Thank you all who entered and I hope you enjoyed the contest, and at least will visit Online Shoes for your next pair of shoes, whether they be running shoes or fun shoes, they have great selection and free shipping and free returns which are a big plus. :) Stay tuned because I’ll have another giveaway coming up soon!

Here’s some deals for those who need new running stuff. Also right now is the perfect time to buy winter running gear as stores are trying to get rid of it!

Women

Asics Sleeveless Top

Nike Dri-Fit Traning Tank

Nike Strong And Strappy Tank (love it!)

Nike Pro Ultimate Short Sleeve Shirt

Champion Spandex Shorts

Nike Gym Basics Long Shorts

Jockey Roll Down Waist Band Pants

Brooks Power Top Mesh Tank Top

Brooks Running Skirt

Alpine Design Dri-Fit Turtle Neck

Adidas Clima Proof Wind Shell Jacket

White Sierra Microfleece Top

Heavy Weight Spyder Turtleneck

Nike Low-Impact Long Tank

Nike Pinnacle Long Sports Tunic (Love!!)

Nike Everyday Running Long Tank

Adidas Clima Cool Tank

Nike Seamless Tank (love!)

Alpine Design Women’s Fleece Top

Nike Dri-Fit Long Sleeve Top

Nike Long Sleeve Banded Top (love!!)

Nike Short Sleeve Banded Tee

Asics Short Sleeve Running Tee

Nike Long Tank

Men’s (sorry guys, not to many sales for you today!)

Brooks Pacer Shorts

Nike Dri-Fit Shorts

Reebok Premier Split Shorts

Nike Dri-Fit Race Day Shorts

Brooks HAVC Shorts

Accessories

Salomon Ultra Trail Running Waist pack

Nathan Sidekick Media Pouch

Nathan SideKick Fitness Pouch

As many of you know, I’m a huge Angel fan, and sadly, we lost a great pitcher last night to a car accident in Fullerton, CA. Please keep the Adenhart family and Angel team in your prayers. You can read the tragic story here.

Out of 306 entries, she took spots one AND two… go get yourself some lottery tickets girl!!

I went straight from home, where my meals were prepared for me, to cooking on my “own” in college, which included a lot of soups, macaroni and cheese, sandwiches and quesadillas. Now, being a complete ‘grown up’ I have come to realize how important food is and how many great meals there are out there that was super easy to make. It’s a process but I am learning.

As for the Eat this Not that Books, I would buy the fast food one if you are constantly out and trying to find healthier choices for yourself. I would buy the supermarket survival guide if you eat in a lot and are buying a majority of your food at the market. I found both really helpful, because a lot of the time in the market if it says, “fat-free,” or “low calorie” I automatically assume it’s better for me, which is a lot of false advertising.

Tonight I’ll be running seven miles at the park and then watching the biggest loser! I was going to run this morning but figured a little more rest for my sore knee couldn’t hurt. Hope everyone has a great day! Don’t forget to email me if you want to sign up for the Freakishly Flexible 5k Virtual Race!!! Earn yourself an extra cupcake this Valentines Day!

xoxo

Today is the LAST day to sign up for my Giveaway! Don’t forget to comment on that post to be entered!

So as many of you know, this weekend I ran the first race of the OC Chili Trail Run Winter Series. I had never run on trails before and have yet to do so, because the race was somewhat rained out this weekend. We had to stay on paved roads, but I still ran through a small river. It took me out of my comfort zone for many reasons.

1. I don’t run in the rain. I despise being wet, especially for long periods of time, therefore rain running is not for me.
2. I don’t like being muddy or dirty, especially when I run.
3. I went all by myself, and knew absolutely not one other person
4. I didn’t run with my ipod

The race was well put on, and they had some great provisions, but it was kind of a different crowd that was at this race. I’m a very friendly and outgoing person, and trying to talk to these people was really hard for me. Well, I tried to make conversation with them and they stared at me like I was growing another leg. It was kind of bizarre and not the normal running community that I have become used too.

