june you were so steamy. monthly recap.

june = summer… so summer kicked itself into high gear and it brought it’s friend humidity with it. nights were just as hot and some mornings were cool but most were humid and gross. really, did we even get a spring?!   i am just hoping that since summer came so fast it will go away earlier too.  *one can hope right?!*  i have been hitting the treadmill a lot more than the pavement because i cannot run in this heat and i am slowly getting back in a treadmill grove, but i would KILL to run outside and not want to die due to the heat and heavy air.

now. lets get down to the nitty gritty…  31.47 miles run total – a total improvement from my May (and April) miles – but i will give all that credit to Marine Corps training – but i didn’t hit it as hard as i wanted to. of course i had my normal tuesday night spin classes and saturday afternoon swims with some time spent on the elliptical in the mix. i didn’t get in as many spin classes as i wanted to because the friggin 5:30 spin class fills up at 5:05 and I have to leave work at 4:30 just to get a bike. ludicrous. just ludicrous i tell you.  i have noticed that since i am staying active my endurance is building. not getting faster, but i am able to run longer without getting tired. baby steps. :o)  …i need to remember that i am training for a MARATHON & HALF MARATHON and need to push the happy hours and dinners with friends to the side and run… but oh how i love good nights and good conversations with good friends.  ….my goal for july is a 40+ mile month.

my new coworker who i love and adore has been talking about us doing hot yoga. i don’t know. i don’t like to sweat. she swears it is a killer work out. if/when we do it… i will report back. …a little scared but a lot of you runner kids do it and love it. thoughts? i am thinking it may be a good stretch out for pre-long run weekends but i am also super uneducated about hot yoga.

i did not run any local races which was a first this year, but there was nothing that i thought would be super beneficial to my training. {even though runners world mentioned that you can take 5ks to focus on form and foot turnover… blah blah i chose to save my $20 race fee and run solo}

i made the official switch to loving lululemon over nike tempo shorts this month. SO MUCH BETTER. i cannot make an official official switch since i have 4 pairs of lululemons and like 25 pairs of nike tempo shorts but it is so nice to not have shorts that side up when you run (but i am not so sure they breathe as well though… the verdict is still out on that one). and it isn’t a full switch because their tanks suck, but their shorts i love the,. so christmas, birthdays, just because gifts… i welcome lululemon shorts with open arms and I will never buy another pair of tempo shorts (unless the colors are super cute)!! …i just gotta remember to bodyglide my fat thighs so they don’t rub together.

Natalie from Wigwam (my favorite socks EVER) stumbled across my blog somehow and reached out to me to say thanks for loving their product. (No, thank you for making such an awesome sock!) ….but she asked for my address to send me a few pairs of socks to train in. I am super pumped about that and plan on running in them and then reviewing them. …STAY TUNED…

ALSO -- i discovered compression socks this month too. pricey but worth it. and if you go to www.recoverysocks.com you can use the coupon code JHclient and get 15% off your order. i am actually really pumped about these for the half i am running in September because i wont have time to take an ice bath after the race since i am heading back to atlanta right after… it will be postponed until i get home.

5 running songs on total replay on my iPod…

1. “until you were gone” –chipmonk ft. esmee denters
2. “all night long” –alexandra burke ft. pitbull
3. “the instrumental” lupe fiasco
4. “somebody to love” –justin bieber ft. usher
5. “Lean’n” –Top Floor

so i am gonna stop and wrap this up because this was just a bunch of blabber – potpourri of topics if you will. where in the world is the year going?!  is the peachtree road race really here basically?! man did that creep up!! yikes, I am not ready for that big ol hill going up peachtree.  if you’re gonna be spectating – looking out for # 23818 <--- that’s ME!!  I am in wave F – starting at 7:55 AM! :o)  This is so exciting!!

how was your june?! 

ps. congrats to all my favorite bloggers who joined the marathon club and ran their first half marathons!!  I am so proud of all of you!

i want a treadmill - but not really.

i decided i totally want a treadmill for my apartment. i am not actually going to get one because (a) i want a new car and that $1,000 would be better suited in a saving account for when i choose to purchase an automobile that isn't ghetto and does not have a tail light that falls every summer. (b) because i live on the 2nd floor of an apartment complex & i am pretty sure the people below me would get us evicted from the constant pounding. (c) i live in an apartment... where in hells bells would i put it. (d) i have a menacing dog who won't even let me do sit ups without biting at my toes and kyle cannot do push ups without being hopped on. do i really think he will let me run 4 miles in peace?! and (e) it's a great idea in theory, but i am sure i would use it just as often as i use my balance ball, which is just about never. sure, i would use it in the summer and on rainy days and bitterly cold winter days, but really, how much would I really use it.

