Hot Chocolate Atlanta Training Update

I was given entry into the Hot Chocolate Atlanta 15k as part of being a BibRave Pro. Check out BibRave.com to read and write race reviews!

Let the countdown begin! Saturday morning, after I coach at Run For Your Life, my fellow BibRave Pro, Lissa, and I will be hitting the road and road tripping it to Atlanta for the Hot Chocolate 15k. It looks like the weather will be perfect.... for a15k that gives you Hot Chocolate at the end!



I was a little concerned about this race after my injury in December, but training has been going really well! I actually did 11 miles on Saturday and lived to tell the tale! 9.3 chocolate filled miles should be no problem!

Let's look at this past week's workouts...

Monday I did a crap load of squats and walked about 5 miles. Nothing too crazy, just wanted to keep moving.



Tuesday I coached, and we ran 2.62 miles. Normally I like nice round numbers but that was just too awesome. The whole drive home I beat myself up about not doing the 4 miles I had planned, so I got out of the car and ran 1.4 more in the neighborhood.





Wednesday I did Day 3 of 80 Day Obsession. At this rate, it will take me about 240 days, but whatever. I'm getting it done.



Thursday I coached again, fartleks this time. It was not my regular crew, so my pace was a little faster.



Oh, I stopped my watch at one point by mistake...



Friday was a rest day. I basically ran all over the place, checking out my water duty location for Saturday, picking up my bib for Saturday afternoon's race grocery shopping...



Saturday was coaching first. We did 6 miles, which was a distance PR for one of my runners. Well, she stopped at 5.3, but it was still a PR. A few of us finished out the 6.



My second run was the CRC Winter Classic 8k. It was a beautiful trail race that kicked my out of shape butt.



Check out those splits, though. Slow... yes... but I wasn't last, and those splits are awesomely negative, once I warmed up!



I'm so mad, though. I meant to check the time on my only other 8k trail race and forgot. I was 15 seconds or so too slow, and I totally could have skipped a walk break and beat that time! So frustrating.

Sunday was yoga with my girls to stretch everything out. My body hurt, y'all. Taking 5 weeks off to heal is smart, but it also comes with a price!

In any case, I'm ready for 9.3 miles. They might be slow, but I don't care! I'm back out there and I'm pain free!



Have you run a Hot Chocolate race?

Flat Mama Friday, Double Run Edition

Ragnarians often do double runs in training. Usually, you do one in the morning and one at night. Tomorrow will be a double run day, but not the usual kind.



First, I'll be coaching. It's a long run day, but I have some new runners and we will be doing 6 miles in the morning. It should be about 40ish, so I'll wear tights and a long sleeved shirt. I'm hoping the new maroon one will be out of the wash in time, otherwise I'll wear the blue.



At 2 pm I'll be racing. It will be in the 60s at race time! Southern living, y'all! There is an 8k trail race called the Winter Classic in Charlotte, and I've never done a trail race that long so it should be interesting.



I'm loving the long sleeved hoodie!



I'm also loving my poop emoji Bib Boards, but I'm childish like that!

What do you use to keep your bib in place? Be on the lookout for my review soon, tomorrow is my first time using them, and I have a couple more races coming up before I write my review!

Active Family with Stinky Clothes? SweatX to the Rescue!

I received SweatX laundry detergent and Odor Eliminator Spray as part of being a BibRave Pro. Check out BibRave.com to read and write race reviews.

I have an active family, as I'm sure most people do! My son loves muddin in his jeep, cycling on the trails, skateboarding, and dirt biking.
The hubs dirt bikes, and that's pretty much it's unless I drag him on a run or a trail hike.
Add in my running, yoga, etc and we have a pretty large amount of stinky laundry.


When I was given the opportunity to try out SweatX I jumped right on it. I'm sure you have all experienced some of the things that make SweatX important.

Running a race, even a local one, and changing afterwards. You shove all your sweaty stinky running clothes into the drop bag and throw it in the car. And then you forget about it. Oh.my.heck. What a special smell it is when you remember it the next day. You wash it, and you think it's clean, until you wear it again. As soon as you start the sweat, the smell comes back in force. Gross.

Racecations are worse. You stay in a hotel, with no access to a washing machine, and your clothes get washed 3 days later.

The hubs is infamous for coming home with 2 day old, muddy, nasty, stanky clothes from dirt bike events.

And then there are the times you leave your favorite hat in your duffle bag, and when you go to wear it, it stinks. You don't have time to wash it, but you do have time to spray it...

SweatX exfoliates stains and infested sweat that comes back to haunt you the next time you wear it. It's biodegradable and non toxic, and can be used on all fabrics! I can use it in my high energy washer and it only takes a little to do a load, which I love! One ounce is enough for a whole load!

The Odor Eliminator Spray removes odors from all of your stinkiest sports gear, from pads to shoes to helmets, and more! It doesn't just hide the smell, it provides long lasting odor elimination. It's biodegradable and non toxic! Just spray it on, let it dry, and go!

You need to check out their website here for all of their amazing products! They have free shipping in January and if you use the code BibRave15 you'll get 15% off! What a great deal!





Which product will you try first?

