It’s Fridaaaaay! While I’m super excited for the weekend (and more snow!), I’m also in love with a few things I discovered this week while reading my favorite blogs:
1. The Shake Camera app
Beachy Runner wrote about it here, and even took her new blog header pic with it! Self timers are necessary for those “running selfies” during beautiful moments on your solo long runs! I haven’t had a chance to try it out yet but I feel like the selfie-taking runners of the world should be aware this exists.
2. There are awesome people out there just doing triathlons in their free time without an official time clock or race shirt involved.
Ashley at the Broccoli Blog wrote this blog post that totally blew my mind. She just decided to try doing a sprint tri in her gym/neighborhood and totally killed it! Maybe I should try this sometime!
3. As a runner, I really should be doing yoga.
I love Salt AKA Lauren’s blog, and her latest blog post is awesome! She lists her favorite yoga poses for runners and I’m thinking about trying these out. #9 looks totally doable 🙂
4. If I wasn’t a “runner”, I would probably be a totally different person right now.
Mom’s Little Running Buddies wrote a really interesting article this week called “What If You Weren’t A Runner?”. It made me really think about all the things I’ve done that I never would have done without running. Like writing this blog. Or working out 5 times a week, or trying spin/Barre3 classes, or run across the middle lane on the Ben Franklin Bridge…I could go on and on. If I wasn’t a runner I probably wouldn’t be as active so I’m not sure what I would have been!
5. The best type of cross training is the kind that you actually enjoy doing.
Hutch over on Matters of Course wrote this article that made me really happy! I’ve been trying out lots of different types of cross training lately but I’ve been a bit overwhelmed with all of my options. I feel like spin is the “best” option because so many runners do it, but I’m crushing hard on Barre3 right now. Hutch made me realize that at my fitness and running level I should make my cross training something that I love and will stick with. I’m not saying that I’m ruling spin out (especially since I haven’t had a chance to get back to class yet this week due to all the cancellations from the snow!) but it’s nice to know that I’m free to choose any low impact and fun workout that I want.
I love the fact that I’m able to follow so many amazing blogs, and I wanted to share the top blog posts that had me learning something new this week! I hope you learned something as well!
One non-blog related thing that I learned is that over a foot of snow + a flat roof = water leaking into your kitchen all over the place. The snow is pretty but it’s also killing my apartment slowly. The roofers will be here later today to assess the damage but yeah, we’re going to need a whole new kitchen. I’ll just leave you with some pretty snow pictures instead of the depressing water-warped cabinets and pots and pans all over my kitchen.
View from my office at 12:00 pm on Tuesday…took me an hour to get home in that!
The most insane icicles ever!
My indoor dog really loves looking outside when it’s snowy!
What did you learn this week? Any big plans for this weekend?
Mom in the Mtns 
A self timer on your camera phone – YES – this is brilliant. I have NO CLUE WHY I haven’t downloaded an app like this SOONER! I mean, now I can take prettier selfies, DUH 😉
And I couldn’t agree more – do exercises you love doing, don’t just conform to what’s “hot” right now… Especially if you DONT love it! You will just GIVE UP!
I know! Running selfies are the worst because it’s just my sweaty face or my legs/shoes. Now I can take ones of me running where you can’t see how sweaty I am 🙂
A selfie timer? I NEED it! It’s so true. Cross training? If I don’t like what I’m doing it will not get done. I will quit.
I totally agree! I’m awful at working out so when I find something I like I’m totally sticking with it! I keep trying yoga but my body just doesn’t like it enough so…that’s not working out.
Great round up. I liked the what if I wasn’t a runner post as well!
It really made me think about how much running has affected my life. It’s so crazy thinking about how much it has changed for me! I would be so lazy if I wasn’t a runner!
Shake App? Downloaded! Ain’t no shame in my game, I’ll selfie it up with ppl watching lol And those icicles are creepy! I’m just glad they’re outside your window and not like over a doorway or something, yikes! Stay safe over there!!
Those actually were over our doorway! That picture was taken at like 8 am so we told my downstairs neighbor (the only other person who would use that door) not to go outside. They fell off after an hour thank god!
I’m totally going to check out that shake camera app! I wondered how so many runners found people willing to sit outside and take pictures of them as they ran by :p
What a pain about your roof! Hopefully it’s a quick fix!
I know, I always thought the same thing! My husband will take some for me sometimes but he always sighs and takes them super fast so they never turn out well. And oh my god, my roof situation just got way worse. I’ll update everyone next week!
Lol thanks so much for sharing but this makes me sound so much cooler than I actually am! And definitely try it if you have some free time!
Haha seriously though, reading that post my mouth was hanging open! I couldn’t believe you just randomly decided to do that one day. I think it’s because I view doing a tri as a really difficult task so I was really impressed! If you do an Ironman in your free time next weekend let me know 🙂
Why can’t I find this apparently magnificent shake app?
The one I downloaded was called ShakeCamera, although it keeps crashing on my phone so I need to figure out how to get it to work. I neeeeeed some running selfies! I guess if you search for any self-timing camera app it will work the same though.
Driving home on Tuesday was awful! I really need to step up my cross training. I was doing a really good job in the summer with barre workouts. I did do some yoga on my snow day!
It really was! I think they didn’t realize how hard it was going to snow this week! And that’s awesome you got to do yoga! My treadmill has been getting a workout this week!
Nice icicles! Thanks for the mention. And I’m totally curious about this shake camera app!
No problem! Your post came at the perfect time for me so I figured I should share it in case others are worrying about how to cross train properly. I feel like running/cross training has so many “rules” but I think the most important thing is to make sure we’re happy doing what we’re doing!