So you all know I’m pretty much obsessed with Taco Bell. I love that place like I love the Long Beach Marathon. Unhealthy? Yes. Delicious? Yes. I know, I know, I’m not the epitome of health food, but what are you going to do about it. Anyways, I’m sure, unless you’ve been living under a rock, that you’ve seen the new Black Taco commercials. Since I have the humor of a 12 year old boy I personally think these commercials are hilarious! Everytime I see one, I die laughing. I mean, to be honest, I laugh at way too many things, but still… these are classic.

So in all my creativity, I realized, I could make a black taco commercial just for runners! Now, I don’t have as many black things as Taco Bell… but, for some reason this is hysterical to me. Now, say the following in a deep, weird voice!

Black Booty Shorts

Black Long Sleeve Running T-shirt

Black Recovery Socks

Black Toenail

Black Sports Bra

BLACK TACO

This may be only slightly hysterical to me. But if you saw me laughing right now, I can’t stop.

Tonight I’m running a 5k at midnight at USC for the Nike Human Race. I’ll be sure to bring my gun and taser…… Should be fun though and I’m looking forward to it. For some reason I have the sniffles again this morning so hopefully I don’t cough up a lung tonight at the race. Also, to keep me awake before the race, I’m going to work more on my costume! I can’t wait until it’s done! Then, I have a nice 15 miler planned to get done at some point this weekend, pending how I feel after the race tonight. Should be a good, relaxing weekend! Only 22 days until Malibu! I’ve completely lost my mind.

xoxo

The Zensah Winner is….

Kelly from Part of life is Having a Good Ponytail! She is running a 1/2 marathon in San Antonio in November and I have been following her. She seems so sweet and I’m super excited for her to win. Don’t worry, I’ll try to rally up some more cool giveaways! :) Also, if you use the code, FreeShip at checkout at the Zensah site, they will give you free shipping which is pretty cool! Thanks to everyone who entered and I hope you can all experience cool Zensah stuff.

Anyways, so I’ve had this post written for a while… and if you are just finding this post, this is me bantering about taking race pictures, but it may seem kind of mean if you don’t know me, I don’t mean it that way! Now, the big difference for me and some others who run, is that in running a race, I run for fun, and because I enjoy it. Yes, I do race on occasion, but mostly, I’m just running for fun. I know, I know to some of you this post doesn’t make sense because you are all racers and that is what you care about. For me, it’s all about having fun. Anyways, after I run a race, people always ask me how I take such good race pictures. Well my friends, first off, I’m SUPER flattered, and I wanted to share some ideas with you. Now, some of you might think that this post is totally ridiculous since the point of racing isn’t to get good race pictures, but if you are getting your picture taken and you want to plaster it all over facebook and your blog showing off your accomplishment, it might as well look good right? Well here are a sampling of my race pictures.

This was the finish line at the first and only marathon I’ve done, called San Diego crap festival. No pun intended. Well, I think at this point I was just happy to be DONE. So the smile was uber genuine. This wasn’t a hard race photo to get. :)

I remember the guy I was running next too on my right (a friend Charlie) warned me the camera was coming up! I was really focusing this race and wanted to PR so badly, if you don’t remember my anger at that race, for no reason, you can read about it here, but I was hurting right here, but since I knew the camera was coming I smiled very big. Charlie then yelled at me to keep going because I wasn’t that tired if I could smile so big. :)

This was my VERY first half! Last October, in Long Beach. How things have changed. I really like this picture because I look like I’m fast! Picking up those feet really work!

Now, after looking at them, I realized there are some steps you can take to make sure that your race pictures kick butt, just like you kicked the race’s butt.

The key to taking to taking good pictures is to find the photographers and SMILE big as you are running by. If you don’t smile you are going to look like you are either in pain, constipated, or dying. All of which may be true, but that isn’t the exact look you are going for and it will ruin your race picture. These pictures, if you choose to buy them aren’t cheap either, so you might as well try to make it look the best you can. As soon as you pass by the photographer, wipe that smile off and go back to dying.

First off, make sure you do your hair. This sounds very silly, but you do your hair for everything else, so do it for the race, or wear a hat. I realized that my hair flying behind me looks much nicer than if it is in a knotty, yucky, moppy, sweaty bun thing. I always make sure I either wear a headband or pin my bangs back as well so they aren’t sweaty and gross and flopping around in my face. It sounds dumb, but it makes a huge difference when you look back on your pictures.

