Hello Kitty Toast

I love photo Fridays and today I had some planned photos to share with you until I had my Hello Kitty Toast this morning.

My roommate brought this great offering to the place when we moved in. It's the Hello Kitty Toaster. I thought for sure this thing was going to be awesome. It's suppose to make Hello Kitty pictures on your toast, like the one below.

I waited and waited to get my toast to pop up for breakfast this morning. I was excited to see the picture on my cinnamon raisin toast. This is what popped up.

Wow, talk about disappointing. Those are just two white blobs, nothing even resembling her cute bow or whiskers or eyes or anything. Hello Kitty, you've let me down. I almost thought it was too good to be true and now we know it is. Sadly, I will just have white blobs on my toast now.

Thanks for all the good luck wishes for this weekend. I'm starting to get nervous but I know it's a good nervous. I just am going to put in a nice easy 4-6 miler tomorrow to get loosened up in the morning and then finish cleaning and painting my desk, which I will also have pictures of next week. Gosh, next week is going to be exciting for all you guys with my giveaway, race report, and pictures of my desk!

Good luck to all those racing this weekend, even if your not racing at Surf City! I'm excited to meet/see many of you at the race though so look for me! The weather should be perfect as long as the Santa Ana's don't kick up and it is going to be a great day for running. Tonight I'm going to finish making my shirt and painting and am looking forward to leisurely hanging out alone. :)

Have a great weekend!

And the final review of the Hello Kitty Toaster = Hell No!

xoxo

PS One of my best co-workers EVER sent me this link Did Google Kill This Deer? WHAT?!

100?

So I realized today that I'm posting my 97th post... My 100th post is going to knock your socks off, but I don't know if it will be my race report from this weekend, next Monday, which is an amazing 100 post in itself, but I just wanted to let you all know that I'm having a SICK giveaway for this milestone. It might not be mentioned in my 100th post specifically but right around then get ready to get the best book ever that just came out that I'm obsessed with already. So that is just a little hook to keep you all coming back for more, and of course I'll post a race report complete with horrible pictures of myself and others. I'm planning on making that shirt tonight or tomorrow as well. I'm going to also get paint thinner today on my lunch break because guess what! Paint doesn't come off with just water. My hands are covered in white paint right now and I don't know how my co-workers would feel about that during the production meeting later today. :) That was maybe the most random paragraph I've ever written. You understand, I know.

Of course I have some Thursday finds to lighten up your wallet a little bit as well.

The Women's Asics Reflective Short Sleeve Tee in White (Sorry girls, they only have a Medium left) This elite running t-shirt offers 50+ UPF protection, protecting you on bright, sunny days. There is binding at the neckline, an exclusive Hali reflective graphic and an ASICS® reflective logo. It was $24.99, but is now only $14.99.

Get yours here!

Then there's the The Reebok® Mission women's Tee that has a lot of sizes left and comes in Black, White and Aviator Blue. It's crafted using PlayDry®, Reebok®'s moisture-wicking performance fabric that draws sweat away from your skin to help keep you cool and dry at all times. The forward side seams help prevent uncomfortable abrasion against your skin. It's cute and looks like it would fit well and is a steal because normally it's listed at $17.99, and now is on sale for $9.97.

Get yours here!

Then this is the DEAL OF THE DAY! Show your support the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer with the Reebok® women's Avon Pink Ribbon Tee. Super cute for working out, or just wearing as a tee. This cotton tee features the pink ribbon logo printed on the front. Normally $19.99, now only $4.97.

Get yours here!

If you are a beginning runner, or starting training for a 5k or 10k, Check out OZ Runner's Blog. He's a Kansas guy and just started running 6 months ago, but this list that he posted can speak to any runner, especially beginners. I would just straight copy it, but then I would feel like I was stealing, so check it out. It has so many great tips and insights and it's very encouraging.

I'm so ready for the race to be here already! I haven't done much running this week, but I will get in around eight miles tomorrow and Saturday to make sure I'm ready. I feel ready and have been overloading on sleep and pastas, so that should be good for Sunday as well.

xoxo

Searching for Chic Runner

So I've seen a few people put up their Google Analytics and their search words and let me tell you, I get a weird group of words that sends people to my page too. They are pretty funny so here's a few to get you laughing.



1. Freshly prepared with a whole banana, bittersweet cocoa. I have no idea what you are searching for, I hope not me freshly prepared with whole banana and bittersweet cocoa?



2. Hot chic running on the beach. This is the most legit search word, but has only been used once. I think they meant to search for hot CHICK. Sad.



