P90x Shoulders & Arms, Progress, & Pictures

First order of business, cute socks. 

Now that the world is in order, I shall talk about a few things:

Anyone else does P90x at home?  I really would love to join a gym, its just not financially feasible at the moment, but I keep on thinking my progress would be a lot faster if I join a gym.

But I'm also convinced this just means I should finally just buy this:

Because I'm out training the only free weights I have at home, which is why I haven't seen as much as a progress as I'm used to. I use 10 lb weights and I'm doing a lot of reps, but would love to stay on the 12-15 with the last 3 at a do-able but "struggling" degree of difficulty. The next free weights I have is 20 lbs, and I'm sure that jumping from 10 lb to 20 would result in injury.

Maybe when I get my income tax return. I would rather buy the Powerblock than join a gym. Gym = gas. Does anyone have any opinions on any adjustable sets? Two friends recommended Powerblock independent of each other. I read reviews on Selectech by Bowflex and found that a plastic piece that holds the weight can break! It can break mid use, and hurt you, and render the weight useless. I don't want a weight plate hitting my face!

Anyway, I'm also out of my pre-workout!

Sad face!!! I need to get some more. Do I still need to do a month cycle off? I use this stuff at most 3x a week, one scoop per round. Its jack3d by the way. I love that stuff. I think it won't hurt to cycle off jack3d, but I know if I cycle off a stim, I should cycle off from all its sources. No energy drinks, no coffee, no tea, no soda, which is okay, I don't drink soda.

But anyway, maybe I will. I'll see. I do have credit from bodybuilding.com =] Those awesome folks over there! We had a miscommunication which I totally would understand, and they didn't have to but they credited my account. So sweet of them. I wanted to try the green apple jack3d which is only available at GNC. I walked into GNC and the guy treated me kinda weird. Like "should I be selling this to her?" Weird. I know I look really young, I get mistaken for being 16/17 all the time. I don't think I look that young, but I get it all the time, partially due to the way I act, which isn't immature, but I'm not uptight at all. Anyway, yeah. GNC won't be getting my money. I'm sorry green apple jack3d, but GNC was not nice to me.

I'm also going to the forums at bodybuilding.com to read up on cutting. I don't want to loose muscle mass, which I've stated plenty of times before. But I can tell I'm loosing definition on my arms. I'm sad about that, but I maybe retaining water. I've consumed a good amount of popchips, which has a good amount of sodium! Any advice for cutting without loosing muscles? I know I'm a long way off from where I want to be, but I can tell I'm loosing definition =| I'm not sure what to do, but with you guys by my side, the internet side, I know I'll get a bunch of help (-;

But if you were going to snack on something, it might as well be popchips!

And this is to publicly admit that I failed my clean eating for today. I had popchips :-( I was at the store and needed something to munch and I knew I wasn't going to have "real food" access for at least 3 hours. And it was in a situation where I couldn't "pack" food. The sweet potato popchips are awesome!!! the chili lime was a bit salty for me, but I don't salt my food, ever. So I'm overly sensitive to saltiness.

What was the situation?

I went shopping >.< Unplanned.

No buts, I didn't eat super clean today, but the shopping was a success! I started at a size 16 denim when I started running/weight lifting. I'm now a size 10. I'm still wearing those size 16 jeans so I bought two pairs of size 10 jeans at forever21. Not the best quality jeans, but at $10.50 each, I won't feel bad if I have to buy another pair in a different size. I wanted to be at size 8 initially but I thought at size 8 I would be like at 160? I'm a size 10 at 175, so it makes sense right? I'll see tho. I know I should not look at the scale so much, but I would love to be at 140/150 with a good amount of muscle mass (-;

It was also successful because:

A skirt and a dress form H&M for $8.66!!!

SCORE!

And I guess a progress photo, but I'm wearing a dress, I should find one from when I started to change my mind about health, but that will be on my desktop, I'm on my laptop, Igor:

Alright, have a strong day everyone!

