I Know What I’m Doing April 6, 2019… Do You?

August 1, 2018 by Meridith

Disclaimer: I received free entry to the Hot Chocolate Philadelphia 5k race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews! As always, all opinions are my own.

What time is it? It’s Hot Chocolate time! Okay, no. It’s not. But it IS time to start planning for 2019 and I’ve got my first race on the calendar for next year. You know I love planning.

So yes, come April 6th 2019 (that feels weird to type, by the way), I’ll be running the Allstate Hot Chocolate 5k again. This year’s race marked Ana’s first ever 5k and I’m 99.9% sure I have her convinced to join me again.

The swag alone is worth it! Check out the jackets for the 2018-2019 series.

And of course, every runner gets these oversized mugs filled to the brim with goodies. YUM!

If you run the 15k, you also get a medal! There’s no medal for the 5k but if you find me, we can run up the steps to the Philly Art Museum together, which is a prize in itself.

Convinced? Register here AND if you use the code BRHCPhilly when you register you’ll receive awesome EXTRA swag, the Hot Chocolate Armband for your phone/tunes.

Who’s done a Hot Chocolate Run before? I want to hear about it!

A Day In The Life – Jenn

July 30, 2018 by Jennifer

I’m back from my hiatus and wrapping up our Day In The Life Series with the craziness that is my daily state of being. Brace yourselves for a taste of just about everything! I chose last Thursday to document mainly because it involved more health related stuff and less construction-y related nonsense.

My alarm goes off at 5:00. I hit snooze until 6. It’s what I do. I’ve always hated mornings and have a hard time getting out of my nice, warm bed. Especially when this face is snoring adorably next to me.

Lily loves to lounge around.

Once I do get up, it’s a hike to the bathroom (aka porta potty). It’s that little green rectangle waaaaay up there. Since we’re still in construction, I’m going on eight months without a bathroom. You can imagine how fun THAT is.

Also, LOOK, I HAVE A HOUSE!

After the morning “hike”, I make a cup of Earl Grey tea, kiss the hubby and doggies goodbye, and jump in my car for the fifty minute commute to work. It’s through a river canyon and I drive a Mustang GT, so don’t feel too badly for me. I love my commute!

An old photo of me and my Pepe.

THANK GOODNESS my office building has a shower and lockers! A shower is the first order of business when I get to work, followed by teeth brushing. I store all my shower gear and work clothes at my office because I also don’t have a closet. Yet. Sigh.

Not glamourous at all.

I’ve never been much of a breakfast girl. I know I should be, but more times than not, the idea of eating in the morning makes my stomach queasy. Until last week, I’d eat some kind of breakfast pastry—muffin, scone, Danish—and call it good. Since I’ve met with a nutritionist, I’ve switched to an avocado with a little salt and pepper.

After that, it’s eight hours of sitting at a desk in front of a computer, figuring out ways I can make my company more sustainable. I love the company I work for and what we do, and I’m super fortunate to have my job.

We make some cool stuff at my work!

I had an appointment with my nutrition coach, Kyle, at Alpine Fitness. Recently, I signed up for a six-month program to help me change my nutrition and eating habits with the goal of lowering my blood sugar and kicking my sugar addiction. This is my second week and second visit. She was super pleased with my progress and how well I tracked everything the first week.

Also last week, I purchased the Boss Body Method 12 week training guide. I was going to start the program right away, but I hurt by lower back in April while cutting trees. It’s getting much better with the help of my chiropractor, but I wanted Kyle, who is also a physical therapist, to give me the green light to start, and she did! I think I’ll start after Meri’s visit next week!

I’m tracking everything except my weight in my bullet journal.

After the appointment, I stopped by Sprouts supermarket, my favorite grocery chain in Colorado, to pick up dinner. I don’t have a stove or a sink right now, so cooking is extremely difficult. The solution is the Sprouts deli, where they always have a great selection of ready-made meals that we can pop in the microwave, because that’s the one appliance I do have. I pick up an entrée for both my husband and me and feel good that it’s freshly made and healthy. I forgot to take a photo! I had turkey and steamed vegies, he had greek chicken and spiced potatoes.

