Saturday, October 30, 2010

Night Wear

Bustle Back Slip

Sheer Pink Robe

Bunny Slippers

 

Pattern

 

Friday, October 29, 2010

Donald Trumpkin Halloween Pumpkin

Look what my mom made for her work’s annual Pumpkin Contest!

She won the contest and $100! I am so proud of her! She’s so artistic.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Things I Want

Red Vintage Handmade Dress from the 1950’s - Etsy

1940’s Era Vintage Plaid dress - Etsy

Red Vintage 1950’s Peter Pan Collar Dress - Etsy

Pretty mint sheer Vintage 50’s nightgown - Etsy

Barbie Book - Mod Cloth

Capelet - Anthropologie

Cardigan Sweater - Anthropologie.com

My New Woolrich Converse Shoe Boots!

Got these in the mail today! I love them!

From Free People

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Cowgirl Halloween Costume

This is the “Before” and “After” - I revamped a Leg Avenue brand Cowgirl costume to make it my own (and work appropriate). I took out the cheap muave vinyl corset and put in denim, added pockets, and added layers of white eyelet to the bottom.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Towpath Half Marathon - I did it!

What a day! I ran further than I’ve ever run in my entire life,13.1 miles at the Towpath Half Marathon. My official chip time came in at 1 hour and 55 minutes 22 seconds which means I made my goal time of finishing the race in under 2 hours. Amazingly, my foot didn’t give me trouble at all once I got warmed up and moving ( my blog entry from earlier in the week explains more). This was a huge sigh of relief because I had no idea what to expect since I’ve just only felt relief from that pain in in the last several days, and hadn’t run on it in lately. I felt well paced and physically great for almost the entire race, but at mile 10 or 11 I got a painful pinched nerve in my right hip, and lost some feeling in my in my foot, but all I could think about was how close I was to the finish line. I just soldiered through and sucked it up! The last 1.1 mile just about killed me, and you can see it in my splits from the Garmin Report! When I finally passed the finish line, it was an amazing feeling!

My alarm went off at 5:50am. I had slept “fairly decent” given the circumstances ( I slept at ALL and that is something!)

About to go out to the shuttle from the hotel to the event. This was a nice service they thought of to provide! Saved the runners a great deal of extra stress!

The course was lovely with the leaves changing colors! This appears to be before the race began. Alan took all these photos because obviously I couldn’t. The trail itself was gorgeous!

There were streams, and the sun rising over all this beauty was something to behold.

Here I come!

The look on my face here, wow! I swear I wasn’t shooting daggers with my eyes, probably concentrating and spotting Alan in the crowd.

Smiling finally - delayed reaction!

There were plenty of aid stations throughout the race offering water, bananas, gatoraide, etc.

Also the course was very clearly marked which is great because I didn’t look at the map ahead of time.

Finish line!

I was confused and thought the finish line was a tad earlier where I saw bright orange fencing and a big crowd cheering hard…

So I had sped up to a grand finale too early..

Once I realized I still had 25 yards or so to go I was dead tired!!!

It felt WONDEFUL to be DONE!!!!

 

Me and Alan - He was so sweet to take all these photos of the event and to be there for me!

Vibram 5 Fingers - Bikilas I only saw 3 other people at the race wearing Vibrams today. I love them, they are so comfortable!

At the finish line there was a beer tent, espresso stand, live music, hot tubs…

food, etc..

Leaving the race! I got 29th out of 117 in my age group (306th out of 1080 total men and women overall) and that’s OK with me!

A great time was had! Maybe I’ll do it again next year…maybe Glass City Half Marathon will be next?

For tons more photos, Click here for Alan’s Photostream

 

Saturday, October 09, 2010

Running Playlist

I’m here in my hotel room waiting for 8am to come tomorrow morning, so I can race! Pretty much I’ve been waiting for 8am to come ever since I got here at 3pm. I can tell this hotel is full of other runners anxiously and excitedly waiting for the same thing.

Tonight I went to a local restaurant and ate steak…a little weird (?) since most people probably ate carbs tonight…

My stuff is all laid out ready to go for the morning! My foot is not totally back to feeling fantastic, but I think it will be decent enough!

I’ve also been using my time to add some new tunes to my running playlist. Admittedly, it’s a little bit eclectic and dorky what I listen to when I run, but it will hopefully help me keep my pace under 9 minutes so I can finish in under 2 hours (my goal!)

Here is a small sampling of some of the music on my running playlist for the half marathon tomorrow.

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

 

John Lennon would have been 70 today

Happy Birthday to my 4th favorite Beatle.

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

Friday, October 08, 2010

What to Wear for a Marathon / Half Marathon in Cooler Weather

I’ve checked the weather forecast for my half marathon this weekend and it’s looking lovely! It’s early October in Ohio, and we’re looking at a high in the upper 70’s, lows in the mid 50’s, and 0% precipitation! I’ll take it!

One question I’ve had on my mind as I’ve geared up for this race is, “what should I wear for a half marathon in cooler weather?“ I’ve looked into this and have found some great tips to help me prepare, and hopefully you too if this is something you are planning for.

Photo credit

1.) Don’t wear (or try) anything NEW on race day! It’s very important that you are comfortable and familiar with your clothing and gear. If you wear new shorts the day of the race, they might rub you the wrong way. New shoes that you haven’t broken in yet, could lead to blisters by mile 4! What agony would that be! This was a good rule of thumb for me to learn because I like having a new outfit for a big day. I still got one, but I’ve worn it a few times beforehand to make sure it’s going to work for me.

