Archives for September 2012

Gold Bond Friction Defense Giveaway

September 30, 2012 by

 

I was contacted by the awesome people at Gold Bond and was told about a new friction defense/anti chafe product. I have terrible chafing problems, so I decided to try it out and see if it would help. I was sent the product as well as some socks (which are super comfy!)

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I decided to first try it out on a ten mile long run, as I figured that would be the ultimate test. I put it on the areas I usually chafe (in between my legs, on my sports bra line, and under my arms where they rub my tank tops) and Bobby used it as well.

I am happy to report, along with Bobby, that there was zero rubbing or chafing, and no notice that I was even using it on my body, and no scent (some brands can be sticky, greasy, you can “feel” the product, are scented, etc.) Also, it can be used daily, and acts as a moisturizer for your skin. it is also a great skin soother unlike many other anti chafe products on the market. I have had problems with other products wearing off after a few miles and needing reapplication, but not with this. I have so far used it on runs between three and twelve miles with no need for reapplying.

You know when you didn’t even realize you had chafed, and there is that terrible moment in the shower where the water hits you and you are on fire and realize you DID indeed chafe? (Oh I KNOW you know what I am talking about!) I am glad to say I have not had to deal with that at all since using Gold Bond Friction Defense! Whew!

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gross and sweaty, but not chafing!

Another great thing about this product is the price point. It is less expensive than many of the same types of products on the market. You can find Gold Bond friction defense in the first aid aisle of major retailers such as Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, and CVS.

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The great folks at Gold Bond have offered to do a giveaway for RWS, and one reader will receive the friction defense product, as well as a pair of socks and a t-shirt! Here’s how to enter:

1.) Tell me in the comments below what activity you would use/need the product for

2.) Tweet the following: “I want to win #GoldBondFrictionDefense from @runningwithsass http://runningwithsass.com/gold-bond-friction-defense-giveaway” and tell me that you did so

It’s that easy! Please leave a separate comment for each entry, and remember I can see if you actually tweeted or not. Smile Good luck, and you can enter until Friday, October 5th, and I will announce a winner on my blog on Saturday, October 6th. Good luck!

This post contains sponsored content, however all views and opinions expressed are my own.

Filed Under: fitness, Giveaway, health, running Tagged: , , , ,

Weekly Recap: September Week 4

September 29, 2012 by

 

I had a great week of workouts this week. I finally feel like I am getting back on my game, and I haven’t felt this good with my workouts/runs in a long time. Granted every run wasn’t a “good run”, but I got a good amount of mileage in and feel more confident going into my next race than I did my last one. (Granted there is something about this race I haven’t told you yet, but I will save that for later this week).

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Yesterday, Bobby and I ran 12 miles, our longest run before our half in a couple of weeks. It was not pretty. It had been raining on and off all night, but we headed out anyway. It was overcast, but 92% humidity and in the upper 70’s. When I say we were drenched, it’s an understatement. We ran a 7.5 mile loop, then came back to the house to refill our water and dry off, then headed back out for 4.5. I started having some pretty bad hip pain on my left side and had to stop and stretch several times. We still managed to finish in 2:15. Funny how two long runs spaced a week apart can be so different. Last weekend we ran ten and I felt great. Yesterday, not so much. I literally was able to ring my shirt out in the sink after the run. I video taped it, but it’s kind of gross how much sweat comes off and I thought I would spare you. You’re welcome.

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I’m only dry where my shirt overlapped my skirt!