Then, make sure to at least apply a little bit of makeup, unless you never wear makeup. I wear Bare Minerals so I brush on some powder since my I have a very red un-makeuped face to make sure everything is at least one color. Since I feel like I look like a baby bird without mascara, I also put on a little bit of waterproof mascara. You don’t take pictures without make up normally, so why do you think ones when you are sweaty and with no make up will look good? Eh? It seems unnecessary, but it helps a TON. I know, these tips aren’t for everyone, but hey, I’m just trying to help.

Next pick up your feet when you run by a photographer, almost  over-exaggerating that you are running. If you don’t, you’ll look like a glorified power walker. I have some pictures like that, where my arms are swinging big, and my feet, not looking like they are moving at all. Yea, those don’t make good profile pictures on facebook now do they, no one wants to say, oh I power walked that marathon like it was no bodies business, right?

Then we have the to wave or not to wave at the camera question. There are many pictures of wavers, sometimes you lose your mind when your running, and when you pass by a camera you wave. Now, I’ve done this before and the pictures turn our weird. You can either look like you are saying ’stop’ with your hand up, or it looks like you don’t know how to run, and it just screws up your whole “form” thing, if that’s what your going for.

As for clothes, when you race, you should obviously wear something that is super comfortable and that you’ve won before. Bright colors are fun and make you show up way better than if you wear black, everyone wears black. Personally, I know that wearing pink is my thing, if you couldn’t tell. :) I love wearing pink, which is weird because when I was little I HATED pink. Race days usually equal a bright color that I’m super confident in and I know what chafes. :(

Then we have the number, this is key if you want to see your professional pictures because that’s how you’ll be tagged. Now, for me, I know my arms and legs are pretty skeletal. These are pluses for me. You know all that fast food I eat? That makes my stomach not so skeletal. This means photographs show that not skeletal area, especially in spandex. The number has a second purpose, you can pin it right over where your shorts might dig in or you might catch a little glimpse of all that fast food you have been inhaling (for me). Genius, I tell you. I pin mine a little lower, right over that little trouble spot and wha-la it disappears! That is the most clutch thing ever, and it makes you feel way better too. Well me at least. I also always crumple my number before every race, so that it doesn’t get trapped in the wind and takes the form of my body. Learned that back in the cross country days.

Do you guys have any good tips to make sure your race pictures come out good? I know when I ran San Fran with Aron, we worked so hard at getting some great race pictures! :) Smile and HAVE FUN! That’s what running and racing is all about anyways!!

xoxo

So I lied when I said today I’d throw in my two cents about hydration. I decided since it’s deal Thursday I should be talking about my favorite part of running, the clothes and accessories!

First off, for me it’s the most important that I love wearing what I run in. I probably have 10 pairs of shorts but I usually flip back and forth in between 3 or 4 pairs. Some of the other pairs are just weird and I just can’t run in them. Same goes for shirts. I have a ton of old race shirts and ‘old shirts’ in general, but at the same time, I usually wear the same 3 or 4, with washing of course!

I used to think cotton was the fabric of my life, but alas, after the chafing post yesterday you’ve all come to realize that Dri-fit, once getting in to the higher mileage is the way to go. It’s more expensive and especially for me it’s hard to see myself paying $35-$60 for a shirt that I’m essentially going to sweat in and get disgusting and ruin. It saddens me from the bottom of my heart. So that is why I scour the racks at TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Nordstrom Rack for some good top quality running gear. If you’ve never checked out those stores ‘active section’ you definitely should.

Now, many of you have mentioned the fuel belt, and accessories for running. Well my fuel belt, though I feel like a goof ball when I wear it, is SO necessary when you hit higher mileage. Your body needs to hydrate and you are loosing so much water. After one run I was so dehydrated and got so sick, I couldn’t even function OR eat Taco Bell. You know it’s bad when I turn down some TB. There are many different types of fuel belts, so just google it and you’ll come up with a plethora of options

Then there’s things like sweat bands, hats, and headbands. You can find a huge selection of running hats here, and here. I, on a rare occasion can wear a headband but most of the time they slide off. If anyone has any great suggestions, I would love to hear them but I think it’s my odd shaped head. As for sweat bands, though it’s sometimes a little intimidating to look like a 50 year old out running about, sweatbands are the most legit option for yours truly. Plus, they make me feel a little bit more hardcore.

