Ran Miles for Moffitt five-mile race yesterday. I was worried about the heat, but it turned out to be not so bad. Mind you, I don’t run well in the heat, so 5-10 degrees and a bit lower humidity would have been much appreciated, but it is Florida in the middle of May. Not gonna get much better than this.
Official finish time was 44:11, so was fairly pleased with that. 13th in age group. Not stellar, but not horrible either. I used to be firmly smack in the middle of the pack...now at least I'm up towards the top. Robin came in 11th in her age group! Luckily, the 5 mile race started at 7:30, ½ hour before the 5k, and the course was shaded in many parts. One thing I didn’t count on was all the uphills, but then I just thought of hills in San Fran…for all 26.2 miles. Not so bad in comparison!
Highlights of the race were getting to run with my friend Robin, and knowing I was running to benefit Moffitt. I got chillbumps as I ran past Moffitt itself, thinking about the last time my Mom was over. At that point, the leukemia had gotten the best of her and she was so weak she couldn't even walk. Moffitt could very well find the cure for cancer, and 100% of the proceeds of this race go directly to them for research.
And…the food schwag at the end was great too. I always judge a race by both the course and the food at the end. This one had lots. Here’s the loot: 3 bottles of water, 2 vitamin waters, 3 Cascadian Farms dark chocolate granola (dark chocolate granola – who knew??), 1 granola bar, one Marathon bar, 1 mini Luna bar, one sample Frappe from McDonalds, one sample Smoothie from Planet Smoothie, three small tangerines, 1 banana, ½ bagel from Einsteins, 3 bags of Nutrition nuts, 1 pack of cookies and 1 coupon for a free Frappe. How’s that? Not bad if I do say so myself.
And would you believe this? Afterwards I went over to Einsteins and ordered myself an egg and cheddar bagel…full price. There are some things a girl just can’t give up…unemployed or not.
Up next, hand to hand combat with rodents (I suspect) that are eating all the tomatoes in the garden. Stay tuned!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Dined then Ran
My trip to Port Orange this week included a lot of dining, hours of cleaning and sorting, and an acceptable amount of running. In this case, I dined and then ran. I ran because I needed to, both from a fitness/stress perspective, but also because the night before I had enjoyed a very yummy dinner. We tried the new Malibu Beach Grill restaurant at the newly opened Pavilion in Port Orange. The food was exceptional and the prices were very reasonable. I highly recommend it. This is a sister restaurant to Monterey Grill which I have tried numerous times on previous trips. In fact, I also dined there for lunch on Thursday. Always consistent, always scrumptious! If you are ever over in the Port Orange area, don’t miss it. And the mud pie is “to-die-for”.
But back to the running. I just love seeing a place on foot. In this case, it is the place where I grew up. I’ve been up and down these streets so many times and for so many reasons…but this has got to be one of the best reasons. There’s something about running through a place that makes you look harder, see things more clearly and differently than you ever have before. Sure, maybe it’s that you’re going by them more slowly…but maybe it’s more. I don’t know, Thursday morning I got up and went running at about 5:55 in the morning. Wasn’t a long run or anywhere particularly scenic, but it did me good. Maybe it is a combination of being up before most people and being on foot that makes you feel strong and capable and privy to a world that not everyone gets to experience. Even running by the mundane places, the chain retailers and restaurants, feels special at that time of the morning with the sun coming up and the streets relatively empty.
I actually ran down the middle of one side of a four-lane road for a couple of minutes before I saw headlights turning onto the road. At that moment, while staring at the empty road, I felt like I was in a running shoe ad with the road ahead of me representative of possibility, in so many forms. That morning, as most, I felt so blessed and lucky to have the life I do…to be strong and able-bodied, and headed back to a home filled with love. So, running to dine is sometimes so much more than that. This week, besides burning calories and releasing endorphins, running reminded me of all my many blessings and also that sometimes, even if you’re in the same place as everyone else, you don’t have to look at things the same way. Different perspective = atypical results. Let me think on this for a while.
Try it the next time you’re in a place you’ve travelled to many times before. Or try it at home. Get out on foot before the sun comes up and see how it makes you feel. You’re out in the stillness…“alive” before the world wakes up. There’s something so empowering about that.
