Dress Has Always Been My Strongest Suit

June 17, 2015 by Meridith

I have never, ever claimed to be a fashionista. I truly would love to be one because I find it fun, yet daunting. More daunting than fun, if I’m being honest. Most days? I’m wearing something akin to this.

Yep, that’s a car selfie. Because I started writing this post in the car and also because I spend a good deal of time carting my kids around to and from activities. Keeping it real, that’s me.

Now while I am not a fashionista, I actually do embrace the dress up factor to the very fullest extent. I’m talking costumes! Run Disney is the perfect opportunity to get creative. Our costumes have progressively gotten more elaborate. Thankfully I have a couple of very talented friends who are able to make dreams a reality.

Of course, over the years, it’s also expanded to non-Disney events as well. Because why the heck not? (Also, prizes for costumes sure don’t hurt the odds of the Scoot a Doot chicks dressing up!)

It only stands to reason that having the opportunity to try on actual Broadway show costumes would make me lose my ever-loving mind, correct? Correct! And yet, that’s actually what happened.

Let me say it again because I’m not sure you understand. I GOT TO TRY ON COSTUMES FROM BROADWAY SHOWS.

(I also spazzed out slightly. More on that in a few.)

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration in New York City on Monday and I’m still on cloud 9 from the entire experience, start to finish. Actually cloud 9 might not be high enough. Cloud 10 or 11, at least.

In the coming weeks I’ll be sharing lots of good info that I gleaned during the event but as a jumping off point, let’s talk about the absolutely amazing and intricate costumes from Disney Broadway shows.

Conference attendees were invited to tour the New Amsterdam theater, which is currently home to the Broadway show Aladdin.

The first thing said to us on the tour was, “How would you like to try on costumes and check out some set pieces from Disney Broadway shows?”

This was my facial expression.

Then I sort of had a freak out moment as we walked to the room. I’m not sure if I’ve shared this before but I am a big theater geek. I was in musicals throughout childhood and college, we have subscriptions to local theater companies. I just love the stage!

I did a good job of keeping it together, for the most part. I think. Okay, maybe the immediate people around me realized how much I was freaking out. I mean, this was a HUGE deal.

After a brief history lesson about the Disney Theatrical groupsshows: Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins, Tarzan, Aida, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King and Newsies and seeing a bit of the magic behind a few of the sets, we were able admire the costumes and set pieces that lined the walls of the room.

The wardrobe costume from Beauty and the Beast. Aren't the details incredible?

Madame De La Grande Bouche’s costume from Beauty and the Beast. Aren’t the details incredible?

Headdresses from Aida (that's where the title of this post came from, btw)

Headdresses from Aida (that’s where the title of this post is from, btw)

And then this happened…

Under the sea on King Triton's throne! I think I could actually run in something like this.

Under the sea on King Triton’s throne! Isn’t the headpiece amazing?

My new friend, Melissa of Autism Mommy Avenger, needed a little bath in Ariel’s tub.

From Under the Sea to Stepping in Time.

Fun fact: that coat was small (like my arms were contorted a bit) and very heavy!

And then we took to the jungle!

On the bus ride home Melissa mentioned that these headdresses were worth $7,000. WHAT THE WHAT?

You can bet that I was holding on tight! I am slightly accident prone.

Unsurprisingly, the attention to detail was incredible. Would you expect anything less from Disney?

Something I thought was very interesting was how they used “cheats” with their costumes, sneakers under the Beast’s “claw boots” and Velcro on things like the wardrobe costume above.

Jenn and Cam are always looking for ways to simplify things on our running costumes and make them fit our situations and needs; I loved seeing that Broadway designers do the same!

These headdresses look like heavy wooden carvings but they are actually only 4 ounces. They adjust with the same design as a construction hard hat!

One of the main reasons I enjoy costumes is because it allows me to take on a different persona and be someone else, if only for a little bit.

I think it’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day routine of being a mom, a wife, a community member. When I get to wear something a bit out of the ordinary, it’s a reminder that those aren’t the only things that define me. Every day can have a little magic if we just seek it out!

Are you a fan of dressing up random days of the week? Or just Halloween? Are you a big theater geek like me? I’m not alone, right?

The Disney Social Media Moms Celebration was a free event that I was fortunate enough to be invited to. Other than a magical day, no other compensation was given and all opinions are my very own.

Coffee Talk (hold the coffee)

June 1, 2015 by Meridith

Yeah, I gave coffee up a few months ago. But you go ahead and grab a cup! I’ll wait.

Okay! So a few weeks ago I was talking to my ten year old kiddo and he said, “I’m so excited!” When I asked him “About what?” He responded, “LIFE!”

What a refreshing and honest answer from him! I mean, isn’t life pretty gosh darn exciting sometimes? I’ve been feeling that way, too, and with good reason.

Why? Well, we’ve got a lot of good going on in our lives. Some meh too, but the good far outweighs the bad. And I feel like I haven’t had a chance to chat with you all in so long, you don’t know a couple of the mundane things (like the fact that I gave up coffee) and the not so mundane things. I’ve blogged about races and products, but not about life.

So here’s a LIFE update!

1. Health

In the past few months I’ve turned up the running because I had four races in May.

