"I'm a Runner Again!!!" Lung Run 5K Recap & Giveaway Winners!

First things first.  Thank you to everyone who entered my Chocolate #9 energy gel giveaway!  This product is really great, and I'm excited to share it with some of you!  The winners of the Chocolate #9 3-packs are...

Kim @ Finally Fit 2011!  

Rachelle @ Running for Trevor! 

Melinda @ Melge Hates Running!

  Congratulations ladies!  I know you will LOVE chocolate #9.  Email me your address asap at juiceboxesandcrayolas AT gmail DOT com to claim your prize!  Stay tuned for another fun giveaway tomorrow!

In other news...Yesterday I lined up at a starting line with other runners for the first time since June!  Miss R and I ran the Lung Run 5K and had the BEST time!  I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty darn nervous about how my legs would hold up since they've been a bit touch and go these days as I've been returning to running.  But I'm happy to report they felt GREAT!  The race was at a beautiful location--right in the heart of the city, just off the lake.  Miss R and I hung out in the cool sunshine killing time before the race...

^I may or may not have had those CEP sleeves on nonstop for about 36 hours before the race...

Hey, I'll take all the help I can get!!

The race was pretty small in terms of participants, but it definitely didn't have a "small race" feel! (In a good way.)  Since it was for lung cancer research, there were a ton of great sponsors (read: a ton of great swag).  Mario Tricocci beauty school was even giving free polish changes!  Truth be told, the polish was put on quickly and was kind of sloppy, but who can say no to painted nails while waiting for a race to start?  Not me!

After hanging out by the lake for a bit, it was finally time to line up with the other runners, and before we knew it we were off!  Miss R and I ran 3/1 intervals and ROCKED some negative splits on this race!  We managed to shave over a minute off of our average pace between miles 1 and 3!  Mostly, we just had a wonderful time.  When we passed the 3 mile mark, we both kicked it up a notch and ran our own races to the finish.  My plan for this race was to do my best and use it as a gauge to see where I'm at in terms of speed and fitness after my spotty past 2 months of running and injury.  I had no time goal in mind, but was ELATED to see that my final time was only 1 minute slower than the PR I set in May!  After the summer of injury I had, I couldn't believe it!  I finished at 32:35 and Miss R finished just 1 minute behind me.  She rocked this race!  

After the race we ran around scooping up all of the food we could carry, including cupcakes from a local cupcake shop!  YUM!  Everything was delicious except the muscle milk, which was probably one of the grosser things I've ever tasted...Seriously, do people really drink this stuff?? 

I then proceeded to collapse in the grass and refuse to get up for about 15 minutes...

 

 Between the great location, wonderful running buddy, awesome eats, and perfect race weather, I loved everything about this 5K.  What I loved MOST though was the overwhelming feeling I had all day yesterday after finishing--I am a runner again.  I can do this.  I know there is more to running than racing, but this race reminded me that my body really is healing and I really am making a comeback.  Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything silly in terms of upping mileages, but I DO feel more confident than I have in a long time.  I also feel like I have it in me to set a new PR this fall.  I'm running a local 5K next Sunday and hope that it's in the cards for me then!

Also...I have a new Big Race on the horizon!  My perpetual running inspiration, Michelle, and I are registering today for the Kentucky Derby Half Marathon!

Michelle makes running a marathon sound as easy as drinking a cup of coffee in the morning.  She's the one that got me to do my very first race, the Muddy Buddy 2008!

Even after we raced the Muddy Buddy, for years I looked at her race medals and pictures and never in my wildest dreams thought we'd run a distance race together.  When I finished the Disney Princess Half Marathon in February, Michelle texted me immediately after asking when we were going to race together.  We talked about a couple of ideas, but nothing serious.  A few weeks ago, though, we decided that a race together needs to happen!  We thought the KY Derby half sounded pretty perfect.  I can't wait for the race and to run with such a special friend!  Michelle has since moved out of state, and I haven't seen her for over a year.

Don't worry, I am fully planning on using the next SEVEN months to gradually build up a mileage base and increase my mileage ridiculously slowly.  I have definitely learned from my Stupid Runner training woes!  I also made a pact with myself NOT to put cross training, strength training, and yoga on the back burner.  I know now that they are important part of my staying injury-free.

Who first inspired you to start running?

Finally Racing!! (+ giveaway last chance!)