PS. I acknowledge that the last two pots were really not fitness related. H&M does sell work out clothes tho!  The items I bought fit, but not the way I like. Darn you H&M and your super skinny models! You skew the sizes! The skirt was a size 10, the dress 12. Just goes to show that each brand is really different in terms of sizing. Just like the scale, must ignore the sizing. The only size that matters is how big your heart is [cue post workout endorphin mushiness!]. But really, measure yourself and measure your progress by that. Not by a company's standard.

Run- 4 Miles

A friend sent me a mix to run to, and this song was on it. Of course, the running version is here. It caught me off guard and it cracked me up. Thanks buddy. 

i ran 4 miles & it felt so good (felt so good)
on 3 hours of sleep i ran four miles
i ran 4 miles & i'll never go back (never go back)
to the not running ways of the past

Haha. Anyway (-;

I really want to go inside there and take pictures while its cold and foggy and gray and empty like that. Its such a  contrast to when its summer and they paint the slides, or do something to it and make it brighter, and there are tents and the lines of people go down the stairs. So empty. I want to go do a photo shoot in an abandoned carnival too. Oh yeah, this is a run blog.

Did a 4 miler with miserable time, but I'm not paying attention to time and pace right now. Just get out there and do something, needed to clear my head and I wanted to run. Its so amazing how hard it is to get out there sometimes, but when you're there, doing your thing you're just like "Dang! This is fun, and I get to do it again tomorrow!" Either that or I'm a dork/riding that endorphin high.

I also stopped/paused a bit to take pictures. I never realized some things in the park where I run. Its pretty cool during this season when things seem so gray.

Of course I would never go in that water to swim, wade, or anything. I run in a park with a man made lake, this is the creek to the side of it. It would be cool if the water in the lake was maintained. The tri I'm eyeing does their swim in a reservoir and it would be cool to train out doors. But alas, its dirty. And its against municipal code.

Its supposedly 66 degrees outside, but as y'all know, I get cold easily and I had to "bundle up," to my standards anyway.

I hate the way I look without glasses but I prefer running with contacts, Its easier for me to zone out in my runs without something slipping off my face every two seconds. That is my purple & yellow Nike Tempos. In honor of Lakers' win last night. And that will be all of my sports politics. Haha. I'm wearing my running tights and using Lunarglides +3. I really like em, plus my Nike+ pod was already in them. That jacket I'm wearing is from Costco out of all the places! It was a Christmas gift from my Dad. Its awesome and dry-wick and my favorite part are the sleeves. Observe:

Thumb holes! 

Mitten covers!

Isn't it awesome?! For someone who gets cold its a must. It keeps me warm too, its compression as well. It has a cord management "system" so that I can stow my mp3 player in the pocket and the cord runs through the inside and has some loops the run them to the back of the neck. I have no problems putting my mp3 player and phone in the pockets, it doesn't bounce up and down. It also has "vents" in the back. I sweat easily so the vents help keep my back feeling fresh. That bump on my wrist is my Nike+ GPS Sportswatch. I don't like how it slides up and down my arm when I run. I don't like it sitting on my wrist bone and I hate it too tight. But I love my watch. I love my jacket. I love everything.

Anyway, have a strong day everyone! I'm going to eat and nap because um, I had 3 hours of sleep.

Then probably a P90x session at night. This plateau is to be climbed out of!

It All Starts Here...

