Inperspire Towel Review and Giveaway!

Jimmy over at Inperspire Towels was gracious enough to send me two towels to review. I chose one that says, "I Am Taking the Stairs" and another that says, "Sweat is Sexy". My niece, Gracie, is currently training with me to run her first 5K race on Thanksgiving Day at Keeneland Horse Track in Lexington, Kentucky. We went on a 2 mile run yesterday (picture above) and shared the towel after the run. I told her she had to be honest about what she thought. She thought the towel worked wonderfully! Not only does it absorb all the sweat, but it is very soft and utterly ADORABLE! I absolutely LOVE the cute sayings that are on each towel. She liked the "Sweat is Sexy" one. She thought it was hilarious!

Head over to the Inperspire website HERE, and check out their too CUTE towels. I love having a towel after a run to wipe away the sweat, but this towel is inspiring also. Even when I feel like it's been the worst run, the towel can inspire me. I was inspired when I opened the package! Thanks Jimmy! YOU ROCK!

Now...for the best part. Jimmy is giving me 5 towels to give away. So, there will be 5 winners from this giveaway chosen by a random number at http://www.random.org/. You can only win once! Read below for how to enter the giveaway.

Entries - Post a comment for each!

1. MANDATORY: Like Inperspire on Facebook HERE.

2. MANDATORY: Become a follower of my blog.

3. MANDATORY: Head over to the Inperspire website HERE and tell me which towel you would choose if you were the winner!

4. Post this giveaway on your blog.

5. Post this giveaway on your Facebook page.

This giveaway will end at 11:59 EST on Sunday, October 31, 2010. Good Luck!

AAAHHHHHH! God got me!

Okay...just last week I blogged about how I felt so free running without my Garmin during my taper week before the Louisville Half Marathon.

So, get this! When we returned home on Sunday, I plugged in my charger and put my Garmin on the charger. I took two days off to recover and had a date today to run with my niece, Gracie. She is training to run her first 5K with me on Thanksgiving Day.

So, I come home after school to get changed. I go to put on my Garmin. I turn it on! I turn it on! I turn it on! IT WON'T TURN ON! IT WON'T CHARGE!

IT WON'T DO ANYTHING!!!

God got me for feeling free without it! He thought he'd just take it away!

So, on the lookout for a new one...any suggestions?

Louisville Half Marathon Report!

The trip started on Saturday, around 3:00. Myself, my running buddy Bobbie, my mom, and her mom headed to Louisville so that we could pick up our packets for race day. Being that this race is a 'no frills' race, there was no expo, just packet pickup. We got our packets, purchased a sweatshirt, and got a free water bottle. There was a Hammer Gel in our packets, along with some electrolyte capsules, so at least there was something extra in our bags.


We then went back to the hotel and chilled until our hubbies arrived around 8:30. When they got there, we headed out to dinner to fill ourselves with plenty of carbohydrates. We went to a place called Clifton's Pizza. We had cheesesticks, sandwiches, pasta, and pizza between the six of us. It was absolutely YUMMY! Just what we needed for our pre-race dinner.

My mom, Ruby, myself, and Bobbie.

We went back to the hotel and got all of our things together for the next morning. I laid out all my things, including my birthday shirt! I threw it off as soon as I crossed the start line, but plenty of people got to see it. I have it on in the picture below, with my wonderful husband, Jeremiah. He is such a great supporter!


Below is the video of the start of the race and tossing the birthday shirt away! You see me throw my shirt away and round the bend, and then you catch a glimpse of Bobbie too!



And we're off! The race started at 8:00 a.m. Almost the entire run was along the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky. It was a fabulous run! Absolutely gorgeous and 99% flat! Bobbie and I started pretty fast and stayed there together until about mile 4. Then, we separated, but were always in each others sights. We had our pace tattoos on, and until about mile 8, I was well ahead of it. Our 'A' goal was 2:15, our 'B' goal was 2:00 flat. The pace tattoo was for 2:00, so it was okay if I didn't make it. It wasn't my 'A' goal.

At about mile 8, I started to slow down, and at 9 1/2 miles, my Garmin stopped itself and I didn't realize it until about 2 minutes later. The slow down lasted until about mile 10 1/2 - 11. Then, I picked my speed back up and made it back to the finish line at 2:06:06. I met my 'A' goal, but not my 'B' goal, but that's okay. My last 1/2 marathon time was 2:30:07, so I shaved 24 minutes off for this one. I was very excited about that! Crossing the finish line!

Bobbie finished in 2:12! Woo hoo! We both met our goal! Way to go us! And we were even dressed alike! That's a true running buddy!


Below is a video that my husband got of me crossing the finish line! I thought he was just taking a picture. I didn't know he was video taping when I walked up to him. I pose for the picture with my finisher's medal and everything! All in all, a great race! Now...on to the Flying Pig!

Ahhh....FREEDOM!

Not really...but sort of!

This upcoming Sunday is the Louisville Half Marathon that my buddy, Bobbie, and I are running. It's my 30th birthday this Sunday, so I thought 'what better way to not feel thirty?'. Well, run a mini marathon...that will make you feel good about yourself! So, that's what we are doing to celebrate my 30th birthday. Bobbie and I are running, and our lovely husbands and mothers are coming with us to cheer us on!

On to the freedom part...

