2013 Christmas in Pictures

I know I’m a couple days late… but I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!! I had a wonderful Christmas! (Despite being sick!)  I think my body is just worn out from going nonstop the past month and a half!!  I’ve been moving, cleaning, shopping for the apartment and for Christmas, and working 60+ hours a week!  Craziness!! After going to both sides of the family 4 days in a row, today I just slept in and relaxed all day and I can already see an improvement in my health!

Anyways… I thought I would show you all some of the fun I had over Christmas and try to get around to some of your blogs tonight since I’m being a lazy bum! ;)

Somehow I ended up on Santa’s naughty list… no idea how that happened

I got some decorations up around our apartment for our first Christmas out on our own!

I baked some Snickerdoodles

We watched “White Christmas” (best Christmas movie ever!!) I watch it every Christmas Eve!!

Santa came! ;)

My twin and I matched on accident on Christmas (with my fur-niece Marlo)

Having some laughs with my twin and mom on Christmas morning while hubs, my brother, and dad played Zombies (and my youngest sister was taking a nap) lol

AND… got in some yoga for the first time in a month!!

How’d you spend your Christmas?

I hope you all enjoy the last few days of the year!!

2013 Christmas Card Swap Groups

**UPDATE** I have just sent out the last email!! Please check your inboxes and let me know if for some reason you didn’t get your group info and I can resend it! :)

 

YAY!!! Finally!! The day you all have been waiting for!! Thank you so much for being so patient with me during our move and me being sick! I apologize for the delay but here are your groups!!! You will be getting an email with your group’s information (address and introductions) at some point tonight!  I used random.org to put you in groups and made sure that if you said “less than 5”, “max 5”, “more than 5/up to 10”, or “no mailing abroad” that I put you in the correct group.  If for some reason you signed up but can’t find your name in a group, LET ME KNOW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!  Also, once you get an email with your group, if there are any problems please let me know as soon as you can and I will switch the groups around!! Thanks for joining in on the fun everyone!!!  Since I am a week late in getting the groups out I’ll be super lenient about the send out date! Please just try to get them out as soon as possible seeing as Christmas is 10 days away! I know it’s impossible to expect you all to have them in tomorrow’s mail! lol! Please comment on this post or send me an email letting me know that you sent your cards! :D

Group Reindeer

Erica from Life as a Running Mom
Suzanne from Cows and Lasers and Everything In Between
Elizabeth from Instagram
Lisa from Chasin’ Bunnies
Jessica from Instagram

Group Snowflake

Darlene from My First 5k and More
Ruby from I'm a Runners Mom
Sandra from Facebook
Julie from ROJ Running
Bobbie from Journey in Running

Group Mistletoe

Kim from Barking Mad About Running
Charlotta from Instagram
Zaneta from Runner’s Luck
Kiley from DVF Fitness
Kristy from Runaway Bridal Planner

Group Cookie

Johanna from The Woolen Runner
Andrea from Age Group Rocks
Whitney from Running With Whit
Danielle from Ooh Breathe, Just Breathe
Brianne from Instagram

Group Joy

Sherri from Instagram
Debe from Facebook
Tiina from One Crazy Penguin
Robin from Twitter
Karen from Facebook

Card Swappers… Please Read!

Ok, I’m a little late due to moving and getting the flu and working 3 jobs… but what can you do?! ;)

I finally have the updated list of people who signed up!  Please read the list below and see if your name is on it! If it’s not, please email me ASAP!!

Also, I need Andrea (Age Group Rocks) and Brianne to check your emails and reply back ASAP!!

I will be putting everyone into groups tonight on my break at work and will be emailing out the groups tonight through tomorrow!!

Thanks again for joining in on the fun!! :)

 

People who are IN LIKE FLYNN!

