Favorite Things AND a couple of giveaways!

2011 was a good year. Here is a list of some of the things that got me through the last year in running.  I originally planned to post this as a Christmas list, but my December hiatus postponed this post.
Some of my favorite things are the same as last year, but I have a few new ones as well.

1. Nuun.—I am a new Nuun convert (a “Nuunie”). I had tried it in the past, but didn’t become loyal until this year. They have lots of yummy flavors, so I will never get bored. I am so spoiled now that I don’t even use water. My kids are hooked as well. They drink it during hockey and soccer practices. It seems to really keep me hydrated—no more calf cramps. Keep reading for giveaway below!

2. iFitness Double Neoprene Pouch—I have already written about this one, but it remains my favorite accessory. I use it for nearly every run. I honestly don’t know what I would do without this accessory. It fits my phone (an HTC Incredible 2, which is not a small phone), camera, cash, lip balm…whatever.  Keep reading for giveaway below!

3. Knee Socks. Fellow Hood to Coast Nuun Plattuuner Tonia (from Racing with Babes) got me hooked on knee socks.  They make a fashion statement AND when they are compression socks, they help my muscles feel better after a run.  In fact, I have enjoyed running in compression socks so much that I ran St. George in my hot pink Recovery Socks. I also have compression socks from Zensah and Bauer (they came free with my husband’s hockey gear).

4. Arbonne Lip Saver lip balm. This little lip balm is awesome. It has SPF 30 and stays on for a long time. It smells nice, but isn't overpowering. It is smoother than chapstick and other lip balms, but stays on longer than most smooth or creamy lip stuff.  You can buy it HERE.

5. Sugoi Versa jacket—I received this for Christmas last year and I love it. The sleeves come off to leave a vest.  The bolero style sleeves stash neatly in the back pocket. I t is great to wear on a chilly morning, especially one that is a little breezy.

6. Arm Warmers—I love my arm warmers. I have four pair and enjoy all of them. They are different brands. The weather around here can get pretty crazy. We have had runs where it is 40 degrees when we start and 70 when we end.  This is when arm warmers really come in handy. When it warms up, I just pull them off and tie them around my iFitness belt.

7. Garmin—This little gadget continues to be a staple in my running. Pacing and split management was key in my success in St. George. I still need to find ways to use it to its fullest potential. I rarely use the heart rate monitor and haven’t learned how to use the virtual partner.

8. Rockmyrun.com—My new source for running music can’t be beat. Have you discovered this site yet? Do yourself a favor while it is still in Beta. Their running mixes are FREE right now!  And they are awesome. They have worked with runners to find some great mixes with the perfect beats per minute.

9. Jamba Juice—I still love my Jamba. I love the smoothies, I love the oatmeal, I love just about everything. I am trying to add more greens to my diet and have recently started having a wheat grass shot every time I go in.  My kids beg me for the frozen yogurt.  Did you know they had frozen yogurt?  disclosure: http://cmp.ly/2/lHtGGa

OK…now the part you were looking for!  The GIVEAWAY!  I am giving away FOUR of my favorite things!  I am giving away one iFitness Double Neoprene Pouch, one tube of Nuun (and a bpa-free plastic bottle to drink it from), a $5 Jamba Juice gift card, and a tube of Arbonne Lip Saver!!!!! I will have a total of four winners--one for each prize.

You must be a follower to win, but other than that, all the entries are optional. You get an entry for leaving a comment saying which prize you want to win, if you have a preference. It is optional, but if you don’t leave a comment, I won't know what you want, so you get what you get. ;-)  If you tweet, please use @momtomarathon so I know you tweeted.  Also, if you like a Facebook page (mine, iFitness or Nuun), can you stop by and leave a comment so I know?  Thanks!

 Please make sure you enter using the Rafflecopter entry form below.  I will use Rafflecopter to pick a winner on January 23.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Favorite Things

I know that Christmas is only days away, but I thought I would post about some of my favorite things that might be nice last minute gifts for a runner in your life.  Or yourself.  I also have included some things on my list that I would love to get.

1. Garmin- or other GPS watch.  I have the simple Forerunner 205 and couldn’t live without it.  If I had my way, I’d trade it in for one with the heart rate monitor.  I don’t train with my heart rate often, but I think about doing it now and then.  If it were just a matter of strapping that monitor to my chest, I would do it more often.