Last chance to enter my Chocolate #9 giveaway!!  There will be THREE winners, so you have great odds!  It ends tomorrow at midnight, so what are you waiting for??  This stuff is delish.

I'm running my first race in months tomorrow morning--eek!  I am filled with equal parts fear and excitement.  Fear: my legs will cramp up, my legs will cramp up, my legs will cramp up... You get the idea.
Excitement: OMG IT'S BEEN TOO LONG SINCE I'VE RACED!!!!!

Wonderful college and teacher friend Miss R and I are running a 5K in the city this weekend.  I'm so excited to race with her!  Miss R's first race ever was the Girls on the Run 5K this summer.  Her wonderful running buddy, a fifth grade girl, was more of a WALK-runner, emphasis on the walking, so that was a pretty leisurely race.  (Note: There is NOTHING wrong with walking, especially at Girls on the Run!!! Just sayin' is all.)  I know Miss R is going to love the race atmosphere and the endorphines that come along with it though!  Although I am bummed that there are no tiaras involved in this race...

Miss R lives in the city so I'm crashing at her place tonight...I just shoved a whole bunch of random running clothes into a duffle bag, crossing my fingers that I have SOMETHING appropriate for the unpredictable fall weather!  I am pretty sure I have at least 3 complete running outfits for different temperatures, but I'm pretty sure I forgot essentials like toothpaste and a hair brush...don't worry, I DO have my grid foam roller (obv), 4 pairs of compression sleeves, and 4 headbands.  You know, the important things. ;)

Here's hoping my legs loosen up a little and the sun decides to show its face!  It's just a 5K and I'm excited to run with a great friend, so no matter how my legs feel and how slow my time is,  it will be a good race. :)  

What are your weekend plans?  Are you racing this weekend?  

Easy Writing Workshop Mini-Lessons!

Have you entered my giveaway for Chocolate #9 energy gel?  Go! Go! Go!


It's been awhile since I professed my love for Writing Workshop, so I think it's about time for a post!  I'll admit that Writing Workshop isn't going as smoothly in my class this year as last year, but I know every group of kiddos is different so I am trying to find a balance between patiently reteaching and in some cases adjusting my expectations.  This year I have a squirrely group, but I also have the IEP inclusion cluster--in other words, several of my kiddos either cannot focus long enough for 20 minutes of independent writing or just plain don't have the skills to write for 20 minutes without 1 on 1 assistance!  All of that aside, we have been making progress and working hard the past few weeks to lay that foundation that is critical for Writing Workshop.  I've been doing "ideas" lessons like crazy to get my kiddos writing about things they're interested in. Here are two that I especially love...

Quick Writes
This mini-lesson is perfect for when you're pressed for time and only have a few minutes to spend on the lesson portion of the writing block.  I start by setting the expectations for Quick Writes: Everybody writing as a group, 1-2 minutes, write the whole time without stopping.  I tell the kids that no matter what, we keep our pencils moving on our papers--the ideas will come if we keep going!  Then I give a few different prompts 1 at a time.  In the past, I've shown one and then immediately had the kids write about it, then shown another and followed with another quick write, etc.  At the end, I'd tell the kids to choose one of their quick writes to continue working on.  Last week I showed the prompts one at a time (slowly, pausing in between) and then told the kids to pick one to write about during our quick write.  <--I think this was a better fit for my current group of kids, as they would have been overwhelmed by several quick writes in a row whereas last year's group did great with it.

During the quick write, I ALWAYS write too.  I'll talk with the kids after about my own quick write experience, and ask them to reflect.  I'll ask, "How did it feel to write without stopping?  Did anyone get stuck?  Did anyone have ideas come to them when they just kept writing?" etc.  After the mini-lesson portion is over, I'll send the kids to their spots for the "writing time," and tell them to continue their quick write or work on another piece.  I use quick writes periodically throughout the year.  Sometimes I'll pause during a mentor text read aloud and do a quick write asking the kids to finish the story with what they think will happen.  Other times I'll give more free-thinking questions similar to those shown above.  I love how versatile this mini-lesson is!

Mentor Text: Thank You, Mr. Falker

If you haven't read Patricia Polacco's Thank You, Mr. Falker yet, drop everything and get yourself to your nearest bookstore.  You may need kleenex.  This is seriously one of my all-time favorite books, and it makes a perfect writing workshop mentor text for early in the year. 

