Newport Half-Marathon Race Recap

Me and Steph after finishing the 2013 Newport Half-Marathon.
Yesterday’s Workout: 4.04 miles @ 43:06

Hey everyone! I was planning on posting a little earlier today, but got side-tracked by a few things (like buying a new pair of running shoes for JP and getting a kayak – more on that in the next couple of days).

Today I’m a guest blogger for Carson over at Running Southern, so if you don’t follow her blog, please head over there and see what I have to say about my top five favorite races. Since my all-time favorite race is the Newport Half-Marathon, and I mentioned a couple times since the inception of my blog that I would post a race re-cap, I figured this was the perfect time to write about it (finally).

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Happy Non-Birthday and a My Soxy Feet Giveaway!

This post is going to be short and sweet today, because tomorrow is JP’s birthday and I have to go do some serious birthday shopping!

Ten Dollar Tuesday: My Soxy Feet

Today’s Run: 3.11 miles @ 29:24

Hey, it’s Tuesday night, and there’s only three days left in the work week! Who else is excited about this?! I am! But for work weeks that last longer than a second, I occasionally order something special for myself and have it delivered to the office so that I have a little treat to look forward to at some point throughout the week. Most days, I don’t need any “swag” to help me get through the day, but every once in a while, I’m having a bad day and a package arrives; if it’s for me, and it happens to be running gear, my frown immediately turns upside down, and I’m feeling better.

Today was a not so bad day, but because of the three-day weekend, I have to admit, I was dreading going into the office a little bit. Knowing that I had ordered some new running socks last week definitely helped with me with getting up and going to work in the morning (I tried to get up early and go running…although I got up earlier, it wasn’t early enough. Still working on that one…). Because our post office, is super slow, though, my socks weren’t waiting for me bright and early this morning, as I expected. However, when 4:00 p.m. rolled around, and I knew that the mail had come, I had a present waiting for me:

I’m going to start this review with (of course!) the price. I was recently named a My Soxy Feet Ambassador, so I’m lucky enough to get a 30% discount on their products—most of them retail at around $12.99. So with the 30% discount mine are under $10. Sorry if this seems like I’m cheating on this $10 Tuesday. But for all of my friends who love socks that rock, be sure to use the coupon code SOXYFRIENDS at checkout and you can enjoy 10% off of your purchase. Not $10, but pretty darn close!

I have to say that I love, love, love this company. I will only act as an ambassador and write positive reviews for businesses and products that I love…and this is one of them. From their website: 

 “Each pair of our high quality athletic socks is an ode to someone who has helped me understand the interplay between challenge and joy. So on those days when excuses are looming, I hope that these colorful socks inspire you to get out and run.”

These socks definitely brought me joy today, from the moment I opened them and saw how nicely they were packaged. It was a nice special touch to see that they were wrapped up nicely in tissue paper. But even better are the socks themselves.

This photo doesn’t do the socks justice, but I wanted you to see the entire presentation of the package. I ordered their Dog Daze socks and their Loves Me socks. Another nice personal touch—the packaging around each pair has a special message on it.

Another thing I loved about these socks (and a big reason why I purchased the Dog Daze ones, besides the fact that they were cute and I wanted to show the world how much I love dogs) is the fact that a portion of the sales from the Dog Daze socks will go towards Greyhound Ranch Rescue, A New Beginning Pet Rescue, and Montclair Township Animal Shelter in Montclair, FL. Melissa Corp, the owner of My Soxy Feet, is a huge philanthropist! Other socks on their website include Heart & Sole, with a portion of the sales being donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation; Flutter, with a portion of sales going toward the National Thyroid Cancer Foundation; Shine On, with a portion of sales going toward the BASE Camp Children’s Cancer Foundation; United, with a portion of sales going toward One Fund Boston; and Wintery Mix, with a portion going toward the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund.

All socks are made with Cool Max and Ecomade fibers, allowing your feet to breathe, and preventing them from blisters while running. A mesh top allows for ventilation and an extra sole cushion provides comfort and durability. To give you a breakdown, a majority of the socks consist of 53% Cool Max Ecomade fibers, 46% Nylon, and 1% Lycra.

I put these socks to the test today during my 3-mile run, and I pushed myself hard today. I was trying to beat my husband’s 5k pr time of 29:24, and instead of beating him, I hit the same exact time! I will admit, my feet did get pretty sweaty while I was running (who’s don’t?), but I was surprised at how quickly they cooled off and dried up as soon as I stopped running. Usually my feet (and socks) stay wet for hours afterwards! I didn’t run long enough to tell if my feet would blister, but I do own another pair of socks by a different company that are made of the same material, and they were my favorites (were being the key word), so I can safely assure you that you most likely won’t be getting any blisters while wearing My Soxy Feet socks.

So how do you get a pair of these socks? It’s pretty simple! You can visit the My Soxy Feet website here and order some. And don’t forget to enter the SOXYFRIENDS coupon code to get a 10% discount!

 

Running <3

Today’s Run: 5 miles @ 51:18

Today was my long run day, and something really strange happened while I was running. I went outside to start at about 2:30 p.m. Right before I was about to get ready, the skies opened up and it started pouring out. Undeterred, I threw my Wave Riders on, prepared a water bottle, and started stretching. By the time I actually started my run, the rain had stopped.