3. If its going to be 79 degrees tomorrow, is it to hot to wear a sweater? Wow. I don't know how you even got to my site, but this is a dumb question.



4. My work is running the biggest loser how do I win?? No shocker here! You workout!



5. Nips. Steve probably google this and came across my site.



6. "runners world" and "red velvet cupcakes" I assume they are looking for some type of low-fat cupcakes. Doesn't exist people!



7. Race pee. I assume they wanted to know how to pee during a race? That's what the porta-potties on the side of the race are for... and if you don't use them, that's just dirty. Also I've gotten this search at least four times. Makes it a little bit weirder.



8. Bloody sock t shirt. Oh the bloody sock... but why would you want that on a t-shirt?



9. Christmas nips. Steve! Again!



10. Jillian's tenny shoes from the biggest loser. This one got me, Tenny? It's tennis shoes. Wow.

On another note, last night's biggest loser was pretty good, but I was sad to see Dan go, even if Dave totally let it happen by not caring about the ranch. Dan looks so much better now though and I'm happy to see he's realized that it's a lifestyle change. As for the race this weekend still feeling strong and I've decided to cut out all fast food in my diet this week. It's only Wednesday and it's killing me!

Also this weekend I'll be bib number 9107. Racing Surf City this weekend? Confirm and get your bib number
xoxo

I hope...

Goals for this weekend are somewhat scattered as they were for my last half, but I also feel that having different levels of goals for each race is very important because honestly, if you set yourself up to succeed you will, but you have to give yourself the chance.

The first time I ran a half marathon I remember my only goal was to complete it. Now I know I can increase the goal with time and mile splits. I know that it's super helpful once you sign up for a race to have the goal of completion. Whether that would be run/walk the whole thing, running the race, or just finishing the race. Once you have a goal and you set your mind to achieving that goal it's so much easier to start running and complete workouts. You can start our with a goal of a 5k, or a 10k and just make sure you set attainable goals for yourself. You can even make fun goals, and then during the race think of your goals.

My last half one of my goals was to practice drinking more water on the course. Running and drinking water at the same time is a pretty hard task, but after trying different ways to grab the cup and drink it quickly and efficiently during the last race I feel that I can say I've definitely improved in that area. Its much harder than you think maneuvering through those cup throwing runners. Don't believe me, take a peek at the pictures below. Look at all those cups. Now imagine them being hurled at you from people in front of you. Not good. The last picture you can even see the cup flying through the air. Too out of control for me.

Anyways as for this weekend, I'm feeling really good about the race thus far. I am starting to get a little nervous which I know is necessary and I actually feel ready to race. I know there are going to be a ton of people there, this may even be the biggest half marathon I've done thus far, so I know the first few miles might be a lot of dodging and weaving, which is annoying but at races, it happens.

My A Goal is : Finish time from 1:40-1:45
My B Goal is : Finish time from 1:45-1:50
My C Goal is : Work on racing more than just running
My D Goal is : Focus on finishing the race, pushing myself and the mile splits.

So in more depth, my A goal is to finish and PR by about 2 minutes. I think if I can finish in 1:45 I will be incredibly happy considering the mass of people that will be at this race and that it will be a new PR. I know I can do it, but I also know I'm going to have to push myself when I'm not feeling amazing.

My B goal is to finish roughly around my 1:48:xx PR that I have now, and I am pretty sure that this is pretty feasible. I wasn't feeling amazing, and literally wanted to quit my last race when I ran this PR so to run that again would be somewhat disappointing.

My C Goal is to work on racing more than just running. This might sound weird but sometimes when I'm running I totally zone out and become a little space cadet. I know this cannot happen this weekend if I'm going to mentally be in the race the entire time. I need to focus on racing and keeping up with everyone and not be discouraged or let myself be hurting. I know running is an intense mental sport. Not everyone can continue to keep pushing themselves forward, it takes a lot of willpower to keep going and I know if I focus the whole race, I will succeed. So if you see me just tell me to stay focused! :)

My D Goal is also to work on my focus during the race but to focus on the splits and how I can improve my time and stay on the pace I'm currently running. I don't want to let myself start hurting and then just slow down like I did at the last half I ran. I know if I stay on pace I am destined for good things, I just have to will myself to do that and keep pushing myself. I used to push myself during my races back in high school, but that was a lot different than today, it was only 3 miles, and I was averaging a 6:30 mile... yea not going to happen anymore. I know I can push myself to run hard throughout the whole race though and I can push myself harder than I have in the past races where I was just running for fun, or to complete a race.