Most people, when they want to get fit, head to the gym, but really, it starts HERE:

the bright yellow kitchen!

for the past 5 days, i didn't run or p90x. goes without saying, i was restless & mildly depressed but i did it to prove a point, mostly to myself. a lot of times when people want to "get fit," they head to the gym, what most people don't realize is that getting fit starts in here, the kitchen. i have the worst eating habits ever [not eating enough or eating enough but not nutrient dense foods], & i decided for 5 days that i would just concentrate on eating right. to me that meant bumping my 1200cal/day to 1500-1800cal/day [even when i wasn't working out, but still doing active things like living life. this was hard]. making sure i was getting my carbs [i don't normally eat carbs. i <3 bread, & if its something i <3, i normally do or die it] & making sure i get my fiber, iron, and all my nutrients in. but i also gave myself some room to eat what i wanted- specifically speaking, pumpkin pie.

five days later? I'm down a solid 5 pounds & broke the plateau that was pissing me off & I've been on for 3 weeks. i think 5 days of no running & p90x messed with my emotions [lack of endorphins] much more than anything. it sucked but i learned something about a big part of working out/getting fit that i couldn't have learned other wise. I'll do another long, separate blog post on what to eat, everyone always asks what i eat, these are just a few things that i learned on the past 5 days.

DO... eat clean! eat your veggies! for me, this is no problem, i love vegetables. i just needed to add more dark greens for iron. eat lean meats! turkey breast, chicken breast! protein helps you stay full!

BUT...

DON'T... deprive yourself. i know thanksgiving is this Thursday & it marks the start of yummy eating. just be smart about what you eat, in other words, don't use working out & eating clean as an excuse to binge. go ahead, have a piece of that dark meat or some yummy ham. i seriously ate pumpkin pie and a biscotti during those five days and i was like i'm effing myself over, but in reality, those "breaks" in food just helped me not to binge, which i know we all do over this season.

DO... keep active! its cold, nothing better than being indoors wrapped in a blanket. but stay active! i know i didn't work out & run during those 5 days, but i wouldn't be surprised if some of those 5lbs i lost were muscle weight. i know its all not because i also measure myself & weigh myself so i'm pretty familiar with my body. but keeping active- not just running or weight lifting- go snowboarding, ice skating, walk downtown, etc. will also help your metabolism to always be "on." thats another thing i'll talk about later on, how to manipulate your metabolism. i know my metabolism is always "on," i can tell, and its crazy how if you have the know how and the drive you can make your body do crazy awesome things.

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY...

DON'T... forget to have fun. its an awesome season. everything seems to be so magical and awesome. its a time to be with friends & family. a time to reflect & be grateful for the past year & the years to come. life is a gift, meant to be enjoyed & lived to the fullest, being healthy helps you live a long one [trusting in the One helps you live forever]. enjoy it, LIVE IT!



PS. I broke my non-workout streak today with Shoulders & Arms for P90x. It feels good to be back <3 Now to shower & walk laps in the mall- I really need new pants. still wearing the same pants since before i started, i'm now down 6 sizes. i think i should buy new ones.

with the workout nectar of life, jack3d

Strength Training 10/31/11

My ass got kicked by arms & shoulders today. Not sure if its cuz I'm in a rush, or if its because I didn't take jack3d or whatever, but I didn't finish, I'm beat. I am running late, but thats not the primary reason I didnt' finish. I'm just beat.

I'll do a full session, including ab ripper, when I get back.

But this is how I felt:

I was tired, I didn't want to do anything but goof around and or lay down and just be silly. Its okay tho. I just really want to break through the plateau. I want to loose 10 more pounds by the end of this year, totally do able if I get serious about it. Going to be tougher since it is the season of food and indulging. But totally do able!

Anyway, have to jet. I don't even want to take a protein shake since my workout was so half assed and since I want to drop more weight, I really am in that bad mentality of "don't eat anything if you don't have to."

Sigh!

Goals for Half Marathon #3

• Not be sick.
• Not be on that girl thing.
• Sub 2:30- 2:45 if I find one with in this year.
• Look half way decent in a race photo. Just decent enough to maybe, just maybe, I'll want to fork over $20 for a wallet size instead of screen capping it.

