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http://chicrunner.com/?feed=rss2

Hopefully that also helps some of you.

Check out

the NEW Chic Runner Site now!!!

http://chicrunner.com

I've MOVED!

Hello all. If you got this post, you haven't deleted my old RSS feed and added my new one to my new site! Some of you may have thought I've died, but I'm alive and well and just on my new webpage!

Delete the old feed in your google reader by going to manage subscriptions at the bottom of the page on the left hand side. Click Chic Runner and unsubscribe.

Travel to my new site.

http://chicrunner.com/

On the bottom of the home page you can click subscribe to my new feed.

Also, to help the process, you can 'unfollow' the Chic Runner blogger site.

Remember, my new site doesn't have blogger inside of the title, it's just plain

http://chicrunner.com

Go visit it now! If I've missed some of you, have fun catching up :)

Introducing....

The new site that I've been working on!

the Chic Runner

So, please update all your feeds, bookmarks or whatever you may have to

http://www.chicrunner.com

Remember to take out the blogspot! Mosey on over whenever you get the chance, hope you like it!

xoxo

Foto Friday!

Hooray! So many good things are happening today! #1 on the list, is that I'm getting my new iPhone today! (As soon as I posted this post, um Mr. UPS came! hence the photo above...) Don't worry, I'll be doing a review of it next week after I get a chance to play around with it for a little bit, I still have to post a review of my netbook as well, perhaps I will post that sometime next weekend. #2, going to a rehearsal dinner tonight for the wedding of Mr. R's friend (and my friends too!). #3, I went running this morning! I ran two whole miles! Ha ha, but I did realize that I haven't run in a long time, my body was super stiff. My knees were hurting a lot but it felt good to get out there and run again, and I'm glad that I'm back in the game. I didn't have a bark cough at all either, which was promising! Now I can run again and of course, I wanted to share some pictures of the June Gloom that still plagues my house every morning.

This is the bay I ran by, notice, there is a swimmer in there! I have huge respect for swimmers who swim there.

That's downtown Long Beach in the hazy fog

Houses line on side of the beach, but I LOVE all those palm trees lined up.

Here's the path I travel the most! I love this path but this morning, I was sucking wind. Ha, ha, I will be back in the longer distances soon though!

So tractors drag the sand across the whole beach every morning so that it looks flat and the way it does. I feel like I am letting out some secrets of the beach here. I think it would be fun to drive that tractor though!

YAY! Here's a picture of me. 6:15 am came a little early this morning, but this just shows that I don't always look so dapper. Also, that's the Rock and Roll Marathon shirt. I am not in love with it but oh well, it's a running shirt. So after the run, I stretched really good and did 100 sit ups and 25 push ups. I know I'll be back into the swing of things in no time, and even though I was sick, it was nice to give my body a rest, and let my toenail heal as well. Next week I'll start the training plan that I had originally thought of and it looks like I'll just bump down the mileage for the long runs by a little bit. As I was running 2 miles, I though, how in the world did I EVER run 26.2 miles?

So yesterday I posted about linking to every one's sites and boy I have a lot of new cool sites to check out as well! Thanks for posting everyone! If you would be so kind to also update your blog roll to include my blog, that would be great. Just update it to be http://www.chicrunner.com/, even though my new site is not up yet, it will be on Monday, and then it will be all set up to hit the right site! Thanks again and I look forward to creeping around on some new sites.

So creep around on Monday for the new site will be up and running, and I hope it lives up to this hype I've created for it. Tomorrow I plan to run a nice little 5 miler in the morning and then will be at the wedding all afternoon and of course I'll post pictures. :) I got an black eightyish dress that I will be sporting and I'm pretty excited about the day, it will be lots of fun!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and can fall asleep since you all are so excited about this new site. There I go with the hype again. Gosh, somebody stop me!

xoxo

PS So many of you complimented my sunglasses in my car wash post. They are from Forever 21 if you wanted to lurk over to their site.

over-freakin-whelmed

So today I am working on finishing up a huge proposal at work. No deals, but don't worry, once I switch over to www.chicrunner.com on Monday. (MONDAY, MONDAY, MONDAY! said in a superbowl echoish voice) I will have TWO sick contests for you guys, so I guess that makes up for no deals today. At least I hope so.

So in working on the proposal, and finishing up my site at night, I have been super overwhelmed. Tomorrow I'm going to run in the morning though. I went for a nice walk this morning and I felt really good so I'm ready to jump back onto the track. Wow you can tell my mind is going as well with all these lame puns.

So in my last projects for the new super sweet site, I need to include links to all the blogs I read and I would love to include YOURS. This means, just leave a comment with your blog address and I can include it. Try to include it like this:

http://www.beanarita.com

Then it's much easier for me to just add it into the page. If you want, you can write nice things about me too, perhaps that will weigh in on where you show up on the list.. JUST KIDDING! Don't worry I'll be doing this tonight while watching some So You Think You Can Dance and also Wipeout.

Seriously, I am so jazzed on my new site. I almost think I like it more than I like my bag of Peanut Butter M & Ms I picked up last night. Nahhhhh.

So leave a comment with your site. I just am trying to include everyone, and I have been reading every ones sites, I just haven't been a comment fiend like usual because of the building of the new child! Some people I have down already from twitter, so I hope you want to be included on the BEST SITE EVER. I hope I get some new cool blogs to check out by doing this too. :) So it won't be the best site ever, but I think it's pretty freakin' cool. :)

Tomorrow is pictures, a run recap (gasp! I run? crazy!) and anything else that my little fried brain might want to discuss. Be ready!

xoxo

Car Washes and Deep Thougts

So this morning, Baby Koo got a wash. That was the exciting thing ever since it's been misty/drizzly lately, she was VERY dirty. I was pretty excited as you can tell.

I tried to run this morning and my barking cough didn't like my breathing through my mouth thing, so I barked my way back home. I shall try again tomorrow morning. I feel like my energy is coming back now though, which is good. Last night I drank some bomb wine with the roommate and we discussed life. It was wonderful.

So there's no real transition that works well but I feel compelled to post about what is going on over in Iran. Every night on Twitter and through some new sources I see more and more destruction and people standing up for what they believe in. It has reminded me that we are SO blessed to live in a country where we can talk about anything we want, can find information we want, and do whatever we want. Seriously, seeing people who would die for a cause blows my mind.

I think I began to reflect on this and for some reason, those pictures and those people, really have touched my heart and made me appreciate what I have today. I can get out of bed and get dressed in whatever clothes I want. I can drive my car to work and I'm not scared for my life. I get paid and can talk about whatever I want all day long. I can even write whatever I want on the Internet. Whether you agree with my opinions and thoughts or not, I can still say them and not fear for my life.