What you might not know is that during my last eight mile training run for the Broad Street 10 Miler, I felt the very annoying twingle (that’s a twinge and a tingle, all mixed up together) of my plantar fascia.

Again.

This isn’t the first time I’ve dealt with this stupid pain in the foot so I know all the things that can help heal the heel.

Rest, ice, massage, stretching.

You might notice that running isn’t on the list. But I did the Broad Street Run, a Mother’s Day 5k, and Bolder Boulder.

Smile, though your heel is aching.

I had a 5k scheduled for this past weekend but wisely I decided to skip it. See, I did something smart! Yay me!

My poor foot just needs a break from the constant beating it takes when I run. It’s pissed off and I am well aware of that. So I am going to cool it with the running for the month of June (which does not excite me, I’ll have you know, but I’m aware it’s necessary) and focus on cross training and… food.

2. Food

Food, you are my life now. (Yes, I just Twilight quoted you. I hope you still respect me.)

Let’s talk about this. You might have noticed I’ve been sharing some yummy looking pics on our Instagram lately.

Eggs and fruit, anyone?

Chipotle Lime Shrimp Tacos with Strawberry Salsa – I would push people out of the way for this.

Fish taco bowl (mine’s without the cilantro because ew).

Y’all, this is stuff we are making at home. We haven’t done take out in over a week. This is a big deal!

So what the heck is going on here? Well, I was fairly certain that I would never, ever, ever do a product challenge. I mean, just call me Taylor Swift because that’s how adamant I was about not doing a product challenge.

And yet… here I am, doing a product challenge.

That will teach me. Folks at my gym are participating in the 24 day AdvoCare challenge and that includes my husband and yours truly. I’m drinking the proverbial Kool-Aid, or should I say Spark, and (prepare yourselves)… I’m actually loving it.

You see, I wasn’t too sure what we were getting into when we originally signed up. It’s a 10 day “cleanse” and then 14 day “max” phase. When I heard “cleanse” I envisioned rabbit food and not a whole lot else. But as you can see from the pics, we are eating. Eating like kings and queens, even!

It’s a lot of prep work and planning but I’ve got to tell you, I’m on day 6 as I’m writing this 5/31, and I’m down 5.2 pounds. But more importantly, I’ve got a ton of energy and a renewed sense of accomplishment. Doing the healthy living/eating thing can get sort of rut-like after awhile and this has helped snapped me out of that! I’m hopping up and down (on one foot, to give my left one a rest).

I’ll keep you posted with the final results. We finish the 24 days on the 18th of June.

3. June

First day of June, holla at me! June is really exciting, right? I mean, end of school (for us Jersey folks), long days, sunshine. I love it!

Me with my dear friend Bernadette, 20 years ago.

My 20th high school reunion is this month. If you’d have told me in high school that not only I would be going but I’d be paying over $100 to attend, I probably would not have believed you.

Actually, I would have laughed in your face.

Yet, I’m going. And not only that, but I’m actually looking forward to it. Life is weird. And exciting.

Just as exciting, I’ve been invited to the Disney Social Media Moms event in New York City!

I was very appreciative to be invited to last year’s Philly event and although timing didn’t work out for me to make it to this year’s Florida conference, I’m thrilled that I’ll be at the NYC On the Road celebration.

Disney is very good at bringing the magic along with them and paired with awesome speakers and great attendees, it makes for a party-like atmosphere that cannot be compared.

The new business cards are on their way and I’m hard at work figuring out what I’m going to wear. I’m thinking Disneybounding might just be in order. Zip a dee doo dah!

And don’t even get me started about July!

But enough about me. Now it’s your turn! Tell me about your life. What exciting things do you have on the horizon for June? Will I be seeing you at the Disney Social Media Moms NYC? Or perhaps at my house for dinner (open invite!)?

The Good Life – Philadelphia’s Broad Street 10 Miler

May 6, 2015 by Meridith

It’s over.

The Broad Street Run. The past few months we spent so much time doing training runs and preparing for the race; now I have the post race blues. Whomp.

So what about my husband, Jay, the reluctant runner? How is he feeling after all of this?

Well…

Wellllllll…

I’ll get to that.

A little history: the Blue Cross Broad Street Run has been in existence for 36 years. It boasts that it’s the largest 10 mile race in the USA and I sure can believe it! The results page shows that 41,511 runners participated and the numbers on the bibs went into the 43,000s. That’s a lot of people. And it’s a lot of Philly love through and through.

The crew!

We were in the pink corral, which is the very last corral, for those expecting to finish in 1:45 or longer. Which is exactly what category we fell into (the “or longer” category). During training runs we kept Jay’s pace, which put us at an exact 13 minute mile pace. Joining us for this run were two friends who I’ve known since flowered baby doll dresses were in fashion and running was uncool: Keri and Chrissy!

Chrissy, me, Keri – never ever forgetting to be awesome!

This sums Chrissy up quite nicely. “Want to talk on a banana phone with me?” “Hell yeah!”

Since Broad Street is a point to point race, we parked near the finish line at the stadiums and took the Broad Street rail line, which is free for runners on race day, to the start staging area.

We got there in plenty of time and were able to use the porta-potties and take the above pictures without feeling rushed. When you’re in the Pink corral, it’s a lot of “hurry up and wait”.