I have been foam rolling like my life depends on it, stretching as I watch TV, and really trying to focus on my form. I did have some left hip pain pretty badly on yesterday’s run, but no foot pain on my long run. I did have slight pain on the treadmill during my sprint workout though. Ok, so enough rambling, my workouts are as follows:

Sunday: rest

Monday: 3 mile run, back, bi’s abs <—–ran those 3 faster than I have run since my injury

Tuesday:  6 mile run, chest, tri’s, abs and 10 minutes elliptical <—–felt good on these 6

Wednesday: back, bi’s, abs, legs and 20 minutes elliptical

Thursday: 3 mile sprint workout on the TM, chest, tri’s, and abs

Friday: rest (I could tell my body was tired and wanted to be fresh for my long run)

Saturday:  12 mile long run <—–death and misery

Summary:

running: 4 x’s for 24 miles

cross training: 2 x’s

lifting: 4 x’s

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QOTD: What was the workout highlight of your week?

Filed Under: fitness, running Tagged: , ,

RWS Features #39

September 28, 2012 by

 

I am headed out on a 12 mile run with Bobby, and I am back to my RWS features! Today I am featuring Meghan and Jessica from Hot Bird Running. Not only do they have a cute blog, but they are also coaches! I know they would love some more clients! Go check ‘em out!

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1.) How/Why did you start blogging? We started in May 2011. We launched the blog when we launched our coaching company, Hot Bird Running.

2.) Sum up your blog in a couple sentences: Hot Bird Running is about showing people how to have fun, be outdoors and make running a balanced part of life.

3.)What do you wish to accomplish/achieve by blogging? We’d love to get more clients! More so, we really want people to realize that running is fun and find their own sense of joy while running.

4.)What is your biggest healthy living accomplishment? Encouraging friends and acquaintances to be healthy and get on a fitness kick!

5.) What is your blog URL and twitter handle www.hotbirdrunning.com @hotbirdrunning

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Courtney is running the Disney half marathon with team ASPCA and needs your help fundraising! Please check out her page to see what she’s been up to!

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QOTD: Have you ever used a running coach or personal trainer? Would you like to? What was your experience like if you have?

Filed Under: blogging, fitness, Guest Post, running Tagged: , , ,

Reboot Yourself

September 27, 2012 by

 

Exciting news! I will be running the Jazz half marathon in New Orleans, and I have an amazing sponsor, Rebootizer! I first heard of and met the lovely folks from Rebootizer at Healthy Living Summit in Boston. They After I went home, I had a chance to catch up with them via e mail, and was able to tell them about the Jazz half in New Orleans. I ran this half back in 2010, and have been dying to do it again.

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I love the Jazz half because it supports the cancer program at Children’s Hospital. A little about Children’s Hospital:

 Children’s Hospital treats more Louisiana kids with cancer than all other facilities combined. Children’s Hospital’s LaNasa-Greco Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders treats more than 1,100 children with cancer each year, and our hospital has a policy of never turning away a child who needs the care we offer, regardless of the family’s ability to pay. The hospital provides treatment for children with leukemia, lymphoma, tumors, anemia, hemophilia, and other childhood cancers.

So amazing, and I am so excited to be a part of this race to benefit the Children’s Hospital and to represent Rebootizer. So, what exactly is Rebootizer? Let me tell you!

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By drinking Rebootizer, powerful antioxidants and digestive properties can support your body to fight oxidative stress by helping to clean toxins accumulated through excesses, before they become harmful.  "Oxidative Stress" is an imbalance that arises when our cells cannot adequately destroy the free radicals. The higher the imbalance, the more it can be a precursor to the body’s dysfunctions and have an impact on the aging process.

In addition to long-term effects, temporary oxidative stress generated by junk food, alcohol, caffeine and smoking also has harmful short-term effects. The morning after price of this imbalance can include a pounding headache, fatigue, cotton mouth, queasy stomach and a weakened immune system.

I plan to take Rebootizer after I workout as a recovery drink.  It’s also great to take when you feel run down, are feeling dehydrated, when flying on a plane, or anywhere you may feel like you need a “reboot”. Rebootizer comes in these really cool and convenient pouches, that are great to use anywhere, anytime.

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I am just touching the surface here, more info on Rebootizer to come!

