Weekly Recap: A Super Steamy Long Run and a New Pair of Trail Shorts

Hi friends! Another week has passed, and it's time for another weekly recap. Let me fill you in on what's happening at the Right Fits in fitness, fashion, and fitness fashion!

Here's what's happening in fitness:

Monday: Complete rest. We returned home from the cabin and I decided to take the day off from any working out.

Tuesday: 7 miles with the Calhoun Beach Running Club We did three 7-minute tempo intervals, with 1 minute rest in between each. This was my first "workout" of the OBX training season...It was tough. I have a long way to go!

Wednesday: 4 mile easy run with Matilda the vizsla, 1 hour 'Strength Conditioning For Runners' class at the Calhoun Beach Club.  I mentioned that our first session of this class was a bit slow, but the instructor listened to our feedback; this week the class was really challenging. It included a ton of kettle bell swings, walking lunges, push-presses, squats, and more. My legs were sore for three days! It was a great workout. 

Thursday: 5 mile trail run at the Surly Furious Five Mile run

Friday: 1 hour barre class at The Barre, hour long walk with Matilda

Saturday: 14 mile long run with the Calhoun Beach Running Club. It was 97% humidity...so, so humid. My running clothes were so sweaty I could have wrung them out- nasty! Thankfully, there was an awesome support stop led by Twin Cities in Motion and C9 at Target by Lake Calhoun. The support stop was a lifesaver, with cold Powerade, water, GU's, and more!

Sunday: 5.5 mile easy run with Matilda and Dustin, then a lovely walk to the Linden Hills Farmer's Market

Total: 1 complete rest day, 1 barre class, 1 strength, and 5 days of running 

At the farmer's market, I tasted and then bought a few jars of Buddy's Small Batch Nut Butters that I'm excited about- cinnamon raisin and chocolate peanut.

The vendor also gave me a few pre-packaged bags to make overnight oats- breakfast is taken care of for this week! Read more about this local company HERE and here's some history on "Buddy's" from their website:

When Buddy began making peanut butter at home, he had two goals in mind: to create the perfect ratio of honey to peanut butter (his favorite sandwich combination) and to solve the frustration of oil separation in a fresh jar. Mission accomplished; Buddy created four flavors perfect for sandwiches (or bananas, or smoothies, or spoons!) and took care of oil by flipping the jar upside down. Go gravity!

While he was carefully testing and tasting his nut butters, Buddy decided he wanted to source his ingredients from producers who were as passionate (and painstaking) as he was about making quality food. Months of research yielded some fantastic Minnesota honey, award-winning chocolate from a recipe passed down through generations, and even sea salt sourced straight from the saltiest ocean on Earth (that’s the Atlantic, by the way). All to put a smile on your face with every spoonful.

So tasty!

Moving on...what's happening in fitness fashion?

Dustin had to exchange some birthday presents at Patagonia in St. Paul, so I tagged along with him. I ended up picking up a pair of the Patagonia Women's Strider Shorts. These are Patagonia's trail running shorts. 

From the website:
"Pick up the pace in the ultralight Strider Shorts made of fast-drying polyester, with completely breathable Air Flow mesh. Internal drop-in pocket on back hip; odor-resistant built-in liner."

These shorts are short- just 3 1/4". They are also extremely light-weight and seemed to dry pretty quickly on a sweaty run. They were $45, but they seem worth the price so far, as they worked pretty well on my run today.

What's happening in fashion?
Our old running coach Paul is getting married this fall (remember the bachelorette party in NOLA? That was his fiancé Laura's party!) I was in the market to find a new dress for the wedding, and I fell in love with this Azure Scroll Dress from Anthropologie.

The color combo is bright, but the shift style dress is classic. I'm excited to wear it!

Well, there you have it. That's my weekly recap for the Right Fits.

How was your week in fitness, fashion, and fitness fashion? Did you run on Saturday in the humidity? How did it go?

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!

Weekly Recap: Fitness, Fashion, and Fitness Fashion

By Jess in Minneapolis

Another week has flown by, and I'm checking in today with a weekly recap of what's happening in Fitness, Fashion, and Fitness Fashion during the week of January 20-26th.

Fashion: 
First up, a quick fashion update. A few of you asked about my dress from my friend's bachelorette party this past weekend...

I found it on the sale rack at my local Anthropologie. It's an online exclusive that appears to be sold out (though I did find it on ebay). Someone must have returned it to the store, so it was mine for just $50! I had to pair it with tights for a January event, but I think it could transition into spring with some nude heels. (And PS- I did a spray tan at the Glow Lounge with the bride-to-be...hence the post-vacation glow!)