Then it’s the drive home! Fifty minutes up the canyon and it’s like I’m on vacation. (It’s more like thirty-five, if I’m honest about how fast I drive.)

Soon after I got home, we worked on the French drain for our house. If you don’t know what that is, consider yourself lucky! It involves being in a dirty/muddy trench, shoveling rock into said trench, laying a giant hose with holes in it over the rock, and covering that with more rock and weed barrier fabric. It’s dirty, back breaking work, and it’s been the song on my life lately, Not the French drain specifically, but some form of manual labor that I should have paid someone else to do. Or fixing the mistakes of those I did pay. Oy. By the way, this is the stuff I’m counting as my fitness. Because shoveling rock and hauling timber is absolutely a workout!!

Blech.

When we’re hungry enough, we put away the shovels, heat up our dinners, and turn on the iPad for a little Hulu or Netflix. I may not have indoor plumbing, but I have internet, darn it! We’ll watch an episode of something (Claws is the current favorite), and relax until bed which is somewhere between 9:00 – 10:00.

My night routine includes another cup of Earl Grey. I make a 16 oz cup and all is right with the world. For some unknown reason, the caffeine doesn’t keep me up. I’m a GREAT sleeper. I usually dream about finally moving into my house!

That little red box has been home since January.

There’s a sample of what it’s like to build your own home and to live in the mountains. It’s an adventure every day! Overall, it’s wonderful (once it’s almost done)!

Road Tested: Karma Ring Co.

July 27, 2018 by Meridith

Disclaimer: I received a Karma Ring to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews! All opinions are my own.

I’m not sure if I shared this on the blog but my husband and I just recently celebrated our 15 year wedding anniversary in May! To celebrate we went to Disney for the weekend. ALONE.

It’s safe to say that after 21 years together in all, we are still each other’s biggest fan.

Which is why I wear my rings for practically everything. The only times I take my engagement ring and wedding band off are in the shower when I’m washing my hair (because I had an unfortunately earring incident with my hair, it’s a long story and I’m still not over the loss of my earring), or when I’m working out. Weights are rough on hands, not to mention jewelry!

It’s also why I was drawn to trying Karma Rings through the BibRave Pro program. At the risk of sounding cheesy, my solid relationship with Jay gives me comfort and strength and those are two things that I draw from while lifting weights and running.

However, Karma Rings aren’t just for those who are married! There is symbolism that is associated with each finger and on which hand you wear a ring.

via Karma Ring Co.

I was able to try the Karma Ring Women’s Duo which has a base color of Pearl White and three changeable core colors of Blush Pink, Champagne Mauve, and Lavender.

A few facts from the Karma Ring Co.’s website:

Hypoallergenic – Even sensitive skin will love the specially formulated silicone used in every Karma Ring.
Non Porous – Doesn’t absorb germs, odors, and chemicals.
Ultra Durable – Wears like iron feels like silk
Non Conductive/Non Magnetic – Will not affect hand held mobile devices, Bluetooth technology, or magnetic strips on credit cards.

The core colors can be used to focus on goal setting or just whatever your preference is. My favorite color (besides orange) is purple so I usually tend to gravitate toward the Lavender.

Kettlebells and Karma Ring, no problem!

If you’re interested in getting a Karma Ring of your own, use discount code BIBRAVE33 which will save you 33%. Plus a percentage of each purchase goes toward Feed the Children.

This coming Tuesday, 7/31/18 is the Twitter #BibChat with @KarmaRingCo at 9pm EST and we always have a lot of fun! I’ll be traveling to Colorado tomorrow but I’m hoping to jump in for a bit!

A Day in the Life: Ash

July 23, 2018 by Ashley

I feel a little weird continuing this series when I’m on summer vacation. My days are by no means scheduled and I rarely…do stuff. I run. I workout. I watch a lot of television (all 187 episodes of One Tree Hill, a whole season of Runaways, and I’m almost done with season two of Jessica Jones). So.

