SCORE!!!

so I've been wanting a good flat iron for some time. i really want a ghd, but that can wait, a little too expensive for me right now. i don't even use flat irons that often. but, every now and then i steal my mom's to accomplish what i want. and that's been fine. but if she goes out of town somewhere and i want to use a flat iron i'm out of luck. or if i need to go out to do someone's hair, i don't want to take hers in case she intends on using it.

so i finally bit the bullet. i finally purchased by own flat iron. a little while, ago buywithme.com had a deal where you could buy a voucher for $50 at folica.com for only $25. well lucky me b/c that's where i go to buy my hair tools anyway.

so folica had this deal a couple of weeks ago where you could save $25 on a $75 purchase. the flat iron i had my eye on was $89.99. so i thought, "oh kay cool, that way i'll only have to pay like $15. ehhhh!!! WRONG! i could only use one discount code at a time. so i decided to wait.

recently, folica sent an email out about their deals under $100. so, again i started looking. i ended up picking a deal that was a package set. it included the flat iron i was looking at (but in pink, ehh!), a travel curling iron, some headbands, and some anti-frizz treatment for $89.99. oh and you get a heat proof pouch too. i'd say that's a pretty good deal as is. and on top of that i get to use my $50. SCORRREEEE!!!

here's what my savings amount to:

i can deal with having a pink flat iron for the amount of money i saved. (i don't really like pink things, except me nails and a few hello kitty items i own.) i can't wait for this to come in!

The Giant Race 2011 Race Report

WHOA!!! I know my run felt great and I was determined to keep going every time I felt like slowing down, and the road was pretty flat except for 2 uphills. BUT I never thought that I would be shaving off 10 minutes off of my best time. I am soooo excited right now!!!

The Giant Race 2011 Race Report

Yesterday I completed another half marathon. As with every race, I was a little nervous but more excited to see what time I could get.

I met up with my friend Chris and his friends in the beginning and we started the race out together. Of course they are really faster with me and separated at some point in the beginning. Which is fine with me b/c I don't really like running "with" people. I like setting my own pace and pushing through.

The weather for the race was perfect. It was overcast but warm with a slight breeze from time to time. And the course was great. I love running along the Embarcadero, so I AM a little biased. We started off behind AT&T park and ran along the Embarcadero, through Aquatic Park, by Fort Mason, along Crissy Field and we turned around to go back before the Golden Gate bridge and ran back.

My run was great! I only slowed down three times. The first time was to take some footage of BRIAN WILSON!!! He was in the middle of the course! I should've taken a picture with him, but I was too concerned with my time so I only filmed him for a quick second (literally). But, Janelley sure got a picture with him. The second and thrid time were to reup on some fluids at around mile 7 and mile 11.

The last mile was grueling, felt like the longest mile ever. But after 12 miles, that will happen. lol As I rounded the corner into the back of the park, onto the field, I could see the finish. I filmed some of this so you'll see it. But I was more excited to see that the clock read something under 2hr 40min. My fastest time so far was 2hr 44min from Vegas, so this was a great accomplishment for me. I can't wait to see what my actual time will be. I could've gotten an approximate read on my actual time b/c I was running my RunMeter app on my phone, but I forgot to end it until later. Oopsy!

I'll be sure to post my actual tag time as soon as I find it out. And a short video of snippets of my race day should be coming soon as well.

4 more nights

only 4 more nights until my next half marathon, "The Giant Race." so tonight is going to be my last long run until the race. i intend on doing other workouts and some interval training on the treadmill in the meantime.

the sun was beaming, and according to my phone it was 88 degrees degrees in redwood city, where i work. and the sun stayed with me the whole time i drove home, so i was excited to get my run in. but in true daly city form, as i got closer to the lake, the fog took over. i was a little disappointed that the sun wasn't out, but i was moreso worried that i would be too cold. i was wearing shorts. but when i stepped out of my car, the weather was perfect.

as for my run tonight...IT FELT AMAZING! i don't know what it was tonight. maybe it was the 12 minute nap that i took in my car before getting my run in or just plain ol' determination. for some reason, i had a pep in my step from the very beginning. i was able to start with a faster pace and i was determined to keep it up throughout the whole course. my stride felt good, i kept my heart rate and cramps in tact with my breathing...tonight's run just felt right. and i was excited to see what my time would be.

here's my time for tonight. =D yeay!!!

i was just over 1 minute to my fastest time.

loungerie?

so what on earth is loungerie? apparently it stands for lounge wear + lingerie...a lingerie line for girls 4 - 12 years old. when i first read this statement i didn't know what to take from it.

there are so many articles right now about this line. the articles are talking about how it's wrong for girls that age to even know what lingerie is. and that sexualizing these girls is wrong. and yes i agree with both statements. after reading some of the articles, i myself was a bit appalled. so of course, in true nature, i decided to look at the actual pictures. b/c to be honest with you, i didn't really see anything wrong with the picture that was depicted in the original article i read.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2026694/French-label-Jours-Apr-s-Lunes-launch-lingerie-girls-young-FOUR.html#ixzz1VHzOfvgJ

and then i found these...

