You Stick It In Your Pants..a Mystery Review and Giveaway part 1

I recently was going through my twitter followers and following back when I came across a company and decided to check them out.  They were offering a hydration product for runners or anyone with an active lifestyle really.

I am not going to come right out and tell you what it is, instead I am going to describe it and you can enter to win one yourself by commenting on this post.  I will reveal what it is later this week and you can see if you were right and have another chance to enter to win.

A funny side story about this is that the owner of this company called to talk to me about doing this review and giveaway  the day I put out this blog post in which someone had called me Joan, and when  I answered the phone the company owner asked for Joan.  Clearly this guy has a sense of humor.  When he sent me the product we addressed the letter inside to Cindy.  I had to laugh.

Okay on to the product description.

It fits easily and comfortably in my hand, or I can run with it hooked on my SPIbelt, or put down my running skirt/shorts/tights and hook it on my waist band.  Was I a little skeptical?  You bet!

I took it on my 22 mile run last week and started off with it hooked in my hydration belt, so that I had my two small water bottles in the belt and this one hooked on the front.  I thought I was going to  hate it.  Three miles later I realized I hadn't given it a second thought since I started running.  No rubbing, no chaffing and my hydration belt was bouncing less than normal.

At mile 10, I passed my mail box and left my hydration belt in it while I ran with the (I need to come up  with a word for it so I'm going to call it the hooker) hooker in my hand for about a mile.  It fits into a running hand beautifully. It is well balanced and the hook part makes it sit easily in your hand without having to clench it tightly.  You can keep your hand pretty relaxed I really hate things in my hand while I run, but for a short run this isn't too bad.  Then I hooked it into the waist of my running skirt in the back.

It holds 13 oz of water and at that point was pretty full of strawberry lemonade nuun, I had to tighten my drawstrings a little so the hooker wouldn't pull my skirt down,but then I forgot it was even there for awhile. I was most impressed that it didn't bounce.  I must confess it doesn't look very cool to have a hooker in your skirt, but when you are running hot and the water is cold it feels good to have a hooker in there.  (Stay with me here, no gutter thinking, I should have thought of a better word for it).

I have taken it on two more runs since then and here are my final thoughts.

Love

• hands free
• when I do put it in my hand fits easily and comfortably
• fits on my hydration belt as a bonus bottle for long runs and I can forget it is there
• can be filled with ice to help keep me cool in summer
• being close to body in winter can prevent it from freezing while I am running
• large mouth on the bottle makes it easy to clean and put ice cubes into
• invented by a runner

Don't Love

• looks funny down my shorts (but who am I trying to impress)
• when it is against my body it warms up my water faster (not good in summer)

Want to win one and try it out?  Just leave me a comment telling me if you think you know what it is or if you are stumped and what you think the best feature is based on this description.  Giveaway will be via Rafflecoptor.  I will reveal the prize Wednesday and there will be additional chances to enter.  Thanks :)

Priceless and a Rant

Yesterday I was supposed to work but it wasn't busy so I got the day off.  I was thrilled and had a list a mile  long of all the things I wanted to get done, but then my brother called and said he was going to brand.  I considered skipping branding and still getting my stuff done.

He is lucky I am a good sister and my daughter really wanted to help get the cows in.  How can you deny this little face!?

So I hurried to town in the morning and checked a few things off of my to do list and raced back to get my daughter and meet up with Rance and the horses.

It was a perfect afternoon to gather cows and have a branding.

Not sure why I am so blurred out in this picture. That is my horse Patrick and my daughter's horse Strawberry.

She kept this million dollar smile the whole ride.   This was her first time chasing cows on her horse.  She did so good.  I am so proud of her.

So glad I skipped the things I was hoping to do, and my run, and did something priceless with my daughter.

Yes, Mr President, the Department of Labor and all concerned..farm and ranch kids learn by doing and working alongside their family whether it is immediate or extended.  Learning to work at a young age is not a bad thing.  So glad the Department of Labor and the Obama administration listened to the rural agricultural community and dropped plans to not let kids work on farms and ranches.

When I started working in the operating room I had several people say to me "You must be a farm kid" or "I can tell you were raised on a ranch because you are such a hard worker"  This is not a bad thing!  Sure there were times growing up that I thought I was abused because I couldn't do things with my friends because we had to work cows or cut hay, but looking back I am so grateful for the work ethic instilled by it.

and it isn't just the work ethic I appreciate, it is the many memories formed from working with my family.   Clearly the department of labor is out of touch with what goes on in the family farm.  

