Running Skirts Archives - Page 3 of 8 - Through Heather's Looking Glass

Neverland 5k 2014

February 12, 2014 by Heather

neverland 5k

My mom and I ran the Neverland 5k during the runDisney Tinkerbell half marathon weekend. I had never run a 5k at Disneyland before, so I was excited to experience one.

Again, I LOVE the proximity of staying on property. We got to sleep a lot later than we do for the east coast events, and simply walked from our room to Disneyland park for the start of the race. I have never started a Disney race inside of a park that I can think of, so it was a really fun experience to walk down Main Street with all of the other runners.

They had everyone lined up around the circle in front of the castle, and there was some confusion as to where we needed to go. We finally overheard a worker telling some people the order in which the “corrals” were going to go so we were then able to line up accordingly. They were going to have different waves, but nothing was marked that I could see.

We waited around a good bit, the announcers came out, and then it was finally time to begin!

After standing around so long it took me awhile to get warmed up. The good thing was the waves of people were not huge so I didn’t feel too crowded except for a couple of times around sharp turns.

We started off running towards the Matterhorn, and made our way through backstage and “on stage” portions of the Disneyland park.

We had passed up a few characters with long lines, and I think this allowed us to get further ahead to ones that didn’t have as long of lines.

When we ran towards New Orleans Square, we saw the lost boys out on the water in canoes, it was a really cute touch.

We walked through the water stop, and took another couple of walk breaks. The air was SO dry we were both having a hard time breathing which made me nervous for the half.

Hooray mile 2!

We went across to California Adventure Park, which is where the race ends. Only a mile to go! We had not gone to the theme parks yet, so the race was actually moms first glimpse of them!

My favorite part

We ran through the Pier, and I knew we were getting close.

We could actually SEE the finish line, but of course had to stop for this picture.

We ran across the finish line together, we did it!

Several people asked if we were sisters, one even asked if we were twins! Not sure if it was because we were matching, but I really hope I don’t look like I’m in my 50’s! I know mom does look young though.

We had a lot of fun running this race, I love that the parks are so close together that you get to run through both. I would definitely run this race again!

QOTD: Do you look like anyone in your family?

Disclosure: I was given a free hotel room, park tickets, some meals, and my half marathon race registration from runDisney. I paid for my own entry into the 5k, but regardless, all opinions are always my own.

Filed Under: blogging, Disney, fitness, Race Recaps, runDisney, running, Running Skirts Tagged: Disney race, disneyland race, neverland 5k, race recap, runDisney, rundisney race, running

Disneyland Half Marathon 2013

September 12, 2013 by Heather

I spent my Labor Day weekend running the happiest race on earth.

The inaugural runDisney Dumbo Double Dare at the Disneyland resort in California to be exact! This race consisted of the Disneyland 10k on Saturday, followed by the Disneyland half marathon on Sunday for a total of 19.3 miles.

For the half marathon, I knew I wanted to dress up and have a great time on the race course. So, why not dress as Dumbo, the elephant who the event was named after?

The morning of the race, Bobby and I headed down just before 5:00 to get into our coral. There were SO many people out, and the corals seemed to stretch on forever down the road. We hopped into ours and waited for the race to begin.

It was a warm morning again, but SLIGHTLY less humid than the morning of the 10k. The first couple of miles were uneventful until we headed into Disney’s California Adventure Park. I LOVE World of Color, and was excited to see this again:

We continued on in the dark through Cars Land, and waved at the characters. I was pouring sweat by this point and regretting my decision of wearing pigtails. They were sticking to me and making me even more hot.

We decided to stop for a picture with Mike and Sulley from Monster’s Inc. Since I skipped them the day before at the 10k.

We ran through more of DCA park, before heading across into Disneyland.

Peter and Wendy were out to wish us good luck, and I nearly had to pick Bobby up off the ground. He thinks he’s so funny. You can see my “glisten” in this photo ha.

