9. Running Machine

In between my attempts at craftiness, I've begun training for my next 5K run {Hey there, right sidebar list: I'm coming for you!}. I'm running this at Cantigny, a beautiful park/mansion/gold course in early November. It should be an absolutely beautiful run. I'm running it with my cousin, her fiance and my husband {affectionately referred to as The Bromance, because they pretty much love each other more than they love us girls}.

Training is going really well {knock on wood}. I've busted out my Nike+ running chip, and have figured out how to use that in addition to the C25K app on my iPhone. It's pretty sweet. The C25K app times me, and audibly announces when it's time to run, walk, jog, or cool down. With the Nike+ app running in the background, it tracks my pace, distance, and calories burned. I'm trying to see if I can get it to track my splits, too. They're pretty phenomenal combined.

I have high hopes for the race, and am hoping to run it under 40 minutes. I know that's not really a fantastic time for a lot of people, but for a girl who always struggled to run a single mile, even when I was swimming for 3 hours a day and in the best shape of my life, it seems like a reasonable but tough goal. I've also made a really, really hard choice to aid in my training: No Fast Food. Dabbling in veganism has certainly reduced the amount of fast food I eat, but I've gotten lax with this lately {mmm...Taco Bell!}. This new rule means anything with a drive-thru is a no-go. The hardest part? I had to say Sayonara to my fall favorites: Dunkin' Donuts Pumpkin coffee and Sbux Pumpkin Spice Lattes {which sadly, sans milk and whip, are not vegan}. It's a pretty terrible image, but when I'm out running, all I picture is my skinnier self, in my post-race gear sipping a pumpkin latte. {whatever works, right?}

I'm now accepting volunteer applications for someone at the finish line holding a poster and a latte.

8. Crafty.

So I consider myself to be of the crafty sort. Ever since I was little, I can remember having some sort of crafty project ongoing, whether in my head or strewn across the kitchen table. I taught myself to sew by hand before Home Ec, where I gloriously learned how to work a machine. I learned how to make a lockstitch in that class, and that was the end of my formal training. Since then, I've taught myself to quilt, knit, make a french seam, crochet, blanket stitch by hand, make wreathes, scrapbook, and other similar crafts. I love a good project, and have really been slacking in the creative department. The back injury {healing quickly, thanks to lots of stretching, a physical therapy plan, and a packed schedule of constant movement} really sidelined me, and then I took on a few freelance writing projects. Major time sucks.

But now, I feel renewed, especially now that I've given in to the wonder that is Pinterest. Below are two pins on my DIY board, and hopefully two projects I plan to start and finish in a timely manner.

I think this is a super cute goth-type wreath for Halloween. It's still pretty, which I dig.

This is crazy, right? It's melted crayons and a hot glue gun on canvas. I know it looks crazy, but I have spectacular plans for this. I'll update with pictures when the project is complete!