Fun, Fun, Fun Giveaway!

Happy Hump Day!
I have another fun giveaway for all of my followers (new and old)!! 
I ran across this company (no pun intended) at the Go St. Louis Expo.  Lift Your Sole is a great company that helps every runner embrace the true runner in themselves!  Jill at Lift Your Sole is devoted to offering her customers "a great shopping experience that includes being easy to reach by email or phone, offering the option to customize your own jewelry or handbag, having fair prices, and a stress-free return policy."

She does all of this while being able to offer beautiful running jewelry for any type of running you might enjoy, plus creative accessories to make you that much more of a "cool" runner!
At the Go St. Louis Expo I picked up an awesome Zebra Print Travel Mug that had 13.1 in hot pink.  This was just up my alley, and is something I use ALL of the time while I sip my coffee on the drive to my training runs.  How cute to have such a fun mug to drink out of, plus to show people that, "Yes, I am a runner!" 

Jill has so graciously offered a FREE Zebra Print Travel Mug with the option of 13.1, 26.2 or Run printed on it in hot pink to one of my followers!  Now you can be as cool as me!!!:)

Also, to EVERYONE Jill is offering 10% off of any purchase for 10 hours.  To get the discount just enter girlsjustwannarun10 at the check out.  How awesome is that!!!  YOU HAVE TO CHECK OUT HER STUFF!!!

To Enter The Giveaway:

1. Become a follower of my blog, or let me know you already are
2. Go to the Lift Your Sole Website and sign up for their newsletter
3. Become a Fan of Lift your Sole on Facebook
4. Link this Giveaway to your blog, facebook page or twitter.

The giveaway will run through Tuesday July 6th.  The winner will be announced on Wednesday.  Good luck and happy entering!!!

Running Breakdown...Week 3 of Marathon Training

So sorry for the MIA business!  Life/Work has been super hectic, along with marathon training!  I can tell you this...marathon training is going GREAT!!!  I am into the 3rd week of training, and here is my breakdown of workouts/runs:

Week 1:
Sunday 3 mile run
Monday 4 mile run
Tuesday off
Wednesday off
Thursday 5 mile run
Friday off
Saturday 6 mile run

Week 2:
Sunday off
Monday SICK :(
Tuesday 4 mile morning run...4 mile speed work in the evening= 8 miles total
Wednesday off
Thursday 5 mile run
Friday off
Saturday Body Combat

Week 3:
Sunday 7 mile run
Monday(today) 4 mile run

I plan on doing a 4 mile speed work tomorrow night, get in a 5 mile run on Thursday morning, and hopefully do some weights Thursday night and then do a long run of 8 miles on Saturday morning.
It has been hot here, but running/my motivation to run, has been great!  I feel strong when I run and am proud when I complete one of my runs, plus I love to track it on my tracker!
I plan on doing a post about my speed work I am doing.  I am going to try to do it once a week on Tuesday nights.  Hope it helps!

Hope everyone is having a great running summer!  I will be back with some more info on my training, plus how I am fueling different this time around.  Stay tuned!
Happy Running!
Stephanie

And the Winner Is.....

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for the AWESOME necklace that My3Gemz was giving away!  I used Random.org and here are the results:

True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max: 99 
Result: 36

WINNER IS:  JAMIE @ RUNNING DIVA MOM

Congrats Jamie!  Thank you for following me and for entering my contest!  Please send me your address at stephanie_walter0409@hotmail.com and I will make sure My3Gemz gets in contact with you so you can place your order.

A running recap from the past few days will be coming soon!!!:)

Freakin Fantastic Friday!!!

