Bar Food

June 18, 2014 by Meridith

If you look in any grocery store, health food store, or outlet/club store, chances are you will see no less than fifty different brands and flavors of bar (variously billed as energy bars, protein bars, etc.). When I was growing up, these things were exclusively the realm of the dieter – someone who had gone to confession and admitted the sin of being unable to master the dark art of portion control and therefore needed the gods of some random food manufacturer to portion out their appropriate allotment of vitamins, minerals, calories, and what-have-you that make up a healthy diet. Similarly, granola bars have been around for quite some time. Originally, they were clearly targeted at kids lunch boxes and those that needed a snack on-the-go.

Modern energy bars are a natural combination of both of these trends. They serve as a meal-replacement for someone trying to manage their diet and count calories with deadly accuracy. They serve as a snack for on-the-go kids and adults that want to have some notion that what they are eating is healthy and has some measurable nutritional value. Most importantly, for our purposes, they serve as a means of getting a high amount of calories into our digestive systems for some athletic goal. This might be generating energy for a run or workout; providing appropriate fuel for muscle-building afterwards; or getting some quick-digesting energy to keep us going after a period of sustained exertion like a long-distance run.

Whatever your purpose for eating them, sorting through the huge variety of available bars can seem daunting. With price-tags that can cost as much as a cheap take-out meal for a single bar, it’s reasonable to want some sense of what you’re buying when to invest in a case of bars. Have no fear: we’re here to help. We intrepidly tested a number of widely-available protein/energy bars and rated them on the following categories:

Nutritional Content / Breakdown
Taste
Price (except we got most of these from other people… so, uh, we can’t help you. Sorry y’all.)

It’s a six star rating scale. Why six and not five? Oh, wouldn’t you like to know.

The taste-testers. Dude and Mer.

First up, we have Picky Bars Lauren’s Mega Nuts.

This has what might be the most healthy nutritional content. It’s 45 grams, rather than 40 grams like most of the others. It has 200 calories, with 56 calories from fat making it lower fat content than all the other bars we tried. That’s 46% less fat than all of the 40 gram bars we tried, even though there’s more bar there. Boom goes the dynamite. (I’ll give you a hint of who did the math for this post… it wasn’t me.)

It has a very earthy texture. Dude likened it to peat moss, but I’m thinking he’s never ate peat moss so what the heck does he know?

If you’re looking for energy or meal replacement with it being as healthy as possible, this is the way to go.

In addition, you could make a health-nut buzzword drinking game out of the label and end up incapacitated (eg non-gmo, organic, agave nectar, cane juice, etc.). We have very little memory of eating this bar because of this aforementioned game.

5 out of 6 stars for nutritional content / breakdown

3 out of 6 stars for taste

Next on tap, we’ve got the Luna Peanut Honey Pretzel bar, which Dude ate without me before the gym (not that I’m bitter or anything…)

This bar tastes great, is the largest portion size of those we tested (at 48 grams), and has the second lowest fat calories at 70.

On the other hand, it achieves this combination not through health-nut buzzwords, but the miracles of modern chemistry. The ingredients are in fine print on a reflective portion of the label, but the fastidious among us can find AP chem classics such as: magnesium oxide, ferrous fumarate, potassium iodide, and other geek classics. (Dude note: these are all in the vitamin/minerals section and are good for you but don’t sound as much earthy goodness as folks might expect.)

This bar kept Dude going during an intensive training session with our sociopath trainer (his words, not mine. I love you, Ron).

Editors note: It is only at this point during our review that Dude noticed the Luna bar’s label tag line “Whole nutrition bar for women.” He is displeased with my having recommended this one to him, but stands by his review nonetheless.

4 out of 6 stars for nutritional content / breakdown

5 out of 6 stars for aste

Are you ready for our next taste test? Sure you are! That would be the LARABAR uber: Roasted Nut Roll.

Dude said this bar should automatically be disqualified because it did not hail him a cab. #giantgeek

Despite containing very natural ingredients, the nutritional content of this bar leaves something to be desired, including containing 24% of your recommended daily intake of fat in a small 40 gram bar. Oy vey!