Okay enough of a rant.  

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend, I am excited to read race reports!

Mostly Wordless Wednesday

New longest run ever :)

and something else I saw lately that I love

with that in mind 

and do want you want to do!


Happy Wednesday!

Does this make you want to..

 Cola and I went for a run Monday and I think I would have enjoyed it a little more had my quads not been so sore from running 9.3 miles in Peaks to Prairie the day before in 1:05:14.  There was about 900 feet of elevation drop from the start to the finish although with all the hills mixed in it didn't seem like so much of a drop.

My quads are still arguing with me about the today.  Walking down stairs is painful!  Thankfully today is a rest day!

Cola and I saw a lot of wildlife on our run Monday including rabbits, quail or some type of bird that flew up and scared the crap out of me), antelope and this deer that was nice enough to pose for this picture before bounding off.

 I think this watering stop was Cola's favorite place.  It was starting to get pretty warm out and I bet the cool water and mud felt good on his paws.  I was thinking it would feel pretty good to wade in myself but I didn't want to run four more miles back with squishing going on in my shoes.

My Peaks to Prairie team ended up 3rd in the coed triathlon racing division...out of four teams.  I didn't really cared where we placed though I was just thrilled to have a team and get to run it finally.  Hopefully, I can convince them to do it with me again next year.

Pictures won't be posted on the site until next Monday,  boo.  I want to see them NOW!

74 days until my first marathon and YES I am excited!

Tell me this doesn't make you want to come and run with Cola and I.

Peaks to Prairie Adventure Race Recap

I dont think I hardly slept at all the night before, I was so nervous about getting up on time and out the door by 4:30 am. I got out the door exactly on time after obsessing over the weather and trying to figure out why my laptop was giving me the black screen of death. Not good. I will have to take it in tomorrow and hopefully it is fixable, but it does not look good.... Anyway...there are worse things.

 It was a little chilly when I got to Red Lodge where the shuttle would take us to the start line, I was about half a hour early so I hung out in my car for awhile and then wandered around until I found some people I knew and before I knew it we were loading the bus to the start.

 It was cold up at the start. I stood around for shivering and finally took off for a warm up run. The sun came it and I stripped down to my tank. I was later very glad I did, a lot of others kept on their long sleeve shirts and I think we're sorry later. I also wore my fuel belt, there was mention of a water stop halfway through, but I never did see one. I ate a chocolate gu ten minutes before the start and finally it was time to go!

 I was unsure of how to pace myself for a 9.3 mile race, so I was thinking just faster than half marathon pace, about 7.20ish. My first mile was fast and I wondered if I should slow down, but I was running with another girl whose name I never got and she was setting a fast pace. It felt good though so I decided to stay with her as long as I could. Four miles in we were still running sub seven miles and I ate a Roctane, and drank some nuun. I was worried doing this would throw off my pace and I would lose pacer girl, but I actually sped up as I did so. We made great time and passed a number of people.

 Just after 4 miles in I noticed she started slowing a bit. This bummed me out a little as I really felt like she was helping push me, I stayed with her for a bit hoping she would rally and stay with me, but she kept fading.

 I didn't. I kept going pushing the pace as much as I dared.

 I had no iPod with me and was worried I would lose focus or motivation, but I never did. I kept repeating my mantras and focused on the guy in neon yellow in front of me, slowly, slowly I reeled him until with one mile to go I was on his heels. I passed him several times and was really hurting the last mile, I don't think he liked getting passed by a girl in a skirt. He would speed up and pass me back. I was also getting hot. It was now 55 degrees and sunny.

The course was downhill, but with lots of rolling hills and I was told once I hit town it would be all downhill, so imagine my disappointment when I noticed a slight up hill once I got halfway through town!  I do recommend this run though.  Beautiful scenic views from the Beartooth Highway.

 Funny thing is I think I beat him at the end, but I couldn't tell you that for a fact. I got over the timing matt and sprinted to my biker Troy, handed him the timing chip and he was off. I had a great time hanging out at the finish cheering on the other runners.

 My favorite mantra for this race was:  Make this moment count.

