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Showing posts with label Colorado flag. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colorado flag. Show all posts

Thursday, July 2, 2015

the third time I ran 13.1 miles

Third time is NOT the charm. For me, at least. I'll blame it on running solo...

Let's back track a bit. About two months. To the beginning of this past May, for the Colorado Marathon Half Marathon. Normally my Dad and I run these races together, but the poor man had shoulder surgery a month before, so I had to go it alone. And it was not pretty. Although my cheering section was bigger by one person, so that was nice :)

I won't tell you my (terrible) time, or my average pace, or all the nuances of the race, but I will say I felt great, until my right knee (an IT band issue) started hurting at mile 3, then was very painful by mile 6 (other than my knee, the rest of me felt great! no blisters! I was fueled and hydrated and rested and raring to go!). Up until then, I was maintaining a pretty good pace (for me). From mile 6 and on, I alternated walking and running. I stopped at every aid station to use the restroom and rehydrate, and take some (more) ibuprofen.

The race starts in the Poudre Canyon and ends in Old Town, Fort Collins, with a beer garden at the end (hallelujah!!!). The course is beautiful, and mostly downhill - it's a race that a lot of people PR (personal record) in. But not I.

It's ok, though - I finished, and had a nice cheering section with posters (that I requested ). One read "Run Annie Run" and the other "Worst Parade Ever."
I added my own little hashtag: #yougoglencoco

So, not my best race, but it's given me motivation to figure out this IT band/knee issue (now my other one is starting to hurt when I run - perhaps I'm overcompensating?) for my next half in September.

And don't you worry, my running buddy is all signed up and has gotten the OK from his PT. Good thing, cause I need his motivation for those thirteen miles. And by motivation, I mean singing, and dancing, and "Anne, how ya doing?" and his grape-vining, and his running circles around me, and his running backwards, and then up and back, and making sure I don't fall over dead.
If I haven't said this before, my Dad is my favorite running buddy.
He's also usually down to buy me breakfast and a Bloody Maria after, too.
#willrunforfood

at the race expo with my Pop
that is me. a (very) slow runner.
and my cute Mama
with my friend, Ryan, at the start.
his first half, and he did it in under 2 hours!
professional race pictures - I try to smile when I see the photographers.
this was mile 4? 5?
and of course I wore my Colorado flag shorts - it was the Colorado Marathon!
almost to the end.
my mantra at this point: "beer, bacon, breakfast. beer, bacon, breakfast."
after I finished, before the beer
at the finish, nice and sweaty


black floral dress: c/o Aéropostale
black cardigan: Ann Taylor
black flats: Target

green shirt: Target
Colorado flag running shorts: SOARK
running shoes: Mizuno
sunglasses: Smith Optics
visor: Margaritaville (it's more of a state of mind)
medal: at the finish line

Monday, February 23, 2015

monday, monday

A two-fer today, on this snowy and cold Monday morning. Because if TWO outfits in ONE post doesn't put a smile on your face on a February Monday morning, then I don't know what will.




These pictures turned out quite blue, but I think you get the general idea: new plaid button up, navy blue pants, and ankle booties. Pretty simple, but incredibly functional.







And then this more elaborate and layered look. There's a v-neck tee under that black chambray, covered with a navy down vest, ponte knit faux leather stripe leggings, regular socks, fleece boot socks over the regular socks, SOREL snow boots, a gray infinity scarf, new ski jacket, then a Colorado flag knitted headband on top of everything.

Whew.

Lots of layers. But that's what you do when walking around a cute mountain town, checking out ice sculptures, drinking hot toddies, and wishing to move to said cute mountain town and be a ski bum.

