Weekly Recap for the Last Week of March: Capitol Run, Kate Spade, and Lululemon!

Hi all, I hope your weekends are going swimmingly. Today is a gorgeous 60 degree day in Minneapolis.  Since this is the first day this warm since last October, of course everyone is out and about and enjoying the nice temps. Apparently, the trails around the lakes are crazy- or so Dustin tells me. I am trying to be smart, and taking today as a non-running day after a 20 mile run yesterday, but Dustin did a run with Matilda, and reported back that the lakes were crazy busy. Be forewarned! I think we're all just ecstatic that it finally feels like spring.

So, yes- I did a 20 mile capitol run yesterday. Most of the time when we do a "capitol run" its a full 22 mile run before the taper. However, Flying Pig is a few weeks after the Boston marathon, and the capitol run was organized primarily for the Boston training group. Kelly, Dustin, and I (the Flying Pig runners) just tagged along for our 20 miler. It was kind of nice to skip Lake Nokomis for the "shortcut" to the capitol. It made 20 miles feel easy!

Do you recognize Dustin's jacket for the lululemon warehouse sale?

Okay, other than the 20 miler, how did this week turn out in fitness?

Monday: After a lot of hard miles the week before (ending with the Irish Run 8k on Sunday and a barre class in the evening) I decided to take Monday off of running. Instead I took a C2 class at Corepower Yoga, which felt great. I was definitely sore and my muscles needed the stretch.

Tuesday: A non-running day on Monday left my legs ready for a big running day on Tuesday! Kelly and I did 10 miles with 5 repeats of the "winter hill", a.k.a. a hill over by Lake of the Isles that is 0.75 long (or 1.5 miles round trip). We kept tempo pace on the way up and tempo pace on the way down. Of course, tempo pace was easy-peasy on the way down; not so much on the way up! The workout ended up being nearly 8 miles of hard effort, which left me pretty beat the next day.

Wednesday: Even though I was tired from the hills, I managed an easy 5.5 mile run with Matilda. I didn't wear my Garmin, and I let her stop and sniff as often as she liked.

Thursday: 8.5 miles in the AM with Kelly in the rainy/fog mix. Legs were still tired from the hills.

Friday: Complete rest. Much needed!

Saturday: 20 mile long run. I felt pretty strong throughout this run, and the sun was shining and the weather wasn't so bad. Kelly and I have been running together quite a bit lately, so we decided to bring "Chat Pack" cards to ask each other questions to help make the miles pass quickly.

I highly recommend these fun little questions for long runs. Buy them HERE.

Best running buddy!

We had two organized support stops (which were AWESOME!) along the way as well. A big thank you to the volunteers who came out to give us Gatorade, water, candy, etc. at these stops. It really helped!

Our last mile to the capitol was our fastest- we finished strong, which was a great feeling. 

Sunday: Hour long barre class at the Barre in Edina. Lots of arm and core work. My quads weren't in the mood for some of the leg work, so I took it easy on that part. I love the classes at the Barre, as they really burn out your upper body!

I think I did a good job of balancing hard running workouts, yoga, and rest this week. Next week is another tough week with two track workouts, and then the Ron Daws 25k on Saturday, so I am going to really be careful to make sure I'm getting enough sleep, foam rolling plenty, and eating right.

What's happening in Fitness Fashion this week?
In Fitness Fashion this week, of course the highlight for me was the lululemon warehouse sale. I scored a lot of items for a price that fit the bill! Read all about it HERE. So fun!

What's happening in Fashion this week?
In Fashion, I posted to Facebook about a flash sale online at Kate Spade, where I snagged this bag: 

It was originally $315, and I got it for $99! I think it will be a great bag for work or play this summer, and I can't pass up a deal that good.  Apparently, Kate Spade has these flash sales every once and awhile, and they only last for a few hours. You can sign up to get the notifications for future flash sales HERE.

Well, that's all from me for the weekly recap.

Did you check out the Lululemon sale? Find anything good? Please share!

Dustin and I actually stopped by the sale again this morning after my barre class, just to see what was left. There was slim pickings, but I did pick up a few more Bitty Bracers for my friend Susie, at a really great price- only $30 for two of them!

