Friday, May 31, 2013

May Foodie Penpals

Posted by CheapRunnerMichelle

So last month I discovered this girl's blog and she just so happened to be talking about Foodie Penpals...so what exactly is a Foodie Penpal...it's pretty much like a Penpal, but instead of writing letters to each other - you send them a box of food. Well needless to say I was very intrigued - so I headed over to this girl's page to check it out...so I signed up! So this month I was a Foodie Penpal virgin...but I'm not no more ;) I had an awesome girl Ashley that sent me a box this month. She contacted me right away to find out some info about me!...and then the middle of the month came...and who doesn't love receiving "presents"...especially food. Ashley was super thoughtful and sent me some awesome goodies!!!

All the goodies that Ashley put together for me - were new to me products:


What's inside?

Prezzies!

2GoEnergy Truffles


Mmmmm...I love Truffles

What?!? Protein truffles for post workout...who knew there was such a thing. Even cooler - it is a Canadian made product. You can check out the company here

Miracle Noodle/Rice

Ashley really hit this one on the head...I absolutely LOVE pasta - and could never give it up.


Guilt-Free Pasta & Rice

And guess what...they have zero calories (hello...lifetime shipping subscription required here):


...we have only had the fettuccini noodles, and they were VERY delish.

Magic


Wait...that's NOT Dom DeLuise?

We used this last night on asparagus, and it was very flavourful

Chocolate


El Camino

Who doesn't love chocolate...especially from a company that does some good in this world, and another big plus - it's another Canadian company!

Strawberry


Strawberry Fields

Can be used as a water flavour enhancer or on ice cream - ok - yes please. Can't wait to try this (and I already know that J will totally love this)

Teas


Tea Time

A lovely assortment of flavoured teas (my MIL was super excited when she saw this in my box!)

And a lovely little hand written card


Thanks Ashley!

Again a big HUGE thank- you to Ashley for putting such an awesome 1st Foodie Penpal box together for me!!!

...I have already signed up for June, and can't wait to see what new products I'll get to discover!

It's the weekend!!!! What are your plans? Who's racing?

...CRR and I are heading to Niagara Falls tomorrow for our run on Sunday

What's your favorite thing to receive in the mail?

...hmmmm - parcels from lulu and pro compression!

 

Thursday, May 30, 2013

If You Are Reading This...You Might Be a Runner

Posted by CheapRunnerMike

While I was listening to Blue Collar Radio on Sirius the other day Jeff Foxworthy joked, "If you own a home with wheels on it and several cars without, you just might be a redneck". This got me thinking about signs you just might be a runner...

  1. If you dream about running shoes...you might be a runner
  2. If you arrange your social calendar around your race schedule...you might be a runner
  3. If you have more pairs of running shoes than pairs of pants...you might be a runner
  4. If you can properly pronounce Saucony, Fartlek and Nuun...you might be a runner
  5. If you can remember the date of the Boston Marathon but can't remember your spouse's birthday...you might be a runner
  6. If you know what day of the week it is based on how many miles you just ran...you might be a runner
  7. If this is how you roll...you might be a runner
  8. If you have no problem converting kilometres to miles and back to kilometres, but you can't figure out how to split the bill at a restaurant...you might be a (Canadian) runner
  9. If you receive more running magazines in the mail than bills...you might be a runner
  10. If you don't think a bib is baby-apparel...you might be a runner
  11. If you comment on running blogs more than you talk to your family...you might be a runner
  12. If you can list the heel-to-toe drop of the entire New Balance Minimus line but can't list your children's teachers...you might be a bad father runner
  13. If your idea of high fashion is a new tank from Lululemon...you might be a runner
  14. If your sport is your friend's sports' punishment...you might be a runner
  15. If you refer to landmarks as mile markers...you might be a runner
  16. If you hear 'PB' or 'PR' and don't think of peanut butter or public relations...you might be a runner
  17. If you refer to Starbucks as your fuelling station...you might be SkinnyChickBlog a runner
  18. If you have an irrational hatred towards geese...you might be a runner
  19. If you always spell your buddy Cliff's name with just one 'F'...you might be a runner
  20. If you started a blog because your friends and family wouldn't listen to you spout off about running anymore...you might be a runner
  21. If your wardrobe consists of freebie race shirts..you might be a runner
  22. If you think in minutes per mile (or kilometre) instead of miles per hour...you might be a runner
  23. If you go into way too much detail when someone asks how your run went...you might be probably are a runner
  24. If you get angry when someone asks you how your jog went...you might be most definitely are a runner
  25. If you are still reading this post...you might be a runner

 

What are some other signs that you might be a runner?

