ING... B-I-N-G-O!

It's Official- I am registered for my 2nd Half Marathon in October.

HOORAY!!

I just sent in my payment and have 66 days to finish my training before I tackle the ING Hartford Half again. I'm actually very excited! I had a blast running the course last year and am very much looking forward to doing so again. I only hope the day will be as gorgeous out as last year.

Today is another long day at work. However, I intend on going to bed as soon as I get home so I can get up and put in some miles tomorrow. My back up plan is to run after work (in case I hit snooze sleep through my alarm clock again). I'm currently about 2 weeks behind on my training, which is okay because I had originally added in 3 extra weeks, just in case. However, I've decided I'm going to increase my short runs to be 3 miles, instead of 2 for twice a week, on top of my long runs. The only thing I'm worried about, with this upcoming race, is that I won't be ready. And, I know, I need to push those thoughts right out of my head otherwise I'm going to self-sabotage.

To keep myself sane, I'm carrying Kara Goucher's book around with me. That way, when I feel the negative thoughts creeping in, I can crack the book open and get some motivation! (It works, I swear!)

On another note, I'm not sure how many of you read my last blog post, but I am doing a "Mystery Loot Give Away". My boyfriend and I are raising money for the Muscular Distrophy Association, and I'm turning to all you lovely people to help us out. For every $10 you donate, you will get an entry into the give away!

Now, you may be asking yourself, "But, Cupcake, why would I donate if I don't know what I might win?"
And to that I would kindly answer, "Because you're such a wonderful, amazing person that it doesn't matter what you might win. You just know that your donation is going on to help millions of people who suffer because of MD." Then, knowing you would probably want a little bit more information, I would continue, "I can't tell you exactly what your prize is- just know it's going to be pretty awesome! There's some pampering stuff, something worth money, and maybe even something for your feet!"

So, once again, I get down on my knees and humbly ask all of you lovely blog followers to please reach down into your pocket/purse/wallet/manbag/backpack/fannypack/Spibelt/piggy bank and please DONATE to a GREAT cause!

I promise, it will be worth your while! 



Check Me Out!

Ok, so I'm no where in that photo. But aren't my models amazing?! 

Virtual round of applause for them, please!

My brother, his girlfriend and my sister were nice enough to model the new shirts that just came in for my fundraising efforts. As you may remember (cause I've mentioned it about 10000000 times) I'm raising money for the National Stroke Association in honor of my mother. She's also the reason that I'm planning on running my first half marathon. So, in order to increase donations, I decided to design and sell tshirts! WOOT!

The tshirts are $15 and half of the proceeds go to the NSA. 

I have included one of the shirts in my fundraising give away HERE which ends Sept. 29th!

TOMORROW IS YOUR LAST DAY TO DONATE AND GET ENTERED TO WIN MY GIVE AWAY

So I'm begging one last time to please please please please find some spare change somewhere and donate to a great cause and get the chance to win some pretty nifty stuff!

On another note, I did another double duty workout today. I went to the gym this morning with Tina again and we both did an hour of cardio. Then I did about 20 minutes of machines for my upper body. I had to run some errands- got my oil changed and brought my tap shoes to get fixed because the sole was separating from the taps. Then, I went to work. When I got home, I headed out to try a new Zumba class with my mom's friend Heather. It was a lot of fun! I've done Zumba before, but this was a different instructor and place. We had more room, louder music and a better atmosphere. I loved it! (I love anything that's like dancing) My back is already starting to hurt though, so I may break out the icy hot in an effort to make sure it doesn't get worse come tomorrow. 

Did anybody else have a rocking workout? Or, better yet, do more than one workout today?

A Fond Farewell to the Week From Hell

Today is going to be a long day. 

But, it's also going to be a good one. 

I can tell already.

I mean, I already did my run at the gym, took a shower, picked up the shirts for my half marathon (remember the tshirt I described in my give away post?) and am now relaxing before I head to work and then rehearsal. I feel so accomplished and it's only 8:45 in the morning. Perhaps I could get used to this getting up early thing? I read an article in Runner's World that gave tips/tricks on training yourself to get up early - I'm going to start using them on a daily basis and see if I can't become a morning person.

Anyway, as I was saying, it looks to be a stupendous sort of day! Hooray! I could definitely use a great day...or week, even. Especially after last week. Last week, I was sure the world was coming to an end. Monday I had to call out of work to watch my niece who was sick with a super bad ear infection. I didn't really have a problem with that, though once we started watching The Little Mermaid for the 4th time, I decided it was time to switch things up a bit (she LOVES mermaid) and convinced her that we should watch Finding Nemo instead. Thankfully, she agreed.

That day wasn't too bad, mostly because even though my niece was sick and somewhat cranky, she is still completely and utterly adorable.

Please note, this was taken a few weeks ago, when she wasn't sick lol

Tuesday I ended up covering a shift for one of my co-workers, which was fine because I had missed hours the day before. Wednesday I had girls night with one of my best friends. And then Thursday happened. (insert a DUNH DUNH DUNH noise here) I was up at 5am on Thursday morning. No, not to run or go to the gym. I was up because our basement was full of smoke and my parents had to call the fire department. It seems we had a small electrical fire in the basement. The firemen (all 20 of them) deduced that the compressor on the fridge in the basement/family room went up and is what caused the problem. So, after the 4 fire trucks departed from our street (I apologize to our neighbors), we started cleaning out the fridge and freezer in the basement, the area around it, etc etc. I even went so far as to clean bathrooms and hall ways (when you're on a roll, it's hard to stop). Needless to say, I didn't go to work that day either. What time wasn't spent cleaning was used searching for a new fridge. Oy. On the up side, I'm thankful that my dad was up early for work and saw the smoke and that everyone is alright. That definitely could have ended much, much worse.

Friday brought a small ray of sunshine into my life though. Not only did I get up early to go to the gym with Tina again, but after I got home, I remembered I had made plans with one of my mother's friends to go on a short run! Woot! Double duty workout day! At 10am, Heather showed up and even though she is still recovering from being sick, she wanted to try a run. I decided 2 miles would be a decent enough distance for a trial run with her. Heather does Zumba so her cardio is pretty good, but she is a smoker (trying to quit though!) and recovering from bronchitis, so her breathing was causing her havoc. I let her set the pace and told her when/if she needed to walk, we could. I have to say she did very well! We did 2 miles in about 35 minutes. Heather had a good time, as did I, and we are hoping to do another short run again this week. Hopefully, I can get her addicted and have another running buddy muahahahaha.

One last thing to mention- PLEASE don't forget to check out my Donation Give Away HERE! It's a fantastic cause and the stuff you can win is fun! Only a few more days left to donate for your chance to win!

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! :)