You know those weekends where everything is really fun, and things go well? Well that was this weekend for me. Thankfully! I did some bike riding (beach cruising, don’t worry, I’m not turning to the dark side just yet!) some running and had some fun times with some of my best friends. You see, to me, sometimes life it all about just enjoying the little things. I don’t know why I feel so perky and sunshiney today, since it is Monday and my fun weekend is over, but sometimes when you take a look around in your life, it’s amazing how many great people you can find. Taking those people for granted is just not a way to live life.

So my 20 miler, yea was a 16 miler, and turned into I’m buying new shoes on the way home. I wasn’t planning on getting new shoes since I  got new ones about 100 miles ago, BUT I couldn’t take it anymore, and it was so painful. The 16 miles went great, and I did feel really strong and I wasn’t tired and didn’t have any bathroom issues at all which was a huge plus, but I knew I just couldn’t keep going, especially if I was going to get new shoes and could run more in comfortable shoes the next day, which is exactly what I did. The shoes I got are the same kind I had before but two sizes bigger. They seem to fit much better and I really think once my toes heal, they will be perfect for running. I really like the vomeros cushion and stability for my feet. What I don’t like is the fact that the colors I got to chose from was purple and yellow. UGH. Oh well, I’ll get new ones soon enough, so it’s not that big of deal.

Once my toes heal, I really think that the new shoes will work out perfectly, which I’m excited about. My poor toes. On the 16 miler, they were hurting every step, and I kept thinking, of all things to be hurt, my feet, which are pounding on the ground every step of the way. Never realized how important the toes are! After the run they were beat up like usual and allowing them the rest of the weekend to heal was smart, and hopefully there will be no more talk of toe problems here.

I hope everyone had a great weekend as well and remember, I will post the winner of the iFitness belt on Wednesday morning and I also have another very interesting post coming up. Seriously, it’s interesting to me at least :)

xoxo

So another fun begas picture post for Foto Friday. :) I don’t know why I like to call it begas, but it’s just more fun for me. I’m weird, I know. I just love funny pictures so take a look at these gems.

Wow, this is classical. My arm looks so weird, and it cracks me up, along with the weirdo face I’m making, I think I was just happy to be sitting down in the cabana instead of standing up. Worst part of the weekend, I wore totally cute shoes that were very begas, and YES, there are NO pictures of them. Epic failure.

I know, you’re all thinking wow, Danica is so drunk, but guess what! I can make weird faces when I’m sober too! Ha ha, I think my shoes were just killing me so badly, and I just wanted to take them off, but that is just DIRTY and I wouldn’t do that, I have a thing about always wearing shoes, and that rule is intact, esssssspecially in BEGAS!

This was taken before we even left… What does it remind you of? The MONEY YOU COULD BE SAVING WITH GEICO?! Thought so!

Yup, I gambled with 9 dollars and ended up with 1 cent. LAME. That is like 4 headbands from forever 21. Hence the horribly sad face.

So this weekend I’m running with my new running BFF Ann, which I’m super excited about! I have a 20 miler on my platter and I hope to not have any issues like I did last time on any run where I had to eat anything. I’m bringing along my Pb and Js and some gummy penguins I got at Trader Joes. I hope it goes just smashingly, but you just never know with those beasts. :)

How cute is this shirt?

Click here and you can buy it :)

Hello weekend, I embrace you with loving arms. Don’t leave me so quickly. 20 Miler, I will take you down, and if it happens to work out the other way around, be gentle on me! Remember to enter for the iFitness belt giveaway by commenting on this post! :) You have until Tuesday evening, and I will announce the winner on Wednesday morning.

