Mizuno Elixir Giveaway! (and Surf City)

I ran the Surf City Half with my friends Sarah and Sheila this weekend!  Kristina joined us for a few miles too in the middle.

As you know, we decided to make it more of a fun run due to a lot of semi-bad circumstances for each of us (I was sick...and still am dangit...and yes, I am slightly disappointed in myself)...and in that way, it was a huge success!  It was a really beautiful day for a run, and Surf City was well-run as always.  It better be for the billion dollars it costs for the entry fee, right?   We ran around 1:46 and change and stayed together the whole time.   It was great to spend time with those girls.

Our pictures definitely put any Healthy Living Bloggers race pics to shame.  Hah!  I am definitely having more fun than you are and the pictures are #proof!  

(sorry for stealing your pics, marathonfoto).

I have also tracked down a new race (Lucky 7!) in Davis, CA, which will be an attempt for a more serious race attempt of a half marathon.  Health and non-laziness in workouts for the next month, willing, the stars will align that day for a closer to PR effort.  Who wants to sign up for this race with me?  COME ON PLS?   It's only $50!

GIVEAWAY OF MIZUNO ELIXIRS!!

I'm really excited to be giving away a pair of the Mizuno Elixir 8's today, thanks to Mizuno Running!  

The Elixir is my favorite shoe out there on the market.  I love it because it's light and smooth enough to run workouts in but stable enough for me to use an an everyday trainer.  It's generally made for mild overpronators who want a light shoe.  

The updates over the past couple years have been relatively small, IMO, so if you loved the Elixir two years ago, you'd probably still love the latest model. 

It's also ridiculous in it's styling and in my opinion ridiculously beautiful.  I love looking down and seeing these badboys on my feet.  

So here's how you enter to win some new shoes:  

1 Entry:  Comment (and maybe tell me about a crazy loud piece of clothing you own?)

1 Entry: Follow Mizuno Running on twitter and tweet at me (@fasterbunny) and Mizuno (@MizunoRunning)

1 Entry:  Like Mizuno Running North America on Facebook. 

It would be awesome if you could comment on the blog with a "1, 2, 3" format of how many entries you get so that it's easier for me to count fairly.

Ie "1) I own a neon jumpsuit 2) Followed Mizuno on twitter and tweeted about it 3) Followed them on Facebook"

Fine Print that's actually bolded:  You have to live in the US (sorry), contest ends next Tuesday at 9 PM PST, and you can actually get another model from Mizuno if Elixirs aren't your style  / don't work for your stride.)

Good luck!! 

Track Dates of the Future

Brief Notes: 

I'm doing two giveaways next week!  One with Mizuno and one with Albion Fit.  I'm excited for them, but I know that's not everyone's jam, so just a heads up either way!!

Unfortunately, I won't be racing Surf City all out tomorrow unless a miracle occurs because I'm somewhat sick.  Boo-urns.  Right now I'm planning to run it easy with Sarah and Sheila who are also not looking to race.  It sucks, but honestly it wasn't like I was going to PR anyways, so a few more weeks of training for something new won't kill me.  Big sad!  Let me know what all the cool kids (you) are running in March-ish so I can sign up too!

Track date with Sarah

You guys.  I know Sarah already gushed about our Track Party Tuesday night edition on her blog, but I need to do it too.

Sarah, Kristina, and I used to meet on Tuesday mornings down in Orange County for track workouts.  It was amazing because it was a way to get some good speedwork in and get girl time in all before 8 AM.   It's really hard for me to motivate myself to run fast without other people, so it was helpful for my fitness as well.

So Tuesday night, the band got back together (minus Kristina who was clearly there in spirit).  My friend Gisele was there too, but she is too damn fast to even consider running with at this point.  The track was unlit ("This is like Ragnar track"  - Sarah), it was a bit of a drive, and...well...the track kind of sucked too, but the whole experience was freaking awesome.  How lucky am I to have running friends willing to make a drive to meet for a track workouts?

Pretty dang lucky, that's for sure.

Running in the Future

Running has changed a ton in the past decade.  Races are more expensive, sparkly gear is all the rage, and dry fit and compression is common gear.  There are all sorts of opinions on whether the changes of late are good or bad.  But what's going to happen in the future for running?

I thought about it and here's my wishlist:

1)  Race packets that can be picked up online:  Not sure if this will happen due to expo business, but who knows?  It would be awesome for out of towners to not have to pick up a packet the day before.  Bad news for expo business? probably.  Good news for convenience though!

2)  Race packet transfers and exchange platform:  In my perfect world, not only will we be able to transfer our bibs to other people, but there will be a website where people can easily sell race bib transfers (at the sale price or lower so that scalpers don't become a thing) to others.  This way people can get some money back if they get injured, and people who really want to run legally at the last minute can see if there are bibs for sale.  I'm sure this isn't great for Race companies who count on a certain no-show percentage but it sounds awesome to me!

3) Treadmills that....somehow actually simulate being outside:   I have NO idea how this would be manufactured, but I'd like a treadmill that someone simulates real road conditions a little better than they currently do.  Any ideas?

4)  Hologram training partner:  They made a Tupac hologram at Coachella last year, why can't they make me a virtual Kara Goucher?  It would be awesome.  We could run track workouts together and be best friends.

What's on your running future wishlist?