Living in Southern California, I don’t have that many opportunities to run in snow. The snow I found up in the mountains of Utah during Christmas break put my New Balance Minimus Trail shoes to the test.  I was a little wary at first, being careful of every stride up and down the trail, but soon I realized these shoes gave me so much traction.  I’ve never felt so sure footed.  Kind of makes me want to find more snow to run in.  Kind of–I’ll always be a CA girl through and through (which allows me to be a fair weather runner).

Note: If you are considering transitioning to any New Balance Minimus shoe from a shoe with a higher heel, you need to exercise caution during the transition period to avoid injury.

**disclosure – New Balance sent me with a pair of Minimus Trail Shoes to review. Since I’ve loved the NB Minimus Road Shoes I purchased back in May, I was more than happy to do so. I was not compensated in any way and receive no financial benefit from sharing this product with you.  I just love them and was totally amazed how they performed under snowy conditions while my brother-in-law was slip-sliding all over the place in his running shoes.

When my brother-in-law heard about the First Annual Indoor Triathlon being sponsored by his athletic club in UT on New Year’s Eve, he knew it would be the perfect event for the family.  When he found out we could compete as two teams of four, it made it even better.  After 20 minutes on the spin bike, 15 minutes on the treadmill, a 5 minute lap swim and an hour of trash talking and friendly family rivalry, distances were added up, points were given and our team came out on top (barely).  Before accepting our award medals, we had to make proper podiums (of course). Hopefully the Ogden Athletic Club will continue to organize this race because it’s a holiday family tradition I’d love to keep.

Over the past eight months, I’ve fallen deeply in love with my New Balance Minimus Road shoes. Those shoes have been with me for numerous races; from 5K’s to a half marathon to the Hood to Coast Relay. I credit a large part of my 5K, 10K, and half marathon PR’s this year to the change in running form I’ve been able to (slowly) achieve by wearing these shoes along with my Vibrams. Because of this, I was excited to try out the trail version of my favorite shoe which actually has a Vibram outsole.

I got to take my New Balance Minimus Trail Running shoes on their inaugural run this weekend as I began my training for the OC Chili Trail Run Series (who’s joining me?!). I am already in love. Beyond being incredibly comfortable, flexible and lightweight, I have never felt so sure-footed on a trail run.  It was an amazing feeling. These shoes make me excited to get back on that trail and do some more hill repeats!

Note: If you are considering transitioning to any New Balance Minimus shoe from a shoe with a higher heel, you need to exercise caution during the transition period to avoid injury.

**disclosure – New Balance sent me with a pair of Minimus Trail Shoes to review. Since I’ve loved the NB Minimus Road Shoes I purchased back in May, I was more than happy to do so. I was not compensated in any way and receive no financial benefit from sharing this product with you.  I just love them.

A Thanksgiving race seems like excuse enough for a fun running costume, so I made the girls and I matching, sparkly Indian headresses to go with our Team Sparkle skirts and we headed to the Plymouth Rock ‘n’ Run.

I have a soft spot in my heart for 10K’s since my very first race EVER was the Dana Point Turkey Trot 10K in 2008.

This 10K treated me well with a new PR of 47:41 (7:42 pace) which placed me third in my age division!

Brother talked about running the “Kids K” for weeks ahead of time.  He was absolutely positive he was going to win the race, especially once I bought him running shoes and made him a sparkle cape.  We were worried there might be tears once he realized he wasn’t actually going to win, but at the end of the race, he was just super proud of himself.

This was my third time competing in the Muddy Buddy LA (2008, 2009).  It’s a “leapfrog” race where teams of two traverse a 7 mile off-road course and 5 obstacles on foot and while sharing a bike. With my awesome niece as my buddy, hot pink Team Sparkle skirts as race attire and a team name of  “Mud, Sweat, Sparkle,” I was in it to win it this year.

The course was muddy and slick from the very start because of the rain that morning.

We were able to finish in quick 50:19.  But that meant we didn’t have time to mud wrestle like past years.

As much as we tried, these Piggies beat us.  I just couldn’t keep up.

But, we still placed 2nd in our age group and 2nd overall out of 100 women teams!  And can I just mention how impressed I was at how well the Team Sparkle skirts cleaned up? Amazing!

I’ve always wondered what to do with my running medals. After reading about Medals of Courage, my Disneyland Half Marathon medal is on it’s way to Loma Linda Children’s Hospital.  It’s such an easy thing that could mean a lot to a little one battling cancer.  I ran faster in that half marathon than I ever thought I could so I hope the medal can remind a sick child that “anything is possible” at the time they need it most.  Find out more about Medals of Courage started by Candace Ransom, HERE. Donations are being accepted until November 20th.

Dressing up for any Run Disney race is an absolute MUST.  But for me, having a Disney running costume that is comfortable while I’m on the course is also a MUST.  Here’s how I put together my Snow White running costume for the Disneyland Half Marathon.

How to make a Snow White Disney running costume

Supplies: 1 Team Sparkle skirt in Golden Yellow (super lightweight and so comfortable).  1 running tank (got mine at Target), 1 yard of 1″ soft knit elastic, 2 yards each of 1 1/2″ blue ribbon & 1″ red ribbon (you’ll have some extra to play with), Cape & collar (optional).

Steps:

Measure around your upper arm. Cut 2 pieces of elastic to match that measurement. Sew elastic together in a circle. Be sure to sew the seam flat so there won’t be any chafing.

