Fits on the Road: Park City and Snowbird!

I’m back with more Fits on the Road from Park City, Utah!

After Susie’s and my short high-altitude-holy-cow- am-I-out-of shape run, we were showered and ready to ski by 9 am. Our condo was very close to Park City Mountain Resort, so we decided to check out that resort on the first day. The really nice thing about Park City, Utah is that there are a TON of resorts very close to each other- Park City Mountain Resort, Snowbird, Brighton, Deer Valley (ski only), Alta (ski only), the Canyons, Solitude, and probably even more that I am missing.

We purchased our lift tickets for Park City Mountain Resort online ahead of time and probably saved about $25/ticket, paying about $78/ticket.(Definitely buy your tickets online ahead of time if you can, it’s worth it!)

Since we were there on a Thursday, it really wasn't so busy. I think Park City Mountain Resort has a little something for everyone. There were plenty of easy greens and blues, yet lots of black diamonds as well, and some challenging back country stuff for Dustin, Sam, and Jeff. Most of the time the ladies stuck to the blues, venturing occasionally into a few black diamonds (after which we were always quite proud of ourselves!) 

I ran into a skier with the exact same pants and coat as me. Twinsies!

I'm not into tricks and all that on a snowboard, but if you are, the Park City Mountain Resort has one of the best terrain parks out there. This is where the Olympics were held. It features 80’ kickers in the Pro Park. Even if you don’t ride park, it is fun to go and watch. It is not uncommon to see Sean White, or other professional riders. The resort is huge and features all types of riding. However, the downside is to Park City Mountain Resort is that it doesn’t get the deepest snow in the state. If it doesn’t snow within a week, the conditions won’t be great. The resort gets a lot of sun.

If you stay in Park City, you can take a lift right from downtown Park City into the resort. In fact, we took this "Town Lift" once, and it was really cute! Most lifts I have seen that pick you up right in town end up being really slow lifts to flat catwalk trails, where you have to kick for a while to get to a real trail, but the Town Lift actually took you practically to the top so you were in a good spot to ski!

The names of the lifts at Park City were a little questionable!

On our second day of skiing, we hit up Snowbird, and then on the third day, we actually went back to Park City Mountain Resort. Unfortunately, this does mean I only have the two resorts to review. We had debated going to the Canyons, but one of the members of our group was a little more "green" so to speak, and she didn't like the looks of the trail map for the Canyons after a tough day at Snowbird the day before. So we went back to Park City Mountain Resort instead on the third day.

On our second day at Park City (3rd day of skiing), the snow wasn't quite as soft, and the crowds were definitely bigger (it was a Saturday). However, the cafeteria never seemed that busy, even though we were usually breaking for lunch right at noon, and the lift lines still never seem quite as long as some of the lines I have experienced in Colorado.

Snowbird:
On our second day, we went to Snowbird and it was AMAZING. It was so beautiful, and had some really interesting features. Right away in the morning, we took one lift up to the summit that involved a tunnel with a magic carpet that went through the mountain to the other side. 

The other side was even less busy, and gorgeous! 

It was here that Kelly and I braved a few black diamonds. Sure, we took some falls, but that’s how you improve, right? We had such a blast on this mountain! Just one word of wisdom- this is not a beginner’s mountain. The greens and blues were very limited, and usually they were just catwalks to get from one area to another, with potentially very sharp drop-offs on both sides, and very narrow paths (a beginner’s nightmare!). I would not suggest this resort for a newbie. I definitely pushed myself pretty hard on this mountain, and was exhausted and very sore by the end of the day.

Sam's action shot!

Snowbird was a bit of a drive from our condo (about an hour) but it was definitely worth the drive. I don’t think there are a lot of places to stay in Snowbird, and if they get a lot of snow, the road through the canyon will be closed (which is great if you stay at Snowbird- no crowds!)