Overall though, I do want to have fun in this race, it's a beautiful course and the weather should be amazing which is always helpful. I have been looking forward to this race and it's a part of the California Dreamin' Series that I'm working on completing so I know it will be exciting. I'm thinking of making a shirt that says MY FAMILY IS LAME, SO PLEASE YELL GO DANICA. I saw a picture of it on some one's blog and I wish I remember who because it's hilarious, if it's you let me know!! So we'll see, planning the outfit is my next big task.

As for a workout today, just going to do some painting of my desk tonight and then a biggest loser workout video, but not the one with all the squats, I don't want to be killing myself before my race!

xoxo

Weekend Warrior

So this weekend was filled with Biggest Loser workouts and a 10 mile run which was great! I took a Gu before and I felt like that was really helpful. It was also nice to get in a good hard three miles. From mile six to mile nine, I really pushed myself and ran 8:03, 8:09 and 8:01. It was good to feel my body reacting well to the longer distance and still be able to push myself during that time. It was my last longer type run before the Surf City half this weekend. I'm really looking forward to the race this weekend and I am praying for no rain because that would literally put a damper on my race.

I also sanded down my desk this weekend, which involved me using an electric sander. I did it all by myself and it was interesting. I had to bust out the directions to see how the change the sandpaper. It was also kind of rewarding at the same time. I'm glad I finally got it done and now the next step is painting the desk. I think I will finally get it done by next weekend and then my room will feel much more complete. As for the rest of the room coming together, thanks for all the discount TV ideas, I'm still on the hunt.

Today I took the day off because my butt is SO sore from doing so many squats with the Biggest Loser Workout video this weekend. I didn't know how my run was going to be yesterday since I was so sore but I think it really helped get out some of the soreness I was feeling. I'm still pretty sore this morning but hope to get in a combination of 10 miles this week before the race and then maybe one more shorter Biggest Loser workout video in as well.

Tomorrow I'll be back with my goals for this weekend and how I hope to run this race. I know this race is going to have a crazy amount of people, but I'm excited for the race, whereas before I was starting to dread the fact that I had another 1/2 marathon coming up so quickly. After this race this weekend I'll also begin my full marathon training plan which I'm excited about as well.

xoxo

Why, thank you!

I have gotten many awards from some of my blogging friends but I unfortunately never got the chance to post them. I never want to be tooting my own horn at all, but I felt bad not posting them for their sake because I really do appreciate them!

First off, I got the Bloggy Goodness Award. :)

Then I got the Lovely Award from Mollie @ MizzouBelle and Pink Pearls & Muddy Sneakers @ Pink Pearls and Muddy Sneakers

Then I got the Honest Scrap Award from Kirby @ Good Gals Inc

I got this award also!

Then Aron @ Runner's Rambles gave me the Your Blog is Fabulous award.

Most of these awards say to tell 5 things you love, or 10 weird things about you, or 10 super honest things about yourself. So here's 5 things I love, and 5 super honest and somewhat weird things about me.

1. I am obsessed with my iPhone and I feel lost and naked without it. I'm constantly checking where it is and making sure it's safe and constantly am on facebook. We are being honest here!

2. Mr. R always picks up things after I leave them behind and then I freak out that I left them at wherever we were. I.E. the other day we were at dinner and I freaked out thinking I forgot my sweater, and started looking all over for it, like throughout the place we were at, about ready to get on my hands and knees searching. The entire time it was on Mr. R's shoulder.

3. I am the biggest klutz around. I am always bruising myself and running into walls and hurting myself in the most random ways. I.E. when I run into walls on my run.

4. I love Macaroni and Cheese. It's my favorite food in the world and nothing compares to Velveeta Shells and Cheddar. It's the BEST. If I could eat that every day for the rest of my life I would be happy. I also love grilled cheese. I am pretty much just obsessed with cheese.

5. I am obsessed with my TIVO. I think about all the shows I've recorded all day long and when I'm going to watch them. Now that I just moved and gotten a new TIVO, I'm super scared that my shows aren't recording right and then I won't have anything to watch when I get home from work or working out.

6. When I'm running, I think of my body as a car, the first 5-10 minutes I'm in 1st-2nd gear, then I kick it into 3rd gear for a little bit, and then the majority of my run I'm in cruise control in 4th gear. It's really weird but I literally picture my body shifting gears like a car. Sometimes I can also feel my hands switching the gears like on a stick shift. Freaks me out too.

7. I drink about 6-7 nalogen bottles of water if not more a day. I usually go to the bathroom once every hour. Long car rides and I don't mix, I can barely even make it home from work without exploding.

