Summer, Iced Tea, and Pure Via with a #giveaway

When Pure Via asked me if I would be interested in participating in their campaign via Fitfluential I jumped right on board!

First, let's talk about the fact that June 10th was National Iced Tea day. Ever since I gave up Diet Cola, iced tea has been my new bestie! I drink it all.day.long.

Why did I quit diet sodas? For the same reason I can only drink some pre-made diet iced teas, and mostly stick to unsweetened tea that I sweeten myself. I am allergic to aspartame.

This seems to be a family problem. It gives my dad and brother a blinding headache and it gives me excruciating stomach pain. For real, like the alien is trying to burrow out of my stomach kind of pain.

I can't use the blue packets but I can use the pink and yellow, although they are both a very small step up. I prefer to keep it as natural as possible! 

Pure Via helps me there! Their sugar packets are Stevia, all natural, non GMO, and I love that I can just stick them in my purse!

I am also loving the cool mason jar-like cup they included for my drinking pleasure. That is, when the teenie isn't stealing it. I think I need an extra!

A little info about the Pure Via liquid sweetener, which I haven't tried yet, but plan to use soon to make blueberry muffins!:

 And the packets:

For more information , you can check out their Facebook page and Twitter. You are sure to find lots of amazing recipes at both sites, so check back often!!

The folks at Pure Via knew how jealous you would all be, so they are offering one of my readers a gift as well!
I know that some other Ambassadors are also hosting a giveaway, and you can totally enter them all to increase your chances of winning, but please be sure to let us know if you won more than once, so we can pick a new winner and spread the love! There can only be one winner per household, US residents only.
So how do you win?
SO simple! Follow Pure Via on Facebook and Twitter, using the links above, and let me know what you will use your prize for! Comment below once you have done all three for 3 chances to win. You must comment to be entered, but following them on Social Media is optional. (commenting will get you one entry).
The winner will be announced on the morning of July 3rd, so be sure to enter before then!

What will you use your kit for? Baking? Drinks? Both?

Double Race Weekend and a Scavenger Hunt

Last weekend was a crazy busy weekend! 

It started on Saturday morning with a local race, Kevin Brue's Father's Day 5k for Melanoma Awareness. I went to high school with his sister, my brother was friends with him, and his whole family belongs to our beach club. He was a father, husband, runner, and all around nice guy. I never miss this race!

It also runs past my house! I love that I can walk there and back! Score! I met some friends beforehand....

We watched the kids run and then lined up for our own race. I ran with my friend Grace again this year! She has just started back up the C25K program so we knew that there would be walking, especially since it was so hot!

Grace did an amazing job and we finished in about 38 minutes. 

This message was just before the mile 3 marker!

After the race, the hubs and I hopped in the car and drove about an hour south to do a scavenger hunt! It was a fundraiser for the East Coast Enduro Association to preserve trail access for Enduro motorcycling. It was a four hour scavenger hunt that had us driving all over south Jersey! At every stop we had to take a selfie for proof, look for a flag on occasion, and often take bonus pics.

We found one flag. Kind of a fail, but we did hit 15 of the 25 locations! Woot!

We took some fun selfies..

We found one flag, and some creatures....

And we managed to get a bonus shot that only one other team got, although ours was better...

These guys were more than willing to pose! 

It was am amazing day! We drove all over, saw some great sites, and covered over four miles on foot! We find out on Tuesday night if we won, at a Gift Auction dinner!

Whew! What a long day!

Sunday morning I woke up bright and early to run our second Girls on the Run 5k. Two of our girls were running so the head coach and I wanted to be there!

The drive up was a little long but completely painless! I was a little early, but it gave me time to get my bib and tee and leave my stuff in the car. And take a selfie.

Everyone rocks a tutu at GOTR! I got a lot of compliments that day!

Since I was so early, I volunteered with Stacie at registration. It amazed me how many people thought the race was free! You do have to pay to participate in GOTR, but the race is not included in the fee. I am guessing that not all coaches made that very clear! I was also amazed at how many registered at the last minute! 

We packed up at the last minute and headed to the start.

Another selfie:

Love my girls!

We were off! We all went our separate ways, and I ran most of it myself. It was crazy hot and crazy hilly. Oh, and the 5k and scavenger hunt the day before? Wore.me.out.

