Saturday, January 31, 2015

#keepittight 2015

You guys have seen me post lots of pictures of me in my PRO Compression socks over the past year.

Well now I’m happy to announce that I am a 2015 PRO Compression ambassador!

PRO ambassador

I’m really excited to be working with fellow ambassadors and passing along great deals to you guys!

Just wanted to share my exciting news with you :)  More to come soon!

Until next time,

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Monday, January 19, 2015

The Best ChEAR squad ever

If you’ve ever run a longer distance race, you know how much influence that the spectators can have on you.  There are those that say “You’re almost there!” only a mile or two into a race and can get you in a tizzy (which, by the way, isn’t so funny when you’re running a half or full marathon) but then you have those who uplift you with their cheers and encouraging words and posters.

And that is what this post is all about.

If you’ve been following my blog since I started back in 2012, you know that I ran the 2013 runDisney Princess half marathon as my very first one.  This race was nothing but exciting for me…to run further than I’ve ever gone before AND to do it at the happiest place on earth…what could be better??  Being that this was my first big race with spectators along the course, it was a lot of fun for me to see the signs and the smiles on their faces as they cheered all the runners on.

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But one spectator really stood out to me (and sadly, I did not take a photo of her during the Princess half) but right outside of Epcot at around mile 12, I saw this woman sitting on a scooter with a sign that said “Hello Complete Stranger…I’m Proud Of You Too!”  It definitely brought a smile to my face and helped give me that extra push that I needed to finish the race.

As I became move involved in the runDisney community I learned who this super spectator, or ChEARleader in Disney language, was.  Her name was Peggy Sue, and she was as part of a runDisney race as the Disney characters who lined the course.  Her daughter also runs and she would travel with her to all the runDisney races that she could, and she always had her tried and true sign as well as some goodies in the basket of her scooter.

Fast forward to Labor Day weekend 2013 when I flew out to California to participate in the inaugural Dumbo Double Dare race (that’s a 10k on Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday).  I ran the 10k with my friends Lena, Brandi, and Brandi’s mom, and as we approached mile 6, there was Peggy Sue, sitting on the course with her sign.  We cheered for HER as we ran passed as we always loved seeing her at races.  The next day during the half, Brandi and I were coming up on mile 12…it was hot, humid and we were ready to be done with the race.  Who did we see at mile 12?  None other than the infamous Peggy Sue :)  We ran up to her and graciously accepted the Starburst candies she offered to us and I was able to grab a selfie with her.

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This year I ran the Wine and Dine half marathon (affectionately called the Splash and Dash by the participants).  If you didn’t already know, it rained during the ENTIRE race.  When you’re a slower runner like me, that’s a lot of time in the rain and wind with wet clothes and shoes on.  I don’t think I’ve ever been so miserable in my entire life.  As I was running along the Boardwalk area in front of the Yacht and Beach club resorts, I looked over and saw Peggy Sue…sitting on her scooter with a poncho on at 2 a.m. cheering for us runners in the rain.  While I didn’t stop for a picture, seeing her made me smile and I finished the toughest race I have yet to run.

Sadly, that would be the last time I would see Peggy Sue at a runDisney race.  She had been battling cancer for quite some time and passed away this morning.  The runDisney community has been saddened by this loss but we know that as we approach mile 12 of each and every runDisney race (or mile 25 of the full) Peggy Sue will be there in spirit with her sign “Hello Complete Stranger, I’m Proud Of You Too!!”

If you want to see how one person can have such an enormous impact on hundreds of people, click here to see a video that a fellow Disney Pacebook runner, Jennifer, has made in her honor/memory.

Peggy Sue’s favorite Disney character was Jiminy Cricket, and the song he sang in Pinocchio is perfect for the encouragement that she gave all runners that both knew her and didn’t know her.

jiminy cricket when you wish upon a star

Thank you Peggy Sue!  You will never be forgotten

Until next time,

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Saturday, January 17, 2015

Cleaning out my Closet

Hi gang!