In this beautiful book, main character Tricia (based on the author's own experiences!) struggles her entire childhood with reading and math.  Every year in school she watches the other kids advance in their readers and yet she still cannot make sense of the letters and numbers on the page.  Tricia is terribly bullied and just plain miserable.  I get choked up every time I read it aloud.

Don't worry, the story has a happy ending, but as part of a mini-lesson, I pause on a particularly intense page that shows Tricia crying with the cruel words of bullies hanging in the air around her.  I get really serious and talk with the kids about how they think Tricia feels and how this page makes them feel.  Then I tell them about how when I was young math was really hard for me.  I tell them that sometimes I even thought I was dumb or that I could never learn math.  Then I talk about how we all have had times where we felt like Tricia.  Maybe we struggled in school and were embarrassed.  Maybe we weren't good at something in sports and were teased.  Maybe we didn't fit in because of our clothes.  I ask them to write about a time they felt like Tricia.  Some of the stories they tell are beautiful.

Do you have any favorite Writing Workshop Mini-Lessons?

Missed some of my other Writing Workshop Mini-Lesson posts?

The Power of 3

Here Lies Said

I Wanna...(Persuasive Letter)

Simile Poems

Fairy Tale Quick Writes

Story Surgery

Desert Voices

Looping Stories

Rotten Siblings

Summer Memories

Chocolate #9 Review and Giveaway

 I'm so excited to have the opportunity to try and review Chocolate #9 energy gel!  If you're a regular reader of my blog, you probably know about my affinity for Chocolate Outrage Gu.  I have a sensitive stomach and use energy gels as fuel before morning workouts to avoid food tossing around in my tummy, as well as to refuel during long runs and bike rides.  However, being something of a health nut, I've never been a big fan of the lengthy ingredient list on most gels... Chocolate #9 has only TWO ingredients: Agave Nectar and Dark Cocoa. How cool is that?

From the Chocolate #9 website:
Chocolate #9 is a new kind of energy gel.

Chocolate #9 is different because it:

• is sweetened only with organic agave.
• contains no refined sugar or other HIGH glycemic index sweeteners.
• has been – tested and certified – as a “LOW” glycemic index (GI) item.
• Chocolate #9 LOW GI gel reduces the negative effect of repetitive insulin “spiking” during sustained exercise.
• won’t cause a sugar high or a sugar low – bonk.
• is an excellent energy choice for endurance athletes.
• is suitable for most diabetics – and used by Team Type 1.
• is an excellent choice for those not wanting to eat refined sugar.
• is vegan, low fat and gluten free.
• contains no synthetics – no unpleasant aftertastes – tastes great.
• contains no “mystery” ingredients, colorings, or preservatives.
• is easy on the stomach.
• best of all — Chocolate #9 tastes great.

I knew this was something I needed to check out for myself!  I tried the gel for the first time last weekend halfway through a bike ride when I stopped back home to refill my water bottle.  

 

Before: Hmmm...am I going to like this gel??

 During: Interesting...

Hmmm...

The Verdict: YUM!

Since then I have tried Chocolate #9 as pre-run fuel a handful of other times.  I think I like the texture more than Gu--it's a little thinner, more like honey, but less syrupy than Cliff Shots which I'm no longer a big fan of.  The dark chocolatey taste is great!  Love me some dark chocolate... I can't tell yet if it is easier on the tummy like Chocolate #9 advertises.  My stomach has been a little uneasy the past week (what else is new...), so I haven't noticed anything different about the gel, but that's not really Chocolate #9's fault.  Since I'm not running long distances anymore, I haven't had the chance to try this gel out as a mid-run fuel, but I did feel great during the last chunk of my bike ride (although that might be due to taking a break!).  In any case, I am a fan of the taste and texture, love the clean ingredient list, and am looking forward to experimenting more with Chocolate #9 in the future!

Now, here's the fun part--Chocolate #9 has generously given me the opportunity to share this gel with YOU!  Three readers will each receive a 3-pack of Chocolate #9 energy gels, just in time for fall race season!

How to enter (leave a comment for each one completed):

+1: Become a follower of Juice Boxes & Crayolas, or let me know that you already are one! (Mandatory)

+1: Like Chocolate #9 on facebook and tell them that Juice Boxes and Crayolas sent you!

