An Invitation For You!

I hope the new year has been kind to you so far. I am very excited to be able to share with you an opportunity to start off your DICK'S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon training in style!

Each night this week, Monday - Thursday from 6-8PM, we will be hosting VIP Parties at four different DSG locations around Pittsburgh. These nights will include a coupon for 20% off your entire purchase, an opportunity to meet me (and my Brand Specialist partner, Shaun), food and beverages, and an opportunity to win a grand prize "Pittsburgh Staycation". The grand prize includes hotel, parking, and meals for you and your family the night before the marathon so you can skip the traffic and get a good night's rest before the big day!

If you would like to attend please comment on this post with your preferred date and location and I will add you to the VIP list. Spaces are limited and filled on a first come, first serve basis so make sure and claim yours today!

DICK'S Sporting Goods Monroeville - January 5th

DICK'S Sporting Goods Robinson - January 6th

DICK'S Sporting Goods Cranberry - January 7th

DICK'S Sporting Goods South Hills - January 8th

New Year's Giveaway Winners!

Quick post! I'm at work. Shhhhh!

I drew the winners of the New Year's giveaway/raffle.

For the first $25 gift card to Go Sport ID the winner is Catherine Hurley!

For the second $25 gift card to Go Sport ID the winner is Kathryn Escoto! She was on Team reGen with me last year so I was super happy to see Random.org picked her!

For the first SPIbelt the winner is Leah Stussy!

For the second SPIbelt the winner is Kristine Che!

The dozen BIC Bands go to Katrina Mumaw!

The Allied Medal Hanger goes to Chris Greenawalt! My CrossFit trainer and an awesome person and athlete!

The Wind X-treme goes to Brett Schaffer!

The IAFF Polo goes to Seth Ramaley! Seth is one of my running mentors!

The IAFF Wind Jacket goes to Rebecca Essig!

Congrats to all of the winners! Please email me your shipping address at sbrunazzi (at) gmail.com so I can get your loot sent out to you! And a huge thank you to everyone who donated! Only $215 from goal now!

Stress Less, or How I Avoid Throat Punching Jerks

It's been a horrible week at work. I found out from a client that my coworker has been badmouthing me and the company at every opportunity. I'm not sure what I did to this person, my boss suggested it was a sarcastic comment I made some months ago. All I know is that in my life I have never taken a crude comment or gesture from another employee as a ticket to try to ruin their career.

I've spoken with my manager, the Human Resources Manager, the Lead Project Manager and everyone short of the President about this situation hoping to find some relief. All I've found is that they are reluctant to let this bonehead go. It's painfully clear to me that my position and contributions aren't of any value if they are willing to continue to employ someone who would undermine my actions and the company's at every opportunity. I made it clear to my boss that next week I would be waiting for a decision, jerk or me. There's not enough room in the cube farm for both of us.

Now I sit and wait... and worry. I worry because I don't want to put my family in financial stress. I worry because I don't want to have a bad mark on my employment record. I worry because I don't know that I'll have a job Monday morning. I worry because the stress is taking a toll on me mentally and physically. And when something is stressful enough that it takes a toll on my running I know that I have to do something to handle it. I haven't been eating or sleeping properly and my left knee is still giving me grief. I'm starting to think it's psychological.

Thankfully, my husband made plans to get me out of the house and onto the trails this weekend. There's a group of runners in our area that I've begun to think of as the 'regulars'. I'm not sure that my husband and I fall into this group but I'd like to think so. These are the faces I see at every race and the names I hear in every running conversation. They're the runners that always have plans, races and food for everyone. The plan today was for everyone to meet in a park not too far from our home and run 10 miles.

The best part about this plan is that my husband has never done more than 5 miles. The 'race' was a 2 mile out and back on a trail going one direction and then a 3 mile out and back going the opposite direction. My husband said he was planning to stop after the first 4 miles. When I reached the 4 mile mark and didn't see him waiting I figured I missed him. Turns out he decided he could do the whole thing and amazingly he did, still faster than me, in 1:25.

I finished in 1:40 and felt pretty good with that. According to my Garmin it was 10.1 miles which works out to a 9:56 average pace. Maybe I can pull off this 4:19 marathon afterall?! My stomach was not happy and my knee was aching but overall I felt more relaxed than I've felt in the last 5 days. I really needed that run and the company too.

So hopefully I'll be back next week with a lower stress level one way or another. And I'll also be back to announce the winners of my IAFF Charity Raffle! So don't forget to make your donation and get those last entries! Then in February I'll be coming up with some more fun ways to benefit this fantastic cause! So help me out if you can and run a mile for me while you're at it please?!

XOXO

In it to Win it!

If you've already entered my IAFF Burn Fund Charity giveaway then you're in for some exciting news! If you haven't entered yet get crackin'! I'm drawing a bunch of winners on February 1 and the prizes just keep coming!

I just got the go ahead to add some nice gear from the IAFF themselves! A polo and a wind jacket! The pictures below don't do these items justice at all! And both will be black in your choice of sizes!





And I hope to add more prizes before the end of this if I can! So keep the generous donations coming please! I'm now at 111% of my goal and growing! Thank you all so much for all your help! The IAFF Burn Fund means a lot to me and I deeply appreciate the support of my friends, coworkers, family, and the running & blogging community who have helped me honor my father's memory in such a tangible way!

