I am conflicted. I was planning on wearing the camo, but while I was looking for a skirt to go with it, I found my Captain America shirt. Which would you wear for an Independence Day race?
posted from Bloggeroid
Friday, June 30, 2017
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Thursday Training Update with Brilliant Reflective
I received 2 sets of Brilliant Reflective strips as a BibRave Pro (Ambassador) for the purposes of this review. Check out BibRave.com to read and write race reviews.
I've started training for a couple different races this week. Goofy Training started this week and so did Rambling Rose, my first triathlon.
I'm only slightly terrified. I am not a swimmer and next week starts my pool swims. This week I stuck to the bike and my usual runs.
I have Brilliant Reflective strips on all of my "work" shirts. I can't really call it work, since my job is to run with awesome people. It doesn't get any better than this!
Since I live in the South, and it is unbelievably hot here, even in the early morning, I often run in the dark. Now I will also be riding in the dark.
Don't judge. My bike is awesome. It's also super reflective now. I stuck strips on the basket, the back of the seat, and on the sides of the bike as well. If a car is coming, it will see me.
A little bit of trivia: I borrowed a bike from a friend for my duathlon a few years back. It had a wobbly wheel, which someone pointed out to me at mile 9 of 10. He also pointed out that knead working twice as hard as necessary, because the wheel as rubbing. Little old ladies on cruisers were passing me. In honor of those badass ladies, I'll be riding my cruiser at Rambling Rose.
You can also put Brilliant Reflective on any gear you use at night, like water bottles and helmets.
Want to try some out? Go to Brilliant Reflective and use the code BRP35 for 35% off!
Ok, now for some training updates, which will undoubtedly feature Brilliant Reflective on my shirts!
Thursday: 4.1 miles of running and walking. We had a new runner and she was feeling a little tired after 2 miles so we walked it in. It was also Virtual Race day so I dressed appropriately.
Friday: walked a bit for a streaking challenge. I've got over 30 days where I walked or ran at least a mile a day
Saturday: 10 long miles. It was swampy out there! I ran a couple miles before our official group run, 4 with the group, and then 4 more after. It was torture.
Sunday I mostly recovered from Saturday, walked a mile.
Monday I was going to go to 9 Round. It's been a month since I've gone. I chickened out and walked a mile instead. It's totally the same.
Tuesday, track workout. 3 miles with my group and 2 on my own.
Wednesday was Drills and Thrills with MDA Team Momentum. They send us a torture session.... um.... workout.... and we do it. I started with a 30 minute ride, then ran 2.8 miles with drills every half mile. My legs hurt.
I started that ride in the dark, so I'm glad that I put those reflective strips on there!
What was your toughest workout last week?
I've started training for a couple different races this week. Goofy Training started this week and so did Rambling Rose, my first triathlon.
I'm only slightly terrified. I am not a swimmer and next week starts my pool swims. This week I stuck to the bike and my usual runs.
I have Brilliant Reflective strips on all of my "work" shirts. I can't really call it work, since my job is to run with awesome people. It doesn't get any better than this!
Since I live in the South, and it is unbelievably hot here, even in the early morning, I often run in the dark. Now I will also be riding in the dark.
Don't judge. My bike is awesome. It's also super reflective now. I stuck strips on the basket, the back of the seat, and on the sides of the bike as well. If a car is coming, it will see me.
A little bit of trivia: I borrowed a bike from a friend for my duathlon a few years back. It had a wobbly wheel, which someone pointed out to me at mile 9 of 10. He also pointed out that knead working twice as hard as necessary, because the wheel as rubbing. Little old ladies on cruisers were passing me. In honor of those badass ladies, I'll be riding my cruiser at Rambling Rose.
You can also put Brilliant Reflective on any gear you use at night, like water bottles and helmets.
Want to try some out? Go to Brilliant Reflective and use the code BRP35 for 35% off!
Ok, now for some training updates, which will undoubtedly feature Brilliant Reflective on my shirts!
Thursday: 4.1 miles of running and walking. We had a new runner and she was feeling a little tired after 2 miles so we walked it in. It was also Virtual Race day so I dressed appropriately.
Friday: walked a bit for a streaking challenge. I've got over 30 days where I walked or ran at least a mile a day
Saturday: 10 long miles. It was swampy out there! I ran a couple miles before our official group run, 4 with the group, and then 4 more after. It was torture.
Sunday I mostly recovered from Saturday, walked a mile.
Monday I was going to go to 9 Round. It's been a month since I've gone. I chickened out and walked a mile instead. It's totally the same.
Tuesday, track workout. 3 miles with my group and 2 on my own.
