Tarma Designs Winner ....

I just want to say thank you to everyone who entered my Tarma Designs Giveaway. There were 163 entries and thanks to Random.org the winner is ....

#118 - Miriam of Filly Runner

Congratulations! Please email me with your contact information and I will send out your necklace right away!

Three Things Thursday ...

So, after my love letter to P90X yesterday, a ton of you asked me if I was seeing any results yet. The answer is yes. But I am going to leave it at that. You'll have to come back in two weeks once Phase One is over to see how big of a change. Anyway, today is Thursday and you know what that means ...

1. On Tuesday, I registered Dizzle for Kindergarten. I'm totally excited but kind of sad at the same time. I think I'm just concerned that she's not going to miss me as much as I will miss her. Or even worse, what if I don't miss her as much as I think I am going to?

And speaking of Dizzle, she hit me with this one yesterday. I was watching the end of her dance class (which I never do) and I saw her doing all the same moves as her classmates, but she was doing them while spinning around. She must have gotten really dizzy, because once the music stopped, she fell to the ground. I couldn't stop laughing. When she came out, I asked her why she was spinning. To which she replied ... "I don't know. My brain told me to."

Really? What could I say to that?

2. I have run over 400 miles this year. And I am well on my way to crushing my 1000 mile goal. But, with that said, I learned in my coaching certification course this past weekend that my mileage base is WAY TOO SMALL for me to be proficient at longer distances (i.e. over 10K). Which leaves me with the following choice, either never run anything over a 10K again or up my weekly mileage. One guess at the answer ...

3. Big things are going on at Racing With Babes.

First, I have over 200 followers! Crazy! If I haven't made my way over to say hi, leave me a comment to let me know you are there.

Second, I am hosting a virtual race on the weekend of May 21-23. It's called the Run Like A Mother Virtual Half Marathon and 10k. You can find out more HERE. When it gets closer, I will post a list of all the participants. But for now, I leave you with the prizes. Three people (the fastest 10K, the fastest Half and one person drawn at random) will each win a tube of Nuun and two Gu.

Lastly, don't forget to check out my Tarma Designs giveaway HERE. You have until Monday, May 3 to enter.

knowledge overload ...

So, this weekend was my long awaited coaching certification course hosted by RRCA. (The lovely MissZippy was also in attendance. Small world, right?) The certification process included taking the two-day course, passing an online exam (which I did last night! 94%!) and holding CPR and First Aid certifications.

It was a jam-packed 16 hours of learning about all aspects of training from energy systems to pace runs. Talk about information overload. I was in heaven. As someone who is constantly striving to be a stronger runner, putting me in this class was like a putting a fat kid in a candy store (and I should know, I was the fat kid.)

It re cemented some things that I already knew and opened my eyes to things that I had never considered. My biggest takeaway is that I am running too fast for my easy and long runs. I've always heard that you must run slower to run faster, but never understood why. Seeing the science behind this theory has inspired me to try it out. Hopefully, it works. (Note: I tried to slow down to my newly prescribed pace on this morning's five miler. And let's just say it's HARD.)

When I got home, I was hit with more awesomeness. J had taken the girls shopping while I was gone and they found a little present for me.

Super cute, right? And I think the best part is that they purchased some for Dizzle and Doodle too.

I'm pretty sure that if it is up to us, skirts and socks are going to take over the running world!

And don't forget to check out my Tarma Designs Giveaway!

Tarma Designs Giveaway

A while back, I contacted the the lovely people at Tarma Designs to see if they would be interested in sponsoring a giveaway. They quickly responded that they would and gave me the choice of any piece from their line.

For those of you who don't know, Tarma Designs manufactures a variety of unique, hand-crafted, earth-friendly and fair trade jewelry that celebrates the spirit of life and a love of the outdoors. Their product line includes a variety of styles including pendants, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, wristbands, and bottle openers to choose from. I love their stuff and would go broke if I purchased everything I wanted from their site. You can check out the full product line HERE. And you should, especially since Mother's Day is coming up and we all know those hubbies could use some help (so send them the link). And you probably have a mom. Or a grandma. Or you know an awesome mom. And she'd probably like a nice gift too.

OK. Back to my point. I was given the choice of a piece to giveaway and after much debate I went with the Cast Lotus Necklace.



I was taken by the description, "Delicate and lightweight, this cast Lotus pendant represents life and new beginnings." It spoke to me as a woman, a mother and a runner. I knew it was the perfect choice.

So, how do you win it? (One entry per comment, please!)

1. Become a follower of this blog and comment to let me know you did (required).

2. Visit Tarma Designs HERE. Then come back and leave me a comment letting me know what other piece you would like to own.

3. Become a Facebook Fan of Tarma Designs HERE and leave me a comment to let me know.

4. Become a Facebook Fan of Racing With Babes HERE and leave me a comment to let me know you did.

5. Repost this giveaway on your blog, Facebook, Twitter. Heck, write about it on the wall of a bathroom stall, just spread the word. And leave me a comment to let me know.

Entries will be accepted until Monday, May 3. Winner will be selected randomly and announced on Tuesday, May 4.