With the new year I’ve decided to go through my running closet and try to get rid of some brand new and gently worn things that I have not been using, and I thought I’d pass along the opportunity for some of you to get your hands on some new gear at a discounted price :)  If you’re interested in any of the items please send me an email to hellofitnessjen at gmail dot com and they’ll be all yours!  US only, Paypal Friends/Family or Goods/Services only – Goods/Services will be a little more due to fees.  All prices include shipping.

Black with Red/Blue PRO Compression sleeves
polka dot sleeves 
These have only been worn once and were washed and hung to dry as instructed. They are a discontinued style from PRO Compression.  They are a size L/XL.
Asking price - Paypal $20 Friends/Family, $23 Goods/Services

Black PRO Compression sleeves
black sleeves
These have only been worn once and were washed and hung to dry as instructed.  They are a size L/XL.
Asking price - Paypal $20 Friends/Family, $23 Goods/Services

Red and Green striped PRO Compression sleeves
christmas sleeves
These have never been worn and are a discontinued style from PRO Compression.  They are a size L/XL.  Great for Christmas races.
Asking price - Paypal $25 Friends/Family, $28 Goods/Services

Gray PRO Compression sleeves
gray sleeves 
These have only been worn once and were washed and hung to dry as instructed. They are a discontinued style from PRO Compression.  They are a size SM.
Asking price - Paypal $20 Friends/Family, $23 Goods/Services

Orange Ragnar PRO Compression sleeves
ragnar sleeves 
I received these in a grab bag and don’t feel right wearing them as I have never done a Ragnar.  These have never been worn and are a discontinued style from PRO Compression.  They are a size L/XL. 
Asking price - Paypal $25 Friends/Family, $28 Goods/Services

Maroon PRO Compression long socks
maroon socks 
These have never been worn and are a discontinued style from PRO Compression.  They are a size L/XL.
Asking price - Paypal $25 Friends/Family, $28 Goods/Services

Blue Athleta Racer back Tank Top
Athleta tank
These is new with tags and never been worn.  I only tried it on.  The colors are more true in the picture on the left.  The picture on the right is to show the rouching on the shirt.  The shirt is a size XL.
Asking price - Paypal $35 Friends/Family, $38 shipped

Running Skirt from Running Skirts
running skirts 
This skirt is new with tags.  I only tried it on and decided that it wasn’t for me.  It is a fuchsia color (not quite as bright as the pictures show).  They have shorts underneath the skirt and 2 pockets on the side and a smaller one in the back.  Size is Size 5 (34-36” waist, equivalent to women’s size 14)
Asking price – Paypal $37 Friends/Family , $40 Goods/Services

Under Armour shorts
UA shorts
These shorts are new with tags – only tried them on.  They are black with white lining and semi-fitted, per the tag.  They do have the lining on the inside.  Size is XL.
Asking price – Paypal $17 Friends/Family, $20 Goods/Services

Under Armour compression leggings
UA pants
These are new with tags and have only been tried on.  They are a size large.
Asking price – Paypal $25 Friends/Family, $27 Goods/Services

Thanks for looking around!  I’ll update whenever items are sold as to not cause confusion.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Until next time,

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Monday, January 5, 2015

New Year, New Post :)

Hi everyone!  I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We were away at my parents celebrating Christmas where we ate all the yummy food and had a great Christmas morning -

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Then we headed up to their cabin in the north Georgia mountains for some R&R.  We lounged around a lot and enjoyed this view (when it wasn’t raining or foggy) -

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We went into town one night for dinner, to watch UGA beat Louisville in the Belk Bowl, and play some trivia -

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We had a low key New Year’s eve at a friend’s house watching the Orange Bowl.  When it came close to midnight I HAD to live stream the firework show from Walt Disney World -

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On New Year’s day my mom prepared a fairly traditional Southern meal of ham, black eyed peas, cornbread, sweet potatoes, and my least favorite….turnip and collard greens…yuck!  I can only eat them with lots of sweet pickle juice poured on top.

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We spent most of the weekend inside as it was pretty rainy, so we broke out the Dominos game and played a few times…one night we were up until close to 2 a.m.!

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It was a really nice 2 weeks off of work and it will be hard to get back into the swing of things at work, but I’m ready to start the new year off right in so many ways (more to come on that later)

In the meantime, I hope each of you is geared up and having a fantastic start to 2015!

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Until next time,

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