 Others I used:  Be you bravely, soldier on. This is what I do. And I can do another mile, what is another mile, nothing to me.

 But mostly "make this moment count", kept me focused and motivated. I felt great and was glad I decided to rest Friday and Saturday even though I hadn't planned to.

9.3 miles in 1 hour 5 minutes and 16 seconds, per my Garmin.  I don't have the official time yet.  I didn't hang around for the festivities or the rest of the bike or paddle portions.  I had to come home to take care of two little people  :)  Automatic race distance PR since it is the first time I have raced a 9.3 mile race.

They made me chase them with a water gun when I got home.  I was already worn out from the race, but how could I say no?!

I will post the final placing for my team as soon as I find out, but I wanted to get my part down while it was fresh in my head.  I know I was the second girl in, but that is all I know at this point.  So excited to find out how my team mates did!

Who needs boobs when you can have a Garmin?

I think I have really made it as a blogger now.  I was contacted by someone asking to use my expertise and when they wrote to me they wrote  "Dear Joan"

Joan?!  Who in the world is Joan and did they really read my blog or just come across it and go straight to my email address. Joan is not even close to Christy.  Not even a single letter in common.  Anyone else get contacted by Wizpert?  Did they get your name right?

Although I think my favorite inquiry was from a lady wanting to do a guest post on my blog about mothers and the cost of breast implants.  I can tell you about the cost of implants because my mother works with two plastic surgeons and helps with a lot of those.  Even if I got the implants for free the cost is still around $7,000.  (If that is off Mom feel free to comment, i know it has been awhile since we talked about it)

I had a fund once for boobs.  I was saving all the spare change and one dollar bills.  It takes a long time to save up money of any significance that way.  Do you want to see what I actually did with that money?  It is okay to look because it wasn't new boobs.

 Yup I bought my Garmin.  Changed my life forever, maybe not in the way that new boobs would have, but I haven't been the same since! I guess I got over needing new boobs. I got a Handful bra instead and developed a bad racing habit that has led me to marathon training this year.

Speaking of Handful bras, I won one in a giveaway over at A Taller Order this week, YAY! I would link to the website here but my mouse just died and I can't figure out how to do it with my laptop now.  UGH.  Of course I am all out of batteries for my mouse.  You can check out Wym at atallerorder.com. 

and here are some fun random running facts for your Friday reading pleasure!

The fastest speed of a human running was set by Usain Bolt at 27.79 mph during a 100 m sprint.

Note that is anaerobic : the highest sustained speed is just over 15 miles an hour - i.e. a 4 minute mile.
So the first is the limit of the legs, the second the limit of the heart.  source

Most world class 100 meter men reach their top speed within 50-60 meters. Women reach their top end speed a bit earlier, so more of their race is speed endurance. source

Since its inception, the Boston Marathon has been held on the holiday commemorating Patriots' Day. From 1897-1968, the Boston Marathon was held on April 19, unless the 19th fell on a Sunday. Since 1969, the holiday has been officially recognized on the third Monday in April. The last non-Monday champion was current Runner's World editor Amby Burfoot, who posted a time of 2:22:17 on Friday, April 19, 1968. source

In 2011, Belgian runner Stefan Engels ran a marathon every day for a year, covering a total distance of 9,569 miles (1,5401 kilometers).

 Perhaps no finish at the Boston marathon was as notorious as Rosie Ruiz’s in 1980. After winning the women’s competition in 2 hours, 31 minutes, 56 seconds, Ruiz was exposed as having joined the race near the finish line. Shortly after, her 1979 New York City marathon time of 2 hours, 56 minutes was revoked when it was discovered that she rode the subway to the finish line.

 The average recreational runner’s training program for a marathon is 22 weeks, and during that time will run an average of 40 miles per week totalling 880 miles before toeing the line on race day. source

A marathon runner will go through 2 pairs of sneakers while training for the race.

 It takes the average woman 51,214 steps to complete a marathon.

 The average woman burns 2,880 calories while running a marathon.

