I’m a 2018 BibRave Pro (and you can apply too!)

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Disclaimer: I received BOCO Gear 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!

Happy November!

2017 has been a great year for me, running wise.

I hit a hard fought half marathon goal in the spring at one of my favorite races, the AC April Fools Half Marathon. I’ve had the opportunity to travel, to race local, to do more training runs and really enjoy running. And I’ve done this all as a BibRave Pro.

Last week I signed on for another year as a BibRave Pro and I couldn’t be more excited that I’m returning for 2018. I’ve had a lot of friends ask about the program and I’m happy to share that BibRave is looking to expand the Pro group to include more bloggers!

That’s right, from today through November 15th you can apply to be a part of the BibRave Pros! Feel free to tell them I sent you. 😉

Through the program I’ve gotten to try a lot of great products, races, and SWAG. Do runners like their swag or what? Most recently I’ve had the opportunity to try the BOCO Gear, which includes both the hat and the visor that Tedrick and I were sporting at the Rock ‘n Roll Philadelphia Half.

I was pumped when I heard that BOCO Gear was making BibRave headgear because I’m a huge fan of the BOCO gear products I own.

Philadelphia Marathon BOCO Gear hat

BOCO Gear Ragnar visors

When I first started running, I got used to wearing hats for most of my runs. When it’s raining, it helps keep my glasses from getting filled with water droplets and when it’s sunny, I obviously can’t wear sunglasses so hats and visors are key in blocking the sun.

Plus, I get to represent BibRave! I’ve been wearing my visor and hat to the gym and on nearly all my training runs/races lately.

I particularly love BOCO Gear because they’re breathable and lightweight. My cranium needs to breathe!

The BOCO Run Hat has an adjustable band in the back that feeds into the hat so it’s hidden away. The BOCO 360° Visor® has a one piece elastic band that comfortably slips on my head. Depending on the day and the headgear choice, I thread my braid or ponytail through the hat band or over the elastic and I’m ready to go.

Since I wear my hats/visors to the gym (it’s early and it’s way easier than brushing my hair and trying to make it behave) and on runs, I’m always washing them. They’re machine washable, which is a must for me!

At first I was careful, washing them on delicate cycle and air drying. More recently, the visor slipped in with the regular laundry and thankfully, it was fine! I do choose to air dry, as I do with much of my work out gear to prolong its wearability. For the record, the tag says hand wash but all other literature says machine washable.

From a personal standpoint, I think that I like the visor a bit more than the hat, because the hat has a flat brim, whereas the visor’s brim is curved. I’ve been wearing the hat more casually and the visor for working out.

Everyone is loving on the BibRave BOCO hat!

They are both heavily in rotation and are ranked among my favorites when it comes to grabbing something when I’m on my way out the door!

Will you be applying to be a BibRave Pro? Are there ambassadorship programs that you’re a part of that you love? (Besides being a BibRave Pro, I adore being a Momentum Jewelry Ambassador.) Do you wear a hat or visor while working out? Talk to me in the comments, we love them!

Finally. CrossFit.

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I’ve been reading fitness blogs for the past five years or so. Running, mostly, obviously. But, way back in 2012, I also stumbled across a few blogs that kept talking about CrossFit: sharing workouts, talking about weightlifting, looking totally jacked and badass and strong. As an athlete, I was immediately intrigued by these workouts. They incorporated so many movements and skills that it seemed impossible to get bored.

I immediately started looking for CrossFit gyms near me – unfortunately, I wasn’t in a position to pay for a membership. So, I put it off. I continued lifting weights and running and following CrossFit from afar. Trying some of the workouts here and there, but that was about it.

This continued until, finally, this past July, I bit the bullet. Clay was on board, too. I’d suckered him in to watching a couple documentaries about it (on Netflix, The Fittest on Earth), and a whole bunch of YouTube videos of past Games’ events and competitions and he was sold.

We’ve been going consistently since July – and consequently my entire fitness mindset has changed. I wrote a little bit about it in my last post, specifically as it related to my diet. I feel like I’ve been able to stop worrying so damn much about what my body looks like (it’s so hard to escape that mindset) and just focus on working hard in class and fueling my body appropriately.

