Just Let Go This Summer at the TradeWinds Island Resorts

*Disclaimer: I received a reduced rate and gifts from TradeWinds Island Resorts for my honest review of our stay there at the TradeWinds Island Grand. The opinions shared are my own.*

For Mother’s Day, I longed to escape to the beach and just let go. The TradeWinds Island Grand Resort located on St. Pete Beach made that all possible.

Upon arriving on the TradeWinds Island Resorts property, we were showered with warm salutations at the guard station and the superb hospitality continued throughout our stay. The staff at the TradeWinds Island Resort would revival any Disney resort and our brief stay on the beach was as magical as any experience at the House of Mouse.

Once we entered our suite within the Island Grand, we blown away by the plush beach five-star accommodations. The gorgeous golden interior décor paired perfectly with Florida sunshine.

After exploring the suite, we noticed the abundance of gifts provided by TradeWinds, including snacks, wine, a beach bag and towel, two Beaker stuffed toys and TradeWinds Island Resorts amenity/activity bands. Since we packed light with few snacks, the hospitality gifts was greatly appreciated.

Our first evening at the Island Grand, we enjoyed exploring the resort and dinner at the Flying Bridge while watching sunset.

The next morning, Allana and I woke up early to explore the shore before the rest of the resort arrived on the beach. We searched for shells in the sunrise and embraced a gorgeous cool morning.

When the rest of the gang woke up, we headed to for a delicious buffet breakfast at Bermuda’s Steak and Seafood which offered so many wonderful items to choose from along the spread. I appreciated all the healthy options but I splurged with a chorizo cheese veggie omelet, potatoes and a side of fruit.

After breakfast, we took a cruise on a paddleboat. My kids loved the journey along the shallow swan creek. We spotted huge Koi and so many varieties of birds and flowers.

Following our paddleboat cruise, we ventured out to beach which falls directly behind the property and only a short walk. On the beach, I reserved a cabana, complimentary for all resort guests and a necessary beach item with my extremely fair-skinned family. With lots of sun block and our cabana we could spend hours in the sun.

Plus, we needed a safe place to lay our belongings while we experienced the High Tide Water Slide! This slippery speedy inflatable water slide raised the bar on all future beach trips. Nothing will compare to the TradeWinds Island Resorts beach experience!

Although tacky to some, the girls and I rinsed the beach off with a quick jump in the pool while my three year old napped upstairs with Daddy. With three pools to choose from, we chose the quieter family pool just behind our room.

The girls instantly made friends playing Marco Polo and a cannonball competition.

Later that evening, we ventured off-sight for dinner. Sadly, the kids were so exhausted from a fun-filled day, they fell asleep when we returned to the resort and we missed highlight of the evening, Captain Redbeard the Pirate.

On the morning of our departure, we played one last round of golf and played on the beach one last time.

Watching my children play in the sun and sand was a perfect way to spend my Mother’s Day weekend. All the other amenities (the High Tide Water Slide, miniature golf, paddleboats, etc.) made it even better. Thank you to the TradeWinds Island Resorts for providing the opportunity for my family and I to just let go.

There are so many wonderful resort activities to enjoy that are included with the TradeWinds Island Resorts fees, such as paddleboats, minature golf, KONK (Kids Only, No kidding Activity Center, the High Tide Water Slide and more. This summer, plan a weekend away or just let go for one day and experience the TradeWinds Splash Island in addition to all the other TradeWinds Island Resorts fun for as low as $16 (non-guests begin at $25).

Plus, the TradeWinds Island Resorts are offering Florida residents a high-flying special for spring and summer with rates as low as $127* per night, not including the nightly resort fee. The resort’s Florida Resident Special includes 15% off already discounted rates, a $100 JetLev jet pack credit and a Surf n’ Sun scratch-off card for one of several prizes that could include dinner for two, a beach bag and towel and more.

** Requires minimum two-night stay and must be booked Sunday through Thursday. Rates and dates are subject to change. Based on availability. Cannot be combined with any other promotion, offer, discount or group code. No refunds for early checkouts or unused portions of the package. A few blackout dates apply. Residents must show valid proof of residency upon check-in.**

Random Thoughts about a Cold, Flunking Challenges, a Koss FitClips Review and UnTrack Tuesday

It would figure. Just when stepped up my sprints, I caught a cold. Funny, I always seem to come down with something this time of year and this May was no exception. For the past week, I have been fighting the worst chest congestion related to my allergies. Since I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t run and decided to take the opportunity to rest.

