Boston Multisports World Conference!

Today, my brother and I headed to the Boston Multisports World Conference & Expo!

We went from booth to booth, checking out great deals and learning about new races.

I picked up some great new gear at >60% off!

From Marathon Sports..

Brooks LSD Lite jacket. Originally $75... mine for $30!

From fast:splits...

2XU Women's Endurance Tri Short. Originally $90, mine for $30!

Also not pictured Speedo Endurance+ suit in black. Originally $62, mine for $30

I also made sure to stop by the Pumpkinman 70.3 race booth to say hello & get a visor!

We also scoped out a few new races as potentials for this year or next year..

June 6, 2012 in Casco, ME

The Pirate Tri includes overnight camping the night before & is pirate themed. Sounds like a BLAST!

Unfortunately The Lake George Triathlon Festival is the weekend before Pumpkinman this year. They have an Olympic & Half Iron distance. We used to spend summer vacations as a kid at Lake George so I think this would be a PERFECT tradition to start.

We also went to a seminar on Natural Running Form by Dr. Mark Cucuzzella.

My brother has been trying to talk me into barefoot/natural/minimalist running.

Did you know they don't make minimalist shoes in women's wides?

I was convinced by my brother to try these on..

I was surprised by how comfy they felt!

The guy at the booth was great, explaining the body mechanics and strengthening principles behind them. I wanted to walk around and think about it, and by the time I went back, they were sold out in my size!

So my brother took me on a trip to Marathon Sports after the Expo. They didn't have the Komodosport LS, so I tried the Bilka, which felt so narrow on my feet. The girl wasn't super helpful in the other minimalist shoe department, and brought me ugly man's shoes, since the women's don't come in wide.

I think I may do a little online shopping later for a pair!

Whew!

A busy day, excitement for the sport, and quality time with my brother.

What's a unique race (running or triathlon) that you've done or are doing?

Do you love scoring great deals on gear at Expos?

What do you think of vibrams and barefoot/natural running?

Raw Threads Review & Giveaway!

At my first  Rock N Roll race, I stumbled upon a booth with supersoft bamboo Ts, Raw Threads.

Bamboo athletic wear...

is naturally moisture wicking

regulates core temperature

is breathable

naturally resists odor

blocks 99% of the sun's rays

is great for the environment

Not only is the material of the shirts fantastic, the shirts designs are so cute! My first Raw Threads shirt I bought was the Half Marathon Rockstar (how Rock N Roll appropriate)!

back side of the rockstar T

Later, when S & I went to the Divas Half in Long Island, she bought a new one...

I skipped out at the time, but then caved with the coupon I got at the expo and bought it anyways. Unfortunately they were back ordered, then I was shipped one without the super cute back. Luckily, the Raw Threads super great customer service prevailed and they shipped me a new one wicked fast.

I wear mine for working out on occasion, but mostly they have turned into everyday T-shirt wear. aka my weekend uniform. I've gotten tons of compliments on them, and every expo I make sure to stop by the booth to look for new styles or grab a coupon.

Don't I look cute?

After a billion washes (literally every week), the colors still pop, the fabric is still soft, and they haven't pilled, shrunk or stretched out. AKA, I am still in love!

 I got in touch with the Raw Threads folks to see if they would be willing to sponsor a giveaway for YOU!

One lucky winner will be able to pick either a princess shirt or a white rockstar shirt of their very own! 

How to Win

please leave a separate comment for each

1. Be or become a follower of my blog (RSS, email, bloglovin, etc)

2. Like Raw Threads on facebook HERE & let them know I sent you

3. Follow Raw Threads on twitter @raw_threads

4. Like me on facebook HERE and show me some love!

5. Vote for me in the Fiteratti award from fitness magazine HERE! (or if you've already voted)

6. Spread the word via blog, facebook, twitter!

Good luck! 

Contest ends 4/8 at midnight EST

Three Things Thursday

1. I have been slacking on workouts, which leads me to slack at blogging. I have been so exhausted lately, I've barely been able to drag my butt out of bed for work, let alone a workout. I visited the doctor once on this issue (and some other symptoms I've been having), but nothing has shown up. For someone who eats well, exercises & gets lots of sleep, it seems a little weird! Although today's tiredness/sickness has food poisoning to blame!

2. I signed up for Half Marathon #10!

Boston's Run to Remember

S & I decided we needed another (running) race before RnR Providence in August. The race is May 27th, and it looks like a nice course. Maybe if my knee if feeling good, I could aim for a PR??