Zaneta from Runner’s Luck
Whitney from Running With Whit
Julie from ROJ Running
Sandra from Facebook
Charlotta from Instagram
Kim from Barking Mad About Running
Darlene from My First 5k and More
Lisa from Chasin’ Bunnies
Jessica from Instagram
Kristy from Runaway Bridal Planner
Johanna from The Woolen Runner
Tiina from One Crazy Penguin
Kiley from DVF Fitness
Sherri from Instagram
Erica from Life as a Running Mom
Ruby from I'm a Runners Mom
Bobbie from Journey in Running
Suzanne from Cows and Lasers and Everything In Between
Debe from Facebook
Robin from Twitter
Andrea from Age Group Rocks
Karen from Facebook
Brianne from Instagram
Elizabeth from Instagram

Christmas Card Swap Update

Hey guys! I’m writing this from my phone… I haven’t gotten on my computer since about mid-November…

Seeing how this happened…

it’s sucked out all of my time and energy!! (while working 3 jobs!)

SO… I’m a little behind on the Christmas Card Swap Updates!  I’m hoping to have you in groups and email out by Wednesday/Thursday night! Sorry for the delay but life is happening at “Full Speed Ahead” right now!! lol… Thanks for understanding!  I promise you that the Valentine Day Card Swap will be more organized!

Stay tuned for the whole moving story this weekend!!

WW: This Happened

Better, more detailed post coming on Friday!

Why I’ve Been Missing and Card Swap Reminder

Wow…

So I’ve been missing AGAIN from blogworld… but I’m not going to apologize…

I just wanted to check in real quick to let you all know that I’m doing ok…I’ve just been super busy!!

60+ hour work weeks, still working out 2-4 times a week, getting sick (thank you preschoolers), spending a couple hours a week with hubby, oh… and I happened to join 4… FOUR… yoga challenges on Instagram! lol… What was I thinking?!

I’ll share a couple pictures of some of the poses I did for the challenges so far (if you want to see all of them then you can go follow me on instagram here):

I really have grown fond of yoga! :)  I believe it’s a really important role in my overall fitness!!  I want to try to find some classes but I think the closest might be 45 minutes away…

How far have you driven to join a fitness class??

Well… there’s a quick excuse of why I’ve been missing… Keep an eye out for some reviews coming up (that are way past due) ..whoops! Also, a knee update and perhaps a blog giveaway hop!

ALSO… Go sign up for the 2013 Christmas Card Swap!!! Sign ups close December 5th, so signup before you forget about it!! :)

Have you ever taken fitness classes?
Do you practice yoga?
How far have you driven to take a fitness class?
When you’re busy do you try to make blogging a priority?

2013 Christmas Card Swap… 4th Annual!!

I honestly can’t believe it’s that time of year again… time for the 4th annual Christmas Card Swap!!!  Aren’t you all excited?!  Ok… for those of you who have no idea what in the world I’m talking about… 4 years ago, in 2010, I came up with the idea of a card swap.  I absolutely LOVE the Christmas season and thought it would be fun to put something together so that we could have a partay with our friends here in social media land!!  I wasn’t sure how well it would be received, but we had quite a few people sign up!! I guess it was such a great idea that there are even a few people copying the idea on their blogs (almost word for word and exact formatting)… You saw it here first folks! lol ;) This is a fantastically fun way to meet new fitness fanatics of all levels and receive Christmas cards! So how does it work and how do you sign up for the best Christmas Card Swap Evah?? :

Depending on how many people sign up, I will divide you all into groups of 5 or more people.  You will send a Christmas card to all the people in your group, and will be receiving cards from the people in your group.  Let’s say you are put in a group with X,Y,Z…  You will send cards to X, Y, and Z and will receive a card from X, Y, and Z.  Make sense?! Good! :)

Your cards can be store bought or handmade and you can feel free to add a little something to the card like your favorite fitness quote, advice, candy, a little ornament, a sticker, a note of encouragement or a funny note, or you can just send the card… Whatever you want to do is PERFECT!  Just don’t be sending pairs of running shoes, yoga pants, a garmin, or a free entry to Boston (unless you’re sending it to me)  We want to keep this cheap so everyone can join and doesn’t feel bad for just sending a card!   :)

After everyone is put into their groups I will be sending out an email including YOUR group members ONLY with their blog links (so you can get to know them if you don’t already) and addresses so that there’s still a bit of privacy and everyone’s addresses aren’t out there floating around on the internet somewhere!  Safety people!!  :D   The groups will be picked by Random.org so we keep things mixed up!  I will say that if you participated last year, I will try my best to pair you with different people this year so that you meet even more interesting people. :)

I will be adding people to a list at the bottom of this page as they sign up…  So, if you sign up and for some reason, do not see your name on the list after a couple days… just shoot me an email and we’ll get it taken care of!

