This Post Written by You!

I had a giveaway last month (which, Samantha, I swear I'll mail you your mug sooner than later! Seriously - I am such a slacker!) and I loved reading all of your comments. Every time I'd read a string of them I would find myself laughing or thinking that there was some really great advice!

So now I'll share with the blog world a few of the comments to the questions/qualifications/whatevers! I linked each person to their blog, so go check them out and share some blog world love!

1. *Mandatory* (I'm laughing and only making it mandatory because every giveaway is this way): You have to follow me! Worship me! Read my blog!

• Forward Foot Strides: I worship, I mean follow you! Okay, both if you want.
• Giraffy: (winner of my 2nd giveaway!) I pretty much stalk you, all the time :D
• Julie: Fine...I worship you!
• Rose @ Eat, Drink and Be Meiri: I follow your ass off.

2. Share with me your go-to morning beverage of choice for another chance to win.

• Stacie: As a treat, I love the salted caramel hot chocolate at Starbuck's. I have to be careful before a run with these though :)

3. I'm needing fresh music. What's your number one running song these days? Tell me for another entry!

• Christina (aka my Running Twin): I have bad taste in music. My current favorite: Britney Spears "Stronger"
• Fruit Fly's note: I am totally into the same song, too, so you get a pass!
• A Finley: My favorite running songs are "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins and "Rapid Roy" by Jim Croce, and I start every race with the William Tell Overture. These song choices sort of reflect my age...
• Fruit Fly's note: LOVE Footloose! LOVE!!
• An Indoor Girl: This is War by 30 Seconds to Mars. Love this song so much! 
• Fruit Fly's note: I don't know the song (yet!), but I can fully support this since Jared Leto was not only in My So-Called Life, but he also played my darling Steve Prefontaine! Plus, he's hot.

4. Post as a comment any little trick or power move you use when racing to pull out of a tough moment and regain your "stride".

• Forward Foot Strides: My power move when I'm running, is to focus on the now - if I look too far ahead, I can get discouraged.
• juanitagf: Soft is strong." That reminds me to relax and then I start moving faster!
• Zaneta: I picture myself running strong and I engage my core if I feel like I'm dragging or slumping... speed up and then slow down a little to change things up a little bit... giving someone a high five usually does the trick too ;)
• Christina: My running trick: QUIT and you'll instantly lose any bragging rights. Quit and you will have some explaining to do to your blog followers. Quit now and you'll have to walk ALL the way to the finish!
• CupCake@ Bigger Girls Can Run Too: My power move is to think about how far I've already come in my running and know that I can go a few more feet.
• Richelle: If I'm struggling during a race, I think about how great I will feel once I finish running, and that usually motivates me to keep moving. I also think about the delicious meal and beer I will consume afterward. :)
• Giraffy: Anytime I'm having a tough time in a race, I think about Gab. Treatments and chemo have got nothing on running for a little while :D
• Rose: "It's only ________ more miles. ANYONE can run _________ miles" (even if I'm lying to myself.)
• Megan: When I need to do something to kick myself in gear, I start swinging my arms more to pull myself along.

5. And last, but certainly not least, share a running lesson that you've "learned the hard way" via running. Did you have a terrible chaffing incident that you still shudder when thinking about? Did you try the wrong GU and suffer for it later? Any sort of lesson that I can learn from - or laugh at with .... share it for one more entry!

• Forward Foot Strides: Haha, I learned the hard way that events can have different starting lines. At my first half, I cheered the 5 and 10k runners on at their respective starts, then waited for my race. Then time passed and I didn't see anyone else around and that seemed odd. But I didn't have my watch and thought maybe I was just misjudging how much time had passed. I started my race 20 minutes late! Thank goodness for chip timing.
• CupcakeRunner (the winner of the giveaway): Extremely valuable (kinda almost gross) lesson: Do not fall asleep after running a half still in your running clothes. My sports bra STUCK to me while I slept and left me with little circular wounds underneath my boobs from the strap on the bra. THEN I ran 15 in the same bra the following weekend - resulting in SEVERE chafe! I am scarred.
• juanitagf: Hard lesson. Olive Garden before a marathon when I had not had it during training. Oh boy! That was a very bad marathon!
• Kiley: running lesson - STRETCH. I used to just run because I loved it & didn't do anything else. But I was ALWAYS injured. So now I take a lot more care of my body with stretching & foam rolling.
• Christina: Running Lesson: Only fart when there's a lot of people cheering, band playing. That way, no one hears you and there will be too many people to pin point who's the farter.
• Giraffy: The first time I tried ShotBlok's on a run = pukefest. Awful. Just because it works hiking doesn't mean it's going to work running :)
• Rose: Do not eat trail mix before a run. I learned this from my brother, twice. He almost shat himself. Twice. Once, he made it to a port-o-potty in time. The second time he dropped trow in the woods, because he had about 30 seconds before he was going to explode, and no bathroom in sight.
• funderson: Hard lesson learned was not to wear cotton clothes on a blizzard run...dumb.. dumb.. dumb.. not to mention cold
• CilleyGirl (winner of my first ever giveaway!): The running lesson I learned the hard way is to DO THE TRAINING. Followed closely by if you're in pain, go get it checked out. But gosh does my aircast look cute today with my running skirt!
• A Finley: Hard lesson - anything that comes in a foil pouch given during a race is gross and makes me want to hurl! I only consume water or something I bring myself during a race.
• Biker Boy: Don't run in shorts that are too big...they tend to fall down and it gets annoying holding them up.

6. If you have some rad reason why you should get a bonus 6th entry, then just go ahead, be brave and post it! Be creative.

• Zaneta: I should get an extra entry because I actually had enough will power to NOT watch the finale of NCIS tonight because I had to study for a big test in the morning... seriously... that takes A LOT of sheer will power!! I have no idea how I did it! ;) lol... it did help knowing that it will be on hulu and I can watch it as soon as my test is over ;)
• Fruit Fly's note: mmm... Mark Harmon!
• Kiley: my brave entry - my nickname is Kiley Wong Chong - not because I'm Asian, not because of Cheech & Chong...just because my family thought it would rock. And it does!
• Stacie: Bonus!!! I should totally win because I will be running 4 half marathons in 21 days in June. Wooohooo!!! The extra bonus will be I get to run my 4th one with you :)

See? You guys are funny!