But back to the running. I just love seeing a place on foot. In this case, it is the place where I grew up. I’ve been up and down these streets so many times and for so many reasons…but this has got to be one of the best reasons. There’s something about running through a place that makes you look harder, see things more clearly and differently than you ever have before. Sure, maybe it’s that you’re going by them more slowly…but maybe it’s more. I don’t know, Thursday morning I got up and went running at about 5:55 in the morning. Wasn’t a long run or anywhere particularly scenic, but it did me good. Maybe it is a combination of being up before most people and being on foot that makes you feel strong and capable and privy to a world that not everyone gets to experience. Even running by the mundane places, the chain retailers and restaurants, feels special at that time of the morning with the sun coming up and the streets relatively empty.
I actually ran down the middle of one side of a four-lane road for a couple of minutes before I saw headlights turning onto the road. At that moment, while staring at the empty road, I felt like I was in a running shoe ad with the road ahead of me representative of possibility, in so many forms. That morning, as most, I felt so blessed and lucky to have the life I do…to be strong and able-bodied, and headed back to a home filled with love. So, running to dine is sometimes so much more than that. This week, besides burning calories and releasing endorphins, running reminded me of all my many blessings and also that sometimes, even if you’re in the same place as everyone else, you don’t have to look at things the same way. Different perspective = atypical results. Let me think on this for a while.
Try it the next time you’re in a place you’ve travelled to many times before. Or try it at home. Get out on foot before the sun comes up and see how it makes you feel. You’re out in the stillness…“alive” before the world wakes up. There’s something so empowering about that.
Friday, May 7, 2010
"Fan", a name, I call myself....
Check out the Publix flyer this week. You can find it at http://www.publix.com/. They run their sale from Thursday to Wednesday, so it is becoming a new habit of mine to plop myself down in front of the computer and to go through the new flyer on Thursday morning. I must admit, I was pretty excited this week. The last couple have been mediocre, but this week, lots of good stuff.
Two biggest things – a $5 off coupon and a BP gift card offer. And for me in particular, a Cheerios BOGO deal. If you want to take advantage of the Cheerios deal, try to get your hands on some coupons. You can use two…even if one of your boxes is free. One way to get a coupon is by signing up on the Cheerios website; they’ll send you coupons worth $1 for one box. So, with one $1 and one .55 coupon, I ended up paying a $1 per box. Pretty good deal.
And here’s the deal on the BP card…buy $25 worth of groceries, get a $50 gift card for $40. That is a $10 savings on gas. That’s a great deal. Also, both regular Publix and Greenwise published a $5 off coupon when you spend $50…so stock up this week on non-perishable BOGOs and grab yourself a gas card while you are there. Let me reiterate, this is a good Publix week!
One thing to note, I want good deals, but not just on any food. I want good deals on the good stuff…and while you can’t always get all your staples for cheaper, you can usually find a version of them with some sort of savings. For instance, this week, Publix’s organic milk is on sale for $4.99 per gallon. That is something I’ll always spend money on…organic skim milk and eggs. If you check out the organic food websites, like Organic Valley or Stonyfield Farms, you can usually print coupons once a month that are good for milk or yogurt or eggs. I’m discovering that a lot of manufacturer sites offer great coupons. And then, if you can get a retailer coupon, you can combine the two. That is something I recently learned. I knew you could do that at Walgreens, but found out that Publix and Target offer it too. These are the times when you can sometimes get stuff for almost free!
I’m watching Facebook closely. Lots of postings from Sugoi and Powerbar. Powerbar’s focus has really been on events. Still waiting to see if they offer any deals. I don’t imagine Sugoi will offer anything as most of their distribution is through retailers, but it would be a great experiment for them to try. Sugoi, are you listening? Offer 10% off their website and see what kind of response it gets. BTW, I just got two new tanks and a pair of my favorite Jackie shorts on sale at REI Outlet online. Been a long time since I splurged on any new clothes, so I’m feeling a bit guilty. However, I’ve already worn the one Betty tank for my run and weight workout yesterday, and it did great. So, as long as I’m putting them to good use, I’ll feel justified.
On the food front, I did my part today to participate in some Facebook promotions. I went into Einsteins this morning and claimed my free bagel. I’m saving the free bagel and shmear coupon for either tomorrow of Sunday. I did at least buy a coffee to go with it. $.99 to fill my tumbler. Save the environment and some money! And this afternoon, I ran over to Starbucks to try a half price, make it your way Frappuccino. Starbucks is offering this for a week I think, from 3-5 everyday…and it seems like a great hit already. I got there right at 3 and it was already packed. A group of five women was in front of me, all ordering Frapps. I started polling them, and while some had seen the promo on t.v., most were very vocal about being Facebook “fans”. Obviously, people are still calling themselves “fans” even though the terminology has changed to “like”. And I admit, I do too, cause how do you turn “like” into a noun you call yourself?