As a photographer myself, I have an open letter to all race photographers:


Dear Race Photographer,

We are running. Hard.  The last thing we think about are pictures.  So a couple of days after our race when we get notifications that our pictures are up, we usually make a face. We cringe. We shiver. We want to look good, but we know that is almost an impossible task while running 13.1 or 26.2 miles. I really only know of professional athletes that run in well lit stadiums and one other "normal" human being who likes and looks good in their race photos.

Can you help the rest of us out?  As a photographer myself, may I suggest a few things?

• Shoot from eye level.  Most of the time I see you guys sitting on the ground in a lawn chair covered by an umbrella. Everyone with a Facebook knows that eye level or above is more flattering. I know you have to see our bibs and be out of the way, but I know you can make all that happen too!
• Have a sign 100 yards away, or even just 10, that there is a photographer coming up.  Some people prefer to have their hair down in photos. It keeps people from looking too much like their younger brother.
• Don't take pictures of people eating should be very common knowledge.  It doesn't matter if its at a wedding when a guest is scarfing down some prime rib or at a race when I'm runners are downing their GUs like its their only lifeline.
• Shoot faster! We all hate em, but we love looking at em. We don't like it when we are being blocked by another runner that is pretty far ahead from us.  Fast shutter speed! Use those auto function sof your $1,000 digital camera if you must.

I think that is about it. Its a pretty hard task to take upon yourself, but I know that you are up to it. As comrades in the photography world, I know we can see [and hopefully take pictures] eye to eye that we just want our clients to look and feel their best.

I'm looking forward to seeing y'all in my next half.

Love,
Catherun

eye of the tiger!!!

PS. This was at mile 6/7, in the hills because the reservoir is behind me. I'm on my 2nd GU, Peppermint Stick is so yum, and I swear my shirt wasn't tucked in. I had to get to my SPI Belt which was under my pink shirt. I was walking cuz theres an aid station right in front of me to my right and I needed water for my GU & if you recall, my knees were giving me trouble around this time.

I've shown you guys my worst right after a solid P90x session but this picture oh man. Its the best one out of all the pictures taken >.< Sad huh? Notice I didn't even put any up from my first half. It was that bad.

You Know You're A Runner When...

Runner Girl Issues

Happy Sunday everyone!

I'm in the process of organizing my room and just putting all my running gear together and I realized something

There is my white board & cork board filled with randomness. I'll also make a post about my schedule. I could use some help ironing out the details. Anyway, look at the cork board. Something very girly- and even more so for runners.

HAIR TIE galore! And of course my head bands. Don't think you can ever have too much. Girls are always lending out and borrowing hair ties and forgetting to return them. We wash them, loose em, put em down somewhere, use them to fix random things and maybe theres a hair tie heaven somewhere. But when we really need em, we seldom find them! Its even more of a necessity for runners!  And in true catherun fashion, in different colors to match whatever shoes or clothes I wear!

Haha. Once I'm done with everything I should be able to take a picture of all my running gear, which is quickly accumulating! Including all the cinch bags from all the events! Haha. I never thought I'll own more than one cinch bag, but now I have three just from events. SoyJoy, MuscleMilk, & Dodge R&R! LOLs!

Here is another one of my growing "collections,"

Woot! Really bright sports bras!!! And once again, in different colors. The new one "blue" one is actually more teal.  These ones are from Target and for less than $20 (sports bras are damn expensive! The ones from Nike are $40 for the cheapest ones.) they do the job. I do double up tho. My boobs hurt easily. One day, I'll splurge for a Nike one, but seriously, C9 works pretty well!

And heres another one!

TECH TEES!!!  I love tech tees! I don't prefer to wear cotton tees anymore when I run. I like that they keep you dry and its just such a useful thing to receive from races.  The top one is pink, the lighting in my room is dismal and I don't have Adobe Photoshop on my laptop.  So I have pink, maroon, & red! I wore that Pasadena tech tee so much i have sleeve tans from it! But its all good! The Nor-Cal tech tee is really big on me even if they were gender specific sizing but its good when I need something more loose to run in.

