Ezzere’s Bringing the Party to YOU!!

I had SUCH an amazing time celebrating the launch of my fitness fashion brand, Ezzere!! Thank you so much to all who came out and those who were partying with me in spirit!!

In case you were partying from afar I wanted to share some highlights of the awesome event.
ezzere models
My GORGEOUS and awesome models show how to own the #SweatsintheCity look. 😉

shayla flip peacock shirt
My most beautiful Baby Sis showing us all how to take the Peacock Runner Tee on a 180. 😉

prizes won
Like I said there were PRIZES, and I LOVED seeing just how excited Melanie was when she won my Get Chicking Tee!

The GRAND FINALE of the night…
run your fortune hoodie
Look what the AMAZINGLY talented Laura @ TrashtoCouture did to the Run Your Fortune Tee!!! Seriously, I am speechless and in awe of her DIY fashion prowess. You HAVE to check out her site TrashtoCouture.com her SHOP filled with her one-of-a-kind pieces, and follow her on Twitter @Trashtocouture and Instagram @TrashtoCouture . I’m in freaking awe of her creativity and talent…not only is she the Queen of DIY Fashion she’s a mother to two boys, and an insanely fast runnerchick. She’s been beating the boys (and all the girls too for that matter!!) since she was in high school.

Having her transform one of my shirts into a gorgeous hoodie is something incredibly special to me. THANK YOU, Laura, so much…and I hope vicariously I can absorb just a smidgen of your style and fashion sense!!

The night truly was a BLAST…thank you to everyone who’s been so supportive! Those who were able to come out put their own artistic talents to work and created a motivational goal poster.
power of written goals
WRITTEN goals are more powerful goals. I challenge you all to take a moment, DEFINE a goal you want to reach by the end of the month and WRITE it. If you’re brave enough I’d love for you to share it me!

Tweet, Facebook, Instagram or email: contact@ezzere.com with your written goal.
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Thank you again to Nuun Hydration and US Cryotherapy in Roseville, CA for helping sponsor and host the event.
nuun hydration sample
I want you ALL to be a part of the Ezzere community I’m building, don’t MISS OUT and sign-up for my NEW Ezzere Newsletter. 🙂

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My Issues With ‘Fitness’

I don’t visit many fitness sites. Not because I’m a runner snob or purist, but because I don’t like the ‘business’ side of ‘fitness’. Those who instantly ‘get’ what I’m talking about separates the ‘fitness’ minded from the FITNESS minded.

I’m not the running riddler, but the reason I don’t go to lots of fitness sites is because I really don’t like the hypocrisy of it all. I’m a straight-shooter, telling it like it is, kinda gal. ’12 Minutes to FLAT ABs’…’Workout in 8mins or less!’
runner lies
EIGHT minutes? Seriously? I don’t even consider 8 minutes enough time for a proper warm-up. So I guess I should define what a workout is. I’m not talking about a ‘follow-up’ core routine, stretching, weight circuit. For a runner or anyone who is truly FITNESS minded some of those routines can certainly be on the quicker side, maybe all you need IS 8 minutes because you busted your butt doing 800’s and cardio earlier.

When I’m talking workout I mean EVERYTHING. Start to finish, if you do double sessions, those minutes count as rollover. Newsflash: the ‘fitness’ celebrities touting those ‘8 minutes is ALL you need!’ workouts, they for DARN sure don’t do THEIR workouts in only 8 minutes.

It’s the business that peeves me. If you’re going to tell people what to do, be upfront. Yes, I know the MAJORITY of Americans DO NOT want to hear they’ve got to bust a sweat doing cardio for at least 30 minutes and follow it up with some core and ab work. Waaaa…I’d rather be watching the Kardashian! Well, you could do both running on a treadmill…haha.

