Holiday Bootie Buster

Fun stuff going on

November 15, 2013 by Michelle 1 Comment

Happy Friday!

Whew another whirlwind week is coming to a close and I am so looking forward to this weekend!

But before calling this week a wrap I wanted to share some fun things going on:

On Monday, November 18, the “Run Faster, Further and Injury-Free for Years to Come” telesummit kicks off. This is a 4-day, free event designed especially for women runners! It’s sponsored by the International Association for Women Runners and will feature a great line-up of speakers including Jeff Galloway, Katherine Switzer, Nancy Clark and Amanda from Miss Zippy (I’ll be interviewing Amanda!!). Even if you can’t make it to listen to the speakers live, the entire conference will be available for download. You can sign-up by clicking on the badge at the top of my left-side bar or by clicking HERE.

Once again the lovely Amanda at Run to the Finish is hosting the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge! I’ve participated in past years and have to say it gets better every year — great information, great camaraderie and great prizes! In light of my recent decision to step back from heavy race training, this challenge comes at a perfect time to keep me motivated. Today’s the last day to register – so head on over and join us!

I’m now a Bulu Box Ambassador! I was approached by Bulu Box a few weeks ago and after getting to know more about them and trying out one of their boxes, I am very pleased to be joining their team!

If you don’t know, Bulu Box is a monthly subscription service, delivering 4 -5 premium vitamin and supplement nutrition samples to your door. And yes, while there are several different nutrition/healthy living subscription services out there, Bulu Box is unique is giving subscribers the choice between a standard box and a weight-loss box. Subscribers, known as Bulugans, are encouraged to share their thoughts about each product,and can earn rewards points good towards purchases of new favorites in full size. Bulu Box also offers Bulugans a supportive online community where you can get expert tips and connect with others. The subscriptions are $10 per month, shipping’s free and you can cancel at anytime. Use the code BULUGAN293 at checkout and receive 50% off your first box!

Have a great weekend!

Filed Under: Bulu Box Ambassador, Holiday Bootie Buster

Decaffeinated Monday

December 10, 2012 by Michelle 7 Comments

I was racing to get out the door this morning to get to BOKS on time so there was little time for coffee…and I went from there to a chiro appointment. So it’s late in the morning and I’ve still not had coffee yet…(never a good thing)…so a bit of randomness coming at you:

Wrapped up week 3 of the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge with a woeful 30.75 points. Having kids home and a little knee pain at the beginning of the week really threw me off my game. Definitely looking to up the numbers this week!

And because I love a good challenge, I just signed on to the Chilly Challenge for the month of January. This fun challenge is sponsored by Amy from Running Escapades and Janine from The Purple Giraffe It’s a friendly team competition to see who can log the most miles in January – just pick a team and start logging those miles. (And of course, there are some fun prizes involved.) Great idea to get the new year off to a good start!

I’m starting to do a little race shopping for 2013. I already have the Old-Fashioned 10 miler for February but want to find a spring half marathon. While I was super excited when the Nike Women’s Half Marathon announced they were coming to DC this spring, the $160 price tag quickly killed that enthusiasm. Seriously?!

14 more shopping days till Christmas and I am desperately holding on to my zen! This will be a week of power shopping and online ordering!

OK, now for the safety of those around me, I’m off to find some coffee!

So tell me – what’s the most you’re will to pay for a race?

Are you done with your shopping yet?

Filed Under: Chilly Challenge, Holiday Bootie Buster, holiday sanity, race shopping

November Rewind

November 30, 2012 by Michelle 7 Comments

Good things for the month:

PR’d the Chilly Half Marathon – I went 3 for 3 in PRs for my races this fall and I couldn’t be happier!
I’m working with a chiropractor and after just a handful of sessions my ITB is noticeably improved.
Started the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge which has definitely helped keep my motivation level up post-race.
Enjoying just running how far I want, when I want — everyone needs time off from a training plan

Things I could do without:

Raynaud’s Disease– with the drop in temperatures in the last couple of weeks, the annual battle with Raynaud’s begins. Hand warmers and mittens become constant running companions now until Spring.

What’s up for December:

I’m running with my brother in his first 5K – cannot wait!
The Holiday Challenge has highlighted for me that I really need to do a better job getting enough fruits & veggies on a daily basis, so I’m going to focus on better meal planning.
Meditation – I was trying to follow the Chopra Center’s latest 21-day challenge last month, but I didn’t make it a priority and I missed a bunch of days. So I downloaded the Challenge and will start again on December 1, seems like a good way to go into the holiday season, don’t ya think?
Finish the year healthy and strong — continue the yoga classes, chiro visits and strength training. I would have loved to hit 1,000 miles for this year but with 137 miles left to go I’m not sure I’ll make it. Right now I think it is doing my body a lot of good to have back off the mileage so I don’t want to jeopardize that for a random goal.

How’s your year wrapping up? Any goals you’re still working towards?

Filed Under: Chilly Half, chiropractor, Chopra Center, Holiday Bootie Buster, meditation, month in review, Raynauds

Monday Motivation: Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge

November 19, 2012 by Michelle 4 Comments

The Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge starts today! This Challenge seems like the perfect way to kick off this Thanksgiving week. Amanda from Run to the Finish has once again put together a great Challenge with Twitter chats, a Facebook group and prizes to help everyone stay motivated through the holidays. I’m definitely looking to improve my point total over last year!

