Week 12 Phoenix Marathon Training Recap

Posted by hellyontherun in Running and tagged with 28 Days of Red, Fashion, February, Marathon Training, Phoenix Marathon, Running February 3, 2015

And it’s 4 weeks until game time ladies and gentlemen!

Last week was a pretty relaxed week mileage wise. I had done my awesome 20 miler the week before so all my runs this week were steady Freddy.

Monday was spent still resting from that 20 miler. I foam rolled and stretched though and it felt oh, so good. I did some planking and wall sits but nothing major. Just something to make me feel like I did something lol!

I met up with my running club on Tuesday and got in a good 5 miler. I felt great after the days’ rest and ran them at what actually felt comfortable, an exact 9:00 minute average/mile.

Wednesday was track day and I remembered the last time I’d done Yasso’s I was at about a 4:06/800. So, my goal was to keep it at that pace for the 7x800s that were scheduled.

I got there a little early and did the first 800 solo. I clocked it in at 4:11. I figured I was feeling the fatigue of my cumulative mileage and didn’t let it faze me. I decided that the day would be a 4:10 800 kind of day. So, the next 6 were all +/- 3 seconds from 4:10. Yay!

We uncharacteristically had inclement weather in the Valley last week, with quite a few days of cloudiness and rain. Thursday, right after work, I went for a quick 3 and half miles before I had to pick up my kids. I ran through a few sprinkles but avoided any downpours.

Took a rest day Friday and felt like I needed it. I wish I could say that it was an ultimate rest day but my daughter was sent home from school when I was juuust about to get to work. I turned back and picked her up; she ended up being sick all weekend 😦

I woke up early on Saturday to get in my 12 mile run. The weather predicted rain and I figured the earlier I started, the more likely I’d be able to avoid the down pour? I don’t know, lol!

What I do know is that they were some tough 12 miles. Like I said earlier, my legs felt heavy and I was just feeling blah. I’ve been feeling like that lately; just blah.

Anyway, I finished which is always a good thing 🙂

The rest of Saturday and Sunday were spent at home taking care of my daughter. Thankfully, the weather had cleared up by Sunday afternoon (not before some bizarre fog though)

I wasn’t driving 😉

and we were able to watch the Superbowl with the sun shining outside.

Overall, a decent week. Nothing to write home about but good enough to make me feel like I’m trucking along. I’ve got 20 miler #2 this weekend which will mark the beginning of TAPER TIME!!

Total Mileage: 24 miles

Water Intake: Another eh. C

So I mentioned I’ve been feeling blah. Whenever I have these downer moments, I think of things that make me happy. My kids make me happy. Running makes me happy. Clothes make me happy. Yes, the last one is very seriously true. One of my running friends said she’s learned a lot about me through my blog and that she didn’t know how into fashion I was until she read one of my About Me posts. Yep, clothes make me happy.

I was thinking about this and decided to do a fun clothes related challenge for the month of February. I’m calling it 28 Days of Red. Wear a shade of red everyday for the month of February. Yes, I think things like this are fun lol! You can see all my shades of red by following me on Instagram at @hellyontherun (and join if you’d like!) Today is Day 3 🙂

Pink rose cardy

–How was your running week? Any races this month?

–Do you own many shades of red? What color could you wear for a month straight?

A Birthday Means Giveaway Time!!

Posted by hellyontherun in Family, Giveaway, Running and tagged with Birthday, Fashion, Giveaway, Running, Shwings, Style April 2, 2014

Today I have a 2 year old.

I still can’t believe how time just flies by. It’s funny because before kids, when I’d hear parents say how fast the years go I’d always give an eye roll, “Yeah, okay…” But, I’m one of those parents now. Time seriously speeds up when you have kids.

