Tag: skirts

A Few of my Favorite Things

Jumping on the bandwagon here!     And multitasking for the win. 😃    If you’re reading this on a computer, you may have noticed  a menu item called “Goals and Gears” up there to the left?  No?  Well, that’s good then as I forgot all about it and hadn’t updated it in about a year.   Ooof, it was rough.   As I was working on updating it, I realized it could be tied in with the holiday season.  🎁  Gift guides are the all rage right now so why not join in?     And if you’re looking for more details on my favorite things, check out my new page- The Slacker Runs With.

As runners we can all list things we would like to have, things we want, things we desperately need, etc.  I like learning what other runners love  though, what is their tried and true and keeps them running everyday?    There must be a reason right?  So before we get to the wants, how about-

A few of my favorite things-

Shoes– Can’t run without those!

Brooks Pure Flow 4 – current fave with no aches or pains
Mizuno Wave Hayate-   For those times I want to hit the trails.

Socks– Did you know some people run without socks?  How does that even work?

I love my Pro Compression socks.  I’ve always been a bright and funky sock person and rock knee socks on a regular basis so these were just a match made in heaven.  Compression, knee high and awesome patterns? Sold!

Skirts– I never thought I would run in a skirt but I gave it a shot and they rock.  My favorites are both by Lululemon – Pace Rival II and Pleat to Street.   I thought the pleats would drive me batty but then I discovered that there are 5 pockets. 5!   I also love their Speed shorts for training.

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Lulu, PRO Compression, Sunski’s Fitletic all in one shot!

Belt–  Fitletic I’ve owned 3 of these belts.  I’ve tried many others but I always come back to to Fitletic.  I hate bounce and wear my belt super low (like butt lift low- I got that comment at a race once😉) and this works great.  It fits everything I need and I can attach my pepper spray to it as well.

Hydration–

For most runs, I grab whatever water bottle is nearest to me but for races I carry my own sports drink in an Ultimate Direction Jenny Handy 10oz.    I tend to over hydrate in races so this smaller size works for me. For hikes and trail runs, I have a Nathan Fire Catcher.   I don’t have a bladder for it, I just rely on the 2 10oz bottles in the front.

As for that sports drink- I love Skratch Labs.  I love the orange hydration mix.  Yum.  🙂  Plus it’s fun to say.  For some reason my mother finds it hilarious when I say I am out of Skratch.

Watch– Garmin Forerunner 220.  I love numbers and everything it tracks.  Truthfully it probably tracks way more than I know.  I wish they still made real user manuals.  Am I showing my age here?

Sunglasses–  Sunskis  I have really poor eyesight and issues handling too much brightness so shades are a must.  I also tend to destroy sunglasses very quickly.   I love Sunski’s.  Polarized, very affordable and cool looking too?  Score!  And both pairs lasted at least a year.  Win in my book!

Security–

Road ID– I don’t carry my ID when I run.  I misplace my debit card all the time, my license would probably run away just as quick.   This bracelet has my name, 2 emergency contacts and any medical alerts I might need them to know.    Stylish and smart all at the same time.  😃

Pepper spray–  Always be prepared.  You never know what you may run into.  They even make stylish colors now.  😊

Other ideas- Wants-

A new PR–  but we can only give that to ourselves, right?

Race entries–  We love our bling but those shiny medals cost a pretty penny- anything helps.  😝

Awesome running shirts–  In the last year, I’ve come to love shirts with sayings on them- inspirational and funny alike.  The internet is full of them.  My favorite?  Check out Pavement Runner and the #WeRunSocial gear.

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Once again, all my favorite things in one pic plus #WeRunSocial

Shoes!!!!– runners are picky- gift cards are awesome if you aren’t sure what their favorite.

Music– the right music can be a big part of running- help them add to their collection.

Go for a run with them!

and here’s an oldie from 2013 for you!

Santa Sweetie

What are your favorites?

What did I miss?

 

*I am not sponsored or compensated for any of the above.  Hell, the companies don’t even know I exist.  😏

Dress Rehearsal

It was the weekend before SLO, so of course I made sure to get in all my workouts right?  Ummm, no.     I had good intentions but was feeling tired on Saturday.  Even after sleeping in.  I ended up helping my mom move a bunch of rocks.  After multiple buckets of lifting rocks and carrying them, my hamstrings were cranky again.  I decided that counted as cross training and was good or the day.    🙂

When too tired for miles, Mizuno make great yard work shoes.
When too tired for miles, Mizuno make great yard work shoes.

Sunday though was going to happen. Last longish run before SLO.   My training plan called for a 75 minute 2/3 progression run, each third progressively faster.    On race days, 75 minutes could mean 8 miles, however on long run days, that would be more like 7.  Having not run on Saturday, I was internally hoping for 9 at an easy pace.   Since I know the likelihood of breaking 2:00 this weekend is small, I was fine with longer, slower miles.IMG_0136

I was a little sore from the rocks, oops, so I headed to the lake path for a flat surface.   I headed out before lunch!!  Who am I?  My mom came with me, she was going to walk laps of the lake while I was running.     I walked my usual warm up and just got to running.   I didn’t feel up to the 2/3 plan but I thought maybe I could run the first have around 10:45 and the last half around 10:00.  That sounded like a solid plan to me.    That’s what I thought I could do, I was wrong.  But in a good way for once!IMG_0150 I didn’t feel like I was moving faster but according to my splits I was.  I’m not sure how I hit those when I was feeling super tired but no complaints from me!    Mile 6 was a little slower as I had run into my mother again and walked a bit with her.  At that point, she was planning on only one more lap and I was torn between 2 or 3 more miles.  It was a warmer day than planned so I decided to be smart and call it at 8 miles.  It was in the 70’s by the time we were done.    Last longish run done!  Bring on the taper- oh wait, my plan doesn’t have one!IMG_0134It’s crunch time for the race now, so I set out on Sunday in a potential race day outfit.    I had purchased a new skirt at Lululemon the week before so I wanted to test it out.  SLO has a Lululemon now, well kind of, it’s only open 3 days a week, and my first time there cost me some money. I love their shorts so I bought a new pair and a skirt.    Oops!  I think I am a skirt fan now.  If I could have an unlimited budget at Skirt Sports and Lulu, that would be awesome.   Well, there and Mizuno too.  🙂  Endless shoes and skirts!!

I also hope it is partly the shade. :)
I also hope it is partly the shade. 🙂

Over all the outfit worked well.   I am still not sold on the shirt and I will be wearing full compression socks but the skirt is a go.  It turned out to be super comfy for 8 miles and that was without any Body Glide.     I figured that was the only way to figure where the hot spots might be.  🙂   Since my mom was with me, I asked her to take a pic.  I think another goal of 2015 is to finally get a decent race pic.   Seriously, the pics from Surf City and Wine Country were so bad.   So bad.    Actually breaking 2:00 might be easier than a good race pic.  Ha!   My sock tan makes me laugh.  I don’t wear full compression socks that often, just long runs and races but check that out!

Does moving rocks count as cross training?

What do you like to race in?

Do you take good pictures?