Skora Running Shoes... Even better! Review and Giveaway!

A few months ago I did a review and giveaway on Skora Running shoes. You can read about it Here!

I really love my Skora Running shoes, but I didn't like running with them on concrete as much as running on a treadmill or grass. When I was discussing this with other runners and my contact at Skora, it was brought to my attention that Skora had created the Skora Fit Shoe. This shoe has more padding and is geared toward someone who wants minimal but needs more from their shoe... that is me. Skora Running shoes are definitely minimal, but my feet can't handle completely minimal. The Skora Fit Shoe is amazing.  

The website describes the following: "Crafted on our anatomical REALFIT last from a seamless piece of stretch airmesh, FIT provides an unparalleled level of comfort with support and 
stretch provided where you need it most."

"Coolest shoes ever!" -a fifth grader 

These may be my favorite shoes yet! You have to try them. They are also very cool looking. One of my 5th grade students told me that they were "the coolest shoes ever" and they looked like "space running shoes!"  I love it! And  I agree. The look is amazing! 

While I am not cleared to run yet, I have gone on some walks with them and I love them. They are supportive and make my feet feel great! You need to try them, or hey try to win them. Check out the giveaway below.

Copper wishes they had some his size too!

Right now they are offering a site-wide semi-annual sale of 25% off.  What a deal! Skora Running shoes are only sold through their website. Tell them Mindy's Fitness Journey sent you!!! And when you refer a friend, you will get $15!!!! 

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I Ran For Meg! #megsmiles

Today I ran. I was tired, and I really didn't want to. I am just getting back into running after medical problems, and it's not easy to run. But today I ran... Why? Because I can! Because I am able to lace up and go outside whenever I want to. 

Today, Meg Menzies didn't wake up and run. She couldn't because the last time she laced up was the LAST time she will ever lace up. A drunk driver took her life. She will never hug her 3 children again, and she will never hug her husband. I had to run today. Even though I didn't really want to. I had to for her. For her children. For her husband. For her memory. 

I have never met Meg. We aren't neighbors. But she was a runner. And runners CARE about other runners. 

I ran today because I had to. What if I lace up, and it's my last run? What if my last hug to Bryce is my last hug? I had to run today because there was NO other choice. I had to appreciate the pavement under my feet. I had to love the wind trying to stop me on my sprints. I had experience the pain and voice in my head telling me to stop. I had to LIVE! I had to do it for Meg. I had to do it for me.

My heart aches for Meg and her family. It aches for the man who killed her as well. He will never get over what he did. I know that those drinks weren't worth what happened. There is so much pain in this story. 


Meg, your family is in my prayers. I hope that all of the runners out there appreciate their runs today and I hope everyone remembers not to drink and drive or even text and drive. Life is too precious for that! 

Meet Nanci! Featured Blogger

Meet my sweet friend, Nanci!

I have been motivated by Nanci over the last year. She has been killing it on the pavement and at Weight Watchers! You need to follow Nanci! She is the real deal! She and I met through the Tampa Bay Bloggers. We are a community of bloggers who often work together. It is truly one of the greatest group of friends I have found. 

Name: Nanci Cernak State: FL

When and why did you start working out? 
I first joined a gym just out of high school and have worked out in some form or fashion ever since then. I have been through phases of gym memberships and working out at home for over 20 years now. I have always been self-conscious about how I look. I started running – briefly – in 2006 to lose weight. I started again in 2011 after a miscarriage, failed infertility treatments, and losing my dad all caught up with me and I realized I needed to take care of myself. In 2012, running became a big part of my life and this year it has become even more so.

What is your workout of choice?
Running. It is my therapy and has helped me tremendously this year with weight loss, stress, and becoming a much stronger person.

What is your favorite race, race distance, and WOD? 
To date, my favorite race is probably the Sarasota Half Marathon because I PR’d there in March of this year and finally finished under 3 hours. I am really hoping to PR again this Sunday at the Women’s Half in St. Pete!

What is your most favorite piece of workout gear? 
I have two… My Brooks Glycerin 10 running shoes and my Garmin Forerunner 100 watch.

Do you follow any diet or take any specific supplements that complement your workouts? 
After successfully losing 27 pounds on Weight Watchers back in 2006 and then putting it back on, I decided to go back again on January 1st of this year, making 2013 my year to lose weight. I set a goal of 40 pounds and I am down 27 pounds so far. Weight Watchers works for me. Nothing is off limits if I have the points, I love the meetings, and I need the accountability of the weekly weigh-ins.

What is your favorite cheat food?  
Wings and beer. So bad, but so good. I firmly believe in working hard and playing hard, and enjoying my favorite cheat food is a necessity!

What advice would you give someone just starting out? 
Don’t give up. Do what you can, when you can. Don’t have an all-or-nothing mentality when it comes to working out or losing weight. What is your best workout memory? 
When I ran my first half marathon in 2012, I had an average pace of almost 14:00. I would walk more than I ran. Now, I run much more than I walk. I can run a full 3 miles without a walk break, and have done a couple 5 mile runs without a walk break as well. I believe walk breaks are fine – and important – but it is a huge thing for me to run non-stop for 30+ minutes. My best pace to date is 09:37 – that was on a 3 mile run. Pretty darn awesome!

What is your biggest “FIT BUCKET LIST” item? 
Even though I swore I would never do a full marathon, I want to train for one in 2014 and complete one in 2015.

