Will Run For Popcorn

I've talked about money being my motivation... but what about food?

I'm not lying when I say that there are times in my run when I think about one thing... one salty, buttery multiple of a thing:

Popcorn.

Really, it's not much a surprise if you know me even just a little bit. I am OBSESSED with popcorn. As a fat, lazy child, I would eat a bag twice a week with no shame. Microwave popcorn isn't terrible for you. It's just not good. There's no nutritional content in it and it packs some weird carb/fiber ratio you have to be careful of. But mainly, it's the chemicals in the artificial butter that make it unappealing.

Now I make my own with my favorite kitchen gadget, the popcorn maker, every Sunday. I have some tricks that make mine extra delicious- like, putting a spritz of water on fresh popcorn to help the salt stick or spraying it with oil to bring out the butter flavor. I've also done away with regular salt for all cooking, so I stick to sea salt. It packs more of a punch. I use a vegan butter to reduce the fat and sodium content. I'm not saying that my method is good for you, but comparatively, a bag's size worth of homemade popcorn is about 30 calories, 10 grams of fat, and half of the sodium less. Oh, and it doesn't have all the chemical additives and sticky, frustrating mess the microwave leaves.

And because I'm healthier, I share. B gets half of my popcorn when he asks for it. And believe me, my popcorn is like crack. You'll want more.

Back to the story, so it's 10am on Sunday and I'm at mile 8.5 of my 9 mile run. I see a group of ladies in pink and instantly realize that they are part of the 3 Day Breast Cancer walk that an online friend of mine was a part of. She flew in from Colorado to participate, so I knew this was a rare chance to find her. However, I didn't have a phone on me (mine broke on Thursday) so I couldn't directly get a hold of her. I instead decided to follow the walkers back to their pit stop. There, I asked around for her in vain. She hadn't come through yet, but she was on her way.

About ten minutes in to waiting and chatting with the walk volunteers, it started to rain. Ok, no, not rain... monsoon.

Eventually, it got so bad that I was yelled at by a man in a neon pink bra and cowgirl hat to get under the undepass for shelter. They wouldn't let anyone leave till it let up. After about an hour and a ton of impatience on my part, I decided to sneak out with some softball players also forced in the pink filled underpass. When one of the volunteers was distracted, five of us booked it out and in to the rain.

Bad idea. The only thought getting me home was the promise of that popcorn crack. Seriously, many runners have a motto or motivational thought to help them get through a wall. Mine is: Popcorn. POPCORN. POPCORN!!!

After another half mile run home, I came in looking a bit like this:

But, I ran 10 miles, felt great, and even did it in the downpour. I felt amazing. And that popcorn I had later that night was so worth it.

She Dreams Of Running a 5K

Thanks Matt and Kim for that little bit of inspiration.

I know that I rarely write about my fitness activities here. If you want to keep up with my 400 minimum minutes of fitness per week, check out my blog at: http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal.asp?id=CHELLES_BELLS I update it at least once a week with my training schedule, recaps on runs, and general musings about my activities.

Since I've become more active, I've been more and more willing to try new things. I've become a spin class devotee, a weekly swimmer, and have gotten back to weekly yoga sessions. But most importantly, I've re-learned how to love running.

I began running over two years ago. I completed the famous Couch to 5K program in record time and began running 20-30 minutes every day... which I quickly learned was the fastest way to injure yourself.

*Also not helping: My inability to read the warning signs and buy properly fitted running shoes. Going out to a shoe carnival is not the same as going to a running or athletic store, asking for them to fit you and check your gait, and getting shoes that are made for how your stride forms.

So, there I was, about 3 months in to running and I was stuck on the injury report. Over the next couple of years, my friends became more active. More and more ran local 5K races, some even progressing on to 10Ks or marathons. I browsed through their facebook pictures and blog recaps like they were pictures of the hot girl my ex was now dating. Seriously, it was all jealous rage.

Lack of properly fitted pants got me back on track. I wanted to run again, and I wanted to do it right. I started off slowly, very slowly. And I tried new programs that promoted rest days and walk breaks (i.e. Jeff Galloway's marathon and race training books). I got a subscription to Runner's World and a new pair of shoes when my old ones ran out of mileage.

And with each step, I became that girl who ran outside in the winter. The one with her headphones blasting Passion Pit and U2. The one who woke up before the sun so she could have quality alone time with the sidewalk. I ran up and down beaches, to little lighthouses on piers, on the tracks around parks, and down alleyways. I ran slow on most days and then fast when I could get time on a treadmill.

All the while, I had one race on my mind: The St. Paddy's Day 5K on March 20th.

