Random Things I Love

Posted by hellyontherun in Not Running Related and tagged with Love, Personal Stuff, Random, Valentine's Day February 14, 2014

Here’s my obligatory Valentine’s Day blog about love : )

Of course we love our family, we love our kids, we love our jobs (well some of us do!), we love running, but today I want to share with you the little things that make me happy–just out of the blue things that bring a smile to my face : )

Random Things I Love:
(in no particular order)

1. I love how all the people who live on my street park their cars on their driveways or in their garage. There are zero cars lined on the street and this really makes me happy.

2. I love that my mom never leaves me voicemails. She’ll simply text me to call her back.

3. I love that Coca-cola puts their caffeine measurement on their cans. When I was pregnant, I wanted to know how much caffeine I was consuming and there it was, easy to find.

4. I love that Arizona doesn’t experience daylight savings time.

5. I love our Tempurpedic bed. It’s seriously the best ever ever.

6. I love the remote start on my car. I can get the A/C going before I get in.

7. I love Craig Sager. His style choices amuse me.

8. I love the refrigerator in my room. Another pregnancy related love–I’d get so thirsty and make my husband go downstairs to get me water he finally just bought a mini fridge and it’s never left our room.

9. I love that Jimmy John’s delivers even if you’re buying just one sandwich.

10. I love that I haven’t conformed to mechanical pencils.

11. I love the timer on my oven. I barely discovered it about a month ago and a lot of food has been saved since then. (I seriously thought the button was just to set the clock time.)

12. I love it when people tell me they can’t believe I run with no music.

13. I love forever stamps. I never have to worry if I have the current stamp price I just stick it on the envelope.

14. I love that Derek Jeter stayed a Yankee his entire career. I’m not a Yankee fan, or really a baseball fan for that matter, but I like loyalty and there’s not a whole lot of that in sports nowadays.

–Of course now I want to know some random things YOU love!! Share them in the comments section below!!

Don’t forget the runningluv giveaway is still happening! Click here to enter to win a FREE runningluv towel of your choice!

A RunningLuv Giveaway!!!

Posted by hellyontherun in Giveaway, Marathon, Running and tagged with Accessories, Celebration, Countdown, Free Stuff, Giveaway, Marathon, Running, RunningLuv February 12, 2014

I’ve hinted at several giveaways this month leading up to my very FIRST marathon March 1st!! 🙂 Well, we’ve got one down with two more to go…

I love their business phrase 🙂

The second giveaway is Valentine’s Day inspired. It’s from an up and coming business called runningluv (they launched in 2013!) and they specialize in fashionable running towels. This product appealed to me because I’m a sweater and I also get really bad cotton mouth when I run I usually end up pulling up my shirt or reaching for my sleeve to wipe–not something I like doing while I’m running.

This towel is designed to wrap around your hand so you don’t have to have a grip on it while you run–so you’re hands free. A major plus as the last thing I want to do while running is hold something. The runningluv towel has different options of wear and when you purchase a product, they send an insert with pictures of how you can use the towel. I love this.

Such a great detail

So you can wear it with the towel hanging, wrapped around your wrist, or in a fancier wrap across your hand (I chose this method). There’s also have a tutorial on their website–Again, another great detail.

I used the towel on one of my 10k Tuesday runs and during my long 20 miler this past Saturday. Both times I was so glad I had it. During my 6.2 run, I mostly needed it to wipe the sweat of my brow. On my long run, yeah…I needed it to get the grossness of cotton mouth out.

How I wore mine.

It was funny because before my run club began that morning’s long run, a buddy had a regular hand towel hanging from her hydration pack. I asked her what it was for and she said for sweat and cotton mouth. I lifted up my hand and showed her the runningluv towel and she said, “I knew someone would think of something like that! I hate messing with my pack trying to get my towel!”

The runningluv towel is super soft and is a bamboo/organic cotton terry blend and the band is a moisture wicking lycra/nylon blend. The band stretches to fit most hand sizes.

There are quite a few colors and designs to choose from too!

So…..One lucky reader will receive a FREE runningluv towel of their choice!!! Check out their website to see which one you’d choose : D

The deets:

First click on this a Rafflecopter giveaway

Then, comment below and tell me which color/design you’d choose.