That being said, it tastes good. It has a distinct trail mix flavor so if you were a Scout as a kid, odds are you’ll feel right at home with this bar.

Like the KIND bar we’ll talk about later, it’s relatively low in carbohydrates, so if you want a bar for a quick burst of energy look elsewhere.

3 out of 6 stars for nutritional content / breakdown

4 out of 6 stars for taste

Are you ready to hear our thoughts on thinkThin Crunch Caramel Chocolate Dipped Mixed Nuts? Okay, awesome, because we are ready to share them.

This bar has a seal on the front that says “Wholesome abundance, 9g protein, 6g sugar, 4g fiber.” We cannot fathom why they left off 11g fat.

Despite this omission, we can say that this bar is one of our favorites. It’s lower fat than the worst offender, but better tasting and with better texture than the rest of the competitors. We’ll let the missing fat grams on the seal slide.

Like with some other bars, the low carb content makes this a better meal replacement bar than an energy or recovery bar. Dude would eat six of them in one sitting if I did not stop him (for those of you following along at home, that would be 102% of Dude’s recommended fat intake).

4 out of 6 stars for nutritional content / breakdown

6 out of 6 stars for taste

Finally, we have the KIND Nuts & Spices Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt.

This bar has a unique flavor that seems specially crafted to help you prove how much better than everyone else you are. The nut flavors alternate with the sea salt taste in a way that is hard to argue is not fantastic.

The wrapper has a tag line “…made from all natural ingredients you can see and pronounce”. Exercise for the reader: pronounce soy lecithin.

More fun label facts! “A study by the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center indicates that eating two KIND bars a day helps prevent weight gain.” Studies by the Daniel-Daniel Prevention Research Center indicates that eating twelve daily does not afford such benefits. We’re not sure if they’re talking about eating just the two bars and nothing else for the entire day because two of these bars would give you 46% of your recommended daily fat intake.

3 out of 6 stars for nutritional content / breakdown

4 out of 6 stars for taste

In conclusion, we like eating bars. We also like drinking at bars. We hope this guide helps you choose a bar that meets your needs – whether it’s a meal replacement, a pre-workout energy bar, or a post-workout recovery food.

Bon Appetit!

Life After Body Back

June 16, 2014 by camoozle

I’m wrapping up my second session of Body Back. With 2 more weeks to go, I’ve been involved with this program for about 14 weeks now. I’ve lost almost 20 lbs on the program and I couldn’t be more pleased. But I’m starting to worry about what happens next. I’ve already signed up for another session but I realize I can’t do this for the rest of my life. And the truth is, I’m scared to death.

This session, I’ve increased my workout frequency to 7-8 times a week. I know this sounds excessive, but a lot of this is yoga. I’ll admit, I haven’t been running as much as I should. But I’m lighter, I’m stronger, and I’ve pushed my body to do things I never thought I’d be able to do. I can do *almost* one pull-up. Just knowing that I CAN has made all the difference. Truly, I feel invincible right now. I feel like I could take on any physical challenge and complete it. I probably won’t be the strongest or the fastest, but I will finish. The Body Back program has not only strengthened my muscles, but has given me a much needed kick in the good old self-esteem.

I want to be successful in maintaining my fitness level. But I really suck at it. If I were any good at it, I wouldn’t need Body Back right now. It’s just so frustrating to know that I was exactly this size a few years ago and I blew it. I’ve been in this exact place before and I gained it all back. What’s it going to take to motivate me to stay on track? I’m a firm believer that I have to get my head in the game. I feel like it’s going to be 90% mental and about %10 sticking to my routine.

In other, more exciting, news…there’s this…

Yep, it’s that time of year. North West Passage Ragnar is rapidly approaching and I’m starting to get excited. I’m dusting off my megaphone and ninja stars and preparing to cart my various Ragnar supplies to Washington next month. I’m interested to see how my new training and new shoes (yep, I bought new, new shoes…more about those in a bit) impacts my stamina for this race. I haven’t ran a relay in quite some time, and NWP will be my only Ragnar this year. So I’m determined to make it the best ever.

