Where's My Running Mojo?

I've been hearing allot of people saying they are in a weird funk about running lately. I've been trying to convince myself that I'm not, but after this weekends workout......I am =(

I get super pumped up all day while thinking about going home for a run, however when I get there I find 101 excuses not to go. I told myself Sunday was goign to be a good run day. So I went on a 7 mile very hilly run with Jessica, it wasn't bad but I think I could've done allot better. Jessica is faster then me, so I should be using that tool to help me gain some speed in my time, but instead I did the opposite. I know she wanted to go faster, but at the same time she didn't want to leave me, so she stuck with me as we did 11:30 min miles and many walk breaks.....blah!

So what do I do to get out of this, and why am I in this in the first place? I know it all started after LA Marathon, so am I getting to comfortable not training for anything right now? All I know is I want my running mojo back! I want to be able to enjoy it again and not make it feel like something I have to do, but yet something I love to do. A had a teacher tell me once, "if something you love starts to feel like a job, then its time to not doing it anymore" I don't want running to get to that point because I honestly do love it! It's the one thing I have that lets me do something for myself. I never run races or train for anyone else attention by my own. Its for my own personal satisfaction of "You can do it". I want to say from today moving forward I will do better and I will run more, but with the way I've been feeling I'm totally fooling myself. I thought maybe I need to switch things up so I miss running, you know saying "distance makes the heart grow fonder" So tomorrow I'm heading over to yoga class with Krissy and Alexis which I'm hoping we can do weekly, I'm also signing up with the swim class I did last summer which will take up my Tuesday & Thursday nights, and I bought a used bike from a friend that I need to start riding (Jordan help!!!). Also this weekend I'm volunteering at the OC marathon, maybe that will get me to "miss" my running as I watch everyone coming into the finish. I feel like I'm letting myself down so I'm really hoping changing things up a little will help. I do have Pasadena & Fresno half marathons coming up in May, I have my fingers crossed that I have my mojo back by then and I'm ready. If you have any ideas please help I'd love to hear from you!

Feeling Funktified,
Kristy

The Winner Is....

I’m so excited to announce the winner of my first blog give away! I do want to thank Hailey at Ifitness for hosting!

So the winner of a new hydration belt from Ifitness is..........*insert drum roll here*

BARBARA

CONGRATS Barbara. Here is the comment she eft on my “My Favorite Things & Ifitiness Giveway”

“Hey, we share some fave things - I LOVE that Neutrogena sunscreen (well, as much as one can love a sunscreen) and I love my lululemon key cuff. I have been trying to justify (to myself) getting an iFitness belt for a few weeks now...”

Hope you enjoy it! Please email me so we can get the belt sent out to you as soon as possible. kristylee815@gmail.com

Thank you to everyone who entered, don’t forgot to check my blog for other give aways. Since your here you might as well take a look at my previous posts, and learn more about me!

HAPPY NHL KINGS PLAYOFF DAY!!! GO KINGS GO!!!

My Weekend Run - Hittin the Trails

When Penny and I decided to meet up yesterday to go for a run there was no intention of getting on a trail. We were going to do 10 miles through the beautiful hills of Palos Verde and call it a day. I had told her that once LA Marathon was over I wanted to try new things. Trail running was one of them.

I had attempted it before about a year ago, it was fun, but I think the trail was a little advanced for me. Penny assured me that we would fine something that I would enjoy and more at my level. Robert and I are hikers so I knew a little about trails, but not enough for me to feel comfortable just jumping on one for a weekend run.

Hiking Harding Truck Trail in Orange County

We started our run around 6:30 so we could avoid the heat. The past few days have been pretty hot hitting high 80‘s, so the early the better. When I got to her house we could hear the fog horns going off from San Pedro so we knew that a cool marine layer was waiting for us.

View of the cliffs of Palos Verde

We headed out and about mile 3 Penny pointed out the entrance to the Ocean Trails that she usually runs with her four legged running buddy Velcro. She said “we’ll come back here one day and run those. You’d enjoy those trails” I agreed and we kept on going.

