Five for Friday

Do you realize next weekend is Memorial Day weekend? I do not understand where spring has gone, but I am excited to have a 3 day weekend!

1. With summer on the way, the Olympics are getting closer! Oiselle is running an awesome contest that you should seriously consider entering. Grab your best running buddy and get your creative juices going. They’re flying the winning duo to Eugene in June for three days of the Track & Field Olympic Trials! Not only do you get the plane tickets, but the winners also get to stay at the Oiselle Nest with Team Oiselle, tickets to three days of the trials, VIP tickets to Oiselle’s party and fashion show, an awesome Oiselle swag bag and what is guaranteed to be a ridiculously awesome time! Click HERE for all the details! Good luck!

2. One runner you might see if you go to Eugene and will likely see watching the Olympics this July, is Jenny Simpson. A Team New Balance athlete, Jenny won the gold medal at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. The first American woman to win a world championship in 28 years. Now, she’s a favorite for London. To celebrate her place in American distance running, New Balance put together a great behind-the-scenes mini-documentary which you can watch on YouTube HERE but for a sneak peek, watch the trailer below! I don’t know about you, but I love having the chance to see what life is really like for elite runners; how they train, their struggles and triumphs. I can’t wait to cheer for all the American athletes competing in the Olympics, including Jenny!

3. Switching gears to food….if you’re in the city this weekend and thinking you’d like to hang out with about a million people on a city street in mid-town and eat a ton of food from all over the world, head over to the Ninth Avenue International Food Festival in Hell’s Kitchen. If you’re having trouble finding it, just walk towards the unmistakable vendor cart aroma! Taste of Tribeca is also happening this Saturday. For $45 you can try food from 70 fantastic Tribeca area restaurants with proceeds going to local schools.

4. I’m now going to interrupt this 5 for Friday post for a quick PSA – as runners and people who generally like to be outside, we need to be sure to be careful when we’re out in the sun. While I never went to a tanning salon, when I was young I did like to lay out and get tan in the summer since I’m pretty pale with my Scandinavian complexion. As I’ve gotten older though, I’ve realized there are a lot of health issues we can’t control. But one thing we can have a lot of control over is skin cancer. So, please, I implore you to put on sunblock and run in the morning or night so you don’t get the worst sun of the day. HERE’s a great article from Rodale.com – “7 New Rules of Sunscreen” – a great read as we start spending more time outside.

5. I’m not sure if you’ve seen the “We Deliver” ads, the ones featuring delivery men for major beverage companies like PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, but they are all over the TV out here and plastered inside Subway cars, bus shelters and phone booths. These ads really annoy me for several reasons, but I don’t want to get into that now. I was happy to read THIS article in The New York Times the other day which explores the fact that soda companies are having to find new sources of income because sales of soda has been dropping. I never want companies to go out of business or to have to lay people off, but I am happy to hear people are getting fewer calories from beverages. It’s not completely optimistic though, because the article does not that people may be drinking more energy and sports drinks, which are also high in sugar. But if fewer people are drinking harmful sodas, we can tackle the energy and sports drinks next!

• What is your favorite Olympic event to watch?
• Do you wear sunscreen religiously or “forget” to put it on?
• What is your favorite non-soda beverage?
• Are you racing this weekend? What are your big plans?

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Today’s workout -

• 40min elliptical
• 2x15 core twists
• 2x15 leg press
• 100 ab exercises
• 2 x 1min plank
• 2x15 back extension
• stretching