Fit the Bill: The Lululemon Warehouse Sale

I really wanted to get this post out as soon as possible, so those of you who are local can still #March2MN  towards the @lululemon WHS, or for non-social media-lites, head on down to the Convention Center downtown for the lululemon warehouse sale!

The sale started today, but it goes on through Sunday, 8 am to 7 pm every day. My friend Tricia and I both have busy weekends, so we decided why not just take a 1/2 day of PTO, and go check it out today, right when it opened! I mean, why not use vacation time to go spend some money on more fitness fashion!

So, we arrived a little after 7 am..which was not early enough! 

The line was already through the lobby and out the door. Apparently some people had been there since 2 am, when the doors to the convention center didn't even open until 5 am. Crazy! The actual doors to the actual sale didn't open until 8 am...so, yes, we were out in the cold for about an hour.

The Facebook event information had stated that the line would be inside, and that you couldn't bring in coats or purses, so Tricia left her coat in the car. It was a chilly 26 degrees outside, and we were both pretty cold waiting out there!  (Note to anyone thinking about going- dress warm!)

We finally moved far enough in line to be inside the convention center, and then it was another two hours of waiting. Fortunately, there was a Dunn Brothers coffee nearby, so I ran off to grab us some coffee, while Tricia held our place in line.

And finally, finally, around 10 am, we were the next in line!

When we entered the sale, Tricia and I actually split up, as we both had lists of sizes and items from friends and family. We were girls on a mission!

There were fitting rooms, but I never tried anything on. A lot of people were just changing right there in the open, rather than waiting in the lines for the fitting rooms (which were communal anyways, and let's be honest- most everyone at the sale was female anyways. And who cares!)

There was sort of an open area where people were just piling up their goods to see what they had grabbed, and perhaps to count to see if they were over the 25 item limit! I did the same- I had to remember what all I had grabbed!

It was a little chaotic in there, and I definitely felt a touch of anxiety as I tried to figure out what items I wanted to purchase. There was a lot of frantic texting with my sisters and some friends..but amidst the chaos, it was FUN! Tricia and I both ended up with a lot of great items- some for ourselves, some for our friends and family. It was seriously a blast!

So what kind of deals can you expect at a lululemon warehouse sale? Here are the prices:

So...what did I buy? Let me tell you!

The Bitter Bracer: Normally $68, found one in my size for just $29!

I bought this tank top for my sister. The exact same one is not online, but based on the price of similar tanks, let's say it would be around $68, and it was $34 at the warehouse. I kind of want to go back on Sunday to buy one for myself!

I bought four pairs of the Run: Inspire Crop II capris- one for each sister who requested them, and one for me! They normally cost $86, but they were only $49 at the warehouse!

Two pair of Astro shorts found their way into my bag. Again, this style was discontinued, but based on similar shorts, let's say they would have run around $58. They were only $29 at the warehouse!

The Run Swiftly long-sleeve shirts are still available at the stores. (I think I saw Yolanda on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills wearing one on last week's episode!) They cost $68 at the store, but I snatched a couple for my sisters for only $44!

Don't you worry, Dustin got in on the fun. He and I both got nice running jackets for jut $74, originally somewhere near $140. Quite a steal! And now we can be twinsies!

I also picked him up a pair of men's running shorts for just $29.

Honestly, a few other random items found their way into my bag, but I managed to stay below the 25 item limit. When I looked at the full price online for similar items, I calculated that I saved close to 50%! These were prices that definitely FIT THE BILL!

Was it worth it?
I think so. It felt like Black Friday- getting up early with a friend, waiting in line, and then snatching up some awesome deals! I had a really fun time, and i think I ended up with really great apparel for a fraction of the price.

Tips?
If a lululemon warehouse sale comes to a city near you, I definitely recommend going- and going early!