For Mother’s Day, we spent the weekend at the TradeWinds Resort (review to follow) and my cold started during our stay there. As much as I longed to run along the beach as a Mother’s Day gift to myself, my chest cold had other plans for me. I would have to simply rest in the sun on the beach instead and certainly second best to running on the beach.

All that coughing brought on the chest cold which caused me to lose my voice. By Friday, I felt better and went to Jackie’s Body Combat class at the YMCA. My friends, Kat and Rachel, teased me about the new release being more intense. I thought they were kidding. Holy uppercuts, Batman! It was intense! My arms were so sore! I loved it, but I forgot to wear to the awesome Polar watch that Jenny lent me to use for her 500 calorie {exercise} daily burn. I’m totally flunky this challenge! Although the workout rocked, my body must not have been ready for Body Combat because Saturday I felt poorly all over again.

So, I rested on Saturday and kept my activity to a minimum. I had plans to paddleboard with my girlfriends on Sunday and I didn’t want my cold to foil my fun. Fortunately, I felt better and had a great time paddleboarding with my friends and forgot to wear the Polar AGAIN! UGH!

Thankfully, my voice was somewhat restored in time for Monday’s Mom Squad. This week, we discussed Disney’s recent Merida makeover. Did you even know that Disney revamped Merida’s look? Personally, I didn’t even realize the change, but my oldest daughter thought Merida looked older with her new look. Allana thought she looked too much like a princess now. What do you think?

This morning, I finally felt better enough to run, so I ran an easy 4 miles. I honestly needed to take it easy and stopped occasionally for walking coughing breaks. My quads welcomed the walking breaks because between Body Combat and paddleboarding, they were so sore! I loved it! Since it was the first time I ran in almost two weeks, I am seriously behind in my Joggermom Marathon. Yet, another challenge I’m losing! UGH! Oh well. I’ll catch up soon and complete those 26.2 miles before the end of the month.

4 miles
Time 41:48
Ave Pace 10:27
Max Pace 7:18

The best part of my run this morning was that I finally tested out my new Koss FitClips headphones for another FitFluential campaign. Koss sent me two new pairs to try just as my old Sony headphones started to go south.

Since I already love the over the ear headphones, the Koss FitClips were the first ones I tested. The bright sunshine yellow was such a nice change from the usual black I normally wear. It also came with three different size ear cushions for the perfect fit. I chose the smallest size which you can see is much smaller than my old Sony clips.

The Koss Fit Series were developed and designed by women for women in part with 12 time gold medal Olympic winner and fitness model, Dara Torres, to help design the product line. That much is evident by how well they fit and the five vibrant colors available online. Plus, the cord is perfect for petite ladies like me. Typically, I have to wind up the extra cord, but the Koss cord was just the right length for me.

Normally, my old earclips would constantly slip out from all the sweat while I ran, but Koss FitClips utilize an original and unique design that ensures the perfect fit. Using a new inear ported design, it rests comfortably in my ear to create the ideal seal for the ultimate listening experience. Plus, the soft, flexible clips rest comfortably around the ear to guarantee the music never stops.

And speaking of the music, the sound quality is incredible! I actually had to lower the volume originally set on my MP3 player. With a 15-20,000 Hz, these headphones weren’t just bright in color! Compared to my old headphones, these had greater projection and the bass booming in my ears was simply amazing.

For more about the incredible Koss Fitclips and Fitbuds, the specs and to view all the vibrant colors, visit Koss online. For $5 off code and free shipping, use the code Fit4Life.

What earbuds do you use and does sweat ever ruin your listening experience? Do you ever skip running and rest with a cold? Did you have sprints and a workout to share?

*Also submitted at*

Tampa Bay Margarita Festival {Giveaway}

How do you like your margaritas?

With extra salt?

With extra lime?

Heavy on the agave and the tequila?

Over ice and a glass that’s never empty?

Next Saturday, May 25, I will experience THE margarita event to remember at the first annual Tampa Bay Margarita Festival at Curtis Hixon Park. With live music, piñatas, volleyball, food trucks, fireworks and more, the event promises to provide margaritas just the way I like them: constantly pouring.

For the ultimate margarita experience, I plan to upgrade to La Vie Grand Marnier VIP Experience Admission for endless Grand Mariner margaritas, unlimited queso and chips, a VIP Taco Happy Hour and Grand Mariner swag.

