I'm Ready!

Did my last tempo run today!!  Woot!  1 mile easy, 2 mile @ 7:48 3 mile @ 7:42!  I am not sure what is more exciting, finishing training or running the marathon?  I guess I will find out when it is all over Sunday.  To celebrate I had a spinach, banana, chia seed protein shake.  It was oh so good!

And I figured out what I am going to wear!  In honor of New York style I am wearing all black.  My black Lulu tank with my black Nike compression shorts, black CEP compression socks and some arm bands that I will rip off as soon as I am hot.  Oh and a black Sparkly Soul headband.  I will have my black spi belt and I am getting my nails done tomorrow.  Not sure if I will go with black but I want to do something fun.  My shoes are not black either but that is ok :)

 

 Ivan is giving my shoes a little good luck chewing!

These are some nail ideas I am thinking about.  Not necessarily the color but what do you think?

I am going to try and meet up with HRG and Skinny Runner either before or after the race. 

Now I just need to go and pick up some throw away sweats and sweatshirt to keep me warm before the race starts.

So what do you think about the nails?  Which is your fav??

XX
Sarah

Rain, please stop..

I don't about you guys but over here on the East Coast it is raining like crazy.  It rained all day yesterday and will rain all day today and tomorrow which means......maybe no running?  I do run in the rain sometimes but not always.  Depends on my mood and how wet it is already.  It is days like these that I wish I had a gym with a treadmill.

Should be heading out for my tempo but I may end up doing Tracy Anderson instead. 

On a side note how was your Holiday?  Mine was great!  Saturday I had a totally great run with 13 miles @ 7:56 pace.  That never really happens for me so I can tell that the Run Less Run Faster Plan is really working.  Then we shopped and found a new bed.  Sunday we relaxed, went to church and I went to the flea market to find props for my photoshoot this Friday. They always have lots of good stuff but didn't find what I was looking for.

I really loved these and really wanted to buy them.  They are African Antelope horns.  I am still thinking about them but I didn't know where I would put them.  I said above our bed and my husband said ahhhh no.  Lame...

Monday night we decided to hit up 5th avenue to go into Niketown and shop around there.  I didn't end up buying anything but it was a beautiful night.

Work has been so busy that I love it!  I love it when I have too much to do and not enough time to do it in.  Makes me a little stressed but in a good way.  Yesterday I saw a ton of models for my shoot. I picked one but my husband said no (he is the creative director of Edelweiss, it's really annoying sometimes) so I am seeing more girls today.  Keep your fingers crossed!!

What do you do if it is raining?

Do you work better under pressure?

XX
Sarah

Dancer vs Ballerina

Today I am headed off to Colorado to meet up with my family. While the reason brings sadness to my heart, I am over joyed to be with them for the next few days. 

So today my post will be short.....  I am heading out for my long run soon (17 miles @ 8:57) and then to the airport.

I found this video and loved it!  Which would you rather be, Dancer or Ballerina?

I am still deciding, my one regret in life was that I didn't stick with Ballet when I was like 4 years old.  I know, big decisions! :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

XX

Sarah

8x400s

I started my Monday with 8x400s with a 200 RI.  I ran a nice slow mile or so warm up over to the track. I was feeling a little case of the Mondays so I was tired.  I got up around 6 AM but did not make it out until almost 8:30!  So it was getting hot.  I have decided to aim for a 47 min 10k which would put me right in between where I was last year and what my goal is.  I followed the 5k chart from the Run Less Run Faster book and that would put me at a 22:30 5k time.  Which means I should run my 400's at 1:39.  You can see my splits below, my first 400 was at split 3.  It was  my lap to see how fast I needed to go so that one came in at 1:42 after that I tried my hardest to stay right around 1:39.  It was hard to be consistent, something I will need to work on.  Oh and after my 400 I walked my 200.  I was tired and needed to catch my breath.  Time to get me into shape!!

This was me after I got home.  Sweatin' hot and ready for some cold water a-sap!  They have drinking fountains at the track but as soon as the weather gets hot so does the water.  I took a few sips here and there when I walked my 200 but kept thinking about an ice cold glass when I got home.

Since I was jonesin' for something cold I made myself a smoothie.

Spinach
Mango
Banana
Yogurt
Almond Butter
Ice

Aaahhh finally sitting down, enjoying my smoothie and beginning the day with some great blog reading!

