Nike D.C. Women’s Half Marathon Expo

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Colleen Lerro

I can’t even believe my half marathon is TOMORROW! It’s time to put so many weeks of training to the test. I’m not particularly thrilled with my last two weeks of training, but am hoping the foundation I built will be strong enough to still go for my goal. Yesterday I headed into Georgetown for packet pick-up and the expo, and thought it was a great experience!

Ian dropped me off around 3, and I headed straight to the packet pick-up tent since I’d volunteered to help out for a shift there.

Packet Pick-Up Tent

I was really impressed by how many volunteers they had an how organized it was. No matter how many people poured in, there never seemed to be much of a line if any at all. I got my volunteer shirt, went through a quick training session and sat down at a computer to check runners in and assign their bibs for the next three hours.

Bib Pick Up

The time flew by. It was really fun to see how excited everyone was for the race. Before leaving I picked out a bib for myself and saw that I may have been a bit ambitious when I registered placing myself in the 6:30-7:29 pace group. I’m hoping for a 7:30 pace so I’m debating whether it’s smarter to start near the back of this group or drop back and start at the front of the next group. It’ll likely be a game-time decision.

Bib and Pace Corral Bracelet

From there I headed to the Expotique on the Waterfront. I thought it was pretty cool. It was fun, loud, energetic and crowded once I entered the tent. I breezed through pretty quickly since I was starting to get hungry and had a dinner date with Ian planned at Pizzeria Paradiso coming up, but I did make time to stop and test out several of the Nuun Hydration flavors. They were all pretty awesome, but I especially liked the Cherry Limeaid and Fruit Punch varieties.

Expotique

You could also get a quick hair style from Paul Mitchell stylists and a free makeover with Bare Minerals make up – the only kind of make up I wear. I love the natural look it gives and the fact that it never feels caked on. I took my card from my packet that gave me three chances to win Nike shoes and gear and tried my code on all three walls with no luck…bummer! Then I took a quick look at the wall of sneaks, selection of sports bras and inspiration wall where everyone was free to write why they run on it.

Fun things to do at the Expo

There was still more to see at the Nike Store, so I made my way up Thomas Jefferson St. towards it with a stop at the We Run DC wall. This was so cool. It had the names of every participant on it.

We Run DC Wall

I even managed to spot mine!

Finding my name on the We Run DC wall!

The Nike Store in Georgetown is pretty great with three levels of awesomeness. They even had a DJ in the store. It was a mad house and they had tons of NWM DC specific gear. I found a black tank with the DC race logo on it. I actually have the same style tank in three different colors so I knew what size to get and knew I’d love it!

During my Sunday stop at Pacers to pick up my Gu and Body Glide for the race I asked about the special Tiffany Blue Nike Frees I’d heard had been designed for this race. They only had one pair of size 8’s left in stock…my size! I figured it was a sign I just had to get them.

Nike Frees – DC edition

Now it’s time for some spaghetti and meatballs and hopefully an early night! Good luck to everyone running tomorrow!! See you out there!

Gear Review: Skirt Sports

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Colleen Lerro

I took advantage of a clearance sale at the end of last year on Skirt Sports and scored big. I’d never worn any of their clothes so I wasn’t sure about sizing and a bit skeptical about ordering online without trying them on, but they were too cute and stylish not to try out. Why not look great even in running gear?

I ordered the Tough Girl Skirt normally priced at $90 for $36 and the Lotta Breeze Capri normally $75 for $30. See what I mean by deals too good to pass up! I got both in an extra small and they are the perfect fit. They do a nice job on their website describing how the items will fit and include notes if many wearers have said a certain item fits differently than initially described.

The Lotta Breeze Capri are like the name says, capri-length with a cute reddish-pink skirt. They have a tight fit that feels a bit like compression gear. I haven’t had many days warm enough to wear the capris outside yet, but they’ve felt great on the treadmill or the elliptical at the gym.

The Tough Girl Skirt is an incredibly soft and warm pair of tights with a running skirt over it. They are tight through my upper legs and have a slight boot cut at the bottom. I can’t get over how comfortable and warm these are and have put them through long runs and track workouts on some pretty cold days.

Both of these have two hidden pockets under the skirt that is perfect for storing my keys and gummy candies for long runs. They also look great and super stylish, so I’m comfortable wearing them around to run errands. What a bargain! I’m so glad I happened to click on their site the day of that sale and will certainly buy from them again in the future!

Best Running Shorts Ever

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Colleen Lerro

The Christmas before last I got a pair of Athleta’s Hana Run Shorts, and they quickly became my favorite pair of running shorts. Lightweight and breathable, these were perfect for those hot and sticky summer runs in D.C. Made of a micropolyester material they call Swiftek, these shorts wick moisture away from your body and dry quickly.

I have them in black with a white band just below the waist and a flowery detail in white on the left leg, so on top of feeling great, they look great too. These shorts sit low on the waist with a wide elastic waist band that has a drawstring so you can wear them as tight as you want, and have a built-in brief so you can run sans anything underneath if you want to. These shorts don’t bunch anywhere or rub uncomfortably even on my longest runs, and I put them to the ultimate test wearing them for my last marathon in 70+ degree weather.