Although I am a bit of a margarita snob, the margaritas at the Tampa Bay Margarita Festival sound almost as good as our homemade ones. The margaritas at the Tampa Bay Margarita Festival consist of “fresh squeezed lime juice, pure cane sugar, fresh agave, and of course, the highest quality tequila and liquor”.

Yo estoy ahí. (I am so there.) And you can be too.

One lucky local Run DMT follower will win a pair of General Admission tickets to the Tampa Bay Margarita Festival on Saturday, May 25 from 2:00-10:00 pm.

“GA Admission gives you access to the Tampa Bay Margarita Festival with re-entry privileges and enjoy the live band on stage all day, beach volleyball, and more while you enjoy your margaritas!

Plus, the first 2,500 margarita lovers to redeem their tickets upon leaving the festival will receive a complimentary Budweiser/Cayman Jack gift bags filled with branded goodies and swags, in addition to one bottle of Cayman Jack Margarita (while supplies last).”

Contest ends 5/20 at 11:59 EST. Only Tampa Bay residents, please.

For more information about Tampa Bay Margarita Festival tickets, directions, cabana rentals and other event details, visit www.tampamargaritafest.com.

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FRS Healthy Energy Review and Giveaway

*Disclaimer: FRS sent me product and compensated me for my honest review of their product as part of a FitFluential Campaign. The opinions shared are my own.*

Recently, FRS sent me an assortment of “Healthy Energy” drinks and chews to try. FRS Healthy Energy provides natural sustained energy without the crash which every mom on the run needs. I am always looking for natural pick-me-up drinks and I liked the variety of the FRS Healthy Energy flavors.

FRS Healthy Energy products are powered by a patented formula containing the powerful antioxidant Quercetin (found naturally in many fruits and vegetables such as apples, blueberries and grapes,) green tea catechins and more that 100% RDI of seven essential vitamins. Plus, FRS Healthy Energy products contain the highest level and purity of Quercetin available.

Although FRS was originally developed to provide chemotherapy patients more sustained energy and stamina while also helping to support their immune system, FRS has been a favorite for many top athletes, such as pro quarterback Tim Tebow. However, FRS isn’t just for elite athletes or those fighting fatigue. The combination of Quercetin and other natural ingredients in FRS is perfect for anyone looking for natural healthy, sustained energy without the crash.

Since the FRS Health Energy is chockfull of vitamin and minerals, I drank it in place of my usual coconut water recovery drink after my tempo run. It was very refreshing, but despite being low in sugar, I found the Low Calorie Citrus Pomegranate to be quite sweet. Another day, I drank the Apricot Nectarine in place of my afternoon cup of tea to see if it would sustain me. Surprisingly, I did feel a healthy energy boost, just as FRS promises.

This morning, after a sleepless night between my coughing toddler and my restless howling puppy, I need an energy boost. I decided to give the FRS pomegranate blueberry soft chews a try. Within moments, I felt focused and didn’t even need my usual morning coffee. These FRS soft chews are also great healthy energy replacements for my usual running snack, gummy bears and Cliff shots.

The full line of FRS Healthy Energy products (including ready-to-drink beverages, chews, powdered drink mixes, shots and concentrates) can be purchased at GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, Kroger, Whole Foods, Rite Aid, Meijer, Walgreens, Harris Teeter and FRS.com.

Right now, Run DMT fans can save $1 off of a 4-pack of FRS Health Energy at GNC with promo code 21460. Blog post must be printed and presented to cashier at GNC as a coupon or must be shown on smartphone. Coupon expires on May 31, 2013.

Visit FRS.com to request a sample pack of FRS hard chews, soft chews and low-calorie powder valued over $25. Pay only $3.95 for shipping and handling.

Also, stop by FRS.com to enter the FRS Ultimate Fitness Giveaway for your chance to win FRS gear. Enter each week to better your chances at a grand prize package with a personal trainer, sessions with a nutritionist and a one-year supply. Entries FRS Ultimate Fitness Giveaway must be submitted by May 31, 2013.

In the meantime, double your chances of winning a FRS Healthy Energy sample pack by entering my giveaway.

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Social Fresh East

Last Thursday and Friday, I escaped my humdrum SAHM days and entered the informative wonderland of Social Fresh. The amount of cutting-edge knowledge related to social media was seriously mind-blowing. Just when 1,862,421 people and I thought we knew it all, I learned it’s just the tip of the social media iceberg.