According to my coworker who grew up in Salt Lake City, Snowbird is a local’s resort that gets heavy snowfall. If you take the tram to the top, it is like a 3,500 foot vertical drop in one run. The resort has limited grooming and great backcountry. It doesn’t have a terrain park, so don’t count on that. If you like riding double blacks, it is the place to be. However, the downside is that is there isn’t any fresh snow, the resort isn’t the best.

We did take the 150 person tram to the top- it was pretty packed, and not a good idea if you are claustrophobic or scared of heights. It dropped us off at the summit, and you would need to be able to do at least a challenging blue trail to get down. But getting down is the fun part!

For reference, I have skied most of the Colorado resorts (Vail, Breckenridge, Aspen/Snowmass, most of the Vermont resorts (Stowe, Sugarbush, Jay Peak, etc). The past four winters, I have gone to Big Sky, Montana. I thought Utah (particularly Snowbird) was up there as one of my favorites so far, though I know there are so many other resorts out there that I haven’t tried yet.

Park City in general…
Park City, particularly downtown on Main Street, had more of an Aspen vibe, with fancier restaurants and cocktail lounges, as well as long waits for a table. Big Sky, on the other hand, has more of a cowboy vibe- very low key and casual. Park City was clean, cute, and fancy whereas Big Sky is casual, casual, casual.  Sure, we found some more casual bar-food type restaurants in Park City, but there were also quite a few very upscale places around as well.

Other highlights of the trip? 
Playing Quelf, Catchphrase, and Cards Against Humanity. Our condo also had a 5 person hot tub, which was thoroughly enjoyed after long days of skiing!

Salt Lake City
On Sunday, we had a lot of time to kill before our return flight, so we explored Salt Lake City. We toured Temple Square, the center of Mormon life. 

Most of the buildings were not open to non-Mormons, but we were able to explore the grounds.

We had planned to do a little shopping at the City Creek Center, but unfortunately ALL the stores there were closed because it was Sunday! We did fine another mall, the Gateway Mall, which was open, so we killed some time there. 

Candy store at the Gateway Mall

We ate late lunch at the Red Rock Brewery, which had really great food. Afterwards, we sat outside, as it was a balmy (balmy to Minnesotans!) 60 degrees. I was totally overdressed, and ended up stripping down to a tank top I had on underneath. Failed Fit!

I would go back to Utah to snowboard in a heartbeat. I loved that the resorts were very close to the airport, and VRBO has a lot of options for places to rent. It would have been fun if we had had really good snow at least one of the days, but the snow was still pretty good…maybe next year!

What's your favorite place to ski? Have you been to Utah? What did you think?

Fits on the Road: Park City, Utah!

Hi all. I'm sitting at the Salt Lake City airport, waiting for my flight back to Minneapolis (free wifi at the airport!) Gorgeous sunset, right?

Sorry I have been absent from the blog for a few days, but we have been hitting the mountains pretty hard, all day, every day for the past three days. Lots of snowboarding and fun times!

We arrived on Wednesday afternoon to our condo. in the Racquet Club development. I found the place on VRBO. It was conveniently located right by the Park City Mountain Resort. We unloaded all our gear, and then headed to Main Street to grab a late lunch at No Name Saloon (pretty good little spot!) Then we picked up the rental skis for some of the people in our group. Dustin and I brought our snowboards along, but those who rented went through Aloha Rentals, and they were pretty happy with their experience.

Then it was off to the grocery store to prepare for the trip...as well as a quick trip to one of the State Liquor Stores as well. (Don't buy your beer at the grocery store, its only 3.2%.)

After running around town, we eventually were ready for dinner, so we grabbed some pizzas at Fuego Pizzeria. We all hit the hay early this night as we were excited to be up early for our first day of skiing!

Susie and I actually got up extra early on Thursday to squeeze in a short run.