Workout-

Tuesday- Tracy Anderson Method
Wednesday(today) Tempo 1 miles warm up, 3 miles @ 7:32 pace, 1 miles cool down -Will recap on     Saturday's post!
Thursday- Yoga and Tracy
Friday- Long Run 7 miles at goal pace
Saturday- Tracy



Question?!?!  I really want to buy some great speed shoes.  I was thinking about the Nike Frees but am not sure.  Do guys have any suggestions about  what your favorite speed shoes are?  Not for distance but strictly for speed!

XX
Sarah

Friday Night Out

Last night we went out for a dinner with our parents before we began our journey up north to Duluth.  If you know anything about our family you would know that we love to eat at the Mall of America.  Right now we are into Crave.  So every time anyone comes up to MN to visit Crave is where we head.  The meal was good but the sushi was better. Afterwards we walked around a little to get any last minute items for the race....Nike, Lululemon

For the race tomorrow there will be a 50% chance of rain, super lame. So we were looking for a good rain jacket so we first headed to Nike town.  Found nada.  The sales persons were slightly confused about their products.  Which resulted in no purchase necessary. Any ideas for rain gear? We are thinking the expo may have some good suggestions.

Hey Hungry Runner Girl check out the "fo-yo" we found!  We thought you might like this place.  Chilly Billy's!  It was de-lish as is all frozen yogurt.

Last but not least packing last night... Yep Jen is trying to figure out how to fit that all into her spi belt, and what you don't see is the water belt she will also be wearing :)
j/k (kinda)

SO any ideas for rain gear??

TA TA for now!
Jen, HEATHER, Sarah

Before and After with a Salad

Do you remember last Saturday when I told you I bought these Nike shorts for my marathon.  Well I tested them out to see if they ride up too much.  I bought the 5" length ones and I LOVE them!  I had never ran in tight shorts like these so I was hesitant.  But as I got going they felt great.  Almost as if I had nothing on, but in a comfortable way.

I will say that they did ride up a little but not enough to make me think that my bum cheeks were showing.  Thank goodness! I also really wanted to test them, so I never pulled them down once and as you can see from my pictures they hardly moved up.  So yep, these are the winners.  My sisters and I are all running in the same outfit!  We will show you the rest of it later.  Can't wait! Only 9 more days till RACE DAY!!

A little over a month ago I wanted to pump up my veggie intake so I made up my own food rule/guideline/diet.  It is called the salad once a day diet.  I try my very hardest to eat a salad once a day.  Simple as that.  I would say that it is going pretty well and I have about a 95% success rate.  The trick is that you have to mix up the ingredients.  I usually buy the Taylor's organic salad mixes.  At first I was really into the herb salad mix but now I have moved onto the the baby spring mix.  I will seriously throw whatever I have in my fridge into my salad.  Some days are better than others but I will say eating my greens everyday helps me feel so much better!! (and I change up the dressing, but always remember to take it easy on the dressing or it just defeats the purpose)

If I am really not feeling a salad I will make a salad mix(this case, with tuna) and just put it on some bread to make an open faced sandwich.

I am in charge of doing activities for the kids in our church and so last night we headed to the park for some games and I brought fruit salad to munch on.  The kids loved it!  No I don't really count this as my greens for the day but I definitely love eating fruit in the summer.  Plus I think it tastes like you are eating dessert when you are eating fruit salad.

The weather was perfect and the kids had a blast.  We played Red Rover.  Do you remember that game?

Inspiration

I love to browse around on the Nike Women website.  I found this cool short video clip, keeps me thinking positive.  I also LOVE those Nike capri pants.  Found HERE.

Then I stumbled upon this image below and thought it was great.  Good way to keep you thinking positive about your own body image.  Love the skin you are in!

Spring Fever

Is it just me or are you guys ready for winter to be OVER! Usually the New York winters are moderately mild. I remember 2 years ago we only had 4" of snow all year. That was a good year. It seems as though this year it is snowing every week and the temps dropped into the single digits. When I lived in MN that was expected but not over here in NYC.

I am ready, for more than reason. I have been out of running commission and I am ready to get back in the game. In fact I was supposed to go for a light jog today but couldn't because it was just too cold. The forecast for the next two days is snow and freezing rain so I guess I won't be running until Thursday. That is ok because I am kind of nervous. Nervous because if I run to soon and run into pain, well then that sets me back again! But I am also nervous because we are supposed to start training for Grandma's marathon in about 3 weeks! Oh boy!

