Trenton Half Marathon Expo and My Race Ragz Review and Giveaway!

This year I will be returning to Trenton to run the Half Marathon! I am so excited, because last year was the inaugural race, and I look forward to seeing the improvements that they made!  Last year I ran the 10K and instantly regretted not signing up for the Half!

This year, I have been an Ambassador for the race, so you may have read a post or three or maybe you saw one of the 500 pictures I posted on Twitter and Instagram! I love this race!
It is starts and ends at the Trenton Thunder baseball field, and you finish on home plate. For real. I LOVE that! You also get to run over the Trenton Makes bridge and through the streets of Trenton, past the State Buildings. I seriously love old buildings!
Anyway, today I made the rainy drive to Trenton, which is just under an hour away, for the Expo. Last year it was very small, but this year looked to be a little larger, so I was looking forward to it. I wasn't really loving the rain, but it is a quick, easy ride, with very few turns, and it went by easily enough!
I parked in the hotel parking garage, ran down the 7 flights of stairs to the lobby, and followed the signs to the Expo.

view from the parking garage

 When I got there, a Church group was getting their marching orders, and within minutes they were cheering and singing to every person who walked in! They were awesome! I hope they are at the race on Saturday, they would be highly motivating! I picked up my bib and jacket, and checked out the tables that were there. It was a small expo, mostly local, with a few merch tables as well. I stopped at the United Way table, because I win a tee from the Virtual Goodie Bag. They also had a dry erase "bib" that you could personalize! SO fun!

After that, I was pretty much done! It took less than 30 minutes, and on the way out the Church group cheered me out the door. They were lined up on both sides, and I danced my way out. It was awesome. I want them to go with me everywhere! I climbed the seven flights of stairs, and headed back home.
I took this pic of the Stadium on my way out, when I was stopped at a light. This is where we start and finish!

So! I wore my My Race Ragz shirt to the expo, and got a lot of compliments on it! One of my Sweat Pink Sisters gave us the opportunity to order one for FREE in exchange for my review!

I love the idea behind My Race Ragz! When you go to the site you can design a shirt of your own (I made one once with my logo and a quote) or you can pick a design that someone else has already done.
I couldn't think of anything that I really wanted on a shirt, so I started trolling through the shirts designed around a marathon. They had a lot of choices, but I settled on….

It looks huge in this picture, but it is a women's medium. It is a short sleeved, V neck tech shirt and it fits perfectly! I will use it while I train for next Fall's Atlantic City Marathon, and I am so excited! Like I said, I wore it to the expo today and it is very comfy! It is also very flattering, I look goooood in this shirt! There are lots of colors, styles, and ideas to choose from, and it is so easy to do!
They have a Facebook page and Twitter so you can check out other people's race shirts, too!

I look awesome in my shirt, and you can look good in a shirt, too! Comment below, telling me what you would get on your shirt, and I will use Random.org to pick a winner! SO easy! I will choose the winner next Friday, November 15th!

What would you get on your race shirt?

Wordless Wednesday…Runner's World edition

I totally stole these from Gigi at Running on Candy….

Tuesday Training, Michelle Bridges Style

Dopey Training Week 18 is in the books, but for the first time, I think, I missed a run. I have been feeling so run down! I hate that feeling, but i know that rest is my friend, and so I rested. A few times. UGH.
The week started off great, with  a 50 minute workout with Michelle Bridges, as part of her 12 Week Body Transformation.  It was an awesome Cardio workout, about 50 minutes long, and it kicked my butt! It was called Earn the Burn, and I think I earned it! I thought I would be advanced, but I dropped down to intermediate for a few exercises and by the end, I was dropping down to beginner for a few as well. Ouch! I also planked and walked a mile.
Tuesday, I ran 3.1 miles and then did the Mish-on Possible workout (I think that's what it was called, it was so tough I have blocked it out!) It was a toning video, using light weights, and it kicked my butt! Lots of squats, and other vicious items to make you sweat and tone. I also planked ;)

Wednesday was a rest day, I planked and that is about it. Thursday was Halloween, and I ran around like a chicken all day, starting to feel run down and miserable. Everything I did wore me out, and by the time Trick or Treaters started coming I was just done! We had over 125,  lots of creative costumes! The teenie also started feeling yucky on Thursday and she missed school on Friday. We watched TV most of the day, a box of tissues was our best friend!