I chose Saturday to document since I actually had plans to do things with my sister. First on the agenda was a 12 mile training, but without my running buddy and any motivation whatsoever I ended up only doing five and calling it a day. Training is hard, y’all.

Hydrate!

After a quick (second) breakfast and a shower my sister and I headed out for the day. I’ve been doing Weight Watchers to keep me on track with eating/training and I usually weigh-in on Saturdays. This week’s weigh-in was as bad as I expected from being away on my mini-vacation to Michigan.

A little shopping always make me feel better, even though that’s probably not a good thing. We stopped in at AC Moore because I wanted to see if I could find some stuff for school. I”m always on the lookout for bargains or just fun stuff to use in my classroom. All I really found were some discounted Sharpies, which was kind of fine.

I didn’t buy this.

Our main goal was actually a trip to Goodwill since they have sales on Saturday. My sister and I are big on donating to local stores, but we also love to peruse, too. We’ve found some great deals and we just kind of like seeing what kind of trouble we can get into.

FOUND: Jeans. Blouse. Blazer. Dirty Goodwill mirror.

After Goodwill we took a trip downtown because my sister needed to pick something up. I, apparently, needed gelato. And coffee.

It should be no surprise that I love either of those things. As we left the coffee shop, we stumbled up on a weird “Open Shop” kind of deal and decided to try it out. It turned out to be 4,000 square feet of antiques and knicknacks. it was amazing! There were little sections for all kinds of vendors to sell their treasures. It was definitely a place we’ll go back to.

One man’s trash…

My sister really only had plans to visit Goodwill but since I was actually out of the house I decided to keep going. I was in search a pair of flats for the upcoming school year so we went to the mall. I don’t venture to the mall often, honestly. It’s loud and there are too many people there. I usually only hit a few stores that I can get into from the outside or that have a straight path to them. Of course, when I’m looking for shoes I’ve got to check out allll the stores. I have small feet so it’s not often I actually find shoes that fit in any actual store. I came up empty in my search and ended up ordering a pair online while we ate greasy mall pizza. (Food also makes me feel better after a rough day.)

By the time we’d left the mall I was pretty much ready for a nap. Life is rough when you don’t do much during the day and then do a few things in a short amount of time. I’m sure you are all rolling your eyes at this point, but seriously. This is my life! Once we were back at home I settled in to what my sister calls my “nest”. It’s where I do my watching, reading, and where I’m writing this blog right now. Stella joins me sometimes to look out the window.

I I didn’t really do much

I did end up falling asleep, but I got up at 5:30 to run that morning so I didn’t feel bad about it. The rest of the day was spent lounging around, reading, doing laundry, and (if you follow me on Instagram you know this) cleaning out some clothes. Summer makes me simultaneously restless and also sloth-like.

I’d love to revisit this in a couple of weeks and show you a day of classroom setup and other fun teacher things, but for now this is all I’ve got. Hey, at least I got dressed and left the house?

Unsalted and Shark Free

July 20, 2018 by Ashley

About this time last year I got a late night text from a friend showing off a shiny diamond ring. I was so, so excited for my friend and couldn’t wait to hear all of the details. I knew that the wedding would be in Michigan since that’s where she’s from, but I also knew that it would be a small affair. Needless to say I was happy to be invited! I love this girl and couldn’t wait to celebrate her special day.

Fast forward to about a week ago when I was packing a bag and preparing to travel to Michigan. Though my family went on many road trips when I was a kid we never made it to Michigan, so this was a first for me. I got up dark and early on Saturday for a flight to Atlanta and then to Grand Rapids. I’ve traveled alone before so I wasn’t too worried about layovers and flights and things. Once I got to Grand Rapids, however, things got a little hairy. I rented a car for an hour and a half drive to the small town of Pentwater. I get extreme anxiety when driving, though, so I was a little worried.