So the 12 and 8 minutes things sell, they are hot keywords, they attract the masses like flies to a bush post runner emergency dive. The same also applies to the warped food pictures and supposed meals ‘fitness’ websites promote. Have you seen the Instagram pictures of a scant sliver of chicken with a side of five sliced cucumbers? If that was my meal I’d wind up eating my foot. Actually on those, I just don’t understand, is that seriously all they eat? But who knows, who really cares (well, actually tons of people do…it comes back to the business thing I guess)…but the fact that it really makes me question brings me right back to my biggest issue…
running fitspo pinterest
I’m a straight-shooter, I like to be upfront. I expect and appreciate that from my readers and everyone else, so I like to do the same. If you want to run your best, if you want to race to PR’s…because da** THAT feels good, it takes work. Lots.of.work.

It will hurt. Workouts will make you wonder why in the flip you have this sick fascination with pushing yourself. Your brain will even try to lie to you and say you really don’t care, that if you just stopped you’d be okay with that. But those are LIES.

Running tests you more mentally than it will physically. Well, maybe a tie, lactic acid sure does hurt physically. But that’s the POINT. Anything worth it takes work. It isn’t done in 8 minutes or less. It isn’t ‘easy, painless, quick’ or any of the other keywords picked up by Google by the ‘fitness’ masses.

We’re runners, or if you totally get what I’m talking about, we’re FITNESS minded. We want to bust our own @$$es because the rewards good… eight minutes be da**ed!

1) What are the majority of websites and blogs that you visit?
2) What is your definition of a workout?
3) What’s your take on the Instagram foodie reverse porn? I think the follow-up snap should be them wolfing down the half gallon of ice cream at 12 midnight. 😉

True Running Fitspo…

Honestly, Pinterest and Instagram, please get the message that TRUE running motivation and inspiration comes not from how are training makes us look but rather what it enables us to ACHIEVE.
running fitspo pinterest
That’s as far as I’ll let my little mini rant go. But I DO have say how I laugh at some of the ridiculous picture/quote pairs that pop up. Saw this gem the other day:

“If my fat isn’t going to my boobs then I want nothing to do with it.”
I mean, seriously?

Me, I’m far more inspired and motivated by runners getting out there, sweating it out, busting their @$$es for PR’s.

Chasing endorphins is far more fun than wishing I had more fat for my boobs. 😉

1) What’s one of the funnier Pinterest/Insta fitspo’s you’ve seen?
2) What’s one of the better, really motivating ones you’ve seen?
3) What did you do today that could be pinned and used as inspiration for others?

Runner’s Strip: Jeans shopping

For every runner athlete who’s gone shopping for jeans and wound up wanting to punch someone in the face.

jeans shopping for runners
I can’t take sole credit for this one. The AWESOME quip that gave me the inspiration for this cartoon came from Sally Bergesen, founder of Oiselle, a kickbutt running apparel company. Yesterday a few of us were tweeting on the frustrations of trying to find jeans that FIT when you’re an athlete, muscle-clad, kickbutt female. Usually you wind up with some problems:

* The jeans WOULD fit in the waist but you can’t get them above your quads. Literally.can’t.raise.them.
* Go up to a size that doesn’t cause your quads to hulk-out but the waist is super saggy. We have six packs, not kegs.
* There’s also an issue with the cut of the butt. I’m not sure if it’s just me, but for whatever reason any size that fits my legs causes this funky pooch in the back; I think it’s because the waist/butt/quad ratio is off and you wind up with extra denim at the waist, so when you sit it’s like a sideways tepee.

I’ve not worn jeans for years…now, to be totally fair I work from home and literally live in running clothes. Like, live in them. #SweatsandtheCity

AAAAND, I will also argue that running clothes can be quite fashionable, I mean just take a gander at my awesome shirts:
hot running shirts
and we ALL love Oiselle who are keeping us clothed from our rundies out to our hoodies.

oiselle

Photo Credit: Oiselle


But that’s not the point. Runnerchicks DESERVER to be able to go to the store and find a pair of jeans that fit without winding up a mess of frustration and wanting to punch someone in the face.

Wise up, World. We are runners, we are women, we are STRONG…we have muscles. And we look d**n good with them.