During the two-day Social Fresh conference held at the Double Tree Hilton Westshore, I sat alongside several of the Tampa Bay Bloggers and we had quite a presence. Approximately, two dozen Tampa Bay Bloggers absorbed boundless amounts of information to help us inspire and create a presence in the virtual world of social media.

Create to inspire, Inspire to Create was more than clever graphic. It represented the theme of Social Fresh. Speaker Spike Jones urged us to not seek influence, but create it. “Influence can be created, but passion cannot.”

Having followed Ted Rubin for years on Twitter, I already knew him to be a social media guru. When relating and creating for a brand (in my case Run DMT), it needs to engage. With my Run DMT or my Tampa Bay Bloggers Twitter personas, I need to build relationships with key advocates as to foster a Return on Relationship, a clever coined social media term by Ted Rubin and reference to a familiar business term, Return on Investment (ROI).

There’s no secret formula to social media success and marketing. Rather according to Edison Research’s Tom Webster, it’s about understanding data and having the capability to tell a story with the information collected. “Big data is the future. To say I’m not good with numbers means I’m not good with words.”

Furthermore, “The reason communicators become successful is by telling stories. We need data storytellers. There is way too much data repukery.”

Ian Schafer shared the four key cornerstones of effective mobile social content marketing:

Produce
Publish
Propel
Process

These four components can be developed by playing along with your audience. Think about what you say and when you say it. Feed you social media feeds with content that people will want to share, which is the measure of your success.

Ian’s presentation tied right into Spike Jones earlier message and why we should think about content differently. People typically share content for three reasons:

Ego
Information
Emotion

In my case, I am sharing my Social Fresh East experience for all three reasons. My ego has been inflated by all the knowledge I acquired with some of the country’s best social media experts. The information was too good not to share. The emotion I experienced was a direct response to the passion I feel for the world of social media and my role as a runner mother blogger.

Unfortunately, there were some downsides to my Social Fresh East experience. Due to a registration error, my nametag wasn’t quite as fancy as some of my colleagues. I also would have expected a QR reader on the nametags so we could use our smartphones to collect information.

For some unknown reason, we lost power as did most of the upper Tampa Bay.

SAHM duties called and I had to leave for a few hours on the second day for my daughter’s poetry reading. As her smile demonstrates, she doesn’t care about my desire for professional development, which is very few and far between in my full-time career as a SAHM.

Sadly with my walnut allergy, I will never know the deliciousness of a Double Tree cookie, nor will I ever win a night in a Double Tree.

Apparently, my tweets aren’t inspiring or creative enough to win a social fresh mug. At least, I learned the best way to improve my tweets to make them more inspiring and creative.

*Photo credit to Ballywho Social*

This August 22-23, experience Social Fresh West in San Diego. To learn more about the Social Fresh West social media conference agenda, the speakers and the venue, or to register, visit Social Fresh online.

Keel and Curley Winery Tour

Disclaimer: Keel and Curley Winery provided the Tampa Bay Bloggers with a tour and wine tasting for an honest review of our experience and to promote their upcoming Blueberry Festival. The opinions shared are my own.

*Photo credit to Caitlyn Connolly.*

About 30 minutes from hustle and bustle city life of Tampa, lays the quite country life of Plant City. Fields of strawberries and blueberries greet city slickers on the way to sample the trendy, fruity wines of Keel and Curley winery. Upon arrival, the Tampa city slickers trade in their mini-vans and SUVs for a tractor-pulled tour through the Keel and Curley blueberry farm.

Joe Keel, a central Florida blueberry farmer, founded Keel and Curley Winery in the spring of 2003 while trying to find a way to use his remaining blueberry harvest. Through a trial-and-error process with hundreds of gallons of blueberry wine, Keel discovered three distinct tastes: sweet, semi-dry and dry, which are all made from 100% blueberries.

Keel and Curley is the only estate winery in Florida where each step of the wine (growing, making and bottling) happens on the same site. Since blueberries bruise easily, all the berries are handpicked, then sweetened Dixie crystal sugar from Florida.

Sam, our driver and tour guide, shared the four-step process for Keel and Curley’s blueberry wines: fermentation, clarification, filtering, bottling. The berries take approximately one week to ferment and pump and only four weeks to clarify. Within six weeks, the wines are available at local supermarkets and retailers, such as Publix and Total Wine.

