#43: run a half marathon

In January I decided to do something a little crazy--I registered for a half-marathon in my city even though I had not been consistently running (or running at all, really) for months. You might notice that in my 101 Tasks in 1001 Days challenge, many of the tasks under improve are related to health and/or fitness. Despite challenging myself to complete each of these goals though, I have not made a whole lot of progress in the past year. I am the type of person who is generally unmotivated to do something unless I have invested time/money/effort into it--which is particularly why I decided to register for the half-marathon. I knew that I wanted to get back to consistently working out, and I figured that the best way to do that was to put money towards my half-marathon registration fee. Then I COULDN'T let myself back out.

Even though I registered in January, I did not start officially training until mid-February because the race was at the beginning of May and my training program lasted 12 weeks. (I did spend January working my way back up to comfortably running 3 miles without stopping.) I used the Hal Higdon Novice 2 Training Program as a guide while training, and really liked it. If I do a half-marathon again, I will most definitely be using this guide.

Training went really well, and I actually began to enjoy running. Weird, right? When the day of the half-marathon rolled around, it was ridiculously HOT. If I had to change one thing that I did, I would have lied about my anticipated finish time when registering (I picked the 12:00min/mile or above category) so that I could have finished earlier. The heat definitely impacted my performance, and even though I completed the race, I did it much slower than I anticipated or wanted.

Despite the heat, the experience of running in the Lincoln National Guard Half Marathon was terrific. The community came out in full force and lined the streets as nearly 12,500 people ran between 13.1 and 26.2 miles. Let me just say--the signs that the community members held up were AWESOME! Some of them made me laugh out loud, and others just made me shake my head because they were ridiculous. My son and husband were waiting for me around the 6.5/7 mile mark since it was near our house. Hearing them cheer me on and getting a high five from my little guy made my day!

My mom ran the half-marathon too and she ROCKED it. (She's over 50!)
This was us pre-race.

The CS@CBA team showed up in full-force.
Having the support of these wonderful co-worker/friends while training was so important!

My mom and I after the race in our Lincoln marathon shirts and with our medals.
WE DID IT!
#finishers

Family picture after the race.
(Yes, Hayden did steal my mom's medal.)

Overall, the half marathon was a great experience, and I could see myself doing it again. I am considering registering for the Lincoln Halfsy in November... so we'll see!

June 2015 Stitch Fix Review (Fix #5)

It's that time of the month... my June Stitch Fix box arrived in my mailbox yesterday and I could not be more excited! This is literally my favorite part of the month. What is better than someone picking out five pieces of clothing and sending them to you in the mail? Answer: NOTHING!

What the heck is Stitch Fix?

I honestly do not remember the first moment that I learned about Stitch Fix, but I would guess it was when I was doing research into what type of subscription service to try next. For those of you who might not know what Stitch Fix is, it is essentially a subscription box where you pay $20 for a stylist to send you 5 pieces of clothing in the mail. Then, you get to pick out which items you want to keep or return (if you keep all 5 pieces, you get a 25% discount). Your $20 styling fee is deducted from the price of the items that you keep. And don't worry about price points - you get to indicate which price range you are comfortable with!

Here's how it works:

• You sign up for Stitch Fix and fill out a style profile. Your style profile gathers information like your height, weight, bra/dress/pant size. It asks how you like your clothes to fit. Then you get to choose what styles of clothing you like, ranked from hate it to love it. You can choose if there are any clothing or accessory items that you do NOT want to receive, and then set your price range for different items of clothing.
• Schedule your fix and include notes to your stylist. (Try to keep your notes positive. Example: I really want a good pair of colored jeans. Avoid saying that you do NOT want something in your notes - that's what your style profile is for!)
• Your stylist will pick out five items for you based on your profile and notes that they think you might like.
• Try everything on and decide what you want to keep and send back. Stitch Fix includes a return bag, so all you have to do is checkout on their website and drop the bag of clothes you aren't keeping in the mail within three business days. Don't forget to leave your stylist feedback about why you loved an item or sent it back so they can improve future fixes. BE HONEST!

Disclaimer: I have noticed that my Fixes have gotten better as my stylist learns what I do and do not like. Also, once I got a really great fix, I requested to keep that stylist in my feedback/notes. This helps because then you have a consistent stylist who knows you and your style.

