Three Things Thursday (FLASH GIVEAWAY!)

1. FLASH giveaway time again!!

Anyone that donates between NOW and NOON (mst) TOMORROW is automatically entered to win. There is NO minimum donation requirement, and you get ONE entry into the FLASH giveaway for every dollar donated.

Prizes are - 3 people will win a Newton visor, 1 person will win an ultimate direction running/race belt.

*IF* $100 is raised between now and NOON tomorrow, I will ADD a pair of INKnBURN arm sleeves to the prize list.

Keep in mind if you donate $10, you will also be entered in my raffle which will continue for another month - GREAT prizes.

Information on raffle is HERE.

You can donate HERE.

2. I ran this morning before work. It was pretty chilly and DARK (who knew, at 5:00 am, that it would be DARK). The first half was completely miserable. Tired and tight legs and stomach issues. Bathroom at the halfway point and then I was a new person. 

What.

3. I would LOVE to find a running partner/friend for early morning Saturday or Sundays. Or maybe even during the week. North Denver metro? If you are someone, or know someone, send them my way. Someone slow like me - 11:00ish pace for an overall average...

Musings

Normally I would have saved this for a Thursday post, but I have the time today and I likely won't tomorrow.

• Mother Nature obviously hates me. Last year it was 82 for a high in Moab. This year (and the number keeps dropping) the HIGH is projected at 46 degrees. Which means I am going to freeze to death at night.
• Poor L is actually racing in Denver this weekend. Forecast here is even worse. HIGHS in the mid 20's (which obviously it will NOT be at the time she is racing) - and Saturday is predicting 4-8" of snow. I think I'll pick a cold 24 hour jaunt over that. Blech.
• Really curious to see how Moab goes. Last year I put in about 1000 miles of training for it. My brain broke and I dropped after 64ish miles. I have... less than half those miles in training this time around, and even the miles that I have been running have not felt easy or strong. Sooooo. Should be, um, yeah. Interesting.
• After Moab, I guess I need to maintain my mileage a bit since Eugene is just over 5 weeks away! Other than the Big Horn 50k in June, it is my only "distance" race on my schedule... um for the foreseeable future. There are, however, TONS of half marathons coming up. I guess that means I should work on speed a little bit. I'd love to "shatter" my current Colorado half marathon PR - 2:10ish range.
• Thanks to my "flash giveaway" the other day, WE raised $205!!! Thank so much to everyone that donated, I've notified the winner - Alex Detrick (he was in my tour group when I ran the Athens marathon in Greece in 2010) and I will be sure to post what he picks!
• I'm a little over a third of the way to my goal (YAHOO!!) - but of course, please donate if/when you can. You can donate HERE ($10 will still get you in my raffle - and the GUARANTEED prizes right now are Pro Compression marathon socks, Nuun AND a gift card for INKnBURN!) I am still working on getting more prizes, so keep checking back!
• Lately, A has really been into taking silly candid pictures. So, if you missed this on social media, here ya go!

I posted this on Facebook. My dad asked, "who is in the pictures with A?"

Lucky Louisville "5k" (Race Recap)

Saturday, March 16
Louisville, CO
A's 9th 5k
Weather - chilly and overcast

You might be wondering why the Lucky Louisville 5k is in " " - well, it was NOT a 5k... I've run one other race put on by this group, and that one also measured extremely short. No biggie to me, but for people who at least want to run their best, a short course can be extremely frustrating. I mean, how hard is it, really, in this day and age with GPS to measure a 5k? Anyway. That's my ONLY complaint (no, really!)

I thought I knew where the start area was, but then they just gave an intersection and warned an iPhone might tell me to go to Kansas. So.... we left early. We stopped on the way up and got pre-race fuel:

A had the one with the sprinkles - I'm NOT a huge sprinkle fan

We got there about 50 minutes before the race started. Out of all the races this weekend, I picked this one because it was close and it was inexpensive. $25 for me, and all kids under 8 were FREE. FREE!!! I picked up my bib (and really NICE shirt). Even though A's entry was free, she got a shirt (but no bib).