I think thats it, I should really go back to cleaning! Haha.

7 MILER FAIL =]

At first I was like...

Then I took jack3d & Gu.

Then I ran... 2 miles

and gave up!

Should I be talking about motivation when I failed on 7 miler?

Why not?

The day is not over. This just means my miles for today will be 9 miles instead of 7.  I'll be damned not cat if I don't get that 7 miler in.

I know long runs are the most important for marathon training and I'm only screwing myself up so close to the game if I keep on shocking my body for long runs. I skipped running last week cuz I was in So-Cal for the majority of it and I had to hide form Mr. Curry-man. Don't ask. I had every intention of getting my miles in, Glendale is a beautiful place to run in, I really just had to hide.

Anyway, like I said, I'm determined to get my 7 miles in.  Either treadmill or outside.

I made a couple of mistakes for that 2 mile run. I drank jack3d which I should be cycling off from because I've been taking jack3d for a month now.  And I didn't hydrate.  It was hot when I ran. Like super hot. And as you can tell, I run in shorts but I wear a long sleeved jacket & a tech tee when I run. The tech tee wicks away the sweat, but the jacket is this wind breaker kind of material that doesn't let it evaporate. Its like a wearable sauna and it got me dehydrated really fast.

But its okay! I my have failed that 7 miler, but I owned that 2 miler!

=]

It is NEVER hopeless =]

PS. I ran in my Kinvara 2, I may have a new favorite shoe <3I did a lot of sprinting in those 2 miles to make up for the fact that I gave up, and to test the shoe out, and dang!!! It is like running on puppies! I do need to get higher socks for them tho, but other than that- LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! I'm doing a shoe review very soon. Probably with in this week!!! Also, if I got a dollar for however many honks I get everytime I run (I run partially outside till I get to the park) that Enterprise truck today would have made me at least $100. Thanks buddy, but I didn't want that stare as much as I want that $100.

Strength Training 07/30/11

07/27/11 Training Run

I wanted to do 5 miles but my legs wouldn't let me.

I'm wondering if switching between neutral shoes (Free Runs) and stability shoes (Lunarglides) have anything to do with the pain.

I've only put 5 miles on my LG as opposed to like a million on my frees, so the shoe isn't broken in yet, but I'm missing the arch support of the Frees.

Like I mentioned before, I want the Lunarglides to work because they look fly. And I have the LG 3 on the way! Black & pink is a sick color way. Not the black, pink, & blue, just black & pink! However, if Frees and the FAAS 300 (neutral shoes) are what my feet like, I'm just going to cancel those LG3 and customize a 2nd set of Frees.

Or maybe its all mental. I can't seem to get a negative split in the park since I'm looping and lapping as opposed to one giant loop. I manage to get negative splits when I ran in the neighborhood. I need to pick up runners pepper spray tho. Stupid ghetto as folks who hold up people on gunpoint in broad daylight. Blah!!!

Anyway, my time was bad. Mile 1 was 13:55 and mile 2 was 15:52.

-_-

I'm so sad about the time, but like I said my feet were hurting. You know the side of your calves? They are hurting like a mofo. I usually wear compression socks to sleep but my only pair right now is dirty (washing em) and my other pair is I have no clue where the f'ck it is cuz I didn't get a tracking number.

But anyway, whats done is done. I'll wake up early tomorrow and try to get a run in. I need to hop back on the calendar, I don't even know what I was supposed to do for today. I was hoping for five miles cuz I didn't get to do my long run this weekend.  That unplanned trip to SoCal threw me off, but it was super worth it! It helped talking to Marathon Mark! He said I'll be okay and just to make sure to log miles and build endurance. Not to worry about time. I'm not worried since the half marathon has a 4 hour time limit or an 18:xx per mile pace. I do have a target time, its < 3:30 so sub 3:30. I'll work that out to negative splits when time draws closer (52 more training days!). He also said that I'll probably get by without too much training and then when I do my 2nd half, I'll get cocky and won't train and then I'll suffer. LOLs! But he got me excited about running. I think training is a big part of it for me since I love endorhpins, and the race events (expo included) are just cherry on top. I'm going to hit up (try to!) the SF Marathon expo and also the SJ Rock & Roll expo! Free swag & inspiration baby!