Ahhh, the Pink corral. Let me set the stage. You’re so far back from the start that you can’t actually hear the start of the race. No Star Spangled Banner for us and no clue of what’s actually going on up at the start of the race. So yes, a whole lot of cluelessness. We stood (im)patiently, waving to the helicopters circling overhead and entertaining ourselves.

In 2013 I started in the Pink corral and we got to the start at 49 minutes after the start. This year we started at 59 minutes after. More runners? More people in Pink? Not sure. But after one last stop at the porta-potties, we were off to the sounds of Weezer (anyone who knows me knows just how much this thrilled me).

I’d never been so excited to see a START line in my entire life and that’s a fact.

Jay’s plan, so subsequently OUR plan, was to run the first mile and then switch to 2:1 intervals. And run he did. That dude clocked a 10:30 the first mile. I asked him about twenty times if he knew how fast we were going (because it was definitely faster than his normal mile pace) and he either wasn’t able to hear me over his music or he was ignoring me.

I’m going to go with the first thought.

We hit the mile mark quickly and then switched into the 2 minutes running, 1 minute walking.

The first five miles were flawless. We kept a solid averaged 12:20 pace after that first speedy mile and everything was going swimmingly. Runningly? That. We were cruising and everyone seemed as happy as running people could be.

2/3 smiling!

There were bands. There were cheer squads. There were children outside of the children’s hospital again, waving and smiling and cheering from their wheelchairs. City Hall was becoming a more real sight and less a speck in the distance and it’s incredible.

Walking with purpose. Look at the swoosh of my Sparkle! ;)

Walking with purpose. Look at the swish of my Sparkle! 😉

The Broad Street Run can be separated into two parts. Running toward City Hall (which is AWESOME) and then the after City Hall part. Which, I think, is still awesome. But that’s when you really start feeling the race. Mile 6 our pace slowed up a bit and our aches started to make themselves known.

Personally I’m dealing with another bout of plantar fasciitis, which in no uncertain terms, BLOWS. It flared up during my last training run and here I am, dealing with it again. I was feeling it. Jay hips weren’t lying when they said they were feeling awful. Chrissy’s knee was acting up. And Keri’s shins were making a bit of noise.

So, yeah.

Thankfully the crowd support was just as awesome the second half as in the first half and we relied on that to help get us through those tougher miles.

To really see all the signs, click on the pic. They were the best!

The water stations increased in the second half, which was good because it was pretty toasty out there. We haven’t had many hot days to train in so this was a little different than the weather we’ve been used to but the additional water and the occasional fire hydrant open helped cool us off. The cups on the street were a little slick, which comes along with a race as large as this one and not being able to clear them all.

The entire race Chrissy, Keri, and myself spent surrounding Jay – his own personal sparkling cheerleaders. Since Jay was plugged in to his music, we chatted along the way, pointing out cool sights and fun stuff. I hadn’t seen Chrissy in years before this weekend so it was really great to catch up! Yet another bonus of running 10 miles together.

You’ll notice that there are less pictures of Jay here. That’s because he was not thrilled with life. I took a selfie with him at one point. I’m not going to post it though because he just looks miserable. In fact maybe I’ll delete it from my phone and he’ll forget all about that feeling. Maybe?

The first part of the race has City Hall to focus on, while the second part has a slightly less visible sight, until you’re right there. The Navy Yard sign.

Hello, you beautiful vision!

It signifies that there’s only about a quarter mile left so we were pretty jazzed to see it! Or I was pretty jazzed. I think Jay was saving his excitement for the finish line.

What’s a Navy Yard without a ship?

As we drew closer and closer to the finish, I kept looking to Jay to see if he was ready for the sprint to the finish line. Once we were close enough, he took off like a shot and I knew that he was looking forward to wrapping up!

His goal was to finish under 2:15. His reach goal was 2:00. Had we kept the same pace we did the first half, we would have hit 2:00. We finished in 2:11 which is exactly 13 minute miles – training run pace held true. We high fived each other at the end and cheered our accomplishment. Some louder than others, natch.

We walked down the chute wondering exactly where we were headed. There wasn’t much guidance at that point. We continued to walk, in search of water, food, medals, something. Finally there were tables with water bottles. Then tents with bags of food and pretzels.

The volunteers were handing out the bags of food and the medals were nearly an afterthought. It was a bit odd. I understand not wanting to crowd the finishing chute with medals but I was surprised that they didn’t have more of a comprehensive flow in that regard. Eventually we got everything sorted out!

On the long walk back to the car I made a teeny tiny comment about signing up again next year and sheesh, you would have thought I told Jay we were running another ten miles the next day with how quickly he said NO. So I guess he doesn’t want to do it again. (I think he forgot that we already registered for Beat the Blerch 10k in September.) (I’m not reminding him just yet.)

Our car held a glorious cooler filled with delightful beverages so once we finally got there we planted ourselves in the parking lot and relaxed, waiting for the crowds to disperse.

He longs to be close to me. That’s why that finger is reaching out there.

So, it’s over. But if I get in via the lottery, I’ll be back, Broad Street! You can count on it.

