5 For Friday

1. This week's Chobani Greek Yogurt Giveaway winner is....#5 Jennifer, another Michigan State fan!! Congratulations Jennifer! Send me an email (lmhansen at hotmail.com) with your address and I'll get these coupons out to you tomorrow! (FYI: next week is going to be the last Chobani giveaway)

2. Two cool things are happening here on Sunday. One, is that Woody is running his first race!! I'm super excited about this and hope that I have a run as good as the one Wednesday morning so I can maybe keep up with him! We're running a new race on Governor's Island. The race was capped at 750, which is incredibly smaller than what I'm used to since there are typically thousands of runners in the weekly NYRR races in Central Park. Also, we have to take a ferry to get there (it is on an island after all. But, come to think of it, so is Central Park). AND I get to meet Robyn from Ramblings of a Wannabe Writer and Runner (but she's no 'wannabe,' she IS a writer & and runner)! The weather is supposed to be great too, so I'm really looking forward to the day!

3. There's also an event happening at Union Square on Sunday; Pilates in the Park is a fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Research Fund. For $25 you get a pilates class taught by an Equinox instructors, a mat, a swag bag, and the knowledge of knowing you're helping to make a difference in both your health and the health of countless women around the world. If you go, let me know how it was! 

4. Two weeks ago the Michigan State University football coach, Mark Dantonio, had a heart attack hours after the team won a stunning and exciting victory over Notre Dame in a late night overtime finish. Dantonio, who is 54, is very fit and active and even tracks health stats like cholesterol to make sure they're in line. It's a reminder to coaches and everyone else, that anyone, even those who are 'healthy', can be struck by a heart attack. I'm not trying to give you an excuse not to stay fit and eat well, but just to be careful and to enjoy each day and live life to the fullest. Dantonio is going to be back at work this Saturday in the Big Ten opener against Wisconsin, but from the booth rather than the sideline. I know I'm not the only one who will be happy to see him back there!

Dantonio source

5. On Monday my sister and her husband are going to welcome their second child, a little girl! It's very exciting! They are wonderful parents to their son and he's going to be a great big brother. Since Woody and I aren't likely to have children, I think we're even more excited to have both a nephew and niece. I'm going out to Minneapolis next weekend to meet my niece, help around the house and play with my nephew. My mom will also be there so it will be a really great trip. I just hope we don't take up too much space in their house! I'm hoping to get a run in while I'm there since they have such beautiful trails near their house, but if not, I know my Mom and I are planning to take my nephew out for a few walks, so that will be fun. He's such a cutie and you never know what he's going to say! It's a very exciting time and I hope that my sister feels well this last weekend and takes it easy.

What is on your list of things to do this weekend?
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Today's workout -
Unexpected rest day: even the best made plans can be up heaved at the last minute. Woody and I woke up for the gym this morning at our usual time to loud, pounding wind and rain outside our windows. Tropical Storm Nicole was pushing through the area and we knew that we would be drenched by the time we got to the gym. So, we made the decision to reset the alarm and get back into bed. I'm disappointed I missed the workout, but I know it wouldn't have been a quality one if I had gone cause I'd be too annoyed by the sloshing in my shoes! I'm sure the little extra rest was good for me, too.