I’ve been eyeing these Kate Spade earrings for months and just haven’t pulled the trigger. Same with the Sperry hat. I tried it on in the store and haven’t stopped thinking about it since!

But what I REALLY want this Sunday is a nice, peaceful, stress-free, relaxing day with my two favorite boys.

Life has thrown me some major curve balls the past 2 weeks and I just need a day. A day to unwind. A day to feel like me again.

BUT, if the boys are looking for ideas for presents, any of the above will do.

What are you wishing for at the moment??

Let’s be honest. You never know what the weather is going to be like on Cleveland Marathon day.

I got lucky in 2010 and had the PERFECT WEATHER. It was 55-60 degrees and sunny and just crazy perfect.

But in 2011 it was windy and rainy and cold, and in 2012 it was 80 degrees+. This place loves to keep up on our toes.

You always have to be prepared if you’re a Cleveland runner.

Cold weather tips:

1. Dress in layers: The key is to stay warm at the start. You can remove layers as you warm up.
2. Wear gloves: You can get throw away gloves for less than $3.00 at Target!
3. Wear a hat: Keep your head covered to retain as much heat as possible.
4. NO COTTON SOCKS

Warm/Hot weather tips:

1. Dress lightly: Wear light-colored, breathable fabrics. Moisture wicking is a MUST.
2. Use sunscreen: Be sure to apply all over as your clothes will most likely move while you’re running.
3. Wear sunglasses: This could help prevent a headache from the constant squinting.
4. Wear a headband or visor, especially if you’re a heavy sweater: I never run without a headband to help soak up the sweat!
5. NO COTTON SOCKS

If you ever have any questions on what to wear, check out Runner’s World’s What to Wear tool. You can input the temperature and weather conditions and it will tell you what to wear. I use the site all the time!

What’s your best tip for cold weather running? Hot weather running?

p.s. You can still enter to win tickets to this year’s Silver Spoon Awards Party. Don’t forget you can tweet once a day until this Friday!

Get excited, kids. It’s time for this year’s Cleveland Magazine Silver Spoon Awards Party!!!

J and I couldn’t be more excited – this will be our fourth year attending – it’s our favorite party of the year!

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The main reason J and I love this event so much is ALL.THE.FOOD.

Here is just a few of what is being offered:

• BonBon Pastry & Cafe: Spice sponge cake with toasted meringue & lavender (omg, seriously?)
• Blue Point Grille: Blue point oysters
• Deagan’s Kitchen (our fave!!!): Chicken paprikash
• Market Garden Brewery: Chorizo potato cheddar pierogi with beer cheese sauce, creme fraiche
• Mama Roberto’s: Cannoli
• The Root Cafe: Ginger & cinnamon sweet potato collard wrap

And much, much, much more! More food than you can ever imagine. More food than you can imagine in your belly. But still manage to put in your belly.

Be sure to wear your stretchy pants that night, kids. (I’m not kidding)

Here are the deets:

• Wednesday, May 15th from 6-9pm
• Intercontinental Hotel on Carnegie Ave.
• Proceeds benefit the local Arthritis Foundation programs in Northeastern Ohio

General admission tickets are $85 and VIP tickets are $135 – which can be purchased online.

OR, you can win a pair of general admission tickets RIGHT HERE!!

Three way to enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me which of the foods I listed above you’ll try FIRST.
2. Follow me, @SilverSpoonCLE, and @ClevelandMag on twitter. And leave me a comment saying so.
3. Tweet “I want to win tickets to eat more food than @heatha262 & @jamursch at @SilverSpoonCLE http://tinyurl.com/bvsxsaj“. And leave me a comment telling me you tweeted. You can tweet once a day until this Thursday, May 9th at 5pm.

I’ll announce the winner on Friday – good luck and hope to see you there!!!

J and I were provided a free pair of tickets to this event, as well as the giveaway tickets – but I stand by this event 100% – it’s the most delicious food in CLE and supports an amazing organization!

Track runs have always been my favorite.

