So, my running friends and I have this debate:

Underwear or no underwear when you workout?

I used to ALWAYS wear underwear when I worked out (no matter if the shorts had the built-in undies or not).

Until that one freeing day about a year and a half ago when I took the advice of my friends and went without.

And I’ve never gone back.

I’m excited, no underwear!!!!!!!!

Seriously. What’s the point? Why dirty more laundry?

And in my experience, I’ve actually found that my Lululemon shorts are way more comfy without underwear. Same with my Nike tempo shorts. The extra layer is just no fun.

Plus, I always feel rebellious knowing I’m being a little naughty when I’m working out……….

What about you? Undies while working out: yay or nay?? Or no comment?

Since I had Friday off of work (a much needed “mental health” day), I decided to get my 8 mile run out of the way before the weekend officially started. So I was totally bummed when I went to go run and saw that it had started raining. And not that light, misty rain either. It was the big, fat heavy rain drops rain. So I waited. And waited. And started annoying J with my pacing and obsessive checking of weather.com.

So I finally just left the house. It was now or never (or run on the treadmill for 8 miles which I was not prepared to do!).

Running turd = leaving the house when it’s still raining so heavily that I’m soaked one mile in and freezing the rest of the run (did I mention it stopped raining after one mile? Just my luck).

Running turd = being so distracted by the rain that I didn’t notice how bad the wind was

Check out that flag!

Running turd = tripping on Madison Ave. and getting honked at (sigh……I swear I’m the clumsiest runner!)

Running turd = wearing as much pink as possible

Pink shirt, pink socks, pink shoes, and a pink headband. Pink overload.

Running turd = Standing at an intersection on Detroit for two entire light changes because I’m too busy jammin out to my tunes and dancing. Seriously. Dancing on a street corner. Will.I.Am. can do that to a person.

Running turd = Telling your husband to take a picture of your ridiculous pink outfit and then stupidly forgetting he has the camera when that same Will.I.Am. song comes on your iPod again. Because then this happens:

And this:

I wonder if I always dance with my thumbs like that. Because I dance a lot. Totally sexy. J is a lucky lucky man.

Am I the only running turd out there? I can’t be…………right? Right??

For as long as I’ve been running, I’ve never known what a fartlek is. And to be honest, I’ve never really cared. Until now. Until Coach Andy put some of these crazy things called fartleks in my training plan. Crap. But if Coach says I should do them, then that’s what I’ll do (kid seems to know what he’s talking about – damn, he qualified for Boston on his first try!).

First things first, I googled the heck out of fartlek. And settled on my running bible, Runners World. They described what a fartlek workout should look like in simple terms and even gave sample workouts. Perfect. Sign me up.

I wrote down the workout on my super high-tech yellow sticky and thought about it for a day or so.

Not sure why I was so intimidated but this happens from time to time (oh hey, do you not know me yet?).

So I did it. Five miles completed tonight. And it turns out that these fartleks make the the miles fly by. I finished my warm-up mile and next thing I knew I was already at 4.25 miles. Baller. Anything that makes the miles go by fast is good with me!

And this particular workout was perfect. It took me to almost exactly 4.5 miles and then I ran a 10 minute pace for the last half mile to cool down. There were so many times (especially during the 4 minute segments) that I wanted to cut it short but I just sucked it up and finished. And that feeling when I was done? Yeah, that’s why I keep coming back to running. Those endorphins are mad awesome. They keep me coming back for more and more and more.

Will these workouts make me faster? I’m not sure – I haven’t been able to tell yet. Sometimes I think so, but my long runs haven’t been consistent enough to really know for sure. But in time I sure hope so! I better not be fartleking for nothing.

Have you fartlek’d? Or do you prefer a nice, easy consistent pace?

What equals 2 bottles of Gatorade, one and a half 24 oz Smart Waters, half a pack of honey stingers, 2 sweated through hand towels, and a sore tush? Two hours of training with the Cleveland Triathlon Club!

That’s how I spent my Sunday morning. It was sweatastic. For realz.

(my bike set up)

I wasn’t sure what to expect and to say I was nervous is a bit of an understatement. Yesterday morning was full of a bunch of firsts:

• First BRICK workout
• First time setting up my bike on the trainer (I’m spoiled – J normally does it)
• First workout with the Cleveland Triathlon Club

I was so nervous I was going to look like this total newb (which I totally am!), so I did what I normally do when I’m outside my element and “faked it til I made it”. It worked!

I got into a groove pretty quick and never felt like I was “behind”. Everyone rode at their own pace and I learned a TON. It was awesome to learn drills I can do on the bike on my own. Plus, after my legs got a little “shake out” after the bike I felt pretty great during the runs, too. I settled into my own pace quickly.

Here’s what went down:

• One hour on the bike (warmup, one legged drills, hill drills)
• 15 minute run
• 30 minutes on the bike (more hills!)
• 15 minute run

Which left me looking like this:

A crazy, sweaty mess. Wet head to toe (that tank is pink, but not that pink!). I’m so glad I packed clothes to drive home in and brought an extra bag for all my sweaty clothes. Hot mess central.

