Coach Jen B

Part of my long run with the girls on Sunday was dedicated to Team Gab .  Have you gone over to her blog to check it out?  Giraffy is raising money for Pediatric Cancer Research in honor of her daughter who has been diagnosed with leukemia. I signed up for a 10K, so here you go, 6.2 miles of my 10 mile run with the girls on Sunday is for you, Gab and Giraffy!

Do you remember how much I love my Handful bra?   I love it so much, I actually bought a nude color one when Handful put the bras on sale for $28 (by the way, they are still on sale!).   Basically, I alternate between the pink one and nude one for my daily bra and if I'm going to run that day (which I did run every.single.day.in.January ), that's one less thing I have to change out of and into.   Do you want to win your own Handful?  Please check out this incredible video.  It is on the long side, but worth it.  And I love the song too.  In celebration of the promotional video, Handful is offering a chance to win a bra.  Here's how you enter: 1 entry per Tweet: Mention  @runningwtg  &  @handfulbra  in a tweet with link to video " Enter this incredible @HandfulBra giveaway @runningwtg told me about! Watch: http://youtu.be/lAi5m1csr5I?hd=1 & visit http://www.runningwiththegirls.com/" 1 entry...

I was lucky enough to get tagged by two fun bloggers in two days!  It's taken me a little while to answer the questions and get my post up here.   Thank you Danielle and Amy for the tags!   the rules : 1. you must post the rules 2. post 11 fun facts about yourself 3. answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then create 11 new questions for the people you tagged 4. tag people and link to them on your post 5. let them know you’ve tagged them 11 Random Things About Me... 1. I’m sitting here beside a sick little girl, with a fever and complaining about her ear.  My heart is breaking for her.  I should be holding her, but she seems content to cuddle beside me.  2. I have bunions and need to wear wide shoes with a big toe box – therefore, I will always be “stuck” wearing men’s racing shoes.  Sometimes I can pull off a woman’s wide trainer for everyday running, but not very often.  3. My house will never be finished, ever. ...

I recently had the opportunity to review some Navitas Naturals products.  Navitas has a simple food policy "Nutrient rich whole foods are best produced using organic agricultural methods with minimal processing.  Focusing on both food safety and nutrition, we handle our premium superfoods with care.  This includes third party testing for all our products.  Our facility is Organic, Kosher, and GMP/HACCP Certified.  In addition, we utilize methods such as freeze-drying and low temperature processing to ensure maximum nutrition and safety." source    First and foremost, adding more unprocessed food into our diets is a priority for me. I try my best.  I am aiming to provide my kids with a healthy lifestyle through the foods we eat and daily activities.  This makes Navitas a perfect product for me.   Navitas has a huge selection of superfoods for everyone in your family.                   ...

When the girls met up this morning, it was about 30F but the sun was shining!  The rail trail is completely off limits right now due to the ice.  I'm hoping that the weather will cooperate and we can return to our beloved rail trail sometime next month, but until then, we'll be running the roads of Gardiner, Richmond and Wiscasset.   This morning we met up at Kim's house, which meant she got to plan the route.  To be honest, at first I wasn't excited about the hill she took us on, but it was at the beginning and it really wasn't as bad as hills we've done before.   All in all, the route was enjoyable.  It's great to change things up and to try different routes.   The route actually took us along the same River Road I ran yesterday but a totally different stretch of it.  Maybe someday I'll do the entire stretch from Richmond to Gardiner?   I did actually bring my phone with me, so when the girls weren't looking, I took some pictures. ...

Today the Boring Runner hosted a virtual run - Race Your Thorns Off.   It was a sunny day here in Maine & temperatures were in the 40's.  It seemed like a spring day to me.   So I went "light" today - I wore my "throw away" gloves (you know the super cheap magic gloves that cost $1), a thin shirt under my thin jacket, sunglasses, & no hat!  I opted to wear my cute Chickbands headband instead.   my first attempt at an action shot while running - just needed to prove we actually had sun today! I actually left for my run after Ward got home after his 20 miler this morning and I had to retrieve his car that he left at Jill and Wade's house.  I had two options with this a 3 mile or 5 mile route.  I'm kind of bored with the 3 mile route so I opted for the 5 miler that takes me down a nice long hill and along the river.  Of course, when you go down a hill, most of the time you need to go back up a hill.  And I did. ...

Okay, I am getting tired.  Whose idea was it to streak anyway?  It seemed like a good idea at the start of January.  Maybe I should have waited to do this streak for a shorter month, like February.  Too late now and I'm not going to be streaking next month.  I'm tempted to take the next month off.  I won't, of course.  But the idea sounds pretty appealing right now. I only put in a mile last night and mile tonight.  I normally wouldn't do 2, 1-milers like that, but the weather just sucked tonight.  31/32F & freezing rain and the roads were slick (again).   Yuck.  I would much rather run 10 miles in  -9F anyday than do a mile like I did tonight.   I also have to admit, my glutes on my left side have been a bit sore for the past three days.  I actually had some tightness going on in my IT band area as well.  Nothing major, but enough for me to say, "a mile is enough" only because I have the Midwinter Classic...

I recently had the opportunity to review some compression shorts from Aspaeris .  When I opened up the package and looked at them, I thought “now way am I going to fit into these!”  I was wrong.  They are true compression gear for sure.  They go on a bit snug, but the fit didn’t restrict my movement at all.  I have been wearing these for a few months now and I am in love.  They are my go-to wear after a long run or anytime I’m feeling sore or tight in my hips, glutes, or quads.   Sometimes I put them on under my jeans or sweats before heading out to do some shopping.  Actually, today, I wore them under my khakis at school.  I’ve even slept in them.  They are that comfortable.   What makes these shorts so special?  First and foremost, they are made especially for women.  That statement in itself makes them well worth it to try out.  Aspaeris Pivot shorts are made from of seamless, wicking nylon/sp...

Okay, it's Carrie's turn! Carrie joined our group this past fall. You should definitely go check out her blog at Maine Mom on the Run . She is not new to running. She used to be a hurdler back in the day and was actually pretty good at it too. She just returned to running last February and has had a very strong return.  Name: Carrie Who/what inspires you to run? My boys. I run to recharge, be with my own thoughts, stay sane, and be a better mommy. Also, I run for my dad. He has a form of Muscular Dystrophy that makes it difficult to walk, let alone be able to run. I run because he can't. What is your best training tip? Rest often. Our bodies need periods of recovery to be ready to get back out there at 100%. What is your favorite post run indulgence? A tall glass of chocolate milk. Or my husband always makes blueberry pancakes when I get home from long runs. 2012 Race Plans: New distances! Mid-Winter Classic 10-Miler, Race the Runway...

Today is the day!  Yep, it's Izzy's 3rd Birthday.  We have an adorable little cowgirl on our hands with one of the best big girl beds around. 3 Years Old!   I want a bed like this!   To go along with the theme, I made horse cupcakes.  Super easy.  Make cupcakes, add green frosting.  Head off to toy store (or in my case, Reny's) to buy cheap plastic horse playsets w/ fencing.  Push cupcakes together, add fencing and add horses.  Done! do you think we might be trying to brainwash Izzy into wanting a horse?   Before I could do any birthday celebrating, the girls and I had to get our run in.  Unfortunately, a sick babysitter meant no run for Stacy.  We missed her terribly and she definitely missed out on a rocking, I mean, freezing, hilly run from Jess's house to my house.  Thankfully the hills are in the beginning of the run.  We started out with a temp of -9F and ended with -1F.  We covere...