Showing posts with label giveaway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label giveaway. Show all posts

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Summer in Hong Kong: heat, humidity, typhoon, repeat.

The summer weather in Hong Kong certainly lived up to its reputation this week. Believe it or not, we were hit by two tropical storms in five days: Severe Typhoon Hato and Severe Tropical Storm Pakhar. Needless to say, my workouts for the week were not the norm.

Monday - The week started off with record-setting high temperatures. That didn't stop me from getting outside for my low carb Tabata workout and it was a good one: jump squats, in and outs, scissor jumps (I did star jacks instead), mountain climbers with a twist and toe taps. I decided to forego my normal Bodystep class because the Tabata workout sounded good on paper. Even in the heat, it felt good to do my workout outside.


Diverging for a minute...I've been meaning to share my FASTer Way to Fat Loss carb cycling results and since I keep forgetting this seemed like a good time to squeeze it in.

My initial six week program ended while we were at Cape Cod, so I took my measurements after doing another two weeks once we were back. Overall, I lost about 6 pounds and a total of 4.25 inches (mostly from my belly, hips, and thighs). I think it is hard to see a difference in the photos (easy to see my bad posture, ha!), but my clothes are definitely looser and my stomach feels flatter (most days). After doing multiple rounds and loving the program, I've continued carb cycling with the FWTFL VIP program which means that every month I get a new set of workouts along with even more interaction and accountability in the VIP online group.


Back to my Monday workout, my second time with the Discovery Run group was a hot one and mrC joined me this time. At 7:45pm the temperature was still 90 degrees with a feels like temp of 104! It did not stop us or the other 38-ish people from showing up to run together. The run was a little short of a 5K (that was ok with me because it was so hot) and it was a different route. I like that they will be switching things up week to week. I wore my favorite tank and shorts from Oiselle and they were soaked when we were done.


Tuesday - I had another laser hair removal appointment in Central which means no sweating for 24-36 hours. I ran some errands and then hung out with mrC in the AC because it was another record breaking hot day.

By the way, we all know how important it is to stay hydrated, not just in the summer when it's hot, but all the time. Hydrant wants to help you stay hydrated. Sign up here for a chance to win a one month supply. Winners will be announced September 1st.


Wednesday - Typhoon Hato came. This was the biggest storm I've experienced in Hong Kong. The winds were so powerful that I could feel the change in pressure and the building sway. I alternated between watching the storm from our 20th floor apartment or the lobby and being worried about it. Thankfully, mrC was home to keep me calm!



I did a little #typhoonyoga to distract myself and that helped a bit in the beginning. It felt good to go through a flow and just let my muscles stretch out and relax. Well, try to, when there's a raging typhoon going on outside.


By late afternoon, the storm had mostly passed, so we took a walk to see if our SUP boards survived. I was expecting to find them blown off the rack. I did not expect to see trees down and boats/canoes upside down and piled up like a mass collision on a highway.



Thursday - we walked down the hill to the boat club to get our SUP boards. The cleanup would involve removing the fallen trees and we didn't want to worry about the boards being in the way or getting punctured. We deflated the boards at the beach, rolled them up, and backpacked them up the hill to our apartment. 


Friday - the weather was quite nice for a walk in the morning. It was still warm, but the strong breeze and lower humidity made it feel cooler than it had in a long, long time.


In the afternoon, we joined one of the beach cleanups. If you have never done this kind of cleanup before, it is quite a workout! There is lots of squatting, lunging, lifting and dragging. 


Saturday - mrC had to work, but I headed to the boat club for some more beach cleanup. The nice thing about this one was the boat club fed us! Again, it was all about squats and lunges. I even double dragged trash bags across the beach once ---> it reminded me of dragging the tire on the rope at Bootcamp.


Sunday - Another day of watching stormy weather out the windows. Pakhar was not as strong as Hato and it was farther away, but the winds were still strong enough to blow a leaf up to our bedroom window on the 20th floor. It's crazy that there is a huge hurricane happening on the other side of the world at the same time. We are praying for you Texas.


It was a wild and wacky week. I am hoping that things will be nice and quiet and normal around here until we leave. We are heading back to the US in a week and I can't wait!