but how nice would it be to be able to just run while watching hours of trashy reality television like the real housewives of (enter city name here) or chelsea lately. i would run every time i want to punch kyle square in the teeth too. but let's be realistic, i am 26 and i cannot afford a piece or machinery to run on so i will continue paying LA Fitness $29.99 to get my run on in this hot summer heat.

that was my random thought that i thought of while walking my dog last night.

i saw a running shoe ad that i pretty much dislike.

as i normally do when i am at REI i picked up the latest Women’s Running magazine and as I was flipping through it before actually sitting down to read the issue from front to back i spotted this BIG 2 page ad for some Pearl Izumi SyncroPace shoes. I have seen the ad once before and after seeing it again I cannot decide if I am offended by it or motivated by it.

(I tried so hard to find a picture of the ad to post it, but to no avail so I had to type it out… sorry!!) One page in big letters says “The marathon. Once a test of will, now a test of patience.” and on the opposite page it says “The marathon used to be an elite, athletic contest. These days, it’s an all day affair where some people mosey across the finish line seven hours after they started. Now don’t get us wrong, we don’t want to take anything away from these “finishers", but we’re fairly certain that Pheidippides wanted people to beat more than the sunset. In our humble opinion, the marathon is a race that was meant to be, well, raced. Because when you race the marathon – when you truly give it everything you have and then some – you honor the spirit of the marathon. And that is exactly what it will take to keep running’s most venerable race alive and well. So next time you’re toeing the line, respect the marathon. Run like an animal.”

Question: why is “finishers” in quotation mark?! I may be reading into it too much, but are you trying to say that someone who finished a marathon in 7 hours is not really a finisher? Because I am pretty sure they have a finisher's medal just like the winner (the SAME finisher's medal). I am pretty sure they traveled the same 26.2 course as someone who finished in 4 hours. I am pretty sure that they're a marathon finisher... making them a marathoner. Running a marathon whether it was in 3 hours or 7 hours is an accomplishment and many of those people who cross the finish line in 7 hours worked and trained as hard as they could to stand at that start line and cross that finish line. many of those finishers had the same excitement and emotions running through their bodies at the starting line as those finishers who qualified for boston in the very same race. And in my humble opinion (to use their words), who are you to say those people did not race with all their heart and did not have to fight back the will to quit and DNF. On top of it, how are you to say that those finishers did not give it everything they had and then some? How are you to say they did not honor the spirit of the marathon in their own way – 1 foot in front of the other, 1 breath at a time, and 1 motivational thought at a time. isn’t running a marathon all about mindset and rising above and heart, not pace?

Also – is the term “mosey” accurate or an advertising stretch trying to make people like me react?? i do not think that anyone who crosses the finish line of a 26.2 mile foot race feels that they are “moseying” across the finish line even if it takes them 7 hours. I feel that everyone who crosses that finish line feels that they gave it all they could and then some and that they did the best they could on that day.

Yes, I ran my first marathon 7 minutes shy of 6 hours (5:53). Yes, I barely trained my last month and did not fully respect the miles … but does that make me a “finisher” – because let me tell you – getting that marathon medal was the biggest accomplishment to date, even bigger than graduating college. It was not a test of patience, it was a test of will and determination to fight through the 20 degree weather and the pain in the legs and hips, it was a test of will and determination to fight through the “just quit” thoughts and climb over the mental wall that i hit at mile 16 or 17. running a marathon or run/walking a marathon or even walking a marathon is not something everyone can say they did – and if you can say you did it you should be proud and feel accomplished and relish in your personal victory – a shoe company shouldn’t be looking down on you for it. but seriously, Pearl Izumi, how do you know what other people's levels of commitment are?

So yes, i think it does offend me – but it also makes me want to work so much harder for marine corps. I want to run that marathon in 5 hours. Probably not impressive to the marketing team at Pearl Izumi, but if it happens it will be a 53 minute PR and I will be impressed. i will give them credit. this is the 1st ad that has made me stop and look at it and this is definitely the 1st ad that has made me want to take to my blog and write.

On a side note, it looks like this is not the 1st ad by this running shoe company that had someone want to voice their opinion. There once was a “we are not joggers” ad that irked a fellow runner enough to write about it. Their web site also has a “book” on it full of equally obnoxious comments like “runners sometimes jog but joggers never run” (um… isn’t a jog just a slower run… don’t runners have to start somewhere?!)

