Running on Caramel ~ A candid lifestyle blog by a 30-something working Mom who loves to run…and eat caramel.

A Little About Infographics and Why They’re Awesome

April 3, 2022

Have you ever been scrolling through a website and noticed an infographic? Do you notice how good infographics capture your attention? Infographics are a great way to get your message across, and this blog post will talk about why infographics are awesome.

Let’s Start with the Basics

An infographic is simply information in the form of a graphic. It’s a form of visual communication that catches the eye of the reader! It can be an interesting and colourful way to present your information. You’ll find infographics everywhere these days: social media, websites, presentations, reports, and training documents just to name a few. My infographic was made from a template on Canva, but there are many different websites online with templates to help make the perfect infographic to suit your needs.

A Little History Lesson

When you think back in time, what would you think the earliest infographic would be? You could go back to caveman drawings on rocks or even Egyptian hieroglyphs to go back to the earliest idea of an infographic.₁ Who knew that thousands of years later they would evolve into what they are today?

Why Should You Use Infographics?

As mentioned earlier, infographics are a great way to attract a reader’s attention. They can include graphs, charts, lists, directions, summarizations, teachings, and more. Infographics can be used on social media and be created to go along with your brand colours and theme. They can also be used in blogs as either a Pinterest-sized image or to summarize what’s in the blog. The great thing about infographics is that they can provide a lot of information in an eye catching format – and people may be more likely to read the whole infographic than read a whole blog post.

Some Tips on Making Your Own Infographic

If you’re looking to add an infographic to marketing campaign or business plans, the first thing you should do is start charting out some ideas of what should be in the infographic. Brainstorming, bullet points, lists or any other form of putting information down on paper gives you a good base to get started. Then, take a look at other infographics on the web to get some ideas! There are lots of free websites with user-friendly templates to help you get started, such as PicMonkey, Visme, and Piktochart, along with Canva like I mentioned before.

Have you ever made your own infographic? What did you like or dislike about it? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Information from https://infogram.com/page/infographic
Research from this blog post was also done on the below website

What is an Infographic? Examples, Templates & Design Tips

Blogging for Business? 4 Reasons You Should Consider It

March 20, 2022

Many people don’t realize how much work they need to put into marketing for their business. Of course there’s many different social media channels, but what about a blog? Blogging has been around for many, many years and has transitioned from people simply using the internet as a diary to blogs providing really valuable information. There are many reasons that you should be blogging for your business, and I have touched on some of them in this post.

I’ve always loved writing. As a kid I used to write novels but they’d never have an ending. I’d just keep writing all of my ideas and had a hard time wrapping it up! Now that I have a blog, I’ve learned a ton in the last few years about SEO, social media, and digital marketing. I’m planing to launch my business here really soon (more to come, stay tuned) and I definitely planning to include some blogging here for my business.

Here are 4 reasons you should consider blogging for your business:

A Place to Talk For Longer

Sometimes you need more than 280 characters in a tweet! Although social media is a great, sometimes you just can’t fit everything into one post! Having a blog will allow your business to put out more content where they can get to know your business. Having posts introducing employees or products, upcoming events and content around company community initiatives are helpful in telling people what you’re about.

Get More Traffic

Speaking of traffic from your social media pages, having a blog will also bring more traffic to your website. By making sure you optimize your website and focus on SEO and picking correct keywords you will be able to draw more organic traffic to your site. Neil Patel has a great page on website optimization which gives you some free tips on how to optimize! It comes full circle if you make sure you link your businesses social media pages on your blog and website, so people can continue to check out your content in other ways.

An Added Bonus to Your Newsletter

A lot of businesses send out a newsletter through email marketing, and sharing a blog post is a perfect reason to share with your readers! People who’ve signed up for the newsletter are usually interested in what the business is doing, so being able to spread the word about a new blog post is a great thing to add to the email marketing content.

Although blogging isn’t easy and it can take some time, it is a great way to get your business out there and boost your marketing content. Need some help on figuring out what to blog? There are tons of fantastic resources on Pinterest or through search engines for ideas on what to blog about to help your creative juices get flowing.

Do you have any tips about blogging for business? I’d love to hear them!

How to Plan in the Midst of Uncertainty

May 30, 2021

I don’t know about you, but the pandemic is really putting a cramp in my planning style. Trying to figure out how to plan in the midst of uncertainty is really tough!

When I had my first child almost six years ago, we did a lot of go-with-the-flow. When he was hungry, we fed him! If he was tired, we put him down to bed. Slowly it evolved and we started to plan around nap time and bed time so that we’d have a happy baby! When I had my second child, routine was even more important. And then when the pandemic happened, surprisingly it became even more important! I started to structure my day around entertaining the kids, working, building my own brand, meal planning and making sure the housework got done. It felt pretty good but it was exhausting.