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More cartoons HERE!!
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1) What’s been an issue you’ve had with finding a pair of jeans, or any article of clothing that clearly didn’t account for your runner bod?
2) What is your ‘normal people’ fashion like?
3) What’s another vent you’d just like to get off your chest so you don’t punch someone in the face?? 😉

Running Shorts in Winter

So you remember how just a few days ago I was saying how running during winter can really suck?? Weeeeeell…that’s not always the case…
running shorts in california
I honestly DO feel bad for all you running out there in states that actually DO have winter weather. Snow? Sleet? Hail? Crazy-@$$ wind?? It’s not fun stuff…but it does certainly make you tougher. I mean within reason, no use running outside just FOR the torture, sometimes running on a treadmill is the smarter choice. If it allows you to avoid a potential injury and if you’re needing to run faster than outdoor conditions may allow. So treadmills ARE training tools that have their place.

That said…I’m not going to lie. I’ve run in snow, I’ve run in sleet, hail, and into crazy winds that blew me to the side. But *please karma don’t come back and bite me on this for writing the next line* not this year. So I’m going to REALLY enjoy wearing my running shorts.

The other *perk* of being a runner?? #stronglegs #awesomelegs
awesome runner legs
1) Treadmill running? How often have you been hitting the treadmill the winter?
2) What are some of your favorite treadmill workouts?
Longer repeats or tempo runs on the treadmill…doing 400’s or 200’s sorta freak me out because when the belt gets going I’m afraid I’ll get spit right off! 😉
3) I wear running shorts in public….
anywhere I can.

Goals, Running, Motives, Skinny-Fat and Twerking

I’ve got a personal pet-peeve and it’s called ‘skinny-fat’. It also ties right into my other pet-peeve: New Year and you can’t escape the onslaught of diet talk, weight-losser’s [not a spelling error, I’m going to start the momentum on this term], and body aesthetically obsessed.

I don’t harbor ill feelings towards all resolutionsists, I swear I’m not a mean person, but overload me with anything and it can get rundantly annoying. Exceptions include running and chocolate. I think my issue comes back to the REASON, MOTIVE, and EXECUTION of said resolution.

tough runner

Are you motivated? Like, THAT motivated?? 😉


* Reason: I view running and fitness as something kinda special…sacred even. The people who don’t respect ALL that it bestows upon one’s life, I get annoyed. If all they can see is the aesthetic part, it irks me. If they can’t see how endorphins and running will make you happier, more goal-driven, self-motivated, productive, and more proud of what you body can DO, then it’s kinda like they are spitting on the track. Respect the track, mmmk. Certainly running WILL have the trickle-down effect of that hotter bod, don’t get me wrong that’s a major perk…but it’s a perk…not the ultimate prize.

* Motive: Setting a goal to ‘lose weight’ or ‘get fit’ is redunkulatly over-played, don’t be a lemming, set a real goal. 😉 So ambiguous, and these resolutionists tend to get my mental eye-roll. Be motivated to up the ante, define an awesome goal and THOSE are the resolutions I respect. “I’ll break XXX for the 5k” , “I’ll run 30 minutes every day for 30 days” , “I’ll do speed-work twice a week“. Bam…those are resolutions, People, they also can be made any time during the year.

don't stop running

Don’t Stop. PS-I FINALLY got an iphone so mayyybe you’ll see more actual photos around here??


* Execution: Accountability, I guess that goes without saying. Gyms are packed, you’ll see lots of new faces out running on the roads these first few weeks. Those numbers start to dwindle…it’s the thinning of the herd. If you’re going to set a resolution, respect the amount of effort and work it will take, that goes with any goal. Hard work is a requirement, or else your goal isn’t high enough. With execution, there’s nothing more to say than you only earn respect and being taken seriously over time and with your actions. Those quietly working away for their goals, day in and day out, probably aren’t broadcasting it to the world…they’ll let their actions speak volumes when they show up to race day and BAM, shock the world with their new PR.

What does all of this have to do with the weight-lossers and the jiggly ‘skinny-fat’ nuisance? I use skinny-fat as a barometer to gauge HOW people are trying to get to a healthier place. The number on the scale isn’t a hard-fast indicator, you see a skinny person who jiggles when they twerk and I’ll bet they aren’t putting in the effort exercise-wise and just limit their calories. They’re missing out on the BEST part of the puzzle.