 2010 had the highest percent increase in overall finisher totals (10%) in nearly three decades. Growth such as this hasn’t been seen since the pre-Second Running Boom in 1992 (9.2%) and recently, 2009 (9.0%), and based on preliminary totals, 2011 should also show above average growth as well in this country. source

For the first time ever, the Half-Marathon now claims more finishers than the 10K, ranking #2 next to the 5K in finishers. Females continue to dominate the Half-Marathon race field with 59% representation. source

Average Male Runner

• Average Weight: 172.9 lbs
• Average Height: 70.46 inches / 5 feet, 10 ½ inches
• Average Body Mass Index (BMI): 24.4
• 45.2% are content with their weight
• 44.3% are content with their fitness level

 Average Female Runner

• Average Weight: 137.6 lbs
• Average Height: 65.01 inches / 5 feet, 5 inches
• Average Body Mass Index (BMI): 22.9
• 40.9% are content with their weight
• 42.3% are content with their fitness level

lots more can be found HERE

Things for Thursday, I think there are more than three, but I'm not going to count.

Life seems to have been really busy this last week between work and having guests at the house and of course life in general.  I have been getting in some good runs though and you will be relieved to know I aced my CPR test and am now certified for another two years.  This is good since I am a nurse.

something funny I saw on Facebook

Some exciting things that have happened

• I participated in the GU 100,000 mile challenge on Strava and even though I really ran over 150 miles in the challenge period I only logged 118 with them because I wanted to get the Peanut Butter GU and not the Roctane.
• Since so many people particiapted in the challenge and we collectively ran over 200,000 mile GU is also going to send all of the participants a GU sampler pack..YAY!
• I won a a weekly sweepstakes drawing from the Vega Sport Facebook page and get $200 dollars in Vega Sport products as a prize.

Who doesn't love getting free things, especially when you win things you really like.  Peanut butter GU is my favorite GU flavor right now.

I did a review of the Vega Sport products a while back and my favorite thing was their protein bars.  I ordered three boxes of those, and some of their recovery accelerator and since my older sister is so awesome I ordered her a box of the protein powder.

I haven't posted since the Boston Marathon, I had to work that day but whenever I had a spare minute I would open the Boston website and start tracking runners to see how their very HOT marathon was shaping up.  I could imagine how hot it must be getting as split times slowed.  It was very inspiring to me to see all the runners make progress and eventually finish.  I should have wrote down everyone I knew running since there were I few I forgot to look up.


Great job to all the runners that ran in Boston!

I tried to send cooling vibes though I don't think it worked very well.  I am really hoping my marathon in July isn't too hot!  Temps for it historically start in the 50s at 6 in the morning and by noon are in the lower 80s. I plan to be done before noon.  Hopefully before 10, but since it is my first marathon I am trying not to place any high expectations on myself, especially if it has the possibility of being a hot one.
.

and finally something to remind myself whenever I start freaking out about running a marathon.

Doing what I do!

 My kids worked really hard yesterday to pick me dandelion and purple mustard bouquets.  That look pretty sweet above my sink in the kitchen in their little mason jars.

 I had a fabulous 10 mile run yesterday and was excited to get in another today, but much to my dismay it was SNOWING this morning.  BRR.  I want spring and sunshine, not cold and snow.  I want tanks and running skirts not tights and hats!

I waited until about 1:30 this afternoon and by then it was done snowing and was a balmy 40 degrees with a slight breeze.  Lovely.

I hadn't decided if I was going to do intervals or a tempo run, but it turned in to more of a progressing run.
The mile splits looked like this
9:08 warming up and a big hill
8:46
8:36 my legs were feeling kind of tired  so I wasn't sure if I was going to keep progressing
8:18
8:09 starting to get into it and feeling good
7:48 no leg tiredness, just feeling strong, breathing good.
7:30
7:32 had a long uphill portion so I messed up the progressive part here, but feeling really STRONG
7:21
6:58
last .10 mile at 6:21 pace.  The last mile really was hard, but I was so determined to finish strong.

I couldn't believe how good I felt once I got my legs warmed up and moving. 

A little after run loving for Cola and my cat Tip had to sneak into the picture too.  I really love my little running dog.

 and I love these shoes I am wearing..my Brooks Pure Flows, so light weight, fast and they totally match my outfit today :)

and yay my lawn in starting to turn green.  It was looking pretty sad after the grasshoppers got done with it last fall.  

What is your favorite flower?  I love daffodils and daisies.  They are both happy flowers in my books. I also love flowers my kids bring to me, makes my heart happy :)

Hello Spring

Thursday I tried to get out and run.  okay I ran for four miles but it was pretty rough. The wind was howling and then about twenty steps into my run I felt the first drop of rain.  Ugh.  I had on a wind/water resistant jacket, but that was about it for being properly dressed.