Two biggest things – a $5 off coupon and a BP gift card offer. And for me in particular, a Cheerios BOGO deal. If you want to take advantage of the Cheerios deal, try to get your hands on some coupons. You can use two…even if one of your boxes is free. One way to get a coupon is by signing up on the Cheerios website; they’ll send you coupons worth $1 for one box. So, with one $1 and one .55 coupon, I ended up paying a $1 per box. Pretty good deal.
And here’s the deal on the BP card…buy $25 worth of groceries, get a $50 gift card for $40. That is a $10 savings on gas. That’s a great deal. Also, both regular Publix and Greenwise published a $5 off coupon when you spend $50…so stock up this week on non-perishable BOGOs and grab yourself a gas card while you are there. Let me reiterate, this is a good Publix week!
One thing to note, I want good deals, but not just on any food. I want good deals on the good stuff…and while you can’t always get all your staples for cheaper, you can usually find a version of them with some sort of savings. For instance, this week, Publix’s organic milk is on sale for $4.99 per gallon. That is something I’ll always spend money on…organic skim milk and eggs. If you check out the organic food websites, like Organic Valley or Stonyfield Farms, you can usually print coupons once a month that are good for milk or yogurt or eggs. I’m discovering that a lot of manufacturer sites offer great coupons. And then, if you can get a retailer coupon, you can combine the two. That is something I recently learned. I knew you could do that at Walgreens, but found out that Publix and Target offer it too. These are the times when you can sometimes get stuff for almost free!
I’m watching Facebook closely. Lots of postings from Sugoi and Powerbar. Powerbar’s focus has really been on events. Still waiting to see if they offer any deals. I don’t imagine Sugoi will offer anything as most of their distribution is through retailers, but it would be a great experiment for them to try. Sugoi, are you listening? Offer 10% off their website and see what kind of response it gets. BTW, I just got two new tanks and a pair of my favorite Jackie shorts on sale at REI Outlet online. Been a long time since I splurged on any new clothes, so I’m feeling a bit guilty. However, I’ve already worn the one Betty tank for my run and weight workout yesterday, and it did great. So, as long as I’m putting them to good use, I’ll feel justified.
On the food front, I did my part today to participate in some Facebook promotions. I went into Einsteins this morning and claimed my free bagel. I’m saving the free bagel and shmear coupon for either tomorrow of Sunday. I did at least buy a coffee to go with it. $.99 to fill my tumbler. Save the environment and some money! And this afternoon, I ran over to Starbucks to try a half price, make it your way Frappuccino. Starbucks is offering this for a week I think, from 3-5 everyday…and it seems like a great hit already. I got there right at 3 and it was already packed. A group of five women was in front of me, all ordering Frapps. I started polling them, and while some had seen the promo on t.v., most were very vocal about being Facebook “fans”. Obviously, people are still calling themselves “fans” even though the terminology has changed to “like”. And I admit, I do too, cause how do you turn “like” into a noun you call yourself?
Monday, May 3, 2010
Einstein's, Home Depot and Yard Work
Wow, what a weekend. I was in Home Depot three times in one day. Which reminds me, I haven't looked them up on Facebook. Guess I should start to "like" Home Depot since I'm spending so much time there.
No running, but I worked my butt off. I don't think I've ever been so grimy! Digging in the dirt and pulling out roots all day. Landscaped most of the front yard and it looks amazing. No more grass to mow, Florida friendly plants, a stone pathway and lots of pine bark. That was one of the things on my "to do" list while off, and I've completed it (with help) before my "official" time off even started. This morning I finished the butterfly garden in the backyard. Moving right along. For a split second this morning, I worried I'd complete everything more quickly than I'd thought, and that I'd be bored. Not a chance!
Back to the weekend. I spent way more money than I should have...but most of it was budgeted. Cashed in my AmEx points for Home Depot gift cards.
And on the food front...not much in the way of bargains, although I did get a bagel and shmear completely free. Thank you Einsteins! I didn't even purchase coffee to go with it, thanks to this 90 degree weather. I later made up for it by paying full price for two Chick-fil-a meals. We were ravenous after all that yard work!
Sunday, I spent a little time looking up and following some of my favorite chains on Facebook. Interesting seeing the different approaches. Einsteins definitely seems to be taking this thing seriously. They are offering coupons right and left and posting pretty often throughout the day. However, many of their posts seem to be dealing with technical issues regarding printing of the coupons. Working out the kinks. That's ok Einsteins...at least you are posting and taking care of your customers. And thanks for another free bagel. No trouble printing for me!
