Bring on the Next!

Round Two for the shoe search.  New Balances did not work out...in fact, they wore out. Fast. As in the tread was pretty worn after three weeks.  Nope! Sorry NB's.  Luckily Road Runner has a 60 day guarantee and I exchanged them for some sweet Asics Kayano 15s, oh wait, they didn't have my size...crap.  Alright, how about the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 9s?  Ah yes.  Let's see how these pretty babies go. And they were on SALE! That meant that I had extra moolah for an awesome Mizuno top that has "Breath Thermo" technology (that I sampled at Fleet Feet's diva night with Mel and Liz).  I'll describe it later.

I think Brooks had a chat with Mother Nature and said "let's give Zoë a real NW greeting on this trial run with our shoes."  The run started off ok, a little windy, but not bad.  Then it was gusty in crazy spurts.  Then the rain started pelting me and I thanked Ron silently for the hat I was wearing.  What can I say though?  The shoes are local and they needed to be tested in the right environment. :)  And they passed!  Now, if only they can hold up for four weeks...

Post-Run---my Mizuno ad pic

By the way, I'm taking suggestions for possible marathons this year.  What's your favorite?

Also, today's funny word of the day is douche. Check out the Saturday Night Live skit about sports commentary on a Ladies' Darts tourney. Hilarious!  "When your man's in a coma from your panty aroma." OMG. I love SNL.

And the Winners Are...

Oh!  The excitement!  I can't contain it!

Thanks to Random.org

Ally - The Shabby Princess

&

Christie - Cooking to Run and Running to Cook

Congrats!  Please send me an e-mail (zoe @ runzoerun.com) with your address and I will ship the bags ASAP. :)

Thank you everyone for participating!  110 entries is no joke to me, and I appreciate everyone's interest. There will be more giveaways soon.  In the meantime, here are some giveaways from other amazing peeps:

Tricia at Endurance Isn't Only Physical - Oiselle Running Shirt, RunningSkirts.com Skirt

Mel at Tall Mom on the Run - Recovery Sock Giveaway

Teamarcia at Running Off at the Mouth - Nathan Handheld Bottle

Lauren at Adventures in Running - Bondi Band

Katye at Long Legs on the Loose - Raffle Fundraiser Giveaway

Product Review: Champion Body Balance Top

A little while back I received some products from the awesome people of Champion to try out and review.  I took this peppy lemon top out for a long 12 miler on the trail a week ago and am happy to report that it did not disappoint.

Product Description: "It's so comfortable you'll want to live in it. And so flattering you'll wear it everywhere. It's our curve-conscious women's T shirt, combining sleek style with cool performance."

• Blissfully soft fabric feels great against your skin. (It's seam-free, too, so all you feel is softness.)
• Special fabric finish wicks moisture for constant cool.
• Knit-in mesh adds ventilation exactly where you want it: under arms, along sides, at V-neck.
• A touch of knit-in stretch ensures maximum ease of movement.
• Feminine tonal pattern trims left sleeve and center back.
• Semi-fitted styling, with tag-free collar and raglan sleeves.
• Polyester/spandex

(Description for very similar, if not the same, product found HERE.  Normally retails for $34, on sale for $16.99!)

The description cannot be more accurate.  This lemony yellow (banana?) top feels like butter and has the perfect amount of stretch.  As you can see it isn't skin tight and has a little give in the midsection and arms.  The knit-in mesh was one of the first things I noticed about this top, and the fact that it has minimal seams.  No rubbing!  WIN!

However, right before I went for my run I noticed this:

See the little "nub" where the v-neck comes together?  I was worried it was going to chafe a little, so I used some BodyGlide just in case.  I don't think I ended up needing it at all though because the little nub didn't rub (hee hee).

The condition outside for the run was perfect: slightly overcast with some sprinkles, about 50 degrees, and the sun trying to make its way through the clouds.  Once I got into some mileage, I pushed up the sleeves as I normally do because I was getting warmer, and the sleeves stayed up fine.  A few times I had to tug down the bottom of the shirt because it rode up a little, but I'm putting some blame on the Nathan Hydration Belt I was wearing.  The fabric really felt fantastic and a couple of times I felt like I was not even wearing a top...it was that soft.  At the end of the run I was surprised by how cool I stayed and how quickly the top dried once I took it off.  Only one small problem with this fabric: the fuel belt rubbed it and caused a it to fray just a little.  Otherwise, this is a gem!

Pros:

Moisture-wicking

Soft "like buttah"

Nearly seamless and non-abrasive

Reflective "C" logo

Tagless

Dries quickly

Cons:

Fabric doesn't work well with abrasive fuel belts (like a swimsuit rubbed by the edge of a pool too many times)

Overall, I loved this top and plan on wearing it a lot during these colder months.  The color makes me happy and it's so soft it's not even funny.  Seriously, it's like suede.  Ahh.

For more information check out http://www.championusa.com/ or become a fan of Champion on Facebook.
Many thanks to the people of Champion for providing me with this great gear. :)

**Note: All reviews are based on my own personal experience with the specific product that I was provided with. I received these products free of charge from Champion and was not compensated for my review.**

It's Official

I'm signed up for the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle 1/2 Marathon!

Use coupon code NIRVANA2010 for $10 off the registration fee & be entered to win a drawing for a VIP Package including a 3 night stay at a premium hotel.  Sweetness.

Who else is running Seattle in June?

Sunday Night Slalom

I'm not the biggest fan of Sunday night runs around the neighborhood for one reason: garbage.  Everyone puts out their cans the night before pick-up, which is Monday here, and the garbage just plain stinks.  Not only do I have to hold my breath a lot, but I have to zig zag around these cans in order to stay on the sidewalk.  It's hard work!  Thankfully it's winter and the garbage smell isn't too bad, but MAN, in the summer...oh brother.  It's awful.  I can't even do an outdoor evening run in the summer months.

