5k Bound

Next Saturday I run my first 5k. SINCE 2001.

That's 15.5 years since I've run a race.

But it's time. I can run 3.1 miles no problem.

I can't run it as fast as I want. I ran this morning. And it was an awful run. I kept having to walk. I know I'm stronger than that but I was dying.

I've been really tired this week. I skipped Thursday at the gym completely and went home and slept for two hours. It was what I needed. (I should have run.)

Today's run was bad because the humidity was 96%. It was awful. I wore black crops and looked like I peed myself at the end of the run, but I was just so sweaty.

I did not wet myself. Dreaded crotch sweat.
Thanks Lululemon crops :( 

Also my Lululemon top was worthless. I bought this Cool Racerback Lace. The back was lace (it was a perforated pattern, not actually lace)  and I thought it would be extra well ventilated, but it held sweat like a cotton T. It was so wet and heavy at the end of the run. Worst tank I've gotten from Lulu. Considering taking it back as defective it was that bad. Or throwing it out. Never wear that tank again!

I think that humidity was just my upper limit. I can do 93%, but today I couldn't.

Which would be 27-ish for a 5k. I'd really like to go 25 minutes or under. I can run 8 minute mile pace. On a flat surface in lower humidity.  (And my Apple Watch is really off. Especially when I run on the track. It's lags behind me A LOT so I like to hope my splits are actually a lot better.)
We'll see what happens next Saturday.

In the meantime—I made a running playlist.

I like to listen to music with a good beat when I workout. It's different than what I usually prefer. So this is my playlist. (In case there's no wifi next Saturday, I'll just download the music to my phone.)

1.Usher, Yeah!
2. Kanye West, Stronger
3. Foster and the People, Pumped Up Kicks
4. More Usher, OMG
5. P!NK, So What
6. J. Dash, Wop. (This is my newest addition. Not sure why I like it, but I do.)
7. MIA, Bad Girls
8. Nelly Furtado, Maneater

And that's the playlist. It's 31 minutes and I better be good and finished by then. Hopefully, I'll finish in a time I don't hate too much.

Wish me luck!

Ramsey Free Week Recap

It's free week at my university's student gym. That means any gym member can take any class they want for free. The only caveat is you have to get a space in the class—meaning there has to be enough space or equipment for you. Some of the classes have lines to get in. So it's always good to get there early to ensure you have spot. These classes are way busier than later on in the semester. Most of the classes are PACKED. They try not to turn people away. They try to squeeze as many people in as possible. So that might mean the late comers have to share equipment. Or for some classes they'll cut the line off. Usually if you're there 10 minutes earlier you'll be fine. It's also a tryout phase—meaning there will be lots of newbies in the class so you don't have to worry about not knowing the workout. Probably half the class won't know the workout so you won't stick out.

Day 1: TRX Yoga
I miss TRX and I liked yoga so I decided to try this class. I got there good and early and got equipment. This class had spots for 23. A few girls came in about 10 minutes late and there wasn't equipment for them.

The first half of the class was yoga. We started out with breathing and mindfulness and moved on to downward dog and other poses. So an average yoga class.

The second half of the class was TRX. It was yoga on TRX so you got a better stretch. We did Y holds and T holds. We did floor work with hamstrings, glute bridges, planks and pikes (so hard! I used to be better at these!). By the end only a few people were left. I was trying to #beastmode through it, but I couldn't do as many pikes as I used to.

Overall, I LOVED the class. It was such an amazing stretch for my shoulders. Because of the TRX you can really stretch deeper than you would when pushing against the floor. (I'm pretty flexible so this was exactly what I needed.)I felt really good leaving the class. Like I'd just had a massage or a chiropractic adjustment. I went in with an achey back and left feeling awesome.

Overseen in this class: International student working out in jean shorts.

Day 2: Yoga
I did Friday yoga and this class was packed. They probably packed 40 people into the tiny studio. I don't think they had to turn anyone away.

This was your average yoga class, not my beloved power yoga.I think the instructor was taking it easy for all the newbies. I like my yoga on caffeine, so I'd really like a more difficult class. The instructor said we'd do headstands and crane later in the semester. So there is hope for it.

We did the usual poses. We did some variations of tree pose—harder versions, arms out, arms swaying etc.  She said to try it with your eyes closed. WHY IS IT SO MUCH HARDER WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED!?! This blew my mind and I must get better at this immediately.

I like the time this class is offered. If I do take it again, I'll count it as an off day.

Overseen in class: Girl in front of me working on in a cotton onesie sleeper that was so short I could see her 80s satin underwear. I didn't even think they made underwear like that anymore.

