Friday's Favorite!

Isn't this how we all wish we looked after every run? With a huge smile on our faces?

This was a great run - in part due to my new YMX by Yellowman top. As part of my ambassadorship with FitFluential, I was shipped two tops to try - and they quickly became my favorites.

I'd heard that their tops tend to run a bit small, so I ordered a large I normally buy medium, and these were perfect!

I love the super long length!

Makes these tops perfect for almost any sport from running to yoga to biking.

I loved that it didn't ride up at all during my runs, like some of my other tops. And stayed put while on the mat.

The pink top I received even has a pocket in the back.

Perfect for a little fuel. Not so perfect as a pocket for my phone. :( It was a little too bouncy, and I was afraid it would fall out - even though it was quite secure, actually.

I love the super soft, breathable material!

It's MadKool fabric.

Nothing is better than your own skin. It breathes, it shines, and it feels. MadKool® fabric is designed to do the same.

I really did feel like it was part of my skin. It certainly got as wet and sweaty as my skin did. :) Normally, I can't run long distances in sleeveless tops without the inside of my upper arms chafing, but no chafing with these tank tops!! Definitely a HUGE plus in my book. Oh, AND, these can be thrown in the washer and dryer. Just don't use fabric softener. :)

I love the super fun designs!

Most of my other tops are plain and boring or race shirts, so these were definitely a fun addition. I even worn the blue top out on a date night.

And eventually, it will be worn to work.

These tops retail at $69, but I think they're totally worth the price. They are so versatile! They are so fun! They are so comfortable!

They are definitely this Friday's Favorite!!

What's your Friday Favorite?
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3 Things Thursday - 8/29

The winners of the Factors of 36 virtual race were announced late last night. You can check it out here.

Here are 3 Things on my mind today.

1. I've been immersed in a HUGE project at work for the past several months. Without going into a lot of details, we're basically converting to a new system that affects the entire way we do business from editorial (I work at a newspaper) to advertising to the business office and basically everything in between. It's been a major undertaking, to say the least. It's involved many a late night and even a couple weekends. All our effort is about to come to fruition. It's GO LIVE WEEKEND!! It sucks that it's also a holiday weekend, and I may end up having to come in on Saturday, but it feels real good that Go Live is finally here. Whoohoo!!

2. Here's a conversation from the other day.

Me: Do you think my face looks fat?
Jeff: Do you want an honest answer?
Me: Yeah. Um. Well, I think so.
Jeff: No, your face isn't looking fat, but the rest of your body is starting to look a little big for your face. Mostly your tummy.

Guys...

I know you all dread questions like this, but please PLEASE keep your answers only to the question asked. :)

So, the next morning, I hopped on the scale. I've gained 7 lbs since the beginning of the year. Wish I could say that was all muscle. LOL. I really, really need to start doing more ab work - and strength training in general.

3. Remember that stairs workout I did on Tuesday? Well, I woke up yesterday morning with some serious DOMS in my calves. Almost as bad as when I did 50 calf raises. In a row. Back in April.


How's your Thursday going?
Any big plans for the holiday weekend?

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for Designer Whey protein powder! Six canisters are up for grabs!!
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Factors of 36 Winners!!

Thanks again to everyone who joined me in my Factors of 36 virtual race!!

I had a blast knowing I was running with such awesome company.

I loved hearing how you all pushed yourself to go just a bit further or how this virtual race helped motivate you to keep up with your training or start running again.

You're all winners to me!! Together we ran a total of 991 miles. Sah-weet!!

I wish I had a prize for each of you, but alas, I had to choose only seven. Each run logged on the spreadsheet counted for one point + sharing points + early registrations equaled a total of 391 entries.

I drew 7 random numbers using Randomizer.org.

And the winners are...

• Adrienne from Runner Mom * Not Fast but Not Last
• Chris from Inspiral Coaching
• egb from Running on E
• Matt from Muddy Calves
• Nicolasa from Shoe Laces & Bibs
• Rhonda from Kids Running Wild
• Teresa

Prizes will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis, so email me at enjoyingthecourse@gmail.com ASAP with your top two choices.

If you didn't win (or even if you did!), I threw the Factors of 36 logo onto a few items at CafePress - in case anyone was interested in buying a little memento. :) This is my first time using CafePress, so let me know if you run into any issues.

Make Custom Gifts at CafePress

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How about a little Sustained Energy?