The race actually was pretty interesting. I saw everyone getting out of their cars and just kept telling myself that I was going to be okay. I was going to do this. It was okay to get wet, it was okay to get dirty. We finally lined up and off we went. It rained the entire time, and after we rounded a small bend in the paved road trail, I saw it. This river. I was going to have to run through a river. In my head I kept saying, just do it, you can do this, and then splish, splash, splish, splash I was through it. I told myself the entire race that it was okay that people were passing me and that I was just running this race at my own pace and not to worry about others around me.

I finished the race, went over and grabbed some free bars and muffins and left. I checked the results yesterday and realized that I got first in my age group, (24 and under) DOY! How does this happen! I wasn’t running fast at all and my time was 33.50.xx. I was 9th overall. So random.

It was a good race to just enjoy the scenery, though it wasn’t actually on the trails, it was still really pretty and different than what I’m used to and it was good to just run to run and not to race and get all worked up about time/place etc.

My knee has been giving me some problems though and yesterday around mile 6 on my 10 mile run I started having a lot of pain. Today is an off day so we’ll see how that pans out. I’ve been putting on some bengay and using my new stick to rub out my sore muscles. Besides the knee yesterday my 10 mile run was great and it felt good to be putting in some nice miles again. I’m excited for the marathon still, so we’ll see what I say when I have to put in 20 miles… Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Tomorrow I’ll announce the winner of the giveaway! Thursday I’ll have another deal day, with stuff for guys and gals, and who knows what else this great week will bring. Remember to sign up for the 5k!

I leave you with this amazing picture, proof that I too can run in the rain. Not the best picture of me… this proves that I don’t always look great! :) ( I so wish they got one of me running across the river!)

I’m glad that it’s over now and I know I just have to get out there (once I can move again) and get back after it. I am doing a small four mile trail run this weekend and I know it will be a nice change of scenery and I’m really looking forward to it. Tomorrow night I think I’m going to try to go out and run again, but I know I have to give my body a rest and just relax. I’m still incredibly sore from the race and I oddly enough got really chafed as well, which has not been fun to deal with.

I’m so thankful for everyone and their kind words. You all reminded me that running is hard, it’s not easy and I know I should be grateful for finishing another race and even having the ability to run. Thanks for putting up with my rant and now… onto the giveaway!

So as promised today I will be sharing my GIVEAWAY in honor of my 100 posts!! It’s going to be going on from February 3rd to the 10th, and I will announce a winner on the 11th! I’ve talked about this great book before, and now there is a new one in the series. Of course, I’m talking about the Eat this, Not That! books.

I started reading the one that is about fast food and it really opened my eyes to a lot of things that I thought I knew but didn’t really understand when it came to eating fast food. I always though eating chicken would be better for you, but as this book has told me sometimes it’s not worth it at all. There are so many options and nutrition is important to all of us. The latest book is the Supermarket Survival Guide and it’s the one I’ll also be giving away to one lucky person!

I am in dire need of some nutritional help and this book really allowed me to analyze the labels of some of my favorite foods and also made me realize that just because it says 100 Calories! or Healthy, doesn’t mean that it is truly healthy or even good for you. There are many features of the Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide including the 20 Worst Foods in the Supermarket, the Ultimate Supermarket Label Decoder, 17 Secrets the Food Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know, Shop Once, Eat for a Week, and my personal favorite, How to Stock the Perfect Pantry. This book can help you navigate your shopping carts through the thousands of nutritional pitfalls in every grocery store to help you lose weight, save cash, and bring home the tastiest, healthiest choices every time.

Here’s Amazon’s review of the book: With tens of thousands of products crammed into the walls of the neighborhood supermarket, trying to find a reliable snack, pantry product, or frozen dinner can be a serious challenge. The Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide changes all of that, offering discerning shoppers everywhere a simple plan for finding the healthiest foods for them and their families. Beyond homing in on the best and worst in the world of packaged foods, the Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide scours the aisles to help you pick the most nutrient-packed produce, the leanest, tastiest cuts of meat, exotic cheeses that double as healthy snacks, and the best contaminant-free fish the ocean has to offer.