(which by the way, my knee + KT tape = awesome. More on that another time)

3. I am heading to Boston this weekend with my brother for the Multisport World Conference & Expo! I'm looking forward to listening to some speakers, learning to take care of my bike, & checking out some great vendor booths. I am going to try not to spend all my money. 

Anyone else feel exhausted and lightheaded all the time?

Anyone running Boston's Run to Remember?

Anyone going to the Multisport World Conference?

Weekend Roundup!

The weekend is flying by...

Friday night Kevin & I hit one of our favorite seafood restaurants, The Chowder Pot.

Amazing Lobster, honey glazed bread, and stuffed mushrooms + cocktails with my hunny = fabulous evening.

Saturday? 

Mostly a washout. I had to work all day, and didn't get home until after 5, and was wiped. We ordered pizza, got my favorite ice cream from across the street and stayed in watching movies.

Today, my brother was home for the weekend with his girlfriend. He ran to my house and we went for a 10 miler, which I felt pretty great on. Plus my pace wasn't too horrible! We followed the run up with breakfast out with our lovies at my favorite place, 3 cafe!

French toast with caramelized strawberries, blueberries, and plums, with fresh whipped cream. OMG I ate every.last.bite.

Now its time to clean, blog, and grocery shop!

How's your weekend going?

Do you have a favorite place to go out to eat?

Rock N Roll DC Race Report!

Pre- Race

We flew in to DC early friday morning, which left us plenty of time for sight-seeing. Kevin, S & S's boyfriend and I hit the sights one by one. Washington monument, Lincoln memorial, Korean & WW2 war memorials, the white house. We probably made 5-8 miles on foot with all the walking we did.

Cherry Blossoms in bloom at the Washington Monument!

Lincoln Memorial

White House!

After, we hit the metro to get to the Expo at the DC armory. It was a quicker ride than expected, and there was no line to get in the building as perviously told there would be. All in all, it was smooth sailing, as we headed in to pick up packets & meet up with T, who was running the marathon.

Major downside? My bag was lacking swag. Coupons only, where S had free samples in hers. Bonus? Race shirts came in women's sizing, but dark blue only in XL. Since we were in a hurry to get to a tour of the capitol, we had to rush through the expo. I grabbed some free LARABARs (YUM!), and talked quickly with the KT tape guy. Unfortunately the line was 30+ minutes, but he gave me a free sample, and told me I'd be able to figure it out with the videos on the website, especially since I'm a Physical Therapist.

Next, we headed to the Capitol Building for a tour. After a ridiculous security screening (they forced me to toss my plastic Nuun water bottle pictured above), we were in for a quick video and tour.

After our tour, we finally made it back to our room to relax before heading to dinner at Founding Farmers. I got a delicious dish of scallops and butternut squash risotto, then we headed back to the hotel to get ready and go to bed early.

I laid out my gear, filled my bottles, and got all my St Patty's Day gear together.

Time for bed!

Race Day

I woke up at 5:45am, feeling completely rested (I love those Marriott beds!). I started to get ready, then headed downstairs to the hotel's starbucks to grab 2 bananas. Back to the room to get ready. S was planning on coming to my room at 6:30 since she had the bread & I had the peanut butter, but I got a text from her at 6:20 saying she just woke up. I was already getting anxious about getting there on time. I passed the time by applying as many glitter shamrock tattoos as I could.

skirt: Lululemon, tank & arm warmers: Tough Chik

Finally S arrived. I shoved down my breakfast & we headed for the metro. I was aiming to meet up with the Tough Chiks at 7:15, so we had a half hour, which we thought would be plenty. Unfortunatley the Metro was crazy. Packed trains, broken doors, and large crowds of people slowed us up BIG TIME.

Our packed train

Trying to escape the Metro

We didn't make it to the race area until 8am. Did you know the race started at 8? I definitely missed that team photo, and practically our VIP porta potties, which we got to sneak into quick before they broke down the final one. The waves were already going off, so we stood by an opening waiting for our corral.

We finally got tired of waiting, and decided to jump in and start. I came up with a race plan to work on keeping my knee happy, and getting me to the finish without limping. I would start off without S, so I wasn't pressured to go out too fast. I would walk the hills that aggrevated my knee. I would walk through the water stops. I would have fun and go at whatever pace felt right. My goal time was anywhere between 2:30-3:00.