It's amazing that some people don't have what we take for granted every day. Right now my stomach is grumbling and I'm thinking about lunch. Some people don't even know when their next meal will be. We are so fortunate to be able to eat food, have computers, and have technology. My biggest fear is that my iPhone won't be here on Friday and I'll have to wait until Monday to get it. How materialistic am I? It's crazy to think that some people are fearing for their lives for trying to get out true news stories from Iran, or are trying to let their voice be heard. It's so easy to take things for granted, like the fact that you can read this post, but man, some things just humble you. I guess that's what the election did for me in Iran.

So whatever you do today, remember how great it is to live in a free country. Be thankful that you have life, liberty and can purse happiness. Also, if you want, you can pray for the people in Iran. Pray for their government and pray that they can survive this time of turmoil.

xoxo

Nuun is tasty.

I am trying to stick with the Tuesday Reviews of my favorite products that I love because I want more people to know about them. Alas, today I wanted to talk about the wonders of a little tablet called Nuun. Nuun is a delicious form of hydration that I tried out during my marathon training and I really liked it. First off, the taste is MUCH better and not overly sugary and overwhelming when running. They have pleasant flavors that really taste good and are refreshing. I really like their tri-berry flavor.

Nuun is a product that helps you stay away from dehydration. Nuun produces a hypotonic solution so that your body will absorb Nuun faster than the leading “sports drinks” or even water alone. Your body is therefore, able to restore optimal water and electrolyte balance more quickly. When drinking Nuun I have never felt dehydrated on a run at all. I have also never gotten an upset stomach off drinking Nuun either.

Another important aspect of hydration that Nuun provides is the electrolyte count (or sodium). Nuun provides 700mg of sodium for every litre of drink - this amount, in addition to the other critical electrolytes contained in every Nuun tablet, ensures that you are adequately replenishing your body’s stores to help you perform at your best, and stay healthy.

Though many people say that Nuun lacks some of the carbohydrates that other drinks offer, and it has zero calories, for me personally I would much rather eat something on my run, than drink calories because I think that may be what is upsetting my stomach and creating my stomach issues. I have come to realize when running very long distances (anything over 8 miles for me) that calories are super important and your calorie intake needs to at least be something. I think for my next training cycle, for whatever race that may be, I will try to eat foods instead of take gus/beans/shots etc, because those seem to be what messed up my stomach in the first place. I mean, besides the episode at Mile 8.

Nuun is tasty, replenishes electrolytes and I would recommend you guys to check it out next time you are at your local running store. It's just a small tablet that you can dissolve in water. Think alkaseltzer. It's nice because I can take more than one with me on a run and can refill my water and still have Nuun with me.

You can buy it on their website, or you can sometimes find it at local smaller running stores. Check it out! You won't be disappointed in the flavors and hydration.

xoxo

Just around the riverbed....

Name that movie? Can you guess? POCAHONTAS! When she's on her way to see Grandmother Willow, yup, a talking tree represented as her Grandmother. Talk about weird.



Well that is neither here nor there, so just around the riverbed for me is the fact that I'm finally starting to feel better. I don't sound like a man when I talk and I can almost fully breath through my nose again. This means that if I'm feeling up for it, tomorrow I will begin running once again. Hopefully. You see this is how I work, I start feeling a little sick, then I keep pushing myself and pushing myself, thinking that I will just get better, but my body says, "No Way!" and then I just get sicker and sicker and then finally I have to take off work and sleep for a few days in order to feel better. Annoying right? Every time I get sick that's what happens. So the break was needed and now I'm feeling much better.



There are more exciting things coming to chicrunner too, that I'm super excited to tell you guys about. First, remember when I did my own site, at chicrunner.com, and then there were MAJOR issues of the site being down, problems with hosting, problems with email, problems with people not knowing that they had to add the blog spot back into the address? Yes, well this Friday, there will be a switch back to chicrunner.com without the blog spot, and it's going to be a brand new, amazing, exciting site, and I'm kicking off the new site with 2 SWEET giveaways.



Seriously, I'm jealous of the giveaways because I want the prizes for myself. So stay tuned, I will be linking to all sorts of wonderful things and will let you know when the new site is officially up!



To all you Texans, the lovely Mr. R is attending a conference out in San Antonio this week for work. Perhaps stalk if you see him, don't tell him you've seen him online for that would forever freak him out. He is just coming around to understanding this... but I personally would find it incredibly funny if someone did spot him partying on the river walk like he's 21 conferencing hardcore for work.





On another completely unrelated note, here is a picture that I am in love with today.

I'm catching up on every one's weekends! Can't wait to post a sweet review tomorrow!

xoxo

Welcome to my bano.

Remember the home tour I was taking part in? You know, the one that showed off my kitchen, dining room and living room and the 'guest' room aka my roommates room and then I realized I don't have much of a house left after that? Well they've been busy doing offices, baby rooms and rooms that don't exist in my house, but today I can participate again! Today over at Kelly's Korner its bathroom day!

This is the entrance to the bathroom. Our bathroom is super tiny but we've never actually had any problems with it or getting ready in it. It's also the only bathroom in our home.

Here's the shower, I love the archway that is over it, and it's all tiled. Our shower curtain is black, shocking, I know. We have these cute little crystal shower curtain holders which I really like too.

Here's the inside of the shower and yes, that is a little rubber ducky. I found him randomly in a drawer and we put him in the shower when we moved in. He's stayed there! I love the tiling in our bathroom, and it's a shower tub, but I thought taking excessive pictures of the tub would probably bore you.

Then turn around and you'll see our sink! It's a pedestal sink and I really like that as well. We have one medicine cabinet above it, and the towel rack as well. That tealish thing in the mirror is actually a window that pops out.

This is the little hanging sign that is above the hand towel rack in the picture above. This sign cracks me up. It's funny too because I LOVE making my hair big, especially after a few drinks, it just keeps growing for some reason. I saw this sign and had to get it. Plus it was like 72 cents at Target.

Then you can look directly to the toilet from the sink! Told you our bathroom was small!

This is also where the bathroom gets a little weird. Not surprisingly, our bathmat and toilet mat are black, but if you notice where the toilet paper is, on the other side of the sink? Yup, it's along reach so we got a toilet paper stand. And yup, there is a heater right next to the toilet as well. Oh well it works out, but I have heard some guys say that it's a pretty tight fit in there, which makes me laugh.

Last weekend was the Bachelorette party that I went to in San Luis Obispo and it was incredibly fun. I'm so glad I went, but I was super bummed that I left my license at home. We were going wine tasting. STUPID, but it was TOTALLY something I would do. I told my two best friends and Mr. R and they weren't surprised at all. Luckily two wineries still let me taste (the shame!) and two didn't, but according to everyone, I tasted at the two best wineries. It was gorgeous weather and so much fun. We also went out to a bar that night, and they even let me in with my school id (yup, four year old picture!), some credit cards and my insurance card that had my birthday on it. Double Bonus.