Ragnar Training Update

My first Ragnar of the year is 60 days away! I will be running with my peeps from From Fat To Finish Line, and I've dragged my friend Susan along for the ride!



I printed out the training plan awhile back for my April Ragnar with Skirt Sports, Ragnar Trail Georgia. I'm mostly following that and will add in some days where I run in the morning and at night.



I've been making sure I get in at least 30 minutes of exercise every day this month, as part of the Ragnar Challenge!



Let's look at last week's workouts!

Monday I hit the gym in my development and did 40 minutes on the elliptical and 20 on the stationary bike.



Tuesday was coaching, we did 2.4 miles and it was in the 20s so we stopped there. I have all new runners this season, so I don't want any to get scared away!



Wednesday I did 30 minutes of yoga, 20 minutes of walking, and squats.



Thursday I was stuck inside again because of icy conditions after Wednesday's snow. I did day 1 of 80 Day Obsession and a quick yoga stretch class from BOD.

Friday was day 2 of 80 Day Obsession, Booty workout. Big mistake. Also 30 minutes of yoga.





Saturday was long run day. I'm still easing in so it was actually 4 miles of hills. This is what I meant by big mistake. Holy heck, my butt hurt!



Sunday was mostly a rest day. I walked for about 40 minutes and did some squats while I watched football.



I'm hosting a Super Bowl Squares Fundraiser if anyone wants to participate, for Muscular Dystrophy. $5 per square, half going to MDA, and half going towards the winners. Who wants in? Some squares are already taken, they are marked in red if I haven't received a donation yet, black if I have. All red squares will be erased on the morning of the Super Bowl, and made available to anyone who donates that day. All donations must be received before kickoff.

Who are you rooting for in the Super Bowl? I always go NFC, if I can help it, so I guess I'm rooting for the Eagles.

Wordless Wednesday Snow Day Edition

Rock n Roll New Orleans, Mardi Gras Style

I was given an entry into the Rock n Roll New Orleans half marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Check out BibRave.com to read and write race reviews!




New Orleans has always been a bucket list race for me. The hubs took me and the kids there a few years back, and we had a great time. My son wasn't a total fan, he was too young, so we had to change our plans up a bit. I would love to go back and explore again, without worrying about what my kids will be worried about. Make sense? Yikes!

I also tried running while I was there, but I didn't know the area and didn't want to run alone!

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of the Rock n Roll Race series. I was a Rock n Blogger before I hooked up with Bib Rave, and I was running their races even before that!



It's a great way to run with friends, or meet up with new friends from around the country!



The Expo is insane, and the swag is always amazing!



I've had so much fun at each and every one, and always look forward to the next event!

Race day fits really well into my training schedule for my first 50k, so it's a total win win.

I've been giving a lot of thought into what I will wear. Until I know the weather, I won't be able to choose my running skirt (obviously Skirt Sports, but which one? I sense a vote in the future!) And of course I will sport my BibRave shirt. How to make my outfit more New Orleans appropriate?



I ordered this amazing mask from Amazon today. I haven't booked a flight or made hotel reservations, but I have this mask on its way! I made sure to get one that wasn't too expensive, so that if I get annoyed I can chuck it without reservation.

Any other suggestions?

Have you ever run New Orleans?

Are You on Athlinks? (You Should Be!)

I'm writing this post as a BibRave Pro. Check out BibRave.com to read and write race reviews!

If you have run a bunch of races, chances are good that you've heard of Athlinks.



Yes, I have too many apps on my phone.
But I digress.
Athlinks has been around for a very long time! I have been a member for quite a few years, it's a great way to keep track of your race times!



As the years have gone by, they have added so many new features. You can follow people, and you can even add people as rivals! So much fun to see how many times you have beat each other at a race!



Another newer feature is adding future races so that you can see who else is running with you!



Have an open weekend on your calendar? You can see which races are coming up near you!



You can also check out your latest results.



I did notice that it was easier to claim past results online instead of using the app. My app said I had none, but the website found 40! Of course, it could just be my phone! I had no problem doing anything else with the app. I added friends, found future races, etc, with ease.

I'm having way too much fun with this app! Check it out, and add me!

Are you on Athlinks? Would we be friends... or rivals?

Thursday Training Update

Y'all, I'm so excited to be writing these again! After a little over a month off, I will be running again on Saturday! O.m.g.

Anyway, here is my little itty bitty training update for last week.

Thursday: we drove to Disney, in the horrible aftermath of a snow storm that the south wasn't ready for. But first, I did my box jumps.



Friday we hit the parks and the expo. I had a crap ton of steps.



Saturday I spectated the half marathon. It was exhausting. I had so many steps and I ran around all day!



Sunday we spectated the Full Marathon. Another crazy day that started with a lot of standing and ended with a lot of walking around EPCOT!



Monday we drove home, so the only exercise I got was my strength exercises! I did manage to earn my first stop in Coach Jenny's National Parks Challenge though!



Tuesday, I did my box jumps and some walking.



Yesterday I did my strength exercises plus a 4 mile walk. No pain!



I'm hoping to really get back into it now, and hopefully my PT will be on board with it! I'm so looking forward to Saturday!

What's the longest you've been out with an injury?