Hope you guys enter and I can’t wait to pick a winner! :)

xoxo

So the night before the race we had a little forum encounter from the Runners World Forums. It’s incredibly motivating to me to meet more runners and hear more stories. Everyone was so nice and it was a blast to meet more people that I ‘talk’ to daily on the forums.

Of course I have some Thursday finds to lighten up your wallet a little bit as well.

The Women’s Asics Reflective Short Sleeve Tee in White (Sorry girls, they only have a Medium left) This elite running t-shirt offers 50+ UPF protection, protecting you on bright, sunny days. There is binding at the neckline, an exclusive Hali reflective graphic and an ASICS® reflective logo. It was $24.99, but is now only $14.99.

Get yours here!

Then there’s the The Reebok® Mission women’s Tee that has a lot of sizes left and comes in Black, White and Aviator Blue. It’s crafted using PlayDry®, Reebok®’s moisture-wicking performance fabric that draws sweat away from your skin to help keep you cool and dry at all times. The forward side seams help prevent uncomfortable abrasion against your skin. It’s cute and looks like it would fit well and is a steal because normally it’s listed at $17.99, and now is on sale for $9.97.

Get yours here!

Then this is the DEAL OF THE DAY! Show your support the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer with the Reebok® women’s Avon Pink Ribbon Tee. Super cute for working out, or just wearing as a tee. This cotton tee features the pink ribbon logo printed on the front. Normally $19.99, now only $4.97.

Get yours here!

If you are a beginning runner, or starting training for a 5k or 10k, Check out OZ Runner’s Blog. He’s a Kansas guy and just started running 6 months ago, but this list that he posted can speak to any runner, especially beginners. I would just straight copy it, but then I would feel like I was stealing, so check it out. It has so many great tips and insights and it’s very encouraging.

I’m so ready for the race to be here already! I haven’t done much running this week, but I will get in around eight miles tomorrow and Saturday to make sure I’m ready. I feel ready and have been overloading on sleep and pastas, so that should be good for Sunday as well.

xoxo

Anyways, with election day tomorrow, there are some sick free deals to be had, and many restaurants are taking advantage of them. Hey, the economy’s down, go big and give away free stuff to win people back. I’m a believer. Keep your coveted, “I voted” sticker all day, and get freebies all day long! Long Live Democracy!

Anyways, for all you java junkies, Starbucks is giving away one tall coffee to anyone who votes. I assume this is when you are wearing the ‘I voted’ sticker. Want to read more, click here.

Anyone else running in the morning? This gives you free reign to celebrate or drown your sorrows in either delicious ice-cream, or donuts, or both!

Krispy Kreme Donuts is giving away a star shaped patriotic sprinkled original flavored donut to everyone with the “I voted” sticker. Looks super tasty! To find your nearest Krispy Kreme go here.

This morning I was going to get up and go for a jog, but it was raining, and I didn’t want to make myself more sick than I already was. I did look outside, and though I complain a lot about living in the people infested area that I do, this was just gorgeous…

First is a Broccoli Chicken Mush. There is no other way to describe it, than a mush, I guess you can call it a bake, but it looks like a mushy pile of gooey goodness. Looks aren’t everything though, especially down in the tum! It’s super easy and quick to make too. After a run I usually throw the ingredients together, throw it in the oven and hop in the shower. When I get out, it’s time to take it out! I know, I’m into multi-tasking. So here it is.

