Wednesday, January 14, 2015

New Clothes & A Race Schedule

While some may argue that the feeling of renewal that accompanies the new year is the best part of January, I'd argue the winter sales might have it beat.

Anticipating the swarms of resolutioners who will be signing up for gym memberships (usually at a discount!), plenty of stores drop prices on their workout clothes.

I rarely shop at Old Navy (it's not convenient for me), but once a year their 40% discount on workout clothes gets the best of me! This weekend I picked up some new gym shorts for Matt and a few new tops for myself.
I got this tank in neon coral and neon green.
This tank is cotton, but will be good for cross-training.
(The sale is still going on, plus an extra 25% off with the code JACKPOT.)
Neon green might be my new favorite neon!
The shirt is a little looser than my usual taste, but it's really comfortable and I love the straps.
It's a good thing I've got some new running clothes, because I'm finally putting together my winter/spring race schedule.

February: I finally decided how to celebrate my birthday. The weekend after, I'll be in Tampa with Kristin (and hopefully some other ladies from our Ragnar team) running the Gasparilla 15k and half marathon. Yes, both! I'm excited.

Also, February 8 I'll be running the Run to the Arts 5k with Elisa. It will be her first race ever and my first race of 2015...I haven't raced a 5k in a long time and I'm pretty nervous!

March: The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on March 7.

April: The Shark's Tooth 10k is the morning after a friend's wedding...I still plan to get there but it will mean a very early morning and a long drive after a late night. I'm already concerned about my plan to PR it!

My backup race is a 5k I've run in the past and really love:
The Fast and the Furriest!
I'm hoping that this year I'll be in DC with students again in May and will finally be able to cross an item off my bucket-list: run in DC!

I haven't signed up for all these races, but they're on my radar and they would keep me motivated through spring.

Have you put together your 2015 race calendar?
Do you sign up in advance, or wait for races to get closer?
 Which cost-efficient workout clothes do you love? Old Navy and Target are my favorite!

ABK

18 comments:

  1. That is a cute top! Looks like it would be good for yoga and I usually purchase my capris from Old Navy. Ooooh yay for a DC visit, feel free to email if you have any questions!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh I wish I had gotten capris! Maybe when the sales are a little steeper...I wasn't going to pay $18 when I don't know how they fit, but they are so cute!

      I've been to DC many times with my students, but this is the first year I'm determined to wake up before our full day of sight-seeing to run! It's one of my favorite cities.

      Delete
  2. I heard about the 40% sale...thanks for the extra coupon! Looks like a great start to the year for racing! I have my tentative race calendar for the year, but I do have a feeling some other races will sneak in! I've been cautiously waiting to pay for some of my races because I'm always scared I'll get injured and DNS!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your schedule is looking good, too. I really SHOULD wait to sign up for races, but I just love to jump on them while they're less expensive. Plus, putting down the money makes me commit.

      Delete
  3. I have a tentative race calendar, it is very full! I haven't signed up for all of them but I have for a few. Some of them I am going to let sit for awhile until I really know if they are feasible. That is the only bad thing! Racing can be expensive so I have to be careful of not spending too much and picking the races that are my favorite for the best prices! :)
    Those tanks are cute...I don't have an Old Navy nor Target near me....boo!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's too bad the early-bird prices are usually the best! I wish I could sign up for all of my prospective races at once!

      Delete
  4. I love the I Can I Will shirt! workout clothes from Old Navy are the only clothes from that store that fit me right. I used to have some awesome Old Navy running shorts but I grew out of them. Boo hoo!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The shirts are kind of huge on me. I need to try their workout leggings but I don't know if they'll run big or regular.

      I'm so excited to wear the I Can I Will shirt! I just haven't decided if it'll work for running because it's cotton.

      Delete
  5. Ohhh I love the neon top, I may need to order myself one after I hit publish on this comment!

    I love Target workout clothes and I'm always on the hunt for UA tops on sale or clearance at sporting good stores. The UA sale site sometimes has good deals too. I cleaned up in December when Brooks put all of their summer clothes on clearance!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I highly recommend the top. It's pretty long on me but SO comfy and cute!

      Target workout clothes are SO great. I need to get some new bras this weekend actually.

      Delete
  6. Those tanks are cute!

    I usually only plan out a big race in advance (like a marathon or a half) and other races just end up happening as friends talk me into doing them. I know that isn't a good strategy for PRing in the shorter distances, but until recently I haven't been too interested in that. I'm thinking that this fall I might try to do 2-4 5-10k races as I work on my speed but it'll depend on schedules and finances.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It does make sense if you're running a big, really long distance race to just sign up for that and then fill in other little races as the year goes. I have to figure out how to train long and still get faster for shorter races!

      Delete
  7. The local races I usually wait until the night before (or the day of) to sign up due to weather. I'm such a fair weather runner and don't want to race in miserable conditions. Especially the local races that happen every single year. For bigger races, I sign up at least a month in advance. This weekend, there is a small local 5k and 10k. I'm not signing up until we get there. :-D I also love Old Navy for their workout clothes, especially their pants.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my gosh, I can't do the day of! The latest I sign up is usually the week of. But it makes sense to wait and figure out weather first.

      Are their pants true to size? Their shirts run large and I never know how I'd fit in their pants.

      Delete
  8. Love the neon green top!:)
    What does your tattoo say?
    I have only signed up for 3 races. Berlin half marathon, Oslo half marathon, and Firenze/Florence marathon --- haha the same ones I ran in 2014. Hopefully I'll find a couple other races to try too, I really wanted to do the San Francisco half marathon, but it's a few days before or after (can't remember which haha) I'm there :'(
    I love Nike :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My tattoo says "The race is long and in the end it's only with yourself". It's a quote from Mary Schmich's graduation essay.

      Ooh, a marathon in Florence would be GORGEOUS but so hilly! I could hardly bike in Florence.

      Delete
  9. You're going to be giving Lonnie a run for his money soon in that green shirt! ;-)

    I plan my race schedule out but haven't signed up for all of them yet. I usually spread the sign ups out over a few weeks so I'm not spending like $200 on race entries in one shot haha. So far- Spartan, Tough Mudder and Savage this spring. I wanted to do Battlefrog too but it's the weekend I'm getting back from vacation and I'm not 100% sure I'll be back in town the day of the race yet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have so much neon now...I totally blame Lonnie's influence!

      Isn't it crazy how expensive races can end up being?!

      Delete