Bold Training had an all-ladies pajama party last weekend, and invited all of their gym members and friends of members to attend. I thought about not going to this because the thought of it made me really, REALLY anxious. Anxious like I was that awkward kid in high school again, who didn't quite fit in anywhere. I kep wondering if I was really "cool" enough to go--like, did they really mean "everyone" was invited? Or everyone who knew they were someone? Would anyone would talk to me, or would I feel all awkward and out of place? Although I knew a few ladies who were planning on going, I was still nervous. Yes, I'm 28 years old, but sometimes those teenage insecurities just come back with a vengeance!

But once I got there, OMG IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! It was a small, but AMAZING group of women, who shared so much about themselves, and there was so much support and love and encouragement! As cheesy as it sounds, it's absolutely true. With all of the negativity in life, it's so inspiring to just spend some time with other people who really just want to lift each other up--especially when it's a group of beautiful strong women who have so much to share. Of course, there were also snacks, drinks, and fun games... but the best part was talking to these ladies, and making new friends and strengthening old friendships :)

Who has inspired you lately?

1. Rockstar Nails Nail Polish
$14.99 for 0.37 fl oz
BB5: full-sized

2. Rockstar Nails Nail Sprinkles
$14.99 for 0.45 oz
BB5: full-sized

I've been dying to try the "caviar" nail trend for AGES but have been to cheap to do it. YAY for finding this in my February BeautyBox5!!! The nail polish is nearly opaque in one coat, but I did two coats just to be sure. It has a spray-paint like smell, and is a little different than regular polish. I let my ring finger dry for 10 seconds and then applied the nail sprinkles. I applied a top coat over that just so they'd stay better. Unfortunately, Tons of sprinkles had come off within a day, and it was driving me crazy so I couldn't stop picking at them! The nail polish had some signs of tip wear within 2-3 days. I'm hoping my my mani will last the rest of the week still looking decent enough. Would I splurge on these products in the future? Probably not.

3. John Frieda Luxurious Volume Touchably Full Shampoo & Conditioner
$6.99 each for 8.45 fl oz
BB5: 4 x 0.28 oz sample pouches ($0.92 value)

These are good and affordable products, and have a pleasant smell to them. My hair looked and smelled nice but I didn't notice any "luxurious volume." It's a nice basic product, readily available and at a good price.

4. Every Beauty Makeup Remover Pads w/Argan Oil Extract
$6.99 for 50
BB5: 5 pads ($0.69 value)

These were the hands down winner of this box. Or any box, ever. The thick cottony-felt like pads are luxurious and soft. A little water turns these into magic--it easily removed my waterproof mascara and long-wearing foundation without any tugging or pulling! And it was so incredibly gentle on my skin that I couldn't believe how effective they were. The price is totally reasonable, especially since it only takes one makeup remover pad to remove a full face of makeup easily. 

5. Elizabeth Mott It's So Big Volumizing Mascara
$19.99 for 0.33 fl oz
BB5: 0.14 fl oz ($8.48 value)

It's a decent mascara, with a good formula and good wand. The pigmentation is nice and dark, it stays put, and I didn't have any issues with flaking or smudging. But do I expect more out of a nearly $20 mascara? Yes. This volumizing mascara adds only slight volume.

This month's BeautyBox5 is just over $40 worth of product! I think February's BB5 is one of my favorite boxes so far :)

Saturday was Terrapin Event's Inaugural My Muddy Valentine 5k mud run/obstacle course race! 

Race name: My Muddy Valentine
Registration/price: I paid $44 back in Sept.
Location: Lee Farms in Tualatin, Oregon
Events offered: 5k race with 17 obstacles
Number of runners: 925
Beneficiary: Candlelighters for Children with Cancer

Packet pickup: Friday at Foot Traffic from 10am-2pm... Which I couldn't make, because I was working. In Vancouver. It would have been nice if they'd extended it to later, but fortunately for me, my friend who was also running the race had Friday off and picked up both of our packets.

Swag: Registration included a zippered hoodie (cute but the girly cut was just a little short in the arms and a little too wide in the body for me), one Lagunitas beer (Pils, Lagunitas Sucks, or IPA), and brunch (scrambled eggs and breakfast potatoes from Madison's Grill [OMG DELICIOUS], and bread with delicious Lee Farms strawberry jam). Also included--access to a changing area, fire pits. Lee Farms also had a country store with coffee drinks, homemade donuts (apple cider or marionberry... YUM), fudge, and country store type items. It wasn't very clear from the website until weeks before the event that certain things would not be included in your registration: showers cost $5 and were limited (and apparently were semi-co-ed... awkward), parking was $5 if you didn't carpool, and mimosas were $5 each.