The hostess younger brother and his friend drove us around (and enjoyed it! They were the BEST) and at the last winery, where everyone else was drinking, they took me to 7-11 and bought me some Smirnoff ice, I chugged it while in the parking lot sitting in the car. Don't worry, I wasn't drinking while the car was in motion! The chugging them was a stupid idea, but it was hilarious sitting with them and waiting for the girls. Then we got out and I jumped over some plants? It was strange but super funny. Then I got heartburn from drinking them too fast. Then we went home and watched Twilight and dang, Robert Pattison, I was never attracted to you and never saw what everyone was hooting and hollering about, but sign me up on the stalker train now!

And here is the lovely bride to be! I will just call her Sunwalk, since that is my nickname for her anyways. She is getting married NEXT WEEKEND! I am so excited for her and I know she will make a beautiful bride and their wedding will be gorgeous. Mr. R is in the wedding for her soon to be husband, so perhaps I'll post some pictures for you wedding fiends after that wedding. Sorry, I don't know why the picture is so dark. There are tons of other pictures from the weekend, but I haven't gotten them yet, so perhaps more might show up at a later date. :)

This weekend my only goal is to kick this sickness I have into 2010. Oh, and I'm getting a haircut. Well trim. I'm super anal about getting my haircut every 6 weeks and it's been almost 2 months. I can't wait. I have some stuff going on on Saturday and Sunday, I think I will go look at some new home options for Mr. R, since he is moving late July. New home in CA means very overpriced apartments. Though Mr. R feels safe in all locations, I don't! So we'll see what he has found. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and is able to get your run on. I wish I could be running but breathing through my nose is out of the question. Yea that whole post I did this week about my training schedule... see things like this happen and you can't stick to the schedule. Meh! I'll be back on the streets soon, as in running on the streets soon. :)

xoxo

Communicado.. No?

So I realized after I got all the comments yesterday and people worrying about my leg and lung health that I got a little something mixed up, I know I shouldn't be doing two fast workouts back to back and the twenty milers shouldn't be back to back. DUH. That was totally my mind and typing not communicating well at all. But alas, don't worry, I will switch around the workouts so I have a slower, recovery day in between all my faster workouts and I will have a week to split up my long 20 milers as well. I know it seems like a lot for the longer distances, and I'm not trying to build my endurance that much, but at the same time, I really feel that a long run on the weekends is really good for me. I am going to work on focusing during my long runs and not allowing my mind to give up half way through. I think that will really strengthen my running abilities.

Also, coaching track and cross country and running competitively in high school for four years and on and off for 5 years, I think I will do a lot of the same workouts I did and had my kids do as well. I think that will be helpful since I used to do them and they are pretty engraved into my head.

Also many of you think this training schedule is super hardcore, but really looking at the schedule, it's not too rough. It's a few smaller runs, with longer runs on the weekend and I tried really hard to switch it up from just going out and running 5-8 miles daily as well, with the hill and gym and track workouts as well. Now, don't get me wrong, you won't be seeing me on a bike or in the pool anytime soon. Thanks for all your advice though, I definitely will be taking it to heart.

Now, I know many of you need new summer workout gear, check out the links below. Lately though, I am sad to admit that there are absolutely no guy deals out there. Every website I check it's the same stuff I posted last week. Do any of you guys who might creep around this blog know of any new websites or places online to get good guy running stuff? Email me @ Danica@chicrunner.com if you know of any!

Women's

Journey Moving Comfort Shorts

Nike Fitness Tights

Prana Sports Top

Prana Sports Top 2

Asics Performance Shorts

Nike Strength Top

Prana Sabin Racer

Asics Microfiber Shorts

Marmot T-shirt

Sugoi Lucky Fit Shorts

Sugoi Sports Bra

Sugoi Marilyn Tank

Sugoi Balance Tee

Sugoi Cap Tee

Nike Knit Shorts

Tank by Moving Comfort

Simple Tank By Prana

Saucony Shorts

Oiselle Shimmel Tank

Nike Bikram Shorts

Nike Plus Shorts

Nike Personal Best Long Tank

Women's Unwind Strappy Tank

Seamless Champion Sports Bra

Reebok Fitness Tank

New Balance Tank

Danskin Spring Blossoms Tank

New Balance Shorts

Men's

Sorry. Lame. I know.

MarmotMesitaTee

I'm still sick. I'm seriously over being sick in the summer. I can't breath through my nose so I know running is out of the question right now. My head feels like it weights 10 pounds and it's all clogged up in my sinus area. Graphic? Yes. Would you expect anything less from me? I can't believe tomorrow is already Friday. Where did the week go? I'm excited though, because tomorrow is Foto Friday! Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

xoxo

Half Marathon Training Plan

So I realized sometime during my marathon training that training plans overwhelm me and really take the fun out of running for me. During my training I got burnt out and wanted to not run as much as I was in the beginning. The training plan I was following was made up for my current running abilities at the time and was perfect if I would had stuck to the plan pretty closely. I dealt with a lot of personal things during the training which also wore me out so I had no energy to run some days. Running hard six days a week is just not for me either. So with this upcoming half marathon, here are the things that needed to be addressed.

1. Bathroom issues - I need to find a good mix of what to eat while running that doesn't lead to bathroom trips. Though I never had had a problem with the half distance and the bathroom issues, if I choose to run a marathon again, I would rather try to figure that out earlier on so I don't have the problem anymore.

2. Speed - After the marathon I realized that I had perhaps stepped back on running fast for a little bit too long and I had lost a lot of my speed that I build up by building my endurance. I am going to work on getting faster and keeping with that pace for this cycle of training

3. Hills - I know the SF 1/2 is going to have some major butt kicking hills and if I don't train on them I'm going to have an epic blowup at the 1/2.

4. Sticking to the schedule - So I got super burnt out, and had a really hard time getting myself out there to run because I think I got overwhelmed with the amount of running, the time it took and everything else in my life. This cycle I am really going to try to stick with the schedule.

5. Diet - So we all know that I eat a ton of crappy food. As in a TON. I eat a ton of fast food, and at work I'm called Lamar because I eat so much candy. This little issue will be addressed after the training plan.

So dun dun dunnnnn, I announce my OWN training plan.

I made this up according to what I think I can feasibly get done and also with the idea that one day, sooner than later I may possibly run another full marathon. This is all still speculation and I hope to discuss my feelings and how the race went mentally sometime next week. I'm still sorting through that whole mumbo jumbo in my head.

Sundays will be my rest day

Each week I will be doing on cross-training or weight lifting type workout. This will most likely fall on Mondays.