Since it was so chilly, we sat in the car until about 9:30, then we headed to use the bathroom. There was no wait so we were back in the car a few minutes later. We were literally only about 200 feet from the start line, so we didn't head over until 9:57 (with a 10 am start).

There was also a one mile option, and dogs AND strollers were allowed. It was a pretty small race though, and people were overall pretty considerate where they staged themselves. Those doing the 5k were asked to go to the "front" and we placed ourselves toward the back of the front (does that even make sense?)

A started off fast - always a concern for me since she tends to burn out fairly easily and then isn't too happy towards the end. She kept sprinting ahead and then stopping to wait. I told her she could just keep going, as it was a smallish race and I could see her ahead of me. We got to the turnaround point and that's pretty much when she started to get tired. Originally she told me she "wanted to catch the girl with the piggy tails" - but then she didn't really want to run.

Colorado isn't all that pretty in the dead of winter (yeah, I know "spring" is supposedly here this week but you wouldn't know it):

She jogged a large portion of what was left, and when we could start hearing the bagpipes, she knew we were close. She had been chasing a little boy (apparently HIS goal was to beat A - his mom kept saying - she's going to beat you!) and TOOK OFF with about a quarter mile to go. We did end up beating the little boy and his mom, and I barely was able to keep up with her to the finish.

Time - 28:07
Mile 1 - 11:34
Mile 2 - 13:10
Mile 2.35 - 9:14 (seriously, she is so fast!!)
 

A is wearing the race shirt - nice, right??

I (for the first time in my LIFE) had a cup of green beer. Overall, a fun day, but not something you want to run if you are super serious about the little things like accurate distance and such :D

PS - SEPARATE from my regular raffle, I'm doing a"flash giveaway" for anyone that donates to my fundraiser HERE. ANY donation I get today or tomorrow will be entered in to win a FREE INKnBURN tech tee of the winner's choice. ($10 minimum for the regular raffle). So get your entry in before 11:59 pm MST tomorrow!

Mizuno Mezamashii Project... and a giveaway!

Did you know I'm a founding member of the Mezamashii Project from Mizuno? Do you even know what that is? Well, if you haven't seen/heard the buzz surrounding the project, you can read about it here.

Being a member means... free shoes. Seriously. FREE. SHOES. When I found out that I could pretty much select ANY style on their website, I was PSYCHED. I run a TON, and I go through LOTS of shoes. I also have yet to find the perfect trail shoe. So I ordered a pair of the Cabrakans, and they arrived in time for me to test them out. You know, on one of the toughest marathon courses in the country. And you know what? They were awesome. So I tested them AGAIN on a trail half marathon the next day. I'm pretty much making them my new trail shoe.

Anyway, what's this giveaway you ask? Well... as a founding member, I can offer membership to OTHERS. Well, I think the only fair way to do this is for me to do a "giveaway" for an email invite. So... for entry - all you need to do is pick TWO of these options. Just two! I will do a random selection on the 9th - the free shoes offer EXPIRES ON JULY 15 - so once you win, be sure to check your email for your invite and get them ordered!

Giveaway Requirements (pick TWO):

• What a brilliant / mezamashii run means to you
• Why do you want a pair of Mizunos
• A haiku about brilliant running
• Tweet to me (and MizunoUSA) - why do you want to be a part of the Mezamashii Run Project
• Tweet to me (and MizunoUSA) - what a brilliant / mezamashii run means to you
• Tweet to me (and MizunoUSA) - Why they want a pair of Mizunos

If you don't already follow me on Twitter - please do @squirrelgirl44 (I'm huh-larious).

Three Ways To Enter Thursday: Got the Blues? GIVEAWAY

At least a few times in the last month I have rambled ON and ON about how much I love the YMX by Yellowman clothing line. Thanks to a giveaway from my Twitter/Bloggy friend, Dawn, I was able to try a shirt out for free. Since then, I have purchased quite a few shirts on my own. As most of you know, I am SUPER picky about what I wear. And when I find something I love, I do not hesitate to SCREAM FROM THE ROOFTOPS about how great it is. With all that out of the way...