+1: Tell me about your current running fuel or why you'd like to try Chocolate #9!

+1 each: Post this giveaway on your blog, twitter, or facebook and let me know that you did! 

This giveaway will end at midnight on Sunday, September 18th.  Good luck!

DISCLAIMER: Chocolate #9 was kind enough to send me their product to try myself and to share with my readers.  I received no additional compensation for this review, and all thoughts expressed reflect my own opinions.

Amazing Opportunity to Help a Good Cause!

Do you love headbands as much as I do?  Stop by my awesome friend Lauren's site!  She is currently training for the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas half marathon with Team Challenge and raising money for the Crohns & Colitis Foundation of America.  If you donate $10 to her fundraising efforts, she will send you an Active Bands headband and a "Running Takes Guts" CCFA wrist band!  HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!?!?  Visit her fundraising page here.

Come on.  You know you wanna help out this fantastic girl, help fight Crohns & Colitis, and get a snazzy new headband.  I mean, that's a win-win-win situation. ;)

Weekend Update Plus a Bondi Band WINNER!

Thank you to those of you who entered my Bondi Band giveaway!  I enjoyed reading about all of your struggles with controlling your hair while running!  I guess I am not alone in this battle!! :)  The winner of the bondi band is...

#6 ShanMall!  Email me at juiceboxesandcrayolas AT gmail DOT com to claim your prize!!

Yesterday afternoon (after a 3.25 mile run!) I jumped in my car and got on the road to visit Best Friend at grad school.  We had so much fun!  Saturday afternoon we enjoyed the GORGEOUS weather walking around the city, drinking iced coffee, shopping in boutiques and vintage resale shops, and just relaxing on a bench on a hill overlooking the city and catching up on life.  

 That evening we stuffed ourselves on (veggie) burgers and fries at a pub while sipping microbrews...

And ended the night on a patio with these pretty drinks...

Lovely.  I was sad to leave today, but Best Friend was kind enough to put me in the car with a red velvet cupcake and fork!  She's pretty great, huh?  You better believe this thing was devoured on the way home, despite the fact that I was still stuffed from breakfast.  

Now that I'm home, I'm procrastinating starting in on what's left of my schoolwork for the weekend...my couch and book are calling my name... ;)

What was beautiful about your weekend?

Did you enter my Bondi Band giveaway yet???  It ends tomorrow at midnight--What are you waiting for?!?


Phew!  Guys, it's been another long week!  But a much better one.  Last week I was kind of a wreck...  This week I was slightly less of a wreck!  Don't get me wrong, things are still crazy, and it's not just me that's been a disaster.  I think at least one of my coworkers has been crying everyday this week!  Thankfully, I have been in a much better place, and yes, I've had a much better attitude.

Here's the thing--pretty much everything is way different at my school this year than last year, which is a GOOD thing.  I've talked before about how I teach at a low-income school and about all of the challenges that come with that.  Our district is otherwise relatively high-performing, so our test scores are always at the BOTTOM of the rankings.  We have new administration this year and they are determined to turn things around.  I'll be the first to tell you that these changes are much needed and I am 100% on board, but it's a LOT to keep up with!

This week featured highlights including a couple 12+ hour days at school, a late curriculum night yesterday, and a fender bender Thursday morning on my way to school for back to back meetings...don't worry, I'm totally fine and miraculously my car is too.  I rear-ended another car--totally my fault.  Hello ticket, insurance deductible, and likely raised insurance rates!  Oh well, it happens!  Thankfully everyone is safe.  (How my Prius stood up to another car and came out unscathed, I will never understand...)  After all of that, I am so relieved that it's Friday!  (Cut to me singing Rebecca Black with my students this morning, "It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday!" <--Come on, one of the best parts of teaching is getting to act like a kiddo myself sometimes!!)  I'm so excited that tomorrow I am visiting Best Friend!  She recently moved from Big City to slightly further away Less Big City for grad school.

Did you guys know I was BLONDE until college??  I am NEVER going back!

Because I'd prefer not to be stressing over school while catching up with Best Friend, I decided to get my lesson plans done tonight....but I won't lie to you, I did enjoy my favorite beer while working!

 Don't worry, I'm a responsible teacher and stuck to just one... I didn't want to end up like Glee's beloved Mr. Schu!