Running and exercise. It gets you toned, it gets you healthier place mentally AND physically, it teaches you that your body is more than an aesthetic. Your body can be a performance vehicle if you’re driven. Be self-motivated to find out how AMAZING your vehicle can be and you’ll learn that looking hotter thanks to all that running is a perk.

Merely a perk.

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Motivation lulls happen to EVERYONE, even the most running obsessed, don’t feel bad if you hit one…HERE are posts to spark some motivation on those days.

Goal setting…HERE are posts all about those awesome goals and dreaming big!

Speaking of legs…if you have them put them to use!! 😉
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1) Did you set any resolutions this year? What were your reasons and motives behind those goals?
2) How do you stay accountable to your goals? What are some motivation tips you use?
3) Favorite perk that running gives you…aka, what hot body part are you most proud of? What is one performance vehicle achievement running has given you that you’re super proud of?

Two Truths and a Lie: Running, Endorphins, Depression, and Self-Esteem

Okay, I’m sure every runner remembers that game “Two Truths and a Lie.” You come up with two stories or facts that are true then one that is, well duh, a lie. Trying to make it tricky for your friends to figure out the lie, usually you pick some pretty off the wall REAL things that happened. Well, here will be a little runner’s version of that.

Finally I may have a better shot at pulling one over on you guys, I’m pretty sucky at lying face-to-face, so now I can hide my smirks behind the words. 😉
keep running
Running Shoots the Brain Up With Endorphins = Puts You in a Happy Mood

Exercise causes the body to release ‘feel good’ hormones called endorphins. When these are picked up by the brain’s receptors it puts you in a happier, more positive mood. But let’s be honest and say that running gives you cooler endorphins than other forms of exercise. 😉

Endorphins released from running give the brain a similar kind of ‘high’ or sensation that people experience doing other not-so-healthy alternatives: drugs, binge eating, gambling…and if we’re going to acknowledge it as a true addiction…sex addiction?? (haha…wow, I’m so mature, right?) So people recovering from other addictions have found taking up running, or other forms of exercise, really helpful. Maybe LiLo should really stick with this running thing.

Running, because of the natural ‘high’, and the positive reinforcement of setting goals, putting in hard work, and reaching those goals, has also proven to be helpful with those struggling with depression. Running also introduces people up to a new community and friendships, so those relationships also help with feeling better. Finally, anyone who’s had a runner buddy can attest that some of the best free therapy sessions come from a good, solid run with lots of chatter.
eating cotton candy
Running Helps Bolster Confidence

Running is hard. Bam…straight to the obvious. It takes a lot of self-motivation, effort, and pushing your limits to achieve those goals we set. But, when those goals are fulfilled, there are fewer more rewarding sensations. Hello, how awesome is the feeling of crossing the finish line and earning a brand spanking new PR?!?!?

Going through that goal setting and goal fulfillment process instills a work ethic and helps breed confidence. Running has a great way of helping boost self-esteem because of that confidence. Also, it gives you a whole new level of respect for yourself and your body; you view this body as a vehicle for performance, something that can really DO big things!!

Running and Endorphins Solve All ‘Feeling Bum’ Moods and Sad Feelings

So really we could solve all of life’s problems if we all just started running, right? I mean, hello, we’ll then have a world full of people with brains chock-loaded with endorphins. We’ll eliminate all drug problems, all forms of substance abuse, we’ll save all those marriages destroyed by ‘sex addiction’, we’ll even clean up all of Hollywood so will movies be better??

There will no longer be anyone struggling with low self-esteem or depression either. Right?
turn left on the track
Okay, I think you see where I’m going and that last one is obviously the lie. YES, running does release endorphins but, sadly, they aren’t a cure-all for more serious underlying issues. While, I still think that having running as a positive outlet in ADDITION to other forms of treatment help with these things, running isn’t a magical cure-all.

