Why not make "Some Day" today?

It's only been, what, 4 months since I last posted? And in that time a lot has happened. 2 half marathon PRs, my first full marathon, a whole lot of headache and enjoying time and Skyping with my best friend... Sounds like life, right?

(One day I'll get my race recaps up... I only need to post 7-8 of them, between Dumbo over Labor Day Weekend, Women's Running Series St. Pete, and the entire Dopey Challenge a month ago... No big, right?)

😳

😅

And through all of this, the hubs and I have been talking about what we want our future to be like, and how we're going to get there. Health, finances, eventually babies (although that's a long way off), travel, and overall quality of life.

Well, health is one of those big things for me, and I hope for us as individuals and as a family - and yes, even though there are only two of us we're still a family! 😊

The discussion is and continues to be that we have a lot of health problems in our immediate family - just the parents. We're talking obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular concerns with a hx of heart attack, stroke, cancer... It's not a pretty picture.

Sorry, "hx" = "history". It just flows really well to say that, because that's what I'm used to.

For future reference, "dx" = "diagnosis", "tx" = "treatment", and maybe I should just leave all the technical stuff at work, no? 😉

Anyway, we've been talking about becoming healthier as individuals and as a family.

I've been running for two years this month (Yay!) and I'm working on eating better and everything... But one of the things I kept getting from the hubs was "I'll do it when..."

That's short for:

• When I'm less stressed

• When finals are over

• When I lose weight

• When we buy a treadmill

• When I'm not tired

• When I finish that

• When it's warm and not snowy (... BTW, we only live in the Midwest. It snowed a couple inches last night. AND today's high is about 54*F)

There are so many others that I've lost count.

Finally I had to say "There will never be perfect conditions. You're going to get stressed out, and have a million things going on at once, and have bad days. That's. Life."

Don't get me wrong, I have days of "I'll get around to it!", too! I'm only a little embarrassed of the number of cookies I've eaten the last few days (Come at me, PMS!)

But how often in our own lives do we just put our foot down and say "You know what? "Some Day"? That day is TODAY!"

I wonder how much happier/less stressed/more vibrant/more fulfilled we would be as individuals, and what our quality of life will be like.

I know after Dopey I got hung up on the excuses. I'll run: in a few days, after it warms up to like 20*F cuz that's better than -10*F (ok, that was a garbage temp, but true! Lol), after I feel better, etc. etc. etc... And then it ended up being 4.5 weeks until my next run. And I was a crabby MESS. I wasn't very nice when I finally did go for a run 😳

I guess the point of this is... What's stopping you? How do you plan to overcome it? How can I (or anyone else) help you get to where you want to be in your life? (You know, aside from picking winning lottery numbers for you!) 😉

Sometimes we're all that's standing in our way.

ETA: AH! I knew I forgot something! I was going to brag a little. Last month the hubs came to me and said he wanted to do his first half marathon!! Super excited. He decided it'll be Dumbo at Disneyland - as in, the whole challenge (10k + half). I'm probably more excited that he is, if we're being real. This feels like a huge step for us being healthier and happier together... Like you couldn't tell that that's a big thing for me 😉

The end of a bad running joke?

I can't even recall how many times I've posted about my issues with running fuel - gels, blocks, drinks, drink mixes, etc.

If you missed it, long story short: GI distress. Often. As in, avoided eating hours before runs (even short ones). Had evenings where I just wanted to curl up in the bathroom floor and cry from the pain.

BUT NOT TONIIIIIIIIIGHT! :)

I've been a subscriber of Kona Kase since July (more on that later), and last month one of the items was Skratch Labs hydration mix ("with lemons and limes").

Typically I avoid mixes unless people REALLY rave about them. This time was no different - I can't stomach lemon-line Gatorade anymore. Those stomach cramps were... A nightmare. A violent nightmare. Guess I thought that would be the same, and that there was really no hope for me, with the exception of the post-race Powerade runDisney has. THAT I'll drink. Go figure 😉

Anyway, this month one of the items in the Kona Kase was a Skratch Labs mix - in PINEAPPLE! Oh, how I love pineapple.

