Fashion Friday: Cold weather running favorites

It has been positively freezing here in Tennessee and since I signed up for a marathon in April, I have to get my runs in. No excuses:) My family was so sweet to spoil me with some Lululemon gift cards and I picked up some fun things that are worth sharing!

Base Runner 1/2 zip

I layer this with a cool racerback and it is the perfect weight for days that are in the 30s. Even when it's freezing, I hate to overdress and overheat.  This is a great combo.

Base Runner Long Sleeve

I wasn't going to get this even though I loved it (it's a similar weight to the 1/2 zip) but when Mr. C and I wandered into Lulu on a wild and crazy date night I couldn't resist grabbing it. I'm glad I did, it's wonderfully comfy. And visible! And cute. Look at the little gathers in the back. Perfect fit!

I also (finally) got a pair of Wunder Unders (Full on luon version) and I can see what the fuss is about. They are very soft, very comfy, and surprisingly warm. I sized up in these because I wanted them to be comfy enough for lounge as well but I wish I had gotten my normal size. Just an fyi.

Last but not least, the best running gloves I've ever come across; Saucony Ulti-Mitts.

They are pricey for running gloves and I wasn't originally going to invest (so I talked my mom into it, ha!) but they truly are worth it. My 2 cheaper pairs were worthless. These are so warm but still lightweight and have 5 finger gloves underneath the mitt.

And on my wishlist...the Brooks Ravenna 5. Must run in bright shoes!

Race Recap: A soggy (but still awesome!) St. Jude 1/2

Saturday I ran my 3rd half marathon.  It was special because it was the first half that Mr. C and I have run together. I think he's so sick of me harping on running that he's decided to join me.  Unfortunately, bad weather was on the horizon.  But what's a girl to do? Needless to say I had no aspirations of a PR but guess what? I  got one! My best time yet, a 1:50:52 at an 8:28 pace. Not fast to some, but fast for me. There are days when I'm tired of training and I think, why am I doing this? But then I get a fast time, and I want to make it even better.

So y'all, when I say rain, I mean, like, cold.soaking.rain. Pouring rain. I couldn't have been more soaked if I had jumped into a pool before the start and I have some (awful!) race pics to prove it. I was actually fine until the finish. Once I stopped, I was freezing and realized how soaked and disgusting I was.

The gun was at 7 and we were in the 2nd corral so we started right on time. Christian had some friends in the race and though we started together, he left me after a quarter of a mile. We didn't plan to run together so that wasn't a complete surprise, but I sort of thought we'd hang for a while. Not! But I'm pretty used to running alone so I settled into my rhythm and figured I'd see him at the finish.

I passed him at mile 6. :)

How funny is that guy behind me?

He passed me at mile 8.  :(

Then I caught him again at mile 11ish. :) We were definitely (silently) competing.

The finish line kind of snuck up on me. I sprinted the last tenth of a mile and was juuuuuust shy of catching him but he beat me by 10 seconds. I let it slip through my fingers. There will definitely be a re-match.

It was a tough race overall. But running it (and doing well) in those conditions made me feel like a rock star. Thank the Lord for those wrap thingies they gave us, I was so cold my lips were blue and I was headed for hypothermia. I am so stubborn that I still wore my cutie pie Lulu peach outfit in spite of the weather.  Overall, it was a good choice temperature wise since I hate to be hot (although white shorts in pouring rain was a questionable decision).

I'll never forget this race. We had a lot of good friends/colleagues in it and it was a great accomplishment for all (one friend finished in 1:37!).  I hate to get mushy, but running continues to enrich my life in ways I wouldn't have imagined.

How the week looked

Training is back on track and I'm loving my Brooks Ravennas so far (hope that doesn't jinx me).  I also picked up the.cutest.skirt from Lululemon. I LOVE running in it.

How funny is it that when I showed up yesterday to get a cut and color, my stylist (and buddy) was wearing the same thing/different color?  Who loves a Gap sale? We do we do!

Some words of wisdom from Forever21..