Day 3: Bodypump

I've always been intimidated by this class. It's always packed to the gills full of girls and giant barbells. 60 minutes of weights!? Sounds awful.
But I do need to add strength training to my regimen and it's free week so I should try classes and see what I like.

I'm not sure if I've picked a barbell since freshman year of college, so I didn't know what to expect.

Equipment for this class: a mat, a platform, a barbell and plates.

I got a barbell (which was surprisingly light. NOT 40 pounds) and a set of small (2.2), medium (5.5) and large (11 pound) plates.

I put the small and medium on each side for the warm-up (deadlifts and upright rows). I survived! I thought I maybe could have added weight.

There were squats and overhead lifts. It was kind of what I was expecting. I didn't die really until the third or so exercise about 10 minutes in when my arms started to shake. I persevered.

The second half of the class was leg day. It was squats. I DIED on the lunges, which was weird because I run and can do lunges. I was just so tired at that point. We did some work lying back on the bench (like a weight bench)

We changed weights throughout the class. I did most of the class with the small and medium or just the medium on the bar. I watched what the one instructor was doing and that was a good weight for me. We also used the plates as free weights—for tricep extensions and then the small plates for some exercise that killed my shoulders (out of the side and back like you're pulling a bow and arrow.) We also did pushups after my arms were tired.

The next day my quads were sore as well as my shoulders. Good sore. I knew I'd be sore.

I'm thinking about adding the class to my routine. I just don't know what fits yet.

I'd wanted to take the 7 p.m. yoga too, but the gym early for a training so it wasn't offered anyway.

Day 4: Power Yoga
I went to the usual room for yoga. But the yoga class was actually upstairs. So at 12 minutes till I went upstairs and was about #20 in line. Then the fire alarm went off for the gym and the entire gym had to evacuate. There were about 2,000 people shuttled out of the building: lots of people working out, waiting to take classes and about 500 people in a lecture (maybe a mandatory club sports meeting). So we all waited outside in the grass. About 20 minutes in—they decided to cancel the classes and I went home and walked my dog.

I ran this morning so it was okay. Maybe I needed the rest? Apparently the fire alarm had been going off all week.

Fire alarm crowd. About 30 minutes in. A ton had left. 

Day 5: More TRX Yoga
Maybe I should have tried a different class, but I wanted to do this class again. This class had a lot of people come in late (after it was full) and there wasn't equipment for them. And I found that extremely distracting. The teacher was having to teach two groups. I'll look forward to smaller classes later in the semester.

On Tuesdays, there are barre classes that I might do later. There's an Insanity class, which I might be too chicken to try. I die just doing 10 minutes of Insanity abs. 60 minutes!? I'm scared. Today I was too tired to do the class. Maybe on a week I've been a slug and really need to torch some calories.

I didn't do the last day of free week. I have a standing Wednesday class that I try my hardest not to miss.

So that's it I'll buy an all access pass soon.

Closing thoughts:
1. Don't be afraid to go to the student gym. Yes, it's super busy. But if you show up early and pay attention you will be fine.(Also classes tend to be more popular during the school day and slightly less packed the closer you get to 8 p.m.)
2. Maybe I should have tried more classes. I still haven't tried Total Body Tone or spinning with the instructor I liked this summer. But I guess I have all semester.
3. Glad I survived free week: early closings, fire alarms and all.

Running in the morning

The nerdy girl's unofficial guide to running before work

Scene at 6:45 a.m. during a trail run. 

I live in Georgia and summer runs when it's 100 degrees and 93% humidity are miserable. They're probably pretty unsafe too. (My asthma definitely flares up when it's too hot and humid to run.) So what do you do?

• You can run indoors on treadmills
• You can run on an indoor track
• You can run mornings or evenings outside

Those are your options. I'm not a fan of treadmills (I actually run slower on them). My indoor track is 1/8 of a mile and it gets boring. I don't like to run on it more than once a week. I've tried evening running outside and at 8 p.m. it's still 83 degrees and awful. I started running on Saturday mornings. It's actually cooler in the morning—75 degrees. And it worked. I began adding to this. One day I didn't have to be at work until 8:30 a.m. so I decided to run with my extra minutes. I also ran on a Thursday morning on a day I took off for appointments. And it worked. The weather was nicer. I liked having my workout out of the way—and I wasn't a slug the rest of the day (I worried about being tired afterwards, but was totally fine.)

When I ran cross country in high school, I'd occasionally get up and run two miles before school. I rarely did this. It was just to increase my mileage with the hopes of getting stronger.

