18 Mile Long Run Recap (9/24)

Saturday 9/24: It started out pretty good, I was feeling confident and my legs felt great… I had the confidence I needed that would help me finish 18 miles…

And then, I had a run in with a dog.  If you have read my blog for any amount of time, you know that I cannot stand dogs… especially when running!  I am scared stiff of them!

I was about 3 miles in when this dog came shooting across a yard.  I thought it would stop when it got to the road, but it didn’t… it came across two lanes, barking, growling, and scaring me half to death… I was screaming at it to go home, kicking at it, trying to get it to go away.  I’m not going to lie to you, this dog wasn’t very big, but it was the scariest thing to me… everyone has their own fears right?

Finally someone came out to check on me… I guess I was screaming bloody murder, and he got the dog to go back home… he acted like I was an idiot… what a jerk! I continued on my way, but you know when the adrenaline wears off and you are out of harms way… yeah, I started crying so I stopped (a good distance from that evil dog) in someone’s driveway and called my mom.  Mom’s make everything better :)  After telling her about my ordeal, she asked if I needed anything, and I realized that I had been so surprised by the dog that I had lost my gum… she brought me another piece along with a hug… I love my mom :)

I found it hard to get back into my groove after that… it took me about a mile or so and then I started feeling good about my run again… I took a GU Roctane around mile 5.  Once I got to the school/trail there were a gazillion people everywhere… there was a cross country meet going on, so I had to wind my way through everyone saying “on your left” “on your right” the whole time lol… I love running on the trail… there’s all sorts of people out and about… you’re never really alone :)

The halfway point (9 miles) ended up being where my husband works… pretty nifty how that works out ;) So I stopped and chatted for a few minutes while he filled up my water bottle for me and then I headed back.

Around mile 12 I really started having issues… the hills felt worse going back than they had when I first started out lol…(see garmin chart) I ended up walking up most of the hills on the way home… it was slow going…

I also had to stop and ask an older gentleman if he would fill up my water bottle for me because for some reason I was so thirsty the last 4 miles! I was so ready to be done and it seemed like there were hills on top of hills lol… It was tough mentally and my legs were so sore… but I finally made it home!!

18.01 miles in 3:31:31

The farthest I’ve ever run! I was thrilled that I finished and a little bit nervous when I thought that the marathon was 8.2 more miles than I had just run… how on earth will I finish a marathon?! Good thing the Columbus Marathon is mostly flat ;)

Tomorrow I have 20 miles and I’m thinking of doing it on flat ground.. we’ll see lol ;)

ONLY 15 DAYS TIL I RUN MY FIRST MARATHON!!! AHH!!

(Click the image to make it bigger)

YMX Giveaway Winner!!

Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway… but unfortunately there can only be one winner…

Which is…

Congratulations Amy Lauren!! Please send me an email with your name, mailing address, and size of running tee you would like and I’ll forward it to YMX! runners.luck@hotmail.com

Last Day to Enter My Giveaway!!

You only have a few more hours to enter my YMX running apparel giveaway…
so what are you waiting for?!!!

ENTER NOW!!

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes!

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF FALL!!

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway!! Ends tomorrow 11:59pm ET!

Today, I said goodbye to the bikini and flip flops (not that I got to swim at all this summer thanks to summer quarter)… I switched out all my summer clothes and shoes for my fall/winter clothes and shoes.  It was kind of depressing since summer is my absolute favorite season… but it’s ok because fall is a close 2nd! :)

 

Fall quarter started yesterday… it went really well, I’m going to really enjoy it, but it’s going to be a lot of hard work and studying… LOVE all my profs… they all smile all the time and crack jokes non-stop… it will be a great quarter :) AND if you read my post yesterday, you would know that after I got out of classes, I was heading to Fleet Feet to get fitted for a pair of shoes… first visit to a running store ever.

Here’s what I ended up with after getting measured a few different ways, running on the treadmill barefoot and running with different shoes on both feet a few time…

Any guesses as to what’s inside? 

Go ahead…

take a guess…

Brooks Ravenna 2! :)  Did you guess right? lol… They feel so good on… I’m pretty sure this “NIKE EVERYTHING!” girl has now been converted to Brooks Shoes!! I like them so much I had to get a few pictures of them on my feet…

             Mirror Shot                                   Hold the camera upside down shot

                           The “Yep, I’m pretty cool cuz I have new kicks” shots

Hello Mrs. Bigfoot! Jeesh! lol… I ended up getting a half size bigger than my “normal” shoes to hopefully get rid of my toe blistering and toenail losing problems…

 

And here is the big, happy, running shoe family:

 

What shoes do you run in?
- Used to be strictly Nike, but I’m converted to Brooks!