George asked me for any options for running in the warmer weather. Honestly, I would just say to rock the hat, but make sure it’s a running hat. They fit the head much different than a regular baseball hat and they are made of much different materials that help keep the sweat and sun out.

Also make sure you ALWAYS wear sunscreen when you run because you can get some gnarly tans/burns. Even if you don’t think your face will get sun on a little 3 miler, it has the possibility. I actually use the Mission brand, This Product. It works amazing and DOESN’T sting at all. Most do sting once they drip into your eyes. I also have a problem with getting kissed by the sun a lot, and then the sun leaves me with fatty blisters on my lips. Not attractive, and I have permanent brown spots on my lips from some of the damage. Disgusting, but now I always get out my spf 50 and put it on my lips. It turns them a little white, but I’d much rather avoid sun blisters.

Get clothes you love, you are the one that will be working out in them. Make sure they are comfortable and make you feel good. Since I know my stomach isn’t in any Shape Magazine Cover Shape, I don’t really like to let it ‘all hang out’ by wearing crop tops, or many of the tanks I find are incredibly short, which is annoying. I usually try to find longer shirts and shorter shorts for some reason. It’s just what I like to run in. Though sometimes I feel like when I wear my spandex shorts that I’m giving everyone a show, I have to remember that I’m running and basically no one around me is even paying attention to me.

There are many more running accessories like ipods, headphones and garmins, but those are all just must-haves, and the headphones that I LOVE and work SO well and stay in my ears are these Sony ones and of course, I have them in pink. They work great though and the music is much louder. I used to run with the apple headphones, but they constantly were slipping out of my ears and the music was so soft. Those headphones are only $10 at target and last forever, unless they fall out of your ear, get caught in a chain length fence and end up like this since they literally pulled you back on your run.

Women’s

Nike Strong And Strappy Sports Bra

Nike Camo Print Sports Bra

Nike Shorty Shorts

Nike Printed Long Mesh Tank (love it)

Nike Mesh Long Sport Tank (tons of colors love it!)

Under Armour Metal Sleeveless Tank

Nike Women’s Seamless Tank

Danskin Cross Training Jacquard Crew Neck

Danskin Prima Ombre Print Tank

Men’s

Pearl Izumi Slice Sleeveless Bike Jersey

Pearl Izumi Richter Race Top

Russell Velocity Short Sleeve

Accessories

Reebok Avon Pink Ribbon Performance Hat

Reebok Slouch Adjustable Hat

Reebok Extreme Performance Hat

You can also creep last weeks Deals here because there were A TON last week :)

Tomorrow my countdown clock on my computer’s desktop will read a single digit number until ‘Full Marathon’. Wow. That is crazy. Whoever thought running 26.2 miles was a good idea? Well, I guess at one point I thought it was a good enough idea to even PAY to do it. Oh well, it will be super fun, and hey, they don’t call it a race they call it a MARATHON… so therefore time doesn’t matter! :)

On a random and unrelated to anything I’ve ever posted. Danica Patrick is racing in the Indy 500 this weekend. Holla to my namesake, go get ‘em! Well she is obviously not my namesake since we are not far apart in age, but the girl I get compared to every time I say my name, wouldn’t want it any other way!

Tomorrow I’ll throw around what hydration has helped me in my training and maybe I’ll even put in some pictures, it’s foto FRIDAY after all!

xoxo

Last night I watched Lost with my roommate. I’ve never seen an episode before and it was quite the experience! I know I was too far behind to ever really understand EVERYTHING that was going on, but it was interesting none the less. My roommate is a hardcore Lost fan so it was pretty intense!

Anyways, not much to post about today but I did do the Biggest Loser Workout Video again this morning. I feel like it gets me off to a great start of my day and that it really helps in the sculpting areas. I always thought videos were stupid and wouldn’t really work, but sometimes it’s nice to take a break and just relax and do a video in the privacy of your own home. I have the Biggest Loser Power Sculpt video and believe me, it leaves me incredibly sore, but in a good way.

For the ladies, after yesterdays skirt extravaganza, I didn’t have too many deals for you but perhaps tomorrow I’ll find some more. :) I tried to diversify my finds today to even include, gasp! Boy Runners! :) Just kidding, I love you all equally.

