Mizuno Winner and Albion Fit Giveaway!

I hope you had a great weekend.  Mine was taken over by a lot of errands but it was beautiful beautiful weather here.   I did a terrible long run on Saturday (I went slower than slow and stopped about 1000 times.  Weird because the rest of the week's running went well).  I also went on a bike ride today.  On the beach.
Pics or it didn't happen?  

Oh it totally happened.

Mizuno Contest Winner!  

Thank you for all of your entries!!!  It was so fun to read about the bright things you own.   I really wish Mizuno would let me give shoes to everyone but I guess that would be a bad business practice.  Anyways, the winner of the giveaway is:

NATALIE TORRES!   Time for you to start wearing Elixirs and Inspires!  Email me!  I'll try to track you down as well.  Congrats!!

More Giveaway Stuff!  (Where I pretend to be a fashion blogger)

Apologies to those of you who find giveaways boring.  I get it.  I  probably won't do another for 6 months after this one, it was just random that I got two cool opportunities that I wanted to do at once. 

A couple weeks back, a representative of Albion Fit contacted me about trying their items and doing a giveaway.  I'd never heard of them so I checked out their site.

Turns out it's pretty cute stuff!  I think the style of their stuff is...Retro 50s meets Lululemon meets Mod Cloth.   I actually especially like their bathing suits section.  Albion Fit is also family-owned and they state on their site that they have a commitment to sustainable business practices.  All good stuff.  For these reasons (as well as the reason of "Hell yeah I want you to send me a cute shirt!"), I am happy to do a giveaway for their products and share information about them.

Here's the item that I chose off the site to try and what you can win.  I'd consider it a layering basic that could work for everything from light workouts to a casual work environment to brunch with friends.

The Go-Long Crew with Thumbholes in Rust

I really like this shirt.  It's ridiculously soft to the point that I slept in this the first night I got it (Ok sometimes I'm just to lazy to change into PJs as well).  I think the shirt is pretty flattering and I like the longer cut to it.  While it's billed as a workout top, I'd definitely consider it more of a lounging around watching TV / stretching the night before a race/ light yoga kind of shirt.  You COULD run in it, but I don't think I will.   It also comes in white, grey, and purple.  I can't speak to the longevity of the product as I've only had it about a week, but I'm really hoping it holds up for a long time!

Sooooo who wants a cute long-sleeve tee?   Here's how you play:

1 Entry = Comment.  Tell me about your favorite comfy clothes.  (Ok you don't have to do that, but it's fun to read the comments!).

1 Entry = Follow Albion Fit on Twitter and Tweet at me (@fasterbunny and @albionfit).

1 Entry = Like Albion Fit on Facebook.

It would be awesome if you could comment in the 1) 2) 3) format so I can easily count as well.

Giveaway ends Monday, February 25th at midnight PST.  

PS:  Even if you don't win, you can take $15 off a purchase of $50 or more at Albion Fit using the code fasterbunny15 until March 3rd, 2013!   Hope you like their stuff!

That girl's a pacin' fool!

Hollllaaa!
This morning I went on a bike ride.  I live pretty close to some awesome bike trails so all I have to do is tick off rush hour commuters by riding on the road (we have a bike lane so it's not SO bad) for about a mile, and then I'm on the glorious trail!


And there were a billion people out riding this morning.  Most were riding with friends which made me totally jealous because I need more bike friends!  I was going embarrassingly slow and kept getting passed by dudes in the craziest outfits.  Biker gear is pretty loud. Which brings me to my next point -  I know why so many men like to bike:
It's their one chance to wear polka dots, crazy lightning bolts and arm socks and still look...manly... =)

And I'm no dude, but I'm embracing the crazy gear too!

  And yes...that is what the floor of my bedroom looks like.  Littered with running shoes and workout gear.  I'm a keeper, folks. 


Speaking of new gear I am PUMPED for something to come in the mail...Jenny, over at TheLittleJBird read that I wanted to dress like a pumpkin for a halloween race (probably my half marathon?)...SO SHE IS MAILING ME A PUMPKIN SHIRT SHE RACED IN!  


It's the sisterhood of the traveling pumpkin!!!  To say I am excited to see this bad boy is an understatement.  


Along with costumes and racing, I have another goal....


I have always wanted to be a pacer for a race.  I am actually danged good at keeping a pace when I'm not actually racing and the idea of leading a bunch of people to a PR sounds amazing.  I even emailed the LA marathon about this last year, and they told me they had way cooler pacers than me already.  


So...how do I get to be a pacer in a race?  


