France2 Sunglasses by XX2i Optics

***I received a pair of France2 sunglasses from XX2i as a BibRave Pro. Check out BibRave.com to review or learn about your next race!***

Do you run with sunglasses on? I used to, almost every run, with a headband to keep my hair out of my face. Inevitably, they would get scratched up (I'm a hot mess with sunglasses, and they always seem to scratch right in the middle of the lens), or they would constantly slide off, or the arms would hurt my ears. There was no such thing as the perfect pair.



When I received the France 2 sunglasses, I was cautiously optimistic. My friends were raving about them, but I had some concerns. The old standbys of course, but I was also worried that they wouldn't work well with my earphones, which loop around my ear. I thought for sure they would clash with each other, and a girl needs music when she's running 10+ miles on a Saturday morning!



Of course, I receive the glasses and it's cloudy out. For days. I finally got outside and did some hill work on a nice warm day. I could dispel most of my concerns in one run.

*France 2 sunglasses are pretty hard to scratch. If you manage it (and I haven't yet so I have hope for all) they have a lifetime warranty!
*They just don't slip. They stayed right where I put them. One morning I ran 4 miles with them on the top of my head and 4 miles wearing them on my face and they stayed put the whole time.
*They didn't interfere with my headphones at all. They also didn't leave a huge dent in my head, which is always a plus.
*They don't fog up!
*They come with a hard case, a soft carrying bag that doubles as a cleaning cloth, adjustable temple tips and nose pads, and you can also get interchangeable lenses.



They come in some fun, bright colors, as well as black or white. Check out the website for their other products as well. They have so many varieties of sunglasses, as well as kits with spare lenses, and glasses for other sports as well.



I'm slightly addicted now, my poor trucker hats and visors are going to gather up some dust, since I'll be sporting these shades on a lot of my morning runs! It gets pretty sunny here in the South, and now that I have glasses that won't slip off when my nose gets sweaty, I'm excited to wear them.

Do you have a favorite pair of sunglasses? I highly suggest hopping over to XX2i, and getting 30% off your first order! The discount pops up when you go their website!

posted from Bloggeroid

Thursday Training Update, #RnRNashville Edition

I received an entry into Rock n Roll Nashville as a BibRave Pro, check out BibRave.com to review and check out races!



I've been trying to add in more yoga this week, and tonight is my first time hosting yoga at my house. We are going to use Yoga with Adriene on You Tube, and I'm super excited to be sharing her videos with my friends and neighbors. What a fun way to have a yoga class for free!

Ok, so let's look at last week's workouts!

Thursday: our running group did a Celebration Run. It's an easy run that precedes race day. Many of us were running Corporate Cup or Myrtle Beach. We ran 2.6 mostly flat miles. It was glorious.



Friday was a rest day. I knew that the Race was going to be super hilly and I was resting my legs.

Saturday was race day! I wrote my review already, so you might already know that I beat last year's best half marathon time. I was really surprised because this was a hilly race, and last year, my best time was at a flat race.



Sunday was a rest day. All day. My legs were so tired and my calves were weak from those hills.

Monday I walked at Girls on the Run. Nothing too crazy, I still had tired legs.

Tuesday was our group track workout. Since many of the runners were still recuperating from a race weekend, we kept it low key. I ended up completing 3.66 very easy miles, we ran 1.5, walked a mile or so, and ran the last mile.



Wednesday was International Women's Day! I did a kickboxing workout and some recovery yoga. At Girls on the Run, I did the warm-up and cool down with the girls, but no walking.



I'm starting to get excited about Nashville. We are thinking of staying an extra day so that we can see more of the city before we have to leave! Last year we left right after the Race!
Want to join me? Use the discount code BIBRAVE15 for $15 off at RunRocknRoll.com

What was your favorite workout this week?

posted from Bloggeroid

Wordless Wednesday National Women's Day

posted from Bloggeroid

Corporate Cup Half Marathon

Yesterday I ran the Corporate Cup Half Marathon, which took place in Charlotte. I was a little worried about the hills, I'm not gonna lie. Charlotte is a very hilly city and I was told that this race was particularly hilly!
Packet pickup was at two locations prior to the race, at the YMCA, which was an hour away, or the Midtown location of Run For Your Life, which was 40 minutes away and easier to get to. I went with RFYL, even though the parking lot is bizarre and hard to drive through.
Pick up was super easy, I was in and out in 5 minutes.