2.) When you’re running a race in cooler fall weather like I am, it’s good to know the low temperature from the night before, because races often start early in the morning and you want to know what kind of temperature you will be dealing with. You will be getting to the starting line much earlier and that could mean the difference of several degrees. One excellent tip I learned is to have a “throw away” jacket or hoody. Go to the Goodwill, or any local thrift store, and buy yourself a warm track jacket or zippered hoodie for as cheap as possible ( I actually found a fantastic pink 70’s style zippered track jacket for about $3.50!). Or maybe you already own one you hate anyways and won’t mind losing for good. On race day, wear the jacket up until the race starts to keep warm. Shivering will WASTE precious energy, so stay warm! When the race starts you can keep it on if you want, and discard it along the side once you get too hot. Just make sure it’s zippered for easy removal and that your music and headphones (if you have them) are wired underneath and not over top. Often times, race sponsors then donate these clothes back to charity.

3.) Layering and simplicity is the key to having a successful race day outfit for weather in the mid 50’s. One example I’ve notice from the pros is to wear arm-warmers instead of a whole additional long sleeved top. I think that’s pretty clever because they’re very simple and don’t take as much time or effort to remove if and when you want to remove them. You can even make your own if you don’t want to buy them. I’ve read where many people will cut off parts from girls tights or tube socks.

4.) Buy a cheap hat and pair of gloves at The Dollar Store. Again, you can dispose of them if and when you want to. 40% of your body heat escapes through your head.

5.) Keep in mind that you are going to feel much warmer once you get running so you don’t want to overheat. Races that happen in a temperature range of the 50’s are actually perfect in many runner’s opinions! Don’t ruin it by wearing too many cold weather gear items ond overheating.

6.) Look for clothing made of sweat wicking material. Avoid cotton shirts. This will help you maintain body temperature control and feel better while moving.

7.) Wear what you love! I like snugly fitted compression shorts over loose mesh or nylon running shorts, and I know many other girls are the opposite. It’s a matter of preference really. I always filter it this way: 1.) What are the pros wearing, and 2.) Will this work for me? Also you need to feel fabulous about the outfit because when you feel great about how you look you will perform better. My theory is that I may not be the best athelte but I can look the part and that’s 90% of it! hehehe

8.) Have different clothing to change into at the end of the race right away so you don’t get cold standing around in sweat once you stop moving!

Here is what I’m wearing:

VSX Sports Bra - Victoria’s Secret makes my favorite sports bras. They are nice looking, keep their shape in the wash, and they’re supportive too.

Nike Pro Compression Shorts - Obviously not everyone would want to run in these with nothing else on top, but having grown up a swimmer I like how they are basically like swimsuit bottoms. They stay in place and feel great. My other favorite running shorts are these from American Apparel, and I have heard running friends rave on how great LuluLemon’s shorts are.

Garmin Forerunner 405 - This is a tool that was worth investing in! When I run it tracks me via satellite and when I’m done I upload my data to the Internet where it tells me detailed information about my pace, distance, etc. While I’m running it helps me keep pace with a “virtual partner” and other information. I love it!

Inexpensive thift store track jacket to discard along the way when I get too hot

Sweatband AA - I have one from Puma. I just think they’re cute.

Vibram 5 Finger- “Bikilas” - Named after a marathon Olympic champion who ran barefoot. I have been barefoot running since early this summer and have no desire to go back to regular shoes. From here on out it’s always going to be my Vibrams and Nike Frees. I like how lightweight they are and minimalist. My toes have even become straighter oddly enough!

Apple Ipod with running armband - I have not yet reached the point of being able to run without music. I love having upbeat music to pep me up!

Other Outfit Ideas

 

 

Thursday, October 07, 2010

Countdown to Towpath Half Marathon!

Earlier this year I completed my first triathlon. As soon as it was over, I wanted to have another event to train for, so I signed up for the Towpath Half Marathon, a 13.1 mile race (or, a full 26.2 mile marathon for some!) described as “one of the most beautiful race courses in America” by Runner’s World magazine. I have been training for this since August, and I can hardly believe as I write this, that it’s going to take place this Sunday!

Several months ago I had never run a continual stretch of over 5 miles! Mostly I ran 4 miles on the treadmill at 7.5- 7.9 mph, 4-6 days a week. So I wasn’t out of shape, but I wasn’t trained for distance running either. I was very intimidated by the idea of running 13.1 miles on land (as opposed to on a treadmill which is more forgiving) without stopping! “Could I really do it?“ I wondered. I have never considered myself a runner, and frankly I still don’t. It’s not something that I naturally excell at given my muscle structure and body chemistry. In fact, when I was born my feet were turned inward very far and it was not certain I would be able to WALK! Praise the Lord, I am so blessed to have the ability to walk and run! I try never to take it for granted!

The first day I ran 8 miles, I broke through to a new level of running confidence, and ever since then I’ve been slowly building up my distance. My longest continual run as of date is 11 miles! This Sunday will be 2.1 longer than that, but I think adrenalin will help carry me through.

There is one problem though. Two weeks ago I was running along and ended up injuring my left foot so badly that I could not finish the run, let alone put weight on my foot without terrible pain. I work a job on my feet 8 hours every day, so the healing process was/is taking an awful long time. I have been limping because my foot hurts on the “push off” to the ground ...think of the way Barbie’s foot is shaped, when it’s in that position it shoots pains under my metatarsal bones. I have not run in two weeks (except for last Thursday I tried to run 3 miles and it ended up making me worse). Today, the Thursday before the race, I finally feel like my foot is going ot be decently OK to run on. Additionally I have 3 full days where I don’t work, so I can stay off it and let it heal. I am hoping for the best and thinking positive!

Check back after the race and I’ll let you know how it goes!