Fit the Bill: J.Crew Knockoffs...

By Cool J in Minneapolis

It's no surprise that LL and I are both fans of J.Crew. We love their clothes and we love their accessories! We both have multiple versions of the bubble necklace (like the yellow one below).

Yellow bubble necklace

The problem is that J.Crew accessories can be a little pricey. I had been admiring the flower bib necklace (check it out here). Its actually on sale right now for $50, which isn't that bad. But I wanted it in multiple colors, and I already have a lot of necklaces. Should I really be spending $50/pop on more necklaces? Probably not.

Lots of necklaces...

So, I'm going to let you in on a little secret...

Go to ebay, and type in "J.Crew Flower Bib Necklace," and guess what? You can find knockoffs for $10/pop. Yep, only $10. So I bought three!

I know J.Crew would not be pleased if they knew I was encouraging you to buy knockoffs, but can you even tell the difference?

Genuine JCrew Flower Bib Necklace

My Knockoff Version:

Don't get me wrong, I'm still giving J.Crew a lot of my business. In fact, I paired that knockoff necklace with a genuine J.Crew Jules Dress in Trompe L'oeil Lace (now sold out) for a dinner and a play last night.

On a side note, I brought my Stella and Dot Gold Metallic & Black Snakeskin Tech Case Wallet. I bought it a few months ago at a party hosted by Erin O'Leary of Denim and Ink.  It even fits your iPhone! I love it.

So that's my fashion secret for you. Ebay. Knockoff J.Crew necklaces. It works for several other styles that you find in your J.Crew catalogue!

But don't tell anyone else, I don't want everyone to know how I scored so many different version of this funky statement necklace. 

Fits Do Race Reviews: Get Lucky 1/2 Marathon

By Cool J in Minneapolis

This morning, I ran the Team Ortho Get Lucky 1/2 marathon. I did a preview of this race HERE. 

Remember the nice sweatshirt I wrote about? 

Nice sweatshirts!

There was also a 7k race at 9 am today, which is quite popular (11,000+ runners) but we had 15-17 miles on the marathon training schedule, so most of the spring marathoners in the Calhoun Beach Running Club ran the "21k" or half-marathon instead. It started at 8 am in St. Paul at the Ford plant.

Dusters, Abby, Kelly, and I arrived around 7 am, and paid $10 to park in the Ford parking lot. (For the price we paid for the race, you'd think parking at a Ford plant would be free!). It was pretty chilly outside (about 20 degrees) and there was a thin layer of snow and ice on the ground- not ideal conditions for a race. We waited in the car until about 7:30, and then did about a 2 mile warmup. The line of cars to get into the parking lot at that point was several miles long. We thought for sure the race would be delayed to allow for everyone to arrive. There were a lot of port-potties available, but the line was super long there as well....

Alas, the race did start on time- well, at 8:05 am. I was anxious about how my IT band would feel, so I didn't have high expectations for this race. I was just going to be happy to run (hopefully) without pain. I didn't want a repeat of last Saturday. The IT band was definitely tight, and it is sore now post-race, but nothing like last Saturday. Thank goodness!

It was a chilly day for a race, and I'm not sure I dressed warm enough. Luckily, Abby lent me her warm Craft hat. Craft makes awesome gear- some of the best winter gear out there, in my opinion. Thanks Abby!

Lindsey, me, Abby

I didn't particularly care for the out-and-back course on Ford Parkway, and there were some really slippery spots. However, I do think that the race was very well-organized (except for the parking situation), and there was plenty of support on the course.

And my time? Well, my mile splits weren't very consistent. I think I need to start a little slower to finish stronger. What do you think? The two slowest miles were the two hilly miles, so that's my excuse ;-)

Mile 1: 8:11
Mile 2: 8:07
Mile 3: 8:18
Mile 4: 8:10
Mile 5: 8:37
Mile 6: 8:24
Mile 7:  8:13
Mile 8: 8:36
Mile 9: 8:13
Mile 10: 8:08
Mile 11: 8:22
Mile 12: 8:27
Mile 13: 8:24
Total time: 1:50 even.

Not a PR, but that's okay. I made it with minimal pain of the IT band. I am grateful to be running. We ended with another 2 miles for a cool-down, for total mileage for the day of about 17 miles. Not too shabby.

I would rate the overall race experience of the Get Lucky as a 6 out of 10. Dusters gave it a 5 out of 10. He said he just doesn't like winter races, and hates the out-and-back course, and also didn't enjoy the rolling hills. Abby and Kelly gave it a 7- they are much more generous, I guess. So that averages out to a 6.25 overall rating for the Get Lucky Half Marathon, based on four people's opinions! Hey, it's usually just MY opinion.

Some definite pros:

They had plenty of post-race goodies. Yes, that is a peppermint pattie, yum!

And in true Team Ortho style, they had a nice finisher's medal.

Thanks for taking the pictures Andrew! 

Happy to be done with our run!

