Not My Problem #5 (because epilating is for masochists, right?)

I had a busy weekend. My family and I spent the weekend nearby NYC so that we could get away for a bit and so that I could run the Allstate Life Insurance NY 13.1.

Post race bewilderment. Try not to be jealous of my socks and my medal.

I finished elated and renewed. It was my slowest half marathon time to date, yet this is by far the most wonderful, memorable, life changing race I have ever run. How can that be, you might be wondering? (if you even really give a _____ about how my race went) I will tell all about it in my race report that I will hopefully write soon.

I am certain that some of you decided that my obsession with the epilator is a bit... unusual. I know many people who say there is no way they would take weeks of hairlessness in exchange for the minutes of torture that are required in using an epilator. And that is fine. I do understand that everyone has a different tolerance level when it comes to discomfort.

So while I still stand by the epilator as THE answer and reason that annoying stubble and hair in undesirable places is NOT MY PROBLEM, I do have an awesome prize to give away to those who are wussing out on trying an epilator.

Remington sent me a BOX FULL of goodies. My husband has a few products made by Remington, so I know that they are great. (mostly because he's too much of a thorough and frugal shopper to waste his money on junk that doesn't last) You are looking at a Remington Smooth and Silky Rechargeable Shaver with Aloe Vera and Replacement Foils. (front of one box, back of another in case you aren't a super genius. ha.) This is their top-of-the-line wet/dry shaver. I am giddy with excitement that I am worthy of giving this away!

What will you give me in exchange??? Hmmm.... I'm still savoring the amazing experiences I had during the half marathon I ran this weekend. I love a good race story. So give me your best one. Become a follower (on facebook too, if you are on facebook... see the button there on the side? Click it!) and tell me about your most memorable race. Distance doesn't matter. If you have yet to run a race, tell me about your most memorable run. Go ahead and ramble on and on, it's ok. Your words inspire many. This is a womens' electric shaver, but I will NEVER exclude men from giveaways. I would bet this works just as well as the men's electric shaver. (and if any of you guys out there are like the man I live with, everything is fair game anyway) We will choose a winner in a week.

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Click here for the "Winner of Not My Problem #5 (Remington Smooth and Silky)

Winner of Not My Problem #4 (Emjoi Micro Pedi)

I am so bummed that I only have one Emjoi Micro Pedi to give away.

Choosing a winner was so difficult, that I kind of wussed out. I had to ask a completely unbiased person who is not familiar with this blog or my usual readers/fellow bloggers to choose a winner for me.

This week's winner is MouseRN as chosen by the person I chose to choose for me, in spite of the fact that she mentioned Zumba. (Do not take my Zumba disdain personally.) MouseRN, please contact me (there's a contact info tab right up there) and give me the address I can mail your Emjoi Micro Pedi to. I do really like this thing and I hope you do too.

I really enjoyed reading everyone's reasons for running (and other activities you are all passionate about. You certainly inspired me.

NOT a Giveaway.

I just had to get on here and NOT post a giveaway. I've been busy and a bit frantic (mostly in a good way, but I feel like I'm always on the verge of needing a very strong cocktail.) and it seems that all I do is organize and prepare giveaway post these days.

I know I know... It's a good thing. It means big companies believe in For The Love Of The Run enough to send me stuff to share with y'all. And it means we can all get free stuff just because we're awesome.

But really, I thought I'd just rant on here for a few minutes about everything and nothing in particular. With a slant toward running, of course.

This weekend, I am running the Allstate Life Insurance New York 13.1 Marathon. Yes it bugs me that it's called "13.1 Marathon" and I wonder what made them decide that was a good idea. This race is not just a race to me. It's a pilgrimage. It starts in a park where I used to play when I was little. Some of my earliest memories are of that park and the subway we took to get there. I lived the first decade of my life near that park and like a misspelled word, that decade and the life lived within it was erased. I was whisked to New Jersey and although I do not remember ever being told not to speak about life in Queens, NY, it was a subject that was not raised for years. As a child, I did not mourn the loss of the only home I knew. I did not ask my mom if we could go back. I did not wonder what happened to all the things we left behind. I didn't think about our cat. I didn't realize that everything- all my baby photos, my collections of random sacred things, my school pictures, the posters and drawings that hung in my bedroom, my stuffed animals- EVERYTHING about my first ten years of life would become a faint and coveted memory.