I did okay, though. I mean, I’m alive and that’s all that matters! Once I got to Pentwater my main priority was a nap. I had been up since 3AM and was in serious need of rest. I love traveling and seeing new places, but it’s totally exhausting sometimes.

Once I was rested up I took a drive into Pentwater and walked up and down the…street. Because there’s only one. It was warmer than I expected. (I’m from Florida. I’m used to melting.) It’s a cute little town that sits on Pentwater Lake and Lake Michigan. I love a good view of the water and Pentwater didn’t disappoint. It also had some adorable shops and touristy places to check out.

Of course I found books.

Also I found some amazing coffee gelato.

After I toured the town myself, I went back a little later with a friend and her husband that arrived a little after me. We had dinner at one of the pizza joints in town (there were a few) and then headed to the state park to mee the bride and her family after the rehearsal dinner for a sunset on Lake Michigan. It was beautiful!

No filter needed.

After the sunset we headed into town for drinks at a basement bar. This was a new experience for me as we do not have basements in Florida. 🙂 I was exhausted after a long day of traveling and was so ready to climb into bed. I guess this is the part where I tell you I took workout clothes and got up early for a run, right? Well, you know I didn’t! I did get up early, but that’s just because of my internal teacher clock. After a quick hotel breakfast I…took a nap. Now, I know what you’re thinking. I’m in a brand new state and I should be exploring! But I was also on vacation and I’d been feeling a little down lately. Some extra rest was just what I needed.

This was wedding day, so there wasn’t a ton of time to explore. My friend Cristi and her husband Jose were staying at the same hotel so we ventured out together again. We tried a little coffee shop in Pentwater and did some shopping before driving to Hart and finding a cute little brewery for lunch.

Cristi and I enjoying the view in Pentwater.

After our little excursion I had enough time for a power nap before getting ready for the wedding. The bride’s family has an adorable cabin which is where the wedding took place with a gorgeous view of the lake. It was a perfect setting and a beautiful ceremony.

Florida friends with the beautiful bride.

Ice cream themed tables.

Michigan brew with a view.

Monday was my last day in Michigan so I drove an hour south to where my friend Jenn was staying with some old friends. (All of my friends that I spent time with in Michigan are friends I work with in Florida.) Jenn and her family/friends rented a boat in Spring Lake, so I went out with them for that Pure Michigan experience. It included a boat ride, some choppy waves, and a floating trampoline!

I, of course, had to do a little SkirtSports photo shoot.

I jumped off a boat and swam to that. Go me.

Bumpy selfies with Jenn.

After a great day on the lake with friends (and friends of friends) I made the trek back to Pentwater to get ready to leave the next morning. I was flying out of Grand Rapids at 6:45 and had to drop off my rental car, also. This is the part where my anxiety kicks in and I don’t sleep, but at least there was no traffic when I left at 3AM! The drive was smooth, security was a breeze (besides me leaving my license at security), and my flights were on time. My layover was in Detroit where I landed at gate A73 and had to hustle to A9 to my next flight back to Florida.

I loved being away for a weekend and being able to do a little exploring while celebrating a good friend. I didn’t workout while I was away, but technically none of those days were running day so I didn’t feel too guilty about it. Sometimes you need a break from all kinds of stuff (even if you’re on a vacation as it is), even marathon training. I’m getting back in the habit now and also getting into the mindset of going back to work. I’m saving my “Day in the Life” until my day consists of something other than Netflix and large amounts of coffee.

Michigan is a beautiful place and I’d love to go back and visit and see what other trouble I can get into. There doesn’t even have to be a wedding!

A Day in the Life: Meridith

July 18, 2018 by Meridith

5am, Tuesday morning, my phone alarm sounds. That’s obviously not my phone in the picture but my clock is usually the first thing. It’s GYM DAY!

After a quick shower, teeth brushing, hair in some sort of ponytail or bun, gym clothes thrown on (chosen the night before), and chugging a glass of water/getting my gym bottle ready, I’m out the door by 5:30. Efficient! It’s also a routine I’ve been doing every Tuesday/Thursday morning for the past 5 years so it’s habit at this point.