How do you stick to your routines? How much of a mental challenge is fitness? Are my meme making skills epic or what? Share with me in the comments!

A Day in the Life: Mer

June 13, 2014 by Meridith

Wake up to the sound of birds chirping. Open one eye to peek at the clock and see if it’s worth going back to sleep or if I should just lie in bed. Alarm set for 5:10am. It’s 4:56am.

Damnitsomuch.

Lay around for a couple of minutes. Contemplate the use of lie versus lay and realize that it’s probably going to be wrong in this post so I might as well just get up.

Skulk around the house in hopes of not waking my family as I prepare for the gym. Skulking/preparing takes approximately 10 minutes. The pooch shifts in her bed as I’m sitting on the kitchen floor, putting on my shoes, and I freeze. She settles down. I grab my gym essentials (towel, water, wallet, phone, keys) and creep out the door.

It’s always interesting to see what song is on the radio; perhaps it will be an indication of the tone of the day? Maybe it will be Born to Run? Perhaps a little Radiohead?

No.

Well… okay then.

Head into the gym, chat with my trainer’s wife for a couple of minutes before she heads out on her rainy run. I decide to stick to the treadmill as I like to stay close by in case my trainer swings in early (not usually the case but it’s happened on occasion). Sometimes I run sprints on the nearby side street but since it’s gross, I stay inside.

But look, I took a picture of the one of the weight while the gym was absolutely empty. Because I promise you that if I took my phone into the gym or even took a picture in the gym when my trainer or anyone else was around, I would have to answer at least twenty questions.

And possibly get ridiculed for taking pictures of inanimate objects.

The “light” weights.

My Thursday partner shows up a little before 6am and does a quick warmup before we start a set of FitDeck cards and a five minute treadmill run, until our trainer shows. Once he arrives, we move into his plan for us for the hour while talking about the news, society, my dad, my Dude, and a variety of other topics. Well, mostly he talks and I grunt out responses in between deadlifts, cleans, push presses, etc. It works out well.

At 7:10am I arrive home and fall back into the Mom Role and the family routine.

There was a hot second of consideration toward straightening my hair. Maybe it was a half second.

Breakfast is the next order of business because I’m more than hungry at this point. Pooks heads out the door for the school bus after our usual “See you later, alligator/After a while, crocodile” routine.

Dude and I chat for a few minutes while I eat my eggs and toast before I realize that I need to deal with my arch nemesis… Laundry.

Said in the way that Seinfeld says NEWMAN.

Throw that load in and immediately get sidetracked when I also realize that I need to start our dinner in the crock pot. Ten minutes later, I’m fighting with the can opener and glance over to see Gemma trying to eat the rest of my eggs.

Yeah, welcome to mornings in my house. Set Gemma up with the eggs (in her bowl rather than on my plate) and turn back to the task at hand of opening cans. Which shouldn’t be incredibly difficult, except when your can opener is a piece of poop.

Which mine is.

Little and I decide that we need to remedy this and head to CVS for a new can opener.

“Can I carry the new can opener?” Sure buddy.

After Little and the cashier mutually express their admiration for each other, we head back home.

You had ONE job…

I defy you, can opener! And I’m able to finish my task of getting dinner into the crock pot.

All is right with the world once more.

9:30am – Little requests his favorite snack and drink and I head to the computer to do some work for Scoot a Doot. Instagram a couple of throwback pictures. Chat with Vic via email. Chat with Jess via text. Hear from my book club buddies about new books. Email with Jess and Cam about Disneyland half and talk about what we’re going to wear (priorities).

Prep lunch for Little and prep Gemma for a visit to the park once Little heads off to school. Our district’s Pre-K is a half day program so he’s picked up by the bus at 10:45am. Next year he’ll be in full day Kindergarten.

Soon enough, the bus takes Little off to school. Gemma and I hop in the car to go to the park.

“Momma! I want to play with everyone!”

The rescue we got her from (Bella Reed Pit Bull Rescue) is filming a video for pit bull advocacy/awareness. I wish I could say that she was the best behaved dog there but… well… she was a little wound and really excited to see everyone. Regardless, she had a blast and I was happy to help.

