Chobani special delivery!

It's a snowy day here in Pittsburgh, so I worked from home. Good thing I did! I was here to receive one more prize from the Healthy Holidays Challenge... An entire case of Chobani Greek Yogurt!

I had completely forgotten that this was part of the winner's package, but what a delightful surprise on a Friday morning! Coincidentally, I had just written "yogurt" on my grocery list dry-erase board this morning... Now I've got a dozen cups of Chobani with my name on them!

I love the creamy, delicious goodness of Chobani. It's my yogurt of choice these days since it provides me with a source of protein in addition to calcium, and the flavors can't be beat! (My absolute favorite is pineapple!) I haven't tried the passion fruit or cinnamon apple flavored yogurt before, so this prize is, again, exposing me to new and wonderful things!

If you haven't tried Greek yogurt, I urge you to try Chobani. It's the best out there in terms of texture and flavor. The plain yogurt is great as a substitute in a number of different recipes. Personally, I love the fruity flavored varieties and, when I can get it, I eat it every day!

Needless to say, I'm stoked to have such an awesome prize delivered to my door. Thanks, Chobani! I'll enjoy every bite!

Injury Prevention Clinic with UPMC Sports Medicine & Pittsburgh Marathon

I knew I'd learn something, but the hands-on experience at yesterday morning's clinic was what made an impression on me.

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Sports Medicine and Pittsburgh Marathon hosted a clinic on injury prevention at UPMC Montefiore in Oakland, and we heard from runners, trainers, doctors, and physical therapists--some of whom fill more than one of those roles!

First up was Dr. Vonda Wright, an orthopedic surgeon and assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at UPMC, also known nationally as a speaker and author who regularly appears on the Dr. Oz television show. She was raised in what she called a "running family,"  so in addition to her vast professional experience, she brings the "I know what you mean" part of running pain to the table. She shared with us a number of videos detailing stretches ideal for runners, focusing on form.

I don't know about the rest of the people in attendance, but this miniature encyclopedia of stretches will surely set me straight with a number of my oooos and ouches. I really enjoyed hearing Vonda speak, and, for anyone interested, she has other online resources as well as classes, DVDs, etc.

Next we heard from Ron DeAngelo, known nationally for working with NFL and NBA players, who taught us a plethora of wonderful, deep, dynamic stretches. He had us up and moving around the room for these. My blood was pumping for sure! I wished there was a worksheet with a stick figure or something to remind me of the moves... But some of the stretches are in Vonda's videos.

Finally, we heard from Dr. Aaron Mares, an internal an sports medicine expert, who described a variety of common injuries he sees in his runner patients--everything bursitis to the stress fractures and tendonitis to the dreaded plantar fasciitis. He described what these feel like and where, some things that go wrong to lead to these and, naturally, some preventative measures to keep in mind.

All in all, this clinic was full of great information for runners at all stages. I consider myself a novice, but my friend Eleanor is definitely intermediate and she said she learned quite a few things too.

Thanks to UPMC and Pittsburgh Marathon for the invitation to this event. Well done! Can't wait to see what you have next!

Check out the Pittsburgh Marathon on Twitter: @PghMarathon
UPMC Sports Medicine: @UPMCSportsMed
Dr. Vonda Wright: @DrVondaWright

30x30: indiegogo campaign

Know anyone affected by depression? What about anyone who has ever been so low that they considered suicide?

Every one of us probably knows and loves people affected by these painful facts of life. We support them and love them the best we can, but sometimes outside support makes a difference.

Enter Amy Clover. She is on a mission to make a difference in a new way because she has, herself, struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts. She's started an indiegogo campaign to raise money for her effort. She's trying to raise $18,000.

Now, if a kickstarter project for a choose your own adventure book about Hamlet can raise hundreds of thousands beyond its goal, I think it is reasonable to place hope in humanity that we can fund this seriously worthwhile campaign.

Can you spare a few bucks?

Adventures with RunnerBox (review)

Oh my goodness, Monday morning couldn't have started out any better. I was getting ready for work when I saw a tweet from Rebecca at Running With Music telling me that I won her RunnerBox giveaway!