Great workout at the gym with my workout buddy and trainer. I’m walking on sunshine. And it feels like it because I’m also dripping with sweat. Literally, when I’m doing mountain climbers, plank rows, and whatnot the sweat slides down my nose and onto the floor. So cute! There are no pictures from the gym because it’s not that kind of gym.

I arrived home nearly two hours after I left and by now the entire house is awake. My older son has an obsession with biscuits and gravy since having a dehydrated version on his 63 mile Boy Scout canoeing trip so he’s making “the real thing” with my husband. My parents are flitting around (they live with us in the summer) and my younger son is squirreled away in his room.

Not wanting to give in to the temptation of eating biscuits and gravy after the gym, I take this girl for a walk instead.

When I return I have yogurt and hard boiled eggs. Yay me. And another shower because, ya know, I’m still looking like I jumped in the pool.

From there it’s the Mom Uber for my children. Deep breath. Are you ready for this?

I drive back to the gym with this kid at 9:10. Yes, the same gym I was at just an hour and a half prior. This is how we roll. Thankfully my dad volunteers to pick him up so that’s one less drive on my Mom Uber schedule.

Gabe has karate twice a week so around 11:20 we leave for that. He’s working toward his blue belt testing, which is happening in a week!

We arrive home around 12:45 to have lunch with my husband, who comes home nearly each day to eat with us (the perks of working close by!). Lucas and my parents went out for lunch so it’s just the three of us until they roll back in and Jay heads out for work. (And leaves his phone on the counter.)

Gabe has his social skills friends group, so Mom Uber heads out the door yet again.

After dropping him off, I swing by to bring my husband his phone. Then I run home to get some work done for Healthy Kids Running Series and a few minutes of transcribing.

Lucas joins me for the trip back to get Gabe and by this time storm clouds are rolling in and the sky is looking ominous. The boys have hair cut appointments at 3:30 so we head straight there.

Thankfully we ride out the majority of the storms while they’re getting the haircuts. Get back home around 4:30. The perfect time for…

Folding laundry and watching The Bachelorette! That’s right, the entire day the washer and dryer have been running. Becca’s face accurately depicts my face regarding laundry.

Jay arrives home and we have DATE NIGHT planned! Honestly with the storms I was a little concerned we’d have to change our plans but he convinced me we’d be fine.

So it was off to the Philadelphia Zoo for their special event!

Jay and I have been to after hours events at the zoo before and we know they’re the best because the animals tend to be more active. With beers in hand we wandered around the exhibits and learned more about the animals. we are Zoo members but gladly paid extra for this opportunity!

Around 9pm (which is my usual bedtime, btw) we headed back to New Jersey and had a late dinner. I’m surprised I didn’t fall asleep in the crab dip. Very proud of myself!

We arrived home a little after 10pm, Jay set his alarm for a 3am conference call with the good folks in Germany, and we both passed out.

The end (of Tuesday, July 17th, 2018).

A Day in the Life: Kyle

July 17, 2018 by kpjenn

Welcome to the Scootadoot Day in the Life Series!

I’m kicking things off this week – and while the day I chose to document (yesterday) wasn’t a typical day, it gives a pretty good idea of what I’m up to on a day-to-day basis. Read: I have a routine. And I’m boring. Lol.
This is something that happens every day – even weekends, I can’t sleep in… I’m a bad sleeper. I’m also habitually worried about wasting the day, so sleeping in is pretty difficult. I digress. Monday, work day, 5:45am alarm. Wakey wakey! Breakfast miiiiight be my favorite meal of the day, and since my breakfast has to meet certain macros, it’s easiest to give myself time to cook it every day. My go to? Egg white omelette with spinach and a slice of turkey bacon, alongside either a slice of toast or white cheddar rice cakes. Which are the best flavor. Don’t at me.

