Wowzers!

Wowzers! This has been one crazy week!  Goodbye lazy summer days.  Hello school year and all your insanity!

Suddenly I have NO social networking time. How sad is that?

The kids started school on Monday.  Trent's in 6th grade, Audrie's in 4th grade and Alessandra is our Italian exchange student who will be in high school.

Just to make the first week of school more exciting.....

Trent fractured his femur last Friday.  I was in Utah.  Doctor Daddy kept the kid drugged up on ibuprofen all weekend.  We went to the urgent clinic on Sunday evening when I returned.  They put the hard cast on Tuesday afternoon.

Can you tell he is super stoked about life on crutches for three weeks?

He was actually quite lucky.  Femur breaks can be horrible and usually require surgery.  Thankfully his was just a small fracture and three weeks in a hard cast should fix him right up.  I think he enjoyed the cute blond girl who taught him to properly use his crutches.  However, having to have his mother help him shower is not so enjoyable.  "Mom don't look," has been said at least one million times in the past few days.

I've also started my new job.

This week I have been working from home and getting my database in order.  So far I'm loving every minute of it!  Being a former teacher it feels strange to have so much freedom this first week of school.  I'm definitely less exhausted than I was this time last year.

source

This cartoon made me giggle.  To be honest it's been a while since I had a job where I was the toilet paper.  Thank goodness!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for the Chica Bands!  Stop everything and go  HERE now and enter!  Warning:  Once you go to the website and see all the cute styles you might be there awhile!  It's so hard to choose just one!

I promise to get my priorities back in line soon and return to regular blogging....and running!

Randee's oldest son Brayden started kindergarten on Monday.  Even bitchy Randee shed a few tears.

Hopefully we will both be back in a routine next week.  We do have a marathon to complete in 6 weeks.  OMG!!! OMG!!! OMG!!!  We have our first of two 20 milers tomorrow.  The goal is to not die.  I hope this goal is realistic.

My son went out the door to school singing this song, so it's on my mind.

It's Friday, Friday.  Gotta get down on Friday!

Chica Bands Review and Giveaway!

Marathon Training Week 16 - Day 2

The past week has been bad for workouts.  Today we finally did a good three miles.  Lots of sweat.  Lots of chatting to catch up on.  We did two slower miles so we could hold a conversation and then pushed the last mile; ending with a good long sprint.

Randee was only half bitchy this morning.  I guess a week off helped improve her bad attitude!

Why yes, those are my love handles I'm holding on to.  Thanks for noticing.

I have a TON of stuff to catch all my closest blog friends up on.  A couple of teasers...

1.  My son fractured his femur.  Orthopedic appointment this afternoon.  Just so you know, the femur is supposedly the hardest bone in the body to break.  My little over achiever!

2.  I had a great time in Park City, Utah.  Don't you worry, I have plenty of pics to share in an upcoming post.

3.  We have a new member in our family.  A 17 year old Italian exchange student named Alessandra. 

Today I'm focusing my attention on something super exciting!  Another giveaway!  Whoot!

I first discovered Chica Bands at the Cowtown Marathon Expo, back in February.

They had tons of different styles, and I spent forever trying to decide which bands to purchase.

In the end I selected these three bands.

I was rocking the Turquoise Zebra Chica Band during the race.

I love these bands.  They stay in place.   They don't slip, and they help to keep my hair and the pouring sweat out of my eyes when running.

I even wore my Lime and Pink Zen Chica Band while doing plumbing.  I wonder which band goes best with plumber's crack?

Meg over at Chica Bands was wonderful enough to send Randee and me a few Chica Bands, in different widths to try out.

I had a hard time sharing with Randee when these four adorable bands arrived in the mail.

I did begrudgingly give Randee the Hot Pink Camo Chica Band.

Randee had worn a different brand of band in the past, but had never tried a Chica Band.  She said the Chica Bands were super comfortable and she loved the designs.  With her small frame she prefers the thinner bands, but loves the look of the thick bands.

I'm totally diggin' my Glittery Skinny Mermaid Chica Band.

I don't think I would have ever picked this glittery band on my own, but I wear it all the time!  The thick bands work great on days when you want hair no where near your face!

The Flower Child Grande Chica Band looks fabulous on Randee.

I may never brush my hair again!  I put on a little makeup and earrings and dressed up the Coral Tattoo Chica Band.

I'm pumped to tell you that Meg at Chica Bands has offered to give one lucky reader two (2) Chica Bands of their choice.  Entering the giveaway is easy.  Deciding which bands you want is the hard part!

To enter the contest you have two (2) mandatory things you must do.  You can also gain additional entries into the contest by spreading the word!  Make sure you leave one (1) comment for each!  The winner will be selected after 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 31, using Random.org.

