And I have a sweet giveaway! I have another giveaway next week which I’m SUPER excited about, but this one is pretty amazing too! It’s simple to enter to win a $50 gift card to Dick’s Sporting Goods! Also, they are having another twitter contest to enter to be a part of Dick’s Starting Lineup Product Review Panel, which sounds like a pretty sweet gig to me!

So to enter to win the $50 dollar gift card just leave a comment with what you would buy your best running buddy with the gift card. Whether it be safety related, something fun, or something to enhance their run, let me know! Then if you win, you can get the card and spend it on yourself! :)

Then they are also having their Starting Lineup contest going on. You can enter that contest on Twitter by following Dick’s Sporting Goods on Twitter.  Recruit people to follow @dickssportcmo on Twitter and have them vote for you by Tweeting @dickssportcmo your Twitter ID and stating why you should be nominated. (Narcissistic anyone?) Vote for yourself by Tweeting @dickssportcmo with your Twitter ID and stating why you should be on the “Starting Lineup.”

You can only vote for the same person once per day, but you can vote for multiple people in the same day. The 10 nominees with the most votes by March 31, 2010 win. What does it mean to be on the “Starting Lineup”?
• A chance to try out and preview new products
• A spot on an online panel of experts for one season (for approximately 3 months)
• Access to exclusive online surveys
• A chance to sound off on all things sports.

Want more Details? http://bit.ly/dBMkl8

Here’s a Sample Tweet to get those creative juices flowing:  “@dickssportcmo I nominate Red Head Running for the
#startinglineup She ran a great race at Gasparilla and I learned about it through @chicrunner!”

Sadly, this is only for readers who are 18 and older and US residents. I’m sorry Canadians, my contest next week will include a chance for you.. EH! :) I will pick a winner next Thursday!

Tomorrow I am working a special sign up day for the Long Beach Marathon and will be running a nice early easy run before working and then Sunday I am going to swim and also get in a longer run of 10 miles. I am feeling pretty good and confident about my race in less than 10 days. Time to obsessively check the weather!

xoxo

I love these Under Armour shorts even though they are a tad longer. I love the waist and how they fit. They aren’t SUPER spandexy. It’s that good blend. :) I wore these in an LA Marathon preview if you want to see them in action.

First thing is TRY THEM ON before buying them. There are many pairs that I’ve looked at and then tried on and went, “NOPE!” Things on the hanger can look a lot different on your body and some times things that look great on the hanger do NOT look great on and vice versa. Also, it’s hard to try to run in shorts while in the dressing room but what I’ve found that works to see if they move and expose is to do some simple stretches. Try to do things that would possibly make the shorts ride up. Sounds strange, but you don’t want to be 8 miles into a long run and your butt is hanging out for the world to see. Believe me, I’ve been there and it’s awkward.

These are my nikes that I wear often for races. These are also the ones that seem to have lost their elasticity after too many wears. Sad day. But I do like how the waist is lower and the inseam is pretty small. I wore these in many race reports.

Secondly, make sure that you check out the fabric. You don’t want to get something cotton or see through. I have seen a lot of girls wearing leggings that you can get anywhere, mostly target or forever 21, to the gym. Guess what lovelies, these are SEE THROUGH. I only wear those underneath dresses and long tanks for a reason, so the world doesn’t get exposed to my butt! So check and make sure fabric isn’t see through by putting your hand under the fabric and stretching it over. If you see any color of skin, just imagine that when your doing your work out at the gym and that fabric is stretched over your butt. Don’t give people a free show. Secondly, Cotton isn’t dry-wicking so when you sweat on your butt, aka swamp butt, it’s going to show up. Spandex blend is a little more forgiving when it comes to showing sweat. Keep that in mind when picking out colors too. I found a pair of light green booty shorts that I really liked, then when I realized sweat would show in them I opted against them. Perhaps not buying them though still haunts me to this day. :/

These are made by Champion and these are SMALL. The waist goes rather high though, which I don’t like. I have a few pairs with a high waist and I’m not the biggest fan. I wore these for my LA Marathon route preview if you want to see them in action.

