Somehow, I always manage to involve myself in at least three simultaneous projects that require my attention RIGHTNOWHURRYUPDOIT!

RIGHTNOW is no exception. My absence this week has been due to two equally-as-important causes:

1) We’re (My Gazelle and I) buying a house.

2) We’re (Annabel, Jasmine, Jen and I) starting a charity.

I’ve been looking at a lot of things like this–

And this–

And this–

And this–

And then more of this–

Nobody likes rot damage.

Crack is wack.

I now have an ever-growing list of “things we’ll need to purchase/fix/replace for the new house but can’t afford to purchase/fix/replace right now”. Thank goodness I’ve barely had time to consider the possibility that our new home is on it’s way to becoming a full-fledged Money Pit.

Blogging For A Change has consumed my life for the past three(ish) weeks. Do you guys have any idea what setting up a 501(c)3 charity entails?

Paperwork. Lots and lots of paperwork.

The great news is that we are going LIVE with our Blogging For A Change Rally For Japan on Monday, April 4th. My birthday is tomorrow. In honor of my birthday, I think you should donate money to Japan. You know–just an idea.

Donate.
Win Cool Stuff.
Change the World.

It’s really that simple. On Monday, the Blogging For A Change Donation Rally for Japan will be open for entries into the giveaway. Each item up for grabs (provided by companies like Polar, New Balance, Attune, Stonyfield) will have it’s own “Donate Now” button. You can enter once for free, or for a small donation to Japan, you can also buy additional entries to win the item.

It’s seriously a win/win scenario.

For a full list of companies that have jumped on board and donated their products to the giveaway, check out the Donation Rally page at Blogging For A Change. The list is AMAZING.

I sincerely hope that all of you will go to Blogging For A Change on Monday and purchase some entries for the giveaway. Since we’re sending the proceeds of the rally directly to The Red Cross, you’ll be helping a great cause.

If you’d like to read a much more eloquent description of our Blogging For A Change Rally, try reading Annabel’s, Jasmine’s, or Jen’s.

Unlike me, they are able to talk about charity without also talking about crack.

Are you a company that wants to donate your products to the Blogging For A Change Rally for Japan? There’s still time! Contact me for more information!

]]> http://www.joggerslife.com/2011/house-buying-crack-finding-charity-commencing/feed/ 2 http://www.joggerslife.com/2010/so-bossy/ http://www.joggerslife.com/2010/so-bossy/#comments Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:14:24 +0000 http://www.joggerslife.com/?p=4348

A few weeks ago, in one of my crazy confessions, I admitted to you that I was becoming a chronic slacker.  There were several revelations within that post, but the most important (in my opinion) was the admission that I was putting my fitness goals on the back burner and bunking any supposed 2011 race calendar, in the hopes that I “might be pregnant” in the spring.

My favorite time to race is in the spring.

And by “race”, I mean “keep up with the moms pushing double strollers”.

I was pretty much declining all of my friends’ invitations to complete races with them because I had developed this irrational fear (after my failed pregnancy) that failed pregnancies are a side effect of working out.  Let me explain…

[if you possess more testosterone than estrogen, this part will bore you.  Just scroll down to the pictures and continue.]

During the short amount of time that I was pregnant, I was working out.  Of course I was trying to keep things under the threshold of where I would normally push myself, but I was holding up my normal workout schedule.  I found out I was pregnant on Friday, September 3.  On Saturday, My Gazelle and I did our normal TRX bootcamp workout.  I ran on Monday, did weight training on Tuesday, and then on Wednesday I went to my regularly-scheduled spin class.

I honestly wanted life to be “business as usual”, zygote or no zygote.

I was feeling a little goofy on Wednesday.  I can’t really explain what “goofy” means, but I just felt tired and kind of out of breath all day.  I attributed it to my early pregnancy, and I just kept it movin.  Before spin class, I was stretching out.  I felt something weird like a butterfly in my stomach.  I described it to My Gazelle as a little “Bloooop!” in my belly.

I proceeded to do my normal spin class, at a much lower intensity than I would normally do.

The following day, I started having symptoms of miscarriage (which turned out to actually be an ectopic pregnancy).

In my brain, I blamed the whole terrible situation on my “business as usual” workout schedule.  Rationally, I know that it’s insane and that plenty of women work out through their entire pregnancy.  I did a 15K race in 2008, and a woman who was 7 months pregnant beat me by like 15 minutes.  I ran that very same race with my bestie who was 6 months pregnant with her son at the time.

Exercising while pregnant is healthy.  Research indicates that it makes for healthier Moms and babies, and it makes the process of delivery easier a lot of the time.

Coupled with my fear of getting injured (after everything I dealt with in 2009), I ended up being literally afraid to run or work out.