But I’m already looking forward to the next one – I’m kinda giddy about it, I’ll be honest (I’m an exercise dork). I sure hope I feel this great after the next training. Then I’ll know this feeling is for real and not just that “first workout high” you get after a fantastic new workout.

How did you spend your Sunday morning??

If you happen to be friends with either me or J on any sort of social media (Instagram, FourSquare, Facebook, Twitter), you would know that J’s birthday was on Saturday.

Birthdays are a big deal. I mean, my latest birthday was spent running (literally) around NYC and C had the infamous crab boil, so I had to make sure J got the same treatment. So Saturday was all about J.

First up was a bacon brunch:

Pancakes with bacon in them and another side of bacon. Perfect manly breakfast, right?

Next up was a trip to the Golf Dome.

If you know me you know that I hate golf. I despise it. Seriously. So boring. Plus, it’s the most expensive, time consuming hobby ever (let’s not compare it to my marathon training and Lululemon habit, ok? Hehe.) But that’s fine. It’s J’s hobby, not mine. So it was a big deal to him that I made these plans (it was a surprise) and then even hit a few myself:

Yuck. I’m so horrible. But J we had a good time so that’s what counts.

Next? Ice cream from Jeni’s!!!!

I have to be honest, I didn’t plan this part. We happened to drive past it and when I asked J if he wanted to stop he didn’t even hesitate (duh, it’s the best ice cream ever). Chocolate cayenne and gooey butter cake for the win.

And lastly, we had dinner reservations for Pier W. Sadly the only picture I have is this:

But everything was A.Mazing: the food, drinks, atmosphere, view of downtown CLE, etc. Plus the happy hour prices can’t be beat!

We finished the night cuddled up on the couch watching a movie, while J drank his home brewed beer. I think he may have even said “this may have been my best birthday yet”.

Do you remember your “best birthday”???

Since the blog has been so running heavy lately I thought I’d share some of my favorite (non-running related) things right now:

Victoria’s Secret PINK sweatpants:

Too old for these? Probably yes. Well, definitely yes b/c I had a high schooler at Target say to me “I love your sweatpants!” the other day. J still hasn’t stopped teasing me about it.

Big, fuzzy, warm blankets:

They’re a must in our older, not so insulated house. I keep one on the couch and one on our bed.

Blood orange Chobani:

Dare I say that it’s more delicious than the Raspberry??

Scarves:

Wear one almost every day. I think I even took 3 with me on my trip to Chicago two weekends ago. And I was there for 2 days.

Flintstone gummy vitamins:

Sure, they’re “technically” C’s vitamins. But they’re great in a pinch since I’m out of mine and haven’t had a chance to replenish.

Sperry’s:

Hands down my favorite shoes right now. So comfortable and so cute.

What are you lovin on right now??

Sunday I went outside my comfort zone and joined the #dirtyrunners for their weekly “fun run”. I use the term “fun run” loosely, as these people are hard core. Their fun run is my hard, long run. They’re amazing runners and fast, fast, fast. And me? Yeah, not so fast. But Ryan insisted that I’d be fine, and what better way to try and get faster than to run with people faster than me?

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous when I showed up to run. I didn’t want to hold anyone back and I wasn’t really sure of the etiquette (I don’t normally run in a group, just one or two at the most, and we’re all close friends). Do I just tell them to go on if I’m sucking wind and can’t keep up? Do I ask them to slow down? What.do.I.do?! (all thoughts that were going through my head)

But when we started running I just jumped right in. I felt good and Moja was sweet to hang back and run with me for awhile. Luckily we were out early enough that there were barely any cars out yet so we could run in the middle of the roads where it was clear (meaning no snow). But as soon as we got down to Edgewater Park we were running through snow drifts and ice patches (how’s the elbow, Beal?!) and my ankle started acting up. It doesn’t like uneven surfaces very well yet and after we made our way through what felt like a trail run we had to head uphill. Crap. Who planned this course, Moja???

I had a really hard time getting my footing and fell back a bit. Plus the hill pretty much kicked my ass. Once we were at the top I had a real hard time getting back into my groove. Not sure what it was but I felt mentally defeated. Almost like how I felt during the NYC Marathon from the bridges. My ankle started to swell so I stopped to loosen my shoelaces, and after that my head just wasn’t in the game anymore. It’s really annoying to think back on it now. Sure, my ankle was sore, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. t know I could have pushed harder. I know I could have finished stronger. But I just didn’t.

8 miles at a 9:43 average. Meh. Respectable considering the weather conditions? Sure. And I’d be damn proud of it if I knew I had tried my hardest and given it my all. But I didn’t.

So, yeah, running with faster runners didn’t work this time. But maybe they’ll take pity on me and invite me to run with them again. And again. And again. Until I can keep up.

Me, Jess (aka Moja), Ryan, Mason, and Beal

Do you run in a group? IS there an etiquette I should know/follow??

