Elf on the Shelf Photo Contest

I love Christmas! It is one of my very favorite times of year! Decorating the tree, picking out just the right pictures for the cards, everyone is in a great mood. Truly magical.
The first time I really noticed the Elf on the Shelf, my son had just told me the magic was gone. I was devastated! I would have been a great Elf Helper! I am really glad that the class I work in every morning has an Elf (aptly named Elfie). Not only does he move every day, but he provides the word of the day. But don't touch him! It sucks out the magic! Serious stuff!
When my good friend and fellow blogger Darlena asked if I wanted to help sponsor her Elf on a Shelf Contest, I was thrilled to join in the fun! If I can't move an Elf, I can help judge the pictures of where *you* move yours!
Check it out here:
http://runfindyourhappypace.com/2012/11/29/runfyhp-friends-elf-on-the-shelf-photo-contest/

Get creative, there are going to be some great prizes!

Bulu Box

Bulu Box contacted me last month and asked me if I would like to try out one of their boxes! I was so excited for the chance to try something new, I said YES right away! I was like a kid in a candy store when the box came!

It was a very trendy looking box! I wanted to just rip the paper open, but for the sake of the blog, I restrained myself! It had a great handout inside that told you about all of the products you would be trying out. I was *thrilled* to see that every item in the box was something that I had never tried before! *AND* it was all about extra energy!

It included Deoderant Towelettes (woot! That is going in my running bag to be tried out the next time I am smelling......not so fresh......after a race! Immuno Viva Defend+Energy, which I will be trying out this week. My teenie has a cold and I don't want her sharing it with me! CocoaWell enery blend, with a link to a $2 off coupon, Almased which speeds up your metabolism with honey, soy and yogurt!

It also had a big ole bag of these energy chews, which I will be giving to the hubs for those long days of work. They are pineapple mango, which is something I don't care for, but he will *love* them. The teenie tried one and she said they were delish!

I absolutely LOVED getting this little care package in the mail, and I am definitely going to be signing up for some more! I love trying new things, and I really love being able to try them in small quantities!
You can check Bulu Box out here!  They are having a discount deal on memberships right now!

Bulu Box provided me with these products to try, I was under no obligation to review them if I so chose. Any opinions stated were entirely my own (and that of my teenie!)

Navesink Challenge Trail Race and HBBC week 1

Today I ran in my very first Trail Race. The Navesink Challenge is a 15K race, half road, half trail, and VERY hilly. Some road hills but mostly trail hills. Steep ones. Yikes! I was also excited that this race wasn't cancelled like the last two, due to damage sustained during Super Storm Sandy. The race was also changed last minute to benefit local efforts to rebuild. Yay! I couldn't resist wearing my new Ergo Restore the Shore tee, although it wasn't a tech shirt.
I met my friend Eileen at the start, and was excited to find that she was going to stay with me the whole time. Eileen is faster than me, so it was super nice of her to hang back a bit. We started out fast, but there was a hill right away, and it felt like there was always a hill! It was an out and back, so we knew that it would be no better coming back! We did manage to maintain a nice 12 minute mile average. I wanted to finish in under 2 hours, and we managed to finish at about 1:50. Hooray! It was so cold, that we didn't really hang around afterwards, just made a break for our cars!

I can't wait to try it again next year, and improve my time!


This was also week one of the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge!

You earn points for workouts, accountability, and weekly challenges. I did pretty well in the points category, I had some great workouts and I posted to facebook and instagram every day. I love the accountability of this Challenge, it is really keeping me motivated!

I joined another Challenge at the last minute, one with daily challenges and tons of support.

You get an elf every 2 weeks, and you support and motivate each other. Should be a great tool for surviving the holidays!!

What is your favorite kind of race? Are you racing in December?

Vitacost Cyber Sale!!

The sale starts Saturday morning and ends Monday night - 15% off everything

The sale starts today, Saturday,  11/24/2012  at 9:00AM EST and ends on Monday,

11/26/2012  at 11:59 PM EST. Did I mention you can get 15% off everything? Everything!!!

Did you go shopping yesterday? Crazy crowds, rude people, long lines, traffic?

I gave that up years ago! I have mastered the art of shopping online!

 

What better way to avoid the hassle of shopping during this crazy time of year, than sitting in your jammies on the couch, laptop ready, while listening to some Christmas music on the radio?

Why shop at Vitacost?