I tweeted this this morning to see if anyone had any ideas on how I get into this club...
Of course, because it's me, my inspirational intentions quickly spiraled into ridiculous aspirations...

and then....

more support...

of course...I wondered if this would be a bit of a jackass move.  And XLMIC assured me it is.  And to do it.  

So here we are....I really want to do this.  Big sign that says "25:00 5k", the whole sha-bang... Hey man, maybe I'd really help someone PR....


So...what do you think?  Funny or d-baggy?  I'll take pics ;-).  


Anyways, here is my weekly recap.  I struggled a lot early in the week due to a lot of pain in my side from my bike crash because another dude's bike (with him on it) landed literally on my side.  Luckily I did not die, and am feeling much better.    Tomorrow I'm going 10+4 at half marathon pace.  Yikes. 


Saturday - 9 + 3 at half marathon pace
Sunday - 30 mile bike ride.  Another crash! 
Monday - 6 miles easy. 
Tuesday  - Warmup / Cooldown + 2 sets of 400/800/2400 @ 3000 pace, 5k pace, half marathon pace...800 meter rest between sets.  I actually did 2.5 sets because I was hurting too much to finish on the track...had to treadmill it and start again.  Tear. 
Wednesday - 4 miles easy. 
Thurday - 7x1600 @ 6:56-ish.  Soooo long!
Friday - 15 mile bike ride. 


Total:  45 biking miles, 40 running miles.    


I'M REALLY EXCITED FOR THE WEEKEND!!!!!  Have a great one :). 

Crazy about Pippa, What's Next, and REI

Anyone else watching "Crazy About Pippa" on TLC?  I can't decide whether I want to watch it again and again because it's so awesome or throw my TV out the window because it's so dumb.  

I like her though.  Because apparently she likes to have a good ol' time.  So Pips, consider this your invitation to come bar hop in good old Cali. 

It's Miller time.  

Enough about Pippa, let's talk running!  

Alrighty.  I've got Hood To Coast coming up, a 5k in September, some sort of Triathlon sometime in the Fall after I learn to swim, and a half marathon in October.  

But all I can think about is trying to re-5k PR.  Somewhat due to people way more talented than me like Sarah and Cait saying "buck up and run sub 20 now".  (I'm paraphrasing, but in my head, this is what was said, ok?).  So I typed paces in this calculator for 5k workouts and typed in 19:59 as goal pace.  Can I do it?  Eh, probably not, but I may as well kill myself trying (sort of like 50 Cent's "Get Rich or Die Trying"). 

This 5k PR impluse resulted in a 6 mile tempo treadmill run at 1% incline and 7:13 pace today.  It wasn't exactly easy, but more it was just boring.  If "Crazy About Pippa" had been on it woulda been a whole other story....

What about biking?  Shouldn't you do that more if you want to do a Tri?  

Bike is still in the shop (getting it tomorrow!! yay!) but I missed out on an awesome OC blogger date to go to a basic bike care class at REI tonight.  I learned a lot, but got hungry mid class and there aren't a lot of food selections at REI.   Who says you need to have a race to eat Honey Stingers.  God they are delicious. 

Even though the class was free, a trip into REI is most definitely not for me.  I am unable to walk outa that beautiful store without purchasing so much stuff.    Their "free class" plan worked ;). 

Check out my new REI schwag to be used for Hood To Coast!

Head lamp, nifty "runners wallet" to put on wrist (total impulse buy!), and reflective vest.  Nuun is supplying reflective vests for us, so buying was not a necessity.  However, back in high school winter track, we all ran in the dark and were required to wear them on runs.  No one ever washed them.  The smell of those vests still haunt me.  So while I am sure my HTC teammates smell nothing like the 15 year old boys on the TJHS track team, I am taking no chances.  

So....

Pippa or Kate? 

What race food (like my honey stingers) do you want to eat as a snack it's so freaking good?

Do you think it's a good thing that I bought my own reflective vest just in case my HTC teammates smell ?  ;-)

PS:  Check out my guest (food related) post going up Weds at Tara's blog!  I swear the recipes are good!  

Bar fights. Diet Coke + FB 4Eva

I've never been in a bar fight (surprise!), but how I feel right now is what I'd imagine a bar fight feels like the day after...

My entire left side of my body is tore up, but I can't even say "You think I look bad?  You should see the other guy".  

 Because the other guy is a rock.

And some asphalt.  

Margs, stop being cagey, what happened?

I crashed my bike this morning.  Sad face.  It was totally my fault too, I ran into a giant rock because I wasn't paying attention.  Of course this crash happened shortly after thoughts like "I feel so comfortable on the bike, maybe I will win the tour next year", were going through my head.  

