Fitness Friday: Are You SPARTAN Strong?

Happy Friday everyone! It's time for another race entry giveaway. Aroo! (not something I would normally say, but completely appropriate today!)

I've been in Ohio visiting family, but I couldn't resist signing on and letting you know about another great race taking the country by storm. You have probably heard about the Reebok Spartan Race Series. 

From the website:

Spartan Race is on a mission to get you active, healthy, excited about change, and return to our ancient roots where running through woods, getting dirty, and facing adversity was part of everyday life. Our events are all about challenging today’s perception of normal.

Our events challenge the familiar, today’s perception of normal living and getting you out of your comfort zone! At Spartan Race, we do this everyday and it shapes everything we do.

Having experienced many different racing events, we wanted to make adventure racing more accessible to everyone, but do not be fooled by the word ‘accessible’, as our events have a challenge for everyone’s needs.

Spartan Race now introduces a level for everyone beginning with the entry level Spartan Sprint, intermediate level Super Spartan, the advanced Spartan Beast, and the ‘99.9% need not apply’ extreme level Death Race. 

Whatever your level, Spartan Race will test your strength, stamina, and sense of humor.

There are Spartan events taking place all over the US in 2013, which means that there is probably one near you!

Use this url http://bit.ly/spartanwarrior to access a discount code that will give you 15% off any Spartan Race.

Ready to find out if you are Spartan STRONG? Founder of Spartan, Joe De Sena, is traveling around the country giving free Spartan workouts in local gyms and facilities.

Reebok Spartan wants me to give YOU a free race entry to any open heat event in the continental US during the 2013-2014 event calendar. Use the rafflecopter below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was asked to help promote the Spartan Race Series. I have not been compensated for this post.

TrainingTruths: ZOOMA Week 2

Holy hot weather people!

Last week we were melting here in the northeast and trying to run when there were multiple heat advisories was not easy. I spent more time on the treadmill than I like, but at least I was able to get my miles for the week above 20 again.

Monday - I've been reading about how it should only take about two weeks to acclimate to the weather changes, but I cannot deal with deer flies this summer. Instead I ran 5 miles on the treadmill.

Wednesday - My morning was spent at a dental appointment, so I convinced mr. C to do a 5 mile evening run with me. He came home with a surprise pack of deer fly tape to make my run easier. Even though there were hundreds of those little suckers flying all around, I only caught ONE! I didn't get bit though.

Friday - Between playing chauffeur and running errands, my chance to do a morning run to beat the heat disappeared. Once again I found myself running 5 miles on the treadmill. I'm thankful that we have the treadmill, but I'm still struggling with my speed (why do I run faster outside?) and how to make these runs more fun.

Sunday - It was mr. C's birthday and I thought the perfect gift would be a race entry! We ran the Hula Hustle 10K and then cooled off in the pool at the post race luau.

Do you like to run races in the summer?

Fitness Friday: Summer Favorites

Happy Friday! 

Everyone looks forward to summer and I'm no different. It's been very hot and humid here in New England and the bugs (deer flies) have been making me a little crabby. So today, I thought I would think about some of my summer favorites and bring back the happy!

Swimming - it doesn't matter if it's a pool, a lake, or the ocean. I love to swim when it's super hot and jumping in the water makes you feel so refreshed.

Exploring - in the summer there is more time to go exploring. Whether we are walking around town or going for a walk in the woods, I love seeing new things in old places or checking out new spaces.

Traveling - Summertime means weekend trips to Newport, maybe a race-cation, and going home. I always try to spend at least one week in Cincinnati visiting with family and friends.

Reading - I have always been a reader. It's hard to read for pleasure during the school year when you're an English teacher, so I love diving into books of all kinds in the summer. Between the bookshelves at the library and the local transfer station, I can stock up.

Racerbacks - It wouldn't be right if I didn't mention some of my favorite summertime running attire. With the high temperatures and a decent tan, racer back tanks are most comfortable to wear in the summer. One of my current favorites is the Go Long Tank from Oiselle.

What brings a smile to your face during the hot sticky months of summer?

Now, some giveaway business. Congratulations to Emma Cross Moyer! You are the winner of the Allstate 13.1 giveaway. You should receive an email from my pal Dom with details on how to claim your race entry.

Snacking on Stonyfield

I've been a fan of Stonyfield Organic Yogurt since running the Half at the Hamptons in 2011 where I was given some greek yogurt at the finish line. Last week the New Hampshire Blogger and Tweeters got together for another Blog&Tweet event at Stonyfield Farm to find out more about the amazing organic yogurt being made right here in New Hampshire.

Here's the scoop on Stonyfield in a nutshell:

It all started with a man and a mission. Samuel Kayman, an organic farmer, teamed up with Gary Hirschberg, an environmental activist, to make great yogurt and help the Earth. A school fundraiser in the 1980s turned into Yogurt Works in Londonderry which has made Stonyfield the biggest producer of organic yogurt in the world!

