July Foodie Pen Pals Reveal Day!

I'm so excited!!!!  This was my first month participating in Foodie Pen Pals and it was awesome!!!  First I'm going to tell you a little bit about Foodie Pen Pals and then I will reveal the goodies!

Here’s what the program is all about:


-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 


If you’re interested in participating for August, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. 


You must submit your information by August 4th as pairings will be emailed on August 5th!



For my first month I was lucky enough to get paired with Virginia from Virgie's Place!  Check out her awesome blog...she has a ton of great recipes!!!  She sent me a box slammed full of goodies!!!  You wanna see???

She wrapped everything so pretty!  And she included an awesome note inside the box telling me all about what she sent!!

She also was awesome enough to send my boys a little something...card games!!!  They were sooo excited!!!  And we spent a good chunk of the rest of the day playing these games!

Virginia also sent me a few things non food related....just for me!  I love what she said about the colorful headbands..."Road Runner Girl should never go without!"

Here's a look at ALL the goodies she sent me!

• Mango passion fruit flavored granola. This was sooo yummy in my yogurt!  I also just munched on it as a snack!  

• Nori Maki- Rice crackers wrapped in seaweed.  These were sooo good!!!  I couldn't quit munching on them!
• Orange Marmalade with Champagne. Oh words cannot describe how delicious this was!  I spread it on toast, waffles, bagels, and even put some in my oatmeal!  Sooo yummy!
• Garam Marsala. Virginia sent this with one of her favorite recipes from one of her books!  I haven't had a chance to cook it but can't wait!  

• Disney Cars Card Games.  For my boys!  :-)
• Coconut Lemongrass Lip Balm. She purchased this at her local Farmer's Market.  It made my lips sooo soft!  Love it!
• Handmade Soap.  Another goodie from her Farmer's Market!  It made the whole box smell so good!  And made my hands smell good once I used it!
• Fun Pen.  How did she know that I LOVE office supplies???  Fun pens are my favorite!!!
• Votive Candle Holder. I love candles and candle holders!  She said she liked this one because it matched the penpal theme!  
• Colorful Headbands. Of course I've already worn these tons!

Thank you sooo much Virginia for such an amazing package and for making my first experience with Foodie Pen Pals a great one!  I'm already signed up for next month!  ;-)

QOTD:  What is ONE food item that you cannot live without?

The Weekly Chase...Challenge, Writing, and Cooking!

It's my favorite time of the week....The Weekly Chase!!!  If you haven't linked up for The Weekly Chase yet then you are missing out!  I am so thankful that Melissa at Live, Love, and Run started this!  I look forward to it every week!

So let's talk about last week's goals!  

• Goal #1: Make up my own workout.
• Goal #2: Make my little guy's birthday extra special.
• Goal #3: Cook at least one meal at home.

Goal #1...success!  I made up my own legs and glutes workout and will be sharing it with you on Friday!!!

Goal #2...success!  Hayden had a great birthday!  Thanks so much to all of you for the happy birthday comments and tweets!  I heard Hayden tell his brother Sawyer that "this is the BEST birthday ever!"  In case you missed it you can read more about what we did on his birthday HERE.  


Goal #3...success!  Despite having THREE T-Ball games last week I DID manage to cook one meal at home!!!  And I know you want to know what it was!  You're not going to be too impressed...but please remember that I am an awful cook so you get what you get lol!  I cooked spaghetti (because it's Hayden's favorite) and made a salad. Yay for me!!!  ;-)

So it was a pretty successful week for me!

Time for this week's goals!

Goal #1: Do the Power Plank Challenge!  And I would LOVE for you to join me!!!  There's a giveaway involved! ;-)  This means I will be planking once an hour for 8 hours!!!  Actually I will be planking once an hour for 12 hours because that's the goal my plankaday tweeps on twitter decided!  But for the challenge you only have to do it for 8 hours!  :-)


Goal #2: Write my Sweat Pink Blog Swap post.  One of my sweat pink sisters started a sweat pink blog swap where we are paired up with another sister and we swap posts for each other's blogs!  Should be lots of fun but I've got to think of a topic and get to writing!