Fitness Fashion:

In Fitness Fashion, I tried out a pair of the GapFit gFast leggings. Regularly $59.95, but on sale right now for $38.99 in blue or green:

Of course, I was drawn to the brightest color available. This lime green pair of tights were calling my name! They fit pretty well, and I'm happy with them so far. 

I’m really curious why the Gap is investing so much in their athletic ware, when they have Athleta? I suppose the Gap tights aren’t quite as nice as Athleta’s, and the price point is lower. I could tell that the material wasn’t quite as nice as my Splits59 pair or a pair from lululemon, but they work just fine for an additional pair to add to the rotation. I wore them to a barre class the other day and they worked well, though I probably wouldn’t run in them- not enough coverage for that!

Fitness:

And finally, here's how last week ended up in fitness:

Monday: Hilly intervals by Mary Tyler Moore’s house- 8 miles total. I had the day off so I took advantage and ran when the sun was out!

Tuesday: 6 miles on the treadmill, C2 Vinyasa at Corepower with Kim (I used to take Kim's yoga sculpt class quite a bit back when I first got started at Corepower, but this was my first time taking her vinyasa class)

Wednesday: 5 miles on the treadmill

Thursday: 7 miles on indoor track at the downtown Y (70 laps...yep, 70 times round and round...)

Friday: complete rest..running all those laps burned me out!

Saturday: 13.1 miles Securian Winter Run

Sunday: Bonus 3.5 mile run- I shouldn't be running on Sundays; that's not part of my plan for this training (no more than 5 days of running per week!) but this was an exception. I was part of a RUNNING photo shoot! 

(I'll have more to share on this next week, but it was pretty fun!)

So looking back, I guess my week wasn't actually very balanced- 6 days of running, 1 complete rest day, and 1 day of yoga...no strength, and about 43 miles of running. I hope to do a better job this week.

I did do lots of planking though- up to 4 minutes again today! Are you sticking with the 30 day plank challenge? Please let me know in the comments how it's going!

Weekly Recap and Prepping for Park City!

By Jess in Minneapolis

I hope you enjoyed your weekend!  Mine was a nice long one, as I had Monday off for the MLK holiday. Having that extra day was such a treat!

I'm back to check in with a weekly recap of January 13-19th.

In fitness fashion this week, I reviewed my pair of capris from Splits59 (read about them HERE)

In fashion, I have been trying to figure out what to wear to my friend's bachelorette party this weekend. It's going to be such a fabulous day! We are starting out with a half marathon (the Securian Winter Run- read my review of last year's race HERE), then getting mani/pedis at Phresh, then a little happy hour/cocktail party before dinner at Pazzaluna, and then perhaps a little dancing? Who knows where the night will take us!

Anyways, I wanted to find something to wear that was a little warmer due to the cold temperatures hitting Minneapolis (again- boo).  I was so pumped to find this Bellini Lace shift dress on the sale rack at Anthropologie. I got such a great deal on it- a price that definitely fit the bill, at only $50, and I am sure I will wear it again. It must have been a return, because it is an online exclusive, but it was on the sale rack at my local Anthro. Score!

I plan to pair it with tights and ankle boots....its cold in Minneapolis! Yet I think I'll be able to style it differently in the spring, and maybe even summer to make it a truly functional fit!

And finally, here's how the week turned out with fitness:
Monday: Easy morning run
Tuesday: Easy (though very snowy) morning run and C2 (vinyasa) class with instructor Nikki at Corepower Yoga. She is so awesome- great class!
Wednesday: Treadmill run: warmup for about 2.5 miles, then two 7-minute tempo intervals, then cool down of about 2.5 miles. I actually really liked doing the tempo intervals on the treadmill, because I could lock in my goal pace and hold on (as long as I could at least!)
Thursday: Kettlebells at Balance Fitness
Friday: Hot Power Fusion at Corepower Yoga
Saturday: Long run- just over 14 miles
Sunday: hour long barre class at The Barre- really tough class! The instructor did all the tough moves, like water-skiers, etc. Felt great!

Then in the afternoon, we headed to Welch Village to ski/snowboard. 

Dustin and I are heading to Park City, Utah at the end of February with my younger sister (you might remember LL from the blog!) and her husband, and three other friends (two of them pictured above!) The Minneapolis people met up at Welch to warm up a bit for Utah. It was a nice warm-"ish" day, and I feel a lot more confident going into Utah now with a little practice under my belt this year.

Have you ever been skiing in Utah? Any recommendations? Please share!