I did a pretty fun stairs workout this morning.

It was AWESOME! But it wiped me out. Time to recover and restore some of that energy.

Designer Whey has come out with a new addition to their line of protein powders - Sustained Energy. You may have seen an ad for it in the June issue of Shape magazine.

As a FitFluential ambassador, I was given the opportunity to take this protein powder for a test drive. Perfect timing for me as I received a canister of both the Vanilla Bean and the Chocolate Velvet right at the beginning of marathon training.

Delicious for recovery. On mornings like today.

Or just to wake up in the morning. For those days, when the snooze button wins.

For whatever reason, it's the perfect addition to my random morning smoothie. I say random because, I rarely follow a recipe. I generally start with some almond milk, orange juice, and then add whatever fruit I might have on hand. Sometimes spinach, if I have any.

Adding a scoop of Designer Whey Sustained Energy powder adds just a little more oomph.

What makes it so good?

From their website...

Designer Whey® Sustained Energy™ is specifically formulated with our proprietary Endurance Blend™. Designed to give you balanced, stimulant-free, sustained energy through fast absorbing whey protein and slower absorbing soy and casein proteins, giving you a steady supply of essential amino acids while helping you control hunger with fiber. Packed with 16 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber and 19 Essential Vitamins & Minerals and naturally flavored and sweetened – all for only 100-good-for-you calories!

Sounds pretty perfect to me!

New to using protein powder or looking to mix it up with some new recipes? Just check out the Designer Whey recipes tab for lots of great ideas.

This morning, I tried this Tropical Tone-Up smoothie, as featured in Shape. Of course, I'm not sure how it's possible to make a smoothie with only 1/2 cup of milk, so I doubled it for mine.



I mostly stick to smoothies (boring, I know), but I also experimented a bit by adding some protein powder to my favorite banana cookie bars and even a batch a brownies. The extra protein helped to satisfy that sweet tooth without getting carried away feeling too guilty.

Designer Whey sure is excited about the launch of Sustained Energy! So excited, in fact, that they're offering to give 6 of you a canister to try for yourself. Yes, SIX of you will get to try either the Vanilla Bean or Chocolate Velvet.

Check out the Rafflecopter for your chances to win.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Marathon Monday #4

Kind of a tough week of training this week. I'm chalking it up mostly to PMS. My whole body was so achy and all I wanted was to sleep and eat chocolate. I don't think I've never craved chocolate so much in my life. Not that I'm complaining.

So, here's how the week went.

	The Plan	The Reality
Mon, 8/19	REST	REST
Tue, 8/20	3	3
Wed, 8/21	REST	REST
Thu, 8/22	6.2 Virtual Race
Fri, 8/23	4
Sat, 8/24	10	10
Sun, 8/25	2

I skipped the virtual race on Thursday and decided to just use the 6.2 miles from the 10 on Saturday for that race.

It was so difficult to get motivated for my long run this week. I slept too late and then took forever getting everything ready. Hopefully this week will be better. Since my legs were feeling tired and achy, I decided to do 3:1 intervals (run 3 minutes, walk 1 minute). I really feel like the intervals helped get me through, but it was very slow going.

Up next week? I start incorporating hills into my training. I still have to find a decent hill in my neighborhood. In the meantime, I think I'll run to the Strip and run stairs. It's not quite the same thing, I know, but I think it will still be good for me.

The good news from last week is that I finally got the flat tire on my bike fixed and was able to bike into work 4 days. I skipped biking on Wednesday in favor of folding the laundry, and Thursday, Jeff came to pick me up after work because the weather was stormy and my cell had died. I probably would have been fine biking home, but with the dead cell, I didn't want to take any chances.

How do you deal with PMS? Does it take you down or do you power through? A small part of me feels guilty for skipping three days of running this week, but a bigger part of me is totally okay with listening to my body. I'm going with the "my body must have needed the extra rest" theory.
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What's for Dinner? Week of 8/25

Well, I can't say that we stuck to our meal plan perfectly last week. In fact, we had fast food three nights in a row. Ugh.

But it's a new week! :)

Here's the plan for this week. A few repeats from last week plus a couple staples. I feel like it's kind of a boring plan, but a boring plan is better than no plan, right?

Sunday - Spinach Pasta Toss

Monday - Beans and Rice dip with tortilla chips

Tuesday - Layered Mexican pizza

Wednesday - Leftovers

Thursday - Salsa Rice and Red Beans

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - Leftovers

What are you cooking this week?
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Marathon Monday #3

My 2nd week of training went really well!