I've mentioned before that I used to never wear black and navy together, but I've changed my way of thinking (and maybe become more chic in the process?), and I LOVE how this outfit came together. Perfectly comfy-casual, layered, dark and interesting, yet nice and warm, and to me, the epitome of "Colorado style."


similar plaid button up: c/o Aéropostale
navy skinnies: Target
ankle booties: Old Navy


black chambray: Old Navy
navy down vest: Old Navy
gray infinity scarf: c/o Aéropostale
ski jacket: Anakie
faux leather stripe leggings: c/o Aéropostale
snow boots: SOREL via JAX
Colorado flag headband: Akinz Boardwear

Thursday, February 19, 2015

stealing beanies






This beanie is stolen.

No, not from a store, or from a merchant. It's bought and paid for, with a receipt and everything

BUT

I did steal it from someone in my family. I had ski hair, I was cold, and I liked the new beanie:
it's navy blue (*swoon*), warm, doesn't make me look bald like most beanies, and has a Colorado flag on it. Not sure if it will ever get back to its rightful owner...


shirt: Kohl's
vest: Old Navy
beanie: Breckenridge Hat Store
pants: Aéropostale
snow boots: SOREL via JAX

Monday, November 24, 2014

game day: part 3

More game day outfits, geared towards those of us who live where it's more often than not freezing&snowing during a game, instead of nice&sunny. Watching my brother play high school football, there were 2, MAYBE 3, games at the beginning of the season we could get away with wearing only a light sweatshirt. By the end of the season, I was wearing snow pants and a ski jacket. And the reverse was true for baseball season in the spring - it ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS snowed on the day of the first game.

*sigh*

...memories ;)


First up, striped tee layered under a logo tee, under a cardigan, under a down vest.
Add and subtract layers as you feel appropriate.


No sweaters this time, but the down vest definitely makes a huge difference in the level of warmth. I have a Colorado flag headband I would have added if I wasn't having such a good hair day, but it's in the outfit below.

 


This layered look was really practical to head to a friend's house to watch the Broncos play. She and her husband whipped up a great nacho bar, and we sat inside and watched the game, while loving on her pups. And there's that Colorado flag headband I love so much. #statepride



This last look doesn't appear to have much Broncos pride at first glance. But hear me out. Orange striped tank, under a navy sweater, add or delete or change (ikat print vs. navy plaid vs. no scarf) scarves as you deem appropriate, and mint jeans + taupe booties. I would wear this ensemble if we were going to say, someone's boss's house to watch the game, or perhaps a more dressy shindig where a t-shirt just might not be enough. Comfortable, a step above a t-shirt and jeans, and nice enough for church or work. 


Broncos Pride tee: Victoria's Secret
striped tee: thrifted (Target)
jeans: Aéropostale
navy blue cardigan: Banana Republic
navy blue down vest: Old Navy
booties: Old Navy
navy blue flannel: Old Navy
long-sleeved blue top: Aéropostale (similar)
white down vest: thrifted (Aéropostale)
Colorado flag headband:Akinz Boardwear
SOREL boots: JAX
ikat scarf: WalMart
navy blue sweater: Old Navy
striped tank: Target
mint jeans: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's
navy blue plaid scarf: thrifted (Target)

Saturday, October 11, 2014

number 7 of 7. or, I ran 13.1 miles



me & Dad before the race, from my Instagram

from the Mr:
"These were a gimme. I knew she would be running her half marathon, so I guess I just wanted to give her an easy item out of the 7 I chose."

My nice, white, clean Mizuno Wave Inspire 10s (TENS, not TEN ESS). This post is mostly about my most recent half marathon, so, if hearing how I BARELY survived and it took lots of beer and bacon to keep me going me does not appeal to you, and you choose to skip over this post, that won’t hurt my feelings. Too much.

