#7DayStretch #LiveinprAna Instagram Challenge! (Discount Code)

Disclaimer: As a Sweat Pink Ambassador, I had the amazing opportunity to review prAna clothing.  All opinions are my own and I was not given any monetary compensation.

Last week,  I completed the #7daystretch on Instagram with prAna and Sweat Pink and could not be more proud. We stretched, bended our bodies, minds, and souls and came together to show how we truly #liveinprana! 

So in honor of our beautiful #7daystretch, here are 7 things you might not know about me:

• I am wildly obsessed with: Trader Joe's!  They can do no wrong in my book.  
• I have a collection of: Spandits!  (But I hope to soon have a collection of Halle pants!)
• I am secretly: a wanna be Vegetarian or Vegan.  I have been so nervous to pull the plug on meat!
• When I was 7, I wanted to be: a Doctor!
• If I could do one thing today, it would be: Cure Epilepsy!
• I’ve always dreamt of: winning the lottery!  
• My favorite way to travel is: A Lot!  I don't travel nearly as much as I would like!

Join in on the fun! I tag Kimberly, Wendy and Sue to tell me 7 thing I didn’t know about you! Just fill in the blanks, tag @prana @fitapproach & use the hashtags #liveinprana #7daystretch #sweatpink and spread the love. Tag your friends, readers, followers…whoever’s listening!

I love thinking outside the box and defying new ways to stretch my mind an body!  And it helps that prAna has SUPER cute clothes too!  And to help with that, you can use code LiveInprAnaF15RWSD for 15% off thru September 30th.  

Did you play along in the #7daystretch #LiveinprAna challenge?  It was a chance to win some great prizes!

More to come on the specific pieces I got!

As always, I wish you Happy Feet,

SD Mom

#FriendshipFridays: How I Met My Best Friend #2

Have you seen the new feature on the blog?  I started a new feature on this here little blog called #FriendshipFridays.  It is really simple.  Running isn't about exercise and fitness only anymore.  It is about being social and finding a community.  For example, see We Run Social!  Bloggers get to know other bloggers and become besties and I want to explore how that happens by interviewing different people.  So sit back and enjoy the stories of these Blends (Blogger Friends)!

This time, we are talking to Erika at MCM Mama Runs!  

Erika met Kim from Just Trying is for Little Girls sometime in 2010 when they started commenting on each other's blogs.  (That is all it takes!  Do it!)

They have met in real life multiple times now. Their first in person meeting was when she went to Virginia to run a half marathon. Most recently, Erika and Kim had a "girls' weekend" where Kim ran two half marathons and Erika ran two full marathons. (Whoa!)

At this point, Kim has stayed at Erika's house, Erika's parents' house, and they've shared hotel rooms.

When asked if they felt safe meeting up with someone they had only met on line, Erika said that they had brunch with a group after her half marathon. Erika is totally comfortable meeting "online" people IRL in public places with others. Several of her IRL close friends started as online friends.

I asked Erika to tell me one thing that inspires her about herr blogger bestie.  Erika said "so many things - she's one of the best moms I know (and I'm totally taking notes 'cause her daughter is older.) She's a strong and focused runner when she races. She can plan a racecation like no one I know."  (Sounds like I, SD Mom, need in on that organization!)

They've run many races together at this point. Erika says she uses the term "together" loosely as Kim is faster than her, but to date they've run at least 7 races together.  They will be seeing each other at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon this fall, but Erika doesn't plan to run it.

You can follow along with all of Erika's racing adventures on Twitter @mcmmama and Kim at @JustTryingKim!  Thank you Erika and Kim for sharing your friendship!

So, do you have a blogger bestie?  Would you like to be featured on an upcoming #FriendshipFridays?  I would love to hear the story of how YOU me your "Sole Mate!"  Email me at RunningwithSDMom@gmail.com!

As always, I wish you Happy Feet,

SD Mom

Thinking Out Loud Thursday - Randomness in my Brain

Happy Thursday everyone!  For the first time ever, I am linking up with the lovely Amanda at Running with Spoons for Thinking Out Loud Thursdays!  Ready for a whole bunch of Random?

So here goes!