• I pretty much stuck to my plan.
• I didn't feel nearly as tired as the first week. 
• I was much better about getting to bed early/on time.
• I took an active rest on my two rest days.
• I ended up taking a full rest day yesterday, and I don't feel guilty at all due to the active rests earlier in the week.

	The Plan	The Reality
Mon, 8/12	REST	2.6 mile walk
Tue, 8/13	3	3
Wed, 8/14	REST	20 min yoga
Thu, 8/15	5	5
Fri, 8/16	3	3
Sat, 8/17	8	8
Sun, 8/18	2	REST
TOTAL	21	21.6

While I did the full 8 miles on Saturday for my long run, it was LONG! And it was HOT. I left at 8am, but I think it was already in the 90s. Ugh. I got way too hot, plus I forgot to near a sweatband.

I did discover a fun park, though. It was about 1/2 through my run, and there was a water play area for the kids. I'll admit that I jumped in there for a minute or two to cool down a bit. :)

Here are my splits from my long run:

Mile 1 - 10:16
Mile 2 - 9:53
Mile 3 - 9:40
Mile 4 - 10:36
Mile 5 - 16:14 (I walked half, if not most, of this mile)
Mile 6 - 11:08
Mile 7 - 11:26
Mile 8 - 11:08

Only two miles were sub 10:00. I may have to rethink my marathon time goal. We'll see how the next couple long runs go, and if running earlier helps at all.

I picked up our Bountiful Basket Saturday morning, so I couldn't have really gone earlier this week. We're going to cut back to every other week or so for Bountiful, so that I can go for my long runs earlier on our off weeks.

And for next week:

My virtual race ends on Sunday. You can still join the fun! Lots of great prizes up for grabs!! Just shoot me an email or fill out this form.

I'll also be running Jill and Jen's Birthday Bash virtual run (10k) on Thursday, and my first double digit run on Saturday.

How far did you run this week?
Have you ever jumped into a kiddy water area to cool off mid-run? I really think I threw off the kids. They weren't quite sure what to make of me, but they were very friendly and helpful.
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What's for Dinner? Week of 8/18

I haven't done a menu plan for the past two weeks, and boy did I feel it! Too many evenings without dinner or just simple cheese roll-ups.

We also missed two weeks of Bountiful Baskets, but we got one yesterday, so I need to meal plan in order to use up all the delicious produce.

Here's what we'll be eating this week.

Sunday - Layered Mexican Pizza

Monday - Pasta Slaw

Tuesday - Leftovers

Wednesday - Spinach Pasta Toss



Thursday - Salsa Rice and Red Beans



Friday - Leftovers and/or Salad

Saturday - Leftovers

What are you eating this week?
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Five for Friday!

I, for one, am super happy about it being Friday! Having Monday off, this week actually went by pretty quickly, but I'm still loving that it's almost the weekend.

Here's a few things on my mind today.

1. No big plans for the weekend! We may go car shopping, but mostly just relaxing and getting caught up on stuff.

2. My Factors of 36 virtual race has been going on for a week now. I'm loving this race and hearing all your stories about how it's helped motivate YOU.

Like Matt who pushed himself to run an extra 0.6 miles, so he could log 18 miles for the day instead of 12.

Or Tyly who didn't want to get off the couch.

@EnjoytheCourse Your #Factorsof36Race played a big part in getting me off the couch, so thank you!
— Tyly (@tylyshab) August 10, 2013

And then there's my sister-in-law, Trudy, who is using the race to get back on the wagon.

You're all helping to motivate me as well.

Thank you, thank you, to everyone who is participating.

If you haven't joined the fun, there's still 10 more days to run! You can still join us, just fill out this form or shoot me an email at enjoyingthecourse@gmail.com.

3. Speaking of virtual races, when mine's finished, why not sign up for Laura's Fall 5 or 10 Virtual Series. It will be similar to the one she hosted from Jan-June, but instead of  5k or 5miles before the 5th, it will be 5 or 10 miles. Perfect for anyone training for a fall/winter marathon.

4. Did you know that I recently became a Diet-to-Go Ambassador? You might recall I did a review of their meals back in February. I was so impressed with everything I tried - from the quality to the quantity - that I was very excited when they reached out to me to be an Ambassador.