Our Blog&Tweet group was met by our hosts Kristina and Chandra who explained that although tours of the plant no longer took place, we would be taken on a virtual film tour (similar to this one) which gave us the history of Stonyfield Organic Yogurt and a peek into the process.


Now, I went to this event already knowing what my favorite Stonyfield organic yogurt product was, but that didn't stop me from trying some new things that Kristina and Chandra pointed out to us. Ok, they really just told us to grab and try whatever we wanted from the chillers.

I first tried some Blends. This is the new yogurt for people (like me) who don't like big chunks of fruit. Instead of being on the bottom of the cup, the fruit is blended. It was good, but I still like the thicker Greek (formerly Oikos) yogurt best. Thanks to the taste-testing, I discovered two new greek flavors: raspberry and honey. 

Although I'm not a huge ice cream person, I tried some frozen yogurt. Stonyfield is the only maker of organic greek froyo at this time. I really liked the honey flavor, and lucky for me, Kristina and Chandra encouraged us to take home the leftovers.

   The last product I tried will probably become one of my favorite Stonyfield products: frozen yogurt bars. These bars are nonfat frozen yogurt dipped in organic dark chocolate. I thought the Gotta Have Vanilla tasted just like the ice cream bars I used to get with my elementary school lunches. 

So after an evening spent learning all about Stonyfield and eating a whole lot of yogurt, Kristina and Chandra sent us all home with a reusable ChicoBag filled with Stonyfield goodies including a Yogurt Cookbook and coupons along with a case of Brown Cow (sister company in California) Cream Top Greek Desserts.

Yogurt is a runner's best friend. For one thing, it is a great source of protein, carbs, vitamins, probiotics and calcium. Walk into any grocery and you will find a lavish amount of yogurt choices, but what sets Stonyfield apart is that it is organic. 

from Stonyfield website

Ever wonder how organic yogurt is made? Here's what I learned from my visit: 1. Organic milk is delivered to Stonyfield Yogurt Works from organic farms 2. The milk is heated to kill the bad bacteria 3. Good bacteria is added and the mixture is put into cups with fruit or other ingredients 4. Filled cups are put into the incubator (hot room) to form into yogurt 5. The yogurt is then stored in a refrigerated warehouse
Besides being good for you, Stonyfield Organic Yogurt is also good for the Earth. Here are some of the ways they try to decrease their carbon footprint: 1. Solar panels are used to generate power to the plant 2. They use foil tops instead of plastic lids 3. The waste from random testing along the process is fed to farm animals 4. They built a wastewater treatment plant to reduce energy use  5. They select the most direct routes for delivery trucks
In addition to making great yogurt and helping the planet, each year Stonyfield celebrates Earth Day with a festival and a 5K. The 5K has been on my bucket list for a couple of years, but I hope to run it in 2014. Maybe some of these ladies will join me?

TrainingTruths: ZOOMA Week 1

For the first time I am feeling a little blah about my next half marathon training. It has nothing to do with the race or running. It's the weather and the bugs. The hot temperatures, high humidity, mosquitos, and deer flies are really taking the fun out of my runs. Running with a partner on humid days makes a huge difference on where my head is, but lately I've been whimping out and taking solo runs to the treadmill.

Monday - Instead of struggle with the high humidity and battle the deer flies, I took my run to the treadmill. My basement was a lot cooler and I could aim the fan on myself. This was also a chance for me to try my Mizuno Wave Sayonaras on a little longer run and on the 'mill. While my run felt good, I think my lower legs felt the effects of the lower heel drop afterwards. Nothing hurt, but my lower leg/ankle muscles were a little sore.

Tuesday - After noticing a new class time being offered at TI Fitness, mr. C and I decided to go to SurfSet. As usual we got our butts kicked by Christine. She really knows how to work the abs and squats on a surf board!

Wednesday - I convinced myself to run 5 solo miles in the morning to the Floating House. This is not my favorite route because there's a really big hill right in the middle, and the humidity only makes it more dreadful.  Later we went on a 3 mile hike to Purgatory Falls, although we didn't actually make it to the falls.

Thursday - It had been a while since I used my Polar HRM, so I decided to walk on the treadmill and just try to burn some fat calories. It still amazes me how inaccurate our treadmill calorie counter is.

Friday - A friend came to visit for the weekend, so mr. C and I got in an early 5 mile run. It was a repeat of Wed's run, but a little cooler. I don't think I would've gone out alone on this one, so I'm glad that he was available to run with me.

Sunday - After a busy weekend, I ran 7 miles after dinner on the treadmill. This was just one of those I can't get myself moving days. I almost didn't even get it done on the treadmill, but mr. C reminded me that I would feel better after I did it. He was right.

It turned out to be a good week. I ran a total of 22 miles (hitting my weekly goal of 20 for the first time since April!) and did a lot of cross training.

There's still time to enter to win a race entry to the Allstate 13.1 half marathon or 5K in Boston.