Thirdly, notice where they hit on your inner thigh area. This is the area where chafing might occur, so make sure that they don’t ride up in that area. Also make sure that there is enough fabric there that if your thighs touch, mine do, then they won’t be rubbing skin on skin. If they are a little shorter, body glide like a champ or Vaseline that area and you’ll be just as golden. Remember, booty shorts WILL ride up just a tad so you have to take that into consideration when purchasing a pair. If you like a longer pair, get a longer pair, if you want them ridiculously short, like the ones I wore in Long Beach, go for it. It’s all about what you are comfortable in and what you want. Make sure that the shorts are not too tight and remember that they will roll up a little bit at the bottom of the shorts when you run as well. I like to wear mine just a little bit higher than normal too, but I wear normal shorts VERY low, so I don’t know where the ‘normal’ place to wear them is. I also make sure that they don’t move when I jump or stretch my legs as if I’m running a hill. They can creep up during those times.

The biggest thing to think about when rocking the booty shorts is to not worry about what other people think. I RARELY wear mine to the gym because I feel that wearing them to the gym might just be taking it to a weird level of booty short dedication, but about 95% of my runs are done in booty shorts. I feel much more comfortable in them and for me, they are fun to run in. They aren’t for everyone, but if you want to try them out, go for it! Don’t be scared of the spandex! When you think about wearing them, don’t think BUT, they won’t look good on me, or BUT they won’t fit right. Think instead, my BUTT will look great! Confidence, Confidence, Confidence, if you have that, you’ll turn heads!

Here are some links that can help you find the perfect pair of spandex for you.

Road Runner Sports 3.5 inch inseam Shorts

Road Runner Sports 6 inch inseam Shorts

Road Runner Sports Knee Shorts

Puma Hot Shorts

Saucony 3 inch inseam Shorts

Under Armour 2 inch inseam Shorts

Asics 2.5 inch inseam Low Cut Shorts

Asics 4 inch inseam Shorts

Asics Abby Long Knee Shorts

Pearl Izumi Low Rise Shorts

Pearl Izumi Longer Shorts

Puma Knee Shorts

New Balance 3 inch inseam Shorts

Puma Essential Fitted Shorts

Asics Stride Shorts

Hope that helps answer all the bootylicious questions out there!

xoxo

Then from 4-10, I think of that as a 10k. It’s six miles, and you can break that down to be two sets of 3 miles, or just 6 miles. I try my hardest to tell myself to relax and to let my arms drop every now and then or else my back will get too tight by the end of my run. I focus on breathing and just relaxing. I tell myself a lot to just let it go and keep moving forward. This is the hardest part of the run for me because most of my long runs are out and backs and this is the part where you just keep running further and further out. Once I hit 5-8, I am usually in the zone and moving right along without much thought. I make sure to release my shoulders every now and then and also focus on relaxing. If I don’t relax, things get ugly.

Then I hit mile 10. This is where things usually start to look up a little bit because I’m finally turning around and can re-trace my steps back home. Once I know I’ve made it “out” and I just have to make it back, things become a little bit easier. It’s almost a game to see the same things I saw on the way out. I think a lot about the fact that I’ve already made it ten miles and I just have to make it back home and then I’m done. Usually around miles 12-14 my feet start to hurt a little bit since I’ve been on my feet for around two hours at this point. I keep breaking it down and keep moving forward. Once mile 15 comes around I know I have 5 left and that is a relief, because I KNOW I can run that far and I also am getting closer and closer to my house.

Mile 16-18 are usually where I start getting a little tired and weird. My mind starts to wander to weird things, for example what I’m going to eat later, if I’ll take a nap and how I’ll feel the next day. I start to switch up my running form just a little bit at this point to keep my feet a little fresher and try to make me feel better. This is where I struggle, because once I hit about 18.5 or 19, I know I’m basically done. I have one mile to go and then I’m home. I know how far a lot of different landmarks are from my house and when I hit those it’s like I have new energy, in a weird, hobbly, awkward energy kind of way.