• Go with a list of what you want. 
• Know your sizes (or your friends sizes) you don't have to waste time in the fitting room. 
• Plan for a whole day so you can take your time perusing all the racks! Tricia and I both had to get to work at 12, so we were in a bit of a hurry. It would have been nice to be able to really browse at a less frantic pace.
• Bring a friend to keep you company in line.
• Bring your sense of fun! They were offering automatic entry for people who volunteered for a dance off, or a twerk-off, or a wall sit competition (I tried to volunteer for that one, but didn't get selected...even after all my practice with my month of wall sits!!!)

There you have it- time for you to #March2MN!

Weekly Recap and a Beer Mile.

By Jess in Minneapolis

Time for another weekly recap already!

Here's how the week panned out in Fitness:
Monday: Ran 7 miles in the AM, Hot Power Fusion at Corepower Yoga in the PM
Tuesday: Ran 4 miles with Matilda
Wednesday: Ran 7 miles in the AM
Thursday: Ran 7 miles in the AM, Kettlebells at Balance Fitness in the PM
Friday: BarreAmped at Balanced Barre in the AM
Saturday: 10 miles with the CBRC
Sunday: Hot Power Fusion at Corepower Yoga

Total: 35 miles, 1 strength, 1 barre, 2 yoga

The highlight this week in fitness was definitely the kettlebell class at Balance. I went last week, so it wasn't a lack of consistency that made this week's class so hard, but my, oh, my, my legs were so sore after this class! It must have been all of the thruster squats and swings between each upper body exercise, but the class was definitely a doozy, and it led me to cut back on my running on Saturday (10 rather than 12 miles) and not run at all on Sunday to let my legs fully recover. I love being that sore though! (I just have to be sure not to take that class before a race).

And here's what happened last week in Fitness Fashion:
Nothing much was new last week in Fitness Fashion, so I thought I'd share something I'm currently throwing a fit for at lululemon. It's their "fluff off vest". This vest is pretty similar to the downalicioius vest that I am also throwing a fit for at Athleta. Ideas for my Christmas wish list? I think both options would be a perfect winter running essential for the frigid temps that are surely on their way in Minneapolis. Priced at $128 for the fluff off vest at lululemon and $138 for Athleta's version, I am hoping that Santa reads the Right Fits.

And of course, here's an update on the week in Fashion:
My girlfriends and I have discussed that we frequently buy cocktail dresses for weddings, galas, etc, and we only wear them once or twice, before letting them gather dust in the far corners of the closet. Personally, I am a big offender of this wasteful act. I even have a few dresses that I have never worn! With that said, I figured a cocktail dress swap would be a creative way to expand the wardrobe for a price that fits the bill. We all have a few weddings coming up this spring and summer, so this was an opportunity to find a "new-to-me" dress for those special occasions.

This past Wednesday, about eight girlfriends came over for some wine and appetizers. They brought over all kinds of awesome dresses....like all of these lovely gowns:

We took turns trying on dresses that appealed to our personal style, and I think several of us found some great "borrows" for future weddings and events!

Between this and the Fashion Swaps that I have hosted, I obviously like to swap clothes. I think it's due to growing up with four sisters and borrowing (stealing?) clothes from their closets that left me always planning this type of event (read about past fashion swaps HERE and HERE)

Beer Mile?

In between all the fitness, fashion, and fitness fashion, Dustin and I attended the CBRC Beer Mile event on Saturday night. We both opted to be spectators, as I just don't have the stomach to down four beers while running a mile...Yep, you read that right.  In fact, apparently, this is a popular event for running clubs, but I had never heard of it.

The official rules of this "event" are as follows:

1. Teams consist of two competitors.



2. Each competitor drinks four cans of beer and runs four laps of the 1/4 mile route. Teammates alternate the ‘beer then run’ process (beer/lap/tag). Finish the lap by tagging your partner. Your teammate will then drink a beer and run a ¼ mile and this will continue until each team has run 8 laps and consumed 8 beers (4 per person).



3. The timer will start with the opening of the first beer from the first runner of each team. The timer will stop when the second runner from each team crosses the finish line after his/her fourth lap. The first team to cross the finish line after drinking 8 beers and running 8 laps is the winner.



4. After the first lap, beers cannot be opened until tagged by a partner finishing a lap.



5. Competitors must drink canned beer and the cans must not be less than 355ml or 12oz. No bottles will be allowed on the course for safety reasons. No Solo cups in the interest of consistency for those drinking from cans.