So have a good weekend. I have some GREAT post ideas next week, one is seriously really weird and crazy and it will make you feel 100% better about yourself, oddly, I can promise that! This whole I like running thing again just has my mind racing doesn’t it? Soon, perhaps I’ll be racing again as well :)

xoxox

So I’ve been teasing you guys ever since San Francisco to let you in on my newest favorite toy, the iFitness belt. Now, believe me when I say I’m a skeptic of most things and I believe that different things work for different people. I mean look at what happened with me and testing out gu… Yea, that didn’t go so well. I thought that since I was running a marathon I needed a fuel belt. I got my first fuel belt and though I do like the idea, the idea didn’t go so well with my body. Chafing all over the place from the bottle, and constantly having to pull the fuel belt down got on my last nerve. I also knew that for San Francisco I wanted something to carry my phone and ID and my camera. Though I already have my pouch that I attached to my fuel belt, I wasn’t sure if it would attach easily to the smaller belts I was looking at or if I would even like one of the smaller belts.

Well, to my surprised, I was shocked to see such a variety of belts at the San Francisco expo. I had heard some people talking on twitter about spibelts and iFitness belts and the differences earlier that day, and I pretty much had seen a spibelt and wanted something a little bit bigger so I wanted to see the iFitness belt before I made my final decision. When I got to the table I straight up asked the man working why I should choose iFitness over Spibelts. He told me that iFitness has a built in pocket and then proceeded to pull out 5 SMASHED gus out of the little baby pouch. I was in shock. I also really liked the small pocket in the back of the belt. The material of the belt looked nice and was really soft, which was another selling point. He showed me where to wear it and how to adjust it and I handed him 20 bucks and a new pink iFitness belt was mine. They come in so many colors it’s unreal, but obviously I had to get pink, come on people.

I was skeptical that I would like the belt when I was running the half marathon, but I was very wrong. Once I got everything situated on my belt, including the pouch and my phone in the proper place I really liked the belt. It wasn’t riding up, it stayed in place, and I didn’t have the whole world bouncing along on my hips. I was in shock the entire time that I NEVER had to pull it down. It was a little tricky to get my pouch to go on the right side of my body so it wasn’t wriggling around, but once I found the happy medium it worked out perfectly. I just sat everything on my butt basically. It was so nice, and since I wasn’t going to take water during the half, not having water with me wasn’t a big problem.

So now onto some of my classic jank photoshop pictures for your enjoyment and education.

Here we have the booty shot, so just dismiss my butt and focus on the belt. On the left side we have the nathan pouch that I attached myself by clipping it on. If you don’t put it in the right “place” (it takes a few minutes to find where it won’t bounce) then it will bounce like it looks like it is in the picture. If it bounces it’s super annoying, so just fiddle around and make sure it works for you, you’ll find the ‘right place’ I promise. You can see right next to the little pink pouch, the adjustable strap. That is where you adjust the whole belt. For me it’s pretty tight, so it can fit tons of different people. Then on the right side, you have the small pouch. I carried my phone, my license and, I think some money and a credit card in there no problem. It’s really nice because the little pouch is super expandable and can hold a lot more than you think.

This picture is kind of pointless, but I just wanted to show you how the belt goes all the way around, this is basically the front part of the other picture. I put the little pouch on my back hip so it doesn’t hit me and bounce. Nice how it fits right on the little love handles right?!

First off, this picture is legit because I look super thin! ha ha it’s because the camera in my hand is perfectly positioned. Bonus! Also, again, ignore the butt and the arrow basically pointing to my butt, I’m not the best with photoshop! Okay, back to my review. So this is the side view of the small pouch. The pouch is a neoprene like fabric and I really like the feel of it, along with the belt fabric. Both are really soft and I know that perhaps if I ever ventured off in a sports bra, that I would be able to wear it without chafing, which says a lot. The belt has a little clip where it clips together and it stays shut no problem. The zipper on the belt is a little hard to “get into” while your running, but this was a huge improvement for me since you can slide the belt around to make it easier for you to get into. The zipper and craftsmanship (did I just say that) really seemed to be done very well on the belt and I feel that it’s sturdy and will hold up for a long time.