A super nice couple helped me out post crash, put the chain back on, and made sure I was ok to get home.  An unlucky morning saved by the luck of having people who both are nice and know about bikes.  I'm now mostly peeved that my bike is a little banged up and I'm not sure how bad.   I'll be ok, but my poor bike can't heal itself ;).

.....From random bad stuff to random AWESOME stuff.....

When I started this blog, I hoped for this glorious moment.
Yes, the moment when a company thought I had enough pull to send me stuff.  Fa Freez!  
(Cue "We are the champions" music)

Well friends.  It happened.  Diet Coke sent me a refrigerator.  

What?  Why?  

Honestly I don't know.  I love the stuff, but I was a little shocked.  What I DO know, is that I've been beggin' for a fridge in my office for the past few months.  And apparently Diet Coke listens when no one else does:

Glorious cold drinks at all hours of the day!!!!

The funny part about this whole thing is that Diet Coke didn't just send a fridge, they sent a camera crew.  And I answered questions like "When was the last time you had a Diet Coke?".    And got super flustered because I am the worst public speaker ever.  

And then I signed a release form.  I'm kinda hoping they put me in a superbowl commercial.  

So....SUPER flattering and sweet of them.  Plus I think I gained a little street cred in the office.  

But, like everything, free awesome gifts are in the eye of the beholder. My brother was on the phone with my mom and told her that Diet Coke sent me a fridge and interviewed me.

Her reaction?

"I can't believe she is drinking so much soda!  Tell her to stop!"  

Nothin' like family to bring your ever expanding ego back to earth =).  

Lemon Cupcakes and Cycling Justice

Two quick orders of business:
1) I went to a farmers market this weekend with OUAL, 365 Days of Awesome, and Fat GirlTrappedInSkinnyBody.  We got Yogurtland.  It was awesome. Also, we took no pictures.  But...you already know what we look like eating Yogurtland, so I think it'll be ok :).

2)  I love all things citrus but it's hard to find recipes for orange / lemon deserts!  So I was pumped to make these LemonFilled Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting.  
from Eat, Run Read.  She posts a cake of the week, and they always look AMAZING.   Annndd...they were amazing.  And because they have filling and are thus fancier than the average cupcakes, your friends will be impressed.
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On to the main post....

 By now, if you read my blog regularly (hi brother!), you know I have a terrible sense of direction.  I get lost on the regular and my iphone data plan with the map has probably saved me an entire week of my life.

I went on my second group bike ride today with the dudes and gals at Surf City Cyclery.   I got a legit bike jersey for my b-day so I was pumped to show off my new duds.

When I showed up at the bike shop at 8AM, there were a lot of pro looking cycling dudes there.  And one girl.  That's the funny thing about cycling I'm starting to discover....while running has become pretty much 50/50 gender, cycling is still majority dudes.  While this is wonderful for getting "lots-o-smiles-from-cycling-dudes" (single gals...new hobby??), it's a bit intimidating.

Turned out the other girl was even less experienced than I was, so soon after we took off, the group was pretty spread apart.  Still...I felt good!  Sometimes I was almost hanging with the fast dudes and the wind rushing past me felt great.  "Maybe I will be the world champion of biking one day", I thought to myself.

And then I got brought back to earth....

I took a wrong turn and got lost from the group....on a bustling road about 6 miles from the end.  After about 5 minutes of standing around waiting to be rescued, I pulled out the iphone and realized I could ride on the busy road and get back to the shop.   I told myself "Stop being a freaking wuss, ignore the cars, and ride back on this road".

So I bucked up and drove towards the Shop....except I didn't.

A few miles later, I noticed the road opening up and signs to get on I-405.  (Yeah...that road they closed this weekend for "Carmageddon!").  

Ooopsy.

Wrong way.

Somewhat heartbroken, I turned back around and went back over the freeway overpass.  Very appropriate place for an inexperienced biker.

30 minutes later and sweaty as all getout, I got back to the bike shop.  The guys were nice about it and one Starbucks Refresher and bagel later, it was all good.

The ride was still a blast.  Biking rules.

I'd like to offer a "moral of the story":
If you see a biker riding on a way too busy road (like near the entrance of a freeway), don't get too TO'd.  They might as dumb as I am and got separated from the cycling herd in a process of "dumb-cycler natural selection".

Lucky me, I'll live to see another day of glorious biking!   And that's somethin' to celebrate :).

Avgolemono (Greek Chicken Soup). Family Recipes!

Today I finally put on my big girl pants and went on a group bike ride!  30 miles...awww yeaaahhh (long for me) !  