Tuesdays I plan to do some simple mileage. Usually at a nice, consistent pace. Anywhere from 6-8 miles. Somewhat of a recovery from weights if I'm a little sore. I will do some striders at the end to shake out my muscles and keep the speed somewhat included.

Wednesdays I will run a faster lactate threshold type workout. This can range from 6-12 miles, with 3 to 8 miles at a faster pace. Mostly the half marathon it will be on the 6-10 mile side.

Thursdays I will do a track workout. This means legitimately going to the track and running as fast as I can. Usually will be doing 400s or 800s all out. Possibly will include sprints (because I miss them dearly) OR I will run hills, which would be a very hard hill workout, where I run up a hill all out about 10-20 times and then slow jog around the back. There is a nice grassy hill that I know I can run up and it will kick my butt but will also get my quads into better shape and will get me more used to running hills more frequently. This is what we did in high school and it really helped me.

Fridays This is my 2nd rest day of the week.

Saturdays This is where my training will be a little different, I am going to include 2 20 mile long runs in the beginning of July before my taper to try to increase my endurance. All my long runs in the training cycle will be longer than the half marathon distance of 13.1 miles as well. I have 6 long runs to get in before the half so I am going to probably break it down like this:

June 13 (but sadly this weekend I think my run will come on Sunday because I have some prior all day commitments on Saturday, but it shouldn't mess up my schedule too bad since it's not too incredibly long and I shouldn't be sore on Monday) - 14 miler

June 20 - 18 miler

June 27 - 20 miler

July 4 - 20 miler

July 11 - 18 miler

July 18 - 14 miler

July 26 (Sunday) - San Fransisco Half!

It seems crazy but I really think this will allow me to build my endurance up and I know I can run that far because of the marathon. I know it will also keep me in better shape in case I do decide to run a fall full marathon. I also hope it makes me faster. Also every night, I will do at least 25 push ups and 100 sit ups, if not more as I go along. I started doing that before San Diego and before I gave up on them, I was really starting to see a difference. I know the core is very important to runners and I want to work on mine. I feel that starting off with 100 and doing them every day will be a good number. If I feel good then I will do more, but I must always do 100.

So now onto the diet of myself. I know I eat a ton of fast food. To cut this down I'm limiting it to eating fast food once during the work week, and once during the weekend. This can be for dinner, breakfast or lunch, but it's only ONCE during the day I choose, not a full day. For me, fast food is Mc Donalds, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, Del Taco, etc. NOT Quizno's, Subway, or Togos. If I get a sandwich somewhere that doesn't count as fast food, because that's basically what I would have brought from home.

This new diet also includes not drinking limitless amounts of Soda. I can have two of those a week too. Luckily, I don't drink coffee so I don't have to wean myself off that either, but I know caffeine and sugars are super bad for you, and I need to increase my water intake. I know I can't give up all my soda but I think two a week is a good number, because sometimes I just need a soda, sprite specifically.

Then we have the candy addiction. This is rough because I love candy. I am going to try to cut as much out of my diet as possible, but if need be and I can't resist the addiction cravings, I can have one bag a week, of whatever candy I choose. This isn't the family size bag or a fun size, this is the regular bag that would be mixed in with the candy at any gas station type of establishment.

I am going to try to eat healthier by eating more fruits and vegetables as well. I seriously lack those in my current diet. Mainly my diet is made up of cheese and bread/pasta, with the occasional interspersing of chicken. So I think including more fruits and veggies will bode well for me. Also last weekend I tried tofu and really liked it so I think I'm going to try to start working on making some of that and including it in my diet. I don't necessarily want to drop a lot of weight on my 'diet' but at the same time that would be an added bonus, but mostly, I want to do it to feel healthy and feel good. I love candy but it doesn't always make me feel the best after I've downed some huge bag.

So that's my plan in a nutshell basically. Well see how it goes and how all my workouts start to fall into place. It starts this Saturday (or Sunday, pending) with my 14 miler. I am trying to get my toe to heal as quickly as possible and it's starting to feel a bit better, which I think will allow me to run well this weekend for the 14 miler I have planned. Now to get rid of this summer cold that has me a little congested and I'll be good to go.

I am excited about this plan because I feel like it fits me a little bit more than such intense running. I like to switch things up and I feel like my long runs will help me build endurance and make the half fly by! Well see how it goes. I also feel that this gives me the option to run another fall full marathon if I choose to.

So tomorrow I'll have some sweet deals! I will be posting my progress with the plan as well throughout my training up until the 1/2 on July 26.

xoxo

Me and Goji = Me and YUMMY

So I wanted to jump on the 'make my own cereal' bandwagon that I've seen on blog land. First, I love cereal and really wanted my cereal that I was going to eat to pack a little bit more punch than just some super shriveled up dehydrated berries. I am trying to be a little bit more healthy, and I thought this cereal looked like just the answer. Also we all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so I really have been trying to eat something every morning. Me&Goji is just what I was looking for!

Love their packaging, and though it's in a tube, I feel like you get more cereal from the tube form than from boxes. I also feel like their packaging allows the cereal to stay fresh for longer, which is always very helpful.

One of the things I liked the most is that the flakes are big and the fruit and other options that you can choose from to include in your cereal are large and I felt like they were actually real fruit in my cereal. I got cranberries, coconut, blueberries and bran flakes. The fruit was delicious, and I felt like it was too good to be in cereal. The bran flakes didn't have much taste, but then again, what do you expect, they are bran flakes.

Here is a picture of the fruit, I tried to get a picture to show everyone how big the fruit actually is. The cereal is sitting on the lid of the tube. The chunky fruit makes SO much of a difference in a cereal. I didn't realize how much more flavor it adds and how much better it makes your cereal.

This is another picture of the tube and the cereal that I took out of the tube but this would be roughly what would be poured out with each pour. They don't skimp on any part of the cereal or fruit which is another great factor of Me&Goji.

So overall, I really liked the taste and flavor of the cereal. I also felt like their website had many more options than some of the other websites out there. They have tons of different types of berries and even gluten-free options which is also really cool. Of course, it's more pricey than a regular cereal found in the store and you have to pay for shipping but at the same time, it's so much more healthy and delicious as well. Definitely check out their site and play around, trying it once won't hurt, and it also makes a great granola mix as well where you don't even have to eat it as a cereal.

The robust flavors and health factors alone make it delicious and I hope you all give Me&Goji a try!

My infected toenail is slowly dying so I am anticipating it's departure soon. I am going to get in a few miles tonight, but I can't do much working out with my toe like this because it shoves up against my shoe and just gets pushed back more into my skin which is painful. I also need to get some new shoes! Hooray! That will be done this weekend. Tomorrow I will be posting my plan for the 1/2, so stay tuned. On a completely unrelated but just as important note, what in the world was the Bachelorette last night? Crazy men, I tell you. Now scoot on over to Me&Goji and try to stay away from the chocolate covered goji berries. :)

xoxo

I am an addict to Gum.