I love the burst of speed, recovery, burst of speed, recovery – hard to breathe, catch your breath, hard to breathe – you get the picture. Plus, when you do your cool down it feels super easy after all the sprinting!

Anyways, when my friend, Abby (from Liver Life Challenge!), asked if I wanted to go for a run I was all for it. I mean, the Cleveland 10k is less than 3 weeks away!

But then when she asked if I wanted to meet at the high school track I was excited! Until she mentioned running the bleachers. Then I wasn’t as excited. Hehe.

I felt strong tonight. And I enjoyed running again! Running and I reunited tonight…………..and it never felt so good.

Do prefer track workouts or long runs??

p.s. The Cleveland Half and Full Marathons are nearing capacity! Register now to avoid sold out events!

So, we survived.

The race, er challenge, was a blast and not nearly as hard as I thought it would be!

I knew there would be a few obstacles I physically wouldn’t be able do (the monkey bars and rings, which were basically just swims for me!), but there were some that surprised me. I thought it would be easy to walk the plank:

But it was so much higher than it looks – and the water (mud?) was 17 feet deep!

I actually panicked for a hot second when I hit the water.

And the mud mile?

I thought for sure I’d hate it with a passion but I actually kind of liked it.

It was challenging getting up those 8 ft piles of mud (x8!).

I obviously wasn’t the only one who liked that obstacle.

And despite a few bad bruises:

It was totally worth it.

Even the Electroshock Therapy was worth it (where I got shocked no less than 10 times – and, damn, it hurt!).

But this picture makes me laugh every time:

Deagan (tall guy in the middle) is laughing at Jimi (in the blue) for falling. His mouth is wide open in laughter while his teammate falls from the shock. True love right there, people.

The WODFathers are Tough Mudders!

And that pancake throw down?

It was pretty much a draw.

Banana pancakes for the win!

Pancakes: banana, blueberry, or chocolate chip?? Chocolate chip for me!

Oh, the winner of the Run Puritas 5k is #13………..Ryan! Congratulations! Send me an email with your contact information and I’ll pass it along to the race director. Good luck!

I can’t wait to recap the Tough Mudder, but I want to wait until I have the photos. You can check out my friend, Mallory’s, recap here, though. Her pictures are fantastic!

A few weeks ago Designer Whey sent me a little goodie basket to try out.

I didn’t waste any time digging into the Peanut Butter Crunch Protein Bar – and it was seriously delicious. The chocolate caramel crunch was just ok, but the peanut butter was the jam! But what I really wanted to do was try a recipe with the protein powder(s). J and I are always looking for something quick to grab before heading to Crossfit and, after 2 miserable failures (seriously, the cookies I made ended up as dog treats!), I finally hit the jackpot.

Homemade protein granola bars!

I based the recipe off this one from the Designer Whey website, but I substituted ground flax for the wheat germ and only used half the oil and honey the recipe called for. I also added raisins for some extra chewiness, which was a great idea. I made them this afternoon and they’re already half gone!

C also loves the Lemonade Protein 2 Go packs. He drinks them before and during his soccer games/practices, and even when we’re just hanging out!

Thumbs up, Designer Whey!

Do you use protein powder? What brand is your favorite?

Due to being a Fitfluential ambassador, I was provided this sample pack from Designer Whey free of charge in exchange for my review.  As always, all opinions are my own.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned it, but this Saturday J and I (and 15 of our friends) are doing the Ohio Tough Mudder.

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I’m not really sure what I was thinking when I decided this was a good idea (well, I probably WASN’T thinking!). But the fee has been paid, the waiver has been signed, and the team shirt has been purchased so I’m not going to bail now.

I think it will be challenging, but I’m also hoping it’s fun and a bonding experience with everyone involved!

In any case, no matter how the race turns out, I plan on having fun camping for the weekend with friends, bonding over s’mores and a campfire, and consuming numerous pudding shots to numb the soreness from the race.

There’s even a pancake throw-down happening Sunday morning that I happen to be a part of. I have a pretty good feeling I’ve got this in the bag (ummmm, my pancakes are amazing!), but the other party involved seems pretty confident, too, so it could be a good fight!