Goal #3: Cook at least one meal at home. Yes I'm doing this one again!  It was so nice having a home cooked meal this past week!  This one will be challenging...we have T-Ball FOUR nights this week!  

So there's my goals for the week!!!  

QOTD: What are YOUR goals for the week?

Birthday Festivities and Long Run Day!

Stats-
9 miles/1:39:10
Average pace- 11:01

Plank a day- 1:39  Planks are tough after running 9 miles!

Woohoo! My Sole2Soul Sisters are rocking these long runs! It was a tough, hilly 9 miles but they did it! 


My run was full of different feelings.  My legs were tired and at mile 5 I was ready to be done but I pushed through and the end of the run was awesome!  But I've noticed the past two long runs that I am getting tired a lot sooner than normal...I'm wondering if it's due to the heat and humidity?  Any ideas?  

I ran this entire run with Gina and Angela (plus a few others that joined us at different points of the run).  They are running the Disney Marathon in January with me...can't wait!

It's hard for you to see but I was soaked with sweat...I could wring water out of the bottom of my skirt!!!  That's how sweaty I was!  SweatPink!!!  :-)

Hayden's birthday was great!  My hubby took off work for the day so we got to hang out all day as a family!  We were going to take the boys swimming but once Hayden opened his presents he wanted to stay home and play with them.

It was his day so we let him choose the activities for the day....so we stayed home and built a Lego Fire Station!

That night Hayden had a T-Ball game.  My hubby's parents came to watch the game and then we all went out to dinner at Cracker Barrel...Hayden's choice!  Funny thing....it was our waitress' birthday too!  She of course brought him ice cream and sang to him...and she wanted a picture with him!

After dinner we went back home and had cake....he wanted me to make him a strawberry cake with strawberry icing!  Fine by me because that's my favorite too!  :-)

I think he had a great day!  I recall hearing him tell his brother, "This is the BEST birthday ever!"  Yay!  My mission was accomplished!  ;-)

In case you missed it, I did my plank in honor of Hayden's birthday on Friday.  I also took a video of me planking...enjoy!  :-)

Don't forget about the Power Plank Challenge and Giveaway!!!  Time's running out!  Only two more days to get it done!  I'm doing the challenge on Monday!  Remember...you MUST tag @roadrunnergirl and @running_baking in the comment section of Instagram in order for us to see your entry.  Also...if your account is private we CANNOT see your picture even if you tag us!  :-)

QOTD:  How is everyone enjoying the Olympics?  What was your favorite part of the opening ceremony?

Birthday Boy and Olympics!

So today is an exciting day for me for two reasons!  The first one is that it is this little guy's 7th birthday today!

I cannot believe that my sweet Hayden is already seven years old!!!  He is becoming such a sweet boy!  And he has traits that are awesome!  He's my little rule follower...he's always going to do what is right.  He's passionate about what he loves (which are Legos at this stage in his life).  He's kind hearted and always ready to give me a smile, hug, or kiss!  He's every Mom's dream of what her little boy should be! I love him sooo much and am so blessed to be his Mom!  Today is his day....and we are going to do whatever he wants!!!  :-)

My second reason today is an exciting day....the Olympics start today!!!!  I'm soooo excited!!!  I LOVE the Olympics as I know I told you several times during the trials!  :-)

source

I can't wait to watch the opening ceremonies!  I'm going to have to DVR it since we are celebrating Hayden's birthday tonight with my in-laws.  I probably won't get to watch it all because I have to get to bed early for a 9 mile run Saturday morning too.  But I will be glued to the TV this weekend you can be sure!!!  