8. I've become very obsessed with running blogs and reading about others running, racing, and working out. I feel like everyone is so nice and friendly. Honestly, I was nervous for my first blog meet up but it was great and the people that I met up with were just like they were online! Nice, caring, supportive and friendly. I am not a creeper so it was nice to meet up with people with my same interests, and everyone is so motivating and kind!

9. I want to travel more. I love spending long weekends away and just lounging and running in new places. I figure if I run marathons in new locations it gives me a mini reason to travel and check out cool new places! :)

10. I am obsessed with peanut butter M&Ms. They are so delicious and I try to always have a bag at my desk. Not like a Fun Size bag, like a straight Costco Sized Bulk Bag. Yea, no wonder I have to run! :)

Sorry for the two awards that I don't remember who gave them to me, if you did, please remind me and I'll post your link! Seriously, it really means a lot that so many of you get so much out of my blog. I never think of myself as motivating or inspiring at all, but I'm glad that you can come here and get more ideas and learn more about running and racing! I am glad I can help give advice and make exercising more fun and fashionable! ;) I hope that you continue on my journey to the full marathon in May. You are all such an encouragement to me as well and I'm so thankful to this community!

On another note, I'm participating in the virtual race, 7 on the 7th! hosted by Run To The Finish! That's 7 miles on the 7th of February. You can be added by adding her a comment if you want, and you have up until February 5th! So get over there and sign up. You can walk, walk run, or run the whole thing. There are a lot of participants and I'm really looking forward to it, and 'running' with all my virtual friends. Wow that last line made me sound really lame :.../

Enough! Go Sign up! And thank you, thank you, thank you, for reading, for visiting and for the awards!

xoxo

Pictures from the last race Friday

Since Nike Mom has photo Friday, and I just got back my worst race pictures ever, I thought today would be a great day of sharing them. Wow, I don't know if they could possible find more hideous pictures during the race... but here they are!

I'm pretty sure I'm hating my life right here.

I totally remember when this was taken. I thought the finish line would never come.

This, this is just tooooo funny! When I was running I took off my long sleeve for a while while I waited to see Billy again so that he could take it for me. Little did I know that I would have to wait a while to see him because I was on the back weird part of the race. The shirt was tied around my waist but it kept slipping off. This was my BRAND NEW pink shirt from Mr. R that he gave me for Valentines day. I was not losing it. I decided to tie it around my neck like a preppy sweater. Then, they caught a picture of me, side angle?! I looked through all the other race pictures and NO ONE has a picture like this, but myself. Strange. Thanks to whoever captured this Super girl moment.

Ahhh! My Grandpa and Grandma at dinner last night celebrating their birthdays with Baklava! :) We went to this great place, Open Sesame, and I'm not one to like weird foods, but this place was DELICIOUS! :) Chicken Tawook is my new favorite thing, and I love their Lebanese pickles! If you are ever in the area, try it out.

For this weekend I have a 10 miler to go and then next weekend is the Surf City 1/2. That crept up on me quickly! Today is my adoption day, which is a day where we celebrate with our family. I was adopted 22 years ago on this day! It's a fun day to remember and used to be a big deal. When I was little I used to get school off and we'd go do something fun as a family. It's become more of a dinner thing now and I always really enjoyed it. Seemingly enough, people are too busy to celebrate and it's disappointing. It's odd how the people that mean the most to you can hurt you the most as well. Enough about that drama. Tonight Mr. R is going to come to my new home and we are going to hang out, which I'm excited for I usually only see him on one day during the week, mostly for Biggest Loser and then we spend the weekends together. Oh the adult working life.

Good luck to all you racers this weekend. I feel like EVERYONE is running Surf City and I'm excited to meet up with more of you. We'll go over goals and what I *hope* to finish with next week, but if the weather is like what it is today, I'm going to DIE. Running + Rain = Not good.

Have a great weekend! Finally Friday!

xoxo

PS. Here's a link to the pink Ipod holder I have on my arm Find it @ Best Buy. I love it and it works SO well! :) Here is also the link to headphones I have on too. I used to run with the ipod headphones but had a problem with them falling out a lot. These ones look a little intimidating, but they are GREAT and stay in well and are actually much louder than the apple headphones. Find them @ Target. They are only $10, and work so great. They come in a bunch of colors too.

Seriously Lost

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.

Also for the boys I found another Tech Tee that normally sells for $22.00 and is on sale for $6.83

For the snowbirds, I found some Arm Warmers that were normally $19.50 and are on sale for $6.83

I also found these super cool Ear Warmers that were normally $45.00 and now are only $15.83. Oh and they have LIGHTS on them that can be set to flashing or off, especially great for night runners! I feel like these could be super cool like the Nike Hatphones!

