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Home for the Holidays Virtual 10k

 

Editor’s Note:  This just in we are RE-OPENING registration for the Virtual 10K due to a high demand.  After much consideration and requests, we have decided to reopen the 10k.  We thought about those who have not had a chance to register as well as those who took the time to register.  Given the short registration time frame and the fact that people can register for a “normal” race the day of, we have reopened registration.  

For those who have already registered early, we are giving you the opportunity to be the only one’s in the raffle prize for the Brooks shoes. 

Happy Holidays!  2011 has been an amazing year for races, blogging, friends, and fun! Many of us qualified for Boston, ran our first half or full marathon, watched the Hood to Coast teams with awe and slight jealously, and maybe even just started running!

Now that 2011 is about to close and we are rushing home or to friends and families for the holidays, we wanted one last chance to enjoy that Runner’s High before we said our official goodbye to 2011.  I don’t know about you, but in our areas there were not many options for races this weekend.  People are BUSY!  It is Christmas and Hanukkah this week, so we get it.  That is why all the holiday races were previous weeks.  But we wanted MORE!!  Robin & Stephanie looked high and low for a 10k – Robin had a 10K on her training plan for this week and Stephanie wanted to make it 11 races in 2011 (she has 10).  Ashley was headed down South for the holiday weekend, and there were not many options.
Good thing  bloggers are so resourceful!  First we saw this…

Then we saw this…

And before we knew it Ashley, Robin, and Stephanie were planning the 1st annual

The 1st Annual

Home for the Holidays Virtual 10K

Whether you are planning on going home for the holidays or not, we would love for you to participate in this Virtual Race.  What better way to burn off some holiday stressors and a few of those extra cookies than kicking out a 10K with some of your closest friends and bloggers.

Because what is the holidays without some of these fabulous sugar cookies!

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If you have never done a Virtual Race before and have no idea what we are talking about, don’t worry it is simple and easy to catch on!  The idea behind the race is that you register (here) and instead of actually going to a designated area to race you get to do it on your own time (within a certain deadline) and at your own place.  We organize it all and then you just have to run and report back – tell us how it went, send us funny stories, pictures whatever.  You can get friends to do it with you in person or just rock it on your treadmill. Whatever works, anything goes!  Holidays are stressful and crazy.  This is supposed to be fun, healthy, and enjoyable!!!

Plus, if nothing else, we are going to have wonderful, fabulous prizes!!!  Amazing companies came out left and right to offer some great gifts.  Since this is just for fun, we will be doing prizes for Best Holiday Outfit During the Run as well as random sweepstakes (you enter the drawing by registering and running the 10K).
Here are the brands participating thus far:
Attune Foods
Skin Sake
Sparkly Soul Bands

Fleet Feet Sports
Tommie Copper
Gu
Choose Cherries
Road ID

Chobani

Five Bamboo
Run for Fun – Run for Fun Bondi Band & the new I <3 My Crazy Bitch Dri-Fit Shirt
Healthy Happier Bear – Lululemon shirt
Westford Mommy – iTunes giftcard

Wow!  We are pretty excited about all these prizes which came in so quickly.  Please check out the Terms and Conditions on winning these items here.

So lets talk logistics

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

REGISTRATION

Race Date:  Friday December 23, 2011 through Monday December 26, 2011 – run whenever you would like between this time frame

Where:  Wherever you want – that is the beauty of the Virtual Race.  Run at home, outside, with friends wherever.  Stephanie & Robin will be running together if you are in the area, let them know to join in.

Race Distance:  10K – Run 6.2 miles!

Outfit:  As this is a holiday race, feel free to dress up! There will be prizes for the most spirited holiday outfit

Afterwards:  Afterwards submit your times – here (link will be updated with the correct information after registration has ended).  We would love to share your pictures and stories! We will let you know the results and who has won the prizes by 12/31/11.  Send us your pictures and stories so we can report back to everyone.   Please send them to healthyhappierbear@gmail.com)

Activity Waiver & Terms and Conditions:  Please check this page out as well. By registering, you are agreeing to abide by our Activity Waiver as well as the Terms & Conditions for the Sweepstake prizes.   More information can be found on this page.
E-mail:  You will receive a confirmation e-mail with any other need to know details Friday December 23, 2011.

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Registration:  Register here!  Registration is open until Thursday December 22 at 11:59 p.m.
We are soo excited about the 10K!  Please tweet, blog, facebook, and share with everyone! We can’t wait.

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ashleyd /

Lots for a Monday

I have lots of things to share with you all today including last night’s Cajun holiday party, today’s food, and finally a great program that Jack Rabbit Sports is hosting in January!

Last night, we went to our first party north of Central Park! Theodora, Bo, and I easily made our way up to Washington Heights via the A train, which runs express from Columbus Circle to 125th street!

015 Don’t worry, Theodora wasn’t drunk in this picture, I promise. In fact, we’d already run a breezy 3.25 miles together along the East River, showered, and were ready for an adventure.

Our friend Camille, last night’s hostess, epitomizes a Southern lady. She welcomed us into her home with a warm “hey y’all”, had a delicious spread set out for her guests, a signature drink ready to serve, and lots of friendly faces with whom to celebrate! In fact, people can’t help but flock to her smiling face!

Her apartment is adorable and each room is painted in a different color, but it’s no surprise that her entry way is a bold LSU purple. In true New Orleans fashion, she served all the drinks in Styrofoam “go cups” last night as they don’t “sweat” like solo cups when holding Milk Punch, her signature drink! How adorable are these cups, straight from the bayou?

016

image The main course, gumbo and rice, were brewing on the stove when we arrived but smelled amazing!