Nothing on the Chick-fil-a page. And they don't seem to be posting. I'll keep checking. Diet Dr. Pepper was a huge disappointment. Hoping they will make it up to their very loyal fans or self proclaimed addicts by doing something soon. Carrabba's actually offered a free mini dessert for "liking", but you had to create a post to share. Interesting...and fairly effective from what I can tell. You can bet I claimed my free coupon.
I cut out my coupons from the newspaper on Sunday and searched the circulars for great deals, but couldn't really find much. Let me clarify...couldn't find much that I needed or wanted. The two most exciting things were the rebate on the Perdue Chicken Short Cuts. Free!! And the P&G coupon offer. Buy $50 worth of their products, submit receipts and send in for $100 worth of coupons. Since I save receipts, I'd already racked up enough. I'm wondering, however, if the coupons are better or different from the ones they just published in the circular. Lots of work for coupons that you're unsure of what they're for. It's like a grab bag...don't know what you're getting. Hope it works. Will report in once they arrive.
If anyone has any tips or great deals they want to share, jump right in! I'm off to work on a mosaic project for the backyard.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Feet Wet
I woke up around 3:30 this morning thinking about what to blog about. Can I successfully combine my interests/passions into one cohesive thread and explore this new and ever morphing social media landscape at the same time? What do I love to do? Well, I love to eat…good food. I like to shop, but don’t do it so much anymore. As a person recently concerned with saving and paying off bills, I’ve been trying to stay out of the stores; yes, I’m one of the ones contributing to the economic downturn and the retailers having lower than expected earnings. But I diverge. I do like to shop…just not doing as much of it lately. And I like fitness! There are some things about fitness that I love. Not all. And not all the time. But I do LOVE certain things. Not enough to have an entire blog devoted to a to it like my friend KC however.
So, back to the task at hand. How do I combine all these things? Being recently laid off after 14 years, I am now extra concerned about new ways to save money. Ties back to the shopping thing. And as I try to figure out what I want to do next on the career front, I’d like to really like to understand this whole social media thing better. So, as one of the presenters at the AMA Social Media event Tuesday night said, “you’ve just got to jump in and start getting your feet wet.”
This morning, I’m sticking my toe in at 4:35 a.m. That is the actual time right now as I write. Who knows when I’ll actually get a blog up and live. But this is a start. KC, guess what? I’m gonna need a baptism by fire full emersion lesson from you. Watch out all my early adopter friends and colleagues. I’m coming after you. This is my blog and here is my theme. I’m gonna write about social media and the things I “like” or love…including food…and how to find it more cheaply or free, both in the grocery store and in my favorite places. I’m also going to write about fitness and my pursuit of it while I’m unemployed. Because after all, I do “run to dine”. That's my Twitter account. I tried that out a lot earlier than the whole blogging thing. But now that I'm unemployed, I have more time for thinking and writing in paragraphs.
Back to running. I run for a lot of other reasons too, but it is great to be able to eat what you love! Within reason.
And for consistency, I'll keep my blog names Run2dine. I'll just amend it while I'm unemployed to: Run2Dine done creatively and on the cheap.
So, back to the task at hand. How do I combine all these things? Being recently laid off after 14 years, I am now extra concerned about new ways to save money. Ties back to the shopping thing. And as I try to figure out what I want to do next on the career front, I’d like to really like to understand this whole social media thing better. So, as one of the presenters at the AMA Social Media event Tuesday night said, “you’ve just got to jump in and start getting your feet wet.”
This morning, I’m sticking my toe in at 4:35 a.m. That is the actual time right now as I write. Who knows when I’ll actually get a blog up and live. But this is a start. KC, guess what? I’m gonna need a baptism by fire full emersion lesson from you. Watch out all my early adopter friends and colleagues. I’m coming after you. This is my blog and here is my theme. I’m gonna write about social media and the things I “like” or love…including food…and how to find it more cheaply or free, both in the grocery store and in my favorite places. I’m also going to write about fitness and my pursuit of it while I’m unemployed. Because after all, I do “run to dine”. That's my Twitter account. I tried that out a lot earlier than the whole blogging thing. But now that I'm unemployed, I have more time for thinking and writing in paragraphs.
Back to running. I run for a lot of other reasons too, but it is great to be able to eat what you love! Within reason.
And for consistency, I'll keep my blog names Run2dine. I'll just amend it while I'm unemployed to: Run2Dine done creatively and on the cheap.
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