I made the decision not to stress about getting in my miles during this vacation, as it was just too difficult to do...so yes, I skipped my long run this weekend, and more...yikes, right? I did run twice during the trip, and spent full active days on the mountain, which was good cross training. I feel a little guilty, but at the same time, I don't want to let my training schedule dictate my vacation. I wanted to fully enjoy this vacation with  Dustin, my good friends Susie, Sam, & Kelly, and of course my little sister and brother-in-law. Sure, I could have made the time- I usually do. But this time, I didn't...I hope it doesn't come back to bit me in the butt during the marathon! I'll be ready to get back to it tomorrow.

Anyways back to the run- we were both shocked by how out of breath we were. That high altitude really is something! We did about 5 easy miles, and were definitely winded. No wonder all the elites train at altitude, whew!

Well, our plane is finally boarding, so I'm logging off now. Check back soon for more Fits on the Road in Park City!

Do you always run on vacations? Have you skipped a long during marathon training? Please tell me it will be okay!

Fits Do Race (Pre)views: Upcoming Races

 One of my 14 Motivation Tips to Keep You Running in the Winter of 2014 was to sign up for a spring race!

I mentioned the many options that you have in the Twin Cities area: Goldy's 10 Mile, the Get Lucky 7k or Half Marathon, the 100% Irish for a Day 10 mile, the Get in Gear 10k & half marathon, Grandma's Marathon or half marathon, the Minneapolis marathon, and the Lake Minnetonka half marathon

Unfortunately for me, none of these races fit into my training schedule for the Flying Pig Marathon (or if they do fit, we are out of town)

So, I still recommend that you check out one of those races. I have run nearly all of them, and they all are great (see a few race reviews HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE), but unfortunately, I won’t see you there this year.

But I do have some races on my spring calendar that I’d like to share!

The Irish Run in St. Paul:

The Calhoun Beach Running Club has a USATF racing team now. For each race in the circuit, only our team's top 5 fastest times for men and for women will count, so my time will never actually count towards the team. However, signing up for a USATF membership does have some other perks- discounts on races, guaranteed entry to the TC 10 mile, etc. So I joined the CBRC USATF racing team anyways, and the first race of the season is the Irish Run in St. Paul on Sunday, March 23^rd. This race has been going on since 1973. There is a 5k, 8k, and youth run.

This race is a little unique as it doesn’t start until the middle of the day (the 8k starts at 1:20 PM). Apparently, this late start is to allow the 50 churches on or near Summit Avenue to complete their services without traffic disruption. The late start also allows the temperature to rise to the high for the day, which could be significantly warmer than an early morning race!

The race starts and finished at Ramsey Jr High School.

This race attracts a lot of local elite runners, and nearly every Minnesota 8k record has been set here.  

An 8k is kind of a random distance…automatic PR!

Ron Dawes 25k

Next on my schedule is the Ron Dawes 25k. I did the Ron Dawes 25k last year (read the review HERE), and it was kind of a bust for me (a very slow race- even a slow training run!) So I want to get back and do it again…faster! Plus, its only $5, you can’t beat that! The field is only 200 runners though, so register early if you’re interested.

2013 Ron Daws 25k

Where: Hopkins, MN The course is two laps of one particular loop, to get to about six miles, and then you did two laps of another loop to get you to the 15.5 mile distance. It was actually not too bad, because you knew what to expect after experiencing the hills the first time around, (though it was a little disheartening to get lapped by the winners around mile eight!) Running the same loop multiple times meant that you passed the solo support stop four times- perfect!

Flying Pig Marathon: 
My spring marathon- the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati, OH. A hilly course, but apparently a fun one, and we haven't run in Ohio yet, so this is our chance!

The TC 1 Mile:

Registration Website: https://www.tcmevents.org/events/medtronic_tc_1_mile_-_may_8_2014/

You can read two past reviews of the TC 1 Mile HERE and HERE. I love the challenge of going all out for a mile, even though it HURTS. However, this year, the TC 1 mile will be less than a week after Flying Pig, so I might just have to take it a little easier this time around. Racing that soon after a marathon could be the recipe for injury.