1.  Please tell me you have tried this by now.  This Sriracha Ranch is not for the faint of heart - so spicy!  But it elevates the simple (gluten free) sandwich to a whole new level!  It is from Trader Joe's of course!

2.  I recently had this for lunch at Queenstown Public House right here in America's Finest City!  This sandwich was AMAZE!  2 kinds of cheese, avocado and sweet oven roasted tomatoes served with the most delicate tomato bisque.  Please come visit me and I will take you!

3.  Work has been INSANITY lately and so whenever I get a few free seconds, I do a little jump roping!  You can get one just like it at Macy's here.  I meant to take it on vacation too.  It is tiny and packs a good calorie burning punch!

4.  I was recently sent a sample of Voke to review.  I am not 100% convinced yet.  One Tab is supposed to be equal to 1 cup of coffee.  It is very bitter but is made out of all natural ingredients.  I'll keep you posted but you can read all about it here.

5.  This is a fun story!  Sarah (one of the Spandits founders) is working with her son on a sands of the United States project and I told her I would send her some sand form San Diego.  Well, sure enough I did but the only bag I had handy was a poop bag!  It served it's purpose! 

6.  We Dog Niece sat for my sister while she was at a wedding last weekend.  Niece is the one on left.  The one on the right is our guy, Murray.  They are very different. Niece is timid and submissive and M is an Alpha dog!  But by the end of her 5 day visit, Noiece was giving as good as she got!  They miss each other a lot!

7.  Reason #9485 to shop at Movin Shoes: In the middle of the California drought when most of the usual water fountains are shut off, they put out water stops for runners!  Love the local running stores!

8.  Have you met my great aunt Myrtle?  Bwahahahahaha!

9.  Frankly I am a little overwhelmed with all the GF options out there!

10.  I am madly in LOVE with this Romy top from prAna!  I hope you are playing along in the #7daystretch Instagram challenge so you can win some gear too!

So I don't feel like I am the only one rambling, please share something random from your week with me!

As always, I wish you Happy Feet,

SD Mom

Wednesday #GIVEAWAY Roundup - Sub Sports Giveaway #WinAllThePrizes

Disclaimer: I was sent a pair of Women's Compression Shorts for review and giveaway purposes.  I was not compensated in any other way and all opinions are my own.

Have you heard of Sub Sports?  They are a company out of England who have been clothing athletes for whenever they are "soaked, sizzled or frozen!"  

According to their website: Sub RX Shorts are highly breathable and excellent at wicking moisture away from the skin, helping you stay cool and dry during intense exercise. The Lycra fabric's superb shape retention also ensures that your shorts will hold their compression fit time after time, wash after wash.

This is me wearing the shorts on my favorite stretching machine at the gym!

Here I am wearing the shorts again.  They worked really well.  Compressive (read: SNUG) and did not chafe.  I will tell you I usually wear a medium in shorts but I sized up on these to a Large.  They were perfect under my Spandits skirts too!

So now of course, you get to win your own pair!  Don't worry guys!  If you win, you get these men's shorts!  

As always, enter on the Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest runs 8/26/2015 to 09/01/2015 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 US/Canada/Europe 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/or blog post, and will have 24 business hours to claim prize.

If original winner does not claim prize within 24 business hours an alternate winner(s) will be selected.
Contestants must enter on the Rafflecopter widget 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 Sub Sports.  Substitutions unlikely but may apply.  SD Mom not responsible for failure of sponsor to deliver product.

Okay, now on to the GIVEAWAY Roundup part of this post!  As always, Erica and I together bring you all the great giveaways from around the interwebs!

For a refresher on the rules to link up, read them here.  Otherwise, please link up your giveaways with us and enter them all!  They are so much fun!

So, have you entered any of the other giveaways on the Roundup?  Head over to Sub Sports website and tell me what other items interest you?  Have you ever tried non sock variety compression gear?

As always, I hope you link up with us and enter all the Giveaways!  
I wish you Happy Feet,
SD Mom

An InLinkz Link-up

@ManitobaHarvest #HHBites Review - #sweatpink

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Manitoba Harvest in relationship with FitApproach.  All opinions are my own.

