Guest Fits: A Running Themed Baby Shower!

Guest Post from Meggan (friend of Cool J in Minneapolis)

A few weekends ago, I was in Kalamazoo to visit my parents. Unfortunately, that meant I had to miss a friend's baby shower that was held that same weekend. I was sad to have missed the event, but fortunately, one of the hosts offered to do a guest post about the shower, so you (and I) can read about all the fun! 

Now, why would I want a guest post about a baby shower on a Fitness, Fashion, and Fitness Fashion blog? Because this special shower had a running theme! You might have a running friend who is pregnant, and you may be searching for a creative way to throw this fit momma-to-be a suitably themed shower.  Here you go!

I'll let Meggan explain:

"Since most of us met through running club or through running club friends, we immediately were drawn to a running theme for the shower. We couldn't find many runner themed baby showers out there- {hence this post- now all you runners can learn from these creative girls!} so we brainstormed, and built off of the few that did we find online. THIS LINK is to one of the most helpful examples that we used as a guide.

For this shower, we chose pink and green for the color theme. Pink was for the twin girls {yes, twin girls!}  and green is Amber's (the guest of honor) favorite color.

Organize your baby shower just like a race!

We came up with the idea to have "stations" at the shower {so cute!}

• There was a "Finish Area" with the food {just like at a race!}

• A "Water Stop" for beverages and a couple of sippy cups for kids

• A "GU Stop" for desserts {Got to get those sugars in during a long run- or a baby shower!}

• "Runner's Expo" for gifts

• "Family Meet-Up" for photos

...and of course, a "Porta Potty Stop" with diapers! {unfortunately, no pic of that one}

We liked the idea of race "bibs" but were too close to the shower date to order an official batch. Instead, we made our own using good old MS Word and Kinko's for printing. We made up the little signs for the stations and printed those at Kinko's too.

We ordered pennant flags just like those you see at races to decorate around the windows and front door. 

Amber (the guest of honor) is not a shower  game gal, nor are the hosts, so we did a couple little things in lieu of games and shower favors. 

We had people decorate a "race bib"!

We also had everyone self-address envelopes for thank you notes (saves lots of time for the guest of honor!). In one of the envelopes, we stuck a piece of pink ribbon, and whoever received the pink ribbon got a door prize of champagne. 

There was a tasty menu full of some runner's favorites:

Menu:

Chicken Curry sandwiches

Caprese sandwiches

Quinoa Salad

Fruit Salad

Cake Pops

Hummus/ Pita chips

Chocolates and cookies

Erin of Denim & Ink picked out some very fashionable clothes for the babies.

How cute is that whale sweater!

And of course, a nautical theme!

I think the girls were super creative in planning a shower that showcases part of the basis of their friendship, as well as something that is important to the mother-to-be. Great job ladies!

Friday's Favorite Fit: The Bubble Necklace

By LL and Cool J

Today's installment of Friday's Favorite Fit is the Bubble Necklace!

The Right Fits are huge fans of the Bubble Necklace. We've incorporated this statement necklace into so many different outfits over the past year or two! 

JCrew bubble necklace at the store

We both loved the necklace from first sight, and each purchased one in a different color with the intention of swapping out. LL got turquoise and Jess got red. Then, LL got red and Jess got yellow. And then LL bought Jess a turquoise one as a gift... You see where this is headed. There hasn't been any swapping. 

So with so many color options, we both find this necklace to be the right fit for multiple different looks. 

Here are ten of the outfits we wore with the JCrew Bubble Necklace. 

{Jess - green and yellow, green and yellow}

{LL - turquoise with pink}

{LL - red with chambray}

{LL - turquoise with orange & white}

{LL - Navy stripes, denim and red bubble}

{Jess - great fall colors with mustard and red bubble}

{LL - nautical themes of navy and reds}

{Turquoise and plum}

{Turquoise and navy}

{Silver and red on New Year's Eve}

Lots of different stores carry their own version of the bubble necklace these days, but we recommend you check out ebay and search by "bubble necklace." I bet you'll find one you like for a price that fits the bill!

