Holy Brooks Ravennas Batman! (and a Winner!)

OMG guys… the weather Friday was amazing!!! I told you I would get outside and if you follow me on Instagram, you know I stayed true to my word!! ;)  Tomorrow it’s supposed to be 65*!!  I’m super bummed though because I’m inside all day tomorrow working 14 hours! Ugh! Thursday, the day I can actually get outside again, is supposed to be 25*!!  How does that work?! for real!!  I LOVE being outside and just getting out Friday has improved my mental state and outlook on life after being stuck inside all winter long!!

Look guys… no gloves!! ;)

Look at this weather!!  It was absolutely glorious!! (Now this song is stuck in my head)

I was going to pull up some Garmin stats for you all, but somehow I misplaced my USB when we moved… hopefully I can find it!! You’ll just have to settle for pictures and taking my word for it! ;)

I RAN 2 MILES STRAIGHT… WITHOUT STOPPING!!!
Longest run post-injury with no pain to report!! I’m super pumped!!

Do you see that average pace?!! Holy Brooks Ravennas Batman!! Where did that come from?!
I’ve been running 11 something miles on the treadmill but Friday my pace per mile was:

Mile 1 – 9:54

Mile 2 – 10:37

I guess it just felt amazing to finally get outside again!!  Remember how I told you there are no hills where we moved??  Well Friday I even found a little hill to run up! ;)

Like I said… It’s tiny! ;)

After I got home, I stretched, foam rolled, and drank a green monster!  All the stretching, strengthening, yoga, and rolling I’ve been doing must be helping!!  There are some days when I feel a little ache in my knee, but nothing compared to how it used to be!! I’m so happy about the healing progress and pray that it continues to heal!! I’ve made a pact with myself that if at any point the pain comes back/gets worse I will immediately call the orthopedic doctor!! (hold me to it guys!!)

And now the moment I know you’ve been looking forward to… I know you skipped my post just to see if you were the winner!
Really guys??? Really?!!

It’s ok… I’ll forgive you! (this time)

Congrats Tessa B.!! You’ve won the Sprint Pack from Apera Bags!! Look for an email shortly!! :)

 

Are you recovering from an injury??

Do you prefer to run/workout inside or outside??

Do you stretch, foam roll, or stick after working out?

 

Brooks Pure Project Apparel Unveiling – I Was There!!

Last Thursday I got the opportunity to go to The Brooks Pure Project Apparel Launch Party at a local Running Store.  You already know that I LOVE the Brooks Pure Project Shoes… I have run in the Pure Flow AND currently the Pure Cadence and love both of them!!  Well… spoiler alert, I LOVE the Pure Project Apparel now too! ;)

I walked into the running store and gave them my name (I had RSVP’d on Facebook) and they handed me an awesome Brooks Goody Bag!!  Their tagline is “Wherever the run takes you” so the goody bag was full of things that you would need on the go!

 It included:

- Water bottle with wood topped lid (LOVE this!)
- Travel bathroom set and the bottles are too cute with fill lines that say “1 run, 5 runs, 10 runs”
- Bar of soap in the Pure Project Logo shape
- It all came in a Brooks Pure Project Drawstring bag

After I signed in and got my awesome goody bag, I was pointed in the direction of some free food!  Who doesn’t love some free food right?  They had a Greek restaurant a couple stores down cater the event!  I’ve never actually tried any Greek food before except for Gyros at the local county fair, so it was fun to try something new!  I tried some eggplant for the first time and while it wasn’t exactly my favorite… it was pretty good!  I also had some Hummus and Pita bread, veggies, and a piece of dessert that looked like a cookie.  It was a circle and crunchy with a cherry in the middle… it tasted sweet and spicy which was different for a dessert.  AND no, I didn’t get any pictures of the food… Does that mean I’m not a legit blogger?!

A Fashion Show came next and this was the part I was excited for!! I couldn’t wait to see what the new Pure Project Apparel Line looked like!!  Let me just tell you now… it’s amazing!!  One of my favorite pieces was THIS JACKET!!!  They told everyone to get out their smart phones and take a flash picture… it seriously lights up the entire room with it’s awesome reflective thread woven throughout the entire jacket!!