018 020 The trick to delicious gumbo is a good roux as Camille taught us last night, requiring hours of patience and stirring.

022 It was a wonderful Washington Heights evening, complete with new and old friends and delicious food!

Today, after too little sleep, Bo and I made our way to the gym for a much needed rise and shine workout. On days when I’m dragging, nothing wakes me up like a workout. Due to some heel pain on my left foot, I clipped into the bike for a 40 minute workout, complete with a computerized plan that synched to my music! I really liked it and did 12.6 miles during the 40 minutes while also conquering some hills and sprints.

I focused on including healthy fats in each meal again today and making sure that I had healthy snacks around me at all times.

Breakfast: Oatmeal, banana, chia seeds, and 1 tsp peanut butter.

IMG_5199 (640x478) Lunch: Large chopped spinach salad from Pax with beets, red onions, grilled chicken, walnuts, mushrooms, tomato, balsamic, and a splash of olive oil. I also enjoyed a small vegetable soup on the side.

002 003 Afternoon snack: Strawberry 0% Chobani with Fiber One flakes sprinkled on top and a Clementine on the side.

004 Dinner: An easy dinner thanks to Pret takeout! We split two soups (Goulash and Butternut Squash) and each enjoyed one of their Cobb salads. I only ate half the avocado and half the walnuts but really loved the flavors in this salad.

006007 Last but not least, I want to let you all know about a great program Jack Rabbit Sports is hosting in January called Resolve 2012. I signed up earlier today and it appears that it’s free and that more information such as the schedule of events will be emailed soon. Based on my research, it appears that  Mizzfit, who is well known around the blogging and health world, is partnering with Jack Rabbit to bring locals this great program and series of events. Everyone who participates, receives a free Jack Rabbit technical tee and has the chance to win a personal shopping experience for a Winter running outfit!

image Let me know if you join, so we can hopefully setup some blogger and reader meetups around the Jack Rabbit events!

Have a wonderful rest of your evening!

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Saturday Shenanigans

 

When Friday rolled around this week, all I craved was a weekend that never ended filled with friends, lots of sleep, and some wine.

So far, this weekend has delivered quite well!

Yesterday morning, after nine hours of sleep, Bo and I enjoyed a leisurely morning cleaning and organizing the house. Having a fabulous Christmas party for 40 friends is wonderful but even a week later parts of our home were still in disarray including the pantry and linen closet, in which we found empty bottles of liquor and wine in both. I guess our friends thought that was our recycling spot!

Around 10:30 we headed out for our first long run together. The weather was sunny and cool, around 37 degrees. Our route would be perfect if it wasn’t tourist season in New York City. We were constantly dodging tourists until we hit Central Park but in a way that kept things interesting.

image Running outside reminded me that I need to get better about layering and not underestimating the cold. I only wore Lululemon crops and a long sleeve technical t-shirt yesterday which meant that I was freezing for the first five miles. I think this helped me run faster but I won’t make that mistake again. I’d rather tie something around my waist or unzip if needed than be cold.

When we walked through the door I immediately wanted something to drink even though I barely broke a sweat due to the weather. I chugged three large glasses of water before hurrying to get ready for Theodora’s cookie swap.

While getting ready I refueled with a G Series Fit Recovery drink. This was my second time trying this recovery smoothie and I really love it. The mix of protein, calories, vitamins, and minerals helps my body recover even when I’m in a hurry or on the go. The mango pineapple flavor is the only one I’ve tried. It’s a little sweet for my taste buds and I wish I could find the strawberry banana.

004 I made it to Theodora’s 2nd Annual Cookie Swap only a few minutes late, ready to catch up with friends and enjoy some sweet treats. When I walked through the door I was amazed with the presentation!

008 There were already twenty different types of delicious cookies displayed, many of which were in adorable little boxes. I guess I missed the cute container memo and instead transported mine in Chinese takeout containers and Tupperware.

014 There were even some healthier options displayed for those people who wanted to enjoy some vegetables. I made it my goal to fill up on vegetables and protein before diving into the cookies.

009 Our hostess was dressed in her best holiday attire, emulating her favorite Christmas movie, Elf!

010 011 She kept our glasses full all afternoon while Bailey kept us company.

015 007 017 It was fun to see my runner friends (Gia, Sue, me, and Theodora) dressed in something other than running apparel for a change. We weren’t even sweaty yesterday!

I also had the chance to test run my Christmas Eve outfit yesterday since we’re going to a family friends Christmas Eve cocktail party this year after church. I didn’t want to buy anything new this late in the game and deal with holiday crowds. Luckily I was able to pair to JCrew classic pieces (long sleeve t-shirt and silk brocade skirt circa 2008) with my Kate Spade necklace and new Cole Haan boots for a winning combination. It is comfortable, includes shimmers, and can work in Savannah’s mild weather.

I left Theodora’s around 5:30 to meet Bo for a spontaneous date night in Hell’s Kitchen. Our evening included wine and cheese at Casellula followed by the most amazing Broadway show, Private Lives with Kim Cattrall!

003 002 007

Half way through dinner we realized we’d be done with dinner by 8pm which left us searching for movies or other options. Since we were only a few blocks away from the Theatre District I suggested walking by a few theatres to see if they had any last minute tickets available. Our first stop, Music Box Theatre, was a success! Second row mezzanine tickets for the win!

020 If you’re in New York City and have the chance to see Private Lives before it closes in January I promise you’ll love it! Kim Cattrall is amazing and the show keeps you laughing the entire time!

Now it’s time for a wonderful Sunday filled with relaxing, watching Felicity, healthy french toast, a three mile run with Theodora, and then a New Orleans themed Christmas party up in Washington Heights!

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