IRunMommies

1Day Relay Adventure

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 23:48:44 +0000

Six IRunMommies from our original team in Bradenton/Sarasota had a super fun adventure on October 8th, 2011, by participating in the 1Day Relay. The race started at Pier 22 in Bradenton and ended over 50 miles south at Sharky’s in Venice. The course was scenic, uncrowded, challenging, and resulted in a super, super fun day shared between friends!

This was the inaugural year for the relay and we were impressed by how organized the event was and how well marked the course was. It is a great event for IRunMommies as it is a “team” event and offers many opportunities to support your teammates. You also have plenty of time to giggle with your team. After all the fun that was had, we will absolutely be back next year!

Relive our 1Day Relay adventure!

WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT – New Balance Sunglasses Giveaway from PlanetGear.com

admin — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:16:00 +0000

We got SUPER busy with a 1Day Relay and this whole marathon training thing, please forgive us for the delay in announcing the winner of our New Balance Sunglasses Giveaway from PlanetGear.com!
Drum roll please… Congratulations to Caroline Calcote (from IRunMommies St. Petersburg!!) who won our New Balance Sunglasses contest! Please email us at info at IRunMommies.com with your address and your new sunglasses will be on their way!

Keep watching for more great giveaways we have planned!

New Balance Sunglasses Giveaway from PlanetGear.com

admin — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:03:25 +0000

A few days ago, we received an email from Tawnee at PlanetGear.com introducing us to this awesome new online sales website! Planet Gear was created for women with an emphasis on giving back and they invited us to participate in an awesome giveaway for our IRunMommies readers!

Wanna get access to some great gear, apparel, and travel discounts, donate to Breast Cancer Awareness, AND be entered to win this great looking pair of New Balance Sunglasses? Create a FREE account at PlanetGear.com and $1 will be donated to Breast Cancer Awareness. PlanetGear.com will also donate another $1 to Breast Cancer Awareness for each new “Like” they get on Facebook. So in a few simple clicks, you can donate $2 to Breast Cancer Awareness and be on your way to some awesome deals. And did we mention this is all FREE?

PlanetGear.com is an online sales community created just for the active woman like you. They offer limited time sales exclusively to members (which is free) on premium active brands and experiences. This week (Sept 27- Oct 4) when you sign up to be a member for PlanetGear.com you will donate $1 to Breast Cancer Awareness and you are entered to win a pair of New Balance Breast Cancer Awareness Sunglasses just for IRunMommies. Giving back is a huge part of PlanetGear’s mission, which is why they are members of the 1% for the Planet organization.

Currently, PlanetGear is offering a sale on TYR, IronGirl, and SurfTech paddleboards. In the past six months since their launch, they have carried great gear and apparel from brands like K-Swiss, Roxy, Kuhl, Horny Toad, Rossignol, Nikita, Sugoi, and many other premium brands, all up to 70% off.

Don’t forget to sign up—you will love the deals and steals on many items that are good enough to splurge on (but now you don’t have to anymore). Also, when you do this week, you are helping a great cause—so spread the word!

Mandatory to enter (Please leave a comment below for each entry.)
1.) You must be a follower of IRunMommies (Look over to the right –>> under “Follow Us!” you can choose Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs (or let us know if you’re already following us!) +1 entry
2.) Join Planet Gear by going here. Joining takes just seconds and is free. +1 entry

Bonus entries:
3.) Go to the PlanetGear Facebook page and like them. Leave a comment and let us know! +1 entry
4.) Go to the IRunMommies Facebook page and like us. Leave a comment and let us know! +1 entry
- Share this giveaway (twitter, facebook, blog, wherever! Leave a comment )! +1 entry

Contest ends on October 4th, 2011. One winner will be randomly chosen and notified!

Fine Print: All opinions are our own.

Subway Giveaway Winner

admin — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 20:59:44 +0000

Congratulations to Sherri Jernigan who won our $10 Subway Giveaway contest! Please email us at info at IRunMommies.com with your address and your free lunch will be on its way!

Keep watching for more great giveaways we have planned!

$10 Subway Giveaway!

admin — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:48:54 +0000

We love Subway because it’s a great alternative to the traditional, greasy fast food when you’re out and in a pinch and need something healthy to fuel up on! In addition to some great sandwich options, Subway has now introduced its Yogurt Parfait. It’s made fresh daily with strawberries, blueberries, granola and yogurt.

I’m not gonna lie… the yogurt parfait is not very big. But, it does make the perfect after school snack for the kids, or even just a low cal snack to tide you over! I picked one up for each kid on the way home from school the other day and they were both in heaven. Nothing like a great tasting, healthy snack to score some Mom points!

