May's Adventure Dog: Scarlett

**Wow, that was fast! A foster from DMK Rehoming will be taking Scarlett in. Thanks Outdoor Beginner readers!**

Jog A Dog at Denver Animal Shelter

Do you live in the Denver area? Do you have a mild to moderate obsession with dogs? Do you enjoy walking and/or running? Would you like a Thursday night activity that keeps you from binge-watching Netflix on the couch with a bottle glass of wine? Then Jog A Dog is for you!

Back At It

Just like that, it's been almost another month since I have gotten out to run...or really, walk/run. The first phase of my running recovery plan involves not so much running and more just walking, but I was eager to continue the road to recovery. My first walk/run didn't go so well - walking 3 minutes and running for 1 over the course of 30 minutes. My bum tendon was sore, swollen, and generally unhappy.

My physical therapist set a lower bar. 5 minutes of walking, 1 minute of running. Repeated three times. So basically running for three minutes. What a snoozefest...but I'll take what I can get. I was ready to get back out in a few days and try again.

My Bible. I can only advance to the next level when I've done the current level 2-3 times with no adverse reactions (swelling, pain, etc).

Then, I had an allergic reaction to the tape I was using on my ankle. My entire leg was covered in hives and was severely itchy.  couldn't start using different tape until that rash went away. And I couldn't start running without tape to support my tendon. Sigh.

Fast forward two weeks,the rash is finally gone, but it's snowing cats and dogs (that's a thing, right?). This morning, it was only eight degrees, but the sidewalks had melted in yesterday's sun so I couldn't resist the temptation. I walk/ran my heart out, and by that I mean I slowly jogged and power walked most of the way. 

Appreciating the little things, like the nearly constant winter sunshine in Colorado.

The View From The Couch

I've realized it's kind of challenging to blog about fun outdoorsy adventures when I'm currently working with this:

Straight from my couch to you

I've been dealing with tendonitis for four months, but admittedly haven't been a very good patient for most of that time. Since January, I have buckled down, put on a boot, and took a break from any and all potentially cardiovascular exercise. This means no hiking, no running, no horseback riding (the true tragedy), NOTHING.

Staying positive hasn't been easy, but I've kept myself from going crazy thanks to a few things:

1. Working with my physical therapist on a recovery plan. Planning out a regiment for getting back in shape gives me something to look forward to, and my therapist's never-ending optimism that I'll be healthy in no time has been a huge help.
2. Finding out what I can do. Strength training and basic yoga were both on that list, so I've focused on getting stronger and more flexible. This will not only (hopefully) decrease the chance that I will re-injure myself, but also has kept me from going stir-crazy.
3. Staying involved in my normal activities as much as possible. I continued to walk to work in the boot because I would have lost it if I had to go from sitting in my car to sitting in an office all day. I couldn't ride, but I went to the barn anyways and petted some horses and tried to absorb knowledge from others' lessons. I couldn't walk dogs at the shelter, but I could play with the cats and give them some loving.

Fitting In

An article last week from 5280 (magazine in Denver) caught my eye. Unfit: Being Overweight in America's Slimmest State chronicled Rebecca Palcso's struggle with being very unathletic in the sporty person's paradise that is Colorado. Rebecca moved to Colorado in an effort to motivate herself into being fit, which you may assume went like this: I moved to Colorado, all the healthy people made me want to be healthy, now I'm running an ultramarathon! Spoiler alert, but it didn't.

Sweaty, happy, and out of breath after my very first hike in the Rockies

Surviving Winter: Gear Up For Cold Weather Running

I got the urge to begin running in mid-October, which was a pretty poor choice on my part. Within weeks of starting Project Become A Runner, winter arrived in Colorado. Here's my guide to not freezing your ass off (completely) as a winter runner.

Under Armour ColdGear compression layer and Big Logo Storm hoodie. Hat from my first race, the Ugly Sweater Run. Run the race and get one too!

