The Most Versatlile Bra EVER and how you can win three, or one for you, and me and someone else!

I was first introduced to Handful Bras a little over a year ago.  6 months after I got my first one they were the only bra I wore over 90% of the time.  Now they are all I wear.  To work, on a date with my husband, running, cross training.  They really are that versatile. I have saved a few bras out for just in case, but I recently tossed all my Victoria Secret bras.  After you get used to wearing a Handful bra the Victoria's Secret ones feel so confining and uncomfortable.

Handfuls Inc is currently trying to sell the remainder of their cocoa, nude and pink colored bras on sale for $28, then they will be rolling out some things for 2012.  I am so excited!   They recently released a video that demonstrates just how versatile this bra is.  I think they had a lot of fun doing this.

To help spread their video and spread the word about this great sale they are going to do a not one, but two awesome giveaways.  Here are the details:

There will be 2 separate drawings for 3 FREE handfuls.  1 for activity b/t 1/30 (video release) and 2/14 and one for activity b/t 2/15 and 2/29! 

 Here's how you get "Entries":

• 1 entry per Tweet:  Mention @handfulbra and @christyruns in a tweet with link to video. To make it easy you can copy and paste this to your tweet!  @Handfulbra is having a giveaway,  watch this youtu.be/lAi5m1csr5I?hd… tell them @Christyruns sent you and visit christyruns.com Retweet!
• 1 entry per Facebook post with tag to @handful to display on their page! Tell them I sent you.
• 1 entry per Blog post (comment back here with the link or leave it on their FB page)
• I get 5 entries per getting one of my followers to get into the "contest" by the above social media activities.

Here is where I am going to add a twist.  You can do all of the above to enter.  As you can see if you enter and give me credit, I get an additional 5 entries.  Great for me right? and for you because if I win I am going to randomly give away two of them to people who credit me.  So let me know what you do! Maybe we will both win :)


So that means you will be giving yourself a chance to win 3 free bras by entering and if you don't win, but I do, you still have a chance to win 1 of 2 bras.  Does that make sense?


Great! Go enter to win the most versatile comfortable flattering bra you will ever own!

Monday Motivation: My top ten reasons for running outside this winter.

10.  It is easier than running when it is hot out. Less risk of getting heat stroke..really! If you get hot just roll around in the snow, or take some layers.

9. Enhances mental toughness.  When you learn to deal with your eyelashes freezing together and your water bottle contents turning into a chunk of ice 20 degrees F feels like a breeze in comparison.

8. Quiet time away from the kids and demands of the house, job, etc.  I don't get that if I hop on the elliptical, the kids can't seem to stand to not bug me for more than 15 minutes.  or not fight.  or spill something.  or make a mess.

Ahh, just me, my dog, and the open road.

7. Vitamin D!  So easy to get deficient on during the winter. Although if you want to maximize the Vitamin D you get you need to be outside ideally from 10-2pm

Hello Sunshine!

6. Mood booster!  Getting outside and exercising can help with  seasonal affective disorder. Don't I look happy?

5. You are running outside, that beats the treadmill or in my case the elliptical any day.

4. The scenery is beautiful.

3. When you run in powdery snow it can be a bit like running in sand and makes you work harder which in turn makes you stronger and a better runner.

Just like on the beach only colder!

2. When spring temperatures finally come around and you get to shed the tights and long sleeve shirts for shorts/skirts and a tank you feel a bit like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.  It feels so freeing. I love that feeling.

Don't I look like a butterfly?

1. Everyone will think you are one bad-ass hardcore runner for being out there when it is ten degrees out (or less).

Layer up, you'll be fine!

 What is your top reason for running outside this winter?

11 Randoms

Here are the rules:
1. Post these rules
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them
6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people!


I got tagged four times, first by Christina at Lace it Up and Run


Randoms

1.  I check the Lululemon website daily sometimes and stare at the skirts and wish I could afford to buy them all.  I love running in them that much. I have three of them so far.  These are the ones I want next.