Let’s get this PARTY STARTED!!!  You are welcome to invite your friends!  All are welcome! :)  Feel free to put the logo on your blog and link it back to this page as an invite to other bloggers! AND YES, international bloggers are welcome to join as well as those without blogs… Instagramers, Facebookers, Dailymilers or Twitterers can join too!!!  ;)

How to sign up:

Send an email to runners.luck@hotmail.com with the subject “2013 Christmas Card Swap” and include the following (copy and paste the below into your email to make it easier):

Name:
Mailing Address:
Email Address:  (This makes it easier for me to contact you if I have a question :)
Blog Title and URL: (or link to your Instagram, twitter, dailymile, or facebook if you dont have a blog)
Introduce yourself in a couple sentences:  (so that others in your group can get to know you.. maybe what you do to stay active, a deep dark secret, or how you started your fitness journey.. whatever you want))
Additional Information:  (if you feel you can only send to 1, 2, or 3 people instead of 5 or let me know if you’re willing to send to more, its totally cool!! OR if you are willing to send a card internationally or not!  Just let me know!)

**Come back to this page and just post a quick comment stating that you’re in so that I can cross reference and double check entrants. That’s it…  
So easy a caveman could do it!   ;)

SIGN UPS WILL CLOSE ON DECEMBER 5TH @ 11:59PM 
(Basically if you sign up before I wake up December 6th , you’re golden!

 

Sign ups OPEN November 15 – December 5
Sign ups Close December 5th @ 11:59 pm
Partners Emailed December 6-8th
Cards need to be sent by December 16th

 

People who are IN LIKE FLYNN!

Zaneta from Runner’s Luck
Whitney from Running With Whit
Julie from ROJ Running
Sandra from Facebook
Charlotta from Instagram
Kim from Barking Mad About Running
Darlene from My First 5k and More
Lisa from Chasin’ Bunnies
Jessica from Instagram
Kristy from Runaway Bridal Planner
Johanna from The Woolen Runner
Tiina from One Crazy Penguin
Kiley from DVF Fitness
Sherri from Instagram
Erica from Life as a Running Mom
Ruby from I'm a Runners Mom
Bobbie from Journey in Running
Suzanne from Cows and Lasers and Everything In Between
Debe from Facebook
Robin from Twitter
Andrea from Age Group Rocks
Karen from Facebook
Brianne from Instagram
Elizabeth from Instagram
Danielle from Ooh Breathe, Just Breathe

OMG… I Ran!!!!

OMG guys!!!! I totally ran!!! ok ok… before you get all excited, I must be honest and tell you that It wasn’t a lot…

Ok… I’ll be totally honest… it probably can’t even constitute as running…

Friday I went out for my usual walk outside and decided that my knee has been feeling great lately! Why not go for a run right?  I just needed it!  You know that itch that you get when you don’t run in forever!?  I has it! ;)

The picture below is why it really doesn’t count as running-running… just sort-of-running:

BUT… guess what?… I’m counting it!! :)  About 2 minutes total… but it’s more than 0!

My knee is feeling well still, but I’m kinda nervous to run more than a 10:1 minute walk/run ratio…

we shall see…

I’m totally excited though! :)  I can’t wait to get back to actually Running-Running… I’ve missed it! :)

 

Has an injury ever held you back from running?
How’d you get back to running?
What’s your best advice to running injury-free?

Wordless Wednesday: The Cranky Train

BTW, thanks for making me feel better about almost chopping off my fingers in my last post! ;)

Were you riding the cranky train today?

How’d you turn your frown upside down today?

Are you a morning or evening workout person?

Whoops, I Did it Again… (and Apple Chip Recipe)

There are just some days when your brain just isn’t working properly and you end up doing stupid stuff… Come on, you all can admit it… I know I’m not the only one!! ;)  Things that just don’t make sense and it makes you think “Gee, what in the world was I thinking?”  The answer to that question is usually “Apparently, you weren’t” (At least that’s how the conversation goes in my head)  lol ;) If I’m being honest, I have to admit that I happen to have quite a bit of those days/moments!

