Running Skirts, Costumes & a Rock City Skirts Giveaway {Closed}

This Giveaway has closed.  Check our most recent posts for other great giveaways.

Last year, I discovered the very awesome Rock City Skirts.  At the time, I was a brand new runner still learning to 'love' running.  I found the motivation to keep training and to keep signing up for more races in an unlikely outlet: race costumes and running skirts.

I am not always comfortable just running in capris or tights. I prefer to be covered up from behind.  These lightweights running skirts are the perfect cover-up to just pull on over whatever you are already wearing.

Whether or not the race had a theme, I found a way to dress up for it in a costume, or at least wear a cute skirt. 

Here I am, more than a year and a half later, and I still love to put together fun outfits for running - and I keep coming back to Rock City Skirts to feed my addiction.

Amy, the owner of Rock City Skirts, has endless amounts of creativity. And she has the skill to make her designs a reality.  In fact, some of my favorite race outfits have come from her shop. 

Remember these?

This morning for my local Turkey Trot, I sported this super cute Pocahontas skirt!  I had my eye on this skirt for a good long while - and I think the theme works for Thanksgiving, don't you?

All the Rock City Skirts come in little girl sizes and adult women's sizes. Whether you are a petite pixie or a plus size gal --- you will find a skirt to fit.  Yes, I'm talking to you - us bigger gals have not been forgotten.

And if that wasn't enough, look at some of her other fun designs.  Princesses, Villains, Fairies, Holiday themes, Space themed.... and did I mention custom?  Yes, she does excellent and very speedy custom designs as well.





So you want one of Amy's creations, do you?

Well, she has generously allowed me to do another giveaway.  In fact, this is my THIRD Rock City Skirts giveaway.  If you have been reading my blog since last year, you might remember this one here, and this one was particularly sassy.  If you didn't win either of those - you know what they say:  Third time's a charm! Here is your chance. So check out the terms below and enter for your chance to win.


If you can't wait for the giveaway to end - and you need a running skirt right away, from now through November 30, you can save 15% off your order with the code:  blackfriday2014  That is a great deal.



Terms of the Giveaway
1) No Purchase Necessary.
2) Giveaway begins Thursday Nov. 27, 2014 and ends Wednesday Dec. 3, 2014 at midnight. Winner will be announced on the Facebook page and this blog post.  He or she will be notified Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014.
3) Must be 18 years or older to enter. Must be a U.S. resident. 
4) One (1) winner will be selected. The winner will receive one (1) running skirt valued up to $30.
5) Sign in through Rafflecopter below to enter. With your first entry, the app will capture your e-mail or facebook name. This is so we can reach you if you win, in accordance with sweepstakes terms. Your contact info will ONLY be used to contact you if you win.
6) There are additional opportunities for multiple entries.
7) The winner will be chosen at random using the rafflecopter app below. Odds of winning are determined by the number of eligible entries received.
8) In the event winner does not respond to contact attempts via e-mail or facebook name provided within a one week period, another winner will be selected at random.
9) Void where prohibited.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Disclosure of Material Connection: No financial compensation was received. I  received product from Rock City Skirts in exchange for this review. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we believe will be good for our readers. All opinions stated on this blog are our own. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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2014-2015 Race Season- #DopeyAintEnuf

It seems like all the cool running kids are coming up with names for their racing seasons.  Here are a couple of examples:

• @GooberMonkey78 has #MARATHONPALOOZA
• @DopeyRunr has RACE A RAMA

Not to be left out, let me introduce my race season name  #DopeyAintEnuf!  

I started contemplating a name for my race season a couple of months ago. 

No offense to Dopey, he and I go way back... but my running journey has brought me a long way in just one year.

I can't believe it was one year ago that I had just completed my first marathon (Running for the Bay) and was gearing up for my second (Space Coast), and then my first multi-day challenge: the Inaugural Dopey Challenge.  

The months of training was a lot of hard work, but completing the Dopey Challenge just left me with a taste for more.  

More distance

More multi-day challenges

More running

And that is what I am going for this year.

Originally, DisneyBride did not like the name, her Inner Grammar Cop was silently screaming. We batted a couple of other ideas around but never came to a decision.  Weeks passed and this package from Tervis arrived one day in the mail.

Apparently, a marathon is just not enough for me anymore.  I am either crazy (current leading theory) or I just haven't found my limit yet.  Either way, my upcoming schedule features a couple of marathons, several halfs, a pair of multi-day events, and my first ultra.  Some guys make their wives sports widows, I guess this season my wife will be a running widow. 