Every once in a while, I will get a package and I instinctively know that I need to hide it from my kids and husband.  I really don't LOVE to share.  But darn it, those kids spied it sitting outside and were all up in my grill when I went to open it up.

What are Hemp Heart Bites?  Let's start with Hemp Hearts.

Source

Per 30 gram serving, Hemp Hearts contain 10 grams of plant-based protein and 10 grams of Omegas.   So what are Bites?  They are like cookies made out of Hemp Hearts.

First the ingredients.  Hemp Hearts (shelled hemp seeds), organic evaporated cane sugar, organic brown rice syrup, organic vanilla flavour, sea salt.  That is it!  

With my new Gluten Free lifestyle, these will come in handy for energy and snack time without gluten.

Then the taste.  They taste like a sesame brittle but a little softer if that makes sense.  Almost like a hemp heart cookie.  My kids (unfortunately) LOVED them!

My husband was not so into the texture which is a cross between crunchy and chewy.  But hey, 3 out of 4 votes ain't bad!

I cannot wait to pack them in my lunch bag for a post Boot Camp snack!  These are going to be PERFECT!  (Yes, I have since hidden them from my children!)

I have a special coupon code to share!  Use code HHBitesLaunch15 for 15% off HempHeart Bites on manitobaharvest.com.  AND they have a super cool photo contest going on right now too!  

Show how you and your family stay active during back to school season, and tag @manitobaharvest #hhbites @fitapproach #sweatpink for a chance to win a case of Hemp Heart Bites!  

Photos tagged on Twitter and Instagram will appear here: http://manitobaharvest.com/hhbites 
Deadline: 9/30
Eligibility: US and Canada residents. 

So have you ever tried Hemp Hearts?  I am telling you, I am 75% sure you will LOVE the Hemp Heart Bites like me and the SDKidz did!  

As always, I wish you Happy Feet,

SD Mom

Being #GlutenFree and the #7DayStretch #LiveInprAna Challenge!

Disclaimer: Thru my relationship with FitApproach, I was sent prAna items for review purposes. I have not been compensated in any other way and all opinions are my own!

So, remember I have been belly aching (pun intended) about my tummy trouble? Well, we may have some answers. It appears I have a wheat and possible peanut allergy. So...that means, I will have to start living a gluten free lifestyle!

I am so excited about this because it means I will FINALLY have answers to why I am bloated ALL the time! And apparently, I have picked a great time to be GF because there are so many options out there. Like this pancake mix!

I hope you will hang with me while I navigate my way around this new GF world. If you have any tips and tricks for me, please share! I am strangely at peace with cutting out gluten from my diet. At least it explains the sluggishness and bloating. Maybe I will sing a different tune in a week or two but for now, I am at peace. Speaking of peace...see my awesome prAna Jada jeans? They are super bendy and flexible and I could live in them all day!

They were my absolute favorite everyday pant UNTIL I met the Halle pant. Hang with me all week so you can see everything these pants can do!

I’m joining prAna and Sweat Pink for a super fun, #7daystretch #liveinprana challenge – it starts today (Monday, August 24th) and ends at the end of the week (Sunday, August 30th). Join in on the fun – answering daily prompts (see below) – or if you’d prefer to lurk, you can follow along on FitApproach or through the hashtags: #liveinprana #7daystretch #sweatpink!

We’ll be talking about how we (the community) embrace a prAna lifestyle (#liveinprana) and are challenging ourselves to stretch a little deeper, farther and more mindfully for 7 whole days (the #7daystretch). And we’re not just stretching our bodies so you don’t have to be pretzel to join in, we’re also stretching our minds and souls! (I plan to do a lot of this because I am the LEAST bendy person I know!)

I’d love for you all to join me for this fun challenge. You can WIN some awesome new prAna gear from their fall line!

Join us for the #liveinprana #7daystretch. Here are the daily prompts to get you started!