You can buy Rebootizer on their website, and also learn more about them. They also have a Twitter account and Facebook page. Stay tuned, I will be sharing more about Rebootizer as I train for the race, and my experience with it personally and how it helps me with my running. I can’t wait to share more with you! If you have any questions feel free to contact me, I would love to answer!

QOTD: Have you ever run a race for a good cause? I would love to hear about it.

How do you “reboot” your body when you are feeling run down?

Filed Under: fitness, health, running Tagged: , , , ,

September Look Back: Wine and Dine Half

September 26, 2012 by

 

Did you know it’s less than three months until Christmas? Don’t panic! We still have to get through Halloween and Thanksgiving, but I just wanted to throw that in there. It’s my favorite. I started thinking about last Christmas, which got me thinking about the past in general and what I was doing last year. If you have been reading RWS for awhile you know every now and then I like to look back and see what I was doing a year ago. I think it’s so important to look back and reflect, it’s the best way to learn from experience, and be thankful for all the blessings we have!

So, end of September 2011, I had just gotten back from my Disney vacation, and was heading BACK to Disney to work the runDisney Wine and Dine half marathon expo for Running Skirts and run the 5k and the half marathon. I had a really bad head cold, and it is probably the most exhausted I have been in my entire life, but also so much fun!

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We set up the expo Thursday, worked all day Friday, then Saturday morning I was up at 4:45 for the 5k. After the 5k it was time for a quick shower and then back to the expo to work all day, then take down the booth, and pack all the skirts up. I had time to grab a quick bite for dinner, and then it was time to head to the busses for the race. I almost fell asleep on the bus on the way to the race and wondered what the HECK I was doing out here, by myself, trying to do all this. I ended up having a blast running and at the after party, and finally fell into bed after being awake for over 24 hours, running 2 races and working for 3 days while sick. It was crazy looking back on it.

I can’t wait to run Wine and Dine this year with Bobby and watch him get his coast to coast medal!

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I went on to run another half marathon the next weekend, and then another one after that (which led to a stress fracture). Such a whirlwind, exhausting, but awesome race weekend in Disney World! As I look back, I realize I grew up a lot during that time. It was my first time being in charge of the booth at an expo, my first time flying to Disney and staying there by myself, I even walked around the parks by myself. It was a lot more fun being solo in Disney than I thought it would be, and I also have some great memories to look back on.

QOTD: What is something fun you were doing this time last year?

Filed Under: Disney, fitness, runDisney, running Tagged: , , , , , ,

Safely Go

September 25, 2012 by

 

I love being connected to the world (and have to be for work), therefore I love my cell phone. I keep it with me at all times, much to my husband’s annoyance, and constantly check my e mail, calls, and texts. While this is fine most of the time, while I am driving it is NOT ok. Did you know it takes approximately 4.6 seconds to answer a text? That’s like driving the length of a football field….blindfolded. A million bad things could happen in that time frame

I will admit, it is very very tempting to text and drive, but it’s not safe. Also, it’s usually a very unimportant text that is coming through anyway that could wait.  Verizon has fortunately made it a bit easier for me with their new Safely Go app. (You can find it in the Google Play store under the Verizon tab)

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The app sends an auto response text every time you receive a text while driving and have the app running. This idea is genius, and hopefully also helps other people realize the dangers of texting and driving. But keep in mind, this only works if the driver realizes the danger and uses the app.  There are currently 39 states that have laws about texting and driving, so let’s spread the word, and help keep our roads safe.  Also, you wouldn’t want to hit a runner or biker while texting and driving would you?

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Yesterday, Bobby and I ran 6 miles, and then went to the gym and lifted chest, tri’s, and legs. My run felt great, I feel like I am finally getting back into a groove, but still praying my foot holds up as I up my mileage! Yesterday was my first attempt at a back to back run where I doubled the mileage of day 2 (day one was 3 miles, day two 6) as I start to gear up for Goofy in January!

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Want a recap of my speech/session on Social Media at Healthy Living summit? It’s up on the HLS website!

QOTD: Do you ever do two workouts in one day?

