3 Things Thursday + WINNERS

Happy Thursday!! We're in the home stretch of putting this week behind us. Yay!! It's been long, and a bit crazy at work, so I'm definitely looking forward to the weekend. :)

Here's are a few things on my mind this morning.

1. Winners!

Thank you to everyone who joined me for my birthday streak! I had a great time celebrating with all of you!!

Here are the winners:
Drink Cocogo - Elisabeth
Proud Runner gift pack - Irina
Detour Smart Bars - Jenny
Bondi Band - Karen
Multi-Grip Stretch Strap - Rachel

2. Art Show

Tonight, Jeff and I are getting all dolled up to go to a friend's art show. Cocktail Dress Attire. I ordered a few new dresses on Amazon. Gotta love Prime! They are set to arrive this afternoon, so I'll get home from work, try them on, and choose which one to wear. Nothing like the last minute.

Here are my options:

I'm super excited about tonight, but I also feel like I'm coming down with something. I was so tired yesterday that I went to bed at 7:30pm, and I woke up with a sore throat. I'm going to down some Emergen-C and hope that helps stave off whatever is coming my way.

3. Yesterday's Run

I attempted a little speedwork yesterday in the form of a tempo run. It's been a long time, since I went that crazy. My first mile was 8:55. YAY!! And then I took a little walk break when I got to the Strip. It's perfect because there is a pedestrian bridge about halfway through the route. I walked up the stairs, across the bridge, and down the stairs before starting on the run again.

I really tried to push it during the run back home, but I was tired, so it was a little slower on the way back.

Oh yeah! I also got hit on by a couple of hot foreign tourists. One, in very broken English, asked if he could go footing with me for a little bit. I let him - mostly because I was running with pepper spray, if he tried anything untoward. After a minute or two, he kissed my hand, and I took off to continue my tempo run.

Bonus: My nephew and his girlfriend

Will be visiting Vegas this weekend! She just turned 21 last week, and they are coming to Vegas (with a few other people) to celebrate! We don't have any specific plans to see them, but I'm looking forward to meeting up and doing something fun! Plus, Jeff and I did get a pool cabana for Sunday, so either way, it's going to be a fun weekend!
Tweet

Ultimate Coffee Date - August 2014

Good morning, and Happy August to you!!

I've already gone for my 1 mile run and did some yoga on the patio. There is some zucchini bread baking in the oven, so it seems like a perfect time to link up with the Ultimate Coffee Date!

If we were having coffee this morning...I'd tell you that I love August, because it's MY BIRTHDAY MONTH!! Whoo hoo. Let the celebrating begin. :) Ok. So, maybe I started celebrating on July 5th with my birthday streak. Running or Yoga or both or any combination. Or maybe not even a streak at all. YOU CAN STILL ENTER TO WIN SOME FUN PRIZES! More info on the prizes can be found here. Not very many people have joined my party, so your chances of winning are pretty good. :)

If we were having coffee this morning...I'd also tell you about how excited I am for my actual birthday weekend. I still need to firm up some plans, but the biggest, most fun event of the weekend will be running the E.T. Full Moon Midnight Half Marathon with my husband. It will be his first half. What a fun birthday present for me! Plus I'm working on a super fun costume to wear. Hopefully I can get it all pulled together with just a week to go!

If we were having coffee this morning...I'd probably ask your opinion on zero-drop shoes. Pros? Cons? Jeff has kind of become my personal shopper, and wants to get me some new running shoes. Isn't he the best? He's new to running, but has probably done more research on how to run and the best shoes than I ever have. He likes the idea of adjusting to zero drop, and I don't really have an opinion, so I'd love to hear your thoughts.

If we were having coffee this morning...I'd confess that it's been months since I've ridden my bike. Jeff and I have a 30-mile ride coming up in the beginning of Sept, and I'm a little nervous about it! Especially, since I'll be running a half marathon the very next day! I'd ask if you were going to be in CA for the Ventura Marathon weekend, because it's going to one awesome party!! :) If all goes well, we are planning on a swim and bike ride at Lake Mead tomorrow. Fingers crossed it all goes well!!

If we were having coffee this morning...I feel like I'd have more to say, but I can't seem to think of anything else right now, so I'd just sit back, enjoy my cuppa, and ask about your weekend and what else you might have planned for the rest of the summer!

Why not grab a cup of coffee, relax for awhile, and catch up with some other bloggers at the Ultimate Coffee Date?
Tweet

Birthday Party Prizes

Good morning!

We're now over halfway through my birthday streak party! Only 18 more days until my birthday!! It's going to be a fun weekend, and I can barely wait. Guess I'll just keep running until then. LOL.

It's a pretty small party right now, and I'd love to still have YOU JOIN THE FUN! Just fill out this form to gain access to the spreadsheet where you can log all your runs and yoga sessions. You can start today OR you can retroactively enter any runs/yoga you've done since 7/5.

YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE TO STREAK! You can earn points for each run or yoga session that you do, even if you miss a day here or there.

Here are the prizes you could win!

A box of Cocogo!

I love this stuff! Such a delicious way to re-hydrate after a run. I just became an ambassador for them as well. So exciting! I'm running low on my stash, though. Time to put in an order. :)

If you want to try it NOW instead of waiting to see if you've won, you can get 40% off by using ENJOYINGTHECOURSE during checkout. Shop here.

You can follow Cocogo on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

A gift pack from Proud Runner!