TC 1 Mile 2013

Brian Kraft Memorial 5k

The final race of the "spring" (after Memorial Day, it's summer, right?) will be the Brian Kraft Memorial 5k.  This race is the second one of the USATF race schedule. It's held at 8:30 am around Lake Nokomis, and its chip timed and very competitive. I have only run it once, and that was many, many years ago (2005, maybe?) I'm excited to race a 5k!

Well, that's it for my spring 2014 schedule. I have a little bit of everything on my radar- from 1 mile to 26.2 miles! I am excited for each one for different reasons.

Tell me what your spring running schedule entails! Any of the same races? Let me know, I'd love to see you!

Failed Fit: A Second Attempt with Skate Skiing

A few weeks ago, I shared with you all my failed attempt to learn how to skate ski. 

Skate skiing is a different (and in my opinion, more challenging) style of cross country skiing versus classic cross country skiing. If you watch the Olympics, you’ll see both styles. In classic cross country, your skis move forward and back. With skate skiing, your skis push out, like you are ice skating. (That's probably the worst way to explain the difference, so I apologize for my naivety!)

 

source

So, Dustin and I took a group skate ski lesson together at Hyland Park through the Three Rivers Park District, and it was a huge failed fit! No offense to the instructor, as he had a lot of people in his class, and we were all at different levels. It was advertised as a beginner class and it wasn’t. I think a lot of people of different levels of experience consider themselves “beginner.” I just didn’t “get” it, and it was a very frustrating experience for me. The instructor just didn’t have the time to work with me. I left the class so disappointed in myself…

But we live in Minnesota- land of 10,000 lakes, but also, apparently, land of 10,000 cross country ski trails! There are many, many parks in the Twin Cities area where you can cross country ski. Though our downhill skiing leaves a little to be desired, our cross country ski trails are vast and well taken care of. It seemed like a no-brainer that a Minnesota girl should learn to skate ski.

So even though my public lesson was a fail, I gathered my courage, and signed up for a private lesson to give it another go. This time, the lesson was at French Park in Plymouth. This park was a bit of a drive for me (it was actually the location of a trail 5k I did this summer!

Cost: I paid about $20 for my rentals (skis, poles, and boots) and $60 for the private lesson.

The instructor was a young woman, probably right out of college. We began inside the visitor’s center with a quick discussion about my ski experience and my skill level, so she could assess what kind of lesson this would be.

Then she led me to a “lesson area” on the trails, which was flat and blocked a little from the wind (The temperature this day was about 0 degrees- brrr!)

We started with a little bit of stretching on the skis, and then we began with some really basic drills. The first drill she called, “scoot, scoot, glide” (I think that’s the technical name!) For this drill, I removed one ski, and pushed myself along with my foot a few times, and then worked on balancing and gliding as far as I could on the one ski. I stayed in the classic trails for this part.

Next, she explained the skate motion. She said its like spreading peanut butter on bread. Well, if you know me, you know that I LOVE peanut butter! So whatever it was in her explanation vs. the last instructor, the time it actually made more sense. 

She had me work with one ski at a time on the “peanut butter” spreading motion. She broke down the movement and explained how after “spreading the peanut butter,” I should end up on the inside edge of the ski, at which point I would really push with that leg. After the push, came the weight transfer to the other leg, the peanut butter spread, and then push to the inside edge of the ski again.

I’m really not explaining the technique very well….so I’ll just stop there! Let’s just say it was a tiring 1 ½ hour lesson, but I left with a little more confidence and interest in trying it again. The lesson provided me with the skills to learn more and to practice. Success!

The instructor advised that I go back again within 72 hours to maintain that muscle memory to keep working on the skills that she taught me. I returned to Hyland Park last Wednesday after work, and trekked around an easy trail for about an hour. It was challenging, and I still struggled, but there were moments when I got into a groove and felt like I was "getting" it.

PS- I wore my Craft pants for cross country skiing: So warm!