Here are the current races on the #DOPEYAINTENUF schedule (subject to more crazy additions):

• Oct. 4th      Tower of Terror 10 Miler
• Oct 11th   Pine Run 20K
• Nov 27th  Tallahassee Turkey Trot 5K
• Nov 30th  Space Coast Marathon
• Jan 3rd     Swamp Forest Trail Half Marathon
• Jan 8th     WDW 5K- Dopey Challenge
• Jan 9th     WDW 10K- Dopey  Challenge
• Jan 10th   WDW Half Marathon- Dopey  Challenge
• Jan 11th   WDW Marathon- Dopey Finale
• Feb 15th   Destin Beach Ultra Runs 50K
• Feb 21st   Gasparilla Distance Classic 15K & 5K - Ultra Challenge 
• Feb 22nd  Gasparilla Distance Classic Half Marathon & 8K - Ultra Challenge 
• Mar 1st     Excalibur 10 Miler

A few other races may get inserted into the calendar in the upcoming weeks. This racing thing has really become an addiction. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter; I'm @Disney_Groom on both platforms. And check in with the blog for more on my running Odyssey as it unfolds. 

What does your race season look like?

Are you running a Turkey Trot this week?

-DG

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Review: Success Rice {sponsored post}

Now that we are in the middle of running season, let me take a minute and talk about a very serious topic:  runger.  Runger can appear just over your shoulder at any time, waiting to make you cranky. Runger will tell you: pick up takeout or junk food. Feed me now!



But as athletes - you, yes you, you are an athlete, we need more healthy options, preferably fresh and home-cooked.  DB and I both have full-time jobs, plus running and other hobbies that leave us with little time to cook at home.  When runger takes over, we need quick, yet wholesome meals - and we need them now. So we have found a few staples that work for us - that have the convenience factor we so desperately need.

Success Rice is one of our kitchen staples.  They actually reached out to us recently, as the marketing rep is also a runDisney aficionado and a reader of our blog. In fact, they usually have a booth at the runDisney expos, with a wheel you can spin for prizes. 

What is Success Rice?  I'm sure you've seen it.  It is a boil-in-the-bag rice that's ready in just a few minutes.  Super convenient for adding to left overs, or heating up to go with whatever you are making.  Given our love of food, we decided to create our own Autumn Curry recipe for the Basmati Rice they sent us.  The recipe follows:

Autumn Curry
1 bag of Success Rice Basmati Rice
1 large eggplant
2 medium onions
1 acorn squash (or other seasonal veggie)
2 cubes of Golden Curry Sauce mix

Slice up eggplant, sprinkle with salt and set aside (salt removes any bitterness)
Dice onions
Cut squash into cubes (feel free to leave the skin)

Sauté the onions until soft
Add squash to the pan
Add 3/4 cup - 1 cup water to your pan, this should cover the squash
Add 2 cubes of curry (I was cooking for DB, otherwise I would have added 4 - since I prefer extra spicy)
Simmer for about 10 minutes
Lightly stir from time to time, adding a small amount of water as needed. (You want enough water to keep the squash and onions simmering, and to make a thick curry sauce)
Add eggplant
Cook until the eggplant is done (no more than 10 minutes)

In a large saucepan, bring a quart of water to a boil.

Add your bag of Basmati Rice and keep boiling for an additional 9 minutes.

Remove bag from water, and allow to drain
Carefully cut bag open and plate your rice.

Enjoy your meal!



Note: DB plated the food, and added roasted brussels sprouts and tomatoes, for color. That's why it looks good.  But it tasted even better.

For more recipes visit- http://www.successrice.com/en-us/recipes/search/default.aspx

The rice bag can even be cooked in the microwave(see box for instructions), to be used when eating leftovers during the week. 

Hopefully some healthy rice dishes will silence your runger.

Run Happily!
-DG

Disclosure of Material Connection: No financial compensation was received. We  received product from Success Rice in exchange for this review. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we believe will be good for our readers. All opinions stated on this blog are our own. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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The Ghoul Gathering: a DIY Halloween Run

No Halloween race in your town? 

Why not get some friends together and hold your own?

In years past, a local gym hosted a Halloween 5K in Tallahassee. But the gym closed down, and that was the end of the race.

So this week, our friend Michelle, pictured below, planned a 'Ghoul Gathering - Zombie Run' and invited several friends. 



Love this outfit!









hat closeup - isn't it cute?







The group was made up of fourteen ghouls, zombies, and assorted scary monsters.  DG and I opted for Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum costumes (recycled from when we ran the runDisney Enchanted 10K). We did a Halloween themed 4 mile run/walk  at 'Zombie' pace. 



blurry running pic



Magnus joined us - in his shark costume.







a better pic of his shark fin - but he would not keep the hood/jaws part on.





Guess who won Best Costume & Runner Up?

And there were cute little finisher medals (Halloween themed AND reflective)!

Yep - Magnus got a finisher medal too.