Oh, now you show up!

The ride home is filled with me singing and Gemma sighing at my singing. What, only you’re allowed to act a fool, Gemma? I don’t think so.

Geez Momma, you’re SO embarrassing.

Dude and I meet at h0me for lunch, as we do most days. It’s nice because we’re able to have conversations that aren’t interrupted by our kids. Heck, we even get to talk about our kids without their big ol’ ears around. And sometimes, we have conversations that don’t have to do with the kids at all!

After lunch there’s an hour of free time for errands. Today’s include a visit to the farm and getting my eyebrows waxed. I’ll spare you a picture of the brow waxing because no one needs to see that.

This is New Jersey.

Little rolls in at 2:20 and he’s excited to show me his memory book. Pooks rolls in at 3 and the first thing he does is check out the memory book, too.

“We both wanted to be astronauts in Pre-K!”

Moments like these are when my heart swells in my chest, and I hide the fact that I want to smush their little faces together in a group hug. I hang back, I listen, and I’m so grateful that they are such good brothers to one another.

With the end of school coming up (next week), I get to work on the thank yous for our teachers and bus drivers as the boys entertain each other.

Watch a little SYTYCD and then snuggle up with Pooks so he can read me stories that he’s written during the school year. After he’s finished, he asks if I can find “Happy” sheet music on the computer so he can start practicing it on the piano. I happily oblige. Thank you, Pinterest.

As he disappears, Little shows up, nose scrunched.

“Momma, what are you making that smells so yummy?”
“Oh, that’s Chicken Taco Chili.” (nonchalantly in hopes that maybe he’ll try)
“Ew, I’m not eating that.”

*cue sad trombone*
(I’m not surprised at all… he’s my pickier than picky eater.)

All this technology and yet we have no smell-o-vision.

As we wait for Dude to get home from work, I fold laundry and Gemma “helps”. Her helping includes stealing socks and standing on the folded clothes while sniffing my hair.

I hear the boys downstairs. Remember that warm fuzzy feeling I described earlier about how loving they are with each other? Well, the tone now is decidedly less loving. The older one being crazy and the little one saying “Ow, ow, ow!” Hmph.

6:15pm – Dinner is served and to Pooks’ credit he tries the chili and even compliments me. Little has pancakes. Everyone is happy.

Gemma has a photo shoot scheduled with the same photographer who took her Adopt Me rescue pictures. But first, to make our lives more interesting, she’s found a bunny nest in our yard.

Yeah. No pictures of that either. Rethinking sharing my eyebrow waxing picture.

Dude and Gem are off to the photographer. Chat on Facebook about youth literature. I gently rouse Little, who’s fallen asleep on the couch, and get him into his pjs.

My non-rabbit eating children.

Watch a little tv and read Little two books before bed. He’s ready to go to sleep a couple of minutes before 8pm.

Pooks hangs out on the couch with me and we watch Spongebob and talk about everything and nothing. Soon he leaves me for the shower, a book, and bed.

I write the majority of this post (and figure I should document it for the sake of… I don’t even know).

And that is the majority of my Thursday, June 12th, 2014. I was saying earlier via email that I don’t think I realized how boring I was until this post, but I would like to amend that statement.

I don’t think I realized how lucky I am. I’ve got a good life.

As Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Indeed.

Seniors Rule!

June 12, 2014 by scootadoot

This time of year, there seem to be graduation related events every weekend. Driving around town, I see all the cars decorated in blue and white proclaiming that “Seniors Rule.” Clearly, the Class of 2K14 is the best ever! Hail the graduates!

We’ve all been there. And we’ve got the pics to prove it! So, Throwback Thursday style, may we present to you the Scoot A Doot Class of 2014!

Bec and her hair were quite a pair!

Name: Rebecca

Nickname: Becci, Speckles

Year of Graduation: 1992. Hair was big, Bill Clinton ran for President and won, MTV changed the face of television with the introduction of The Real World, 90210 was on every Thursday night and my prom song was the epic “End of the Road” by Boyz II Men.

School Mascot: Pirate. Arrrgh.

