Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and yours the happiest of holidays. Enjoy your time with family, or friends, or wherever you might be and be grateful for another great year. This year hasn't been the best, hasn't been the easiest, but Christmastime is always a happy time of year for me, regardless of what the year has brung. I'm looking forward to celebrating today with tons of people around me! 

Thank you all for making my blog such an amazing part of my life this year and I'm looking forward to more in 2015 with some new projects, endeavors, and opportunities along the way! 

A very, merry Christmas to you each!

Weekend Wrap Up: Las Vegas Lovin'

I am so far behind, y'all, it's not even funny! But to show you that my life is (a little) more than just running...

Shots, shots, shots... errrbodyyy... 

This past Saturday we celebrated Doug's big 3-0! He had pondered for awhile about what on earth to do for such a birthday, and finally decided Vegas was it. We went two years ago, also on his birthday weekend, as a sort of pre-Christmas vacation and had an amazing time, so decided it was definitely a place to ring in a new decade. His sister, her guy Todd, friend Jumah, friend Chris and his fiance Nancy and the two of us headed out on Friday for a birthday shenanigans weekend!

Friday we got to check out the new High Roller at the Linq - the world's newest largest ferris wheel (or observation wheel, as they call it). Y'ALL - this thing is awesome. I'm super glad we got a GroupOn for it, as I'm not sure I'd pay $45 a person to do it (our deal was $69 for two, including a happy half hour pass), but holy wow! So awesome.

We are stupidly good at selfies... 

On Saturday, we eventually rolled out of bed for a tummy-stuffing breakfast/lunch at the Hash House (funny enough, where we had gone two years ago that morning too!) before we headed over to the famous Gold and Silver Pawn Shop... yes, as in Pawn Stars. Because when in Vegas, right?

Chris, Doug, Nancy & me.

Saturday night, we headed out for a full-on birthday celerbation - his actually birthday was Saturday, after all, so it was only fitting. After a beyond phenomenal dinner at Gallagher's, including some diabetes-inducing birthday cake, we headed out for our Vegas VIP club tour. More detail in a post to come, but basically we found this club tour concept via GroupOn (are you surprised?) two years ago, bought it on a whim, and had a freaking BLAST. So much so, that I had emailed them again a few weeks ago and mentioned that we were coming back, and could we get a deal? Done and done. So they basically cart you around to four clubs/lounges, you by-pass all lines to get in and no cover. Their bus is also a bar on board, so you can pretty much get fully loaded without spending an (expensive) dime at any of the clubs. This time around, we went to two places at the new SLS (Sayers Club & Life), Cromwell (Drai's), and Paris (Chateau). Yet again, pretty amazing time, not to mention that the first three are among the three newest locations of anywhere on the Strip. Winning!

Sunday, naturally, we crawled out of bed, made it to breakfast and met up with my dearest Katy Beth, and then walked the Strip for a bit for my favorite part: holiday decorations! The Bellagio is by far my favorite, but I love how done-up all the hotels get, with trees and lights and pretty much anything you can dream up. But the Conservatory at the Bellagio trumps all... if you haven't been, get there soon!

All in all, an amazing weekend and hopefully a pretty kick ass start to his 30th year. Happy birthday Doug! I love you!

What's your favorite hotel in Vegas?

Gifts for the Runner in Your Life

As I shop around for some running friends + blends + fitness enthusiasts in my life, it always amazes me how many new things show up every year - new technology, new shoes, new everything that I always want to buy for them... and myself. As you're shopping for the runner in your life, bear in mind that every runner has their particulars when it comes to shoes, type/brand of clothing, and even their prefered kind of headphones! Know your runner... but also know that gift cards to their favorite local running store or online shop!

But if you want to get them something 'real' and not just a card, here's my fave ideas for your favorite runner this year.

1. Runners World Subscription
RW was one of the best gifts I bought myself a few summers ago. Full of tips, tricks, and some pretty amazing stories, it's a great resource and source of motivation and inspiration. Right now, a 2-year subscription is just $32 - a pretty freaking sweet deal, if you ask me!

2. Bulk Run Fuel
Again, this is when it's pretty crucial to know their fueling preferences - beans? Goo? Chews? Snoop in their kitchen cabinets, find their fave, and buy it in bulk for them! I know I'd sure love someone who saved me $40 and stocked me up for most of the next few months' worth of marathon training!

3. Road ID
These days, I feel like it's more and more important to have some sort of identification on your person while you're out and about. While I now run around streets I know, I also run when no one is home, so if I were to have a problem, I'm not sure who would get information first. Road ID is an awesome (and pretty customizable!) ID band in a few forms - and now there's a new electronic tracking version too! Make sure your runner is safe and sound as they're out and about around town!

4. Runner Ornament
I absolutely love these and think they're beyond adorable. Especially if your runner is celebrating a first big milestone like their first 13.1 or 26.2, this is a great way to commemorate that! Gone for a Run has some super cute ones, both men and women, and are customizable with hair color and bib on the runner!

5. Medal Rack
This is actually one of the things that's on my list this year! I made my own medal rack a few years ago, and once I pull all my medals out of storage, that rack is going to be way overloaded. There are shops all over Etsy and the interwebz, and tons are customizable with names, phrases, or inspirational quotes. Below is one of my faves from Strut Your Stuff Sign Co. on Etsy. LOVE.

6. Sparkly Soul 
I know I talk about these all the time - but I seriously mean it when I say that Sparkly Soul is the only headbands I wear and the only ones that work for me. It's just a super added bonus that they're sparkly - but if your runner isn't into the whole sparkly game, there's a satin line too! Follow SS on all social media, as there are regular deals and extra special packages out there. Holiday packs are new as of a few weeks ago and I'm beyond tempted to buy myself a few combinations...

