I see so many teams out running lately and saw even more up training while I was in Big Bear last week. It all reminds me a lot of when I ran cross country in high school! I remember getting up and doing double days and not showering and camping while in Mammoth for training camp. Disgusting. I literally hated those weeks. Looking back, besides being filthy, it was some of the best running trails I’ve ever ran.

I remember running every day after school, doing insane workouts that now I can’t even imagine running. I remember how fun it was being a part of a team and how I enjoyed everyone’s company. I still have the shoebox that holds all my medals tucked away in my closet. I remember how excited I’d be race day when the gun went off and how we all had matching bows in our hair. My senior year we even all got racing flats with our school colors. They were awesome.

Then I am also reminded what a LOSER I WAS! HA! I had such bad acne and I ran all the time. Most people made fun of the cross country team and we tried to rationalize our running with sayings like, ‘Our sport is your sports punishment,’ which looking back, didn’t help anything. But man, it was a great time. I was a dork with asthma. But then again, I ran my fastest time in high school in the 5k at 19:57. Knowning now how in shape I was then, I wish I would have recognized it!

Alas, I leave you with a picture from my cross country days.

Can you find me?

I’m 5 in from the right hand side. Gheesh! I wouldn’t ever want to go back to those days!

xoxo

Sunglasses that I LOVE! Amazing! I don’t look like I’m blasting off into space while running. So excited to share these with you guys! A while back I tweeted about not having any good running sunglasses. I have tried to run in the warmer summer months with my Forever 21 pairs, but they just slip down my nose the whole time. Talk about annoying and super lame. I tweeted that I wanted some sunglasses that didn’t look like I was about to blast off into space when I was working out. I was shocked to see how many people responded with the same problems, no sunglasses were cute AND made for running. I got a few comments to check out Oakley, which I did. Over $100 for sunglasses that I’m running in is most definitely not in my budget. I am pretty rough on glasses, hence why I always get my regular ones from Forever 21. Then when I accidently smash them, I don’t feel like I killed half my bank account in with my designer shades.

I was contacted by the kind and generous people at Outdoor PR and they sent me some awesome shades to test out from Ryders. LOVE. They are straight up amazing! I, like usual, was skeptical when I first tried them out. I thought they would for sure slip down my nose when I showed the first sign of sweat. They fit my head well and never flopped around when I was running even on longer runs and now I can’t imagine running without them. I also totally love the color and shape, and best part ever… They LOOK AWESOME! It was simply amazing to know that I didn’t look like a grasshopper while running! I wear the Dutchess.

I love  how big these are. The look fashionable and totally can be worn when I’m not running as well. They are really dark and the best part is that now I can stare at everyone when I run like a creeper and no one even knows I’m staring! The only hard thing was trying to figure out which ones would best fit my face online while searching for them on the Ryders Website.

I really like the side view of the glasses as well. They are super comfortable and I’ve run with them so much that I can’t imagine them not blocking the sun from my eyes. They really protect my eyes since they are really dark and have UV protection as well. Quite a change going from nothing to these bad boys.

The key to them staying up on your nose while running is the little nosepads that the glasses have. They are awesome and stay up even on long runs when I become a sweaty mess. They don’t get fogged up either and really are fantastic. I was surprised when I never had to push them up ever.

Here’s a close up of the nosepads. They make a huge difference and make the sunglasses super comfortable as well.

Ahhh how I love these sunglasses! I do have like 10 pairs of regular ones that I don’t run in, but these seriously are perfect for working events, running and anything active. The best part is that they are only $39.99! That is something that I could pay and wouldn’t be devastated if they somehow got messed up in my gym bag, or I sat on them or something. I love these glasses so much that I wear them often even when I’m not running!

Check our Ryder’s Sunglasses here. The ones I tested were the Dutchess!

Since they rock, they also sent me a pair to giveaway!

Here are the ones that are up for grabs!

Please ignore the fact that I can’t close my mouth because of a giant coldsore. :/

Enter by leaving a comment on this post about your favorite thing about this summer. My favorite thing? Vacation in big bear last week and I know I’m going to just have a BLAST this weekend at my friend Nina’s Wedding in North Carolina!!!

Also, get another entry, if you tweet about the giveaway. Include @chicrunner in your tweet and include http://www.chicrunner.com and something creative about the giveaway.