Got the Blues? GIVEAWAY

One of my super duper lucky followers will receive this top:

Front

Back

From ymx website: MAORI SWIRL SUN TEE

Style No. 20145

This multifunctional long sleeve shirt brings traditional Maori art into a body enhancing elegance. Wear it is a performance base layer or as an everyday fashion piece.icking, odor and wrinkle resistance, SPF 30+ protection and detailed tribal print.

Fabric: MadKool ® 92% Polyester 8% Spandex Properties: "UV protection SPF 50+, permanent moisture wicking by yarn, abrasion resistant, soft hand" Fit: "slim fit, wear one size up for relaxed fit" Uses: "cycling, BMX"

First things first... I only have this in a size MEDIUM. So... be aware that if you win, that is the size that you will get. If it doesn't fit YOU, maybe one of your super awesome running buddies has always wanted to try one!

How can you win this incredibly fabulous top?? Well... THREE WAYS TO ENTER:

1. Follow my blog (required), thank you :D (If you already follow, remind me please in a comment)

2. Follow YMX on twitter @WearYMX ***and*** tweet a link to this blog post on your feed. Be sure to copy me so I see it ( @squirrelgirl44 )

3. Visit their website and tell me what your favorite shirt is!

The nitty gritty

1. No purchase necessary to win.

2. As much as I love all my bloggy friends, I will only send this to contiguous 48 states since I'm footing the bill for shipping.

3. Blah, blah, blah & yadda, yadda, yadda.

I'll randomly pick a winner via RNG next Friday, February 24. Let's say noon-ish MST.

(I'm going to add that this is obviously not required of anyone, but if the winner adores their top as much as I do, please #spreadthelove about YMX. They would obviously benefit from the respected opinions of other awesome runners).

GOOD LUCK!!

Louisville Turkey Trot (Race Recap)

Louisville, CO
Thursday, November 24
Weather - Sunny, WARM

We were originally going to do a Turkey Trot in Arvada. But. We waited too long to register (Hey, it's Colorado. If it's 5 degrees outside and snowing, I'm not running). Luckily, there was another option. And this one was FREE. Yes, you heard me. FREE. The Louisville Turkey Trot was FREE with a donation item (either clothing, shoes, toiletries, blankets, etc) for the local homeless shelter. So. Louisville it was.


I'm never quite sure why I sign up for short distance races. I really don't like them. I am slow, don't pace well, they just aren't fun. But. Free.

Starting Area

We were able to park about a block from the starting area, got our bibs and timing chips (yes, even though it was free, STILL TIMED), and went through the bathroom lines. Twice. We actually got recognized. A lady said, "Hey, are you the two girls that dress alike and ran the Bear Chase?" Why, yes. We are. Hilarious. Went through the bathroom line again, and literally the race starts as we are headed to the start line. Which meant we ended up behind dogs, strollers, walkers, kids. Blech.


The first quarter mile or so was a lot of dodging, but on a city street so it was ok. Then we entered the trail area, and it really narrowed out. I did ok for about the first 3/4 mile and then pretty much crashed and burned. It was HOT (relatively speaking, this IS Colorado), in the upper 50s. I was ROASTING. My calves were ok, but my thighs were burning. Probably not a good idea that I did a tempo run the day before. I ran with L until just past the first aid station (there were THREE).


I started my unplanned walking around 1.2 miles in. Really? I can run a whole marathon without walking, but not a 5k? There is something wrong with me. the course was on trail, so I was getting lots of dirt/pebbles in my shoes. And it was crowded. Plus, the course was short. The turnaround should have been about another .1 out. Even with all THAT, I still ran a disastrous race. I barely ran sub 30 (officially 29:54...), and keep in mind the course measures 2.91 miles per my watch. Bleh. I doubt I'll ever PAY to run another 5k. They are just no fun.


Grabbed a candy cane and Clif bar at the end, took a picture:

and headed out. We had lots planned for Thanksgiving!

Quick shower and lunch at home. Then I took L's boyfriend to the airport. Took A and H to the park, went to the Muppet Movie (which was AWESOME), and then family Thanksgiving dinner. Stuffing and chocolate cheesecake are MY favorite Thanksgiving foods :) Relaxed at home, watching Megamind in the recliner. I got to go to bed early since J is one of the crazies that went out for Black Friday shopping at 9 pm.