 2. I hate the dentist.  I used to love it, but then I didn't get  numbed up very good one time and he had to give me another shot.  Now the thought of the needle going in my mouth FREAKS me out, plus everyone know redheads and the dentist do not get along.  When I heard that I felt so validated!  Redheads with are more likely to have a certain gene that makes them more resistant to pain medication.

 3. I am drinking grape Zipfizz right now and then going to go for a run as soon as I finish this.

4. Four years ago I was pregnant with my baby girl.  I nursed her until she was over 2 and a half years old.  I know some people thought she was getting too old too still be on the boob but some nurse much longer and she was an extremely healthy little girl and smart.  I like to think it was the breastmilk :)  i wish I could have nursed my son longer but I was pregnant with my daughter and wasn't gaining weight like I was supposed to.

5.  Having kids has made me a better runner and running makes me a better mother.  No one can convince me otherwise.

6. I was a huge tomboy when I was younger.  My brother and I would play "buddies"  he was Mike and I was Tex.   We would have all sorts of adventures.  Me and my sibs also played Little House on the Prairie and the Sacketts a lot.  So much fun when you have a whole ranch for a back yard.

7.  I love love love playing cribbage but my husband won't play with my anymore... he says I gloat when I win.

8.  It sounds so cliche but I knew when I met my husband in the bar that I was going to marry him, even though he had a girlfriend at the time.  I was supposed to be meeting a guy for drinks when I ran into Rance again at the bar three months later.  The guy was late and by the time he showed up Rance and I were discussing when we were going to have our first date.  

9.  My husband proposed to me nine months later at Lake Louise in Canada..so beautiful!  This picture was right before he proposed.

10.  I used to have a Shi-Tzu named Louise.  I miss that little dog.  She disappeared one night.  She really liked to get muddy!

11.  I swore I would never marry a rodeo cowboy or date another one after I got out of college.  In my defense I did not know my husband was a saddle bronc rider until our second date and by then I was a goner.

Here are my questions:


1. Favorite dish/food?  T-bone steak, baked potato and CAKE
2. Favorite singer?  Right now I love the Zac Brown band, Josh Groban and Enya. 
3. Chick flick? Thrillers? Scary movies? Love scary movies but then I get too freaked out, so chick flick.
4. Favorite beverage?  Mandarin Orange tea by Celestial Seasonings
5. What's your typical/usual daily outfit?  Running clothes :)  or jeans and a tee
6. What's your usual workout outfit?  Right now tights and a long sleeve shirt, in the summer a skirt and a tank
7. Pet peeve? People who do not chew with their mouth closed and people who bite their fork.
8. Introvert or extrovert?  Introvert
9. What do you always have in your grocery cart? Yogurt, greek yogurt
10. Your best trait?  I am open minded, I believe in the best in people when I first meet them
11. Your worst trait? I can be a little lazy with the housework and I am not always very organized.


I am not going to tag anyone because I am lazy and because I think everyone has been tagged.  Also this Zipfizz is making me antsy instead I challenge you to answer one question.

1. Would you rather run in rain or heavy winds?
2. Coffee or tea?
3. Are you obsessed with Lululemon too even though they are overpriced?
4. Ever been outside the US?
5. What is your dream location?
6. Favorite song right now?
7. One thing you hate about running?
8. Favorite book of all time?
9. Can you swim or are you a doggie paddler like me?
10. Do you burn candles with wicks or prefer the wickless ones like Scentsy?
11.  Favorite candy?

Do it yourself sandbag.

 When I first started doing Bodyrock.tv workouts I was a little putout that they used a sandbag sometimes.  I didn't have a sandbag and didn't want to spend $120 to buy the super awesome sandbag they had.  I read other people's comments about making their own for cheaper and I followed suit.  I thought I would share what I did for mine.