Tonight I'm going to a great resturant in Long Beach with my Olie cousins and my Grandpa and Grandma to celebrate their birthdays! So until tomorrow...

xoxo

PS Do any of you know of any websites/places to get a good deal on a new TV. I am looking for a smaller one for my room. I want it to be flat screen LCD. Thanks! :)

Running Skirt Review!

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

Yours Truly ran with a Camera....

I knew you would all be excited. This morning I ran a short little 4 miler, and after work I'm going to the park to do another 5.5 miler in order to get in my 9.5 miles today. I know it's not the same getting it in at two different times, but a girls gotta sleep okay! Then this weekend I am planning a nice 11 miler to ready myself for The Surf City Half.



Anyways, this morning I got up early for a little run and decided that I would take my camera with me. Of course, I wore my go-to Target blue long sleeve and some SHORTS! :) Anyways, Now those of you who take pictures, HOW DO YOU DO IT!? I had to like stop. look at the screen. press the button. check to make sure it took. It took forever just to take a few pictures! When I got up and looked out my window I noticed it was still a little dark and I thought, "Boo, today's run is going to be gloomy with no sunrise. LOW AND BEHOLD the best sunrise EVER. Feast your eyes on these babies.





The beginning of the run. That's the Belmont Pier and then if you look closely you can see the three little stacks on the right hand side of the Queen Mary. Notice it's still a little dark, then I turned the corner....





Um hello gorgeous sunrise!





Funny story about these islands. There are a few of these dotting the Long Beach Coast. When I was little I used to think that they were Fashion Island, and upscale outdoor mall. I thought wow, it must be like a dream to ride on a boat and go over there and shop! I can't wait until I'm old enough to do it. Come to find out, they are just oil rigs decorated to look nice because the residents with ocean view were complaining to the city that the rigs were ugly. Needless to say, Fashion Island is fun, but it's not really an island.





Running along the path





Here comes the sun... do da deeee dah...





Ha ha ha! Me, literally running as this picture was taken. This is what I look like after waking up 10 minutes before.





Gosh, so pretty!





Then there is a little bay called Naples, please take note of how gorgeous the picture is and how I got the cute old guy running in it! I love it!





For sale!? How did I ever get this great of a picture?! It's on the bridge overlooking the bay. Simply amazing.





Over that wall is the beach path, and this is the lovely tree lined street that I was running.



So my run = phenomenal this morning! I was dreading it but it was really motivating and nice to be out and exploring my new turf. I have decided to do the San Diego Rock and Roll FULL marathon, May 31st! I am excited and nervous all at the same time. I know it will be a lot of training, but at the same time, I felt the same way about my first half, and now I feel like I can run those in my sleep. Well maybe not, but I do love that distance, so the full should be twice the fun right? Tomorrow I'm going to post my review on the running skirt, and why I love it so much and also some new great running finds!



xoxo

The Big Move

Though I don't have many pictures yet. I will soon! The boxes have been unpacked and everything is finding it's place in my new home and I'm super excited. The most exciting thing about the place has to be the location though. I went out and ran two minutes and I found myself already on the beach path. There were tons of people out and about this weekend which made me feel very safe and it was encouraging to see all the people out running and walking and rollerblading and biking. It was even hot in my long sleeve shirt and shorts! It's suppose to cool down again here though, and rain on Wednesday and Thursday.

Besides moving which was a pain, I got in a nice 6.5 miler, and hope to get in an 8 miler one day this week and then also a ten miler this weekend. Then I should be set for Surf City. I didn't get a bloody sock this weekend, so that was good. I also did another biggest loser workout and wasn't quite as sore and I feel like my weights are going really well. Tonight I'm going to the gym to do some more weights and then over to my cousins to watch and mock the bachelor. Another great perk about my place is that I found a glorious set of stairs right by my place, which is another great aspect of the running path! Hooray for great new trails to explore and a much more running friendly community.

Anyways, I'll leave you with some pictures of the path right by my house.

There's even a pedestrian lane and bike lanes. Perfect for me not to get run over.

Some big apartments by downtown long beach that I run past

This was seriously the weather on Saturday! Gorgeous!

I'll post some pictures I take soon on a run. So glad everyone had a great weekend in AZ, and I can't wait for Surf City. I'm going to make a decision by friday on the San Diego Marathon.

xoxo

Am I really 'that girl'

Thanks for every ones comments and concern about the cop. Don't worry, I would definitely take the steps to make sure I was safe and would tell someone if something is up. Just a reminder to everyone to be safe and stay alert out on their running paths. Even though I usually run with my Ipod, I always am super aware and alert, especially since so many drivers are crazy out there!

