2016 Esprit de She Ambassador!

I'm so excited to announce that for the 4th year in a row I have been selected to be an ambassador for the Esprit de She race series!

It's been such an honor to represent this series since they first started back in 2013. They have a great message to send and it's been really cool to see them grow!

If you're looking for a great race experience for runners of all ages and fitness levels, this is definitely one to zero in on!  Before the race starts, you can walk around the marketplace and check out the different vendors, or stop by the beauty bar and get your hair braided or a mini massage to loosen up those muscles!

After the race is over, head into the Park Tavern's Southwest Porch and grab some SUPER tasty treats!  This past year we noshed on veggies and hummus, wraps, and spinach artichoke dip!  Don't forget to swing by the Bubbly Bar for a glass of wine to toast your race!

They know how to treat a girl right!  They always have a great race goodie bag and finisher shirts...and new this year for Atlanta, all finishers will receive a finisher's medal with a removable charm!  You can flaunt your medal after the race and have a small keepsake to wear every day to remind you of your race experience!

The Esprit de She race series offers many races across the country...even a few triathlons and duathlons along with running events!  You can check out where they'll be here. 

The ladies at Esprit de She were nice enough to give me a discount code to share with my readers...it gets you $5 off and it's good for ANY of their races!

Check them out and join me at the Esprit de She Atlanta 5k/10k on Thursday, November 3rd!

Until next time,

Esprit de She Atlanta 5k recap

I have had the privilege of serving as an ambassador for the Esprit de She Atlanta race since it first came to Atlanta in 2013.  That year it was chilly and SUPER windy!  In 2014, I was unable to run as I was at Walt Disney World for the Wine and Dine half marathon.  But in 2015 I was ready to run again!

The awesome people at Lifetime and Gildan sure did know how to treat the ambassadors.  A couple of months before the race, I got a surprise pink package stuffed with shirts, socks, a hoodie, water bottle, and other goodies from Gildan!

Race day came and I wasn’t feeling super confident.  The weather was a little dreary but luckily, it ended up being a great night!  I recruited one of my OTF friends, Kimberly, to run the race “with” me (she’s faster than I, so we started together and she waited for me at the finish).

We arrived with time to spare before the race, so we checked out all the pre-race areas – they sure know how to make a girl feel special!  There was a “marketplace” full of vendors…Gildan, Girls on the Run, Aspire Beverage, Yoplait, Sunset Grown, and a beauty bar where you could get a mini massage, a manicure, and/or your hair done for the race!

They also provided a super easy and convenient bag drop off inside the Southwest Porch at the Park Tavern, which was great as it was nice to have something a little warm to put on after the race was over!

I got the opportunity to meet Abby, the National Brand manager and one of our ambassador contacts for the Esprit de She race series!  It was great talking to her and hearing her passion for the race as well as to hear inspirational stories of women who had participated in their various events throughout the year across the country.

Before we knew it, it was time for the race to begin!  Esprit de She brought in a very entertaining Zumba instructor to lead us in a warm-up.  I most certainly do NOT have the moves he does, but I had fun attempting them :)

After warm up was done, we lined up in the corral.  There were a lot of women who were running their first 5k!  It’s such a great first step and a huge accomplishment.  I remember running my first one and am thankful for taking that step in life.

Soon, we were off!  The course was fairly well lit…there were a few dark spots but I just slowed down when I felt like I needed to…my biggest fear was slipping on wet leaves as it had rained the entire day before.  I stuck with my intervals and felt great during the whole race.  The course winds through Piedmont Park with very little incline.  It’s mostly on a paved road/trail but there is a small part of it on a gravel/dirt trail.
I kept going back and forth with a woman in front of me and made it my goal to finish before her.  As I approached the finish line I kicked it up a notch and managed to pull ahead!

After crossing the finish line I went to turn off my GPS and noticed my time…could it be?  Did I just PR?  WOW!

Considering the conditions I was crazy proud of myself!  It was the 2nd time I’d PRed the 5k in 3 weeks!  This called for a celebration, so Kimberly and I headed into the Southwest Porch to grab some food, take some pictures and redeem our free drink from the bubbly bar.

We also walked around a little more and checked out some of the awesome vendors they had.  Those tomatoes were AMAZING!  They also had a pizza but we missed out on trying a slice of that.  Oh well!  I highly recommend checking out Aspire Beverages…it’s a sports drink with much less sugar than Gatorade or Powerade…I loved it and will be getting some of my own soon!