Me legs were very tired! I took my time, enjoyed watching all of the girls having fun, and finished in almost 39 minutes. So much slower than usual but so worth it! I made it just in time to get a medal, they stopped giving them to adults shortly after!

It was a crazy weekend, but my fitbit sure liked it! 

Have you ever done a scavenger hunt?

Heat it Up Giveaway Blog Hop

Once again, I am joining the ladies at Runaway Bridal Planner and Neon Princesses for a Giveaway Blog Hop!

I was having trouble deciding what to give away this time! I have another giveaway coming up, but I wanted this one to be separate from that! I have been loving my FitBit lately, and since I can't afford to give one of those away, I went with this awesome Pure Via step counter instead. The lid flips open to reveal your steps! What a great way to make sure you are moving enough this summer!

Since you are moving, you might decide to move around outside, and you might need lip balm for your dry lips! It has an SPF of 15! AND you might also want some new tunes, or maybe a new app or 3, so I included a $15 i Tunes gift card!

The next decision was how to pick a winner. I could do a rafflecopter, or an old fashioned question and answer kind of giveaway. It's summer, so let's keep it simple!
Comment below and let me know what your favorite summer food is! Link it to a recipe for a bonus entry!
How easy is that? Piece of cake!
So let's hear it!

What is your favorite summer food?

Oh, and be sure to check out all of the other blogs that will also be giving away something! The giveaway will run from June 20-29th, so you have plenty of time to hop about.

The Color Run Kaleidoscope Tour #Happiest5K

It is definitely no secret that I love doing The Color Run! How can you not love a race that is just 100% fun from start to finish?!? You can read about past events that I have attended

here and here..... and here! 

Who wouldn't want to run with this kid?

For me, this is definitely a family affair! I have taken the boy once and the teenie twice, and I plan to take the teenie with me a couple of times this year!

What is it about The Color Run? Check out this year's swag, for starters:

yes! everyone gets a sling bag this year, along with the tee, headband, bracelet, and bonus color for the Finish Line event!

 And then there is the party at the finish line, although I am getting ahead of myself!

party at the finish line! Photo by The Color Run

 The music is amazing, and there is a new color at every kilometer mark!

If that isn't enough fun all at once, there is a discount code:

Type the code in at checkout, do not copy and paste! Not valid with any other discounts or promotions!

 And when you are done, you can pose like this, because, you know, it's cool and all:

 The Color Run, also known as the Happiest 5K on the Planet, is a safe, fun, unique paint race that celebrates health, happiness, and individuality! It is perfect for people of all ages, and is totally stroller friendly! Most of the color will wash out of your clothes and will wash off of your body (although it has been known yo hang around for a few days, making conversations fun and interesting for days!)
It is the single largest event series in the United States, and has more than tripled in growth, hosting over 170 events in 30+ countries in 2013!

The teenie and I will be in Brooklyn in July! I am so excited to run another event with her! She gets faster each year, and really loves the finish line event!

Not a runner? That's okay! Many people walk the entire event! The first year, it was super hot in NYC and we ran a little, and then walked through every color station! It was so much fun and we really maximized the amount of color!
When the by and I did the NJ event, it was DO packed with people you *had* to walk! We had so much fun and saw so many crazy people doing crazy things! A group of men even did the whole even carrying a huge log on their shoulders!
Our last event was Lehigh Valley, SO beautiful, and we ran the whole thing! The teenie was so proud of herself!

Be sure to check back for pictures after we run Brooklyn!

Will you be doing The Color Run this year? Where?

- 

Girls on the Run 5K and Girls Run Fast Ambassador

This morning was our Girls on the Run 5K, our bright shining moment after months of training! I am a GOTR Assistant Coach, and our girls are in grades 3-8. Most of them raced with their moms, dads, or grandparents. It was such a rewarding experience to see them all finish!

our team sign!

rocking the tutu!

with Stacie, our head coach

group photo

 We all met at the Fairhaven Field at 8:30 where our tent was set up. The girls were so excited! We each got our bib and tee, and they had spray on hair color, and Athleta was giving out signs and hair tie bracelets that said Power of the She. LOVE!
At about 9:00 we decided to go to the bathroom. There were port potties but there was also an actual bathroom so I stood on line FOREVER and finally got my turn. The toilets didn't flush, so everyone was just filling the toilets up. Gross! No soap either! Luckily, one of the moms had gel soap. Whew!
Time to line up!