The one thing I’m struggling with is not being able to plan too far out. I love having a vacation to look forward to, and am anxious to book a trip to Disneyland for my family (when it’s safe to travel again) to visit the happiest place on earth! It doesn’t even seem like we can plan a few weeks in advance right now because the landscape can change so quickly!

In light of this, I’ve put together some tips on how to plan in the midst of uncertainty:

Have a Plan B (and C, and D, etc)

Last fall when it slowly started to sink in that I wouldn’t be running the Disneyworld Marathon, I made a list of other races I’d be interested in running. In the past six months that list has changed a few times, but I’ve picked a race! It’s driving distance from me so I don’t have to worry about traveling internationally. Although it’s looking positive right now, if somehow the race doesn’t go through I have a back up plan so I can run anyways. Having a back up plan (or two, or three) will leave you less stressed if your original plan falls through.

Start to think about the little details

Even if it’s hard to plan something like a vacation right now because you can’t book anything, you can plan the little things around it. You can check flights, look at hotels (and their cancellation policies), look at restaurants in the area, etc. Having these little details done before booking will make things much easier when you’re able to finally book! When you can book, double check the cancellation policies before you confirm.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best

This isn’t meant to sound negative, however my suggestion is to plan for the worst case scenario first. This way you can be pleasantly surprised if things change for the better. If you only plan for the best case scenario, you could potentially be setting yourself up for disappointment. Having multiple plans for multiple scenarios will help cover all your bases and allow you to adapt if need be!

Know that this too, shall pass

Knowing that eventually we’ll get out of this pandemic rut provides me some solace when I’m sad about how this last year has gone. The last 16 months have been a great lesson in showing you never really know what could happen – so you need to be able to adapt! So book that trip if it makes you happy (just make sure it’s refundable).

What kinds of things are you looking forward to for the remainder of the year? Do you have any tips on how to plan in the midst of uncertainty? I’d love to hear about them!

Stay safe,

Why You Should Still Make New Year’s Resolutions

December 31, 2020

Hot take: I still believe in New Year’s resolutions.

I’m sure we’ve all heard it. What’s the point of making a New Year’s resolution? You’re just going to break it a few days in. Because you have a whole year to do it, you’re going to procrastinate. Most people never actually complete them and then end up being upset about it. Why should I bother?

I’m sure we can all agree that 2020 has been quite the year. As a natural planner, this year has been extremely tough for me. It’s hard to plan ANYTHING when you don’t know when things will open up again or when things will go back to “normal” (especially when you like to plan things like half marathons with lots of people and trips to Disneyworld!). Everything seems so up in the air right now.

That being said, we are starting 2021 in a different position than 2020. at the end of 2019 we didn’t realize how much of an impact COVID would have on the world. But now as we near the end of 2020 we do have an idea what at least the beginning of 2021 will be like. And we can only go up from here, right?

Here are some tips on how to make some New Year’s resolutions that you’ll actually stick to this year:

Take the Time to Brainstorm

A crisp white sheet of paper, a new page in your planner and some coloured pens and markers go a long way. Try and sit in a place with lots of natural light, and really think about the things you want to accomplish this year. We now know how are lives are affected by the pandemic, and we can start to plan things accordingly.

Don’t be Vague

Saying “I want to work out more” or “I want to eat less takeout” is asking for trouble. Technically if you don’t work out at all and then you work out once on January 1st, you’ll have completed your resolution. Will that bring you joy? I like to think of my resolutions as goals – so make sure they are S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound). By giving yourself an end-date (which doesn’t have to be December 31), it gives you something to strive for. For example, one of my running goals this year is to run 700 KM before December 31, 2021.

Write Them Down

When I used to study for exams in university, I found that writing my own notes would help me remember more than just reading the text book. Writing down your resolutions makes them real. You are likely to hold yourself more accountable if you write it down because then you can refer back to it later.

Post Them Where You Can See Them

Once you write down your new year’s resolutions, post them somewhere that you can see them every day. By seeing your resolutions in front of you, you are more likely to hold yourself accountable and keep motivated. This year, on top of my resolutions I decided to create an inspiration board and hung it on the wall where I can see it every day!

Tell a Friend

Having someone cheer you on can help you reach your resolutions if you start to lose sight of the end goal. Have them do regular check-ins to see how you’re doing.

I don’t know about you, but I enjoy using the beginning of every week, month and year as an opportunity to start fresh. If I’ve had a bad day, I know that there’s always a new day tomorrow and a good night’s sleep usually helps.

We have to give ourselves some grace, as none of us have been anything like this before. So let’s start 2021 on a positive note, shall we? What are your New Year’s resolutions and goals for 2021? I’d love to hear them!

Stay safe, and happy holidays from my family to yours.

7 Tips to Help You Get Motivated for a Virtual Race

October 20, 2020

COVID-19 has certainly made 2020 an interesting year hasn’t it? Before COVID, I had signed up for a 10K, a 15K and two half marathons. All four cancelled, and two of them went virtual. How do you get motivated for a virtual race?

