Category Archives: Lululemon

Hello, Sole Mate!

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Friends, thank you for all of your lovely comments, e-mails, and messages. I LOVE them ALL and they make me smile!

I had one comment about my post Break the Ice and how it sounded like an ad for Lululemon. I am not advertising for them. I am just speaking my opinion on how I feel about my recent purchases. I love a lot of different products for running and Lulu just happens to be on the top of my list. Everyone has a company that they fall in love with because the company’s products are designed with all their favourite details and what they look for in a product. The mentioned products just happen to have my favourite details for those certain products.

I have also been asked to give my opinions on different types of running shoes. I find that the beauty of shoes is that there is a sole mate for everyone. Everyone has a different type of foot and therefore will need either more cushioning or stability depending on the way they run, how high their arches are, etc. My opinion on a shoe will probably be completely different from someone else.

I love my latest shoes, the “New Balance 760 Stability.” They are perfect– for me.

Yes, that is dirt on my leg that I got during my run.

I highly recommended going into a store like the Running Room, where they will take the time to assess your stride and foot type and direct you to the pair of shoes that just might be your perfect mate.

Runner’s World also has their own Spring 2011 Running Shoe Guide that you might find helpful!  

Also, this was the last song I heard at Boot Camp last night. Is it sad that I kind of consider it a power song? It just makes me SO happy!

My sole mates also love to vote for me everyday for the BEST HEALTH MAGAZINE’S BLOG AWARDS! You can join in the fun HERE!

Break the Ice.

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You aren’t gonna believe this but I went out for a run for the first time with snow on the ground. It’s true. The wimp who doesn’t like running in the winter did it! Here’s the reason why: it was 10 degrees and the snow was melting. Yep, I’m still a wimp.

But it feels so good to know that the warm weather and spring runs are on their way! And I was REALLY excited to take my new Lululemon Stride Jacket out for a test run! I’ve been prepping my spring running gear for my upcoming races and as you know, my favourite pieces are from lulu! I’m pretty sure all the sales associates know that too because when I got to the lulu fitting room I was greeted with, “Hi! It’s good to see you! What’s your name again?.. Oh! Siobhan, right!” It was just like cheers. And I love it. Everyone is just so nice, helpful, and make you feel like you are visiting friends when you go to their stores!

I really loved running in my Stride Jacket. The thumbholes are key. The pockets are perfect. And the neckwarmer- genius! No complaints from this girl! 
I really wish I brought a camera on my run so that I could show you all the fun things I saw during my run. I was going to run home and get my camera but I was having a nice pace and feeling pretty fantastic so, I just kept going.
I wanted to do a park run and I knew there was going to be puddles and bridge floods because of all the
melted snow but I decided I would tackle those when I got to them. And- I did. I ran through mud, jumped over puddles, sunk my feet into mushy grass, and switched up to a street run because of the flooded bridges. It was quite the adventure and my shoes got very dirty! The hardest part of this run? Running against the strong winds. I felt like I was doing resistance training and using every muscle in my body to try not to blow away. But the coolest part of my run was going under a bridge where there were huge ice chunks that made me feel like a penguin trying to jump from sea ice to sea ice.
I’m hoping for more beauty runs outside like this one soon! The only downside was stopping at lights when I had to take the streets.
I decided to run to some Britney today after watching the debut of her new music video, “Hold It Against Me.” She’s fierce and I love it!
The Britney: The Singles Collection Playlist
*On jukebox shuffle
Hold It Against Me
Stronger
I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman
Womanizer
Piece of Me
Overprotected
I’m A Slave For You
Radar
Break the Ice
(You Drive Me) Crazy
Stats of the Run
Distance: 8.34 km
Pace: 4:33 min/km
Need a Saturday activity?!  I suggest throwing on your leopard Snuggie and voting for me at BEST HEALTH MAGAZINE’S BLOG AWARDS HERE!

 

Mantras vs Music

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After reading the article, The Magic of Mantras in RW I was trying to find my own mantra to use when my run starts feeling hard. I looked into what other people use and how that could fit for me but nothing felt like a perfect fit. I started looking into quotes for inspiration and a favourite that I came across was, “Never tell me the sky is the limit when there are footsteps on the moon.”

And that is just WAY too long to recite to yourself when you are trying to conquer a hill but it is such an inspiring quote. After reading The Hungry Runner Girl’s post Beauty Tips I found another song to add to my playlist, Natasha Bedingfield’s “Freckles.”

I love it. So, as I sit at my desk on this snowy morning (hello, snowstorm that may reach 30 cm!) I started thinking how my songs are my mantras. When I start to feel like I am slowing down or feeling defeated I put on a power song to push me through. And maybe I will fall in love with a mantra like one of lulu’s on the right.
Such as, Breathe Deeply. That is an important one. I do find myself rechecking with my breath during my run and once I exhale, I usually have a huge smile on my face. I think my mantra isn’t something that I should rush to find and it will come naturally one day.
Here’s another song I got in my inbox from my friend Brit that I am slightly in love with:
I love new song days! If you have any favourites, please send them my way!

Lessons during long runs.

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I have taken this week off of running. Not even because I have an injury. It’s just because of the heat wave, down pour of rain, and my body being run down and I don’t want to over stress my system. I don’t even feel bad about it. Maybe I should with my Disney race being only 29 days away and with my training plan is only four long runs away. You have to listen to yourself and make sure that you aren’t making excuses for your lack of training but in this case- it’s not. I promise.

Another problem I found myself having is after a long run I am incredibly hungry and I have to eat or else I will become dizzy. The problem: I’m clearly not eating enough food before these long runs and I start running on empty. Yeah, that’s not healthy. The solution: eat more. But to make sure I have enough vitamins and electrolytes to get through my long runs, I discovered a little treat called “Jelly Belly Sport Beans.”

Yes, this does sound like a product from a fairytale or even Harry Potter. But- they work! They are a great energy boost and are even tasty! How can you go wrong? Delicious.

Another long run necessity is my pink amphipod hydration belt from lululemon. I recently read that another runner is training herself to only drink water at the distances of the designated water stops along the race path. I for one cannot imagine doing that. I mean, if you are training to run with a hydration belt why wouldn’t you continue to use it at the race so that you can just drink water at your own leisure. Unless, the weight of the belt is too much to handle for race day? Either way, I’m sticking with my belt because it also has a handy camera pouch so that I can document the big day.

“If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon.”
-Emil Zatopek

I think my next goal after my half marathon is going to be to run a full marathon. A friend asked me a few months ago if I was going to run a full marathon and I honestly did not think that I could do it. I knew that I wouldn’t wake up the next day and run a marathon but I also could not imagine myself running a full marathon. But a few runs ago I thought to myself seriously for the first time and I realised I can run a full marathon. You can do anything you work for so, why not? Maybe my next goal will be the New York City Marathon or the Boston Marathon.