Friday I was still feeling tired, so I planked, and did some crunches. Same for Saturday. Lots of errands on Saturday, which wore me out, so no formal exercise but lots of steps. I also planked and did my crunches. I found an old ab challenge that I am doing to help combat the damage I am doing with my diet. More about that later!

Sunday was the Turkey Tune Up 5K. I also needed to run my 10 miles for the Fall 5 and 10 that Mommy Run Fast is hosting. The Virtual event runs from September to December and you run either 5 or 10 miles each month, in one run, before the 5th of the month. Make sense? Like a bonehead, I chose 10 miles. It makes sense, in that I am training for a marathon, and yet it always seems to fall on the worst day! I enlisted my friend Colleen, who is running Dopey with me, and was running the 5K with me, to help me hit the 10. She said she wanted to run 15. Okay. I will run 15, too, I say. You know, because I am not exhausted already, ya know?

So, we run the 5K. I forgot my watch, but Colleen had hers. Good thing, because we started out way too fast, at a 9:30 paces. We never would have made it to the end of 15 miles at that rate! It was also freezing, and I wore the race sweatshirt to race! I never do that, superstitious in that respect, but I did it that morning! We finished around 34 minutes, and hung around to see my little friend R get her trophy. She is 13, and was second female. She is awesome. Then we hung around to see who won the raffle. I won a prize! My teenie was very happy to take the perfume set off my hands!
After a little ore stalling we headed out for the rest of our run. We headed towards my neighborhood so I could ditch the sweatshirt and put on a long sleeved running shirt. Then we crossed one of our bridges, ran through a neighboring town, and over the other bridge. A few laps around a park, a 3 mile ruin through the only hills our town has, and back to our cars. We had to do a few laps around the HS track to hit the mileage, but we finally finished and headed back to our cars.

Not terrible. A nice 13 minute mile average, which is perfect for Dopey. I ached a little afterwards but not too much. We laughed about how tough it is to run that distance in our little town. Our town is only 2.5 square miles, so the long runs get a little hairy.
We ended our day with hibachi! I love hibachi, and the teenie brought her friend K, and Colleen joined us, and we had *the best* chef. He was hysterical, and we laughed the whole time he was cooking!

We also scored a $10 discount when we checked into yelp! Woot!

Not a terrible week, considering I was (and still kind of am) feeling run down. The worst part? I eat terribly when I am sick. Total comfort food, and the Halloween candy didn't help. The kids gave me a bunch of Reese's cups and I inhaled them. Then I won a mason jar full of Hershey nuggets from a local store event, and inhaled them. Then the hubs took em to Crumbs and I ate a cupcake. And then the next day I ate my son's. Are you getting the picture?
I am my own worst enemy when it comes to food. Can I eat well? Yup. Do I choose to?  Rarely. I will do well for a few days and then go nuts for 2 days. UGH.
I have made myself a promise today, that I will buck up and start eating well again. I can't help but wonder if I would feel less run down if I had kept eating well, instead of eating poorly.
This starts week 2 of the Michelle Bridges program and I look forward to my workout tomorrow. To prevent feeling run down all week long, I am not going to do her videos on running days, until I start to perk up a little. I will do her videos on my non-running days instead. I am hoping that this is my body fighting off the cold that we had all week, and not the vomiting that my Wonder Twins and their mom have all been sharing!

Are there any crazy illnesses running rampant through your family right now?

Monday Musings

I have been feeling under the weather all week! I don't know if I am catching a cold or the flu, but everything just wears me out! 

I did manage to get my long run in yesterday, 15 miles with my friend Colleen, which started with the Turkey Tune Up 5k and ended with an additional 12 miles.

We also had a fabulous hibachi night afterwards with the hubs, the teenie, and her friend K.

Today I am resting, since grocery shopping wore me out again! I hope I beat this illness soon, whatever it is! 

Have you ever just felt run down for days?

Swirlgear Tackles Movember!

I am sure everyone has heard of Movember!
For the month of November,  Swirlgear will be donating 10% of all proceeds and sales to us.movember.com and the donations will support world-class men’s health programs that combat prostate and testicular cancer. These programs, directed by the Movember Foundation, are focused on awareness and education, living with and beyond cancer, and research to achieve a vision of an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health. They have even created their own donation page  for just straight donations! You can donate any amount, no donation is too small!

SweatGuru is open for business!

As if the ladies behind Fit Approach and the Sweat Pink Ambassadors aren't awesome enough, they have just launched their brand new site, SweatGuru

Let's start with the awesome ladies, though!