Captain Hook and Mr. Smee were busy riding the carousel, but did wave at us. We then stopped for a quick pic with the Dumbo ride, which I made Bobby ride with me later in the trip. Hehe.

I loved running through the castle again, and even did some leaping for the camera. It always makes for interesting pictures!

I love this next one, you can see just how much fun I was having. Disneyland is a magical place to run for sure.

In Frontierland, I caught up with my buddy Joe from The Marathon Show and we talked about the LSU game the night before (geaux Tigers)!

Into Toontown we went, saying sir yes sir to some army men.

Obviously having a terrible time if you can’t tell…

Love me some farm animals.

Sadly, before I knew it, we were out onto the roads. Boo. It was getting very warm, and we still had a long way to go. Thankfully, there was a lot of entertainment on the course such as bands, cheerleaders, and dancers.

LLLLOOOVVVEEE!

Who can forget the rows and rows of classic cars. (So glad I had my sunglasses).

Our goal was to make it to Angel Stadium. Once we got out of there we knew it was about a 5k left. Easy peasy. The roar of the crowd did not disappoint, and we made it out the other side. A huge thanks to the boy and girl scouts for cheering!

More road running in the sun, but getting closer!

Ok, so here is a funny story. (TMI alert) Bobby and I both had some chaffing issues this race. Me because the shirt I had made was NOT a tech shirt. It’s southern California for crying out loud, it’s not supposed to be hot and humid, so I thought I would be on in a cotton shirt. Well let’s just say my shirt got SO soaked and soaked through my bra and led to some major chaffing, like burning and excruciating pain from mile 9 on. Also, I was wearing body glide but I guess because I was literally drenched it came off. I got to where I was using one hand to hold my shirt and bra away from my skin it was hurting so badly. I know. That’s not funny, but the rest of the story is. Bobby has this favorite shirt that you see him wearing for the race. He likes it because it’s soft and doesn’t cause any nipple chafing issues for him. Well, a little bit before I started chafing he started chaffing too. Only ting is HE can take his shirt off to stop his problem and I of course couldn’t. He was so confused as to why he was chaffing because he wears that shirt all the time.

Well, we figured out later back at the hotel that it was because he was wearing MY SHIRT! His is a large, mine is a small, but the shirt is HUGE. I even blogged about how big it was two years ago when I got it. So while it somehow fit him, it was tighter than his other once, hence the chafing. We realized it because he pulled the shirt out of his suitcase and he was confused because he thought he had just worn it!

Pretty soon we caught up with this dude and chatted for a bit. He was looking strong and still smiling!

I was so happy to see the mile 12 sign, we were almost home! By this time every ounce of my clothing was drenched. The running skirt I had on under my tutu was so wet and heavy that it started sagging and I kept having to pull it up. I am happy to report that my KT Tape stayed put though!

I love rounding that last corner by the Disneyland Hotel and seeing the finish line. It’s a beautiful thing.

Bobby is laughing in the next shot because Carissa announced us as we got close and mentioned that Bobby was sporting his “man shirt”. I would later tell her the story of WHY he wasn’t wearing his shirt which made it even funnier.

We did it! We crossed in 2:34, respectable for the amount of times we stood in line for photos, stopped to take photos and video, and even a bathroom stop.

YAY DUMBO! We did it!

We also got our coast to coast medals, three new pieces of bling in one day. I’ll take it! We headed over to grab some food by the finish line and ran into some friends.

Faron Kelley from runDisney showing off his medal.

Sweetheart Jeff Galloway. I always love chatting with him and his super nice wife Barbara.

Also caught up with this guy who ran a great race. Way to go Sean!

We hung out right at the finish line where people were crossing and got some great photos and video.

I was pretty tired and still soaking wet and ready for a shower, so we headed back to the hotel, so sad that the race weekend was officially over. I am so proud of my bling and had a great time running Disney!

I made a little video of some of the footage I took during the race. Enjoy!

