Thrifty Thursday!

This week I found only a few things, but they're definitely awesome!

First, a Nike Dri-Fit Wool Hoodie (it's lined so the wool isn't too scratchy.)  I love Nike's wool running gear.  It keeps in just the right amount of warmth, and is completely machine washable and you can put it in the dryer too.  Originally $120, I paid $15!

I know I have a rule of not buying bras, but this one was my favorite style and in such good shape that I couldn't pass it up!  Rebound Racer from Moving Comfort.  Retails for $50 but I paid $7!

And now for the grand finale--A Diane Von Furstenberg wool tie top that fits me like a dream.  I'm not sure what the original retail price was, but I paid $8 for it!!  (So that being said, if anyone reading this knows anything about it, please let me know in the comments below!)

Cherry Blossom Training: One Month Done!

As of Sunday I've officially hit the one month mark with my training for my second Cherry Blossom Ten Miler!  I am SO excited for this race, and knowing that we're almost at the one month mark until the race I am so ready.  For me, I love a race distance that is 10k+ since it gives you a chance to hit a good stride, enjoy your surroundings and really have a sense of accomplishment afterwards.  (Granted, a 5k is no small feat, but once you see what the training program entails...you'll see why a 5k is no big deal.)

I've been following the free virtual training plan that is sent out everyday via email by official coaches for the race.  They had three options--beginner, intermediate and advanced.  I chose the intermediate plan since before training I had been running at least a 5k 3 days a week with a long run on the weekends.  The plan is definitely difficult, but doable.  (I guess the better word would be "challenging"?)  Now that I'm in the thick of training, it has you running at least a 5k 4 days a week and a steadily increasing long run on weekends.  Fortunately it also gives you a range of distances (like on most days you have to run 3-5 miles 3 days a week, speed work is 4-6 miles 1 day a week, then you get your long run) so if you're having a good day you can run a little further.  The plan has two rest days worked in--Mondays and Fridays.  Which means on Tuesdays in addition to my usual boot camp class, I also have to run 3 miles.  (To be honest, I'm starting to think it helps with the post-workout soreness!)

For the most part following the plan has been easy.  With every email there are little tips (but at this point they're starting to repeat themselves) and in one they said if you have to skip an easy run day it's no big deal.  It's definitely nice knowing that, because there has been one day that was rather packed with doctors visits and errands so I didn't have time to run and no other time I could squeeze it in.  And this week, my speed workout has been sidetracked slightly due to a cold that finally made its way to me.  (Last week my husband was fighting it.)  Fortunately though since it's all in my head (no cough, just a runny nose) I should be able to run, but take it easy.  Now if only my body would let me stay awake long enough to run!  (I took two naps yesterday, which is basically unheard of for me.  I wasn't a fan of sleeping that much, but my cats sure were happy for the snuggle time!)

At this point, I'm hoping to be able to come in at under my previous finishing time of 2:01:13.  According to several pace calculators based on my average pace during training runs, I should be able to easily beat it!  My pace the first time I ran the race was 12:07, and my long runs (the longest being 7.2 miles at this point) have been close to a full minute under that with the most recent 7 mile run being an average pace of 11:05.  I'm hoping to have a finishing time of close to 1:50:00, which means my race pace will have to be close to 11:00 for the whole race.  I'm feeling fairly confident that I'll be able to keep that up, but only time will tell!  Fortunately I at least have one race (a 5k) a couple of weeks before the Cherry Blossom to help with my pre-race jitters.  (A smaller race before the big one always seems to help me feel better about the larger distance races.)

38 days till the Cherry Blossom!

Thrifty Thursday!

Some of you may know, Thursday is my day to go out thrifting and run other errands since I get out first thing in the morning.  Starting this week I'll show off my finds!!

Athleta Kickbooty Tech Stretch Pants!  ($10, originally $89)  They're fleece lined so I'm thinking they'll be good on cooler mornings, yoga or even just to lounge around the house.

New Balance Tank Tops!  ($7 each, originally $40) I'm planning on starting to wear obnoxiously bright tops to stand out at races this year.  My thinking is it'll help my husband spot me in the crowd from the sidelines a little easier!  Both are only a couple years old with a few pulls but they usually correct themselves when washed.