…. And like that author of that post says… I am not sure if Pearl Izumi is trying to lose some customers, or just push us to run faster, but I am not loving this approach. … needless to say, if i was ever to stray from brooks i do not think i will ever own a pair of shoes from this company… and according to RunnerDude, they’re a fairly new running shoe company. Nothing like belittling people to try and make them buy your product. It is like the moron who thinks insulting the girl will make the girl like him more. idiots.

what are your thoughts on this campaign? have you seen it? do you agree?

hey it’s friday! that means there is a sock winner!

it has been a hella long week. i woke up thursday and asked myself “why is your alarm going off it’s saturday” and then my mind said “no not saturday, it’s friday” … in the shower i realized it was thursday. image my disappointment. doh.  but, today is FRIDAY!

not too much going on in my world (killer spin class tuesday killed me, literally) and i was supposed to experience my first ever hot yoga today, but due to a bogusly busy day i couldn’t pry myself from the office – but i went for a 3.49 mile run instead.  ANYWAY. i promised a pair of my favorite socks to anyone that was interested and i am true to my word so the winner is number 5 who is Paige from two runners and a brown dog!  Yay Paige and your brown dog!!!! :o) 

Paige! send me your shoe size and address to barbara.a.vines@gmail.com and I will get those bad boys out to you ASAP.

also – if you’re a compression sock fan if you go to www.recoverysock.com and utilize coupon code “JHClient” you will get 15% off your purchase.  Just a little FYI!

Sorry I have been such a crappy blogger there just hasn’t been too much going on in my life other than work, run, walk the dog, sleep, play with the dog, more work, swim, and spin,

Happy weekend everyone.

favorite friday … wigwam socks + giveaway

When I first started running I went on the hunt for “the perfect sock”. I tried everything from adidas to asics to thorlo to champion to gold toe and then finally i stumbled across the brand wigwam while at REI. I put on a pair and fell in love, ran a half marathon in them, but wanted a little more cushion and bought a pair of IronMan Flash Pro. Ever since I have been a loyal Wigwam sock wearer and with a sticker price of $12.00 a pop they’re pricey but well worth it. These socks are comfortable, durable, breathable, not too thin and not too thick, and just an all around awesome sock. The best part? I have never ever ever blistered with them, even in the rain and well… no blisters is a big thing for me!

Since these bad boys are so pricey I threw them on my birthday wish list and well, one of my twitter followers bought me a pair of wigwams! YAY! …I did not get my normal Flash Pros, but a pair of Ironman Tail Wind Pro socks (in pink!). I had never even seen or heard of this sock in the Wigwam line and I could not wait to get them on my feet and hit the road for a run and well… I was impressed. They had just the right amount of cushion in the right spots and unlike the Flash Pro socks I couldn’t even tell I had on socks (meaning, they were a little thinner and softer in all the right areas). They kept my feet cool in the heat and that is one of my #1 goals when choosing a sock. The only thing I would change is that the ankle is cut a little higher than I like… but that is such a small dumb detail that who cares?!

So which was my favorite out of the two?! That is a hard question since they both have their pros but I think I am gonna have to say the Tail Wind Pro Socks. I say this because I ran in them one day in 85+ degree weather and then in my Flash Pros the next day and my feet felt so much hotter in the Flash Pros – in fact it felt as if my foot was in a sauna. So, I am not saying that the Flash Pros have been replaced because that is far from the truth… but I am thinking Flash Pros in the cooler temps and Tail Winds in the summers. And because I love you all and not a lot of people know about this wonderful brand… I am going to be giving away 1 pair of them to try for yourself!

So I know you want to win and I am making it simple by only having two ways to enter. This is how you can score a free pair of rocking socks (remember 1 comment per entry)…

1. Publicly follow my blog
2. Lastly, tell me why you want these socks as creatively as possible!

oh. and it ends next friday.

Happy entering and I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. Good luck to everyone racing!!

what’s on the agenda?

i am getting really excited for Jess and her first marathon this weekend in San Diego. She is running with Team in Training and she has had an awesome support group surrounding her and I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing about people pushing her to her limits and encouraging her to just keep going. i really have enjoyed following her training (even though I tuned in half way through) and reading about her highs and lows, ups and downs, triumphs and defeats. Jess is real and she isn't ashamed to let the world know that she had a bad run or had the best run of her life. She is relatable and down to earth. Currently, she is having her normal pre-marathon doubts and starting to question her abilities, but I know she is going to rock it and I am excited to hear how she does and find out how hooked she is. Scoot over to her blog as wish her good luck!

her up in coming race (and all the other people headed to San Diego tomorrow) got me thinking about what is next for me and my 2 legs. i decided a month or so ago that i didn’t want to run any more 5ks or 10ks here in atlanta unless they were a known challenge and would be a butt kicker and beneficial to my training. so other then training runs i have thrown a few extra races to my schedule, but with good reason.

