Jenny is one of my favorite bloggers. She lives in Florida with her husband, two kids - her daughter is in high school and her son is finishing up college - and her two gorgeous cats. Jenny runs things like a 50K race that's coming up on May 26 (good luck, Jenny!), but also finds time to lift weights and cook delicious vegan food. She also reads a lot of books and anything that gets a thumbs up from Jenny gets put on hold on my library list immediately. She blogs at Runners Fly - go check her out if you aren't already a loyal reader.
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Hello! I'm so excited to be included in Engie's
blogging celebration! Engie and I "met" while participating in
NaBloPoMo several years ago, and have been BBF's (best blogging friends) ever
since. I'm positive we would be friends in real life, and as a matter of
fact Engie reminds me a little of my daughter - or at least, what my daughter
could be like when she grows up. Happy 20th Blogging Anniversary,
Engie!!!
I really agonized over what to write about in this
post. As Engie mentioned, I blog about food, cats, books, random life
events... but in the end I think a list of 20 should be what a person is most
passionate about, and for me that's running. I know not everyone reading
this is a runner, but I hope everyone can find something interesting in my list
of "20 Running Favorites."
1. Favorite running quote: "A running world is a peaceful world." -
Eliud Kipchoge
2. Favorite running podcast: Choose Strong with Sally McRae. Episode titles include
"Every Failure Matters," "The 5 Ingredients of
Consistency," and one of my personal favorites, Episode #21,
"Cocodona 250- Stronger Than the Pain," - Sally explains how she
developed painful blisters AT MILE EIGHT and went on to complete the 250 mile
race.
3. Favorite OG running blog: Hungry Runner Girl. I've been reading Janae's blog for over ten years - long
before I even thought about starting one of my own. Janae is a FAST
runner who blogs about her training, races, and life in Utah with her husband
and four kids.
4. Favorite book about running: Deena Kastor's Let Your Mind Run. Deena describes the journey of transforming her
running by building a strong and positive way of thinking.
5. Favorite place to run: trails!
I have dreams of someday running on trails in Utah, California, or Arizona...
but right now I live in South Florida, where the trails are tropical and sandy.
Here's one near me that I run on frequently:
7. Favorite name for a race: "Sweat, Swat 'n Swear" is my race coming up in Central Florida at the end of May! The name cracks me up (although it also seems a little ominous, gulp...)
8. Favorite inspirational running moment: The 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles- the women's marathon was an event for the first time. I watched on TV as Joan Benoit, an American runner, won the gold medal. The marathon ends with a lap around the track in Olympic Stadium. In an interview after the race, Joan says that when she ran into the tunnel that would take her onto the track, she knew that "when I came out on the other side, my life would be changed forever." I still get tears in my eyes thinking about it!
9. Favorite song on my running playlist (currently): "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield.
10. Favorite cross training: None. Ha ha... okay, if I have to have one I'll pick the stair climber. But I'd rather be running.
11. Favorite strengthening exercise: dead bugs. If you only strengthen one thing, make it your core. Everything else builds from that. [Note from NGS: I know that Jenny's favorite core workout is a short deadbug workout from Caroline Girvan. Here is the link if you want to do it. It's hard!]
12. Favorite race distance: The longer, the better. I would rather run slower for a long time than run fast for a 5K- 5Ks hurt.
13. Favorite post-long run drink: Unsweetened black iced tea with LOTS OF ICE.
14. Favorite running weather: 50 degrees and sunny. If we're lucky, we get mornings like that in the winter here.
15. Favorite psychological benefit of running: Literally moving your body while moving forward in space is symbolic- running gives you the confidence to move forward in life.
16. Favorite running spirit animal: for a while I kept seeing a tortoise on my trail runs, and joked that it was my spirit animal. But I'm going to go with wolf- they don't run super fast like cheetahs, but they can run for long distances.
17. Favorite race: the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot in 2018 where I WON MY AGE GROUP! Yes, that's the only time that's happened, and yes, I'm still clinging to it.
18. Favorite thing about having a running blog: hopefully, encouraging other people to run. Nothing makes me happier than when someone says "I went for a run and thought about you!" (But don't worry- if you don't run, I still love you.)
19. Favorite thing to see on a run: another runner! Either
that, or a deer.
A guest post by one of my favorite bloggers on one of my favorite blogs!
ReplyDeleteI don't run any more but I still love hearing about running. I agree that another runner is my favorite thing to see on a run, and if I can't have that then I will settle for a deer;-)
100% honest here: I do NOT like seeing other runners on runs because they are inevitably going faster than me and it gets in my head. LOL. I would prefer to see a deer by far.
DeleteHi Jenny!
ReplyDeleteWell you KNOW I love the song Unwritten! But I don't think it's my most-played song. I have this giant exercise playlist and I go through it alphabetically, that is, when I'm not on the Peloton. I love Joy and Pain by Rob Bass and DJ EZ Rock (I KNOW) and Walk This Way by Run DMC, Guerrilla Radio by...blanking...and i by Kendrick Lamar. If I'm near those in the alphabet, I'll play them twice.
Wait...your playlist is in in alphabetical order? This is a level of organization that I could never replicate!!
Delete250 mile race? With blisters? Hi Jenny. I am a late-in-life-to-start-running runner. I do love a good run but I can only run about 4.5 miles at a time. I am unaware of the dead bug. I'll have to look at that link and see what I'm missing.