(that isn’t my picture, but it looks like that!)
Broccoli Chicken Mush
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (thawed)
1 pound broccoli florets, cooked
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can water
1 cup brown rice

First preheat the oven to 350 degrees, put the rice on the bottom of a 3 quart baking dish, put the chicken on top of it and then pour in the soup and water. It looks like a ton of water, but the rice absorbs it, don’t worry. Put the broccoli into the pan. You can add some cheese on top of it, but if you want to cut calories, skip the cheese and use the Campbell’s 98% fat free Cream of Mushroom soup. It doesn’t mess with the taste at all, and there are only 70 calories in it. Then put it in the oven for 25-35 minutes. I usually like my broccoli super well done, so I leave mine in for around 35-40 minutes. It’s delicious!

I also made these the other day, and though mine didn’t come out right, (mine were like little weird lumpy biscuts) I know if I wouldn’t have used the wrong ingredients they would have been just delicious as well. These are my favorite cupcakes in the entire world!

(that isn’t my picture)
Red Velvet Cupcakes
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 fluid ounce red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 12 cup muffin pans or line with 20 paper baking cups. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, buttermilk, red food coloring and vanilla. Stir in the baking soda and vinegar.

Combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt; stir into the batter just until blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, dividing evenly. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan set over a wire rack. When cool, arrange the cupcakes on a serving platter and frost with desired frosting.

Pretty basic but oh so delicious! :) Especially if you have never made or had red velvet cupcakes, you are missing out!

Also this is my new FAVORITE website, Fast Food Maven, it’s mostly for the Orange County area, but a lot of chains are also talked about on this blog, and it’s so helpful. This is where I found out about the Wendy’s Halloween Deal! It’s not talked about on their website at all, but Wendy’s has come up with a great alternative to handing out Halloween candy: a free Jr. Frosty.
Wendy’s is selling booklets that contain a coupon good for one free Frosty Jr., which is six ounces and contains 150 calories. You can find it’s nutritional info here. Each booklet cost $1 and contains 10 coupons, but some Wendy’s are selling 5 coupons for a $1. Either way, what a fun, cheap treat, I think I’ll just buy a book for myself :) A little reward during the work day!

And for all you candy fiends like myself, I have been doing some research about Halloween Candy. I have this problem, that if candy is around, I mow through it, but if it’s not around, I never eat it. So I’ve been poking through some resources to find the best candy out there, since I seem to indulge way too much. I found that Twizzlers, individually wrapped – 40 calories aren’t too bad, but make sure they are individually wrapped vines because that is the KEY here! They are good too! For suckers, Caramel Apple Pops – 60 calories, and are INCREDIBLE. Dum Dum Pops – 25 calories, are tiny, but do last a while and are pretty tasty. A personal favorite, Blow Pops – 60 calories are good too, and the bubblegum in the middle is a little extra special treat, as long as it’s flavor lasts which is about two minutes.

(that isn’t my picture, but I love this aisle! I’m like a bug to the light…)
Also chocolate, if you have to keep it around, try to go for the minis. The fun sizes, are not fun once you have to work off all the extra calories. Milky Way Minis – 38 calories, per mini while 2 fun sizes are 154 calories. Musketeers Minis – 24 calories, while 2 fun-sized Musketeers is 120 calories. Tootsie Roll Midgees – 23 calories, which are a personal favorite! Yea, sorry for just ruining all your candy dreams right there. One fun sized package of Skittles is 83 calories alone!

The overall outcome has lead me to believe that the smaller, the better. I’ve also tried to select candy that offers sugar-free options. Another thing I learned was to avoid the candy corn – it stays in molars and causes dental havoc. I’m working on learning to like dark chocolate. It’s healthy and has less sugar. Dove and Hershey offer small dark chocolates.

Also if any of you are on linked in, I recently joined the Orange County Running Professionals Group, and I want to encourage you to, if you are in my area, join the Group, or start up your own running professional club by you! :) It’s always nice to interact with other runners around the community.

Remember to sign up for my giveaway! You can go to the link here! You can sign up until Sunday, November 2! The winner will be annouced Monday morning. Have a wonderful, delicious day, and as for me, I’m trying to keep my hands from the candy bowl.