2013 Portland Color Run

Hi! 

I was recently contacted by the fun and colorful people at The Color Run to see if I was interested in spreading the word about The Happiest 5K on the Planet.  I ran The Color Run last year with a group of friends and we all had a great time.

What I liked about The Color Run last year was how inviting it is for runner of all levels.  I know a lot of these "fun races" get a lot of slack in the running community but I support their message:  

The Color Run™, also known as the Happiest 5k on the Planet, is a unique paint race that celebrates healthiness, happiness, individuality, and giving back to the community.

Since becoming a runner and going through the "newbie" phase I understand how intimidating it can feel to sign up for a race and show up at the starting line.  Everyone jumping around, stretching, setting their Garmins, it can be nerve racking!  This particular 5K is not timed and the only winners are the ones covered in color at the end.  As a mom I am a fan of any run that includes entire families and encourages children to run it also.  Plus since I am a mom and trying to stay on budget I know these races can seriously add up so the folks over at The Color Run have given me a coupon code for you to use when you register! 

Details on registering for The Color Run: 

- I suggest finding some people to register with as a team so you can get another $5 off. 

- Just because you all register together doesn't mean you have to hold hands and sing the whole time.  It is just another way to save some money and come up with a cool name.

  - If you plan on using it for the Portland Oregon run keep in mind that the registration fee goes up August 1st, next Thursday.

- There are lots of other locations and you can go HERE to see when and where they'll be in your town.  YES you can use that code for any location and remember these races do sell out so don't wait to long to get registered. 

PLUS they gave me 2 free entries into the Portland Oregon Color Run on September 7th!  That means it is GIVEAWAY time again which is always exciting, good luck!

**Update**

I'll announce the 2 winners on Tuesday July 30th 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway Winner! + Fitbloggin' Shout Outs!

Good morning! 

We have a Giveaway winner!  

Miss Colleen from Heart & Sole!

I'll get your address from you and have your winnings in the mail this week.  Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who entered!  

I actually got to meet Colleen while I was at Fitbloggin' this weekend and she quickly became one of my friends.  She is training for a marathon and kept up with all of her training while taking part in the conference and all of the different fitness classes.  Whew, I am tired just writing all that!  Needless to say she is a rock star and you have to go check out her blog.  Did I get a picture with her?  Um no, because I am cool like that. Fail. 

So I'll just steal one from her blog! 

Okay prepare for a monster of a shout out to all of the awesome bloggers I met this weekend, they seriously all deserve their own blog post but that would be cray. 

Erica @ EricaDHouse did an amazing session on Media Kits, hands down best presentation at Fitbloggin' IMO.  She presented alongside Shannyn @ FrugalBeautiful & Annabel @ FeedMeImCranky, awesome girls!  You can learn more about their presentation here.

Andrea @ A Doctor In The House also lead a great talk on motivating our communities to choose a healthy lifestyle.  I really wanted to attend this discussion so I could hear other's ideas on community wellness and see how I can apply it to my monthly column.  She did a great job leading the discussion and she is such a sweet girl, check her out!  Go here to see what her discussion was all about.  

Kymberly & Alexandra @ Fun and Fit, Jamie @ Fit Approach and Margo @ Brooklyn Fit Chick gave us some information on Writing the Perfect Pitch, check it out here!

 The ladies at Fit Approach also gave a really interesting conversation on Twitter chats and Google+ Hangouts, all of which I knew nothing about.  I actually came away with a lot of information out of this session, here is the link.  

Our table at Friday's lunch & fashion show

      

I was able to meet and become friends with Danielle @ The T-Rex Runner and I feel like I am friends with someone famous now...I was probably just blocked from her Twitter (doh!)

David @ Keep It Up David! did a little shopping with me and is seriously the nicest guy.

Kelly @ No Thanks To Cake is HILARIOUS!  I want to have coffee with her like everyday and just listen to her talk.  

Anne @ fANNEtastic Food was my workout buddy during Friday's boot camp and she is so sweet and always had a big smile on her face.  Loved her.

Brittany @ My Own Balance grabbed my attention when she mentioned she was a lawyer, major props to her!  Plus her blog is all about balance which is something I am always working towards. 

Erin @ Dig Deep Play Hard led Friday's boot camp and took one for the team when she kept getting in trouble from the cop, she took it with a smile!   