I made it two miles before I turned around and decided this wasn't fun after all and I was dripping wet. The wind was blowing the rain drops straight into my ear.  Ugh.  I decided I would just get in a good elliptical workout later on and call it good.

I never did get in the rest of my workout, but I did get a great nap and some awesome time in with my kids, and sometimes that is just what I need to do.

Friday I worked and was hoping to get in a quick run after work, but that didn't happen.  So this morning I was raring to get running!  Sunny skies temps in the forties, slight breeze..Perfect!

 I even stopped to smell the flowers before I started my run.  This little purple flowers were all over the hillside here.  Cola was trying to get into the picture here I think, notice his little legs in the background.

 I ran did a ten mile run, and wish I could have just kept on running and running, but I had places to be!
I felt like it took about 6 miles for my legs to get warmed up really good and then I felt great and did two miles at marathon .pace and the last 2 miles faster than goal marathon pace.

Next weekend I am running in the Peaks To Prairie Adventure race on Sunday and  the forecast is calling for a high of 63 and sunny.  I have 9.3 mile run and then I will hand off to our team biker.  After that I get to sit back and enjoy the day and wait for the biker and paddler to get done.   I hope the weather forecast is right! I am so excited about this one. It will be the first time I have done this race.

The run has about a 900 foot drop with some hills in it, but with a drop like that I expect to have a good time, but since I have never done it before I hate to get all cocky about it.

How Running Has Made a Liar Out of Me.

I ran 20 miles yesterday.  I have to admit starting out on that run was a little intimidating.  All I could think of during the first mile was "I am going to be out here for a long time!"

Eventually I got my mind off the distance to be covered and was able to zone out and enjoy the run, or at least parts of it.  20 miles is a long way to run.  Running for three hours is a long time to run.  The first time I told my husband how long I was going to be out running he looked at me like I was crazy.

I got the run done in just under three hours and was so glad to be done.  I came home and was starving. I ate mac and cheese with the kids and then thought maybe I was going to spew it.

I have 87 days to go until Missoula.  I wish it were a little closer, but it will be here before I know it.

There was a time when I thought it was crazy to be out running for more than an hour.  Over the winter an hour and a half run become pretty standard for me.

I remember when I first trained for a half marathon I kept telling myself I would do two half marathons that summer and then stick to 10k and shorter races the next year.  Those long runs were really killing me. Running 12 miles made my whole lower body hurt, by the end of the run I was so stiff I could hardly walk. Clearly half marathon were just too long for my body.

Yeah, about that. 

The next year (which was last year) I did do two 10k races, but they fit nicely into my half marathon training. I did two half marathons again last year, along with 9 other races.  I started thinking maybe someday I would do a marathon. There was no way I would consider it though until my kids were both in school.  Training for a marathon would just be too time consuming.

Yeah, about that.

I felt like I really built up a solid base over the winter thanks to a pretty mild winter I got in a lot of runs and had a lot of 40 mile weeks, got in a couple of 13, 14 and 15 mile runs.  One day I decided to go for 17 miles.  A new PDR.  Three weeks later I was signed up for my first marathon.  My kids won't both be in school for another year and a half. So I am a little premature.

I also at one point told my husband I really didn't foresee me becoming a runner who traveled just to do a race.  That seemed crazy.

Yeah, about that.

I found out about Hood to Coast.  What is a girl to do.  I am not about to pass up a chance to run an EPIC relay and get to support the beef industry while I do it.  and well I guess I am traveling 6 hours to do the Missoula Marathon, but there weren't any marathons in my area until SEPTEMBER!

So I am not going to sit here and tell you that I don't plan to run any more marathons in the near future after Missoula because this training is hard and time consuming.  I am going to bet that despite the fact that I don't have any plans to run another one, I will.  I am not going to rule out anything.  I am a runner and tend to change my mind a lot.

Has running made a liar out of you?

Tuesday Randoms

My kids have converted their Easter buckets into foot baths.  I considered stopping them because I knew it was going to be a mess, but they were having so much fun, I just gave them a towel to wipe up the mess instead.

The radio in my car works but it randomly changes from AM to FM and from the radio to the disc player.  It seems like it likes to switch right when I want to turn up the radio and sing along..BAM new station.  I think it is trying to tell me something.