• Monday, August 24th:  It’s Monday, make sure you get up and stretch ‘dem legs! Show us your favorite quad and / or hamdstring stretch(es)! #7daystretch #liveinprana #sweatpink @FitApproach @prAna
• Bonus: We want to see you JUMP it out. Give us your BEST #jumpjoymonday! #7daystretch #liveinprana #sweatpink @FitApproach @prAna
• Tuesday, August 25th: Backbends. Any backbends. All backbends. Show us how you get bendy! #7daystretch #liveinprana #sweatpink @FitApproach @prAna
• Bonus: It’s #transformationtuesday y’all, whether you’re bendier than you used to be, more adventurous, or even faster, we want to see! #7daystretch #liveinprana #sweatpink @FitApproach @prAna
• Wednesday, August 26th: It’s our mid-week stretch it out, show us what’s getting you through your hump day? #7daystretch #liveinprana #sweatpink @FitApproach @prAna
• Bonus: It’s #workoutitwednesday. Show us how you worked it today! #7daystretch #liveinprana #sweatpink @FitApproach @prAna
• Thursday, August 27th: Show us a #tbt to a time when you stretched outside of your comfort zone. #7daystretch #liveinprana #sweatpink @FitApproach @prAna
• Bonus: Show us your favorite stretchy pants (shorts work too)  #7daystretch #liveinprana #sweatpink @FitApproach @prAna
• Friday, August 28th:  Happy #freefriday y’all! We want to see what  makes you feel the most FREE?  7daystretch #liveinprana #sweatpink @FitApproach @prAna
• Bonus: Show us how you are celebrating #forearmfriday! Forearm planks, dolphin pose, forearm stands or maybe just forearms on the table? ;) #7daystretch #liveinprana #sweatpink @FitApproach @prAna
• Saturday, August 29th: Saturday side stretch! Show us your fave side stretch(es!) #7daystretch #liveinprana #sweatpink @FitApproach @prAna
  
  
  Follow me on Instagram here!
  
  
  I am super excited to live in prAna all week! And there is something about a Fall Line that gets me excited. In San Diego, we don't have seasons. We have perfect, warm, hot and cool. But sometimes, you get excited about those scarves, boots and sweaters! Love love love prAna's fall line!
  
  
  And please don't forget...looking for all your best Gluten Free tips and secrets! I already found out that California Pizza Kitchen has yummy GF crust!
  
  
  
  
  
  As always, I wish you Happy Feet,
  SD Mom

#CoffeeShopBlogHop: Effects of Coffee and Exercise!

I am really excited to be a part of this Blog Hop!  If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that my MAIN squeeze is COFFEE!  I love coffee!

And because I love coffee so much, I decided to investigate it.  And see it's effects on working out and running.  I have always known coffee=poop which is why I don't drink coffee before a run.

Source

So...what about those who do?  I asked some of my fellow FitFluential ambassadors for answers.  

Laura at This Runner's Recipes writes that coffee can increase alertness, energy and focus.  Sounds perfect for runners!  In fact, she found a study from the Society for Experimental Biology showing that caffeine can boost your power output by up to 6%.  That sounds like what I need!

Jen at Jen Chooses Joy (LOVE the name of her blog by the way!) wrote about 8 things Runners Should Know about Coffee.  She writes that coffee can be helpful POST run too!  From her blog: "Coffee may help post-exercise recovery, too. One study had cyclists ride hard for two days in a row to put them in a glycogen-depleted state. Those who drank a recovery drink with carbs and caffeine rebuilt their glycogen stores by 66 percent more than those who drank only carbs."  Umm heck yeah!

Source: Jen Chooses Joy

The final thought about why coffee is good for runners comes from Jenna at JennaBraddock.com who says "One of the things I enjoy most about coffee is that it forces me to slow down a bit and savor something."  I love this!  Don't we all need a moment everyday where we can just close our eyes and let that first sip travel through our bodies?

You can read Jenna's entire post about whether Coffee is Healthy here.  

So tell me about your coffee habits.  Do you drink coffee before you run?  After?  I drink it after because I don't want to poop on the run!  But reading the above, I may try it 1 hour before the run.  Tell me about your experience with the relationship between running and coffee!

Check out other Blogs in this Hop including Tina's Cawfee Tawk here.  Or our wonderful hostess' post from Elizabeth Bain here.  Or fellow Spandits ambassador Marcia's post here.  Or even Emily's (another Spandits ambassador) post here.

As always, I wish you Happy Feet,

SD Mom