I bought bags of rice in 5 and 10 lb bags and threw them in an old duffle bag.  Worked pretty good until the bags started to break down and little grains of rice would go flying everywhere while I hefted the bag around.
 I used bags of brown sugar for awhile too but my kids figured that out and broke into them for a snack and then I had a mess.

So here is my solution.  Take the bag of rice

 and a roll of duct tape

 wrap the bag of rice in the duct tape.

 Until it looks like this

 Here are all my bags, one ten and two 5 pound bags

 Put them in an old duffel bag you have, I had several laying around.

I also found it helpful to wrap some around the outside of the bag to help make it easier to handle.

(Don't mind the small girl child about to climb the dresser in the background.)

.

 and finally use it while working out. 

 Pretty easy!

Here is a small cost breakdown

5 lb bag of rice about $4 x2 = 8

 10 lb bag of rice $7

1 roll of duct tape $4

old bag laying around the house $0

Total cost is less than $20

Amount of money saved $100!

Working out and feeling great..Priceless!

Three Things Thursday

1. My kids had a dentist appointment yesterday and they did great.  Little cowboy has his first loose tooth and a 6 year molar starting to poke through..how did I not know these things?  They both have cavities that will need to be filled.  Little cowgirl only had one, but the Little Cowboy has 4!  They are all between two molars, so I can see we need to concentrate on flossing more.  They gave me a preview of how much I can expect the bill to be when it gets done.  My butt puckered a little.  Even with insurance it is painful.  We will be dedicated flossers from here on out. Thankfully my kids don't hate the dentist and are both excited to go back again in a couple weeks for more.  I think they just want to pick another prize out the both.  My daughter picked out plastic bugs!
2. Yesterday was pretty warm, it was about 46 degrees when I went running but the wind made it not very much fun.  I slogged 3.5 miles into the wind and was very happy when I got to turn around and go home..with the wind at my back.  Because it was so warm I also had the added joy of mud.  I could have run on the two miles of pavement we have but that would have meant running into the wind on the way back.  The mud was really the lesser of the two evils, it was that windy.  I even kept on both of my top layers the whole run, I thought I would be too hot once I got warmed up.  Nope
3. I got my Team Beef Montana jersey in the mail.  YAY.  This will be what I wear during Hood to Coast, and a couple other races during the year. It has a pocket in the back to put gels or keys in or whatever.   I will also be sporting a Team Tough Chik tank for some of my runs too. I am excited to get to run races this year in them both. 

 This shirt makes me want to eat a steak! Yum!

Do you have dentist dread?   

I do!  I am about a year overdue for an appointment and keep putting it off!

 

 

 

Eye candy!

 I went to my local running store last week to find a balaclava to run in the subzero temps in, I called ahead while I was at work to make sure they had one, they didn't but they did have a neck warmer that can be pulled up over your mouth and nose and is vented.  I asked them to set it aside and as soon as I got off work I headed over to pick it up.

Well you know how hard it is to go into a store full of things you want to buy and not at least look the running shoes, (or whatever) right?  With the racing season set to kick off here in Montana in 8 weeks I am starting to think about some shoes for racing.  So I wandered over to the wall of shoes, but I have to admit, I already was drawn towards the Brooks Pure Project shoes.  So pretty. 

I have been loving the Pure Connects since they first came out, at least in the pictures.  They look fast.

and they came out with this awesome color combination recently too.

 The guy at the running store steered me more toward the Pure Flow and the

 Pure Cadence instead. 

They both felt pretty good on my feet, but I went with the Pure Flows since I liked the way they felt on while running on the treadmill better, plus they are about .8 ounces lighter.  They are a bit of a change from what I have been running in since the heel drop in these is only 4mm vs the 12 in the shoes I have been running in. 

I wore them to work one day just to get a feel for them. I have to admit it felt a little weird at first, almost like my toes were higher than my heels.  By the end of the day it felt natural and I no longer thought about it.

I have ran in them twice now.  Once for 2.5 miles and once for 2 miles.  and then I switch out and do the rest of my run in my other shoes.  I love the way it really promotes the mid foot strike and feels so natural!