 What size shoe do you wear?
- ”normal shoes” I wear size 9US and now my running shoes are 9.5.

Do you swap out your shoes for different seasons? Or is your closet big enough to hold all your shoes all year?
- This is the first year I’ve actually had to swap out my shoes… I think it’s because of my growing running shoe collection… just maybe ;)

If You Have a Dilemma… Just Tweet It!!

Well, for some reason I didn’t get my speedwork in today… I was supposed to do 6 miles… just felt blah all day.. hormonal sickness… it sucks…

School starts back up tomorrow (after a 2 week summer vacation lol) and I’m super excited because this is the first quarter that I’m “officially” an interpreting major and will get to take interpreting classes… The only downfall is that I have to start getting up at 5am to make it to school in time… seriously?! I haven’t gotten up that early since… the capital city half marathon in May… and now I have to do it every Tuesday and Thursday! Guess I’ll have to start going to bed at 9pm instead of midnight lol ;)

I am rather excited about going back to school tomorrow though because I am heading to Fleet Feet after I get out of class at 4 to get a new pair of shoes before my Marathon! :)  I knew I needed new shoes, but I wasn’t sure if I had enough time to break them in… since I’m still a “newbie runner” I’m not as wise as some of you… If you ever need to know something… just tweet it… seriously! haha…

I tweeted:

And just a few SECONDS later many of you replied… thank you! :)  I am no longer worried…

So now I’m UBER excited to get an official fitting for shoes… this will be my first time in an actual running store lol… I can’t wait to let you all know how it goes and show off my new pair of kicks tomorrow!  (and of course tell you how my first day of school went… cuz I know you all care sooo much)  ;)

AND… don't forget to ENTER MY YMX GIVEAWAY!! (Ends 9/24)

 

How often do you get a new pair of shoes?
- It’s been 7 months since my new pair… but I ran a total of about 22 miles for May and June combined (hello wedding planning)

What kind of shoes do you get AND do you always stay with the same model?
- I used to be strictly Nike… Glide & Glide 2, but then I got to wear test a pair for brooks and LOVED them… so now I have no clue what kind of shoe I want to run in…

Do you have a twitter? Do you find it helpful or annoying?
- I have a twitter (obviously) and find it very helpful… I’ve almost stopped using facebook altogether

(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday: Cake 3…

Here is the 3rd and final part of the 3 “(mostly) wordless wednesday” cake posts… until I bake another one that is ;) Before I forget…

REMINDER: My giveaway ends 9/24 so ENTER NOW!!

1) my first (homemade marshmallow) fondant/gum paste cake – Click here to read about this one
2) a cake that I took to a cookout my husband and I were invited to – Click here to read this one
3) my mom’s birthday cake!!!

***All of my cakes, fillings, and icings are made from scratch

Cake Details:
     - Chocolate Cake
     - Raspberry buttercream filling
     - Iced in chocolate buttercream
     - Raspberry & Chocolate buttercream decorating with
     - Fresh red raspberries around the border

As always you can click the image to make it bigger… enjoy!

 

What kind of cake do you ask for on your birthday?
My mom always makes me a ho-ho cake… its like a Swiss Roll but not rolled up… yum!

Who Wants In On This Action?! (Bloggy Meetup)

ONE month from today… right now… I will be done running my first FULL marathon!!! :)  I’m so excited!!  I’m also a tad bit nervous because I have NOT trained like I probably should have and a marathon is nothing to mess around with!  Although some people run them as training runs around this here blogosphere lol ;) BUT I will not be alone!

I am not the only one running in Columbus, Ohio on October 16, 2011… nope… I will be joined by a couple friends! :)

- ME (Zaneta) from well… here at Runner’s Luck lol ;) running the Full

- BDD will be running the 1/2… on his birthday no doubt!!

- Dorothy from Mile Posts will be running the Full

- Wells and C from My Story…Chapter 2 will be running the 1/2

So I am trying to plan a little bloggy meetup.. details aren’t set up yet, but if you are running the 1/2 or full in Columbus on October 16th and would like to be in like flynn leave me a comment on this post, or email me, with your name, blog link (if you have one), and email address and I’ll try to get this thing rolling! :)

YMX Tribal Sea Running Tee Review and Giveaway!

