Source: Lululemon addict

For some reason I love to buy new “race clothing” for any race that I do. This is not a smart decision on my part (I’m sure my friend Run Shorts has a blog post on why you should always wear race clothes you have run in before), but I just can’t help myself. Going to a race is kind of like the first day of school for me. I want to wear something new!

So, what was the race outfit at this weekend’s half marathon & how did it hold up?

• Lululemon tracker skirt (new piece of clothing)
• Shock Absorber bra (previously owned)
• Lululemon’s  Cool Racerback Tank (new piece of clothing)
• Nike Lunar Glides (previously owned but never run long distances in)
• Unknown brand of socks (previously owned but never wore running)

The best part of my outfit hands down was the Shock Absorber bra. No chafing whatsoever and it provided support throughout the entire race.

Worst part was the shoes/unknown brand of socks. This shoe does not work for me for long distances (over 10km). Some people I know love these shoes but they just didn’t feel supportive enough for me. The socks I chose to wear didn’t help as well as they kept slipping below my ankle..bad choice on my part.

As for the Lululemon pieces of clothing I wore they were great and a close runner up to the bra. As someone who wears Lululemon quite a bit I kind of knew what to expect and wasn’t surprised that the clothes were comfortable to run in. Only issue I had was with the built in shorts that were a part of the skort – there was the potential to chafe there, but thankfully I was wearing some Body Glide. The clothes also held up during the torrential downpour we experienced mid-way through the half marathon.

Does anyone else out there buy new race clothes or am I the only crazy one?!

Its been a while since my last race. To get back into the spirit of racing I have registed for the Nike Runners Lounge Shamrock Shuffle which takes place on March 18. An 8 km race spring race sounds like the perfect way to get back into things. Is not too short, is not too long and best part…it is free to register. I even have signed up B (although he doesn’t know it yet! All part of mt master plan to get him exercising more!)

What do you need to do?

Check out the Lounge’s Facebook fan page. One of the tabs at the top is all about the Shamrock Shuffle. This will contain all the information that you need! They are also running free training runs Thursdays at 6 p.m.

Hope to see you there!

PS: A lot of people are curious about the Nike Runner Lounge it seems. The best way to find out about what they are up to is to go to their Facebook Page or pop by the Nike Store on Bloor.

Free stuff!

Today was my lucky today as I received a special care package from Nike (I’m coaching a 10 km running clinic and its goal race is the 2009 Nike Human Race) . Got some lunar glides, a Sportsband and an outfit. Looking forward to trying out the Nike Sportsband on upcoming runs. Will keep you posted with how it keeps track of my runs. 

Thank you Nike!

Flickr: striatic

Take advantage of the last of the summer weather with a leisurely bike ride on Toronto Island. All you need to do is hop on the finally operating ferry to Centre Island and walk to the bicycle rental shop. There is only one rental place on the island and they are definitely not of the best quality, but they do they trick. You can also bring your own bike to the island. I actually do this bike ride at least once a summer and am always fascinated with the community that lives there and how you can buy a house on the island. Finish the day off with a late lunch at the Rectory café.

Start the weekend off right with a trip to Toronto’s Nike lounge. On a Saturday morning they have an 8:30 a.m. open run and at 10 a.m. they have something called Escape Running which is helping a group train for the Men’s Health Urbanathlon in October. They incorporate a variety of different exercises into their running like plyometrics, hill training and strength. According to Facebook they are open to anyone joining and will leave no one behind!

Looking to mix a bit of exercise with some of Toronto’s culture then the Royal Ontario Museum’s walking tour of Mount Pleasant cemetery is for you. Taking place on August 9^th at 2 p.m. the free 2 hour walk will take you through different parts of the cemetery.

Future workout?

my friend runshorts just blogged about Canada’s first ever stiletto race that will take place on September 11. Check out the blog for details and make sure to register soon as this event is bound to be hot!