Penny got this beautiful shot

We went up a little more when Penny said “You know lets just got now. Why not, are you up for it”.....Sure was! We hopped the fence and started our way up the coast towards Trump Golf Course. It was BEAUTIFUL..ocean to the left with flowers to the right. I just wanted to dive into the flowers and take a nap. The weather was perfect, and after a while I forgot I was even running at all. Like I said I’ve hiked many times but this was different, it was so quite and just PERFECT. I took off my earphones so I could hear my feet hitting the trail, I now love that sound. We saw a few others just doing their normal Sunday morning walks and exchanged the normal runner/walker “Good Morning”.

Flowers were all a bloom

We hit the Trump Golf Course and decided to take a small break. This is when Penny introduced me to “trail food”. A PB&J Crustable sandwich and M&M’s...SHUT UP PENNY!!! You mean to tell me I can all my favorite snacks and run trails!!?!! This morning was getting better and better! I’m a GU girl, have never done the PB&J for a snack while running..I think she hooked me on that too. Trails and PB&J is complete heaven for me!

Heaven

Since we made a change in our run jumping on the trail it put us past our scheduled mileage, so we could either head back on Palos Verde, or get back on the Ocean Trail, we decided with the trail. We did maybe another 2 miles until it finally took us back onto Palos Verde Rd. From there was the home stretch back to San Pedro.

Our "Finishers" photo

I’ve had some awesome runs, but yesterday had me smiling all day long. What a perfect way to end my weekend, and get ready for my work week. I’m definitely going to be doing this again and I’m even looking up small trail races. So if you can suggest any to me please do!

So that was my weekend workout. Later today I’ll be posting the winner of the Ifitness Belt Give Away, so you have a little bit to get your entry in. I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of week!

"My Favorites Things" & Ifitness Giveaway!

I decide to combine the two things that pretty much take up allot of my life on this post, running and makeup. I started running about 4 years ago, and have been a makeup artist in between my “adult job” for about 8 years

From Runner to...

Makeup Artist...

I always get questions from people about products, or how to’s in running, make up, hair, or skin care. So I'll be doing product reviews once a month on things that I absolutely love. Now, this isn't only for the ladies either, I'll have tons of stuff coming up for my male readers as well! I'll be reaching out to a few friends of mine in the hair and skin care industry to help out with how things work and why they love them too. Hope you'll enjoy this as much as I enjoyed putting it together!

So here are the first set of products that I don't leave the house without!! I have all of them in my gym!!

Eminence Organic Skin Care Toner: Sweet Red Rose Mist

I LOVE THIS TONER!! During the summer I used to get small break outs on my shoulders and chest from sweating during my workouts, especially around my sport bra area. I reached out to my friend Caleah who is a esthetician in the San Diego area for help. She suggested that I use this toner before and after my running, as well as before bed. Here’s how she said it works,

“The Sweet Red Rose Mist is a great after workout product because it is formulated for dry dehydrated skin. As you are expelling energy, you are sweating and losing moisture. Not only would the rose mist replenish moisture to the surface level, but it has salicylic acid in it to remove surface impurities and kill bacteria, which is necessary after sweating toxins out of your skin. This particular mist also contains Lemon to tone and refresh the skin. Any of the Eminence Mists are great, if someone has dry dehydrated skin, rose is ideal, if someone has oily/breakout prone/ or normal skin then Lime or Rosehip are good choices. Rosehip has a super high concentration of natural Vitamin C, which is good for protection in sunlight and acne but not as good for blackheads, so avoid Vitamin C products if you have blackheads. My personal favorite is the Lime, I used it on a daily basis during those sticky summer days in Los Angeles, and even took it with me to the beach, day spa and used it at night before bed, and even sprayed it on my yoga mat, and in my hair. The Lime mist is refreshing the only downside is it makes you really want a margarita!”

Like I said before I LOVE IT!! This is a must have in your gym bag and at home. You can get this product on Amazon for about $35.00. My bottle has lasted me about 6 months.

