Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!! Gobble! Gobble!

 
Staying in NE for the Thanksgiving holiday but only because I will be home in December, January, and again in February.
 
It's obviously cold as hell here (a bit warmer this week tho; no single digits!), snow still on the ground from LAST weeks snows...but other than that, things are just moving along.
 
I am getting in 6 days of either running, running and weights, yoga, Run Club (new!  and fun!), Step, sometimes more than 1 activity in one day...I take a single day of complete rest unless my body tells me to take an extra, then I do, but right now, thats happened I think twice?

And let me just say that doing things other than RUNNING RUNNING RUNNING has made a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE difference in my weight and physique.  Duh.  I am SO over training for ANYTHING over 13.1 thank God. My body AND my mind thank me repeatedly.
 
Have a couple new buddies for running with, that I actually like, so thats been making life easier here...
 
Still not sure if I am running a half down near Denver in 2 weeks; I was actually thinking I need to finish Christmas shopping that same weekend to get everything shipped off to Texas in time without having to pay an arm and a leg.
 
We'll see.  It has race day sign up which I love for the singular reason of being able to monitor the weather up until the day before if need be.  You never know if snow and ice will take over and so being able to sign up last minute is great.  Close enough to just get up early, drive the 2 hours there, run, and drive home.
 
Otherwise Houston is next up.
 
I know I don't blog much, no desire really, but I am on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and thats enough sharing really...other than here at least I will post from time to time or races, current events, etc.
 
Till next time!!
 
Don't eat too much!!!
 
No really.  Don't.
 



Monday, November 18, 2013

Lululemon vs The World

It is no secret that I am a Lululemon lovah from waaaaaaaaaaaaay back.
 
I've bought, worn, sold on eBay and bought more enough times that I seriously couldn't put a # on the amount of $ I have spent and subsequently made back (from selling; AMAZING that Lulu's most popular pieces have a VERY good resale value as long as its in great condition).  For the record MOST of what I sell ends up being pieces or patterns I buy, then wear once or twice; decide I don't like it, so I sell it.  Most often I get what I paid for it, sometimes even more than retail.
 
Lulu fanatics are cray yo.
 
And I am one of them.
 
So unless you have been living under a rock, don't watch TV, don't use social media, you know all the hoopla of late over the CEO making a statement in an interview that in my opinion, people took WAY out of context.
 
I don't know, I am of the thinking that society in general seems to be uber sensitive about EVERYTHING, or they are those that just like to be in the middle of whatever controversy whether they honestly agree with it, or for that matter, care.
 
So here's the deal.  So far, the ONLY blogs, tweets, FB status' that I have seen on this matter, quite frankly are those that fall out of the Lululemon demographic, the media (to stir shit up), or the ones I mentioned above: that just like to get their .02 cents in on EVERYTHING.
 
I don't get all worked up about it, except I did get a little peeved when I read two girls blog (Cant remember which ones now), where both of them wrote basically 'break up' letters to Lululemon.  Even though one girl stated right off the bat that she hadnt been able to fit in Lululemon yet, but it was a goal, but now she didn't want to be able to fit into Lululemon after all.
 
Oy. 
 
She further went on to state that she wished women who could wear Lululemon should be up in arms and how disrespectful and should see what a stain we put on our gender if we keep purchasing...
 
Um.  No.
 
YOU don't get to shame me (which is how I felt reading it) because I CAN wear Lululemon.
 
I don't go all half wit crazy because I can't shop at Lane Bryant.  Or in any number of other stores that cater to the larger womens sizes.
 
Someone on Twitter said I cannot make that comparison because Lane Bryant is open about their demographic.
 
Um. So is Lululemon.
And Ambercrombie & Fitch.
Among MANY others I might add.
 
But the difference is that people get more all up in cray-mode when someone shames or calls it like they see it about 'fat' people.
 
Look, I hate the F word.  I have enough issues with my body perception etc., that I am highly sensitive to it all.
 
But at the end of the day, whoever starts up a company, chooses the merchandise they are going to sell, at the end of the day, its THEIR business.
 
Choose to shop or boycott whoever.  I don't give a flying flipper fuck.

Every week I wait for Tuesday so I can see the new product drop.  I follow so many Lulu blogs where folks get the scoop on whats coming out each week, month or even in the next season.

At the end of the day, their product ROCKS (sans you know that little production issue they had with the yoga pants issue earlier this year), is the cutest patootiest, and I like my fashion, even when it comes to fitness clothes, especially running! 
 
But don't make it about ALL women and that we have a duty to band together?  Or else we should be demonized for thinking with our own heads, hearts and wallet.

Hey, its not my fault you cannot wear below a size 12.  I can't wear over my size either without looking like a buffoon, but you don't hear me whining about it.
 
I'll buy Lululemon till the cows come home.  Some dude telling it like it is, isn't going to change that.
 
The end.
 


Friday, November 1, 2013

Chicago Marathon Recovery Period

It's been 19 days today, and they say a day for each mile for 'recovery', but I'm calling it.
 
It's important to realize that when they say the 1 day for each mile of a marathon for recovery, it does NOT mean sitting on your ass for 26 days.
 
What it does mean is you run easy, much less mileage of course and get in regular exercise whether it be walking, strength training, Zumba, or whatever.
 
Just not like you were prior to taper.
 
I've run 6 and 8 miles respectively the past couple of Saturdays, with both being super easy pace; e.g. my 8 miler time was 1:30:20  (tomorrow I will do 10 miles)
 
I still did intervals, but was doing 7/1's (shorter runs I am pretty much for the most part running straight through again finally!)  Its getting harder and harder to get out the door for morning runs no matter the distance because of the cold here in NW Nebraska.  Its so hard as a matter of fact that I've only done it on my Saturday runs.  During the week, I'm like I want to stay in my warm house please!!
 
My runs during the week average 3-5 miles at a time.  Which is fine for half marathons coming up in the next few months.  Long gone, at least for another month, are the 6-7 milers mid-week.
 
I've really upped my game in the gym.  Typically my sessions are 1 to 1.5 hours and up to 2 hours on Sunday.  And the 1-1.5 hour ones are generally AFTER a run on the treadmill.
 
I've also done Step and started doing Yoga at least once a week as well.
 
Here, where I live, there just isn't a whole heck of a lot to do.  Last Winter, while I did train, it was lackluster at best (a LOT of treadmill running); I didn't know how to adjust to the harshness of the weather, so basically I stayed off the roads a lot.
 
Now I've come to realize that there is no sense in that.  A huge majority of my time this Winter will be spent with hours in the gym.  There is absolutely NO reason to sit in the house because its so cold, snowy, icy, whatever...spend that time working out.  Plus I have the treadmill now in the basement for those days you just cannot get out due to snow and ice. 
 
It happens.
 
I'm still hoping to motivate myself for the sub 10deg running Saturdays; I'm good with gear other than a buff, which I have yet to buy...but my weekdays will more than likely be spent in the gym unless it warms up enough (and not the high winds we generally get) to run after work outside.  But then that ruins my gym time, so running on the TM then working out for at least an hour doing either weights or a class is just more time efficient.

Anyhoohoo, thats pretty much what has been going on that I care enough to share that is ;)

One of my goals is to get back to close enough to peak performance weight by January 19th.  It'll be close, but its doable.  With the holidays though, makes it a bit more challenging.

I have a couple of other posts started, just not yet ready to publish.  There are some things I feel strongly about, but want to a) research more and/or b) need to word just right.

TTFN!