Activities: Yearbook, newspaper, Peer Leaders

Sports: Ahahaha. You’re funny. No.

Favorite movie: Wayne’s World. This came out February of my senior year and I lost count of how many times I saw it in the theatre. And Pretty Woman. And Dirty Dancing. And, as always, The Breakfast Club.

Theme song: Baby Got Back (Oh my God, Becky, look at her butt.)

Favorite subject/class: English, Government, Psychology

Favorite high school memory: Any time spent with my friends. Whether we were taking the train into Boston, making late night runs to Taco Bell, hanging out in my friends’ den watching Breakfast Club or seeing how far we could get the car to coast from my house, I loved my friends so much.

Senior Superlative: Best Mom? I totally mommed everyone, so probably that. Or Tallest.

Dream job: Writer, Interior Designer, Speech Therapist, ASL Teacher, Hairdresser. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be when I grew up. I’m still not.

Quote: I had to look mine up, I honestly couldn’t remember. I was going to use the oft used Helen Keller quote about letting things go, but a good friend of mine wanted to use it, so I went with this. “Only as high as I reach can I grow, Only as far as I seek can I go, Only as deep as I look can I see, Only as much as I dream can I be.”

Post high schools plans: Undecided. (Literally, I left high school with no idea what I wanted to do, or where I wanted to go, knowing only that I wanted to go somewhere and do something. And I did.

Young Cam has serious curls!

Name: Camille

Nickname: Cam, Camoozle, Mo, Mojo potato, Camel, Cammyzoo (and those are the nice ones.)

Year of Graduation: 1998 – Grunge is God!

School Mascot: The Steeler Man (So lame, I know)

Activities: Drama Club – I participated in every theater production my school had from 1994-1998. I was also Historian. My senior year, I had 3 out of 6 classes in the drama room.

Sports: Um, drama club?

Favorite movie: Playing by Heart. And Good Will Hunting. And Romeo and Juliet…And like 50 others. I was really, really into movies. Also, I was a HUGE SNL fan.

Theme song: Creep by Radiohead

Favorite subject/class: Literature and Set Design

Favorite high school memory: Ditching class to play hide and seek at Target. Also, we would toilet paper houses a lot. This one time we papered this guy’s house. Then came back the next night, took the paper out of his outside trash can, and toilet papered his house again. At the time, it was the most hilarious thing I’d ever experienced.

Senior Superlative: Most Dramatic

Dream job: Writer, archaeologist, marine biologist, theater actress, psychologist…I changed my mind daily

Quote: “Try not, do or do not. There is no try.” – Master Yoda

Post high school plans: Riverside Community College, here I come! But first, the best summer ever.

Jess isn’t really camera shy. We just come from an era before all pictures were digital.

Name: Jessica

Nickname: Kiki

Year of Graduation: 2001. Boy bands were hot, fashion was questionable, and I drove a yellow Mustang.

School Mascot:Thunder (how is this even a mascot? It’s a sound)

Activities: Hanging with the BFFs, flirting with boys. This took up most of my time.

Sports: HAHAHA.

Favorite movie: Ocean’s Eleven

Theme song: Anything by *NSYNC

Favorite subject/class: English was my jam

Favorite high school memory: really anything involving my best friends. I can’t pick just one! Mainly because those memories are too incriminating.

Senior Superlative: I was voted Best Eyes, but if I’d had my druthers, I’d have been Best Booty.

Dream job: I’m pretty sure it was to be a writer. That’s always been my dream job.

Quote: I don’t think we did these. Mine would’ve been “after the show it’s the after party/and after that it’s the hotel lobby.”

Post high school plans: community college, mainly because I was so scared of germs that I didn’t want to live in a dorm room with someone and contract bacterial meningitis (this is a true story). But it all worked out because I decided to go to fashion school instead!

Mid-90s Meri

Name: Meridith

Nickname: Mer or Meri

Year of Graduation: 1995 (O.J. Simpson case, Forrest Gump won best picture, All Sheryl Crow wanted to do was have some fun.)

School Mascot: Braves

Activities: choir (sang The Star Spangled Banner in four-part harmony at graduation), band (flag squad captain), flute, theater (The King and I… I was a wife in the harem. Yep.)

