The MotherLoad

Dog sitting job= done! Yay for being home with internet connection again! It's not that I didn't enjoy being disconnected for awhile, but I missed my blogger friends and it's going to take some time to catch up on what's been going on with everyone. As promised, this is going to be a jam packed blog post so grab a beverage, maybe even a snack, and buckle in!

Alright, first things first. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that I take immense joy in sharing with you the odd, interesting and hysterical things I come across while running. I happen upon so many odd things, that I've even started a separate tab on my blog to keep track of them. One of my readers emailed me the other day because she wanted to share something she had come across on a run with her friend:
"...one day my friend and I were doing a long run on a country road and I spied what looked like an old blue crochet hat.  Being the curious type, I picked up the "hat" which turned out to be a toilet paper roll cover---it felt like something was in it, then the bottom fell out and yes, something was in it---A LIVE MOUSE!  My friend and I both screamed and restarted our running!"

 Source

I couldn't help but laugh at that. I have seen some crazy things, but I've never encountered a live animal. I'm sure I would have knocked a few minutes off my run time if that had happened to me! Thanks Vicki for sharing your story, look for it to be updated on my other page as well. 

In other news, right before I disappeared, I was nominated for another blogger award!

Yay blogger award love!!

Here is how it works:

• Link back to the blogger who nominated you
• Choose 5 blogs and leave them a comment
• Post the award on your blog
• Enjoy and share the love :)

I was given this award by the amazingly awesome Wells L @ My Story...Chapter 2. Honestly, she's such an inspiration. Her blog is heartfelt, funny, informative and just an all-around great read. And she is probably one of my all-time favorite bloggers ever! We have yet to meet, but I feel like her and I would make great friends lol I'd have to say that Wells is also probably one of my biggest fans. She comments on almost every blog post and DailyMile post as well. And every time she does, I just feel so flattered that she takes the time to encourage and support me. So, for realsies, go check out her blog for yourself and you will definitely see how amazing she is!!

The five blogs I am nominating are:
1. Amy @ Pumpkin to Princess
2. Vanessa @ Gourmet Runner
3. Victoria @ Finding Happiness in Health
4. Katherine @ Forward FootStrides
5. Wym @ A Tall Order

Alright folks, as we all know, I started this journey of training for a half marathon. And guess what? It's getting closer!!! I decided at the beginning of the year that to give myself some extra motivation and raise money for a great cause, I would solicit donations from friends and family for the half marathon. The charity I chose was the NSA- National Stroke Association. This cause is very close to my heart because my mother has suffered a series of multiple strokes over the past decade. Thankfully, she is still with us, but every stroke takes it's toll on her. I go into more detail on my fundraising page HERE.

Now, I'm sure you are wondering how you can help, right? Aren't y'all just the sweetest?! You can most definitely help by going to the above fundraising page and donating to my cause! Not only will you get the joy that comes with giving and the gratitude of this kid, but, for every $1 you donate you will get one entry into my newest give away!

Oh, you want to know what you might win? Sure thing! I've collected some random goodies for your running pleasure and they are:

• an 8 pack of GU chocolate outrage gels
• 2 packs of GU chomps (in watermelon and peach tea)
• Smartwool PhD running socks
• Foot Rubz ball (similar to a foam roller or other massage product)
• Eastern Mountain Sports Espresso hydration belt
• Running for Mama t-shirt (designed by yours truly)

Here's how you can enter this give away- first, go to my fundraising page HERE and donate some money to a great cause. For every $1 you donate, you will receive one entry into the give away. So, if you decide to donate $20, you get 20 entries! Easy, right?! Once you have donated, come back to this page and leave a comment letting me know.
 
This give away will be going on until 9/28- That's 3 weeks to scrounge together at least $5 for some entries!- And the winner will be chosen on 9/29. Even if you don't feel you can afford $5, PLEASE CONSIDER AT LEAST GIVING $1.... any little bit helps! My goal is $500 and I'm currently at $230, so not far to go!!

Well, that's all for now folks... but I will be back to update again soon!! Promise! :)

Summer!

It's Warm!

It's practically SUMMER!!

I went out for a run yesterday afternoon- no destination in mind, no time crunch to worry over. It was warm out, which was nice, and I fell into a nice, steady pace. I hit my mile marker and decided to turn back around to head home (I needed to shower and get ready for work). When I hit my street, I checked my watch and did an instant double-take. There was no way my clock read 23:09! What!? That's craziness! That means I did a sub 12 minute mile FOR TWO WHOLE MILES! I'm officially patting myself on the back for that. I mean, it's not a pace I could hold for 13.1 miles right now, but I'm impressed I was able to do it for two miles.

Also, now that it's finally warmer out, a magical, wonderful thing has happened.

Our pool is open!!

Ok, so it's kind of green still and definitely not ready to go swimming in, but at least it's open again! I can't wait to go for a long run and then hop directly into my pool (running clothes and all- minus my shoes and iTouch haha). I'm not a swimmer by any means, but a refreshing dip after a hot run sounds amazing! And who doesn't love lounging in the pool every now and again?

In other news, I went to a friends concert the other night (he's a music teacher and his kids had their final concert of the year- they were Phenomenal!). His school is in a different part of the state, so I headed up there a little earlier than I should have and did some shopping at EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports). It's the first time I had ever gone in there so I did a lot of perusing. They have some awesome wool running socks that I may go back and purchase. They also had a large amount of GU and other energy gels, so I got some. 

I bought a Powerbar gel in Vanilla, a Clif bar gel in Vanilla, and an 8 pack box of GU in Lemon/SubLime. I can't wait to try it out! Anyone ever use any of the above products?  If so, how did you like them? If not, do you use something different that you prefer?

Also, don't forget to enter my Bondi Band Give Away HERE!