I got these shoes back in August, because I was previously wearing Mizuno Wave Inspire 9s, in bright orange (proof here and here), and it was time for an upgrade. The rule of thumb (I’ve heard) is new shoes every 300-500 miles. But that’s not a hard and fast rule, and some people wear their shoes until they actually fall apart in some race, or lonely running route. My rule of thumb was based on mileage, but also that I had stepped in mud in my orange ones…you think I’m joking. And I am. Just a little bit. New running shoes were on my horizon, but after stepping in mud, the horizon got a leeeeetle closer. I liked running in my orange Mizunos, and the newer model is even lighter than the previous ones. However, I have lots of issues with blisters when I run, and I won’t bore you with the details, but decided that wide shoes would help alleviate those blisters in at least one  spot on both feet. So, I got online and ordered wide shoes. White was the ONLY color I knew I didn’t want. But, what do you know? Wides are only available in white. I shed a dramatic tear (or two) and bought the white running shoes – getting them dirty is a big fear of mine. Needless to say, trail running is NOT in my future - because of the shoes, and because I’m clumsy anyways, and the thought of roots and leaves and NATURE potentially tripping me in addition to me tripping over my own feet keeps me running on the road.

So, I have white running shoes and I wore them for my second half marathon (ready about my 1st half marathon here), the Equinox Half Marathon. I’ve completed both halfs (or is it halves?) with my Dad, and this time we matched our outfits like we did at our 10k (here). I trained A LOT more for this race than my first half, and I was excited to beat our previous time. However, that was not meant to be. The Mr. shared his nasty cold with me, and I spent the first 4 miles trying to breathe – funny enough, those first 4 miles were my fastest (what???). I was inhaling cough drops and using tons of tissues at every aid station. The bones in the tops of my foot started hurting at mile 2 – I think maybe my feet were swelling? The race was mostly downhill, and I hadn’t run TONS in the few weeks before my race – see husband sharing his cold with me. And then, at mile 8, my knees started to ache. Both of them. My right IT band tends to get tight when I run, so I foam roll. And often. But this was different – my knees were tight, and achey, and I knew if I truly stopped (for anything longer than a potty break) I wouldn’t finish the race. So the last few miles were rough. Really, the entire race didn’t go as well as I’d hoped, and I was even more prepared – physically, mentally, fuel-wise, and gear-wise.

And while we missed beating our previous time by just a few minutes, my Dad and I completed a gorgeous fall run down a canyon on a beautiful September Sunday morning. I’m not a competitive person (unless we are playing charades or Pictionary, then I’m ruthless), but missing my time by such a small margin has really lit a fire within me to beat my time from my first half – even if it’s just barely! I’m so slow that there’s PLENTY of room for improvement. The Mr. keeps reminding me that I RAN THIRTEEN miles without stopping, while I WAS SICK, with achey feet and knees. And he’s right – I AM proud of myself for that, but I’ll be even more proud of myself when I complete my next one. And blow my previous times out of the water.


tank: WalMart
shorts: Soark.com
visor: Margaritaville
shoes: Mizuno

Thursday, August 21, 2014

twinsies

 Several weeks ago, my parents came to visit for the weekend. My Dad and I ran a 10k race Saturday morning. We coordinated our outfits (obvi) and ran the race together. Even enjoyed a beer together afterwards. Every time we run a race, my Dad says "Wasn't that fun?"
And I always respond with "Fun isn't the word I would use..." 

I do enjoy running, but during the race, I can only think "Uggh, when are we DONE???"
Afterwards, I'm so glad I did it. But during is a whole different story. 

at the start. matching Margaritaville visors
after the race (from Instagram) - enjoying post-race beers

Here's what I wore to run the 10k. My Dad has the same shorts and we both wore orange tank tops. And he wore his orange shoes, instead of green ones.
#twinsies
We got stopped a few times and asked where we got our shorts - I got mine from Soark. They've got several other flags, and running tights/leggings, in addition to shorts.

I just ordered new running shoes and they're white, so, bye bright orange Mizunos
*sniff sniff*
(I just got the Mizuno Wave Inspire 10s. The orange ones above are the Mizuno Wave Inspire 9s. I have yet to break in the new ones - stay tuned...)

this is me telling my Dad to stop trying to get fancy with the picture taking...




tank: WalMart
shorts: Soark
shoes: Mizuno Wave Inspire 9s (from a local running store)