The winery proudly boasts their business as a family-owned and operated facility as well as producing a product that supports local by utilizing as much local materials as possible. All the bottles are produced by Anchor Glass of Tampa and even the synthetic environmental-friends corks are made locally.

After our tour, we visited the Keel and Curley Tasting Room. Wall to wall shelves displayed every variety of Keel and Curley wine as well as fun wine related gift items.

The quaint country bar meets Cracker Barrel atmosphere offered limited seating but our large party found plenty of seating under the tent out back. Live music and a food truck provided a fun, casual family-friendly dining atmosphere.

Our wine steward shared all the Keel and Curley wine selections with us. Honestly, several of them were too sweet for my taste, but I really did enjoy the Dry Blueberry. The Semi-Dry Blueberry had a minty finish and tasted very similar to Manischewitz to me.

In July, 2011, Keel & Curley featured two new wines: Dry Blackberry and Sweet Blackberry; both are made with 100% blackberries. I found the Dry Blackberry to be flat, lacking in body and the Sweet Blackberry tasted like your average Welch’s grape juice.

Keel and Curley Winery also produces seven different fusion wines: Strawberry Riesling, Wild Berry Pinot Noir, Tangerine Zinfandel, Key West – Key Lime, Black Raspberry Merlot, and Peach Chardonnay as well as a Ice Wine (dessert wine). These fruit blends are grape based wines (such as Merlot or Chardonnay) and blended with fruit juices (Strawberry or Tangerine).

I found these fruit fusion wines fun and very unusual. With the hot summer Florida days fast approaching, Keel and Curley’s fruit blend wines will make a wonderful addition to summer cook-outs. I especially enjoyed the Wild Berry Pinot Noir, the Tangerine Zinfandel and Peach Chardonnay. I’ll add some ice and a bit of club soda for an even more refreshing summer drink.

This Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28, Keel and Curley celebrates its 6^th Annual Blueberry Festival. Admission is free as well as the entertainment and kids area. With live entertainment, over 100 Food and Craft Vendors and a u-pick blueberry patch, the event is guaranteed to be casual Florida fun for the whole family. For festival hours and directions, visit keelandcurleywinery.com/blueberryfestival.

And for the next two days, you can take advantage of a really great Keel and Curley deal on LivingSocial. The deal includes two wine tastings, one bottle of wine to take home, and VIP parking for the Blueberry Festival.

Throughout the year, Keel and Curley also offers Happy Hours and a variety of events. Tour are available Saturday and Sundays. For more information about upcoming Keel and Curley events, visit keelandcurleywinery.com.

Chicken Veracruz

Goya sent me an assortment of goods and their recently released cookbook: Healthy, Tasty, Affordable Latin Cooking to try.

Goya’s cookbook, Healthy, Tasty, Affordable Latin Cooking, features 30 healthy recipes from Latin America and Spain as well as a healthy Latin twists to American favorites. The MyPlate/MiPlato bilingual approach focuses on the First Lady’s Let’s Move initiative to help promote healthy eating in the Hispanic community. All the Healthy, Tasty, Affordable Latin Cooking recipes are simple to follow and offer nutritional information.

I typically buy organic canned goods and rice and tend to stay away from packaged spices. However, I was surprised to learn about the assortment of organic Goya foods available, which were spotlighted in the cookbook after the recipes.

Although many of these items are not available at my supermarket just yet, the organic Goya products can be found online at the Goya e-store. Thankfully, Goya sent me their Quinoa to try, which I shared last week.

All the recipes featured in Goya’s Healthy Tasty Affordable Latin Cooking can be found at Goya.com and to make their healthy, tasty meals even more affordable, Goya coupons are available online too.

I tried a few recipes, but I’ll share the most recent recipe that was kid-approved (and Iron Chef Allan) approved. Although Goya’s Chicken Veracruz recipe calls for GOYA® Adobo Light All-Purpose Seasoning with Pepper, I prefer to make my own mixture of “adobo” by adding garlic powder, oregano and turmeric. I also added a fresh jalapeño rather than a canned pickled one. This Goya’s Healthy Tasty Affordable Latin Cooking – Chicken Veracruz recipe can be found here, but I’m sharing my adaptation. This dish can also can be prepared with turkey or fish.