Good luck, I’ll pick the winner next Monday!

xoxo

So. I have something to admit. Every time I run lately, I longingly look at the ones that are constantly barking which way they want to pass me. The ones in spandex so tight it seems to cut off circulation to their brains to remind them not to be douchey. The ones who scoff at me since I use my legs to run and not wheels like the bikes they cruise along on. I have a serious case of bikelust. I really want I bike. I think it would be really helpful in my cross training and I think adding miles on the bike would help repair my legs a little bit from the thrashing I give them often with my long runs and would possibly help with my spring schedule of races that I want to hopefully accomplish.

And yes, tris have crossed my mind. Don’t get all crazy just yet, it will be a while till I get there. C’mon I need to plunk down a solid 2 g for a bike first!

I now introduce you to the hopeful future love of my life

The Giant Avail

I rode this bike before on a test ride and fell in love. It was so quick and clean and I loved the way it felt! The componets that it has are really awesome as well, for the price, which is a rough $1,500ish, not including the helmet, water bottle holder and trainer that I would want to get right away. Also, I love how the bike is very clean looking and I know that some pink handlebar tape would just be the perfect touch on here. :)

Le Sigh. One day. I’ve been creeping around to see when the 2011s come out as well. Perhaps I’ll be able to get one after taxes come back next year! I am saving up now for it and hope that I can possibly get a bike that I love after Christmas to join the roadbiking cult.

It’s funny because just the other day I went into a brand new bike shop after a run that just happened to be on my way home. Not one word was said to me as I perused the shop. They were all huddled in the corner over some bike in their spandex. Very weird. I just know I will be a nice girl with pigtails, none of this douchey, no-wave, I won’t even look at you unless your on a bike stuff. I’m just not that tough!

xoxo

So in training for Camarillo, I’ve had a three part plan that I’ve worked on editing and making as the process throughout training. I do think that this worked well for me, since I didn’t really know how it was going to end up, and seeing where I am after my 20 miler recap post yesterday, I’m glad that I’m not killing myself right now and am very happy with where I am at.

Here’s the schedule for the remainder of the weeks until race day!

I’m already down the one twenty mile on there, and have 10 miles to run in Big bear this next weekend and then 13 when I’m in North Carolina and then back up to one more 20 and I’m just in taper mode after. I also have to remember that I’m planning on running the Malibu Marathon and that having this base is really going to be helpful for all my races next spring too. It will be fun to run all those races, even though I know my schedule will be crazy. Totally worth it especially since a ton of my friends are running the races with me.

I still have decent weekly mileage, and after Camarillo, I’m going to cut it back to three days a week and more cross training to tone up. I have been feeling really good lately while implementing cross training so I know it’s important to keep it in my schedule. I love having a loose schedule that I can play with a little bit and gives me leniency. That’s the key to helping me not  get too burnt out.

xoxo

Finally this past weekend it was time to do another 20 miler. Last time I felt like I was really amped up the night before and the night before this 20 miler I just was pretty mellow and was hanging out at my house. I ate a lot of carbs and went to bed at 9:00. It felt amazing to say the least but when my alarm went off at 5:30 I was still wanted to stay snuggled in my bed. Sometimes the hardest part of the long run is getting up super early. I packed up my little backpack with my sharkies and fuel belt and headed down to Newport Beach to run along the beach path. I had to go really early in the morning because it’s been SO hot here lately. Once I parked I went right off to get in the miles.

I gave myself little things to look forward to throughout the run. I got to eat some sharkies at mile 6 and I drank water every mile as well. It was an out and back route. I find that if I run by myself and go 10 miles out, once I turn around I have a little pep in my step because I tell myself “I just have to get back to my car!” As I got to the 10 mile turn-around, it was already really hot and I made sure to drink a lot of water throughout my run. Though I was getting tired, I knew I just had to make it ‘back to the car!’ Finally I got to the upper mileage and kept telling myself 6 more miles, 5 more miles, 4 more miles, then I only had a 5k left!

Finally I made it back to the car, with more awkward tan lines and a rumbling stomach. On my way home I could literally feel my muscles tightening. It seemed that I couldn’t get into the icebath soon enough! I grabbed a bag of ice at the market and hopped in the icebath to freeze for ten minutes. Seriously, icebaths are a weird miracle thing that make you feel 100 times better. After the icebath I really thought about how I fueled and the miles that I put in. For the lack of miles I’ve been getting in during the week, I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to get in another 20 miler. With Camarillo quickly approaching, I know that these last miles in my training is important and I have to keep up my consistency.

It’s easy for me to get really tired and overwhelmed with training, and lose focus on what I’m training for, but right now I have about a month to go and I really have to keep up with training and finish strong.

41 days!

xoxo