Fall Gear with Road Runner sports - A Review & GIVEAWAY

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post by Road Runner Sports but all opinions are my own!  I have not been monetarily compensated. 

Are you familiar with Road Runner Sports?  A little background.  In 1983, this running superstore was started in founder Michael Gotfredson's garage in Del Mar, California.  So Road Runner Sports is a local kid who made it big time.  

They haven't changed their customer service since then and they have added  consumer protection you don't see in many big stores.  Specifically, their return policy.  IT RULES!  Up to 90 days to road test your shoes and insoles before you return them!

Why am I telling you all this?  Well, I was recently selected as a Road Runner Sports' Blog Pick and was asked to work with them on events and getting the word out about this store.  

Of course!  They have the most awesome events including Adventure Runs where you can win prizes like new shoes and in San Diego, there is an awesome Stone Brewing Beer Garden afterwards.  Recently, they had a Girl's Night Out event.  Check out fellow America's Finest Run Blogger Melissa's experience at this fun event!  I recently attended a Hoka One One event there as well with the #SDKidz!

So, we all know Road Runner Sports has shoes.  Even Hokas.  But did you know that they make the cutest clothes and those clothes have only gotten cuter for the fall?  They use high quality materials to make well made fabulous apparel!  Like these!

The other day, I got to take a peak at their fall line and picked out the above three pieces of gear.  The Women's Forever Denim Jacket (available in XS-L), the Over the Top Reversible Headband (Midnight Blue / Sea breeze) and the Women's Finish First Long Sleeve (available XS-XL) in Peacock Blue.

The jacket is my favorite piece of clothing (besides Spandits - which I am wearing in the picture and which you can get for 10% off using code SPANDITSLOVE) I have worn in a long time.  I am so excited that the temps here have dropped below 73 so I can wear the jacket every chance I get.  It goes with everything!  And it has thumbholes.  I LOVE thumbholes!

And the long sleeve peacock blue shirt is so cute too.  Such a fun color for the fall.

And I am partial to the headband because it goes perfectly with my Galactic Spandits.

Okay, so now why am I telling you all this?  Because I am GIVING AWAY all of it!  You can win the jacket, the long sleeve and the headband!  Perfect for cooler fall running temps!  All you have to do is enter below!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And, speaking of Road Runner Events, if you will be in the San Diego area on Sunday 11/2 from 4-6 p.m., I invite you to join Road Runner Sports and America's Finest Run Bloggers for a How to Stretch and How to Foam Roll Clinic at the store.  You can RSVP here and get your tickets for FREE.  There will be prizes, food and DRINKS!

Contest runs 09/29/2014 to 10/12/14 at 11:59 P.M. PST

No purchase necessary.  Void where prohibited. 1 winner will be selected via the Rafflecopter widget.  Open to Residents of the United States, Canada & Mexico 18 years of age or older.  Must have a non P.O. Box mailing address.  

Winner must have a valid email address.

Winner will notified via email (if available) and blog post, and will have 48 business hours to claim prize.

If original winner does not claim prize within 48 business hours an alternate winner(s) will be selected.

Contestants must enter on the Rafflecopter in order to win.

All winning entries will be verified. If a winning entry cannot be verified as completed, a new winner will be drawn.

Winner will be provided the prize directly from Road Runner Sports.  Substitutions unlikely but may apply in regards to sizes and colors (subject to availability).

GOOD LUCK and as always, I wish you Happy Feet,
SD Mom

A kushyfoot Review and GIVEAWAY

Remember when I first told you guys about kushyfoot and their massaging, reflexology inspired sole?  Well, they recently sent me some more samples to review (and giveaway)!  This is a 9 piece set that I received and now, one of you can win!

Here is everything I received:

The first item that caught my eye were the Flats to Go.

Pretty cool concept, no?  Carry the shoes around in it's own bag everywhere you go and when your feet are tired of wearing heels or want to be comfy on a plane, slip them on.  And they have a little massaging pad built in so every step feels relaxing.

I am not usually an animal print fan but these were so comfy!  Keep in mind these are FLAT so there is not much between your foot and the ground.  (wow, my feet look VEINY!)

My next item I had to try right away are these super ultra low cut foot covers.  They have a cushioned heel pad with grippers to ensure they stay on.

They came in nude and black.  I wore them with my flats for work!

And they are so low you can't even tell under the shoes.

Here are some of the other products I have received but haven't had a chance to really try since it has been 90 degrees here.

Imagine these on a cold day!  How cozy!

Or these under a suit?  Or a skirt?

The best part is all of these products have a massaging sole!  Gotta love that!  My feet get put thru a lot and it's the least I could do!  Ha ha!