Anyways, the plane ride up north was when I realized something. I was boarding the plane and the two people in front of me were very elderly. These two below reminded me of them.

It was super windy out and the old man's hat almost blew off. I said, "Ha, ha, you gotta be careful out here huh! It's so windy." They pretty much both glared at me like I had just spoken to them in a different language, or said something offensive. I looked around to see if there was anyone else nearby that maybe they were angry with. Nope, that look was directed towards me. Cool. Thanks.

I get in my seat next to a guy, age ranging from 18-21. I took Jet Blue so there are TVs in the back of every seat. He was watching a football game that I wanted to watch so I asked him what the channel was. He looked at me with this look that was like seriously? and then changed the channel down to figure out what channel the game was on. I thank him and I found the game, but unfortunately there was only like four minutes left. After the game I didn't want to watch the after show because I unfortunately I forgot my headphones, thus I wanted to watch something that I could still understand without sound. I looked at his little TV. It was women's collegiate bowling. The NCAA championships. Not only am I amazed that this is actually a college sport, but I'm interested and want to watch. I ask him again what channel it's on. This seemed to be like I'm pulling out his teeth.

I then decide that now is the perfect time to make small talk. I said, "Wow, that's pretty crazy that this is a college sport!" He looked at me like I was an idiot, "Yea." It was then I realized that the day after Christmas, maybe people weren't so happy to fly? Or maybe people just hated me? It was an experience for the books so I just slumped down in my seat and enjoyed the rest of my 45 minute flight. I felt like I was 'that girl' who was the annoying passenger next to you on the plane that you don't want to talk to.

Tonight I'm going to the gym again to hit up the weights. I am still sore though, I forgot how weak the rest of my body is. Something definitely to work on. Good luck to all those racing this weekend, including all the PF Changers in AZ! :) Have fun!

xoxo

Problem with the Police

So I told you all I would tell you about the problem I had with the police while running. You can tell me if it's creepy or not.

I normally take the same route when running a 3-5 miler by my house. It's all on surface streets and it's a giant square if I'm running the 5 miles, and if I'm running the three miles, then I cut through the park. Christmas Eve was out for a five miler and saw a police car right when I came out of my neighborhood. My town is small so the police don't have too much to patrol, but still I thought it was odd that he was right outside my street. So I take off, and I see him driving towards me once I turn the corner. Then I see him again over by the high school, but give him the benefit of the doubt that he's patrolling the school.

I've now seen him three times in a matter of roughly 10 minutes. I think this is starting to be odd. I go for a while pondering what a police officer is doing at 7:30 am, that I've seen him this often. I turn another corner and there he is again. Now I'm counting the times I've seen him in my head and realize I've seen him four times, and that I'm running in a different city than I live in. He's outside his patrol area! I realize it's creepy and turn the straight away home. About half a mile away from my house I see a black and white car waiting at the stoplight that I will have to cross. HIM AGAIN!? What is the world coming too. He turned left before I ever got to the light, but still when I got home, I wondered why he was creeping around so much, and seemed to be on every route I took. Odd but I let it go and forgot about it by end of the day.

(the map below shows the locations I spotted him at along my route, hence the disguise is where I saw him and the red path was the path I was running)

New Years Eve rolls around. I'm back from Mr. R's house and decide to hit the streets for a five miler, same path. Well I start off and as soon as I cross the street there's a cop driving toward me. I immediately remember my encounter the week before. I see him almost twice in five minutes. Then I go about two miles and forget he was even creeping, until I see him again about half way through. Driving towards me AGAIN. Then I turn two corners, and he drives past me, and then, this is SUPER creepy, but does a really slow u-turn, and I feel like he's going to ask me a question he pulls so close to the sidewalk. The entire time I'm completely aware of what is going on, but also ignoring him and all these weird moves he's making. So I am about 800 meters away from my house and I see him pulled up at a light I'm running toward. He turns left, and I assume he's gone for good and I can finish my run in peace. What I didn't know was that after making a left he turned into the parking lot of the 7-11 and then was pulling out right as I ran past the driveway, almost hitting me. Yes, the COP wasn't paying attention and almost ran me over. Great. (the 7-11 is where the little bottle is on the map)

If this isn't creepy I don't know what is. What happened to protect and serve, not freak the community out. I'm just trying to get some exercise in! Sheesh people! Hope you don't have cops stalking you!

xoxo

PS. All you cold weather runners. I have a friend @ Wearing Mascara who is looking for a guest blogger to talk about running in the cold. I am not running in cold weather. To me it's cold, to the rest of the world it's not. If you'd like to help out please shoot me an email at danicakoo@gmail.com. Thanks!

