Do you love holiday gift giving?

I love holiday shopping.

I love picking out gifts for friends and family that I think they'll love.

It bothers me when others don't put as much care or thought into the gifts they give to me or others. I know I shouldn't judge, or should just be appreciative. I just feel like the whole point of gift giving is to think up something the person will love.

I'm continuing to work on giving thoughtful, caring gifts as I finish my shopping.

I love buying running people running gifts. I've thought up some great ideas for S, my mom & brother. And even my sister some sparkly soul bands to wear around town.

Speaking of great gifts, run over to check out Run with Jess'  Holiday Shopping Guide HERE for some great discounts for people on your list!

The past few days have been going well with workouts and healthy eating included. I did have some ice cream tonight, but got more than 7 fruits/veggies all day for the HBBC. A trainer ride yesterday and a run today are keeping my head in the game. My back has other plans and is killing me, I spent a ton of time on the foam roller tonight.

TRX tomorrow!

Fuel Belt Review & Giveaway!

Looking for some great gifts for your running family and friends?

Or maybe some ideas of what you want?

Over the next few weeks leading up to the holidays, I'm going to review & giveaway some great gift ideas, so stay tuned!

First up, is Fuel Belt!

A while back, Fuel Belt sent me some fabulous gear to test out, and it quickly became a staple in my triathlons and short races.

The Reflective Race Belt

Lightweight, comfortable, and perfect for my run leg of triathlons. I attach my race bib to the lace locks, and lay it with my running sneakers to throw on after racking my bike. The belt is fully adjustable, and they come in tons of great colors.

Sprint 10oz Palm Holder

10 oz holds plenty of fluids for a quick 5K run (I can NEVER go without water). Theres a zipper pocket for a few chews during a triathlon or for my keys at a 5K. The curve of the bottle fits nicely in my hand.

The Revenge Fuel Belt

Lightweight, and adjustable. Easy in/out bottles. I gifted this to my friend A after she passed out at Disney Princess. So far, she loves it, and her husband allows her to continue running knowing she'll be hydrated.

Sporting both the race belt & the handheld!

Race belt for the Womens Tri in Farmington, CT!

I definitely recommend adding Fuel Belt to your shopping list. Not only do I love the race belt and bottle holder, their customer service was excellent. Colleen at Fuel Belt was so awesome to send me the gear to try and some for you to keep!

The Race Number Slim Pocket Belt

stretchy zippered pocket, spots for gel, adjustable belt, and lace locks for your bib.

I have one in pink to give away to a lucky one of you!

How to Win

1. Be or become a follower of my blog

2. Check out Fuel Belt's page HERE and let me know whats on your wishlist!

3. "like" me on facebook HERE and tell me what else you have on your wishlist!

4. Spread the word on facebook, twitter, or on your blog!

Enter until 12/3, good luck!

Ouch!

Today I am hurting!

Shelley was away for the weekend, so I headed out for today's 10 miler on my own. Since I've decided I need more hill work, I planned my run through East Longmeadow to tackle some of the tough hills I used to run when I lived at my mom's house.  My back was stiff, so I made sure to roll it out before leaving, and took off with a goal of beating the rain and thunderstorms. Halfway through, my back was killing me, my right knee was aching, and I wanted to quit. But I kept plugging along, knowing that I had to finish this run so I could get to the rest of my day! I finally finished 10.22 miles in 2:07:28, and couldn't have been happier. 

Now, after a little housework, and a mani/pedi, I am settled in with an ice pack watching Tour da France. I love watching triathlon on TV, but have never watched the Tour.  So far, I'm enjoying watching the team time trials. And I just saw an ad for Kona Ironman. sweet.

Now I'm in the mood to shop. I don't even own a cycling jersey and felt so out of place on wednesday, I think I'll look around. I also picked out some cute dresses from Athleta that I think will be perfect vacation outfits for the beach. 

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend! I'm crossing my fingers for a beach morning before the BBQ at Kevin's cousin's house. How are you celebrating?

What I'm excited about...

I'm off to bed in a few since I have an early morning at 5am of bootcamp. I'll have to be up super early, but I am so excited to start it! I'll try to keep it short and sweet.

There's a few other things I'm excited about too...

1. The Josh Billings Runaground race. One of my friends told me about it. Its a race done typically in teams (which will be us), but you can do it by yourself. The race is a 27 mile bike, 5 mile kayak & 10K run. I'll be doing the bike portion. SUPER excited!

2. There are some GREAT fundraising raffles going on right now, and I wish I had time to mention them all (I will try to another day), but definitely check out Baby Weight My Fat Ass HERE to win an awesome Trigger Point Therapy set to help benefit Autism!

3. This weekend is 4th of July which means a 3-day weekend for me, fireworks, parties & fun! Hopefully a day at the beach if its nice out. Oh ya, and a 10 mile run.

4. The winner of my Kushyfoot giveaway is Kari @ Running Ricig! email me Kari with your address, and I'll send them you're way. P.S. She has an amazing Banana bread recipe that was a HUGE hit with my coworkers!

Happy Monday!