XOXO,
Sara

Where Athlete and Fashion Meet

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm NOT a 'fastinista'. When running comfort is my biggest factor. When I find something that fits, stays put, and doesn't chafe I stick with it. If it looks good then that's just a bonus.

I must be beginning to soften in my old age though. I gave in and let my stylist take me from boring ponytail to stylish assymetric bob a month or so ago. I have to admit I love it! Then my biggest problem was how to RUN with something I couldn't pull back.



Thankfully, BIC Bands came to my rescue! They're site convinced me that this was the brand to try! Who doesn't love a company that gives a portion of their profits to charity?!

"B.I.C. Bands gives back to those in need with every purchase!
B.I.C. Bands are headbands that will not slip~ (SERIOUSLY!) They are great for any workout, a trip to the coffee shop, going out with friends, work....
you name it, your B.I.C. Band will keep your hair looking FAB! They are headbands that stay in place and help others win their race!"

I tried them out and now I'm hooked! I even sported one to the office today! See?


If you want to score some BIC Bands you can enter to win them through my giveaway that benefits the IAFF Burn Fund. I've got a DOZEN to give away!

Now if someone could just point me in the direction of a tutorial on office AND gym friendly make up? (And maybe a spray tan too! Can you say glow-in-the-dark?!)

Light a Fire Under Your Butt New Year's Giveaway and Raffle!

I hope everyone had a great holiday season! Now that we're all looking to 2012 and planning bigger and better things it's time to start the New Year off right! And to do that I'm doing the biggest giveaway yet!

To start off you may remember my review of GoSportID. This is an awesome start up company and a wonderful product! I'm rocking my purple band today! You can check out their products here! GoSportID was kind enough to donate TWO $25 gift cards to our giveaway! So enter to win and start picking your personalized inscription!



Next up is every runners dream for carrying necessities like a phone, keys, ID, or gels. If you don't know SPIbelt, you should! I wore a pink SPIbelt for my 50 miler and I was so impressed I got another one for my husband (look for a full review coming soon!). SPIbelt was generous enough to donate TWO SPIbelts, a red and a blue! Believe me when I say you NEED one of these! They don't bounce or chafe and they carry a TON of stuff!



For the ladies, I had to get something special! Who doesn't love to be stylish on the run?! BIC Bands blew me out of the water by donating a DOZEN of their newest sparkle bands! If you haven't tried these out yet you won't be disappointed! They stay put, look amazing, and part every purchase is given back to charity! You can check out which charity they are working with this month by following them on FaceBook or on Twitter using @BICBands! The packages of BIC Bands will include Minnie Sparkle Apple Green, Minnie Sparkle Blue, Minnie Sparkle Fuschia, Minnie Sparkle Peacock, Minnie Sparkle Petal Pink, Skinny Sparkle Apple Green, Skinny Sparkle Aqua, Skinny Sparkle Black, Skinny Sparkle Gunmetal, Skinny Sparkle Orange, Skinny Sparkle Petal Pink, and Skinny Sparkle White! Check out the amazing color, Peacock, below!



Now, for all you race junkies I have something totally mind blowing! I have been in love with Allied Medal Hangers for a long time now. In fact my husband just bought me number 4 for Christmas! Allied's hangers are laser cut from stainless steel and they are STURDY. Between my husband, older daughter, and I we have crammed medals onto these until we can't fit anymore and they don't bend or sag under the weight! They hold a huge amount of medals too! You have got to check out all the photos on their FaceBook page! The one I just got for Christmas is below followed by a (really bad) picture of our other three! The winner of the medal hanger will get their choice so go drool now!





Last but not least I have a product I've been dying to try out, the Wind X-treme. You can use the WDX like a cap, headband, scarf, balaclava, mask, wristband, or a million other ways! Disclaimer: This product was not donated! I purchased it for the purpose of this giveaway and I haven't even tried mine out yet but it looks awesome!



So now you're wondering how you get a chance to get your hands on all this great stuff right?! Well here's your answer! To comply with regulations I can't *require* you to pay anything to enter so here's how I'm going to skirt the issue!

Ways to enter without purchase! Leave a comment for each one:
- Follow my blog or tell me if you already do*
- Follow or like each of the awesome product sites above on Twitter and/or FaceBook and leave a comment for each one*
- Post this giveaway on FaceBook, DailyMile, Twitter and/or any other social media site and leave a comment telling me where*

*To make this a little harder there is only ONE free entry per person. After that you can add one free entry for each dollar you donate!

How to get all the entries you want!
- Donate to my IAFF Burn Fund page.
- Donate $50 or more up until midnight January 31, 2012 and earn DOUBLE entries (multiple donations over the period will be added together).
-If you already donated leave me a comment telling me so I can match up your donation with your entries!

*For every dollar you donate you get one entry. And for every dollar you donate you can also do one more of the free entries so you build your chances!

Entries will close January 31 at midnight. I will draw winners using Random.org on February 1. Good luck!

Thank you so much for helping me remember my father in a tangible way!

If you would be interested in donating a product for future giveaways and/or fundraising please email me at sbrunazzi (at) gmail.com!