Friday Confessions 10.19.12

It's that time again! Time to 'fess up before the weekend!

I confess.....

that instead of baking this week, I had my residents make these adorable Halloween S'mores kits. If any of them had eaten a s'more before (nice rhyme, huh?) they didn't remember. So when we sampled them (one each) they were impressed. 

Everyone knows how messy these things are, and there was chocolate everywhere! I told them (all females) that there "is no lady-like way to eat these", and one of residents responded - "and where do you see a lady?"

I handed out damp paper towels to everyone to clean their fingers, and another lady said "Oh no, I don't want to wipe them off, I want to lick them off"...okay....that's just how good these were.

I found these on Pinterest from Mommy's Kitchen, to be exact.

I confess....
that I was pleasantly surprised to see a comment on my Rock My Run! post from Chief Rocker Adam (one of the founders). AND, then he hooked me up with a couple of free credits. How lovely was that? All the more reason for you to check them out. Great running music and they are really nice, too!
I confess.....
we will be having a Halloween Costume contest at work this year, so my department is trying to get it all together. Can't spill the beans here - but can say that I love the fact that the girls I work with love to dress up, not just for Halloween, but other theme days too. Great fun!
I confess....
this is one of my most favorite times of the year. I love the cooler weather and the leaves are starting to show color.

I actually took this a few years ago, but love this shot!

I confess....
that's it for this week! 

Mamarazzi is on a bloggy break, but Aubrey over at High-Heeled Love is hosting. 

What are YOU confessing this week? 

Get it off your chest, you'll feel much better!

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Friday Confessions 10.12.12

It's that time again! Time to 'fess up before the weekend!

I confess....

I had one more race last Saturday. It was my third race in three weeks. I survived, but I didn't perform that well on this last one. It was Benson 5k near where I live, for Greer Community Ministries. They fed my mother-in-law daily for the last few years she was in her home (through Meals On Wheels). I was glad to give back a little bit for so much that they gave to her. This was the first race I have done where there was a prayer for the runners before the start. I confess that is was very, very nice.

It wasn't my greatest time (but not my worst either). As usual I went out too fast, then hit a wall. I'm getting to be a fairly decent runner, but not a great racer. I'm improving, but it's slow going.

I confess....

I discovered a new running music website - Rock My Run. I did a review on them here. I love their mixes. On tap is an 8 mile run for this Saturday - the most I have attempted to date. So I'm thinking I might need a new mix to help me get through it.

I confess.....

that instead of dreading the long run on Saturday I am really looking forward to it, and to running with my friends. I've missed the last couple of runs, so I'm eager to get back with them.

I confess....

that I would LOVE to win the giveaway SUAR is doing this weekend for a set of Yurbuds Sport Earbuds. The ones she's giving away are made specifically for women. 

One of the ways to enter is to blog about this giveaway....so....done! Check out her page for all the details, and to enter yourself!!

I confess....

that we made these delectable Triple Layer Brownies during my baking group this week. They were so good. The residents had lots of steps to get through. Put the cookie dough in the pan, unwrap all the Reese cups, place them on the dough....watch me do the brownie mix. And they ooohed and aaaahed when they came out of the oven....

I confess....

that I briefly thought about how to hide some to take home and stash in my freezer. My sister talked me out of it. And good thing, 'cause they never would have made it to my freezer!! 

So, we gave them ALL away.

Mamarazzi is on a bloggy break, but Aubry over at High-Heeled Love is hosting. 

What are YOU confessing this week? Spill the beans, you'll feel much better!

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Rock My Run!!

This is an endless Runner debate. Run with or without music? Most have a definite opinion and either love it or hate it. There is research that supports the benefit of using music, and there are purists who believe running "naked" - without any gadgets is the way to go.

When I first started running I didn't listen to music. But the sound of my gasping and grunting started getting to me, so I turned to tunes. And found I loved running with music in my ears.

But I usually run early in the morning - in the dark, with a headlamp on my forehead and a flashing light attached to the back of my shirt. I want to make sure I am seen by drivers. I want to hear cars, and feel I need to be especially watchful. And I have my dog with me too - so I have to kind of keep an eye on him. I can't take too many distractions - so no music on early mornings.