Favorite Fit: Banana Republic Friends and Family Sale!

By Cool J in Minneapolis

In honor of my friend Jill's birthday, I want to give her an official Right Fits shout-out! Happy birthday!

And while I'm at it, I want to thank her for passing along a recent Banana Republic "Friends and Family" coupon a few weeks ago. Thanks to Jill, I updated my work wardrobe with the below new items, all for 50% off with my Friends and Family coupon. Thanks Jill!

Jill is a friend from the Calhoun Beach Running Club; in fact, she was one of my first running companions at the club! She was training for Grandma's Marathon (in Duluth) when I was training for the Seattle marathon in 2010.

{Seattle Marathon 2010}

Now she lives in California, where she runs an Athleta store (jealous!) We miss her here in Minneapolis, but wish her much birthday cheer on her special day!

{The birthday girl on the left, at her going-away-shindig!}

Right Fits: Best Shorts for Athletic Legs

By LL in KC

As athletic ladies, sometimes it can be a challenge to find clothes that fit correctly on a more athletic build. Certain styles, such as cap sleeve shirts, can end up negating a fit body by making it look larger than it really is. I find this to be the biggest problem with shorts. Whereas I am in no way ashamed of my athletic legs, I just cannot be comfortable in a pair of shorts that is too tight around my thighs. The other day I was having a conversation about this with one of my co-workers who used to play soccer at Creighton University. She was complaining about not being able to find shorts that did not make her legs look like sausages squeezed into casings. I gave her some advice on where I shop for shorts and I am going to share that with you all here.

Here are my top three brands for shorts that look good on athletic legs:

1. LOFT (available here)
I like LOFT for multiple reasons, but recently I have been very happy with their options for shorts. They have a few different inseams (my favorite is the 4") and a few different leg openings. I talked about some of the great prints LOFT has available here, causing Jess to go out and pick up a pair. One work of advice, LOFT shorts tend to run a little on the big side, so make sure to try them on to be sure what size you will need.

2. J. Crew (available here and here)
J. Crew can be hit or miss with the cut of their shorts. But, I have had good luck there this summer. They also have a variety of inseams. The 3" is pushing a little too short for anyone over 30, but they also offer a 5" inseam. Currently, the factory store has huge variety of colors - perfect for spring/summer.

3. Old Navy (available here)
Old Navy is another great, cheap alternative. They have a pretty good color selection and have both a 3" and 5" inseam. One issue is that the store sells out of most sizes fairly quickly, so you might need to make a guess as to your size and order online.

Weekend Review: I Wanna Rock!

By Cool J in Minneapolis

Hi! Did you have a good weekend? Run a marathon or half? I know that Green Bay and Fargo were both this weekend, and apparently both were a little steamy.

I hope that if you participated in either, that it wasn't too hot to enjoy the experience. The heat can be brutal for 26.2 miles...trust me, I know from experience!

It's a gloomy, rainy Sunday night here in Minneapolis, which means I'm hanging out on the screened-in porch with Matilda and a glass of wine, ready to share a little weekend recap with you!

With the marathon only two weeks away, it's taper time here in our household. We woke up on Saturday morning to quite a spring thunderstorm, but we headed to the Calhoun Beach Running Club nonetheless for a 15 miler. Our longest run (22 miles) was last weekend. Next weekend, the long run will only be 10 miles, before the 26.2 miles on June 1st. I gave some tips HERE for running in the rain, and Saturday was definitely an opportunity to put those tips to use.

Fortunately, the weather cleared up in time for a quick stop at Art-a-Whirl in Northeast Minneapolis. Art-a-Whirl is a the "largest open studio tour" in the country. Along with all the artwork, the whole neighborhood gets involved in the festivities. Restaurants have specials. Food trucks are in the area. Breweries have bands and tents, and it's a good time for all!

We were crunched for time, so we only had time for a quick stop at the Indeed Brewing Company for a beer and a listen to some live music, before checking out a few buildings that were part of the art festival.

I did pick up a fun t-shirt that has a screenprint of the chain of lakes in Minneapolis. 

