When Awesomeness Collides: Hydrating & Carb Loading

Last weeks workouts looked like this:

Monday 5/19:  Lunch Spin Class - only got in 13.2 miles but better than nothing 
Tuesday 5/20:  Morning run - 5 miles easy (felt harder then it should have)
Wednesday 5/21: November Project - 2 miles of running and 30 min of Death Monopoly 
Thursday 5/22: Lunch Yoga - 60 min power vinyasa
Friday 5/23: November Project hills - 4.5 miles total (2 miles of hills/stairs)
Saturday 5/24 - REST
Sunday 5/25 - Unplanned rest due to oversleeping and wine tasting winning out:)
Total: 24 miles + yoga + 30 min strength

I didn't have any daily doubles but I felt good getting in something every day during the week.  I am trying to take it kind of easy this week since I woke up with a half cold. You know the drill, half cold = sore throat, stuffed up and weak but not bad enough to actually "be sick." I ran yesterday but begrudgingly took today off since this morning I felt worse.  Hoping to feel up for a short run and some yoga tomorrow.

Hydrating
On the good news front, all the things I love in the world are coming together.  I was so excited when I heard about Kara Goucher and Oiselle were teaming up, what could possibly be better? Then this happened:

Kara + Nuun.  I could not be more ecstatic about this partnership.  My favorite runner partnering with one of the coolest companies and kick ass products around.  It's too good to be true. Plus now we are totes teammates.  That's how that works right?  

To share in the excitement and spread the ‪#‎nuunlove‬, you can use this discount code: MAY14NUUN for 20% orders through June 6th. This can not be used with any other discount.

Carb Loading

And just when I thought my little world of endurance had peaked, I received this e-mail:

CONGRATS! You made the cut!

So, WELCOME! We're stoked to have you on the team and look forward to an awesome first season of Team 10 Barrel! 

We'll be following up about kits and you'll be receiving your Team 10 Barrel box in the mail within 6 weeks. Expect to hear lots from us in the coming weeks but for now, go crush a beer!

My favorite brewery,10 Barrel in Bend OR decided to put together and sponsor a team of mountain bikers, road bikers, triathletes etc... to represent them and I made the team.  You may recognize 10 Barrel since I've posted about them just a few times: like here, here  and all up and down Instagram. I have a minor love affair with their Apocalypse IPA and OG and Project Failed and....all their beers. If you've ever had the pleasure of sipping their sweet sweet microbrews, you get it.  I know I haven't posted my bucket list on the blog yet but if I had you would see:

 #51.  Get sponsored by a brewery - preferably 10 Barrel 

Consider that item checked.  They are still working out all the specifics but the short of it is I'll be racing in their kit and preaching my love for their beer (which I was already doing).  In turn we get some pretty sweet perks and to be part of an awesome group of athletes.  I am so thankful to be part of this community of 10 Barrel athletes who already have shown they are legit competitors and pretty rad individuals that you'd want to spend some time with. To say I am excited to be rep'ing a company where I already LOVE their beer product and their culture would be the understatement of the century.  I am f'ing stoked!   Plus this means incentive to go to Bend even more than I already do.  Also for you Portlanders, their Portland Pub is said to open by the end summer.

As the e-mail states - To celebrate, go crush a beer!  You know that's what I'll be doing. It's only a half cold.

Metropolitan Mondays: Current City Essentials - Drybar

I am not sure if I have sufficiently described the horror that is my hair and the abusive relationship we have.  From a young age everyone my mom has told me how lucky I am to have the EXTREMELY thick hair that I do. I disagree.  I am sure when I am 80 and not bald, I'll appreciate it but for the time being the 90 min routine required just to keep it manageable is exhausting and I plan my whole week around it.

The only "selfie" you'll ever see me post and I couldn't even put my face in it.

No joke - I schedule out the days I am going to wash my hair.  Another reason swimming is not high on the list right now, it throws off the hair schedule.  I dread those three mornings a week that require the wash-dry-straighten-walk-outside-immediately-get-crazy-frizz-routine.   I've spent hours of my life and thousands of my dollars trying to tame it (think $400 Keratin treatments when I was a poor college student.)  That's how desperate I've been.  Enter Drybar.  Prior to finding Drybar I had only had one blowout, which I loved but paid upwards of $70 for.

A friend mentioned how Drybar was amazing and only $40 so I tried it before MFR's holiday party. Since then I've been going once every two weeks.   For others, paying someone to dry your hair may seem crazy but I've spent money on way more ridiculous things.

Here's why I love it.  First off, they are super convenient.  I usually make an appointment but I've also done walk-ins.  The one I go to is two blocks from my gym, so I can get in a morning workout, shower, makeup etc... and walk over to DB.  For the next hour I enjoy drinking coffee, reading my kindle celeb magazines while someone else gets their arm workout for the day and tries to calculate how it can possibly take this long to dry one head of hair.   100 times better then fighting for mirror space and simultaneously sweating  while blow-drying it myself for 30 + min at the gym.  Which is then proceeded by evil looks because my cheap straightener is making the locker room smell like a bearskin rug is on fire.