Have you ever done the Broad Street Run? Or a ten mile race? How about coerced your significant other into doing something they wouldn’t normally do?

These (Stray) Boots Are Made For Walking – Philadelphia

April 15, 2015 by Meridith

As anyone from New Jersey can tell you, the state is divided into three distinct parts.

source: nj.com

Growing up, I was a Central Jersey girl. My city was New York, my town was filled with BMWs and Lexuses, and if someone held the door for you after they went through, you were having a good day. I kid, I kid. Sorta.

College brought me to South Jersey and I’ve lived here for the better part of twenty years. My city is now Philly (although I do still adore New York, for the record). So when Jenn and Cam told me that they’d like to visit Old City in Philadelphia, I naturally knew all the places to go and what to do. Right?

Nope (with a pop of the P).

I realized just how lacking I was in the historical department of Philadelphia. I mean, I sort of knew where the Liberty Bell was because I’ve run past in during numerous races. I kind of knew how to get there. I think?

Bound and determined, I visited Groupon, knowing that they’d have my back. I get approximately 10 emails a week and I always, without fail, see Philly tours.

We are not strangers to tours – this was the Boston chocolate tour!

When choosing our tour, I considered the audience. Which is us. Which is to say we are loud and like to do our own thing. Having a tour guide and a group wouldn’t be fair to the tour guide or the group.

Because we are loud.

Very loud. And inappropriate. And curse a lot when not near children.

An up the nose (and crotch) shot with a statue on the tour. See? Inappropriate.

Stray Boots to the rescue! For an very affordable $8 (thanks Groupon) we purchased a tour of Old City. Stray Boots has 4 Philly tours, as well as tours in cities all the country. The app starts you at point A and brings you on a walking tour around the area of your choice. Ours was about 2 miles and we landed right back at point A.

Certain clues (particularly the first one) were a bit tricky for us but they give you a hint, if you ask for it. It’s a scavenger hunt through the destination of your choosing with extra information after each answer so you can learn more history about the location and the people of Philadelphia.

One clue was a no-go because the building we were supposed to go into was under construction. However we were able to figure out the clue from a sign on the street and a little Google sleuthing. There’s an option to let the app makers know if something like that has happened.

And, of course, there are a couple of questions where you get to interact with people working in gift shops and stores. A tip from us? Don’t just ask them the answer to the scavenger hunt question. They are a fount of knowledge and more than happy to share!

Also awesome? Since you’re doing the tour on your own time, you can stop if you want to buy things or have lunch. We walked right past the Continental and doubled back for lunch!

We saw at least five properties that we dreamed about owning. We wandered back alleys that reminded me of Spain and listened in on a few of the walking tours that were near us.

We behaved ridiculously and made people laugh.

Soft kitty, warm kitty.

Now of course, I’m not going to tell you all the clues, in case you plan on visiting Old City. But I will say this, we all agreed that this was the best $8 we spent!

Sorry we cut your head off, Ben.

It was the perfect way to spend a day taking in the sights, while still resting before our half marathon the next day. Good times and good friends. Nothing better!

Have you ever done a Stray Boots tour or something like it? What is your can’t miss spot in your town? Have you ever been a tourist in your own city?

(Make)Up While (Working) Out

April 3, 2015 by Meridith

The idea for this post all started with a tweet.

Followed closely by another tweet.

To refresh your memory, I’m the lady who needs to be told how to wash her face. I’m also the one who is still learning the correct way to apply makeup. Thankfully, Influenster deems me fit to try makeup. Cam always tells me that you just play with makeup and see what looks good; it’s pretty rad to be able to play with things like YSL Mascara!

I’m getting better and better about “putting on my face” as my mom calls it when I’m going out and about. However, the Twitter conversation that followed the tweets above with a variety of pals had me wondering about people who workout with makeup on. I know I’ve personally seen women at races with full makeup and while I am not quite at that level (I’m still working on wearing makeup on the regular), I decided to test Yves Saint Laurent Mascara out for a test run! After all, if it could stand the test of a couple of hard workouts, it can definitely hold up during a night on the town.

Not that I have those very often. BUT IF I DID…

Before putting mascara wand to lash, I needed to learn how to pronounce “Yves Saint Laurent”. Sure I could have taken the easy route and continued to called it YSL, but what fun is that? Plus, I like to pretend I’m French.

Okay, cool.

Now that I knew how to say it, I could wear it. That should be a rule, in general.

First things first: you must know that Yves Saint Laurent MASCARA VOLUME EFFET FAUX CILS (that’s the product’s full given name) smells really, really good. I don’t make it a habit of going around smelling mascara but it’s one of those things that I noticed right away, so I have to mention it. I applied a nice coat to my upper and bottom lashes; it felt light and not clumpy at all.

But how would it hold up during a treadmill run?

I did five miles and worked up a good sweat because I am nothing if not a good sweat-er. Sweat pours from my hairline and down my face, as usual, within the first half mile. I had a white towel that I used to wipe my face throughout the workout and I kept peering at it, scared to see black streaks. I was running but YSL was not! 1 point for you, fancy mascara.

Oh, but I wasn’t done yet. The very next morning the intensity of my workout was cranked up to eleven when I hit the gym with my trainer. I applied two coats, pumping up the lashes and putting YSL mascara to a greater test. That morning was an inside/outside workout and I was sweating profusely.