I cleaned out my kitchen cupboards this weekend.  I had 30 food storage containers and 329 lids.  I seriously threw out a whole garbage bag of LIDS.  Where do all the containers go?

I ate mint Oreos yesterday. So good. But maybe I should have tried to exercise a little self control and not eat twelve, although in my defense I ate four at a time, three different times.

I saw a spider in the house Sunday for the first time this year. I made my son kill it because I really hate spiders.  They are just freaky with all those legs like that.

The pace calculator on Runners World predicts I can run a marathon in 3:28 based off my most recent 5k time.  This freaks me out a little bit.  I wish I wouldn't have seen that, it seems to set the bar really high, I was thinking more like under four hours.  Kind of vague but a little more realistic for my first one I think.

My husband doesn't usually wear cologne, but he put some on the other day and my daughter told me he was wearing her favorite smell.  Previously him wearing cologne made her tell him he smelled so good she wanted to just fall on the floor and die.  Drama queen in the making!


Tell me something random about your day!

Motivation Monday: The Magic of Mantras

Your body can be in peak condition for a race, but if your head isn't in the game it can have a detrimental effect on how you do.  A running mantra can help get your head back in the game and push through that wall during a race. 

According to this article  the ideal running mantra is "One that's short, positive, instructive, and full of action words." They also recommend having several different mantras ready.

I used several during my half marathon last fall that I set a 4 minute PR at. 

In the beginning I was all about "Run your own race"  This was to prevent me from going out too fast and trying to keep up with all the people who did start out too fast.  I also used "I will be seeing you later" at the beginning.  and a lot of those people I did see later when I passed them.

The last 10k is started using some different ones including "Enjoy being fast" and "This is what you are here for, this is what you trained for.  You are ready for this. You are trained for this" Okay the second one isn't very short, but it is very motivational for me. My pace for the last four miles was 7:11 verses the 7:25ish I ran the first half of the race.  I was really in "the zone" and felt so good mentally and physically.

There are some other really good mantras out there like
Chicago Runner Girls "Ride the edge"
and  Mile Posts "Dream Big" and how can you not love Saucony's "Find your strong" campaign.
If you listen to Marathon Training Academy podcasts the you have heard "Release the kraken".  

It is important to dig out these mantras when you get a stitch in your side, feel like puking etc so that instead of focusing on the pain and letting it drag you down, you distract yourself and push on. Mantras help divert the mind from its dark thought and transcend the pain.

Tips for making a good mantra.

Stay positive! Remember you want to divert your mind from the pain, not focus on it. "This is my day"
Use energetic words.  "Go for it" "Run strong"
Keep it short.  You don't want to be struggling to remember your mantra, it should flow easily. 
Make it instructive.  Tell yourself what to do.  Remind yourself how you should be feeling.  "Be relaxed" "Dream Big"

or you can use this chart to help make a chant to pull you through on your run.

source

such as

 Be strong, embrace power.

Stride fierce, be bold.

The biggest key to a running mantra is finding one that works for you.  If it doesn't resonate with you it won't be as effective.  I like to try new ones out when I am doing a hard workout.   Sometimes even the distraction of thinking up new ones is enough to help pull me through the workout.

Tell me some of your favorite mantras.

Failed run.

I was going to do a two part run yesterday.  I failed, but I am okay with that.

It started out okay but about half a mile into the first run I felt a funny pain in the back of my knee.  and my anterior tibialis muscles on both legs felt tired and crampy.  I run/walked through two miles and decided to call it a day, after that though my legs felt better so I did five more.  I set out later in the day to finish my run and half a mile in all the same problems came up.

Yes it was a little chilly out yesterday!

Not sure what the funky pain in the medial posterior part of my knee is, but I am betting resting will help.  I did an hour on my elliptical instead with no pain and felt good.  I will rest today and test it out again tomorrow.  I still have 13 weeks until the marathon so at this point I am not worried about messing up my training and am just wanting to be healthy and injury free!

I am trying really hard to listen to my body, but it can be so hard when I just want to run, run, run!

In this picture you can see (barely) Cola.  He is chasing birds, like he really thinks he can catch one.

So hope you all have a great weekend and a Good Friday.