I had to get over this irrational fear.  I had to start running again.  I love running.  I had to start living my life the way that I did before.  I had to start signing up for races.

As I also mentioned previously, I don’t want to be injured in 2011 as I was during most of 2009 while I was training for 1/2 marathons and my (only) marathon.  Extreme distances tend to not agree with my body.  They cause me ITB Friction Syndrome, Bursitis, nervous breakdowns, crying episodes (you can read a full recap here). Long distances work for some people, but not so much for me.

When my rational brain kicked in and decided that my legs needed to get busy, that same rational brain decided to adopt a much more kinder, gentler approach to training in 2011.  If I’m focusing again on running, as I did during 2009 (2010 was the year of the triathlon!), I needed a better way to get it done.

I bought Jeff Galloway’s book.

About Jeff:

“Jeff’s quest for the injury-free marathon training program led him to develop group training programs in 1978, and to author Runner’s World articles which have been used by hundreds of thousands of runners of all abilities. His training schedules have inspired the second wave of marathoners who follow the Galloway RUN-WALK-RUN™, low mileage, three-day, suggestions to an over 98% success rate.”

[you can read more about him on his website if you're interested]

The basic premise behind the training is that by doing a low mileage training program (2 short runs, 1 longer run) per week, coupled with a RUN-WALK-RUN schedule during the runs, you minimize the damaging effects that long distance running does on your body.

I’m all over it, people.

I love the idea that I can still do longer races, but not get jacked up because of it.

With the Galloway method, you figure out your race pace and then train according to the guidelines in the plan.  Personally, I’m planning on having fairly slow race times this year, and my training pace right now is around 12:00 miles.  Truthfully, that’s not a lot slower than the standard 11:00-11:30 miles I was running before.  I’ll trade off that slight loss on pace so that I don’t get injured.

I’m doing 3:1 intervals.  RUN 3 MINUTES: WALK 1 MINUTE: RUN 3 MINUTES…REPEAT until the time or distance goal is accomplished.  My pace is slower (and I have to continue reminding myself that the goal for 2011 is to just finish these races), but as a result, my body feels surprisingly great after I’m finished running.

I love it.

Something else that I also love is the Gymboss.

The wonderful Jake from Gymboss contacted me shortly after I announced that I was going to be doing the Galloway method, and asked me if I would like to have a Gymboss interval timer to help with my training.

I LOVE THE GYMBOSS.

I’ve used it now for about 3 weeks, and I can’t tell you how great it is specifically for the purpose of running intervals.  Since I’m running outside sometimes (with proper reflection of course), I am not able to see my Garmin because it’s too dark outside.  Before I had the Gymboss, I would have to wait until I was directly under a street light to check my Garmin time, and 90% of the time, I had missed my interval cue.

The Gymboss has several different settings, and can be set to vibrate or audibly chime when your interval cue has arrived.  The vibration is great for when I’m at the gym and don’t want to disrupt everyone (or for when I’m using my iPod during the run), and I use the chime when I’m outside.  The Gymboss is small, lightweight, and clips snugly onto your shirt or waistband.  I actually clip mine right on my iPod armband in order to centralize most of my gadgets.

This little green doo dad has made my life a ton easier, and I’m looking forward to spending many (many) training miles with it!

Many uninjured miles.

As I previously mentioned, Jake is wonderful.  He has offered to give one of my readers their very own Gymboss.  He might even let you pick the color, but you’d probably have to ask nicely.

The Rules:

Go to the Gymboss website, and leave a comment telling me what color Gymboss you’d pick.

One entry per person.

Contest closes at 12PM on Wednesday, December 22nd.

Good luck!

Disclosure: Actions you take from the links within this blog post may yield commissions for joggerslife.com. See Jogger’s Life’s disclosure statement for more details.

This week, I have a whole lot of important things to discuss with you about wallpaper.  While I’m busy preparing that award-winning blog post, I wanted to let you know that I chose a winner.

The loot…

The competition…

The winner…

WAH!!!  ***CUE CONFETTI***

Mrs Fatass, get at me lady.  I’ll hook you up with your new shirt!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED–I’LL BE DRAWING A WINNER AT 5PM ON MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2010!

I seriously picked up a stage 5 case of “Disney World Ick” while I was on vacation.

I don’t know the origin of this hacking, coughing, (barking), ailment that I’ve come down with, but I want it to exit the premises immediately.  Immediately.  I’m not a very good sick person–it cramps my style.

Coughing gives me a headache.  Makes me grumpy.  Causes people to stare at me like I beat their child while waiting in line with Monica at ULTA.

(sorry Monica.  first impression was awesome, right)?

Despite my sickly condition, the lovely people at Dick’s have again offered Joggerslife the opportunity to give away a $50 gift card to a lucky reader.  I’m much less contagious-y via email I suppose.