 

I also loved their Pure Project Seamless Capri in grey!  They felt sturdy and were thicker (which I LOVE! I don’t like capris that are so thin you can see through them!) and they were super soft!!  Go check out the super cute line for women here!!

MEN!! They have some awesome stuff for you too! Check it out!!

At the end of the night they gave 3 people a free item of their choice… sadly I did not win, but I still came home with some pretty awesome Brooks Products!! :)

*** This is NOT a sponsored post. I wrote about it simply because I love the company and had a fantastic time at the event!  I was NOT paid in any way for this post

Do you love Brooks as much as I do?  (You have to say yes!) ;)
- I LOVE Brooks so much they should sponsor me! Totally kidding of course… or am I? ;)

What do you think about their new line of Pure Project Apparel?
- I LOVE it all!!  I wish I had enough money to buy one of everything!!

What piece of the Pure Project Apparel is your favorite?
- ALL of it!!  Especially the Jacket and Seamless Capri!

Fun Stuff Going on:

What Was I Thinking?!

Well hello there my friends!!  It’s so good to be able to spend a little bit of time with you all today!!  I’ve been catching up on all of your blogs and you all seem to be just as busy as I am!! 

If you remember a few weeks back… when I actually had a little bit of time to blog… I told you all that I would have 4 jobs starting this fall… Let me just recap for you:

1. Restaurant Job (Nights and Weekends) 
   [I asked for an old job back when I was jobless… read about it HERE]
2. ASL Interpreter (On Call 24/7) 
   [I signed up with one agency… hopefully more in the future!!]
3. Preschool Educational Aide (Monday through Thursdays) 
   [Job I was doing in May… now full-time tho!]
4. Substitute Teacher (Fridays) 
   [I can now sub for any interpreters in the area as well as teachers!!]

Well, since then I have signed up with one more interpreting agency.  I have not yet worked for them as my schedule is super busy!!  The past couple weeks I’ve been working 60+ hour weeks!  Having 40 hours by Wednesday night!  CRAZY!!  I’m just a tad tired … and now sick… BUT I’m still feeling super blessed as you can read in this post from back in July.

Let me recap a few things from these past couple of weeks:

3 weeks ago I had new employee training and beginning of the school year meetings all week long! We were emailed before our training and this is what it said:

Please dress comfortably with closed-toe shoes. There
will be a lot of physical movement required and close
contact with other participants.

Sure I’ll wear jeans and my Brooks Pure Flows to work… no problem!!! ;)  I also made sure I had plenty of deodorant on too!

I got to eat outside a couple days and the weather was gorgeous! (the minion on my banana made me smile!)

They even fed us lunch one day:

The next week we walked into the classroom and had boxes piled to above my head with no walking space and it took us that whole week to unpack and get everything situated and ready for the kids the following week!  Let me tell you… I prolly spent a whole day laminating and cutting things out! lol… it was a lot of work, but by Thursday it actually looked like a preschool classroom!

Then, this past Monday was the day I had been waiting for… the kiddos first day of school!!!  (Notice the difference in clothing from training to first day of school!) ;)

What?! Thanks for noticing!! I did indeed get my ratty birds nest hair chopped off! It had been a year since I got it cut and i figured it was about time because no amount of detangler would untangle that mess anymore!  I wanted it to be longer, but you know the deal.. you tell them an inch they take 6… am I right?!! :-P

Anyways… so working 14 hour days (8 at pre-k and 6 at DQ after that) kinda did me in and then getting hugs and snot wiped on you doesn’t help and now i’m sick… I’ve been downing the water and vitamin C hoping to get rid of it as soon as possible!! I didn’t get a whole lot of working out in, but once I get more accustomed to my crazy schedule I’m sure I’ll be able to get my workouts in!!

How was your week?

How long do you go between haircuts?

What do you do for a living? Work more than one job?

Wordless Wednesday: #runhappyis

 

 

What is your #runhappyis?

I’M BAAAAAAACKKKK!!!!!