Side note: I recently added red to my hair and that was running all over the place. Seriously, one of my workout buddies was concerned that I was bleeding. It was not cute. However, my mascara? That stayed put and was cute! Thankfully. So I didn’t look like a complete fool, only a partial one.

Another point for mascara. Hair, you fail that test. Work on bonding to the strands and get your act together (but I still love you).

So does mascara stand up to working out? Well, I can’t speak for every mascara but Yves Saint Laurent mascara certainly does! Up next? I plan to run in full makeup at the Atlantic City April Fools half. Why? Because I’m running in a costume that calls for it, of course! Not ready to give the costume away quite yet but I bet you’re going to love it. Any guesses?

I received Yves Saint Laurent MASCARA VOLUME EFFET FAUX CILS complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

South Jersey Running: Haddonfield Adrenaline 5k

March 25, 2015 by Meridith

This past weekend I ran the Haddonfield Adrenaline 5k. Again! Nowadays, I don’t do too many 5ks, but this race is one I picked up at the very start of my running career four years ago and it’s a favorite. It kicks off the start of spring and without a doubt, I’m guaranteed to see my favorite Jersey running family.

Thanks to Brandi for this pic!

These are the local people who were instrumental in my running in the first place (in addition to their counterpart, Vic – my far off running guru). These are the people who comment on my Facebook running posts, without fail. They’re the ones who know about all the local races and dollars to donuts (mmmm, donuts), I’ll see a component of them there. Who wouldn’t want to see these smiling faces all over the South Jersey/Philly area?

My husband began running this race in 2013 and since then, we always stick together. You know him, right? The reluctant runner?

At 2013 finish line

The night prior, we both made new playlists. Dude doesn’t necessarily like to talk during races. And apparently, he doesn’t want to be talked to either. Hey, he’s running. If he doesn’t want to chat with me, that’s cool.

I asked if he’d like to share his playlist with the fair readers of Scoot a Doot but he declined. Personally, I think he’s embarrassed that he has Taylor Swift on there. Just sayin’.

The day before the race, it snowed in New Jersey. Four days prior to that, it was mid-60s. Out like a lamb, March. OUT LIKE A LAMB. What was the weather race morning?

Ice ice baby. Too cold.

Not the 60s we’d been hoping for, however it was warming up quickly, depositing icy plops of snow on us this entire race. Jolting? A little. But also a bit refreshing too.

Just before 9am we said our goodbyes and good lucks to our faster friends. We placed ourselves toward the back of the start corral and waited for the air horn. This race attracts a lot of fast runners; I believe the winner this year finished in 14:30! I wonder how that must feel. Seriously. I’ll never know. But I definitely wonder!

I let him set the pace and put myself a few steps behind him, following along the way. He’s been following a great training plan for the Broad Street 10 Miler and was feeling good about PRing during this race. The first year he finished in 39 minutes and last year he shaved about a half a minute off his time. This year he confided in me that he would like to hit the 35 minute mark, but also realized it might be a bit ambitious.

During this race, they have timing clocks at miles 1 and 2 so I have a pretty good idea of how we’re doing (my watch was buried under layers of clothes). However, mile 1’s clock wasn’t working so I really was pretty clueless. I was just jamming to my playlist and trying to howl along with Adam Levine at that point. Dude uses RunKeeper so he always hyper aware of pace, but like I said, he was a couple of paces ahead of me. And not talking. Ho hum.

The streets of Haddonfield have had a rough winter and they’re peppered with potholes. They’ve always been present but this year it seemed particularly crater-filled. Thankfully the good people of Haddonfield Running Co. placed cones in the worst spots so we had a heads up. Or a heads down. Or eyes on the road. Whatever, you get the idea!

Dude slowed down slightly going past the water station (which is around 1.5 in) and looked back to see where I was. He hadn’t so much as glanced in my direction most of the time so I figured he was feeling good and gave him the “RUN” face. You know the one. Or maybe you don’t. It basically consists of me mouthing the word “RUN” and shooing him along with my hand.

On we went. We slowed down on the hill right before mile 2. I saw the clock at the top of the hill was under 24 minutes and was very happy to see that he was on target to PR. When he saw the clock, he began to run again. At the top of the hill I wound up next to him and we ran together from that point.

As we crested the last small hill, the opening strains of Paradise City flooded my eyes. I could see the finish line and I saw the time clock had 36:xx, so I hit the gas for that last little stretch of road hoping we could get there. We’d started the race a bit further back so I thought in the 35 minute range was possible. Instead we came in at 36:16 and 36:31, which is still a huge 2 minute PR for Dude!

We partied it up at the Haddonfield Running Company store after, making sure to use our medal bottle openers for the beer offered there because that is obviously the best part. Since the store is currently in their 18th year, everything was 18% off. And you better believe we took advantage of that!

10th year of the race and they did it up BIG with the medal!

So, in summary: A PR for Dude. A rockin’ playlist for me. Beer and food (om nom nom) Good friends. Great race.

South Jerseyians, do this race. And if you do, come find me so we can discuss its awesomeness.

