still here

Hi! Yes, I'm still here, just been a bit swamped lately (I know, I hate how that sounds, but it's true), with: painting houses (x2), running, puppy loving, friends, family, and other beginning-of-summer festivities. 

In the meantime, that's me and my Dad in the picture above - aren't we cute?

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

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)

visor: Margaritaville

Neon = Fast

I got some new stuff from Aéropostale. Not just regular clothes (I did get some of those, too), but more running stuff! Which is perfect, because my Dad and I are doing a 10k early this Saturday morning...

Oh, and I've actually been training for my half this time around!

All of this new activewear is from the Live Love Dream collection at Aéropostale (previously here). I'm a big fan of this stuff - fun prints and colors, quality sportswear (nothing worse than a bad sports bra, amiright?), all for very reasonable prices, just like everything else at Aéropostale.

I have a theory that neon makes me run faster. So I opt for bright and loud neon when I run. Bright shirt. Bright shoes (you can see me coming from a long ways off). Bright sports bras. Bright e'er'thang. It's tough to find neon running shorts, but don't worry - I'll keep looking.

 neon tank: LLD Mesh Back Performance Tank

sports bra: LLD Seamless Sports Bra

shorts: LLD #BESTBOOTYEVER Volleyball Shorts <-- the name of these cracks me up.

They say volleyball shorts, but I've worn them running a few times. While there is less coverage, I've added them to my running bottoms rotation. Sometimes it's nice to switch things up, y'know?

I really like these shorts - the paint splatter print is so fun, and a fun change from my stash of black and navy shorts. They're a bit shorter inseam than I'm used to, but that's not a big deal - I have shorts in all different sizes, fits, and inseam lengths. However, I do think I'm between sizes - the tush and legs of the shorts fit great, but the waistband is a wee bit big. Story of my life lately - clothes fitting in one area, and not another!

shorts: LLD Spray Paint Running Shorts

shoes: Mizuno

Bye Bye, Ski Season

Late last month, two of my cousins came out to visit for their Spring Breaks. We took them up to the mountains for some skiing and dogsledding (yes, for real, like "Mush! Mush!"). 

And we had the. best. time.

The weather both days was unbelievable. Beautiful Colorado bluebird skies, sunshine, and not yet slushy snow. Both girls took right to skiing and were navigating blue and BLACK (!!!) runs by the end of the day. We ate great food, did some shopping, and tried to convince the youngest to come to Colorado for college (I think we made progress!)

So, in honor of several mountain resorts extending their season to this past weekend, here are some pictures from our weekend ski trip, and my last time skiing this season. Until next year...

*sniff*

my Dad with his pupils

my sweet Mama

I warmed up to ski with my Dad in the afternoon (blacks, blacks, moguls, oh, more blacks) by heading down "Callie's Alley", in honor of my sweet pup, Cali

view from the top...

Dad and I rode the T-Bar together for the first time, and I skiied my FIRST BOWL!
it wasn't pretty, but I did it!
can't wait to do it again next season...! how many days til Opening Day??

I stopped for a #selfie at the top, of course

Dad with part of our dogsledding team

hot on the trails with our dogsled team! the rest of us were riding on a snowmobile in front of the dogs

these pups love running - look at those smiling faces!

these pups were pooped after their morning jaunt with us

If you ever get the opportunity to go dogsledding, I can't recommend it enough! It's SO fun, and how many people do you know that have been behind a dogsled team (I've been twice!)? If you'd like a recommendation of a place in Summit County, Colorado, please shoot me an email and I'll share with you the name of the outfitter we went with.

I had a great ski season this year - I feel like it's finally clicking for me. Must be the good teacher I have (my Dad) - thanks, Pops!

Mr. Picks Mondays: Pythonnnn

The Mr. picked out this python print top for me today, which I find funny. Simply because I thought he didn't like this top. Apparently, I was wrong (one of the only times that has been the case).

Confession: for a split second, I considered wearing my python print flats with this shirt. As you can see, I did not. I did, however, wear them this weekend and my Dad seemed really confused as to why I would wear shoes with a snake print on them. To him, I say "Dad. They're in. Unlike wearing socks with Keens. That will NEVER be in. Let it go. Let it goooooo." (<-- I FINALLY saw Frozen! aaaaand, I loved it!)

