Sale Alert! Sale Alert!

Hidden (non-running) secret about me.  Even though I LOVE nice things I really try to not spend full price on pretty much anything.  I celebrate the little victories (like this weekend, between coupons and my Kroger card I saved $36 on groceries!) and love finding good deals.  And... even more I like sharing the good deals.

And here are some:

1.  The Joyful Bath Co now offers their salts on drugstore.com - well you can stock up on their wonderfulness NOW.  I love their salts because they're not boring, but still do the trick after hard workouts.  I also adore Oasty Floatsie mixed with Nilla Buttermilk -- puts me right to sleep at night. Each jar is like $2.48 off which does not seem like a lot, but hey I will totally take it!
2. The Publix Marathon is currently at a low price ($60 for the half, $80 for the full) BUT with this fun little coupon code thanks to The Big Peach Running Company you can get a discount.  Codes: BPRC5 = $5 off the half and BPRC10 = $10 off the full   .... I will totally be taking advantage of this, but I gotta check the race date out first.
3. My personal favorite is this website 6pm.com -- they currently have a boat load of Nike stuff on their site.  Everything from tempo shorts to skirts to shirts to sports bras.  Things are ranging 30% - 70% off and 6pm has other awesome running clothes too.  If I was not on a spending freeze for the month of July and possibly August too I would be snatching things up.

Well.... 3 does not seem like a lot, but I wanted to share some spending fun with you. :o)

Favorite Things.

A few weeks back I saw a blog about a runner’s favorite things and since my blog this year has navigated SO far from the running and working out world (since I have not done a lot of running this calendar year. oi) I decided to steal this and tell the world about my favorite running things … when I am running.

Brooks PR Mesh Skirts.  They're airy and short {I like short running things} and breathable and just darn cute.  Oh and the “underwear”  doesn't chafe or really ride up.  There is a zipper pocket on the back that I can throw a key in. Sometimes, when I am lucky I can find them for super cheap on 6pm.com .. other times I have to pay pretty much full price, but it is 100% worth it.

The Stick & Foam Roller.  Those little contraptions works out all the kinks on my legs. This probably sounds loony, but whenever my legs are starting to feel tired and heavy I spend some quality time with those 2 things and I tend to bounce right back.  I also swear by the foam roller the night before the race.

Joyful Bath Bath Salts. I hate ice baths. They’re miserable. But I always would take the ice bath with epsom salts.  But, once I was introduced to Joyful Bath the ice baths didn’t get any better, but the scents and how they work made them like .01% more manageable.

Pure Barre. When I first started I wondered if/how it could make me stronger, but after a month of going my core and legs are much stronger. and both things will help with my running. the only downside it that it is REALLY expensive so since my new member monthly perk has expired I can only afford to go once per week.

Amphipod AirFlow Lite Waist Pack. I use this only for my half marathons and marathons since it is kind of bigger. Though it is bigger and fanny pack like, it sits on my lower back and doesn’t really move {unless I have the whole world in it}  There is plenty of room for by blackberry, chapstick, keys, and GU chomps.

ReGen Recovery Milk.  I have tried everything from Athlete's Milk to Honey Milk but I could never stomach it.  They seemed so chalky and non milk like.  But I was introduced to ReGen thanks to the Marine Corps Marathon and it tastes just like milk.  It has earned the title of my post long run and post race beverage.

GU Chomps.  I cannot stomach the Gels.  Something about the texture makes me want to vomit.  But the chomps I do just fine with. I normally only need 1 package of them but they give me the little burst I need & I hate to say this…. but when I am dying at the office, they help wake me up too.  *you know you’re a runner when…*

Neutrogena Sport Wipes.  Theses bad boys are awesome for after a killer workout.  I carry them in my gym bag to quickly clean the dirt and sweat off my face after working out.  They’re clutch when I do a workout and then have to head back to the office.

And with that…. those are just a few of my favorites when it comes to working out, running, or being active.

joyful bath giveaway winner.

I have had a crazy hectic past few days, but I somehow remembered that my giveaway ends today.  and I am so excited to announce my winner not only because I get to restock someone;s joyful bath stash  …. but because it gives me an excuse to buy more for myself … which will give me a reason to take more baths and to run and workout more.

and the lucky winner is … number 17 (see proof to the right)  And number 17 is …. my little auburn friend who I need to go to blast900 with  ELIZABETH from Running for Bling!  **she could probably use some of this after running the Publix half marathon this morning**

I am placing the order now … so email me if you want to meet up for a pure barre or blast900 or if you want me to mail it.   Congrats Elizabeth and Roll Tide!  =)

joyful bath review & giveaway!!

on of my favorite activities is taking a long bath and reading a good book. when kyle and i were house hunting there were 3 things i wanted. an awesome kitchen, a backyard, and a fabulous bathtub. i got 2 1/2 … but most importantly i got my bathtub. 

i do not really know how or when, but i was introduced to the joyful bath company and was told to try them because “if i liked epsom salts, i would love their salts more”. so i bought a little packet of “green tea glee” to try them out and was pleasantly surprised!  i used them in hot baths and ice baths, baths to recover from runs and when i just wanted to relax. when it snowed in January i started to really really follow the joyful bath company on twitter and learned that they do something called #bathday on Wednesdays.   (explanation: they tell their faithful followers to tweet one of their product names and if you’re the 11th or 4th or 9th or 24th or *you get it* you win a free product). 