Tell me about your most recent PR! What’s your favorite song on your playlist? I haven’t made a new playlist in awhile but this one was great, it had the perfect songs at the perfect places.

Tell Me What To Do, Internet!

March 6, 2015 by Meridith

I remember the first time I heard about Pinterest. I was at a Stroller Strides class and it was the hot topic of conversation. Intrigued, I checked it out as soon as I got home. A place on the internet where I could collect my favorite ideas and look at my friends favorite things? Yes. Please.

I pinned motivation. Inspiration. Quotes. Hair styles. Craft ideas.

And workouts. Lots and lots and lots of workouts.

Well, pinning and doing are two very different things. Since I’m living in the “weather hell” that in New Jersey (I’m sure the majority of you out there can feel me on this. Florida, California, and Hawaii friends… you guys can just pretend), I decided to flip through the Pinterest Rolodex and do a couple of the workouts I’ve pinned through the years.

Using the very scientific method of closing my eyes and pointing at the screen, I landed first on PopSugar treadmill workouts and then on this one specifically.

What’s that you say? I’m not a new runner? You’re right, I’m not. But I figured that this would be a good way to switch it up a bit and do something that I normally wouldn’t, especially because I’ve been on the treadmill every day hitting my five mile goal (running, walking, skipping, whatever). Plus, I can tell new runners my thoughts on it… you know, in case they want to give it a go!

I’m a Galloway runner (that’s one who does intervals, for the record) so this type of workout was right up my alley.

Off we go!

Staying at the 3.0/3.5 pace was a bit of a challenge on the psyche for me because I’m more accustomed to keeping a 3.8/4.0 walking pace. But, I had a good playlist on the iPod so I jammed out, waving my hands in the air like I just didn’t care and patiently waited for the first jump in pace to 5.5.

5.5 is a comfortable speed for me but getting up to that from 3.5 was a bit jarring after hanging out at 3.0/3.5 for 10 minutes. I’m thinking an intermediate step might be more comfortable (for me and for a beginner). Maybe 4 minutes at 3.0, 3 minutes at 3.5, and then 3 minutes at 4.5? That’s my non-professional opinion right there.

And then going down, down, down from 5.5/5.8 to 3.5 was sad and wonderful all in the same breath. The 2 minutes of running to 4 minutes of walking was very nice though; it gave me time to bring down the heart rate, only to jack it back up again. It was attainable and while I wasn’t maxing out on my running, it felt good and I enjoyed the 40 minute workout.

My trainer has always been a firm believer that you always keep your treadmill at 1.5 incline to mimic the feel of the road more correctly so out of habit, I had hit 1.5 and didn’t realize it wasn’t on 1.0 until I was nearly done. My bad!

This workout is based on speed and time, but not distance. I stuck to the script the entire time and finished the 40 minutes in 2.72 miles.

What I find particularly interesting about Pinterest is that sometimes the image pinned doesn’t lead back to the direct source. Tracking this one down only took a little bit of sleuthing, thanks to the TribeSports watermark on the image! You can click the picture to go directly there.

I like this one a lot because while I do core work at the gym, I don’t usually spend more than a couple of minutes at a time working at it. This one had my abs shaking toward the end, in the best possible way!

The hardest part of this workout? My dog truly wanted to be a part of the process. I got licked in the face more times than I’ve kissed my husband this month and she also tried to crawl under me when I was holding my plank and bridge. It was nearly more challenging than the actually core work itself.

Finally, my head space has been very cluttered with extraneous chatter and unnecessary worry lately. Therefore when I saw City Fit Girls’ Instagram post mentioning Headspace I knew I had to check it out. Try a gym membership for the mind.

http://youtu.be/DmqI1u72QLU

Also, I really like accents and this guy has a lovely one. (How’s that for clarity?) I’m currently on day 5 of 10 and I start each day with a 10 minute “take 10” meditation. It’s good stuff; I like starting each day off with more of a clear intent. Sometimes it doesn’t last more than a couple of minutes but sometimes it does. And that’s some pretty powerful mojo!

So tell me, do you actually DO the workouts that you pin on Pinterest? Got any good ones for me? What’s something recently that’s surprised you? What would you like to do more of? Random: One of the coolest things was when a friend sent me a link to a picture of Cam, Vic and myself on Pinterest board for RunDisney costuming ideas.

Wear Luck Blogaversary Giveaway!

February 16, 2015 by Meridith

A few weeks ago, while watching Good Morning America on the treadmill, they featured the shirts of Wear Luck.

Immediately I was drawn to these because of the huge “I WILL” printed on the front of the shirt. The saying “I can and I will” has been my mantra since I started on my fitness journey four years ago; naturally these shirts called to me!

I wound up getting this one…

And while I was at it, I wound up getting this one for a lucky reader!

I will move more – eat less – be happier.

What do I love about these shirts? Um, everything! The fabric is very soft and it’s feels lovely. I don’t wear long sleeves often because I’m always warm. Unless I’m freezing. I don’t know, there’s no happy medium. Anywho…

These shirts are perfect because they are t-shirt material in a long sleeve shirt. Not see through, which is also a great plus!

The prize shirt is a large because I figure that if you’re smaller, it can run a little big or, if you’re built like me (aka: boobs), it will fit nicely. Plus an inspirational message is always appreciated! I’ve gotten many compliments on my shirt so I know that it speaks to others, as well as to ME.

