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This past weekend was the F^3 half marathon. I'll have a full race-recap later on this week. If you follow me on DailyMile, you know I didn't finish the race. I just had an off-day and didn't feel like myself. As I tend to be hard on myself, and I'm making a point to not let this event define me or my 2013 season. I completed 6 half marathons in 2012. I just did a 10 mile run 2 weeks ago and felt fine. Saturday just wasn't my day. Maggie brought up a good point on DailyMile. "Days like these don't define us as runners - it's how you handle this and bounce back that make you who you are." I think this is a really important point that we can all learn something from. Being a runner isn't always full of great workouts and PRs. If it was, what would be the fun or the challenge? There are days when a workout just doesn't go as planned. There are days when a race doesn't go as planned. But that isn't going to stop us from going out there again and giving it another try. That's what makes running so much fun to me. I'll be back out there this week, and I know it will be fabulous. :)

Having a bad day and still smiling while running the F^3 Half Marathon

I think this is a great time to talk about inspiration. After the Olympics were over, I talked about what had inspired me during the games. Now that I've been in kind of a rut lately, I'm looking beyond myself. I'm going back to some videos and finding some inspiration. I posted a video on my Facebook page on Friday of Ms. Lauren Fleshman tearing it up in the 5000m. (There are a few familiar names in this race too. Amy Hastings, Desiree Davila...) It is from 2010 but it is still freaking amazing. Hearing the announcers, just adds more to it. If you have never seen this video before, I highly suggest you watch it.

Then, there were some big indoor meets over the weekend. Thanks to Flotrack, I'm pretty much obsessed with all things T&F related. I've been following along with the story of high schooler Mary Cain and over the weekend she destroyed the 41 year old high school record for the mile (previously held by Debbie Heald who was highlighted in a recent issue of Runners World). (You can watch the video here.) This girl is only 16 and she is already breaking records and racing with pros. I can only imagine what is in this girl's future and I can't wait to follow along for the ride!

Also, Galen Rupp ran a pretty outstanding indoor mile, missing the American record by a margin. For someone that excels in the 5k and 10k events, it is pretty amazing to have such a fast mile time. Galen is pretty fun to watch compete and I'm looking forward to seeing what he does this season and in the years to come! (Full video here)

Watching these professional athletes really gets me fired up. I find these athletes running these events much more inspiring than reading quotes. To help keep myself motivated, I may turn this "inspiration" thing into a series of posts.

I don't know if there is a short answer to this question, but what or who inspires you?

I like to lift weights. I didn't really do much lifting last marathon cycle but I've been getting more into it this year. I don't read fitness or weight lifting magazines or books so I never really know what to do in the weight room. An important part of weight lifting is your form and I never know if I'm doing it right. I'm overly flexible in my joints so things never go they way they "should." Once I know the right way, I can control the movements to make sure I'm getting the most out of my workout. Thankfully my friend Kate S. knows what's up. She has been lifting weights for a few years now and knows her way around. She has helped push me beyond the realm of baby colored weights, into believing in myself and what I can lift. Whenever I workout with her, she helps push me outside my normal range, and it is never the same routine. I always learn something new which I then try to incorporate on my own. We lifted on Sunday afternoon and I'm still not fully recovered. My arms are mega sore, but in a good "they are getting stronger" kind of way. I know if I lifted weights more often, they wouldn't be this sore. However, with all the time I need to spend studying and everything else, I'm lucky if I get a chance to go to lift weights once a month!

I have some questions for all of you!

How often do you lift weights (if at all)? 

How do you look up a weight lifting routine? What resources do you use (working with a trainer, fitness magazine, YouTube videos)?

Would you be interested in finding out more about a suggested weight lifting routine?

And because every post needs a photo, here are a few quick shots of me trying to flex in the mirror of my office building locker room.

The last one is my favorite, but someone was coming in so I had to pretend like I was being a creep. Therefore, it ended up being blurry. Oh well. And I apologize for the late post. My building doesn't get good cell reception so the photos wouldn't send from my phone to my email. Technology fail.

In case you haven't noticed, that I get a little into the Olympics. I love watching pretty much any Olympic event and I am thankful we have cable with several different viewing options. (Badminton? Equestrian? Sign me up.) There are so many powerful and amazing women that I've seen compete that give me goosebumps all over. I know the events aren't over yet and I'm sure there will be more motivation to come, but here are a few I wanted to highlight.

Kara and Shalane representing the U.S. in the women's marathon. I guess this one goes without saying. That marathon course was tough. Anyone that has ever run a marathon could tell you that. There were lots of turns, the humidity was high, and the terrain was a bit uneven. Kara and Shalane gave it everything they had, coming close to their PRs and really ran fantastic races. I don't care that they didn't medal or didn't come in the top 10. I just know they did all they could and gave their very best to represent the USA.

Kim Conley in the 5k semi finals. I don't know why but I really love her story. I was first inspired by Kim during the Olympic Trials in Eugene where she came from about 6th or 8th place in the final 200m to lean for the 3rd place spot. Not only did she run a PB that day, but she also beat the London Standard at the same time. She earned a spot to represent the US in London! When the day came to race in the semis (btw, I don't like how the 10k doesn't have a semi but the 5k does. What's up with that?), Kim gave it everything she had. She didn't make the finals, but she got a new PB by 5 seconds and ran a great race. (I can't find the video. NBCOlympics.com only has video of the men's 5k semis, not the women's.) I mean, not everyone can say they've gotten 2 PBs in 2 months, especially at the pro/elite level. I think Kim is just getting started and we'll be seeing more of her in the years to come. 2013 world championships? Rio perhaps? I'm hoping for Kim either way!

There was a TON of coverage on the swimming events this year. Missy Franklin, Michael Phelps, and Ryan Lochte were all over the TV on any given time of day. I love all those three, but I feel the need to mention Katie Ledecky in the swimming 800m freestyle (the highlights reel doesn't do it justice--you have to watch the full here, but the commentary is by Brits, not Americans 43:06-53:15). At 15 years old, she is the youngest Olympian on the entire US squad. She was up against the big favorite and current world record-holder of Great Britain, Rebecca Adlington. When the race started, Katie went out quick. The announcers continued to doubt her. They said that she was going to fast and didn't have enough experience. They'd go to commercial only to come back and see that Katie was still leading. She was keeping her pace. They'd continue to repeat the same thing and at every commercial break, yet, Katie was still leading. And she wasn't just leading by a little; she was leading by a full body length. Towards the end of the race, you could hear the US announcers not believing what they were seeing. When the announcers, crowd, and media doubted Katie, she didn't doubt herself. She kept on going and she got the gold medal (winning by that same body length that she maintained the whole race), and missed a world record by tenths of a second. (She did get the American Record which had been held by Janet Evans since 1988.) When she looked up after the race was done, you can see her say "Oh my gosh!" (time 52:53 on the full feed) and I could barely fight back the tears. I always love when someone does what isn't expected, and they win by overcoming so many other thoughts and believing in themselves. Congrats to Katie Ledecky who has been deemed part of the "future of US swimming."