There is still time to join the Challenge – you can register HERE. Please tell Amanda I sent you!

Now I’m off to kick off my Challenge with a 4 mile run and a little yoga!

Happy Monday!

Filed Under: Holiday Bootie Buster, just having fun, Monday Motivation

October Rewind

November 3, 2012 by Michelle 7 Comments

Good things for the month:

93 miles
Another race, another PR! This time at the Fall Classic!
Weekly speed work session at the track went really well – you know I love being on the track!
Cranky ITB is still manageable.
Got to try out some cool new products/services: Saucony Triumph 10s, Yurbuds Inspire for Women, and Kona Kase.

Things I could do without:

No complaints – it’s all good.

What’s up for November:

Chilly Half Marathon is next weekend!
Running without a training plan. I haven’t been without a training plan since I started working with Coach Bennett in July. And, while I have really enjoyed training, I’m looking forward to having a break and just running whatever and when ever I want.
Continue focusing on making my left ITB happy again. With some down time coming, I need to get this ITB beyond just the “manageable” stage.
Once again I’ll be participating in the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge organized by Amanda at Run To The Finish. The Challenge starts November 19 and is an awesome way to stay motivated during the holidays. Amanda does an amazing job pulling this Challenge together and there are some great prizes for added incentive. There’s still time to register, so come join me — and if you do sign up, please tell her I sent you 🙂

How’d your October go? What have you got planned for this month?

Filed Under: Canton Fall Classic, Chilly Half, Holiday Bootie Buster, ITB, month in review, PR, product reviews

Friday Five

October 28, 2011 by Michelle 6 Comments

Weathermen in the Boston area are just giddy as they track the Nor’easter heading our way tomorrow. This in addition to the snow that arrived last night. It was just a mere two weeks ago that they were all a flutter over the “record heat” of Columbus Day weekend, and now this. Mother Nature’s twisted sense of humor continues….

Given that I raced that weekend and will race again this weekend – I’m not amused. I could care less about snow…I grew up in New England I’m use to it. But, Fall’s my favorite time of year so I’m feeling a little gypped these days. OK, my weather whine is over 🙂

J’s joining me for Sunday’s race! We’ll be running a great local race – J’s taking on the 10K and I’ll be doing the 5K. I haven’t run a 5K since this race last year – should be fun!

Did you know that there are only 57 days until Christmas? I’m vowing to get out in front of the madness this year – to start planning menus, gifts, cards, etc. early so there’s also time to actually kick back and enjoy the holidays instead of getting to New Year’s Day exhausted.

And, speaking of the holidays – if you’re looking for a little added motivation during this season, check out the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge sponsored by Amanda at Run To the Finish I participated last year, along with 500 others. Amanda does a great job putting this challenge together with great prizes for a little added incentive! Definitely head over to her site and check out the details.

Good Luck to Everyone Racing This Weekend!

Run Strong and Have Fun!

Filed Under: Holiday Bootie Buster, holiday sanity, race, weather

Bootie Busting & Turkey Feeding

November 22, 2010 by Michelle Leave a Comment

This weekend marked the kickoff of the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge courtesy of Amanda at Run to the Finish. I got my Challenge started with a killer Pilates workout on the reformer on Saturday and a chilly 5.3 mile run on Sunday. I’m hoping to rack up some Challenge points this week with some Pilates, a little Yoga and at least a couple of runs. There are over 300 of us taking part in HBBC – if you haven’t signed up yet, check it out HERE!

For added incentive this week, I’ll be Feeding the Turkey!

Feed the Turkey is a virtual 5k Turkey Trot to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital — they’ll receive 100% of the donations! Want to trot for a good cause? Visit http://www.dailymile.com/turkey_trot to sign up and make a donation and then on Thanksgiving Day run (or walk) your 5k anywhere you happen to be! Dailymile will be handing out prizes to a few lucky winners, but best of all you’ll be helping St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital which is the #1 children’s cancer hospital! (By the way, you can participate whether you have a Dailymile account or not.) So sign up and spread the word!!

Have a Good Week!

Filed Under: Holiday Bootie Buster, motivation, Turkey trot

November – Now What?

November 4, 2010 by Michelle 4 Comments

October is now in the rearview mirror but it will be missed!

While I didn’t continue my “more mileage each month” trend, I did run two races this month including my first 10k and I saw my pace start to get faster. I even had a 4 minute PR in my 5K!

But now there is no training plan to greet me each morning. Instead there are frosty temps and total darkness that could easily leave me clinging to my blankets and hitting the snooze button. As a newbie runner my big fear is shrinkage…mileage shrinkage that is! Yeah I know that there’s always the treadmill. And, despite how much I loathe the ‘Mill, I will probably have to embrace it at some point. BUT…let’s just say that I don’t see the ‘Mill being a shrinkage cure-all for me!

Without a race to train for, I need to set some new goals:

Improve my core strength
Get back in the gym and hit the weights
Improve my flexibility….Ok who are we kidding? My hamstrings are so tight this goal should probably just be “find some flexibility!”
And, yes maintain my mileage base…and dare I say, increase it?!