 

 

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Hump Day and the Weekends

Posted by Anonymous

Oh Hump Day, how happy you make me!  Today is Wednesday, better known as hump day.  The middle of the week.  After Wednesday passes, I suddenly feel like the week has flown by…

I really love my job and the people that I work with but that doesn’t mean that I love being at work more than the weekends.

Last weekend, I was able to spend some time with friend L, that I haven't seen for a long time.  We went out to Moxie's for dinner.


Then out for some bevvy's after


It is always good to get caught up with friends!

Then I headed up to spend Saturday and Sunday with the other two CR's and their kiddies!


Photobomb by J!

Self portraits by J.  He is getting pretty good at them

K feeling on top of the world!

J tired out, couldn't make it to his bed

So, now that hump day has arrived, I can start looking forward to this weekend. CRMichelle and I are heading to Niagara Falls, Canada to do the Niagara Falls Women's Half Marathon.  I am very excited for this!

What is your favorite thing about the weekends?

I love not having to wake up to an alarm and taking my time waking up with some coffee.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Go the Distance

Posted by CheapRunnerMike
Last week was a record-setting week. As I continue to train for the Chicago Marathon in October I need to make sure I keep upping my mileage. Last week I ran more kilometres in a week than ever before with 83, and I also had my longest individual run with 25K.



That's right...epic.

It felt good to see these totals at the end of the week, and it feels even better to feel good after all that mileage. Lets hope it continues and this will be another record-breaking week. The general rule of thumb is to up your mileage by 10% week over week, but that isn't always the best idea...you really need to know your body and listen to it. Jason Fitzgerald at StrengthRunning.com doesn't neccesarily agree with the 10% rule and says the following;

Be more conservative when you’re in unchartered territory. When you start running more than you have ever run before, you are in a potential danger zone. Your body has never run so many miles and a long adjustment period is probably necessary. If you’re running high mileage – anything over 50 or 60 miles per week – then you probably need at least 3-4 weeks of adjustment at each level before increasing.


Certainly sound advice. I have learned this lesson before the hard way, thinking that I am doing great with my increased mileage only to end up hurting myself. Interestingly enough, I am now right at that 50 to 60 miles per week zone he is talking about. Best to play it safe right now, even though I would love to go out and add a whole bunch of extra miles! Man, running can be so addictive...

-------------------------------------

With the long weekend behind us we are now officially into detox rehab cottage season, and that means campfire time. You can't beat a good campfire, whether it is as a kid looking forward to roasting marshmallows and making s'mores or as an adult just sitting around enjoying time with friends.


Campfire Prep...that's a lot of wood

One of my favourite things about the campfire is the chance to get out my guitar and sing a few tunes...anything from U2 to Jimmy Buffett to Zac Brown. My tastes are pretty broad...


My best Rock Star impersonation

In the end though, the campfire is about friends, family and good times together. That's what makes it so enjoyable...not the flames inside the fire pit, but the people around the fire pit.

What are your favourite campfire tunes?

Who would you want to have at your campfire?

 


Monday, May 27, 2013

Back to the Goodlife

Posted by CheapRunnerMichelle

Thanks to my SIL I am the proud new owner of a Goodlife Fitness membership



It's been a few years since I have had a membership there - since I started running last year - I decided not to continue my membership at the time 'cause I already had a dread treadmill at home - and then there's always the good outdoors to get my runs in!...but I must admit - I really did miss the group exercise classes. So...I went and got my membership and then on Friday I started looking up class/gym times to figure out a new schedule I can get into. The 2 classes I am really looking forward to is:



Even though I have been before - I decided to do some reading on the class to see what exactly it's all about...

Hard body....ummmm - yes please!

So what exactly is this class all about?!?