Last but not LEAST my local girls!  So excited to have met some bloggers that are from around my neck of the woods.  

Lindsay @ Running With Tongs has the most precious little girl, she stole the show during a couple of our sessions and we all loved it! 

Sarah @ Will Run For Pasta is practically a neighbor and maybe I can talk her into a few runs with me ;) 

Beeb is a journalist who lives on the Oregon Coast and I might be able to make a running convert out of her yet! 

I still have so many things to share about Fitbloggin' so keep checking in this week for more recaps.  Are you getting excited for the 4th of July?  I am pumped for my Foot Traffic Flat Half Marathon Thursday morning followed by our neighborhood blow out later that day, cannot wait!

I'll have a preview of the half up soon, I've never run this half marathon but have heard great things.  Plus it is sold out which is usually a good sign of a fun race!  

What are your plans for the 4th of July?  

- I love everything Red, White & Blue and absolutely love our nation's holiday! 

I know that I missed some amazing people in my shout outs so please add your name and link to your blog in  the comments!  

-Trying to get all this down with the girls running circles around me was a bit of a challenge

Getting Up Early : Time Management Series

Hi! 

When I started this series the end of June seemed like a world away.  Every month seems to go by quicker than the last doesn't it?  That is one of the reasons I decided to do this series, we all have the same amount of time and we all can agree it goes by so fast.  I realized as my girls started to get older and sleep through the night I could get up early and accomplish some things before they were awake.  

Granted since I've been in Montana the last few days I haven't been setting my alarm for the usual 5:15 wake up call, but I am on vacation right?!  Getting up early was a struggle and it took me a long time to finally get use to it.  It was hard for me to get to bed before midnight and that made the mornings challenging.  Now that we are getting into summer and the sun is up when my alarm goes off I can get out of bed a lot easier.  I love being able to drink a cup of coffee and head out for my run before anyone else is awake.  Being able to get in 5-8 miles and be home before 8 sets me up to have a good day.  

The morning for most people is a very quiet and peaceful time of their day.  There aren't many phone calls to take, emails to respond to or disasters to fix.  The morning is a great time of day to get yourself both mentally and physically ready for the day ahead.  My best days are the ones where I am up at 5:15 and in bed by 10:00, go ahead and say it, I live like a retired person (Grandma).  

Tips to Help Ease Into Early Mornings  

- Set a bedtime alarm to remind you it is time to wind down (Laura Vanderkam's Advice!) 

- Set your morning alarm 10-15 minutes earlier each day till you are at your desired wake up time 

- Try to avoid stimulating activities at night so you are able to fall asleep earlier 

- Do not hit snooze!  Do not pass GO!  I put my alarm in my bathroom so I have to actually get up to turn it off.   

- Plan your favorite activity for the morning hours so you look forward to the wake up.  For me it is my cup of coffee and my run, nothing else takes up that time, minus a sick kid.  

If getting up early is something you've been wanting to add into your daily routine but you feel like you just aren't a morning person at least give it a try.  I was anything but a morning person my entire life up until this pass year.  Just like anything new it takes time, practice and patience.  I am sure you will be hating me and my perky morning attitude but trust me you'll be there soon too!  

In other fun Time Management Series news at the end of this series I'll be doing a GIVEAWAY!  I'll hold a random drawing to see who will win a free copy of Laura Vanderkam's Book 168 Hours.  Get excited!  

Honesty is the best policy, what time do you get up in the morning? 

What time you do wish you got up in the morning? 

Remember Google Reader will be closing down in a few weeks.  If you want to be able to see my new posts and updates you'll want to follow me on Bloglovin'.  Thanks!

    

Shoes By Mail

Hello!  Guess who got a package today?!  ME!  Someone was at the door and when I opened it to tell them "No Thank You see the No Soliciting Sign" I saw my package staring up at me!  So I grabbed my package smiled and shut the door.  Please don't knock on my door unless I know you AND like you, thanks.  Anyway, my new running shoes are here and I am so excited to use them!  

Snack time!  I buy these for myself the girls but keep them all over the place because they are a great snack all around.  You can get a huge pack of them at Costco and they just last forever.  I was starving after my trail run on Sunday and forgot to bring a bar with me and when I got in my car to head home one of these packages was sitting in my cup holder from our last outing, score!  