Wednesday was Drills and Thrills with MDA Team Momentum. They send us a torture session.... um.... workout.... and we do it. I started with a 30 minute ride, then ran 2.8 miles with drills every half mile. My legs hurt.
I started that ride in the dark, so I'm glad that I put those reflective strips on there!
What was your toughest workout last week?
posted from Bloggeroid
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Moonlight Bootlegger 5k Trail Race
Wow, is that race name accurate!
I was running it with some of my friends from Run For Your Life, the store I coach for. We met up at the park at around 7:45. PM. At night.
The course would run through Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill, SC.... just about 20 minutes away. They had it lit up with electric tea lights, and used glow sticks to mark stumps. etc that we should avoid.
The race started at 9, and while it was somewhat light out and kind of breezy, as soon as we entered the trail it got pitch black and the breeze was gone. Luckily we had our headlamps on, as required by the race director.
The scenery was amazing, even in the dark. The course was super well marked, and each mile was marked by a battery powered speaker playing songs by Johnny Cash, and other country music. The start and finish had a live band playing Bluegrass.
The finish line was pretty well lit up, and a super helpful young man was handing out water bottles as you crossed. We wanted our moonshine so we made a beeline for it...
The mason jars were our bling....
The lemonade one was pretty good, but the punch was even better. There was also popcorn and pretzels at the finish, and plenty of picnic tables to sit down at.
One of our friends got 3rd in his AG and the prize was a lantern with a lit candle in it. It was gorgeous. The shirts were also awesome, and they women's cut which is always a nice bonus. Super cute and really comfy. It's gonna be in my drawer for a long time before it heads to the quilt pile!
Definitely a race I will go back to. My finish time wasn't spectacular but it was 5 minutes faster than the one I did in January. In the daylight. I will have to work harder at that January race in 2018!
Have you ever run a trail race at night?
I was running it with some of my friends from Run For Your Life, the store I coach for. We met up at the park at around 7:45. PM. At night.
The course would run through Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill, SC.... just about 20 minutes away. They had it lit up with electric tea lights, and used glow sticks to mark stumps. etc that we should avoid.
The race started at 9, and while it was somewhat light out and kind of breezy, as soon as we entered the trail it got pitch black and the breeze was gone. Luckily we had our headlamps on, as required by the race director.
The scenery was amazing, even in the dark. The course was super well marked, and each mile was marked by a battery powered speaker playing songs by Johnny Cash, and other country music. The start and finish had a live band playing Bluegrass.
The finish line was pretty well lit up, and a super helpful young man was handing out water bottles as you crossed. We wanted our moonshine so we made a beeline for it...
The mason jars were our bling....
The lemonade one was pretty good, but the punch was even better. There was also popcorn and pretzels at the finish, and plenty of picnic tables to sit down at.
One of our friends got 3rd in his AG and the prize was a lantern with a lit candle in it. It was gorgeous. The shirts were also awesome, and they women's cut which is always a nice bonus. Super cute and really comfy. It's gonna be in my drawer for a long time before it heads to the quilt pile!
Definitely a race I will go back to. My finish time wasn't spectacular but it was 5 minutes faster than the one I did in January. In the daylight. I will have to work harder at that January race in 2018!
Have you ever run a trail race at night?
posted from Bloggeroid
Friday, June 23, 2017
Smell Well #Giveaway No More Stinky Summer Feet!
I received 2 sets of Smell Well Pouches as a BibRave Pro (Ambassador) for the purposes of this review and giveaway! Check out BibRave.com to read and write race reviews!
.
I will announce the winner on July 1.
What pattern would you pick if you had a choice? Where will you put them if you win?
Don't want to wait for the winner? Check them out at Amazon and use the code BIBPRO10 to get one pair free when you buy 2!
If you read the blog, then you know I am obsessed with Smell Well! I have been using Smell Well for a few months now, and I cannot get enough. When I was given the chance to host a giveaway, I couldn't raise my hand fast enough!
Smell Well keeps your kicks fresh and prevents bacteria from growing. They say it works for up to 3 months but I think it has been longer and my original set is still going strong! They are all natural and non toxic, so don't stress if your pup picks one up. Well, maybe stress a little, you don't want dog germs on your Smell Wells!
How do I use Smell Well?
Well, as you can see in the pic above, I just popped 2 into my running bag. That is the bag I take to group runs 3 days a week, and it is starting to get a little ripe in this SC heat!
In my boxing gloves. They get so sweaty and nasty, so I just pop one in each glove when I'm not using them. They smell fresh and clean all the time!