In my race preview, I had mentioned the post-race party (free beer!) but we were so freezing after today's race that we decided to come right home for a hot shower. We'll have a beer tonight to make up for it. We're heading to dinner at Cafe Maude with some friends, and then to the Orpheum for Spamalot! But first, time for some more foam rolling.

I hope you are all enjoying your St. Patrick's Day. 

Did you do a St. Patrick's Day themed run today? Did you wear a costume? Or are you doing one tomorrow? Please share!

I wore the only green top that I had. And my shamrock BIC band again too, though it was covered by the cozy Craft hat.

Fit the Bill: Ready for Springware

By LL in KC

I don't know about all of you, but I am ready for spring...R E A D Y! The last two days we have had teasers in KC - 67 on Thursday, 83 on Friday. And I wake up this morning to 38, windy and a 40% chance of snow. I mean, seriously?!?!

With the first day of spring just around the corner (Wednesday the 20th if you didn't know), I definitely have spring fever. Back in my college days, this fever would have been answered with a Spring Break trip to a warm climate. Since Spring Break is not happening for this working woman, I am left to pretend and shop for spring fashion in preparation for warmer days to come. You've heard of the show Doomsday Preppers on National Geographic? Well, I'm a Springday Prepper...hoarding spring fashion for the warmer temps.

Armed with a budget (totally necessary when heading out for crazy sale shopping), here are a few of the great sales that I will be hitting today:

LOFT has 40% off of everything today.

J.Crew Factory has 40% off Matchstick Jeans, 5" and 3" chino shorts, and dresses, and of course an additional 30% of all tops and 40% off all sale items. Don't have a J.Crew Factory near you? Online you can get an additional 30% off of everything!

The Limited has 40% off everything as well.

Madewell is offering an additional 20% off all sale items.

H&M is in the midst of its Midseason Sale, which could be very dangerous!

Old Navy has a good deal for those who don't want to leave the house today (perfect for those of you who are even colder than here in KC) - 17% off your entire order. Plus, all summer dresses are on sale for $15-$20.

Looking for shoe deals? DSW is offering free shipping this weekend.

Let's see how far my budget will stretch today!

Fresh New Fit: Kona Kases!

By Cool J in Minneapolis

I just cancelled one monthly subscription (to Ellie- if you missed it, read about it HERE, HERE, and HERE)  And now it’s on to the next subscription!

My friend Meggan gave me the heads up about Kona Kase – a monthly subscription of a completely different sort than Ellie.

Rather than fitness apparel, Kona Kase is a monthly delivery of “awesome endurance nutrition samples!”

It’s only $15/month with free shipping. You can try it out for 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, or a year. You can cancel whenever you want.

You won’t know ahead of time what will be contained in your Kona Kase, but the company will elicit your feedback to continue to customize the Kona Kase experience to fit your specific needs. There will be a variety of products- GU's, Cliff blocks, Picky bars, etc.

I signed up for a 3 month subscription, and my first Kase should arrive between the 15-18th of April.

Unlike Ellie’s fitness apparel, Kona Kases are non-returnable; this makes sense though, since it’s FOOD! It's more about trying out different products to see what you like and what works for you. I'm excited to try it and will provide my honest feedback of the products inside!

And if you're interested in trying it out, send me your email, and I'll send you an invite. Yes, I will get a $15 credit if you sign up, thanks :-)

I think this will be a good program for the busy runner. If you're anything like me, you often run out of GU/fuel the night before a long run. With this program, you'll get to try a variety of options, and you'll always have something on hand before the long run.

Example Kona Kase

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

By Cool J

Are you wearing green to work today? I am!

And a Shamrock BIC band!

Failed Fit: Farewell "Ellie"....

 By Cool J in Minneapolis

I just can't shake this monthly fitness apparel program! I thought I had cancelled it, but apparently, I had already been charged for one final shipment. So in the interest of full disclosure, here is my final shipment:

Ellie brand pants: 

I like the stripe down the side, and they are pretty comfy

 Ellie brand top:

I like the funky back, but I'm not a fan of built-in bras, as I don't feel like they are very supportive. I probably wouldn't have picked this out for myself.

You can read THIS POST for information on how Ellie works (previously known as pv body). Now I'm officially done with Ellie, but over the three months, I did receive some fun new fitness apparel. I enjoyed receiving a surprise shipment every month, but I think I'd prefer to try on clothes at the store and select things that I really want and actually need.  

Farewell, Ellie! It's been fun!

Fit Fanatic: Follow up

By Cool J in Minneapolis

Just a quick follow up to let you know I ran yesterday and today relatively pain free. I see Dr. Jenna Boren again on Friday, and I hope that I am ready for the Get Lucky half on Saturday.

And in other news, I bought a new swimsuit for swimming laps. It's basically just a Reebok sports bra made of swim material, but a bit more flattering than that high school one piece!

I was surprised at how expensive one piece suits are- most of the ones I foun were around $90! Since I don't swim that often, I figured a more versatile two piece would be better, as I could use it on active vacations, etc. And it was only $40.