What's the most extreme weather you have run during?
Have you ever had to ride out severe weather?


Linking up with Tricia and Holly for the Weekly Wrap!


Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Weekly Workout Recap 2/20/17

Well, this post is a little behind schedule because we traveled to the US on Sunday!! As usual, we arrived feeling upside down and dove right into running errands and visiting family. Now I'm using all my super powers to fight jet lag and write this post.

Monday - Not yesterday. Last Monday. :) Bodystep is fun but it's better with friends. I'm so happy that I met a couple of ladies who are fitness junkies like me!


Tuesday - Since it was already a FASTING day, I scheduled a physical for myself. Not long after returning home, I got a VERY SPECIAL delivery from my BFF! She sends me the best birthday boxes.


Wednesday - I decided to do an interval run for a couple of reasons. 1) I wasn't hiking this week and 2) I wanted to see how my knee would feel if I did two runs this week. I did the same interval run that I've been doing except I ran the promenade two times. We spent the evening at the AWA Charity Pub Quiz Night in Central. Our team did not come in first or last, but we did have a lot of fun!

Not from my run. I was practicing using our Go Pro for my next run.

Team Fabulous Roosters (it's the year of the Rooster!) 

Thursday - We went to the dermatologist for a skin check (all good!) and then laid low the rest of the day. There was a hike, but I couldn't go because of my evening plans to see James Taylor! It was a great show.


Friday - After two late nights I was not moving super fast on Friday morning. I did make it to Bodystep and BAM! I love seeing that calorie burn.


Saturday - I had big plans to do a second interval run, but woke up to rainy and cold weather. I don't mind running in the rain, but I do not want to slip and fall and hurt my knee. Instead I went to the fitness center. I used the Motiontraxx app and tried a new elliptical workout that was AWESOME! Motion Traxx is like having a private coach whenever you want! (Check out the Groupon deal for 51% off a year membership here)

Saturday night went to a friend's Mardis Gras party ---> beads, masks, hurricanes, Gumbo, King Cake, fun!



Sunday - USA or Bust!! Hong Kong to Chicago to Hartford. Red eye flight. 18 hours 42 minutes. 8577 miles. One rental car. Two orders of Mexican to-go. One king-sized bed.


Since we are only in the Hartford/Springfield area for a couple of days before heading to Delaware for mrC's work week, I'm taking the time to enjoy family and try to acclimate to EST. My workout routine will resume once we're in Wilmington.



PS - My Utah Valley Marathon giveaway is still open. Get all the details here!








Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Interval Running and a Race Entry Giveaway!!

Hello, hello, hello my fellow runners!

I'm happily writing this post because I just finished another interval run and I have a great race entry giveaway for you! (you can skip to the end of the post for giveaway details)


Lately I have been testing my knee a little more, although still slowly, using the walk/run method that my PT introduced to me during my rehab after my last surgery. My method is completely low intensity and focuses on increasing my run time without putting too much strain on my knee.

When I first started doing intervals I was doing one per week along the promenade because it's flat and it looked like this: run 20 seconds, walk 20 seconds, x 20


After a couple of weeks of running that interval without pain during or after, I bumped up the run time and the number of intervals: to 25 to 30 to 40 seconds x 25.

Once I was up to 30 seconds of running, I decided to try running around my neighborhood instead of just back and forth on the promenade. I picked a route that has a gradual downhill because my knee feels funny just walking downhill. I recruited mrC to go with me and we ran a nice easy interval loop together.


Today I added another run day to my schedule. I'm going to see how my knee feels doing two interval runs per week.

It's been so awesome getting out, even if just making little adjustments to the same loop, to see where I live and share #whereIrun with you.


I even had a sunrise run!


It's a far cry from the half marathons I used to run, but I AM RUNNING. That is the most important thing to me right now. And I can follow all my running friends who are running races.

Speaking of races, the good people from the Utah Valley Marathon reached out to me about running their famously scenic race in June.