QOTD: What is your favorite event to watch in the Olympics?  What is your least favorite?  I love the track and field, swimming, gymnastics, and tennis.  Least favorite....probably archery but I like it all so I would probably still watch it lol!

Vega Energizing Smoothie Review

A few weeks ago Vega sent me some samples of their Energizing Smoothie to try!  I was pretty excited because I've heard great things about Vega but have never tried any of their stuff.  I also haven't tried many protein shakes, powders, smoothies, etc. because I usually just drink chocolate milk as my recovery drink.  They sent me five flavors to try: Choc-A-Lot, Bodacious Berry, Oh Natural, Tropical Tango, and Vanilla Almondilla.

What I REALLY like about these smoothies are the nutritional aspects found in one serving:

• Two servings of veggies
• 10 g of complete, plant-based protein
• 5 g of fiber
• 1 g of Omega-3 

That's a whole lot of goodness in one smoothie!  And for a girl that doesn't eat her veggies as much as she should...I was pretty excited!

Another aspect I was really excited about was that you don't have to have a fancy blender (which I don't have) for these smoothies...you just add 1 cup of ice-cold water, juice, or a non-dairy beverage, shake and go!

The Choc-A-Lot one enticed me first (we all know how much I love my chocolate milk)!  I decided to keep it simple and just add water to this one.

The taste wasn't bad...but not my favorite.  I couldn't get past the grittiness...but that could be due to the fact that I don't have a lot of experience with powders.  I think it may have been a little bit better with almond milk.

Next I tried the Tropical Tango...with orange juice!  And that was super yummy!!!

But my all time favorite was the Vanilla Almondilla!  I mixed this one with some vanilla almond milk and it made it so much more creamier and delicious!!!

Don't let the green scare you...you can't taste it and it just shows the healthy goodness in there!

My two boys have been watching me try these smoothies the past few weeks and they wanted in on the tasting!  My oldest, Hayden, didn't like it (but he's my picky eater that doesn't like anything)!  My youngest, Sawyer, LOVED it!  In fact, he stole it from me and almost finished the entire thing!!!  I only drank about half of it and he had the other half.  

As for the energizing aspect...I really think it does the trick!  I tried these smoothies in the afternoon at the time where I get sleepy and want to take a nap.  It really helped give me that boost of energy I needed to get through the rest of the day...and it was all healthy for me!  Mission Accomplished Vega!!!


QOTD: What is your favorite smoothie  or protein shake recipe?  Tell me in the comments...I would love to try it!

Disclaimer: Vega sent me samples of their product to taste and review. I received no other compensation. All opinions in the above post are mine and mine alone!

I Am a Guest Poster...3 Times!

Yesterday's Stats-
3.11 miles/30:44
Average pace- 9:52

Plank a day- 2:07

I was so excited about the Power Plank Challenge and Giveaway yesterday that I totally forgot to tell you about my run yesterday morning!!!  The humidity was in full force! It was one of those days where you walk outside and the air is thick. I barreled through it and got my run in! Run felt pretty good...it was just super hot! I saw several people out running...including my friend Christina and her hubby! :-)  And I saw several people walking!  I LOVE seeing people out being active!  It makes my heart happy!!!  

So I'm pretty excited to have been a guest poster on other blogs 3 times!!!  I wrote two guest posts for my friend Melissa at Live, Love, and Run!  She ran her first half marathon in Chicago last weekend and is still out of town this week celebrating!  She deserves it...she rocked her first half and has already signed up for her second!!!  I love that!!!


My first post for her was about MY first half marathon!  It was fun writing about it and remembering my experience!  I've already told you about this one but in case you missed it you can read it HERE.  


The second post I wrote for her was about staying motivated before and after the race.  I believe you have to stay motivated in order to train for long distances and races.  You can read it HERE.


And my third post went up on Fit Approach!  You know...the organization that I am a Sweat Pink Ambassador for?  They asked me to write about my "aha fitness moment."  So I chose to write about how I became a runner.  You can read it HERE.