I started with music during races. It helped me with pace, and kept my mind off the fact that I had to keep running and breathing until the end. Most songs were inspirational in lyrics. "Titanium" by Rihanna has gotten me up many a hill - sometimes in my ears, sometimes in my chant.


Lately, I haven't been running to music at all. Weekdays, I've been running early. And on Saturdays I've been running with a group - it's much more fun to talk and chit/chat. 
But I will run with music again, hopefully soon, because it's a nice escape once in a while. I recently discovered Rock my Run. It's a really neat website that offers running mixes. And they are mixed together so that they transition smoothly from one song to the next.  DJ's upload their offerings, and each mix "costs" between 1 and 3 credits.  But, check this out, you get one credit just for signing up (and you can sign up with your Facebook account), and you get one credit each month after. So if you're not in a hurry for music, you could get one every month or two. And you can always buy credits as well. 
From their website - "Rock My Run is a product of Rock My World, Inc., a business focused on providing GREAT workout music for active people. Specifically, Rock My Run provides running mixes, designed by popular, professional DJ’s that will increase the enjoyment and performance of a person’s workout or race.

People interested in a more enjoyable running experience come to Rock My Run and are able to find mixes that have music they love, in a variety of lengths, genres and (eventually) paces. Plus, all of the mixes have a listing of the songs that are in the mix so runners always know what they're getting!"
I downloaded my first mix last week, and I LOVE it. It's fabulous 80's music - the title of the mix is (and I love this!!) Miles & Mullets!! How awesome is that? And unless you are an 80's graduate, you may not get  the whole mullet thing.
Description for "Miles & Mullets" - Dust off that leather Guns & Roses jacket and lace up your high tops! DJ Rock Right has 30 minutes of hair and testosterone from the finest rock bands of the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. It is straight up mullet madness as you look back at all the classics that gave the middle finger to pop music and banged their heads in rebellion. This mix is about 30 minutes.

This past Saturday, I had a 5K race - so I downloaded my second mix Grrl Power 2!  This mix was created by world-famous DJ Mike Czech, and 100% lyrically powerful, 100% clean and (nearly) 100% powered by female vocals. The BPM in this mix does vary a bit over the course of the mix and rather than finishing with a high BPM thrust at the end, drops down into some lower tempo, but equally motivating tracks, before finishing with a brief cool down. This one is about 45 minutes long.

They have at least 100 different mixes, and when searching for your perfect one, they can be filtered by genre, BPM,  length, DJ, and clean or explicit lyrics. I really like the fact that I can search for only clean lyrics. 

I've tried creating my own mixes, with Itunes, and other software that supposedly groups songs together with the same/similar BPM. But it's tedious and there's always a song or two that I skip over during the run because it doesn't fit. I love the fact that these mixes are seamless, and I can preview all the songs included before I decide to download. I'm looking forward to more awesome mixes to add to my shuffle for those days I do run with music.

Check them out for yourself! And remember, you will get your first credit just for signing up!

What say you? Run/exercise with or without music? What's your go-to song?

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Friday Confessions 10.5.12

It's Friday! So it's time to confess! I missed confessions last week...so here goes.
I confess ......
That I've run two races since my last confession. First was Ache Around the Lake 8K. It was a good day. My sister, her son and my dad also participated. It was super-duper to have them, and my mom there cheering me on and supporting me.
Next up was Moonshiner 5k Night Trail Race. It was my first night trail race - everyone had to wear a headlamp. It was a blast. I hope I get to do this race again next year. I loved running at night on the trail - and it reminded me that I really do like trail running, and I need to get on one more often.

I confess....
That I'm one month into my 90 day challenge. You can read about my first 30 days if you are interested. I'm very, very pleased with my program. I am increasing my weight lifting abilities, and stamina. My running is improving and my body is slowly melting. There's not much better than fitting into clothes in your closet again (except maybe a good pizza...).
I confess.... 
that I ran across this video....and it made me laugh out loud!!

I confess....

What ours looked like - not bad!

That during my baking group this week we made these yummy thingies. I really don't even know what to call them. They were easy, sweet & salty and I found them on my beloved Pinterest.
Check out how easy there were here!

This is what they are supposed to look like...

What are YOU confessing this week? Have you run any races?  Made any sweet, addicting treats? Thanks for stopping by! Mamarazzi is on a brief bloggy break, so the Friday Confessional party will be hanging out with Aubrey at High Heeled Love through the end of October.

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