SO, if you’d like to enter the giveaway to win a $50 gift card to Dick’s Sporting Goods, all you have to do is leave a comment and let me know:

What the heck are you going to buy with your $50 gift card, and why?!

One entry per person please!  Add my feed to your reader so that you’ll know if you won–I don’t email winners!  One winner will be chosen on Monday, March 22, 2010.  U.S. residents, age 18 and over only please.

Good luck!

* Have you joined my Facebook Group yet?

* See how my training is going over here!

* Looking for my eBook?

*Check out my body image project!

Have I ever mentioned that I am an obsessive spreadsheet maker?

It’s the only way that I can organize my brain.  And that is a huge undertaking.

It’s safe to say that without Excel, I’d be useless.

This is all of the contest entries, organized neatly into Excel.  Isn’t it pretty?  You can’t see it (because I respect your privacy), but I have also listed everyone’s email address, website address, and IP address on the spreadsheet.  I feel so prepared now.

I’m relishing in my preparedness.

But mostly, I just wanted to say ‘relish’.

So, anyway.

The contest had 55 total entries, but I had to cut a bunch of the entries out due to spamming–thus leaving us with 32 entries.

I’m also pleased to announce that VegieGail’s loss is your gain.  Sorry VegieGail.  You never claimed the Bodylastics Home Gym that you won last week, so I’ve decided to choose two winners for this contest.  One of you will win the $100 Dick’s Gift Card, and the other will win the Bodylastics Home Gym!

I think that’s a pretty sweet ass deal.

First, according to Random.org, the winner of the $100 Dick’s Gift card is….

Rose!

Congratulations Rose!  You should be able to buy plenty of sports bras with $100!

Secondly, the winner of the Bodylastics Home Gym is…

Michelle!

Congrats to you too, Michelle!  If you’re not familiar with the Bodylastics Home Gym, you can check out the original contest for more details.

So, winners…please click on my “contact” tab, and send me your mailing addresses.  You must claim your prizes within 48 hours, or I’ll have to give them to someone else!

This giveaway was so fun!  Hopefully it will be the first of many awesome (ahem…sponsored…ahem) giveaways.  I love giving you guys stuff!

* Have you joined my Facebook Group yet?

* See how my training is going over here!

* Wonder what I’m eating?

* Everyone loves a giveaway!

]]> http://www.joggerslife.com/2009/dicks-gift-card-winner/feed/ 2 http://www.joggerslife.com/2009/fun-food-fitness-friday-a-giveaway/ http://www.joggerslife.com/2009/fun-food-fitness-friday-a-giveaway/#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:45:03 +0000 http://www.joggerslife.com/2009/fun-food-fitness-friday-a-giveaway/ Since I feel it is my worldly duty to spread the love which is healthy eating and a balanced lifestyle, I have decided that FUN FOOD Friday will become FUN FOOD & FITNESS Friday. Because really, where is FOOD without FUN & FITNESS? And FITNESS would be lonely without FOOD AND FUN. And FUN just isn't FUN without FOOD and FITNESS. Ok, that's enough.

***Giveaway is closed! I’m very scientifically tallying the entries, and will post the winner soon!

In celebration of my first Fun Food & FITNESS Friday, a CONTEST!

But first, you must read.

Mountain Rose Herbs is the place you need to go if you’re in the market for bulk dried herbs. They have been in business since 1987, and all of their herbs are certified organic. They also offer essential oils, tea, and bulk ingredients for making your own body care products. I think that’s pretty cool, and very witch doctor-esque.

Solay Wellness has certified organic peanut butter granola . In my little centrifuge of food, jogging, and all-around histrionics, peanut butter granola is huge. Solay Wellness offers 5 pound bags of the stuff for $37.94 plus $4.95 FLAT RATE shipping. Peanut butter granola and FLAT RATE SHIPPING? That’s all good.

I remember the first time I ever tried white truffle oil. I am lucky to have crossed paths a few years ago with some very incredible foodie friends. As a result of this path-crossing, I was invited to a dinner party at the home of the owner/operator/head chef of a very successful and sought-after catering company in DC. Well geez…twist my arm…I guess I’ll go! Until that day, I had no idea what white truffle oil was. What a horrible life I had led up until that point!

As I was served my appetizer, I smelled white truffle oil for the first time. I was slightly taken aback by the odor, but I’m an open-minded eater, so I wasn’t intimidated.