A Bachelorette Party Fit for a Runner

Lately, I’ve had weddings on the brain, an it’s no wonder why. I may have mentioned it once or twice a million times that my cousin is getting married in June, and my sister is getting married in July. Everyone in my family is really close, so that means that over the past two months, we’ve either been shower planning, buying shower gifts and/or wedding gifts, and attending showers.

Blogger Profile: Meg Go Run

Yesterday’s Workout: Rest day (other than walking the dogs!)
Wednesday’s Workout: 3.15 miles @ 30:15

Happy Friday, everyone! This week, I’m featuring a Q&A special guest blogger on 26.2×2. Before I get started with the Questions and Answers, though, I need to give you a proper introduction to this awesome blogger, Megan of Meg Go Run.

Wicked Random Wednesday 5.21.14

Today’s Run: 3.18 miles @ 32:37:38

Welcome to your latest edition of Lis’s Wicked Random Wednesday! I know it’s been a little while since I last posted one and you’re probably all just dying to hear what wicked words of wisdom I have to offer, so let’s just dive into this week’s randomness and get started:

1) Today I went running and had another “vomit inducing run.” I didn’t actually vomit, but my run made me feel pretty sick afterwards. This left me thinking…am I pushing myself too hard? How HARD is too hard?

2) JP texted me while I was still at work that he ran on the treadmill and his time was 32:12. So of course (the competitive person that I am), as soon as I finished my run, I had to flash my GPS watch and tell him to “eat my dirt,” only to realize that he finally beat my time today. Boo. Of course, I made myself feel better by reminding myself that he ran on the treadmill and I ran outside, which is WAY harder…right?

3) I was looking back at my old FB account (the one I barely go on anymore) and couldn’t believe how enthusiastic I was about running in my beginner days (trust me, I still am, I just can’t believe I’ve been keeping at it for so many years already! One of my favorite quotes: “Just got OK’ed by the doctor to start running again. Whoo, what a workout! I can’t wait to go again tomorrow!” I still feel that way every day…even after my “vomit inducing” runs.

4) This past weekend, I watched The Wolf of Wall Street. I have to say, I was severely disappointed. I have always been a huge fan of Scorcese films, but the last two I’ve watched (this and Shitter Island) have been pretty crappy. Why didn’t i like this one, you ask? Because it was just like Goodfellas and Casino, but with more nudity and the f bomb was thrown in there for literally every other word. Different cast, somewhat different storyline, but the plot was not as good. Yawn. Although I thought Leo did a great job as an actor, his character reminded me way too much of Ray Liotta’s in Goodfellas.

5) By the way, I have a huge obsession with gangster movies. Goodfellas, The Godfather, Mystic River, The Departed…anything that has gangsters in it, I’ve probably seen…and loved. Of course, my all-time favorite is The Godfather (the original), though!

6) I am so excited about Memorial Day weekend coming up! Who doesn’t love a three-day weekend?! But this holiday weekend is super special, because we’ll be celebrating JP’s 34th birthday, which usually falls on or around the holiday. Happy birthday to my hubby!

I got me a good catch! Even if he does beat my running time!

7) Of course, I have to leave you with yet another Basset pic!

And if you ever wonder why so many of my pictures of the dogs are taken in bed…I usually only have time to write right before bed.

Your turn: Answer one of my “questions” above…or tell me something about yourself that related to one of the aforementioned blurbs.

P.S. If you haven’t done so (or don’t know about it, please like my FB page at 26.2×2. I’m almost at 100 likes!

Ten Dollar Tuesday: Another Awesome Bargain…and Some More Big News!

My Last Workout: Sunday, “long run day” 4.01 miles @ 40:02

Since my last post ended on a very bad note, I wanted this one to start off on a very good one! Sunday was my “long run” day, as in 4 miles long. I am literally starting from scratch with my marathon training, but I’d rather err on the side of caution, and (hopefully) avoid injury. Everyone who commented on my Vegas post is just going to have to wait until November to find out what decision I’ve made.

I’m not even going to breathe a word about which marathon I’ve decided to make my first until it’s over with, because as you know, I’m superstitious and don’t want to jinx myself.

But in the meantime, I’ve been on a major runner’s shopping spree, starting with a bargain I found while at Marshall’s on Friday.

The Worst Run EVER!

Attempted post run selfie: Am I smiling, or grimacing?

Today’s Workout: 2.71 miles @ 27:53

Today, my friends, I ran some serious junk miles. I can honestly tell you that today’s run was no doubt, my worst run EVER!

I’ve run half marathons, 5 milers, and 5ks. No marathons yet, but I do consider myself to be a somewhat tough cookie (you kind of have to be if you willingly run long distance, right?). Despite the fact that I’ve been running for about half a decade and then some, today’s run took the cake.

All Signs Point to Vegas

Yesterday’s Run: 3.13 miles @ 34:00, hill workout

Sorry, friends, no Ten Dollar Tuesday this week! My wallet is feeling a little light, so I am taking a week off from buying things…even if they are pretty inexpensive.

As runners, we are huge planners. We plan not just our race schedule a day ahead of time, but also week, and even months ahead of time, to plan for that one special race, whether it’s a 5-k, a half, or the 26.2. Six months ago, I started training for my first full marathon. I was halfway into my training routine, which I had meticulously planned. I iced, stretched, had my race schedule mapped out…I did everything by the book, and then some. And then I got injured. Well, this time, I’m going the wild card route.