Countdown to Boston and Mix1 Update!

UPDATE: Please don't forget to check out yesterday's post, for our FIRST giveaway, courtesy of our friends at Mix1! We're also adding 3 additional ways to enter, so you all can get up to 6 entries! Please post these 3 additional entries on the previous post, in separate comments:
1.) Link to our giveaway in one of your blog posts, and let us know you did!
2.) Follow us on Twitter @OurLoveOnTheRun, and let us know you did!
3.) Re-tweet our last tweet on Twitter, and let us know you did!

Now, on to the countdown . . . 3 WEEKS TIL BOSTON!

We hope you guys are as excited as we are! In three short weeks, we will all be celebrating (hopefully together somewhere!). Please enjoy the pics below, as you catch a glimpse of how the city is getting ready and decorated for the big day, the 114th Boston Marathon! These banners are going up all over the city, on Boylston St., Mass. Ave., Huntington Ave., Downtown, and all over the place, and we walk by them everyday, and it gets us so excited!

Our favorite, Ryan Hall!

Last year's female winner, Salina Kosgei.

Last year's wheelchair winner, Ernst Van Dyk.

Last year's women's wheelchair winner, Wakako Tsuchida.

Countdown clock at Marathon Sports on Boylston St., at the finish line!

Hope you're all getting excited for Boston, and don't forget to enter our Mix1 Giveaway from our previous post!!!

OUR FIRST GIVEAWAY!!!

We started our blog in August of 2009 and now we are finally going to try our first giveaway!! Our friends at Mix1 generously supplied us with some product to pass along to our lucky winner.

 Mix1 is an ALL-NATURAL protein, fiber and antioxidant drink. There are two types of drinks: 1.) protein-focused, 2.) fiber/antioxidant-focused. The protein-focused products come in 5 delicious flavors: Mix Berry, Key Lime, Tangerine, Mango, and Blueberry-Vanilla. Each 11 ounce bottle of the protein-focused drink is packed with 3 servings of fruits/veggies, 15 grams of whey protein isolate, and antioxidants equal to 4 cups of green tea (and only 200 calories)! These drinks are free of lactose, gluten, soy and caffeine. Also, these drinks do NOT need to be refrigerated (until opened).

The fiber/antioxidant-focused product comes in 2 delicious flavors: Orange-Carrot and Dark Berry. Each 11 ounce bottle of the fiber/antioxidant-focused drink is packed with a whopping 9 servings of fruits/veggies, 9 grams of whey protein isolate, 9 grams of fiber, and antioxidants equal to a number of cups of green tea (and only 115 calories). Again, these products are also free of lactose, gluten, soy, and caffeine. Again, these drinks do NOT need to be refrigerated (until opened).

Miss Bethany and I have tried all the flavors, and we absolutely love all of them. My favorite is probably either the Mango or the Blueberry-Vanilla, and Miss Bethany loves the Mix Berry. It's just really great that we've been lucky enough to find such a great product that fits PERFECTLY with our 'eat-clean' lifestyle. Most ready-made protein shakes on the market have a list of ingredients longer than a dictionary, and who knows what goes into some of them. Mix1 keeps it really simple, and makes quite a great clean, post-workout drink.

Now, here's how to enter our first giveaway. You can enter up to 3 times, by doing the following . . . . 

1.) Become a follower, or comment and let us know that you are a follower.
2.) What flavor would you most like to try?
3.) What is your current go-to protein drink?

We will keep the contest open until midnight on Thursday, April 8th. We will then compile all of the comments/entries, and randomly select a winner to receive a case of Mix1 (flavor of the winner's choosing), coupons for future Mix1 purchases, and Mix1 stickers for fun.

Let the contest begin! Our First Giveaway!! Thanks for playing, and get out there and try Mix1 . . . Good Luck!

Stay tuned, 'Countdown to Boston' post coming tomorrow!

New Bedford Half Marathon

Today we ran the New Bedford Half Marathon. The sun was out, and it felt pretty hot. After all the rain and cold weather we've had in the past few weeks, we never expected to have to resort to dumping water on ourselves at the water stops and wearing tank tops and shorts today! We actually both got a bit of sun too!