I had never run in Brooks shoes until late last November I had the chance to wear test a pair of Brooks shoes and I it made me a fan.  Unfortunately I had already purchased the Asics Kayano 18s also.  I love them too but I love the Brooks shoes more.

I might have to get the Pure Flows in this color combo next.  I am thinking I may just switch over to running in these all the time if I do really like them.

Have you tried the Pure Project shoes?

If you have tell me what you think.

If you haven't tell me if they do or do not appeal to you. 

Monday Motivation Warm vs Mud

Happy Monday everyone!  Hope everyone had a great weekend!  Mine was pretty laid back with lots of running and not a lot of laundry.  I am making up for the laundry part today instead. 

 My major motivation for getting my butt out the door right now is this.  It may be going to warm up today, but what that means for me is if I wait until it is in the high thirties to run I will be running in mud.

This says there is  no wind, but that is also in Billings 25 miles away and I can see the swings outside moving a little so I am guessing I will have a little bit of a windchill. The sun is shining though so it should feel nice.

I picked up the latest issue of Self magazine when I was at the grocery store Saturday.  Shaun T from the Insanity workouts shared 6 moves  that you do for a minute each without resting, then rest one minute and repeat 6 times.  Pretty much a killer leave you wasted on the floor when you are done kind of workout.  I loved it.  You can see the videos to the moves HERE on Self.com.  Anyone else try this? I dare you!

I know when I was done I was a sweaty mess.  My husband even tried some of it and he only made it through two rounds. 

Handful Sports Bras are also giving two people the opportunity to win two bras each by helping promote their closeout sale.  The pink, nude, and cocoa bras are all on sale for $28 until they sell out.  Once they are sold out sounds like they will be rolling out some NEW STUFF!  So go to their website at www.handful.com and check it out or check them out on Facebook.


I stole this from their Facebook page so if you are lazy you can read how to enter the contest here :)

Handful

Want to win a FREE handful? Post our CLOSEOUT promo on your facebook (and tag us) or Blog (and put the link on our facebook) and we'll enter you in a drawing to win 2 FREE bras! 2 winners (4 bras total....) total! Drawing will be in February...

Here are the details:
All Nude, Pink, & Cocoa original handful bras are selling for $28 to make way for new products in 2012! The sooner we sell these colors...the sooner new products can debut! Go to www.handful.com to find a retail store near you or shop online (Free Shipping to Domestic Online Customers).

Vega Sport Review and Sweepstakes

When I was asked if I wanted to try Vega Sport I was a little skeptical since I am not vegan, which certainly is not a requirement for using or trying it. 

I loved the box it came in, it had motivating quotes on it .


 The Vega Sport performance system is 100% plant-based, free from dairy, gluten and soy, and contains no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners. 

I like that there are no artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners.  I don't care one way or the other about the dairy, gluten and soy free part since I have no allergies, but I know there are those that do.

They also have a great page on nutrition and training on there website HERE



 It is broke down into three systems.  1. Prepare  2. Sustain and 3. Recover.  If you need help deciding what to use when and for what type of exercise they have a cool chart HERE that helps you decide.

My favorite thing:

The protein bars were by far away I thought the best things in the box.  I love both the chocolate saviseed and the chocolate coconut flavors.  So did my kids.  I think that tells you how good they are.  My kids don't usually think protein bars are good.

I was also a fan of the electrolyte hydrator.  I loved the lemon lime flavor.  The Pom-berry was a little too sweet for me to drink while running.  Maybe I am just to used to the subtle flavors of Nuun.

The Endurance gel, I was not a fan of. I thought it had a funny texture and gave me burps.  The flavors were good, but the texture did me in.  I had to gag it down with water.  It did help give me lots of energy though.

 The Recovery Accelerator was also good.  Not great in my opinion, I had the berry according to the directions and put the tropical in a shake.  I thought it was yummy with frozen peaches and milk..which made it unvegan, but good.

