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!