I mixed it with some water 20-30 minutes pre-run and tried it. To my surprise, it actually had flavor. And it wasn't a faint flavor, either!

Sorry, NUUN lovers. NUUN is a fabulous product, but there's not enough flavor for me.

Says the girl who uses two packets of apple cider mix per 6-8 ounces. That reference help you understand my plight a little more? Don't smite me 😉

I had a little of the mix pre-run, a little mid-run, and a decent amount post-run.

And about twenty minutes ago I picked up the bottle to drink some more. To my shock, I realized that not only was I still drinking it, I wasn't sick! I wasn't in pain! I wasn't curled up in a ball on the floor! (Although now I feel a little off, but I blame that on eating Fruit Gushers post-run - even nearly two hours later. Darn tasty things, I couldn't stay away).

I'm now feeling really good about this. I'm even a bit excited to try the Skratch with lemons and limes.

Of course I still have that flavor apprehension. I don't see that going away. But now I'm actually interested in trying other products (or at least more Skratch), with a lot less of the terror and fear that I'll be wasting my money!

I feel pretty good right now.

And to top it all off, I'm in my footie pajamas, so I'm pretty content.

Cuz that wasn't random, huh?

Basically, I like the feeling I have now.

Not like, love. This is what it should feel like post-run, not avoiding everything but water because I'm afraid I'll get sick.

Oh, and to top off my running day?

I pulled a double. They were short, due to time constraints, but I worked my tail off! 5-10% incline for a mile this morning. 2.25 miles this evening, running the last 1.75 miles of it - and finishing at 7mph! (8:30mm).

I started off with the mindset that I would wear a motivating shirt:

Nailed it 😉

I like to think I did Dumbo proud tonight!

Alright, enough of my rambling. Have a fun and safe night, everyone. Peace! 💋

Welcome to the Unsavory: Another Look at RunSpiration

Well, hello, ladies and gents! I'm baaaaaack!

It's only been, what, a month and a half?

(Whomp whomp whooooooomp)

I owe you all a few race recaps, and I have more races coming up soon. But, sadly, I'm lazy when it comes to getting the pictures off of my cameras.

But pictures there will be! Just not now, because I'm on my phone, and I don't really have squat for race pictures on my phone - for Dumbo Double Dare I had a point-and-shoot in my hand, and the hubs had the SLR.

A little bit ago I got to thinking: what are reasons for running?

Sure, there are those who run for charities, for loved ones, for the fun of it, etc... But there are some less savory ones out there.

I admit it, I have some less-than-savory reasons for running. I mean, sure, I started running because I wanted to prove to myself I could. I wanted to see what the big deal was about people doing races, and I was a little jealous that others were doing it and I, well... Wasn't. I also enjoy the satisfaction of completing runs - I'm not going to finish first, but that doesn't make it any less amazing to me.

But thinking about family and Thanksgiving coming up and all (that's a whole other long story) got me thinking. And I realized that I definitely have some less-than-savory reasons for running - although I'm not quite sure about calling them "unsavory", not just yet 😉

The fact is this: I'm afraid of getting fat.

Bet you weren't expecting that bomb, huh?

And professionals everywhere and those who deal with ED just died a little on the inside, with a part of them screaming "ANOREXIA!!!!"

(Sorry, but I really like food, I try to pay attention to nutrition, vomiting makes me cry so why would I intentionally do it?, and I prefer not to speculate over other methods of purging and such... Just to name a few.)

Part of it is vanity. It's a bit embarrassing to admit. But I also equate part of it to along care of myself, and being a casual runner has helped with that for over a year and a half now.

On the other side... Most of my family is overweight or obese. Some things stick with you over time - my increased risk of diabetes due to genetics (relatives with diabetes, as well as being black), the lack of encouraged physical activity, the heart problems, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, knee replacements related to weight, family history of cancer, family history of stroke... It terrifies me, especially when I see how much of it is weight-related.

And it doesn't help when you have memories of people jokingly saying "You don't have a butt! You'll get one when you gain some weight like everyone else in the family!"

