2012 Nuun HTC Application ...

Unless you have been living under a rock, you probably know that Nuun is sponsoring THREE all-female, all-blogger teams to run the Mother of All Relays, Hood to Coast.

It's an amazing opportunity. One that I was fortunate enough to be a part of last year. And one that I would probably sacrifice a limb for to be selected again. (I'm kidding. I swear. Kind of. I mean, I REALLY want to run HTC and represent Nuun again. And I could always get a prosthetic.)

Last year, I wrote an essay, perhaps the most uncreative of the creative applications I could have chosen. And then, I only shared it with the selection committee.

But not this year.

This year, I stepped up my game.

This year, I made a VIDEO ESSAY. Kind of like a written essay, except you don't have to read it and you get to see my epically cute and Nuun-obsessed children.

And, because I am fully prepared to embarrass myself, I am going to share it with all of you. (Note: I only had a cell phone camera and my editing skills leave something to be desired.)

So without further adieu, here is my 2012 Nuun/HTC minimally Creative Application ...



Obviously, I should have been a videographer. But, I leave that to the professionals like Rodrigo and Becker.

So, are you applying too? The deadline is TODAY!

And if Hood to Coast isn't your thing, but you still want to represent Team Nuun, then check out this opportunity to race a Columbia Muddy Buddy event near you. Nuun will provide teams of two with race entry, Nuun shirts and Nuun hydration kits.

I'd apply, but Muddy Buddy and I are bitter enemies after that whole shoulder separation incident last year.

For full details on how to enter, CLICK HERE.

Good Luck!

Bloody Buddy, Not Muddy Buddy ...

Yesterday morning, G and I were all geared up for Muddy Buddy. We had a bike. We had throw away outfits, which we looked wicked cute in. And we were ready for mud.
At 8 a.m. we entered the corrals and looked around. Our competition (we started with just our age group), didn't really look like competition. We kind of thought a top 5 finish was in the bag. At 8:25ish, G headed out on the bike. Two minutes later, I followed her on foot. I ran strong and passed pretty much everyone else in our wave. Then, I hit the first obstacle - an 8 foot wall. I immediately thought, "I am never going to do this race again."

I climbed and jumped over the wall. Then, I spotted the bike that G had left for me when she started the second leg on foot. I walked to the mounting area and jumped on. I started pedaling on the downhill. But, I was going too fast. I tried to slow down. And then, before I knew it, the bike flipped. I tucked my head and landed directly on my right shoulder. Then I slid.

My first thoughts - Can I keep going? Are my legs OK? Can I train through this?

I got up and tried to get back on the bike. I couldn't move my arm. People passed and tried to help. I told them to keep racing. I walked back up the hill to the medic and couldn't help but think of G. She was going to freak when she didn't see me. Then I looked at my shoulder. I knew it was bad.

The medics decided to transport me to the hospital. I only saw G as they closed the doors to the ambulance. 30 minutes later she met me at the hospital.

She took some pictures of the damage. I didn't want to look.

The doctors gave me a shot of pain medicine and told me they would be back to take me to x-ray. That's when J arrived. G left at that point and took my girls with her. Shortly after they left, I went for the x-ray. SEPARATED AC JOINT. 4-8 weeks in a sling. 4-8 weeks without my right hand/arm. 4-8 weeks no running.

Ouch. That stung. I was ready to leave. They said I my wounds needed to be cleaned.

No biggie, right? Wrong. Pretty much the worst pain of my life. And I have gone through natural childbirth. I cried.

And cried.

It was rough. But with the torture session and three shots (two pain medicine, one tetanus) over, we left with my newest accessory.

Now, I can't do much. Showering and getting dressed took me over a half hour. I couldn't tie my own shoes. It's beyond frustrating. But, I'll survive and I should be thankful it wasn't worse (my helmet cracked). Plus, now my bike trainer and the 12% incline on my treadmill are going to get a lot of use ...

Oh, and Dizzle rocked her 5K on Saturday. Recap tomorrow.

3TT: things that are sweet edition ...

1. Sugar - Since admitting my EPIC FAIL on Sugar Ban 2011, I have made a complete 180. I've avoided all of the remaining Easter candy and haven't even glimpsed at my "secret" stash. And I'm a tenth of the way through this thing, so, go me!

And really, who cares that J brought home a bunch of candy bars last night and said, "I got these for you, but then I read your blog post."? Yeah, not me. I don't care at all. Those Reece's Peanut Butter Cups aren't yelling my name from the freezer or anything like that. (Honestly, though, I'm not about to fail at this twice. Sugar Detox here I come.)

2. My New Training Plan - I'm in the middle of week two of my "unorthodox" training plan. And it's pretty awesome. To be honest, I LOVE IT. The speed work has been fun. The shorter runs are easier to schedule in my day, which allows me to add 3-4 hours a week on Sleeper. But, only having one rest day is kicking my butt. Well, actually, it's beating up the quads. My legs are never quite "fresh", which I guess is kind of the point.

3. Race Weekend - I am running races (not exactly racing) both days this weekend. On Saturday, I'll be joining Dizzle for her FIRST 5K, where we will be wearing these "i run" shirts from Tough Chik (I have one too).

I'm totally pumped for her. However, I got an email on Tuesday that the event won't be "officially timed." But, someone will be able to tell us our finish time when we are done. What?!?! You'll be able to tell me how fast we ran, but you're not going to record it? Why the heck not? Whatever. We will be Garmin timing Dizzle and I will declare her winner of the 5-9 age group, if I have to.

On Sunday, G and I will be racing Muddy Buddy Richmond, thanks to MCM Mama, who gave us an entry she won. We are 100% unprepared. We don't mountain bike. Or trail run. And until Monday, we didn't even know how long the course was. But, it will be fun. And we have a sweet team name - "Beer and Cupcakes."