Redken Color Extend Sun

ATTENTION SWIMMERS!!!!!!!! This one is for you!! Since I started swimming last year I was afraid of one thing, my hair color. I spend allot of money on my hair, so I wanted something that was going to keep my hair healthy and keep my hair color still looking fresh. My stylist Diane Couto of Valdemar Hair Studio recommended I try this product. The spray protects your hair from UVA/UVB rays and chlorine damage, its also water resistant. I spray it all over, then throw my swim cap on right over it. When I run outside I spritz just a little right on my ponytail. If your going to put sunblock on your face why not your hair too. You can also get this from Amazon for about $15.00 or a local hair salon that uses Redken products.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 70

I can’t express to you how important it is to use sunblock, and its the #1 thing that people forget to put on, this is for the male readers as well SUNSCREEN, SUNSCREEN, SUNSCREEN!! I use this alone as well as right under my makeup ALL THE TIME. It’s really sheer and doesn’t have that greasy feeling and it water proof for swimming. This is also another product that was recommended to me from Caleah. She had a few others that she wanted to mention as well,

“I like the Sport Face SPF 70 for runners, and the Sheer dry touch which ranges from 15 to 70 for daily use. You can use a lower SPF like a 15 or 20 for daily use so you can still get the benefits of sunlight and Vitamin D, but even minimal protection is needed daily. I also like Neutrogena Kids Watergaurd SPF spray in a 70. The Kid or Baby versions of water resistant sunscreens are a good workout option because they a usually formulated to avoid transfer into the eyes, and are a little more gentle on the skin”

These products can be found at any grocery store type stores starting at $9.99.

Lululemon Key Cuff

I always enjoy going out for a “naked run” but I always had to find a place to put my house key. I would normally throw it in my sports bra, but its gross and uncomfortable having something that sharp in there. I had to find something! A few friends use this cuff so I decided to head over to Lululemon and pick one up. This cuff is fantastic!! I’ve used in many races holding my GU, also used it for money and have even put my credit card in there to take a running trip to the store. Its easy to get things out and it holds ALLOT. It comes in several colors and can be found at your local Lululemon Store for $10.00

Ifitness Hydratin Belt

Once I got my Iphone the hydration belt that I had didn’t have a pocket big enough for the phone as well as other things. It was either buy a arm band for my iphone, which added more things to carry around on my run, or just not run with my phone at all. I already had the double pouch belt, but I needed a hydration belt that would fit everything. I saw Ifitness came out with one at the Surf City expo, bought it and used it the next day for the race. I forgot I even had it on, no bounce, didn’t slide up, and sits perfect on your hips..honesly it was super comfortable. There are two small elastic slots that I used to hold my GU packs, or you can also attach your bib to them. The pocket is big enough for my phone, car key, and ID. The belt alone made me a instant fan, but to make me a bigger fan is their customer service. I emailed them after Surf City to express how happy I was with the product and got an immediate response from Hailey thanking me for the email. A few weeks later I had to contact Hailey again because a small tear started to form near the bottle pocket. I asked if they were going to have a booth at the LA Marathon expo which was about 3 weeks away, and if it was possible to do exchange. She immediately replied back to me letting me know they wanted to make sure I had a belt before the expo for training, so she was shipping one out to me. About 2 days later a new belt arrived in the mail. Not to mention she supplied shipping information instantly to me to return my first belt. It didn't matter if I hadn't returned mine back yet, they only cared that I had a belt for my training. Not sure how many online stores would do this, but Ifitness took care of everything! So if your looking for a new hydration belt, I highly recommend this one for both the product and service! You can either purchase one from their online store or.....WIN ONE here!

Its very simple to enter, there are 3 ways so you have 3 chances!!

1. Leave a comment here.

2. Retweet my blog post, but remember to add my name when retweeting so I can keep track @kristylpants.

3. Go to Facebook “like” Ifitness on Facebook. Leave a comment on their page letting them know I sent you!

Winner will be announced next Tuesday, make sure to tell a friend! GOOD LUCK EVERYONE and thanks for stopping by!

Seal Beach 5k

It was nice to have a bib on and be at a start line waiting for a race to begin this weekend. Not to mention Robert and I had a great date night planned for Saturday night, so it was going to be a good day!!

I haven’t done much running since the LA Marathon monsoon, so this 5k was perfect. I’ve always wanted to do this race, so when my friend Krissy asked me to run with her I couldn’t pass it up. She has been working really hard on training, so I wanted to be there with her for her first race!