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Wireless Ambassador program and have been provided
with a wireless device and three months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the
product.

Filed Under: blogging, health, running, tips Tagged: , , , ,

Disneyland Day 2 Part 1

September 24, 2012 by

 

*Today is the last day for early registration for the runDisney Princess half marathon! Hurry and save, it’s already 60% full! 

I left off my last Disneyland post with dinner and dessert before hitting the hay the night before the half marathon. Since I have already posted my race recap, I will skip to after we walked back to the room and showered. It was time to hit Disney’s California Adventure!  Of course, we wore our medals proudly.

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We immediately headed to Cars Land so I could take some pictures.

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It was so weird having just run through here that morning, when it was dark and quiet. Definitely not quiet now! Radiator Springs Racers was temporarily shut down, and so we headed over to Toy Story Mania.

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I found it quite odd that they don’t have fastpasses for this ride. It is Bobby’s favorite though, so we stood in the 35 minute standby line (which was closer to 50 minutes) and waited in the heat. We had a blast on the ride though, and talked to a lot of people in line about runDisney who were asking about the race and my coast to coast medal.

At the end of the ride you have to go up some stairs to get out and my legs were not happy about that. I did like this cute little display though

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We pretty much walked onto the Little Mermaid ride which I thought was really well done. (Photo is of Ariel’s Grotto restaurant not the Ariel ride)

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We both realized how hungry we were and headed to Taste Pilot’s for lunch. it was crowded, but luckily a table opened up just as were were looking for one.

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One thing I will say that drove me crazy would be the people wanting your table and eyeing it up before you are done. We were half way through our meal and a lady came up and asked if when we were done if she could have our table…uh…sure…ok…we kept eating for another ten minutes as people looked at us hurrying us up. We then had someone else come and ask the same thing and we had to tell them our table was already “taken”. So then, we were finally done and ready to go, and some other lady dives toward our table as the woman who had been hovering for ten minutes sits down. The diving lady’s husband starts fussing because they had wanted our table, it was INSANE. Definitely wasn’t a very “Disney”moment and left a bad taste in my mouth.

Before lunch we had gotten fastpasses for Grizzy River Run, so we headed over there next. We knew we would get wet so we planned it as our last thing to do before heading to our room. So glad I planned it that way!

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We only had to wait a couple of minutes before boarding our raft and plummeting down the drop….and getting soaking wet. Luckily, the entrance to our hotel is ride by the ride so we didn’t have to go far in our squishy shoes to get back to the room. A nap was definitely in order before heading back out to the parks that night.

I will continue day two with my next Disneyland post, so stay tuned.

QOTD: After a race do you take a nap or try to stay moving so you don’t get stiff?

Filed Under: Disney, runDisney, running, vacation Tagged: , , ,

Fuel

September 23, 2012 by

 

I am by no means an expert, but I think I have finally figured out how to fuel my body for running. Please take this with a gain of salt, I know everyone is different and different people may have sensitive stomachs, etc. It may have taken a couple of years but I think I have finally got it.

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Pre run (morning):

-banana or greek yogurt

-Clif bar

–Fitmixer amino

-glass of water

During run:

-One GU for every 3 miles, preferably one with caffeine

-Nuun or Gatorade and then water, traded off

Runs longer than 13 miles:

“real” solid food added in such as a banana, or half of a peanut butter sandwich

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Oh, gingerbread how I miss thee

I used to only take two GU’s when running a half marathon distance, but during the Disneyland half I actually took 3.5, and felt great. I could definitely tell I had a boost of energy several minutes later. My method was when I saw a water stop near a time I wanted to fuel, I would go ahead and take it out and start eating. Then, by time I got tot he water station I was almost finished and could then take a half cup of water and half cup of Gatorade to wash it down.

