This past weekend was Surf City Half Marathon and also my friend Kristin’s Birthday! Friday night after I went to the Expo and it poured rain and they were sucking water up with vacuums, I met up with Kristin and my running twin, Aron for dinner in Huntington Beach. It was super delicious and so fun catching up with everyone and seeing everyone out of running clothes. I was so excited so many people came down for the race!

Then before I knew it, it was race morning. I didn’t take my own advice, and wasn’t prepared for the morning. I was so tired the night before I conked out pretty early and slept well through the night. I realized I had a pink long sleeve and was awoken to my alarm and immediately tensed in bed and listened for rain. There was none! I checked the weather, texted a few people and then decided that I would have to leave my warm cocoon of a bed and get ready. I had no idea what to wear or if I was going to wear my new shoes or not. Finally I opted for the long sleeve pink shirt that I had forgotten about and my Nike Booty  Shorts (to all those who ask about the shorts… there is a post coming up soon dedicated to booty shorts) I did my hair in the usual buns and got them nice and secure. I drove over to my cousins house and she drove me and her sister down there. Her sister was running the 5k. Ignore the weird smile. Thanks.

Finally she took off, and Billy and I met up after I told him about the gem of a parking spot. We got all our gear together and I decided to give my blood stained Nike’s one more spin before retiring them. They had just a few too many miles on them, so I knew after this race they would be shot. We meandered around a while and saw our friend and speed demon Charlie before the race.

Then I had to go to the bathroom SUPER bad so we went back to the port-a-potties and Billy took this horrific video of me.

Then we got locked outside the starting area and had to wait until Wave 4 to start. It took forever until we started and I tried to find Aron and Kristin, but it was so packed and we had to climb over the fence but we were still stuck in Wave 4. Here is where we are starting the race from Billy’s camera.

We started HAULING to try to find them. Mile 2 was easily in the low 7′s and we passed a few blobs of pace groups. It seemed like it was swarming with people around the pace groups so we had to run on sidewalk to go around them. We turned the corner a little after mile 2 and found them at the porta potties! I was so happy to see them! Kristin had on the cutest shirt and it got so many “Happy Birthdays!” all day and it was so fun to catch up and ease into a good pace and be relaxed.

The course is pretty flat for the most part. There are a few small hills but they are mostly in the beginning so it’s not too bad. We ran together and it was so clear out you could see all the way to the mountains and they were covered in snow. It was a great day for a race.

We all planned on wearing pink and it was so fun running with friends. I love running races like this, the miles just ticked by pretty quickly and before we knew it we were entering the area for the long out and back around mile 6.

There was some lady who was wearing pink like us and we all were talking to her. We were just enjoying each others’ company and the nice day out. We talked to a few runner’s around us and each other about running and upcoming races.

Then Billy took some fun pictures of us from the front. Yea, I  made a horrible face.

Aron and Kristin! Soooo glad they came down here to run the race! :)

Then we started on the out and back section of the race. It was a long way out. I forget how long it feels like. I started to feel a little tired so I decided to take a risk and take some sharkies. They are pretty delicious and I really liked them and they didn’t upset my stomach. Win! Here Billy snapped a great pic of me trying to shove some sharkies down my throat.

It was seriously a great day to be out running. After I ate the sharkies I started to feel a little better and knew I wouldn’t boink. Perhaps maybe next time I should eat more than a banana before a race, or at least not forget my jelly beans. I got a little bit warm in my long sleeve by the end though. The sun was out shining brightly!

Here is a video of some of the flooding that occured at mile 8. There was a median and everyone had to run on it to not go into the water.

The stretch into the finish line about mile 9. I remember this mile last year this is right around when I realized I wasn’t going to get my PR and how disappointed it felt in myself. This race was much different though because I was having so much fun talking with everyone and just cruising along and taking pictures. It’s so much different when you know it’s just for fun and you can enjoy running.

It was right around here my feet started hurting a little bit. I knew that my foot was bleeding yet again, but, surprise, surprise, it was the other foot and a completely different toe. RIP Nikes. RIP.