How to enter:

1.  MANDATORY!  You must follow this blog.  (1 comment  = 1 entry)

2.  MANDATORY! You must go to the Chica Bands website and tell me which width and style of band you would select.  (1 comment = 1 entry)

3.  Like Chica Bands on Facebook.  Make sure you let them know The Bitchy Runners sent you!  (1 comment = 1 entry)

4.  Like The Bitchy Runners on Facebook.  Make sure you tell us how wonderful we are!  (1 comment = 1 entry)

5.  Follow The Bitchy Runners on Twitter.  (1 comment = 1 entry)

6.  Spread the word of this awesome giveaway on your blog!  Leave us a link to your blog in the comments!  ( 1 comment = 1 entry)

7.  Tweet about our giveaway.  Make sure you mention @BitchyRunners in your tweet! (1 comment = 1 entry)

8.  Facebook about our giveaway. ( 1 comment = 1 entry)

Good Luck!

 

Whine and Wine Wednesday

Marathon Training Week 15 = SUCK!

We have had a horrible week.  Since there is about to be a bitch fest, let me get straight to the whining.

WHINE:

Randee's decided she is never running again.

Here is the damn book she wrote on facebook...

hmm, toe nails falling off, black toe nails, swollen feet, knees hurt, 5hrs out of my weekends plus take care of 3&5 yr old, clean house and i could go on and on. PLUS, bacteria infection all over my stomach from SWEAT!!! Wonder why I want to be done. I am ready to feel and look like a lady again! 5 miles is all i want to do to catch the runner's high and feel the energy from a good run. that many miles you just don't feel good and i'm OVER IT!! i'll finish this shit but i have lost all motivation. angie needs more advice to put up with me than i need advice to finish! she is in for a long 1.5 months!

Somewhere along the way we went from...

THIS.....Enjoying running

to THIS...not enjoying running.

There are several factors.  TEXAS SUMMER is one of the huge ones.  INCREASED MILEAGE is another issue.  No one EVER said training for a marathon was easy.  If it were easy EVERYONE could and would do it.  It's damn hard.  It takes dedication.  It takes determination.  It takes a lot of time.  It takes a lot of sweat.  It takes a lot of toenails.

But dammit, we have come way too far to quit now!

And half of finishing a marathon is winning the mental game.

So, it's time to channel our inner Richard Simmons and find our "CAN DO" attitude.

We have to turn our frowns upside down!

Get a little crazy.

And enjoy the journey!

WINE:

I've been sippin' on some Red Guitar Tempranillo all week.

Looks like Riesling is all that's left in the "purple zone" for tonight.  Since I am about to clean like a crazy woman, I'm thinking chilled Riesling will taste mighty good later this evening!

I leave tomorrow for Park City, Utah.

I'm not sure I even know how to pack for temps like this.

Leave some words of wisdom to help get us back on the right track for marathon training!  Week 16 needs to ROCK!

What's your whine and wine for the week?

I am a 'People of WalMart'

This past weekend was busy and exhausting.  No need to go into the details.  Just know that it included an unplanned six hour car ride, 1.5 hours of sleep in a 36 hour period and a funeral for my dear friend's dad.

Saturday did finally bring rain and cooler temperatures.  We have not had rain in months.  This was the day that Randee and Brittany ran their 18 miles.

Don't they look cute in their coordinated blue?

Rumor has it that it poured rain the entire time they were running. I'm super impressed and proud of them for getting the miles done.  Randee swears she is never running again.  Whatever.  We have come too far to quit now!

Talia and I did our 18 miles on Sunday at White Rock Lake.  It wasn't until the last minute that we remembered the Hottest Half would be taking place.  We started about 5:00am, and pretty much had the place to ourselves.

The Dallas city lights are really pretty in the dark over the lake.

Due to my lack of sleep, the first five miles were really hard for me.  Finally, after taking a GU I got a little pep in my step.  The trail along the lake is a 9 miles loop.  We finished loop one in just under two hours.

Half done!  I'm pretty sure these are fake smiles.

We refilled our water bottles and headed out for our second loop.

The sun was just starting to rise and the trail was starting to get pretty crowded.

I started the second half feeling really good.  About mile 13 we started seeing the Hottest Half runners. Let me tell you, there was some very buff, shirtless eye candy!  This was a great distraction.  I also saw Lesley from Racing it Off and got to cheer her on as we passed each other.

Around mile 15 my right knee decided it was DONE.  Every time I tried to run I had shooting pain up and down my leg.  I decided I would just have to walk to the finish.  I was able to maintain a 13:00 to 14:00 pace walking with no knee pain.

We both about cried we were so excited to see the car and know we had completed our 18 miles!

The conditions were not horrible, but we were still sweating like crazy!

Talia, Ms. I Don't Sweat, was freaking out when she discovered sweat was rolling down her legs!