And what can I expect to get out of it (assuming that I make it consistently to the x3 a week I am planning on)



I have decided that since I am running the 1/2 marathon next weekend that I have been training for - I am going to wait until the following week to start - so I have found 3 classes a week that I can go to at 6am...leaving the rest of my free time at lunch and in the evening to get my runs in - win win!

The other class I have really been missing...



I swear I have NEVER sweat so much in my life as I have/do in this class

And why I should be going back



....so I guess pretty soon, you won't even recognize me ;)

------------------------------------

So it's taper week...and then back to the gym next week - surprisingly I'm quite looking forward to it :)

And now for just a random photo of us this weekend



 

 

Sunday, May 26, 2013

3 Cheap Runners' Weekend Wrap

Posted by CheapRunnerMike

While the 3 Cheap Runners enjoy their day off, here are a few of the happenings that caught their eyes during the past week...

Links we Liked


This Week's CheapRunners' Posts

 

In case you missed a day...

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Snapshot Saturday

Posted by CheapRunnerMike

Enjoy some photos snapped by the 3CheapRunners this week as seen on Instagram.






Follow MichelleInstagram Follow RhodaInstagramFollow MikeInstagram

 

Friday, May 24, 2013

Stretching It Out

Posted by Anonymous

I have been a running slave addict for just over 2 years now. I am extremely blessed , that so far, I have not experienced any injuries. I do have very tight hamstrings to deal with though. Tight hamstrings that are not treated properly can lead to knee or other injuries. Awhile back I decided to do some research on what I could do to allievate this chronic tightness. I thought I would share with you a few things that I started incorporating into my daily routine. Some of these tips I got off the internet and some I got from my Chiropractor and Massage Therapist. This may or may not help you, depending on your needs.

Stretching-duh! I have always known this is important but there never seems to be time for this.

To stretch out the hamstring it is important to get at the hamstring without stressing the sciatic nerve. Sometimes we think we are stretching the hamstring, when in fact we are not.

A really, really good one that I try to do every morning and every night is the doorway stretch.

The reason why I like this one so much is because the doorway keeps your leg in place and you don’t have to use your arms to hold your leg. You get a straight stretch right through the hamstring. You can also choose how much you want to stretch it. You can hold for 20-30 seconds in one position, then stretch it out further for another 20-30 seconds or longer. I actually do this one up to 5 minutes per leg.

Standing hamstring stretch

This is a good one to repeat regularly throughout the day.

Stand with the leg to be stretched just in front of the other one, bend the back knee and lean forward with the hips, (if you are like me and your balance challenged- place your hands on the bent leg’s thigh to help balance), lean forward until you feel the stretch and hold for 30 seconds.

Massage is also extremely important.

After big races, I always schedule a Massage appointment for a day or two after to help with this. On a daily basis, it is difficult to massage your own hamstring. Foam rollers are really good way to help with this.

A few weeks back at the Expo for the Forest City Road Race, I purchased a foam roller from Braun Roller Works for $15. (they sell them online for $17.60).

Previous to my Foam Roller purchase, I used a rolling pin

Similar in shape and it was better than nothing but was a little too much. The Foam Roller is much better!

I have been pretty faithful to my foam roller lately and I am really starting to notice a difference in how I feel. This is something that you can easily use yourself and it is not too big or bulky that you can’t take it with you places.

Icing

Icing is good for strains, which if you haven’t been stretching your tightness can turn into a strain. You can actually buy cold wraps for your hamstring area that also have compression but they are expensive so I just make my own. I actually have a flexible ice pack from Wal-mart that has a wrap attached to it.

Do this for 20 min on and 20 min off-for a couple hours-if you have that long.

TIP: Do this after you have done your stretching and NOT before. You don’t want to stretch cold muscles.

There are many things you can do to help with hamstring/muscle tightness, these are just a couple simple things that I found have been easy to do every day and have made a huge difference for me.

 


In other happenings this week.....

I found a new Clif Bar to try:

Can't wait to try it!

And we have started to talk/think about where we want to go on vacation next February!

At the airport waiting for our flight to Mexico last February


Any vacation spot suggestions?

 

Any injury prevention suggestions?

 

Hope you all have a great weekend!