I bring this up because I contributed a post to ‘The Anxious Girls’ Guide to Dating: Silencing the Inner Critic’ because it touches on some more ‘serious’ stuff I don’t always talk about here. Also, recently the British hurdler, Jack Green, has come forward saying he’s switching sports because he’s working to recovery from his depression.

Now the telegraph article sort of ‘blames’ the intensity of the sport of running for causing him to slip into this depression, while that may or may not be the case, I would like to say two things. 1) Yes, competing and training at such a high level naturally can put someone in the position of letting too much stress get to them, and when you’ve invested so much of yourself into the sport and you wind up falling short of your goals or injured, that can be a crushing blow magnified times a billion. 2) HOWEVER, I don’t think it’s as simple as that; as a professional athlete you go in knowing that you’re not always going to win and that running IS cruel because there will always be injuries, and it’s a sport that tests you like none-other. That said, you should have an underlying, true, self-motivated passion for simply running.

That is another whole other topic I could write on, but the main points I wanted to get out are that:
1) You should always run from within, truly love running. If you love the feeling of pushing yourself you can have a life-long relationship with running and that appreciation will get you through the ‘low points’ (ie: injuries, falling short)

2) Running is one of the best forms of free therapy and it certainly keeps many of us runners sane. But realize it’s also totally natural to have days where you feel crummy, most times running can HELP that…but it’s also not the magic bullet. If you need to supplement with other things…don’t be ashamed or shy. Plus, when you’re truly happy with yourself and your life it has a funny way of actually making your performance better. Shocker, right? [sarcastic font used…it’s not a shocker…hehe.]

Run…be happy…my friends!!

1) Give me two truths and a lie on anything.
2) How has running helped improve your overall happiness, confidence, self-esteem, life, etc?
Way too many ways to count. Running keeps me sane! 🙂
3) What are some other ways, outside of running, that keep you happy in life?
Close friendships and family. Yea, my younger sib’s rock!

The Running Infection: Spreading and changing lives

Running changes lives. It seeps into every facet of our lives, our being, our personality.

What running grants upon us isn’t purely the physical…but let’s be honest, runners have ROCKING legs!
running changes lives
Legs concrete hard, calloused from all the miles we force upon them. The workouts that toughen our muscles as much as our minds.

A runner’s brain is hard-wired for work and dedication. Numbers as benchmarks, goals we hold steadfast too. A runner’s mind is a powerful weapon. We see obstacles not as impossible but merely as challenges.

It’s fun to watch new runners ‘transform’ into one of us, one of us ‘crazies’. Eventually there comes the day where they scratch their head and say, “I used to dread this stuff, but now I go crazy if I DON’T run!”

Running is infectious.

Confidence. That is the big one. Self-esteem comes from knowing you are STRONGER than most. Stronger than most non-runners even care to bother wondering if they could handle. We push our own limits.

Eventually runners see our own physicality different. We are not just ‘things’ to look at, our bodies, our legs, our arms, our glutes, our core is a vehicle for DOING.

This running infection, it percolates into every pore, oozes into our ‘real life’, makes us more resilient for all of life’s other tests.

Life will test us. But when you’re a runner you’ve been there, been tested plenty. You’re concrete hard and will PERSEVERE through anything.

Bring it.

1) What physical body part are you most proud of?
Legs.
2) What personality trait are you proud of that has grown stronger through running?
Determination.
3) Running seeps into all of life’s other areas, my friends make fun of me when….[finish the sentence]
I do my funny lunges and squats in front of the house after my run. 😛

Running and Bunhuggers: All part of sensing it’s GO time

Runners, when the bunhuggers come out it’s GO time.

People not in the sport of track and field, or non-runners, have asked, “Why in the world would you want to run in those?!” I’ve heard little kids giggle and balk, “She’s running in her underwear!” Even body conscious women have sneered, “Oh, look at her, who does she think she is?”
running in bunhuggers
Let me explain…bunhuggers are not

* worn in an attempt to steal your boyfriend.
* meant as some kind of ‘in your face, runners are HOT and we know it!’ statement.
* stupid.

Think of running in bunhuggers like running in your spikes.