CrossFit catches a lot of flack for being a fad or being too dangerous – none of which I think is true. CrossFit is simply defined as “increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains.” Functional movements performed at high intensity, from varying fitness modalities, such as running, olympic lifting, gymnastics, rowing, biking and more. Pretty straightforward. What I like best about it, is that any CrossFit workout can be scaled to fit an athlete’s skill level – literally anyone can do CrossFit. Whether you’re a collegiate athlete in peak shape, or you’re a 70 year old who just wants to be able to bend down to pick something up off the floor, CrossFit could be for you.

I love being challenged every day when I go to the gym. Granted, I sometimes read the workout and crap my pants for half a second thinking about how smoked I’m going to be afterward. But. I still enjoy the feeling of being humbled by something as simple as box jumps. Or rope climbs. Or, as we did on Saturday, a 5K row paired with a gnarly barbell complex.

I’ve learned a ton of new skills since starting CrossFit – and improved many others. I’ve surprised myself. I’ve been frustrated. I’ve been nervous. I’ve overcome fears.

All in the confines of a gym, surrounded by other sweaty people going through the same progressions I am.

I still have so much to learn, so many skills to develop and improve – but I’m so glad I’ve finally made myself CrossFit legit. There is just so much opportunity for growth and I can’t wait to see where this takes me.

 

BibRave Pro: Garmin Forerunner® 935 (with giveaway news!)

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Disclaimer: I received a Garmin Forerunner 935 Multisport GPS Watch from Garmin 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!

My BibRave Pro one year anniversary is coming up soon! It feels like just yesterday I announced that I was chosen as a BibRave Pro and I can’t believe how quickly it has flown by. It’s far and away ranks highly among the best experiences that has come along with blogging. That’s saying something, since I started an online journaling way back in June 2001.

Through BibRave I’ve met and connected with tons of incredible people, both online and in person – I want more of the in person variety! The opportunities to try so many cool products and races as a BibRave Pro have been wonderful.

What I love about BibRave in general is that it’s consistently good. I love the positivity, the unconditional support from my fellow Pros, the people I meet during the Tuesday Twitter #bibchat!

Last week I got the news from our BibRave Pro coordinator, Erin, that I was chosen to try the Garmin Forerunner® 935 and I lost my mind. If you live anywhere in the New Jersey area, you might have heard me freaking out! I definitely scared a few children (my own so it’s okay).

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaaPfwwFELh/?taken-by=scootadoot

I charged it overnight, synced it with my phone, and then put it on my wrist. I immediately started getting alerts!

I love my previous watch, the Garmin Forerunner® 220, but it isn’t nearly as fancy!

The Forerunner® 935 is really awesome and has great features like a heart rate monitor (really pumped about that), step counter, sleep monitoring, calories burned, V02 max, gym, running and swimming features (among others), and that’s just to name a few.

I’m still learning all the watch has to offer because there’s a lot!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bab-9csFkiz/?taken-by=scootadoot

I’ll keep you posted as I go along about all the new and exciting things I come across. I’m sure there will be many!

In the meanwhile, there’s a Twitter #bibchat happening this evening and there’s going to be a Garmin Forerunner® 935 given away to a participant!

If you’re the lucky one then we can both find out all the cool things TOGETHER. Join us tonight on Twitter at 9pm est.

How To Cheer a Friend Running Her 2nd Full Marathon

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You guys, has that cloning thing happened yet? Does a Time-Turner exist outside of the pages of Harry Potter? What about a TARDIS?

No, huh?

My dear friend, Rachel, ran her second (and she swears LAST) marathon this weekend: the Marine Corps Marathon. As soon as she told me she was tackling the distance again, I was hoping that I’d be able to be there to cheer for her. Once I realized what weekend it was (Victoria and family were coming to visit – YAY), I realized that I’d be cheering from afar.

Thankfully, I’ve had practice in cheering for people running races from a distance!

I signed up for text message alerts for her race and anxiously awaited that first text telling me that she started the race.

BUT IT NEVER CAME.

So, I just started inundating her with my cheering “signs” and hoping for the best (because I’m persistent!).

This was “our song” during the Shenandoah half.

Around this time, she texted to let me know that she was running but not getting alerts either. I did a little sleuthing and found the MCM app for my phone. From there I was able to see her location (although not reliably) and I knew she was at the 10k mark.

As she got further along in the course, she had to hit certain cut off points and times and she did it. I knew that it was getting more challenging for her and she had to deal with a setback when she had an asthma attack. Still she pushed onward!

Rachel really, really likes cats.