 The Performance protein..the chocolate was good, vanilla okay and the berry was not my favorite.  I had to drink it fast and keep shaking it up or it would separate out and the top layer tastes really bad.

 They also have endurance bars that I would rate as a B+, for flavor and texture.  The mocha flavor was my favorite but I wasn't such a fan of the Acai berry.

I think overall they have great products that do what they are supposed to do..give you energy and nutrition to get you through your workouts and recover from them.  My issue was more with the textures and flavors.  I would buy the protein bars, electrolyte hydrator in lemon lime and the protein powder in chocolate.

 More from the box

They are doing a sweepstakes and giving away some fabulous prizes.  Entries close March 31st so you still have plenty of time to enter to win.  Go HERE to enter.

What you can win:

 

One Grand Prize

Vega Sport Adventure Trip for 2:

Cycle, raft and explore your way through Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama for 15 days

$5,000 in Vega Sport product

($15,000 value)

 

Ten Runner Up Prizes

$1000 in Vega Sport products

 

Twenty Finalist Prizes

$200 in Vega Sport products

 

Five Weekly Prizes (per week for 11 weeks)

1 Vega Sport product

Weekly prize winners will be announced weekly via social media! 

What did you like or dislike about Vega Sport if you have tried it?

How much does it being vegan sway you to buy it or try it?

Finally!

 I won this medal hanger MONTHS ago from The Althletarian. I finally got it hung up and my medals on it.  All 6.  I think I need more.  Lots more!

Makes me happy to look at them.  Makes me want to run  :)

It is motivating to see them on display and not just piled in a drawer with all  my race bibs.  I need to do something with all those too.  

 I am excited about getting it all filled up and putting some more medals on it this year. 

I have it hanging in a corner in my bedroom.  When I am on the elliptical this is what I stare at.  I plan to put up a cork board or something and make this my corner of inspiration.

Needs a little something more doesn't it?  I think the corkboard with pictures, quotes, some race bibs.  Anything else you can think of that you add to yours?

Do you have a wall or corner of inspiration?  What room of the house is it in?

My eyelashes froze together!

It was -9 degrees outside yesterday when I went for my run yesterday.  30 below zero with the wind chill factor. I was considering bagging it and just staying indoors.  My elliptical has been a little lonely this winter. I whined about the weather to my husband who told me "You are a runner aren't you, get out there and run"

Fine.  I only had 3.5 miles to do for Running, Loving and Living's virtual run. 

I decided that since I was supposed to do speed work today but the snow was too hard to do it right in I would do hill repeats.  Once again it was like running in sand and uphill.  I think I got a pretty good workout, not to mention the two extra layers of clothes I was packing.

Verdict.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I need better face protection. Toe and hand warmers helped keep my feet and hands toasty.  My hands were maybe a little too warm, but when it is 30 below, I think that is okay.

I was actually well dressed for the weather except for my eyes.  I couldn't wear my sunglasses because they kept fogging up and the bacalava I have is not a good one and it felt like I was suffocating.  Running with the wind was fine, which is what I did for the first part of the run.  Coming back was not fun, in fact I ended up running a great deal of it backwards to keep the wind off my face.  I think I ran at least a mile total backwards, if not more.

I had chunks of ice on my eyelashes and they kept freezing together. So I would run into the wind for .10 miles and then run backwards for .10 miles.  Running backwards actually is good for you.  You can check it out HERE and HERE It is a great way to "restore balance and reduce the risk of injury".

I had the face part of it off my face here so I could breathe.

Tell me you aren't totally jealous of this hat I borrowed from my husband.

I know running backwards was kicking my butt.  Which made sense when I later read that 100 steps in reverse produces the same results as 1000 steps forward. They also say it burns one-fifth more calories than running forwards and you only need to move at 80 percent of the same speed as running forward to get the same fitness benefits.