Sports: um, no.

Favorite movie: Empire Records, open ’til midnight

Theme song: I don’t think I had one… but I just watched this best songs of 1995 video!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J6IgrOU8bM&w=420&h=315]

Favorite subject/class: Favorite subject was English and favorite class was Peer Counseling

Favorite high school memory: Dancing in car headlights with friends, playing on the playground instead of going to prom, eating lunch in the hallway between the theater and music rooms with people who made my high school experience so much more fun (and not having to go to the cafeteria).

Senior Superlative: Mostly likely to grow by leaps and bounds once she gets to college

Dream job: Broadway performer

Quote: I swear to the Lawd, this was mine. “People of the earth listen to the warning. The prophet he said for soon the cold of night will fall summoned by your own hand.” – Queen

Vic, looking classy and classic

Name: Victoria

Nickname: Toria by my family (this I love) and Vicki by my friends (this I hate.) Seriously, if you call me Vicki, expect retaliation. I loathe this name, but am usually too polite to tell people.

Year of Graduation: I graduated in 1995, when my hometown band Live was dominating the national airwaves and flannel shirts were all the rage. Heck, front-man Ed Kowalczyk even picked out one of my fave flannels at our local mall.

School Mascot: Blue Streaks. Yep, I’m talking about a blue lightning bolt. And our rival school had a mascot that was a Tornado.

Activities: I played the tuba and was in marching band, concert band, orchestra and loved to sing. And (surprise!) I was on the school newspaper staff, literary mag staff and was a photographer for the school yearbook.

Sports: I was a competitive swimmer through high, middle and elementary school (and on two winter teams in high school). I also ran cross-country my senior year.

Favorite subject/class: English, photography, ceramics and sewing. I took four – count them FOUR- English classes my senior year (including two AP-level classes). I loved to read and write and even voluntarily wrote a term paper on school uniforms for a creative writing class my final semester.

Favorite high school memory: There was no feeling like walking across the stage to receive my diploma at graduation. That’s a milestone that remains sharp in my mind. I also fondly remember gathering with friends before school each morning in a random stairwell, literary parties with my favorite high school English teacher and classmates, and running (barefoot and dripping wet) into the snow with some swimming friends after a practice one winter.

Senior Superlative: Klutziest. I kid you not, I trip over air.

Dream job: I didn’t have a dream job but knew I wanted to write, in one form or another.

Quote: “Never cut what can be untied.”

Post High School Plans: Graduate from college, (preferably the biggest college I could find – I wanted to get lost in the crowd.) Also – become a writer, have a family.

We hope you enjoyed this walk down our memory lanes. And we would very much like to encourage your to share your senior pictures with us. Especially if you have really epic hair!

Running through my head

June 11, 2014 by vfreile

I don’t listen to music when I run, but rather, I let my mind wander.

And oh does it wander…. Today, I thought I’d offer a peek into my mind. Dangerous… I know. But here’s an example of my stream of consciousness while on a run long distance. (abbreviated of course, since you don’t want a 2+ hour ramble!)

Off I go. I always start out too fast. Slow down, woman. You’re going to need that little burst of energy later. Speaking of later, I need to clean the house for our dinner guests tomorrow. I guess I can always do that tomorrow though. I could vacuum today and oh man, I forgot about laundry. I don’t want drying laundry hanging on the rack or in the bathroom when our guests arrive. I mean, they don’t need to see all my clothes. Then again, will they really be looking at my running gear? On the second floor? (ahem, no where near the kitchen) Gosh, I hope not.

Drying gear. Note the Oiselle obsession.

How does it go? Pain is temporary, pride and prejudice. No, that’s not right. That’s definitely not right. But that’s a great book. Heck, I also love the movie. I need to get a new DVD player so I can watch it again. I can’t seem to remember much of anything these days. Good thing my job doesn’t rely on my memory. And thank goodness I have amazing friends and running partners to keep me sane. And yes, I know some of us can’t plan out the correct mileage to save our lives, (raising hand) and others seem to keep inserting hills in the middle of every single run. Eh, that’s OK, I am better for it and need more hill training to improve my base- and my time. I’m thirsty. Why did I drink all of my water already? Good thing I can swing past the library to refill, and refuel, and use the bathroom. But I do need a new water bottle, or I can keep hiding bottles mid-course to pick up later.

