Three Things Thursday ...

Music - I'm sure that as a child, I listened to my fair share of children's music. Old MacDonald. Puff the Magic Dragon. On Top of Spaghetti. You know, the classics.

But that's not what I remember. What I do remember, however, is listening to classic rock. I remember singing Creedence Clearwater Revival and Crosby Stills Nash and Young in the backseat of my parents' car. Basically, I remember listening exactly what my parents listened to.

Because of that, I am the same way with my children. Yes, there are a few select Disney songs on our iPods, but for the most part, my kids listen to what we listen to. At ages 6, 4 and 2, they know all the words to Goodnight My Angel by Billy Joel, as well as every last syllable of Ke$ha's Take it Off. That's just how we roll.

So, I was beyond ecstatic when Dizzle came home from school yesterday talking about The Beatles and singing Heroes by David Bowie. So awesome. I'm loving her music teacher right now.

Dizzle's new favorite song:



Gangstas - I'm starting to think that my children are leaning towards living a thug life. First, there was this photo.

I mean, look at Dilly, she looks like a baby mobster. And don't even get me started on the Fedoras.

Then, I realized that both Doodle and Dilly had started referring to Dizzle as "K-Fa." What?!?! That's not even remotely close to her name, but it is kind of bada** and is definitely gangsta.

Compression - You know you're a runner when, you think wearing this is acceptable ...

Aspaeris Pivot Shorts, Tommie Copper Knee Sleeves, RunLove Compression Socks

That much compression should be illegal. Oh, wait. Maybe, I'm the gangsta my kids are learning from ...

Aspaeris Pivot Shorts Winner ...

Remember those sweet Aspaeris Pivot Shorts I was giving away? The ones I love so much that I sleep in them pretty much every night? The ones that give my quads the squeeze that they need?

Well, I've decided to keep them for myself. I really need another pair so that my current ones can be washed more often.

OK, so I'm kidding. I'm pretty sure Aspaeris isn't going to let me keep them (but I will take another pair, if they want to send them. *hint, hint*).

And now for the winner ...

There were 215 entries and thanks to random.org, the winner is

#162 - Jennica @ Miss Jennica

Congrats! Please email me at racingwithbabes (at) yahoo (dot) com with your size, color preference and mailing address to claim your prize.

And if you didn't win, head over to the Aspaeris site HERE and use the code "NOACLHURT" for $10 off a pair of Pivot Shorts.

Three Things Thursday ...

Busch Gardens - Yesterday, I had the crazy idea to take the girls and meet Katye and her family at Busch Gardens. They are visiting for a few days and we didn't have plans, so it worked out quite well. Unfortunately, we only got to spend a short time with them (lunch and a few rides), but we had a blast.

And I only regretted attacking Busch Gardens with a 6, 4 and 2 year old a few thousand times. OK, I'm kidding. Mostly.

Change in Plans - As you may recall, I have been following a modified version of the Hanson Brothers plan from Runner's World. I love this plan, but, and this is a big but, a six day a week schedule leaves little room for flexibility or rest. I started feeling tied to this schedule and I refuse to sacrifice my family life to get my runs in. It just won't happen.

So, I made another slight modification to the plan. I added a rest day by making Tuesdays "double days." Easy run in the morning. Speedwork at night. This means I can still get all my miles in, but I also gain an extra rest day (or the ability to throw in an unscheduled run, if I'd like). Now my plan looks like this ...

Talk about trial and error.

Free Stuff - Have you entered my wicked awesome Running Skirts raffle to raise funds for Grassroot Soccer (My NYC Marathon Charity Team). The winner will take home a COMPLETE OUTFIT from Running Skirts. Shirt. Skirt. Socks. Gear Bag. Winner takes all.

All you need to do is make a donation HERE. For every $5 you donate, you get one entry. All of the details can be found HERE. And as an extra incentive to donate, if you make a contribution TODAY, I will give you five (5) bonus entries to BOTH the raffle and my Aspaeris Pivot Short Giveaway which ends tonight. So what are you waiting for?

Aspaeris Pivot Shorts Review and Giveaway ...

Recently, I was given the opportunity to test out a pair of compression shorts from a new company named Aspaeris.

Aspaeris, a New Haven, CT based company, is developing products with the female athlete in mind.

"Aspaeris was created because women’s sports are evolving at a lightening pace. In just a few generations after Title IX, the Moms who once played competitive sports like lacrosse in the 70’s now watch their daughters play a much different game. Young women athletes push their bodies to their limit. They jump, turn and pivot with ever-increasing determination and drive. An unfortunate result is that these athletes suffer a wide range of injuries.

Our mission is to create technical performance apparel to address the complex needs of female athletes. Our product designs are built using continuous feedback from athletes. We seek to constantly evolve and improve our next generation of products so that they adapt to whatever standard our athletes seek to achieve."

A company that wants to give the consumer exactly what they want and need. Sign me up.

I was sent the first product in Aspaeris's line, the Pivot Shorts (retail for $60) in a size Medium, to test and was eager to try them out. Personally, I am a huge believer in the benefits of compression gear. I wear compression socks and sleeves pretty much daily. However, despite my constant complaining about quad fatigue, I had yet to cave in and buy compression shorts (I have worn them around the store, though).

When the shorts arrived, the first thing I noticed was the size. They were SO TINY. I really didn't think I would be able to put them on. Here's a picture of the Pivot Shorts on top of my very small bike shorts. Note the size difference ...

Somehow, after much tugging, pulling and squatting, I got them on. And jumped on the treadmill for a six mile run.

At first, the compression seemed to be a bit much for my cold muscles, but a few minutes into the run the Pivot Shorts settled into place and my quads felt fantastic. The shorts stayed put (probably because they were basically glued to me) and I had no problems with chaffing. It was awesome.

But like with any compression product, it is hard to assess it's effectiveness until the next day. I knew that if the Pivot Shorts did their job, my legs would feel strong on my long run the next morning, less than 10 hours later.

Do you know how that run went? It was my best run post-surgery. It was one of those days that I could have kept running. Sure, it wasn't entirely due to the Pivot Shorts, but I am confident that they contributed.

And do you know when the Pivot Shorts perform even better? During recovery. I swear that as soon as I put them on post-long run, I felt instant relief. Heaven in a pair of shorts.

How bad do you want to try these? Well, thanks to Aspaeris, one lucky reader will win a pair of Pivot Shorts of their own. Here's how to enter:

REQUIRED: Visit the Aspaeris website HERE. Then comment to let me know one thing you learned.

BONUS ENTRIES:
1. Follow this blog. Leave a comment.
2. Follow Aspaeris on Twitter HERE. Leave a comment.
3. Like Aspaeris on Facebook HERE. Leave a comment.
4. Follow me on Twitter HERE. Leave a comment.
5. Like Racing With Babes on Facebook HERE. Leave a comment.
6. Repost this giveaway on your blog, Facebook or Twitter (be sure to include @tmbrunnerfirst and @AspaerisPivot in the tweet). Leave a comment.

Entries will be accepted until Thursday, August 11th. Winner will be randomly selected and announced on Friday, August 12th.

Note: I was sent this product free of charge to review. However, the opinions expressed here are entirely my own.