Last night I participated in a very fun Twitter chat about getting back to healthy habits now that school is starting up again. The new school year doesn't really affect me, but it's always good to refresh my healthy habits. :)

Diet-to-Go is also currently hosting an I Live Healthy photo contest.

The contest started a couple days ago, but you can enter your photo through 8/29. Voting goes through 8/31 and winners will get a week of free meals. Yummy!!

You can enter, vote, and get all the details here: http://woobox.com/ciqtzc

5. I've shared 227 happy moments on my A Happy Moment A Day blog. I think that's pretty much a record for me for doing anything.

What's going on with you today?
Any fun plans for the weekend?
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Birthday Weekend Recap

If you follow me on Instagram, you've likely already seen glimpses into my birthday weekend, and like I mentioned yesterday, it was one of my best birthdays ever!

As we were walking to dinner last night, I was telling Jeff about how much I enjoyed everything about my birthday this year. I described it as low key with lots of activity.

Friday

I was greeted at work with balloons and cupcakes. Yum! I wore my sexy yellow shoes and got a ton of compliments on them. A co-worker brought me a delicious latte from Starbucks. My department went to Yogurtland for lunch. I definitely felt a bit spoiled.

The evening was spent lounging and watching TV. We ate a nice pasta dinner and went to bed early for a Friday night.

Saturday

Jeff and I woke up early to head to the Sprinkler Sprint. We left shortly after 6am to run/bike to the race. We met up with my friend, Crosby, but only ran the first 0.7 miles with him before Jeff had to walk. You can read more about the race here.

On the way home from the race, Jeff hit a curb the wrong way with his bike and fell. He caught himself with his palm, and the handlebar hit his leg, but he was otherwise ok. We separated paths at that point, so we could get home faster to ice his palm.

I got home, stretched, made us some eggs, and watched TV. Jeff had stayed up way too late and only got  a few hours of sleep before the race, so he laid down for a nap. I followed an hour or so later.

We hit the pool for a bit after our naps, and then I started getting ready to go out for my birthday. I needed to shave and wanted to give myself a mani/pedi, so I gave myself plenty of time to get ready and not feel rushed.

We were meeting some friends downtown at the newly re-opened Gold Spike. I'd been there back in July and thought it would be a great place to hang out on my birthday. They have all these giant games, like Jenga, Beer Pong, and Connect 4. The only thing I absolutely wanted to do was play Connect 4.

After the Gold Spike, we met some friends over at El Cortez, where we randomly met up with other friends who just happened to be there. I almost made my karaoke debut, but the karaoke bar closed before they got to my song. Probably for the best.

But maybe next time...

After the karaoke bar closed around 2am, we walked around and hit a couple other bars before heading home around 3:30am.

Now you know why I wanted to have my long run out of the way on Saturday. :)

Sunday

I still didn't sleep in all that late on Sunday. I woke up shortly before 9, and thought if I hurried out of bed, I could probably make it to Lululemon for Sunday morning yoga.

I didn't.

But I did get in a 2 mile recovery run around 10am.

Jeff was still sleeping (he didn't go to bed until around 8am), so I headed to the mall for my birthday treat from Red Mango.

And then hit Bath and Body Works for a free bottle of lotion. It wasn't for my birthday per se, but it was pretty perfect timing. :)  Then it was time for Walmart for some groceries.

After shopping, we hit the pool and hot tub and got into a very lengthy conversation with one of the old men at the pool on the quality of movies today. It was interesting to say the least.

We walked to RedBox because I'd received a coupon code for a free movie, but our card wasn't working. Instead, we stopped at McDonald's for dinner, and watched the Netflix movie that was in our mailbox waiting for us.

Monday

I took Monday off from work to extend my birthday weekend. I only slept in until around 8am, and then made a delicious breakfast and worked on my Marathon Monday post.

We had somehow managed to really trash our apartment the previous few days, so I straightened up the whole apartment - including the closet that had become quite the hodgepodge mess. It felt good and very satisfying.

Some of our neighbors were playing really loud music very early Monday morning - keeping Jeff awake, so he pretty much slept until after 2pm. We hit the pool when he woke up and chatted with the old men for a bit until I felt like the afternoon was getting away from us.

I still wanted to cash in on my free pizza from Grimaldi's to end my birthday weekend. We got all ready and then walked to the Palazzo. We went there last year for my birthday, too, but we'd taken a different route. We were surprised at how easy it was to find. We hope to start going there more frequently than the once a year for my birthday. Hey, I should probably sign Jeff up, so we can get free pizza on his birthday, too!!