Am I done yet? One foot in front of the other. Why have I not finished and why have the new neighbors added that hideous trellis around their lovely wooden deck? The old residents would cry. They were so proud of that deck. I wonder how they are doing out in Utah. Or did they move to Idaho? I know it started with a vowel. How old are their kids now? Gosh I bet they can drive. Oh and a random dog-walker is waving. Hello ma’am, puppy! Did I say that out loud? I think I did. Maybe I didn’t though since neither batted an eye. Ah well. I’m back in my yard and am beyond ready to guzzle some water. 15-miler done!

Moments like this one, and many more, will be starting back up in the next few months as I start to train for marathon number 6, the Philadelphia Marathon! Philly was my first marathon (in 2010 – and this year will be Meri’s FIRST MARATHON – so I’m looking forward to heading back to the City of Brotherly Love for another 26.2.

Today’s stream of consciousness run was brought to you by my tired brain. I really do need a new handheld water bottle or belt though. Can you give me suggestions? I’d love to hear all about what you use.

See Jess Run: Volume 3

June 9, 2014 by writeitdownjess

Okay, admittedly, perhaps this playlist should be titled “See Jess NOT Run.” Unfortunately, I’m having a wee bit o’ the asthma flare-up, so I haven’t been training. With any luck, that will be turning around this week, but I have been feeling pretty guilty about my lack of running.

In that vein (and also since I don’t have much running-related things to share this week), I decided to make a guilty pleasure playlist. You know what I’m talking about: it’s the reason you’d tackle someone if they tried to steal your iPod and browse through your downloaded songs. This playlist includes the kind of songs where, the first time you hear it on the radio, you say to yourself, “Ugh, what IS this?” But by the fourth or tenth or twentieth listen, you’re singing along to lyrics you didn’t even know you knew. For any of you who have seen Easy A, it’s the playlist equivalent of “Pocketful of Sunshine.”

Please note that my sharing of this playlist required a lot of courage on my part.

[8tracks width=”300″ height=”250″ playops=”” url=”http://8tracks.com/mixes/4222098″]

P.S. Please ALSO note that it took everything in me to include Backstreet Boys in this playlist, because I am strictly *NSYNC. But I mean…As Long As You Love Me is really good. I guess.

So now you know my musical secrets and shame. In return, I want to know what your guilty pleasure song is. Tell me in the comments!

A Day In the Life: Bec

June 6, 2014 by bec2point0

When we talked about these ‘day in the life’ posts, I really had to think about whether I wanted a weekend day or a weekday. My weekends are busy, but these days, it’s mostly just me driving people to different places and then sitting there for an period of time. However, a weekday in my life can swing anywhere from a sort of average-busy-working-mom day to barely controlled chaos.

I picked a weekday and hoped for the former. I wound up somewhere closer to the latter. But that’s okay, because it will make this pictorial a bit more interesting (I hope).

Every day starts with coffee. Because I don’t like yelling at people. Also, I’m a bit in love with my new water infuser (lemon and mint, so delicious!)

Since I knew the day would involve pictures, I went with the full blowout, makeup and contacts. I’m vain. Judge away.

It ended up that the day I chose had a doctor’s appointment, which meant working from home in the morning, and then heading to the office later.

View from my home office. Laundry is my whole world.

Tracking points. This Weight Watchers thing works, guys.

Then, me and Kay headed off to the doctor. With a quick stop for more coffee. As you do.

Me and my bestie.

After getting her dropped off at school, I settled in to work and unpacked.

My lunch. Yes, just for one day!

View from my actual office. Please note the lack of laundry.

At the end of the day, I headed back home to perform the remainder of my mom duties.

I get greeted by the cutest boy in the whole world. It makes it all worth it.

Dinner, Weight Watchers style. Omnomnom.