Also, if anyone has any tips for strengthening and/or stretching the arches of your feet, please share! I'm dying on my runs lately... :/

shirt: Old Navy

jeans: thrifted, but originally from Old Navy

sandals: SEARS

Snowy Weekend

Early last month, I spent the weekend in the mountains with my parents. Sadly, my Mr's work kept him from coming at the last minute. However, I know my folks weren't TOO upset that they had me all to the themselves ;)

my Mom and I did Tubbs Romp to Stomp out Breast Cancer - it's a 3k & 5k in snowshoes. The snow that day was UNREAL. So heavy & thick - think big, wet flakes that immediately soaked anything and everything they touched.

my OOTD - ski jacket, snowpants, & lots'a layers

rented demo snowshoes for the event

we found this neat chair by Colorado Ski Chairs - now I've got a hankering to get some adirondack chairs for our backyard...

before Dad and I headed out skiing Sunday - we're good skiing buddies

I put my monogram on my ski helmet, obvi

Dad and I skiied together all day Sunday. He's a part-time ski instructor, so he's a pretty good skiier.
He had me doing drills down the mountain and "watching film" - gotta say, I think I'm on my way to becoming a much better skiier! Thanks for the help, Dad!

Are you into skiing? What about snowshoeing? What about...dog sledding? Look for my post on that soon!

Oh oh, and HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY! Although, nothing in this post is a trick :)

M.O.A.

When I was in Minnesota earlier this month, I made sure I went to THE MALL OF AMERICA.

THE MALL OF AMERICA (aaaaaaahhh!) has everything. Every store you could ever imagine or dream of. And several food courts & coffee joints to keep you shopping all day. While I did spend several hours there, I didn't end up getting anything for myself - I got some shirts for my husband, and a belated Christmas gift for my mother-in-law. So, I klumped around in my super warm (but very heavy) snowboots, carried my extra layers all day and didn't even get a shiny new outfit to show for it! I kid ;)

We entered the mall through the Radisson Blu attached to the mall, and they had this nice fireplace area with these funky Hershey's KISS shaped chair/couches. Naturally I had to take some pictures. 

On the escalator up to the mall, I asked my Dad to hold my purse so I could readjust all of my layers. He was holding my purse just "so," so I tried to snap a pic of it, but he was too fast for me. So, instead I have a nice picture of my cute parents, instead of an incriminating one of my Dad.

Dad: you take selfies on my phone, I post them on the internetz. them's the rules.

linking up:

Work Clothes, I Supposed for Third Thursday Threads

shirt: Old Navy exact below

sweater: thrifted (GAP) sort of similar below

pants: Aéropostale

boots: SOREL exact below

SHOP THE LOOK

coral stripes & mint & running

this is my "paparazzi shot" - "No pictures, please, just walking my dogs" ;)

juggling these 2 leashes can be pretty challenging...they like to criss-cross & trip us up...

Unrelated to my above outfit (do ya like?)...

So, I'm running another half-marathon with my Dad on the 22nd of September. Another 13.1 miles on a Colorado Sunday morning. I've been slacking on my training (sorry, Pops) but have picked it up again this past week. And I have to be honest with you, I'm really bad at running. I'm slow, and it hurts, and I'm really slow, and did I mention it hurts? It hurts my hips, my knees, my calves, my shins, and my feet, especially. My foam-roller and I have become besties, and I'm constantly asking D to rub out my legs or my feet or help me stretch. And, for some reason, I get constant blisters on my feet: on the balls of my feet, on my heels, on  my arches, BETWEEN my toes (I know, I didn't think it was possible, either), just about everywhere. It's no fun, my friends. And for whatever reason, my feet won't toughen up.

However, this is something I'm going to keep doing to get ready for my race with my Dad. Running has kind of become "our thing." By that, I mean we do races together, but my Dad can ACTUALLY run circles around me (and no, I'm NOT joking). The man can lap me and still hold a conversation and sing songs, while I'm gasping for breath and asking to slow down. He talks, and I respond with thumbs-up or thumbs-down, and when he's got extra energy (which is often), he runs backwards, or grapevines next to me. But he still runs the race with me - we finished our last half-marathon (which was our first) holding hands. Now that's love.

So, here's to buckling down and taking my training seriously until our race. Because then I've got two more races lined up after that...a 15k with a friend, and a half-marathon relay with my Mr.

Wish me luck!

tank: Target

chambray: thrifted

jeans: Kohl's

sandals: Trends