I pop one in each shoe. When I am running, I leave them on the table in the front hallway where I keep my car keys. When I get home and throw my keys in the bowl on the table, I pick up my Smell Wells and put them back in my shoes.
Want to win your own Smell Wells? I have a pair of black and blue Zebra Print, as shown in the pic at the top of this post with your name on it! How do you win? Check out the Rafflecopter below...
I will announce the winner on July 1.
What pattern would you pick if you had a choice? Where will you put them if you win?
Don't want to wait for the winner? Check them out at Amazon and use the code BIBPRO10 to get one pair free when you buy 2!
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Marathon Training with 2 Toms Foot Shield
I received 2 Toms Foot Shield as a Bib Rave Pro (Ambassador) for the purposes of this review. Check out BibRave.com to read and write race reviews.
Marathon Training is rough on your feet. This should come as no surprise, but I'm just putting it out there. You end up with blisters, rough skin, and let's not even talk about the stink. I live in the South y'all and if the heat doesn't kill you, the humidity will!
Everyone has their favorite ways of preventing blisters, but what if your cure could also help with that very special stank that comes with long runs?
I tried Foot Shield for the first time during Ragnar. (blogger fail, no pics) I know, I know, don't try something new during a race. BUT. I have this spot between my big toe and the next toe that just rubs and rubs on my longer runs. I have a blistery callousy spot there, and nothing seems to help. It doesn't hurt, except when I run more than 4 miles. Then the rubbing starts. Ugh.
So I tried Foot Shield and there was no rubbing. No discomfort. No smell, either, although it didn't seem as important at the time.
It's my new best friend now. I use Foot Shield before every run. I even have a little routine going.
1. Grab my shoes, socks, and phone, plus Foot Shield, and park my butt on the stairs.
2. Shake the bottle and then apply to my feet and between my toes. It.smells.so.good.
3. Check Facebook. Granted, it's 5 am and not much is going on, but Foot Shield needs to dry. It doesn't take long.
4. Put on my socks and shoes, and continue on my merry way. Well, as merry as one can be at 5 am.
So Easy!
2 Toms contains a natural antifungal, reduces and prevents sweaty feet, bacteria growth, athletes foot, blisters, and stinky shoes. Winning! It smells nice and fresh as well, not overpowering at all.
The folks at 2 Toms have given us a discount code to share. Use the code 2Toms20 for 20% off until September 30th!
Tell me what you think of it, I know you will love it as much as I do.
Have you ever tried something new at a race?
Marathon Training is rough on your feet. This should come as no surprise, but I'm just putting it out there. You end up with blisters, rough skin, and let's not even talk about the stink. I live in the South y'all and if the heat doesn't kill you, the humidity will!
Everyone has their favorite ways of preventing blisters, but what if your cure could also help with that very special stank that comes with long runs?
I tried Foot Shield for the first time during Ragnar. (blogger fail, no pics) I know, I know, don't try something new during a race. BUT. I have this spot between my big toe and the next toe that just rubs and rubs on my longer runs. I have a blistery callousy spot there, and nothing seems to help. It doesn't hurt, except when I run more than 4 miles. Then the rubbing starts. Ugh.
So I tried Foot Shield and there was no rubbing. No discomfort. No smell, either, although it didn't seem as important at the time.
It's my new best friend now. I use Foot Shield before every run. I even have a little routine going.
1. Grab my shoes, socks, and phone, plus Foot Shield, and park my butt on the stairs.
2. Shake the bottle and then apply to my feet and between my toes. It.smells.so.good.
3. Check Facebook. Granted, it's 5 am and not much is going on, but Foot Shield needs to dry. It doesn't take long.
4. Put on my socks and shoes, and continue on my merry way. Well, as merry as one can be at 5 am.
So Easy!
2 Toms contains a natural antifungal, reduces and prevents sweaty feet, bacteria growth, athletes foot, blisters, and stinky shoes. Winning! It smells nice and fresh as well, not overpowering at all.
The folks at 2 Toms have given us a discount code to share. Use the code 2Toms20 for 20% off until September 30th!
Tell me what you think of it, I know you will love it as much as I do.
Have you ever tried something new at a race?
posted from Bloggeroid
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Friday, June 9, 2017
Ragnar Pennsylvania Continued....
A long race weekend deserves several posts, don't you think?
After Van 1, my van, finished their first round, it was time to shop. There was a Merch tent set up at the first Van exchange. We also took some pics with Van 2 since we rarely get to see them!
On to lunch! It was a thrill to get out of that van, and we were all giddy about the real food. We went to a Ruby Tuesday and charged our electronics and enjoyed some real food, with actual vegetables.
