Giveaway

On Wednesday I told you about the Pretty Muddy Run.  Well, I have some great news for you...

I have FOUR entries to the Pretty Muddy to giveaway!
Two of the entries are standard race entries (up to a $69.50 value).
The other two entries are for a family edition series (up to a $45.00 value).
That means we will have FOUR lucky winners!!!
All you have to do to enter is comment here which race you would like to run:
Dallas on April 26th, Sacramento on May 3rd, Chicago on August 16th, or Richmond on September 20th.
We will announce the winners on February 25th.  

                                                                    a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pretty Muddy

Taken from the Pretty Muddy website.

Have you heard of the Pretty Muddy Run?  I just found out about it and I'm so excited to get to blog about it through Girls Gone Sporty.  The Pretty Muddy Run is a women's only run that was started by a group of businessmen that were impressed by their wives.  They saw all that their wives did, women like you and me, and wanted them to have something to do to "let their hair down."  

These amazing husbands developed an untimed 5k obstacle course so that women all over could gather friends and have fun while staying fit.  To add to the fun they even set up a family edition where families can run the last wave together and get messy together! 

They have partnered up with the Susan G. Komen foundation to benefit cancer survivors.  You can even fund raise through the site and raise money to help breast cancer survivors too.  

This race is right up my alley and if I wasn't going to be 8 months pregnant I would be running the Dallas race on April 26th!  They also have races on May 3rd in Sacramento, August 16th in Chicago, and September 20th in Richmond.  What's that you want a discount code?  Okay, I'll share one with you.  Use the code GIRLSGONESPORTY for five dollars off of your entry and you might want to come back by in the next couple days for something even more exciting.....until then tell me have you ever done a mud run?

How I Became A Runner

Today I have a special treat for you...  We have our first, of what I hope to be many, guest post.  Today's guest is Megan from Elbow Glitter.  You can also run over there today and read my (Kelli) post. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy!

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In 2006, I was a law student looking for a new way to relieve stress. I was going to the gym regularly, but usually getting on the elliptical or occasionally the bike.  I mentioned that I lived in a neighborhood with a lot of runners, and a friend told me I should give running a shot.

Umm, hello, I’m no runner.  I can’t run more than a minute without thinking I will die.

But she pointed me in the direction of Couch to 5K and so I decided to try it out.

I’m not going to lie to you.  It was hard.  I repeated weeks a number of times.  I had days where I went out for a run that ended in what I considered complete failure.  But I did start to see progress.  And that was rewarding.

I ran my first 5K that August.  It was a walker friendly race, and people often walked with strollers.  Great, I thought.  I won’t be last.  

Then it rained.  A lot.

Guess what?  I was one of the last runners to come in.  Not the best feeling.  Looking back at my time, it was a pretty good 5K for me!  It was definitely a mental setback though.  But I refused to give up.  I just kept at my training.  It’s definitely been worth it and I’m so glad I didn’t give up.

I learned a lot in that first year of running.  I learned a lot about running, but more importantly, I learned a lot about myself.  I can’t teach you anything about yourself, that you have to learn on your own.  But I can offer some tips I discovered along the way.

If you follow a plan like Couch to 5K (which I do recommend), don’t worry about following it to the letter.  I repeated weeks a number of times.  If I didn’t feel ready to move on to the next week’s workouts, I stuck with what I knew worked.  I know a lot of people like to have a goal race, but I didn’t want to sign up for one right away.  Besides, since Couch to 5K had me running by time and I’m a slow runner, by the time I “finished” the program, I still wasn’t quite up to 5K.

Another important tip - less is more.  No, really.  You won’t become a runner any quicker by running every day.  All you’re going to do is hurt yourself.  And if something hurts, don’t run.  (Of course, every runner I know tends to run injured, but we are a stupid breed.)

The most important thing I learned was to run my own race.  And the same theory applies to every single training run.  What I mean by that is to not compare yourself to anyone else when you run.  Don’t push yourself because your friend is faster.  Don’t be offended when a very pregnant woman goes flying past you (it’s happened to me more often than I want to admit).  Or a guy in a crab costume running sideways (yes, that happened too).  Don’t worry that someone is watching you on your training run and thinking you’re slow.  Just focus on you.  Do what’s right for you.  You’re worth it.

Affordable Produce

I love fresh produce.  It is a staple in our house, especially since we mainly eat fruit and veggies for snacks in between meals.  I have heard from many people that they don't buy much fresh produce because it's so expensive or that it goes bad too quickly.  Quite frankly, I don't believe that.  I truly believe that fresh produce can be quite economical and if you make a point of eating it then it won't go bad.  

Now the first thing that you have to do is buy produce that is IN SEASON.  This means that you shouldn't buy strawberries in December; buy them in the summer. 

Second, buy local if possible.  Find a farmer's market near you.  We have found a great local farmer's market and the local farmers have great deals!  Last weekend I was able to buy enough produce to last our family of six a week and a half and I only spent fifty dollars!  I was thrilled and I know where our food came from.  ***As a sidenote here, none of these farmers are certified organic but after talking to them I know that they are using clean farming methods.***

Third, find a local Bountiful Baskets.  This is a national produce co-op that has helped save our family a TON of money.  I used them a lot in Dallas and recently found out that there is a pick up five minutes from our new house.  You can chose a conventional basket or an organic basket and then they have different seasonal add ons.  On the weeks that I can't make it to the Farmer's Market I make sure to order a basket through them.  You never know what you are going to get but to me that is half of the fun!  

Last, you can grow your own produce.  This is something that I have tried and failed at for several years.  However, this year my kids are already planning out our garden for Spring.  I am gearing up and hope to have a great little garden set up soon! 

Stocking Up

As I shared here last week, I've been a little shocked by the prices of groceries out here.  I decided on Friday that I needed to do a monthly meat "stock up".  Basically, what I did was go to Costco and buy a month's worth of meat.  I love buying meat straight from the farmer, however when you are on a budget the best way that I have found to get affordable meat is through a bulk buying store.  Our favorite bulk store is Costco and I think that the meat tastes better than from a grocery store.

I bought a lot of ground meat to make taco salad, ground beef stir fry, and Sweet Potato Chili.  I also bought some stew meat, whole chickens, chicken thighs, pork loin, salmon, and tilapia.  I will use sprouted beans to bulk up some of our meals and focus on making this last a month.  

I know that some people tell you that when you are cutting grocery budgets to go meatless, that is not an option for our family.  My husband and I struggle on a vegetarian diet, we have major hypoglycemic tendencies and meat along with good fats are one way to combat those energy and blood sugar dips and crashes.  

Next week, I will tell you about how to get fresh produce without making your checkbook cry!