I would appreciate all kinds of love on all three of these posts!  You can leave me love here too of course!  ;-)


Don't forget about the Power Plank Challenge and Giveaway!!!  I can't wait to see all of your pictures!!!

Power Plank Challenge and Giveaway!

So you know how I've been planking every day?  Well, I am up for a planking challenge!  Me and my friend Holly at Running and Baking, Oh My are hosting the "Power Plank Challenge" and we want YOU to join us!!!   So what's the challenge???

Plank once an hour for 8 hours!

<a href=" http://www.roadrunnergirl.com " target="blank"> <img src="http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj517/hollyj0077/planks.jpg"/> </a>  

That's it!!!  Your planks do not have to be for a specific time...just plank as long as you can!  


Why do you want to complete this challenge???  For a strong core of course!!!  And...for a chance to win one of these awesome tanks that Holly makes!  

Except your tank will say "I Plank for Power."  How cool is that?  The tank will be personalized so if you win you get to discuss the colors, size, etc. with Holly!  ;-)  And for the guys....Holly has a shirt planned for you...without the ribbon!  :-)


How to enter (this will be done through Instagram...comments on this post will not qualify as entries):

1. Mandatory: Take a picture of all 8 of your plank times.  Be creative...you can write all of them down on a piece of paper, make a collage, etc.  Post the picture to Instagram and tag @roadrunnergirl @running_baking #powerplankchallenge to be entered.
2. Extra: Take a picture of yourself planking.  We would LOVE to see pics of you planking in weird places...like work, etc.  You are doing this every hour for 8 hours so there's no telling where you will have to plank!  :-)   Post the picture to Instagram and tag @roadrunnergirl @running_baking #powerplankchallenge to be entered.

NOTE:  If your Instagram account is private, we won't be able to see your pictures even if you tag us in them.  So you'll have to change your privacy setttings for this challenge!  ;-)

Challenge ends on Tuesday, July 31st at 11PM CST.  The winner of the shirt will be announced on Wednesday, August 1st!

Make sure to tweet about the challenge using the hashtag #powerplankchallenge!


Please follow me on twitter @mindybobe and Holly on twitter @running_baking so we can see all your tweets about the challenge!  :-)


And feel free to grab the Power Plank Challenge button at the beginning of this post to display on your own blog or website! :-)


Happy Planking!!!!  

Mizuno WINNER and The Weekly Chase!

I know that most of you are here to find out the winner of the invite to the Mizuno Mezamashii Run Project!  So I won't make you wait any longer...as long as you promise to keep reading about my goals for this week! ;-)

Here we go!  Random.org picked number 133!

And that comment belonged to Christina Ramirez!!!

Congratulations Christina!!!  Please email me at mindy@roadrunnergirl.com so I can give you the invite for your new Mizuno shoes!


I enjoyed reading everyone's comments on what makes a run brilliant for you!  So inspiring!!!

Yeah...you know what time it is....Weekly Chase time!!!  Melissa ran her first half marathon yesterday and is still out of town so I don't think she is going to be doing a weekly chase post today but I wanted to go ahead and do mine!

EDIT:  Melissa DID do her Weekly Chase post!  The girl is a super woman...did a half marathon yesterday and is still posting on her blog!!!  If you haven't joined the Weekly Chase...link up with us this week!  The support and encouragement is amazing!!!





So here's the round up from last week:

• Goal #1: Get all of my scheduled runs/workouts in for the week.
• Goal #2: Do my Bible devotion EVERY day.
• Goal #3: Do a plank ladder a day.

Goal number 1...success!!!  I did it!!!  I didn't make it to the gym so I improvised and made up my own arms and ab workout and leg workout!  I had a lot of fun making up my own workouts!  

Goal number 2: success!!!  Yay!!!  I read either straight out of my Bible or a devotion every day this week!!!  I'm proud!!!