So, Friday is finally here!  This week has been a little hectic/off schedule for me.  My daycare was closed on Monday and Tuesday so my sister came over to watch my little man.  Then Wednesday I was off, because little man had surgery (ear tubes and tear duct probing)  He was a champ and is doing great!
So, yesterday was a blur, and now...here we are...Friday!
I have been doing great with my training this week!
I did a 3 miler Sunday, a 4 miler on Monday and then Thursday morning got up at 4am and ran a 5 miler while I finished watching Mama Mia!  I tell ya, the first 2-2.5 miles on a treadmill sucks! but then once you get past that, it's not too bad. 
Tomorrow morning I am meeting my Chi-town girls (there are 3 of us running the Chicago Marathon in October) for a 6 miler at Forest Park.  We are going to try to meet up early, early and to try to beat the heat!  I have to be home by 7:30am too, because my hubbie has a tee time at 7:58am with my Dad. 
I hope to then be able to make Body Combat at Gold's at 9am. 
That afternoon we are heading to my parents for a fish fry to celebrate Father's Day.
Sunday we are meeting my husband's family for breakfast, and then he has a softball game at 11.
Hoping to then relax and enjoy some family time Sunday afternoon.

I want to say HI-YA to all of my new followers! 

I am soooo glad you joined!

Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway..... (HERE)

It ends Monday June 21st!

Happy Running,
Stephanie

Marathon Training Kick-Off Giveaway

I have decided to do a giveaway to kick-off my first week of marathon training. 

I ran across a wonderful jeweler on Etsy.com called My3Gemz.  You have to check her website out HERE. She handstamps wonderful jewelry using sterling silver, 14kg and genuine gemstones.  They have such beautiful pieces.  You have to check them out!!!!

My3Gemz has so generously given me an awesome necklace to giveaway to one of my loyal readers! 

This beautiful necklace can be customized with any distance (13.1 etc) to fit whichever race you would like!  Every necklace is handstamped with a swarovski crystal attached to add a little bling!  As My3Gemz states, "Perfect reward for all of that hard work!"  I think this would be just perfect for my first marathon coming up...What do ya think!?!?

This necklace retails for only $35 in My3Gemz store, but here on my blog on lucky person will win it for FREE!

Please leave seperate entries for each one:

1. Become a follower of my blog, or let me know you already are

2. Visit My3Gemz HERE, shop around and tell me what other items you would like

3. Visit My3Gemz HERE and "favorite" their site

4. Visit My3Gemz on Facebook HERE and become a fan

5. Post this giveaway on your blog, facebook page or twitter about it (You will get 1 entry per comment)

Enter now through Monday June 21st.  I will announce a winner on Tuesday.

Mama Mia...Here I go again...

Yep, here I go again....TRAINING HAS BEGUN!
I actually started somewhat yesterday.  I wanted to go to a 9am Body Flow class, and decided to get to the gym early to try to get in 4 miles.  I only had time for 3, but they were 3 pretty darn good miles!!
Then I went to Body Flow...which is AMAZING!  If you've never tried it, or sometime like yoga or tai chi, you don't know what you are missing.  It is just such a great thing to do after a run.  I wish I could incorporate it more throughout my week, on top of everything else.  It is such a good stretching class, plus you work on balance, and the ab track is sooo hard, but good!  So, after 60 minutes of that, and then the last track you lay there all stretched out and just let you body relax...it is sooo cool!  You can even feel your mouth relax.  It was a great workout/relax day!
This morning I DID IT...I got my butt out of bed at 4:15am and jumped on the treadmill.  Well, not really, because when I got down to the basement to run, I realized I forgot a sweat towel AND forgot to put my hair in a ponytail.   What the heck!?!?   So, I had to run back up and grab a running hat, and my sweat towel.  Then I decided I would watch Mama Mia...I have owned this DVD for a few years, and have NEVER watched it.  Not that I haven't wanted to, but since I have had my son, I don't normally watch movies unless my husband is watching with me, and Mama Mia isn't his first choice. 
So, I popped it in the DVD player and started off on my 4 mile run.  It was a little tough in the beginning, but the music from Mama Mia was awesome to keep me pumped (might be a few new downloads on my I-Pod from there coming real soon!)  Around mile 3, my toes on my right foot started burning!!!  For the last two days I have been trying some new shoe liners, I received in a giveaway.  I can tell you right now, if the toe burning keeps up, I will be yanking those suckers out of my shoes, real quick!
But, I finished my 4 miles and finished with a nice cool down walk.  I wanted to keep walking, because I was really into the movie, but I had to get off and back upstairs to get ready for work.
So far, marathon training is a success!!!  (Ask me that in a few weeks...)  I am going to try to get in a 5 miler (possibly tomorrow or Thurs), and then I am meeting the girls Saturday morning for a 6 miler.
CHI-TOWN....HERE I COME!!!  :)

