Weekend Workouts

First let me say that I have been faithfully completing a daily yoga for runners routine along with the FitFluential Namaste in May #FFYoga challenge. My goal is to limber up these tight muscles that I think are the root of my aches and pains.

It felt good to get back to SurfSet Saturday. After two weeks away, I got my butt kicked and it felt awesome!

Normally we run after class, but mrC got in late from his trip and needed to nap. We stopped at the grocery (because it's on the way home) and after putting everything away, I jumped on the treadmill to test my legs. Even though everything felt ok, I kept it to a short two miles.

I spent some time getting things ready for Ragnar and checking my own packing list more than once! My team is one of the Ragnar teams being sponsored by ShowerPill and Katherine shared that a box of goodies arrived.

Photo from Katherine

How was your weekend? 

Chilly Challenge 2013

Are you already struggling to keep up with your exercise routine due to the cold weather? Would you like a fun way to stay motivated through the cold month of January? Whether you run, walk, or elliptical, Janine at The Purple Giraffe and I have the answer to keep you moving through your winter blues.

What is it? The Chilly Challenge is a friendly team competition to see how many miles you can log in a month. The team that completes the most miles during the month of January wins the competition. All members of the winning team will be automatically entered to win prizes from some of our favorite companies!

So, what do you do?

1. Pick a Team: It’s a competition. Are you Team Running Escapades or Team Purple Giraffe? (You can read our bios at the end of this post) To pick your team, visit the Chilly Challenge spreadsheet and sign up. Then get ready to log as many miles as you can! 
2. Run: On January 1, start logging those miles: run, walk, or elliptical. 
3. Report: After you get nice and sweaty, log your miles on the Chilly Challenge spreadsheet. If you are on Facebook, join the Chilly Challenge 2013 group to find motivation. If you use Twitter, encourage your teammates by using hashtag #ChillyChallenge #TeamEscapades or #TeamGiraffe 
4. Tell Your Friends: The more peeps you get to join your team, the better chance you have of winning! Recruit, recruit, recruit! Tweet it, Facebook it, blog it, stand on the corner holding a sign! Be sure to tell your friends which team to join, ehem ;)

What do you get for all this hard work?

1. Moving: What can be better than that? Oh, maybe the waves of happy endorphins cruising through your body.
2. Motivation: When it's cold and dark, it's hard to stay on track. That's where we come in. Your team will help keep you going because they really, really want to win!
3. Your Best Happy Self: At then end of the competition, you will be fitter, stronger, and healthier. How can that not make you happy? And you might score a shiny new PR too!
4. SWAG: Everyone loves prizes and the team with the most miles is eligible to win. We are lucky enough to be sponsored by some of our favorite companies, which means you have the chance to win some great gear just for doing what you always do! Winners will be chosen randomly from the winning team.

Prizes: Here is a list of what our fabulous sponsors have donated to help motivate you through the month of January. BIG thank yous to our awesome sponsors:

(3) Pairs of ProCompression Socks

(5) BIC Bands of varying colors/styles

(3) BIA Technical Shirts

(2) Custom MyRaceRagz Technical Shirts
(1) Aspaeris Pivot Shorts

(4) packs of (2) Sweaty Bands

(5) pair Mizuno Breath Thermo gloves

(3) ShowerPill Athletic Wipes packs

(1) Whole Foods $25 gift card

(5) Gold Bond Friction Defense & socks

(1) Simple Hydration Water Bottle

(1) RockMyRun Three month gold subscription

(3) Sprigs assorted prize packs
(3) hats from Sauce Headwear

So, are you wondering which team you should join?

Meet the Captains:

Team Running Escapades - (aka Amy)

Favorite distance: half marathon

Favorite pre-race meal: pepperoni calzone

Favorite running shoe: Mizunos

Mantra: Keep running! 

What I do when I'm not running: High school teacher

Why you should be on my team: I might not be the fastest or the youngest captain ;) but I have lots of enthusiasm and passion. I promise to keep you motivated and entertained!

Team Purple Giraffe - (aka Janine)

Favorite distance: 5 miler at the moment - training for my first half marathon!

Favorite pre-race meal: bacon pizza

Favorite running shoe: Saucony for the win!

Mantra: Workin' off my ass & toppin' off my glass - everything in moderation...including moderation! 

What I do when I'm not running: For my day job, I'm a Process Expert at a health care company...and I blog at TPG, of course!

Why you should be on my team: I may never win any land speed records while running, but I sure do have fun - running in costumes, running for beer, being a complete goofball- why WOULDN'T you want to be on my team?!

Will you be joining us for #ChillyChallenge 2013?

Review: ShowerPill - Athletic Body Wipe

I have seen ShowerPill Athletic Body Wipes popping up all over the place. Since I consider myself someone who sweats a lot, I'm always on the lookout for products that I can use after a workout when I don't have a chance to shower right away. Like when you exercise after work and still have errands to do. Or after a race, when you want to hang out with friends and maybe go out to eat. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to get the chance to try them out for myself. 

Here's the story of ShowerPill in a nutshell:
A couple of college athletes who were always busy, busy, busy and had very little time to squeeze in a shower after working out decided to create an instant hygiene supplement after one of them was exposed to bacterial meningitis. The name is a reference to how they jokingly wished there was a quick little pill to take to become instantly clean.

Each wipe is individually packaged making it simple to carry in a gym bag. The package is easy to open and can conveniently store the used wipe until you can throw it away. 

The body wipe is large (9"x8") and thick. The directions recommend keeping the "wipe folded" and using "each side on a different body part." I, on the other hand, immediately opened it all the way and used it more like a wash cloth. The cloth was cool and moist, and after wiping around my neck, I felt instantly clean and fresh. 

It's hard to describe how it smells, but it's basically fresh. Since it's a product for both men and women, I'm guessing the guys at ShowerPill picked a neutral scent. Personally, I would want to use it more if it did have a feminine fragrance.

I already use a facial wipe and in the past I have just used a plain towel to wipe off the rest of my body after a run. Driving home or heading to one of the kids' sporting events with sweat still lingering on me is uncomfortable and gross. I can easily see myself using these in the future. 

ShowerPill has generously offered readers of Running Escapades a buy two (2), get one (1) FREE Black Friday Sale discount on Amazon.com. After placing three (3) boxes in your shopping cart, enter code SPFRIDAY to receive the 3rd box free. Offer is valid 11/23 - 11/25.

  

How do you stay fresh?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product to review without compensation as a FitFluential Ambassador. All opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”