Tell us something that not many people know about you?  
Contrary to what people may think, I am very shy and I always worry and wonder what people think of me. My blog has helped me step out of my comfort zone, to open up a lot more and I am becoming a much more confident person.

How we can connect with Nanci: Blog: http://thiscrazylifeofmine.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuntNanci Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nanci.cernak Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/auntnanci/boards/ Instagram: http://instagram.com/auntnanci#

Do you have a success story like Nanci? I want to hear it!!!

The best Mother's Day present is running with my son and giveaways!

This was our first 5K togehter in January!

The Great Mother's Day Race

What would be more fun than running a race with my favorite person on the planet on Mother's Day? I would say, NOTHING! 

I am so excited to have been offered the chance for Bryce and I to start our Mother's Day Celebration with a bang! This year on Mother's Day we will be running in The Great Mother's Day Race! 

I know some people would think I am crazy for wanting to run a race on a day of pampering for mommies, but I will tell you that I love nothing more than running with my son. There is time for pedicures and massages later! My son is only going to be young once! 

The race is Sunday, May 12 at 9 am. You will get a Tech T-shirt, chip timing, a swag bag and an awesome memory that you and your children won't soon forget! 

Strollers are welcome, and I think it would be a great thing for your child to see how active Mommy is! :) 

I have really enjoyed getting my son involved with my races. It cracks me up that he now gets upset if I race without him. I am running the IronGirl 5K on Sunday and he is NOT happy! I did surprise him this morning with news that we would be running this! He was thrilled. 

I have a discount code for you! TBBLOG is good for 10% off the race entry through Active.com 

Here is the map of the course!

Giveaways are still active!

Enter below in the rafflecopter to get your very own Allied Medal Display!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

There are still Foundation Nutrition and Just Jump It Fitness Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fit Miss giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

StickitStrong giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Polar Heart Rate Monitor Giveaway
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winners of the Shubeez have been chosen and notified. If the prizes aren't claimed in 48 hours, new winners will be chosen!  The winners of the 26.2 are Laurel Cedarblade and Maureen.
And the 13.1 goes to Dawn Rushing.

Disclosure: All of the giveaways are donations. All opinions are my own.

Time to show off! Giveaways Galore Continued!

And the giveaways keep coming!

Allied Medal Displays Giveaway!


Do you have a bunch of medals hanging around your house haphazardly? I have only been racing for a little over a year, but now that I have one half marathon under my belt and one to come this weekend, I decided that I needed a medal display. I really wanted it to be personal for me and my journey. I contacted Allied Medal Displays and asked them if they would be interested in being a part of this Giveaway Extravaganza that I am having celebrating all of you following my journey. Joe Exe immediately contacted me back and said he would love to give me one and allow me to give one away to you! Wow! I was so excited!!! 

The best part about Allied Medal Displays is that they allowed me to do a custom order. So of course, I asked for Mindy's Fitness Journey. I couldn't decide which running picture to put on it.
Joe said that if I had a logo he could put it on there. Whoa! How cool is that! Do you see me flipping a tire? He made it seem really easy too! Wouldn't you love to create your own medal display! If you notice, I have room for a ton of medals! I know that I will be running lots of races and I will fill this up soon enough. 

Allied Medal Displays are really a fantastic idea, before I discovered them I had my medals hanging on a random door knobs throughout the house. I wanted something more sophisticated to display my medals on and I wanted something that would really represent me! What do you think? Don't you love it! 

You don't have to be a runner to order one of these. They make them for runners, triathletes, baseball, volleyball, dancers etc... one of the other great features about these displays is that they are super easy to hang up on your wall. They come with very easy to follow instructions as well as all of the necessary items (ie. screws, nails etc) needed to hang them.

Remember that the Polar Heart Rate Monitor Giveaway ends tonight at Midnight!!

Enter below in the rafflecopter to get your very own Allied Medal Display!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

There are still Foundation Nutrition and Just Jump It Fitness Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fit Miss giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

StickitStrong giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Polar Heart Rate Monitor Giveaway
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winners of the Shubeez have been chosen and notified. If the prizes aren't claimed in 48 hours, new winners will be chosen!  The winners of the 26.2 are Laurel Cedarblade and Maureen.
And the 13.1 goes to Dawn Rushing.

Disclosure: All of the giveaways are donations. All opinions are my own.

Runners and Our Socks!

Socks are an important piece of the runner's toolbox! And my choice is injinji! 


About a week ago, my favorite sock company, injini asked me to post about their new website. The address is http://www.injinji.com/ They told me that they would send me some socks and offer a giveaway to my readers. There was no twisting my arm on this one. I definitely wanted some more injinji socks, and I knew that I wanted to offer the giveaway to you.

It took me a little bit to get used to having my toes in their own little holes, and honestly, I have Fred Flintstone feet in a bad way! Seriously! But I have grown to love these! My baby toes used to sneak into the toe next to its hole, but now it has even found comfort in its own hole. I love wearing these socks!!! You will too!



  a Rafflecopter giveaway



And don't forget about the Iron Girl Giveaway!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Santa must be a runner!

Check out my running bling!!! 

And win a Road ID gift certificate for $35!!!

My Mile22 Bag

My son and I got an awesome present in our stockings from Santa! Santa gave us  Road ID  bracelet! Watch my vlog to hear all about it. I also so the most amazing gift for runners from Mile22 Bags.

 Enter my giveaway to win a $35 gift certificate to Road ID

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our Road ID bracelets