I am addicted to gum. I chew it all day at work, when I run, when I'm at the gym, everywhere. I usually chew gum for an extended period of time also. Like 4-5 hours. Gross. I usually prefer a frosty or fresh tasting gum, nothing too crazy flavored. I want gum to be freshening my breath, which I think is it's intention. I am a really bad person and usually spit my gum out the window as well when I'm driving. Sometimes this is mildly entertaining for me as well. The other day I was driving home from work, and this happened.

I spit out my gum and it landed on my door. Totally missed the rolled down window. STUPID. I think what could even be more stupid is that I then took a picture of it.

How's that for a super amazing and exciting 200th post? Yup, I failed. ha ha.

Tomorrow I will have some new cool stuff to talk about, like my infected toenail that has not allowed me to wear shoes. I did get in a gorgeous, I wish I took pictures, run this weekend in San Luis though. I ran about 8.5 miles and felt good, minus the toe issue. Hopefully, and sadly, the toenail just needs to fall off and then I think that it will heal itself.

This week I will be posting my homemade training plan, what I think my goals will be for the San Fran 1/2 and of course, anything super exciting that happens to me that I think you all must know about immediately. I have a review to post as well. Maybe I'll even throw in some workouts, but tonight is a rest day and will include some great Bachleorette watching!

xoxo

Foto frizziday

So it's raining outside. Raining in CA? Yea, pretty much all the news stations screamed we were on 'Storm Watch' 2009 this morning while I was getting ready for work. Storm Watch? Really? Is that necessary? It's barely drizzling on my way to work and all I can see is break lights from crazy drivers stopping and going ahead of me. Seriously people, it's just water, that is falling from the sky. The rest of the world enjoys this more often than we do, but I feel like us Californias can embrace it too. It's not a storm if two drops hit my head on my walk in from my car to my office. Sadly, the rain does make my hair frizz like a lion main though! Luckily, it's not raining too hard. It's so strange though, June Gloom is taking on a whole new level of gloominess!

So it's Foto Friday. I love Fridays and I love Fotos. I don't necessarily like the fact that I spell it Foto Friday on Fridays, but oh well, what can you do.

So I saw this on my way to San Diego this past weekend and KNEW I would HAVE to blog it. How hilarious is this! Then in my pre-hormonal (we all know what happened at mile 8) I almost started crying at how cute it was. If you can't read it, it says 18 years with Mrs. Right and on the side it says Happy Anniversary.

Then I saw this. Heart with an s and then l8krs. Ha ha ha ha. Wow, as much as I HATE the Lakers, I put this up for my coworkers who are laker freaks. Emphasis on the freaks. Just kidding Yaya and Carne. :)

Now we all remember how I like to talk about the photo shoot I did with Webbed Foot Photography and how obsessed I am with her and her shoots. So I'm putting up more pictures of myself that she took. I find them amazing and I can't just let them sit on my computer, now can I.

I am going to be doing a lot more of these... I need to get my abs back into shape! Too many trips to Yogurt land, and any fast food restaurant in my general vicinity has done me in.

Can I just tell you that I'm just completely obsessed with this picture. I adore it. I also know I'm completely spoiled because yes, this picture was taken on the 'beach path' that I get to run on EVERYDAY since it's outside my front yard. Sigh, how can I ever even be remotely unhappy.

Then, check out this sweet picture. Now you might remember the 'official' race photos and how I stated I was sad that my time said 4:31 but I had the net time of 4:28. I know why this happens and it's because I crossed the starting line before this clock started, it all makes sense to me as a runner chip time and 'picture time' can be different. Now, I realize this is somewhat cheating, and I could get whatever number I wanted put on the clock, but I did make my "A" Goal in finishing under 4:30 and that's why the 4:31 made me sad. BUT, a faithful reader, who is obviously better at photo shop than me (you can see examples here and here) photo shopped my time to say my net time, which was 4:28. I feel bad for about 5 seconds and then I don't care anymore as my snazzy new time looks good up there. TAKE THAT RACE PICTURE! Now, that was the sweetest gesture ever and I am graceful that she also cut out, the suffering woman in front of me.

This weekend I'm going to San Luis Obispo for a Bachelorette party. Wahoo! Running up there should be amazing and I heard they might have some alcohol laying around those parts that needs to be consumed, but we'll see... :) Have a wonderful weekend and next week I have some more reviews, my training plan for the upcoming San Fransisco Half Marathon, and you know, pictures that I find to be amusing.

xoxo

Rundown Deals

Yesterday was National Running Day, and Mr. R drank enough coffee to kill a small child so he decided to run with me and was actually excited about it. I was still a little bit sore but his energy was hilarious. He doesn't like running at all and I love running with him. We were about 3 miles out and I said, "Now isn't this fun, being an active couple and running together?" His answer, "No" with a thumbs down. Oh well, I must accept that running isn't for every single person.

I am going to start training again next week for the San Fransisco 1/2 in July. This time for the half I am going to get in more miles and see how some speed workout treats me. I will be posting my training plan soon. Also, I know that SF will be hill filled so I know I will have to incorporate those into my workouts as well, but I am excited because I love running hills and know that running more hills will build my quad strength.

Now deal time!

Women's

Under Armour UA Logo Tee

Under Armour Heat Gear Short Sleeve Tee

Under Armour Sleeveless Tank

Under Armour 2" Shorts (these are super cute)

Under Armour Tech Shorts (cute again)

Sugoi Splash Tank

Sugoi Marilyn Tank

Sugoi Balance Tee

Sugoi Cap Sleeve Tee

Adidas Shorts

Reebok Seamless Skirt

Reebok Dry PlaySkirt

Nike Women's Mesh Long Sport Top (I have this and love it!)

Asics Kara Tee

Nike Printed Tank

Nike Long Sport Tank

Nike Speed Course Running Shorts

New Balance Run Shorts

Brooks Element Shorts

Adidas Supernova Run Skirt

Brooks HVAC Run Shorts

Reebok Training Shorts

Adidas Response Shorts

Road Runner Sports Shorts

Road Runner Fitness Shorts

Road Runner Performance Shorts

Zoot Run Fit Razor Back Tank


Men's

Under Armour Zone Short Sleeve

Pearl Izumi Race Tank

Reebok Woven Shorts

Reebok Premier Split Shorts

Road Runner Sports Pro Distance Shorts

Road Runner Sports Performance Sleeveless Tank

Road Runner Sports Performance Tee

Nike Sphere Dry Fit Short Sleeve Tee

Reebok Performance Short Sleeve Tee

Reebok Performance Crew

Asics Sleeveless Tank

So there are some deals to be had out there! Many of you have asked about my spandex shorts. I guess I am becoming known for wearing those. Here is a link to a whole bunch of Asics volleyball shorts which is what I wear sometimes, Here is a link to some Champion Volleyball shorts, and here is a link to the champion website where you can see their selection. I personally would get the boy style fit ones. Also, you can find them at volleyball sites, like this one. These ones you can even get in different prints and stuff. They are super comfy and fit well and wick away sweat. These are most like the Nikes I wear, along with these, these, these, these, these, these (which are super cute) these, (which are super cute again) and these. So there you go. Go spandex crazy.