Our Cheering Team, Robert & Paul

We got to the race pretty early which gave us a little time to meet up with some other running friends and chat for a while. I finally got to see Maggie!! YAY! Then we were joined by Jessica and Manuel at the start, who were both doing the 10k. Being there a little early I think helped Krissy with race day jitters. She was very nervous because she had been having shin splints off and on for a while. She even told me she was having "race dreams"..I know those very well! We all told her she was going to do great, and I made sure she knew I was going to stay with her the whole time.

Some shennanigens walking to the start

We were easily spotted by everyone because Krissy and I decided to wear our bright orange matching soccer jerseys, and I wore a bright orange LA Marathon visor to give it a little more flare. We were very ORANGE to say the least! I wanted to make this fun for her so I suggested we use the bright jerseys....Your probably wondering why the jerseys? So lets go off the race report real quickly for a explanation. During the month of October Robert, myself and Krissy’s husband Paul all work at Knott’s Berry Farm Halloween Haunt.

Our boys of Halloween Haunt

I’m a make-up artist, Robert and Paul get put into make-up to scare guests in the park. Krissy’s is our number 1 guest and a Haunt wife. If you ever have the pleasure of going backstage to this event, you’ll see allot of jerseys worn before everyone gets into their costumes. Most areas have these jerseys made so the people who work there can represent their “scare zones” It’s a way of saying this is “My Team” (Thanks Cody) So our little group decided to make these soccer jerseys for “our team” which the boys (our husbands or boyfriends) call “The Regulators” We wear them to our little events that we have together to show we're a "team". That's the story on our BRIGHT orange jerseys!

Me with one of the characters I makeup in October

Ok now back to the race report.....We started in wave 3 which was the under 9 min mile group. We were doing great through mile one just trucking along chatting a little. I check Mr G 2.0 to see what pace she was hitting, and to my surprise she had us at a 11:46 pace. I wanted to tell her but I figured if I kept it on the DL, it would be best. I didn't want to start throwing times and paces at her to make her nerves kick in again, so we just coasted along.

When we came around the 1.5 mile turn I noticed a spectator that looked just like my dad….sure enough to my surprise, there was my pops. He came down to watch and of course meet up for breakfast after. I got a quick hug from him and we were off.

The back of our jersey hitting the finish!

When we saw the mile 2 marker I made sure to say “One more mile YAY!! GO KRISSY GO” I figured if I kept my cheerleading going on it would make things fun...luckily she didn’t punch me in the face for being so Cheertastic!

Regulator's 1st 5k: Mission Complete!

Up to this point we hadn't walked at all. I was feeling great and Krissy's shins were doing just fine. We hit a water station for a quick cup and headed off again. She told me that the longest she had ran was 2.31 miles, so I kept a eye on Mr G 2.0 and let her know the minute our mile hit 2.35. “You just pasted up your longest run and we’re almost done!!" I saw a giant smile on her face and I could tell her race jitters were way gone by that point.

My new 5k running partner!

We hit the turn onto Ocean and there was the finish. I picked up the pace just a tad to see if she would stay with me and she did. As the crowd got thicker the finish line got closer. I turned around a few times to make sure she was right behind me. Her and I hit the finish line for her first 5k at 36:58..WOOHOOOO!!!

I can't express how PROUD I am of her! She did something that not allot of people can say they've done. Whether your running a 5k or a full marathon, its takes allot of courage to get to that start line and she did it!! I did ask her if she would do another and she's ready!! Looks like I have a new 5k running buddy..now lets see if I can get her to a 10k!!

Oh and your probably wondering about our "date night". Robert and I have been going to Kevin & Bean's April Foolishness comedy show for the past 2 years. The show is a charity event done by a radio morning show here in LA on KROQ. This year they raised money for Wounded Warriors Project and Cedars-Sinai Health System. The night started with dinner at Miceli's, the restaurant with singing waiters SUPER FUN! Then we headed off to the Gibson Theater at Universal City for the show. It was great as usual and the comics were awesome! If you live in LA this is definitely as show you might want to catch!

Stay tuned for my next blog post which will be my favorite things...just like Oprah does, but less expensive!