LSD with the deers...

Saturday had me up with sun and lacing up my sneakers so I could pound out 10 miles before the heat kicked in.  I needed an LSD(Long Slow Distance) this week that was formidable but relaxing.  While it's a little easier to talk yourself of a run when the alarm clock goes off super early, it's totally worth it.  My neighborhood is full of hills, open space and deer.  At 6am it's beautiful!  We've had a very prolific crop of deer this year and the babies are everywhere. They are now finally big enough to hop off on their own and its awesome to see.  I watched a young deer gallop away from me and jump up on spring-y legs to nearly twice its height.  He did this little stunt over and over again and it just looked like fun. 

 If you've ever read Eat & Run or Born to Run you know that Scott Jurek has been nicknamed El Venado (the deer in Spanish) by the Tarahumara Indians and watching the deer this morning made it clearly evident why he would earn such a title.  Their lean and  graceful running form is something we should all try to remember during our own runs and in our own styles.  I love how mother nature provides us with little pick me ups and encouragements when we just remember to take a look.

As for the rest of the run, it was good.  Slow and mundane and longer than I had meant to (at 10.5 I decided to take the the last mile in a nice walking cool down...much needed).  I'm cursing myself today because I did not make it to the running store this week to buy new kicks and I am suffering with several blisters on my toes today...in areas I've never had them before!  I am scheduling a shopping trip for sure, no more of this.  In other events, we are off to Colorado next weekend for 2 weeks with my family and I really need to start packing!
Hope you had a great weekend.

Don't  forget about the 2Toms GIVEAWAY  your chances of a win here are pretty good!

Back to School Sports with Mabel's Label's

It's really sad to think that summer is almost over now.  I know that for any family whose kids are involved in athletics the school year starts even earlier with practices and fundraising events.  In  Texas there is a TON( a little too much if you ask me) of focus on fall football (thankfully I have girls and this won't be an issue for me) but across the country different sports take on different meaning.  So when my friends at Mabel's Label's created a new gear label package for hockey teams I thought it was really a neat idea.  My family and I love hockey and I've often marveled at all the gear that is involved to get the players on the ice.  I can only imagine what a chaotic mess the locker room is and how impossible it must be to get the right set of gear back to the right player.  That is why I love Mabel's Label's, they take something that is simple and make life much easier, and cuter!

So if you are interested in giving this new set of labels a try (and I sincerely think you should)
heres a little more from Mabel:
Get ready for the hockey season with the new Mabel's Labels hockey combo kit! This unique label combo pack has been created especially for the hockey players in your family! With the custom hockey stick labels, equipment labels, number labels & skate labels, you can keep all of your family's sports gear in order and make sure that all of the look-alike equipment gets into the right bag after the big game! Happy Labeling! 

Friday Favorites : GrooveBook (GET A FREE BOOK)

http://groovebook.com/

I recently stumbled across a really great App, GrooveBook.  Download this app to your smartphone and each month you can upload up to 100 of the pictures on you phone to be bound into a 4x6 book of photos.  The service is free, they just charge $2.99 for shipping.  Awesome right?  I loved the idea from the begging but when I go my first book in the mail I knew I was hooked.  I have to admit I am not nearly as prolific with picture taking now as I was during the first couple years of my oldest daughters life.  Now I try to get picts on-the-go but rarely remember to actually print them or send them out to family.  With this book coming to m
y house each month I no longer have an excuse.  The pictures in the book are perforated at the binding so you can easily remove them and have an individual photo for the fridge or for grandma or whatever.  Otherwise, they are kept tidy in a book that you can stack up on a shelf.  Did I mention that I LOVE THIS IDEA.

Ok you get the idea and you know you need this app. So go download it now and be sure to add the code AHRENHOLTZ17 to get your 1st book absolutely free (no shipping fee or anything).  Pass it on.

2Toms GIVEAWAY

Last week I told you about my new favorite odor eliminator, Stink Free from 2Toms.  I also mentioned their great anti-chafing products; Butt Shield and Sports Shield.
Well today I'm excited to share some of the 2Toms goodness with one lucky reader.  So if you are interested in trying out some of 2Toms StinkFree spray and anti-chafing wipes then enter on the form below by next Tuesday (7/23/13). Good luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Momma needs a (couple) new pair of shoes

Ok, it's that time again.  I need to go running shoes shopping.  Here is a picture of the pairs in my closet currently.  As you can see, for the past 9 months or so, I have been a Brooks PureConnect Junkie.  There was actually another pair that I burned through in addition to these 3 but it's since been donated.  I've said it before, I have a crush on Brooks(here & here)  I think the company is awesome for runners and the community.  That said, I'm not sure my next set of kicks will be Brooks.  I've struggled with blisters, lost nails, shin splint, knee pain, IT issues and even some slight licks of what feels like plantar fasciatis during my Brooks love affair.  I'm starting to wonder of my shoes are the culprit.  I've been telling myself that the amount of time I spend in the shoes pounding the pavement is the cause of my distress, but honestly I'm not sure.  In affairs past, I have fallen madly for Mizuno shoes and spent many a mile and several years with them. Does that mean I'm going back to the old lover?  I don't know.  I've changed, my running has changed, the shoes themselves have changed so I really don't know what is in store for me next.  What I do know is that I will be making a trip to my local running shop, Rogue Running, to spend the little $20 gift certificate I won in my last race.  I'll spend some time with the crazy runners who enjoy looking at other runners feet and hear their recommendations for what shoe I need.  Additionally, I think I need to pick up a pair of cross trainers. Since I usually combo my shorter runs with some aerobic/strength training I think I might be causing some extra distress on my running shoes.  So, much to my chagrin, I think it's time I start packing 2 pairs of shoes with me on my combo workout days.  

What are your thoughts?  Do you have a favorite running shoe and do you wear different sneakers for different activities?