I was ecstatic! RunnerBox is filled with full-sized product samples of hand-picked goodies like protein shakes, energy gels, and other on-the-run (literally or figuratively) snacks.

Late last week I entered the giveaway. Evidently I didn't read the entire prize listing very well because I'm not just getting ONE RunnerBox... I'm getting THREE: one every other month! So I'll have a surprise again in March and May. Woo! I can only imagine the cool things I'll get to try out in just three boxes!

So the excitement of winning on Monday was shortly followed by the arrival of my first box on Wednesday! (Talk about lightning fast!)

Staci at RunnerBox was so kind--she put a little note on top, congratulating me on winning the contest, along with the tiniest holiday bow I've ever seen. I loved that personal touch. I think it's clear that there are people behind these boxes (not machines).

I also loved the little quote inside the top of the box. As I lifted the lid, I first noticed the bright green tissue paper (my favorite color!), but the quote made me slow down a little:

Ability is what you are capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it. - Lou Holtz

That couldn't be more appropriate for me right now! I'm slogging through winter running like the rest of you, and I'm trying to reach new heights (also like most of the rest of you!). I think I might pin this quote up on my wall somewhere so I can see it each morning.

Then I pulled back the green paper and found the delightful, colorful surprises inside! Rebecca said she felt like she was digging into her Halloween pumpkin. This is EXACTLY what it feels like. :)

I was thrilled to find that some products I had recently been considering trying were in the box. Now I can try without a big commitment...



RunnerBox feels like an adventure to me. I don't know what I'm getting, but I can be sure that other people put a lot of thought into making sure it's worthwhile. I might have heard of these products, or maybe not. Either way, it's easier to try them in a small quantity before deciding on a 24 pack or a canister of protein powder, and, at the same time, plunking down a considerable chunk of change.

Rebecca did a great job wrapping up the joys of the RunnerBox with her review here. The contents of my box are exactly the same as hers, it seems (I'm thinking we should compare notes :).

I'm really looking forward to my relationship with RunnerBox. So far I am really impressed. The brand is clean-cut and professional, but the people and website are friendly and accessible. When I think about what I want as a runner, I realize that I am enjoying getting to know the landscape of people, races, gear, magazines, and nutritional items almost as much as I enjoy going for a run. This is a community. I think that RunnerBox fits into that community by making the myriad of products available to us as runners accessible in a user-friendly manner, with little hassle or heartache. I actually like that they pick things for me so I don't have to choose... Have you SEEN the food/nutrition stuffs shelves in REI or a similar store lately?! It's impossible to pick unless you KNOW what you want. And how will you know what you want? By trying it out.

Bottom line: RunnerBox helps you root through goods to find what you want by sampling a variety of things. (Or, you can help someone you love do that by sending RunnerBox as a gift.)

And I'm doing just that right now! Thanks, RunnerBox! (And thanks again, Rebecca, for the giveaway!)

New Gear! Heart Rate Monitor

My running pal Eleanor really outdid herself with my Christmas gift... I was floored when I opened the little box to find a Nike+ iPod kit and a Polar WearLink+ Heart Rate Monitor! (She even got me a little green Mivizu pouch to put the Nike+ transmitter in since I don't wear Nike+ shoes.)

I was thrilled and excited and ready to learn about how my heart rate and my asthma and my running all work together... and, at the same time, I was a little bit intimidated.

A heart rate monitor. Wow, that's intense. It's a *serious* piece of gear... I mean, not clothing. I dig the clothing, socks, shoes, and accessories aspect, but this technology feels like it's almost out of my league.

But is it really?

No. I'm just psyching myself out like I do sometimes when I'm really excited about something. :)

I'm excited about using my heart rate monitor to learn about how my heart's behavior during exercise, and especially to learn how my asthma affects me during running.

Tonight I'm hooking myself up for my first run with the heart rate strap and the new baubles for my iPod.

So far, though, I'd like to report that my iPod nano (6th gen) was delightfully simple to link to the heart rate monitor. The instructions were so simple that I thought for sure I'd be on tech support later, but, no! Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come!

I'll probably post a review as I get more familiar with my new gear and how it's working for me. Stay tuned. :)