Anyways, I'm off to watch some high quality TLC Friday night programming. :) Gosh, when did I get so cool???  Tomorrow it's up early to run, do errands, and jump in the car to start my adventure!  Can't wait!  Before I go, though, I will leave you with this adorable gem one of my struggling readers wrote for me the first week of school...

Sorry for the pathetic blackberry photo...The first day at school I met my teacher there's a lot of things about Miss Teacher she sweet, caring, kind, cool, best teacher ever in in school, she let us eat snack, love student, and let us have recess.  How do you get to school.

^My personal favorite part is her asking me how to get to school...love. kids.

Happy Friday!  What are your plans this weekend?

Back to School Virtual 5K Recap

Have you entered my Bondi Band giveaway yet?  NO???  Well, what are you waiting for?!?


I'm excited to report that this morning I ran Kayla's Back to School Virtual 5K!  Guys, I have been CRAVING a race lately.  While this "race" didn't quite fulfill my race longing, it was a lot of fun!  When I woke up today, I was SO HAPPY to find that our weird heat wave had been replaced with a glorious 60 degree morning.  Is fall finally on its way????   Check out the cute race bib Kayla made for us!  It's been too long since I had one of these babies pinned on my tummy!

Before I headed out the door, I had this yummy Chocolate #9 gel.  Look for a full product review and giveaway sometime next weekend!

 The weather today was gorgeous.  I felt great for the first mile and a half!  My legs felt loose, the breeze was awesome, and I was elated to find that some fall leaves have started showing up on the trails.  To me, there is nothing more satisfying than the sound and smell of crunching leaves under your feet when you're running.  Unfortunately, I started slowing down half-way through my "race."  My legs have certainly loosed up in the past few weeks, but my cardio isn't where it was before I took my little running injury vacation.  Oh well, I'm getting there!  I'll admit that I "cheated" a tiny bit on my time when I paused my garmin while I stopped to sit under a tree for a minute to catch my breath take in the beautiful wild flower scenery...oops!  But it was worth it.

My final time was 34:14--pretty darn slow, although it didn't feel slow when I was running!  Even though I've stayed active in the past month and a half since quitting my distance running/race training, I'm having to remind myself that it's OKAY and NORMAL that I've slowed down a bit.  I will get back where I was, slowly but surely. :) All in all, it was a fun run!  Afterwards my legs were tired!  I spent some time laying with them up a wall like this...

and took a little nap here:

(Confession: I slept on the couch last night...my bed was just TOO FAR AWAY.)  

Then, I started looking for upcoming 5K races to fill my fall calendar with!  I registered for a 5K for the weekend after next and am hoping to beat today's time.  I think I can do it. :)  Wanna know a secret?  My dream fall goal is a sub-30 minute 5K...idk if that's possible for me yet since I'm still recovering, but I'm sure going to try!

What have you been up to this weekend?

Bondi Band Review and GIVEAWAY!

I have a lot of hair.  It's long.  And thick.  And frizzy.   And just plain out of control most of the time!!  When I run, it's the last thing I want to be worrying about.  Thankfully, ever since I discovered bondi band headbands, I don't have to worry!  I love these headbands.  They are soft, comfortable, and tame my unruly hair.  I have straight bangs and bondi bands have saved me from a mess sweaty hair sticking all over my forehead!  They are thick enough that I can put one on and have it hold my bangs back completely.  Amazing!  

Check out my headband!

The headbands are so comfortable.  I wear them for running, biking (love having it against my head where the helmet hits), yoga, you name it.  They are pretty wide, but can be folded to be whatever size you'd like.  Most of the time I push them back a little bit from my hairline, but on sweaty hot days I wear them right down on my forehead.  They are masters of sweat wicking!  They kept the sweat out of my face during my 85 degree, 90% humidity Disney half-marathon!

On cooler days, I pull the headbands down to cover my ears.  They're perfect when it's windy and chilly out, but not cold enough for a real ear warmer or hat.  My FAVORITE part about bondi bands, though, is the fun prints and sayings you can choose!  There are SO MANY awesome ones.  This is my newest bondi band, which I feel is appropriate for my return to running post-injury!

Have I convinced you yet?  

Here's the fun part--you could win this awesome bondi band!