Being that it is taper week, we decided to do two runs, 3 miles each. DON'T FAINT, BUT I LEFT MY GARMIN AT HOME! For those of you who look at your Garmin every 30 seconds like I do, this is a HUGE change from the norm! And I must say, it was nice!!!
On our first run, I didn't even look at Bobbie's watch, nor did I ask to see it! I didn't even ask about our time when we got back to the car.
Tonight, I asked at the halfway mark what our time was. And I also asked our time when we finished. But...I never once asked what our pace was while we were running. Good for me! I know this sounds trivial, but you fellow runners understand! It's hard to go without it when you're so used to running with it!

R.J. Corman Duathlon for the Chrysalis House - Nicholasville, Kentucky

My trusty bike! Here we are after the race!

If you had asked me a year ago if I thought I would ever compete in a duathlon...I would have said, "Are you crazy?"
Well, I must be the crazy one because I did it! Not for the competition, but for the experience. The R.J. Corman Duathlon was put in place to benefit the Chrysalis House in Lexington, Kentucky. The Chrysalis House helps single mothers who have substance abuse problems get the therapy they need and to get back on their feet. I have a Masters and Rank One in Counseling, so this is something that is near and dear to my heart. I believe that everyone deserves a second chance, even 3 or 4 chances.

Well, I don't know what made me think I could do this, but I signed up anyway. The race consisted of a 3.1 mile run, a 16 mile bike, and another 3.1 mile run. My first goal was to be able to ride the 16 miles without stopping, so I worked on that first. Then, my next goal was to run the first 5K and be able to get on the bike and ride right after finished the run. This part wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. So, I wasn't worried about the first run at all.

The last step was getting off the bike after riding 16 miles, and then running another 5K. Ladies and gentlemen...there is a reason they call it brick work! :) This was definitely the toughest part for me, and the part I trained for the most. I was really worried about this part, but it turned out okay.

I was very lucky to have a bandwagon of supporters with me along the way. We left the house at 6:15 that morning. Me, my running buddy Bobbie, my sister-in-law Katrina, and Bobbie's mom, Ruby. Ruby calls herself the historian of the group because she always has her camera in tow. We love her for that!

Putting on my front wheel! Can you tell it was freezing?

We get there and no one is allowed in the transition area with me. So, I get my bike ready, lay my GU's out on my towel with my helmet and gloves, and head to the body marking tent. I got my arms and legs marked and headed to chill until the race started.

Getting body markings!

Showing off my ankle chip timer!

The race begins. I finished my first 5K in 27 minutes. But, OH NO! I was about to pee on myself when I finished. I had a 4 minute transition because I had to run to the bathroom. But, oh well!



I got on the bike and started pedaling. I thought Bluegrass Pike was good preparation, but honestly, my bike has never seen hills like it did during this race.
I approached mile 8 and MY CHAIN FELL OFF MY BIKE AND GOT STUCK BETWEEN THE GEARS! Not only were they stuck, but I had to stop in the middle of what I call, "Deliverance"! I didn't know whether to stop or run with my bike. I ran with my bike until a nice man and his wife stopped in their truck to help me. He had to get out his vice grips, but he got my chain back on. All of this made for a slow 1 hour and 15 minute bike ride.

Transitioning to the second 5K! Just got off the bike!

The second 5K obviously was not as fast...30 minutes. So, I ended up with a time of 2:17:45, which wasn't what I was hoping, but it was what I was expecting...so job well done! And, it always feels great to have people there supporting you! Thank you Bobbie, Katrina, and Ruby! You're the best!Crossing the finish line, Bobbie running beside me!

And I ended up with first place in my age group (30-34)! And I'm not even 30 yet!

Here they are, running to see if I need anything!

Pokey Pig 5K and throw in a long run as well!

Kiss the pig! I love this picture!

Bobbie has always wanted nothing more than to have a medal from a race with a pig on it! She collects pigs, and that has always been her goal. I think she even wants to run the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati next year just to get another one! :)

Well, we went to Lebanon, Kentucky this past Saturday to run the Pokey Pig 5K, which is part of their Ham Days Festival. Needless to say, this race is one that will be on our annual calendar from here on out! The run was gorgeous and the atmosphere was amazing! They pretty much shut down the whole town for this festival. On the main drag, they have a stage set up where people perform throughout the festival. During the race, there was someone on the mic who was cheering you on as you crossed the finish line. I can honestly say that when I heard him say my number and start encouraging me, that gave me that extra push I needed to sprint to the finish. My time ended up being 26:23...with a 3rd place finish in my age group. Bobbie's time was 26:28 with a 2nd place finish in her age group. We both got pig medals! YAY! And, we got to kiss the pig!

Here we are with our pig medals!

On top of the 5K, in our half marathon training, it was our weekend to run 10 miles. So, while Mama Ruby went to the festival and shopped around, Bobbie and I (with our trusty Garmin watches), set out to complete 7 more miles on top of the 5K. We finished our 10 miles in a total of about 1 hour and 33 minutes. Well on our way to a sub 2:15 finish at the Louisville Half...maybe even a sub 2:00 finish. Anyone have any good ideas to help us with sub 2:00?

Anyhoo...we had a great time and will definitely be returning to the Pokey Pig 5K for years to come. I am very blessed to have found such an awesome running buddy and friend. Thanks Bobbie!

This weekend, a few of us are competing in the RJ Corman duathlon to benefit the Chrysalis House in Lexington, KY. Keep us in your thoughts as we tackle this stage in our journey!

Oh yes, and Mama Ruby got this picture of me crossing the finish line. My face is awful, but it's the first picture where I actually feel that I look like a runner!