2. iFitness Double Pouch running belt--  I am actually planning on devoting an entire post to this.  It is my single favorite running item.  I use it almost every day.  I use it even when I am not running.  It is the perfect belt to carry my phone, my keys and a little cash.  On days when I can’t find it, I’m lost.  I like having the comfort of having my phone with me when I run and this little belt allows me to do that. 

3. Fleece vest--  I love my fleece vest.  It is the perfect addition to my cool weather running wardrobe.  I bought it for a mountain biking trip, but I have worn it dozens of times running.  It has a zip pocket in the back and is cut for cycling, so the back is lower.  Mine is made by Sheila Moon, but it doesn’t seem like they still make it. 

4. Compression Socks—I use the Recovery Socks after my runs.  I often wear them sleeping overnight.  Do they prevent injury?  I don’t know.  But I know I seem to feel better after wearing them.

5. Gloves—My hands get really cold when I run in less than 50 degree weather.  Luckily, it doesn’t usually get super cold around here, so my Target knit gloves work perfectly.  Whenever they go on sale I buy some, so I have several pair of $.50 gloves.  If I need to chuck them if my hands get too warm, I’m not out much money.  These are great stocking stuffers!
 
6.  Arm Warmers—I love my arm warmers.  I have two pair.  One I LOVE and the other one not as much.   My favorite pair is a cycling pair by Louis Garneau.   They are nice and soft on the inside and moisture wicking on the outside.  They are perfect here in Southern California where it starts out cold and warms up as the run progresses.  These stay up on my arms and never need adjusting or tugging.  They have a band at the top that keep them up without squeezing.  I don’t even think about them.  I have run entire marathons in them.  My second pair is by Zensah.  I had high hopes for these, having read great reviews.  They are soft and comfy and a cute pink.  The only problem with them is that they don’t stay up really well.  I have only worn them a few times (if my black ones are in the laundry) and I felt like I had to tug at the top.  The compression is nice throughout, but during the run the top seems to sag a bit.

7. A hat—  Hats are underrated items of apparel. They keep me warm, dry and keeps the sun out of my eyes.  Now that my hair is getting longer, I need a hole to put my pony tail.  The hat we got from the Santa Barbara Marathon doesn’t have a pony hole.  What’s up with that?  I have tried running in knit hats, but I find I like a nice brim on my hat.



My wish list:
1. Unlimited race entries—I love, love, love running races.  There is something so exciting about the race environment.  Unfortunately, races are expensive.  My favorite Christmas present would be a premium membership to Active.com (if that actually existed) where I could register for any race for little or no money.  I have so many races on my list to do and they aren’t cheap!  While we’re at it, I would love to be able to travel to races as well.

2. Unlimited shoes—Ah, to be sponsored by Brooks.  Now, that would be something.  They say that shoes last 500 miles.  I find that by 300 miles, I start experiencing aches and pains in my lower legs.  My shin splints and IT Band Syndrome both start bothering me when my shoes reach the upper 200’s mileage-wise.  This gets to be very expensive.

3. A wind-proof, water-resistant jacket with zip-off sleeves--  This would be so convenient around here.  Often when it is cold, it warms up by the end of my run.  When it is raining, it often doesn’t rain the entire run.  A convertible jacket is just what I need. This one looks nice.

4. Vibram Five Fingers—I am curious about the barefoot running thing.  Even though I wear stability shoes and feel all sorts of issues when they get too old, I always wonder how much my form might improve by going “back to nature.”  I wouldn’t mind trying out some Vibrams, but I don’t want to invest the money, in case I don’t like it.  I would do just a little at a time, probably out on the trails.

5. Compression pants—I have two pair of running pants, but they were both relatively inexpensive.  They are nice and warm, but require some annoying tugging.  I think that pants with some compression features would be much more comfortable and help in my recovery etc.

6. iPod Shuffle—I don’t use music as much as I used to.  I wear my iPod Nano strapped to my arm.  It gets a little cumbersome.  The shuffle (or even better, the new Nano) is small enough to clip on a collar.  I have a perfectly good iPod, so a new one is a silly thing to want.  But since this is my wish list, I can list whatever I want, right?  While I’m at it, I think I want the Oakley MP3 glasses, where it is all built into my sunglasses.