I don't know about you, but the prospect of chocolate definitely gets me moving!  Here's how to enter...(leave a separate comment for each)

Mandatory:

• Become a follower of my blog and leave a comment to let me know! (or to let me know that you already are one!)  (+1 entry)
• *Like* bondi band on facebook here and let them know that Miss Teacher at juiceboxesandcrayolas sent you!  (+1 entry)

Additional Entries:

• Visit the bondi band website and tell me which headband is your favorite! (+1 entry)
• Tell me how you keep your hair under control while you exercise or why you need this bondi band!  (+1 entry)
• Post about this giveaway on your blog, twitter, or facebook! (+1 entry EACH)

That's a total of up to 7 changes to win!  This giveaway ends Saturday, September 10th at midnight.  I will use random number generator to select a winner the following morning!

Disclaimer: Bondi Band was kind enough to send me a headband to review and one to give away to a reader.  All other headbands pictured were purchased with my own money.  I received no additional compensation for this review, and all thoughts expressed reflect my own opinions.

Bad Attitudes and Good Workouts

It's been awhile!  To tell you the truth, I have been avoiding blogging.  Well, I've half been avoiding blogging and half haven't had the time or energy to blog.  I try to keep a positive, light attitude on the blog, but I haven't been feeling very positive this week.  We are back in school, and are wasting no time digging into intense curriculum.  And I'm more than a little overwhelmed.  I like my class a whole lot--they are really wonderful kids, albeit squirrely and distractable.  When I'm teaching them, I feel good.  But it's that whole other part of teaching--the planning, the data, the standards, the pressure--that's really getting to me.  I've been kind of a hot mess all week and have had a really negative attitude.  I don't really even recognize myself right now!  I know that it is rubbing off on my teammates, and that my stress-induced snippy-ness is probably rubbing people the wrong way.

The truth is, I just haven't been feeling like myself.  

One of my wonderful coworkers sat me down yesterday and had a talk with me about how I need to relax and  simplify and let some things go.  She's noticed I haven't been acting like myself lately, and is concerned that, with so many new teammates and staff in my building this year, I might be giving people the wrong impression about who I am.  Mostly she said she's worried about me.  I really thought about our talk and decided to commit to changing.  I love teaching.  I love it too much to let the "other" stuff get to me.  So I emailed my teammates and apologized for my bad attitude and let them know how much I appreciate them.  Hopefully there are no hard feelings!  I fully plan to bring you a picture-filled, positive, exciting post about the goings-on in my classroom next week!

ANYWAYS, amidst a hectic first full (loooong) week of teaching, I did manage to fit in some good workouts! Monday evening I met my Dad for a bike ride.  Dad and I have been biking together my whole life, and he has always bee way faster than me.  Dad loves long bike rides and has the endurance of a CHAMP, but he isn't into racing or anything.  He rides a hybrid, and I realized Monday that it isn't that DAD is faster than me, it was that his bike was faster than my junky mountain bike.  On my new road bike, I was faster than him!  I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty exciting! :)

Just because I am in love with my bike, here's one more picture...

Anyways, Tuesday evening I convinced my college teacher buddy Miss R to meet me for an evening run!  Miss R is brand new to running (she calls it "jogging"!), and during our run she tested out a pair of my recovery socks.  Needless to say, she loved them too. :)

Thursday we were in the midst of a random heatwave!!!  I put off my run as long as I could, but knew that I needed to head out before it really started getting dark, so I ended up starting my run at 7:30pm in close to 90 degree heat.  Ouch.  It turns out I don't really know what time it gets dark anymore, OR how isolated some parts of my route were, because I really started to get concerned after a couple miles!  Let me tell you: there is nothing like darkness and fear of being kidnapped to get you moving quickly!  I ran my fastest 3 miles since before my injury break.  By no means fast, or even fast for my slow standards, but I'm slowly getting there!

Don't mind my marker-covered fingers!  Hi, I'm a teacher...

What's a sweaty girl to do after a run but lay on a towel on the floor and watch a running documentary?  Earlier this week I watched Hood to Coast--AMAZING!  I cried the whole time.  Thanks again, XLMIC, for the giveaway!  This time, though, it was Running the Sahara.  Also amazing!  I loved it--so inspiring.  Maybe next I'll have to go old school and watch Chariots of Fire or something like that. :)

I've got a couple fun product reviews and giveaways in the works, so stay tuned!!

How do you keep a positive attitude when life gets you down?