Chicken Veracuz

5.0 from 1 reviews

Recipe type: Chicken, Entree

Cuisine: Mexican

Author: Run DMT

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 55 mins

Serves: 4-6

A tender, tangy Mexican-style chicken

Ingredients

2 tbsp. GOYA® Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp turmeric
1 cup Pomi Strained Tomatoes
1 cup water
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
GOYA® Manzanilla Olives Stuffed with Minced Pimientos, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño, finely chopped
1 tsp GOYA® Capers
1 Bay leaf
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Instructions

Using a meat mallet, pound out chicken breast to approximately ½ inch thickness.
Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until light golden brown on both sides, flipping once, about 5 minutes; set aside.
Stir in onions, cooking until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add jalapeño and cook until softened. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
Add turmeric and oregano to pan and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce, 1 cup water, salt, pepper, olives, jalapeño, capers and bay leaf. Bring tomato mixture to boil.
Return chicken to pan. Cook, flipping once, until coated in sauce and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
To serve, divide chicken and sauce evenly among serving dishes; sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with rice.

Photobucket

Thanks for joining our weekly Friday Food Fight! Can’t wait to see what everyone is flinging this week!

*Also submitted at*

I am an Iron Girl {Half Marathon 2013 Recap}

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free race entry in exchange for my honest review of my Iron Girl Clearwater experience. The opinions shared are my own.

The night before the race, my pre-race activities are similar to that of many other runners. I lay out my clothes. I charge my cell phone, Garmin and MP3 player. I’ll fill my water for the road and pack my pre-race breakfast (PB Ritz Bits Crackers, a banana), Cliff shots and other snacks.

I also always check the weather. Sunday’s forecast predicted 70 degrees at the start and 93% humidity. Although I so desperately wanted to beat my Iron Girl time from two years ago in the hopes of shaving 20 minutes off my time to finish close to 2:15, Sunday would not be the day for that goal. Dealing with the reality of the hot weather and humidity, I decided to go out there and do my best for now. I’ll train hard this summer and come back stronger for my half marathons in the fall.

Chrissy and I arrived at Coachman Park around 6:30 but we were late arriving at the Athelta tent to meet our friends for a photo opp with Daffodil, Maribel, Tanya, Mindy and Jina. Our tardiness also caused us to miss Jenny’s big Athleta’s Power to She moment for photos, but fortunately we heard her inspirational story with the rest of the crowd.

After a quick few photos with our friends, Chrissy and I darted off the the start line. We pushed our way through the crowd to find a spot relatively close to the 2:15 pace group, because I still had hopes to finish close to that time.

The first mile of the race led us through the “hills” of downtown Clearwater, which was a good warm-up for the Clearwater Causeway. It also helped us look strong when we ran past Megan of Little Girl in a Big World.

Once Chrissy and I reached Clearwater Beach, I exclaimed with joy for Hooters on the beach. I was also excited to still be behind the 2:15 pace group. As long as they stayed in my sight, I could hold onto the hope of finishing close to that time.

I experienced 15 minutes of fame behind the 2:15 pace group. Recognizing my run happy and snappy talents, another runner asked, “Are you Denise of Run DMT?”

“Yes, I am!”

“I thought so! I am such a huge fan of your blog.” I experienced blush and runners flush at the same time.

In my five years of blogging, that has never happened. I’m usually the one plugging and promoting my blog along the course whenever people ask me how or why I take photos while running. Ironically, I experienced this a few times during Iron Girl.

Shortly after my 15 minutes of fame, Chrissy was having trouble with her knee and needed to stretch. We had agreed to split up if necessary and at this point, I pushed on ahead.

Chrissy quickly caught up with (which I knew she would) and then pulled ahead once we reached the Sand Key bridge. I needed to walk more than her. Plus, I enjoyed the view from the top.

After the bridge, around mile 5 turned into Sand Key park (like the Clearwater Marathon), except this time we had an extra loop through the parking lot.

Although Chrissy and I had long separated by now, the first half of the course seemed to be going well.

Around 6.5 miles, the sun tried to peek through the overcast and I spotted the 2:15 pace group on their return trip back to Sand Key Bridge. They were a good five minutes ahead of me and I felt bit deflated. All hopes to finish around 2:15 were now abandoned. Would I even beat my time from two years ago?

During the return trip to Sand Key, my Tampa Bay Blogger friends, Jessica and Jina, cheered for me as we passed each other on Gulf Boulevard and I felt invigorated. I was ready to face the Sandy Key bridge again.