This includes TWO pairs of socks, some stickers, and some temporary tattoos. I received the very same pack, and let me just say that I LOVE THESE SOCKS! Especially the cute ladybug socks. Both pairs are soft and comfy. The ladybuy socks are a low-rise sock, which is why I like them better.

You can follow Proud Runner on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Detour Smart Bars!

I recently received one box of each flavor to review. They were so delicious, I stashed 3 bars of each flavor to send to YOU as a birthday gift. I don't tend to be a huge fan of protein bars, but could honestly eat these all. day. long. The blueberry and apple cinnamon are definitely my faves. The texture is good and the flavor is delicious! I LOVE the yogurt drizzle on top. Yum!

You can follow Detour on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

A Bondi Band!

These headbands are perfect! They keep the sweat out of my eyes and they're super fun! Plus they can double as an ear warmer in the winter. :)

You can follow Bondi Band on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

And last, but not least, a multi-grip stretch strap!

We ordered one of these online a few months ago. We were accidentally shipped two. We tried to return it, but were told to just keep it. Something about not being able to find anything to return.

Works out for you because now I have an extra one to giveaway!










I'd love to have YOU PARTY WITH ME! In addition to running and yoga, you can earn extra points by sharing pictures, tweeting, and/or following any of the sponsors on Twitter (or your favorite social media platform).

JOIN THE PARTY TODAY!
Tweet

ETC Birthday Party!

Tomorrow is THE DAY! Have you all been anxiously awaiting the start of my birthday challenge? I know I have been. :)

37 days of streaking to help me celebrate my 37th birthday on Aug 10th. 

It's gonna be awesome!

This streak is really up to you. You can run or you can practice yoga or you can do a combination of the two.

A run streak is no easy task, and if done improperly, it can lead to injury, so be careful and listen to your body. If you're up for the challenge, it's as simple as running {at least} 1 mile every day from 7/5 to 8/10.

Maybe you've just finished the #RWRunStreak, and need a break, then you could join the party with some yoga. For the yoga challenge, just practice {at least} a pose every day from 7/5 to 8/10.

Or maybe you'd want to do some combination of the two. I'm hoping to both run and practice yoga every single day. But you could alternate between the two, if you're not quite ready to commit to a full run or yoga streak.

Let's make it a huge party by sharing pictures and tweeting our streaking fun. #ETCRunStreak #ETCYogaStreak

Tweet

And of course, it wouldn't be a party without a few gifts! I'm hoping to add a few more, but here's what I've got lined up so far.

**A box of Cocogo. Real Fruit Hydration.

**A gift pack from Proud Runner.

**A Multi-Grip Stretch Strap.

**A Detour Smart Bar sample pack NEW (added 7/11)

**A Bondi Band headband NEW (added 7/13)

I'm trying to work on more, so stay tuned.

Come back every day to enter to win one of the prizes with the rafflecopter below.

**********
UPDATE (7/9): I wasn't getting a very good response with the rafflecopter, so I created a form instead. I know that the Streak is already a few days in, but you can now enter your info retroactively. :) Or you can simply start today!

If you want to join the party, just fill out this quick form. 
If you entered via rafflecopter, I've already filled out the form for you. I'll shoot you an email with the link to the tracking form.

On the Thank You page, you'll receive a link to a spreadsheet to track your streak. Just enter an R or Y or RY every day that you either run or practice yoga or both. There are also some bonus entries all the way to the right. :)
**********

I also created some images you can use during your streak.

Thanks for joining my challenge! I can't wait to celebrate with you. :)

In the meantime, enjoy the 4th of July. See you tomorrow!!

Happy Friday!!

Who is ready for the weekend?! I know I am. :) The secret surprise that I mentioned during the Ultimate Coffee Date is happening this weekend, and I am STOKED! It's likely not going to be nearly as exciting for all of you, but be sure to stay tuned to Instagram and Twitter for all the excitement. :)

In other news, I ran fast yesterday morning, and it felt amazing! 

Jeff and I headed out for a 3 mile run, and about .8 miles in Jeff was hurting pretty bad, so we altered our route to shorten our run. We ended up doing about 1.6 miles, and then I continued for another .9 miles. And I kicked it into high gear. I haven't run like that in quite some time. I'd love to say it was a breeze. It wasn't, but it was exhilarating. Or breath taking. LOL. Cuz I was definitely out of breath by the time I was back home. :D

One last thing before I leave you to enjoy the weekend. My birthday is fast approaching. 7 more weeks. Or something like that. ;) Perhaps you remember my virtual race to celebrate my 36th birthday? The Factors of 36 virtual race?? It was so much fun!

That I wanted to do another little something to celebrate this year. Make it a tradition, you know.

BUT doing a Factors of 37 wouldn't be nearly as much fun since your only options would be run 1 mile or run 37. Ugh.

So, let's go streaking instead!!

Your choices are 37 days of running (at least one mile) or 37 days of yoga. Or some combination of the two.

Either way the streaks will begin on July 5th and continue until my birthday on Aug 10th.

ARE YOU IN??

Joining the fun is super easy! Just run or do yoga every day from 7/5 to 8/10 and tweet or instagram a photo using #ETCRunStreak or #ETCYogaStreak or #ETCStreaks.

Easy-peasy.

I'm still working on lining up some sponsors and fun prizes, so stay tuned for that, but I just wanted get it out there for those who might want some advance notice. :)

Now, go out there and enjoy the beautiful weekend. Unless you're still at work. Then, you know, it's *almost* the weekend, so SMILE!!

What are your weekend plans?
Will you celebrate my birthday with me?
Tweet