ReplyDeleteI listen to a rosary podcast usually when I run. Not sure which song I like the most but if I listen to music while running I like something upbeat.
I have a running playlist that has been curated by Spotify and I honestly don't even know most of the songs (I am An Old), but I just keep moving my feet to the beat of the music and that keeps me going. I find when I listen to podcasts or audiobooks, I get lazy and don't move as quickly.
DeleteThanks for adding the link for the CG deadbugs! And thanks for inviting me to the blogiversary party : )
ReplyDeleteThank you for putting this together!! I love to read about other people's passions!
DeleteOh the delight! A mashup of two of my absolute favourite people on the internet!!! Hi Jenny <3
ReplyDeleteMost-played song? This varies because I listen to a song on repeat and then start to hate it. (Side note: Unwritten is one such song; just the thought of listening to it again gives me chills.)
I haven't been running much lately, but when I do the playlist is sure to include something by Meghan Trainor. Her songs have a great beat for running. When I first started running (late teens), Stop the Rock by Apollo 440 was my go-to song. Maybe the best of all time is Lose Yourself by Eminem, though?
About 6-7 years ago, it was Remember the Name by Fort Minor (CLEAN VERSION!!!). Also, could this section of the lyrics be any more appropriate for running?
This is ten percent luck
Twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure
Fifty percent pain
So I have listened to the song "Yankee Sailor" by Great Big Sea approximately fifty times in the last week. I will never get sick of it!!! <--This seems like an optimistic statement, I think.
DeleteWhat a great post, Jenny! You've absolutely inspired me to run tomorrow and there are so many gems here for future runs too.
ReplyDeleteI like to run (although I don't run long distances) and music is absolutely what gets me through it. I like classic Britney and I love the Post Malone song "Circles" and the Elton John Dua Lipa collab "Cold Heart" a lot. I've put these songs on my running playlist multiple times so when I hit shuffle they'll randomly pop up frequently. Also, A-ha's "Take on me" and the Beastie Boys "Intergalactic" beats match me stride for stride! It's magic!
There's a Dolly Parton song that matches me stride for stride that feels magical, too! I love it when you find the perfect running song like that.
DeleteI will have to try the dead bug routine. I can do that, even at the moment.
ReplyDeleteI don't run with music, I usually only listen to podcasts when I'm doing a long run or recovery run because that keeps my mind occupied without speeding up my pace.
The dead bug video is HARD. You've been warned. It says it's 12 minutes or whatever, but it's a HARD 12 minutes.
DeleteWhat a coincidence - Jenny is one of MY favorite bloggers, too! So fun to see her post here. :)
ReplyDeleteI am not a runner and these days, I'm mostly doing workout classes at the gym so I don't have my own playlist. I do love a good Natasha Bedingfield bop, though!
One of the downsides of going to the gym is having to listen to music other people choose. LOL. I'm such a grump about music.
DeleteYay, Jenny! I love reading Jenny's blog because even though she runs more than I can ever imagine, she is not snobby about it and so down to earth about what an amazing athlete she is. I can only manage two miles on a good day, and she never makes me feel like that's inferior to what she can do.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a playlist because I'm not hip or cool or in tune with popular music. I usually type in "work out playlist" and play whatever someone else has created.
Right? I don't generally find running blogs riveting as a very sporadic runner, but Jenny's blog is fascinating. She definitely is encouraging that even my sporadic running makes me a runner and I appreciate that!
DeleteLove this and love Jenny! What a great, fun spin on this "20 things" post. :) I definitely need to try this deadbug thing I am always reading about.
ReplyDeleteDeadbugs are a GREAT core workout. They seem pretty easy at first and then all of a sudden you realize that you are struggling!! LOL.
DeleteI love Jenny! But how could she love or even like the stair climber! I'm shuddering thinking of it! Bleh! I think of strength training as a form of cross training but that is probably not really an accurate way to think of it!
ReplyDeleteI do need to try her deadbug workout, though. I adore CG!
I know - the treadmill and stair climber are terrible!! I'd rather do a rowing machine. I mean, I'd rather do none, but if I had to pick one of those, that's what I'd go with.
DeleteThanks to you and Jenny, I have added dead bugs to my routine! One day I will feel motivated and give the video a try. Maybe this weekend?
ReplyDeleteThe video is hard, but I always feel very accomplished when I do it!
DeleteI tried SO hard to be a runner - I loved that I could do it right from my front door, I loved the feeling of moving (a little) faster than walking, I knew bigger people who ran. But my knee just wouldn't put up with it no matter what I tried. It still creaks audibly when I'm walking up the stairs. The thought of trail running is so appealing, but I have to stick to walking. I will try the dead bug exercise, though, because thanks to yoga I can do things I couldn't do a year and a half ago.
ReplyDeleteRunning can be hard on joints, that's for sure! Hey, if you can't do it, you can't do it. At least you're moving your body.
DeleteAlas, no more running for me, and no stairmaster, either. I do miss being able to just open the door and...go. I love reading Jenny's blog - her dedication and perseverance are amazing!
ReplyDeleteJenny is a true inspiration for all of us!
DeleteWell, I am not a runner and dont think I'll ever be but this was interesting. I did look at the video and man this seems hard. But I did save and will give it a try. Not sure I make it through though.
ReplyDeleteThe dead bug workout is one of my favorites. It's hard, but effective.
Delete