Parking: Although we were in the 10:30 heat, there wasn't any parking left at Lee Farms, and so we took a shuttle. It wasn't clearly marked that the lot was full, so a lot of people ended up turning around. The overflow parking lot wasn't clearly marked either. At least it wasn't that far away, and the bus was making frequent trips.

Back check: There were tons of volunteers at bag check, and to keep things moving, there were stickers--one to put on your bib, and one for the bag. All of the stuff was kept dry and safe.

The race: It was rainy and felt pretty cold the morning of the race... As my friend Cari and I watched it pour on our way to the race, we began to wonder if this was really a good idea after all. Cari said to me, "I will give you this... my life has definitely been more interesting since I met you." By the time we arrived at Lee Farms, it wasn't much better. We stood shivering waiting for our heat to start... but once we did, we warmed right up! Though the course was only slightly hilly (especially compared to Spartan Race at Washougal MX Park!!!), it was very, very muddy--it was so sticky and deep that you pretty much HAD to walk a lot of the course. And the very first obstacle was a muddy pond up to your thighs! 

The next obstacle was an over/under wall, with thick sticky mud at the bottom. The walls were pretty tall, and a lot of people were struggling, but I was determined to do it. I pushed myself up and threw one leg over the top, and then hopped down. The volunteer at that obstacle yelled, "YEAH! THAT'S how it's done!" And I'm not going to lie, I felt pretty badass. 

We went through several more obstacles before getting to obstacle 6: the beer chug. I knew it wouldn't sit well in my stomach, but I just had to do it. I mean, I RUN FOR BEER. I told Cari, "BEER MAKES CHAMPIONS!!!" and chugged a plastic cup of Lagunitas Pilsner. The photog at that obstacle got a few shots of us--can't wait to see them!

Obstacle 11, Sisyphus, was one of the most difficult, and I'm really glad Cari and I were working together! You had to push a water filled exercise ball up a hill--and it wasn't easy, especially with the balls from those who had finished were rolling back down the hill at you. 

Cari said to me as we're running along, "You have mud everywhere... but your makeup still looks PERFECT! Lipgloss and Spandex INDEED!" hahahaha

Obstacle 13 was a balance beam, where runners were posing, and a photographer was taking pictures. There was a bit of a line, but it gave me time to think of how I wanted to pose. I decided on tree pose, while Cari flexed her guns. 

Our favorite obstacle was probably the slip and slide. It wasn't too long or too steep, but it was sure fun! And like many of the other obstacles, there was a photographer to capture the mayhem.

The last obstacle (#17) was a muddy watery pit, and then we were crossing the finish line! While we had kept warm while running, we cooled down pretty quickly, and it started to rain harder.

Post-race: After the race, we headed over to a photo op spot, and asked somebody to take our photo. Then we grabbed our brunches, and beers, and huddled under the Car2Go tent (thanks!), before getting our stuff out of bag check. The changing area was covered, with one heating lamp. My hands were so cold and I was 

Overall, it was a really great race. Terrapin Events did a good job, especially for their first year. There was a bit of bottlenecking at a few obstacles, and it would have been nice to know that certain things (mimosas, parking, showers) would cost extra from the time registration went live, but CARI AND I HAD SO MUCH FUN and we can't wait to do this race again next year!!! (Fingers crossed they do hoodies again...and fingers crossed that the fit is a little better next time around!)

Yesterday, the Rock n Roll Portland 1/2 Marathon event people had a fun "party" at the Fit Right Store in NW Portland! There were free special RNR Portland shirts for the first 50 people that signed up (teal cotton v-neck tees for the ladies, and brown cotton crew neck tees for the guys), food (salad and teriyaki rice and peanut noodles--all of which was DELICIOUSSSSS), beer (if you can call Michelob Ultra a "beer"... yes, I am snobby about my beer), raffle prizes (I really wanted to win the super long foam roller but no dice), and a group run I'm sure you probably know that I'm pretty much on board with any event that promises me a free t-shirt, snacks, and booze, so I've been looking forward to this--I mean, when was the last time 24 hr fitness gave me a shirt for showing up? NEVER.

