My first race ever was in April 2009 and to date, I have run close to 50 different races- wow, that seems like a lot to me! I don’t like to repeat race courses and I really want to try them all (at least all the ones here in northern California) yet there are a couple that I will keep coming back to because they are so well organized and just plain fun- well, as much “fun” as one can have endurance running. Here are my 5 favorite races of all time… so far… Continue reading
If you can relate to the above picture, then you know what kind of “technical difficulties” I’m referring to: running clothes. They are EVERYWHERE and it’s becoming quite an issue for me, my closet, and my dresser drawers. I have so much technical gear that I broke 2 drawers right off my dresser trying to shove it all in!
I was stuck home with sick kids yesterday so I did some laundry and went ahead and laid out ALL of my work out clothing on the bed and counted- I’m up to 78 technical shirts and 25 bottoms. And that doesn’t even take into account all the shoes, socks, bras, jackets, hats and headbands I’ve been collecting over the past 6 years.
“Hello, my name is Laura and I’m an addict.” Anyone else care to join me at AAA? (Athletic Apparel Anonymous) Continue reading
I’ve been good! I swear!!!
Yes, it’s that time of year again and I am positive that you have been suffering through the holiday email and snail mail barrage just like me: SHOP, BUY, SHOP, BUY!!! I don’t do and will never do Black Friday, I’m an Internet junkie so I try to get most of my Christmas gifts online in order to save myself the hassle of the people and lines at the brick and mortars, but that means that I have to start now if I want to insure availability and prompt arrival… so I have…
As you can see, I started writing this post with a “giving” bent but decided to write, instead, about the “getting”, especially since my blog is all about me all the time and Hubby claims to actually read my blog now (I am SUCH a helpful wife like that!). I like the stuff I like and the only one who really knows what I like is ME, you know? The items I want for Christmas have to do with- you’re never gonna believe it- running and cooking!
And here’s my Christmas Wish List… Continue reading
It’s been quite a while since I’ve done a giveaway and even though my feet aren’t terribly happy right now (read: bruised toes, nails falling off), I want yours to be! So let’s talk socks…
When I first started racing in 2009, I suffered from major blisters usually on my left foot, right on the inside of the sole- the spot that (if my form is correct) hits the ground first when running. Yeouch! As a racing newbie and doing 5K after 5K when I started, I would typically push through the pain, keep on running, and complain to anyone who would listen about my painful, bleeding feet afterwards. I finally realized that the cotton socks I wore + the amount of sweat I produced = the dire need for an authentic athletic sock. Continue reading
Life is so very busy crazy right now- I am ending things, beginning things, continuing things, planning things and just doing oh so many things! As you can tell, sitting down to blog has not been anywhere near my radar lately so when I woke up at 4am this morning I figured now is a good a time as any to grab a cup of coffee and write a blog post.
I am just a few hours away from getting on a plane headed to Los Angeles to run the Hollywood Half Marathon on Saturday. I ran the Oakland Half Marathon just 2 weeks ago (recap coming, I swear!) and it went just alright so I am hoping things will go better this time.
If you’ve read my recent sports bra review, Boobs Boobs Boobs, you know how much I love Handful! And right now they are having a contest… here’s how we can both win:
First, grab a protein bar and a cup of coffee and check out this new video by Handful with lots of athletic women looking happy, strong, powerful, and super cute in their awesome Handful bras (I’ve got that one in pink and am wearing it right now- LOVE!!!)…
I thought that might get your attention but get your heads out of the gutter, people, this post is about sports bras.
It has been a personal goal to find The Best running bra in order to avoid the inevitable low-hanging-boob effect from too much bouncing and not enough support. I read once that when you run, your breasts can move up to EIGHT inches in all different directions- up, down, all around, to the right, to the left, and out- so, as we female runners age, supporting the girls in order to avoid too much tissue damage from all that jostling is pretty important no matter what size you may be. Continue reading
People often ask what got me started down this long road of running and my answer is always the same: Anna and Jennie of Oakland Adventure Boot Camp. These two women turned me from a body at rest to one in motion- and I haven’t stopped since.
Jennie on the left, Anna on the right (photo credit: Oakland Adventure Boot Camp)
My first day of class with Anna and Jennie was on May 9th, 2007. My two children were 5 months and 17 months old, I was closing in on the 200 pound mark and knew I had to make a change. I was already awake at the crack of dawn with the babies so I announced my intentions to hubby, registered for the 6:30am boot camp 3 days a week, bought a set of 5 pound weights, water bottle, and yoga mat at Target and mentally prepared myself for the challenge. Continue reading
This blog is not at all about restaurant reviews but I just have to share my birthday dinner experience last Wednesday at one of the most acclaimed restaurants here in California, The French Laundry. So if you are a foodie, get a cup of coffee, pull up a chair and get comfortable as this will be my longest post since the marathon recap. If you’re not a foodie, read this and you will be!
kneeling in gravel in the freezing cold and taking pictures of signs, that's how i roll
I contacted the authors of Run Like a Mother (RLAM) last month when canvassing the online running community for item donations towards my Mother of all Raffles for LLS. One of the authors wrote me back personally (I was pretty star struck, I’m such a dork!) and offered to donate to the raffle as well as send a second book to giveaway on my blog! SWEET! Thank you again, Sarah!