Giveaway Week!

Peeps, you may have heard (in very subtle hints) that I am a Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Ambassador.  This means that I get to give away an entry to the funnest (yes, that is a word) race in Ohio! This week starts my giveaway; I will post each day from Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.  Respond to my posts, and I will give you a chance at registration for any race in the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon series!

To kick this off, I thought I would present 13.1 things about me. It should be 26.2, but I am not that interesting.

Shut up.

1. I didn't start running until after I turned 40.  I got a late start, but I'm in it for the longevity.

2. I originally started running so that I could run the 3.1 mile leg on Sand Run Parkway for the Akron Marathon. I tried and tried to run farther than 2 miles, but I would be winded. Finally, I joined a running group, the Towpath Turtles. The day I reached 4 miles, I burst into tears. "I never thought I would be able to run this far," I sobbed gratefully to my coach. "Of course you didn't," she replied, "because you were running like a dumbass before."  Huh.

Me with my first running group, the Towpath Turtles

3. I signed up for that very leg on an Akron Marathon Relay team. When teaching a unit about Carpe Diem (seize the day!) in my literature class, a student challenged me: "Why not run the half marathon? Why run only 3 miles? What are we really doing here?" I realized she was right, and I switched to the half.  There was no looking back.

4.  I ran the Akron Marathon when I failed to break the 2:00 barrier for the half marathon (I was 53 seconds short!).  Again, there was no looking back. This year will be my 5th consecutive Akron Marathon. I have run the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon 4 times. Will this year be the 5th?

My first marathon!

5.  I ran my first 50k this year for Forget the PR. It was brutal, but I had a great time.

Wendy and I finish my first 50K!

6. Sometimes I think about a 50 miler. . . and then I remember how miserable I feel in the last 6 miles of a marathon. So far that is a NOPE race.

7.  I am a high school English teacher. I love teaching high schoolers.  Seriously. I use running analogies all the time. My favorite: Education is a marathon, not a sprint. You have to build your endurance. Sometimes your runs are super-fun, and sometimes they suck and you feel like they will never end. They all have purpose, and they all make you a better person.

8. For three years I lived in Paris, France, where I met my husband. We had a neighborhood restaurant called Cafe Le Bouliste. When we retire, we plan to move back to Paris and open a Browns backers club called Le Dawg Pound.

My husband--the Kabyle Chef

9.  Although I am an English teacher, the language I speak at home with my husband is French. Go figure.

10.  I am obsessed with food. I think about it constantly, and I am always hungry. I feel like I ran my 50K only for the trail food and the opportunity to drink a lot of beer after the race. Unfortunately for me, I was wiped out after 2 beers.  Ok, maybe 3. Favorite aid station food? Grilled cheese sandwich triangles with pickles on top.  Runner up? Bacon.

11. Trail running is not my first love. In fact, I hated it for my first two years of running. I didn't even buy my first pair of trail shoes until I was three years in. Today I like to run trails if I am with my friends, but if I am alone, give me roads any day.

Love me some roads!

Love me some trails, too!

12. I struggle with my weight. A lot. When I started training for marathons and ultras, the wheels came off a bit, and I've gained 20 pounds that I am now trying to lose. For me, this means logging every bite I put into my mouth. Somedays I wish I could eat like a "normal" person, but I know where that kind of thinking leads me. . .right into my fat clothes.  I've lost 10 of the 20 pounds, but every day is a battle.

13.  I belong to some super-cool running groups: Trail Sisters, Crooked River Trail Runners, Phillips' Phlyers, Canal Rats, the Lawn Wranglers.  I truly enjoy running with people in these groups. Runners can be the nicest, most welcoming people in the world.

The Trail Sisters

13.1. I want to give YOU a free entry to any Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon race!

For a chance to win, tell me which of the above snippets relates to you. Want more chances? Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @itibrout! I will post a chance for you to respond each day. At the end of the week (Saturday, February 8), I will draw the winner, and I will announce it on Sunday, February 9.

Don't feel lucky? Use my code, RUNCLESTEPHANI10, for 10% off any race registration.

What are you waiting for? Join me!

However, whenever you run, I hope you run happy, Peeps!

Like what you read? Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @itibrout!