Month: September 2015

Another “Nothing Planned Saturday”

Sometimes you have those weekends where you have plans. Music festival, beer fest, comic cons… And then you have those weekends, where beside one or two smaller things, you have nothing planned. What do you do? Besides training runs, here’s how my weekend turned out:

Splatoon

Splatoon
Don’t know what it is about online multiplayer games and shooting things, but I love it. Even more so that I’m a squid that can swim through ink and hit people with paintballs and paint rollers like a ninja. I have been told I have an addiction with this game, and it didn’t help that this weekend was Splatoon’s Art vs Science Splatfest. Sorry Billy Nye, but I pick Art class over Science any day.

Spoiler alert: Art won.

Mistborn - Hero of Ages

The Hero of Ages (Mistborn)
After settling down from our move, I was finally able to make it to the library and picked up Hero of Ages, the final book in Vin’s story from Brandon Sanderson. So far I’ve made it to chapter three and have already read through some events that make me fall in love Sanderson’s writing even more. With it being the last book with Vin, I already know there will be plenty of feels to the end of this story.

How I Met Your Mother

How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother has been an on and off series for me. There are times where I sit down and watch four-five episodes, and then I can go several months without watching it again. Despite that, the characters in this show all have their own quirks and characteristics that make you feel an attachment toward each of them. There’s also some great life lessons included as well.

“If you’re not scared, you’re not taking a chance. If you’re not taking a chance, then what the hell are you doing?”

Marathon Training Essentials

So you’ve decided you’re up for running a half or full marathon. Congratulations, welcome to the insane asylum. Hopefully before this point you’ve done one or two 10Ks so you have a general idea of what you’re getting yourself into.

Once you have picked out your half/full marathon, it can get to be confusing. Where do you go from here? The following items listed below will help get you on your way to conquering your race!

Note: It doesn’t matter if you’re running a half or full, all of the essential items remain the same. The only difference is you’ll be needing more of certain items that I will explain in a bit more detail.

Marathon Training Essentials-1

  1. Shoes
  2. Training Plan
  3. GPS Watch
  4. Hydration Belt
  5. Energy Chews/Gels
  1. Shoes – These babies will be your biggest tool what gets you from point A to point B. While yes, you can go to Target or another convenience store and buy a pair of tennis shoes, I do NOT recommend this. Go to your local running store and talk to one of their professionals. A good running store will have someone who will sit down with you, go over your foot features (width and length), watch you run and have you try on a few different shoes. While yes, it is not $30, it is money that will keep your feet happy while beating the pavement and help prevent injuries.
  1. Training Plan – If you expect to go out and randomly run a few miles each week before your big race, you’re going to be in trouble on race day. There are several options out there; make sure they have easy run days, speedwork (sometimes called tempo or fartlek) days and long run days. Hal Higdon has several plans for you to choose from, from beginning runners to more advanced. He knows his stuff and has gotten me through several marathons.
  1. GPS Watch – Now that you have your shoes and your training program, you now need to make sure you’re actually getting the right amount of miles in while you run. Garmin is my trusted brand (love my 200). Not only does it tell you your mileage, pace and time, you can also hook it up to your computer and have it store your history. I have also heard good things about Soleus (that is a bit less costly.)
  1. Hydration Belt – Repeat with me: “I am not a camel.” Shorter runs you can hydrate before and after, but during your longer than 6 mile runs, you should really have water on your person so you can drink during. Water bottles are nice, but hydration belts give you more water access as well as room for your phone, keys, pepper spray, and…
  1. Energy Chews/Gels – So you’re not a camel. Your body, after a certain point, also needs to refuel on energy. For me, it’s about an hour. If I don’t get something after this point, by the time I get home I feel sluggish. Honey Stingers are a great energy source. They taste like gummy bears and are made with natural ingredients. ½ package per hour out running. GU and Huma are gels that also work for energy.

Mistborn

I enjoy reading Young Adult as much as the next person, but the past several books I picked up from the library were let downs. The heroine fell in love with the “bad boy”, the story didn’t have much plot… I could go on and on.

Where’s the strong heroine? The plot twists?

That’s when I did some research and decided to try the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanders after seeing several good things about it online.

And I’m very glad I did.

Mistborn

Here’s the first book’s description:

“In a world where ash falls from the sky, and mist dominates the night, an evil cloaks the land and stifles all life. The future of the empire rests on the shoulders of a troublemaker and his young apprentice. Together, can they fill the world with color once more?”

If you enjoy magic, these books include that as well. Allomancy is the magic of metals in the book. If you digest a certain metal, you get an ability power from said metal. (It actually reminds me quite a bit of Alchemy from Fullmetal Alchemist.) Abilities from metals include: strength, far sight, manipulating one’s emotions, and more.

Mistlings are born with a single ability they can use.

Those who were born Mistborn can use any ability in Allomancy.

The first book, The Final Empire, follows two characters’ point of view: Kelsier, a free-spirited rebel whose out to change the world even if everyone else thinks he’s crazy, and then there’s Vin, an orphan whose timid yet wise beyond her years and thrown into Kelsier’s insane idea after certain events unfold.

Keisler by marcsimonettiTypical Kelsier.

While each book is pretty lengthy (about 700 pages per book), the plot keeps the reader engaged. I began reading the first book and was being lead one direction in thinking how it would end, and then read events that had said plot go a complete different way. Plenty of mystery to keep you turning the pages.

The character development… There is a lot of character development. I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone who will read the book (which you should), but all of the characters, especially Vin, change due to events in the story.

I just finished the second book, The Well of Ascension, and enjoyed it as much as the first. There is a third, The Hero of Ages, that concludes the first story, and then a fourth that continues the magic of Allomancy, but in Western times.

If you’re looking for a good read that will keep you engaged through mystery and magic, check out Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanders. I can pretty much promise you if you enjoy those elements in a story, the book will not disappoint you.