Sticking with it…

I will be honest that I was dreading the lesson. It’s hard to stick with something that doesn’t come naturally and that is really challenging at first. I just have to keep practicing. I’m definitely not there yet, but I’m hoping with more practice, I will eventually “love” it.

Have you ever tried something out that was really hard for you, but stuck with it and eventually loved it?

As I talked about in this post that was definitely my experience with snowboarding. It was really hard for me to learn; I thought I’d never like it, but now I do! I don’t know when the transition happened but at some point, it became less of a dreaded event than a fun outing/hobby.

Warm Skin Lotion:

One more thing- I tried out “Warm Skin” for this first time during my lesson. The temperature that day was hovering around 0 degrees, and it was windy, so it was definitely the perfect day to try out this lotion.

Warm Skin is actually manufactured right in Minnesota! It works by holding in the body’s own natural warmth and serves as a barrier to prevent water loss, while also moisturizing the skin. Dustin bought a tube of this lotion at TC Running Company on Saturday, so I tested it out on Sunday. I think it worked pretty well- my face didn’t get as red and cold as it had the previous day on my long run. I’ll definitely try it again before deciding it if works!

Have you tried Warm Skin? What do you think?

http://warmskin.com/

Weekly Recap: Feb. 9- Feb. 15th, and a New Store With Great Fitness Fashion!

Hi all!

I'm back again with a weekly recap of The Right Fits' take on fitness, fashion, and fitness fashion!

On the fitness front, it was a rough week. Well, it started out strong...
Monday: 7 miles on the treadmill, wall sits and planks and more core
Tuesday: 7 miles at the CBRC with 3 hill repeats (each repeat on the "winter hill" is about 1.5 miles)

Then Wednesday hit me with a horrible chest cold. I believe the rule is that "if it's in your chest, you should rest"....so I did that. I took Wednesday and Thursday off from running, and really tried to get rid of the horrible cold- I drowned it with water and tea (Awesome tip- put your Hall's cough drop in a lemon herbal tea. It helps!)

Friday wasn't much better, but I decided to try to do my long run anyways. It wasn't great...it was about 1 degree outside (so tired of the cold...), and my nose was running like crazy and I coughed quite a bit, but I managed to complete 15 miles. Definitely NOT my best long run.

Friday night was my friend Jen's wedding; hence the drive to get the long run in on Friday morning (I took the whole day off of work). Even though the awful cold still was plaguing me, I still managed to have an awesome time celebrating the special occasion!

Love these ladies :-)

The wedding was so lovely, and I had a great time.

Saturday, I slept in as late as my body needed (about 9 am) and then eventually made my way to a C2 class at Corepower Yoga.  I was still congested and coughing, but fortunately, I don't think I was too annoying throughout the class, and it did feel really good to sweat and stretch.

Sunday, I ran 8 miles with Matilda the Vizsla. It was pretty great.

So, in summary, I only had about 37 miles, two full rest days, and 1 yoga class. No strength training. Not my best week... but I guess sometimes you have to take it easy, and this cold was my reason. I'm hoping after our trip to Utah, I'll be ready to really delve into some serious training for Flying Pig.

What's happening in fashion?
In fashion this week, I guess I could share some info on the dress I wore to Jen's wedding. I bought it at Anthropologie. It's called the "Sequin Cutout Dress" and unfortunately, it looks like its sold out (though you can find it on ebay)

I bought the dress because of the color. I thought it would be perfect for a Valentine's Day wedding. Unfortunately, it wasn't my favorite fit for ME. I think it just wasn't the right dress for my body type, but lesson learned- no online shopping for cocktail dresses! I am not sure I would have bought it, had I tried it on versus purchased it online, but I suppose it still worked out okay. Just not the "Right Fit" in my mind.

What's happening in fitness fashion?
In fitness fashion, I have been eying up some of the awesome fitness apparel at Lole.

Have you heard of this company?

They carry apparel for yoga, swim, run, lifestyle, and outwear.  Its supposed to be "pure, earth-friendly, and beautiful", and I think their stuff is pretty cute!  Check out THIS ARTICLE for more information on the story of Lole, and then check out their website. I haven't purchased anything yet, but I am very tempted!