QOTD: Do you ever having chaffing problems running? What is your favorite race medal?

Disclosure: I attended this race weekend as media. My registrations, hotel, park tickets and some meals were provided to me by runDisney. However, all opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Disney, fitness, Race Recaps, runDisney, running, Running Skirts, vacation Tagged: coast to coast medal, Disney race, Disneyland half, disneyland race, dumbo double dare, half marathon, race tutu, runDisney

Weekly Workout Recap: August Week 2 2013

August 18, 2013 by Heather

Oh what an interesting week. Last Saturday, you may remember we ran 13.1 miles. In an effort to pretend I was fine and in hopes it would go away, I didn’t mention the terrible ball of foot pain I had during and after the run. Does anyone remember this from last summer?

it was literally almost a year to the exact date that it started hurting again, after a full year of no pain. Ug! I have been walking around my house all week in running shoes. Barefoot on my wood floors kkkiiilllssss. I have been taking Ibuprofen, and taking it easy on the running (I only ran twice this week) in hopes it would be fine. No such luck, but with pain meds it’s manageable to run n at this point. I really don’t want another cortisone shot right now.

So, with that said, I decided to take it SUPER easy this week, I even took TWO rest days in a row, which I never do.

Sunday: rest

Monday: 20 minutes stationary bike

Tuesday: rest

Wednesday: rest

Thursday: 3 mile run, weights

Friday: 30 minutes stationary bike, weights

Saturday: 7 mile run

My 7 miles were decent, but my foot feels the same. I just need to get through Disneyland half/Dumbo then I can decide what to do next.

QOTD: Do you ever take more than one rest day in a row?

Filed Under: injury, running, Running Skirts Tagged: cortisone shot, foot injury, injury, running, Running Skirts

June Photo Dump

June 19, 2013 by Heather

Good morning! I didn’t get home until 10:00 last night, so the great post I was working on isn’t going up until tomorrow because I needed more time on it. So today you get a “wordless Wednesday” of sorts (just ignore that I’m using words RIGHT NOW….ok so I will caption them…) and see some of the photos I am dumping into my computer from my phone. Some have appeared on Instagram, some haven’t.

Getting stronger

Sweet girl

Give me caffeine

Pink kind of day

Father’s Day delivery

Sunset off the balcony

Post run cool down, it was 92 degrees and 88% humidity.

Golf outing

QOTD: Which pic is your favorite? Is your photo album CONSTANTLY full like mine because you have too many pictures on your phone?

Filed Under: blogging, fitness, running, Running Skirts Tagged: Bella, golf, photos, running, Running Skirts, sassy, workout

Favorite Race Photos

June 17, 2013 by Heather

Ah, race photos. We love them, we hate them. We pray that we will get at least one good one where our faces aren’t contorted and we don’t look like we are one step from death. A great race photo is in fact a rare thing. I have run many, many races in just a few shot years and only have a small handful of race photos I actually like. Below is my all time favorite, taken at the runDisney Princess half marathon in 2012. I’m smiling, and my body isn’t in a weird position. To be fair, I didn’t “race” this race which is why I look all fresh and happy….but still, it counts, and remains my all-time favorite.

I wanted to share some of my favorites with you, but first I thought it would be fun to share some not so great ones. To be honest, these aren’t terrible because well…I don’t keep the crappy ones, but the reasons why I dislike a lot of these has to do with the race itself and the memories the photo brings back. So I will share some of my least favorite that I still have, then some of my favorites (and why). here we go!

Least favorites:

Run for Life half marathon October 2010. This was my 3rd half marathon, and it was in early October in Mississippi = HOT. It didn’t start until 9:00, so temps were already in the 80’s and sunny, with no shade. I was determined to PR, even though it was the first half I had run by myself and I was a bit nervous. I almost got hit by a car that didn’t stop when the police officer said to, and I was BORED to tears by this course. I thought I would die of a heat stroke, and it was my first experience with a big mental battle during a race. I still remember fighting back and forth in my mind about stopping and walking. I won the mental battle, and was rewarded with a 3 minute PR. But I hated that race if you can’t tell by the look on my face.