During a long run I really focus on breaking it down and running it for myself not for time. If I stop to walk at all, I will make sure I only walk for a minute and then run again. I do have a lot of stop lights that I run through so that sometimes gives me a little unexpected break too. I know that breaking down the long run makes it much more attainable for me and I really am glad I found a way that works for me.

Breaking down a marathon for me goes like this. Get to the 3 mile mark, you have 10 miles to go before the half marathon point. 6 miles is going to get you to the 10k mark, which means you are almost half way to the half marathon mark. 10 miles means you have a 5k to the half marathon mark. Half Marathon mark, you only have to run what you’ve just run to complete the race. 3 more miles after the half marathon mark and you’ve only got 10 miles left in the race. 4 miles and your at the 20 mile marker. 20 mile marker, you have 6.2 miles to go, which is a 10k or 2 5ks. Get three miles done and you have 3 more to go till the end. Then it’s just counting down those miles to the finish. I just think each step is a step closer to the finish, the faster I go the faster it’s over with at that point.

Does that even make sense?

xoxo

Before I left to drive up there, I tweeted that I was volunteering and someone tweeted me back that they were happy that I was volunteering and they wished more runners and cyclists volunteered. Little did they know that this really made me think about runners and volunteering on my hour drive to Malibu. Luckily there was no traffic and I got there right on time, but I thought about that statement and it made me realize that runners are a very selfish breed. Now, I’m speaking generally, or maybe just speaking about myself. Personally, I never want to volunteer because A. the races are early, B. I’m training for my own race C. I have to drive somewhere and D. it’s volunteering. I just don’t have time to do it since I’m running all the time and what if the race falls on a long run day of yours or you have a race that day. Also, I’ve noticed that many runners are “Type A” personality. I think I have a hint of that in me and I’m an obsessive planner. It’s just hard to take the time out and give back but I did realize how much it was appreciated while I was volunteering.

I’m learning that A LOT goes into making a race happen daily at work. Pretty much blow your mind a lot. It’s insane how much we talk about trash cans and port-a-potties. It also has made me realize how much volunteers are appreciated and needed to make an event work. The PCTR races are generally a little bit smaller than huge races and the running community there is great. Everyone seems to know everyone and is friendly and is out there to have a good time and have fun, which I think gets lost in competition sometime. Believe me, when I got up at 5:30 for the second day in a row on the weekend, I regretted volunteering. I didn’t want to drive to Malibu, I didn’t want to stand around in the cold, and I didn’t want to go. I thought about not going and that also made me realize how selfish I was being.

The line for check in for the 50k and 25 k. Notice the mud that everyone was standing in. I thought about wearing my Uggs but I’m glad I opted for my rainboots in that mud!

It wasn’t going to be for that long, I would see some of my friends and I was ‘giving back to the running community’ as my friend Billy puts it. He always talks about that and I’m realizing more and more how important that is. So on the drive up to Malibu Creek I thought about being less selfish and giving back more in more aspects of my life, including making sacrifices, which is hard for me. Once I got there, I immediately was welcomed and everyone was excited and it was fun to check people in. Runners may be selfish on occasion, but they are also some of the nicest people around. That is my favorite part of running sometimes. The encouragement and bond everyone shares.

Checking people in for the 10k. Everyone was so nice and excited to be out on the trails.

I also ran into Lisa! She is so nice and it was great to meet her in real life and I totally stole this picture from her blog :)

Look who ran the 25k. Billy! You can find his race report here

My friend and fellow Maniac, Emil, was out there volunteering too. He is a great guy and crazy marathoner! I love running into him at so many different races and he volunteers often too! He wrote a volunteer report too.

The starting line area in the background and where everyone checked in for the run. Though it was muddy, they said the trails held up very well and it was going to be a great day out there.

