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.

hey it’s friday! that means there is a sock winner!

it has been a hella long week. i woke up thursday and asked myself “why is your alarm going off it’s saturday” and then my mind said “no not saturday, it’s friday” … in the shower i realized it was thursday. image my disappointment. doh.  but, today is FRIDAY!

not too much going on in my world (killer spin class tuesday killed me, literally) and i was supposed to experience my first ever hot yoga today, but due to a bogusly busy day i couldn’t pry myself from the office – but i went for a 3.49 mile run instead.  ANYWAY. i promised a pair of my favorite socks to anyone that was interested and i am true to my word so the winner is number 5 who is Paige from two runners and a brown dog!  Yay Paige and your brown dog!!!! :o) 

Paige! send me your shoe size and address to barbara.a.vines@gmail.com and I will get those bad boys out to you ASAP.

also – if you’re a compression sock fan if you go to www.recoverysock.com and utilize coupon code “JHClient” you will get 15% off your purchase.  Just a little FYI!

Sorry I have been such a crappy blogger there just hasn’t been too much going on in my life other than work, run, walk the dog, sleep, play with the dog, more work, swim, and spin,

Happy weekend everyone.

favorite friday … wigwam socks + giveaway

When I first started running I went on the hunt for “the perfect sock”. I tried everything from adidas to asics to thorlo to champion to gold toe and then finally i stumbled across the brand wigwam while at REI. I put on a pair and fell in love, ran a half marathon in them, but wanted a little more cushion and bought a pair of IronMan Flash Pro. Ever since I have been a loyal Wigwam sock wearer and with a sticker price of $12.00 a pop they’re pricey but well worth it. These socks are comfortable, durable, breathable, not too thin and not too thick, and just an all around awesome sock. The best part? I have never ever ever blistered with them, even in the rain and well… no blisters is a big thing for me!

Since these bad boys are so pricey I threw them on my birthday wish list and well, one of my twitter followers bought me a pair of wigwams! YAY! …I did not get my normal Flash Pros, but a pair of Ironman Tail Wind Pro socks (in pink!). I had never even seen or heard of this sock in the Wigwam line and I could not wait to get them on my feet and hit the road for a run and well… I was impressed. They had just the right amount of cushion in the right spots and unlike the Flash Pro socks I couldn’t even tell I had on socks (meaning, they were a little thinner and softer in all the right areas). They kept my feet cool in the heat and that is one of my #1 goals when choosing a sock. The only thing I would change is that the ankle is cut a little higher than I like… but that is such a small dumb detail that who cares?!

So which was my favorite out of the two?! That is a hard question since they both have their pros but I think I am gonna have to say the Tail Wind Pro Socks. I say this because I ran in them one day in 85+ degree weather and then in my Flash Pros the next day and my feet felt so much hotter in the Flash Pros – in fact it felt as if my foot was in a sauna. So, I am not saying that the Flash Pros have been replaced because that is far from the truth… but I am thinking Flash Pros in the cooler temps and Tail Winds in the summers. And because I love you all and not a lot of people know about this wonderful brand… I am going to be giving away 1 pair of them to try for yourself!

So I know you want to win and I am making it simple by only having two ways to enter. This is how you can score a free pair of rocking socks (remember 1 comment per entry)…

1. Publicly follow my blog
2. Lastly, tell me why you want these socks as creatively as possible!

oh. and it ends next friday.

Happy entering and I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. Good luck to everyone racing!!

Friday Favorite: body glide for her + giveaway.

In true Barbie fashion, I am stealing an idea from one of my favorite fellow running bloggers Aron.  Every Friday she talks about 1 of her favorite running products/things.  Granted, I will not have a favorite every Friday – but this week… I DO! 

A few weeks back I had tweeted that I needed Bodyglide for my poor feet since my heels where killing my feet after a long day of cold calling in Midtown Atlanta.  A few hours passed and Bill from Bodyglide emailed me asking for my address to send me a free product.  His reasoning - “since I was thinking of them, he was thinking of me”.  SCORE!  A week passed and tada a white box was waiting for me at my apartment and in the box was two samples of Bodyglide For Her.   I have been a faithful user of Bodyglide ever since I started running, especially in the hot summer months here in Atlanta.  But I was REALLY excited to give this line a spin.  I loved how I was sent the mini sticks because I tend to pack them with me on long runs and when running my half or full marathons. 

I found this product to go on softer but just as easy as their normal anti-chafe stick. Evidently it is made from some plant-derived wax that helps moisturize your skin, which lets be honest girls love to have soft skin. I found it to work just as well as their anti-chafe stick and it is just as much a staple in my running bag.  I have never had bra chafing so I do not know how well it helps in that area but I ALWAYS use it on my inner thighs to help with the rubbing and to keep my shorts in place.  It doesn’t work as a “glue” to keep the shorts in place, but it definitely does help keep the fabric from running up.  The anti-chafe kind tends to leave your skin (at least mine) feeling a tad bit sticky if you go overboard and put on too much, but I did not notice this with the “for her” formula. **Granted, the more you run the less sticky your thighs feel with the other line of BG** Like it’s brothers and sisters, the for her formula can withstand long, warm runs.  I went out for a run last Friday, realized I took a wrong turn and got lost (awesome, I know).  It was hot (80 degrees) and I was sweaty but the BG stayed in tact and worked the whole run. 

And guess what – you can use it for things OTHER than running.  I used it for my shorts at spin class because boy do those things ride up and it worked super well.  I also use it on my feet for when I am out making sales calls and wear the cute but painful heels.  The pain stays but the chafing is eliminated. 

You may be saying that it is too expensive but speaking from experience, I know this stuff lasts a while so it is well worth the $7.00 sticker price at REI (where I buy mine).  You do not have to cake it on – apply it like deodorant (up, down, stop) and it will last. BG really is a runner’s best friend.

Since they sent me 2 sticks I have decided to share the wealth with my followers.  SO!  Starting today I will take submissions to win.  Want to win? This is how you can (and make 1 comment in my comment area for each thing you do):

1. Become a public follower of this blog or comment that you already are. (+1)
2. Become a Fan of BodyGlide on Facebook.  You can do so here (+1)
3. Add me to your blog roll. (+1)
4. Tweet about it, blog about it, whatever. (+1)

I am going to pick a winner NEXT Friday!  So happy entering!

have a great weekend everyone!  good luck if you’re running and racing!