Anyway, yeah. That was my crummy run today. Or more like walk.

I also got bit by an ant in the nape of my neck and it was a big ugly ant and it hurts!

Time to wash all my workout clothes and wash myself and look forward to tomorrows workout!

Anyway, here is a GPOY cuz I got more Nike gear in. And yes, I bought into the whole Nike thing. I seriously should buy stock in Nike.

Funny story about those Nike compression shorts. I bought them on clearance and got em in the mail. Tried em on, they fit fine. Didn't actually use them for a week and now they are too big to be compression. Is that a good or bad thing? They make nice shorts tho and lining for when I bike or wear shorts with no lining. They are the Pro-Combat shorts. I have also learned to appreciate my thighs because I put those suckers to work. Besides my calves, my thighs are gaining a lot of definition and I've embraced them. If I could "spot" treat fat without getting lipo, I think my legs would be like muscular. I'm looking forward to that fat on my legs going bye bye! Strong calves are awesome! Ten years from now, I'm going to be carrying my kids upstairs and no chicken legs is going to be able to carry/drag five kids up stairs! 40, 50 years from now, I'm going to be carrying my grandkids up stairs to our space ship so we can vacation in Mars. And my thighs will still be putting in work. So yeah. No where near where I want to be in terms of my body, but progress is progress. And that, my friends is what its all about =] And yes, those spiel about kids and grand kids is a paraphrase from a Nike ad. Told you I bought into the hype!

07/19/11 Training Run

This run SUCKED!

Time wise anyway. I'm just glad that I got out there and ran.

48 minutes for a 3.5 miler is horrible for me. That is horrible!

I also didn't manage to negative split and probably pushed it too hard on my first mile, but whatever. I won't dwell on it.

Right now, my main concern is to finish the half marathon and the full marathon. I'm not too concerned with my time as long as its generally improving because as I drop more weight, I know that it will help my time. And in my future marathons, I'll improve.

I should have ran earlier. I think if I got out when I wanted to at 8 am, it would have been better weather wise. It got really hot really fast for being cloudy and windy during the beginning of my run.

But like I said, its okay. I won't dwell on it.

Generally, from the big picture, my time is improving leaps and bounds and I'm dropping anywhere from 3-5 lbs a week, which is fast, but I swear I'm listening to my body. So I'm satisfied. I need to step up my "daily" vitamin game tho since I know I haven't been getting all my nutrients in.

Anyway, heres a picture and a note:

cat, next time your suicidal cell phone decides that it wants to die and jumps out of your pocket while running across a crosswalk and the "walk" sign has been flashing a while, let it die. its not worth the heart attack. my phone is hella tore up, but it works. however, my heart rate won't go down. In SUV vrs cat, SUV will win.

PS. Good thing I was able to cancel one order of my GU. For some reason my bank was being stupid and with held payment and I wasn't sure what to do so I re-ordered because Amazon said payment didn't go through. Turns out payment went through and I had 2 cases of GU coming way way!!! Thats 48, and thats a lot! Thats a 4 month supply! I know I would use em all eventually, but if I had all 48 at one go, I might have been tempted to frost an entire cake with it! Chocolate Outrage is outrageous!

Battle Wounds!

When I was looking at my feet after my run, I saw my first ever blood blister!!! I was so happy that I have a blood blister from running. HAHAHAHAHA.

Its my first ever running battle wound blood blsiter!