Alright, I'll get to the Giveaway WINNER since that is why you are here!  I used Random.Org to pick the lucky lady (no men entered) and the winner of my first giveaway goes to....

Jenen Ross!

I used Random.Org but Jess isn't here right now to show me how I can take a screen shot of that and put it on my blog...lame right?!  But Jenen your comment #3 and that is the number it chose.  YAY!  I would ask for your address but I already have it and I'll just deliver the goods to your house this week.  Thank you so much for entering and really thank you to everyone who reads my blogs.  It means SO MUCH to me, you have no idea.  Thank you!  

100th Post Giveaway!

Hi!  I promise I'll get to the giveaway stuff eventually, but there are other matters to attend to!  This morning I did my CLX Burn 3.  I was suppose to do it last night but the night completely got away from me and by the time we put the girls in bed I could barely keep my eyes open.  I gave my self a pass since I did run in the morning, I wasn't a total slug.  I set my alarm for 6:30 and did my workout before I even drank a cup of coffee, score one for me!  Tomorrow morning I am doing my first trail run in lieu of the Tualatin group run, its with a group that is pretty much all around better runners than me so it should be interesting!  Packing lots of band-aids in my belt...I have a feeling I'll need them.

After my workout this morning we all had to get ready so we could take Jesse's car into Subaru for its 15K mileage thing or whatever, to me it meant breakfast out!  YAY!  We went to Black Bear Diner off of Canyon in Beaverton and it was so good!  

It was totally a place that my MIL would have loved, plus the food was really good and our waitress was really sweet.  There were little bear footprints on everything and it took a while for the girls to chill out from yelling "Mom a bear, look! Hey Mom look another bear!" I bet the other patrons can't wait to have us back!  

One the way home we saw that one of our local farms was going to have pony rides, sweet!  My Grandpa use to always take me to pony rides when I was kid and it was really fun to do that for the girls today.  Granted they ride horses in Montana pretty regularly...but this was fun too!  

Can't you tell by their HUGE grins.  Why won't my kids smile when I take their picture!  Jerks.  Their horses name was Bob, Bob was a sweetheart.  

The place is called Gramma's farm and its not even a mile from our house.  They just finished a little remodel of their produce stand/store and it looks so great now, I stocked up a bunch of fresh vegetables and fruit.  

So far the weekend has been a success!  I hope yours is going just as well!  

OK, now onto the GIVEAWAY!  Why a giveaway you ask?  Because its my 100th post and I didn't want it to go by without marking the occasion.  I am giving away a few of my favorite go-to items for running, they are very basic items but I don't like to run without them!  

1. This is my absolute favorite journal, I use it to keep my blogging notes in, but it can easily be used to track mileage, workouts, etc.  The quote is "She's A Dreamer, A Doer, A Thinker.  She Sees Possibility Everywhere."

2. Goody Brand No Slip Headbands, LOVE!  I don't run without one and I like to match them to my outfit, there are so many color options.  They really do stay on your head and you don't have to mess them.  

3. GU and Clif Shot Bloks!  My two favorite flavors of GU are Espresso Love and Peanut Butter, I really like the Espresso Love on a early morning long run for obvious reasons.  My Two favorite flavors of the Clif Shot Bloks are the Mountain Berry and the Cran-Razz.  I like these because they are super easy to pop in your mouth while your running and they taste like a treat.  

4.  Lastly and maybe its just me, but I cannot run without having chap stick on me.  Maybe because I am a mouth breather?  I have no idea, but I have a stick everywhere, my car, my hydration belt, my purse has at least 3, bathrooms, kitchen...I think I have a problem.  Plus it has to be the boring blue kind, none of that cherry junk, yuck.  

So there you go!  Its nothing exciting but I wanted to share some of my favorites with you and I am excited to see who will win!  I am going to pick a winner by using Random.Org on Tuesday, August 7th!  

There are a couple ways you can win: 

1. Follow my blog and then leave me a comment telling me for one entry!

2. Go and "Like" my Facebook page and then tell me in the comments for another entry!

3. You can follow me on Twitter!  I promise I am not an over-tweeter!  Then just tell me in the comments for a third entry!

There you go, 3 ways to win!  

**None of these are sponsored, I just like them and wanted to share with my readers**