In the cool, early morning mist, I set out down the quiet, tree-draped road. For the first half-mile, my legs felt leaden, but then I started warming up--and runners on the road and passing in vans started hooting and honking for me and the vivid pink confection around my waist. A smile creeped across my face, cracking the lines of dried drool and sweat. I zipped through the rest of the 3.3-mile portion of run, faster and happier thanks to the tutu.

Three ladies will get to feel the same pep in their step thanks to the awesomely named Tough Girl Tutus, decidedly not homemade with the wide elastic waistband and built-in race bib holder (genius!). The winners, and their comments, are:

Amanda: "I wore a sparkle skirt in last year's Twin Cities marathon. It was awesome! I got a lot of cheers for my pink skirt. I definitely need to get some of these!"

Libby Syzdek: "I would totally wear this. I LOVE that it has a built in bid holder. So cool!!"

Olivia: "Pre-kiddo running days, I was all business when it came to my training and running, down to the spreadsheets! No dress up for me. These days, I would rock the tutu! I’m just happy to get out and run, let’s make it fun!"

Amanda, Libby, and Olivia: Please email us at runmother [at] gmail [dot] com. Info we need from you: First and last name, mailing address, size, and color Tough Girl tutu you want. (Here's link for color choices; click on a product to see size guide.) To the rest of you gals: Hope you have a peppy, smiley run this weekend!