 

We had a great time at this year’s Esprit de She Atlanta 5k/10k race!  It’s a great event to get a bunch of your best running friends together, run a race, and party it up afterward!

Next year’s race will be on Thursday, November 3rd, at Piedmont Park again.  Mark it on your calendars and sign up today!  Use my referral code “EDS015” too for $5 off any registration in the United States!

Thanks for another great race, Esprit de She…see ya again next year!

Until next time,

Esprit de She Atlanta race entry giveaway winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered!   I know it was last minute but I'm glad that someone is getting to use the entry :)

And the lucky winner is....

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats, Elisabeth!  Shoot me an email at hellofitnessjen@gmail.com to claim your prize!  Have fun at the race!

I've got some race recaps to post in the next few days as well as my Wine and Dine trip coming up!  Stay tuned :)

Until next time,

Jen

Beats by Dr Dre Review + Giveaway (closed)

Disclaimer: I was offered a complimentary set of Beats by Dr. Dre earbuds in exchange for a review and giveaway.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Before a run or a workout, one of the first things I do is grab my headphones so I can jam out to some music during exercise.  Hearing the upbeat music keeps me motivated and even helps with my cadence.

I’ve been using yurbuds but am always open to checking out new products.  Staples was kind enough to offer me a pair of Beats by Dr Dre headphones of my choice (up to $250 value) to review and share my thoughts on.  I chose the urbeats in-ear headphones as they had a feature that my yurbuds do not - the ability to answer phone calls and control my music all from the cable.



I’ve read good things about the urbeats headphones so I couldn’t wait to try them out!  I had intended on using them during the Esprit de She 5k back in November, but silly me forgot to check how they fit in my ear…too big :(  Luckily, they come with 4 different size ear bud attachments, so you’re bound to find one that fits your ear like a glove!

I always have an issue with the cord on my headphones getting crazy tangled up.  These ear buds have tangle free cords AND came with a handy little pouch to store them in when you aren’t using them.  Super clever!  I also love that they come with a clip to help manage the excess cable during your workouts.  I always have an issue with figuring out where to tuck the extra cable so it doesn't get in my way - the clip makes that so much easier.



Once I found the perfect size ear bud for my body, I took them for a spin on the stair climber at the gym.  They.Didn’t.Budge!  The sound quality was also fantastic.  I couldn’t hear anyone else around me on their machines or their conversations.   I love having the volume adjustment on the cord as well.  It’s so much easier to use than using the volume control on my phone.  Answering phone calls is easily done from the cable without having to fumble to pull an ear bud out and pick up your phone to your ear.  (I forgot to take a picture of myself at the gym, but I’m using them now to listen to Christmas music while I type up this post!)



Want a pair of your own?  Staples has graciously offered the winner of my giveaway their choice of Beats by Dr Dre product (up to $250 value) from here.  I know you’re probably busy buying gifts for friends and loved ones, so why not take a shot and enter to win something for yourself, right?

Enter using the Rafflecopter below.  The giveaway will begin on Wednesday, December 11, and end at midnight on Friday, December 20.  The winner will be announced by Friday afternoon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Until next time,

So...Let Me Explain....

I know my blog has been quieter than normal, and for that I apologize.  Let me explain -

I have a confession - I have not run since my last half marathon on October 6th (recap coming soon).  I was beginning to feel burned out from running, so I gave my body (and mind) some time off to figure out what I want to do seeing that I don't have another half marathon on the calendar until February when I travel to Jacksonville to run 13.1 with Donna. (wow that was a huge run on sentence)

I have struggled to lose weight, and most of it is my own fault.  I had the mentality of "Oh, I'm running half marathons so I can eat whatever I want".  I know that's not how I should be thinking, but the point of my blog is to be truthful, so that's what I'm doing.

Last week, I got this -

Hubby and I decided to join Bodyplex!  I'm looking forward to participating in some classes and trying out spin and yoga for the first time ever!  They have tons of free weights and machines to use as well as a great selection of cardio equipment.

Tomorrow night I'm running the Esprit de She Atlanta 5k event at Piedmont Park, and I'm really looking forward to it.  I'm not going out with any expectations since it's been a minute since my last run, but I'm hoping this race will jumpstart my love of running again.

Have you ever needed to give yourself a break?  What helped motivate you to get going again?

Until next time,

Jen