It was a typical March day- windy, chilly, and potential for rain. Seeing all the other runners around made me only more nervous. But I kept repeating my mantra in my head:


I even took a typical Chelles-esque picture (smiling with mouth open, two thumbs up):


Without much warning, the race started. Well, actually, there was a ton of warning. I'm wearing #24, but that's 24 out of 6000+ runners, walkers, stroller pushers, and dogs. Just getting to the start line was a push. I couldn't start my run for 2 or 3 minutes because of the amount of people. And when I did, I was weaving around obstacles like leprechaun costumes, cancer survivors holding hands, and several large dogs. Near a half of a mile, we went through a medium length tunnel. It was so congested, I barley walked... my time was dwindling.

The next two miles were a blur. This wasn't my first 5K, so the distance was familiar. I just took my strides and did my intervals like a good Galloway student. And when my shins started acting up, I repeated my motto and pushed through.

Near a quarter of a mile left to go, B was there... taking pictures. He basically ran with me to the end. None of these pictures are flattering (my jacket is huge on me now... but my legs look skinny!), so here's the one that doesn't repulse me the most:

Reminder to self: work on posture near the end of runs.

And at a certain time that was about 3 minutes over my average, normal 5K time... I finished. I beat around 400 other people, so that's comforting to my overly competitive self. I rewarded my efforts with a rain soaked banana. And then I won a sweet Lord Voldermort tshirt.

But more importantly, I finished what I had started 3 years ago. And now I can continue working on training for that half. I'll try to remember to post more about fitness here as it is a big part of my life.

Bear Down

The last week has been pure luck and drama. One of the better moments happened on Tuesday.

For the longest time, I've wanted to do something special with B. I was considering concert tickets to see The Decemberists when I got an email from my friend Katie about how her boyfriend was going to attempt buying NFC Bears v. Packers tickets at 2pm. I really didn't think much of it, except... "good luck on that one." My sister had just bought tickets the day before through ebay and paid through the roof with the rest of the crazies. No way was anyone going to get them through ticketmaster (at face value!).

Out of curiosity, I signed on at around 2pm to see the price of the tickets. When the ticket options popped up, I went to the next step and tried to see where the tickets were located. To my complete and utter surprise, two tickets appeared in a decent section and for a very reasonable price. Without hesitation, I purchased them and then went to my twitter page to brag.

On Sunday, I had gotten up extra early for a morning run. Since I have been diligent about planning my runs every week and sticking to my schedule, I knew that Sunday morning would be met with a bone chilling outdoor 2 miler. I was all ready to lace up my shoes and head out the door when I looked out my window and saw the massive amount of snow that had fallen (and was still falling). The fact that it was snowing outside got me excited for an extra scenic run, but I was not ready for the icky conditions.

With yaktraks on, I turned the corner for my regular path only to find that it was wayyyy too slippery. I turned around and headed down the main street. Luckily, I live next to a major university that sits on the lake, so I figured I would run their lake path, snow be damned. As the minutes ticked down, my legs were really struggling to push through the snow, and my pace was about 12:30 and slowing. As soon as my shins started aching, I turned around, ran about 300 more yards and walked the rest of the way home. It was a 1.5 mile run in 22 minutes. Obviously not my best since I consistently run a 11:15 pace for about 2 miles or more, but I continue to remind myself that at least I got up and did it. 3 months ago, I would never have dreamed of running in 10 degree weather, in extremely snowy and icy conditions, but I did! VICTORY!

After I came back from the run and showered, boyfriend B and I got ready to go to the Bears game.

Here are some pictures:

I actually wore about 4 layers of pants and shirts, three layers being what I wore for my early morning run. The sun went down around 4pm, and thank goodness we were so layered up because my toes were not happy with me come the second half!


The walk to the stadium from the Red line is about a mile + and the path wraps around the museum campuses. But you can see all of Chicago from the walk, including the stadium. It was actually a great additional workout, as when we were heading back to the CTA stop, we had to jump over some poorly placed fences. See, I can even do hurdles now!


View from our seats! We could see pretty much all the plays as they happened. We were sitting by some low key and equally intense fans. Since my comprehension of the game is in the medium range, I'd say that being around crazies made the game even more enjoyable. But I totally miss the atmosphere of a crazy soccer game with the unified chanting and singing! This stadium needs a megaphone-d leader and some tifo displays asap!


B and I certainly are not a picture happy couple, and we always fail at taking our own. This one, in my opinion is adorable. Plus, he still has his beard, and I LOVE THE BEARD!


They're doing burpees down there... which is exactly what I did when I got home for the CAMO (my Biggest Loser team) football challenge. The deal was that we had to do 10 strength training exercises per touchdown scored by the opposite team. 3 Green Bay touch downs = 30 pushups, crunches, squats, and burpees. It certainly got the circulation back to my legs.


... and one last cute one of us! This is before the screaming and chanting started, so we look pretty calm. It was a great, exciting game, even if the Bears lost.