We made a quick stop at Starbucks for our post run chocolate milk and then headed home.  I took my first ever ice bath.

Note to self:  get two bags of ice next time.  One bag melted almost instantly.  I guess I have a steamy butt.

I soaked for 15 minutes and then immediately ran a hot Epson salt bath.  I'm sure it's good for the system to go into shock with extreme temperature changes.

Next I foam rolled.

Then it was compression shorts & calf sleeves, toe stretchers and knee icing.  Pretty ridiculous, but I wanted a quick and painless recovery!

It was finally time for a 1.5 hour nap.  When I woke up I was STARVING!  I wanted sushi and champagne so bad.  I settled for an Amy's enchilada meal. 

I finally ventured out of the house sporting this sexy getup.  I'm pretty sure it will be all over the runways in Milan this fall.

I went to WalMart and the grocery store.  Doug asked me if I was prepared to find myself on the People of Walmart website. I haven't decided if I find that rude or funny.

Just so you know, I brought home takeout sushi and enjoyed it with some sparking wine.  Ahhh, good!

Today I have felt great!  Next week's 10 miles will happen in Park City, Utah.

If the altitude doesn't kill me, it should be a nice cool run!

I hope you had a Marvelous Monday!

Udi's Gluten Free Product Reviews

Marathon Training Week 14 - Day 5

Since we have been lazy all week, we thought we would continue the trend today.  We walked 3 miles.  Yap, that's all we did.  We should be good and rested for our 18 miles this weekend!

Warning: Protective eye wear required when looking at my shiny forehead.

Randee refused to put her shoes on this morning, in hopes that we would skip the workout all together.

We are splitting up for our 18 miles.  It's sad.  Brittany and Randee will run together on Saturday.  Talia and I will do our 18 on Sunday.  It's a bummer, but such is life.

If you have followed my blog for very long you know I follow a gluten free diet.  My daughter was diagnosed with Celiac Disease when she was three years old.  The diet seemed overwhelming to me at first.  It was through a lot of trial and error that we discovered what products were good, and which ones tasted like dirt.  Gluten free food is not cheap, so this was an expensive process.

In June of 2010, I was having a lot of stomach cramping and symptoms similar to what Audrie had experienced prior to going gluten free.  Her Celiac Disease was diagnosed with a small intestine biopsy.  I did not want to spend the time and money to get tested.  My husband encouraged me to do a 30 day gluten free trial and see how I felt.  I was nervous, because I knew I had to be very strict in following the diet with her little eyes watching me.  Within about a week my stomach issues were gone.  I decided to stay on the diet.

Fast forward one year, to June of 2011.  We ordered dinner at a restaurant, and after it arrived I realized it had wheat noodles instead of rice noodles.  I was tired and decided to eat the meal because I had made the mistake in ordering.  Bad idea.  Within about two hours my stomach was cramping like crazy.  The worst part was that it took about three weeks to get my system back in order.  I had constant stomach pain anytime I ate.  Finally I got my colon happy again.  Now I'm more determined than ever to follow a STRICT gluten free diet.

Recently, I discovered Udi's Gluten Free Foods.  It was actually from reading a blog that I was introduced to their deliciousness. 

Udi's Gluten Free Foods sent me coupons to try and review three of their products.  At Tom Thumb I have been able to find their plain bagels and white sandwich bread.  At my local health food store I found a few more products.  I need to visit a Sprouts or Whole Foods to see if they carry more of their whole grain products.

Udi's bagels is the product I first read rave reviews about.  As you can tell from the package, they are gluten free, dairy free, soy free and nut free.  I'm not sure how they do it,but these things are REALLY good!

Please ignore my fine china.  I keep the bagels in the freezer, and then put them into the toaster when I'm ready to eat.  I love that they actually look and taste like they have been toasted.  This does not happen with all gluten free food.

Another tasty product is Udi's Whole Grain Bread. 

Once again, don't notice my fancy plate.  When toasted, this bread makes a perfect sandwich.  A lot of gluten free bread never gets crunchy and has a gummy texture.  This is not true for Udi's sandwich bread.

I wanted to try something new, so I chose the Udi's Gluten Free Lemon Streusel Muffins.  It turned out to be a great choice!

See, I do own a "real" plate.  I took this muffin out of the freezer and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds.  I had it with a cup of coffee for breakfast.  It was amazing.  Very light and moist.  I thought it was delicious. 

My 9 year old daughter also loves all of the Udi's Gluten Free products.

I must say that I have not found an Udi's Gluten Free product that has not tasted fantastic.  Having tried many gluten free foods that are less than tasty, I'm very excited to find such an all-around great brand.  They have several other products I want to try like their hamburger and hot dog buns, granola and pizza crust.

Visit Udi's Gluten Free Website to learn about all of their products and find special offers.