The first half of the race was a breeze it seemed. Not too many hills, I started thinking "This could be a PR race for next year."

mile 1 10:59

mile 2 10:42

mile 3 10:38

mile 4 11:35

mile 5 12:45

At mile 5, the hills started

mile 6 11:40

I met a couple Tough Chik Teammates Lindy & Katye. They were running the relay, so we spent a minute chatting before they headed off to finish their race. It was great to meet them, even for a quick minute.

I was expecting to see Kevin between mile 6 and 7, but he was nowhere in sight. I texted him during a walk break, and I must have passed him by. I was feeling good. Stopping to stretch as needed, walking when needed. The miles were clicking by fast for me, even though I was moving slow.

mile 7 12:57

mile 8 13:05

mile 9 12:32

mile 10 12:44

mile 11 12:51

mile 12 13:46

Right before the marathon split, I saw these girls I met on the metro. They were running the full marathon in a nude bodysuit with shamrocks sewn onto strategic spots if you know what I mean. They were still going strong!

I was starting to get tired. Which weirdly made me very happy. My knee has been hurting so much lately, that I've been limited by pain & haven't been able to get tired or sprint to a finish line.

mile 13 12:23

Uphill toward the finish, toward the end I picked it up to a fantastic sprint & finished strong, squeaking right in under 2:45.

After picking up some food, I headed to find S & Kevin, listen to a little music & enjoy the 70+ weather.

T finished the marathon in 3:31.. yikes!

The good

the scenery

frequent water stops & great volunteers

Race shirt

weather

The bad

the Metro

chaos waiting for food, very disorganized

Mile 9 waterstop... only 1 side of the street & narrow!

The medal... wish there was more of a DC feel to it!

I'll turn this the right way later

Overall Stats

Pace 12:35

5K 34:12

10K 1:13:08

10 mile 2:02:19

HALF MARATHON 2:44:54

overall 14074/16321

Division 2683/3027

Gender 8910/10725

Post race adventures to follow soon!

Outdoor Riding (& a winner!)

Gorgeous weather is on the way all week. Which means I couldn't resist taking my bike out for the first outdoor ride of the season and test out my christmas gift for real...

My beautiful aerobars that Kevin gifted me! I worked on trying to get used to transitioning between them and the handlebars, and found I loved the aero position. It felt great for my back!

I can't wait to recap my race & entire trip for you!

I bet you've been waiting to find out if you won some LARABARs!

Aimee @ Amazing in Motion!

Done!

I'm all done & ready to celebrate St Patty's day!! More when I get home!

RnR DC... We're here!!

I'm posting for the first time using the blogger app, we'll see how it goes!! I just wanted to spread word that we're here, and ready. My gear is laid out, I had a yummy dinner & I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Cross your fingers for me that my knee holds up! As promised, here's a peak at my outfit......

I'm beat from a day full of sight seeing, which I'll share about once I'm home. Wish me luck!

Getting ready for a re-vamp

Did I show you my new toy?

banana blueberry

The Ninja Blender.

Holy cow.

This blender is so incredibly powerful. Its just what I needed after my smoking blender fiasco. I got a great deal on it at Costco, and I am in LOVE!

I've also found a great blog thanks to S, The Gracious Pantry.

She makes clean eating easy with simple, clean recipes.

Tonight I made Mexican Shepherds Pie.

Amazing. 

Thumbs up from Kevin & the roomie.

Check out the recipe HERE.

Do you have a favorite kitchen appliance?

Do you have a recipe blog you love?

RnR DC is right around the corner. When I get home, I'm revamping my nutrition thanks to the re-spark program at Bia Fitness. I'm brainstorming how to maintain the guidelines (no sugar, no booze for 2 months. no combining food groups for a month). I'm studying up, but more on all that later!

Back to packing!

Here comes the Sun!

Source: weheartit.com via Ceren on Pinterest

Sunshine is like hitting my recharge button.

There is nothing that picks up my mood like a little sun.

I smile brighter.

I eat healthier.

I want to get outside to run/bike.

I am happier.

I am more relaxed.

The list goes on...

I headed out for a 7 miler at 10am, and saw this amazing sight on my way home

The run went fairly well.

I stopped a few times to stretch, the knee got a little achy. Overall, it was amazing to get out in the sun and get moving.

Look at that post run glow!

After a quick rinse off, I headed to the pool for a total immersion lesson. We worked on arm recovery & tempo pacing. I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of things more, especially since I've been spending more time in the pool practicing. We also talked about making workout plans instead of just going to the pool to swim, which is exactly what I have been doing, whoops!

I spent the afternoon shopping fueled on green smoothie.

Wait. till. you see. my big purchase.

Do you love the sunshine?

What does a little sun motivate you to do?