Jamie Walker, CEO and co-founder

Jamie Walker is the CEO and co-founder of SweatGuru where she leads business development

and marketing for the San Francisco-based start-up that will launch in summer of 2013. Jamie

and co-founder, Alyse Mason-Brill, bring more than 15 years of combined technology, marketing,

and entrepreneurial experience to SweatGuru, their second joint venture.

Prior to SweatGuru, Jamie and Alyse have owned and operated Fit Approach, a wildly popular

San Francisco boot camp, blog, and online community whose “Sweat Pink” motto has inspired

more than 5,000 global members and 20,000 monthly visitors to lead healthy lifestyles. Before

she was bit by the start-up bug, Jamie spent seven years in Silicon Valley working in high-tech

corporate communications with enterprise software and consumer technology companies such as

Salesforce.com, Workforce Software, Jigsaw, Blinx and others.

A NASM and Yoga Alliance certified instructor, food-loving vegan and avid ultra marathoner,

Jamie’s passion for health extends into everything she does. She has been featured in Forbes

Woman, Trail Runner Nation, The San Francisco Chronicle, BlogTalk Radio and more. She is a

featured speaker and yoga leader at conferences such as BlogHer, FitBloggin, IDEA World, and

CaptialOne 360 Entrepreneurship classes. She is also an IDEA Fit Inspired Advisor. Jamie holds

a degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Alyse Mason-Brill, CPO and co-founder

Alyse Mason-Brill is CPO and co-founder of SweatGuru. Her background in wellness, technology

and writing have led to her role leading product and operational strategy for the San Franciscobased

start up. SweatGuru will launch in the summer of 2013. Alyse and co-founder Jamie

Walker bring more than 15 years of combined technology, marketing, and entrepreneurial

experience to SweatGuru, their second joint venture.

For the last four years Alyse and Jamie have owned and operated Fit Approach, a wildly popular

San Francisco boot camp, blog, and online health community. Here Alyse has led operations,

product, brand strategy and design, and has built a community of more than 5,000 active

members, 20,000 monthly visitors and 2,000 brand ambassadors who spread the “Sweat Pink”

message globally.

Prior to SweatGuru and Fit Approach, Alyse found her calling in the health world when she

managed operations for HealthWorks, Kaiser Permanente’s workforce wellness offering. For

HealthWorks she developed new CRM systems, analytics tools, and drove marketing campaigns

to onboard some of Kaiser’s most notable corporate customers. Prior to Kaiser she taught writing

at the University of Chicago.

A dancer-turned-yogi, intrepid urban cyclist, and design fetishist, Alyse loves turning big ideas

into reality and geeking out on new technologies. She has been featured in The San Francisco

Chronicle, as a speaker at Fitbloggin’, IDEA World, CapitalOne 360 Entrepreneurship classes,

and California College of the Arts. She is an IDEA Fit Inspired Advisor. She holds an M.A. from

the University of Chicago and a B.A. with honors from the University of California, Berkeley.

Are you impressed yet? Holy heck, these ladies are so awesome! (I use that word a lot, sorry!)

So, I am guessing you are wondering what SweatGuru is, right?

SweatGuru is the first marketplace that brings people together around fitness classes and
experiences. By allowing anyone to organize, discover, book, and share fitness classes online,
SweatGuru takes the work out of working out.
The company also helps small and medium-size fitness businesses be more successful online.
By offering the first easy to use, affordable tools for tasks like online marketing, scheduling
classes, collecting payments, and staying in touch with clients, SweatGuru allows fitness
professionals to spend more of their time teaching, and less time behind a desk.
 How do I use SweatGuru?
Using SweatGuru is simple! Visit SweatGuru and browse for classes nearby using the search
box, view classes recommended for you, or search by class type. You can also filter by price,
location, and type.
Your SweatGuru profile keeps track of all your fitness so you don’t have to!

