My New Obsession! lululemon

Because of the cold weather I've been running in-doors on a treadmill more frequently. I quickly observed that my running wardrobe was not versatile enough for treadmill running. I needed a spandex crop pant. My shorts were too short and had slits up the side and I am sure I was putting on a show for the gentlemen behind me on the other stationary machines and the long pants were too hot. So, I splurged and bought some crop pants and love these from Lululemon athletica. I am not particularly impressed with their website, but if you have a store near year - I definitely recommend checking it out. I haven't purchased pants yet, but they do complimentary hemming - which is another reason why I like this store so much.

11 miles on a treadmill blows...thank goodness for ipods!

This winter weather in Michigan is making running outdoors quite challenging! My training partner, Jana, and I took to the gym yesterday for our long run. There really isn't any positive spin to running on the treadmill. I tried being positive and upbeat about it, but really - it totally blew and took everything I had not to just hit the emergency stop button and walk off! It is just so incredibly boring. The only saving grace was motivating music on my ipod (and of course - Jana running right next to me!). Here are some tunes that kept me going:

Let it Rock - Kevin Rudolf
Hero of the day - Metallica
Right Now - Akon
Jai Ho - Slumdog Millionaire
Lovers in Japan - Coldplay (just the first part)
Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac
In the Ayer - Flo Rida
Paradise City - Guns N' Roses
Stronger - Kanye West
Wasting Time - Kid Rock
Your Love - The Outfield
Push It - Salt-N-Pepa (Love this one!)
Bring Em Out - T.I.
Runnin' With the Devil - Van Halen
I'm So Paid - Akon
Disturbia - Rihanna
Just Dance - Lady Gaga
So What - Pink
Losing Touch - The Killers
Live Your Life - T. I.
The Adventure - Angels and Airwaves
Lazy Eye - Silversun Pickups
Roving Gangster - Kid Rock
Umbrella - Rihanna
Punkrocker - Teddybears
Homecoming - Kanye West
Check it Out - John Mellencamp
Rythem is a Dancer - Snap!
Damaged - Danity Kane
Fool In the Rain - Led Zeppelin
Love Song - Sara Bareilles

Week 3 of Training - Cycling classes are surprisingly wonderful

Believe it or not - it's already week 3 of training. Today was a long run of 9 miles - CHECK! It always feels so good to get those done.

Running conditions were actually pretty good today - a warm 34 degrees and no wind. The only obstacles were a few icy spots on the sidewalks and my cold that I brought home with me from my New Year's celebrations in Chicago (it had nothing to do with the early mornings until 5 am and glass upon glass of wine, champagne, martinis and vodka tonics!).

Tomorrow is a cross train day. I've really come to like my cycling class that I take at the gym. It gives my running muscles a bit of rest and really helps strengthen my quadricep muscles, which I've learned from previous participation in class - are incredibly weak. The class lasts about 45 minutes.

Ringing in 2009 - MAC Eyeshadow

New Years Eve, I went on a run with a friend and we discussed our plans for ringing in 2009. Of course, we discussed our all important outfits and makeup. We agreed that MAC has the best eye shadow. I got this great smokey palette last year and they also sold it again this year (probably because it is so awesome). Check it out... MAC 6 SMOKEY EYES

Bothersome Shins? You may need some new shoes...

Okay, I was on a little hiatus while celebrating the holidays, but I still have been running - even though I haven't been posting. I have a lot of catching up to do!

Over the holidays, I went running with a friend who experienced some shin discomfort. Fortunately, shin splints are a rare occurrence for me, but I do know from experience that this makes running extremely uncomfortable/painful. From my high school running days, I learned that isometrics (or resistance stretching) and ice do the trick. In the midst of our run, we peeled off our route to stretch the shins out.

If you are the one with the shin discomfort, sit with a straight back and your legs extended. There are two different stretches, which require a partner for help. For the first one: have your partner pull on your feet (by the laces of your shoes), while you pull in the opposite direction and hold for 15-20 seconds 3X. For the second stretch: have your partner push on the balls of your feet, while you push into the hands of your partner and hold for 15-20 seconds 3X. This should give your shins a good stretch, so you can hopefully make it through your run. When complete, ice down for 15-20 minutes.

The biggest lesson - NEW SHOES! Usually when I start to feel any kind of soreness or 'injury' coming on - it's because I need a new pair of shoes. I always get a new pair of shoes before I consider anything else and luckily this practice has worked for me. While everyone one has their own personal preference for shoes - my absolute favorite are Saucony. I've been running in these for six years now and can not run in anything else but these! This obsession is an entire separate post in the making.

Nashville Training Schedule

Official training starts next week! The race date is April 25th. I have an 18 week training program mapped out. The weekly breakdown will follow this pattern (slight adjustments will take place to boost mileage at peak training and will pull back when ready to taper):

• Monday: Cross-train day - bike, swim, snow shoe, etc...
• Tuesday: 3-5 miles (increasing to 4-6 at week 7 of training program)
• Wednesday: 5-7 miles challenging pace (increasing to 6-8 miles at week 4 of training program)
• Thursday: 3 miles AND strength training
• Friday: REST and Stretch
• Saturday: 5-7 miles at marathon pace (increasing to 6-8 at week 4 of training program)
• Sunday: 9 miles (will build approximately 1 mile every weekend; running 20 miles twice)

Note: For my half marathon friends, you can follow this schedule, but just cut the mileage roughly in half, so your longest run will be to complete 10 miles twice.

Fond Memories of the Christmas Markets in Deutschland

Over 2005-2007, I spent an obscene amount of time in Germany for my job - it became my second home. I have such fond memories of my time there. I joined a running group and even ran a couple of races while there - the schönbuch halbmarathon was one of my favorite races that I ran. The landscape is just stunning and the terrain is incredibly challenging - a guaranteed great workout.

If I am lucky, I get to travel back to the area once in a while. But even if I don't get a chance to return as often as I'd like, I try to incorporate some of the culture and traditions I learned while there. Some of my favorite memories are from the time spent at the Christmas Markets drinking Gluvine (a warm wine). I recently had some friends over for a holiday get-together and made this recipe. It instantly brought me back to to the Christmas Market in Stuttgart. It's super easy and very yummy. Enjoy!