Sometimes…

Sometimes life throws you a curveball and your precious little older cat gets super sick and you sit up with her all night crying and googling what could be wrong with her then you take the day off work to get her to the vet where you find out it’s just a bad UTI and high fever and then you spend the rest of the day sitting on the floor next to her trying to get her to eat and praying the medicine starts working soon.

She’s doing mildly better now, 6 hours post-medicine and fluids, but I won’t be happy until she starts eating again. One unexpected bonus of being on the floor with my phone all day, though: it was super easy to shop away my feelings. 

I’ve been lusting after these Brooks Heritage babies for a while now and thanks to big online sales, I scored all 3 pairs for like 60% off. 

And now I’m about to uncork a fresh bottle of Cabernet because this mommy needs a drink.

I’m in Love with My Sneakers: Brooks Transcend 2

Up until recently, I limited myself in my sneaker choices. You see, I had convinced myself that I had to run in the shoes recommended to me by the folks at Road Runner Sports, lest I face the wrath of my angry knees and super high arches. But while I am sure they did me a huge favor by helping me discover that I over pronate and need a stability shoe with extra cushion, those people are by no means the final word in sneakers.

So over the weekend, I sat down with the internet and a pen, and I searched for all the “stability plus” shoes I could possibly find, and went to town selecting my favorites simply based on color and style. Then I bought my list to Road Runner and tried every single pair on.

And wouldn’t you know it, I STILL landed on my old favorites? While there were a few other cute color combos and sleeker designs, every single pair absolutely paled in comparison to my new beauties:

photoThe Brooks Transcend 2

Say hello to the lovelies that will carry me over the finish line of the NYC Half in March, and most likely the Asbury Park Half in April, too! After trying on those 6 or 7 other pairs yesterday, I can honestly say that they are, hands down, the best shoe I’ve ever run in, period. I know they’re not for everyone, and they are a little heavier and more pricey, but I would not trust my poor, overworked joints to anyone but the good folks at Brooks Running.

How about you? Do you have a favorite shoe? Can anyone out there recommend a good stability plus sneaker? Share!

Review: Fabletics Workout Gear

Have you guys tried Fabletics yet? I just got my second order and figured I’d share my opinions in case there are people out there that were on the fence like me!

Fabletics is a subscription-based workout clothing company that Kate Hudson co-founded. I was on the fence at first: each month they pick outfits based on your preferred style input, and if you don’t like their picks, just “skip” the month by the 5th and you’re fine. BUT, if you don’t click “skip”, you’re auto-billed $49.95(!). Now, I’m not a forgetful person by nature, but $50 is a lot! Granted, you can spend it whenever you like in the future, but ugh – that’s a big responsibility!

However, the outfit I first spotted (the Aruba) just made me so happy, and it was an especially good deal: with the new member bonus discount and free shipping, I received a 3-piece outfit for a total of $29.97! So I signed up and got my first order in less than a week: and I was pretty happy with the results:

aruba 1

Lima Capri (in High Intensity Print)

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The Lima capris get a B. They were a little thicker and less stretchy (and as a result, snugger) than I expected. Because of that, I’m afraid to do squats in them; I usually reserve them for elliptical workouts or running. That’s OK though, because the pros outweigh the cons: the higher waist is super flattering (no muffin top), the pattern hides flaws, and they’re not see-through.

Aventura Tank (in White)

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Overall, not super impressed. If I paid full price for this top, I would have returned it. It’s super thin and more see-through than I expected, but considering the outfit I purchased it with, it works. It’s also cut very nicely and super soft, so I’d give it a B-.

Sevan Sports Bra (in Purple)

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Sadly, the sports bra – while cute! – is pretty much just for show because it lacks any support whatsoever. I basically got it because it came with the outfit, and wanted to experiment with a sports bra in a color other than black showing out from under the white tank! That said, it fits very well, the material is ultra soft, and it looks cute. So if you’re doing something super-low-impact, it’ll be just fine (light yoga, lifting, etc). I’ve worn it a handful of times doing lighter activity like that and have no complaints. Grade: B-

After my first order, I wasn’t SO thrilled by Fabletics, so I kind of forgot about them. To avoid the $49.95 monthly charge, I dutifully checked each email and skipped the next few months. Until I went away the whole first week of November and missed my skip window! BOOO!!