We tried 3 different cheesecakes for dessert. While they were delicious, they really threw me over the edge. I couldn't eat even one more bite!

We brought home about 1/2 the pizza, so guess what I'll be eating for lunch today?

On the walk home, we stopped by the waterfalls outside the Wynn.

And Jeff had to take a little break, too. :)

Oh, and I can't forget the gifts I received.

The cookbook totally cracked me up! The chocolates were delicious, and the card was super cute.

Now, it's back to reality and back to work, but this is definitely going down as one of my most favorite birthdays ever! We crammed a lot of stuff in during the weekend, but it was all so fun with hardly any time crunches, so I was able to soak it all in and just ENJOY!

Do you take a day off from work for your birthday?
What's your favorite way to celebrate?
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Marathon Monday #2

I had such a wonderful birthday! One of my favorites for sure. :) I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. Right now, let's take a look at how my first week of marathon training went plus a recap of the Sprinkler Sprint 5k.

	The Plan	The Reality
Mon, 8/5	2	2
Tue, 8/6	3	3
Wed, 8/7	REST	REST
Thu, 8/8	3	3
Fri, 8/9	REST	REST
Sat, 8/10	3.1	9.7
Sun, 8/11	6	2

I'm pretty pleased with how Week One went. Whoo hoo!!

Unfortunately, by Thursday, I was already pretty tired. I chalk it up mostly to staying up too late. I'm really going to have to focus on hitting the sack a bit earlier.

Also, the back tire on my bike still isn't fixed, so no biking last week. I did a little yoga, but not every day. Or even after every run. I hope to do better this week.

When I was planning my training schedule, I wasn't sure how to handle my birthday. I wanted to get in a long(ish) run, but wasn't sure how to do it with the 5k Saturday morning and going out for my birthday Saturday night. I planned on the 5k and then doing 6 miles on Sunday, but then I came up with a different, brilliant plan.

Why not run to and from the race?

This would allow me to get my long run in on Saturday. Plus, we wouldn't have to worry about trying to find parking. AND I wouldn't have to worry about getting to bed early Saturday night in order to go for a long run Sunday morning. A nice 2 mile recovery run was much more appealing.

So back to the race. Jeff rode his bike slowly on the sidewalk with me while I ran. Jeff hasn't run a 5k with me since Feb 2005. And he hasn't really run much since. He didn't do too badly. We probably walked about 1/2 the race, but it was fun to be out there with him. Plus with all the walking, I got to snap some fun pictures throughout the race.

All the different water stations made the race go by much faster - and cooler. It was really awesome! I didn't get pictures at any of the water gun stations - mostly because we tried to run through them. :) One station even gave away ice pops. Yum!

Jeff and I skipped the slip 'n slide finish. There was a long line, and we didn't feel like waiting for it. There was no clock at the finish line. In fact, other than the slip 'n slide, the finish was pretty lackluster.

Except for the towels. Jeff grabbed a wet one, and I grabbed a dry one. The wet towel felt absolutely wonderful to wipe our faces after the race. Plus, we now have two perfect-sized sweat towels for going to the gym, etc. The towel was also much appreciated for my run home. :)

Overall, this was a really fun run. It was the first race put together by Downtown Runners, and founder Tanya "Tutu Tanya" Carrier, did a fabulous job putting it all together. I didn't even mind the lack of treats at the end of the race, and I'm looking forward to their next event. :)

Did you race this weekend?
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Factors of 36 Sponsors #2

Are you getting as excited as I am about this virtual race??

I have three more prizes for you all, and I'm super excited about them. While I haven't personally tried them myself, they are definitely products I've been wanting to try for awhile, and I'm pumped to be able to include them in the list of prizes.

Since I haven't personally tried these products, I reached out to some of my fellow FitFluential ambassadors, and I'll share with you their thoughts on these products.

Handana

Have you heard of this? It's a sweat band that you wear on your hand! I love the concept, because it leaves your hands free, and gives you something to wick the sweat from your forehead before it drips to your eyes.

Lea from Running with Ollie loved this product so much that she even wrote a limerick about it. :) Seriously, though, she's not a towel-carrying or bandana-wearing girl, so she prefers the hands-free convenience of the Handana.

Sarah-Jane from Fit Betty tried this out during a variety of workouts and found it convenient, portable, and sturdy! Perfect!!