So what do you have to do? Just click on the image below and enter via Rafflecopter. Cool? Cool.

Click here to enter!

This post is not sponsored by Wear Luck. Shirt is valued at $36 and has already been purchased in a size large. Winner must supply mailing address directly to Scoot a Doot blog in order to receive the shirt. May the odds be ever in your favor!

Check out the #winalltheprizes linkup at Running with SD Mom and Erica Finds.

Scoot a Doot’s blogaversary!

February 9, 2015 by Meridith

Once upon a time, back in February of 2013, there was a lady in New Jersey (that would be me, for those who don’t follow my every move) who was probably going through a bit of the winter doldrums and seemingly needed a project. She emailed five of her friends from all over the country about starting a fitness blog…

and thus, Scoot a Doot was born!

Through our first year of blogging, we learned a lot. We ran (wrote about that), we got injuries (and we wrote about those), we cooked and ate (naturally blogging all the way with recipes); we shared personal stories and stories that touched our hearts.

Our second year has brought a few “changing of the guards” as we’ve welcomed Kyle and Jenn into the fold, as well as changed our server to allow us more control over the site and analytics. While our blog sometimes seems like a defiant toddler, we like to focus on the warm cuddly moments!

Giveaways will be coming throughout the month of February, so keep your eyes peeled for those. But in the meanwhile… It’s always interesting to look at the site stats and see what posts really pull readers in! Since switching servers it’s hard to get a true sense of numbers but here are a couple of reader faves.

Vic’s assessment of The Color Run vs. Color Vibe is a heavy hitter! Click to check out the winner.

Nut butter, mmmmm! Bec’s Buff Butter review ranks high in interest for our readers. Not hard to see why.

Mer (that’s me) started the year off with a 21 no junk food challenge. It kicked the year off right!

Of course, we also have our own personal favorites. What to hear them? Sure you do!

You’ll see a couple of repeats as we didn’t chat with each other on our picks, which was on purpose. Picking them from the heart was the goal!

Asking me to pick my favorite post is like asking me to pick my favorite child. Who came up with this idea?

Oh. Me. Right.

The posts that really resonate with me are ones where we do things together. I’m all for the Chick Chats which are the group posts where we all weigh in on a topic. But my very favorites were the Day in the Life series where we shared our daily routines.

Why?

Simply put, I’m nosy.

If Jess is freaking out about World Cup Soccer, even if I don’t watch or know anything about soccer, I want to know!

Bec’s doing laundry? Well, I probably already know about it because that makes up a great deal of our emails to each other. But I want to know what she’s eating for lunch. And dinner. Because that’s also what we talk about a lot (and ice cream).

If Vic is hitting the Wegman’s (color me jealous) and going for a run after work, I like to keep track so we can discuss later.

I start many days texting with Brooke because she and I are on the same coast and keep the same hours. I felt like I was right there along side of her during this post (and I wish I were because that would be rad).

Cam’s (thug) life always makes me smile – this girl is hardcore, with her parenting and with her two-a-day workouts!

You see, these are some of my favorite people in the world so basically anything that I get to read about and get a glimpse in their daily lives, I am all for! I vote that Kyle and Jenn do their Day in the Life posts soon.

My pick is The Lies They Tell Us by Jenn.

I identify with every line of this post. I struggle with my body image, weight, appearance, ALL of it, on a daily basis and I know a lot of it has to do with what the media tells women they need to look like. I see it for what a crock it is and I still feed into it. I loved the positive spin Jenn put on her post at the end – that we need to embrace ourselves just as we are, because that’s 100% enough.

The Lies They Tell Us – I absolutely loved this post. I’ve written more than a few posts where I talk about body image and perception, but I fear those come off as ‘fat girl whining’ sometimes. This post reminds people that body image and mainstream media’s depiction of what ‘fit women look like, is something that a lot of us struggle with, regardless of our weight. Awesome job, Jenn!

On the Boardwalk, Out in the Sun – This post is my happy place. This brings me right back to the AC Half weekend last year, which was epic in so many ways. Actually getting to meet Anne, Brooke, and Vic, getting to cuddle with Meri and Cam and Heather, a little quality time with Mer’s boys and PUPPY. Hanging out with Jess, figuratively if not literally, in a Starbucks. It was awesome. These girls are my people, and the reason I am part of Scoot.

Philadelphia Marathon’s biggest fan – I love this post for a lot of reasons, and not because it has to do with me. Not only does it capture one of the best days of my life – EVER – it demonstrates what kind of amazing people we have here at Scoot.

Meridith is a world champion cheerleader, teammate and friend. This post – all about her cheering me (and a bajillion other runners) at the 2013 Philly Marathon – is just one example of the contagiously enthusiastic and supportive human being that she is.

I will always remember that race because it was my first marathon, but I never would have done it (or had nearly as much fun) if Mer hadn’t been there to take care of me.

(She still does take care of me. And the rest of us. And we take care of her. And each other. Because teammates.)

Every post on Scoot a Doot is fabulous (I *might* be biased), but two in particular have really stuck with me.