It was a gorgeous day out and I was glad I volunteered and saw the race off. I didn’t stay until the finish but talking to a few people and the drive home was great. I’m glad for both small and big running events. I’m glad for volunteers and I’m glad for the ability to run.

xoxo

I got up at 5:30 on Saturday morning, ate an Oh Yeah! Bar and got my stuff ready. I was going to try to eat sharkies on this run. I tried them  at the Surf City Half, and really wanted to see if they would work for me. We all know I have ‘fueling’ problems :) and they worked during Surf City so I thought I would try them out on a longer run. I packed everything up and took off. I was feeling great once mile four started and I totally fell into the ‘zone.’ That can be my biggest problem, I never get into the mode where I can just keep going and it’s constantly a battle if I don’t get into the ‘zone’. I can find the zone a lot easier on the shorter runs I do, but long runs sometimes I am too all over the place and can’t relax. I actually thought about a post that I wanted to do while running called the anatomy of a long run and where my mind is during the different miles, so look for that a little later this week.

I started off with my handheld (which I will discuss soon!) and my double iFitness belt (another review coming you way, but you can see my previous review of it here), which held my iPhone in a plastic bag in case of rain, my 2 bags of sharkies and I had my garmin and iPod loaded up. The beginning was fine, I just started off and went my planned route. I had a small hill in the beginning but was feeling good. Mile 4, hit the zone no problem and was in the zone for about 4 miles. I ran through a lot of residential areas and did an out and back because I knew if I was doing loops by my house I would be tempted to stop. At mile 10 I turned around and took a little bathroom stop at mile 12. From mile 12 to 16 I started to feel really strong, but it started to sprinkle just a little bit. The entire time during my run I could look into the horizon and saw the big gray clouds up ahead of me. It was crazy how I literally felt like I was running into the storm.

The air around me was changing and I could feel the temperature dropping. I saw leaves starting to swirl in the wind and I knew the storm was quickly approaching. I have never been in weather like that before that changed so drastically so quickly. I powered up a final hill and I knew that I was feeling great and could have finished the 20 miler if it didn’t start dumping down water. All of a sudden I was running under a tree and by the time I was about to leave the cover of the branches it was POURING, and mind you this tree was not huge. I would call it ‘flash flood’ pouring. It was crazy how much water came down so quickly and accumulated everywhere. I looked around while I was under the tree and realized it would be in my best interest to call DJ and have her come get me.

Being the good roomie that she is, she came right over and picked me up on the corner. If I wasn’t feeling as good as I was, I would have not cut it short, but I also was worried about the safety of Claude the Garmin and my iPod. It was funny too because when I pulled out my phone to call her, she texted me about 2 minutes earlier, OMG! Stay Alive!! Which I realized was right when it started the downpour at our house and it took it two minutes to get to where I was, four miles away. Anyways, for the safety of electronics and my health I called it short. Last thing I need is for those to crap out right before LA. Since I felt confident in my efforts I called her. I’m a little bummed that I didn’t get in the full 20 miler, but I feel great about my training and miles. By the end of my run the only thing that was really sore were the bottoms of my feet. I think they are a still getting used to the Kswizzles, but I am happy to report that there was no blood, and only one bathroom stop. The sharkies are delicious and I am confident in taking them with me to LA. They are so good I want to pack them in my lunch!

So, it wasn’t a full 20 miler, but I am glad that I got in the miles and felt so good doing them. I was able to fall back into the zone from miles 12-16, but the sudden downpour, which, as me and DJ discussed later, happened at precisely 9 am on the nose, was a little bit too crazy for me. I’m glad I have my health, my iPod and Garmin are fully functioning and I was just missing my confidence, which was what that run made me gain back. What’s done is done, now it’s taper and race time!

Yesterday I ran a bunch of errands and then went to the gym and swam 1000 meters. I swam the last 8 laps really hard and really pushed myself and focused on my arms. I feel great today so I’m glad to know that I am still in good shape. :)

xoxo

Just listen to what the broadcaster says…. and watch the ladies face! Priceless! And where did that even come from?

Kittens inspired by Kittens is a CLASSIC. It’s so funny and I could watch it over and over. I seriously laugh more and more the more times I watch it. This little girl is a trip!