Here are some of the items that I am throwing a fit for!

The sweety bra (find it HERE)

 the Love Earflap (find it HERE)

and the Nina Duffle Bag (find it HERE)

So much cute stuff!

Well, that's it from the Right Fits today. I hope you had a really great weekend.

*Did you try any fresh new fits this week? 
Find any fashion or fitness fashion deals that fit the bill? Have you purchased anything from Lole before? Please share!

Fitting Debate: White Jeans in the Winter?

The Right Fits is a blog about fitness, fashion, and fitness fashion. However, it often is heavy on the fitness side. But today, I actually have a fashion post for you!

I follow "Putting Me Together", and I was inspired by her recent post about white jeans in the winter.

I purchased a pair of white ankle length jeans from JCrew  at the end of last summer. I didn't have a lot of time to wear them before summer was over, so I figured they would have to wait for me at the back of my closet until next summer. But alas, Audrey showed me that white jeans can work in winter as well!

source

She paired hers with a navy top and a winter colored scarf. I tried for a similar look for work last week. I paired my JCrew ankle jeans (similar HERE on sale for $59.99) with a gray tunic from Len Druskin (from a few years ago), and a white and gray scarf from Target (similar HERE)

I wore my cognac knee-high boots (similar HERE).

What do you think? Would you wear white in the winter? 

Overall, I think that the white jeans actually do work in the winter! I know that traditionally, you're not supposed to wear white after Labor Day, but guess what? I think it is the Right Fit!

PS: I bought these white jeans in a size 2 at the end of the summer. The jeans were snug then...but manageable. When I tried them on this week, I could barely squeeze them on over my butt! I had to do some work to stretch the pants out (I followed some of these tips),  I don't think that my diet or exercise has changed drastically over the winter, but apparently it has. Time to cut back on that comfort food!

Fit Challenge: 28 Days of Wall Sits

Hi all! Just a quick check in to see how you're doing on the 28 Days of Wall Sits Challenge!

I had a wedding last night, which was so much fun...so it took me a little while to get moving this morning (not to mention I have a terrible cold). Eventually I made it to a yoga class at CorePower Yoga. When I returned home, I took some time to do my 170 seconds of wall sits.

I set my phone's timer to three minutes (180 seconds). I knew I would need a ten second break, and I did! I took the ten second break around the half way point, and then got right back in it. My quads were burning, but I made it!

I did three bonus minutes of planking afterwards. Three minutes is still a challenge, even though I have been trying to keep up with it every day.

Let me know how your 28 Days of Wall Sits is going. 

Three minutes tomorrow!

Fit Fanatic: 10 Valentine's Day Gift Ideas for the Runner in Your Life

Valentine’s Day is this Friday!

I am pretty excited, as I actually have the day off of work. I will be attending a friend’s wedding (the same friend for whom we ran the Securian Half Marathon for her bachelorette party!)

I suppose Dustin got off easy this year for Valentine’s Day- he doesn’t have to plan anything, as we’ll be eating, drinking, and merry-making with all of our friends downtown, celebrating love in the best way possible.

Anyways, no matter what you’re doing to celebrate Valentine’s Day, you might still be looking for a few ideas to make your Valentine feel special this Friday. Flowers are always great, but let’s assume your Valentine is a runner (though flowers are great for runners too!). If your Valentine is a runner, here’s a list from the Right Fits of 10 Valentine’s Gift Ideas for Runners!

1. Carbs! Valentine’s Day is on a Friday, and most runners do their long runs Saturday morning. So take your Valentine out for some pasta Friday night. Treat him or her to some lovely carbo-loading  Locally, I am a fan of Broder’s Pasta Bar, or you could just have a casual evening at Punch Pizza (or buy a gift card for your runner to enjoy at a later date) For a fancier pasta meal, head to Bar La Grassa for really a scrumptious dinner.