For extra entries:
1. Like my Facebook page Helly On The Run
2. Like runningluv on Facebook
3. Follow me on Twitter @hellyontherun
4. Tweet about the giveaway
5. Follow me on Instagram @hellyontherun

Giveaway ends on February 19th.

Wanna win already? Use code HELLYONTHERUN15 for 15% off your entire purchase at runningluv.com!!

Again, thank you so much for your encouragement and support throughout my training. The road to my first marathon is getting closer and closer and having you along the way has made it the most fun!! 😀

~helly

*I did receive the runningluv towel free of charge but the opinions expressed in this blog are mine and mine alone.

Marathon Training Recap Week 13

Posted by hellyontherun in Running and tagged with Goal, Long Runs, Marathon, Marathon Training, Pace, Taper February 10, 2014

I’ve been waiting a long time to say this…..

IT’S TAPER TIME!!!

And from what I hear, this is inevitable:

So this is what the past week looked like:

Sunday, February 2nd-Rest Day. I foam rolled and rested from the previous day’s long run.

Monday, February 3rd-Cross Train. Typically, I get on the bike but I decided to switch things up and spent some time on the elliptical. 5 miles. I also did a Blogilates abs video.

Tuesday, February 4th-I’ve dubbed this day 10k Tuesdays as I’ve been doing 6.2 on these days the past few weeks. This run particularly felt AWESOME. I don’t know what it was; I felt good the entire way. Last week when I did these 6.2 miles, I felt the same and had a great time. I have no idea how I did better today but I did!

Top: 1/28
Bottom: 2/4

Wednesday, February 5th-Speed Work. Wednesdays are track days so that’s where I was. My husband left out of town for work earlier but I was fortunate that my brother was visiting and he baby sat while I ran. It was extra motivation to go faster to relieve him lol!

Thursday, February 6th-Blogilates Abs video. I typically cross train but couldn’t make it to the gym since the hubs was away. I did a different video than usual, a more difficult one, and boy did I feel it the next day.

Friday, February 7th-Rest Day.

Saturday, February 8th-TWENTY MILES. Yes, today was that 20 miler in training plans. I was actually pretty pumped to do this. I had everything ready to go in the morning so I wouldn’t be rushed. There were quite a few in my run club who were also doing 20 miles and some had gone at 5 to get a head start. I knew I’d need that extra hour of sleep so I began at the usual 6 a.m. and planned to run on my own.

We run along a canal and we started south which is what I prefer. I decided that I’d split the twenty so that it wouldn’t get boring–6 miles south out and back for 12, and 4 miles north out and back for 8.

The first 6 went pretty smoothly. I absolutely love love love my Ultimate Direction hydration pack. I’m able to carry my phone, car keys, and my fuel with ease and with no discomfort. At mile five, I sent my husband an update and at six is when I broke open the Gu and had a bit.

Six miles was the first turn around point so it was nice to have reached a target. I felt breaking up the 20 miles really helped me mentally. Realizing this, I made mini check points that would continuously help me have something to look forward to. I’d fuel every 4 miles after the first 6, I’d send an update to my husband every 5 miles, and I’d have the turn around points.

So at mile 10, I had a little more Gu and I updated my husband. At mile 12, I reached the beginning of the 4 mile out and back point. At mile 14, more Gu. At mile 15, updated my husband. Mile 16, turn around point. Mile 18, more Gu. Mile 20, DONE!!

yay!

I was shocked at how good I felt and wished the marathon would’ve been today. I hope hope hope I feel this good on March 1st.

My goal was to stay around 30-45 seconds over my marathon pace of 10:00/mile and not stop. I met both goals 🙂 I do think that my marathon pace is pretty lofty. I mean, I felt good the entire way of this 20 miler but thinking of having to average 30 seconds faster makes me pretty nervous. At the end of the day though, all I’m looking forward to is finishing. I don’t have a goal that I’d be devastated not meeting. I think that’s important for first marathons (or first races in general).

–How was your running week?

–Do you make a goal for every race? (I try not to but I alway do lol!)

–Are you a good taperer? What tapering advice would you give me?