I've been terrified to ride with anyone because I know my bike handling skills are terrible and I don't want to crash into everyone or make them have to wait for me at every hill (or turn or light..etc).

Luckily, I made the dudes at Surf City Cyclery promise to not make fun of me or leave me on the side of the road.  They lived up to their promise and even put up with me forgetting to put my front wheel on correctly and dropping my chain on the ride (where the chain of the bike literally comes off due to bad shifting!)
The guys at this shop are seriously amazing at knowing about bikes and amazingly nice, so if you are a newbie like me and live in So Cal, go make friends with them!  And buy stuff.

The Town of Skala

This is also a recipe post day!  This one is kind of special to me since it's something I grew up eating:  Avgolemono  (Greek Egg Lemon Rice Soup).  It seriously takes comfort food to a whole new level!

We grew up eating this because my dad is from Skala Sikaminias, Greece - a small fishing / farming town on Lesvos.  I've been to a billion different Greek restaurants and have seen this soup in many versions, but of course, I think the way my family does it is the best!  My dad actually passed away in February 2010 from cancer, so...this is my father's day tribute post (even though I'm sure he'd be appalled to know that I have a blog haha...he was pretty old school about things...I could go into more detail about my dad passing and his life, but that's a separate, and more emotional post I'm not really ready to write :( ).  

**Disclaimer...to make this, you'll need at least 3-4 hours and be cool with making your own broth.  
I suspect this will not be the most used recipe on my blog, but believe me, it's worth the wait :).  

I totally stole this pic off someone else's blog

Avgolemono (Egg Lemon Rice Soup...nearly literal translation!)


Chicken Thighs, Wings, Necks (any pieces you can boil for the broth...what you pick will depend on how much chicken you want for the soup)
1-1.5 Cups Rice
3-5 Lemons and/or Bottled Lemon Juice, to taste
2 Eggs
Salt, to taste

1) Boil Chicken pieces in a large stock pot.  Fill with enough water to cover pieces.  Add the strained (no seeds) juice of 1-2 lemons, or the equivalent squirt from a lemon juice bottle.  Add about 50% of the salt (at least a teaspoon).

2) Boil for about 3 hours on medium heat.  Add water during the cooking process if too much boils off.

3) Remove big pieces of chicken/bone from pot.  

4) Pour contents of stock pot into a large bowl through a strainer to strain out smaller pieces of chicken that were left in the pot.  Throw away strained pieces of chicken.  Pour strained stock back into the stock pot.   Chill broth until you can skim fat off the top.  Add water until the pot is about 5/8 full.  Heat up broth.  Add small pieces chicken to broth from the large chicken pieces in step two.  This will be the chicken for the soup.

5)(IMPORTANT STEP to make egg smooth in broth) 

Beat two eggs in a large bowl until evenly blended.  Spoon large spoonfuls of hot stock while blending the egg/stock mixture.  As the blend gets more soupy, you can add larger portions of stock each time you blend.  When the large bowl is nearly full, begin pouring from the bowl to the stock pot, blending the soup in the stock pot with a stirring spoon as you pour.

6) Add rice to soup - about 1 cup of rice for every 6 or so cups of broth.

7) Let the rice cook 30 minutes on medium heat on stovetop.

8)  Add additional lemon and salt to taste (it should be a LOT of both) and cook for an additional 15 minutes.  

Enjoy  =).

PS:  You can probably use already made canned chicken broth if you want.  But come on...it's fun to cook like you imagine great grandma did!    Live a little!  


On the question side:  What family recipes do you like to cook (or eat)?


Any things your family made that everyone else liked but you thought was gross?  

J-Biebs Hair. Mile Repeats.

Ahhhh Saturday!  Beautiful day outside....and I'm sitting here inside....blogging and watching the Disney Channel.

My passion for entertainment targeted towards 12 year olds is pretty high.  Today it's The Wizards of Waverly Place.  It stars Selena Gomez, JBiebs girlfriend.  Anyone else think this is just a publicity relationship?  

I know.  I ask the difficult, hard hitting questions on this blog.  

I sort of wonder if JBiebs is going to turn into the Jonathan Taylor Thomas of our generation:  Adorable while young, kinda strange looking as an adult.  

On the subject of celebrities (that I seem to be writing more and more about), I figured out how J-Lo got her famous booty:  Padded booty biking shorts.  

I finally got mine in the mail and went on a quick trial ride yesterday.  IT WAS LIKE BIKING IN THE CLOUDS!!!  Ahhhh comfort.   The effect of looking like Kim Kardashian was an added benefit.

Here's your visual.  And to answer your questions:
Yes this is a picture of me, and I took it.  