After that we had to zip over to the next van exchange so that we could rest a bit before it was time to start again. These legs would be done at night, and they were mostly short legs. Mine was 3.5 miles and many of the others were similar.
My leg began at a satellite campus for Penn State. It started out on a road and then turned down a dirt path that ran along a river. It was very pretty and very dark. It was also just a little terrifying. There was a story about a woman being attacked during a Ragnar event a few weeks back and it was definitely on my mind.
After the dirt path we turned onto a highway, which made me feel so much better. For about 5 minutes. Then we were back on a side road running through pitch black neighborhoods. Don't get me wrong, I never truly felt unsafe, it was just mega creepy.
The leg ended uphill, of course, at a church. The volunteers were all lovely, and I gladly passed the slap bracelet on to Tim!
After Morgan finished her leg, we passed the bracelet on to Van 2 and made our way to the exchange and some real buildings to sleep in.....
Actually that's not what happened. When we got there, the building was closed. No real school floor to sleep on (there were rumors of cots, too), no real bathrooms to pee in. No bathrooms of any kind at all.
We slept in the van. We peed in the woods. Two of our teammates slept on the grass outside the tent, Morgan slept on the van floor, and the rest of us slept on the seats. It was ugly. We got 3 hours of sleep. Tops. Probably closer to 2.
At around 4 am it started raining. Erica and Tim came in from their outdoor sleeping area and we all started packing up. It was almost time to meet up with Van 2, so figured out how to get to the exchange and waited for them in the Van. Van 2 got to sleep in the school. And pee in real bathrooms. I'm not bitter. Much.
While we waited for our first runner to finish, we found a real bathroom and they had a fire pit going, and I believe they were serving coffee. Erica, our team captain, got a text saying there was a bear sighting on leg 3. Runners of leg 3 were allowed to skip the leg if they chose, with no penalty. Darlene decided to run and we followed along as much as we could. She kicked butt and then it was my turn.
This was, by far, my favorite leg. It was the longest, the hardest, and the prettiest. It was an 8 mile leg that started just as the rain stopped, and brought me through some very pretty roads.... and then down some very muddy dirt roads.
These little guys were at the bottom of one of those dirt roads. It was a steep, muddy, hole filled road, but at the bottom was an actual road where I got to see Santa Claus. For real, y'all. He was cheering runners from the back of his every day car, with Mrs Claus and their dogs. He was incognito, though. No fancy red suit on this guy.
Soon after seeing Santa, I came upon my spirit animal.
They were all over the shoulder of the road for about a half mile. At first I thought it was cute, but then I was stressed because some were squished! I starting walking very carefully so I wouldn't commit Snailicide. It's very real. I was also trying to simultaneously post a pic of said snail to Facebook. This is why I didn't see this guy right away....
Holy heck!
It surprised me so much that I almost didn't realize it was dead. The runner behind me leaped over it, thinking it was alive as well. Crazy! A member of van 2 saw a rattlesnake and Morgan saw a brightly colored one on her last leg. Hers was dead but I think the rattler was alive! Yikes!
Back to the dirt roads. I was ok with it since it was around mile 6 by now. It was super steep though and it really slowed me down. It was getting hot as well. I finally finished, and Tim started his final leg. While we were getting situated, an official came over and told us that we needed to finish by 8. No way that was happening so they said all of our runners could start their legs simultaneously, so that we could finish on time.
This took some serious wrangling.
I waited for Morgan to finish her leg, which Tim started, since Morgan hurt her ankle in her first leg...
Our Van helped drive Van 2 runners around and we cheered them on instead of eating or resting. We were starving. And tired.
Once all of their runners were running and we picked up Wendy from her last leg, we headed to the finish. There was free pizza, which was cold, but still food. They also had an overpriced food stand, which we bought from so that we wouldn't starve.
After about an hour of waiting, which was glorious, our last runner was approaching.
We all got to run through the finisher chute together. It was pretty emotional. A lot of teams were finishing at once, so we waited on line for our medals, car decals, and photo op...
After the official photo, we grabbed some strangers to help us with the fun photo....
Whew! We did it. We all ran our legs, incurred no infractions, and had an amazing time. Now we just needed dinner, the hot tub, and a bed.
Would I do it again? Hell yeah! We are already planning Cape Cod 2018.... We just gotta win the Ragnar Lottery!
Have you ever done Ragnar?
After Van 1, my van, finished their first round, it was time to shop. There was a Merch tent set up at the first Van exchange. We also took some pics with Van 2 since we rarely get to see them!