Thats about it. I'm just trippen out about how the back of my left heel almost looks like a finger!

And the fact that I have a blood blister!!! From RUNNING! I also want to pop it but I just read to leave smaller ones in tact. Especially blood blisters to prevent bacteria from getting into my blood stream! How BAD ASS is that? I can get a bacterial infection in my blood stream if I pop my blood blister I got from RUNNING!!! BAD ASS!!! Can you die from that? That would be a pretty epic way to go! Dying from something you love doing!!!

#beastmode #turnonyourbadassswitch

07/05/11 Run Recap

This is what I have to run with, my black neoprene knee brace. It is one of the worlds greatest inconvenience while running. I'm not sure if I'm KT-taping right because my knee still hurts when I run with the KT-tape for too long- it does help tho, so I chose to run with the neoprene. Its black, it attracts and retains heat and now it is soaked in sweat. I had perhaps the slowest mile I've ever walked not just "run" but walked. And it was hella slow. But its okay. I'm not going to be sad over it, not going to trip over it, I'm just so super proud and glad that I still went out there and did something. Granted, this "injury" is pushing me behind in my half training but the only things that its really affecting are my long runs because it really starts too hurt. Maybe once I get over 4 miles, it will all just be mind games and I'll just have to push through the pain. Pain will come, I will choose if I want to suffer. I can suffer in an ice bath later.

At least I had a nice view while running! I actually ran/walked more than what the Daily Mile widget says. I don't want to reveal where I live in Nike+ so I start and stop the watch significantly farther from where I live. I know I hit about three miles so I'm not that bummed. One day I'll be more accurate when I'm running not near my house. Anyway. I "ran" okay more like walked or crawled in the park today. I would go there more often but its really hilly and I seriously need to find a flat surface to run in so I don't mess up my knee some more. When I ran in the grass my knee wouldn't hurt as much so I know softer and flatter surfaces help.

I also took a Honey Stinger energy thing and I'll just stick to Chocolate GU. Haha. The taste was weird! I heard the waffles were good, but I don't want to eat solids. Maybe when I run longer runs I'll move onto solids. But that won't be for a while. Although I've read reviews that the waffles taste like STROOP WAFFLES which are my favorite baked treats from Europe. Those things are BOSS. Imagine one designed for fueling exercises?! But taste wise, I don't recommend the Honey Stinger at all. I had a hard time swallowing it.

Running Swag

I feel like doing a random post of what I use on my runs. By no means are these endorsements.  These things work for me, and if they work for you, great, if not, then great! This are just the things I use.

Nike Free Run+ 2

Prior to getting these shoes, I've been running in a pair of Asics that I found at Ross.  They were not doing anything for me.  They were something that I picked up way before I knew anything about running. I would use them for my runs and my shins would be hurting and my ankle would hurting and pretty much everything would be hurting. They were way too bulky and I just hated them.  I consider the Free Run+ my very first pair of "real" running shoes.  I love them so much. They fit so comfy and they have just the minimalistic support that I like. Not too much like the Asics I had.  They don't hurt when I run in them, but when I push past 6 miles, I can usually feel pain. I'm in no way blaming the shoes because its possible that my body is just in pain.  But so far, my favorite pair of shoes to date!

Puma Faas 300

I picked these up because they were recommended by a friend. I originally wanted the 500s but when I tried the 500 on, I wasn't convinced. It felt too much for a minimalist running shoe but too little for support. I'm already indecisive, I don't need indecisive shoes! I haven't used these at all. I'm really getting used to my Free Run+. I'm going to use these as soon as I can get rid of some of the pain in my left knee so I can't blame the shoes for them. I love them on tho. They are comfy and I feel barefoot in them.  Just as a disclosure, I love being barefoot! Even when I was younger, I would never wear slippers. I still walk around barefoot outside. I'm not into the whole "minimalistic" movement thing because I haven't even done my research on that. I just like the whole being barefoot thing. 