That plus the added bonus that my hair looks a million times better than when I do it myself and it lasts for at least three days.  Since initially falling in love with DB, I have gotten a Barfly membership. For $75 it's 2 blowouts per month, one with a floater (15 min scalp massage - heaven.)

• Receive 10% off products and tools (in-store only)
• Unused blowouts “rollover” and never expire.
• Pay $35 (vs non member price of $40) for any additional blowouts you may need beyond 2 per month.
• Membership can be cancelled at anytime, for any reason, without any penalty whatsoever.

I would love to go more but twice a month is the perfect amount; it still feels like I am treating myself.  I strategically plan out my days when I have important meetings, social events or just the day after a long run because it's that relaxing.  They have locations in CA, NY, TX, GA, AZ, IL, MA & DC.  Their products and equipment are top notch and they ask lots of questions to make sure you get exactly what you're looking for. I am a fan of the Manhattan or Straight Up with a floater.

I've never had the same stylist twice and I've always been 100% happy with the outcome.  Not to mention, their whole bar theme is so simple and catchy.  I follow Ali the founder on Twitter and she seems like a pretty cool gal who I'd want to be friends with.  If you have any issues with styling your own hair, I'd try one out ASAP.   And if you're one of those women who can just wash, air-dry your hair and have it look flawless - then we can't be friends.

I am sure this appears that Drybar is paying me to talk about how amazing they are,  unfortunately (for me) no compensation was received for this post.  All these over-the-top lovefest comments and opinions are my own.  If you had my hair, you'd understand.

Some Quick Things

Besides a short run and yoga class, I've taken the last week and a half off to let myself recover properly post marathon.  I am already anxious to get back running.  Despite my lack of sweat; I do have some random updates to share.

I am participating in the Zooma photo a day challenge via Instagram.  Each day has a different theme and they are giving out a pair of Altra running shoes every Friday. I've missed the past two days due to work travel distractions but I'll be back with a vengeance for today's hydrate theme.  Nuun anyone?

Speaking of Nuun; they are being pretty awesome lately.  New product launch - Nuun Energy.  I bought the sampler pack and will be reporting back soon but considering I love Nuun and caffeine, it's sure to impress.  Also, they are giving away a team entry to (the sold out) Hood To Coast 2014.  It's no secret that I love me some HTC, we're going on year 7.  The downside is it's a pain in the ass to get into and it's expensive, so Nuun has solved that.  Details are here and you have to enter by Monday March, 17th. 

Nuun Energy

I finally got a new pair of running shoes yesterday. Sticking of course with my one true love/worlds best running shoe, the Brooks Launch.  My old pair were about 300 miles past their prime and about 200 days bast their ripeness.  They got me through three Sub- 2 Hour half-marathons, a half marathon PR and a marathon PR.  Launch purple/silver ya done good. It's the end of an era but it's time to move on to the caribbean/silver/coral (aka the only color they currently have in my size).

Welcome Home

While I was purchasing these bad boys, I saw on the Brooks blog that they are requesting race medals which they are going to build a massive runner shaped statue out of at their new building in Seattle.  Details are here on how you can become part of Brooks history.  I've already sent my Mountains To Beach medal in.  And when I say "my" I mean MFR's since he also did that race and I can't part with any of my hard earned medals so I used his "duplicate."  He'll never even notice.

Although I've been laying low on the workouts, I have been following along with the Lorna Jane March Ab Challenge.  It only takes me a few minutes each morning and I can already feel a difference.

Finally February stats:
Running: 84 Miles
Spinning: 29 Miles
Weights: 45 min
Yoga: 1 Hour

Not stellar but it was enough for a marathon PR so I'll take it.

Metropolitan Mondays - Tri living in a big city apartment

I decided to add a little something different to the blog this year.  Although I can and do talk about workouts 24/7; it can does get a little boring to read over and over again.  So I thought I'd dedicate Mondays to living in a big city and some of the challenges it sometimes presents as well as the wonderful perks it has (amazing restaurants and walking everywhere).  This week is an ode to apartment living and how complicated it can be to fit all your equipment and gear in it.  These days running is not just a pair of shoes; there are recovery dreads, foam rollers etc... you add the necessary triathlon gear to that and it can get a little tough to fit it all in a 700 sq. ft., third story walk-up.  I mean I have entire drawer  just dedicated to "long" run and compression socks.  Just reading that sentence makes me sad.

Overflowing Drawer of Compression

When I lived in Portland we didn't have a huge house but we had a big basement space where all our bikes/trainers and endurance crap was set up permanently.  When we moved into said walk-up in SF I had a mini panic attack and considered that we may have to quit triathlon just because we didn't have space for everything.  Taking our bikes up and down those stairs and through the 3 different locked doors anytime we want to ride is super fun by the way.  After some deep breaths and a few key purchases, we've gotten a pretty decent storage system down.

Hers and his

First and probably most important was this bike rack.  Although I originally tried to keep our bikes in the hallway, MFR pointed out that maybe our neighbor didn't enjoy getting chain grease on his clothes every time he shimmied by on his way to work.   Then the bikes were in the kitchen taking up precious sq. footage until finally we purchased this bad boy which has made owning four wheels tolerable again.  It's a two bike gravity leaning rack and they only run $40 or so.  I can't remember the exact brand but I know it was an amazon purchase and worth every penny.

