Broad Street Run 2017 Recap

This time last week, I completed the countries largest ten mile race, the Broad Street Run. I finished in 2:02:37. This is the second time I have run this race. The first time was in 2015, and I finished in 2:18:24, so I PR'd by 16 minutes!

This time around, I knew myself a lot better when it came to long distance running. This time, I ruled myself using a GU waffle and a string of GU energy blocks. I can not to the GU gel packs because they severely mess with my stomach. in Broad Street 2015, I went with the recommendation on the package which said to take one 15 minutes before then one every 45 minutes. Now, I am a slower runner, so that meant i had a total of 4 GU's for a ten mile race. That day, I puked my guts out and couldn't move because my stomach literally sounded and felt like a chemistry experiment was going on inside of it.

This year, I ran pretty much the whole way up to 7 miles. I stopped to pee once which NEVER happens in a race, then around mile 7 it started to downpour. That really got me down so I walked about every mile for one minute. If not for those few factors, I think I would have run it in under 2 hours! I guess there is always next year!

XO,

Samantha Jole

Kindness

The other day I was driving into work. I have to turn left into the parking lot, and there was a car coming out to turn right onto the road. It looked like they were going to turn out at the time that I was turning in, so I beeped. At that time I was annoyed and nervous that this moron was going to hit my car. Then, something happened that I was not expecting.

As I turned in and beeped, the woman waved and smiled at me. I turned from annoyed and anxious, to relieved and happy. Her smile and wave literally made me smile and lifted my mood. I wished that I had stopped and thanked her for that wonderful reaction. 

With that, remember that your actions do affect others moods and actions. Be kind. Smile. Heck, wave. It will make the world better, more enjoyable place to live. As they say, smiles are contagious.

xo (and a smile),

Samantha Jole

Getting Back on the Horse

Hey all!

I have been away a LONG time. Much has changed! I have moved, gotten engaged, and got a new job!

What I am posting about today are some life changes I am currently making and I want you guys to come on this journey.

1. Minimalism. I am currently in the process of trying to minimize  my life and try to find my passions, values, and what makes me happy in life. I was inspired my watching the documentary "Minimalism" on Netflix, you should definitely check it out. I have already gone through my whole wardrobe and am trying to follow the Project 333. Stay tuned as I try to get rid of more stuff and "live a meaningful life with less" (The Minimalists).

2. Bullet Journaling. It is seriously so much fun! I love agendas, being organized, and being creative. I have been having a lot of fun creating my Bullet Journal (which I have been working on since February). Keep your eye out for a post!

3. The 28 Day Reset by Blogilates. Blogilates has a program where for 28 days you omit things like gluten, dairy, added sugar, processed foods, and alcohol. I am starting tomorrow, April 23rd. I also did her PIIT 28 workouts for about 2 months straight, but have also been training for a race so I recently got injured, so backed off a little bit. I really want to take control and get into the best shape and health of my life. During this time I am also going to try and gradually ween myself off of caffeine! It defiantly messed with my moods, anxiety and sleep. I am planning more posts on the food I am prepping for the week, how my workouts have been going, and hopefully some amazing results!

I am excited to start sharing different aspects of my life and sharing things that can hopefully help you find meaning/think are interesting!

xo,
Sam

Yesterday, a blizzard came to Philadelphia. Since it was the day after a holiday, we already knew work was going to be very busy. Then, we got to leave early, so when we came in this morning short staffed, we KNEW we were going to be slammed.

With that said, we did not have a lunch break, so I was not able to properly heat up my boca burger and had to eat my wimpy spinach salad in between calls. I got so hungry I ate a pop tart from the vending machine. I know, probably not the best choice, but with limited time and options, that is what I went with. I had it planned to go to the gym after work, but again did not have anything to fuel properly. Plus, there was still snow on the ground, so all I wanted to do was get in and out ASAP. Well, my work out really paid the price.

I had it planned to run 30 minutes. It seriously felt like the longest run EVER. Usually, I feel pretty strong in my runs, but today I just wanted it to be OVER. I got done 2.5 miles in about 32 minutes. WHOMP. I got through the run and finished with my chest and triceps strength training, but boy was it hard to get through. Lesson learned, FUEL YOUR BODY RIGHT.

There is always tomorrow.

Goodbye, old sport.

I have been super busy this summer. It is really flying by! I cannot believe that it is the middle of August! With that said, I have been lagging on the things I have been up to, so I will be doing a series of posts about my summer.

In the beginning of the summer, one of my best friends Jordyn and her soul mate Gena had a going away party. The two love birds moved to Arizona due to an AMAZING opportunity Gena landed which also lead Jordyn to a wonderful new career path. The two decided to have a Great Gatsby themed party at their friend's studio.

Jordyn and I Sailor Moon style.

The love birds, Gena and Jordyn.

Bobby, Jordyn's gracious friend that hosted the party and made those awesome hair pieces!

Here are some behind the scene shots:

 

We miss you Jordyn & Gena! Good luck to you both and all your endeavors! 

Peace, love, & sandy feet.

I cannot believe that it is the middle of July already. It seems like the summer is really flying by. I really love any place by the water. It is so soothing and peaceful. Jared and I plan on moving somewhere by the water in a few years which makes me really excited. I mean, who doesn't want to live a bike ride away from the beach? Any chance I get, I make a day trip. Here are a few pictures of my beach adventures.

c'est la vie,

Samantha Jole

She was an American Girl.

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday! I had a wonderful time at my friend's BBQ. I decided to heck with it and that I would wear my American Flag shorts. Thank goodness I did because it got hot out there!

I did many things such as hulahoop, grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for the first time, and learned that people that drank Corona originally put a lime slice on the top of their bottle to keep the flies out of their beer! 

As you can see, I had some awesome American Flag peace sign sunglasses to pull the outfit together. I thought, how cool would it be to make EVERYONE wear them? My friend Stacy agreed and made everyone wear them, which turned out to be a great way to get pictures of everyone at the party!