After the run, we took over the patio at a nearby restaurant, and the Halloween party began.

Michelle brought buckets of candy,

decorations,

And goody bags for all.

This is DG's goody bag

and mine...

DG and I also got prizes for winning Best Costume.

It was a great way to celebrate Halloween!

Have you ever planned a themed run with friends?

Happy Halloween!

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Review: Kiss Me Organics Matcha Green Tea

 

 

 

 

 

In our journey to better nourish our bodies, DisneyGroom and I have been incorporating various superfoods into our diets: chia seeds, hemp hearts, flaxseed, and others.  The latest of these is matcha green tea.

 

Check out some of the benefits you get from green tea.

 

 

 

 

I got to try out the Organic Matcha Green Tea from Kiss Me Organics.  The matcha I received is a high quality culinary grade.  This is more concentrated than many readily available commercial green teas.  I always order green tea with my meals in Asian restaurant, and was accustomed to a slightly bitter taste.  When I made the matcha at home, I was immediately struck by the stronger flavor and scent.  A lower grade of tea is bitter, but the organic matcha I tried was not at all. 

 

 

Included in my order was an ebook with dozens of match green tea recipes - from cupcakes to soups to entrees - even cocktails! Sweets are currently banned in the house, so a smoothie it was!

• 1 medium banana
• 1 cup berries (frozen)
• 1 cup coconut milk (I used Trader Joe's vanilla coconut milk)
• 1 tsp matcha powder
• 1/2 tsp agave nectar
• 1/2 chopped kale* (optional)

DG has been on a kale kick lately.  So there is always a big bag in the fridge.  It wasn't part of the recipe, but I threw in a handful of kale into the smoothie as well.

 

 

 

 

A serving is typically 1/2 teaspoon, and I used a full teaspoon, so I did taste the matcha in this smoothie.  You could cut it back a bit and still get all the benefits of the tea.  I liked the flavor and plan to add it to several other recipes. 

 

One thing about the powder. It will turn your food green! (Don't worry - it is all natural - no artificial dyes here).  So green Christmas cookies and eggnog?  St. Patty's Day treats? 

Yep - that is happening.

 

Let me know if you try out this matcha tea!

 

 

Run Happy (and eat happy too!)

-DisneyBride

 

 

 

 

• Do you drink green tea?
• Do you have a favorite superfood?

 

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: No financial compensation was received.  I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. All opinions stated on this blog are our own. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Recap: 2014 runDisney Tower of Terror 10 Miler

Let me start this recap with a couple of things you should never do just before a night race.

• Don't schedule a fundraiser the morning of the race.  
• Don't schedule that fundraiser 300 miles from the race. 
• Don't check into your hotel at 5:00pm. 
• Don't run without any rest at all. 

DO let your spouse/partner/BRF talk you into a last minute race. 

Ok, the weekend may not have had the most ideal beginning. But we had so much fun at the 2014 runDisney Tower of Terror 10Miler and Villains Bash, that all that was quickly forgotten.

Do get dressed up.  It should come as no surprise, I was dressed as Buzz.  DisneyBride tried to put together a Tron Legacy costume for me, but we had no idea finding reflective tape would be so difficult.  So my good ole stand-by just happened to be available for race day.  One day I will be an old man, and I will look back at all my race photos and not know which race was which - since I am dressed as Buzz in half of them.  ha ha.

I also strapped on my NoxGear Tracer 360 vest.  If you recall, DisneyBride wore the light up vest during her 5K and 10K events during Princess Half Marathon weekend this year.  With the Tower of Terror 10 Miler starting at 10pm and the after party continuing until 3:30am, it wouldn't be a bad idea to assist my visibility.  As it turns out, a lot of runners had the same idea, and I spotted several NoxGear vests on the course.

If it's not readily apparent, the ToT trip was a very last minute addition to the race calendar.  I didn't even get a chance to check out the road closures.  Thankfully, runDisney had plenty of traffic signs to detour us to WWoS.

After a quick bus trip from WWoS to Hollywood Studios we arrived at the race.  The starting area always has a really cool atmosphere.  The DJ got everyone pumped up, playing "What does the Fox Say?" --- perhaps one too many times for me  (DisneyBride still can't stop singing it three days later) and also they also did a good job making announcements to make sure all the runners get to their corrals in time.

The obligatory 'Portapotties in the Background' race pic. I take my DisneyBride to only the classiest places.

This starting area seemed far less crowded than previous runDisney events.  The official results show 9389 finishers - and the word is that there were 800+ runners swept.  So with less than 11,000 starting (half the size of the WDW Half and Princess Half) this felt much smaller to me.  

We've made so many 'runDisney' friends, we can never catch up with all of them.  And we are very sorry to have missed seeing some of our blogger friends, including Meranda, Pam & Christine, and Kimberly - to name just a few. However, we were fortunate to catch up with several of our running friends before the race and even to make a few of the pre-race photo meet-ups.  