Made this one while I was in the parking lot at the dollar store.

Finally the alerts decided to work (near the end, which worked out well). When I knew she crossed the finish line, I bombarded her with GIFs! Like this one:

And this one:

I was just listening to the most recent BibRave podcast and Bart Yasso relayed a story in which Sarah Reinertsen said “Never take a finish line for granted” and I know that Rachel gave this race everything she had yesterday. Rock star status!

This weekend was a huge racing weekend so to all of you who got it done yesterday: I’m proud of you, my friends! Whether it a training run or a race, I’m always cheering for you.

Recipe Box: Thai Red Curry

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Shortly after our wedding, Clay and I decided that we wanted to change our diet. Again. Not entirely surprising, if you know us at all (I write about food a lot)… but this shift was definitely bigger than any we’d done before.

We’d been watching Food Inc., which we’d both previously seen, and it reignited our concerns about factory farms and agribuiness’ negative impact on the environment. Since ultimately we vote with our dollar, we decided to try being vegetarian – choosing not to buy meat, and really looking into where our food comes from.

This shift has been really eye opening all around. Since we also pay pretty close attention to our macronutrients to ensure that we are still getting the appropriate amount of protein, fat and carbohydrates, we’ve had to really consider carefully the types of vegetarian food we depend on. Turns out it isn’t as difficult as you might think to get plenty of protein with vegetarian food sources. We end up eating a lot of tempeh, tofu, and tofurky sausages to help us hit our numbers – and truth be told, everything is super versatile and very tasty.

We still try to eat pretty clean: no added sugars, lots of vegetables, very little processed food. While now we eat a lot more carbohydrates than previously, I’ve found – and I think Clay would say the same – that my body appreciates a more carb-heavy diet. I find myself with more energy, which is vital to fueling my workouts. I also find myself feeling lighter. Figuratively, if not literally. Being vegetarian has allowed me to eat much more intuitively, which has allowed me to feel significantly less stressed about food. I still track everything in My Fitness Pal and eat clean, but I also allow myself to enjoy cookies or Halo Top or pancakes. Consequently, my body feels good and so does my mind. This works for me – and while it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it certainly fulfills my desire to have a positive impact on the planet as well as a healthy lifestyle.

Three cheers for finding peace with food.

One of our favorite go-to recipes while on this vegetarian venture has been Thai Red Curry from Cookie and Kate.

This recipe is super easy (we modify it a bit to cut out the sugar and the rice (sometimes we make it and sometimes we don’t). To make the prep easier, we’ll often split up the tasks: Clay will cut all the veggies beforehand so when it’s time to make dinner, all I have to do is assemble the pieces. We also add tofu to bump up the protein content, and it’s super delicious.

Give it a try!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 ¼ cups brown jasmine rice or long-grain brown rice, rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
  • 1 small white onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • Pinch of salt, more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (about a 1-inch nub of ginger)
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin 2-inch long strips
  • 1 yellow, orange or green bell pepper, sliced into thin 2-inch long strips
  • 3 carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal into ¼-inch thick rounds (about 1 cup)
  • 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
  • 1 can (14 ounces) regular coconut milk
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 ½ cups packed thinly sliced kale (tough ribs removed first), preferably the Tuscan/lacinato/dinosaur variety
  • 1 ½ teaspoons coconut sugar or turbinado (raw) sugar or brown sugar (we don’t do this)
  • 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce (we use coconut aminos)
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar or fresh lime juice
  • Garnishes/sides: handful of chopped fresh basil or cilantro, optional red pepper flakes, optional sriracha or chili garlic sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. To cook the rice, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the rinsed rice and continue boiling for 30 minutes, reducing heat as necessary to prevent overflow. Remove from heat, drain the rice and return the rice to pot. Cover and let the rice rest for 10 minutes or longer, until you’re ready to serve. Just before serving, season the rice to taste with salt and fluff it with a fork.
  2. To make the curry, warm a large skillet with deep sides over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the oil. Add the onion and a sprinkle of salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, while stirring continuously.
  3. Add the bell peppers and carrots. Cook until the bell peppers are fork-tender, 3 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the curry paste and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
  4. Add the coconut milk, water, kale and sugar, and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the peppers, carrots and kale have softened to your liking, about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Remove the pot from the heat and season with tamari and rice vinegar. Add salt (I added ¼ teaspoon for optimal flavor), to taste. If the curry needs a little more punch, add ½ teaspoon more tamari, or for more acidity, add ½ teaspoon more rice vinegar. Divide rice and curry into bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, if you’d like. If you love spicy curries, serve with sriracha or chili garlic sauce on the side.