(hehe)



Hey Margs, what about the repeat miles you have in the subject line?  


Oh yeah.  I did a workout for the first time in two weeks.  Actually it was really nice taking that "time off"by doing my usual easy low mileage runs.  I felt enthusiastic about running this morning, which hasn't happened since before Boston!

I did the workout on the treadmill again, since I am pretty sure off the mill, my brain is getting in the way of my body getting a decent workout.  So until I either figure out the treadmills are wrong, or I stop being crazy, I'm gonna do workouts here.

Here are the splits with 3:30 walking rest between:  6:57, 6:45, 6:40, 6:31.  .5% incline, 1.5 mile warmup and cooldown.

Decent.  I'd like to do 4 @ 6:30 or 2x2 @ 13:00 to feel ready for a 5k PR.  Hopefully soon!!

I always feel a little silly in the gym working out really hard.  Possibly because of the galloping buffalo sound I make with each stride when I run hard.

Anyone else get self conscious at the gym when working out hard? 

Should I wear those shorts under skirts and see if I look like Kim K. ?  

=)

Strange Tragedy in Runnerville and I Always Wanted a Pony

Did you guys read about Sammy Wanjiru, the winner of last year's Chicago Marathon and the reigning Olympic Champion?  He passed away while either falling or jumping off a balcony in his hometown in Kenya.

Here's the story from the New York Times.   No disrespect intended, but this guy also had possession of an AK-47 recently?   Wow...That's a term you don't hear much in the elite running world.  The mental picture of this whole thing is just completely strange/sad!  One thing is for sure though, the running world lost a great talent =(.

Changing subject on a lighter note.....


You know when you were little and thought it would be pretty sweet to have a pony?   (Or maybe you guys all wanted to run marathons when you were younger ;-)  ) . 

Yeah.  That's my sister-in-law.  She actually owns a horsey and started competing on it!  This weekend, I went down to San Juan Capistrano and watched her kick butt!  












As for me...since I have no pony, I did the next best thing....went on a BIKE RIDE this morning with the big-girl clip-in shoes for the first time in years!!!  

Shoe and Pedal Attached.  Missing:  Bike.  

 Of course I first had to take it to the bike shop first because I do ridiculous things like accidentally putting the shoe in the pedal before it's on the bike.  (Note, it is REALLY hard to get off!)  

Bike Ninja

Here is the awesome bike guy who had no idea I was snapping photos of him helping me put the pedals on!  They are at surf city cyclery if anyone in Orange County wants an awesome bike shop where they don't make fun for being a complete newbie!

It was a beautiful day for a ride:

And a beautiful day to take pictures of myself...




Yes I am still wearing my Boston Jacket....this jacket is NEVER. COMING. OFF!!!






That's all I have for you!  Have an awesome Tuesday!

Bargain Biker Babe?

Hi hi!  Hope your weekend was fabulousssss !  

A couple days back, my friend Madeline (triathlon dominatrix extraordinaire) asked me if I wanted to go on a bike ride with a couple of her friends this weekend.   

Being a complete newbie to biking, I said "heck yes!" eager to learn skillz.  

Unfortunately, my quads are still completely shot from the marathon last Monday.  I don't know how all you other blogsters appear completely recovered...jealous!!  

I figured a bike ride couldn't cause problems because I figured "hey it's cross training...different muscles, right?".  

Wrong!    

"Indoor" Bike Rack

 On Saturday I got up at 5:30 AM to drive to Brentwood (LA) to meet these girls.  After a few snafus (I don't have a bike rack and couldn't get the front tire off my bike to get it in the car) which made me late to leave, I made the drive up to LA.

As soon as I got on the bike in Brentwood, I knew I was in for trouble...my soreness was incredible....  Since I'd taken so long getting up to LA, I missed the start and I literally took off on my bike, hoping to randomly run into the girls on the bike path.  Miracles of miracles, I did!

  

The miracles ended there though.  I definitely couldn't hang with the girls and so Madeline was sweet enough to spend her morning teaching me how to ride a bike...big girl style.    She taught me all sorts of bike handling tips that probably come naturally to most, but definitely not to me.    :)

Before

Afterwards I went to Ralphs to get some food....

After

And purchase a 10 week supply of strawberries at $.88 a pack!  I totally can't resist a deal!  

If you have a Ralphs near you RUN don't walk and buy some bargain deliciousness!   

I don't know about you, but I know what I'm eating tomorrow morning. :)

Which brings me to my question...

Do you buy ridiculous quantities of stuff when it's on sale just because you're excited about the freaking awesome deal?    

Channeling the 80s post workout