Things like…

- making a special trip into town (20 minutes away) to buy gas and a specific item only to get there and realize you forgot your wallet

- coming home from the grocery store to make that special meal for your better half only to find out that you forgot the main ingredient

- finishing a really good book and getting all excited to start the next book in the series and dig through the pile of books you got from the library finding that you have every other book in the series except that one

Or, how about…

- Almost slicing off your fingers on a mandolin slicer because you’re too stubborn and think it works better without the hand protector/food grip?

Yep… we’ve all been there… and if you tell me you haven’t been, you’re lying!! OR you really are that good at thinking things through and I need you to bottle some of that up and send it to me!! ;) Your turn to be honest!! What stupid stuff have you done or “shoulda thought that one through” moments have you had lately?

So… the reason I sliced my finger was because I was baking apple chips!! These things are so good that I kept going after I got injured! lol.. not to mention they make your whole house smell like apple goodness… perfect for a fall day! :)

So for your benefit and a little snack to curb your sweet cravings… Here’s the recipe:

~ Set the oven to 200*

~ Slice your apple or apples… Using a mandolin slicer is the easiest way to get thin even slices. I’ve cut them with a knife by hand before and it doesn’t work as well.  (Just make sure you use the food grip on the mandolin slicer!)  ;)  I have an OXO good grip slicer and I put it on setting 3. I got about 20 slices per apple.

~ Line a pan with parchment paper and put your apple slices side-by-side on the pan.  Make sure you don’t overlap them or stack them on top of each other because they wont dry out evenly.

~ (Optional) Mix about 1 tsp sugar and 1/8 tsp cinnamon and sprinkle on top of your apple slices before putting the pan in the oven.  You could also skip this step if your apple is of the sweeter variety or only use cinnamon and no sugar for a little healthier version.

~ Bake at 200* for an hour then, using tongs, flip the apples over and bake for another hour.  Make sure to watch that they don’t burn!

~ Take them out of the oven and let them cool. They will crisp up a little more while they cool down.

~ (Optional) Repeat entire process for more apple chips.

~ Chow down and enjoy!!

 

Monday Funday and a Winner

OK… I know I sound like a broken record… but I seriously have NO TIME!!! < That just made me think of the Dish commercial! haha! Please tell me you know what I’m talking about?! Click the picture below if you don’t and it’ll take you to youtube to watch it!

Anyways, I have a few fun things to share with you all! (besides the Dish Hopper commercial!) I’m gonna tell you using the cliff notes version ;) Maybe next week you’ll get some actual blog posts from me that are more than just bullet points and cliff notes!  I have a week break from my aide job and will only be working 15 hours at my other job! :) yippee!!! :)

Fun Thing #1:

I got some new clothes! :)  I had so many coupons and a gift card and only paid about 1/3 of the full price! That’s a deal if you ask me! :)

Fun Thing #2:

I joined another yoga challenge on Instagram! It’s called the #fallinlovewithyoga challenge. I enjoy the challenge since I am not running right now! Today is Day 1 and the theme is “beautiful”… Dancer Pose makes me feel beautiful even after a sweaty workout! :) I’m still trying to figure this whole yoga thing out as I’m relatively new to it… so if you’ve been doing yoga please tell me how to improve my form!! Especially speak up if you know the proper hand placement on my foot! ;)  I guess I could just google it, but asking you is so much more fun! ;)

Fun Thing #3:

Yeah… this is happening! lol… (maybe) I’ve been told that it will still be fun even if I just walk it…What do you think? It’s going to be really hard for me to go to a race and be with all those runners and NOT run!  That’s why it’s a maybe… I won a free entry back in May so I’m already registered… I’ll keep you posted on my final decision!  But it looks fun!  Wish I had someone to go with!  Anyone in Columbus this weekend? ;)

And now the reason I know you are all here anyways… the winner of the Reebok Spartan Race Entry giveaway

Congrats Greg!! Please send me an email and I will get you your free entry code!! :)

Remember, even if you didn’t win, you can still get a race registration discount code! Just click here!