With Vitacost.com, you don't have to choose between stores that sell products you don't really want at super-low prices, and stores that sell the better health and wellness products you want at crazy-high prices. They offer over 2,000 of the top, most-trusted natural brands, diet foods and healthy living essentials-the very best nutritional supplements, whole foods and sports nutrition-at discount prices, up to 50% off. And they'll deliver them right to your door for FREE if your order totals $49 or more. Otherwise, shipping is just a small, flat-rate fee of $4.99, no matter how big the box.

So get comfy, turn on some jolly music, and get shopping!!!

Holiday Challenges

I don't know about you, but I am *loving* all of the Holiday Challenges that are starting up! I joined a few to help keep me accountable!

Run Find Your Happy Pace is holding this fun challenge: Do Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred 5 days a week, starting today, Black Friday and running until Christmas Eve! There is even a Facebook Event Page that you can report to! LOVE! LOVE! I did my first day today, quick and easy, about 25 minutes long, and you only need a set of weights. I used 5 pounders.

Runner's World is hosting another Run Streak Challenge. Run one mile a day, every day, between Thanksgiving Day and New Year's Day. I tried one of their streaks over the summer and it was an epic fail. I felt like such a loser lol. I started this streak yesterday with the hubs while the turkey was cooking. We did 2 miles. Today, I ran 5 miles with my friend Grace for my Barking Mad Turkey Trot (the info is on the Fundraiser page, but there are only a few medals left!) I wonder if I can accumulate spare miles? Probably not!

This is a great challenge that just started the other day, using a points system. You get points for miles run/walked, aerobic exercise, WOW (workout of the week) and spot challenges. Check it out here and be sure to mention my name or my blog if you decide to join in the fun. There are tons of great prizes to be won!
I am loving this challenge, it keeps me motivated to workout and eat well (although I have to eat 7 freggies to get a point, which I have only managed once!) and there is a great facebook group for Challengers with lots of motivation and friends to be met! LOVE it!

Have you joined any Holiday Challenges?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Long Runs and KenpoX

Saturday was my first official long run! I have been doing Half Marathons as my long runs, which has sort of set back my training a little, but I am getting back on track! My friend Colleen, who is also doing the Disney Marathon, came with me to the Manasquan Reservoir, a 5 mile loop trail, that is about 20 minutes away. We got there at about 1:30, which seemed smart at the time, since it was warmer than the morning.
I parked the car right next to the trail entrance so that we could stop at every loop to get a drink, eat, whatever we needed. It was a little chilly when we set out, but it didn't take long to warm up. I forgot how hilly it was there, and how beautiful! What an amazing view! There were tons of people there as well, walking, biking, running. It was great to have a partner, someone to talk to definitely made the time pass!
The first 5 miles was a breeze! It took just over an hour, we had a nice steady 12-13 minute mile pace, and we stopped for a drink and I had some PB&J to hold me through. Back we went with no problems. Around again, only this time the hills seemed.....hillier. We stopped at mile 9 for a potty break and I realized I didn't have my keys! OHNO! Did I lock them in the car? I did take time to snap a photo, so I couldn't have been too stressed, lol

I also texted the hubs, in case I needed him to come and bail me out! We got to the car at mile 10, and found that the keys were on the seat and the car was not locked. Yikes! Good thing people around there were honest! More food, more drink, and back to the trail for lap 3.
My back really ached and we started a little slower. The hills were HUGE on lap 3, how did that happen? By mile 12 and 13, I was shuffling, and stopped to walk a bit. Jumping all of the downed branches and dodging horse poo really takes a lot out of a person! I finished 15.14 miles in 3:36:33. Colleen ran 2 extra miles for her training, in the pitch blackness! My hero! She was awesome!

Sunday was a rest day, Monday was P90X KenpoX, which was like Tae Bo....Tony Horton style! I wore my cute pink Piloxing gloves, and got started. Those gloves were HEAVY by the halfway mark, so I took them off. It was a fun workout, I really enjoyed it! I felt pretty badda$$ when I was done!

I have done alot of TaeBo in the past, so I knew the moves, which was helpful. I can't wait to do that workout again! I was only a little sore this morning, and it didn't linger. I ran 3.3 easy miles today, to start off week 21 of Marathon Training!
OH and did you know it is Hug a Runner Day?

Be sure to hug a runner today!

What is the longest you have run so far? How did it go?