Also, it is discussed often but it never gets old. Please read my article about safety that I wrote for the Examiner HERE. If you are not safe on the run, your life is in jeopardy and there are so many things to remember to be safe while out running. If it rains tomorrow the long run must go on. I’m ready to do it and I HAVE to do it to get my confidence up for LA, which is also is in 16 days. It’s game time and I’ve got my long run face on. Let’s do this. Have a great weekend.

xoxo

Man, this no eating meat thing is a lot harder than I thought.

I eat fish, but there is only so much fish you can eat. I like vegetables and have had some delicious lasagna dishes and I have also eaten soups and new things that are quite tasty, but every time I drive by a Chic-fil-a, my heart breaks. I have thirty days left, which seems like a very long time, but I think I can hold out.

Sometimes it’s even hard because how meat is involved in so many dishes. With eggs you can have meat, with pasta you can have chicken, with potatoes there is a lot of delicious meat I’m missing out on. I do like fish and have been eating more fish lately but word from the wise, A Filet-o-Fish is not good. :(

Also, I thought that maybe I would drop a few pounds in the process. Nope. Not saying that I wanted too but I assumed I would eating healthier. I really think that my body is at a weight where I will have to work incredibly, incredibly hard by limiting my food a lot to lose weight at this point. I can eat huge meals and horribly and I weigh the same as if I barely eat anything. I know if I consistently ate bad I would gain weight but I try not to do that anymore.

I have limited my fast food intake by a lot, and going out to eat fast food while not eating meat is pretty hard. Thankfully Taco Bell does have a pretty good “lent” menu and I can still eat tacos without the meat. Most other places doesn’t have options for me though, which is good because it’s saving me money and making me eat healthier.

On the upside I have had some delicious pizza and grilled cheeses often. :)

Tonight I’m back at the pool swimming 1200 to 1500 meters pending how tired I am. I am getting ready for my 20 miler this weekend and plotting out my map of where I am going to run. I know I will have to do a ten miler out and then ten back or else I will give up early if I run by my house before the 20 miles is up. I know I can do it, I just have TO do it now.

xoxo

Edited to add: I’m not ‘not eating meat’ because I want to become a vegitarian. I’m doing it because I don’t think I could not eat meat for that long. I think the biggest issue I have when choosing foods is that I don’t eat salad or spinach or anything along those lines because I don’t like it.  I’ve watched Food Inc., I’ve read Skinny Bitch, I’ve read fast food nation and I still choose to eat fast food. I guess I thought this post would show that I’m just struggling with it.

A reader left a comment that she was actually was a ‘guide dog’ in her track club and I was immediately interested. I wanted to hear more of her story and how she took part in the events! So below is her story and how she works with Joe a blind runner. Read on about Laura and be inspired!

Have you ever thought “I wonder what it would be like to be blind?” or “I wonder what it would be like to be deaf?” I know I have, and as a runner I can’t imagine doing my sport without either my sight or hearing.

For the past several months I’ve had the pleasure of being a “guide dog” for Joe, a blind runner in SacFIT running group. Joe is a 30 something runner who lost his sight in his teens due to a disorder where the retina’s detached in his eyes.  Since then he’s been blind but lives by the motto that he’s going to fall down and he’s going to bump into people, but he will get up and keep trying.  Joe is an active participant in Goalball, a Paralympics sport designed for blind athletes.  He’s played in many countries and just recently went to the Lake Placid, NY for the Paralympics team tryouts.

My running relationship with Joe started at the track workouts in Fall 2009 when our head coach paired us up.  Now trust me, I was very apprehensive about running with Joe at first.  I had seen him run with our head coach before, but still, having someone’s direction in your hands, even when you’re just running around an oval can seem daunting.  But I thought, “Why not give it a shot?”

When Joe and I run we are tethered together by stretchy phone cord.  I have one end and he has the other and he runs just off my right shoulder.  He’s able to keep pace with me by running next to me, listening to my feet and bumping my arm every once in a while to be sure he’s still in the right place.  I give him cues like when we are going into a turn and when we are coming out or if he’s drifting too far away I give the cord a slight tug and he moves back into place.  I give him a heads up if we are going to fast or too slow, but he pretty much just runs along side and keeps pace.