Ok… but in all seriousness.  I love this company for so many reasons. 1st and most importantly, their products are phenomenal.  Up until being introduced to them I swore by epsom salts in my ice baths and hot baths after long runs, blast900 workouts, & on days my legs just hurt. The glorious thing about their products are that many of them have epsom salts mixed into their concoctions.  2nd. The owner. Founder. Creator. She is an athlete so she understands muscle pains and aches. when i get to chat with her on twitter (or whoever runs the twitter page) she is always so joyful and encouraging! 3rd. they’re also wonderful because they ship CRAZY fast.  And I mean a package can get from Bethesda Maryland to Atlanta Georgia in 3 days.  It is like they have their own little postman! 4th. they smell glorious.

I like so many of their salts for different reasons.  post run or for sore muscle days I like Ginger Snap, ‘Nilla Buttermilk, and/or Oatsy Floatsie.  Long day at the office?  I really like Green Tea Glee or Oatsy Floatsie (the lavender. love.)  And when I want to just take a bath to relax or read… Citrus Buzz or Oatsy Floatsie.  (Guess, which one is my favorite!!)   I also enjoy mixing two kinds together… like Oatsy Floatsie & ‘Nilla Buttermilk :o) ….I have heard good things about Mellow Yellow, yet I have never tried it.  Maybe next?

Since I love finding new fun things and I like sharing new fun things… I am giving 1 reader the chance to win 3 samples of 3 products they love or just want to try.

what to do to be the lucky winner:

1. follow my blog. or tell me that you have been following. (+1)
2. follow joyful bath on twitter @joyfulbathco (+1)  …and once you follow them you can play #bathday on Wednesdays!!
3. scoot over to their website (link above) and tell me what 3 bath salts you have tried/want to try/like (+1)
4. your ice bath secret. what do you do to make it manageable?!

Happy entering and hopefully winning. this wonderful fabulous giveaway will end in 1 week. 7 days from now—next sunday the winner will be announced.

what barbies want for christmas.

i feel like an adult. i really do not want anything but money for christmas and with that money i do not want to buy anything but put it into savings because i really want a 4runner.  but if i had to ask santa for things for christmas my list would be...

1. a pair of nike free running shoes.  i am not interested in vibram 5 fingers but i do want to give the minimalist shoe thing a whirl and i have heard great things about the nike frees. size 10. color: while/pale blue-gray. on zappos for $85.00 picture. see right.

2. a personalized wedding dress hanger to hang my wedding dress on [when i get one]. It will make the wedding pictures so much cuter and i am all about personalization and i l-o-v-e this idea.  and i think i would want it to be personalized with barbie + kyle rather than mrs. shanahan since i won't quite be mrs. shanahan yet. [yikes that sounds crazy weird!!] and of course this was discovered on my favorite place ever... Etsy.  Go here to order/check it out.  I would also need a wooden hanger to hang it on.

3. a new RoadID. I somehow, somewhere lost mine. This go around I want the one that attaches to your shoe. (the shoe id).   Therefore I won't take it off and throw it somewhere... it will just stay put on my shoe. I do not care the color, but I want my blood type on this one. After almost being hit by a car this year I just really want as much info crammed on there as possible if my life needs to be saved.  Sounds logical right?!

4. a quesadilla maker. because i love quesadillas and i love easy dinners even more. [when did i become an old lady asking for kitchen items?!]

5.  speaking of being old and wanting household things... i also want an iRobot vacuum or a romba. and I want a NICE vacuum. I think I want the Hoover WindTunnel Pet Rewind Upright ... but those 2 things will end up on my wedding registry.

6. Nike long sleeve running shirts (size medium). This one to be exact. In any of the colors except white.  I also would not mind more Nike running tights (size medium).

7. Do not judge me on this one... but I want Alabama Shoe Slippers. I find them to be hilarious and since my feet are always cold why the heck not?!  How awesome are these?!

8. Bath stuff. From anywhere as long as the bubbles that are made are HUGE. So big they overtake my bathtub and make it hard to read my book!!! I have also heard great things about Joyful Bath Co. as a substitute for Epsom Salt for baths post long runs and I would love a packet to try. I heard they're great for both ice baths and hot baths. I am attracted to the 'Nilla Buttermilk, Green Tea, Gingersnap and Oasty Floatsie. 

9. a weekend at a cabin in the north georgia mountains so kyle and i can escape for a weekend a REALLY take a vacation.

10. A super high tech cool pad for my lap top so it will stop overheating and shutting off.  I like this one and it got super good reviews.

I think that is it... it is weird that I cannot think of things I want for Christmas... I remember as a kid wanting pretty much everything in the Toys 'R Us catalog and now it is hard to make a list of 10 things.... oh growing up....