Saturday morning I woke up early, I definitely suffered from race sleep, but I got in some good sleep the few nights before so I wasn't feeling groggy. The hubs and I headed out to Charlotte and had no problems getting into the parking garage. Smooth sailing!
I met up with my running club at the pre race expo which was, thankfully, inside! It was only 28 degrees out so I was glad to be able to hang inside until the race started.



I also met up with Christie, who is one of the awesome ladies I coach. She was running the 5k and came early for the group photo. Christie PRd at the 5k, I'm so proud of her!



Before long it was time to start. The course was indeed very hilly, right from the start. I forgot my Garmin, so I was using my Fitbit Blaze. It did the job very nicely, although I really missed my Garmin!
I was definitely at the back of the pack. The first two miles I had very tight shins, so I was afraid of falling behind. Before I even hit mile one, the pace car was in front of me. My first mile was under 13 minutes, and we were supposed to have 13:45 per mile, so this aggravated me. I passed him by mile 2 and never saw him again.
I ran with a few ladies for a little while at a time, but I promised myself not to pick up any strays and run my own race. This is a bad habit of mine, I will start running with someone who is worried about their pace and when they fall behind, I slow down and run with them. This is ok when it's a friend, but I decided not to do this for strangers.
My race. My pace.



The police presence was on point. We ran through some very heavy traffic but only once did I feel like I might get hit. This one cop was on his cell phone and didn't see the car turn towards us. We were in a neighborhood where there were cars parked in the street and this old dude decided he didn't care about runners, he was gonna plow down that road no matter what. Thanks old dude.



We also ran through some school areas, and there were plenty of areas with parks and trees which was a nice change from the city buildings. I recognized parts at the beginning and end, but most of the middle miles were through new territory for me.



Soon we were heading back into the city and familiar territory. Around mile 11, a guy passed me and reminded that the last 2 miles are uphill. Yay.
He wasn't wrong! Most of the last two miles are uphill, although there were some breaks. The course was also long, so I hit 13.1 almost a quarter mile before I finished.
This was about the time I got a message from Christie, who was wondering if she missed me finish. I told her I was almost there, and when I turned the corner, there she was. She was waiting for me, along with Sara, another coach from our club. They ran me in, which was so much fun, and I got my bling.



Christie gave me a Kind bar, and there were some people there from Natalie's, a local juice company. I grabbed orange juice and lemonade. I never saw any food, or any water either, but it's possible I just missed it. They were packing up the finish, and people were still behind me. I hit 13.1 at 2:51:17 and crossed the finish in 2:54, so they should not have been packing up. I still had 6 more minutes. Ten people finished behind me.
The hubs actually went to the finish, but since he told me he was staying in the warm car, I didn't look for him and he never saw me finish. ooooops.

I might run this race again someday, but apparently Myrtle Beach is usually the same day, and it's flat, so I'm thinking of running that next year. Time will tell!



I may have celebrated with some chocolate last night, we went out with friends and all shared. What was I celebrating? Finishing my 48th half marathon, and beating last year's best time, and annihilating last year's best hilly race time as well!

Did you race this weekend?

posted from Bloggeroid

Flat Mama Friday

I haven't had a Flat Mama since last month when I ran the Big Game Four Miler. This race will be just as cold, maybe colder! I will be running my 48th half marathon, the BB&T Corporate Cup in Charlotte. Many of the runners in my running club will be there, so it should be a fun event!





I hope I'm going to be warm enough. I hate running with gloves, and I might ditch them. I look forward to warmer weather!

posted from Bloggeroid

Thursday Training Update

Spring has really sprung here in the south, complete with warm days and thunder storms. Luckily, none of them have happened during a run!
Wednesday I did 30 minutes of yoga and 26 minutes of Core de Force. Felt great until the next day, and my arms were soooo achey.



Thursday was our group run, 4 easy miles because my running buddy was having tummy trouble.

Friday was Weight Watchers and a rest day.



Saturday was long run day. My group did 10 miles, I was so proud! They get faster each week!



Sunday we walked the pups for 2 miles and then took a bike ride. Very hilly, very long bike ride.





Monday I did yoga and walked at Girls on the Run.

Tuesday I ran 4 miles and did a little bit of yoga. I hit 68.5 for the month.



Wednesday I was feeling lazy, so I forced myself to get out there and hike 4 miles, plus a little yoga after, and a 1.5 mile walk during Girls on the Run.



Nothing too crazy, I'm really loving Yoga with Adriene, especially since Amazon Fire lets me watch it on my TV! I love technology!

I have the Corporate Cup in Charlotte on Saturday, a half marathon. Are you racing this weekend?

posted from Bloggeroid

Wordless Wednesday

posted from Bloggeroid