My point in saying this, is find what works best for you, practice with it and stick to it. Race day is not the time to experiment with something new you bought at the expo. be sure to practice with race day fuel on your long runs, especially if you have a sensitive stomach. keep in mind there are different brands of chews, blocks, and GU’s out there, so just because one doesn’t work doesn’t mean you should count them all out. Some people prefer to eat good old gummi bears or hard candy and that’s fine, too.

Also, timing is important as well. I have learned the hard way that i need 45 minutes to an hour to digest my breakfast before I can run or I get major side cramps, every. single. time. Also timing on runs, knowing what miles to take your fuel (what works best you YOU) is equally as important.

Also find out form the race director what kind of sports drink and fuel will be on the course, and try some at home to make sure it does ok with you stomach.

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Go ahead and experiment, so that you will be prepared on race day to have a great run and not have to worry or fuss with wen or how you are going to fuel!

QOTD: What is your favorite pre or mid run fuel?

Filed Under: fitness, running, tips Tagged: , , , , ,

Weekly Recap: September Week 3

September 23, 2012 by

 

I can’t believe it’s officially fall! It doesn’t exactly feel like fall around here, but we are moving in the right direction. Yesterday, Bobby and I woke up at 6:00 to go run ten miles, and the first few felt great before the sun came up above the trees, then it was pretty rough. I was literally drenched when we got back to my parent’s house. Isn’t this incredibly attractive? Ah, southern humidity, even at the end of September on the first day of “fall!”

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Loved not having long hair bugging me on my run!

However, I am really happy with our run. I actually felt good! Shoes did great which is a huge answer to prayer. I did have some hip pain and tightness on both sides and had to stop and stretch a lot, and we will see if it continues as I get used to these shoes. For now, the foam roller and I are still BFF’s.

Overall, this week was a really good one.

Sunday: rest

Monday: 9 miles running

Tuesday: 20 minutes bike, upper body weights

Wednesday: 3 miles running, upper body weights

Thursday: rest

Friday: 15 minutes elliptical, upper body weights

Saturday: 10 miles running

Not too shabby. Only thing I would have changed was to add in another run day on Thursday, maybe a short sprint workout. I really want to run 4 times a week. Other than that I am pretty happy, especially with the miles put in and the quality of yesterday’s run. I am getting back on track finally!

QOTD: When was the last time you felt like you had a really good workout? Does it boost your self confidence?

Filed Under: fitness, motivation, running Tagged: , , ,

A Change for Fall

September 22, 2012 by

 

I did something a little wacky and spontaneous yesterday. It’s something I have been threatening to do all summer, but for one reason or another, I always chickened out and never followed through. However, everyone has their limit, and enough was enough. I couldn’t take it any longer. I was tired of it all, so I got rid of it.

My hair, that is. This is the most recent image I have of it down, (Sept 5th) and it’s not even straight. Add another couple of inches for when it’s straight and well, it was getting ridiculous.

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The main reason it was getting on my nerves, was because runs were becoming a nightmare (how do you long haired gals do it in the heat?!?) Not only was it hot (my hair is VERY thick!) But it I kept breaking ponytail holders. I would wear two at a time, and my hair still would end up coming out/breaking the dang things. Not to mention, my ponytail was so long that when I wore tank tops or ran in just my sports bra, I would sweat and it would stick to me. Ew. With lots of races and long training runs coming up, I knew I needed more than a trim, or else I may go Britney Spears crazy and shave my whole head.

So, it is done.

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I know it’s not exactly “short” for some standards, but for me it is. I haven’t had my hair this short in 2.5 years, and it barely fits back into a ponytail. I’m sure I will miss long hair, but I know I will be able to get ready faster, be more efficient, and it’s more ideal for running. Sad when that’s what helps determine my hair style right? Oh well! I was wanting a new look for fall, so here it is. Time to experiment with some styling now I guess.

Check out the new ZOOMA Florida Ambassador page. Can’t wait to see all these ladies in January!

QOTD: Do you cut or change your hair with the seasons? Had the same style for a long time?

Filed Under: Uncategorized