Three Things Thursday

1. I am trying to come up with the perfect marathon outfit.  It is 93 days away, but I want to be prepared!  My shirt is easy.  I will be sporting my team Beef tank since they are sponsoring me for the race.  I have done a long run in it and had no problems.  That leaves what to wear on the bottom. 

I have to admit here that since it is my first marathon and you never get to have a first time ever again, I want to look good.  When I look good, I feel good and it boosts my confidence.  It makes me feel a little more badass and a little less terrified of the task at hand.

Lululemon came out with a Run: a marathon skirt this week.  I wish I didn't stalk their website so much.  I love the little shorts that come under the running skirts and I love running in their skirts.  Pretty much makes me feel bad ass.

This is the Run: A marathon skirt.  I think I would love it because it is Lululemon, has the great little shorties underneath, has 7 pockets to hide things in and yet has a cute little skirt to cover the butt.  The shorts are key.  I think a HUGE part of the reason I love running in my Lulu skirts are I love the shorts under them so much.  No riding up and no chaffing, super comfy.

 They also had these, which seem to be from the description just the shorts without the skirt, and way cheaper.  The above skirt is 78 dollars!  WTF?!  That puts it way out of what I am willing to pay, awesome shorts, pockets and all.

These shorts are cheaper, somewhat,  but then I could pair them with a Team Sparkle skirt.  I just can't decide what color.  I think there are several colors that would work.  I don't really want the black one though, as I will be running the marathon in July and black can be such a HOT color.  So that leaves red, green or gunmetal.

2. I love that the girls are outsmarting the guys on Survivor, so far.  I hope they keep it up.  Not sure why I love that so much, but I do.  I can't wait until they send Tarzan home.  And really what were the chances they would have a guy name Troyzan and one named Tarzan.  

3. Today is a long run day and I will be breaking it down into two runs, half this morning and half this afternoon due to babysitter reasons.   Active.com had an article on this that I read earlier this week. I don't know that it is ideal, but at this point I am not too worried about it at this point since I do still have three months before my marathon.  Sometimes I have to take what I can get! :)

What do you think about breaking up the long runs?
Are you watching Survivor this season, if so what do you think so far? 
What is your ideal marathon outfit, if you have run one?

Yesterday I had one of those runs that just felt good.  I seem to do that about once a week right now.

But before I had my run, I had to get my lil cowboy on the school bus! He got to ride the bus to school to have a practice kindergarten day.  He was so excited.  I do also confess that I cried a little after he got on the bus.  His little sister and I followed the bus to school to make sure he got to the right place and his cousin took good care of him on the bus and during recesses.

He was so bummed when I told him he wasn't going back again until August.  He loved it!

Sunday we dyed Easter eggs.  The kids had a great time and I let them both do 6 eggs.

The little cowgirl posing thoughtfully

Just having fun!

Hard at work

A finished masterpiece.

Hope you all have a great Tuesday!

Motivation Monday

I decided today to examine the components of motivation. 

I looked up various websites about it, but my favorite way of breaking it down was About.com.  They broke motivation down into 3 main components.

Activation.  

This is what caused you to do a certain behavior.  

What caused me to me start running again so much?  In a word: kids.  I needed an outlet, some stress relief and living far away from a gym it was the easiest thing for me to do.  I did one race four years ago and then with some encouragement the next year did even more and my first half marathon.  I fell in love with competing and beating old times.

Persistence is the continued movement towards the goal 

even though obstacles exist.  

I have encountered lots of obstacles from injuries to lack of babysitters to bad weather.  There is also the time devotion that training for longer races involves and the money to pay entry fees and get new shoes.
Every day there is that decision to put on my shoes and run..or not.  99% of the time when given a choice mine go on.

Intensity can be seen in the concentration 

and vigor that goes into pursuing a goal.

I tend to train fairly intensely because I am a competitive person with myself.  I want to do be fast.  I want to get new PRs and I want to not be beaten by people I usually beat.  If I know they are out there working their butts off that pushes me harder.

Out of the three components of motivation the one that most people have the problem with is persistence.

WHY?

1. Not seeing progress soon enough.
2. Having to give up immediate pleasures to follow long term plans
3. Not believing in yourself and your ability to complete the goal.
(this website HERE goes into this in much more detail)

I believed for years I was not made to run a marathon.  It was too far.  I really thought for YEARS that I was not made to run longer than 6 or 7 miles.  Now that is a short run for me. 

My eyes are on the goal!