6. Beer cans must not be tampered with in any manner. I.e. No shot gunning or puncturing of the can except for opening the can by the tab at the top. No straws, bongs or other aids are allowed in order to increase the speed of pouring / drinking. Wide mouth cans, e.g. Coors Light, are acceptable.



7. Beer must be a minimum of 4.2% alcohol by volume. That means no 3.2% gas station beer. Hard ciders and lemonades will also not suffice. The beer must be a fermented alcoholic beverage brewed from malt and flavored with hops. Acceptable beers: Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Coors Light, Hamm’s, Heineken, Michelob Golden Draft, Miller Lite, PBR, Keystone Light, Miller High Life, Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Genuine Draft Lite, Old Milwaukee, Yuengling (if you can find it). Others may be allowed at the discretion of the Race Director. 

8. Common beers that do not meet the minimum alcohol threshold: Amstel Light, Busch Light, Hamm’s Light, Heineken Light, Michelob Golden Draft Light, Michelob Ultra, O’douls (obviously)



9. Spilling is high discouraged. The name of the game is beer mile, not ‘pour it down your shirt mile.’ Mild spillage while drinking may result in a one shot penalty at the discretion of the drinking judge. Heavy spillage while drinking may result in a two shot penalty at the discretion of the drinking judge.



10. Upon drinking a beer, each competitor must turn his or her can completely upside down before running a lap. An unreasonable amount of beer/foam poured from the can will result in either a one or two shot penalty at the discretion of the drinking judge.

A handful of people joined Dustin and me as "spectators." Needless to say, the shenanigans were quite entertaining for the non-participators.

spectators

Runners and beer....it seems that they go hand-in-hand!

Here's a YouTube video of the fastest beer mile on record: 
(The CBRC version was not on a track, but was otherwise the same.)

It was a fun event, and I was impressed by how quickly some people could still run (and drink?) Probably not the healthiest event in the world, but it was all in good fun.

How was your week? Any fresh, new fits in Fitness, Fashion, or Fitness Fashion? Please share!

Fit the Bill: Pencil Skirts

By LL in KC

Who doesn't love a pencil skirt? I love them so much, some might say I have a slight obsession with them. I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing. They are practical. When paired with the right tops and accessories, they can work in the office (obvious option), for date night and for Saturday brunch. 

My favorite go-to stores for pencil skirts are J.Crew and Banana Republic. I find these brands compliment my hippier frame and accentuate my small waist. However, without a decent sale, these brands do not always fit the bill. 

Recently, I have had a lot of luck at vintage/thrift stores. Yes, you have to head into a thrift store shopping trip with an open mind and know that you will likely come out empty handed. And I know from experience that good vintage/thrift stores are not available in every town. But you would be surprised what you might stumble across at your local Goodwill!

Here are some of my best vintage/thrift store finds for pencil skirts - all purchased at a fraction of the cost of regular price retail value.

The rust colored skirt that is second from the left and the patterned skirt on the far right both have pockets, which makes them even better in my books. However, be leery of pockets in pencil skirts. Sometimes they end up over enhancing larger hips!

To find some good thrift stores near you, visit The Thrift Shopper. Here in KC, a great blog to check out with some thrift store finds is Kansas Couture - you'll see some cute ways to wear different pieces you can easily find in thrift stores such as Goodwill. 

Fit the Bill: Costco Running Top

By Cool J in Minneapolis

How is your weekend going? Today is a gorgeous day in Minneapolis, so I am writing this post while sitting in a lawn chair on the back porch, working on my tan!

Yesterday, the weather wasn't quite as nice as today. We joined the Calhoun Beach Running Club in the morning to get back in the long run groove, and the humidity was brutal. I guess I still have some adjusting to do before summer running really kicks it!

After the run, it was time to exercise this little lady at the airport dog park. She sure loves it there!

Then we stopped by Eat Street Social to wish my friend Meggan (of the Yoga Garage) a happy birthday. Next up, we were off to the State Fairgrounds for the St. Paul Summer Beer Festival!