2. Race Registration: Races are expensive, and the prices are only going up, (unless of course, you’re registering for the Ron Dawes 25k- that race is only $5- I signed up!) So if you know your Valentine is training for an upcoming race, but hasn’t registered, sign him/her up yourself! That's not a bad idea for me...Dustin hasn't registered for Flying Pig yet- maybe I should sign him up!

3. Running Gear: This is an easy one- just check out my winter running essentials list, and pick up one of those items that your runner doesn’t have yet…Knuckle lights, Craft gloves, Yak-Traks, so many ideas!

4. Run MSP T-shirts or Sweatshirts. I can’t say enough about these comfy sweatshirts and tees from Gear Running Store. They make the BEST gifts!

5. A running themed gift basket: I posted HERE and HERE about creating running/fitness themed gift baskets. They are a fun way to gift your Valentine’s a bunch of small gifts that equal one great gift basket!

6. Splurge on a new Garmin for your Valentine! My friend Kelly has the new Garmin 220, and it’s pretty awesome. If you’re a big spender this year, I bet your Valentine would appreciate this! (It will set you back about $250)

7. A Subscription to Kona Kase or Runner Box: These monthly subscriptions are a gift that keeps on giving! Both are memberships to receive a shoebox full of running goodies each month. They include a variety of running fuel and a few other fun items.

8. BIC Bands! Probably not the best gift for a male Valentine, but I bet most ladies would like these fun headbands that don’t slip- really!

9. Yoga- let’s be honest, most runners could use a little more yoga in their lives. Pick up a gift card to CorePower Yoga or Modo Yoga for your running Valentine, and give the gift that says, “I want you to be able to run injury free in 2014!"

10. The final gift idea for your running Valentine? A new pair of running shoes!  Its easy to figure out what kind they wear. Pick them up the same pair in the same size, and they’ll be very grateful for the functional fit!

The Olympics, A Goodbye Party, and Another Fitness Themed Basket!

Hi all!

I hope you enjoyed your weekend. Mine was pretty busy. Friday night, we went to a party to watch the opening ceremonies for the Olympics. We were encouraged to dress up in our best Olympic outfits, so Dustin wore his best old school ski attire, and I wore pretty much every red, white, and blue piece of clothing I had. (That Chinese Crested dog in the picture is a sweet rescue dog named Vegas!)

Saturday morning of course was the usual long run (a little over 16 miles), a trip to TC Running Company for those awesome Craft pants I wrote about yesterday, and plenty of other errands. 

Saturday night, we said goodbye to one of our run club friends. She's moving to New York City for her job. We're all sad to see her go, but wish her the best of luck in her new adventure!

We met up for an awesome dinner at Marin downtown, and she actually was able to get us the private barrel room for our group. 

I really loved my dinner there- I had the kale salad, and the papperdelle with roasted cauliflower and sage pesto. It was all really tasty- I highly recommend this restaurant!

My group of girlfriends wanted to said goodbye in a special way, and to give her a few items to remember us by. I enjoyed creating the birthday gift basket for my friend's 30th back in December, so I suggested that we do something similar again. Creating a gift basket is a great way for a group of friends to all chip in a little bit in a fun way, and you end up with quite a gift! 

This basket included a lot of running related items- some Body Glide, Nuun, an iTunes gift card, Honey Stingers, GU's, and more.

I also gave her one of the last Calhoun Beach Running Club BIC Bands...only three of these left!

We included some lululemon undies- light as air!

This friend is a barre-ista as well, so the gift basket needed an extra pair of grippy socks:

The basket wouldn't be complete without one of the Gear Running store's RUN MSP t-shirts. Softest shirts ever!

We included a framed picture from a Capital Run that she was a part of. Ah, remember when we were running in shorts and tanks? The good ol' days...

The basket came together nicely, and I think she really liked it.

It was a fun evening, and I'm glad we had the opportunity to send her off in style. 

Good luck in NYC, running buddy!