For the Girls!

That's right fellas (if there are any male readers other than my husband), this one if for the ladies.

Now, I am not one to buy the most expensive workout gear, simply because I don't see the point. It is clothing that you are just going to get nasty and sweaty in, and there is no need to spend $70 on a pair of capris or $50 on a shirt. Some people might see the difference, but I love gear from Old Navy and Target, and when I am feeling fancy I order stuff off 6PM.com because they have all of the name brand stuff for way less, and I am all about a good deal! However, two things that a woman should invest in are good running shoes and good sports bras.

I used to only wear C9 by Champion (the Target workout brand) sports bras. I thought they were good enough, and they run about $10-$15 so they were at a price point that I wanted to pay. But, once I started running more and more, I began to notice that they were not going to cut it. They simply did not have the support that my girls needed. They are good for lower impact sports, like weight training, yoga, etc, where you are not constantly and quickly moving up and down, but not for running. So, I began the search for the right sports bra for me. Everyone is built differently, so these might be great for some peoples runs, you just need to find what works for you!

Enter Moving Comfort! I read other blogs and reviews and a lot of people seemed to have good luck with the Moving Comfort brand. I decided that I wanted to try the Rebound Racer , which is made for high-impact sports. I already have three running skirts from them and I love those, so I figured I would give Moving Comfort bras a shot, but was not thrilled about the $50 price tag. Until, my birthday rolled around at the end of last month and I had an email pop up saying $25 off your purchase of $50 or more!

Needless to say, that was enough to put me over the edge and invest. Plus, they have a lot of their spring items on sale, so I ended up with the below!

Usually these four would cost me a total of $200! Yeah, I don't think so, I am not made of money and just cannot bring myself to spend $200 on sports bras. But, being the awesome (self-proclaimed) deal-hunter that I am, I got all of these babies for a total of $70!

They fit great, have adjustable straps (that are slightly padded), have a hook closure in the back, and are double lined so there is no free show in the rain or cold. As an added bonus, the coral/blue, purple/yellow and black/gray are the color combos of the skirts I have from Moving Comfort, and who doesn't love to match! Now, I just cannot wait until the new colors go on sale so I can scoop those up too!

Week One Complete

Last week was week one of our training plan for the Spirit of Survival race! It was a good week, followed by a group training session on Saturday! Plus, we got to pick up our training shirts, and who doesn't like a new training shirt!

We had a really awesome session of getting to meet with our training teams and doing our first training run, which is on the race course so it is nice to get familiar with it! A morning run was also the best way to start our Saturday!

After the run we came home, showered and hit up Cracker Barrel because I was starving. We had a yummy breakfast and then hit the road. We drove up to Oklahoma City for the day to get Andy a new pair if running shoes, and OKC is the closest running shop. Andy is now the proud owner of a pair of Saucony Guide 6s and he loves them. Still don't think that is going to make me stray from my lovely Mizuno Wave Riders though!

After the running shop we spent the afternoon at the zoo! I was so excited to go to the zoo because I love animals (especially elephants) and because our first date was to the North Carolina Zoo, so zoos hold a special place in my heart.

We had a lot of fun, but it was insanely hot and humid and we must have walked about 4 miles around the zoo on top of our morning training session, so my legs were shot. Finally, we hit Chili's for a late lunch/early dinner and then made the hour and a half drive back to Lawton. We had a low key Saturday night which included some wine, PJs and movies and I loved it! Now, I leave you with some cute animal pictures to get you though your day!

 Momma and baby!

 Who knew sea lions could paint?!?!

My favorite, a little elephant family!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday!

 That right folks, its been raining for 4 days non stop... big change from very dry El Paso!

 The cutest puppy in the world also loves to steal q-tips from the bathroom trash

 Day one of our training schedule....

 .... and we were drenched from the rain/sweat when we got home (at least the rain keeps it cool around here)

 We bought a hummingbird feeder over the weekend and got our first visitor!

Lastly, someone turned 4 on Sunday and got his very own, homemade, puppy-safe, birthday cake!

Spirit of Survival Kick-Off

Yesterday, Andy came home from running some errands, came into my office and told me that he had heard on the radio that a running shop from Tulsa was doing a fitting at the hospital around the corner from our house. Clearly, we had to go because the closest running shop is now an hour and a half away and he wanted some new shoes. We got there to learn that it was the kick off event for the Spirit of Survival race, the one that we planned on doing this coming October. They told us that there was going to be a seminar at 6PM, so we signed up! 