Goal number 3: success!!!  Let me just say that this goal was my hardest to accomplish.  Plank ladders are HARD and most days I didn't want to do it.  I just wanted to do a regular plank and be done with it.  But I'm glad I stuck to it!  

So it's time for some new goals!!!!

Goal #1: Make up my own workout.  I had so much fun doing this last week that I want to do it again!  

Goal #2: Make my little guy's birthday extra special.  Hayden's 7th birthday is on Friday and I want him to have an amazing day!

Goal #3: Cook at least one meal at home.  With T-ball games this summer it's been hard to cook dinner at home.  We usually grab something quick before or after the game.  I want to try to have at least one sit down, home cooked meal this week.

So there ya have it!!!  

QOTD: What goals are YOU chasing this week?

Plank Ladder FUN With My Hubby!

Sundays are a big family day in my house!  We go to church together in the morning, then usually eat lunch out somewhere, and then the rest of the day we try to so something as a family.  We did all of that today...we had Hibachi for lunch...yum!!!  And for dessert we had fro-yo!!!

Can you guess which one is mine?

If you guessed the bottom left one then you are correct!  My favorite...cupcake batter fro-yo with oreos, cookie dough bites, and strawberries!  Yum!  I know it's not super healthy but it's ok to treat yourself every now and then!  :-)

After fro-yo we came home and I still had to do my plank ladder for the day.  So I challenged my hubby to do it with me...and he said yes!!!  I've been loving the videos on twitter from my tweeps Sarah and Robert who are a couple that plank together!  So I asked my hubby if we could video it and he agreed!!!  We only shot the first half of the ladder because I figured you didn't want to be bored watching the whole thing lol!  And yes we finished the ladder after the camera turned off!  My hubby did GREAT!  It was fun!  The camera work is courtesy of my son Hayden (who turns 7 on Friday!!!) and the wonderful son don't say that on camera commentary is by my 4 year old Sawyer!  Enjoy!!!



QOTD: Do you and your hubby or significant other exercise together?  What exercise do you do?

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for an invite to the Mizuno Mezamashii Run Project!!!  It ends tonight at 9PM CST!!!

Pacing Your Runs

Stats-
5 miles/53:33
Average pace- 10:43

Plank a day- ladder plank

It's week 6 of training with my Sole2Soul Sisters! I gave them a hard hilly route this morning and they did great!!! We even ran in light rain which felt fabulous! It wasn't the best run for me....I started out way too fast (and knew I was going too fast) and after some hills at the end I had to stop and walk from mile 4.2 to 4.5...I never walk but just needed to catch my breath....those hills were tough! Then I was able to finish strong! I got to run with Stephani...our Illinois Sole2Soul Sister leader who was in town on vacation!!!

Such an awesome woman!  I so enjoyed running and talking with her!

Here's our group of women (including Cody...our mascot!) who ran this morning!!!

Today's run brings me to a new topic...pacing your runs.  Is this hard for anyone else?  I am horrible at pacing myself.  I usually start way too fast and then I run out of energy near the end of the run.  For short runs like 3 or 4 miles I usually run anywhere from a 9:30-10:30 pace.  Of course the 9:30 runs are a little more challenging for me but I can usually keep that pace for about 3 miles.  (I know this is a slow pace for some of you but I am NOT a fast runner)  For longer runs, I aim anywhere from an 11:00-11:30 pace.  And when there are hills I try to stick around an 11:30 pace because I know the hills require more.  Even though I know this....I ALWAYS RUN TOO FAST!  How do I stop doing this?  Today would have been a great run for me if I had paced myself correctly from the beginning.  Please!  Give me your tips!

QOTD: What are your suggestions for pacing your runs?

Don't forget about my giveaway for free shoes through the Mizuno Mezamashii Run Project!  Ends tomorrow at 9PM CST!

Fitness Friday- Arms and Abs!

It's Fitness Friday!  Let's workout!!!  Today, I am at home but need to get some strength training in...so I wrote this little workout and BURN baby BURN!

