Hump Day Giveaway: (Almost) Wordless Wednesday

We are all runners.

Yesterday, when our site was a veritable Vogue, it was clear to me that you ladies got the style thing down.

What isn’t so clear to me, based on the number of self-doubting Facebook posts and other random comments I’ve read while monitoring our amazing community: Some of you don’t have the confidence thing down. Lots of self-described wanna-bes and comments like I’ve-only-run-a-5k and I’m-so-slow-I’m-not-a-real-runner things going on out there.

I get where you’re coming from, but I want you to get this simple equation: If you run, you are a runner. Doesn’t matter if it’s a mile or a marathon. Doesn’t matter if you break the tape or bring up the rear. Doesn’t matter if you measure your miles in 12-minute increments or 7-minute increments.

It simply doesn’t matter. If you run, you are a runner.

Spring has already sprung with this sweet jacket.

So here’s an outfit  from Brooks to make you look like the (stylish and confident) runner you already are.

Cute, functional skirt that makes matching a no-brainer. (Save your remaining brain cells for 4th grade math homework.)

The Glycerin Diva Jacket, a semi-fitted mid-weight jacket with all the necessary features (thumbholes, internal waterproof MP3 pocket, plenty of storage) and the kind of style that makes you think, “Oh, I want that,” when you lay eyes on it. Coordinating on the bottom is the Glycerin Skort, a skirt that doesn’t forgo function: a zipped back pocket holds your keys, another internal storage pocket holds gels or cash, and grippers on the inner mesh shorts holds the shorts in place so they don’t ride up. (Amen to that!)

So what do you have to do to win this sweet set-up? Simply write in the comment section one short, but oh-so-powerful sentence: I am a runner. (Feel free to elaborate if you’re so inspired.)

And next time you start hemming and hawing and convincing yourself that you’re not a real runner, remember that you already told our supportive tribe, the Internet–and, by default, the universe–that you are. All you have to do is believe it.

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P.S. #1: I feel like the annoying kid on Halloween who has already taken 4 pieces of candy and then asks if she can have more when I ask this, but social media is a 3-headed beast that can’t really be tamed. (How’s that for a random sentence?) So if you haven’t become a fan of ours on Facebook, please trot on over here and do that. And if you’re a tweeter–and I totally understand if you aren’t–please follow us here and here.

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P.S. #2: Five lucky women who will be cooking from the Good Neighbor Cookbook (and their favorite go-to meal):

1. Kia: For us it is a Southwest Quinoa and Black Bean Salad. I put the recipe up on my blog last week http://bodhibear.net/2011/01/southwest-quinoa-black-bean-salad/

2. Liz: My easy go to meal is for sure bean and cheese burritos. I just have to remember to have done the necessary steps of soaking beans overnight and crockpotting them in the am. but my favorite meal to make is homemade calzones. I love to add sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts & sauteed peppers & onions and of course cheese.

3. Sara Barnhill: My go-to quick dinner is breakfast. My family of six easily goes through a dozen scrambled eggs, two packs of bacon, and ten biscuits. To make it healthier, we use turkey bacon and whole grain bread. It’s cheap, fast & easy to make, quick clean up, and a good dose of protein/carbs. I usually make this after an early evening workout. Not one of my four kids ever complains & it always gets gobbled up.

4. Jessica Whittaker: Our go to meal is homemade pizza for sure. My daughter (4) will eat just about anything, but my son (16 months old) wants nothing but pizza. He only says about 5 words, one of which is pizza! But just like the other said, it is easy on a week night and both kids can stand on chairs on the counter and get flour and sauce all over them as we build the pie.

5. Erin Johns: I have an AWESOME one. Crock Pot Chicken Tacos!!

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of orange juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Throw all of these in the crockpot and cook on low for 6 or 7 hours. Before you serve, shred chicken with 2 forks (super easy!), strain liquid out and serve with corn tortillas, shredded cheese, salsa, whatever else you want with tacos. I always use fat free greek yogurt instead of sour cream. You can’t even tell the difference and it’s actually pretty fantastic for you instead of a fat and calorie bomb like sour cream!

Congrats! E-mail us your address at runmother at gmail dot com.

Also, our Born Fit winner from two weeks ago is still MIA. One more call for Katie R, whose go-to clothes are: Pretty much every day after I get home, I don a pair of gray fuzzy pants and a pink fuzzy hooded sweatshirt. This outfit is warm and comfy. Please get in touch, Katie, or we’ll pick a new winner shortly.