We hadn't actually planned on attending this festival, but Dusters won the tickets at Monday's HotList party (read about that event HERE) so off to St. Paul we went.

The festival started out in the sun...but it didn't last long.

Glass rinsing station

There were 116 different breweries at the festival, each offering up multiple samples. I doubt we tried even 1/8 of the samples. There were a lot of unique brews, and we enjoyed sampling the wide variety.

Unfortunately, the weather was not willing to cooperate.  Very quickly, the festival went from good times to wet times...

Pouring rain...

For a good 45 minutes, it poured on the festival. Everyone (except those crazy German dancers in the above picture) spent that time hovered under one of the tents, waiting for it to let up. After the sun finally came back out, we were pretty tired, and ready to be done with the beer sampling, so we headed home.

Sunday morning, I went for a sunny morning run with Matilda, then I went to Costco to renew our membership there. Along with paper towels, Gatorade and fruit, I also purchased a new running top- yes, at Costco! Who knew? This is definitely a first for the Right Fits. Yet it fit the bill, and it seems like it will be a functional fit for running.

This top was only $12.99! It's nice and long, and I like the heathered texture of the material, and according to the tag, it's moisture wicking.  It is also available in lots of other colors- black, orange, green, and more.

I have to give my friend Kelly the credit for this top that Fits the Bill. I was inspired to even consider the clothes at Costco because she wore this same top during her PR marathon at Newport!

Here's a closer look:

She said it didn't chafe her, and she didn't have any issues it throughout the 26.2 miles. 

That's a testimony I trust, so when I saw the same top today, I had to buy my own.

If you have a Costco membership, definitely give their clothes a look. 

You might find a new running top that fits the bill!

Now I'm off to the Minnehaha Dog Park for a doggy date with some of Matilda's friends, and then a bite to eat at SeaSalt. 

Have you tried SeaSalt? What's your favorite? I like their softshell crab sandwich, or any of their fish tacos.

Fit the Bill: JCP - not just mom jeans anymore!

By LL in KC

On Mother's Day, who doesn't have the SNL skit "Mom Jeans" rolling through their minds.



But we all know that not all moms wear mom jeans with an applique vest (do not want to offend all the stylish moms I know!). In addition, as I discovered on Friday, JCP also is not just about mom jeans anymore. In fact, they have some awesome fashion options for extremely reasonable prices.

Friday after work, I needed to make a quick stop to Sephora and we now have one tucked into the JC Penny just down the street from my house. Unfortunately, the slimmed down JC Penny Sephora does not carry Clinque (FYI), but it wasn't a lost case as I was caught off guard by the bright colors and interesting patterns that were on display in the Joe Fresh section right in front of Sephora. Coral, mint, colbalt blue and yellow ankle skinnies. Tribal print shorts. Bold florals. Skirts and dresses with pockets...oh my!

With an armload of goodies on my way to the fitting room, I bumped into the MNG and i Jeans by Buffalo displays. Here I found some awesome bold colored blazers and summer stripe staples. Needless to say, JCP is way beyond mom jeans and applique vests. They are definitely worth a look - don't be embarassed. You will be happy you did.

Here are some options to entice you:

Joe Fresh Triable Skirt (with pockets) - $19.

Joe Fresh Bold Floral Shorts - $19

Joe Fresh Coral Solid Pull-on Pant - $29

MNG White Pleated Shoulder Blouse - $25

MNG Red and Navy Strip Vicose Tee - $15

A.N.A. Mirrored Print Tank - $17.99 on sale

i Jeans by Buffalo Colbalt Skinnies - $20 on sale

Trust me, you will be pleasantly surprised by JC Penny!

Fit the Bill: Fashion Swap Followup!

By Cool J in Minneapolis

Guess what? I'm heading to Michigan tomorrow night to run a half mary with LL and my dad. He's in his 60's, and this will be his first run of this distance! I'm very excited to visit my parents and have a fun-filled weekend with the better half of the Right Fits. Expect plenty of race reports on the blog soon!