I would love to run this race for a number of reasons:
1. The Utah Valley Marathon was named a TOP 10 race in America by Runner's World in 2014
2. They are giving out a nice race jacket instead of a shirt in 2017 due to this being the 10 year anniversary
3. It's a super fast downhill course ---> for all you BQ chasers!
4. They have very large race medals

I can't run in any of their events because a) my knee - no more long distance for me and b) I live in Hong Kong now. But they did say that I could share two free race entries with my Running Escapades friends!

There will be TWO WINNERS. Each winner will receive a promo code for a free entry in the 2017 Utah Valley Marathon event of his/her choice. Winners will be randomly selected on March 3, 2017.

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me WHY you want to #runuv (run Utah Valley). 

For extra chances, leave a comment telling me if you shared this post. If you shared more than once, tell me that too.

Did I mention that they have A LOT of events besides the marathon? Run with your kids or run with your dog! Check out the race website for all the details.




Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Looking Back on 2016 + a SPARTAN RACE GIVEAWAY for YOU!

I'm jumping on the Year in Review bandwagon and looking back at what I blogged about in 2016. It was a year of trying new things for me because ultimately my running would become nonexistent and I had to figure out a new fitness routine for myself. It was also a year filled with travel and making memories with family and friends.

Come along and check out the HOT TOPICS from my 2016 (or skip to the end to learn about the Spartan Race giveaway):

January - This was the month I really let yoga into my life to take the place of, well a lot of things: running, bootcamp, SurfSet. I took classes and signed up for challenges and did more yoga than I ever had.


February - It was a snorkelfest in the Maldives and I fell in love with swimming with the fish.


March - Pilates! It was this month that I started taking a new class in Shenzhen combined with an at-home BFF challenge. I loved the Pilates class, but it was only one day a week and often conflicted with SWIC activities.


April - The best part was our time back in the US and spending time with the girls.


May - climbing a volcano in the dark in order to watch the sunrise from the summit. Definitely one of the wildest things I've done, ever!


June - I tried a six week carb cycling program that changed the way I view nutrition and workouts and I loved my results!

July - Scratched another destination off my bucket list with trip to Australia. Made lots of memories, but I loved biking around Sydney with mrC.


August - By far my most traveled month ---> Cape Cod / Montreal / Florida / Ohio! Hard to pick just one highlight, but I loved SUPing with the family on the Cape.


September - I completed a 30 day SHRED program and fell in love with weights.

October - I loved that our three week summer vacation to the US turned into a three month vacation. One of my favorite moments was hiking with Dev in Maine and having lunch on the summit of Mount Agamenticus.


November - Moving to Hong Kong was pretty exciting, but I took my first Les Mills Bodypump class and loved it.


December - I became a Hong Kong Trail finisher after hiking all 50km with the help of many hiking friends.


Maybe 2017 will be the year that YOU try new things. Maybe you are ready to unleash your INNER BEAST or commit to pushing yourself more than ever before.



Reebok Spartan Race is ready to help you with the new Season Passes (that way you can race again, and again, and again), new medals, new obstacles, and an awesome stadium races schedule.



Spartan Race is giving away an entry into any US Spartan Race in a open heat to one lucky Running Escapades reader!

To enter:

Leave a comment telling me one commitment you want to make, one obstacle you want to overcome, and/or one way you want to test yourself in 2017.

If you share this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media leave a comment with a link to your post. Each share is another entry!

Giveaway ends January 1, 2017. Winner will be selected randomly and notified no earlier than January 2, 2017. Good luck!!






Sunday, July 31, 2016

Funny Things During a Workout, Carb Cycling Round 2 and GIVEAWAY ALERTS!

I've got some really great giveaway alerts for you at the end of this post that you don't want to miss out on!

But first, I woke up SUPER early this morning (5 AM!) and since I couldn't fall back to sleep I made some coffee to take out on the back deck. It was a nice until it started raining.



mrC did not have the same problem. I had to wake him up for church. We had big plans to walk there (it's only about .25 mile from the house), but the rain... Side note: I love, love my new skirt


After church we decided to do an indoor workout for carb cycling feast day.  I like Jillian Michaels workout videos because she takes you through a dynamic warm up and static cool down.