A friend made these Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas for us recently and they were so delicious.  So I made them this week for another friend who is on pregnancy bedrest - hope she liked them:) Thanks Pinterest!

Six Sisters' Stuff

Went out with the girls for Mexican and sat a few tables away from Winona Judd.  Too chicken to say anything though, boo!

via

I saw this on Tumblr and it made me smile...

via

These boys are getting so big (too fast!). He looks like a teenager in that picture?! So tall!

I'm looking forward to a great weekend with beautiful weather and lots of time outside. Hope y'all have a great one too!

Our weekend

Guess what?

I ran the Willpower 5K in Franklin on Saturday and how shocked was I that I placed!?!  Sadly I was there all by myself because my little men had soccer games to get ready for (but really daddy wanted to sleep, ha) so I left right after the race to get back to them and didn't hang around to see results. Boo! Little C's soccer coach (who also ran the race and passed me pushing a double stroller) handed me my award at the field and said "Look! You got second place!" She also got 2nd in her slightly younger age division:)  And that's how it went down; my time was 23:58 (7:44 pace) and I'm so proud!

I posed shamelessly with my precious trophy. I may never get another one so I lived it up.

I actually got to meet Will (and his sweet mom) and he's a darling kid, very brave and so inspiring. His family was SO kind and just really amazing with such a strong faith. This touched my heart obviously because I'm a boy mom. It was a memorable day!

And it wasn't all about me, someone scored his very first soccer goal later that day! Love.these.boys. So proud!

More scenes with my sweeties

Happy Monday friends:)

Random Thursday

My sister in law has a special birthday today -- the BIG 3-0 -- Happy Birthday Aunt Sarah! This is your year!

I saw this recipe for Chocolate Lasagna on Hungry Runner Girl and I can't stop thinking about it..

Photo & recipe via CenterCutCook.com

I wandered into JCrew Factory last week and they were having 50% off of the entire store. I picked up this faded chambray shirt that I love.. I'm obsessed with the popover shirts. I wanted a boat load of other items but I was a good girl and didn't buy it all.

find here

Finally got in a good long run yesterday. My training is out of whack because of all our sickness.

We've been eating more salmon lately and this recipe with miso paste is easy and foolproof..2 TBSP of each; red miso paste, brown sugar, mirin, and soy sauce. Whisk together, spread it onto the salmon and bake, so quick and yummy! Original recipe here (I replaced sake with mirin). P.S. A bottle of wine jumped into the picture, it's a red blend called Drops of Jupiter (I believe the company is partly owned by the band Train) and it's really good;)

Happy almost Friday:)

Color Run Fun

Two friends and I ran the Color Run this morning (we missed you Sara!) and it was so fun! I've been looking forward to it for so long.  Here we are fresh and clean at the start. How much did I love wearing a t-shirt that reminded me of the OP clothes I wore in 7th grade? And color me happy that neon is alive and well.  Bright and early, music blasting, friends by your side, people spraying you with neon: so.much.fun! You must put a color run on your bucket list!

Still clean..

Now COLORFUL!

A close up of the messy face for posterity (making this one smaller, don't want to scare you).

And that's how it went down.  No time chips, didn't even turn on my watch, and with 15,000 people in this race, there was no room to run! We kind of trotted through the streets of Nashville laughing the morning away and getting sprayed with color.  Loved it!

Hope y'all have a great Easter tomorrow!

Tom King Classic Half Marathon Recap

I did it y'all!  Saturday I finished my second half marathon in 1:58:50!  My goal time was to be under 2 hours and I barely made it but nonetheless, I made it!  That's 15 minutes faster than my first half 6 months ago. Woo hoo!

I ran this race solo and got to the stadium at 6:30ish for a start time of 7:30 {I'm a nut about being early}. This was my first time in Titans' stadium and it was pretty cool to walk out into the stands, empty and quiet so early in the morning.  I'm not the biggest football fan but I'm inspired to go see a game next season.  There's such an aura about these big stadiums. Makes me feel like becoming a spirited fan.

The gun sounded at 7:30 and I was across the line feeling good.  I get so pumped when I hear that sound, when the crowd starts to shift forward, and I just want to go go go!  I cranked up my tunes and got my mind focused on breathing and pace.