So for the ladies,I found these Nike Tempo Shorts. I have a pair just like this in black and pink. They are on sale at Nordstroms for $17.90, when normally $28.00

They are nice and fit well and work great for the longer runs, which will be what I’m doing this Saturday.

I even found some other sick deals to share.

For the boys. The C9 Tech Muscle Tee for $3.99.

So I got my first (and still only) running skirt from Target. It was normally $19.99, but I found it on the clearance rack for only $4.98. At this time I was still skeptical but wanted to give it a shot and I didn’t even really know what it would feel like to run in a skirt.

I decided to wear it for my last 1/2 marathon and it was AWESOME. I’m not one to do it for the ‘I want to be feminine, or show boys that I can run too’, but it was a just a really great feeling to run in a skirt, and I didn’t even feel like I was running in a skirt.

Obviously the pictures aren’t of myself, but I thought this picture showed how loose fitting they are, and how they really help with the chafing issue that some girls might have in shorts. They are not tight around the thighs and have some give in the material. Since they are a spandex mix, they are stretchy and don’t give you any restriction when you run at all. I was nervous that they would chafe the front of my legs from taking each step, but that wasn’t an issue at all. Since they are so loose fitting they feel great when you run. Usually they have a band at the top to keep the skirt on tight as well, or some have a drawstring or a tie. They come in many different lengths too so if you want to show off your legs, opt for a shorter one, and if you are not into the super short ones, go ahead and go for a little bit longer one.

So how does the skirt not flop up and expose your underwear? I didn’t really understand how this part of the skirt worked, but was glad that there were built in shorts!

This is actually the exact skirt I have, and all the running skirts have built in little shorts or briefs, depending on the model. I really thought these were great inside the skirt. They weren’t too short or restricting at all, which I thought might be an issue. The shorts are just a little bit shorter than the skirt, so if the skirt does flop up when your running everyone doesn’t get a show. I really thought they were comfy and moisture wicking, which is the key in warmer climates. Another great feature about the running skirt is that they don’t ride up like normal shorts at all. You’re not constantly putting down the band and the skirts fit so well.

If you look at this picture, you can see how stretchy and not restricting the skirt is. I was really surprised with how great it felt to run in. I’m not for any woman’s liberation movement or being super sexy when I run, but I did find it to be a great addition to my running clothes. If you see one on sale, don’t be afraid to try it! It’s shape is flattering on everyone and though you might feel a little silly, it’s fun to race in and super comfortable. I’m all about comfort when I’m running so that was a huge plus for me. Also many of them have a little pocket just like many shorts do. Once you get used to the fact that yes, you are actually running in a skirt, and no, no one will see your underwear, it’s pretty amazing!

If you are in the mood to find a running skirt to give a try, check out these links.

GearX Prana Women’s Mini Skirt – $45.95 – plain black running skirt.

TriSports Women’s Running Skirts – 8 different skirts in different colors on sale ranging in price from $19.97-63.97.

Sports Authority Nike Women’s Running Skirt - Gray or White longer skirt, $39.97

Target C9 Pink and Black Running Skirt - on sale for $17.99

Target C9 Blue Running Skirt – on sale for $9.99

You can find a majority here but they don’t really have sales – Running Skirts
PS Sara sent me this link to Holabird Sports and they have a ton of great deals! Check out their stuff here!!! Also remember to check your local running attire supplier to see if they have any on clearance!

Last night for my workout I decided to just run 6 miles to top of my total for the day at 10.5 miles. I did some striders and stretched really well after too to help my legs get some life back into them. Today I’m going to run stairs after I get off work. I can’t believe how gorgeous the pictures were from my run yesterday morning, and I’m sad that the weather man is reporting rain for the next FIVE days. When am I going to get my runs in? Off to the dreadmill it looks like for me! So the moral of the story is give running skirts a chance! You might be pleasantly surprised, and if not, then send them my way! :)

Also, about the biggest loser! The show is getting pretty intense and I was very sad to see Damien go, but also super glad that him and Nicole are doing it by themselves and look great! There were a lot of parts of the episode last night when I was thinking to myself, NO WAY! Joelle, Seriously, get your act together girlfriend. I can’t believe the work she barely squeeks by with. What a let down for Bob! It was another crazy week with the weigh-in and I hope they all continue to do well! I can’t wait for next weeks episode when everyone is reunited. I cannot believe Blaine and Dane did what they did, but now team play is ON! :)

xoxo