7. Pedicure Package
Runners have ugly feet. That's a fact of life. We attempt to keep them pretty, but that really only hides bruised toenails, if we have them at all. And best yet, this isn't limited to just women... any runner would appreciate having their feet get a little love for a bit.

8. Race Registration
You will blow the socks off your runner if you surprise them with a gift to that race they've been eye-balling and have been oh-so-casually talking about. (Dear whoever's reading this: I haven't registered for Surf City 2015 yet). If there is a race you know they'll love, have been waiting to register for, you'll get bonus points for paying that much attention and doing the registration - no better gift!

9. Pro Compression
Especially for those running long distances regularly, compression socks are a must-have. Pro Compression happens to be my personal fave - while they started with solid, bold colors, they've released some pretty adorable patterns and designs lately that I am loving. Bonus: through 12/19, use code "2014" for 42% off everything. Yep, everything. Do it. Now.

I hope I've provided you at least a few ideas to check someone off your shopping list! Happy shopping!

Have other ideas? Share them below!

November Recap

Total run mileage: 91.71 miles
Highest weekly run mileage: 28.5 (woo!)
# Runs: 17
# Rest days: 10 (five of those were sick days in bed)

# Cross-training workouts:  6! Look at me... finally doing something other than running. These were walks and hikes, but at least different! 

# Races: Just one... Doug's first 10K! 

     - Dino Dash 10K 

Favorite run: 70 minutes, 7.8 miles. I nailed this run more than I ever thought possible. On a Wednesday morning, our training called for 70 minutes, so I figured at the least, I'd knock out 7 miles and if I got to more than that, that'd be a super duper win. Of all my usual routes around here, the longest is 5, so I knew I'd need to change it up a bit and find some extra distance. I even went and ran the hill that I've thought for a long time would be a sweet hill training place - it kicked my butt pretty hard, but didn't knock me down, that's for sure. I've never felt that good on a decently long run in a long time, especially considering I didn't fuel at all. It was a perfectly gorgeous, sunny, and cool morning and I couldn't have asked for more! 

Perfection. 

Most hardcore run:  I really wouldn't call it all that hardcore, but it's been awhile since I've run 13 miles without wearing a bib on my shirt and without getting a medal at the end. The fun of marathon training has certainly begun (erm, sarcasm) and we're gearing up for some realllly long runs. IERC does this right, though - especially for the newbies who had literally never gone so far. So they celebrated with (milk chocolate) medals and a finish line! 

Current need: Good vibes for my interview on Thursday, please! I'm really excited about this one and am hoping it turns out to be the thing looking for me, too. 

Current favorite: I'm super excited Sparkly Soul released gift cards, just in time for all the holidays - because people know I love them, and have a billion, so what on earth color to choose? Well, now you don't have to decide for me, kids. You can just gimme the card and I'll decide for myself! 

You can order gift cards here for your favorite sparkly runner or fitness enthusiast in your life! (Hint: I'm one of them)

Current triumph: Knocking out almost another 100-mile month, despite not running for 6 days because of that damn cold. It is beyond helpful that IERC is starting to rack up those long runs for LA Marathon training, otherwise, I don't think I would have gotten as close, considering compared to past months, I only ran 17 times this month. Pretty amazing. 

Current goal: One more 100 mile month to wrap up 2014, please. If I can knock out 100 more miles in December, that'll put me at almost 5 100-mile months in a row: August, September, October (98.5), November and December. Which means that in the last 5 months of the year, I ran almost double of what I did in the first seven months (282). I call that a victory, don't you?

Looking forward to: Christmas, all things December, my sister coming home for a few days, Vegas for Doug's 30th birthday... and wrapping up 2014. Looking forward to saying good riddance to this year and kicking off 2015 with a hopeful bang! 

What are your biggest accomplishments from this month? Goals to wrap up the year?

{Guest Post} Cold Weather Favorites

As cold weather is hitting everywhere else in the US (except, you know, Southern California), I asked a few Sweat Pink sisters to share their favorites, tricks and tips for beating the ice and still staying on top of their fitness game in the winter. They'll be featured here this week! 

Last, but not least... Ivanna, from Petite Heartbeat!

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Cold weather running can be challenging. When I first moved to Denver in winter 2011, I knew my running life was over, at least for the season! :) Not only was it cold, I also couldn’t seem to adjust to the altitude. Being 5280 feet up was not agreeing with me.

I would usually run about 3-5 times a week before moving to Denver and that dropped to 1 time a week. Not cool! Well, certainly cool as in cold but not so awesome...  well you get the point. 

Needless to say I needed to do something, so first I stocked up on cold weather running gear. I purchased a breathable jacket, some gloves, hats and a balaclava to cover my mouth, thick socks also came in handy. My favorite cold weather gear came from Nike. They have a great selection of items my favorite being their compression leggings. These items helped me deal with the elements. 

Like these Nike ProHyperwarms! And the patterns are just fun.

Aside from staying warm, now I just needed to get my breathing down. In order to get into running shape in the altitude I would build my endurance by doing run/walk circuits. I ended up running more than walking in order to stay warm.

I now run 3-5 days a week, and when the temp is very cold and icy I just take it to the treadmill in my basement. This is probably my favorite cold weather running item!

Stay Warm and Run Fast!

xx Petite Heartbeat

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Make sure you follow Ivanna on  

• Instagram: @petite_heartbeat
• Twitter: @petiteheartbeat

Are you a "dreadmill" runner in the winter, or do you bear the temperatures (and weather) outside?