Merry Christmas! Santa brought me some gear!

Wow - so I am blown away at the great gear I received for Christmas!  I feel very prepared to ramp up on training.  But first, check this out:



Here are my babies seeing their Santa Claus gifts for the first time this morning.

The two best gifts I've ever received!

Ok, so onto the running/cycling gear!  First I got some super nice running pants for the cold weather and some super, super nice sunglasses for running.  I especially love the sunglasses because I am not a visor kind of girl.

I now have no excuse not to run in the cold or sun.

Next - super WOW!!  Not one, but TWO SparkleSkirts!  One I knew about (Everest), but the other was my next most wanty one, Dress Me Up Blue.



I also received 6 kinds of chocolates, so we'll have to see if these mediums will even fit!

Lastly, Oh My Heck!  TWO bike trainers!!  One is from my Mommy and one is from my friend Chris.  I'm not sure which one to keep!  I have read better reviews online about the Kinetic so I am leaning towards that one.   (Any expertise/advice is welcomed in the comments!).



Really, "NO EXCUSES not to train" is what I was given for Christmas!

I'm very excited, and very thankful that my family is supporting me with these thoughtful gifts!  I can't wait to use them!!

I hope everyone is having a sweet and happy Christmas as well!

Favorite Posts of 2013

**Full disclosure - I am shamelessly stealing this idea from my blogger friend, April.  (check out her excellent blog at http://www.runthegreatwidesomewhere.com/)**

2013 has been a big year for me.  I ran three Disney races and did my first triathlon.  I traveled all over the US teaching balloon decor and met lots of wonderful people.  I also didn't do a few things that I wish I would have started... but that just means I have a great list of TO DOs to start 2014.

Here are my favorite 5 posts of 2013 and a little bit about why they are special to me.

1) One Week From Today - I think this was the first time I really found my blogging voice.  I was honest about feeling crazy and insecure, while trying to speak like I do in real life - only with pictures to back up my weirdo train of thought.  I was a basket case before my first triathlon and I think that's pretty clear in this post.

2) 2013 Tinkerbell Half Marathon - Disneyland, CA - This was my favorite half marathon of the year.  I enjoyed the others, but this one was fairly stress and problem free.  I loved the whole trip to Disneyland and was excited for this first leg of my Coast-To-Coast medal.

3) So I've Signed Up For A Triathlon... I've Lost It, Right? - I did my race reports at the beginning of the year and then didn't blog again until August.  This was my first post back.  It's not funny or full of great pics (except one of me and a 40lb weight loss), but it was my return to my blog and my public commitment to getting back to training in 2013.

4) The Importance Of Recovery Time - I think this post gives a little peek into my life outside of running and how recovery time is a challenge when you have so many other things going on.  That's a problem for all of us, right?

5) SlugShaming Time - I'm deferring the WDW Full Marathon to 2015 -  This is still pretty fresh and was my stages of grief in letting go of the WDW Full for next month.  I had to be honest with myself on not just my physical readiness, but also the mental part.  This was a hard decision and I tried to share what went into making it.

I am still sorting out my plans for 2014 and will post those when they solidify.  Here's wishing you a wonderful holiday and a great start to the new year!

Just what I needed to get my sweet butt in gear!

I've been lazy.  I've been unmotivated.  Just yesterday, I looked down and had a chocolate chip cookie in one hand and a piece of pumpkin pie in the other and I was alternating bites. (Sadly, I'm not exaggerating for effect...)  But today, my friends, TODAY has brought me exactly what I needed to get back into the swing of things!

Angels are singing!  Lisa is going to get off her butt and train!

Ever since I saw this SparkleSkirt majestically named Everest, I had a bad case of wanty.  I never had the extra cash over the summer and then, just like that, it was sold out in my size.  That's MEDIUM, beotches!!  (Important side note: Y'all are not really beotches.  I'm just overly excited I can squeeze my cookie/pie eating hiney into a medium.  When I started running, I wore an XL SparkleSkirt so Medium is kinda a big deal to me!)

 

 SOLD OUT!  WHAT?  NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!



BEHOLD THE GLORIOUSNESS OF EVEREST!!

I belong to a FaceBook group called SparkleSkirt Princesses that is like a fan club for these skirts and they often times sell secondhand skirts for almost full value (like when people size down, etc).  Everest was never offered in my size and I even thought about buying a $100 SparkleSkirt Gift Certificate to convince someone to part with theirs.  Yes, I am that wild about this skirt.

Hallelujah!  I just saved $40 by not buying someone else's used skirt.
WHICH I TOTALLY WOULD HAVE DONE GLADLY.

Let me tell you why SparkleSkirts are so awesome.  First of all, they are super-cute.  It's a scientific fact that you run faster if you look super-cute.  I read that in Runner's World, I think.  Second, the undershorts do not ride up, which is a huge deal.  They are way comfy and don't get up in your business.  And third, and my favorite part, the undershorts have these huge, deep pockets where you can carry just about anything without the worry about it falling out.  Oh, plus a zipper pocket at the waistband.  Seriously well thought-out sportswear that is practical AND as aforementioned, SUPER-CUTE.

Now, I must wash away my sadness over deferring the WDW Full and find the perfect race for my new beautiful SparkleSkirt.  I'm so excited!

And now I can start obsessing about the matching headband!

*Just so y'all know - I do not work for SparkleSkirts or get any kickbacks for gushing to high Heaven about them.  I am just a chubby little runner who wants to look good while trying to stay in shape.  I really do recommend them and feel absolutely adorable when I wear mine.