Despite all the signs telling me “Tired legs are sexy”, I couldn’t give more than 13 minute mile over the bridge and I still had to occasionally stop and walk. On my return ambulatory journey over the Sand Key Bridge, I began to wonder why I even attempted this race. You know it’s bad when you can’t see the silver lining or in this case, the road, on the other side.

After the Sand Key Bridge, we were led through the backstreets of Clearwater Beach for our return trip to Coachman Park. I enjoyed the slightly different route home. The change renewed my energy and I found myself pushing it just slightly harder.

As we left Clearwater, I thanked an older police officer standing on the turn before the causeway and he replied, “When they asked me to work, I said “Sure who wouldn’t want to watch beautiful women go by for two hours?” His remarks had me smiling all along the stretch back to Coachman Park.

Along the Causeway, I chatted with a few other runners to make my mind off the steep incline of the Causeway and the headwind. Only a little over a mile remained.

As we reached the end of the Clearwater Causeway, we approached the beginning of the helix with its long downward spiral. A few runners became dizzy and started to slow down, but I sped up. Once we hit the bottom, I knew the finish line was only about a quarter mile away and I sprang off the helix with a sprint.

I sprinted about a 6:26 to the finish line.

*Photo credit to Digital Running*

2:24:18
Ave Pace Split 1 (6.5 miles) 10:37
Ave Pace Finish 11:01
Overall Place 566/1257
Age Div 101/219

Although I didn’t beat my time from two years ago by 20 minutes like I had hoped, I still shaved 7 minutes off that time. I also shaved 2 minutes off my Sarasota finish time! Take that bridges! HA!

Iron Girl was definitely a true test of my endurance and thirst. (They seriously need more water stations throughout the course. I would suggest approximately every mile.) Those bridges are tough and my Achilles acted up occasionally, but I would totally do it again. If given the opportunity to compete at Iron Girl again, I will train harder next time by making more of an effort to train on the Clearwater Causeway.

But for now, I need to rev up my swimming and cycling to train for Iron Girl Clermont!

Because I am an Iron Girl…

…and I will always be an Iron Girl in training.

A big THANK YOU to the wonderful staff of Iron Girl for making this race possible for some many of the women of the Tampa Bay Bloggers!

Donate a Photo App and Giveaway

This post on making a difference in the world through your own photography is brought to you by Johnson & Johnson and The Motherhood, who sent me a box of products and compensated me for my time. Opinions, experiences and photos shared here are all my own, and I hope you enjoy them.

I found a wonderful way to help charities worldwide by simply sharing a photo, which is something each of us does on a regular basis anyway.

For every photo uploaded and shared through Donate a Photo, Johnson & Johnson will donate one dollar to one of its non-profit partners***. Together you and Johnson & Johnson can support a new cause every day.

Presently, the Donate a Photo app (which is FREE and available for the iOS and Andriod platforms) has three charitable partners to choose from:

Safe Kids: One photo helps protect a child from a sports injury
Keep America Beautiful: One photo helps restore a public park
Save the Children: One photo helps a newborn get medicine to thrive.

When a cause reaches its goal, another takes its place; the causes that have reached their goal will still appear in the app, so users can continue to learn more about the organizations and see the photos that helped support them.

Donating is simple: Just visit healthyessentials.com/our-caring to download the free Donate a Photo app and register to get started, then choose a cause, upload a photo and share it on Facebook and Twitter to show the actions and impact to friends and followers and encourage them to get involved in helping the causes, too.

Here is an excellent video that visually explains how to use the Donate a Photo app and how simple it is to use.

While all donations must be made through a mobile device, the experience (including a photo gallery and progress achieved for each charity) will be accessible to anyone, on any device, from mobile phones to tablets to desktop computers.

Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies has been committed to caring for the community for more than 125 years; with the Healthy Essentials™ and Donate a Photo initiatives, the Company reinforces this commitment by offering savings to families and helping those in need.

To demonstrate this commitment, Johnson & Johnson wants to help you save. Head over to HealthyEssentials.com and register to save on J&J products and find coupons for Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies’ brand portfolio, including NEUTROGENA®, BAND-AID® Brand, LISTERINE®, AVEENO®, NEOSPORIN®, VISINE® and others.

To encourage you join the Donate a Photo App cause, Johnson & Johnson want to give one Run DMT reader an assortment of Johnson & Johnson products valued at approximately $100.