And even though it's a mere one hour drive away, I've only been back in Queens twice as an adult. Once with my sister (as a deliberate pilgrimage- we even went to our old walk up apartment building and managed to get someone to buzz us in) and once to visit a friend.

My children know a good bit about my upbringing. I don't think I ever emphasized to them how my youth was erased as it was- mainly because that's just too much to pour into their happy little laps right now. But they are coming with me. Something about them walking and playing where I once walked and played as a child is soothing to me. I need photos of them by the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows. I need to see them on the 7 train. I'm not sure why. I just do.

... Ahhh... I suppose I should point out that the NJ Marathon is less than two months away. I have a fifteen mile run under my belt. (weekend before last) This half marathon should be a nice reality check as far as whether or not I have returned to (or improved upon) my half marathon pace. I expect to give all I can to a new PR. I think my heart will pour out onto that race course. How could it not?

Not My Problem #4 (hey hey another giveaway!!!)

I stopped getting pedicures. I often assess my feet and wonder if I could walk in to my former usual pedicure spot and not be completely uncomfortable with someone seeing the state of my feet.

All right. I'll admit that they're not THAT bad. Anymore. But they were when I only had 8.5 toenails. During the height of my pedicure days, I never took notice of how toenail-less feet were handled during a pedicure. Now I KNOW that I couldn't possibly be the only person walking in there who was lacking toenails, but I really didn't want to have to explain myself or ask questions. (There is usually a nice language barrier to heap on top of all the awkward small talk that I suffer through during a pedicure so that is enough to seal my decision to boycott pedicures while lacking toenails...)

As I said, they aren't that bad. And rather than rambling onandonandon, I am just going to tell you why creepy looking runner girl feet are not my problem anymore. Three weeks ago, after I posted the Emjoi Epilator giveaway, the awesomely awesome amazing people at Emjoi decided to send me another product! They sent the Emjoi Micro Pedi- actually they sent two of them and insisted that I try one and give another away here!

I have callouses (not scary grandma bunion creepy callouses) on parts of my feet from running and NEVER wearing shoes unless I absolutely have to. This Micro Pedi thing is like a callous eraser. It smooths a callous away in seconds. Yes, it's magical. It's great for cracked/dry heels too. My husband ripped this out of the box and used it before I did. We now have feet that are lazy slacker couch potato soft!

Soooo.... Here we go again? Do you want one?

This time I only have one to give away. So give me something. Become a follower if you aren't already, and tell me why you run in the first place. What made you get up and say "I'm going to do this" and more significantly, what keeps you going especially when it sucks? If you don't run, I guess you can tell me about whatever you do that keeps you active instead. But for the love of all that is sacred, do not mention Zumba. (If you are a diehard Zumbaic, forgive me.)

I will pick a winner in a week. Please make sure that you check back to see if you won!

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Click here for the "Winner of Not My Problem #4 (Emjoi Micro Pedi)

Winners of Not My Problem #3 (Instead Softcups)

I had grand intentions of announcing the winners of this giveaway early this morning. While I am usually wake no later than 6am, today was different. Daylight Savings threw me off- I slept in til almost 7am! This did not give me enough time to write a blog post AND prepare for a 9am fifteen mile run. (Yes, it was hard. During the last five miles I had all kinds of negotiations going on in my head. And I did allow myself a few walk breaks during the last 2 miles. But it's done.)

What was unique about this giveaway is that hardly any of my usual readers responded here. A few of my friends who read this blog regularly expressed an interest in Instead Softcups after reading the post, but decided to buy a box on their own rather than try and win one. I suppose this subject is a bit too personal for some.