His, hers, hers, hers, hers

With VERY limited closet space, our workout shoes are now a conversation piece in our living room.  Somehow having them lined up under the bike rack makes it less tacky - at least that's what I tell myself.

Rollers & Trainers - Another living room staple

Soon after we solved the bike dilemma, I started to realize we still had endurance gear all over our living room.  A quick trip to Pier One for this 50% off basket and everything (but the trainers) are now neatly stowed behind the couch instead of sprawled across our floor.  I definitely suggest getting something tall for all the rollers/yoga mats etc...  It's nice because the room feels picked up but they are still at an arms reach when I get done with a long run.  

Workout sectional - And yes I watch Sports Night while I get ready for work, I love Aaron Sorkin - don't judge.

Again, with the limited closet space I had to get creative with all my workout gear.  I got this little cubby holder at Target for $70 or so.  Each drawer has a separate purpose: sports bras, bike jerseys/tops, bottoms (shorts, capris etc...), tri kits & bike shorts, all swim gear and cold weather gear.  I keep my running tops in my dresser because I have so many.  Keeping everything separated has proved very helpful when I wake up late for a morning workout.

Of course this isn't everything and I still have stuff crammed in hall closets but it is possible to fit all your gear in a tiny apartment (without additional storage space).  Though if we ever decide to buy more bikes, we're definitely going to have to move.

And now for the most important piece.  Where to put all your medals?   For the first year, all of mine were shoved in a box in our hall closest until recently I pulled a few out and realized they were getting all tarnished being stored like that.  Heaven forbid.  A quick trip online and 3-5 shipping days later, they are featured as a work of art in our hallway.

My favorite piece of art.

RNR Medals got their own display b/c they take up so much room

Everything else organized by sport and distance

After this year I might need a bigger display rack.

NWM: Week 9 & Current Favorites

Week 9 looked like this:

Mon - Lunch spin class (50 min class - 14 miles)
Tues - Trackmill (1M jog, then 6 x 1000 (5:15) at 10K pace, with 200m (1-min) jog recoveries, then 1M jog), followed by 15 min of weights and streching
Wed - Unplanned Rest Day
Thurs - 10 miles - avg. 9:30 min/mile (first "long" run back)
Fri - Rest Day
Sat - 18 miles - avg 10 min/mile
Sun - Rest Day
Totals: Ran 34 miles, rode 14 and one weight session

It felt good to finally get back to a normal training week after the never ending saga of sickness.  My long run was good until the last 2-3 miles where I hit the wall and walked/jogged my way back up the the hill.  That brought my average way down but I was okay with it.  It just felt good to get the mileage back up.  I was a responsible adult this week and not only stretched but also foam rolled after every run.  I might actually get through this training cycle in one piece.

A few things that I am loving right now:

Salted Caramel Gu:  I can't get enough of this stuff.  It's no secret that I am not good at taking in nutrition while working out.  Gu has always been my go to just because it's the fastest thing I can take down while trying not to upchuck.  I have to take it with water and I can't do any of the fruity/sweet kinds.  Prior to this, Peppermint, Vanilla and Espresso were in my rotation but they have all been blown out of the water by this adorable Yeti.  Not only can I stomach this, you I might even say I like it.  You won't find me snacking on it anytime soon but I do carry 3 with me on every long run.  Why there has not always been salt in Gu is beyond me but it's a game changer.  It's a seasonal offering so stock up while you can.

 

Fitbit Force:  I don't actually own one of these yet but I am coveting MFR's at the moment and it appears someone finally got this fitness tracking device thing right.  I never bought into the Nike Fuelband because I don't like that they have their own points system the accuracy isn't great so I was skeptical when everyone started talking about Fitbit but I am a convert.  It's so simple to use, everything syncs with your phone via bluetooth, it holds it's charge for weeks and I love the dashboard they use.  Not to mention you can compete with your friends which is the best motivation.  It's definitely worked for MFR, he'll get me to go for a walk with him at 9pm just so he hits his 10,000 steps for the day.  The fastening clasp could use some work but otherwise I hope to be purchasing one of these in the very near future.  Also it's a local San Francisco company which makes it that much cooler, the smalls are currently back-ordered on-line so I may just go knock on their door and beg for one.

Strava:  Speaking of cool fitness technology companies based in SF - enter Strava.   I've been using Strava for awhile now for cycling but I've recently had a resurgence of love for this APP. Aside from the treadmill I've started using it while running too.  It's so accurate and I love being able to compare yourself to others who have ran the same route.  My dad is training for a half marathon and asked me to "coach" him from afar.  I downloaded Strava onto his phone, started following him and now I can keep tabs on all his workouts without having to call and ask what he did that day.  Now I just text him, "you've been home for 2 days and I don't see any activity" and "tomorrow step it up to 4 miles."  He'll thank me later.  Also a Strava group was just put together for all the Nuun ambassadors which has been really fun to track. 

Does anyone else have a Fitbit?  Do you love it?