The nutritional breakdown for the Subway Yogurt Parfait is Nutritional Information For Subway Yogurt Parfait is below:

Calories 160
Fat 2g
Sodium 80mg
Carbs 30g
Fiber 2g
Sugar 24g
Protein 6g

WIN IT!
Want to win yourself a free Subway sandwich and yogurt parfait treat? We’ve got a $10 Subway card to giveaway! To enter (please leave a comment for each thing you do):

1.) Follow the IRunMommies blog (Look over to the right –>> under “Follow Us!” (or let us know if you’re already following us!) +1 entry
2.) Follow the IRunMommies on Facebook! +1 entry
3.) Tell us what you’re training for! +1 entry
3.) Share this giveaway (twitter, facebook, blog, wherever! Leave a comment )! +1 entry

Contest ends on Sunday, Sept 11th at midnight. One winner will be randomly chosen and notified the next day!

Fine Print: Subway provided us with a gift card to try the yogurt parfait. All opinions are our own.

Gone Green

admin — Wed, 25 May 2011 16:35:05 +0000

On June 1st, several of our Sarasota/Bradenton IRunMommies will be embarking on a challenge! While we’re used to challenging ourselves on the race course, we’re going to now start challenging ourselves in the kitchen.

For the month of June, we will commit to this ONE THING:

Drink a quart of delicious green smoothie each day! Prepare cell nourishing, body beautifying, energy giving food without turning on the oven? Yes, please!!

That’s it! Just ADD the smoothie. We do have a few ambitious ladies, who have already realized the benefits of a daily green smoothie. They will be taking on additional healthy challenges. Commitment is easy when you get great results and you have amazing IRunMommy support!

Over the next month, we’ll be posting some of the results we’re experiencing during this pilot program! Interested in participating? Let us know and we’ll consider expanding the challenge this summer to IRunMommies all over!

Long Runs Need Traumeel

admin — Tue, 24 May 2011 20:33:15 +0000

After a long overdue visit to The Stepping Stone Clinic several weeks ago, my incredibly gifted massage therapist introduced my poor, knotted, ridiculously tight calves to a great product… Traumeel Gel.

Traumeel is a homeopathic product that contains a number of natural ingredients, which together can remove bruises quickly, decrease swelling in joints, muscles or soft tissues, and reduce pain from common injuries. Basically, it can be used as an anti-inflamatory and an analgesic (pain killer). Loyal devotees rave about using it to soothe achilles tendonitis, treat sore knees, and even to reduce the flair from fibromyalgia.

While Traumeel ointment is also available, I purchased the gel due to the fact that the gel is clear and absorbs faster than the ointment. The gel does not leave a sticky residue, is pretty much odorless, and spreads easily.

Traumeel blends arnica, along with 12 botanical and 2 mineral substances as the active ingredients. Traumeelalso contains calendula, which has long been used in the treatment of skin disorders and pain. For those wishing to avoid taking NSAIDS, Traumeel just might be the perfect alternative. I’ve even been experiencing some relief from this lingering, pesky, plantar fasciitis thanks to Traumeel.

Traumeel is not cheap, but boy, is it worth it.

Active Ingredients:

Calendula officinalis, Hamamelis virginiana, Arnica montana, radix, Aconitum napellus, Belladonna, Bellis perennis, Chamomilla, Echinacea angustifolia, Echinacea purpurea, Millefolium, Hepar sulphuris calcareum, Mercurius solubilis, Symphytum officinale, Hypericum perforatum

Inactive Ingredients:

Cetylstearyl alcohol, ethanol, paraffin, purified water, and white petrolatum

Superfoods – Maca

admin — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:13:07 +0000

We’ve been slowly introducing our Sarasota/Bradenton team to creative ways to easily (and tastily) increase their consumption of whole foods. We’ve held green smoothie classes and many of our local members have begun implementing these in their diets. More posts later on the awesome affects of green smoothies, but last night we had an interesting exchange about… ahem, well, we don’t call it “TMI Tuesday” for nothing!

Green smoothies alone can go a long way towards increasing your sex drive. As moms, low sex drive is an issue for many of us and can be largely attributed to exhaustion from all the daily demands we face. Wholesome, nutritious foods can help not only our sex drive, but our overall feeling of health and energy. While many of our IRunMommies are benefiting from adding green smoothies to their diets, there are an array of superfoods that can up the ante for health and nutrition. If you’re ready to spice things up a little more, you can try adding some Maca to your diet!

Maca is a root plant from Peru and is somewhat like a radish. Maca root contains calcium, iron, magnesium and selenium as well as essential fatty acids and 19 amino acids. It’s marketed as a supplement for increasing energy, stamina, strength and libido. Maca is also thought to relieve menopausal symptoms, boost immunity, stabilize blood pressure, and just overall stabilize and enhance bodily systems and functions. This is a particularly powerful and balanced food for athletes and those who are looking to combat stress or increase stamina.