Tomorrow is photo Friday... I wonder what I can dig up! :)

xoxo

Poppin' with Deliciousness + Pictures + National Running Day!

Today could quite possibly be my favorite day of the year and I'm filled with joy. Well the best besides my birthday in October, it's

Hooray! Tonight I'm going to put in some recovery miles. Though running Monday was a little rough, I definitely think it has allowed my soreness to go away. Tonight I'll be running a little bit probably a nice little 2 miles out and back. I'm excited to run tonight and then to start working on my speed for the upcoming San Fransisco Half July 26! Remember, if you want to start running, go slow, and take your time. Running is to be ENJOYED!

I think during training I got a little overwhelmed with the schedule and got really burnt out. I have missed just getting in miles and working on fast miles, and got tired of running for anyone else besides myself. I know that I've learned my lesson and I know that getting in more miles will make me much faster as well. I can't wait to go on a relaxing long run this weekend in San Luis Obispo!

Yesterday I got some sweet 'official' race photos from San Diego this past weekend. Normally I thought there would be a lot more pictures taken on the course, but there was one spot at mile 22ish, which this gem was taken:

And then we have the lovely finishing photo. Don't worry the clock tells lies. My chip time was 4:28, since I crossed the finish line earlier than the clock said. I'm not lying to you people! Yet, I am kind of bummed that the clock reads that in my finishing pictures.

Though I'm not too totally jazzed on these photos, perhaps the woman in the black in front of me ruined them, they aren't the worst so whatever works I guess. I am still waiting for my medal picture that I must see. At least I look like I'm running in these two pictures. There is one that I look like a crazy race walker. Obviously I didn't post it. :)

As for a sweet review that I totally must tell you guys about, the wonderful and delicious Pop Chips. They sent me a sweet package to review (and since I work in advertising, I have to give them MAJOR props on their marketing and packaging) and I'm not going to lie, I was a bit skeptical. I love me some "baked" chips and didn't really know what to expect when eating these "popped" chips.

For me, they felt like they almost have the 'I want to be a ricecake' mentality, but were thin little round chips. Excuse the horrible picture, but this is about how thin they are. They are crispy and not greasy at all. I have seen these in the stores and just never bought them because they were a little more expensive than the other chips, nor am I one to try something that I don't already know. Perhaps I am a creature of habit? Anyways, I took one bite of these and they were delicious! They have much, much more flavor than a regular potato chip and they aren't weighted down with salt and artificial flavors. I didn't feel like a greasy little piglet after. Major bonus.

So they look a little different than chips, but they taste different too, much better. I even had my co-worker test all the flavors with me and he really enjoyed them, even enough to buy them as well. Mr. R stole a bag and I told him he could only eat them if he also contributed to my review. His response when I asked them how they were via text? " BOMMMMMMMBYYYYYYYYYY" Good one. He is now a convert as well, and I saw some bags in his cupboard. I really like the Salt and Pepper ones but all the flavors are really tasty. They are just lighter and better than other chips that I've tried, hands down. Their only downfall is that their bag is a little bit smaller at the grocery store and they aren't the cheapest, but at the same time, sometimes I have seen some deals on them, in which I've stocked up.

It takes a lot for me to pay full price for anything, including food at the grocery store, but I would pay full price for these. I know, I know, sounds bad that I won't pay full price for food, but remember I live in CA. It's expensive. Their taste and nutritional info is outstanding and I felt like I was actually eating a healthy snack instead of just getting some chips that were loaded down with unhealthy ingredients. Next time you are in the super market, check them out, they are delicious and worth the extra .50 cents.

So get out and run and then eat some Pop Chips, or at least visit their site Pop Chips. You won't be disappointed if you try them, promise!

Tomorrow will be some sweet running deals! I am already excited planning my next outfit for my next race. Well I'm already excited for my next race. I openly also admit I'm a freak.

xoxo

Pictures from the Marathon Weekend.

First off, I have to let you all know that my blog is temporarily moved back to http://www.chicrunner.blogspot.com/. Please update your feeds, and reader. I will let you all know when it switches back, but right now I'm having issues with the hosting and will be here for a while. I promise an exeptionally wonderful giveaway though once the issues get fixed, so stay tuned and for now stay at the blogspot.com location! Now onto some sweet pictures.

It started off on Friday night when I got this super cute pillowcase from my Aunt. It has all different type of running things and accessories on it and I LOVE it! It was such a great surprise and I took it with me to San Diego for good luck! She is amazing and made it by hand. I used to always get pillowcases from my mom for every month when I was away at college, so pillowcases are very special to me.

Once I got down to San Diego, Alisa and I were hunnnnngry girls and so we went to the Richard Walker's pancake house for some grub, it was delicious! I totally recommend it!

There was a huge blogger, tweeter meet up at the expo at 1 pm. Here's maritza, tara, julianne and aron, some of my favorite girls from Northern CA.

....and here's all the Bad Girls of Running at the expo! Yea, I guess I didn't get the memo to wear a white or black shirt :)

Here's my running twin, aron and I! She is the absolute best and I loved being able to run a large part of the marathon with her. We look alike in a lot of race pictures and have some of the same clothes to run in, but in person we look nothing alike. Oh well, she will always be my running twin!

This was the huge group at dinner! There's a ton of people in here and I consider this to be my 'running club' that I'm apart of. It's a forum on the Runner's World Website that I post in. There's a ton of super dedicated and hardcore runners in this bunch. We even have a lot of age group placers in this picture, including an Age Group winner! Amazing job.

This was race morning, with Alisa and Kristen. That was my lucky banana. Yup, we were waiting in the portapottie line! :)

Then I ran a marathon..... Those pictures aren't up yet, but I'll post them when they are released and I steal them.... But here's the afters!

Mr. R met me at the finish! He thought that after I texted him what had happened at mile 8 that I would quit and he texted me, "Do you need me to come get you" and I just texted him back, "No I am almost to mile 20. I hate this." Then 20 minutes later I texted him again, "This sucks ass" He was sending me funny supportive texts while I was dying at miles 20-26. I almost didn't want to check my phone because I was scared I was going to cry. I crossed the finish line and texted him, "Done, Tuck! hahahahaha I want wawa." (Thanks Iphone predictive texting for changing my bad word! ha ha) He was a great sport and was super helpful, I am so thankful that he was there.