So. What are YOU thankful for? I'm thankful my MS is still in remission, having a biopsy that was negative for cancer, my awesome family, and RUNNING.


Happy Holidays!!


PS - I never heard from Anais, so the new winner... 

Yay, Lisa J, contact me! I can email you the code or mail you the physical card. Congrats!!

We Have a Winner!

The winner is... Anais from "Legally Goofy." Send me an email at squirrelgirl44(at)hotmail(dot)com. I can either mail you the physical card or just email the code off the back, let me know your preference.

Been a crazy few days over here... so that's all for today!

Congrats to Anais!

200th Follower Giveaway

This is just a simple thank you to my followers. I did not get this donated from Apple or iTunes. Thanksgiving is coming up, and one of the things I am thankful for is my dedicated blog followers. Thanks to all of you I have received advice, support, and most importantly - made friends. To show my appreciation, I'm giving away a $25 iTunes gift card.

I won't "force" anyone to be a follower just to get this, although obviously that would be nice. Only requirements for an entry? Tell me something that you are thankful for.

BONUS ENTRIES:

If you are a follower, you know I recently had a biopsy (that thankfully turned out to be negative for cancer). I think that cancer research is VERY important, but I don't have any specific ties with a charity. However, one of my very good friends (most of you probably know her), Heather, has a daughter with leukemia. Heather is raising money for PCRF to run the Cinco de Mayo half marathon in May. Anyone who is kind enough to donate through Heather's fundraising page will earn a bonus entry for every dollar donated. Information about the PCRF charity and their goals can be found here. Please leave a separate comment stating amount of donation.

I'll close the giveaway next Friday at 5:00 pm MST and announce a winner shortly after.

CELEBRATE!!

Lucy is turning 12! They are having an AMAZING sale - 25% off!

Click here to find a location near you. OR... you can also buy online, and get FREE SHIPPING!! I've got my eye on tons of their products. Especially the cute little purple skirt :)

I got my test results back today, and YAY, it is benign. However, I will still have to have surgery to have the mass removed, but it is still a HUGE relief. Thanks everyone!

First long run of the newest RLRF training cycle. 18 miles at MP+30... which for the new paces I'm running was a 10:54 pace. The first hour was cake. No problem. Second hour, a bit more tough. The last? Awful. I barely forced myself through it. But... 18.19 miles in 3:15? I'll take it :)

I am over 1200 miles already for the year. Which means I've surpassed last year's mileage, and it's only October... I don't think 1500 miles is in reach though.

And... in celebration of my 200th blog follower, I'll be announcing a little giveaway tomorrow.

Christmas Edition - Lake Arbor Loop (and a giveaway winner)

Saturday, December 25
Temperature - Clear, 17 degrees at start

There is definitely something wrong with me. I mean, what kind of person sets their alarm for 7:05 in the morning. ON CHRISTMAS??? I thought more than once as I was getting dressed that NO person who had all their mental faculties would be doing this. Meh. No one has EVER accused me of being normal.

I was originally going to be super festive and wear my niece's Santa hat, but at 3.5 years old, her head is smaller than mine and it didn't fit. This would have to do:

So when I checked the temperature at home, it said it was 27 degrees. I was thinking... it isn't even 8 yet, so by the time I've been running for a while, I'd be pretty hot. I figured tank top and sleeves. I have decided that anything under about 40 degrees I'm going to wear tights though. So I grab a Peppermint Stick Luna bar to eat on the drive, and my bottle of Powerade Zero and some water and head out the door. As I'm driving, the temperature keeps dropping. By the time I stop the car?

Brrr. Well. I'm going to run regardless. Good thing I keep a hat and gloves in my bag. I get dressed... and am ready to go.

Love Love LOVE my socks!!!

Clear Christmas morning... not even any snow on the ground!

I didn't REALLY have a goal of how far to go. First loop went ok. I have run this loop TONS of times and I have never really seen anyone RUNNING this. I mean, I see lots of people walking dogs, but not runners. This morning? I saw lots of them. Apparently the lake is a magnet for crazy people to go on Christmas day. In 17 degree weather. Second loop? Ugh. Stomach hurting. I have to detour and use the bathroom. Glad to have that out of the way and I keep going.