2010 Chicago Marathon Training Plan

Hi All,
A few of you have asked what type of training plan I will be following for my marathon training this summer.  I think we are going to be using the Nike Running Plan, but will only be doing 3 runs/week.  Four runs a week is just too much for me to fit in and stresses me out.  I want to do a plan that will work for me and I will stick with.  I know that I am going to have to make sure I get in the 3 runs, plus like I mentioned we will hopefully be including some speed work into the training.  It sounds like this can really help!
I hope to continue to do some cross-training, to include Body Combat, weights and/or the 30 Day Shred, but I am really going to focus on the running.  I tried to do too much during 1/2 marathon training, and this sometimes caused me to skip my running days because I was too tired or felt guilty for being gone another evening.
I will see how this training plan works.  I am going to be printing out my own calendar for each month and writing in each of my runs/workouts to help keep myself accountable.  I also want to really watch my calorie intake during this training...running makes me sooo hungry, but I know that just because I ran that day, I can't just eat whatever I want, and as much as I want.  I need to really watch this, so hopefully this time around I can lose some weight, and keep it off.
So, for now that is my plan.  This week it calls for 2-4mi runs, 1-5mi run and a 6 mile run.  I will only be doing 1-3 to 4 mile run, 1-5 mile run and the 6 mile run next Saturday. 

Happy running this weekend!
Stephanie

Marathon Training Begins in 4 days...AAAHHHHHH!

I know I have been MIA in the last week or so.  Nothing much going on in the running world for me right now...I was planning on doing a 5K last weekend, but other plans came up, and because I hadn't already signed up, I decided not to do it.

I have been doing a lot of Body Combat at the gym and plan to do some Body Flow this weekend, before the BIG day gets here.  Next Monday June 14th officially starts...dum, ta, dum...MARATHON TRAINING!! 
I am both excited, scared and kind-a-sorta not motivated to start running all of those crazy miles again, but I think once I start, I will get the running bug again!...hopefully!
I plan to run a 3 miler and a 5 miler next week to prepare myself for our first long run of 6 miles on Saturday June 19th. 
We are also talking about incorporating some "speed" work into the training...not really sure how you do it, or what all the 800x2, 1400x4 means (or something like that), but I guess I will learn...I do know it incorporates a track! (I will feel like I am back in high school!:)
One of the running groups with Fleet Feet in St. Louis holds free speed work training every Tuesday with advice from a running coach.  How cool!  It would be a little bit of a drive, but I know that is the only way I will be able to get in the "speed" work...because, like I mentioned, I really don't know what the heck it is...except, probably RUN FASTER!!!


So, that is an update on me...I have switched from using Weight Watchers Online to more of a calorie based food regime.  I got an I-Phone last week, which I freakin LOVE!!!  and I am able to get My Fitness Pal on their, so I have been using that site to help track my calories/workouts.  I LOVE IT!!!  It is soooo handy to have a calculator with you at all times.  Haven't lost anything yet, but hopefully once I up my miles, and still watch my eating, I will start noticing some weight loss.
Hope everyone is having a great summer so far!
I hope to have more posts once training begins...I will need everyones encouraging words as I get into the higher mileage (especially with the temps getting up there...90+ degress...AWWWW!)