A little history… The Incan warriors took the maca herb before they went to battle to keep their bodies strong and ready for rigorous physical activity. However, they realized that the herb also increased their libido so the warriors were forbidden from taking in maca after battle to protect the women folks from their sexual impulses. Word of maca’s power to restore strength and libido travelled to Europe, the United States and Japan leading to the planting of more maca and the popularity of maca supplements.

You can purchase capsules of Maca, but I prefer Navitas Naturals Organic Raw Maca Powderwhich I can mix into my smoothies and is certified organic and raw (meaning it’s been processed at low temperatures).

My Experience with Maca
I’ve been using about 1 tablespoon (go EASY… you’ll definitely taste if you put too much in) of Maca in my daily smoothies for several weeks now. I’ve definitely noticed an increase in my energy and stamina.

As for it’s aphrodisiac properties, it does seem to, um… work… for that as well. It’s sometimes called “nature’s viagra,” although there have been no clinical studies showing it’s effectiveness for men. However both men and women have claimed an enhanced sex drive from taking maca. (Don’t say I didn’t warn you!)

If you try or have tried Maca, please share your experience by commenting below!

“It’s never too late… and you CAN do it!”

admin — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:53:37 +0000

We think you’ll enjoy this blog post from about the incredible transformation one of our St Pete IRunMommies has been making over the past few months! Great job, Katie!!!

I’m gonna do it, show you the mortifying before picture (I’m blushing pretty bad right now). This was me when Della was 4months old. I was ready to admit that I was just going to be fat for the rest of my life. That was it, I had 2 kids, I enjoy food, love wine, and HATED to run. Flash forward 2 years there is more than 40 pounds less of me (with more to go) I have become addicted to my runs and my exercise routines. If I had the opportunity to visit my 20 something self I would run up to her and smack her fat face. All that wasted time, and time I spent quite literally wasted. I wish I had known how little time I was going to have. I had all the time in the world to run, paddle board, golf, I rarely got on a bike and took a ride, what I wouldn’t do to have that kind of spare time again. I have very few regrets how I spent my 20s except how I treated my body. I just wish I didn’t have to work so hard now in my 30s to fix the damage of an extremely indulgent lifestyle. Great food, lots of drinking and very little exercise. I worked hard and played hard, and it showed. Now if I have an hour to spare, I run. I dream of triathlons I won’t have time to train for. Races I don’t have money for. All things I had the means for back then, but took for granted. Now if a few days go by and I haven’t sweat I start to go a little crazy. Fortunately I now live in a place where I can exercise outside most of the year, and don’t have to join a dreaded gym. I’m also very lucky that I’m not working full time right now and have made getting back in shape my “job.” I love that I’m also teaching my kids that staying healthy and active are important . IRunMommies of St.Pete and Baby Boot Camp have been huge springboards for me. I started (then StrollerFit) when Oliver was 8 weeks old. Lots of baby weight in tow and a bad knee I attended class and got a life I almost turned away from. I was new to town and was hating being away from my family and friends,feeling a little depressed and isolated I found StrollerFit and Christie Bruner. I started and stopped a few times before I realized it was the place I needed to be. I’ve met life long friends and I’ve since become a group fitness instructor with Baby Boot Camp (AFAA certification pending in April.) I’m still self conscious about my figure teaching women with MUCH better bodies than mine, but I’m out there almost everyday with the kids (potty training, tantrums and all) and I’m working hard to better myself . It has changed my life! When we started a 5k running program just last summer I would have NEVER guessed that I would love to run, let alone LOVE to race. I had dreams about running but honestly never thought I could. As my first half marathon day quickly approaches I have to remind myself this time last year I couldn’t even run a mile without stopping, remember thinking 8 minutes of straight running without stopping was too much. Excuses of an arthritic knee, side stitches, shin splints faded away when I realized I COULD do it. I have an amazing support system, and constant encouragement from friends and family. ( and smaller pant sizes are pretty motivating too.)I have to say Thank you to Christie, but I also need to take some of the credit for getting this far and want to share with any of you who think you can’t do it (whatever your goal) it’s never too late…and you CAN do it…you can do ANYTHING!!!

See the Video!

admin — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:24:33 +0000

It wasn’t necessarily pretty, but we did it. Twenty five faithful IRunMommies completed the Ragnar Relay Miami to Key West event on January 7-8, 2011. IRunMommies from all over Atlanta, Charlotte/Lee County, Osceola/Orange County, and Bradenton/Sarasota for what was definitely an EXPERIENCE!

Get a taste of just how wacky our adventure was in our video (below) of the event!

Thank You to Our Sponsors!!