This is a picture from the race with my friend Billy, and just shows you how big the small side pouch is and how it looks on someone. So onto another selling point, the small pocket inside the little pouch. This is pretty cool because when I take stuff out of the big pouch, it’s nice not to have to make sure my ID, money and whatever else I might be storing in there flopping all over the ground.

Overall, as you all can tell, I LOVE the iFitness belt. It’s also great when I want to carry my iPod when don’t want to have the arm band on. It allows me to take my phone on all my long runs and the ability to have my pouch attached allows me to take my pb and js as well. Perfect for me, perfect for my chafed back and perfect for my arms that were so tired of pulling that dang fuel belt down!

So in honor of this sweet product, I’m having another sweet giveaway…. I’m giving away my OLD FUEL BELT! Just kidding, wouldn’t that be funny?! HAHA! Sometimes I just crack myself up.

But I’m actually giving away an iFitness belt!!!! HOORAY! I know that anyone who runs and wants to schlep their crap with them will love one of these bad boys. Seriously, even if you see one at a expo, I think you should give it a try, or you can even visit their website and get one there. You won’t be disappointed. Also the even better part is… my iFitness belt doesn’t have this, but they came out with a new product with REFLECTORS on them and that will be the one that I will be giving away! Yippie! So that is even cooler than the one I have, if that is possible. So leave a comment with what you must take with you on your run, or what you would take with you. It could be funny or serious, whatever you want and the winner will be chosen next Wednesday, so you guys have a lot of time to be witty and enter! Want more entries? Link back from your blog for 3 entries instead of just one!

xoxo

PS if you didn’t enter the contest to win a $50 Gift Certificate to Living Rooms Direct, leave a comment on THIS POST! The winner will be announced tomorrow morning!

Sometimes it’s those times that you don’t want to leave the sheets in your warm comfy bed, when your legs are heavy and your eyes just want to stay shut forever and you mind hasn’t even turned on yet. When you feel so lethargic that your body won’t even function and you seriously doubt your ability to put one foot in front of the other. That was me this morning. I was so warm in bed and so tired and I didn’t think I would be able to function if I went out for a run.

I saw a commercial the other day that depicted the sheets attacking the girl trying to get up and work out. That is pretty much what happens to me. I just loathe getting up in the morning. As soon as she shuts the front door and takes off though, she’s freed from the sheets and has a great run. (Well it doesn’t show the run, but I like to imagine)

This morning those sheet monsters had me wrapped up and the darkness that was seeping through my windows just convinced me to stay tangled up in bed for a little bit longer. Finally my 3rd alarm went off (yes I have to set three) and I told myself enough was enough and got up and immediately went in the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. It sucks, but it wakes me up every time. I’m one of those people that once I’m awake, I’m totally awake, but getting to the sink to splash my face can be a struggle. Then the contacts go in and after a few blinks I feel much better. Then I know I can do it.

This morning I got dressed and scowled at the fact that I could still see the moon and the sky was black and there wasn’t even a hint of sun yet. I opened the front door and sighed. I knew it would be worth it, but it was making myself believe that it was worth it to get me going. As soon as I got out the door and got going, I felt revived and refreshed, honestly it’s just pushing yourself out the door and it makes all the difference. It wasn’t too hot yet and the crisp morningness welcomed me with open arms. It was nice to be out and running and able to breath and not be distracted.

People I pass are much more friendly in the mornings, I got so many hellos and smiles. It’s hard to get out of bed, but once you get moving and once the sun comes up, it’s invigorating what the air and your surroundings can do to you. Sometimes running is almost intoxicating to me. It gives me such joy, that no one else can even imagine. Even though I felt like I wasn’t moving fast, I actually had the average pace of 8:46, which isn’t that bad. My legs were tired and heavy, but watching the sky turn from black, to pink, to blue is always something that when I do get up early enough to see, just reminds me what it’s like to be alive and how lucky I am to be able to put one foot in front of the other, day after day.