So now, your turn. You can win everything you see here.

So that is 9 awesome products from kushyfoot for you to win.  You get the Flats to Go, Super Ultra Low Cut Foot Covers, Extreme low cut Foot Covers, Opaque Knee Length socks, Fashion tights, Shaping tights, Lace Foot Cover, Microfiber Crew and the Fleece trouser socks.  An over $50 value.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest runs 09/25/2014 to 10/09/14 at 11:59 P.M. PST

No purchase necessary.  Void where prohibited. 1 winner will be selected via the Rafflecopter widget.  Open to Residents of the CONTINENTAL US 18 years of age or older.  Must have a non P.O. Box mailing address.  

Winner must have a valid email address.

Winner will notified via email (if available) and blog post, and will have 48 business hours to claim prize.

If original winner does not claim prize within 48 business hours an alternate winner(s) will be selected.

Contestants must enter on the Rafflecopter in order to win.

All winning entries will be verified. If a winning entry cannot be verified as completed, a new winner will be drawn.

Winner will be provided the prize directly from kushyfoot.  Substitutions unlikely but may apply.

Well, good luck friends.  And in the meantime, give them a LIKE on their Facebook page and check out their Twitter feed.

And now, more than ever, I wish you Happy Feet,

SD Mom

Wednesday GIVEAWAY Roundup!

Welcome to another edition of the Wednesday GIVEAWAY Roundup! I go looking for GIVEAWAYS around the web and put them in one place so you don't have to. As always, I am entering these GIVEAWAYS too! So here we go!

1.  As always, I start with my awesome GIVEAWAY for the week.  Will you be in or able to get to the LA area on November 15?  Well why not?  There is a shiny new PR waiting for you on this DOWNHILL beautiful course!  I am giving away an entry to the Half or Full to Revel Canyon City!

Enter to win here.  Ends 9/27.

2.  Lindsay at Fit and Awesome is giving away a Polar Heart Rate monitor. 

Enter to win here.  Ends 9/30.

3.  Debi at 14-in-2014 is giving away 13.1 Girls Run Fast earrings and a runner charm!

Enter to win here.  Ends 9/28.

4.  Diatta at Femme Fitale Fit Club is giving away Energems.  They may look like candy but they give you energy!

Enter to win here.  Ends 9/29.

5.  Nicole at My Fit Family is giving away an entire Reva wear outfit of your choice.

Enter to win here.  Ends 9/26.

6.  Carlee at Be the Change is giving away a 4-pack of KT tape.

Enter to win here.  Ends 9/25.

7.  Brienne at Lean Clean and Brie is giving away 2 Tiesta tea pouches and filters.

Enter to win here.  Ends 10/1.

8.  Sam, a brand new #sweatpink Ambassador, blogging at Sly Sam Getting Fit is giving away an Ultrasonic Diffuser to make your house smell delish!

Enter to win here.  Ends 9/29.

9.  Sami at Go Go Mountain Girl is giving away a Hot Chocolate Race 5 or 15K entry!  

Enter to win here.  Ends 9/24.

10.  Erica at Erica Finds has 4 GIVEAWAYS for you this week.  First up, she is giving away a Words to Sweat By Scarf and Bracelet and Ortholite Cushioned Insoles (3 winners).

Enter to win here.  Ends 9/29.  

She is also giving away a 6-pack of Harvest Snaps!

Enter to win here.  Ends 9/30.

Also, an Apera Spirit pack bag!

Enter to win that one here.  Ends 9/30.

And finally, a Bestowed Box giveaway!

Enter to win here. Ends 9/25.

11.  Heather at What the Heck...Why Not? is giving away 2 sample tins of EnergyBits.  

Enter to win here.  Ends 9/25.  

12.  Ashley at A Lady goes West is giving away a week's worth of Shakeology!

Enter to win here.  Ends 9/26.  

13.  Jen at Girl, In Transition is having an Energy Gels Galore Giveaway on her blog!

Enter to win here.  Ends 9/26.

14.  Amanda at Adventures of FitNyx is hosting her very first GIVEAWAY so let's get her LOTS of entries!  She is giving away a 10-pack of MeStrength hydration mix with a possibility of more!

Enter to win here.  Ends 9/30.

15.  My friend Ericka at Chronicles of a SAHM is giving away a 4 pack of tickets to the San Diego Kids expo & Fair.

Enter to win here.  Ends 10/6.

16.  Patty at No Guilt Life is giving away an entry to Esprit de She AZ and SHWAG!  Who doesn't LOVE shwag?!

Enter to win here.  Ends 9/28.

