And the winners are... (plus tutu instructions)

Thanks to everyone for the super sweet comments about Rock n Roll Dallas - Barbie from barbie runs for fun and Jacob (aka @Wirelessjake on twitter) are the lucky winners of theHoneyMilk! I'll be putting both of you in contact with them very shortly. For everyone that didn't win and would like to try HoneyMilk, here's a coupon code I found online for you - SMP63032 - using this code will save you 33% on your entire order of Athletes HoneyMilk (up to 6 cases of each flavor per order), plus the shipping is ALWAYS on them!

Miss Alayna sporting her halloween tutu and her PunkRockRacing tee!

Also - I owe Fran overdue instructions on how to make tutus so here it goes:

You'll need:

2 spools of 6" tulle (I like to use more than one color - so get one of each)

Spool of grosgrain ribbon, preferably something about an inch thick

Scissors

I start by cutting the tulle into strips approx. 24" long (this will give you a tutu that's about 12" long). I find it easier to go ahead and cut off of the tulle at one time, but feel free to just cut it as you go. Then I tie the ribbon around the back of a chair making sure that it's tied tightly enough that it isn't going to move too much. Then all you do is fold the tulle in half and tie a slip knot around the ribbon, making sure the knot is at the bottom of the ribbon. If you don't want to use slip knots, you can simply make a double knot - easy peasy! If you're using multiple colors, just alternate the tulle as you go and continue that pattern until it's long enough. When it's the length you need simply cut the ribbon, allowing enough room to tie a bow, and you're all done!

This is how I've made all of mine - if you're wanting to use elastic instead of ribbon, here's a great tutorial from Plumtickled - just remember she's showing you how to make them for a kiddo, so you'll want to make sure you get the proper waist measurement.

I hope all of that makes sense - if anyone wants to make a tutu and doesn't understand anything I just said, shoot me an email and I'll do my best to help.

Hope y'all had an awesome Monday!

Rock 'n' Roll Dallas...and a giveaway!

This past weekend I headed to the greatest state in the Union for Rock 'n' Roll Dallas. My love affair with everything Texas, and more specifically DFW, isn't a secret so it should come as no surprise that I loved this race.

When I arrived in Texas I was greeted by The Running Couple, who arranged for absolutely perfect weather. It was so sweet of them to make sure that the highs were in the mid-80s and the sun was shining. Friday I had a bit of time to myself and it was so nice to walk around Fort Worth, there were blooming flowers and beautiful green trees everywhere!

Beautiful scenery during a long walk Friday afternoon

The weather played a trick on me though, because by Sunday morning it was FAH-REEZING! Ok, technically it wasn't 32 degrees, but it was darn close, especially considering it was in the 80s Friday and Saturday. Normally temps in the 40s & low 50s wouldn't have been so bad, but I had no cool weather running clothes with me. My tank, shorts and HoneyMilk tutu would have to do!

Nothing says Texas like the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders!

Lee and Isis were so wonderful to wake up super early just to to drive me to the start. They even braved the cold to cheer runners on during the race. This worked fabulous for me because they were able to drop me off about 2 blocks from the start. From there I quickly made my way to the VIP tent. Brian (@TriBoomer on twitter) generously gave me a pass into the VIP tent where I was able to chat with him and where I finally met Sarah Stanley.

Just one of the beautiful homes we saw along the way

Before the race, Brian introduced me to Miss Texas USA, Ana Rodriguez. She had never run a race before and asked if I minded running with her. I can't begin to describe how friendly she was, and I'm not talking that fake beauty pageant niceness. She was genuine. It was great to have a buddy for a little while but she was too fast for me so I told her to go ahead after a couple of miles. Luckily I was outfitted in my HoneyMilk honeybee costume so I had tons of people cheering me on, I had forgotten how many cheers tutus earn on a race course!

I couldn't believe how many people asked me about HoneyMilk while on the course. Several people saw my post about the tutu on the RnRDallas FB wall and many more commented that they saw the tutus floating around the race expo. This made me SUPER happy. I was able to spread the word about a product that I truly love to those that had never tried it and I told those that were already faithful HoneyMilk customers about Team HoneyMilk.

This honeybee is done with half-marathon #4 for 2011

I cannot express how much I love this course. Say what you want about the Competitor Group and Rock 'n' Roll races, but they sure did a great job mapping out a beautiful 13.1 miles through Dallas. I loved the race last year, but this year was even better. The course was exactly the same, but I think the volunteers were even better this year and there was definitely a lot more crowd support this time around. For me, this race was over far too quickly - if they ever offer a full at this event, I'm jumping on it. I was having so much fun out there that I could have kept going! My one major complaint about the event was the lack of mylar blankets at the finish line. I was a tad cold while running, thanks to the temps and a little drizzle, but once I quit moving I was miserably cold. Mylar to wrap up in would have helped a lot.

So thanks to Texas for another wonderful race - I can't wait to come back again!!!

My reward for the race!

Now onto the fun stuff...the giveaway! As you can tell, I'm a big fan of HoneyMilk and a member of Team HoneyMilk. They've been generous enough to give me two cases to giveaway to my readers. Entry is simple - just leave me a comment letting me know which flavor of HoneyMilk you'd love to try. My personal favorite is vanilla, but there's not a flavor I don't like (that's why I'm a big fan of ordering their variety pack). So that's it, just leave me a comment (and be sure to give me your contact info so I can let you know if you win!) by Monday, April 4th - easy peasy! Good luck!!!!