I also saw this, which I’ve seen before but I seriously have so much respect and this totally reminds me how lucky I truly am to run and to be able to do whatever I want. The woman on the lefts shirt says Blind Runner and the guy next to her was her ‘Guide Dog’. It’s people who get out there and just run because they love it is what keeps inspiring me.

The course is pretty and the waves and beach were nice to look at along the course for the last little section.

Here’s a video of a lot of how the course looked:

Then at mile 10 we saw this woman rubbing another woman’s butt. That was interesting. I think she had a cramp but just the way they were standing and holding each other was hilarious and I had to take a picture.

Right around mile 12 I started to feel really good and I wanted to get in a little bit more ‘hard work’ during the race so Billy and I took off in front of Aron and Kristin. I finished with a 7:40 mile and was happy that I pushed it the last mile. I finished with a time of 1:54:21 and I was glad I came in right under 2.

After Billy and I finished the race we met back up and then waited for Aron and Kristin but we never saw them again. Sad, sad, but it was great running with them and I loved catching up and being able to see them! Then we walked back down the street to meet up with my cousins to go home.

Billy and I at the finish line of the Surf City Half Marathon. Another fun race run together!

And I leave you with this gem. Oddly Enough, it was another toe on the other foot that bleed this time. Oh well, I have some new shoes to try out and they are not Nikes so we’ll see how it goes! It should either stop the bleeding or it will continue to bleed so we’ll find out. I need to retire the Nikes though and there seemed to be no better time to try out a new shoe! I am still not sold on the Surf City race but I was glad this experience was better than last year!

xoxo

Surf City was a super fun race and I’m really glad I got to run it with some of my favorite girls. A full race report will be up most likely tomorrow! Stay tuned for some fun videos and pictures. Luckily it didn’t rain and everything went off without much problems.

Aron, The Birthday Girl Kristin and myself right around mile 5. It was such a nice day out and everything was so clear and clean! Thank goodness for no rain!

On the ‘out and back’ part of the race. It’s a FAR way out and a FAR way back in. Great day though with some of my favorite people! Billy also ran with us too.

The superbowl was great too! I’m glad the Saints won, and there were some good commercials, my favorite. There was also some good chips and dip. :)

I have the race report, a giveaway and a cool review of the new KSwiss store in Santa Monica. KSwiss is partnered with the LA Marathon so I went up there to get some cool LA Marathon gear this weekend and it was so cool. Can’t wait to post the review! Today is a rest day and I feel fine after yesterday. Guess all those marathons toughened me up! Check out my article on the Examiner about when Saucony came to the local running store. There is even a slide show of pictures to click through. Enjoy!

xoxo

So last year we all may or may not remember my wonderful race I had at Surf City, or what I lovingly refer to as Surf Shitty. I had a horrible race and was really upset with myself for a long time after that. I was on a PR mad streak before that race and I wanted to PR at Surf City. Looking back I realized that I was dumb and that wasn’t very ‘me’. Looking back always makes you realize that it wasn’t THAT important and that you will get another chance at things. Though I still have yet to break my PR in the half, the remainder of my year last year was taken up with marathons… and will someone remind me how THAT happened? Back to Surf City, I always talk about how  time is not important to me (relatively speaking) and at last year’s Surf City race, I, just like so many, got way too caught up in times and pr’s and the pressure of it all and cracked when I didn’t hit my goal time. My time goal for that race was anything under 1:46:00. That could mean 1:45:59 or 1:45:45, but what did I end up with? 1:46:00. Literally :00. Wow.

