Ultimate Stocking Stuffer Giveaway!

Tomorrow I'm hosting the "Ultimate Stocking Stuffer Giveaway!" ANYONE can enter, and I'll pick one random winner. But you can't enter until TOMORRROW. In the meantime, TODAY I just have a quick post with the sweet gear in the upcoming giveaway.

First of all, big thanks to the beautiful people at Outside PR for giving away this great stuff!! Outside PR is the PR firm for all these great businesses.

ON TO THE STOCKING STUFFER GOODIES! There are 3 companies with cool stuff to give. Here they are in no particular order:

• Ryders Eyewear. If you've seen a photo of me in sunglasses over the last year, there's a 99% chance that they were a pair of my Ryders. Here I am capturing a 5K PR this last spring, and I'm wearing my Ryders "Drills:"

And here I am about 2 months ago with my Ryders "VTX" - they have interchangeable lenses, so I put in the clear ones to protect my eyes while mountain-biking on an overcast day:

(Yeah, I know my helmet strap is loose, but I just wiped out 10 minutes earlier.
Everything got shifted. Don't be hatin'.)

So, for this giveaway, Ryders Eyewear wants to giveaway 2 pairs of sunglasses. FIRST, they want to giveaway a pair of the VTX with interchangeable lenses.

Ryders VTX

Here are photos of my pair of the VTX:

In their case


Open


Everything on display

AND they want to giveaway a more casual (think "lounging around") pair of sunglasses: either the "Shreddie" or the "Grindhouse" (the winner gets to pick):

Ryders "Shreddie" (on top) and "Grindhouse" (on the bottom)

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• Road ID. I'm gonna say it: if you go for long runs or long bike rides and you DON'T have a Road ID, you need to get one. ASAP. Be safe, people! Here I am on a long ride this past summer with my 2 brother-in-laws, and you can see my yellow Road ID on my wrist:

I wore it on the snowy run that I talked about in my last post. IT'S ONLY SMART. And, if you need Christmas ideas, nothing says "I love you and care about your safety" like getting a Road ID for a friend or family member!

For this giveaway, Road ID is giving the winner a giftcard that will cover the cost of most of their IDs INCLUDING shipping! So the winner can pick out and personalize ANY of their great products:

The NEW Wrist ID Elite


The Wrist ID


The Ankle ID


The 9 colors of the Wrist ID Elite

(BTW, Pharmie and I both have the Wrist ID, and we both have had no problems with it. Pharmie actually has 2 - a black and a pink version.)

Road ID is also giving away a hat and a pair of socks:

Road ID Hat and Socks

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• GU Gels. There's always a workout or a race where you need a little something. How about some gels from Gu? I haven't met a flavor I didn't like. (And their primo line of "Roctane" is great stuff!!)

For this giveaway, Gu is giving away 3 different 6-count boxes of their gels: 2 of their holiday flavors (Vanilla Gingerbread and Mint Chocolate) and one box of whatever the winner wants!

Vanilla Gingerbread


Mint Chocolate


[Your pick!]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

So, we've got 2 pairs of shades, a Road ID, a hat, some socks, and 3 kinds of gel for the winner. Sweet! In total, that's nearly $170 of sweet goodies to stuff your stocking with! And this doesn't have to be for you - anyone can enter, so you can enter and hope you win a sweet goodie package for that "sporty" loved one!

But, the contest DOES NOT start today! It starts TOMORROW, so stop back then to throw your name in the hat. And one final thanks to the sexually attractive people at Outside PR, Ryders Eyewear, Road ID, and Gu for helping to put together the "Ultimate Stocking Stuffer Giveaway!" Again, stop back TOMORROW to enter!!


FYI: I wasn't offered any sort of compensation to host this giveaway or to say these kind things. I simply love this stuff. This is no different from any other giveaway / contest I've ever done. The words above are not the words of the PR firm or the companies who make the gear - they are all my words. I use and love this stuff. I just felt compelled to note that.

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An 8 Miler During the "SNOW-POCALYPSE" of 2010

It's currently snowing like a mother here in Minnesota. I've already shoveled the sidewalk and the steps twice today, and I'll be heading back out shortly. We've gotten 12.4 inches so far, and there is another 5+ inches on the way in the next 8 hours. Yuck. See my last Friday Funny to see how I feel about this.

Before it got TOO bad, I headed out for an 8 mile run this morning. I was going to run easy, and just put in some time. I strapped on the YakTrax for the first time this winter:

"YakTrax Pro" - with the strap over the foot

Here are some photos from my run:

Looking down the street with about 5 inches of new snow


The sidewalk with 5-8 inches


Snow developing under my hat a mile into my run


The River Road Trail was plowed! Awesome!


Blowing snow


More blowing snow - about 2 blocks of visibility


Getting a little frosty on the Franklin Bridge

My first mile was T.R.U.D.G.I.N.G. through unshoveled side-streets. That first mile was a LEG-BURNER! I felt like I was really working (like 6:30 / mile pace), but it was actually around 9:15. That's what all that snow will do to a runner!

I showed this photo of the Mississippi freezing up from during my run last weekend:

Well, here's TODAY'S version of that photo above:

Welcome to MN. This is what December looks like.

Running across the bridge was the worst conditions of the day. All of the snow from the street was plowed up onto the sidewalk. I had to run through about a 1/4 mile of 18 inches of snow!

Around mile 6


Getting snowier


Around mile 7 - ICY!!!


There USED to be footprints from when I headed out, but they had completely filled in over 45:00
(yes, this is an actual photo of the sidewalk)


Back in the porch


Snowy shoes and YakTrax

Alright, I can feel my fingers again, so that must mean it's time to go out and shovel. Again. ;)

Happy weekend everyone! Stop back Mon / Tues for a great stocking-stuffer giveaway!! Great for you or a "sporty" loved one!