There were about 450 runners, mostly girls, but also brothers, mothers, fathers, and grandparents. The announcer was hard to hear, but you could tell when she asked who was excited!
The race started and we were off. One of our girls wiped out almost immediately, but she hopped right up and ran off! She ended up needing a big ole band aid afterwards, but she ran the whole race with that bloody knee like a badge of honor!
Let me start out by saying it.was.hot.
Holy heck, was it hot!
And hilly! My Fitbit thinks I climbed 11 flights of stairs! Yikes! So many hills. I ran this race as a Coach, so I slowed down a few times when girls (not necessarily our own girls every time) sounded like they were upset or needed encouragement. The second mile was into the wind, and cooled off a little bit, but not much.
We eventually entered the park, and ran along a dirt path, and onto the gravel track to finish. Let me tell you, there was SO much cheering. All along the course were families, people in their front yards, people at the athletic field (most of them there to watch their kids play were cheering us on as well). It was beautiful! These kids were so proud!

 DONE! My time was 38:33, over 6 minutes slower than usual for me, but time wasn't the issue today! A girl gave me a medal, but adults weren't supposed to get one. Oh no! I held onto it while I cheered the rest of our girls in, and planned to give it back afterwards. When I went back, they were handing them out to the adults as well, so I got to keep it. Yay!

I ended up finishing 21st in my age group (a 5 year group, wow!) out of 57, and 163rd out of 451 overall. Not too shabby.
Our team was filled with rock stars! One of our girls placed (I think she won?) the 10 and under group! One of our moms won her AG, 4 of ours dads won or placed in theirs, and one of our assistant coaches won her AG! WOW! Bring it on Point Pleasant!

I got my acceptance email for Girls Run Fast this weekend!

So who are GirlsRunFast™ ambassadors?

• We are lovers of all things healthy. We love running, dancing, yoga swimming and more!
• We love to exercise and make a point to make it a part of every day.
• We have a passion for the good things in life like food, fun and friends!
• We do not believe that you need to live to the extreme to meet a goal.
• We teach and don't preach!
• We RUN!

How amazing is their mission statement? LOVE!

They have amazing stuff in their shop as well! You have to check out their jewelry and hats! They have a special going on right now for visors! The code RUNHAT gets you $5 off! Bonus!

Check back next week for some new earrings and tag charms!

OK, time to rest, I had a crazy day, and have been fighting off a migraine since Friday night!

Did you run this weekend? Was it hot?

JSRC Summer Series, Week 1 Recap

Last night was the first week of my Running Club's Summer Series. It is a weekly 5k, held at a Municipal Park about 20 minutes away. I ran the series two years ago, and my time ranged from just under 35 minutes to just over 36 minutes. My best time for a 5k is 29:45 and my average time is 31-32 minutes.

Why does the course always kick my butt? I have a few theories. 

The race is run at night, so I'm not fresh and rested.

The park is inland and it is always hot and humid.

Hills! The park has a few and they are well so well spaced out but it's a double loop so you do them twice.

It starts out in a field. It's a grassy, bumpy, crazy start and I am always super careful until the transition to the paved path!

Cheryl picked me up early, so that we could drop her daughter off at Irish Step on the way. We got to the park pretty early, so we registered for the whole series, walked around a bit, and then went to see the kids' races. They had a half mile race and a one mile race. Our friend'a son won the mile, finishing in just over 7:00! Woohoo!

Time for the 5k. We were given our instructions as started right away. As usual, I went out way too fast once we left the field, and the humidity plus my runner's asthma forced me to slow down a bit. I finished the first mile in 10:10, according to the volunteer. The second mile was around 11 and the third was a bit longer. Finishing time: 33:51, a full minute faster than two years ago!

As usual, only two people finished behind me, so I was 4/5 for my AG. Too many fast people at these things!

I look forward to week two!

Today is National Donut Day! Will you be celebrating??

Happy National Running Day

Since technically, it is Wordless Wednesday, I will keep it to a minimum!

Today's run for National Running Day

Yesterday's sweaty 6 miler

still streaking....

last year's reason for running <3

my first National Running Day!

In  addition to running, today I technically signed up for a race!

Can you guess? 

This photo is actually for our family trip to Disney World next summer, but......

I am signed up for the Rebel Challenge in Disneyland! I am registering via my running club, so it isn't official yet, but I am in! 

Now, to book the travel portion.....

Did you run for National Running Day? Sign up for any races?