Milestone!

300+ miles before the end of March! YAY!

iFitness Ultimate Running Belt Review and Giveaway

Recently, I was given the chance to try and review the Ultimate Running Belt from iFitness. I have a belt already (won't tell which) and a hydration belt, so I was curious to see how this belt compared. As you can see from the picture, it has a flat panel behind the pouch and the gel holders. This flat panel helps to keep it stationary while you move. I love this about this belt! My SpiBelt always seems to slip or turn. My hydration belt is only for long runs, and I really don't like the extra weight. So, this one seemed a happy medium!

As you can see from the picture above, it has a pretty good sized pocket. I have had my cell phone, car keys, lip balm, toilet paper :), and a package of Clif shots in the pocket all at once, and it wasn't even full! I could have fit a few more things in there.

I love the gel holders also. On my other belt, I had to store them in the pouch. The pouch would get all nasty on the inside and I would have to fool with the zipper everytime I needed a gel or wanted to put an empty gel back in the pouch. With my hydration belt, I would open an empty bottle and put the gel packets in there. Too much energy! By doing those things, I was wasting energy I could have been using to finish my run.

All in all, I absolutely LOVE this belt! Of all 3 of my belts, this one is my definite favorite! This belt will be the belt that I will be wearing on May 1st when I tackly my first full marathon! :)

Now, onto the giveaway! One lucky reader will have the pleasure of winning a belt just like mine! There are several ways to get entries (leave a separate comment for each):

1. MANDATORY: Become a follower of my blog or let me know if you already are.

2. MANDATORY: Visit the iFitness website HERE and let me know the belt you would choose if you could have any of them.

3. Become a follower of iFitness on Facebook HERE and let them know I sent you.

4. Post this giveaway to your Facebook.

5. Post this giveaway to your blog.

Good Luck! The giveaway will end on Sunday, April 3rd at 11:59 p.m.

Marathon Training Update - Pretty Good Week!

Even though I ended up being about 1.3 miles short on my mileage this week, it was still a pretty good week for running. This week, we had a 5, 8, 5, and 19 for the long run. My week looked like this...

4 miles - 39:11 (9:48 pace)

6.15 miles - 57:44 (9:23 pace)

1.7 miles - 15:15 (8:57 pace)

3.3 miles - on the mill, not sure what my time and pace were

19 miles - 3:09:57 (10:00 pace; flat!)

It was such a busy week that there was not way I was going to get all of my weekly runs in without splitting them up a little, and I still didn't get them all in. But, this is the very first week since the end of December that I have skimped on mileage. Actually, I'm usually over a litte due to boot camp, so it evens itself out, right?

I felt pretty good on all of my during the week runs, and I know Bobbie had some fabulous runs during the week, including two 1st place medals in her age group for some St. Patty's Day races. Way to go Bobbie!

As for the 19 miler, I am very happy about the way it turned out. I hadn't run since Friday morning, so my legs were extra fresh when we set out Sunday morning. We began at the Wellness Center and ran 6 miles through downtown Danville, with a potty stop at Super America. When we returned to the car, we dropped off our jackets, GUed, and took off for the other 13 miles.

We completed the last 13 on Bluegrass Pike, a road famous for it's rolling hills. We are training here because we've heard that there is not better way to prepare us for the hills we will encounter in the Flying Pig!

My goal is to finish the marathon in under 5 hours. I finished 19 miles keeping 10 minute per mile pace, which is well under 5 hours for a full marathon. If I keep a 10 minute pace during the marathon, I can finish in 4 hours and 22 minutes. We'll see!!!

Marathon Training Update...and some advice needed!

Well, another week down, just a few more to go. Our schedule this week looked like this...

5 miles - 48:38

8 miles - 1:18:20

5 miles - 45:00

Shamrock Shuffle 3K - 15:52

17 miles - 2:56:27 (10:23 pace)

All of my runs this week went pretty well, and I'm positive that Bobbie's did as well. We were able to do our 8 mile run together this past week and our 17 miles. We always do our long run together. My first 5 miler was okay, but my mind was preoccupied. I left from school because I had to be back for a meeting, so I was kind of worried about getting back on time.

My second 5 miler was awesome! I kept a 9:00/mile pace the entire run. I started at the Wellness Center, ran 2.5 to the hospital to visit a friend who just had a baby, and ran the other 2.5 back to the Wellness Center.

As for the 17, rough! We had both run on Friday and Saturday, so doing 17 on Sunday was a little much. But, we made it and still stayed under our target time for the marathon.

Now for the advice. Please help!

I am such a busy person. When is it okay to skimp on miles? I haven't skimped yet, but I'm afraid I might have to this week. Skimp on the short runs or the long run?

Brooks Apparel Review...AWESOME!

Don't you love my new outfit? You can't see the entire thing in the pic, I just wanted you to see the outfit in action! I wore it this past weekend during a race, and love it! Tiffany over at Brooks sent me an EZ Run T, a pair of Epiphany shorts, and an Essential Run Long Sleeved 1/2 Zip Pullover.

I can say that I absolutely love everything about my new outfit! The shorts and the shirt are both very breathable. They are both made from moisture wicking material and are very lightweight, which I love. I sweat, A LOT! I have to have material that is breathable. For example, I found a running skirt the other day that was reasonably priced, but I couldn't but it due to the fact that it was 100% cotton. No can do!!

Also, the shirt and shorts match! I'm not one of those runners who tries to match every outfit I wear. So, it was nice to have an outfit already put together for me. The shirt is super cute and the shorts are as well. The short have a brief on the interior that is super light and a hidden pocket on the inside which is perfect for a key or an energy gel.

My favorite part of the outfit? The pullover! The pullover that Tiffany sent me is black with silver, reflective lettering on it. I love the fact that it has reflective pieces on it. I'm not very comfortable with running in the dark by myself unless I have something reflective on. I also love the fact that it has THUMB HOLES! I love thumb holes! My hands tend to get too hot in gloves and I usually end up carrying them, so a shirt with thumb holes is a great compromise between gloves and no gloves. Also, it has a fabulous pocket on the left side where my keyless entry to my car and my cell phone (my husband asks that I carry i,t just in case) fit perfectly. The pullover is also made of a lightweight, wicking material. This is perfect for Kentucky weather right now. It's not cold here, but it's not hot either. For a morning run, you need something light, but breathable!

A huge THANK YOU to Tiffany over at Brooks! I really appreciate you letting me try out and review your apparel! :) Happy Running!

Acoustibuds WINNERS!

Here goes! The first winner of the Acoustibuds and Acoustigrips is...#27

DeAnne from Running Mommy of 3!

And the second winner is...#25

Courtney from I Can Do This!

Congratulations Ladies! You need to choose between black or white. E-mail me your color choice and your mailing address at sheridunlee@bellsouth.net and I will have those mailed to you! If I don't hear form you by Wednesday, March 16th, I will draw for a new winner. Thanks!

Shamrock Shuffle 3K Race Recap

Well, I have to say, I've never seen so many costumes in my entire life! WOW! People really get fired up for St. Patty's Day, don't they?

Today was my first 3K race ever! So, what does that automatically mean? PR, baby! I do have to say, it was a fun race. And...it's always fun hanging out with the girls! :)

We got to Lexington and the wind was outrageous, but the sun was warm! Everyone did great. Bobbie and I stayed together the entire race and finished 12th and 13th in our age group, which is good considering how many people run this race. Our time was around 15:52, according to our chips. Katrina and Angie stayed together and finished together also, with Melinda just a little ways behind. And of course...Ruby was there snapping pictures! All in all, a good run! Not to mention, Bob Evans afterwards...yum! :)