Also pictured, my required-to-function to-go mug of coffee. Every morning needs caffeine. Welcome to work! I usually roll in around 7am, which is the best because I have the coffee maker all to myself for at least an hour. I purposely sit with my back to my office door so that I can look out the window all day and see the sunshine. Also, the folks who live across the street from our office provide some very entertaining people watching. Like… bruh. Snacks! I’m still doing Renaissance Periodization (hence the breakfast macros), and my second meal of the day is my mid-morning snack. I love mixing blueberries and cinnamon into fat free greek yogurt. Not pictured? The whole green pepper I scarfed down before I took a picture. Oops. I have two cups of veggies with every meal. Typically, green peppers. I love them.Here’s the part of the day that goes off track a bit. Clay was in Florida this weekend visiting his family and his flight got in this morning, so I took a half day to go pick him up and spend some time together before the craziness of his next few weeks starts. These are our happy faces when we finally got home!We ran to the grocery store for what will probably be the first of at least three times this week and then when we got home, Clay wanted to play guitar, so I headed outside to the patio. Lately, whenever I’ve had time, I’ve made more of an effort to enjoy it. We’ve lived in our apartment for three years and I’ve not spent nearly enough time out here. Sitting out here has also helped me work through my reading list for the year. It’s sunny and quiet and there might be mosquitoes, but it’s a nice place to get away from my cat. I mean, relax.

I ended the day at my favorite place. Nearly every day, I head to Crossfit Kingstowne for a workout with my friends, and end up hanging around for a couple of hours, finishing my lifting and catching up with people.

This day’s workout was:

Rowing Intervals

5 sets:

0:20 ON (Choose a hard, but not ALL OUT pace, as you’ll have to hold it)

1:00 OFF

0:20 ON

0:40 OFF

0:20 ON

0:20 OFF

0:20 ON

*Rest 2:00 after each set

**Must hold that same pace for all 0:20 efforts

and then….

Strength

A) Deadlift. 4×10 (65%)

B) Bench Press. 4×10 (65%)

*Rest as needed between sets

A good little cardio day with some heavy lifting to start the week.

After the gym, I head home, make dinner (alll the carbs, praise), and hang out with the cat and the huz. Clay typically practices guitar, we watch some Netflix, and tryyyy to get to bed by 8:30 – 8:00 if we’re lucky. Sleep is still being made a priority and it helps so much with recovery from the gym. And my general ability to tolerate humans. Sleep is so necessary.

And that, my friends, is a day in my life. Nothing too crazy or exciting, but there is time for family, fitness, and food carved out every day. Because honestly, those are the most important things I’ve got going – and I’m definitely not made about it.

Halfway Through… the Summer

July 13, 2018 by kpjenn

How is July halfway over already?

I’m having a really hard time believing that in just a month and a half, September will be here and cooler temperatures will be on the horizon. There are so many things I want to do before the summer is over and I’m rapidly running out of weeks to do them in. Clay’s work schedule also limits the amount of fun things we get to do together (he’s traveling or working nearly every weekend between now and the end of August). But, instead of lamenting the fact that our time in the sun is dwindling, I’m looking forward to the things we have on the calendar so far.

1. Dave Matthews Band Weekend in Virginia Beach

Since we don’t have many weekends to spend together for the rest of the summer, Clay and I are capitalizing on the Dave Matthews Band being in Virginia Beach and making a small vacation of it. In addition to our second Dave show of the summer, we’ll (hopefully) be dropping in at Crossfit Krypton (Crossfitters may recognize that as Ben Smith’s affiliate!), hitting up the beach (away from the crowds, hopefully), and finding some good eats. It’s been a few years since we’ve made this trip and knowing it’s the last weekend we have together for nearly a month, I’m looking forward to it.

it’s not hawaii, but it’s not half bad.

so. excited. for more Dave.

2. Family Reunion in Wisconsin

I may have been sad when my parents moved from Alaska last year, but one great thing that has come from their move is the fact that they are now much closer to the rest of our family. Their lake house in the north woods is the perfect place to host the aunts and uncles and cousins for a weekend of family time.

this is only a small group of my cousins (and husband, duh), and I’m so excited to see them and many of the rest in just a few weeks!

my mom’s hammock game is on point.

the view out of my parents’ kitchen window. lake life yes please.

