Tilda Tuesdays: Run MSP Hoodies...for Dogs!

Last fall, I posted about my favorite tees, the Run MSP tees from Gear Running Store. (Check out that post HERE). I love this tee- so cute and comfy. One of my personal favorites!

I happened to swing by Gear Running Store on my way home from work a few weeks ago for some more Hammer Gels and I saw that they are now carrying Run MSP hoodies...for DOGS!!! Well, of course I bought one.

Yes! You know you want one for your dog. 

Tilda's sweatshirt was a size large. They carry a variety of sizes from x-small to x-large. They only cost $18, so even though I don't know how much she'll actually wear it...why not? I mean, Matilda runs MSP just as much as I do!

Just chilling in her hoodie on her bench...

This sweatshirt is legit. It has a hood and a zipper. It has a hole in the top for your dog's leash to come out.

She loves it...

I suppose that Matilda is still growing to love her Run MSP sweatshirt, but I am still loving mine. We're twinsies!

If you can't make it to Gear Running Store to buy one of these, you can call and order over the phone. 

Run MSP for dogs- its what's hot in dog fashion for fall!

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!

Friday's Favorite Fit: RUN MSP

By Jess in Minneapolis

Minneapolis is a great city for a lot of reasons, but one of the biggest reasons I love this city is that it is such a runner friendly place. 

I know that I might be a little biased, but I’m really not the only one that feels this way. In fact, Minneapolis/St. Paul gets ranked over and over again as one of the best running cities in the nation.

Just check out a couple of the following articles, and you’ll see what I mean!

1. Active.com ranks Minneapolis the #3 best running city in the US! Read it HERE
2. Forbes gives Minneapolis runners props for being so tough! "Training for a distance race as far north as Minnesota can be tough, especially with its icy winters. But runners are hearty here, with than 50 miles of trail to keep your mind engaged as your body does the work. A slew of running groups help keep runners motivated during the freezing winters- and come springtime, the path around the Chain of Lakes is about as gorgeous as it gets." Check out the whole list HERE
3. Outside Magazine lauds Minneapolis/St. Paul as one its favorite running cities HERE

There you have it- its not just me who feels so strongly about the Twin Cities as a runner's haven!

We have miles and miles of running (and biking) trails. We have a plethora of road races and trail races, including two full marathons- one of which, the Twin Cities Marathon, is often praised as a must-do by Runner's World. 

Just take a quick peak at this website for a list of all of the running trails in our fair city: http://www.twincitiesrunning.org/tcrc-running-routes

We also are very lucky to have a multitude of running clubs here. Of course, there's the Calhoun Beach Running Club, which is near and dear to my heart. There's Club Run, Minnesota RED, Lifetime Run, Running Room Run Club , MDRA, a run club associated with TC Running Company, a run club associated with Gear Running Store, a YMCA run club, a YWCA run club...seriously, the list goes on and on. I know that I'm missing a ton of them. But that's the thing- there's a run club for every type of runner here!

With that said, you can understand why I wear the label of a 'Minnesota Runner' with pride. Likewise, I was very excited to come across these unique “RUN MSP” shirts the other day. I needed to stock up on GU's for the marathon,  so I swung by Gear Running Store on my way home from work, and was distracted by these super cute tees. I couldn't resist purchasing one to show my Minnesota runner pride.

The t-shirts are super cozy. I’ve been throwing mine on after a run (and after a shower of course) nearly every day since I bought it. With that said,  I have decided that these t-shirts from Gear are Friday’s Favorite Fit!

After I bought the t-shirt for myself, Dustin was a little jealous. I just had to buy him one too. Twinsies!

They also have some cozy looking hoodies, as well as these dri-fit tees in a variety of colors:

If you are also a proud Minneapolis/St. Paul runner, head on over to Gear to pick up your own t-shirt, hoodie, or dri-fit running top with the "RUN MSP" logo for this Friday’s Favorite Fit!

Curious about past Friday's Favorite Fits? Here is the whole list!

9/13: bkr resusable water bottle
9/6: knuckle lights
8/30: the best carbo loading recipe
8/23: nine west polka dot heels
8/16: the lululemon bitty bracer
8/9: tasteful animal prints
7/26: trigger point foam roller
7/21: outdoor yoga in mpls
6/28: bold colors and patterns
6/21: trail running
6/14 gal pal garment deodorant remover
6/7 the sock bun
5/31 the white oxford shirt
5/17 toms shoes
5/10 bic bands
5/3 race day with a first timer
4/26 cobalt blue
4/19 lululemon wunder under crop
4/12 i run this body t-shirt