Wednesday Motivation: #itsworthit

If you feel like giving up, don't give in! Push the negativity out of your mind and find your inner strength to keep going because guess what? It's so worth it! This has become one of my personal mantras of sorts as I recover from my knee injury... the finish line is running again... the race (long distance race that is) is getting back into shape so I can cross that finish line! I'm getting stronger and closer to running again because I refuse to give up!

What about you? Are you going to give up or keep going?

Just a Reminder…

AND…

 

ALSO…

AND ALSO…

I promise I have stuff to tell you… I just don’t have time right now!! :)
Have a great week!

Reebok Spartan Race Giveaway & Coupon Code

 

You may remember a similar post I did earlier this summer! ;)  Well that giveaway went so well that Reebok Spartan Race wants to host another giveaway here on Runner’s Luck! How exciting right?! So if you didn't win the first race entry here’s a second chance!!

If you don't know what Reebok Spartan Race is, where have you been?! It’s only all over the internet, on blogs, and now IT’S EVEN ON TV! Well… going to be!! THIS Saturday!

Reebok Spartan Race has recently partnered up with NBC to bring obstacle racing to TV! The Spartan Race World Championships in Vermont this weekend will be televised on NBC Sports – for more information, check out this article.

If you don’t want to wait around for this giveaway to end you can go register now!  I have a coupon code just for you!

Click the picture below to get a promo code for %15 off your race registration:

To enter the giveaway, use the rafflecopter form below and make sure you click the green check mark after you finished the entry!

Good luck and…

AROO!!! 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

* Giveaway Rules:    ~ Giveaway will run from 9/19/13 through 9/27/13
                               ~ A winner will be chosen through Rafflecopter 9/28/13 and will be notified via email by 9/30/13
                               ~ The winner must respond 72 hours after they are notified or winnings will be forfeited 
                               ~ Must be 18 years of age or older to enter
                               ~ The giveaway and promo coupon codes are only good for a 2013-14 race within the continental US
                               ~ The free race entry was provided by Reebok Spartan Race; I was not paid for this post

Stepping Up To The Challenge (and a winner)

I’m the kind of person that always needs a challenge…

Growing up, I found that challenge in competing in sports…specifically with basketball and a couple years of track.

Even in college I competed in basketball and softball to find that challenge… In my very first blog post ever here on Runner’s Luck I mentioned that I ran out of sports eligibility in college and that’s why I started running… I needed another challenge!

Even within just running itself, I needed a challenge! That’s why I went from running 5ks to half marathons and why I ran a marathon… it was challenging to train for and run each new distance… That’s also why I feel like I need to PR at every. single. race! (Don’t worry, I totally know it’s not possible… I’m not that crazy!) And don’t get me wrong… there are TONS of other reasons why I run… mainly because I just down right LOVE it! BUT… the challenge is still a BIG appeal to me!

Then, I got hurt…and still have yet to go to the doctor. That has nothing to do with a challenge and everything to do with being stubborn, and perhaps a little scared… and definitely a tightwad…(more about the knee in a later post)

The point is, I needed another challenge…

I decided to try yoga… you may be thinking “YOGA? How is that challenging?”  Well my friends… the part of me that needs a challenge can’t settle for not being able to do the splits, or not being able to touch my feet to my head when doing king cobra pose, or not being able to do a simple handstand (more on that later too! lol) It all started as just a fun way to stretch to help heal my knee injury, but then I saw a pose that looked challenging and couldn’t stop thinking about it! So what did I do?  I tried it!

Welcome to Eka Pada Koundiyanasana I Pose

Challenge Accepted!

It’s definitely not perfect, but I've totally made some progress!! 

So, while I cannot run (I’m still working out)… I’ve found a challenge to keep me occupied! Because guess what?  There are more challenging arm balances and inversions I’d like to make progress on! While you may be reading all of my yoga posts lately thinking that it’s a total waste of time and that you’d never try yoga or it’s boring… just you wait!!  I have a post coming up that might just convince you to give it a go! :)

Do you always need a challenge in your life?
Do you practice yoga? How often?
If you don’t, why not? Think you ever will?

 

________________________________________________________

Without further ado… the winner of the Run the Race Giveaway is…