Enter below for your chance to win. One winner will be randomly selected on Tuesday, April 23 12:00 a.m. EST.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway disclaimer: No purchase necessary. Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia, Eighteen (18) years of age or older. Sweepstakes end May 20, 2013. Prize(s) provided by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Company Division of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. Void where prohibited.

**Johnson & Johnson has curated a list of trusted causes, and you can donate a photo to one cause, once a day. Each cause will appear in the app until it reaches its goal, or the donation period ends. If the goal isn’t reached, the cause will still get a minimum donation.

LongHorn Steakhouse: Flavorful Under 500

Disclaimer: LongHorn Steakhouse provided me with a dinner for my honest review of the meal. The opinions shared are my own.

Between my sensitivity to MSG and my inability to stomach bad food, dining out has become more and more difficult for me. I have to admit, I was nervous to dine at a steakhouse, because steakhouses have terrible reputations for heavily seasoned food and MSG. Since my reactions to restaurant foods have become increasingly worse since my pregnancy with baby #3, I begged the kind people of Longhorn to allow me to bring my friend, Chrissy, along for the meal.

Honestly, it had been years (before children when I was a vegetarian) since I last stepped into a LongHorn Steakhouse and crunched on the peanut shells spewed all over the floor and I could only recall eating there once. Since then, Longhorn has cleared away the discarded peanut casings and with it, it’s rough and tough Texas décor. Although some of the western décor remains, the ambience resembles an affordable Capital Grille.

After our introductions, I felt compelled to inquire about MSG. The manager assured me that their food does not contain MSG and they take food allergies very seriously. He advised me to avoid eating only one item and I predicted his answer before he name it: the ranch salad dressing.

Everything else on the menu is made in house. In fact, everything is made fresh and the salads are hand-cut daily.

Though we were there to taste LongHorn’s Flavorful Under 500 menu selections, we sample a few house-special appetizers, such as the Chilled Shrimp Cocktail,

Spinach Dip,

Grilled White Cheddar Stuffed Mushrooms,

and the Wild West Shrimp. I photographed more than I ate to keep my calories in check.

Besides, I prefer to drink my calories.

I washed down the starters with The Perfect Margarita made with Sauza Conmemorativo tequila, Grand Marnier, Patrón Citrónge, Triple Sec, plus orange, lemon and lime juices. I could certainly taste the juices as it lacked that heavy corn-syrupy taste that many places use to mask bad margaritas. The Perfect was a perfect choice and almost as good as homemade!

There were two chicken entrées on the Flavorful Under 500 menu that piqued my interest. Chrissy and I decided to share our dinners so we could sample both. I ordered the Napa Grilled Chicken which served two breasts topped with artichoke hearts, portabella mushrooms, roasted tomatoes and a white wine herb sauce.

Chrissy ordered the Sierra Chicken, two fresh grilled chicken breasts topped with tomato-basil salsa. Both dinners came with steamed vegetables for sides priced under $15.00 and are relatively low-cost, low calorie plates that served flavorful, very filling meals.

Of course, everyone knows that you eat low calorie meals to save room for dessert. Even LongHorn Steakhouse realizes this fact, which would explain why the Flavorful Under 500 can be found above the desserts in the menu.

To finish off a fabulous dining experience, the LongHorn Dessert Sampler offered a shareable sampler of three favorites: Chocolate Stampede, Caramel Apple Goldrush and Mountain Top Cheesecake.

Those were all very delicious, however, the must-try fork-licking dessert for the night was the Salted Caramel Cake, which was totally worth blowing 500 calories just to taste a forkful. This same dessert would be served in a two-bite tall shot glass in a fancier establishment for the same price. I happily ate more than two bites because the sweet-salty combination and airy yellow cake fooled my brain into thinking it was a “lighter”, low calorie dessert. As LongHorn’s pride of the dessert, the Salted Carmel Cake stacked up to its name.

I appreciate the reintroduction to LongHorn Steakhouse and I would most certainly return for another Flavorful Under 500 meal. Affordable meals, low calorie family-friendly dining experiences without MSG and reactions are so hard to find these days. I already told my oldest carnivorous daughter that we would return for dinner on her birthday, since steak is always her requested birthday meal and LongHorn Steakhouse has a wonderful assortment of reasonably priced kids meals for children 12 and under, including a Kid’s Sirloin. Then, she can celebrate her big day by blowing out the candle in a slice of her own Salted Caramel Cake.

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