Race Recap: Run Inspired 10k

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With fellow BibRave Pro, Ryan (IRUNONBEER)

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to the Run Inspired 10k 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!

You know the song from Grease that goes: “I’ve got chills, they’re multiplyin'”?

I’ve decided to change that lyric to “I’ve got hills, they’re multiplyin'” in honor of the Run Inspired 10k!

Eating hills for breakfast, indeed.

The 2nd annual Run Inspired 10k in Winterthur, Delaware was held on October 15, 2017. The race benefits Operation Warm, which provides winter coats for children living in poverty. It’s a great cause and one that I was happy to support.

The start and finish were in the same location, and surrounded by the “race village”, which is where the Finishers Party was held. Bib Pickup could be done on Friday or Saturday at the Delaware Running Company or (as I opted to do) day of at the Registration tent for no additional fee.

At the bib pickup I was given my race bib, a long sleeved poly-blend women’s cut shirt, and a drawstring bag.

Parking was in a field, on a hill, overlooking the race village. There was also premium parking available a bit closer to the race village. The only issue was this year’s weather was rainy prior to the race, leaving the grass wet… which made for wet socks and shoes. Not ideal, but thankfully I prepared ahead of time by slathering my feet with 2 Toms Foot Shield.

There were 747 runners/walkers during this race (the 2016 inaugural race hosted 1,397 participants) and the management encourages both runners and walkers to participate.

Corrals are self-seeded with paces up to 10 minutes and then a “walkers” corral. A suggestion would be to extent the running corrals even further, as I know many (such as myself) employ the run/walk/run technique. The course was a bit tight at the beginning of the race and spreading paces out a bit further might assist with that.

As for the course, it was absolutely gorgeous! Hosted at the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, there was beautiful fall foliage and many things to look at along the way. From reading a previous review on BibRave, I knew that the course would be hilly (something that those from the area wouldn’t automatically assume because most of Delaware is flat as a pancake).

It was definitely a challenging course! I took advantage of the flat portions and the downhills as much as possible.

The volunteers stationed along the course and at the water stations were fantastic and encouraging. There were smiling faces everywhere. A portion of the course (1.5 miles) is along the road and it was clearly marked off with police officers directing traffic. I felt very safe.

The last push of the race was, unsurprisingly, uphill. It would have been very easy to be disheartened but my family was waiting for me and I could see them cheering. I usually don’t bring my family along to races because I fear they’ll be bored but with the knowledge of the Finishers Party, I knew there would be activities to keep them busy.

I returned to find my younger son’s face painted and my older son “tattooed”. They also loved winning prizes at the Operation Warm tent and were encouraged to keep playing, which is something I appreciate. And something my husband appreciated even more while trying to keep them entertained!

My older son saw me coming during the last stretch and ran on the grass beside me for the last two tenths of a mile. He was so excited and it was so great to have him there! As I crossed the finish line, I was given very cute medal. This race was not even close to my PR from last fall, but it was such a challenge, I was proud that I got it done.

Took my Eagle Creek Duffel along to carry the family’s stuff! Review to come soon.

There was a long chute in which I was able to grab a bottle of water immediately and get a good amount of snacks! They had popcorn, chips, soft pretzels, cheese curls, lemonade, and iced tea. It was a great spread, especially for a 10k. My kids had their eyes on my snacks immediately (and naturally, I shared with the kiddos).

Each finisher also got a drink ticket on their bib with their choice of either beer or wine. I opted for the Dogfish Head Namaste (and naturally, I shared with my husband).

The Finishers Party had food trucks, a musician, beer garden, vendors, and more. It’s unfortunate that the weather was overcast. Had it not been, I think we would have stayed longer. After sipping my beer and enjoying a few songs from the musician, we decided to pack it up and head back to the car.

Overall, it was a great morning and a race I’d consider returning to in the future. It was most certainly inspiring and Operation Warm is a worthy cause!

Unless another race comes along that really inspires me to sign up, the Run Inspired 10k was my last of 2017. Never say never, of course, but I’m looking forward to maintaining for a few months rather than training.

