CSN $100 Giveaway!!

I’m off to Las Vegas this morning. Please don’t have a pity party for me as I play blackjack in my bikini by the pool with a cold Heineken in hand. I’d much rather be in a cubicle trying to breathe life into my pointless day. But, alas, Steve Wynn summons me as he does every few months. I can’t let the man down.

But, before I go…giveaway time, my friends! I can’t help it if I like giveaways. I think they’re fun. I think they reek of possibility and hopefulness and optimism. The chance to get something free!

I’ve said it and I’ll say it again. I like free things so much that if there are condoms or tampons for use/taking in a public bathroom I will shove my pockets full. And, I don’t use either one. For God’s sake people, they are free and not to be denied! One day my daughter will get her period and she will need a tampon. Hopefully not a condom because she will be a virgin until she gets married when she is 28.

In a past life I volunteered at the Richmond AIDS Ministry. As a part of the whole AIDS epidemic there were colored and flavored condoms by the thousands offered up in baskets in the girls’ room. I stuffed my purse full. I was volunteering my time and this was my payoff. I’m pretty sure I never used even one of them. I probably broke open the packs just to see what they smelled like. Mmmm….cherry. That was during my immature days.

I know this giveaway has made it’s way around the blog world, but I’m here to offer it up again.

$100 gift certificate to CSN Stores!

CSN Stores has over 200 specialized online stores featuring a variety of home goods such as furniture, home decor, house wares, fitness equipment, shoes, bags and luggage. Plus, they provide free shipping and returns.  CSN even has dutch ovens (and I’m not talking about the kind where you are suffocated under the covers by your significant other’s gas – who would want to buy that anyway when you can get it for free any night of the week?).

We’re talking the real deal, like this Rachael Ray Cast Iron 7-Quart Round Dutch Oven:

Personally, my favorite item offered by CSN is this toilet:

It may be $2,100, but it would be worth every penny because: the lid opens and closes automatically. The toilet flushes when a sensor is activated. The best part? There is front and rear warm water washing, automatic air drying and deodorizing.

Ahhh…imagine coming back from a long run or bike ride and getting your ass rinsed with warm water, dried and then deodorized! Fresh as a flower!

Want $100 in CSN bucks? Do this (a comment for each):

1. Go to CSN and browse around. Let me know what you might get - +1 entry
2. Write about this giveaway on your blog - +1 entry
3. “Like” CSN Stores on FB – + 1 entry
4. Post this giveaway on your FB page – + 1 entry
5. Become a follower of my blog if you’re not already.

Good luck! Giveaway ends Tuesday, August 2nd.

The fine print:

• CSN Stores provided this giveaway. I did not pay anything for it.
• Contest only open to US and Canadian residents
• The winner will be chosen at random by Random.org
• Check back August 2 to see if you won!
• If I don’t hear back from the winner within 2 days after posting that they’ve won, I’ll Random.org another name

Thanks for playing and good luck!

Never Too Early for a Bikini

Running tip: Going on vacation doesn’t have to be an excuse to throw your training out the window. Pick a hotel with a fitness center, or better yet, run through the city you are visiting or along the beach. Many runners would agree - the best way to learn about a new place is to run through it!

I bought this yesterday:

I know, I know. The top looks a bit small. That is because my boobs are non-existent a bit small.

Yes, it’s from Target and I’m proud. For all the money I spend there I should probably have a permanent tattoo that reads Cherokee. Or maybe Mossimo, because that sounds kind of mysterious and/or expensive. People will ask me on the street what it means. Maybe I will find out how to write it in Chinese and that would really cause a ruckus. Really, I should just get the red bulls eye tattooed where the sun don’t shine, but that might be kind of awkward at the gyno.

Notice I am not modeling this bikini. If you want that, you will have to ask for it.

Why, you ask, are you buying a bikini in the middle of February? For starters, each piece was only $7.98, and I never turn down a bargain. Second, I am thinking ahead to a warmer and gentler time. A time when people actually expose their skin without fear of frostbite. A time when ice isn’t crusting over your favorite body of water. A time when a breezy day doesn’t mean the temp falls well below zero.

Let me tell you how I cope this time of year. I plan trips to warm places. I start this in November. It is an expensive past time and coping mechanism. Here’s what’s on tap:

March 28: Playa del Carmen, Mexico. All inclusive. Family trip. We went here last year. It did not disappoint. This picture is from last year, after a few drinks. This was part of my strength training:

May 22: Vegas. Wynn Hotel. The first two days I will take classes to get certified as an RCAA running coach. That way, when I give running tips I have some sort of leg to stand on (be it kind of wobbly). The next three days after training will be pool, blackjack and trouble with the girls.


June 8: Dade City & Amelia Island, FL. Visiting the in-laws and taking a side trip to AI. This is the Ritz Carlton and probably not where we will stay because I shop at Target not at Nordstrom.
. Make no mistake about it. These trips have everything to do with running. I will run in the fitness center in Mexico like I did last year. They have these treadmills that overlook the ocean and it is incredible. I will sweat and go replenish with a margarita and a bucket of guac. I will be five weeks out from my marathon at that time, so there can be no slacking. In Vegas, I will be going to a coach's training. There will be no running. In Florida, I fully plan on some beach runs and some routes from the in-laws home (so they can tell me how crazy I am and ask me if my knees hurt and why I run so far and why I put my body through this and why, why, why).

Any vacations planned for you yet this year?

PS: Don't forget my giveaway. It ends tomorrow.

PPS: Ran ten miles today with only one squirt at mile 9.8 (it just had to get in there, didn't it?)

Drinking: Oregon Chai