Without further adieu (and because I am soooo tired) my winners are gt and Maryalicia.Verdecchia (who posted as anonymous but left her e-mail address.) I loved reading about everyone's best day and I hope that taking a minute to type it out here made you appreciate what you are blessed with. Winners, feel free to beat me to the punch and send me your addresses via e-mail. I will get these in the mail this week.

The next giveaway is a great product. When it came in the mail, my husband ripped it out of the box and tried it before I did! I'll post that tomorrow while doing my favorite thing for marathon training- resting!

Biggest Losers = Biggest Brats

I took to the elliptical two nights ago and put on an episode of "The Biggest Loser" from the on-demand channel. If you aren't familiar with this show, it's a pretty extreme weight loss game show. There are competitors who are put into teams and people get voted off every week. It's a good perspective on how a complete change of lifestyle and choices can make you healthier. It is an extreme perspective, however, mainly because the contestants on this show get to leave their daily lives and go somewhere to focus on nothing but changing their diets, learning to exercise and working on themselves and their issues. They don't have to work. They don't have to check their kids' homework. They don't get annoying telemarketer phone calls. They don't go to the grocery store and I suspect they don't even do their own laundry or housekeeping. If I were placed in a situation like that, I better damn well be in the very best shape of my life by the time I leave.

Thousands of people audition for this show and only a few get selected every season. (This season features twelve teams of two or something like that.) They have the privilege of having excellent trainers, comfortable living conditions, and all of the right equipment, gear, food, etc. to put them on the path to success. All they have to do is put the effort in.

But so many of them whine, cry and complain about how difficult it is. They whine because they are too tired or because it is too difficult. They cry when they only lose 3 pounds in one week. They complain that their world renowned highly successful trainer is too hard on them.

They make me embarrassed to be part of the same species. Surely this MUST be a dramatic act to make the show more interesting. Surely there is NO WAY this many of them are looking a gift horse in the mouth. Surely they cannot be serious about feeling like a "failure" for making progress, no matter how small, that they would have neverevereverever made on their own at home. Surely they are not even dare thinking of giving up this rare opportunity to change their lives forever all because it's difficult. Please someone tell me that when this bratty behavior comes about, that they are not serious.

It gets worse. If being ungrateful enough to complain, whine and cry about having this rare and highly desired spot on this show is not enough to make me wonder who the hell these people think they are, my shock and disdain only multiply when they start fighting amongst themselves!!! Let me get this straight- not only are you going to bitch and moan about how difficult your once in a life time amazing opportunity is, but you are going to get all catty and particular about your surroundings and living circumstances???? You are seriously going to allow a clash in personalities to affect this shot at finally getting healthy? Really? How many people would practically give a limb to be in your position while you are wasting breath and energy and air time complaining about fellow contestants? I would give nothing short of my utmost effort to live harmoniously if given such an opportunity even if the rest of the contestants were covered in their own feces. Yeah, I thought that through. And I'm certain that I would.

While I understand that they are human beings with real emotions and they ought to be given the freedom to express themselves, I do not get it. Even if every single one of their mommas didn't raise them right, I find it so hard to comprehend how in the world one could even utter a single word that implies anything but and attitude of gratitude on this show. Where did the producers find these people? Was this negative attitude part of a casting requirement? Is the lack of good footage such that they must subject millions of viewers to such a disappointing amount of bull shit?

If you had a shot at this kind of redemption, would you behave this way? In front of a camera? For the whole nation to see? These people ought to be hanging their heads in shame even though that won't burn as many calories as bitching about their privilege. They ought to look straight into the camera and apologize at the end of every episode and express their gratefulness for the honor of being on this show. An opportunity to change and EXTEND your life. A blessing of help and guidance. A chance at AN ABSURD AMOUNT OF MONEY IN EXCHANGE FOR USING EVERYTHING THAT IS HANDED TO YOU TO MAKE YOURSELF HEALTHY. Where do they find the nerve to utter a single complaint?????????