Then to my surprise, My roommate and her mom came down! I totally wasn't expecting them at all and it was a great surprise. Notice I'm holding my chocolate milk with a death grip.

The Roomie and I. So happy she came.... and she gave me my prize of the day, worth more than any medal... a tampon! ha ha ha.

Then here is Ryan Hall and me. He signed my name Danick. Cool Ryan. Thanks! ha ha. Great meeting him even though I was pretty delusional and talking to him about twitter. Funny thing is I watched him race in High School many times, we were in the same CIF and state sections, he blew my mind then and still does today.

More and more pictures are slowly trickling in, so I'll post more if I get more. I didn't take many pictures and I'm pretty sure that my race photos will make resemble a puppy suffering on the verge of death, but hey, I got my medal.

Last night I ran for 1.5 miles, and let me tell you, it was rough. I was shuffling along and almost felt the need to apologize to the people I ran past. I got home in around 17 minutes. I really think that it helped a lot in my recovery today though. I just feel like I ran 20 miles, not like I tortured myself. So today will be my day off instead of yesterday. Last night I watched the Bachelorette, and wow, that was interesting to say the least. I have been stretching a lot though and feeling better than I thought I would. This weekend I'm going out of town for a Bachelorette party and I'm SO excited to get away, do some serious relaxing and run a great first long run after my marathon! I can't wait.

I already signed up for the San Fransisco Half Marathon (the first half) for July and I realized today that it's already June and it's next month! I can't wait to go up there though and race again, my beloved distance. I will be talking about some training plans and how I hope to get faster for that race in the near future. Tomorrow I will be posting a ton of reviews of cool stuff that I have tried recently. Hope everyone else is recovering nicely as well and you all enjoyed the pictures thus far!

xoxo

The day after running 26.2 miles.

So today I'm not as sore as I originally thought I would be. I honestly think I was more sore after running The Malibu Creek 25k. I'm back at work and diligently trying to focus on my projects :)



I really want to run today, but I might, might just go for a slow little jog after work, just to shake some of the kinks out. Obviously, it couldn't be too long or too slow, the bachelorette is on tonight! It's sounds weird that I want to run so bad, but I missed just running when I was training a lot. Though I am obsessive about scheduling and planning, I don't like my running to be scheduled, I like to do it for me.



I can't wait to post pictures from the weekend. I will be posting tomorrow, but here is a little sneaky peeky.



The medal.

So it's not the best picture, but you can see the jist of it. Windsurfer? Really? It is kind of cool that it's a big medal, but seriously, I just want a huge medal that says I ran 26.2 miles, or something along those lines. It would possibly be the best medal ever given out. Sounds like I need to start my own race, whose with me?

Hope everyone else isn't too sore!

xoxo

San Diego Marathon : yes, it really happened.

So the long awaited race report. This is long winded and just plain words play by play of the day before and day of (which is still today). Throughout the week as I upload and get some pictures I'll be posting some of those too. Don't worry I won't leave much out in here, though Mr. R said I should stop posting about the bathrooms. :)

It began Friday night with me packing up my stuff and getting ready to go down to San Diego. This was the day where I was the most excited by far. Everything still feels like a dream as I type this. I went to bed at 9:30, and had a great sleep. Woke up at 6:00, showered, curled my hair (much to my dismay it was raining in SD and my hair became a lion's mane) and went down to meet up with Alisa, and Kristen and their husbands, who were gracious enough to let me get a roll away in their hotel room. I met up with Alisa and we were instantly friends, she is so incredibly sweet and so fun! So is her husband!

We started out with a quick trip around the expo. I'm not made of money so I didn't buy anything and wasn't too interested in anything there. It's a lot of stuff you can find online for cheaper. I swear I saw a jacket that was made out of the gear check bags for $100. Are you crazy? We then went to breakfast at a wonderful place called something along the lines of the 'pancake house' but I forget the whole name. It was amazing, and worth the wait, annnnd I taught Alisa and Justin my trick about using sour cream on pancakes instead of butter. Sounds gross but it's BOMB. We got some race morning snacks at Ralphs after.

We then went back to the hotel room, relaxed and got ready for the blogging/tweeter meet up at the expo at one. We walked over there and the expo was packed, but I met up with ALL my favorite girls and boys! It was incredible, and I felt like we were all long lost friends. I then changed my corral number to be with the some of the girls at the start. I will include all the links to every one's blogs in my picture post.

Then it was time to go back to the hotel, relax and get ready for dinner. I met up with a huge group at Spagettini's in Little Italy right down the street and it was great to hang out with everyone and meet even more people. Super fun and I gabbed away with a bunch of amazing, super fast runners.

I got back to the hotel at 7:30 and got ready for bed and watched Will Ferrel in Kicking and Screaming. I was laughing hysterically, and was super relaxed. The only thing about the whole entire day Saturday was I felt like I wasn't running a marathon the next day. I guess part of me couldn't believe that it was actually, really here. Alisa came home shortly after and french braided my hair for me, which was amazing for the race.

We went to bed and I was out by 10. I slept great, except for some drunkards wandering the halls that i heard for maybe 5 minute at our hotel. We stayed right across from the "Gaslamp District", where a lot of partiers go, but I fell back asleep shortly thereafter.

Funny thing happened though, right before I went to bed, Josh Cox, tweeted that he was in SD for the marathon tomorrow and asked if anyone else was around for it. I tweeted that I was and was going to be running my first the next morning. I also was watching one of my favorite female track stars, Allyson Felix, race on TV earlier in the afternoon. I have watched her race in high school and actually went to high school that she raced against. She blows my mind. I tweeted her too that I loved watching her race and would be channeling "her speed" during my marathon. Both are incredibly talented professional, Olympic athletes.

I wake up in the morning, realizing that today is the day, and lay in my bed letting it all sink in. I was warm and didn't want to get up yet so I checked my tweets, and BOTH JOSH and ALLYSON tweeted me back good luck in my marathon. Talk about amazing motivation. I couldn't even believe it. I was beyond excited and it made my entire day.

I got ready with my blue tank, spandex and got my gear bag ready. I was still semi-stunned and not nervous at all. I think I felt like whatever was going to happen would happen. I was just ready to get it started. We took a cab to the starting line and I had already gone to the bathroom twice and got in the portapotty line to go once more. I gear checked my bag and went over to the starting line to find corral 6. I still never felt like it was really going to happen.

Saw a few more people I knew, wished them luck and got in my corral. Though I couldn't find the girls I wanted to start with, I was just ready to get going. The gun finally went off and we slowly started moving forward, FINALLY! I still felt fine but I just wanted to go forward.

There were some rolling hills on the first few miles, and within mile 1 I saw the girls I wanted to meet up with and ran with them. I remember just wanting to get to mile 6 because then it would be 20 more miles which was what I had run before. I ran the first 16ish miles with Aron, who was amazing because she put up with my whining about my bathroom issues.