Miss Bethany was the speed demon, as usual, and ran 1:38:32, setting a new PR for herself by about 50 seconds. Wow, she's fast! She just amazes me. She just keeps getting faster.

I, on the other hand, didn't really approach this as a 'race', per se. I really just wanted to use it as more of a training run, at a solid pace. I ran with a few of my fellow Greater New Bedford Track Club members, one of which ran barefoot. Our pace kind of fluctuated between 7:55 min/mile and 8:20 min/mile, and I sped up and slowed down, which kinda sapped some energy from me, as I usually like to keep a steady pace, but it was all good in the end. I ended up with 1:48:21, and was content with it. I didn't really push it too hard, and still finished within a couple minutes of my PR, on a tough course, on a hot day. I was definitely feeling a bit dehydrated, and I know Miss Bethany was too. It was a tough day, and we haven't been used to running in heat like this!

Well here are some pics from our race, and our post-race MGD 64 party at Catwalk!

Here is Miss Bethany, cruising around Mile 5. 

Here's Ryan chugging along to the finish. Mile 12 was pretty brutal :-)

At Rose Alley Ale House, celebrating with friends!

MGD 64!

We didn't get any good close-ups, but Miss Bethany LOVED the fact that my bib number was #427 (Miss Bethany's birthday is 4/27). She's ALWAYS wanted that number, haha.

Look out for our next "Countdown to Boston" post. The city is getting ready for it already! Less than a month away!!

5 Weeks Til Boston!

5 weeks from today, we'll all be wearing our finisher medals, drinking some good beer somewhere! This past week we did 18 miles on the Boston course (at Ryan's marathon-goal pace), and it felt GREAT, despite the rainy and windy conditions.

This coming week we both will be running the New Bedford Half Marathon. Miss Bethany has her sites set on a nice PR, while Ryan's just focusing on running a strong race, finishing with negative splits, and staying strong and healthy for upcoming Boston.

How's everyone else's training for Boston going? Anyone racing this weekend as well? Good luck if you are!

As promised, here are some more Boston 2009 pics to get you all excited for what's to come in 2010! (Here are our last pictures as boyfriend & girlfriend.)

Meeting the rest of our Greater New Bedford Track Club before the drive up

Athletes' Village

Next Boston Countdown post will feature the engagement location, and we'll be just 4 weeks away!!!! Woohoo!!

Bethany's Brother in Law

Eek! It's been awhile since we've posted! We are 1 week closer to Boston and we will resume our countdown next week on Monday. I just wanted to share with you something scary that's going on with my brother-in-law, Peter. He has been in the hospital all week with a Pulmonary Embolism, or blood clot in his lungs! 

It was pretty serious and he had some scary moments but the good news is he is going to be okay and may even come home from the hospital today.

Poor guy was in A LOT of pain for a few days but is feel better now. He had pain in his side starting last Saturday and on Sunday my sister took him to the ER and we were shocked when he landed in the ICU with a blood clot! eek! His mother, sister, brother and nephew all flew here from South Africa and my mom flew home from Florida.

Glad he is going to be okay!

  Peter and Robby on Christmas

Countdown to Boston: 7 Weeks!

 Countdown to Boston! Can you believe that in 7 weeks time, the Boston Marathon will have come and gone? Eeek! It's going to be here before we know it. Every week up until Boston, we'll be posting some 'flashback' pics from last year's race. 

This week, we start it off with some pics from the night before the race, where everyone knew the 'big secret' except for Miss Bethany. We all got together and had a big pasta dinner at Ryan's parents' house. Enjoy the pics below, and get excited for Boston!

  

Playing with Robby

Robby giving "Mr. Ryry" a Good Luck Kiss

Hydrating. (Just for show, we're not that into Gatorade:-)

Who else is running Boston? And are you excited yet? Don't forget we live about 0.2 mi from the finish line, so if you have any questions, or would like to schedule a running tour, or would like to meet up for a Bloggy Get-together before/after Boston, let us know!! :-)