You know the second you slip your feet into those spikes, lace them up, and head to the line it’s RACE TIME.

I’m sure there is the element of wind resistance, and yes, bunhuggers are comfortable. Trust me, there is nothing worse than racing with a wedgie…or running with shorts that bunch up in the front. My friend used to have a term for ‘those’ kinds of shorts, “My thighs eat them.”

A large part of racing is mental. Part of distinguishing a RACE from any other run is making it FEEL different. The energy, the electric buzz of the spectators, the nerves, the excitement, the competition, all of the feed into the race atmosphere.

Running your warm-up is just as much physically preparing your body as it is MENTALLY prepping you, getting into the zone.

When you kick off those bulky training shoes and slip on the spikes, you FEEL the race coming. As you strip off those sweats to the bunhuggers underneath you SENSE it…it’s almost here.

Run that final stride, poised and set at the line, it’s ON!

“Look good, feel good.”

1) Female runners, what do you prefer to race in? Do you run in bunhuggers, or have you?

2) On the other side, have you made fun of the bunhuggers? Do you find them silly, and not understand why people would run in them?

3) Guys, men get teased for the shorty running shorts in general. What style shorts do you prefer? What do you say to the dorks who make fun of running shorts?

4) What is a part of your ‘process’ in amping up for a race? What is something that makes you FEEL like it’s race time?

best running shirts

Warning: Runners in mirror are stronger than they appear

Don’t mess with me, I’m a runner. Looks may be a bit deceiving, I’ve had people call me ‘hummingbird arms’ or ‘wishbone’ but I can pack a punch. Runners come in all shapes and sizes, a few of us (okay, probably more than a few) could be dubbed scrawny…but don’t ever confuse that with weak.
strong runner
I do my weights, core work like a good little harrier, am no stranger to the plyometrics. I’ll admit that it sometimes feels like I have to choke that stuff down because I’d rather gobble up more miles BUT I know all these ‘extras’ will make me a stronger runner. If you want to be fast, (or at least less slow…hehe) you’ve got to have a core that can keep you standing tall when you’re tired. You can’t have feeble little arms swirling around like a ribbon-dancer if you want to be efficient either.

Those arms can be slender but darn tooting they should be long, lean, and muscular. Okay, we may not ever bench the same amounts as those gym-goers with the permanent protein powder shaker bottles in hand, but that’s not our aim. Distance runners lift for higher reps and lower weight, duh. It’s all about the endurance.

Want to see us be a little more explosive? Then come to the track after a workout and we’ll show you our plyometric routine. Granted it may not be on par as the sprinters but for distance runner standards that’s some POP! You’ll see that same POP come the last lap of our 10k’s…all that explosive power translated into speed is something beautiful, I’ll tell you what! It’s even more beautiful to swing wide and pass that poor fool who neglected working on that power and speed.

Not all of the ways we build speed are so obvious, some of that power comes from the miles and miles run up hills. Hill repeats, yup, long runs on trails, you got it, tempo runs where the times are misleading due to incline…you bet!

But you want to know the BIGGEST reason you shouldn’t mess with a runner? The strongest assest of a distance runner is, in fact, their mind. I open myself up to hate from footballers, b-ballers, curlers (teehee)…but until you’ve done mile repeats until you swear you’re about to barf and then enter into the next rep, the day you run so long you’re not quite sure if you’re running so much as kicking your foot out in front of you and praying it catches, or you refuse to believe you’re beat so you DIG down for that extra gear.

Mental fortitude…that’s why you don’t want to mess with a runner. The rest, well, the rest is just enough for us to kick you @$$ with. 😉

1) Finish the sentence: Don’t mess with a runner because…

2) What is one way you’ve gained strength, speed, or power?

3) If you’ve played other sports, can you compare the different skills or mindsets necessary for them versus running. What has been the hardest sport or tested you the most?

4) Sometimes even runners have weaker mental days, it happens. So how do you rebound off of a ‘weak’ mental day, learn from it, and aim to not give up next time?
I always remember how crummy it feels when I know I’ve been a mental weenie.
best running shirts