Camelbak M.U.L.E. hydration pak! (Paid $5, originally $80)  It didn't come with the reservoir but I don't mind since that would be kinda gross.  They currently go for about $30 on Amazon so buying just the bag is still a good deal.  From my research it looks like it's from the early 2000's, but it's still in great shape!

Jingle VoxBox

So as you've probably noticed from the lineup of badges on the right, I'm involved with a company called Influenster.  Essentially they send out boxes of various products that they think you would like in exchange for doing various tasks like visiting a company's facebook page, taking pictures of the product and posting it to instagram, creating pinterest boards and writing reviews for certain products.  My most recent box was the Jingle VoxBox.  I received all of these products for free, but the opinions are completely my own!

There was SO much good stuff in this little box.  Going clockwise, I got:  A coupon for free tater tots, Cetaphil moisturizing cream, a Spiderman IttyBitty, Biscoff Cookies (YUM!), NYC City Proof Eye Liner, KISS Last Adhesive, and KISS True Volume lashes and Pure Ice nail polish in Home Run.

Interested in trying Influenster?  Click here to join and start reviewing products to get to your first sample box!!

With the tater tots they wanted us to make "totchos" and share the recipe.  I went super simple with this and cooked them according to the package instructions and just sprinkled some Old Bay on them and they were fantastic!!  (But then again as somebody who was born and raised in the mid-Atlantic, Old Bay is good on pretty much anything.)  They were super quick to cook--just 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven.  They weren't very greasy at all and were nicely browned and crispy.  For more totchos recipes check out the Kraft Recipes Totchos Hub!

Cetaphil is one of those brands that is well known for those with sensitive skin.  It's super gentle, non fragranced, and pretty much anyone with skin problems can use it.  (I've had dermatologists recommend using it along with whatever latest skin creme they've prescribed.)  This time of year the skin on the back of my hands is super dry.  (Shoveling three days in a row for almost 3 hours in total did NOT help!)  Here are before and after pictures of the lotion's effects after just ONE use.
(lotion before and after picture)
This cream I sampled in particular is meant for those prone to eczema or just very dry skin.  The lotion is not at all greasy and my dry knuckles absorbed it very quickly.  Definitely a winner. 

IttyBittys are basically Hallmark's line small stuffed animals.  There are all kinds--Scooby Doo, Disney, Marvel Comics, Snoopy and the Peanuts gang, Star Wars, and (my personal favorite) Rainbow Brite just to name a few.

If you enjoy cookies, you have to try these.  Seriously.  If you like Trader Joe's legendary Cookie Butter, you will LOVE these cookies.  They are very simply flavored (brown sugar and cinnamon) but sometimes simplicity is perfection.  One time my husband and I got them on a plane instead of pretzels and I was in heaven.  I ate my packet on the plane, then my husband's for a snack later since he's allergic to one of the ingredients.  It was such a simple way to make the plane ride a little more enjoyable.  

I'm not very big on makeup.  I only really wear it for special occasions like job interviews and weddings.  So needless to say, I'm still pretty much a novice when it comes to eyeliner.  (I'm good with foundation and concealer though!)  But this eyeliner--seriously, wow.  It was perfect for a beginner like me since I could quickly smudge away any stray marks to make the eyeliner look flawless.  I was able to put it on quickly and it cleaned off easily too!

Okay.  So remember that thing I said about being a novice when it comes to makeup?  Yeah.  The false lashes didn't work out quite so well.  (Possibly because I only had the patience to put ONE lash on because of how ridiculous I thought it looked.)  What I did was I dotted the adhesive along the lash then used the tip to spread it around so there was just enough adhesive.  Then I just tried to lay it on top of my eyelashes.  Part of my problem with false lashes is I just don't like the look of excess eyelashes, and I'm happy with the length of my own lashes.  (I get compliments fairly often on how long they are!)  If I'm putting on makeup, I'm fine with just putting on some mascara and moving on.

A photo posted by The Thrifty Runner (@thethriftyrunner) on Feb 6, 2016 at 11:53am PST

So the top of the picture is me without any eye makeup on.  The lower left corner is with the NYC City Proof Eyeliner, the lower right corner is with the false lash on just my right eye.  (A tip to getting off all that gunk:  Slather on eye makeup remover with a q-tip, then a cotton round to wipe it off!)