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/fashion/2011/08/16/2011-08-16_french_kids_underwear_line_markets_sexy_bras_for_4_yearolds_tot_models_wear_make.html

http://blog.myfdb.com/2011/08/inappropriate-to-put-young-models-in-lingerie/

and my initial reaction was "that's it! that's what they are making a commotion about." i guess i was just expecting a bit more from the emotions that were sparked from the articles i read. but that's why they are writers, and they definitely evoked emotion from me. but i took a little more time and looked at each picture. and i have to admit, some of it is uncomfortable for me.

please feel free to let me know your thoughts, comment below

Motivated.

#OperationMelanie..hell yeah! Maybe I subconsciously knew I wouldn't be able to go to the gym for the next 2 days but I felt like I should just keep going and going.

I started off with a NTC (Nike Training Club) workout. (To check out my original post on this click here.) Today, I did the Intermediate, Get Lean, Body Surge. And then, I went on to do the Get Focused, Ab Burner. I've done the Ab Burner workout a couple of times now, so I decided to modify some of exercises to make them a little more challenging.

On the second, set of toe touches, I decided to do what they call kick downs. On the third set, I did reverse crunches. I always do regular side planks instead of the modified version it asks for. I did the crazy ivans and the russian twists on a bosu, instead of on the floor. And on the last set of crazy ivans, I did bicycle crunches instead.

After I stretched, I went on to do an interval run on the treadmill. Whoa! I really had to push through the end of that one. But I was soooo happy I did.

After I stretched that one out, I spent some time in the steam room and called it a night.

Totally on my way to "Making Myself."

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

what's in my gym bag

here's my spin off of the "what's in my purse" videos. i decided to do a what's in my gym bag instead. after editing the video i could have called it the "just in case" video too. lol

here is my original blog that i wrote about my gym must haves:http://melopez28.blogspot.com/2010/12/gym-must-haves.html

here is my blog regarding gym appropriate attire. if you would like for me to do a video on gym appropriate attire let me know:http://melopez28.blogspot.com/2010/12/gym-appropriate-attire.html

also comment below on some of your must haves for the gym

WHAT! Only 2 weeks left...AHHH!

In exactly 2 weeks I'll be running "The Giant Race," also known as the SF Giants half marathon. Oh Lordy...in true Melanie fashion I have definitely been slacking on training. But, this time has gotten ridiculous. I haven't gotten many runs in AT ALL! Oh uh!!!

So today, I decided I better just push myself and get in a long run. I ran around the whole lake on my first lap and took the bridge on my second. This has been the longest I've run this whole year. The closest I've even done to that this year was Bay 2 Breakers in May! I'm definitely gonna feel this tomorrow. I had to push myself the whole time and had to get used to getting into the zone again. But, overall I did it and I finished strong.

I kept telling myself that I would be happy finishing what I thought would be an 8 mile run with a pace of 15min/mile. I mean I haven't done a long run since May and I was having a hard time pushing myself. But to my surprise...





Whoa! I definitely surprised myself. And my legs feel good as of now. I guess I should push myself a little harder on the next run. But, I'll make that judgement call on how sore I feel on Monday.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Hautelook purchases

Yeayyyy!!! I just got my first 2 purchases in from Hautelook. Don't know what Hautlook is? It's basically a website that provides all kinds of deals, from trips to all different kinds of brands. Totally dangerous for people that can't resist good deals, but totally great when you find something you actually need at a large discount. I also subscribe to ideeli, I think they are great to resources to find things at a good price, but as I warned, if you can't keep your wallet in tact, please don't tempt yourself.

When I seen that the Kimora Lee Simmons Hello Kitty line was coming I was ecstatic to say the least. I jumped on the site the first thing in the morning. I really wanted a watch, and unfortunately, the ones that I liked and were in my price range sold out so fast. Even a lot of the jewelry that I wanted went so fast, but I did end up with this. And I'm totally happy with my purchase. This bangle is normally $95 and I purchased it for $38.


And when I seen Crown Brush was going to be on the site, again I was excited. I was already planning on purchasing some brushes to replace the worn down ones in my collection, so this was the best timing ever. The BK27 Flat Bronzer Brush, I don't even have one close to this in my collection, so I wanted to try it out. This brush is originally priced at $27.38, it's currently on sale on the Crown Brush site for $10.95. I got it for $9.

The C430 Duo Fiber Crease Brush, is one that I'm using as a replacement. This is originally priced at $12.38, and is currently on sale on the site for $4.95. I got mine for $3.50.

The 78 Matte E/S and Blush Palette is originally priced at $49.88, and is currently on sale for $29.93. I paid $19.95

late workouts

i usually get my workouts in after work. i just don't have time in the morning to get them in. and even if the gym at my work opened early enough for me to get a good workout in and shower, get ready and still get to work on time, i honestly don't think i would. lol

even on the weekends, when i INTEND on getting ready to get a workout in at about 10am, it takes me until about 1pm or even 3pm to get my juices going to get started. looks like it's actually better for me to get started late.

check out this article that i found:

http://www.fitsugar.com/When-Best-Time-Work-Out-18543793

why that looks familiar

so i received an email today by sanrio, showing me their new collabs and collection pieces. check out what i seen...



well doesn't that look familiar... i actually bought one of those while i was in japan last year and i highly doubt i paid $40. can you see it in the picture below...


yes, i know, the littlest things amuse me.