports bra and they are expensive!

4.  Do you prefer to follow a training plan or wake up and decide then how far and how fast you want to run?

I’m a planner all the way – training plans make me happy. But I also know when it’s smart to change the plan so I don’t live and die by it.

5.  Would you rather start your run with the uphill and end on the downhill or start your run with the downhill and end with the uphill?

I’d rather start uphill and finish downhill – nothing beats feeling amazing and fast at the end of a good run. I’m usually sluggish for the first mile or two anyway.As for racing, same thing – Rock n’ Roll San Diego starts uphill and finish with a fast downhill and it’s the best. AFC is the worst – downhill start and uphill to the finish. I have ran that race 3 times and have yet to feel good running up that hill.

6.  When you can’t run, what type of cross-training do you choose to do?

I’ve done it all! P90X, Pilates, barre, yoga, cycling/spin, bootcamps, bring it on! I’ve always incorporated cross training into my marathon training – it just depends on what I’m currently excited about.

7.  What is your preference—>  Out and back, point to point or loop runs?

I think I like out and backs – it helps me break down the run into manageable pieces and I always know where I am. When it comes to racing, a point to point or loop is always the most interesting though (although I hate taking a bus on point to point races).

8.  If you could recommend ANY running related item to a new runner, it would be a—>

Good pair of shoes! I always say this when new runners come to me with some kind of pain – usually I find out they are running in their old cross-training shoes that they’ve been wearing to the gym for 5 years.

9.  Do you ever see any wild animals while out on your runs?

On the runs from my old house I’d see pelicans and sea gulls. Now on the trail runs from my new house I see rabbits and lizards.

10.  Ever gotten lost while out on a run?

I’ve never been officially lost – but I’ve definitely run farther than I had expected to run due to a miscalculation or a wrong turn!

11.  If you could have one meal waiting and ready for you each time you got home from a run for the next 30 days… what would that meal be?

Mozy’s breakfast burrito (whole wheat tortilla, eggs, black beans, jack cheese, plantains and avocado  – it’s amazing and I have one basically every weekend)!

12.  Capris or shorts… what do you run in most often?

I used to be a capris girl until I discovered Oiselle shorts (Rogas are my favorite but distance shorts are amazing). They are so comfortable and don’t ride up!

13.  At what mile (or how many minutes) into your run does your body start to feel like it is warming up and ready to go?

It depends on the day but sometimes it can take up to 4 miles to really feel good! But in general, it’s at least 2 miles. Now that I’m pregnant, I don’t really ever feel “ready to go” on a run. Sigh.

14.  What do you do with your key when you run?

Put it in one of the handy zipper pockets in my Oiselle pants or shorts.

15.  If you could relive any race that you have done in the past, which one what it be?

This is a hard one! One of the best races ever was Oceanside 70.3 but that’s a pretty long race to relive so I might pick San Diego Rock n’ Roll 2014 where I set my current half marathon PR. I didnt’ feel awesome for the first few miles but I kept a good attitude and about halfway into the race it turned magical for me. My legs felt light and I felt amazing for the last 8 miles of the race. I posted a huge negative split (in part thanks to the course profile) and had a smile on my face nearly the entire race.

What running habits/preferences do we have in common?