So why run in the morning?
• In the summer it's cooler.

• You get to see the sunrise. The sky is really pretty on my runs.
• You can get your workout over with before most people are even awake. As a person who loves a To Do list, I love having  my workout done for the day.

In all honesty, I use to scoff at morning workout people. I thought those 5 a.m. gym ladies were crazy. But maybe they're just crazy productive? It's one way to pack more in your day. And all it took was some horrendous heat to get me to do this.

The key to running in the morning is to do as much preparation as possible.

Running clothes for Monday morning:
 shoes, chafe guard, clothes, hat.

I lay out my running clothes in my bathroom
• hat, tank, sports bra, crops, underwear, socks and my anti chafe stick.
Headphones for my runs stay in my car.

Pandor plays "Wake Me Up"
during my 6:30 a.m. run. Haha

I make a bag with my work clothes and stick that in my car the night before.
And my gym bag and shower bag usually stay in my car.

Also: pop a bottle of water in the fridge and any food for after your run should be easy to grab.

I also keep a towel in my car—to sit on after my runs so I don't get gross sweat all over my new car.

The perils of morning runs
• It's dark
• safety
• dew and your shoes (and grass clippings)
And haha—last week I tried to jump over a mud puddle and ending up hitting my head on a low hanging branch. Oops.

One morning I told my husband bye, I was going running. I was standing over him, wearing neon, it wasn't quite 6 a.m. and I think I scared the bejeezus out of him.

Running shoe shopping

It's time for some new running shoes. I'm convinced I'm wearing the wrong running shoes—so that's why my achilles hurt and my times are slower. So I went to the fancy running store and got my gait analyzed.

I had the sweetest most patient salesperson in the world, but I think I just wasn't in the mood to buy shoes.

I went in and the girl watched me walk (no treadmills and iPads at this store, like the store my husband went to). I don't pronate. I have a neutral gait. (Nothing learned here.)

And she brought me out about 8 pairs of shoes. And I hated all of them.

I didn't want to be that person. But I was.

The first pair she bought me was hideous. "You're not going to look at your feet when you run," she told me. Like it didn't matter what my shoes look like.

Like she didn't know how important gym outfits are to me. I was horrified. It was the beginning of the end.

The shoes were also too small. My feet measure a 6.5. But I take a 7 or 7.5 in running shoes. I put no stock in shoe measuring devices. I know I wear a 7.5. So that 7 you bring me isn't going to fit.

The second pair had a white bottom—and I would NEVER wear those on a muddy trail.

There was a really ugly pair of Nikes that I didn't even try on.

I told the girl that I was really picky about colors–and would buy shoes just because they're cute. I like pink, purple and blue.

The fourth was a pair of pink and purple Mizunos. In an 8! And they were cute-ish (best looking of the group. Nothing that I would pick out off a shelf). I loved the heal in them. Super comfy. However, I HATED the plate in the shoe. I tried walking in them. And maybe I could learn to like them. I tried running on the pavement and they were SO BAD. It was so stiff. It hurt my feet. I could not run in these shoes on the pavement.

The plate was in the bottom of the shoes. Like the spikes I ran track in. It was uncomfortable and made the shoes very inflexible. Felt like torture to me. After running in them it was a hard NO.

So I kept trying shoes.

I tried a pair of Pearl Izumis and toe box was too big and I didn't like it. The heal also slipped. I tried another pair in a better color at the very end. And it all blurs together. Some were too flat. Or too stiff.

Eventually I tried on everything—except the newer version of the Asics I currently have, which I don't like.

I hated wasting this girl's times. (I hated that she insist on lacing the shoes for me! HATE HATE HATE.) I just wasn't in the mood for shoes. And for $120, I wanted to love the shoes. I didn't love the shoes.

They just had such a small selection.

I wanted a running shoe that was light and flexible. No white bottoms. Preferably in jewel tones.  I was pretty clear about this up front. But kept getting white and lime green shoes.

I went home really upset. That I couldn't find shoes. That I wasted this girl's time.

So I went online and easily found  five our six similar to what I tried on—with better prices and better colors. I think I might just do a huge order and send a bunch back. I just hate interaction of sales people. Just let me shop by myself. I know what I want. And it's not for you to tie up shoes. Or bring me ugly shoes. The end.

I ended up getting two pairs of Mizuno running shoes for $100 on 6pm.com. They were older year models in much cuter colors. So much cheaper. I think online shopping has spoiled me.

No white bottoms here. Someone understands trail shoes! 