3. Staycation

Clay leaves for two and half months of MOS School (in California) at the beginning of September, which means he will be performing with his unit for the last time in August and then hopefully taking some much-deserved time off before he has to go. I’m hoping to do the same. Hiking? Camping? Gym time? Donuts? Probably all of the above, if we can swing it.

pool time.

love this guy.

any time we get to scramble around on the rocks outside is a good time.

donuts. duh.

The next few weeks might be crazy and busy, but I’m excited for what we have on the schedule – even if I’m not super excited about the two and a half months we’ll be spending apart. Summer may be waning, but there’s still plenty of time to enjoy it!

Chasing the Races

July 11, 2018 by Ashley

Most of my posts have been about how I’m training for the Chicago Marathon, because that’s my main focus right now. There aren’t a lot of other races in the area to sign up for during the summer in my area and that’s kind of okay. I’m focusing mostly on training and have a lot of long runs coming up, so I don’t have a lot time on the weekends to run races. Honestly, if I don’t have to run, I’m not going to. That’s just the hard truth of it. I love running, but I’m in training mode and I’m not looking to go out just for fun. My rest days are sacred, even if some of them have cross training mixed in.

Other than the Chicago Marathon (did you know I was training for that?) I have a few other things scheduled for the fall that I’m pretty excited about!

At the end of the month I’m running a Ragnar Chase the Moon Challenge with my running buddy Michelle. Basically we’re going to go out and run 6.7 miles “around the moon” and hope that some crazy folks are running it with us. It’s Ragnar’s challenge to run and help raise money for The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp while we’re doing it! To sign up was free, but Michelle and I both bought the swag and made a donation. I love swag so it was a no-brainer.

There might be a few 5Ks that pop up in August and September. I’m also started a chapter of Girls on the Run at my school, so that’s definitely going to keep me busy. Last year I helped coach the middle school girls’ cross country team and I’m really looking forward to working with some younger girls with this program.

October is THE BIG ONE. It’s going to take a lot of planning to get to and from Chicago with my family. It’s definitely exciting but I’m also nervous about traveling to and running in a state and weather that I’m not sure of. I know what to expect from Florida. Well, sometimes. (During my first WDW half marathon it was 35 degrees and that was no fun at all.) I’m also still trying to raise money for the American Heart Association. I have amazing friends and family who are helping me out with that.

The weekend after Chicago I get to go and celebrate the Food & Wine festival at Epcot with some colleagues like we do every year. It’s our way to “Sharpen the Saw” and bond and also eat and drink our way around the World Showcase. If you didn’t know, the Food & Wine festival actually ends its run…with a run. Or, rather, a series of runs: 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, in true Disney style. Michelle and I did the Wine and Dine 10K for the first time last year and had a blast, so we’re going back for seconds this year. It’s at the beginning of November and after we’re definitely planning on visiting the festival before it goes away for another year.

In December things are going to get really interesting because I’m doing my second Ragnar race. Last year I got to meet Mer and Cam and get up close and personal while we slept in a van together in Pennsylvania. It was a great experience and sooooo out of my comfort zone. This race is a little closer to home, and it’s a trail race. (YIKES.) There’s also camping. (DOUBLE YIKES.) I’m excited, though. So many of my fun and new experiences are earned through running and it’s been such a fun journey.

That’s going to get me through the rest of the year and 2019 will be here before you know it! We’re already looking to a half in February and I’m sure there will be some fun things in between. I love the running community and I can’t wait to get out there and get sweaty with a bunch of strangers. It’s crazy that I started running on a whim five years ago and now I feel like a part of an amazing community.

What races are you looking forward to this year?

July StrideBox

July 9, 2018 by Meridith

Every month I get a box of running goodies from the folks over at StrideBox! Getting mail is one of my favorite things – especially fun mail and not bills.

I love checking out all of the new-to-me things and also the tried and true ones which I know work for me. Here’s what’s in the July StrideBox…