Sometimes life doesn’t go as planned. Kimi and I had organized a Cleveland #RunforSherry for this past Saturday but, unfortunately, the Cleveland weather did not cooperate. The snow wasn’t TOO bad, but the wind was absolutely brutal.

So we all did our runs virtually, keeping Sherry in our thoughts and simply running because we can.

My run wasn’t the best. I even cut my schedule 7 miles down to 5 because I wasn’t feeling it. I was pretty emotional and had a hard time focusing. But when I wanted to quit at mile 4 I thought of Sherry and how her ability to run was taken away from her, and ended up finishing pretty strong.

5 miles at a 9:16 pace (the treadmill’s numbers include walking at the end).

What made me really happy, though, was seeing the #virtualhighfives my friends sent me from their runs.

Kimi:

Alana:

Heidi:

I’m so proud to be a runner and be a part of a community that comes together to support such an important cause.

Runners are awesome.

How was the weather by you this weekend? Were you able to run outside?

Oh, and the winner of the Vega Sport giveaway is Melissa!

Congrats, girl! Email me your address by the end of the day Monday (Feb. 13th) and I’ll send it to Vega asap!

I was recently sent a pack of workout fuel (pre, post, and during) from Vega Sport, the sports nutrition company formulated by Brendan Brazier (who is totally badass, btw).

I still remember getting the email asking if I’d be interested in trying the product – we were in New York City and it was the day after the NYC Marathon. The timing couldn’t have been any more perfect since my fueling had been a disaster during the marathon. And knowing that I had a comeback marathon in mind (yes, I totally knew this as soon as I crossed the finish line in NYC), I didn’t waste any time responding that I’d be happy to try it!

Well, before I even had a chance to try any of the products, J had dug in and grabbed the Chocolate Coconut Protein Bar.

He ate it on his way home from the gym one night and called me saying “I couldn’t wait to get home to tell you this, but this chocolate coconut bar is SOOOO GOOD. Seriously, it’s the best protein bar I have ever had. The texture is amazing! I love it! Wooooo!” Ok, maybe he didn’t wooooo, but I like to remember it that way. Hehe.

He is still raving about this protein bar a month later. I’m not kidding. It’s getting kind of annoying. Maybe I should get him a pack of these for Valentines Day. Protein bars and beer. Perfect gift.

Anyways, I went a different route and tried the pre-workout fuel. If you don’t know, I have a pretty awesome work schedule. I work 7am to 2pm, except for the months of February, March, and April when I work full-time (today I worked 7 to 6). I love getting off work at 2:00 – it gives me time to get my workout in before dinner and family time. But it’s also the time my body crashes and I don’t have much energy.

And, no joke, the Vega Sport Pre-Workout Energizer is amazing. I mix it with water and that’s it. Easy peasy.

It honestly gives me the energy boost I need for my afternoon run. It’s my most favorite product in the whole box!

To be fair, though, I haven’t tried any of the during, or “sustain”, products yet. But training is starting to amp up and now is the perfect time to try something new. I’ll definitely let you know how they are!

And, lucky for you, the people at Vega Sport offered to send one of YOU a tub of the Pre-Workout Energizer (no fair, I want to win)!! There are 2 ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me your pre-workout fuel of choice.
2. Tweet “I want to win the super awesome @VegaSport giveaway from @heatha262. You should, too!” and link to this post (leave me a comment telling me you tweeted). You can tweet once day until 5pm on Sunday, February 12th (make sure you leave a comment for each tweet!).

GOOD LUCK!

And don’t forget the Run for Sherry this Saturday in the Rocky River Metroparks at 9am! We’re planning a coffee/bagels date at Einstein’s for after. So leave a little time to hang out after!

Disclaimer: I was sent these products free of charge from Vega Sports. But opinions are 100% my own (and J’s).

Soooooooo……my sis and I were never really into the same activities when we were younger. We both played sports recreationally but they weren’t really our “thing”. Cheerleading was her thing and baton twirling was mine.

Once we got older, our “things” changed. Mine somehow turned into running and hers turned into fashion.

Well, now I’m happy to say that our “things” are finally the SAME!

It started back in September of 2010 when we ran the Chicago Half Marathon together (which I’m not even sure how we decided to sign up – but it wouldn’t surprise me if I pressured her into it).

She was amazing and ran like it was no big deal.

See, she’s in front of me here. I think this was around mile 9? Rockstar.

I swear she didn’t even hurt after the race. I look tired and she looks happy. Not fair.

And then when I was the running coach for Team Challenge, she joined the Team to run Vegas with us.

We couldn’t run the race together since I was the coach, but she totally killed it. Seriously, she almost beat my PR with like no effort at all. Again, kills me.

So, I finally did it. I convinced her to put her natural running ability to the ultimate test.

Because last week she got an email identical to this one:

We’re both registered to run the Chicago Marathon this year and it’s going to be A-MAZING! I can’t wait to share the experience of 26.2 miles with my sister. She already shares her love of fashion with me almost every day (I need the help!), so I’m totally excited to share my love of marathons with her.

Though, if she beats my PR I may have to kill her.

What was your “thing” growing up?