I think that if I get better face protection, one I can wear without fogging up my glasses and making me feel like it is trying to suffocate me, I would probably run in this kind of weather again.  It wasn't really as bad as I thought it was going to be.  

Oh yeah and my total time for 3.5 miles was 36:24.  Running backwards and doing hill repeats does not make for a fast time!

Do you run backwards?
 Can anyone recommend a good balaclava to wear while running?

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

 I am planning to do this virtual run today.  Check it out HERE.   There are some really great prizes to be won. 

Yup it is cold out there again. 

A wind chill of -27?  BRRR.  I am planning to run.


Of course yesterday was sunny and pretty nice out and I had to work so I couldn't take advantage of it.

On a bright note I found my camera! If you read my blog yesterday, you know I was having trouble locating it.   Here I was blaming the kids and it was in my car.  Under the drivers seat. 

What makes 30 degree weather feel warm?

I can't find my camera.  Not sure if I should be blaming myself or the kids.  Probably myself.  Even if it was the kids I should know better than to leave it somewhere they can reach it as my daughter loves to snap photos.  Maybe I need to get her my own camera so she will leave mine alone. It could be out in my car, but as it is 5 degrees outside I really don't feel like going out to look in it.  I don't have a garage.

I guess I could pray to Saint Anthony to help me find it.  It seems like such a material thing to pray for though. I guess I will have to use my crappy camera on my phone until I can find it.  It just tends to not take very good pictures of great moments

Like this one where my little cowpokes were all dressed up to play rodeo and were telling us a great story about who they were "Lightning"  and "Crystals"

I did figure out how to use the camera on my phone better, heck it even has a timer, but the quality just sucks.

It got all the way up to 10 degrees yesterday and I was considering just doing an elliptical workout, but then I kept reading about other people toughing it out and running.  So I layered up the clothes and got outside.

Yes, I am a competitive person. 

I did 8.25 miles.  I have to admit my legs are feeling the horseback ride from Saturday and are a little sore and running in the powdery cold snow was at times running in loose sand.  I was pooped when I was done.  I was not however cold. Luckily the wind was at a minimum. I had on PLENTY of layers.  I probably could have had on one less shirt layer. 

But now I can say that 10 degrees with a windchill of 0 is the coldest I have run in. :)  and it wasn't bad.  The worst thing really was the snow being like running in sand, although really that just adds to the workout.  I will do it again without so much hesitation.  Besides once you get used to running in weather that cold, I bet the 30s feel tropical!

have a great Tuesday everyone! 

Monday Motivation: Peaks to Prairie

It is 3 degrees out according to my thermometer, but the wind is blowing the snow straight across.  Not real hospitable out there this morning.  Yuck.

so what is my motivation today?

Peaks to Prairie! 

It is an adventure race that isn't until April, but I get to do it for the first time this year.  There is an 8.8 mile run portion, a 43 mile cycling leg, and a 23 mile paddling leg down the Yellowstone River.  No, I am not doing all three, but I am doing the run leg! 

Here is what the website says about the race

Looking for some adventure to add life to your Spring training regimen? Or how about a challenge to take on with some good friends? Look no further than Peaks to Prairie, a unique Montana challenge that spans from the heights of the Beartooth Mountains to the open majesty of the Yellowstone River.

Registration isn't open yet and they haven't even set the date, but usually it is the third weekend in April.  Being a part of a team makes me feel even more pressure to perform well and run fast! Makes me nervous even thinking about it. 

The run leg drops about 900 feet over the length of the run, but I have heard this is a little deceptive as there are some pretty good hills in it as well. 

Here is the map from a previous year.  The course will be the same this year.  

It can also be done as a duathalon with just the run and bike legs.  I thought I had a team last year for the duathalon, but he ended up having a prior commitment and had to back out.  They try to match teams up looking for people and people looking for teams, but I was too late for that. :(  Boo


So my team better be committed for it this year.  I want to do it really bad! Should be so much fun.


What is your motivation today?

Ever heard of or done Peaks to Prairie?