Ouch

So yesterday morning I told you guys that I did the biggest loser workout video for a measly 20 minutes. 5 minute warm up. 10 minute sculpt. 5 minute cool down. That's it. Also you could choose to do the weights if you wanted, but since I didn't have any, I used two remotes for the TV. Yea, envision that odd picture.

I AM SO SORE TODAY I CAN BARELY MOVE. Seriously, I can't remember being this sore in a few years. This makes me think that the move this weekend is going to be tough. At least we live downstairs!

I was going to run tonight before the Biggest Loser, but I am thinking that I need a day of rest for the week, so instead I'll be going to Target after work to see if I can find any good stuff for the new pad.

On another note, there hasn't been many good sales lately on running gear, which is why my posting has stopped with links. I think that many stores are just still recovering from Christmas. I did find this little gem, Nike Pro Womens Core Tight Long Sleeve Mock is available in many colors but the pink and grey one shown below is on sale right now for 15.Th97 at the Sports Authority Outlet. There are some other colors as well, but they are all for 23.99, which is still a good price.

I have seen this shirt in person and it looks super warm and comfy and I love wearing Nike Pro stuff because it fits so well. The material is so nice and I really feel that Nike has upped the game when it comes to their running stuff. Since it's been in the 80's here in CA, I am not going to be purchasing much more warm weather attire.

Thanks for all the nice comments about the new place. I'm not moving in with Mr. R, but one of my best friends from back in middle school and high school. I'll take more pictures once we actually move in and it becomes a little home. On racing news, I am currently contemplating the Rock and Roll San Diego FULL Marathon. It's May 31st, five months before I actually thought I would run one, since I was looking to have Portland Marathon be my first. I've completely lost my mind, but am also up for some solid training plan ideas if anyone has some good ones. I am so grateful to the running community online for inspiring, encouraging, and offering up so many ideas and tips.

Coming up in the near future I plan to share some stories about a problem with the police while running, a review of the running skirt, and my plane ride up north over Christmas break, which was quite funny. :)

xoxo

I'm moving!

So the good news that I was excited to share is that I will be moving, THIS WEEKEND! I'm super excited because I have been waiting for this opportunity and it seemed to come up this past weekend. I will be living in the Belmont Shore area of Long Beach and the apartment is literally one block away from the beach. The area is really fun and there is a little area literally walking distance away with one of a kind shops and cute little places to eat. The best part is that it's a GREAT running location. The beach has a big path on it, where the long beach 1/2 marathon was run, and the streets around are very running friendly, minding a few out of control drivers.

Anyways, here's a few pictures.



Yea, that blue stuff.... THAT'S THE OCEAN



The little house in the complex that we are renting. Super cute. I feel like we are living in Germany or something.

I'm super excited to be moving and into such a prime location. Little Chic Runner is all grown up!

As for working out, last night I went to the gym and hit the weights HARD. I am sore this morning and my arms were shaking last night. I worked a lot of my back and my arms, which is good for my weight training. Also this morning I did a quick 20 minute workout from the Biggest Loser Video and it KICKED MY BUTT. I am still sore as I type and I was sweating like a beast and I don't sweat. I'm looking forward to doing more of those!

Anyways, much to catch up on at work. Hope everyone had a wonderful Monday enjoying the bachelor, and is jealous of my new homestead. :) I'm excited for Biggest Loser tonight, but unfortunately won't be watching the episode until tomorrow evening, since tonight I'm going out to my best friend and now roommate's Birthday Dinner!

xoxo

2009 Southern California Half Marathon Race Report

So I'm guessing you all want a race report with complete pictures and the whole 9 yards. You're lucky because I am excited to tell you that I PR'd by roughly 10 minutes. Yes. I think this is very odd too, especially since I didn't train for this race and signed up on Monday when it was on Saturday. It almost makes me mad, because I didn't really try and I still did much better than my first real race. Anyways, the night before, Mr. R and I searched for something for my toe, but with no success and my forgetting of my moleskin from home, I figured if I got some bloody socks, oh well. Then we went to dinner at Macaroni Grill and it was delicious. I got some pasta and tried to fall asleep early.

It was nice to have the race so close to my house because I literally woke up at 6:15 and left the house at 6:30. I decided on wearing the pink long sleeve with my Nike Half Marathon underneath. My good friend Billy said he would take my pink shirt if I wanted, though I did run part of the race with it tied around my shoulders, which was weird, but totally worked. I ate a bowl of oatmeal and drove about .5 miles to the parking area. I then met up with Billy and his gf Sara, who are two of the coolest/nicest people EVER, and then a whole bunch of people from the CA Runner's World Forum, which looks to be yet another thing for me to be addicted too.