Race Recap: Run the Vineyards Destination Enoteca

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The Run the Vineyards series, put on by a Good Day for a Run, is a favorite of mine. You might have noticed that I talk about them… A LOT. That’s because they are probably the most local to me race company and also, and this is important, because they are awesome.

I often volunteer for their events; it’s a great way to give back to the running community. I’ve also done the Heritage Vineyards 5 miler, twice. After volunteering through the summer and early fall – I decided that it was time to run and the 5k at Auburn Road Vineyards (Enoteca is explained here) worked out well with timing in my schedule.

With over twenty Run the Vineyards events, this race series has their races down to a science when it comes to preparing and having everything covered for their runners.

They keep the races manageable for the locations in terms of field size and parking. Packet pickup is either at the local running store (Mullica Hill Running Company) or race morning. And they always have FREE photos!

The weather wasn’t looking fantastic for race morning and for a brief moment, as I listened to a downpour of rain on the roof of my house, I even considered skipping the event. However, I had a friend that I was meeting up with and I’m not really one to let a little (or a lot of) rain scare me away. While overcast, the rain showers moved out for the actual race.

Thankful for Erin meeting up with me!

This is the third year this race has been run and it begins running through the vineyard (vines on both sides/grass) which leads to a dirt road. From what I understand the course was slightly different than the previous two years. I asked a few people who had run the race before and they liked this course better. We had the opportunity to run through two sections of vineyards, which was neat! There was a water station in the middle of the race, which we passed twice in case more water was necessary.

The t-shirts were long sleeves tech shirts although this series has a variety of options when it comes to shirts. I’ve gotten tech t-shirts, tanks, and long sleeves from them – depending on what race and what season I’m running.

Thanks to photographer Chad for this shot!

As you cross the finish line there’s a bottle of water offered to each runner, a KIND bar, and the Run the Vineyards wineglass. The results are immediately emailed to you, as you cross the finish line.

On each race bib there’s a tear-away ticket for wine from the host vineyard, putting the wineglass to good use right away! I went with the Good Karma red blend from Auburn Road vineyard. Erin and I grabbed seats inside near the musician, ordered a cheese plate, and enjoyed the morning after the run.

Run the Vineyards is always an occasion – it’s never rushed, it’s really easy-going and relaxed, after the running portion, of course. We got to watch the awards given out to overall winners (a bottle of wine and a medal), and age group awards (medals).

Overall, a great time, as usual. I’m already signed up for the 5 miler in the spring and I’m scouting out the races that fit into my schedule to volunteer at!

Tell me about your favorite local races. Have you ever run at a vineyard? What do races offer that make you return time and time again?

Goodbye, Alaska

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I know that saying goodbye to your childhood home is a pretty standard part of growing up for most people. At some point or another, usually after we’ve left home for college or jobs or other adventures, our parents decide that it’s their turn. Whether it’s to downsize, or even to move to more agreeable climes, when the parents determine it’s time to leave, it sets in motion a bittersweet series of goodbyes. Some more difficult than others.

So, this past weekend, I went back to Alaska to do just that: say goodbye to my childhood home. My family has lived in the same house for 21 years – most of my life, and longer even than my youngest sister has been alive. But now that we’re all grown, and my parents have both retired, they wanted to be closer to family. So, they found a cute little lake house in Northern Wisconsin and sold our old home in Alaska…

The trip home this weekend was short – about 60 hours or so – and in that time we packed and sorted and cleaned and remembered. We visited some of our favorite places, ate some of our favorite food, and when the time came to leave for the airport Sunday night, we cried. Driving away from that house for the last time was weird. On one hand, it didn’t feel like the last time I’d be there at all, but on the other, all I could think about was how I didn’t know the next time I’d be in Alaska.

I haven’t lived at home full time in more than 10 years, but this weekend felt like I was officially leaving home for the first time. It is sad to say goodbye to a house and a community I’ve loved so well for so long, but this whole process has given me a chance to reflect on just how lucky we were to have lived in such an amazing place. The memories I have of Alaska are so special, and growing up there has shaped me in so many ways. I will miss being able to go home to Alaska whenever I need to, but I’m so grateful to have been able to call it that at all.

Alaska, I love you. Stay classy.

We’re just missing one sister. Anna, we love you!

If you ever go to Anchorage, this is the best pizza you will ever have. Moose’s Tooth.


This view will never not be my favorite.