Under Armour Tank

I picked these up on sale at Sport Chalet for $7.00!!! A steal for Under Armour! I get hot and sweat easily and I really, really love these cooling stuff from Under Armour. They work well and its white which helps repeal heat.  But at 90 degree weather, it kinda doesn't make a difference, but hey, I have a white UA tank for $7 and it works!

Nike Pacer Shorts

 I love, love, love these shorts!!! I also got this at a Sport Chalet sale for $10 each.  They still retail for full price, $32, at the Nike website.  Pacer shorts have built in underwear, but I still wear my own =], and two interior pockets. I love those damn pockets when I don't feel like carrying anything. There is one in front, and one in the back. They barely hold my phone but they can hold a small (non iTouch) mp3 player, GU, and keys if you want. The lining is also moisture wicking (dri-fit) and with this weather, we don't need sweat building up in our legs! The moisture wicking part works and it keeps me comfy in my long runs. Another important thing for me is that THEY DON'T RIDE UP! I have a pair of Target brand shorts that I used/still use before I got the pacers and they ride up all the time. The first time I ran with these, I kept on "pulling them down" but I didn't have to! Comfy shorts, not too long, not too short, don't ride up, what more could you ask for?! Well, I do want to try the ones with the built in compression, but thats for another time! I can't justify paying $40 for shorts right now.

Body Glove Sunglasses

This was from Ross that I've had for a while. They were intended for water sports. They have rubber lining on the side pieces that prevent them from slipping, but since I haven't been near water in a while, I use them for my runs! They work well without being the typical over-size, bug-eye sunglasses I wear when I'm not running and I like red & black. The rubber lining helps prevent them from moving around too much when I run (or play in the beach) and thats always a plus.

Nathan Quick Draw Plus Water Bottle

Yes, I spent $17.99 on a water bottle -_- The thing with this is, I dehydrate easily. I sweat easily and profusely on a normal basis, imagine when I'm running and putting in work. Its like Niagara. This bottle doesn't require for you to open or "pull up" on the tip of the bottle to drink from. Just drink. It also has a small pocket where I can fit my debit card, license, phone, and GU.  There is also a spot for an ID. As a road runner, I get worried sometimes when I don't carry my ID, so having this ID tab built in is something like a peace of mind that cost me $17.99.  The thing is, I've taken this with me on my runs and I have to switch hands because my hand gets sore carrying this. I only fill it up 8 ounces (this carries 22 ounces I believe) so its not that heavy but my hand still gets tired. My right hand since thats my dominant hand.

Nike+ Sportswatch GPS

This little diddydiddy showed up, I would map my runs prior and sometimes I'll forget where to turn and would miss turns and it was just a disaster. I still have some issues with the watch- no stop watch function and no alarm function, please fix it with a software u pdate- but so far so good. I love how intuitive it is and how it looks. The CSR I spoke with accidentally let it slip that they are releasing a new color, I'm not sure what, but I'm content with the black and green/yellow thing. But yes, I love this and its money well spent. This actually makes me excited to run.

Not picture is my elastic wrist thing with a whistle attached and my Sansa mp3 player. I can't find my whistle right now (OH NO!) and my mp3 player is charging!

But yes, these are my running swag and quasi review of them.

dear chubby cheeks,

go away.

forever.

love,

cat

I'm loving P90x more & more everyday. Maybe its the jack3d cuz I don't take it when I run but I do when I P90x.  Form is getting better, I think, because well I actually need someone to tell me if my form is getting better, but I think it is! Haha. I think my left hand is weaker than my right, well I know that for sure. LOLS.

Okay dokay. Gotta shower then work then home. I love being home. 

#stinkygirlswag

May 25, 2011

June 7, 2011

#stinkygirlswag. haha... i look so scrubby after working out, its grossly hilarious. but i'll post em anyway for my entertainment. can't be too serious all the time, i'll lose it!