…so here is what i am thinking…

7.4.10 – the infamous peachtree road race – it’s a 10k that i have wanted to do so i am. plus i heard there is a killer hill up peachtree and hills are good. hills make you stronger. hills make you faster. peachtree roadrace, you meet my expectations and i hope you're not a let down, but i feel like you're big climbing hill up Peachtree will be worth it.

6.4.10 – US 10k – holy hills is all I have to say. Cobb Parkway is going to kick my butt – 6.2 miles of rolling hills (big hills) will be super beneficial.

6.11.10 – atlanta track club 10 miler in stone mountain. stone mountain = hilly and as mentioned, hills are awesome because they make you stronger, faster, blah blah blah. PLUS a 10 miler is just what I need to training so this too meets my training races for marine corps.

10.25.10 – women’s half marathon nashville – 13.1 miles of heat and She hills can only make me stronger and i am excited for it.

i am also thinking about doing 13.1 Atlanta the week after Nashville -- not as like a race to push the limits and try to PR but as a training run and to get in the miles, but I am thinking that may be too much too close to Marine Corps and rather than sticking with the mid point miles I may need to focus on a long long run. who knows!

may recap.

sorry. just a tad late. vacationing took my mind away from knowing that may was ending. but better late than never right.

May was a bad month for running, better than April, but still pathetic. 25.53 miles total  but I added things to my training & experienced new and wonderful things so I am happy with May and that is all that matters!  I celebrated 1 year of running … don’t quite call myself a runner yet … but i have been at this for a FULL YEAR!

First – I added Saturday swims. I am unsure how beneficial they are going to be and I think they may be better suited for a workout after a long run, but to make that switch it is going to have to come to me persuading Kyle to let me have Saturday mornings for long runs rather than Sunday.  Back to swimming… I am getting better and I have not drowned yet and that is all that matters.  Second – I had my first ever trail run while at home in Northern VA.  And wowzas did it kill my legs, definitely used muscles that are not normally used when on the pavement.  But, I liked it, it was a total full leg workout, and now I wish I lived in VA and could run at Burke Lake all the time.  Anyone know of any trails in Atlanta? Third -  I put spin classes back in my routine.  Like swimming, I am unsure how this will work for me and if it will at all… but anything to strengthen my lower body and anything to make me faster… I will try it.  Fourth – I ran a Saturday at Stone Mountain.  Awesome but killer. Once my miles increase I will run there more. Hold me too it!  Fifth -  I discovered Lululemon super short running shorts and fell in love. I was also introduced to a new pair of Wigwam running socks and have switched my loyalty to another line (but still Wigwams).

I have been tossing around the idea of getting involved with an organization here in Atlanta called Girls on the Run … they have them all over the place.  I need to decide if we’re staying down here or moving back to NoVA before I make a decision… they have a chapter up there too… I want to dive in heads first and be able to stick around. So that is up in the air….

I am super pumped because Lori gave me a training schedule thanks to Team in Training that will help build my endurance which is going to help with Marine Corps.  Back to low 3 or 4 mile runs (SCHEDULED!!!) and not stressing about 7 or 8 mile Saturdays for a month or so.  Thanks Lori, you rock! :o)

I have another half marathon on my schedule, which I signed up for in May but will run it in September.

running music discovered in may and stuck on repeat:

1. “Can’t Be Tamed” –Miley Cyrus
2. “The Instrumental” –Lupe Fiasco
3. “Airplanes” –B.o.B ft. Haley Williams
4. “No Other One” –Tiao Cruz
5. “I Like It” –Enrique Ingelsias

also. this past month i have been approached by a lot of people in regards to raising money for races (both asking for donations and wanting tips) and as someone who was begging for money is a tough economy just 1 year ago the biggest tip I have been sharing is to THANK THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE DONATED.  It seems so simple but it is often forgotten.  :: cue mini-rant ::  I have donated to quite a few races in 2010 for many non-profits and not a single person has sent me a thank you note and only 1 has given me a verbal “thanks”.  If you’re gonna ask people to dig in their pockets when everyone is watching their budgets, the least you can do is send someone a thank you note, let them know you appreciate them working your cause of choice into their budget.  As a 26 year old, my budget is tight and sometimes my donation to you and your cause means I cannot grab dinner with a college friend to catch up.  Not trying to say that I do not think my donation went to good because it did and i know it did … but take some time to thank the person who donates.  We dug in our pockets, you can dig and yours for a stamp and a thank you note.  Without that show of appreciation what is going to make someone want to donate the next time you ask?  or maybe i am the only 20-something left that writes thank you notes still…  rant over.

