Friday, March 18, 2011

Headbands Giveaway!

http://www.runningwithsass.com/punkeelove-headbands-giveaway/#comment-6733

The Zoo

T and I decided to go to the zoo today.
Our first stop, the armadillo.


We then headed to the petting zoo where T fed & brushed the goats. Right across from the goats were some wallabies.
We were lucky enough to go on a safari. Apparently this is a big deal. We just happened to walk up and the guy told us he could fit us in if T sat on my lap. We saw lots of African animals up close and were also able to see some behind-the-scenes buildings, such as the giraffe and elephant hurricane and winter shelters. We also saw a baby rhino - his 1st birthday was today.





T got a kick out of watching this otter play.

We tried to go to the Dino exhibit, but it was a bust. You had to be 48" tall to partake in the activities. So we negotiated popcorn and the fountain.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Awesome Medal Display!!!

Check out this awesome medal display. Hope I can get one for myself :)
http://www.babyweightmyfatass.com/2011/03/allied-medal-display-review-and-give.html#comment-form

When a 3 year old has the camera

We set out today for an easy 5 miles. Low and behold, that didn't happen. I was pretty sore, but figured it would work its way out after a mile or two. Just shy of two miles, my knees were killing. So, we stopped running and had to walk back to the car. During this two mile walk, I gave T the camera. Out of 32 pictures, here are some that are actually visible. The others were of his tongue, his shirt, the ground, the sky, the grass, etc.
First a pic of the photographer:

A pic of the bovine. We see lots of these - all colors, shapes, sizes, odors, you get the point.

We passed two walkers, who posed for his picture taking. I'm not sure what happened to their picture, but they're in the background.

Monday, March 14, 2011

and I ran... giveaway

Check out this pretty slick giveaway...
http://missredrunner.blogspot.com/2011/03/spring-break-giveaway.html

CEP Compression Socks

CEP is giving away a pair of compression socks to one of Skinny Runner's readers.
As Skinny Runner (skinnyrunner.com) says,
"Ya’ll know I love my compression socks and sleeves. I have a few different brands and kinds, but one of my favorites is my CEP compression sleeves. Why?

Because they are very tight so I feel like they’re doing their job and they’re also really thin so I don’t feel like I’m wearing Jane Fonda-style leg warmers.



I have never tried CEP compression socks and would love to (hint, hint, people at CEP, feel free to send me a pair!) but I think the sleeves are one of the better pairs of compression sleeves that I own.

What is CEP Compression Sportswear?

CEP = Compete, Endure, Perform. CEP is made with over 60 years of experience by a WORLD LEADER in medical compression products, medi.





I wore mine in the New York City Marathon, but generally I wear mine before and after a race.

The Science Behind Compression:

1. Arteries with normal blood flow – Arteries are blood vessels that transport oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the organs and muscles. Veins transport de-oxygenated blood back to the heart.

2. Arteries extension – The compression of the CEP compression sportsocks expands the diameter of the inner arterial wall thus improving blood flow to the muscles.

3. An increased arterial blood circulation and supply of oxygen to the musculature – The arterial blood circulation increases by approximately 30% while at rest and by approximately 40% under physical strain. The special compression profile of the CEP compression sport socks* is a decisive element in ensuring these results.




CEP Prevents:

Shin Splints
Cramps
Achilles Issues
Fatigue
Micro Muscle tears
Vibration trauma
Blisters
Blood clots from travel
And Jamie from CEP has offered to give one pair of compression socks away to a lucky reader! The winner even gets to pick their color. I might go with the lime green or black myself…

To enter, you can do a few things:

1. Become a CEP follower on Facebook

2. Follow CEP’s blog

3. If you’ve done those things, for 2 EXTRA entries you can go vote for Matt and Marlie. One vote per email address so go sign up your free iheartcepcompression@gmail.com email address.

4. Blog, tweet, FB about the giveaway

5. If you’ve done those things, just leave me a comment!

A note: You need to have a blog or someone’s blog you can blog on to enter the contest so you can post a review of the CEP compression socks.

Contest ends Wednesday."

13 miles ... and it wasn't a half!

T and I set out for 13 miles today and managed to do it all. It was a bit warm ~80. This would be the longest I've pushed a jogging stroller. Those arms ought to start looking like real muscles soon. It's quite a workout pushing him uphill against the wind.

Strawberry Stampede

In February, J and I ran the Strawberry Stampede 5k.



It was brutally cold this day. My hands never did thaw throughout the entire race. J & I ran the first two miles together - I was really proud of him, as we pulled 9:15 miles. Then, J took off. I thought - "I sure hope he realizes there is 1.1 miles left." I didn't say anything and just kept my pace. At 2.5 miles, I kicked it in gear - passed a couple of people (including J) and managed to finish in 28:40. Not my best, but better than I've been doing since I started training for a half.
I did manage to earn my first age group award - 1st place!
J rocked a 28:50 time - 4th in his age group.

Friday, March 11, 2011

I haven't forgotten about you!

The last time I posted was February 6th.  So much has happened since then.
1.  I competed in the Gasparilla Half Marathon on February 27th with a time of 2:15:50.  It was awesome!  As my first half, I couldn't have imagined a better experience.  I enjoyed all 13.1 miles, was totally prepared for it, and honestly was sad it was over once I crossed the finish line. 



2.  J competed in the insanely hot 5k this same weekend.  He rocked the heat and humidity in 29:30. 

3. I interviewed for a full-time position and learned today that I was chosen for the position!  This is something I wanted very badly.  It seems the last four years have paid off. 

4. J has interviewed for a position a heck of a lot closer to home.  We are keeping fingers, toes, eyes, everything crossed for this position.  It's an awesome opportunity. 

5.  I took a week off after the half, ran 6.5 miles last weekend, and rocked 10 windy, uphill miles today.  I'm back and it feels great!

6.  I signed up for another half!  This course has some hills, so I've been training the "death march" that is always uphill and against gusting winds - pushing a jogging stroller the whole way.