Earlier this year I plotted revenge on the course and started training pretty hardcore to smash my PR. Alas, it rained for what seemed like 200 days, errr seven, and also I have begun training for the LA Marathon. So PR plan went right out the window and  I’m at peace with that. Then my friend and running twin, Aron, told me she was running the race and a bunch of my other friends are coming down for the race  and we could run it the same way we ran San Fran last year, which was one of my FAVORITE races just because I ran it with so many great friends. Sniff, Sniff, getting emotional here. I love all my girls in San Fran and miss them a lot and having Kristen and Aron here this weekend will be a blast! I’m super excited to enjoy the run and just go out and cruise and piddle fart around on the course taking pictures and stupid videos. We still have a time goal of sub-2, which should be attainable, but I know this race will get me amp’ed up for the LA Marathon and I’m excited to go out and just enjoy myself, run and smile.

This time the race will not consist of me hating the entire race, scowling at everyone around me, being a giant grump and so obsessed with my time that I can’t even function but it will be different. It will consist of me wearing my beloved monkey buns with big bows, my favorite color to run in, pink, and being surrounded by some of my favorite people while laughing and having a great time. Which is what racing should be. Also, the weather heard my complaining earlier in the week and I am crossing my fingers the storm travels on the path as planned and will be gone by Sunday morning!

With only 10% of precipitation chance, that is looking much better. We wouldn’t want any of my witchiness to melt while running now would we? Now storm just stay on course and get out of town by Sunday and everything will be wonderful! Then we have Super bowl, where I don’t really care who wins, but I am partial to both Manning brothers, and since my boy Eli won it in 2008, it’d be cool to see Payton win it this year. Then again, I love Reggie Bush and would love to see the Saints win it for New Orleans. Here’s why I love Reggie, and this is the most ‘girl in sports’ reasoning. I love the show Keeping up with the Kardashians, therefore, I love Kim Kardashian, therefore, I was devastated when she and Reggie broke up, and am so happy they are back together, thus, I love Reggie and hope he wins the Super Bowl. Also, he went to USC and that is my fave college team. I know, too many weird connections. Most of all I just hope it’s a good game!

Last night I got in a good 3.5 miler and also ran in different Saucony shoes (sorry I don’t remember the make, but I wanted to try the Ride2′s and they had none) that I tried at the local running store trial night. I’ll have a post up next week about them on the Examiner site, but THERE WAS NO BLOOD. So, I am leaning towards getting new shoes but it’s just a very hard decision.

So cheers to friends, a fun weekend, running a half marathon for fun and a great football game!

xoxo

P.S. If you are in the Long Beach area next weekend be sure to check out this Valentine’s Day 5k! I’m considering running it. Check it out Here!

I’ve gotten more comments about the yellow top that I’ve been wearing recently than anything else! So I got some sweet clothes from Lucy a while back and you have noticed! I was wearing in my LA Marathon Course preview post and the butt workout post and I wanted to share with you guys how much I really like these two options from Lucy!

First off, the Yellow Top is by Lucy and it’s really great. I love the super soft material that it’s made out. We all know I love my soft material and that’s why I also like Zensah clothes. The zipper kind of gets a little weird and puckered every now and then, but I really liked the shirt overall. I also like how long the sleeves are and how long the top is. I was never worried that it would ride up, which is one of the most annoying things when running. I also like the texture of the fabric and how it wasn’t just plain. It adds a little sass! If anything sold me on this product though it’s the fabric. Lucy is pretty expensive but this is seamless and so incredibly soft which means no chafing! I also like the thumb holes in the sleeves because I love to pull my sleeves down and keep them around my hands. Here are some links to the jacket if you wanted to get one for yourself. It’s fairly lightweight and wasn’t warm in this when I ran for a 10k.

Lucy Aventura Half Zip

Lucy Velocity Half Zip

Lucy Gazelle Half Zip (this is the EXACT one I have in yellow)

Lucy Ravine Half Zip

Then I reviewed the Pace run shorts, which are ON SALE RIGHT NOW! So I really liked these shorts! They are not booty shorts, shocking, I know, but I still love them. They look really short on the model in the picture, but they are not that short on me. I really liked the lightweight material that they are made of and they are very soft. I was surprised how lightweight they were. If anything I didn’t like how the side of the shorts were not cut with a slit, but that’s me always wanting my shorts to be the shortest possible and also because of my running in high school, our team shorts were always the split cut kind. So that’s my opinion but overall, I really liked the shorts and the liner inside was very soft and the length was great.