I know it was a joke, but I've always been a little sensitive.

And I don't want that for myself.

Oh, and I'm lazy and don't want to have to do any more clothes shopping 😉

Do you have any "less-than-savory" reasons for running? Better yet, what ARE your reasons for running? (I know some of you like to celebrate with beer/wine/chocolate!) 😉

To end on a slightly more positive note... Some pictures from Disneyland:

(You know, just a little preview of goodies to come. A picture's worth a thousand words, right?) 

And life goes on. Unless you're my car.

It's been... Well, it's been a busy mon. That's really the best way I could put it.

A week after my last post, I had a birthday! And it was kinda fun, if not super tiring - a few of us took clients to the zoo. And we spent all. Freaking. Day. At the zoo. Tiring, yes, but a whole lot of fun.

And two days after that, someone totaled my car as I was heading from supervision back to work.

Yes, I'm ok.

Yes, the over driver is ok.

Yes, I'm still mad.

And to top it all off, we were there for nearly two hours (until nearly 4pm) and an officer never showed up. So when I was FINALLY able to give my statement (around 9pm in the freaking RAIN!), I was told it wasn't going to do any good because by that point it was just hearsay, even though I have an eye witness who was sitting at the intersection's stoplight when this lady ran her car into mine.

By the way, her car was barely scratched, especially in comparison to mine. Really, it took off my paint more than it was damaged. The tow truck driver was amazed that a '98 VW Bug did in my '07 Ford Focus so badly. My car was leaking a bit of oil, needed a new suspension, there was a hole in the tire - which had been pushed back in the wheel well, if that tells you anything.

I had an officer who really helped out with figuring out why nobody showed up to the accident... Supposedly someone did and "didn't see an accident", despite the fact that my car blocked traffic for nearly two hours.

My car: 

The other driver's car: 

I was told I could file a complaint against the police department. I think I will, because this is absolutely ridiculous. The woman wasn't even ticketed because "it's all hearsay".

Fortunately my insurance AND hers found her to be at fault.

Unfortunately, I still had to buy a car. After a bunch of hunting I ended up with a 2013 Ford Fusion (new body style).

...

And this thing called a car payment.

Uuuuuuuuugggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I'm just glad my insurance got them to knock off nearly $5k. That didn't stop them from trying to tack on the extras (of course), but I'll be darned if I was gonna pay sticker for a car.

As people have been quick to point out, at least I'm ok, and the new car is quite nice.

I do miss my car, though... 😢😕

iPod Shuffle WINNER!!!

I know I'm a little late in announcing to everyone on here, but first thing Monday morning I (that is, Rafflecopter - no bias!) picked, and then notified the winner of the giveaway!

...
But first I'm gonna make you wait ;) (Don't throw stones! haha... But really)

I just wanted to share some information on A-T directly from the main A-T Children's Project page. I know many of you used the option of providing information about A-T as an entry, but I still wanted to get the information out there!

Even if you weren't selected as the lucky winner, I hope you came out of it with some information on A-T, information that maybe helped you understand just why it is I decided to run with the A-T Children's Project next month.

WHAT IS A-T?

A Multi-system Disease...

Ataxia-telangiectasia, or "A-T," is a progressive, degenerative disease that affects a startling variety of body systems. Children with A-T appear normal at birth, and the first signs of the disease usually appear during the second year of life. These first signs are usually a "wobbly" lack of balance and slurred speech caused by "ataxia," which means a lack of muscle control.

Ataxia...

The onset of this ataxia marks the beginning of progressive degeneration of a part of the brain, known as the cerebellum, that gradually leads to a general lack of muscle control, and eventually confines the patient to a wheelchair. Because of the worsening ataxia, children with A-T lose their ability to write, and speech also becomes slowed and slurred. Even reading eventually becomes impossible as eye movements become difficult to control.

Telangiectasia...