It's COLD. I'm glad I have my sleeves on. I own two pairs of them, and either my arms or getting skinnier, or the Zensah ones I have don't stay up nearly as well as my other ones. But at least they did their job of keeping me warm.

I keep running. And running. I take a Powerade gel at the start of loop 5. Then... loop 6 and my stomach starts screaming at me again. WTH?? Another detour and bathroom stop. Blech. Ironically I am keeping a pretty decent pace. Even with all my stopping.

It is still really cold out. I am actually really surprised by the number of people that are out. Not just people walking (some without dogs, even), but just driving around. When my family is around I typically don't leave the house on Christmas, unless I'm getting coffee or something.

Keep running. I think maybe I'll stop with the loop that gets me past half marathon distance. But then I got to the end of that lap and I decided to just do "one more." Yep. Something wrong with me. Who does this? Goes out and runs over 15 miles on Christmas? Oh yeah. The same person that ran a half marathon two days earlier on the treadmill. Certifiable.

Garmin Distance: 15.33 miles
Time: 2:40:04
Loop 1 - 10:15 pace
Loop 2 - 11:38 pace (bathroom)
Loop 3 - 9:54 pace
Loop 4 - 10:01 pace
Loop 5 - 10:28 pace
Loop 6 - 11:35 pace (bathroom)
Loop 7 - 10:00 pace
Loop 8 - 10:15 pace
Loop 9 - 10:12 pace
Loop 10 - 10:17 pace
Loop 11 - 10:13 pace
Loop 12 - 10:12 pace

You gotta admit I'm pretty damn consistent. All my non bathroom break loops are so close in time! Even the bathroom ones are almost the same.

Well. That was fun :D

And now... for the good part. Who won my super awesome giveaway??? According to random.org

And that would be.... RunKnitRun!!! Congrats!! Send me a message squirrelgirl44 at hotmail dot com and I'll get the socks and books right out to you!

I want to thank everyone that participated in the giveaway. Especially everyone that shared their favorite books and holiday memories. I think I need to read the "Married with Zombies" book as suggested by our winner. I'm a sucker for a zombie :D My traditions are a bit out of whack with being recently divorced and having all my immediate family go out of state (and country) this Christmas. So... this year I went running (for a LONG time), stopped and got a coffee at Starubcks, opened gifts with my boyfriend (I got a new GPS unit for my car!), watched some tv (which I rarely do, but Man v. Food?? Wow. I had never seen THAT before), then had a late lunch at IHOP (mmmm a Christmas burger) and then dozed on the recliner. Tonight we have an exciting dinner planned at Perkins and a viewing of "Paranormal Activity 2" at the dollar theater.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas (or at least an enjoyable weekend)!

All I Want For Christmas - GIVEAWAY!

The 100th Follower Giveaway!

Yeah, I know I had my 100th follower a few weeks ago. I was just deciding... what to do for a giveaway.  I really wish I could do something like give out a Garmin or a running skirt, but... this will just have to do. Sometimes I find that I have acquired things that I just won't use. So my "loss" will be your gain!

Up for grabs is two pairs of performance toe socks from Injini - one pair in pink, one pair in white/rainbow - both size small (sorry, guys!). I bought a ton of these socks to wear with my Vibram Five Fingers, but the shoes ended up not really working out for me how I hoped, and since I hardly wear them, I can't justify having so many pairs of socks. And these I hadn't even taken out of the package yet :D

Part two... I also LOVE to read. I am guilty of buying books a lot of the time instead of just borrowing them from the library. So for those of you who need more than just doing the running and talking about the running, I'm giving away:

The Perfect Mile by Neal Bascomb
The Extra Mile by Pam Reed

Entries - one comment for each so you get all them counted:

1. You must be a follower of my blog :D
2. Re-post the giveaway on your own blog
3. Become a follower of Injini on Facebook
4. Tell me your favorite book (doesn't have to be about running, but if you have one, share it, I'm always looking for new ones).
5. Tell me your favorite Christmas/Holiday tradition.

Giveaway will end Christmas Day, get your entries in by noon to be safe.

It's Time!!! Marathon Week & Giveaway Winner!!

