Our First Experience with RunTex as Newbie Runners

Before venturing out to RunTex in Georgetown this morning, Dustin and I whipped up some green smoothies.  One of our Ten in 10 goals already accomplished for the day…cha-ching!

We decided to go with a tropical smoothie.  It included everything you see below, minus the orange.  Changed our minds last minute.

Each green smoothie included:

• 1 cup of spinach
• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 kiwi
• 6 small slices of pineapple
• 1/4 cup soy milk
• 1 T vanilla yogurt
• 1 T chia seeds
• 3 ice cubes

We used our Magic Bullet to make them.  It works perfect for individual portions and quick cleanup!  Place all of the ingredients into the cups, cover it with the blade, and blend away.

We got some new travel cups from Ikea that are great for green smoothies.  They were delicious and very much needed after overloading on sweets during the holiday season.

With smoothies in hand, we headed out to find RunTex.  The one we decided to go to is located in the heart of downtown Georgetown. 

The best part about going to a specialty fitness store is being greeted by happy and healthy people.  I don’t think I’ve ever met a miserable runner. 

Here are some photos of the inside.  It was a fun shop with lots of character.  I loved the bright red walls.

RunTex literally carries everything for your running needs, and the staff was so knowledgeable.  Since the Couch to 5K will be our first real experience becoming runners, it’s nice to have a place where experienced veterans can share their knowledge and advice. 

Nearly immediately upon entering, we began the process of finding the perfect shoes.  Although we originally planned to just buy one pair for Dustin’s birthday, we decided it would be best to get a pair for my birthday, as well.  It’s not until the end of February, but that will be about the time we are done training for our first 5K, and I really want to train properly and minimize my risk of injury.  Plus, what better birthday presents than the gift of healthy bodies and minds.

First, we had our feet analyzed.  As I always say, Dustin and I are complete opposites, even when it comes to our feet!  He has extremely flat feet and I have super high arches.

We then walked over to another room, where our feet were analyzed as we walked and jogged across a hardwood floor. Here we discovered that Dustin is an overpronator, whereas I am neutral.

We headed back to the shoe area and had our feet measured.  I found out I’ve been buying shoes a half size too big and Dustin had been buying shoes a half size too small!  This can make a huge difference in running.  We then tried on about 3 pairs each before choosing the perfect ones.

Dustin ended up going with this pair of New Balance:

I chose this pair of Mizuno:

We had an awesome experience at RunTex.  We are now even more pumped to become dedicated runners and will definitely be returning in the future as we increase our distance training.

We’ll be testing out the shoes over the next week and will let you know how they work out and if they live up to the high expectations we have of them.  We’re hopeful that they will!

Dustin’s Birthday Recap: Enjoying the occasional indulgences

Good morning, everyone!  We stayed up a little later than expected celebrating Dustin’s birthday last night.  It involved a little bit of this:

Thanks for the cake, Lauren!

And this:

Lots of Dustin playing this:

Oh, and of course more of this:

I think Oreo cake, food processing, Guitar Hero, and Catch Phrase was pretty much the perfect combination for Dustin’s birthday.   Some of his favorite things!  We’ve really grown to love simply celebrating birthdays with some close friends at home.

Earlier in the day, I made him whole-wheat strawberry pancakes and vegetable egg scrambles (meant to be omelettes…woops).

We were hungry by the time it was done, so we just snapped a quick picture:

The strawberry sauce on top was ditched and replaced with simple maple syrup.  Something just wasn’t right.  BUT, the pancakes themselves still had plenty of strawberry packed in!

Overall, I would say the day was a success!

We had so many talks about whether or not we would eat completely “healthy” the whole day or allow ourselves to splurge a little for the occasion.  The more we talked about it, the quicker we realized if we had to analyze it that much, then it was becoming a problem.  We’ve accepted the fact that Dustin’s birthday will ALWAYS fall at the time of year when everyone is making resolutions to become healthier, and we shouldn’t beat ourselves up for enjoying some sweets.  Birthdays are for celebrating and enjoying some indulgences.  The key is to keeping your mind focused on the overall goal.  One day does not define you or your habits in the grand scheme of life.  We knew that no matter what we would wake up today and be pumped for our spinach salads and green smoothies.  Life is about living in the moment.  You always have another chance to do something better.  We are so excited for what’s in store and cannot wait to share this amazing journey of health and fitness with you.

Now I’m off to type up our goals for the coming year.  After that we’re heading out to get Dustin some new running shoes for his birthday.  Couch to 5K starts today!

Hope everyone is enjoying their Monday morning!