Sara and I talking before the race, yea I was freezing, and I don't know why I look cross eyed.


Billy and I finally meet!


She's for sure going to Boston soon... :)

So Sara and I positioned ourselves at the front of the pack and lined up about 5 minutes before the horn went off. I plugged in my revived plus and once the horn blared we took off. Sara left me in her dust and I had to remind myself that the race was a workout for me, not a race to kill myself in.


This was me, around the 2 mile marker. I look like I'm laughing to myself. Embarrassing.

The first few miles were good and I oddly enough ran almost perfect even splits. The course was a lot of out and back and it was fun to watch the runners in the front of the pack and the winners so far out ahead of me. I tried to calculate my time in my head and my pace that I was on and I realized I was running decently well for my goals that I previously set for myself. I remembered at mile 4 that one of my goals was to drink water along the race. I started to take water from almost every aid station and pinched the cup and tried to get as much down as I could. This worked REALLY well and I thank the guys before for the pinching cup tip. I didn't spill any water on myself and took a cup about 5 times, and only slightly choked during drinking twice.



Around mile 6. I look like I was winning! Only in my dreams.


By the way, was a little nervous about the skirt. It was AMAZING! I loved running in it, and can't wait to find some more deals on them so I can get some more.

Around mile eight, I died. I wanted to stop running, I was tired and I wanted to walk. I have NEVER had this much of an urge to walk. I knew if I walked though it would be even harder to keep going so I continued to slow down my pace just a little bit and kept running. By mile nine, I wanted to quit. It was odd because I am not a quitter, but I knew it was because I didn't have the mileage under my belt. My feet were hurting a little bit and I was just tired. I continued to trek on and Billy was SUCH an encouragement the entire way. Every time I saw him I laughed.

By mile 10 I was cruising and just kept thinking I only had a 5k left. Once I start a half marathon, it's all about ticking off the miles. Getting to 10, I was just thinking, you have to run 3 10 minute miles and you will do better than the Long Beach Marathon. I KNEW I could run 10 minute miles. Heck, I could run three 9 minute miles so I continued on. This is where Billy asked me if I wanted my Power Gels. I took two and they just sat in my mouth for about eight minutes until they dissolved. They were more of a hassle than a booster. Chewing and running was not as easy as I thought, but I cannot even imagine eating a GU either. This is something I'm going to have to do some more experimentation on.

My music during the race was really great, I felt like I barely ever had to change it, but of course, Billy somehow managed to get a shot of me changing my music.



Finally I reached mile 12 and thought okay, you are going to finish this beast right here, right now. I knew the area and I knew once I rounded the corner where the finish line was.

Ya, see those two guys on the right side in the white and gray. They totally cut me after the finish before the chute narrowed down. I didn't care but seriously. Whatever. I thought it was funny. I knew I was on pace for a 1:40ish so I was glad I could keep it up. I didn't feel like I had a bloody sock during the race at all, but alas,



The balls of my feet were killing me the entire race and I had to keep reminding myself that the end was near and I was going to finish. I finally finished with a time of 1:48:41, and 480th overall. After everything, I am super excited about the Surf City half now. I know I can hopefully PR again and with proper training I know I can do well. Another thing I'm excited about Surf City is that I know Sara will BQ there and it will be super exciting for her.

Sunday Mr. R and I went for a short 2.5 mile run and I again got another bloody sock. It is now a different toe that it was before, which is weird, but I will be getting something to stop the bleeding soon. Tonight I'm going to hit up the gym and do 40 minutes of cardio and some hardcore weights. I'm really going to train hard with weights these weeks leading up to Surf City because last week I didn't want to load up with weights and be SUPER sore for the race this past Saturday.

Overall the race was a success and I really enjoyed it. It was a little bit too warm for the weather to be comfortable for a run of such distance, but the skirt worked perfectly and the l/s was great for the beginning and short sleeve was great for the remainder of the race. It was also somewhat windy and running into the wind was NO FUN. I will post my splits later this week for the race according to my Nike+, which is off by .6 of the total race distance, and some official race pictures once they are posted. I worked a lot on drinking water and getting hydrated and I'm not too sore today still but my quads are pretty sore. It was GREAT meeting up with so many bloggers and runners and I can't wait to meet up with more of you guys out there!

Today on the other hand, is a really big day for me and if it does happen it will be an exciting and needed change for me I'll post about it tomorrow.

xoxo