Gulf Coast Half Marathon 2011, Mandeville, LA. I ran with TNT and got a 4 minute PR. This race was fun but I was stupid and forgot to wear sunglasses. We ran the length of the lakefront directly into the sun and it blinded me, as you can see. I look a little goofy….

Women’s Half Marathon December 2012, Baton Rouge, LA. Ah, the heartbreaker. I was primed to PR, but it was when I was struggling with calf cramps. This was one of those races where I just didn’t “feel it” from the very beginning and knew it would be a long race. I missed my PR by less than a minute if I remember correctly, and was pretty unhappy as I crossed the finish line. Isn’t THAT a pretty face.

August 2011, Rock n Roll Providence Half Marathon. Oy. This was the inaugural race, and I was VERY out of shape. I worked the runnngskirts.com booth and was exhausted with tired legs, not to mention since it was August I was NOT in half marathon shape. Of course I had to run anyway even though I knew my time would suck on this hilly course. To make matters worse, I was going to barely make my plane, and the race STARTED LATE and then it monsooned, MONSOONED rain the ENTIRE 13.1 miles. It was so, so miserable. I was soaked to the bone for days it seemed. I just wanted this race to be over! You can tell in the puddles in the photo that it was raining and well, my shirt isn’t supposed to be that color. My skirt almost started to slide down it was so heavy with water!

Now that THAT ugly part is over, here are some of my favorites:

Princess marathon weekend Tangled 5k, 2011. Ran with some fellow bloggers and had SO much fun, which I think is pretty obvious.

This picture is from the Women’s half I spoke of earlier, but threw this one in because it’s actually a decent picture.

Ah, my first marathon, 2011 Disney marathon. We took it slow and had a blast.

Princess half marathon 2013. Love this because 1.) Running in a costume is awesome 2.) It was a SUPER fun race 3.) Where my current PR stands. I am waving like a princess running down main street. It was SO humid that morning, I was already drenched at this point.

Disney marathon 2013. Another fun race, the second leg of Goofy’s challenge, running through Animal Kingdom. I knew I was going to make it, and was enjoying myself!

Rock n Roll New Orleans 2012. This finish line photo shows me on the brink of exhaustion, but it means a lot to me because I pushed SO hard to PR in this race. I worked the expo again for running skirts, so was pretty tired. Bobby paced me because I wanted to PR so badly. I remember pushing so hard at the end and telling him I didn’t think I could do it, but I did somehow! We were blessed with great weather that day, too.

Disneyland half marathon 2012. You can just SEE how much fun I am having in this picture. I loved running in California, NO HUMIDITY! I was ecstatic, I didn’t know what to do with myself, Running was SO much easier. We weren’t even trying and I was just a few minutes off a PR just because I could breath. It was a very cool race.

Disney half marathon 2010. This one means a lot because it was my VERY FIRST half marathon. I knew nothing about running then and had JUST started to blog and read blogs. It was freezing that day, 23 degrees and sleeting. My pigtails had hardened and had ice on them. I have never been so cold. But we did it and it started an addiction to runDisney.

Again, not for the race but for the photo. This race was actually a disaster, the day after I got off a cruise and was land sick. I ran this race nauseated the whole time and ended up in urgent care after. Oh joy. But I like the picture! I look relatively normal.

Jazz half marathon 2012. I really enjoyed this race up until mile 9 when I had my first calf cramping episode ever. I was actually feeling great and smiling the whole time and just enjoying myself and the race, it was such a great feeling and makes me remember why I run in the first place.

So there you have it, some of the worst and some of the best of my race photo collection.

*You can find recaps to all these races and more on my races page under “running”.

QOTD: Do you ever buy race photos? Do you judge a race photo by just how it looks or also from the memories of the race it brings back? Would you be interested if I did a post on reader’s best and worst race photos?

