Summer Running Tips

Eating a healthy diet while running is imperative
You can’t expect to be a long distance runner and eat junk food all day. It just won’t happen. Protein, healthy carbs, and vegetables makes a huge difference. Say no to the Diorites and enjoy something just as yummy but less junk food esc. Nuts, like almonds and cashews with apples is a great snack with a little bit of cheese. Your stomach will thank you later and so will your run. Stay away from foods that are designed to make you crave and want more.

Sleeping beauty
If you want to have good run times and run for a long period of time, you’ll need a lot of sleep. Having a full rem cycle during your night will improve your workouts greatly. Feeling well rested and letting your body re-charge is extremely important. You wouldn’t let your iPhone get low on battery, so treat your body as such.

Being consistant with your runs
You’re not going to wake up one day and be in shape. Working out is like going to church, you have to keep checking in. Even if it’s a short run, at least you worked out. You’ll eventually get to a place where your short check in runs, will turn into longer but possibly less frequent runs. It all depends on your body and what you’re trying to achieve. But across everyone, checking in to run is the key to being and staying in shape or running a race.

Proper clothing
It sounds funny, but you are what you wear. Having correct and good quality running gear will help you perform better. I have noticed that if you love your running clothes and feel good in them, you’re more likely to workout often and have successful workouts. Finding the correct shoes for your feet is important too. If you find that you are bleeding or getting black toes its not because you run a lot. It’s because there is an issue with your running shoes. Go to a professional place to get your run evaluated and fitted for the correct shoes. It may be expensive but worth it if you want to take running seriously.

Eat, eat, eat
Please, don’t forget to eat, but eat the correct things. There are so many resources online that give you great ideas and meals for a healthy diet for runners. Check out livestrong.com for a lot of information. There is also a mens and woman’s section and talks about food thats good for both genders.

Change your mindset
It’s easy to think about running and get stressed. Sure it’s as little painful, and tiring at first. But that probably means a few things. That you’re running too hard, and pushing yourself too much. When you first start out running, it’s important to start out at a slow pace and just enjoy it. Running should be a time for you to relax, let stress go and think about life. If you have trouble focusing during your run, just focus on your breathing and listen to your feet hit the ground. Enjoy the rhythm that you’re making. Take in the sidewalk or the trees around you if you’re running outside.

Running is an incredible way to stay healthy, lose weight and feel active. For me, I started running back in college to relieve stress and now it’s just become apart of my life style. Anyone who knows me knows that running is a huge part of my life. It’s something I make time for just like eating or taking a shower. It’s something that I want to do and also something I must do. When I moved to San Francisco I ran around the city to get a feel for it and memorize streets. Running has a lot benefits just not from staying healthy, but exploring, spending time with friends and enjoying a break from your phone and just thinking.

My 6 Month Missions

Despite my blog being about design and fashion, I also try to merge in my personal life sometimes. Lately I have had a lot of things I want to get on my mental “To Do” list. But haven’t done anything concrete about it. I figure if I write about it, post it online and make myself accountable, it will happen a lot of faster. Plus, it’s always great to have goals. So, here are mine!

Buy a sewing machine
Learn how to sew a dress
Run the SF half Marathon – 13.2 miles
Focus less on freelance and more on music
Release my fashion app in the App Store

I used to sew a lot in high school. I would modify my clothes often and miss how relaxing it was. I think its good to have a sewing machine in general, but want to know how to use it for more complicated patterns.

I’m running the SF half marathon in July, I am so excited. Finally a big race that will be a huge check in my list.

I love freelance, I have been fortunate to have great clients. Although I think that it’s time to focus less on working for others and get some of my own personal things accomplished. I’ll be my own client for once!

My fashion app has been in development for about 3 months now. Still a lot of UI and engineering to be done but it’s nice that it’s finally an actual usable app on a device. There is a lot more to go, but I just need to get it done.

What are your goals for the next 6 months? I think it’s great to set both short and long term goals. It keeps life interesting and makes me even more motivated.

Wharf Delight

The weather was gorgeous today. Not warm but pretty with the sun. I took a quick trip down to the end of the Wharf, since it’s not that many blocks away from my apartment. Yet I still took a bus because it was so cold and windy. The wharf was beautiful, many runners and tourists were out taking photos and children were playing in the water. One little girl got completely drenched by a wave. She screamed and seemed like she was going to cry then started laughing. It reminded me of what how free and awesome it is to be a kid. Even when you get soaked by a wave children still laugh after the shock. I think that even as adults when something unexpected and unpleasant happens to us, we have to find a way to laugh through it.

I am still learning all the ways of photography, since there is so much to learn. Half my shots were blurry due to me not focusing well and not holding my arms closer to my body. It’s a huge learning curve, but the process its a lot of fun. I am so used to using a medium like Photoshop and Illustrator to create something. So using a camera to create photos is a challenge and almost therapeutic for me.