Lululemon Atlanta Warehouse Sale: Day 3

I headed back to the final day of the Lululemon warehouse sale. The prices had dropped and I wanted know what else I could score. I took my sister. There was a 5-minute line. Not too bad. The sale was loud. And really, really picked over. Maybe a 1/3 of what it had been on Friday. There were noticeably fewer racks and boxes.

Took my sis to the lulu sale. They changed the bags to red bags Saturday.
They weren't giving out the black bags they'd used Friday anymore. 

Bras were marked down to $9 and I really wanted some. I rifled through all the boxes and couldn't find ANY my size. So no sports bras for me.

Also noticeable for the sale.
• There were no bags left. None.
• The accessories section was really depleted. There were no scarves or yoga mats. They did mark the hats down to $4 so I grabbed four (three for gifts). There were hardly any headbands. Only black and tan ones. None of the fun colors from the other day.
• There were almost no shorts left.

Sunday price list

The prices were better for Sunday—but you had to really look for a deal. And I saw items I'd paid more for on Friday—and maybe I should have waited. But the selection was definitely better Friday.

I got some really cool stuff on Sunday, so glad I went (and glad I waited on some of it.)

Sunday buys

• 4 run hats (1 for me, 3 for gifts, $4 each) (Race to pace hat in flashback static)
• Purple towel ($9)
• 2 swim bottoms  ($9 each)
• Skirt, $9 (&go Cityfarer Skirt in dark fuel, currently in WMTM for $89)
• dress shirt, $24 (Day trip blouse) (This had pen marks on it that I didn't notice until after I got it home. They came out with a few minutes of stain remover)
• crops, $29 (Palm Stripe Roll Down Wunder Under Crops)
• Quick change vest, $29
• scuba, $39 (Scuba Hoodie III Flashback Static Tender Violet Black Purple)
• down jacket, $39 (for a $178 jacket!)

I think my favorite from this haul was the skirt (I want to wear it to work immediately) and the hats (so soft!).

Wore this hat to run trails Monday.

The final haul
• Two towels
• Two bikini tops, two bottoms ($9 and $19 each)
• 1 headband
• 1 bag
• 4 hats (3 are gifts)
• 2 shorts (one running, one casual)
• 2 dress pants
• 1 dress shirt
• 1 skirt
• 2 outdoor jackets: one down, one rain
• 4 long sleeve jackets or sweaters (define, scuba, tweed sweater, black half zip)
• 1 pair of crops
• 1 vest
• 1 bodysuit

So after both trips I'm all set for next winter. I got lots of jackets. I definitely got too many long sleeve tops—but I'll wear them. I LOVE the rain jacket.

I could have waited on the towel (-$10), the swim tops ($20 total), the polka dot pants ($20), the bodysuit ($40), which totals $90, which really sucks.  (The bodysuit was on $9 flash sale when I was there Sunday, and I was overcharged $20 on Friday anyway).

I'm super happy with my finds. I got some good pieces I'll be happy to wear.

(And my sister got some Ivivva for my nieces :) Never too early to start them on Lulu).

If I could do it again
• I'd still go first thing Friday. (Going with a friend would have been better, but I couldn't find anyone to come with.) I should have spent another hour looking probably.
• I'd take pictures of the tags
• If I lived closer I would have gone on Saturday, but don't live closer. So I tried to go toward the end of the sale. I think many more things were $9 by the end of the day (If I'd had the patience to hang around for hours.)
• I liked going end of the last day towards the end of the sale. Still some steals to be found.

Now, I'm waiting for the online warehouse sale (which was in August of last year). And wondering in what city the next warehouse sale will be. (I have an airline credit, so I might be crazy enough to fly out if it's someplace cool.)

Lululemon Atlanta Warehouse sale

This morning I got up at 4 a.m. to go to the Lululemon warehouse sale. I am officially crazy!

Line at 6:20 a.m.

Line at 7:40

I went early in part to avoid awful Atlanta traffic—it takes 75 minutes to 2 hours to get to Atlanta from my house so I left good and early. I got in line at the sale at 6:20 a.m. and sat down. There were over 100 people already in line. And it just kept getting worse. Probably 500 people in line by 8 a.m.

I went in with the first wave. And just started grabbing things I wanted to try.

What I wanted to get:
• Bag
• Swim
• Hat
• work clothes
• sweater or coats

I pulled a lot of sweaters and long sleeve shirts. I grabbed some swim. Virtually no yoga pants. I grabbed some trousers. And when my arms got too heavy I hit the dressing rooms.

I was not prepared for the communal fitting room. It was like a high school locker room all over again. People just changing, no stalls. Women were trying on shirts without bras. (Who doesn't wear a bra when going to try on clothes?!) I was surprised with some of the flabby bodies. There were girls hogging the mirrors. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I did let a lot of pieces go when in the fitting room.