With spring fever and an uneasy stomach I know what will get me in the mood! Look what I found...these few things have been added to my list of things I want.

First off I really want these cool new Nike shorts. I don't really love pink but I think it is the spring fever that is leading me to this color.

Next up is this Lululemon sports bra. Call me crazy but I kind of like the leopard print.

I can totallly picture Jillian Michaels wearing these Nike pants...... Jillian rocks so I would rock them too.

Another item from Lululemon because I love them. This looks like a prefect fitting tank for me.

And just to switch is up and match my pink shorts I would get this pink Lululemon tank as well.

Yes, yes I know Lululemon..

Another new pair of Asics running shoes. (I am smiling as I write this because if my husband Scott saw, he would be like...What! Another pair of running shoes.)

Last but not least I have been coveting these for the past 6 months and I am not ever sure why I have not bought them yet. I absolutely love them and they are prefect for spring time running.
Smartwool ArmWarmers!

That is it. This is on my wish list along with the increase in the temperate outside.

Foam Roller

When I first started running I knew nothing about it. I ran in my Nike Shocks for an entire year before I realized that I needed different running shoes. So I stepped up, bought new shoes and was on my way. I didn't even run with a watch, I guess you could have called me a purest in some sense. I started training for my first marathon and began having shin splints. I had my coach give me some stretches but didn't look any further into it. It wasn't until Jen started running that she informed me of the Foam Roller. Of course I had heard of it but never bought one. Jen likes to research about everything. So when she first started running and ran into major IT Band problems she looked into it and found the foam roller, and then proceeded to tell me to get one pronto. Now I can't go without it!

Long story short is that the Foam Roller is vital for stretching your muscles and preventing injury. I have a small travel size one because I live in a small apartment but the longer ones are great too. There are tons of videos on YouTube about how to use the Foam Roller. If you are a beginner runner or even advanced and don't have one, I recommend buying one! It is well worth it.


I made a little video using a Vintage Video Maker app (thx Reagan for showing me this!) on my phone. Really I just wanted to experiment and I didn't have anyone to help me so please forgive me for the poor footage(my head cut off in the beginning) and it being a silent video, I am talking but all you can hear is the music. But to see more informative and longer videos go HERE.

My Workout Outfit

Most of the time I will workout from my apt.  I used to be a member at 24 hour fitness but after I was injured I hardly went, so I stopped paying for it.  I have been working out in my apt for almost 4 years now with an on and off stint of gym memberships.  I don't mind it, and when my body is working correctly I love to run outside.

So today I did my Tracey Anderson Method Sequence II DVD. This is what I wore.  This is probably my favorite workout outfit.  Please forgive me for the unflattering pictures.  I tried to take these on my own after I worked out so I look a little messy.

Anyways Tank Top from Lord and Taylor, Men's Polo.  I stole this from my husband.  I love it because it is baggy and doesn't cling to me.  Sports bra, Nike.  Love these!  Pants you may recognize from my sister Heather's earlier post. Lululemon Wunder Under Crop.  And shoes, Asics Gel Nimbus.  These are the best shoes for me.  Yes, they are my running shoes.  I have tried to switch over to other types of shoes instead of buying the same ones over and over but it is no use.  These are what work for me and I just need to stick with them!  The beauty here is that I don't even have to try them on.  I just go into the store, ask for the Nimbus size 9.5, pay and then I am outta there.  Unless of course I see something cute to try on ;)

I am OBSESSED...

I love a good workout.  I have to admit it I often try and sneak a double in when Bryan is out of town or my sitter wants more hours.  I am not training for anything but I just find that there is not a better way to be relaxed and calm around my four crazy kids when I have had a great workout.  That being said I also love great workout clothes.  I always keep my eye out for a sale at Nike.  But a new store just opened up at our great Mall of America.  The store has been around for a while and there are one or two stores in the Twin Cities area but not close to anywhere that I go that often.  Lululemon.  If you have never been to a store you must check it out and try some stuff.  AMAZING!!!!  I also have got my husband a few pieces for Christmas and he is hooked as well.  I will show you a few of my most recent favorites..

Wonder Under Crop

Scuba Hoodie

Inner Awareness Tank

These are just a few of the great things that I have bought at the store.  You must find one and go check them out.  You won't be disappointed.