5k Race for Hunger Recap

Last weekend I signed up for a small 5k race in my hometown. One of the fraternities at Indiana Tech was hosting a 5k race to raise money for St. Mary's Soup Kitchen. I don't know exactly how many people were there but there were around 50 which I thought was a good turn out for a cold, Saturday morning. Pretty much everyone there was around my age and there were also a few older adults that ran making for some good competition. The worst part about this race was the temperature outside. It had been super warm all week so I had packed clothes for warmer running temps - little did I know it would be 30 some degrees and windy that morning! My hands were mighty cold.

I signed up for this race for a few different reasons:

1) I haven't raced since last fall and thought it would be good to get another race under my belt before the half-marathon.
2) The race was for a good cause and didn't cost an arm and a leg to enter
3) Free t-shirt! (this is what I am always most excited about when it comes to races)

I had told my mom when I signed up for the race that she had to go with me. I think she forgot about it because Saturday morning I dragged her out of bed for the race! She was happy with her hot Starbucks coffee and camera though! (My mom also wrote a review of the race, check it out here)

My Garmin time ended up being 25.59! I am happy with this time because I was running into the wind for a good portion of the race which made it a bit of a challenge. And not to mention that my hands were numb for half of the race (not that that has anything to do with time, it was just painful!)

The best part about this race? I won first place in my age group! This is also my first plaque ever! I have a handful of ribbons and medals but no plaques so this is a fun one to add to the collection.

And here are the winners from all the age groups. Doesn't the guy in the blue look so excited to have won?

After the race I went home and put on my ProCompression Marathon Socks to help with recovery! I am seriously in love with them! See my full review of the socks here.

And speaking of ProCompression socks, the winner of the ProCompression Marathon Socks giveaway is Julie M! Julie I am e-mailing you, be sure to check your inbox and spam folders just incase.

If you didn't win the giveaway you can still use the promo code SOMF4 to receive 40% off and free shipping on any baby blue or purple pair of ProCompression socks throughout April!


* All photos taken by Michelle Davies of Michelle Davies Photography

Question

Have you ever under or over dressed for a race?

ProCompression Review & Giveaway

* This giveaway is closed *

 

Today's run was great due to 3 things: 55' weather, my BAMR Bands headband, and my brand new ProCompression socks!

I have heard so many good things about ProCompression socks but was skeptical about their "magic powers." I have had problems with my legs throughout my running career and had compartment syndrome in my right leg which led me to get surgery (basically my nerves and blood flow were being cut off whenever I ran so they had to fix that).

I had emailed the company and told them about my running problems and asked if there was anyway I could try a pair out. I figured it would take them awhile to respond and thought all they were going to do was send me the coupon code for Sock of the Month. Well I was wrong because they replied within a day and said they would send me a pair to try out (which came in the mail within another 2 days). They also said they would do a giveaway for my readers! Talk about awesome.

The pair of socks they sent me were the Purple Marathon socks. I love the bright purple color and lime green accent.

Magic Powers

ProCompression socks are comfortable and offer a ton of benefits, which I also call "magic powers."

From the website: "Experience maximum benefit with the Marathon full-length, graduated compression sock. Compression technology helps improve blood flow, resulting in better, more consistent performance with less fatigue and faster, more efficient recovery. In addition to improving vascular performance, Marathon compression socks provide support to critical muscles and tendons, helping reduce inflammation and soreness."

My Results

As soon as I put these socks on I could feel a difference. I loved how much support they offered and how snug they were on my legs and feet.

When I wore these on my run today I could feel a difference. My calves didn't feel sore at all and when I was done with my run, my legs still felt good as new. Normally they are sore after a run or feel tight and today they felt fine. Today's run was a quick 3 miles but I am sure that these will make a huge difference on my longer 6+ mile runs.

I also liked that the socks didn't slip down at all while running and were breathable. It was a pretty warm day out today so I almost opted not to wear the socks because I thought my legs would feel overheated but they didn't.

Giveaway

The generous people over at ProCompression are allowing one lucky reader to win a pair of ProCompression socks! There are a ton of ways to enter and earn extra entries so make sure you complete as many as possible for more chances to win. The giveaway will be open until Friday April 12th at 12:00am. and be announced on the blog over the weekend! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sock of the Month

If you can't wait until this giveaway is over to get your hands on a pair of ProCompression socks, head on over to their website to check out their purple and baby blue Socks of the Month. Just use the code SOMF4 at the checkout for 40% off and free shipping!

Disclaimer: I was sent this product free of charge, however all opinions are my own.

Cute Band-Aids Make Everything Better

When I went home last weekend for my grandpa's funeral I thought that my black heels were at home when in fact they were actually back at school. This wasn't so bad because it gave my mom and I a reason to go shopping. I picked up a new pair of black flats from Kohl's. I figured that I would get a lot of use out of them because next year I have to dress up for clinicals.

 (Image Source)

Anyways, I wore these flats all day on Monday and had no problems in them what-so-ever. I wore them on Tuesday for a couple of interviews and still no problems. I wear them today for about 2 hours and ended up with a gross bloody blister. Don't worry though, I won't show you a picture of that.

I went back to my room, cleaned it up, and put one of these fun giraffe band-aids on! My mom bought me these last year and bought my sister zebra ones. Giraffes are my favorite animal so I adore these. I am pretty sure they come in cheetah print too! (Please note, that while I am not 7 years old, I do love me some cute band-aids!)

Hopefully they do the trick because Saturday there is a 5k race back at home I am running in. I am guessing that it will be a rather small race because it's being put on by some frat boys at one of the college's back at home. I just want to see what my time is while racing since I haven't raced in forever and have the half-marathon coming up.

Sock of the Month

You're in luck! ProCompression just shared with me their Sock of the Month! The ProCompression Socks of the Month for April are purple and baby blue! A select portion of the sales from SOM will go to the organizations Team in Training and Train 4 Autism. Just use the code SOMF4 at the checkout to receive 40% off any purple or baby blue pair of socks and free shipping!

Question

How do you heal blisters? Do you have any tricks? Do you still run when you have them?