November's Adoptable Adventure Dog: Charlie

**Update** Charlie was adopted shortly after this blog was posted! Thanks Outdoors Beginner readers!

September's Adoptable Adventure Dog

**Update** Rory was adopted the weekend after this blog was posted! Thanks Outdoors Beginner readers!

How To Pick The Perfect First 5k

Honestly, I could sum up this blog in one sentence. Make sure your first race is going to be FUN!

If you're looking to sign up for your very first 5k, you're most likely just beginning to run. I started trolling for the Perfect First 5k almost immediately after deciding to try out running. I wanted a concrete deadline of when I needed to be able to run 3.1 miles to keep myself from slacking off. I'm cheap enough that shelling out $35 to run around my own city is plenty of motivation to stay on track.

My only goal (and yours should be too) for my first race was to not walk. I am not in the elite athlete category, so I passed over any races that even mentioned qualifying for anything, course records, age group finishers, etc. And I found the perfect one: The Ugly Sweater Run.

That is a child's skirt. Billy is sporting a women's plus size turtleneck. Gotta love K-Mart.

Your New BFF Flipbelt

Even for beginner runners, the issue of where to put your stuff while you run is an important one - especially for women. If you've shopped for any women’s pants/shorts/anything that goes on your bottom half recently, you've probably noticed that they are severely lacking in the pockets department. 

This is most true with women’s running clothes. They either have no pockets or a ludicrously small pocket that you can fit all of one house key in. Some brands are better about this, but then you've got your phone bouncing around in your pocket, which is equally useless.

Photo snipped from the Flipbelt website

Enter Flipbelt. 

August's Adoptable Adventure Dog - Meet Bram

Bram

**Update** Bram was adopted shortly after this blog was posted! Thanks Outdoors Beginner readers!

The Perfect Beginner Running Shoes Are Probably Waiting At Payless

My running shoes are starting to fall apart. There is a hole in the mesh over my pinky toe joint that is ever-increasing with each run I go on, stubbornly hanging on to my first pair of running shoes. They've been a great pair, carrying me to some of my most exciting running milestones - first time running a mile without stopping, first time making it around the block in Denver without feeling like my lungs were going to explode from lack of oxygen, my first 5k, the first time I realized I was breezing up a hill that had previously made me gasp for air and question my sanity. 

It's Getting Hot In Here - So Try These Running Clothes

With the recent heat wave in Denver, I thought now was as good of a time as any to address hot weather running gear. By the way – I was not expecting to be battling 100 degree heat in Denver! And a “dry” heat doesn’t count when you’re getting cooked alive by the sun that you’re now a mile closer to.

If you’ve recently decided to start running, congratulations and welcome to the beginner runner club! If you’re really starting to get rolling, or are already miserable in your regular t-shirt/old gym shorts, you're going to want to take your wardrobe up a notch in the heat of late summer (is this considered the dog days yet?). Why? Chafing. Lack of moisture-wicking. No built-in underwear. Yes, that is a thing you will come to desire as a runner.

Praying no one is walking up to the car next to you bc you're half naked changing into running shorts after work. #runnerproblems #runchat
— Outdoor Beginner (@OutdoorBeginner) July 11, 2014

I am all for using whatever you have sitting in your closet already when you’re first starting out. But once you start, you won’t want to stop, so just go ahead and get sucked into the black hole that is purchasing running/outdoors gear. It’s an affliction that can’t be stopped (“Oh look at these shorts on sale…yeah I have six pairs but I really need seven”). Plus, when it's this hot, you're just going to be miserable in regular cotton.

The Evolution of Socks

Before meeting my boyfriend, who has been a major contributor to my outdoor education, I lived a life completely unaware of the glorious world of socks. My entire sock wardrobe consisted of your run-of-the-mill white ankle socks.

I look incredibly tan here...good to know that my legs will not always appear blindingly pale

I also ride horses, so while I had researched good socks to ride in, for some reason my equine product obsession did not seep into other areas of my life. I was perfectly happy (although significantly less happy than I am now) with my little white socks, which I wore everywhere.

During my first trip to REI, I was informed in no uncertain terms that cotton socks would NOT be cutting it once I tried to go hiking (real talk, do not ever try this unless you enjoy self-inflicted pain, in which case you may need to look into a different kind of blog).