Tonight's run wasn't all that bad though, despite the presence of trash.  The frogs were out in full force, singing away.  It's been months since I've heard them!  I was very happy to hear that familiar chatter. :)  And, I took my Nike Lunaracers out for a spin.  It's been awhile since they've kissed pavement, and they were eager to go fast.

Today I saw Gus's rich/popular/sleek big brother at the Seattle Boat Show.  He was just chilling on top of a yacht like it was no big deal.  What a show off!  I'm glad Gus didn't come with me because there might have been some heated exchange of words about how Big Bro missed Christmas and doesn't call Mom as much as Gus does...you get the picture. Siblings...

Anyway, the Boat Show is a tradition I have with my Dad every year.  It's only the two of us, and it's our "bonding day."  This is probably the fourth or fifth time that we've done this, and it's just something fun that we look forward to. :)

That was my adventure for the day.  After the 4.2 miles I ran this evening, January's total is 120.46 miles!  WOW.  This is the most I've run in a month, I believe. Woohoo!

**Sunday Shout-Outs**
Amanda: Way to rock 7 miles on a treadmill!  HOLLA!
Morgan & B.O.B.: Awesome job on the 22.5 miler on Saturday!
Casey:  She's going back to work tomorrow after her 3 month leave...go give her some love (& see how adorable Violet is!) 
Molly: Happy Birthday!!
Penny:  A HUGE congrats to your new Half Fanatic status.  #302!  (I'm envious!)
Lauren:  Congrats on your 5K PR, girlie!  
Rachael:  I think your bald eagle, Carl, and my bald eagle, Sam, should be best friends.  Let's have them meet for salmon sushi, say, next week?  I'll have his people call your people. :)

Gus Saves the Day

Again, trusty 'ol Gus was eager for the 11 miler this morning with Mel and Kerrie...totally located a satellite like a pro. :)  He also was the only Garmin that was turned back on after some brief water stop pauses.  Heh heh.  Everyone wanted his stats!  Actually, not everyone, but a couple people forgot to hit the "resume" button.  Super Gus!

This Saturday long run was very similar to the run two weeks ago when I first became a Ninja Running Bandit on the trail with Mel and her training group.  This means that Kerrie and I were running a little late and I had to speed/sprint my way past all the other training peeps and try to catch up to Amazon Tall Mom Mel.  EEK!  A couple times I looked at Gus and saw numbers that started in 7.  Like 7:45 and 7:52.  Oh goodness, how far ahead was she?  Let's just say that after 2.5 miles I had to yell "MEL!" when I seriously could not go the last 100 feet to catch up.  I was dying.  Luckily she heard me and slowed down, but after saying our "hellos" she said something that made me see stars: "We're going a different route today:  It's got more hills."

Excuse me?  Did you mention the H word in that sentence?

Oh crap.

After briefly stopping before the monster hill to stretch my knee, I felt a million times better--stars were gone.  That's when a fellow marathon runner-in-training named Janna started to run with us.  She's hilarious!  We ran "three abreast" (as Tall Mom stated) for the remainder of the run (approx. 6 miles).  Mel and I had planned on 11 miles, so Janna was game and went with us.  At the turnaround for the other runners we ran into a super speedy Kerrie at mile 5, who snapped a pic by sprinting ahead and telling us to slow down. :)

 

Janna, me, Mel

Besides race pics, this is the first time I've had my picture taken on a training run.  Ah yes, felt like a rockstar. The rest of the miles flew by with fun conversation and laughter.  It was a successful 11 miles!

 

Ta DA!

Unfortunately, there was no Sam the Eagle sightings today. *sigh*  Apparently that date he had a few weeks ago must've been major because he's been spending all the time with her.  Geez, bros before ho's, Sam.

Thank you Mel and Kerrie!  The Ninja Running Bandit strikes again! Mwa ha ha ha!

Knee Pain Explained & Other Musings

As I mentioned briefly in my last post, I believe I may know the culprit of my behind-the-knee pain...bad posture at work!  Let me explain a little.  I sit at a computer all day, and one of my preferred ways to sit is with my left leg on the chair, under my right leg.  This creates a strain in the knee, especially after long periods of time.  Coupled with a little slouching (which, by the way, I'm completely exaggerating in the following photo. Maybe.), this is a knee no-no:

See how this can put unnecessary strain on that knee???  Ah HA!  Possible culprit identified!  So, I have decided to make a conscious effort to avoid this sitting position even though it's comfy.  *sigh*

This is the proper way to sit:

 

Ding ding ding!  Winnah!

Even though this will not be an easy task, we shall see if this relieves that pesky pain.  If it does, or helps even the slightest bit, then I will avoid a doctor visit because I'm a freakin' genius.  Or, um, something like that... :)

Let's move on, shall we?  To today's AWESOMENESS...

• I sported my brand new Punk Rock Racing hat (courtesy of PunkRockRunner) on my 4 miler tonight.  Love it!  It's lightweight and soft, perfect for keeping my swishy ponytail off my face. 

Sorry, it's backwards.

• Gus was totally loving the fact I was running outside today and only took two seconds to locate a satellite.  I thought it was a fluke so I turned him off and then back on, but nope...two seconds again.  Alright!  Someone's been missing me.
• Tried my Champion High Impact sports bra and holy crap, my girls did not budge.  It's a wee bit on the tight side, but I guess that's where the "High Impact" stuff comes into play.  Full review soon...
• Guess what was waiting for me in my mailbox from Tall Mom Mel???  A SEMI!  Oh noooooooo!  Well, at least this one holds candy and I can fling it across a room if I need to. ;)  Thank you, Mel!

Happy Thursday everyone!