Elle from Eat, Run, Sail also liked the versatility it provided during a variety of workouts, but especially she liked not having to carry tissues out on a run. Plus the Handana fit nicely over her gloves during colder weather.

Picture courtesy of Elle at Eat, Run, Sail

Prize: $5 gift certificate

Website: http://www.myhandana.com/
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest

One More Mile

If you like fun, clever slogans on your running apparel, look no further than One More Mile Running. They are sure to help keep you motivated. Seriously. I don't know where they came up with some of these. Of course you can always order without the sayings. But where's the fun in that?

Coco from Running with Perseverance ran into One More Mile at a race expo and loved some of the clever sayings.

My favorite? “Does this shirt make my butt look fast?” bwahahahah

Prize: One race belt (your choice of slogan)

Website: https://www.onemoremilerunning.com
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter

Tommie Copper

Ok. I'll admit it. I've never actually tried any compression gear, but I've already heard such fabulous things about Tommie Copper! One day, I'll give it a try. One day.

Tommie Copper is kind of unique in their compression gear because their yarn is infused with copper (hence the name).

According to Julie from ROJ Running, Tommie Copper is more in the recovery market than in the wear-while-running market.

Sarah from Mom Running on Empty is a firm believer after being pleasantly surprised by how good her swollen foot and ankle felt while running in a Tommie Copper ankle sleeve.

Carrie from Maine Mom on the Run loves Tommie Copper, too! She's a compression addict and has tried TC knee, calf, and ankle sleeves, as well as compression shorts. Her legs love them. :)

Elle from Eat, Run, Sail has so many great things to say about TC! Once she had a really long moving day, and TC helped her get comfortable enough to fall asleep despite some leg cramping. She's written a ton of other reviews, too. Just do a search on her site, if you want to find more.

Pic courtesy of Maine Mom on the Run

Prize: One pair of sleeves

Website: http://www.tommiecopper.com/
Social Media: Facebook, G+, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube


There you have it - SEVEN FANTASTIC prizes up for grabs!! Please take a moment to drop by and give them a visit!

If you missed the first four prizes, pop on over to yesterday's post.

Don't forget to register! Just fill out this form. Registration ends tomorrow!!

Already registered? You can earn bonus entries for sharing the race! Be sure and use #Factorsof36race and/or tag me, so I know you shared. :)

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Factors of 36 Sponsors #1

First of all a HUGE thank you to everyone who has entered my race so far!! If you haven't signed up yet, here's a little more incentive!

I mentioned all of our wonderful sponsors in my post with all the details about the virtual race, but I wanted to tell you a little more about these great prizes! I'm going to split this into two posts, so be sure and come back tomorrow to learn more about the rest of the prizes you could win.

Bondi Band

I've been wanting to try one of these FOREVER, so I was super excited when they offered to send me one headband to try and one to give away. Here is what they sent.


It was hard to choose which to keep, but, if you follow me on Instagram, you probably already know that I opted for the "Quick Like a Bunny" one since it's something I say all. the. time. Usually when Sallie is moving too slowly. :-D

I tried it out on my last run, and LOVED IT! Definitely lived up to all the hype. It was a bit warm heading out, but I was very grateful for no stinging, burning sweat dripping into my eyes. Bonus that it will be perfect for the Vegas winters when it's cold enough to want to cover your ears, but not so cold you need a full hat. Whoo hoo!!

Prize: One headband (pictured above)

Website: http://www.bondiband.com/
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest 

Good Beans

I won a sampling of these from Danielle over at It's a Harleyyy Life and fell. in. love.



These chickpea snacks were so delicious!! Alone, of course.
But I also loved the cracked pepper and sea salt tossed on my salad.
Or the sweet cinnamon sprinkled over ice cream. Yes, I know I'm bad.

Prize: One sample pack, as shown above

Website: http://www.thegoodbean.com/
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube

Handful Bra

Love, love these bras! They are super comfy and give the girls just a bit more lift - cuz sometimes I need to feel a little sexy to get my butt out the door. :-) Plus, I love that I can wear this to work without looking like a boy. Hehehe.

I know, I know. I should have shared a pic from the front, but I couldn't find one at the moment. Plus aren't the criss-crossed straps pretty?