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Friday Funny 138: Cold Weather

Another one from Fake Science, holding true for me right now:

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Friday Funny 137: Beer

And here's a hangover explained:

(From Fake Science)

Happy weekend! Go... have a drink. ;)

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Some Quick News

Jerry MacNeil from Minnesota Tri News recently announced this:

"Because of his fresh and differing perspectives, Steve has since been officially invited to become a member of the 2011 MMA Selection Committee..."

I'm THRILLED to be asked to be on the committee! Jerry either liked my picks or my rationale for my picks for the 2010 MMAs (Minnesota Multisport Awards). I was 6 for 12 overall. The "easier"-to-pick categories of Triathlete, Duathlete, Rookie of the Year, etc is where I got the most right. But the harder categories are the ones like "Performance of the Year." That's not as easy to pick...

This will be a bit of work for me at the end of the tri season next year. I do NOT have a good memory, so I'll have to be looking up all kinds of results from over the last year. Jerry, on the other hand, seems to have a memory like a steel trap! If you've ever been to a race where he's announcing, not only can he pull out stats from the previous years' races, but he can start listing off stats of different individuals who are racing! It's crazy! He's got a better chance at listing all of my race times from the past 2 years than I do! REALLY!!

Looking through my photos, I think this is the only image of Jerry and I - he was announcing at the Cannon Falls Duathlon this last spring (where I was called up for 2nd in my AG), and that's him behind me:

Anyway, I know little of what my roll will be next year. All I know is what Jerry noted in his post where he mentioned I'll be helping out in 2011: "The selection process is democratic and it's frightfully rare when all Committee members are in total agreement on who should be nominated; and ultimately who should win. Majority rules." Sounds good to me.

And I'm pretty sure this is a HIGH paying gig!! That's sweet! I hear it pays rainbows and unicorn farts (which, by the way, are also rainbows).

... so I guess I'm NOT in it for the money...

I think there are a TON of Minnesotans who would be good at this job because I know a lot of people just like me: not fast enough to be considered for any of these awards, but "into" the sport enough to know a lot of what's happening across the state. I hope I can do a good job!

Anyway, thanks Jerry! I look forward to working with you in 2011!

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A MUCH Better Week of Workouts

A week ago, I posted this image of my training the week of Thanksgiving:

Yep. 42:00 of strength and core work all week. Solid. ;)

I remarked how I felt like I was a little burnt out. After a few weeks of not wanting to do ANYTHING, I started to get some desire back. (No, not THAT desire - I always have THAT desire.) So I started back up, and last week was MUCH better:

• Mon, Nov 29:
- 6.84 mile run and stretching in the AM.
- Upper body strength workout at the Y in the PM.

• Tues, Nov 30:
- 30:00 with Coach Troy on the trainer (that's the little "SP" on the calendar).
- Some core work.

• Wed, Dec 1:
- 2200 yard swim with Julia.
- Upper body strength workout at the Y.

• Thurs, Dec 2:
- 4 x 1500 intervals at the Metrodome.

I posted about this workout here, where I showed a few photos of my lovely Pharmie and Matt M doing laps:

• Fri, Dec 3:
- 2400 yard swim with Julia in the AM. (How did I NOT get a photo with Julia this week?!)
- Over an hour with Coach Troy on the trainer in the PM.

Brother-in-law Matt (different from Matt M above) came over to hit the trainer with Pharmie and I. Here's a photo when we were cooling down. (I barely got back to my bike in time after setting the self timer, hence my awkward still-getting-on-the-bike photo:)

The sweat under Matt's bike at the end of an hour+

• Sat, Dec 4:
- 85 minutes of snow blowing and snow shoveling.
- Solid core workout at the Y.

• Sun, Dec 5:
- 9 mile run.

I'm trying to keep my long runs up so I'll be able to start working my way up for the Winter Carnival Half Marathon shortly. So I headed out for a snow-covered 9 miler Sunday night. It was my coldest run of the season: it was 12 degrees with around a 0 - 4 degree windchill. I resisted the urge to break out the YakTrax yet - I told myself I wasn't going to be running hard enough to need them. Here are some photos I took along the way:

Front yard with 5-7 inches of new snow


Nicely plowed River Road


Crossing the frozen Mississippi


More of the Mississippi


A more melted trail on the other side of the river

I had over a mile to run on the more cleared trail before turning around. I told myself I'd start picking up the pace, and then run hard at the turn around on the less-snowy trail for about 1.3 miles. My mile splits from the start of the run were 7:08, 7:25, and 7:12. Then I started upping the pace (6:45). I ran hard for a mile (6:16), and kept up the pace for part of the next mile (7:07). I had forgotten how much the cold, dry air and all of the layers really slow you down. When I saw 6:16 for that "fast" mile, it felt like sub 6 for sure. I snapped a photo as soon as I eased up after the hard miles:

Proof to those of you in WARM areas that you CAN sweat
when it's 12 degrees! ;) (My face is "glistening.")

I eased up a bit for a final 3 miles.

As the sun is setting along River Road


Some kids sledding at the Town and Country Club

I got home and rewarded myself for a solid week under my belt.

According the the time stamp on these photo files, it only took 4 minutes and 36 seconds to go from that image above to this image below:

And Pharmie only got 2 of those rolls.... ;)

So I know this wasn't an AMAZING week of training, but for early December when I'm not training for anything specific, it's fantastic. If I can keep this up, I'll be GOLDEN come springtime. Happy winter everyone!

p.s. If you missed my last post from Minnesota Tri Night, check it out. I posted the results of the awards banquet along with 2 slideshows of images on my Examiner page. Click here for the results and photos during the awards, and click here to see photos from before and after the presentation. Thanks everyone!

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