Soon after the onset of the ataxia, the A-T patient usually shows another clinical hallmark of A-T: "telangiectasia," or tiny red "spider" veins which appear in the corners of the eyes or on the surface of the ears and cheeks exposed to sunlight. Although these telangiectasia are seemingly harmless, their unique appearance together with ataxia is what led to naming this disease "ataxia-telangiectasia."

Immune System Problems...

For most (about 70 percent) of children with A-T there is another clinical hallmark: immunodeficiency that usually brings recurrent respiratory infections. In many patients, these infections can become life threatening. Because of deficient levels of IgA and IgE immunoglobulins, the natural infection fighting agents in the blood, children with A-T are highly susceptible to lung infections that do not respond to typical antibiotic treatments. For these A-T patients, the combination of a weakened immune system and the progressive ataxia can ultimately lead to pneumonia as a common cause of death.

Predisposition to Cancer...

Children with A-T tend to develop malignancies of the blood system almost 1,000 times more frequently than the general population. Lymphoma and leukemia are particularly common types of cancer, although the frequencies of most cancers are elevated. Ironically, another facet of the disease is an extreme sensitivity to radiation, which means that A-T patients cannot tolerate the therapeutic radiation usually given to cancer patients.

Other Features of A-T...

Other features of ataxia-telangiectasia that may affect some children are: mild diabetes mellitus, premature graying of the hair, difficulty swallowing causing choking and/or drooling and slowed growth. Even though A-T is a multi-system disorder, the children afflicted have and maintain normal or even above-normal intelligence. Their dispositions seem to remain equable and help them to maintain a healthy outlook on life despite the progression of their disabilities.

How Frequent is A-T?

Ataxia-telangiectasia respects no racial, economic, geographic or education barriers. Both males and females are equally affected. Epidemiologists estimate the frequency of A-T as 1 in 40,000 births. But it is believed that many children with A-T, particularly those who die at a young age, are never properly diagnosed. Therefore, this disease may actually be much more common.

Prognosis...

A-T is presently incurable and unrelenting. If they are lucky enough not to develop cancer, most A-T children are dependent on wheelchairs by the age of ten, not because their muscles are too weak, but because they cannot control them. Later, A-T patients usually die from respiratory failure or cancer by their teens or early twenties. A few A-T patients live into their forties, but they are extremely rare.

What treatments are available?

There is no cure for A-T, and there is currently no way to slow the progression of the disease. At this time, treatments are directed only toward partially alleviating some symptoms as they appear. Because A-T is a rare, "orphan" disease, very little research data is available on pharmaceutical therapies that may aid these children. Physical, occupational and speech therapy are used to help maintain flexibility, gamma-globulin injections help supplement the immune systems of A-T patients, and high-dose vitamin regimes are being undertaken with some moderate results.



And now, what you've been waiting for... the winner of the iPod shuffle is...

Congrats to Kevin!

Now, ladies and gents... As I mentioned, I've already notified Kevin. However, as I initially stated in the Original Giveaway Blog Post (yes, that merited capitalization), the winner has 48 hours - AFTER being notified - to contact me to claim their prize, and from then we'll get it all figured out, shipping and all. At this point, Kevin has about 11.75 hours to contact me before I draw another name.

See also: keep your eyes peeled, because you could be the winner if Kevin doesn't step forward.

Or, if you know Kevin, tell him to shoot me an email, a tweet, a blog comment or something! ☺

Thank you so much, each and every one of you, for entering my first giveaway!

Also, just because the giveaway is over doesn't mean it's too late to donate to my ATCP page! It's never too late to give, and no amount is too small!

Again, thank you, everyone! ☺

Mischief Managed

The title of this post just seems oddly appropriate.

Let me just say... I feel a WHOOOOOLE heck of a lot better now than I did when I made that last post.
SO. MUCH. BETTER.
Accomplished. Content (and I don't think that's sugar talking, either - I had the feeling yesterday, too).

Long story short: I got our hotel room for Disneyland taken care of.

I was really starting to worry that nothing would be available because I listened to my husband and waited to book a room... And then I forgot about it, so it's not like I can blame it all on him.
It's within walking distance - about half a mile from the start line. And... Is really pretty. I looked at the pictures of the hotel. Our room has a king and a double. DH joked that we could sleep on one bed and crash on the other after running.