7. A headlamp—We often start our runs when it is dark.  I sometimes wear a flashing light or a Tinkerbell pin belonging to my kids.  That helps people see me.  I wouldn’t mind a lamp so I can see better.  I would like one that is super lightweight.  One that clips to my hat would be perfect.

8. A Treadmill—as much as I hate running on a treadmill, there are times when it really comes in handy.  The weather this week has been horrible.  I don’t mind a little rain, but it has been raining HARD for several days.  I definitely would have used a treadmill this week.


I am sure there are more things I love in my own running bags and drawers.  I am even more sure there are additional things on my wish list that I forgot to mention.  Luckily, I really have everything I need.  I have my running friends and I live in a place where the weather is [almost always] perfect for running.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and that the new year treats you well.

Happy Running…

thank goodness for small miracles!!

Yes... my husband is out of the doghouse because he FOUND MY GARMIN!! In all fairness, it belongs to both of us, but I still consider it MINE. He used our metal detector* and went down in the canyon this morning and found it! He had been digging out a trail/jump last night when it fell off** and he inadvertently covered it with dirt. <> It seems to be fine (just a little scratch on the face). I tested it out front and it uploaded ok. PHEW!! I am so relieved.

I just have to give a shout out to my awesome dad. I haven't written a lot about him, surprisingly, since my love of running obviously came from him. But I digress... my dad called today and told me that he read my blog and facebook status and offered to buy me a new Garmin for my birthday. So, so, so thoughtful!! He is already sponsoring my marathon in May. So, thanks, Dad, for being such a huge support of my running!! It means so much that you follow my blog and are so supportive! I love you!! ***

I am in such a good mood now. He is down riding as I am writing this. He took the Garmin with him. SIGH. I doubt if he would come home if he lost it again. ;-)



*The metal detector belonged to my inlaws and has been sitting in our garage for years. Kenny has been meaning to go beachcombing forever. I am so glad that we never donated it or sold it on Craig's List in order to make room in the garage. It really came in handy!!
**We don't use the band that came with the Garmin. We bought a band that could attach to a bicycle. It has a velcro strap that I actually like better than the original band. Unfortunately, it looks like Kenny didn't double check that it was snapped onto the band correctly. It is best to snap it on before putting it on your wrist and apparently, he did it the other way.
***Not just because you have offered to buy me things. It is so important to me to have you interested and excited about my running. You are also a wonderful grandfather etc. :-)

Am I ready for next week???

I think so, but I am not sure.

Laura and I had a great run this morning. But, by the end, I was TOAST. We ran eight miles at just over 9 minutes per mile, but I am not so sure I could keep that pace up for five more miles in order to finish the half marathon in under two hours.

However, we had some pretty good splits today. We ran mile six, which is almost completely uphill, in 8:56 (although my Garmin beeped at me telling me that lap 6 was 9:13; either way is good). We ran mile seven, which has the hardest part of the hill, under 9 minutes too! After that, I was hurting. Laura ran on ahead of me while we ran the last mile. I still did that last mile in 9:06 so I know she was flying.

At around four miles or so, I started feeling weak and a bit sick to my stomach. I ate a Gu (plain flavor for me--those sweet ones just make me gag). It seemed to do the trick. I usually don't need a Gu until mile six or so. I don't think I ate enough last night. We had grilled salmon, rice and broccoli which might not have been enough fuel to get me through a run. But I did have a bowl of oatmeal this morning, so I don't know. Like a lot of you, I still haven't figured out this fuel thing completely.

Next week's race is the first race where I have a plan (in my huge five race career LOL). Since the race ends with a pretty long hill (the same hill we ran today), I am going to try to push it early. This means I should do a warm-up run, which I have never done. I want to run the first couple of miles around 9:00 minutes each. Miles 2, 3 and 4 look to be consistently downhill, so I want to push it to 8:40 or so (yikes). If I am hurting, I will slow a bit during the flat part around the bay to gather my strength before the hills at the end. If I run a smart race, I think I have a chance of finishing in two hours (hopefully just under). I need to average 9:09 to do it. I ran that hill this morning at a pretty fast pace. With a good start, I can slow down to 9:30 up the hill so I can finish strong going into the park.

I think having a plan makes me even more nervous. Shouldn't it give me confidence? The one thing I learned in my marathon was that plans don't always work. You don't plan on needing the porta potty (twice); you don't plan on feeling like crap. Cross your fingers that all goes well....