Mer’s You Know Who Rocks? I Do, That’s Who and Cam’s Oh, Just Another Blog Post About Mental Illness helped me move past some stuff I was dealing with in my head and helped me forgive myself for the past. They helped me remember that everyone has struggles, no matter how much they appear to “have it together”. Everyone has insecurities. Sometimes, we feel like a failure. Sometimes, we need help. We are all human, and like Buddha says, all suffering.

In each of their posts, Mer and Cam reminded me that each of us possesses the inner strength to overcome adversity and achieve any goal we want. We only have to dig deep, and face our obstacles head on with honesty, grace, and humor.

Oh, Just Another Blog Post About Mental Illness – This post by Cam stuck with me in part because our Cam was so raw and honest about mental illness and it’s ripple effect. It wasn’t just another reaction post, but was one that stop and made me think. Yes, it stemmed from a tragedy. Yes, tragedy touches us all in one way or another. But it reminds me how important acceptance, understanding and inclusion are.

Goodbye Sweet Girl – It’s not a happy one, but our 13-year-old cat’s death was one of the defining moments of our year. This took a month for me put into words and I look back on it often. It’s hard to let go.

My very favorite post this year was the one where we announced the addition of our two lovely new chicks. But that’s not one of the posts I’m picking. Yes, I’m a cheater.

One of my favorites this year was Bec’s Demotivation post. It’s so good to know I’m not the only one who over-analyzes the literary aspects of things like memes and motivational posters. Also, I love cranky Bec. She makes me giggle.

My other, more recent favorite, was Jenn’s The Lies They Tell Us because she discusses something I’ve always had an issue with. And yes, Jenn, it’s the seamstress in you, because I feel the same way about clothing sizes. Since high school, I’ve been altering my clothes. I had a true hour glass figure pre-babies (now it’s more like a beaker). Finding jeans that fit my hips and didn’t gap at the waist was like finding the Holy Grail. Quite similar to finding a magazine that didn’t exploit all my teenage insecurities. Now, I just don’t read the damn things. Instead, I read blog about how they suck!

Thanks so much for another great year; we’ve had so much fun connecting with you all! Giveaways are coming all through the month of February, so be on the lookout.

Tell us about some of your favorite blog posts around the internet. We are always looking for new and fun things to read!

My Husband: The Reluctant Runner

February 4, 2015 by Meridith

I have to let you all in on a little conspiracy.

I really like tricking my husband into working out and making him think it was his idea. Or, at the very least, making him think that he enjoys it.

Shhhhhh!

“Wasn’t that fun? Didn’t you love it?”
“No.”

Dude and I are both pretty chill people so as far as marriage goes, I’d say that generally speaking, ours is one of quiet happiness. Okay, maybe quiet is not the right word… we do have two boys and a dog!

Spicing things up by forcing your reluctant running partner to do races with you definitely gives you something to chat about! I mean, who wouldn’t want to hang out with me for an extended amount of time, exerting all energy?

There have been various 5ks over the past few years. Last summer I signed us up for our local 4 miler on the 4th of July. And while he didn’t love it, he didn’t hate it either. (There were a lot of hills.)

So I have to think, what’s the next logical step for this guy? Some might say a 10k. Well, yes, many might say a 10k.

But… BUT!

There’s the Broad Street 10 Mile Run in the amazing city of Philadelphia. And friends, this has all the components of a great race for Dude.

via broadstreetrun.com

1. It’s in Philly and the course on Broad Street is entertaining throughout. Philadelphia is truly an enthusiastic city. Whatever it does, it does it loudly!

2. It has a TON of crowd support. Seriously one of the best races in terms of crowds that I’ve run thus far. Feeding off the crowd’s energy can carry you a long way!

3. THE SIGNS. This goes along with number 2. Giggling while running is good for your stride.

4. There’s even a medal at the end! And bananas! And pretzels. Who doesn’t love pretzels? Even our son, who eats maybe five things, loves pretzels.

5. Tailgating with friends after the race. (This is a big one that I’m selling hard. Dude loves his beer.)

I’ve been working hard on talking him into this race. I know that he can do the distance. And this is our trainer’s favorite race of the year; Dude would definitely win some brownie points with him being there.

From now until February 13th, the lottery is going on for the race. A few of my favorite girls are hoping that we are chosen during the lottery and since the time to hesitate is through, I’ve decided that Dude is going to be in our lottery group. Our conversation this morning went a little something like this.

Me: “Have a great day! Oh, by the way, I’m going to register you for the Broad Street lottery. If you don’t want to run it, I’m sure we could transfer the bib to someone at the gym.”

Dude: “I don’t think it make sense to go into it with the intention of doing a transfer.”

Me: “Well, obviously not. My intention is for you to RUN it. Yours should be too.”

Dude: “Oh. Yeah, I guess it’s only $43.”

Me: “Come on, what’s the worst that can happen? It can’t hurt.”

Dude: “Yes. Yes it can.”

I can tell that he is really, truly excited about this and really, a little nudge in the right direction is usually all he needs to get the wheels turning. May the odds be ever in our favor!

Have you entered a race lottery before? What race have you run that has great crowd support? Ever do a 10 mile race? Do you know anyone who doesn’t like pretzels?

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Author Archives: Meridith