Other than having a lack of shoe hitting the pavement, May was not so bad and I for once didn’t fret over my lack of running.  I understood that life just got busy and embraced it for once.  Soon enough my life and work load will level out… I can just feel it!!

how did your May turn out?!

Running in Northern VA!

**caution** this post has a little bit of complaining in it.

Forgive me runners for I have sinned. I have not be running like I should be and I have no excuse other than a dog who eats rocks and has to be rushed to the vet, training a new gal at the office, and in town visitors in the form of parents and old bosses. But! That all changed when I got home to Northern VA. There is something awesome about running back home. I do not know if it is just the newness of the routes and roads. Or if it is because it is the ‘burbs and running in neighborhoods is much better than the city. So, as I packed I packed up 5 days worth of workout gear because I had every intention of running, spinning, hitting the elliptical every day I was home. However, mid last week I had a feeling that my vacation away from life and my hopes of getting in some major gym and road time was going to be squashed when Kyle started making my vacation away from my busy life busy with not one but two meals with his mother, drinks with his best friend, and dinner with his dad. Mind you all I wanted to do was dinner with his dad and 1 meal with his mom but of course me speaking up turns into “why do you hate my mother”. Kyle even had the balls to ask why I wanted to grab coffee with a high school friend. Yes, 4 events in like 5 days home made for a pretty hectic first few days home. No gym time as planned Friday. Saturday was spent recovering from 2 days in the car and dinner with K’s dad till oh 11:30 pm, followed by Saturday dinner with his mom and drinks with his friend. blah blah blah – the first 2 days home were packed and Monday was a 4 hour lunch with his Mom (and all I could think was, why does it take 4 hours to have LUNCH?!) …so leading up to leaving I packed running clothes, my iPod, and Garmin in hopes of running Burke Lake and around DC and around my neighborhood but I had a sneaky suspicions I wouldn’t get in too many quality runs and I was right…

so here were my planned runs and let’s see if they happened or did not happen

Burke Lake :: miles run = 4.65 :: I had planned on doing this run at 8 am and well, if you know me… waking up in the morning isn’t my strength so after hitting the snooze button about 5 times I postponed the run to the afternoon. worst.idea.ever. 90 degrees is still hot in the shade. The gorgeous views of the lake distracted me a bit from the terrain for the most part but I did have to take quite a few walk breaks. I never knew how hard trail running could be until this run and I the verdict it still out on how I really feel about it but my legs were dying after the run because of the ups and downs (more ups than downs) which I know if beneficial. If/when we move back to DC I think Burke Lake runs will happen… quite honestly, I wished I had more time home to go run it again. …next time…

Washington DC, around the mall :: miles run = 4.42 :: This was the one run I was looking forward to the most and it was a great idea in my mind but once I did it … no so much. I spent more time on the metro than I did running but other than that it was a cool run. I shall call in “find the monuments” because when I got off the metro I had no idea where I was and I was thinking “ok just find the Washington monument” … well I found the capital instead and then spotted the Washington monument and headed that way. So I ran from The Capital, to the Washington Monument, to Lincoln (where I wanted to wade in the nasty reflecting pool like Jenny from Forest Gump because it was so hot) and then back to the metro. Looking at the map of my run (thanks Garmin connect) I wish I had sucked it up and ran around the tidal basin, but the heat was getting to me. Needless to say it would have been a super cool run if it wasn’t so hot and if/when we relocate back to DC it will for sure be a spring/fall run. Now lets just hope it isn’t this hot in October for Marine Corps!! ….after getting home I kinda wanted to run Burke Lake again (crazy me) but the rain came in so I laid in bed instead! :o)

Around the neighborhood :: miles run = 2.01 :: the heat, hills, humidity, high pollen count, and hangover from 1 too man Blue Moons the night prior cut this run short. Who ever said a good run will cure a hangover was crazy, it just made my stomach cramp up and want to hurl in Taylor Ward’s parents front yard. (I didn’t though.)

For a grand total of 11.08 miles. Not impressive but not too bad for the busy vacation.

In other news… I pulled the trigger and signed up for a half marathon in Nashville on September 25th. It will be an easy trip up, spend the night, 7 am start, run for 2 hours, hop in the car and head back to Atlanta. I think it would be great training for Marine Corps… nothing like forced long runs with a shiny medal at the end! :o)

Tomorrow is national running day – I hope you all get out there and RUN. I will rock my running gear, but I will be trekking back to ATL from DC so no running for me. Happy running to you all tomorrow!!