I'm always looking for new ways to modify cardio exercises to keep my knee happy. JM showed me that squat punches is a great option.


Three funny things commonly happen when I workout with mrC:

1) he closes his eyes during intervals  - I look over during lunges and it looks like he's sleeping!

2) he high fives after each circuit - he's a happy guy ;)

3) when he bangs into something (like today he sort of punched the drop ceiling), he never reacts - I nearly jump out of my skin at the noise, look over, and he's just jumping away. It's like he's trying to say, wasn't me. Haha.

Speaking of carb cycling, today was also the last day of round 2 which means we took measurements. Full disclosure, I was not as faithful to the eating plan as I was during round 1. I could blame all the travel, but it really came down to the fact that I let myself cheat and cheat and cheat.

THE RESULTS: My weight stayed the same but I gained (eek) 4.75 inches!


+.50 bust
+.25 hips
0 waist
+1.5 thighs
+1.5 calves
+1.5 biceps

mrC says gaining in some places (like my biceps) is a good thing. I agree, although half heartedly, because I really wanted to lose another 4 pounds and slim down my hips and thighs.

FINAL THOUGHTS: You get out what you put in. I have signed up for a 30 Day Shred and I'm making a promise to myself to stick to the plan.

The sun came out after lunchtime, so we walked to the beach to enjoy a little sun, sand and waves.  I highly recommend a beach day if you are feeling bummed.


Before I sign off, I want to share links to GIVEAWAYS going on now. There have been so many lately that I couldn't keep them to myself.

Win a Bib to the Falmouth Road Race from Carrots n Cake 

Live Free and Run Giveaway: TWO entries to a ZOOMA Run Event (for you and a friend)

Win a pair of compression socks from The Fit Fork

Lean, Clean, and Brie is hosting a Bob's Red Mill Giveaway

Win IdealFit Protein Powder from The Bikini Experiment




Saturday, April 23, 2016

A Day in Kennebunkport

One perk to traveling is the hotel breakfast. It's a quick and easy way to fuel up for a day of adventure. I'm a big fan of scrambled eggs.


We rounded up the girls and their buds, and headed up the coast to Kennebunkport to show them the summer home of our 41st POTUS. 

Our first stop was to view Walker's Point. According to the locals, George H. W. is a pretty good neighbor. The Mrs. is often spotted walking on the beach with her walker. There's always a flag flying when they're in residence, but not today.


Then we took some pictures.


We headed back to town and had lunch at Ports of Italy. We were all stuffed so afterwards we walked around and enjoyed the downtown area. We all agreed it was like a small Newport, RI.


The cloudy skies never seemed to break and while the kids got some Ben & Jerry's, mrC and I opted for some hot chocolate.


It was another great day with the girls. 

Don't forget to check out my book giveaway here.  







Friday, April 22, 2016

Never Give Up GIVEAWAY!!!

Life is good. 


We drove to New Hampshire this morning for our weekend with the girls. First we stopped to see Dr Bri. I was lucky enough to get an appointment at the last minute so he could assess my heel issue. Basically I have achiles tendinitis. After some Gratson and ART, he applied an anti-inflammatory patch with directions to let it rest. 


I hadn't seen Dr. Bri since finishing my menisectomy rehab and moving to China a year ago, so we talked about my knee issues and not running. He knows my history and basically said that I will eventually have a knee replacement. He also said that I don't need to give up on fitness, and that yoga, hiking, and biking are all very good options for me.

This made me think about the book that I just finished, In Her Eyes. The main character lives 100% behind the mantra never give up. In his story he risks a lot to go after his dreams. 



The author of the book, Wesley Banks, has generously offered to let me give away a free digital copy of his book so you can read for yourself what happens to a Ben as he chases his dream. 

To enter, leave a comment telling me one of your dreams/goals that you hope to never give up.

I will pick a random winner and announce on the blog on Monday, April 25, 2016. To receive the digital copy, I will need your email address.

We headed to Portsmouth after having some lunch and hung out with the girls on the decks. It is such an amazing thing to see them in their adult lives. We are so proud of them.


Tomorrow we are all going on a road trip up to Maine.

I can't wait to spend the whole day with them!












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