See Jane Run Entry Winners!

Congratulations to Cece, Jen (jrfishx2), and Amy Krazy!  You lovely ladies will be rocking at the See Jane Run next month! I know you will kick serious butt.

To all the others who were interested in joining us, here is a 10% off coupon to register – SJRSFAMB13 It would be great to run with all of you!

If you are going to be at the race, please drop me a line so we can have a run-by-hugging at some point. And so we can clink glasses as we celebrate another race done well.

How is your training coming along?

I rocked a 10 mile run with Maggie on Saturday, followed by another fun 5 miles that afternoon (I’m an overachiever). Looking forward to some cross training this evening and another 4 miles in the morning. If I can knock out 11 miles this weekend, I think I’ll be set! Not sure if I can PR as I had initially hoped, but I’m thrilled about running with a sea of great females. That, and I love chocolate (who doesn’t?).

Happy running!!

It Begins and a Giveaway

Good morning Meatless March! Today it all begins. Although I have only eaten meat two or three times in the past week, today I will be removing meat from my diet all together. I’m not so concerned since I know plenty of options that I love which don’t include meat, but we’ll see how I’m faring in a few more days.

I started off this morning with a great big (but portion controlled) bowl of Cheerios. Have I mentioned that I’m a cereal fanatic? When I was living in London I ate cereal for at least one if not two meals a day (the cereal there is amazing). Well a while back I received a fantastic box from General Mills (courtesy of MyBlogSpark) that contained some of my all time favorite selections. And best of all, they are full of whole grains!

I realize that some of them are less healthy (but slightly more delicious) than the others, so I’ve started off with Cheerios and Total and will be saving the others for a special occasion. One of the best parts of Cheerios, for me, is the high amount of iron they provide. I’m anemic, which means I’m always sleepy, and things would definitely be better if I started to get a full serving of iron each day. Having a serving each day will be a low cal breakfast option as well as get me on my way for reducing my anemia.

I’m looking forward to devouring the rest of the boxes over the next few weeks!

And now for the Giveaway:
One fantastic reader will win five boxes of General Mills delicious cereal, each contains whole grains as the first ingredient. (I removed the Cheerios from this box before taking the photo, but you’ll definitely receive a box of them as well!)

Now here is how the giveaway works:
Tell me more about your breakfast habits. What are your favorite cereals?

Want an extra entry into the giveaway? Well here are a few options:
1. Visit Whole Grain Nation and let me know a new fact that you learned about whole grains
2. Follow me on Twitter
3. Post a tweet about this giveaway, please include @RunningJewess and a link to this post.

Leave an additional comment for each extra entry.

The giveaway will be closing at noon EST on Tuesday, March 6th, 2012.

Note: The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Getting to know my treadmill

Last week I divulged one of my biggest secrets, I haven’t been keeping up with my training. It was tough for me to admit, but as many people reminded me, I was taking the first step to recovery. (Yes, I sound like an alcoholic…)

Since I’ve been so opposed to running outside due to the weather and terrain, I needed to make a change. So I’m trying, trying my darndest to befriend my treadmill. Last week I ran my treadmill distance record, 6 miles on the darned machine. I didn’t know that I had it in me, but I’m glad that I managed to push through the boredom.

What have I done to keep myself semi-entertained? Anything and everything possible. I had to use a cooking pot as a laptop stand so I could watch a movie on Netflix. I changed up my incline every quarter of a mile to simulate a change in terrain. I adjusted the speed so I had to change my exertion. And I made sure to have the most obnoxious booty-rocking pop music on my iPod.

I’m still having difficulty finding the motivation to get on the hamster wheel, but I know I need to do it. I need to throw aside my aversion and use the darn thing for its intended purpose. And I plan to. (Until I am in a more agreeable climate, 5 days!)

Do you run on the treadmill? How do you keep yourself entertained? (Seriously, I can use all the advice I can get!)

And it is time to announce the winner of the Coolmax sock winner… Congratulations Stina! If you could please contact me with your contact information and shoe size, I’ll make sure to get your goodies on their way.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Labor Day. Remember to wear sunscreen so you don’t end up a lobster like me!

Sock it to me {Review & Giveaway}

Your feet are two of the most important parts of your body while running, if you don’t protect them properly they may blister (which can be a serious long term issue). Cotton just isn’t going to cut it! We have to remember that our feet will sweat and they need to breath.

Socks come in many flavors these days. My collection includes a wide variety of fabrics and ankle lengths (although I like them short). So when I was offered the chance to test out some New Balance socks with Coolmax Moisture Management, I jumped at the opportunity.

The Verdict: First thing I noticed? These bad boys are soft! I didn’t expect them to feel so fluffy against my foot. I’ve worn them for a few runs recently and haven’t had any trouble with foot sweat (or smell, not that I smell…). They have some cushioning, but won’t feel heavy on your foot. Perfect for summer or fall weather.

Also, these socks are a fantastic deal. You can get a three pack for $9.99 which is much cheaper than other performance socks. You can purchase them from Academy Sports and Outdoors (based in Texas).

And now for the giveaway:
One lucky reader will win a week’s worth of socks (okay only six pair, but on the seventh day remember to let your toesies go free!).

Now here is how the giveaway works:
Tell me a little bit about your footwear. What type of socks do you wear and what works best for your feet? Also, make sure to check out information about COOLMAX® fabric to find other shapes and sizes that would please you.

Want an extra entry into the giveaway? Well here are a few options:
1. Visit Academy Sports and Outdoors and let me know which COOLMAX/New Balance socks are your favorite
2. Follow me on Twitter
3. Post a tweet about this giveaway, please include @RunningJewess and a link to this post.

Leave an additional comment for each extra entry.

The giveaway will be closing at noon EST on Friday, September 2nd, 2011.

Note: Open to US entries only. The giveaway I received and the items I am distributing have been provided by COOLMAX®. The opinion expressed in this post is solely my own.

Picking a winner

Yesterday my father and I traveled to Maryland for my bi-annual visit with my grandmother. In our typical fashion we picked up my grandmama and took her to one of the local restaurants. Since we didn’t want to be too casual, we selected TGIFriday’s over Panera (we’re so classy).

I sat down, opened the menu, and what did I see? Thousands upon thousands of calories. Seriously, they put them on the menu. I know that there are plans to put calorie content on menus in the future, but Maryland has already started. It was shocking and appalling. The items I would typically consider boasted 1200 calories or more. Well there was no way I would willingly consume my daily caloric intake at lunch. So I scrutinized the menu for an item with a more appropriate amount.

Sad to say there were very few items less than 750 calories. Choosing from these options I found a chicken dish with a side of broccoli and rice that suited my fancy. The other options were not as appetizing (to me at least). As for my family, my father threw caution to the wind and ordered a sandwich with fries. What was confusing about the calorie count was the fact that the menu said his meal was 1250 calories and separately it noted that the fries were 400. I couldn’t tell if that meant it was 1650 or just 1250. Perhaps I’m over analyzing it?

Thanks to this trip, I’m going to start rethinking my restaurant selections. Most of the time when I go out I don’t consider what I’m putting into my body, I just enjoy myself and splurge. As great as that has been, I need to focus on selecting the healthier items. Perhaps this will light a fire under my ass to start cooking more…

What do you think about calorie content on menus? Do you think it will change your ordering habits?

On a happier note, the winner of the Chobani giveaway is…

Congratulations Cheryl!  Please e-mail me with your contact information so we can get that case of yogurt headed your way. For those of you who didn’t win, I suggest getting out to the store and trying a new flavor. Greek yogurt is a fantastic snack option and Chobani has a ridiculous number of flavors to enjoy.