YMX contacted me last month asking me if I would like to review their Tribal Sea Running Tee.  Well, I had never heard of YMX so I headed over to their website to do a little research before I replied… of course once I saw the Tribal Sea Running Tee, the fun print and colors had me right away… but the more I saw about YMX, the more I just had to do this review. 

They have all sorts of gear, not just for running; they have gear for cycling, skiing, yoga, and running! For men AND women!  Their apparel is tattoo inspired and brightly colored…
fun for anyone! :)

Here’s a little about YMX from their website:

YMX (acronym for YellowMan Expression) was launched in 2009 as an extension of the original, high-end tattoo clothing brand, YellowMan (founded in 2004). Built on an extensive library of original tattoo artwork collected around the globe, YellowMan offers collectible, limited wearable art prints. YMX was created to offer an alternative to YellowMan in a broader, commercial market, while still preserving the authenticity of its origins.

YMX offers multifunctional garments that bridge the gap between athletic and fashion garments. Featuring high-comfort, lightweight MadKool fabrics and detailed, original prints, YMX garments can be worn for athletic use, or for casual wear. As a matter of fact, because of the moisture-wicking properties of the fabric, many people wear YMX in both active and leisure activities without having to change!

The Tribal Sea Running Tee (which retails for $69) is not just for running, this sport tee offers beautiful tribal art, moisture wicking fabric, UPF 50+ sun protection, and silky-soft comfort.

 

I received the size small and a pair of arm warmers (which I didn’t get to test due to HOT weather)  Something that I liked was that instead of a sticker, they sent a paper circle with wildflower seeds in it as advertisement… going green :)

I got to test the tee out twice… Once was a treadmill run followed by AbRipperX (indoors), and the second time was for a 90 degree 5k race (outdoors).

 Ignore the look of pain on my face… that had nothing to do with the shirt,
and everything to do with how hot is was lol ;)

Things I liked about the Tribal Sea Running Tee:

1. It is super light weight and silky to the touch (I kinda want to wear it for everyday clothes)
2. The fit is flattering
3. It is SO SO SO comfortable to wear!
4. The colors are bright and the design is fun
5. I LOVE the sweat wicking material, it dries super duper fast
6. After washing it a few times it doesn’t seem to have lost any of it’s brightness
7. CHAFE free!!! :)
8. There is a pocket in the back that is big enough for a GU

The ONLY thing I didn’t like about this shirt was that the cool pocket in the back never seemed to dry fast enough and it was kind of uncomfortable to have a wet patch rubbing your back after you workout/run… cuz if you’re like me, you don't change your clothes right afterwards and bless everyone with your fragrant beauty lol ;)  BUT… if you’re normal and shower right after you run/workout, this shouldn’t be a problem for you. Also, I’m cheap (college student and recent newlywed) and probably wouldn’t pay $69 for just ONE running shirt… So the price is a bit much for me too.
My husband always says though “You get what you pay for!”
(Don’t tell him I said so, but he usually is right about a lot of things… including that) ;)

I also noticed that in some ALL of my race pictures that the shirt was riding up and showing some skin off… This really didn’t qualify (to me) as a problem though, because 1) it helps cool you down and 2) You really don’t notice it because its not uncomfortable.

The Tribal Sea Running Tee really has become one of my top 2 favorite running shirts… no joke!  I LOVE it!! Thank you YMX for letting me do this review for you!

Giveaway TIME!

YMX is even AWESOMER (yes that’s a word) because they are letting me share the Tribal Sea Running Tee with one of my lucky followers!! (anyone can enter)

TO ENTER (leave a separate comment for each entry):

Mandatory Entries:
-- Be or become a follower of my blog (just click the follow button, easy as pie)
-- Check out YMX's website HERE, come back and tell me what you like

Optional Entries:
-- Like YMX on facebook HERE
-- Follow YMX on twitter HERE (@WearYMX)
-- Follow me on twitter HERE (@superwoman4002)
-- Tweet the following (just copy and paste to make it easy):
Check out the @WearYMX running apparel giveaway @superwoman4002 is having on her blog! #runchat http://tinyurl.com/3q8722b
-- Blog about this giveaway
-- Tell me what you look for when buying running/workout apparel… color/price/comfort… what?