I know I’m not a morning runner. I’m much faster at night and I HATE getting out of bed, but sometimes, every once in a while, I can peel myself from the sheets and those morning runs always remind me that they are delicious! Sometimes it’s just the simplest things that can motivate you, like the feeling you get once you’re fully awake and out running. Then it’s the rest of the day, you’ve got your run done and you are super awake and ready to take on the world.

Now if those pesky sheets would just let me go!

xoxo

PS those pictures weren’t from this morning, but another morning run, I look at them all the time becuase they are simply beautiful.

PPS. Remember to enter the Living Rooms Direct $50 gift card giveaway by leaving a comment on THIS POST!!!

Wow this weekend was a whirlwind trip! It was a blast though and I’m really glad I was spontaneous for once in my life and made the trip out. We got there after about a 7 hour drive on Friday night and got ready to go out. We arrived at the Monte Carlo and as soon as we drove down the strip we saw ALL the construction going on in the town. Everywhere we looked stuff was being built and the walkways were very limited. I realized then, and at the late arrival, that I would for sure be hitting the gym up in the morning for my workout. We finally got settled and got ready to go out. Our destination was Pure at Ceasers Palace. It was super easy to get into once we walked into the casino and then we hung out with some guys at a cabana on the roof and it was pretty fun! I wore some new shoes (worst decision ever) and my feet were killing me! We stayed out until 4:30 am and I realized I would NOT be getting up in the morning to run on the strip at 6 am.

Don’t worry the dance moves were out and about! :) It was a super fun club to be at and the bottle service wasn’t too bad, it gave us all a spot to sit down! I wore my most ‘Vegas dress’ on Friday night and my shoes were killing me. Giant fail for the rest of the weekend.

Six of the nine girls in our group for the weekend. It was pretty hot out at night, but the cabanas at Pure were super nice and I’m glad that we got to use one.

We were on our way out when we decided to dance a little bit more. We were dancing downstairs when this guy came up to us and asked if he could take a picture with us with our camera? Strangest thing ever. We said sure, and this was the outcome. Notice my roommate grabbing my arm in fear? Ha ha.

The next morning I got up at 9:30 am and went down to the gym. I had to pay 19 bucks to use the gym. Since that’s almost a 5k or 10k race fee so I ran 6.2 miles to get it in, but that was all I could handle on the old treadmill. I then decided to take a spin class. BAD IDEA. I got my butt kicked and was incredibly sore and got super sick. Not bueno. Finally after being in the gym for what seemed like forever, I headed back upstairs and everyone else was still sleeping. I fell back asleep and woke up about 2 hours later. Yup, we didn’t leave the room until 2 pm. We grabbed breakfast, lunch and dinner all at once at a little cafe in our hotel. It was great.

We are throwing up the ‘Fullerton f’ because we were the failures of the night before.

This is typical. That phone has been glued to my hand for over two years now, and I will never part with it.

During the remainder of the day, we walked around the strip. One girl wanted a crepe, so we went to Paris to get one, two wanted Fat Tuesday margaritas so walked around and just saw all that the strip had to offer. There were many freaks out that’s for sure. We stayed far away.

The roommate and I getting ready to go out for the 2nd night. We decided to hit up XS at the Encore and also were deciding either on Tao or Prive.

This was in Prive, in Planet Hollywood. It was an interesting scene that’s for sure. We got there about 11 pm and stayed until 1 am.

Then, we went to bed and got up early, checked out and started the drive home. It only took us about 5 hours to get home so that was good. My feet are STILL killing me. I need to work on wearing heels more!

As for my running, I am either going to go for a bike ride tonight with the roommate or I will be running 4-6 miles. I know right now that it’s come down to allowing my toes to heal properly so I can get in my long runs on the weekends. They are finally looking a little bit better, but every time I do run it sets me back. It was great to run the 6 miles, but my feet were killing me from the night before. Oh the price of beauty. Vegas was crazy, but I’m glad I went and I don’t think there will be another trip in my future for a while. It’s just a lot for me. I don’t know how some people can do it all the time! It’s far to crazy for me :)

xoxo