Yeah, I'd already thought about that, and thought that it sounded pretty reasonable.
After the Princess Half, we all went back to the hotel room and just... Crashed. I was out for at least an hour or two.
Runner problems, huh?

At that time, I also took care of theme park tickets. I still have to figure out dining plans, and where the post-race celebratory dinner will be - I'll talk that over with the hubs later. Vegetarian husband = some restrictions on where to go. Although some of the places look rather promising, and I think he'll like them :)

I know time's running out on raising money for the ATCP... But I'm feeling better about that, too. Not so much "I've given up", but more of realizing just how much I actually had control over with that whole deal.

Even with the Disneyland stress, it's been a good couple of days.

I was hoping to hit 100 miles this month - but 50+ is definitely where it's going to be.
I'm contemplating having a couple really strong weeks - there are only a couple weeks left in the month, anyway! We'll see how it goes.
I'm definitely thinking a run later tonight. But not too late - gotta get plenty of sleep. I've been up late reading the last couple days. My guilty pleasures :)
Courtney Milan just released The Heiress Effect. And shortly after, Reeni Austin released More Than a Maid.
I've been looking forward to both books, and I pretty much devoured The Heiress Effect. Loved it. I'm now about, I dunno, 30% through with Reeni's book... I'd say, so far so good. I've had a few issues with it, but nothing really major that wasn't later addressed in the book.

That said, I think I'll get back to reading now. And a run tonight sounds like a really good idea :)

Motivation = Down

I can't tell if I'm having a couple of down days or if this is really what Disneyland and Dumbo are going to turn into...
I bought our plane tickets for Dumbo on Friday. That's about the only thing that's gone right with this whole thing, and even then that's messed up.
We're flying into John Wayne, so not very far away... But we're flying out of San Diego - which is two hours from Disneyland... In good traffic. And no clue how we'll be getting there. We'll probably end up leaving at like 10 just to make sure we get to the airport with plenty of time. Of course, the return flights have a 60% and 50% rate of being on-time. I've never knowingly bought tickets that said anything less than, oh, 80%. Not if I could help it.
At least the plane tickets were fairly cheap in comparison to others I saw - the cheapest, actually.

And the hotels at Disneyland are sold out. Or rather, I found one that was available every day we needed it - EXCEPT the night before the half! ::facepalm::

So I'll be calling tomorrow to see what I can get figured out. The hubs says he'll do it, but the fact of the matter is... I'm our trip planner, usually. Comparing hotels, plane tickets, you name it.
I'm getting sick of being told to not worry about it. I've been hearing that for months, but now it really IS time to worry about it, when even nearby hotels seem to be sold out, AND I'm probably going to end up paying the $600 donation minimum just to run in the races!

It seems likes just when things start working out, they don't.

I tried for a month to get ahold of someone about holding a family walk/run to raise money for the charity... Would you believe I finally got ahold of someone at the beginning of this month? I had the possibilities all planned out, and then when I put my foot down because people got carried away with planning without consulting me, I got "Oh, well, we don't have enough time to do this, forget about it!" Well, we HAD enough time then. Now I've barely got a month before the fundraising deadline, and what's the use of me bringing up any other fundraising ideas when the three I've had have completely fallen through in some way or another?

I'm starting to wonder what the point in all of this really is. The fact of the matter is that this trip was supposed to be fun, but now it's just a pain in the neck.

Oh, and I double-booked us on pasta parties. RunDisney only sends out Disneyland Half Weekend RACE registration confirmations from one section, and the rest from another - at least, they did that for me, but not DH. So I thought we didn't have Pasta in the Park tickets.
Well, we do.
And now we have tickets for the free pasta dinner with the charity.
Same day. Same time.
Do you go to the party you paid an arm and a leg for, or the free party where you get to meet the people you've been raising attempting to raise money for?
Or do you find a way to go to both?