On the trail runs it’s pretty much the same thing, except there are many more variables such as trail conditions, bikes, holes, when to fuel and drink water, etc. Joe and I still run tethered together, he stays on the trail while I run in the dirt on the side.  As a group we yell cues for bikes, potholes, etc. so he pretty much knows everything that’s going on while we are out there.  We also do hand signals to assist the two deaf runners in our group.

I have come to really enjoy my time on the trail with Joe.  We discuss many different issues and he teaches me a lot about the things he’s been through and how he’s working to help the blind community.  I also feel good in helping him to achieve his goals.  He’s hoping to run a half marathon this year with our training group.  Last year he ran the California International Marathon relay, which he said he really enjoyed. My goal is to just provide the best running environment possible for Joe so he can achieve his goals. I’m proud of him for coming out, putting himself out there and running. He’s an inspiration to me and many other people in our training group.

Thanks for Sharing Laura! :) I found the story to be interesting and I hope you did too. Today is a rest day for me and tomorrow morning I have 5 miles. Thankfully the weather has been wonderful all week!

xoxo

First off, the flavors they have are incredibly delicious. I don’t even like almonds and the almond one might even be my favorite! I really found that they are good and a few other people have tried them and been surprised by their great flavor and tastiness. I also can eat half of one full bar and be completely full. They also make a smaller size, the ‘good grab’ size, and it is a great size to run with and to eat after a run.

I have tried three different flavors, the Peanut Butter and Caramel, the Almond Fudge Brownie and the Chocolate and Caramel. I REALLY like the Almond Fudge Brownie. The best part about the bar is the gooey inside that you can kind of see on the picture of the bar cut in half above. It’s so delicious.  I have to admit, I really like all three flavors which is rare! I really would check them out if you want something to snack on after a run that has some protein in it and make you feel full. I was super skeptical but I’m glad to say that I will be getting more of these at GNC to stock up after runs. It’s funny because I can tell the ’scale’ of how much I like a product if I would actually spend money on it… and these I definitely would I even ate one on my 17 miler a w hile back and it was delicious! Here is a link to the Oh Yeah! Product page.

This morning I finally got in a great 5 mile run and am starting to regain confidence for LA. I don’t know why but I haven’t been able to get in the longer miles I’ve hoped but I just have the 20 miler this weekend to nail and once that is done there isn’t much else I can do. I am feeling stronger overall but my running is just down. Luckily I beat the storm coming in back to my house though. A soggy Danica is not a happy Danica at all.

xoxo

I was a little disappointed that I decided to not go but I made it up by biking 5 miles later and doing weights at the gym. I know I made the right decision in the long term though and I’m glad I’m not sick. I also have been icing my lower back on and off because it has been a little sore. Then Sunday I realized that it’s pretty much game time for LA Marathon. 20 days away and I need to step it up. I have been slacking lately and not really been focused on training consistently. So back to the gym I went where I kicked my butt into high gear. I worked out for two and a half hours and swam 2000 meters, which is 40 laps. I was exhausted by the time I got out but felt better and back on the training train.

I really need to focus on these next few weeks as it’s crunch time and I need to get in my miles and make sure I am adequately prepared come race day. Today is thankfully a rest day, and I’m a little sore from yesterday and getting back after it, but I’m looking forward to a good 7 miler tomorrow morning and hitting it hard these last few weeks before the big race. I can’t believe it’s already March! Where does the time go? I’m starting to think about races after LA Marathon too. There are a few races around here that I’ve been looking at and I’ve posted an article on the Examiner about some local races to check out.

Now that the Olympics are done, I’m sad, but I’m looking forward to the drama tonight that is the bachelor!

So the 5k was a bust, but I don’t have seal cough and am laying sick in bed, so that is a win. Check back in tomorrow for a review of my favorite Oh Yeah! Bars :) They are my new life source!

xoxo