On to lunch! It was a thrill to get out of that van, and we were all giddy about the real food. We went to a Ruby Tuesday and charged our electronics and enjoyed some real food, with actual vegetables.
After that we had to zip over to the next van exchange so that we could rest a bit before it was time to start again. These legs would be done at night, and they were mostly short legs. Mine was 3.5 miles and many of the others were similar.
My leg began at a satellite campus for Penn State. It started out on a road and then turned down a dirt path that ran along a river. It was very pretty and very dark. It was also just a little terrifying. There was a story about a woman being attacked during a Ragnar event a few weeks back and it was definitely on my mind.
After the dirt path we turned onto a highway, which made me feel so much better. For about 5 minutes. Then we were back on a side road running through pitch black neighborhoods. Don't get me wrong, I never truly felt unsafe, it was just mega creepy.
The leg ended uphill, of course, at a church. The volunteers were all lovely, and I gladly passed the slap bracelet on to Tim!
After Morgan finished her leg, we passed the bracelet on to Van 2 and made our way to the exchange and some real buildings to sleep in.....
Actually that's not what happened. When we got there, the building was closed. No real school floor to sleep on (there were rumors of cots, too), no real bathrooms to pee in. No bathrooms of any kind at all.
We slept in the van. We peed in the woods. Two of our teammates slept on the grass outside the tent, Morgan slept on the van floor, and the rest of us slept on the seats. It was ugly. We got 3 hours of sleep. Tops. Probably closer to 2.
At around 4 am it started raining. Erica and Tim came in from their outdoor sleeping area and we all started packing up. It was almost time to meet up with Van 2, so figured out how to get to the exchange and waited for them in the Van. Van 2 got to sleep in the school. And pee in real bathrooms. I'm not bitter. Much.
While we waited for our first runner to finish, we found a real bathroom and they had a fire pit going, and I believe they were serving coffee. Erica, our team captain, got a text saying there was a bear sighting on leg 3. Runners of leg 3 were allowed to skip the leg if they chose, with no penalty. Darlene decided to run and we followed along as much as we could. She kicked butt and then it was my turn.
This was, by far, my favorite leg. It was the longest, the hardest, and the prettiest. It was an 8 mile leg that started just as the rain stopped, and brought me through some very pretty roads.... and then down some very muddy dirt roads.
These little guys were at the bottom of one of those dirt roads. It was a steep, muddy, hole filled road, but at the bottom was an actual road where I got to see Santa Claus. For real, y'all. He was cheering runners from the back of his every day car, with Mrs Claus and their dogs. He was incognito, though. No fancy red suit on this guy.
Soon after seeing Santa, I came upon my spirit animal.
They were all over the shoulder of the road for about a half mile. At first I thought it was cute, but then I was stressed because some were squished! I starting walking very carefully so I wouldn't commit Snailicide. It's very real. I was also trying to simultaneously post a pic of said snail to Facebook. This is why I didn't see this guy right away....
Holy heck!
It surprised me so much that I almost didn't realize it was dead. The runner behind me leaped over it, thinking it was alive as well. Crazy! A member of van 2 saw a rattlesnake and Morgan saw a brightly colored one on her last leg. Hers was dead but I think the rattler was alive! Yikes!
Back to the dirt roads. I was ok with it since it was around mile 6 by now. It was super steep though and it really slowed me down. It was getting hot as well. I finally finished, and Tim started his final leg. While we were getting situated, an official came over and told us that we needed to finish by 8. No way that was happening so they said all of our runners could start their legs simultaneously, so that we could finish on time.
This took some serious wrangling.
I waited for Morgan to finish her leg, which Tim started, since Morgan hurt her ankle in her first leg...
Our Van helped drive Van 2 runners around and we cheered them on instead of eating or resting. We were starving. And tired.
Once all of their runners were running and we picked up Wendy from her last leg, we headed to the finish. There was free pizza, which was cold, but still food. They also had an overpriced food stand, which we bought from so that we wouldn't starve.
After about an hour of waiting, which was glorious, our last runner was approaching.
We all got to run through the finisher chute together. It was pretty emotional. A lot of teams were finishing at once, so we waited on line for our medals, car decals, and photo op...
After the official photo, we grabbed some strangers to help us with the fun photo....
Whew! We did it. We all ran our legs, incurred no infractions, and had an amazing time. Now we just needed dinner, the hot tub, and a bed.
Would I do it again? Hell yeah! We are already planning Cape Cod 2018.... We just gotta win the Ragnar Lottery!
Have you ever done Ragnar?
posted from Bloggeroid
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
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