It's just one nightmare after another, and I can't help but ask myself why I'm going, other than what's been paid - and what's going to come out of my bank account when I don't reach the fundraising minimum. Ouch.

My annual appointment sounds more fun than this. Although I never saw the big deal about annuals, once you get past the first one.
But that's beside the point.

Well, it's now 12:01.
45 days until Disneyland.
Woo.
Goodnight.

How to start a Sunday:

1) Wake up at 7:44(ish). Check Facebook. Be amazed at the people awake before you, and the fact that you naturally woke up at this time. Blame work for the fact that you naturally wake up by 8:30.
2) Go back to sleep. You know you want to.
3) Wake up at about 10:14 to your husband rifling around in the kitchen. Realize that it's after 10, and that you just had a dream about running the WDW Marathon... Excited, or nervous about not being well-prepared?
4) Laze about for a bit. Contemplate reading after blogging about your running dream.
5) Take the clothes out of the dryer.
6) Look up races, and daydream about doing them. Include your own little cheering squad in said daydreams, as you look up two marathons.
7) ... Decide to go for a run today. Three weeks ago was exhausting, putting in over 40 miles. Two weeks ago had a little bit in my new Saucony Ride 6 running shoes. Last week had next-to-nothing, and my skin recognized (and complained!) about the difference. Why not start this week off with some miles, and get used to your new shoes? Contemplate before or after work, and decide that both might work if you get your butt in gear. Feel disappointment/discouragement over the lack of a fan in in the apartment complex's workout room.
8) Check the runDisney training schedules for Dumbo and Dopey. Exhale in relief that you're ahead of schedule, and not behind.

Yes, ladies and gents, that is my morning to right now (11:25 AM CDT).
It's so amazing that a year and a half ago, I was contemplating running. Vaguely. I think I started in either late February or early March of 2012 - I don't remember which.
Back then, a 5K sounded reasonable, yet intimidating. A 10K sounded scary as hell. A 7-miler, for one of my dream races, sounded like, well, a dream... And a nightmare all the same. No way I was ready for it! A half marathon was, at best, hilarious. A marathon? Shoot me in the foot.

Now it's July 7. 23 days until I'm 23. I've done 4(?) 5Ks, a half marathon, a virtual half marathon, 4 virtual 10Ks, 2 virtual 1-milers (and still have one to go!).
Oh, and all of those virtual runs were in that exhausting week two weeks ago.

Can anybody say "Learn to balance"? That's what I'm still working on.

In the next 3 months I have... that virtual 1-miler... 5K or 10K for my own virtual run. I have another virtual race on the 25th (I forget what distance, though...). 2.3 miles for a virtual birthday run for me. A virtual 10K for Harry Potter's birthday.

Yes, you read that right. I'll say it again: A 10K for Harry Potter's birthday.
Yes, I know when that is. It's the day after mine (and 10 years before - holy geez, Harry Potter is going to be 33!! LOL)

Anyway... Not too much in August, other than THE START OF THE DUMBO DOUBLE DARE!!!!

Yes, that was important enough that it needed to be in all caps.
Be glad I didn't bold, underline, and italicize it ;)

So I have the 10K on August 31, and the half on September 1. A virtual.... Some-distance-or-other  (Nerd Herd Running's Banned Book run). The Prairie Dog Virtual Half. And I'm waiting to see what else I cram in these next few months, or in October. Hoping to add a couple more half marathons, or a marathon in there somewhere.
...
Must consult with the hubs. One of my biggest cheerleaders, he also brings me back down if I start having race mania - that is, trying to sign up for every race I possibly can.
Sometimes I'm not the practical one. Go figure (insert eye-roll).

Now, as far as that WDW Marathon dream... It was definitely one of those that first made me think I was worried about being unprepared - which I am, but I wasn't expecting to dream about it! Haven't had a running dream in a while.