As a gymnast growing up, I loved competing! I loved the adrenaline rush of people watching, and lived for that moment of “sticking” my routine. My heart would beat so fast but I just couldn’t get enough! Although I coached for many years, it never brought me the same joy as being out there on the floor.

I feel the same way about races. I love being squished in the corals with all the other racers and seeing what they are doing to get psyched for the race. Hearing “O Canada” and the gun going off to signify the start of the race gets my adrenaline pumping. I love running by all the people clapping and cheering and filming as you run by. And of course, I love the feeling of accomplishment I get when I cross that finish line. It’s part of my “Why” that keeps me going!

All those things motivate me when I’m training for a race! I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to prepare for a virtual race, when so much was missing. When I started training for my first half marathon this year, COVID has just started to hit Edmonton and I was worried there was a chance it would be cancelled. I decided to train anyways and hope for the best! When the race got cancelled and went virtual, I decided to continue. I won’t lie, it was hard. But I found the following 7 tips helped me get motivated for all the virtual races I did this year.

Pick a virtual race that gives you some swag

Confession: I am motivated by medals. Maybe it’s my gymnastics competition background, but I love receiving a medal at the end of each race. I once ran a half marathon where I didn’t get a medal at the end and it felt so wrong. Now I make sure any race I sign up for has a medal!

One of my races that turned virtual still offered the race shirt and some perks for running the virtual race. I also found a couple other virtual to sign up for as the year went on! They may not send out your medal/swag until after the official race date so you can submit your proof of time, but it sure feels good to get something for all of your hard work!

A few of the virtual race medals I’ve earned this year.

Share your goal with others

Who doesn’t love moral support? Tell others about your race so they can help you get psyched for it! For both races my husband and my kids set up a makeshift finish line on our driveway. After I ran across the “finish line” they awarded me my medal, gave me a piece of fruit and a bottle of water! And of course all of the hugs. After my second race, some of my coworkers made me a video telling me how proud they were of me! It really made me feel good after running all those kilometres.

Find a training plan and stick to it

There are many free and paid training plans out there to help you reach your running goals. I found it nice to have a training plan to log all of my runs as it helps you to see your progress! Most of the time, I have used the training programs through the Nike Running app. They are fully customizable – you put in how many days a week you can train, how many kilometres you generally run in a week, and what your average pace is and it caters the plan to you. I just completed the half marathon plan in June, and started the marathon one in August before my marathon in January got cancelled. I also adjust the long runs depending on how I’m feeling that week (sometimes, I go longer or shorter than the plan suggests).

You can also check out RunDisney, Another Mother Runner, and Run To the Finish for other training programs!

Prepare like you would for a live race

Just because you are doing a virtual race, doesn’t mean you should prepare differently. Before both of my virtual half marathons, I put my clothes out the night before, woke up an hour before I had to go to eat my usual race day breakfast, and made sure my playlist was set & downloaded before I left. I didn’t eat anything new the few days before race day, and I didn’t wear anything new – similar to if I was running an in-person race. Doing these things really helped my motivation level!

Plan your route in advance

For most of my weekly runs I wing it. I have a few trusted routes that I know well and I alter them a little bit depending on how far I need to go that week. But for my half marathon, I wanted to make sure that I had a good route! So a few days before the race I took my bike out and biked the route so I could mentally prepare where to go. It really helped, and now I know I can expand from there when I need to go longer for marathon training runs.

Finding a beautiful path just makes me feel good as I run through it! Picture was taken in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Have a good playlist

Since you’ll be missing the crowd, the pump-up groups and the noise of an in-person race, make sure you have a good playlist! I often change up my playlist every few months. Plan to have a long enough list to cover your expected time with an extra 10-15 minutes worth of songs just in case! I usually take a bunch of songs from my old playlists that I like, and then add tunes that I’ve heard on the radio lately (I use Shazam to save them on my phone), or search for artists I like and go through their discography to find new tunes. I also put out the ask on social media for ideas from my friends!

Stay positive

Living in the midst of a pandemic can definitely bring some negative thoughts every once and awhile. It’s hard to see the positive when we’ve gone through so much these last six months. I view running as my escape fro the real world – when I go out there I daydream, brainstorm, and enjoy the fresh air while listening to my favourite tunes. I smile or wave to every runner I run by and most of the time they do the same back. Rarely do I come home from a run not feeling in a good mood. Keeping that positivity will definitely help you get through a virtual race, and all the runs in between!

Running virtual races challenge your mental toughness, but should give you the same kind of sense of accomplishment as in-person races. One day we’ll get back to those in-person races but for the time being, we may as well enjoy what we do have. Although not the same, virtual races have filled some of the void that was missing this year with no in-person races. Fingers crossed we can get back to those in 2021!

What about you? Do you get motivated by virtual races or do you prefer in-person? Would love to hear from you!