Pro tip: Bring a giant tote bag to put your finds in. Everything is on hangers, so find the hanger bins, ditch the hangers and put your clothes in the bag. You can't bring hangers in to the fitting room or to the cash wrap to check out.

What was in the sale?
A LOT of stuff I recognized from last year's online wearhouse sale. A lot of items from WMTM over the last year. A few foreign pieces, but not much. I'd seen 90% or more of the pieces before.

I spent more than an hour looking around and double checking. I'd say it took me 90 minutes to shop. And most of that was deciding what to keep. (Go to the walls and corners and dump your stuff in a pile and decide what to keep or not.) I did this several times.

In the end, I spent way too much money. Don't tell my husband. I spent $100 more than I thought.

 Mantra tote bag. (Total steal. Lucked out on this one.)

 Tracker shorts in clear mint. (got these on second pass)

Black casual shorts.

Hot pink zip up. Maybe a raspberry define.

Black rain jacket. I love the striped details on the cuffs. This says size 5.
Wonder what country it's from. I've already worn. Love it! 

Black half zip. From earlier this year. Forgot it's name. 

 2 swim tops: hot pink and a black and white reversible top that matches bottoms
 I got last year. Shown with purple towel and bag from the sale. 

Tweed sweater. No one else will have this!

Body suit. I was hoping it was for paddle boarding but I think it's casual wear.
Also they over charged me $20 on this one :( 

Polka dot trousers

black trousers.

My favorites. Tote bag, shorts, rain jacket. 

What I didn't get
• No dresses or skirts for me. They only had that ill fitting dress from last year's warehouse sale and one skirt from current WMTM
• Socks and accessories. I was underwhelmed with the sock, hat and scarf selection.
• Crops and leggings. I just wasn't feeling it.
• I also didn't want to spend $29 on tanks. Get to $19 and we'll talk.
• I tried on two dressy shirts for work, but they didn't fit right and really were too expensive for what they were.
• I was disappointed by the men's stuff. There were two short sleeve shirts in large. Lots of swim and sweaters, but no boxers so my husband didn't get anything :( And I didn't stock up on Christmas gifts either. I wasn't excited about the accessories.

What I didn't get that I'm still thinking about
• Quick change vest
• Scuba in purple
• Scuba in grey
• Run Times legging in stardust

I was out of the sale by 10 a.m. I went home.

I'm kind of hoping for price drops Sunday, because there were things I'd like for cheaper prices. I'd say the prices weren't THAT great. It was nice to have THAT much Lululemon to choose from and to be able to try it on.

Should you go? If you're in Atlanta yes. And I went by myself and was 100% fine. The line was long but bearable. The sale was A LOT but no one was cut throat. No one was even rude. I was never overwhelmed. It was loud, but totally fine.

Spin Class: Redo

I decided to try spin class again. I HATED my first spin class. But it's been two years, so I decided to give it another chance.

The class was fine. I liked that the lights weren't turned off.

The bike was relatively easy to use (and you didn't have to clip in your shoes.) And I liked that the class burned A LOT of calories: 352. (Yesterday's bare class was 206, and I considered it a far better workout.)

What I didn't like.

No arms. It was all legs.

I couldn't hear the instructor. The music was loud. I couldn't hear her mic and I was right in front of her. I missed a lot of the directions. Was she saying to sprint? I think I missed this one a lot. Was she saying to turn the gear up or down? I think she mumbled some too.

She also didn't explain what things were. Bouncing? Jumps? How exactly are you moving from sitting to standing so fast? Why are we doing this?

But what I really didn't like was that ycling hurts my crotch and upper thighs. It feels like getting punched. I couldn't find a way to sit so it didn't hurt. Was my bike wrong? The teacher adjusted me before class so I thought it was right. I guess that's why people wear padded bike shorts.

About four people left the class before it was over. Was it too hard? Did they have a final exam to go to? I don't know.

Verdict: Spin class is officially not for me. I hated the punched in the crotch feeling of the bike. I needed more arm work. (did like this class better than the last one, but found the instructor very mumbly.)

There are lots of workouts I like, or will tolerate. Spin class will not be on my rotation of workouts. I took this class because it was free and I thought it would be a good workout.

If you go:
• Go early and have the instructor help you set up the bike (maybe show you how to use the gears)
• Wear athletic shoes
• Bring a towel and you can set your water bottle down on the bike within arm's distance.
• Ask how to avoid the punched in the crotch feeling because I would like to know.