At mile 11 I wanted to stop running and lay down in the ditch.  I was a bit dehydrated and just felt too full. But I was determined to beat my last time and knew I had to dig deep. I dialed up Adam Levine on the shuffle and hoped for inspiration.  When I saw the stadium come into view I felt a little re-energized.  Then running through the tunnel, into the stadium and right onto the field, ah, it was pretty cool! Obviously the only time that will ever happen to this girl.

Me and my boys

No clue why my shirt is bunched up and looks ridiculous

My sweet boys were at the finish line but we completely missed seeing each other (next time I'll wear a bright color)! I caught up with them outside though, snapped pictures, and celebrated.  We high-tailed it out of there, went to their 2 soccer games, then straight to Burger Up where I indulged in my favorite bison burger with fried jalapenos and avocado.  Delicious. I ate the whole thing.

And now I have a medal for both of my sweet boys!

Wednesday musings

Last weekend the boys spent lots of time playing inside {sooo cold}...{this is their car dealership}

and I spent lots of time sewing.  I made 6 drapery panels, all *lined* thank you very much {for once I did not cut corners}. My girlfriends recently made gorgeous drapes and showed me how to do it.  Just takes time and a LOT of patience! I'm super happy with them, they dress up my kitchen and add a fun pop of color. Eventually I'll get a kitchen post up! Hard to tell but they are a navy/white ikat. This fabric makes me happy!

Finished watching Downton and my heart is broken.. I must know what happens next to the Crawley's...

In other news we have the busiest week ever. Someone is turning 4 this weekend.....

when it seems like only yesterday we were here...

Also coming up this weekend is mama's second half marathon...my motto;

source

I've missed y'all! I have lots of catching up to do this week on blog reading, my apologies for being MIA;) How do y'all do it, I can't keep up. Happy Wednesday:)

Lately

I have a new toy.

Say hello to the Garmin Forerunner 210.  I've kicked my Nike+ sportwatch to the curb and traded up. Nike was letting me down.  I loved the look of it but I don't have an extra hour every time I run for it to find a GPS signal, ugh! It was too temperamental.  I headed back to REI and they were happy to exchange it.  I love the Garmin, it fits my wrist better and feels more sturdy, plus it gets much better reviews and I think I can see why. I'll give you an update once I've taken it for a run.

While home in Virginia we stopped into our friend's children's store and my sweet mama got the boys' spring wardrobes. The clothes are SO cute this year, here's a sneak peek..

I haven't had much time to read due to my Downton Abbey addiction but I did recently finish Violets of March by Sarah Jio. I really liked it.  Blackberry Winter is still my favorite of her books but this one was good too, a very quick read. I'm on to The Language of Flowers next, my sister in law is an avid reader and recommended it. Sounds really good!

Speaking of Downton Abbey I must share that Mr. C now likes to eat in the dining room and calls me Ladyship. HA! Now if only he'd hire a butler and a cook.

We enjoyed a wonderful and much needed date night out to our fave restaurant RPR.  My outfit..

{Thank you again Andrea for my necklace, it's a fave!}

For dinner I had a really wonderful glass of wine (and some food of course). I highly recommend Whole Cluster Pinot Noir, very tasty.  And for the record I'm succeeding with my new drinking policy of no week night drinking, only weekends.

On weeknights I'm loving this Pomegranate Italian soda mixed with seltzer. It's really good and such a pretty deep red color. I love a pretty drink.

Both of my babies have started soccer and it's just the cutest thing ever. I have to smile about the fact that having my boys really inspired me to get sporty.  A few years ago if you had shown me a Garmin 210 and said I'd be running half marathons I would have laughed you out of town and called that watch ugly. Trying to introduce them to things and find their talents has made my life so full and also helped me discover things I love. They bring me happiness in so many ways. Seeing them try things and improve fills my heart with joy.

And that is all for now! I'm hoping to finish my little kitchen project tomorrow and get it posted early next week. Crossing my fingers. Happy Tuesday:)