The talk was given by Matt Aguero where he went over proper running technique and tips. The talk was followed by meeting with our training teams, that's right, we get 12 weeks of training with our team (for free!). 

It was awesome hearing from the woman who is in charge of the race and a few testimonals from people about why they run. And even better that they told us 100% of all the money raised, including donations and registration fees, go directly to cancer research. Not many places can say they donate 100% of the funds to a great cause. I cannot wait to start training and am now even more excited for the race in October!

Andy ended up signing up for the half marathon and I am doing the quarter marathon. I figure I've done 5ks and want to take the next step, but didn't think I would be ready for the half. This is a good starting point for me, and maybe I will end up loving the longer distance so much that I will sign up for a half (or full!) in the future!

First Year of Wedded Bliss

Yesterday was our first wedding anniversary! That day one year ago was everything I could have hoped for and more. And yesterday was a wonderful day of going to the movies, out to dinner and then coming home and watching our wedding video with a bottle of our wedding wine. So, I thought I would share some pictures from that magical day with you, enjoy!

To follow up that great day yesterday, I got up early and went for my first run in my new neighborhood with my trusty Garmin Forerunner 10 followed by some iced coffee before work. It is the best way to start the day! Hope you have a great one!

Excitement Turned Disappointment and A Very Happy 4th

Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July! Ours was a pretty good one, though all I could think of was last year at this time we were watching fireworks with my family at the lake, and me and Andy were getting ready to get married!

Anyway, yesterday morning we woke up and headed to Lowe's (because any new house has at least 4 trips to Lowe's, we have had 2 so far). After a quick trip to Lowe's, we hit a path near our new house for a light run. When we moved in I was super excited because there was a nice park just down the road and we spotted what looked to be a trail in a loop around the park. We figured this would be a great morning path to run... wrong.  We started running and per my new trusty Garmin, it was only 0.4 miles, and then a dead end. WHAT?!?! We had been so excited, just to be let down by a dead end. We made our own loop around the park, which was fine, but not what we were looking for. Still on the hunt for a good path to run, other than around my neighborhood (I have already plotted some of those on MapMyRun). If all else fails, there is a nice 3 mile path to run on post.

At least I got to try out my new toy, and I am a big fan! Plus, you've gotta love a 4th of July mani!

Yesterday afternoon we just hung out and went to lunch at a great place in the mall called The White Buffalo Food & Beer Co. I had a sweet tea and the Thai Chicken Wrap, sooooo good. And then we went to see Despicable Me 2, I was so happy we got to see it since I love the first one, and it did not disappoint. Finally we came home and hung out and I made Ranch Pasta Salad to bring to our neighbors house for a cookout. It was a lot of fun to meet our new neighbors and the little cul-de-sac crew. They set off some fireworks and then it was off to bed for me, because sadly, I have to work today.

But, the celebrations aren't over because tonight we are going to see Trace Adkins followed by our anniversary on Sunday. I will be sure to share our wonderful weekend with you on Monday. Hope you have a great one!

Birthday Fun!

Yesterday was my birthday, and I turned 26. Now I am getting closer to 30 (as my husband jokes). Since we only moved to Oklahoma on Saturday, we didn't do a big celebration with friends or family. It was just me and the husband, and it was a blast!

I woke up to a decorated house and cards and gifts and CAKE! My husband is too good to me and had a great day planned. But, this was not a bad way to wake up, followed by him cooking me breakfast!

I am soooo excited about my new watch (and Peter Pan). I had hinted a while back that I would really like a Garmin Forerunner 10 and sure enough, thats what was hiding my one of my birthday boxes. Also, I tend to pick up Disney movies when they come out of the Disney vault, so now Peter Pan is in my collection. Its not for me, its for our future children, right? Haha.

This pink Garmin is going to get so much use. Not only is it really light, but it is very comfortable and can be used as a regular watch if you aren't taking it for a run. I am currently wearing it and hopefully will take it on a run tomorrow to see what it can do.

Lastly, when we came back from dinner, this little guy was sitting in our front yard. I move to Oklahoma and now there are bunnies in my yard, I'm cool with it! Hope you have a great day!