Speaking of flying, in honor of my beautiful little girl turning two, I’ll be giving away a pretty sweet pair of Shwings!!! (Does anyone else think 90’s Wayne and Garth? LOL)

My shiny silver Shwings 🙂

You’ll be able to choose your own style and color from their website: shwingsonline.com

I wore my wings during my rainy 5k this past weekend and within an hour of hanging out I had tons of compliments. Plus, I think they helped me run faster 😉

My Shwings and my AG award 🙂

To enter the giveaway,

Visit shwingsonline.com and tell me in the comments which wings you’d want. Make sure to click the Rafflecopter link below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more entries:
1. Like Shwings on Facebook
2. Like Helly On The Run on Facebook
3. Follow Shwings on Twitter
4. Follow Helly On The Run on Twitter
5. Tweet about the giveaway
6. Follow Helly On The Run on Instagram

Fine Print:
Giveaway ends Monday, April 7th and the winner will be announced that morning.
I did receive my Shwings free of charge but that doesn’t have any affect on how cool I think they are 🙂

Hope you all have a great day!

–How did you spend your most recent birthday?

–What’s on your birthday wish list?

Get Your Swirl On! (Swirlgear Review)

Posted by hellyontherun in Clothes, Running, Shopping and tagged with Clothes, Fashion, Review, Running, Running Clothes, Shopping, Swirlgear January 3, 2014

I recently became a Swirlgear Ambassador (you might have noticed my pretty swirly badge there on the right). One of the appeals to me with this brand is that as you already know, I love clothes. And I love running. So when I came upon Swirlgear, a women’s clothing brand made specifically for running, I immediately wanted to check it out.

I ordered my first shipment to arrive by Christmas—my little gift to myself : )

The first piece is this short sleeve number. What caught my eye initially were the black seams along the front. This detail allows for slimming and flattering look. I also liked the uniqueness of the print on the sleeves and sides and I liked the length. When it arrived and I was finally able to put it on, the length was a super plus. I like my shirts a little on the longer side and this fit was absolutely perfect.

I’m very big on fabric and this moisture-wicking poly blend is super soft to the touch. When I’m running, the last thing I want is an itchy shirt and this top is far from itchy. In fact, it’s my softest running shirt to date.

The shirt is tagless which is a running shirt necessity but this also tricked me at first. The top is so good looking inside out that that’s how I put it on the first time! It didn’t come in the box that way, but as I was inspecting it, I turned it inside out and forgot to fix it. My first run in it was worn that way! Needless to say, I had no issues in my 10 mile run that day : ) (You can see in the first pic the black seam across the collarbone area. It’s not there in the second pic when I wore it correctly lol!)

inside out

worn correctly

I’m 5’7 and on the curvy side so a size Medium fit perfectly.

My next purchase were these shorts. It’s cold out (for Arizona) but I knew I’d get a lot of use of them come spring and summer. The black color is a nice deep black—this is important to me because some “blacks” are lighter than others and that drives me nuts. I also like the white piping along the bottom.

The shorts are also moisture wicking and have built in briefs for support. The logo is reflective which I thought was a nice detail. The shorts do not have pockets. I’m a size 6 and purchased a Medium. Perfect fit.

boy, that mirror is dusty

Both of these together, I must say, make a great running outfit. I have my days when I don’t care about looking good while I run but every now and then I like to have a good looking combo to feel pretty in : )

I’ve washed both of these in a gentle cycle and both washed well. I didn’t completely dry them (I don’t with any of my running clothes) but took them out about ¾ of the dry cycle and then lay them to completely dry.

I chose to purchase warmer weather items but Salt bought some winter wear and you can read her review of her pieces here.

If you think these clothes are as awesome as I do and are interested in gifting yourself or someone some Swirlgear, you’re in luck! Enter the code swirlon at check-out to get FREE GROUND SHIPPING. Yay!!

I’m pretty positive you’re going to love this brand. I may not be the best runner out there, but I do feel like I know my clothes : )

Hope you have a fun Friday!!!

NOTE: I did receive these pieces for 50% off as part of the Swirlgear Brand Ambassador program but I purchased them myself and these opinions come solely from me.

–Do you love shopping for running clothes?

–Do you make running “outfits”?