Tag Archives: clothing

Random Friday

22 Jan

I declare Fridays at Balancing Act “Random Fridays“! The one day a week I am allowed to spew the mish mash of things bouncing around in my head without trying to tie anything together. Here goes…
    • I have a friend that swears that if he eats too many sweets he feels terrible the next time he runs. Either his problem is psychosomatic or I just don’t have that problem but it seems that the nights I eat a few too many cookies or brownies, or whatever desert is around, I always wake up to a really good run. Anyone else experience this or am I just weird?!  I had this happen last night. Tornado warning scared me, and I ended up stress eating half a plate of brownies. This morning, I SOARED on the treadmill. I don’t get it!
    • The callous on one of my big toes gives me the most annoying, nagging running pain I ever have. All I have to do is think about doing a long run and I feel a little pang in my toe (obviously in my head)! I run through it all the time. Its really not a big deal, but geeze I sure would be happy if I could make it go away for good!  I sand it down in the shower but dang that thing hurts when I do! I’m considering asking my foot doc next time I go if I should have it surgically removed or something. I know its built up to protect me, but it just hurts more the bigger it gets! Anyone have any tips?
    • My new Nike running shorts rock! I didn’t realize until after I bought them that it has a pocket sewn into the liner in the back that will accommodate an iPod nano (but its square, so it seems large enough that it might work with other types of Mp3 players and possibly cell phones). I have two pair of Nike shorts that I bought a couple of years ago when they introduced a clothing line with built in pockets for the iPod Nano. I wear these two pairs ALL the time (I HATE wearing an armband). I desperately need another pair, but Nike has stopped making the Nike+ clothing line. NOW I find out this new “media pocket” is in almost all of their running shorts now. THANK YOU NIKE!!!!
    • The weather here has NOT been good for running. The local media has deemed it “the storm of the century”. Its been raining all week. We had reports of a tornado touching down last night. No joke. This is not normal for AZ. They do not build houses with basements here!!!  The roads cannot accommodate a lot of water. So my runs have been at the gym on the treadmill this week. And to be honest, I’ve kinda been digging the treadmill. I’m not sure why. I have some new music on my iPod and its just kinda nice to be able to crank up the speed when I start feeling good and not have to worry about road obstacles and stop lights and such. Another week of TM runs and I’ll be sick of it I’m sure, but for now, it’s ok. And the rain is SO nice. We don’t get much here. Its comforting.
    • I am in LOVE with the song 1901 by Phoenix. Look it up on iTunes. You’ve heard it before in car commercials. Makes me run fast!
    • I am also in LOVE with the sweet potato french fries at our local sports bar….I’m gonna get me some this weekend!!! Lots of SALT!
    Enjoy your long runs this weekend!

    Finding the Right Running Pants

    11 Nov

    After yesterday morning’s run in about 45 degree weather, I was starting to think about actually purchasing a pair of good running tights. I have a pair of semi-fitted “running pants” from Target that I purchased last year and have worn running all of about 3 times. They aren’t too bad, but I always end the run feeling hot and wishing I’d worn my running shorts. The waist band always stretches out and they feel a little too loose around my waist after I’ve been running for awhile.

    We have a few cold spells a year when the lows drop to the 30-20′s. But for the most part, our winter lows are in the 40-50 degree range. Call me crazy, but I’ve always thought that temperatures over 40 degrees were too warm for pants. Especially runs lasting over an hour when there are quite a few miles left to put in after you’ve “warmed up”.

    But I’m starting to rethink my position. I couldn’t believe how many people I saw running in tights at the NWM last month, and the temperature there was 52 degrees at the start. Fellow blogger Jill seems to do a lot of runs in tights or pants and her desert climate is similar to mine. Plus, this year I’m doing a lot more night and early morning running outside. In years past I’ve stayed on the treadmill during night hours.

    So, last night I had to stop by Fashion Square mall to pick up a birthday present for my mother in law. As I was darting from cooking store to cooking store, looking for the perfect thanksgiving do-dad, I happened upon a new store I’d never seen called “FitChix”. How could I not stop? The sales people there were extremely nice. I think three different people descended on me to tell me about their stuff and ask me about my running and marathoning. They sell Sugio stuff there, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen in a retail environment besides at Marathon expos and mail order catalogs.

    And there on the rack in the middle of the store were the famous CW-X Stabilyx tights and capris that both Chris and Jill rave about. I recognized them right away. The sales man saw me looking at them and immediately moved in to give me all the information I already knew about how they are supposed to be some of the most comfortable and supportive tights on the market for runners. AND he added that most girls don’t feel as self conscious in them as they thought they would once they’ve tried them on. Are you trying to tell me that I’m gonna like my butt MORE in these things?! Okay, its doubtful, but I was going to try them on anyways.

    They didn’t have a medium so I had to try the smalls on. I was pretty doubtful that they were going to fit just looking at them on the hangar. They DID fit, and after looking at the sizing guide on the CW-X website today, it looks I was in the right size. I had to do the old panty hose maneuver that my mom taught me when I was little to get them on, you know where you bunch them before you stick your foot in. It wasn’t too hard, but not quite as quick as pulling on a pair of shorts.

    Once I got them on, I have to admit, I think I did like my butt more! Not only that, but they felt fantastic. I could just tell I would like running in them.

    I stood in the dressing room for way too long trying to decide if I should get them. The sales lady came in twice to ask me if if I needed anything. I really wanted to buy them, but they were $82 and that seemed outrageous to me. I’m a desert dweller who is used to a running wardrobe consisting of 9.99 tank tops from Target and two pairs of Nike shorts that I splurged on for $30 (on sale). Sadly, I left the store without them, and without the super light CW-X shirt I had also fallen in love with. I promised the sales girl I would be back as soon as I could get my husband to agree.

    I’m going to visit a few more running stores in the next few weeks and see if I find anything better, but I have a feeling I will be back. I’ve already done some internet research and it seems that $82 is cheaper than most internet retailers and I wouldn’t have to pay shipping.

    What do you guys think? Will I be too hot in them in 40-50 degree weather? I was thinking I’d get Capri’s, do you think my ankles will get cold?

    If you are in the Phoenix area, I highly recommend the FitChix store. They just opened in April in Fashion Square Mall in Scottsdale (it’s on the Nordstrom’s wing). According to their website, they also have a store at San Tan Village mall in Gilbert. The sales people were great and they had a lot of unique stuff that I’ve only seen in catalogs and their prices were better, if not the same as mail order. They also had a huge selection of sports bras, that I did not even have a chance to explore.

    Happy running!