June 2015 Stitch Fix Review

This is my fifth fix, and this is my third fix with Sheri as my stylist. She just kicks it out of the park EVERY time. I'm so excited to share what I got!

All Fixes come with a note from your stylist. Generally these note cards comment about why your stylist picked particular items for you. Here's my note from Sheri:

I had requested a number of specific Stitch Fix items that I have seen pop up on some other blogs that I follow. I had also requested more of a casual fix for this month because it's summer and I do not have as many casual summer tops as I would like.

Next up is the style card. This shows a summary of what you received in your box and some potential ideas about how to style it:

This card is great for me because I am not always the most creative person when trying to pair clothing pieces!

First up, the Ezra Bell Dress [$58]: Okay, I love, love, LOVE this dress. Sheri hit the nail on the head when she said that she thought this would be the perfect casual dress for me. It is SO comfortable and fun. The fabric is really soft and flowy, and the lace detail on the bottom makes the dress something super unique! The past few days, it has been super hot here... and despite the fact that it is a casual dress, I could definitely pull it off at work. I'm also contemplating wearing it to my best friend's bachelorette party since it will be a laid-back and casual event.

Verdict: KEPT (Duh!)

Honey Punch Layla Striped Elbow Patch Detail Cardigan [$48]: This was an item that I had specifically requested, and Sheri delivered! I am always cold in my office and around the house, so cardigans are my go-to attire. The fabric of this is so soft and the cardigan is really comfortable--perfect for layering! I also really love the elbow patches on the sleeves (a big reason why I requested the piece in the first place). Even though this is a small, it seems a little big on me, so I will probably contact customer service to see if they have an extra-small to exchange.

Verdict: KEPT (will try to exchange for a smaller size, but will keep the small if CS does not have an extra-small)

Romolo Sylvie Double Crescent Collar Necklace [$28]: I had requested a delicate necklace that another Stitch Fix subscriber had posted to their blog. Unfortunately, they were out of that piece, so Sheri sent me this one instead. It is plain and simple (which is my jewelry style!), but the double crescent seems to make the necklace not as delicate as I would have liked. I do not hate it, and I could definitely wear it with the cardigan as Sheri suggested, but I am just not sure that I would reach for this necklace on a consistent basis. 

Verdict: KEPT for discount (willing to sell!)

Loveappella Barths Contrast Yoke Knit Top [$54]: Originally, I had requested the Rowson Colorblock Striped Sweater but I had also put in my stylist note that I was looking for t-shirts. Sheri did a great job finding something similar in style to the Rowson sweater, but still light enough to wear during the summer! Again, this shirt is super soft. You might find it hard to see in the picture (excuse the bad lighting and the blurriness - that's what happens when a 5-year-old is taking the pictures), but there are a few buttons on the top of the left side of the shirt. Really cute! I feel like I could easily dress this shirt up or down depending on my mood--versatility is always great.

Verdict: KEPT

Renee C Iman Crochet Strap Top [$48]: What is more perfect for summer than a top with crocheted details? The colors of this shirt aren't necessarily my favorite - I generally like more vibrant colors and these are a little dull - but I loved the way this shirt felt when it was on. It was very light and flowy - SO important for summer! Also, I could just die over how much I love the crochet back of this top. 

Verdict: KEPT

Were you keeping track? This fix ending up being a 4/5 as far as pieces that I really loved and just didn't want to part with for various reasons. The only piece that I was not originally sold on was the necklace. If I just bought the three shirts and the dress, my total would be $188 ($208 minus the $20 styling credit that I already paid). But if I kept everything including the necklace, my total would be $157 when taking into account the 25% discount. That's a savings of $31 - which is $3 more than the necklace even costs!

If anyone reading is absolutely in love with the necklace, let me know and I would be willing to sell it to you for $26 ($28 minus a 25% discount of $7, plus $5 for shipping). Otherwise I'm sure that I would wear it occasionally with some of my plain tops.

Interested?

Are you interested in signing up for Stitch Fix? Feel free to use this referral link!

Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post. I am not being paid by Stitch Fix to promote their service, and all thoughts and opinions are my own. I do receive a referral credit if someone signs up through any of the affiliate links on this page.