You Know your a Runner when...

you pack a golf ball, tennis ball, and KT-Tape whenever / wherever you travel.

A So-Cal Girl's Guide to Running in the Rain

Being in Southern California, we luckily have awesome weather almost all year round. I applaud the brave souls that experience real 'seasons' and have to run in the rain, snow and ice. However, sometimes we do experience this strange clear liquid falling from the sky every now and then, (I hear it's called Rain).

Oh what to do? :) 

1- What to wear? 

Look for active-wear designed to repel  rain and wind. My go to line is the Adidas ClimaWarm line. Recently, Nike has stepped it up their winter line with their   Thermaflex line which is now pretty decent. Today I wore: 

Bottom: Adidas Climawarm running tights (they have a fleece-like material on the inside)

Top: Nike Thermaflex top (wind and rain repellent)  

Outer: Nike Running Gloves, hat and a Pearl Izumi outer shell (Rain repellent)  

The shell is pretty fantastic. It's light weight and vented but also keeps the heat in.  (It's actually a cycling jacket but it still works for running). 

Wearing a hat with a bill will help keep the rain out of your eyes and face and keep your head warm (you lose a lot of body heat from your head).

2: Tunes:

Blast some kick ass music. When I stepped out the door, Pandora was playing  Sia-Titanium  and that song will make you feel invincible! Especially the chorus

 "I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose ...

You shoot me down but I won't fall

I am titanium" 

You will be shaking your fist saying "F-U rain! You can't stop me!" 

3: Ventilation, when things heat up: 

Once you start running your body temp will rise and the clothes are designed to retain your body heat. If you start getting too warm, don't take off your layers yet. (You're sweaty and you will get super cold.) 

First roll up your sleeves a little bit to  expose your wrists. Since this is the location of an artery it will cool down the rest of your body. If you're still too warm, expose your neck line (the carotid artery). If you're still burning up then take off a layer, but in this weather the wrist and neck should be enough.

4: Keep Moving 

Your body temp is regulated by your movement. If you stop too long (to take some pictures and blog about it), the body temperature will fall and you will be cold. But what's worse you'll be sweaty, wet, and cold (really the worst kind of cold to be in). If you need a break try to keep walking rather stopping completely. 

5: Smile

Just know that E V E R Y O N E (cars and people) will all be thinking "damn that's a hardcore runner!" 

Happy Rain-Running!

Imaginary Competition

Sorry I've been in a weird funk and haven't been blogging as much, but on my run yesterday, I thought of blogging and missed it.

I usually like running solo because it gives me the flexibility to run when I want (like at 3:42 in the afternoon or some odd time like that), and it gives me the flexibility to go as fast or slow as I feel like (which I know isn't proper training etiquette, but I'm in it for fun of it, not to win the Olympics - or as I keep justifying to myself). With my running with partners, we 'enable' each other instead of compete. hehehe

On my usual route, there's a pretty big hill 3 miles before my house (the end destination). Normally, I try to run part of it and walk the peak cus its pretty steep. Yesterday, when I was making the turn to start up the hill, I had already planned that I was gonna walk the hill. THEN, I saw "Girl with Sunglasses" on the opposite side of the road. Now, when you live in the same neighborhood and run the same routes, you notice the same people, and we've crossed paths and smiled and waved before. I could tell by her pace, she was not gonna walk the hill. So I ran up the hill. I was a little ahead of her so I couldn't see if she ran it either, but I could 'hear' footsteps behind me. I couldn't really turn to look back, all I could do was push forward. When I finally climbed up the peak, I wanted to rest, but I heard those footsteps closing in.. So I ran..

I kept running until I was about a mile from my house and there was a bend in the road which allowed me to peek behind me, and there she was, "Girl with Sunglasses"!
I'm glad I kept running cus I didn't want her to pass me. I really don't think she had any idea the "race" I had going on. But I felt so good when I got home, my pace was awesome, my breathing was awesome, my time was awesome, and I didn't let "Girl with Sunglasses" beat me. haha!

When you're stuck in a routine rut, pick a person to "race" with. It'll make your run a lot more "fun"

Happy Competing!