 Consumer Benefits
• Discover new classes
• Sign up for classes online
• Create community groups (i.e. running clubs, walking groups, tennis leagues)
• Search and view profiles and classes of fitness professionals in your area
• Share classes with friends and invite them to join you
• Notifications when favorite classes are about to begin
• Favorite instructors, classes, and studios for quick class access
• Your whole fitness profile in one place (attendance, memberships, favorites)

 How do fitness professionals use SweatGuru?
Fitness professionals can add their business to SweatGuru, and begin attracting new clients and
grow their business immediately.
Trainers, yoga instructors, and fitness studios can list their class schedules and services online
and gain access to a full suite of tools, including payment processing, online reservations,
customer management, and marketing analytics.
 For fit pros
• List classes (free) and get discovered by new clients

• Build a profile for yourself and your business
• Easily move your business online: reservations, scheduling, and payments
• Social integration with Facebook and Twitter
• Affordable and easy-to-use, even for tech novices
• Web-based, accessible from any computer, tablet, or smart phone
• Unlimited support access

 What will I use it for?
Use SweatGuru to keep track of all your fitness class activity in one place! Sign-up and book
classes at your favorite fitness studios or with your favorite instructors from one place.
You can also use SweatGuru to manage your fitness groups or clubs!
 Who is SweatGuru for?
SweatGuru is for everyone who loves fitness! It’s for those exploring new fitness routines, curious
fitness travelers, and fitness junkies. It’s also for fitness professionals who need a place to grow
and manage their business online.
 Do I need an account to use SweatGuru?
No, you can browse for classes on SweatGuru without an account. When you sign up for a class,
you can log in using your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Google accounts and keep track of your
purchase history and upcoming classes.
 Can I remain anonymous on SweatGuru?
Yes, you can remain as private as you’d like. We won’t share anything you don’t want to share.
 What are SweatGuru Rewards?
SweatGuru gives you points for checking into classes, sharing your workouts, and more. You can
redeem rewards for fun prizes like healthy foods and fitness gear. Prizes are subject to change.

What are you waiting for? Stop reading, and go check out SweatGuru! Don't be discouraged if there aren't classes listed for your area! Share the website with your local gyms and instructors so that they can sign up!

Monster Dash 5K, year 3

There are a handful of races I have done more than once, and the Monster Dash is quickly becoming one of those races! I ran it for the first time in 2011 during a Nor'Easter. It was windy, cold, and sandy. And miserable! They cut the course short and it still took me forever to finish! It was also at the start of my Couch to 5K training! I wore only a cape, no real costume, for my first try at this local race!

before the race. Cheryl (in the middle) bailed!

with fellow Sparkers after the race

Last year, it was warm and sunny, and 2 days later Super Storm Sandy destroyed the very boardwalk we ran on. I had a great time, a great pace, and went home very happily, with my door prize Candlestick with 2 candles that melted "blood". They came in very handy during the storm when the power went out!

with my Super Peeps

This year, I decided to test out my Disney Marathon Weekend Etch a Sketch costume.

 I met some friends there, and got on line to pick up my bib. Which they didn't have.

Check out the registration date. I age well. Oh, and I am 40 peeps. Just saying.
SO, I got on a new line to get my bib, and was told repeatedly that they were using the honor system, as if I was cheating them. I pulled up my registration and they sang a new tune.
I dumped my swag bag (tee and a mylar wrap, which was in a lil ziploc bag. I will be saving that for a future race!) in the car and hung with my girls until the race started.
The race was a nice course, my legs were fine for the first mile (9:26 ish) but then my shins started to ache, and my legs started to feel heavy. I hit mile 2 at about 21:00 which was awesome, but I knew it was going to get worse.
We ran the last mile behind a 6 year old boy running with his mom. Yeah, he smoked us. The boardwalk is a lil mushy in some areas, which I hate, but I sprinted as best I could and finished around 33:40. Not my best, but who cares? It was a fun race!

On to the prizes. First they gave out the finisher trophies, and two of my friends won an age group prize! My friend's daughter was actually fourth overall, at the rope old age of 13! Woot!
Then came the costume prizes. Now, don't get me wrong, I love dogs, but a dog should not win a costume prize at a race. I was unthrilled. Then, a guy won for dressing as Richard Simmons. Wig and all. It was brilliant. He even wore leg warmers. BUT. After the race, he took it off, and when he came, undressed, to collect his trophy, they wouldn't give it to him! What?!?!
Un thrilled.
An Instagram friend of mine won best couple with her hubs, though, which made me happy. They were the tooth fairy and a tooth. SO cute. She looked gorgeous!
It was a fun day, and now I must prepare for my next costumed event: Rocky Horror! The teenie and her friend want to go, but they are too young to go unattended (they are 16!!) so my friend Pam and I are taking them. I am going as Magenta, the teenie will be Frankenfurter, her friend E is going as a Floor Show member, and Pam will be Janet (dammit).
Pics tomorrow!

Have you ever seen Rocky Horror live?