Have a great weekend, guys!

Anyone else racing this weekend?

Ever done a Tough Mudder before?? Please pass along any tips and/or tricks – this is my first!

I swear. If I had a nickel.

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J and I love to talk about Crossfit. But we try to keep the discussions between us. We don’t want to become “that couple” – you know the kind, the couple who talks only Crossfit, paleo, Crossfit, Whole30, Crossfit, paleo.

But if we’re asked about it, that’s a different story. We’ll tell you everything you want to know!

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In any case, J and I were skeptical at first, too. We scoffed at the price and worried about getting injured. But that was before we tried it. And fell in love. I know that sounds laughable, but listen to my reasoning:

• I seriously love how it trains both men and women to be tough
• I love the competition
• I love having my workout planned for me everyday – I just show up!
• I love that now I not only know what a power clean is, but I know how to do one
• I love the energy – I’ve never met people so enthusiastic about their workout!

And my #1 reason: I LOVE THE COMMUNITY.

It may sound cliche, but Crossfit is not a regular gym – it’s more like a family. You don’t go to the gym, change in the locker room, do your workout, and leave without never talking to another soul. That will NEVER happen. Most likely, you’ll end up staying way later than you ever imagined practicing a skill you want to master, or getting help from another member, or just BS’ing with your friends. I’ll admit it, Crossfit is addicting.

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But a cult? No way. You’re never forced to be there – you WANT to be there. You WANT to be better. And you WANT to be a part of the community. It’s pretty cool. And something I’ve never experienced before.

What is your gym atmosphere like? Do you like the community aspect??

When I got the email about a 5k so close to home, I was pumped. I love Lakewood, but the Lakewood race course is getting a little old. I was excited for something new!

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But then I saw that the race was on a Saturday. And Saturday mornings are reserved for soccer games. So I asked the organizers of the race if they’d be willing to give away a free race entry…………..and they said YES!

The Bellaire-Puritas Development Corporation in West Park (a non-profit) is throwing the 5k as a fundraiser to support the community development in their slice of the city. They have been around for over 20 years and focus on community development, not only as brick and mortar projects, but as youth development as well. I love it!

The Run Puritas 5k is on Saturday, May 4th. It is a family friendly, leashed pet friendly race, and a lovely way to see a corner of West Park that’s tucked away behind West 143rd.

Here’s a link to the tentative route, and you can join and share the event with your friends on Facebook, too.

You can register for the race HERE, or try to win a FREE ENTRY right here on the blog! All you have to do is:

1. Leave a comment telling me what your favorite local race is (mandatory)

Extra entries:

1. Follow @BellairPuritas on twitter (and leave a comment saying so!)
2. Tweet “I want to race the Run Puritas 5k! Win a free race entry from @heatha262 and @bellairepuritas here: http://tinyurl.com/c3hml4x” (and then leave a comment saying you tweeted)

You can tweet once a day until Sunday, April 28th (leave a comment for each tweet).

Good luck!

Thanks to my amazing relationship with Fitfluential, I was offered the change to review the new Saucony Kinvara4′s.

To be honest, the last time I wore the Saucony brand was back when I ran the Pittsburgh and Cleveland marathons in 2010. So I wasn’t even sure how I would like them. I was even a little scared to try them – I was worried I wouldn’t like them!

But, from the packaging:

to the colors:

(they seriously glow.in.the.dark)

to walking and running:

and crossfitting:

………these have become my go-to shoes. They’re so light and fit my feet like a glove – so so so comfy! The heel insert was upgraded with this new model, which adds to the cushioning, which I LOVE. But my favorite part is that the material near the back of the heel doesn’t come up as high. That’s always one of my biggest complaints with running shoes. I love it!

Get excited because the Kinvara 4 release date is May 1st, 2013!

Do you wear Saucony? Which model is your favorite??

Saucony sent me the Kinvara4′s as part of my affiliation with Fitfluential. As always, all opinions are my own.