(Forgive the 80's feathered bangs. It was windy.)

And I also purchased a colorful painting of a dog that maybe, just maybe, might be Matilda!

Then, we were back home to get ready to meet some friends at Rosa Mexicano downtown for dinner before heading to the Orpheum to see "Rock of Ages."  Rock of Ages was cheesy of course, but it was  entertaining and fun. You couldn't help but sing along with the 80's covers!

I wore THIS polka dot dress from TopShop (now only $50- what a steal!), with a J.Crew flower bib necklace (...was it really JCrew, Jess?)  The polka dot dress was a little on the short side...but you're only young once! Oh wait...I'm not actually young anymore.

Well, that's my weekend in a nutshell. I know that LL was at a fun wedding in Omaha, and I look forward to seeing her pictures from that night!

Friday's Favorite Fit: TOMS!

By Cool J in Minneapolis

Happy Friday, friends!

Today's installment of Friday's Favorite Fit is an item that is the right fit for casual Friday at the office....TOMS!

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Toms. Don't you love them? I bet most of you have at least one pair, right? Personally, I believe I have five pairs. But I love them! They are so comfy. Seriously. And I just like the way they look! You can wear them with anything. You can even wear them with your wedding dress.

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Check out the bridal collection here.

 Even though Toms are generally comfy, they don't have a ton of support. My tip? If I plan to wear them for a long day at a festival or whatnot, I put superfeet inside to give my feet a little more support.

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And there are so many fun colors. I have red, orange, chambray (denim), stripes, black canvas....

The D-man has a few pairs too, of course...some of which are very colorful!

And even better? For every pair you buy, a pair of shoes is donated to a child in need. Read more about  the good deeds at Toms here. Fits for a Cause! The Toms' founder/CEO, Blake Mycoskie seems like a real stand-up kind of guy, who really does a lot of good for the world. Go Blake!

Do you have a pair of Toms? What color? Which are your favorites?

Fit Do Race Reviews: Borgess Run for the Health of It Half Marathon

By LL in KCMO

On May 5th, Jess and I ran the Borgess Run for the Health of It Half Marathon in Kalamazoo, MI. We chose this half marathon to run together as we wanted to run with our dad for his first half. We all agreed that it was a good race overall. You would expect it to be, though, since the half marathon has been held for 34 years. However, Jess and I both agreed that we likely would not run the full marathon (which was only in its 3rd year) as it clearly was a half marathon with the full tacked onto it.

Both the marathon and half marathon were large loops through Kalamazoo, MI. The course started and ended at Nazarene College, which is right by the Borgess Hospital campus. The marathon started at 8:00 AM and the half at 8:20 AM, followed by a 5k run and 5k walk. Jess and I both thought that the start times were a little late, which in turn made the course a little hot as the temperatures rose throughout the day. 

The course itself was fairly nice. We ran downhill on the way out (which was a little daunting since you knew you had to run back up after doubling back). Running down Main Street in downtown Kalamazoo was probably the best as there were the most spectators and no traffic. In other areas along the course, you had to be watchful when passing on the right as the road was only closed in one direction. 

There were some nice sights along the course as well. 

{As my dad said, all of last year's marathoners...}

{All along the course, Borgess has some awesome billboards} 

Normally with a half marathon, you do not get to enjoy the luxuries of a full marathon - like icy pops, gummy bears, cool sponges, water stations with GU juice and water every 1.5 miles - but because there was a full attached to this half marathon, we did get all these added touches, which was nice.

All in all a good race. A fun time particularly because of the company.

As for the full marathon, if you are interested in "earning your mittens," there is a challenge with the Borgess Marathon, in collaboration with the Kenosha, WI marathon (which is always the day before). If you run both marathons in the same weekend, you can earn your mittens.

During the races, you get special treatment and bibs to designate that you are a maniac doing both races. Unfortunately, due to the confusing marathon course, one woman trying to earn her mittens took a wrong turn and ended up on the half marathon course and finished about 8 miles shy of the full marathon. Not sure how Borgess handled that one. 

And what better way to end the race than at the local brewery!