The 5k group run was good--I was kind of nervous running in NW Portland in the dark, since the sidewalks are incredibly uneven, and because my ankle was still healing. But I threw on a brace and tons, kept pace w/my BFF Cari (who I might have not really told how fast we were going...), and it was good. The weather was perfect--a lot warmer than I thought it would be. And the Red Lizard pacer lady was super friendly, made sure to "herd" everyone so no one got lost, and was a cheerleader for everyone in the group.  

It was a fun time all around, so if you missed out this time, "Like" Fit Right on Facebook and be in the know about future fun events!

Also, Happy Valentine's Day/Happy GALentine's Day/Happy Singles Awareness Day! 

*drumroll please....* Ladies and gentlemen, check out my first ever video makeup tutorial, featuring the CoverGirl Bombshell collection!!! And then scroll down for a chance to win a $100 Walmart gift card!!!

 

Want to create your own bombshell look with a $100 Walmart gift card? Just enter to win using the widget below :) 

The Walmart gift card and information have been provided by CoverGirl.

So I sprained my ankle pretty badly about three weeks ago. I was walking in flat boots, out to my car on my way to work. Not while on a training run for the marathon in June, not while drunk, not anything. Just going to work. And while I've sprained my ankle a million times over the years and just shrugged it off and been fine, this time was different. It really hurt. It was bruised. I iced it and took ibuprofen like crazy, saw a doctor, and worked on strengthening it. 

And then I resumed cross-training. Like a fiend. And my ankle seemed fine. So I was working out like crazy at the gym. Weights, yoga, hot yoga, whatever cardio I could manage. I was going to make the most of every second, injured or not, and I was going to be READY for the marathon.

And then it snowed. And snowed. And snowed. I suck at driving in the snow, I don't have snowtires or chains, or four wheel drive. So I've been stuck at home this weekend, going a little stir crazy. Today I decided I couldn't take it anymore and went for a long walk. And then I thought about how I used to love the snow as a kid, and how everyone talked about the stillness and the quiet and how beautiful it was, and how all I've been thinking about is all of the stuff I COULDN'T do... so I stopped. I stopped sniffling for a moment, stopped crunching my boots into the snow, just stopped. And the quiet, muted sounds and falling snow made me smile. I couldn't help it, I didn't even think about it, I just smiled and nearly laughed out loud at the beauty and simplicity of the moment.

I just thought to myself of how hard I was working against my injury and inability to be at the gym... how the universe was basically telling me to JUST STOP IT for a little while, and how hard I was fighting it. And just letting go of those things, at least for a moment, was just being still was amazing :) I hope that wherever you are, and whatever your circumstances are right now, that a little stillness brings you some peace also.

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I'm really excited to share my 2014 race calendar with y'all... There are going to be SO MANY AWESOME races this year. The two biggest are going to be the Vancouver USA Marathon and the Portland Marathon. The Vancouver USA Marathon has been named one of the nine best new marathons by Runner's World magazine, and the Portland Marathon has been named best marathon in the NW by Competitor magazine for 2011 and 2012.

• My Muddy Valentine 2/15/14
  
• Fort Vancouver Run 3/2/14
• Luckython 3/15/14
• Shamrock Run 3/16/14
• Bridge to Brews 4/6/14 
  
• Hop Hop Half 4/19/14
  
• Uberthons Scholarship Run 4/21/14
• Cinco de Mayo Half 5/4/14
• Hippie Chick Half 5/10/14
• Portland Rock n Roll Half Marathon 5/18/14
• Rum Run 10K 5/25/14 
  
• Helvetia Half 6/7/14
• Vancouver USA Marathon 6/15/14
• Freedomthon 7/4/14
• Firecracker Four Miler 7/4/14
• Red White and Blues 7/6/14
• Fueled by Fine Wine Half 7/13/14
• Ragnar NW Passage 7/18-19/2014
• Lacamas Lake Half 7/27/14
• Crawfish Crawl 8/2/14
• Huckleberry 10K  8/9/14
• Cosmo 7K (Vancouver) 8/9/14
• Gateway to the Gorge 9/6/14 
  
• Warrior Dash 9/6/14
• Champoeg Half & 5 miler 9/21/14
• Portland Marathon 10/5/14
• Run Like Hell 10/26/14
  
• Run2Survive Zombie Run 10/25/14
• Mustache Dache 5K (Portland) 11/16/14
• Turkeython 11/27/14 
  
• Hot Buttered Run (Vancouver) 11/30/14

What races are on your calendar for 2014?