That’s a total of 8 possible entries!! Two are mandatory!! Don’t forget to leave a separate comment for each entry! Deadline to enter is
Saturday, September 24, 2011 at 11:59pm ET.
The winner will be selected via random.org sometime the following week.

**YMX by YellowMan sent me the Tribal Sea Running Tee to Review, but all the opinions in this review are my own.

**If you are a company looking for a blog to promote your business/product/website and think this blog would be a good fit for your company, please email me! runners.luck@hotmail.com

Three Things Thursday

1.  Check out the “HIGHLY” controversial post on having a facebook page for your blog or not HERE…

ok, it’s not that controversial lol ;)

2. My mom accidentally bought the “reduced fat” oreos and when she realized her mistake told me “it’s ok, now we can eat double as much!” haha… no argument from me ;)

3.  Ever heard of YMX?  Check them out HERE…. and make sure to come back to this blog later today for a review and giveaway of their Tribal Sea Running Tee :)

 

PS – If you get annoyed with me posting a GAZILLION times today, I am sorry… I’m crazy sick and stuck in bed with nothing better to do lol ;) Just a heads up ;)

Blogger Facebooking? Your Opinion…

 

If you’ve been in the blogworld for very long at all,  you may have noticed that a lot of bloggers (seemingly most of the ones with A LOT of followers) have a facebook page for their blog. 

Do you have a facebook page for your blog?

Why or why not?

What are some of the benefits of having a facebook page for your blog?

Do you think I should get a facebook page for my blog?
(I’m thinking about it… that’s why all the questions, if you haven’t figure it out by now)   ;)

(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday: Cake Too!

First of all, I just want to say thank you for all your kind thoughts and prayers for my twin’s boyfriend’s family! It means the world to them and me!

Here is the 2nd part of the 3 part series lol ;)  Thank you all for your VERY kind comments and compliments on my last cake post… it is really something that I enjoy doing BUT I hate doing the dishes! lol ;)  By the way, this post is to keep you busy while I do laundry, clean, and write up a review and giveaway for later this evening ;)  Just a heads up!

1) my first (homemade marshmallow) fondant/gum paste cake – Click here to read about this one
2) a cake that I took to a cookout my husband and I were invited to
3) my mom’s birthday cake!!!

***All of my cakes, fillings, and icings are made from scratch!!

Cake Details:
     - Chocolate Cake
     - Oreo buttercream filling
     - Iced with buttercream icing
     - Covered in Oreo crumbs
     - With 4 Oreos on top

*Note* This is the first cake I took somewhere to share with people other than my family and they LOVED it!!   Talk about a confidence booster! :)  This cake was VERY rich!

Now on to the good stuff, the pictures… enjoy!
(As always you can click the image to make it bigger)

If you could have any kind of cake in the world what would it be?
I would have to say that right now I am fond of Red Velvet Cake with sour cream icing… yum! :)

Prayers Needed

Please Please Please keep my twin’s boyfriend’s family in your thoughts and prayers!  His dad went to be with the Lord early this morning.  He had been battling cancer for quite some time and really gave it a good fight.  He was a great man and will be missed… So please pray for them and my twin during this tough time in their lives!

(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday: Cake!

Oh yes… I have been busy in the kitchen since I've been MIA this summer lol…  Ok, not exactly THAT busy… I have baked 3 cakes since the last “cake update” lol…
1) my first (homemade marshmallow) fondant and gum paste cake
2) a cake that I took to a cookout my husband and I were invited to and
3) my mom’s birthday cake!!! 
This post is going to be pictures of the fondant and gum paste flower cake! :)

***All of my cakes, fillings, and icings are made from scratch

Cake Details: 
     - Chocolate cake
     - Chocolate mousse filling
     - With fresh strawberries
     - Dirty iced with Hershey's cocoa chocolate fudge icing
     - Covered in homemade marshmallow fondant
     - Decorated with gum paste calla lily flowers

*Note* I think I rolled the fondant out too thin… it didn’t turn out as pretty as I had envisioned it in my head, but it definitely tasted better than the fondant you buy in the store :)

As always you can click on the picture to enlarge it :)

What is your favorite kind of cake?
I haven’t decided yet what my favorite is lol ;)

The next 2 “Wordless Wednesday” posts coming are about the last 2 cakes…
be on the lookout! lol ;)