On another note...today I wrote a guest post about my first half marathon on my friend Melissa's blog!  It was amazing to think about that day again...it was two years ago!  Go check it out HERE and leave me some love!  :-)  And please leave Melissa some love too...she is running her first half marathon this weekend!!!!

QOTD: What is your favorite strength training workout?  Tell me in the comments...I need some inspiration!!!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a new pair of shoes through the Mizuno Mezamashii Run Project!  Ends on Sunday!

Mizuno Mezamashii Project Giveaway!!!

Stats-
3.1 miles/30:14
Average pace- 9:42

Plank a day- Ladder plank

I am so excited!!!  I told you on Tuesday that I won an invite to the Mizuno Mezamashii Run Project from Heidi, got my free pair of shoes, and have already had a few brilliant runs in them.  You can read more about my free pair of Mizunos and about what the Mezamashii Run Project is here.

But guess what?  Mizuno sent me another invite to the project.....that I can share with YOU!!!!  So...who wants a free pair of shoes from Mizuno????   

Here's how to enter (4 chances to win):

1. Mandatory: Leave me a comment telling me what makes a run brilliant for you.
2. Extra entry: Follow me on Twitter @mindybobe (leave a comment telling me you did this or if you are already a follower)
3. Extra entry: Follow this blog (leave a comment telling me you did this or if you are already a follower)
4. Extra entry: Tweet about this giveaway: I want to win shoes for a #brilliantrun through @mindybobe and the @MizunoRunning #mezamashii project http://bit.ly/NCakGf (leave a comment telling me you tweeted)

Feel free to visit the Mizuno Facebook page here and give them a "like."  While you're there you can visit my Facebook page too!

This giveaway will end on Sunday, July 22nd at 9PM CST.  Open to US residents only.  Winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on Monday, July 23rd!  Good luck!!!

Disclaimer: Mizuno sent me a pair of shoes as a member of the Mezamashii Run Project. I received no other compensation. They gave me one invite to share with anyone and I chose to share it with my readers.

This giveaway has ended!

Click here to view the winner of the Mizuno Mezamashii Project Giveaway!

Skora Running and Sweat Pink Winners!

Workout stats-
Plank a day- ladder plank

Kyle from Skora Running contacted me a few days ago and wanted me to share with you guys all about the new running shoe brand Skora.

Don't these shoes look awesome??!!!

Here's what Skora is all about:

At SKORA, we look at things differently. We believe that running shoes should be built to encourage running performance that is as biomechanically correct as possible, with minimal interference. Our footwear lets people run naturally. Run Real is our philosophy and we stand by it.

I LOVE their philosophy "Run Real!"   I haven't personally tried minimalist running but I love the idea behind it.  It makes a lot of sense...people have been running always and a long time ago they didn't have brands of shoes to choose from...they just ran barefoot.  Hopefully Skora will be my first minimalist shoe to try!  :-)


I also love that these shoes are designed by runners!  In my opinion it is hard to believe in something that you don't do yourself.  


Go check out the website!  They talk about how Skora started and about how they are made...very interesting!!!


I love how these shoes look!  They are so different and unique!  And being a pink girl...I LOVE these!

Make sure to watch this awesome video by Skora!!!  Makes me want to go for a run right now!!!

You can pre-order Skora running shoes now!  They will start shipping them out on August 1st!

We have winners!!!!  These four people have won a pair of sweat pink shoelaces!  Congratulations!!!  I will contact you by email to get your shipping info.  If I haven't contacted you please email me at mindy@roadrunnergirl.com.

• M. Louise Cunningham!

• Angela!

• Laurel C!

• Erin!

Thanks to everyone who entered!  I read each and every one of your comments and loved hearing what you had to say!!!

QOTD: What are your thoughts on minimalist running?  Have you ever tried it?  If so, what minimalist shoe do you run in?