I dreamed that everybody was ready to go, and I... Was still in my pajamas. At the start line. And all of my stuff was on a school bus... And the school bus had driven away. So there I am, running and looking for the school bus. I find the bus, and have to dig through giant piles to find my bag of clothes. I even found my sleeping bag! After a while I finally find my clothes... Found my running shorts, but couldn't find my sports bra or a shirt.
As I was about to give up, I found my sports bra. Nevermind shoes or a shirt, because I don't remember how those cropped up. So I run back to the start line, and my dad's waiting for me! Weirdness number one (well... Yeah...). Next weirdness, my husband is nowhere in sight! My dad is wielding my DSLR, looking super confused.
...
And the last wave has already started. Nevermind that I should've been in the second-to-last corral. I crossed the start line about 30 seconds after everyone else... And joined the group in getting lost in this little catle-like-thing that depicted the homes of different Disney characters, and you had to find your way out. Included running down stairs (or jumping down small holes, if you preferred that to the stairs).

Then I woke up. Anti-climactic, I know. But the husband was moving around in the kitchen, and it was after 10, so it was definitely time to get up.

Well, looks like it's time for yours truly to get moving. Hope everyone has a great day!

ATCP and Red iPod Shuffle **Giveaway**!

As some of you are aware, I am doing the Dumbo Double Dare at Disneyland over Labor Day weekend. I'll be running with the A-T Children's Project to raise awareness and funds for research to benefit those affected by ataxia-telangiectasia.

The specific team I'm supporting is Team Randy and Alex. Alex is an adorable three-year-old who was diagnosed with A-T a few months before he turned two. Randy was Alex's mom, Crystal's, cousin. He lost his battle with A-T in 2004.

To help spread awareness, I'm doing a giveaway! (My very first one - I'm rather excited) ☺

The prize? A brand new red iPod shuffle.

"Why red?", you ask. Well, head on over to the ATCP website and you'll see - red is a color to show support for the ATCP.
The shuffle will come engraved with "The A-T Children's Project" on it... Those who know me know I tried to add more to that, but let's face it: Putting "Supporting Team Randy and Alex and the A-T Children's Project"? I tried, but I ran out of room. By a lot. (Surprise, surprise)

See, what'd I tell you?

Anyway, here it goes!
The entry period is between June 29, 2013 (see also: now) through July 22, 2013 at 12:00 AM CDT.
A winner will be chosen with 48 hours of the completion of the giveaway. The winner will have 48 hours after their name has been announced to contact me. If they do not, another winner will be chosen.

Have at! Please share with your friends and family. Our goal here is to raise awareness and help those in need! ☺


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Victoria's Secret. Yes, Really

Hi, my name is Victoria, and I'm awful at keeping secrets.

Ok, 1) that's a lie. 2) it makes me think of the stereotype for AA/NA/GA/etc. meetings.
"Hi, I'm [name], and I'm an addict."

But the fact of the matter is, I've got an amazing secret that I can't keep.
Well, I guess it's not really a secret, but it's fun to say it is. After all, friends make secrets, but secrets don't make friends, right?

ANYWHO!

You may remember me saying I'm running with the A-T Children's Project's Disneyland CureTeam over Labor Day weekend, and talking about fundraising to support the A-TCP?
Well, we got a virtual run up and, well, running! There are a few different levels:

• $10 for non-runners
• $25 for a 5k, 10k, or basically any other distance. This level includes an A-TCP decal
• $50 for a half or full marathon (or a shorter distance, if you so desire and want the shirt). This level includes and A-TCP t-shirt.
• Other - the option that gives you a little more leeway to pick and choose donation amounts.

I'm really quite excited for the whole thing. It'll be my first time hosting a virtual run, and I think it'll be their first virtual run ever for the A-TCP, so it'll be a fun experience for us all!

Here's the link to the Facebook page: Victoria's Not So Secret Virtual Run Facebook Page

Here's the link to the registration page: Victoria's Not So Secret Virtual Run.

Both pages give information on the charity, the run, as well as information on Team Randy and Alex.

Also, I want to clarify that it may be a virtual run... But all fitness levels and paces are welcome.

If you could like the Facebook page and share with your friends, that would be wonderful, and greatly appreciated!

That said, it's time for me to turn in for the night. Have a lovely night, ya'll :)