Look! I found @DopeyRunr

There was a bit of a hike from the corral to the starting line, but soon enough we were off, and I was running my first ToT race.  The weather was great; not a drop of rain (it had been forecasted to pour cats and dogs all week) and the temperature was great (felt like high 60's).  Apparently, the temperature has been an issue in previous years.  RunDisney prepared for the heat this time. In addition to water and Powerade at the start and finish line, the course had 7, yes seven fluid stops, plus cool wet towels at the finish. 

The race was packed with pretty cool theming.  It seemed like at least every mile they had some sort of character, DJ, or creepy giant spider on the course. 

The lines were not bad at all - so I stopped for quite a few characters. 

I asked Jafar where his parrot was --- that didn't go over well...

Sure, you're powerful and come with your own army, but DisneyBride is the Queen of My Heart. Sorry, not sorry!

Hook told me a joke.  He isn't a bad guy really. Just cranky about losing a limb. Wouldn't you be?

A little ditty about Jack and Di...errr  SALLY!



ZOMBIES!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!

My only complaint about the characters- no Zurg. 

Seriously though, WHERE IS ZURG???

I didn't see him on the course or at the "Villains Bash". 

I guess he is hiding, since this is what happened last time we met.

The offroad portion (or trail) into the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex has caused some runners issues in the past.  DisneyBride had warned me that it was pretty dark last year and she convinced me to wear a small headlamp (it was clipped to my visor). RunDisney actually provided plenty of lighting along the path this time, and never did I need the headlamp or any additional light.
 

I had hoped that they would have used the space in WWoS to have the Headless Horseman or perhaps some roaming zombies.  Just seems like the fields and the track could have been used for characters. 

This is past the halfway point of the course, and the Grave Diggers were on hand - ready and willing to bury any runners who couldn't finish the race. 

It's okay... I'm not really dead.  Don't collect the life insurance yet, DisneyBride!

Following the WWoS, you make your way back to Hollywood Studios.  The last mile or so of the course leads you through the very short portion that is actually in the park.  I enjoyed running through Hollywood Studios, and only wish there was a way to increase the portions that we do run.

It was nice seeing Lotso outside of Toy Story Mania! 

Do you hear banjos? (Let's see how many of you get this...)

I told Lotso to save me a spot in the queue.  But he didn't.  Don't trust a bad guy.

As pointed out by @dopeyrunr, Lotso did NOT smell like strawberries.

The backstage finish at the Tower of Terror is great.  You get a great view of the hotel and the ToT sign as you approach.  I wish I had stopped to take a finish area pic with my medal.  I guess I need to add that to the "to-do" list for my next ToT race.  The ToT medal with the moving elevator may just be the coolest in my collection.

 This guy gave me my medal. We just love our race volunteers!

And speaking of volunteers, after crossing the finish line, I bumped into a few running friends helping out at the event. Caitlin from the Magic Milers was working the finish area for Trackshack, and Elizabeth (pictured)  was handing out bananas.

After collecting my snack box (still waiting for Tonga Toast to be offered at the finish line by the way- ahem), I hiked my way over to the Villains Bash after party. 

DisneyBride will post a recap of the Villains Bash.  The highlight for me was I was able to ride Toy Story Mania (with only a 15 minute wait!!!) and I was champion of my car.  That's a win in my books. 

We hung out with our friend and fellow Seminole fanatic, Avery

I really enjoyed this night race - a lot more than I expected.  Count me in for 2015! 

Some takeaways

• Bring a REAL camera- the pics I took on an actual camera came out WAY better than my iPhone photos that you might have seen on my instagram feed.
• Pay attention when the course makes sharp turns.
• Make sure to stop for pictures.  The lines do move much faster than you expect.
• Enjoy the after party. A lot of runners just go back to their resorts and crash.  You missed HALF THE FUN!
• Unless you are an elite, this is not a race about finish times and PRs.  If you are in front of the Balloon Ladies - you are fine.  If you do get behind them, try your best to not to let them out of your sight.
• Don't eat a big meal immediately after the race.  Don't stuff your face with greasy fries for your post race meal.  The giant turkey leg was my first choice, but that quick serve place was closed. boo!  
• Do ride Toy Story Mania. 
• Do ride Tower of Terror (I did fight it at first, but I'm glad I did).  Did have some major regrets about the aforementioned greasy fries though.
• Nap a few hours before your night race. If you can't nap - then hydrate more than usual.  If you can drink caffeine, then have some right after the race, so you can enjoy the rides!
• Sleep in the following day.

Have you done a night race?

What are some of your takeaways?

-DisneyGroom 

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