Cut 2 pieces of blue ribbon 9″ long

Cut 2 pieces of blue ribbon 10″ long

Cut 2 pieces of red ribbon 9″ long

Cut 2 pieces of red ribbon 10″ long

Cut 2 pieces of red ribbon 8″ long

Mark the middle of each piece of elastic. Pleat ribbon pieces and pin onto elastic as show in picture in the correct order of length. Sew with a zig zag stitch onto elastic.

Do the same on the second piece of elastic, but reverse the order of ribbon.

Pleat ribbon on other end and pin to tank, right sides together, matching 10″ blue ribbon to shoulder seam of tank and spacing out other ribbons on each side. There will be more ribbons toward the front of the tank then they back.  Sew.

Try on tank with “puff sleeves” and adjust length of ribbons if neccessary.

Adding the cape is a little more complicated but here is the general idea and shape of the pieces:

Once collar is sewn and cape is attached, try on tank to get proper placement and tack collar in place at front tips.

The Disneyland 1/2 marathon has definitely become my favorite race of the year.  The course is so fun, weaving in and out of both parks and Angels Stadium. The crowd is amazing, including cheerleaders, bands, Disney characters, hula dancers, boy scouts, girl scouts, and a mariachi band. I didn’t even look at my watch because the miles just flew by.  And I LOVE running in costume. I love seeing others running in costume.  This race is chock full of creativity.  I tried to step it up this year and created a Snow White costume using a sports tank from Target, some ribbon, and a golden yellow Team Sparkle skirt.

I was determined to PR at this race which wasn’t too lofty of a goal since I’d only run two 1/2 marathons before – one was my first 1/2 marathon ever and the second one was 10 weeks after I had The Baby.  After my success running with a pace group at the Surf City Half Marathon, I decided to try again. I hung out with the  1:55 pace group until mile 8. That’s when the pacer said, “Now let’s remember to conserve our energy. Don’t yell or cheer with the spectators and don’t give out any high-fives”.  I responded, “You think I like to dress like this for a race, then NOT hand out high-fives to the fans?” I then proceeded to pull in front of the 1:55 pace group while cheering, waving and weaving back and forth across the route to hand out TONS of high-fives.  I ended up finishing in 1:49:08 crushing my goal time of 1:55 and even coming in ahead of my secret goal time of 1:50 (I owe it all to my Snow White running costume).

And I did it all with my MAC Russian Red lipstick still in place at the end of the race.

More stats:

Time: 1:49:08 (pace 8:20)

676th out of 12,781 runners

28th in my division of 1,410

My running partners had amazing achievements of their own. Kelly came in 10th in our age division with a rockin’ time of 1:43(and change) and Elise ran the 1/2 marathon at 28 weeks pregnant.  Check out the official Run Disney 1/2 Marathon video to experience the fun and see if you can spot us in all our Disney themed running costume glory (hint: we’re at the very end).

I think I’ve let the Hood to Coast Relay posts drag out so long becauase I don’t want to admit it’s really over.  It was an amazing experience to run the “mother of all relays” with Nuun. Part of me wants to say it was the chance of a lifetime but the other part sure hopes I’ll get the chance to experience it again.  If I don’t, at least I have this video to remind me of the epic adventure we had.  Kind of makes putting up with an extra person (plus all his camera equipment & longboard skateboard) in our van TOTALLY WORTH IT.

Nuun | Hood to Coast from eric becker on Vimeo.

You can find all my Hood to Coast posts HERE.

If you’re interested in trying Nuun ( a product I used and loved way before I was on their “team”), use “afternuundelight” at check-out for 25% off (until September 30, 2011)!

Relay runners can often be identified by their reflective vests, slap bracelets and lighting attached to random body parts.

LEG 8: 4.55 mi (easy) “Downhill and rolling terrain along country roads and limited paved shoulder.” (6:08pm) Since my first leg started after 6pm, I was required to carry a light of some sort even though it didn’t actually get dark during my run. I went with the the knuckle light. The rest of that first leg was a blur as I was still recovering from the previous night’s stomach flu and complete absence of sleep.  I was basically running on soda crackers, Nuun and adrenaline.  I do remember it being hot and I was so thankful for the people standing out on their lawns offering to spray runners with their garden hoses. Time-35:56 (7:53 pace)

Leg 20: 5.75 mi (very hard) “Very challenging up and downhills on partially paved and gravel back-country roads.” (3:35am) This was the leg I had been dreading ever since watching the Hood to Coast documentary. They don’t talk much about specific legs of the course in the movie…except this one…because it’s treacherous.  But you know what? It turned out to be my favorite leg of the entire race.  There is something so peaceful about running in the middle of the night even when the dust kicked up from the gravel road makes it hard to breathe and even harder to see.  I wished I had brought some clear glasses to wear. Time-53:34 (pace 9:18)

Leg 32: 4.09 mi (moderate) “Basically flat terrain on narrow country roads around Young’s River” (12:27pm). Even a moderate run can feel extremely hard when you’ve already run 10 miles and only slept an hour and a half during the previous 24 hours. There is also a sense of exhilaration when you make that final hand off knowing you’ve given everything you had in those last few yards because your personal race is finally over. Time- 33:22 (pace 8:09)

Final Finish Time 28:12:46  Placing 323rd out of 1267 teams.

You can find all my Hood to Coast posts HERE.

If you’re interested in trying Nuun ( a product I used and loved way before I was on their “team”), use “afternuundelight” at check-out for 25% off (until September 30, 2011)!