At mile 6 the balls of my feet were on fire already and I knew I wasn't going to break 4 hours. I have the issue sometimes that where my toe connects to my feet it just goes numb and burns with every step. I remembered to tell myself that it was okay, and that any pace, a finish was possible. It was somewhat discouraging to be only at mile 6 though. I had considered also already going to the bathroom which I DIDN'T want to have to do. At mile 8, I unfortunately had to stop to go to the bathroom. I thought this was going to be super helpful to me to make me feel better. Wrong. WAY wrong.

Yup, that's right. I got something that only girls get and it just happened to come at mile 8. WONDERFUL. I wasn't expecting this for a few more days and in the past 10 years of running this has NEVER happened to me. I came out and was just in disbelief. This and my somewhat upset stomach lead to four more bathroom stops for me! I sure experienced a lot of portapotties at this marathon that's for sure. Looking back, and even at the time, I laughed and just thought, no way is this happening. Really?! Out of all things that was the least expected! Oh well, it was just one of those things I guess. Nothing I could do about it.

Around mile 10, we ran up a hill that I didn't know was a hill. This sounds weird but it was a long, gradual hill that lasted a mile. That was incredibly tough for me. I think it was hard for me because some reason I didn't realize we were running up hill. Aron and I talked about some random stuff and it was seriously so amazing to run with her. I was so glad that she was there, and after the hill, she said something along the lines, "Wow that hill was rough!" and I said, "Ohhhhh that's why I was feeling like crap! okay, so I can do this!" We got to mile 13 and I realized it was going to be a long day. I'd already had two bathroom stops and knew I would have to stop more. That was the most disappointing thing.

Aron and I parted ways when she met up with Tara and I still needed to make more bathroom breaks. I saw them another time right before a hill and then they passed me again. Around mile 2o my legs were shot. This was when things got a little weird. I saw two people who were racing get engaged at the top of the hill at mile 20, I was going up the hill and started to cry when I saw them. Then for the rest of the race, I was on somewhat of the verge of tears at any given point for no reason at all. At this point, I was tired but I knew I could get it done. I just kept chugging along and tried my hardest not to think of my legs who were screaming at me to stop. Then around mile 22, I began to walk through a water station and drank some Cytomax and that stuff is pretty amazing! After the water station I would run again and then if I wanted to drink water, I would go through the station walking again and actually enjoy the water or Cytomax. I ended up walking through two water stations. I stopped three more times after my two stops with Aron for the bathroom. Awful, my stomach was not happy.

I got to mile 23 and told myself it was only a 5k to go. I knew I could run three miles. I just kept going and watched the ground. Then I saw the 24 mile marker. I kept just counting down the steps in my head and telling myself that I felt good and that I could do this and it was only another 20 minute of running. It was really messing with my mind though, and my legs were very sore. Then, I saw a friend named Emil and he ran with me from mile 24 to mile 25 and it was amazing to run with him too. He told me to keep going and he is a marathon MANIAC. He's already done 7 this year and 25 overall. I told him he was a crazy person for doing these so often, but he did keep my mind off my legs and told me how much farther to go. At mile 25, I pretty much took off and gave it everything I had left in me.

I am interested to know my last mile time, but I will not have that until I upload Claude, my garmin, but I think it was the fastest mile I ran all day. I was in so much pain but I was so over the race and I just wanted to see the finish line and to stop running. I saw so many cheerers and I was hopeful that Mr. R would be at the finish line. I felt like we were going around the 'bend' in the marine base to the finish forever. FOREVER. I was thinking to myself, I can only go this fast for so long!!!! Then finally, it was over. I did some weird movement thinking that it might look good in a picture across the finish line and started walking after I crossed the mat. My legs were killing me but I wasn't tired at all. My official finish time was 4:28. I made my A goal and finished a full marathon!

I got my medal, which is hideous and disappointing, ha ha, and some water and some of my new favorite Cytomax. Then I found chocolate milk and ditched the water and took a picture at the 'photostation' with my medal and the photographer told me it was "cute." Which I think in my somewhat dazed state I said, "Good." I continued to wander and finally saw the girls I was running with for a while. We chatted and then I got a foil blanket. Finally I went to find Mr. R who texted me he was waiting and I saw him right when I walked out of the crowd. I was so surprised to see my roommate and her mom there too! It was an amazing surprise!!

I stood around and told them what 'happened' at mile 8, which grossed everyone out, and then I think I proceeded to talk about poop, I am full of class, but honestly, my mind wasn't working at all. I feel like I was just talking nonsense. My roommate and her mom walked back to their car and I met Ryan Hall and told him that Josh Cox twittered me. I follow both of them. I got a picture (will post soon) and then Mr. R asked me how we were getting back to the hotel. Doy, didn't even think of that, so we met back up with my roommate who was kind enough to wait for us and then drive us back to our hotel. Walking was slow and steady.

We got back and Mr. R, being the best ATC that he is, got ice for an ice bath and stretched me out a little bit. I was a little nauseous but showered up, and got ready to go. We went to a nearby mall and walked around for a little bit, and he even took me to a wonderful mecca called the Tory Burch Store and in my bewildered state I just took it all in, and it was amazing. We walked around for a bit until I got too tired and then we drove home.

Honestly, I'm not really tired at all, but my legs are very sore. Mostly my ankles hurt to go straight and my quads are very tight. I chafed in a sweet spot on my thighs too so that hurt a lot when I hopped in the ice bath. My hips are sore from my fuel belt and constantly pulling it down but the part of my body that hurts the most by far is my lower back. I am going to stretch a lot and hope for the best but I know I'll be sore for a little bit. I am going to try to run again on either Wednesday or Thursday.

Well if you read that whole thing, you as well deserve a medal as well because I think I may still be in somewhat of a delusional state. I will give out cute medals though, just wait until you see the blue, yellow and red glittery WINDSURFER on my medal.... yes, I'm serious. I think I still can't believe that it's over, and I did do it, and all that crazy/funny/random stuff happened to me, but hey, it happens!

I will be posting the pictures and links and anything else exciting from the weekend soon and I am so thankful to everyone who was tweeting me, and send me such nice messages and commenting. You guys really pulled me through some tough times today, and each and every one of you are so inspiring to me! Seriously it means so much to me. I had a great time this weekend and a great race and I'm proud to say that I ran a marathon. I am going to let it marinade for a while and see how I feel about it before I post my 'feelings' and possible new endeavors. I will also be posting a review of the course for any of those interested in running it anytime soon. :) I hope you all enjoyed this long drawn out report. Everything is such, and still is a blur.

Thank you, thank you, thank you though, from the bottom of my sore little heart.

xoxo