So I'm catching up on my blogging today and I realize... I'm going to be on a plane to Greece in less than two days. HUH??? Yep, that's right... the marathon is this weekend. THIS WEEKEND???

*thunk*

So after a half marathon in freeeeeezing Alaska over the weekend, yesterday was a rest day, and tonight was my LAST pre-race treadmill hill program.

I absolutely adore preppy pink!!

Guh!! What a terrible program ::swoon:

Happy to be done

So I posted on Facebook that my original pair of Newtons were being retired. I got them end of July(ish) so I estimate I have at least 400 miles on them. I had ordered a second pair, put them on, and wore them to the gym tonight. Last time they needed virtually no breaking in. Almost immediately they hurt my feet. I managed to get through my workout, but when I got home, I compared the shoes. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME!!! Curse it. Now I have to drive up to Boulder to see if they have changed the style in the last two months and try to get a pair that does not hurt the back of my heel. (Seriously, look how much taller the heel is on the newer ones on the right). I'm just happy I didn't hurt my foot or get a big blister or something. Guh. That'll teach me to wait so long to break in new shoes.

Old on left, New on right

Oh... and as for the marathon countdown????

Crap. That's soon.

And what you are all anxiously waiting for...

Giveaway Winner....

The winner of the Zensah running bra giveaway is... Kadie from "There She Runs" - please contact me with your address and which color/size you would like so I can get this sent out to you. YAY!!

MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!!

RAH, RAH, SISS BOOM BAH!!!

MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!!!

*\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* 

Re-posting the review in case you missed it...


I was psyched when I was given the opportunity to review a product by Zensah. I've been raving about their leg sleeves for months, and have recently started wearing the arm sleeves and compression socks. Their products are fabulous! I was asked to try one of their products that I hadn't used before (sorry guys, this is for girls only) - their running bra.

No, that's not a picture of me :D - she is way more toned than I am! Since I am too self-conscious to work out with just a bra, I opted to try one in black - since I have a lot of black tops. Wednesday came, and it was time for my treadmill hill run. An hour on the treadmill in the stifling hot gym is the perfect time to test out products. I made sure to wear one of my shirts that did NOT have a built in bra so that I could gauge the support and comfort level better.

The facts about the bra (from Zensah's website):

Zensah has developed the most comfortable running sports bra in the world. Made for athletes, the innovative running sports bra is made with Zensah Fabric which is thermal regulating. Zensah Sports Bras allow you to never feel too hot or too cold. Zensah Sports Bra has moisture wicking technology that keeps you dry, even after the toughest workouts. With is seamless construction and Zensah fabric, the Zensah compression sports bra is the best sports bra on the market. This high-performance running bra offers compression and support while running or engaging in any athletic activity. The Zensah Sports Bra fits all body types. It is a great sport bra for small to large cup sizes. Get the Zensah Running Sports Bra today and revolutionize your workout!

* Seamless Design = No Chafing
* Anti-Bacterial
* Super Comfort
* Thermal Regulating
* Available in SEVEN colors (purple, orange, pink, black, white, royal blue, green, baby blue) - with more colors coming soon!!
Sizing: S/M: 32ABC - 34AB M/L: 34ABC - 36AB 
  
I will admit I was a bit worried since I am on the high end of the S/M scale and low end of the M/L scale, but I went with the small anyway. Pulling the bra out of the box and I was impressed with how soft and stretchy it was. I was defnitely concerned that it would not be enough support for me. I put it on, and what struck me is how light and comfortable it was. After putting it on, I certainly felt "supported" and yet at the same time it felt like I was wearing nothing at all. 
  
The run went great. I normally feel "bulging" and tightness under my arms, but this one is different. I really did not notice it at all! To sum it up - comfortable, light, supportive and NO CHAFING!! I give this product an A+ and certainly plan on getting more.


Giveaway Entries:


1. You must be a follower of my blog :D
2. Post a link to the review on Twitter or "re-tweet"
3. "Like" Zensah on Facebook
4. Link this giveaway on your blog


The super duper lucky winner will receive a Zensah running bra!! Entries for the giveaway accepted until Monday, October 25, 5:00 MST. I'll announce the winner the follow day.


Good luck!!