Filed Under: Disney, fitness, Race Recaps, runDisney, running, Running Skirts Tagged: half marathon, marathon, race photos, race recaps, runDisney, running, Running Skirts

Weekly Workout Recap: June Week 2

June 16, 2013 by Heather

Morning lovelies! This week I slowly started to get back to running. My knee still gets sore after, but it isn’t really bothering me when I run.

Love my new hearts! Get 15% your runningskirts.com order with code “SKIRTSASS”

I am going to continue to stretch and strengthen plus foam roll and hope it all works itself out. Even though I did slowly start running again this week. I made sure to take more rest days so I didn’t overdo it on my body. I wasn’t feeling good this week so I let myself sleep 9 hours at night and took a nap on Saturday after my run. It was glorious. Here is what the week looked like:

Sunday: rest

Monday: 1 hour elliptical, weights

Tuesday: 2 miles outside, weights

Wednesday: rest

Thursday: weights, 30 minutes stationary bike

Friday: rest

Saturday: 4 miles outside with Bobby

I am hoping to go back to body pump this week and just take it easy with the lunges/squats and any twisting around. Also Hopefully I will run a five miler on Saturday as my long run, as well as two shorter runs in the week. Fingers crossed I keep healing up and getting stronger!

Also, HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to all the dads (and fur dads) out there! I am so thankful for my dad and everything he has done for me and my family over the years!

princesswithdad

QOTD: Would you rather sleep for 3 hours a night on a comfy bed or as long as you want on a cold hard floor?

Filed Under: fitness, injury, running, Running Skirts Tagged: injury, running, runningskirts.com, weekly workout recap

Running Skirts Spring Collection

April 20, 2013 by Heather

The Runningskirts.com spring collection is out! You know how much I love my skirts, however I haven’t bought anything yet. It is all so cute, but I REALLY love the runbow skirt and the watermelon tops. So cute.

There are also new plaids, mums, and other solids. Very springy and bright. However, I must tell you about my favorite things that I have been wearing this winter that are super cozy. The yoga capris and the gathered long sleeve tops are amazingly comfortable. My favorite part of the tops are the thumbholes!

The capris have cute snow leaped ties at the bottom so you can vary the length. There is also a tie on the fold over waistband and a secret pocket.

Now that it’s warming up it’s time to purchase your spring workout wardrobe. What is your favorite skirt in their new collection?

*Don’t forget, as one of my readers, you can save 15% on your entire order by entering the code SKIRTSASS at checkout!

QOTD: What will you be wearing to workout this spring? Have you bought anything new lately?

Filed Under: running, Running Skirts Tagged: running, Running Skirts, running skirts discount, runningskirts.com

My Fitness Closet Part 2

April 5, 2013 by Heather

Some of you may remember the recent post and vlog I did on my Fitness Closet. I only had time to do a quick overview of my fitness clothes, but decided I wanted to dive a little deeper and give some more details on my workout wear. I am aware I have a LOT of workout clothes, but oddly enough I didn’t pay for very many of them. Lots are race clothes, things I was given for review for the blog, etc. So, point being no I didn’t spend a fortune on all of these clothes and shoes!

SHOES: from top to bottom, left to right: Newtons, runDisney New Balance, Brooks trail, reebok flex, Mizuno, Asics, Saucony Virrata, Reebox flex, Asics, Zoot, Altra, Under Armour.

aaannddd I got these guys in the mail yesterday. The new Saucony Kinvara 4. Look for a review later!

I went upstairs and dumped all my dri fit shirts into a pile on the floor.

I sorted them into three piles. Short sleeve on the left, runDisney in the middle, tank top/sleeveless on the right. How sad my runDisney pile is almost as high as my regular short sleeve shirt pile?!?

PANTS: 3 pair, one pair not shown (in the wash) I don’t own a lot of pants b/c I run most of the time half naked (I kid) because it’s so darn hot here. Target C9, Russell athletic.