I may not be a fan of makeup, but I'm a sucker for a good nail polish.  This one from Pure Ice is fairly inexpensive, and the color (home run) is a lovely minty green.  I found that two coats was enough for my taste, but could probably use a third coat.  

January 2016 RunnerBox Review

There are lots of subscription boxes out there, but not many focused on athletes.  Enter:  RunnerBox!  (The company also has CycleBox and TriBox for cyclists and triathletes.)  Every two months for $20 plus shipping the company will send you a box of different products focused on your sport of choice.  Like other subscription boxes, they send you a mix of new and familiar products and usually they will also throw in a RunnerBox branded item.  (In the past I've gotten a star shaped plastic massager, lip balm, a neck gaiter, and a small workout towel.)  They also offer limited edition boxes for birthdays, holidays and for the upcoming race season.  I've been a subscriber for a little over a year now, and have had some great boxes.  One just ended up being a lifesaver because it had my favorite early morning pre-run snack (a honey stinger waffle) when I thought I was completely out of them!!

From November 2015

From November 2014

From May 2014

From January 2014 (My first box.  It was definitely a good start to the subscription!)

This is what I received in my January box just before Snowzilla hit.

When you first open the box, this is what you see.  The underside of the lid of every box has a different motivational quote.

When you open the tissue paper there is a card explaining each product along with where to buy it and the MSRP.  (The total value of this box was $31.50.)

Under the card there are all kinds of goodies!!

This box had Driv (a electrolyte supplement), Purely Elizabeth oatmeal (in cranberry pecan), Crispy Green's Crispy Fruit (freeze dried pears), Gnarly Whey (a protein supplement), Gnarly Hydrate (a hydration supplement), Peak Energy Mints (caffeinated mints with D-Ribose and B-Vitamins), Chuao (chocolate!), Clif Organic Energy Food (fuel that's made out of fruit), Detour Simple (protein bar), Garuka bar (an on the go snack bar), a RunnerBox embroidered fleece headband (always useful on cold runs!) and HEX Performance (a laundry detergent for athletic wear.)

I've tried chuao's chocolate before--it was great and for it to be combined with gingerbread?  Even better!  And I can always use a new fleece headband for cold weather runs.  (Errand running.  I'm a wimp when it comes to the cold!)

The pears were awesome.  Definitely an odd texture since it's freeze dried but a nice alternative to dried fruit with all that added sugar!  I haven't tried the Clif Organic Energy Food yet, but it's three of my favorite things so how could it be bad?

I'm actually trying to cut back on caffeine so I'm not sure if I'll use the mints.  (Each one has 100mg of caffeine, which is similar to a single cup of coffee.)  I'll probably use the laundry detergent, since it's supposed to be good for athletic wear.

I had to laugh when I pulled out the driv packets.  The little white piece of paper warns that the powder fizzes so you want to leave space at the top of your water bottle to allow plenty of space for fizzing.  I'm excited to try the Gnarley whey protein supplement since this is the first one I'll ever try that didn't require milk.  (This one asks to be mixed with water.)  The gnarly hydration supplement I'm planning on saving for later in my race training since it includes salt, which will be an easy way to replace it after a long, hot training run.

I'm also excited to try this oatmeal one morning for breakfast.  Most oatmeals are totally loaded with unnecessary sugars, so normally I avoid buying it.  One serving has only 20g of carbohydrates, where others have almost twice that (even Special K's oatmeal cups!)

So I forgot to take a closeup picture of the detour bar and the garukabar...oops.  The detour bar was delicious! The flavor was salted caramel cookie dough, and the caramel on top was nice and soft and the cookie dough portion was chewy like a lot of protein bars, but had a little bit of a crunch. I'm definitely curious about the garukabar.  It's a combination of cereal, nuts and berries and the proceeds from the sale of the bar go towards gorilla conservation. 

Overall, this was a pretty good Runnerbox!  Usually at least a couple items are hit or miss, but I found this one to be a little better than others.  It was a good mix of new and somewhat familiar items that weren't too far out of my comfort zone.