I used to wear spandex capri-length shorts even on a lot of the hottest days because I just didn’t love how any of my running shorts felt, but these have completely changed that for me and are easily the best running shorts I’ve ever had.

The black ones retail for $39, but you can currently snag select sizes in other colors for just 19.99 on their website. I treated myself to a couple new pairs at the sale price adding a coastal green and an asphalt pair of the Hana Run Shorts to my always expanding running gear collection.

Athleta Hana Run Shorts

(Note: Athleta in no way compensated me for this post or asked me to write it, I just really love their clothes and especially these shorts.)

Gear Review: Reebok 1/2 Zip and Long Sleeve

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Colleen Lerro

My boyfriend knows me very well, so for Christmas this year he got me some of my favorite stuff – new running gear! Also knowing how much I hate being cold, he got me some great gear for battling the cold weather.

The Reebok long sleeve is made out of a poly-spandex blend using their PlayDry technology. According to their website, PlayDry is a moisture management system to help keep you cooler, dryer and more comfortable – and that it does. I have an XS that’s tight, but not constricting, and it looks great too. It’s the perfect base layer even on the coldest of runs. The inside of this shirt is super soft, and it even kept me warm on a 9 degree run last week. Perhaps one of it’s best features in my eyes…it can go in the dryer! Since so many of my clothes can’t go through the dryer our apartment ends up completely covered with clothes hanging from every surface on laundry days, so I love anything that can actually go in.

Reebok Long Sleeve

The Reebok half zip, also a poly-spandex (but mostly poly) blend, is the perfect second layer over the long sleeve. Just these two layers have been warm enough for me to run in in temperatures down to 25 degrees, and stay comfortable without overheating up to the mid- to high-40s. I wear a small in this one for a slightly looser fit, which is perfect over the base layer. It also looks and feels great, and like the long sleeve can go in the dryer as well.

I don’t have any other Reebok gear right now, and the softness of the long sleeve and half zip are what really stand out for me. Even after a bunch of runs through the wash, they’re still holding up great and performing well when I hit the road in them! This has become my go-to outfit for cold-weather runs over the past month.

Reebok 1/2 Zip

While my love of running gear is hard to beat, I do have to say that Ian really hit it out of the park with my last Christmas gift – a beautiful, white gold bracelet. On top of being beautiful it’s not as delicate as most of my other jewelry, which I have a bad tendency to break. Like I said, he knows me well. I can even wear it when I run or shower, so it hasn’t left my wrist since Christmas! Running gear and a beautiful bracelet…I’m a lucky girl!

New Bracelet!

The Expo

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Colleen Lerro

At the race expo with mascots Miles and Molly after I won a supersize goodie bag!

I’m a big time running nerd so I get really excited about race expos. The Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) expo was held at the D.C. Armory, and opened the Thursday before the race. I put in a few extra hours at the beginning of the week and got a sub for my Thursday boot camp so I could be there right at 3:30 for the opening ceremonies. This was partly because I’d seen on their Facebook page that they’d be giving away 36 supersize goodie bags, and you had a good chance of winning if you showed up early on day one. I was determined to win one!

Unfortunately there were already a hundred or so people in line when I arrived so I was not among the first 20 who got to play a game for the first two goodie bags. I was a bit bummed, but still really excited to be at the expo. The marines are nothing if not organized so picking up my bib and my shirt was a pretty easy process. I spent awhile in the Brooks booth browsing the official gear and settled on a white, long sleeve, half-zip running shirt and a pint glass (clearly hoping to do a little post-race celebrating).

I weaved my way through the rest of the expo stopping at just about every booth (like I said, I’m a nerd). Pacers showed me some really cool Mizuno gloves that actually warm up with liquid contact, i.e. rain, snow, sweat, etc. I might be buying a pair of those before the winter ends. I tried on a pair of Yurbuds, which fit my ears really well as opposed to most of my ear buds that just pop out every few minutes as I run. They also let in outside noise so you can stay aware of your surroundings. I picked up flyers for other races and chatted with the Team in Training group too. I did my first marathon with them while raising $4,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and had an absolute blast. I hope to do another race with them sometime soon.

I finally decided it was time to go, but gave one last check of the MCM Facebook and twitter feeds, and saw they’d just tweeted that the first two people to find their mascot, Miles, and whisper Oorah would win the supersize goodie bags. Well, I was off and running and eventually spotted Miles to become the first winner. I was so pumped and the goodies were awesome! The bag itself was made out of recycled race banners from previous MCM’s, and was filled with a certificate for new Brooks running sneaks, sunglasses, numerous gift cards and more! It was a very cool way to integrate social media into their race, which they did a very impressive job of leading up to and even during their race. Stay tuned for a race day recap!

Some of the cool schwag I got as part of my supersize goodie bag!

heart & sole

Tag Archives: running gear