Until then, I want to share some post-fashion swap pictures of some of the attendees and their lovely wares. As I posted about here, this past weekend, I hosted a fashion swap. I had a great time hosting the party, and it seems like everyone came away with some new-to-them items. I thought it would be fun if the attendees sent me pictures of how they styled different items they picked up at the swap to be shared here for your enjoyment!

I am happy to share these right fits- wait no- FANTASTIC FITS with you!

Left picture: Green dress- swapped! Khaki skirt- swapped!

Right picture: Gray jacket- swapped!

Left picture: Black top- swapped!

Right picture: Black top- swapped! 

Left picture: Gray top- swapped!

Right picture: Swap, swap, swap!

Right picture- dress, swapped. Top, swapped!

Left picture: Mullet tops- swapped! 

(These lovely ladies wanted to show off their "business in front, party in the back" tops, from the swap)

Lastly, here are some of my swap goods.

Navy sheer top- swapped

Lavender silk top- swapped

Red pencil skirt- swapped

Hosting a fashion swap is a great way to change up the wardrobe in a way that fits the bill! 

Thanks ladies for allowing me to share your pictures on the blog!

*Have you ever been to a clothing swap? What did you think?

Fit the Bill: A Fashion Swap!

By Cool J in Minneapolis

I wasn't a good blogger yesterday.

I hosted my annual fashion swap, but I didn't take ANY pictures before or during the swap! Honestly, I was just too busy leading up to the swap, so I only took pictures of the aftermath...

Piles of leftover clothes from the swap.

In my defense, it was a very busy day. We had a 20 mile run in the morning, which was awesome because it was nearly 70 degrees and sunny and beautiful! Overall, it was a good run, except towards the end I started to feel really nauseous.

After the run, Dustin and I needed to eat something- 20 miles takes a lot out of a person! After refueling, he was kind enough to take care of exercising Matilda while I cleaned up the house, cooked a bunch of appetizers, and organized any clothes that were dropped off ahead of time by swappers for the event.

I organized the clothes into types, not sizes: pants, tops, fitness apparel, accessories, skirts, and dresses.

I actually attended another swap last weekend, and picked up a new "swapping" method. This year, everyone "shopped" for about 45 minutes, trying things on and making personal lists of their favorites. Then, we drew numbers for the selection order. The 'ones' got first pick, then the two's, etc. Then we went through again, allowing the ones to select two items, and so forth. After a few rounds of this, we opened it up to a free-for-all.

Last year, it was basically a free-for-all the whole time. But this year, drawing numbers allowed for a more diplomatic way for the "hot" items to be fairly distributed.

Leftover accessory table

 Hosting a fashion swap was a fun and free way to revamp the wardrobe. I know that I'll be wearing items from the swap all week! It's also so fun to see your clothes looking fabulous on a friend. A swap is a great way for your to switch up your wardrobe, but also a great way to share your wardrobe with friends, all in a way that Fits the Bill!

leftover shoes

 Thank you to all who participated and helped me make this swap a success. 

I hope you all went home with some great new-to-you items!

The aftermath of the Fashion Swap

Here are some tips I have learned from my swap hosting experience:

• Invest in some hanging racks. I bought several cheap ones from Ikea. It really helps to be able to browse through the clothes when they're hanging up, rather than piled up on top of each other. Though I did have to use my bed to pile up the fitness apparel, most of the other clothes fit on the four racks I had purchased.
• Ask your guests to bring their clothes over ahead of time. This gives you the opportunity to sort through and organize everything before the actual party.
• Definitely have a fair way to break up a "fight" about a hot item. Drawing numbers worked for my party.
• Set up areas to try clothes on. I put a few mirrors in my closets so people could have a little privacy to get undressed, if they weren't comfortable stripping down in front of everyone.

Tilda needed some privacy to try on some clothes :-)

• Do something good with the leftovers! Have a plan to donate all the leftover clothes to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. You can do some good while having fun!
• Have plenty of wine and appetizers on hand. Plenty of chilled white wine and some appetizers from Skinny Taste helped me make sure my guests had a nice time.

I also want to thank Dustin for his help in setting up the party and taking care of Matilda during the event. Thanks honey!