Well, I had no one to blame but myself. Besides, $50 on workout stuff is par for the course for me. I was sure I’d find something I liked, so I resolved to spend it, call it a lesson learned, and move on. So I took a look at the available outfits and was surprised to find myself interested in the Current:

currentAfter placing my order on the 11th, I was amazed at how fast it arrived only 3 days later on the 14th, and I was even more impressed by the quality!

Eureka Top (in Cobalt Heather)

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While it is tighter, I *really* like this top. It reminds me of the Lululemon Run Swiftly tops. From the online reviews, it seems that while they’re really cute, the Swiftly tops also suffer from pulls and holes at the slightest snag. So I took a chance and figured with Fabletics’ return policy I could exchange it for something else if it seemed too flimsy. But boy was I pleasantly surprised!! The material is SUPER soft, ultra-warm, and high-quality. I even accidentally snagged it on the Velcro of my overcoat on the way to the gym and didn’t even see one pull. Score!

Again, this top is SNUG, but in a good way. When I wore it with the Camacan capris, I felt 100% confident that I didn’t look like a sausage – on the contrary, this top made me feel like I looked more fit by contouring the right spots. The only con wasn’t even a failure of the shirt: because it was so warm (and the color was so light), the instant I started sweating, it showed.

I only share because I care. But I still give it an A!

Camacan Capri (in Inkwell/Fractal Print Inkwell)

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These are the first Fabletics piece I’ll give an A+ too, and you need to try them yourself to see why. I was hesitant to try these capris after the snug/unforgiving Lima capris, but I was so pleasantly surprised! These are so soft and stretchy, but not see through at all. The waist is just high enough and doesn’t give me any muffin top, and gives where needed. The colors and the print are very pretty. These are by far my #1 pick, and I may grab a few more pairs too!

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So what are you waiting for? Are you interested in Fabletics and want to try them out for yourself? Then be sure to sign up using my referral link and help me get some free stuff while you’re treating yourself – and happy shopping!

Matchy-Matchy

If there’s one thing I can profess to being addicted to (aside from running and baked goods), it’s shopping. I cannot resist a sale, and I’m always on the hunt for my next exciting purchase. So when you combine running and shopping, well, I’m one happy lady.

giphyFigure out a way to incorporate cake into that, and I’ll marry you.

A few weeks ago, I got my “Sock of the Month” email from ProCompression and immediately fell in love with the new design.

Capture1Orange Boom!

Something about it just makes me smile. I don’t normally go for orange or purple, in anything. But this really piqued my interest! And ProCompression has amazing sales almost every month where you can get a $50+ pair of high-quality compression socks for 40% off. I won’t run more than 5-6 miles without these babies, so needless to say, it was a guaranteed purchase. I just needed to find the coupon code. So I bookmarked the page and filed it in the back of my head to get them as soon as I spotted a 40% off code.

Cut to last Thursday when I got a happy little email in my inbox from Lululemon (aka the place I should be able to live in for 3-4 months because that’s how much I’ve spent there in rent money). They were having a surprise Online Factory Sale, for one day – or however long supplies lasted, which is a nice way of saying 4 hours. I sprang into action and snapped up the pair of Groove pants I’ve been stalking for months on sale for $59.

Capture7That’s almost half off!

It wasn’t until a few days later that one of my favorite running bloggers, Run Eat Repeat, posted a pic of herself chilling in my favorite Orange Boom ProCompression socks – with a 40% off code!

It was kismet. I quickly went online and ordered my new preciouses ™ and suddenly it dawned on me: where have I seen that color combo before?

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Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

If there’s one more thing I love more than running and shopping and baked goods, it’s matching. And look what I did, without even realizing it! Now I’m stalking the shorts in the same color – because how fun and obnoxious will I be wearing the shorts and socks at the same time?!

I can’t wait 😀