Did you miss me?! ;)

No more 16 hour long days at school!! Winter quarter is behind me!!  I’m so excited!  That was the toughest quarter I’ve ever had to endure… and that includes my undergrad degree!  In 5 classes, I pulled out all A’s and 1 B… a little sad about the B because that means I no longer have a 4.0, but the quarter is a success in my book! :)

I didn’t get to run a whole lot during the winter quarter, so I’ve been taking advantage of this beautiful 70 and 80 degree weather on my spring break!! :)  Last weekend, my hubby surprised me by buying me a pair of these beauties:

 

That’s right… the PureCadence shoes that I have been longing after!!  These puppies are awesome!  I LOVE them!!  I think this strictly Nike Runner has been converted to Brooks shoes for life!! lol

Here’s a rundown of my workouts since last we spoke:

Total Miles in February = 16.02

3/2 – 2.5 miles in 23:56
3/3 – 5.03 miles @ 10:18/mile (51:49)
3/14 – 3.53 miles @ 11:41/mile (41:14)
3/17 – 6.01 miles @ 10:43/mile (1:04:26)
3/19 – 3.5 miles in 33:52; P90X Shoulders & Arms (1 hr); P90X Ab Ripper (15 min)

in = treadmill run   @ = outside run

I’m running the Capital City Half Marathon on May 5th, and have kind of given up all hopes of PRing and am just trying to get in half marathon shape so I can enjoy the race again because last year it was my most favorite race!! :)

I’m going to try for 7 miles this Saturday and see how well it goes… school starts back up Monday, and I’m hoping to have a little more time this quarter to workout than last because I’ll only have 8 hour days instead of 16 lol… so we’ll see how it goes!  I want to try to start P90X back up as well and get fit again… I can tell I am not in great shape… but priorities right now are school, work, and a little bit of sleep… working out is a privilege at this point!! :)

Congrats to Hungry Runner Girl and Billy… they have a little one on the way!! :) So happy for the two of you! :) I hope everyone has been doing well!!  I’m looking forward to trying to catch up in blogosphere :)  What has everyone been up to?  I can’t promise I’ll be posting a whole lot, but it won’t be a whole month without blogging again, I promise you that! :)

I LOVE Brook’s New Pure Project Colors!!

I got an email from Brook’s today about their new spring colors for their pure project line and got so excited!!  I love the originals, but the new colors are fun too!!  They have a whole new men’s line for Spring 2012 and a new women’s line as well!  Check it out:

Just wanted to share that with you in case you all are in love with the Brook’s pure project line as I am… I have the Pure Flow and am saving up for the Pure Cadence!  Maybe in one of their new colors… ;)  If I had a money tree in my back yard I would get one of each pair in each of the colors! ;)

ALSO.. Don’t forget to sign up for the 2012 Inaugural Valentine’s Day Card Swap!! :)  Click the Picture below or go to the Valentine’s Card Swap tab up top for signup instructions!  So far we have 5 partiers ;)

ROJ Running is also having a valentines swap of sorts so head on over to her blog to see what that’s all about! :)  The more the merrier, right?! ;) 

 

What do you all think about Brook’s Pure Project Line and their new colors?  Do you own a pair?  What do you think?

9/28 – Speed Work at the Track

First, let me say that It has been almost a whole year since I’ve actually gone to a track to do speed work.  My training schedule said I had 6 miles to do Wednesday… but I had homework to do and kept pushing it off and pushing it off until I didn’t feel like running… ever done that?! It’s not a good thing!

But then I remembered I had new shoes that needed to be initiated (more so than a mere 2 mile treadmill run).  I’m not gonna lie, the run in I had with the dog on my long run had me leery of running on the road, so I decided I would go to the track for a change in scenery, but I had to go “now” because silly fall brings shorter days… I don't like it when it gets dark so early lol…

I wrote down my plan and took off:

I did pretty good at hitting my goal paces for the workout:

I really enjoyed it… it was refreshing to do something different, not to mention the weather was perfect… slightly breezy, cool but not cold, peaceful (I was the only one on the track at 6:30 at night lol… I think I enjoyed running at dusk; that was different too. My feet enjoyed running in my new shoes as well ;) Sometimes you just need to switch things up… Do you ever switch things up when you run?

 

I ended up finishing before it got too dark and took a few minutes to stretch and enjoy the peaceful evening before heading home to shower and finish my homework.

It was a fabulous run… I have no clue why it’s been so long since I went to the track… I see more track speed sessions in my near-training future. ;)

Do you do speed work at a track? If so, do you enjoy it?
If not, do you just run your intervals on the road?

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 ;)