I ended up with about 40 miles for the week, with only a handful of them at a hard effort; two yoga classes, 1 barre, 1 kettle bell (strength), and 1 snowboarding day (cross-training?) I think it was a  pretty balanced week!

How was YOUR week in fitness, fashion, or fitness fashion? Please share in the comments! I'd like to get to know YOU- my readers! So start commenting- let me know if you tried out something new in fitness, fashion, or fitness fashion lately!

Featured Fit: Dresses in the Winter...

By Cool J in Minneapolis

A cold front hit Minneapolis pretty hard this past weekend. What do Minnesotans do when even the highs are below 0?

Well, the men go ice fishing, apparently.

...where they sleep in ice cabins on the lake.

Yes, Dusters headed "up north" with some buddies for the weekend. Eight men slept in this little bunkhouse for two nights. No showers. A tiny "bathroom" of sorts. No running water. Sounds fabulous, right?

No? Well, how about an outing to a warm, cozy theater to see Silver Linings Playbook (loved it. Bradley Cooper sure is dreamy) followed up by a dinner with some friends at Red Stag Supperclub, and then some piano-style karaoke at Nye's Polonaise Room (voted best bar in America by Esquire magazine- yes, in Minneapolis! Take that NYC!)

I wore a casual denim striped dress and colorful scarf, both from Anthropologie.

I paired the dress with an orange Cole Haan purse from Haute Look (for quite a steal of a price!)

 I love wearing dresses but sometimes they just aren't the right fit for the cold. It's nice to find a dress that works in the winter (i.e. long sleeves, warm material). Paired with a scarf, this look was cozy, but still a little dressy for a Saturday night out. Though let's be honest, no dress will keep you warm with temps like we've been experiencing...eeks!

Who is ready for spring?

Karaoke at Nye's Polonaise Room- definitely a favorite fit of mine in Minneapolis!

{I've learned my iphone camera does not like these temperatures either!}

Creating Fits: Necklaces for Fall

By: LL
Since my birthday (which was last Thursday), I have been battling a horrible cold that nicely hampered my husband's and my weekend plans and birthday celebration. However, what this cold has done, is give me some spare time to work on some necklaces. Here are two new ones that I created this weekend and am getting excited to wear this week (once I am back to work).

I took inspiration from the Anthropologie Stormy Sea necklace (below).

I decided on a more autumnal palate. I choose glasses beads in two different sizes and placed them on a bronze chain using a head pin. Since the beads had a fairly large hole for the head pins, I used a small bronze bead as an accent and for security at the bottom.

{My interpretation - Fall Bushels}

For the second necklace that I made, I based it upon Stella & Dot's Bahari necklace.

Even though I absolutely love the blue and gold combination, I decided to use more of a green/turquoise with silver accents. I strong the beads on wire and then put them all together on a chain. 

{My interpretation - Santorini}

I hope that making these two necklaces will jump start my motivation to finally inventory all my jewelry-making supplies so that I can get back into this hobby again.

Also, a piece of food for thought - the Stormy Seas necklace and Bahari necklace are both over $100. Each of the necklaces that I made probably cost me $20-$25.

Throwing a Fit: Anthropologie's Fall Dresses

By Jess

I would probably consider myself an "Anthroholic." However, I am definitely not the true Anthroholic scammer of THIS STORY- "Alleged Scam Rocks Devoted Anthropologie Community - yikes!

I only mean that I love to shop at Anthropologie. There is one located directly on my drive home from work. At least once a week, I swing by just to see what's new...or better, yet, what's on sale. (I can often find some great items on the clearance racks that really fit the bill!)

During my stop this week, I was throwing a fit for all the ADORABLE new fall dresses.  I could barely resist these items:

The Pleated Pointe Dress retails for $158 (check it out here). I love the vibrant color, combined with the simple, classic cut.

The Oxidized Medallions Dress retails for $148 (buy it here). I love the pairing of this dress with the funky brown necklace, as well as the combination of maroon and navy, perfect for fall.

The Sunblaze Lace Dress really caught my eye, but with the $328 price tag, I could only throw a fit for this one. (Buy it here)

My favorite was definitely the Honeycomb Lace Dress, retailing at $288. (Find it here) Mustard is such a wonderful fall color, and this shift dress was gorgeous.

Without any fall weddings or events, I wasn't able to justify any new cocktail dresses at this time. I'll continue to throw a fit for these wonderful dresses.

Fingers crossed that in a few weeks, one of these dresses will find its way to the sale rack, where I can snatch it up at a price that fits the bill!