Prize: One sports bra of your choice

Website: http://www.handful.com/
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter

KonaKase

Have you tried a KonaKase? You can read my review here, but it's a great little box filled with motivation and fun surprises that gets delivered right to your door! It's a great way to try products that maybe you're not familiar with.

Here's what came in the August box.


Prize: A September box

Website: https://www.konakase.com/
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter

That's it for today! Be sure and come back tomorrow to hear all about the rest of the sponsors. In the meantime, feel free to visit these sponsors and give them some love! Be sure and tell them I sent you - Enjoying the Course on Facebook and EnjoytheCourse on Twitter!

You still haven't registered? Just fill out this form.
Already registered? Don't forget about bonus points for sharing the race! Be sure and use #Factorsof36race and/or tag me, so I know you shared. :)

What would you most like to win?
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Marathon Monday #1

Today I started training for my marathon in Dec. My first marathon in 10 years!

I have 3 goals for training.

1. Follow my training plan. I'll get to this in a bit.
2. Ride my bike to work every day for the next 18 weeks.
3. Make yoga  strong part of my training.

Each Monday, I plan to check in here with an update on how training is going.

I'm already off to a great start! I've gone for my 2 mile run this morning and followed that with a bit of yoga. Yay!

Unfortunately, I did not ride my bike to work because I got a flat tire riding home Friday night, and we didn't have a chance to get it fixed over the weekend. Jeff is taking it in today, so hopefully I'll be able to start the biking tomorrow. :)

Now, on to my training plan.

Technically this will be my 3rd marathon. I should probably treat it as my very first marathon since it's been such a long time, but I'm not going to!

I am going to set a time goal. **gasp**

I would love to finish under 4:30, so I'm planning to train at a 10:00min/mi pace. Not every run will be at that pace some will be faster, some will be slower, but on the ones marked pace, that will be my goal.

I've also thrown in some hills and speed work work to help me get strong. I plan to alternate these with treadmill and outdoor workouts. Hill repeats might be stair repeats using the pedestrian bridges over the Strip. I'm kind of excited about that because I hate stairs even more than hills.

I'm starting off running 5x each week for the first 7 weeks, then I'll drop down to 4x per week when my long runs break 15 miles.

I designed this training plan on my own, and I'm hoping it will fit my schedule and motivation levels. :)

Click the picture for a closer look.

For a little encouragement, I bought myself a new running outfit while at Walmart yesterday. I'm calling it a birthday gift to myself. :D It's actually a lot brighter in real life. Good thing it's reversible for those days when I'm feeling a bit more subdued.

Have you registered for my Factors of 36 virtual race yet? No? What are you waiting for? Lots of great prizes are up for grabs. :) Click here to read more about it, and to register today. Registration ends on 8/8.
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Other ways to follow Enjoying the Course:
Twitter → @EnjoytheCourse
Facebook → EnjoyingtheCourse
Instagram → enjoyingthecourse
Pinterest → clarindad

Factors of 36 Virtual Race

I'm incredibly excited to announce my first ever virtual race!

As you know, my birthday is fast approaching, and I thought it would be super fun to celebrate with all of you - my favorite running peeps!

I've been kind of planning this for a couple of months, so I'm excited that it's finally time to announce the...

This isn't your normal virtual race.

This isn't a 5k or a 10k or any traditional race distance. Here's the twist.

I'm turning 36 on the 10th, so I wanted to incorporate my new age into the virtual race and came up with this fun idea.

Here's what you'll do:

• Run any distance (in miles) that is a factor of 36.
• Run as many times as you want (no more than once per day) from the 10th to the 25th.
• Each entry will earn you a chance to win a prize from one of our fabulous sponsors.
• Earn a bonus entry if you run exactly 36 miles during the race period.

This race has a distance for everyone! In case you're not sure what the factors of 36 are, each run could be 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, or 36 miles.

You can run these miles fast or slow or even walk them.

Virtual races are so much more fun with great prizes, check out our sponsors.

More on them later.

I hope you'll celebrate with me.

All you need to do right now is just fill out this simple form. I'll keep registration open until the 8th, and I'll shoot you an email on the 9th with a reminder and a few more details to get you all set to run on the 10th.



Oh! I almost forgot!! You can earn extra bonus points now through the 8th by sharing this virtual race on FB, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest. When you share be sure and tag me and then come back and leave a comment. You can share as many times you want, but you can only earn one extra bonus point per day.

Have I mentioned how excited I am about this?? Can't wait to celebrate my birthday with YOU!!
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