17.  Julianne at Healthy Lifestyle Choices with Julianne is giving away the September Love for Food box on her FB page.  

Enter to win here.  Ends 10/3.

18.  And finally, Susie from SuzLyfe is giving away her version of a Runner Box on her blog filled with things you will love!  

Enter to win here.  Ends 9/29.

And there you have it.  18 bloggers. 21 giveaways.  1 post.  Don't forget to come back here and tell me if you win!

Good luck and as always, I wish you Happy Feet,

SD Mom

A non Super Human guide to Hoka ONE ONE Huakas v. Cliftons

Remember when I wrote this post?  And I went on and on about how much I LOVE LOVE Hokas and how I will never run in anything else?  All that is still true but I am about to get a lot more specific.

I am sure you have all heard the buzz about Cliftons.  The new "it" shoe.  Totally unlike anything Hoka has made before.  My friend Shane just wrote about them over on his blog.  He is a new Hoka convert.

I recently connected with Hoka One One and after listening to me go on and on and on (and on) about how much I love these shoes, they agreed to send me a pair of their newest shoe for me to try.  I was expecting the Cliftons.

However, I heard that due to the popularity of this shoe, they had a limited amount of shoes to provide for a review (only to those above mentioned super human ambassadors) and I wouldn't be getting those.  Instead, I got the Huakas (MSRP $150) to review and provide my honest opinion after road (trail) testing them.

At first, I was disappointed.  I went out and bought the Cliftons (MSRP $130) while I waited.  (Yes, using real cash money!)  I have been wearing a size 11 in Hokas but a Hoka rep at the Road Runner San Diego store insisted I belong in a 9.5.  I took them out for an 8 mile run along the coast.



Umm..no.  Too tight!  Took them back thanks to Road Runner's AMAZING return policy!  Got a size 11 but I had to get men's because the Women's just didn't seem wide enough.   But they are not as cute - CLEARLY!!!

I wanted to give the right size a fair shot too and took them out on another run along the coast, also 8 miles.  And something happened that has never happened to me before.  My shoes BIT me!  A blister...I could feel it form around Mile 5 and I complained the rest of the 3 miles.  

A mean blister right?  So it turns out I must over pronate and have wide-ish feet.  And even the 1/2 cm difference between the Cliftons and the Huakas make a difference.  So I returned the Cliftons too for my beloved Bondis.

Now this doesn't mean the Cliftons won't work for you.  They just don't work for me and one thing I have learned from this exercise is that just because you LOVE a shoe brand doesn't mean every shoe in that brand will work for you!  I also learned I am a size 11, darn it!  

Now onto the Huakas!  I am so so so glad it worked out that I got these because I am not sure I would have tried these if I hadn't been sent them.  The Huakas are a hybrid trail and road shoe.  What does that mean?  It means that they will work equally well for both.

A lot of bloggers and shoe reviewers talk about the mid-sole and the meta rocker and while I appreciate all of that, I don't really get it and I know how it feels on my foot.  So I will tell you about the Huaka in that way.  Now check out the soles side by side.  The Huakas have outward diamonds and sunken in diamonds.  Both work together to grip your feet to a trail surface and a road surface.

It has the lowest heel-toe offset of an Hoka model.  This means you can use this awesome shoe for ANYTHING - tempos, fartleks, long runs, trail runs.  Awesome!

I took them to the Lake Hodges trails to try them out and felt so secure and steady in them.  So light and so gushy.  Gushy like the Bondis and not as stiff as the Conquests.

We ran into this guy while on the trails and he too was wearing Huakas and plans to wear them for his first trail Ultra - the Lake Hodges 50K.  While his are way dirtier, he said he has run several times in them and LOVES them for trails too.

Okay, so they work on the trails.  How do they perform on the road?

I took these beauties out for another 8 mile run (I really need to start running longer!) at 6:00 a.m. with my Moms Run this Town group.  This time on the road!

And yes, those are my Spandits!  And how did they do?  Even with a healing blister, they felt awesome!  I felt light and (relatively) fast!

My feet look GINORMOUS!  But they felt great and today, the day after the long run, my feet feel GOOD!

So, which shoes for you?  The super light, slightly narrow and super fast Cliftons?  Or the kinda gushy, kinda light and super versatile Huakas?

Both good shoes but for me, the Huakas seem better made and better for my foot and my style of running.  But I have heard rave reviews for the Clifton too.  So I am curious for you to try both and let me know which ones you prefer!  

Are you a Hoka runner?  Do you run trails?  Road?  or a little of both?

As always, I wish you Happy Feet,

SD Mom