And now for something…completely different

I’m still trying to figure out this whole blogging, tagging, SEO, following, gobbly-gook, so forgive me if I’m a bit clueless about some of these things.  But a friend and fellow blogger, Little Runner, Bigger City, nominated me for a “Liebster Award,” so I figured hey, go with it!  I was very curious about what exactly this was, so a quick 30 second Google led me to this other blogger’s research behind it: Liebster Award history.  Essentially, it started in like 2010 and is just a fun way for smaller bloggers to connect and recognize each other.  Okay sounds good!  Now supposedly, I have to nominate TEN other bloggers for this- I’m not sure I really even “know” ten other bloggers, plus my guess is many of them received the “award” long ago.  But I’m happy to play along and answer some non-food related questions for once!  Here are her questions for me:

1. What place would you submit to Runner’s World’s “rave run” feature?
Hmm, well for places that I’ve ACTUALLY ran, I think the top would be in La Quinta Vergara in Vina del Mar, Chile.  It’s a small little garden with this cool mansion and amphitheater in it.  It was right next to the apartment I lived in there and I looped around and around in there because I felt relatively safe, though I think the groundskeepers thought I was a bit odd. 🙂  Surprisingly, the second place that came to mind was the Heritage Trail in Dubuque, Iowa.  I was very familiar with this trail during my first marathon training and it is a very serene location.

la quinta vergara, chile

heritage trail run

2. What race would you tell others to put on their bucket list?
The Des Moines Marathon, of course!! 🙂 I have done the half three times and the full twice now and I just think it such a great race.  Big enough that it is fun and there are plenty of crowds, but not so big that it is overwhelming.  I also am a fan of the Capital Pursuit 10 miler, I think mostly because I have found that 10 miles is my sweet spot.  I have also had a BLAST at Run4Troops marathon relay the last two years with my Dubuque running buddies- it goes the length of the Heritage Trail.

3. What’s your worst race experience?
I was not a fan of the new Drake half marathon route, which I ran last year.  It was the first long race after winter and I just hadn’t trained all that well and then hills were just terrible.  I was just disappointed with how I did and felt.  I also got myself into a bit of an adventure inadvertently when I decided at the last minute to do a random Thanksgiving race in Pittsburgh.  I knew that it was on trails, but I had no idea just how ridiculously hilly it was and there were several times where I was very close to injury.  It was exciting and I felt proud to have survived, but it was definitely a gamble!

4. What food is a must-avoid leading up to a run?
Oh geez, I have a list a mile long!  It’d be easier to give my short list of what I CAN eat haha!  Definite things that I avoid are dairy, eggs, soy, chocolate, fatty meat, onions, garlic, alcohol and definitely no junk/processed food.  During my marathon, my staple was very lightly seasoned barley with spinach, avocado, and tuna and sweet potatoes with raw honey.  Now, with this new diet I’m trying, I would add avoiding wheat and barley and limiting avocado or too much fruit.

5. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen on a run?
Wow I’m sure I’ve seen some weird things, but I’m really blanking!  The only thing that springs to mind is recently there was a possum running around my neighborhood.

6. Do you have any special pre-race rituals?
Does toe taping count?  Haha, I do make sure my feet are blister-proofed the best they can be.  My feet are ridiculously blister prone, I swear!  Otherwise, it’s just making sure I have the right clothes out and ready to go and pre-race, light and easy food figured out.

7. What foods/drinks do you crave during or after a run?
SALTY, I always crave salty things after a long run.  So usually crackers or now tortilla chips are a must for a quick fix.  After a few of my longer runs last fall, I craved avocado grilled cheeses mmmm.

8. How do you pamper yourself after a tough workout or race?
Occasionally I take epsom salt baths and I try to roll out on my foam roller.  Otherwise, I suppose a nap would be my definition of pampering!

9. Who would play you in a movie?
Audrey Hepburn of course!

10. What was the first concert you ever attended?
Amy Grant!  She’ll always be my all time favorite artist 🙂

amy grant!