And then, set before me, was the most lovely salad; crafted of baby spinach, with a shitake/garlic/bacon cream sauce, sprinkled with just enough bow tie pasta, speckled with pine nuts, and drizzled with my drug of choice, white truffle oil. When I took the first bite, I proceeded to fall into a comatose state. The following day, I went to the grocery store and purchased the necessary ingredients to recreate this masterpiece. Unfortunately, I didn’t have access to the same quality of ingredients that Mr. Chef did, and you just can’t skimp on mushrooms and truffles. My version was good, but it didn’t make me want to sing from the rooftops like the original version did.

The bottle of white truffle oil that I bought at Marshall’s 2 weeks ago on clearance for $4 is not the same as the oil that you MUST buy from Earthy Delights . I understand that a $45 bottle of white truffle oil is outside of the normal scope and budget, but I promise that you won’t be sorry. It’s time to splurge. Even if you don’t buy the $45 bottle, at least treat yourself to the $22 bottle of crack. It’s worth it.

Everybody’s doing it.

And now, let’s burn off some of those truffle oil calories…

If you’ve been hanging around the JL hood for a while, this is not the first time you’re hearing me mention the TRX Suspension Trainer. Last time I mentioned it, it was sweetened with some sweaty, muscle-rippling pictures of My Gazelle. Hopefully you enjoyed them. I know I did.

….

….

….

Uhhh…

Right.

So, in my opinion, the TRX Suspension Trainer is a really great piece of equipment because it is a) portable, b) versatile, c) convenient, and d) challenging. You can travel anywhere with this piece of equipment, and you can basically use it anywhere. If you’re out of town and can’t count on the hotel’s fitness center, the TRX is all you need. The only downfall with the TRX is that your uncle Joe who hasn’t worked out in 10 years will probably feel too challenged with this apparatus without first possessing a basic level of fitness.

I’m not saying that you have to be a bodybuilder, but you should have the ability to do some general exercises comfortably. I am even able to do most of the exercises with little to no modification (with the exception of that crazy push-up to a hanging-crunch thingy).

The great thing about the TRX is that the more you use it, the stronger you get. The stronger you get, the better your form is, and you’re able to more effectively work your muscle groups. The TRX works your entire body, and is awesome for the core.

If you enter the coupon code “MILCOM30” at checkout, you can get $30 off the TRX Suspension System. That’s a hefty discount.

You will soon see a full Gazelle-style review of The Bodylastics Home Gym System. This system has been hanging around our little condo for about 2 weeks, and I don’t see it going anywhere for a very long time! The concept of Bodylastics is much like that of a standard resistance band system, but the Bodylastics system was designed so that you don’t have to go to the gym. You can duplicate 100+ exercises that you would normally do on machines at the gym, all in the comfort of your home. The components are very sturdy, and also extremely portable. My Gazelle reports that he is loving them so far!

And now, the contest!

Trust me, you want this.

Bodylastics Basic Tension Home Gym with DVD

The kit includes the following:

• Elastic Tubes
• Handles
• Ankle Straps
• Door Anchor
• User Manual
• Circuit Training DVD
• Travel Bag
• Free Online Video Instruction for 1 Year

To enter this contest please do the following:

1. Tell me why you want to try Bodylastics in a comment on this post *REQUIRED (1 Entry).
2. Link back to this post on your blog *OPTIONAL (+1 Entry).
3. Tweet about the giveaway and include @joggerslife in your tweet so that I will see the tweet *OPTIONAL (+1 Entry).
4. Click on my “Contact” tab, fill in the form, and in the “message” field tell me you’d like another entry in the contest *OPTIONAL (+1 Entry).
5. Do all 4 of these things, and I’ll give you FIVE entries!

The only required component is #1, the rest are ways to get additional entries.

This contest is open to all US and Canadian residents.

The contest closes at 5PM EST on Friday, June 26, 2009.

Good luck!

Have a FUN, FOOD-FILLED, FIT day!

* Have you joined my Facebook Group yet?

* See how my training is going over here!

* Wonder what I’m eating?

* Everyone loves a giveaway!

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***GIVEAWAY CLOSED!  WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED THIS WEEKEND!***

I’m really excited to say that the beautiful people at Ulimana (who I mentioned in last week’s Fun Food Friday post), very generously sent me a sampler including some of their raw organic chocolate goodies.  Since I love you, I’m donating it to one lucky blog reader!

To enter the contest, please do the following:

1) Post a comment on this post and tell me about your best recent food discovery (+1 entry).

2) Link back to this post on your blog (+1 entry).  If you don’t have a blog, it’s ok!  Just send an email to joggerslife@gmail.com, and I’ll hook you up with another entry!

The Ulimana Giveaway will close on Friday, May 8th at 5PM EST.  So get ta entering!

Also!  Check out my May Core Belief Challenge!  The winner of the challenge will receive a really great prize.  But it’s a surprise, so I’m not telling you what it is!

Good luck!

Don’t miss Choosing Raw‘s spiralizer giveaway!