Pace Short (I have them in blue)

Lastly, I received the long tights that they make. I haven’t seen them on the website but I have only one other pair of tights that I have and I really don’t like running in full on pants. I also feel like full on pants make me look like a mammoth running through the forest. Not exactly my fave picture. I prefer capris for sure, but I do like how these were not too heavy to run in and I do like the fact of how tight they are. If you’ve never worn tights while running, I really recommend you get a less expensive pair for testing and then move forward from there. You can find them at Target and Wal-mart. I think that my main problem is the fact that I don’t like them around my ankles. Sounds weird, but I think that’s why I prefer capris. Plus, I live in a mild climate so long pants are almost never necessary. I don’t have any pictures in the tights because they didn’t come out right, but I might try to get some soon. They are not on the website anyways though.

Tomorrow is a goal post for the Surf City Half Marathon that I’m running on Sunday. I can’t believe it’s already here! I know I won’t be going for a PR but I’m still excited for the race and the fact that it won’t be raining as previously predicted earlier in the week! WIN!

xoxo

So last Friday night I took off for a ten miler and got in 8 miles before it was pretty dark. I don’t like running in the dark so I cut it short. The run was a great idea, the weather was perfect and the sun was just setting and then one mile in, I felt it. I know my toes bleed when I run. I start to feel it get gushy. Squish, squish, and I knew my toes were going to bleed. Oddly enough it doesn’t hurt at all, just kind of feels weird. I continued on and got in a great run but then I looked down at mile 6 and saw that the blood had started to leak through my shoe. THROUGH MY SHOE. There was nothing I could do but run the two more miles home, and it still wasn’t hurting, but when I got home I was pretty grossed out and then I realized my pink Nikes’ were also horrible looking now. You see, usually, the toe just bleeds a little bit. I have so many socks with little pink spots on them. That’s totally okay. So these pictures might be a little too intense for some of you. If so, click away NOW! That being said, you’ve probably already seen them since the posts pops up. MEH!

Normally this is how much my toe bleeds. It isn’t the best but it’s not the worst, but it’s manageable. Friday after my eight miler this was what I saw as I stared down at my shoes while crossing the street.

MY SHOES!!!!!!! MY TOES!!!!!!!!!!! AH!!!!!!!! Okay, so let’s discuss a few things before you all ask me questions about my shoes. I LOVE the Vomeros and have run in these shoes for about 8 months. I had problems with bloody toes in the Pegasus, which was what I was wearing before I switched to the Vomeros, and never had any problems like this before in the Vomeros, but now,  THIS much blood seems unhealthy! Especially with the fact that my shoes have about 50 miles left on them and they look horrific. So I inspected my toe like normal. There is a VERY, VERY tiny little pin prick of a cut on my toe. To release this amount of blood to me is odd though. That is a LOT of blood. Still my toes do not hurt, and I’ve tried baby powder, gold bond, Vaseline, body glide, taping, wright socks and injini socks. My shoes are already a size and a half bigger than what I should be wearing and I don’t have black toenails or any blisters. Explain that to me!

There is one word for this, and that word is one of my favorite words.

FAIL!

I know this is pretty much the most bizarre thing ever, but thankfully it doesn’t hurt, it just looks horrible and feels weird. So I will continue on bloody toes and all, but if anyone has any other recommendations of something I can do that I haven’t already tried, I am totally up for suggestions. Last night I got in a decent 7 miler before it got dark and my toe only bleed like the first picture. So it’s touch and go as of right now. Better get it’s game face on for Sunday though!

Also, I posted another new article about getting ready for race day on my Examiner site! Be sure to creep over there and check it out and I even included a slide show of pictures of how I get ready the night before a race. Enjoy! Please let me know if you have any suggestions for articles for the Examiner or any questions or comments regarding my articles I’m posting on that site.

xoxo