CAPRIS: 4 pair shown, 2 not shown (in the wash) I like to take fitness classes in these and lift weights. Under Armour, Target C9, Addidas

SHORTS: I totally just realized all my bottoms are BLACK! Well almost. I have 4 pair in the wash and one are blue and one brown. Brooks, Nike, Russell, Target C9.

SPORTS BRAS: Yay for color! Everything from Nike to Under Armour to Moving Comfort.

RUNNING SKIRT BRAS: missing 2, a pink and a white.

You probably saw this from my last post. All running skirt gear from capris, to dresses, running skirts, athletic skirts, strappy tanks, tank tops, long sleeves, and jackets. Missing a few items here in the wash as well.

QOTD: What brand appears most in you fitness closet?

Filed Under: fitness, running, Running Skirts Tagged: asics, fitgear, fitness, nike, Running Skirts, under armour, workout clothes

Weekly Recap: March Week 4 2013

March 31, 2013 by Heather

Happy Easter! I hope everyone has a great Sunday. This is a very important day to me. Jesus is risen and the reason we celebrate! We are headed to church then lunch with the family before heading back to Mississippi. Here is a recap of my workouts this week. It was a race week, so I took it easy.

Sunday: 6.2 mile run plus 3 mile run total of 9.2

Monday: body pump

Tuesday: 2 miles of speedwork

Wednesday: 3.1 mile run (5k PR! 27:30) and chest/triceps

Thursday: walked the dogs

Friday: rest

Saturday: Crescent City Classic 10k road race

I know I said I had a runDisney going up tomorrow, but instead it will go up Tuesday and my Crescent City Classic 10k recap will go up tomorrow. Both will be fun posts you won’t want to miss! Happy Easter, go spend time with your family!

*Tine Featured me over on her blog, go check it out!

QOTD: Who has fun Easter plans or traditions?

Filed Under: fitness, running, Running Skirts Tagged: Easter, running, weekly recap, workout recap

Fitness Magazine Photos: Ready. Set. Run!

February 14, 2013 by Heather

Happy Valentine’s Day! Be sure to tell someone how much you love them!

A couple days ago, I received a message from a reader saying they saw some photos of me in Fitness magazine. Huh. I had no idea! I wasn’t able to get to the store until today, and sure enough, there are four photos of yours truly in the magazine (now if only it listed my blog name I would be a happy girl!)

Can you find all 4 photos of me without looking below?

The article accompanying these photos (page 74) is titled “Ready. Set. Run!” and spreads the message that anyone can run. When you turn the page, it opens out into a huge training plan chart for running a 5k in six weeks, running a 10k in eight weeks, or running a half marathon in twelve weeks. It gives you a guide on what workouts to do on what days to help you reach your goal, as well as tips for preventing injury.

Tips on how to run better, a gear guide, and popular races and their websites are also included in this handy guide. I am so glad that a magazine as popular as Fitness is helping people achieve their running goals by reminding us that running isn’t just for the elite or super fit, but that average Joe’s like myself can reach their goals as well! It also includes with each plan what to expect, and gives motivational advice. It’s a very uplifting piece, I am so glad they put it in the mag. If you haven’t picked up the issue I encourage you to do so simply for this training plan if you are looking for something to get you started on your running journey.

Did you spot me? I know it’s hard to see with the gloss of the pages, so here they are up close.

runDisney Royal Family 5k 2012

Woman’s half marathon 2012

Gulf Coast Half Marathon 2012

runDisney Princess half marathon 2012 (If you fold out the insert this same photo is across the top).

I was so stoked and honored to see my photos in the magazine, and am so thankful to be included with the great message that this article gives! I hope you will check it out and get moving!

QOTD: What training plan to you use? or do you even use one?

Filed Under: blogging, fitness, motivation, runDisney, running, Running Skirts Tagged: Fitness magazine, magazine article, running motivation