After dinner, I got a text from my walking buddies. It was a nice night, so we decided to head to the track. It’s been a long winter and the cold has been lingering here, so we’ve got to take these moderate temperatures where we can, before the full summer of ridiculous hot rolls in.

Track selfie! In my Scoot shirt, of course.

And how do I end this marginally crazy day? I think most of us know the answer to that.

No, YOU eat ice cream every night.

I hope you guys enjoyed this glimpse into my little corner of the world. Happy Friday!

A runner’s point of view: VIDEO

June 5, 2014 by vfreile

“You run really steadily with a camera,” my husband told me over the weekend. “That’s a talent.”

Uh, thanks?

But really, I was worried if I could pull it off, shooting video footage with a camera strapped to my noggin. If I was all over the place, it would make all our viewers green…but certainly NOT with envy.

As some of you may already know, I ran the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in Rochester last week with a GoPro camera on my head.

Yep. That’s a video camera on my head

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO: Running the Corporate Challenge

I really wasn’t sure how it would go – and it very nearly didn’t since I managed to drain the battery just before the big race. Fortunately, I caught it in time, recharged and was ready to roll when the 3.5-mile road race started Thursday evening.

So this is happening. Go pro running @JPMorganCC @dandc #roc #rocrun #runchat pic.twitter.com/SkkTDWOKWc

— Victoria Freile (@vfreile) May 29, 2014

I tweeted the above picture out moments before I headed to the start line.

I’ve tackled the race, Rochester’s largest office party more than a half-dozen times in recent years. Held annually at the Rochester Institute of Technology campus, it’s a lot of fun.

Laughing my butt off with Jessica before the 2013 race.

I’ve run in 95 degrees and begged for water at both of the course’s water stops. I’ve raced it. I’ve paced other runners. I’ve run injured.

Oh yeah, and I ran in a monsoon. Looking at you, 2009.

With former colleagues Steph and John in 2009. You really can’t tell in this pic, but we are all completely drenched. And as a side bonus, my car battery died on the way home from this waterlogged race.

I know the course well, so was prepared and excited to take the Democrat and Chronicle’s readers on a tour. This year, the weather was perfect. It was in the 6os or so, with a light breeze and only a few clouds in the sky. I was ready to run.

Team Democrat and Chronicle

I headed over to the start line just minutes before the 7 p.m. and shot some footage of some of the 10,900 waiting runners. (It was way more packed than the below pic, which I snapped about 2 hours before the race started.)

The starting line; before the masses arrived.

I lined up with my friend Traci, knowing full well that I’d lose her in the first quarter-mile. Even if she wasn’t listening to a word I said, I felt better chatting up a storm with a friend nearby rather the talking-to-myself tactic I adopted partway through the course.

The second wave started and were were off. I repeatedly reminded myself not to dodge other runners and weave through the crowd as I’d regret spending that energy later. And really, it doesn’t get you any further ahead in the crowd, it only serves as an aggravation. Trust me!

Last year was the first year the race offered wave starts, a huge improvement from previous years when about 10,000 people started at all once. It was always frustrating, as people would line up inappropriately and you’d be dodging people left and right for the first full mile. The improvement was much appreciated.

I quickly conquered the lone hill on the course and chatted with a few strangers as I coasted downhill. I pulled to the side to film runners rounding a curve. I paused at the water stop – and as a result scared the stuffing out of one lovely volunteer, sorry buddy! But I got some great footage.

I talked to myself as I ran. I cheered for a few strangers. I chatted with (and scared off) several more runners.

I pulled the camera off my head repeatedly. I shot my own moving feet. I shot the people next to me as we ran side by side. I shot over my shoulder. I shot upside down. I repeatedly checked that the camera was operating properly. (it was, sorry Tina.)

I ran off the course repeatedly and filmed runners coming straight towards me. I shoved the camera back on my head and huffed and puffed to pass people as I ran toward the finish.

After crossing, I zipped to the side, behind one of the D&C’s photographers, and shot more images of finishers. Success!

Thanks for watching!

The final video was produced by my talented colleague Tina MacIntyre-Yee. She did an amazing job, as she always does.

Have you ever run with a GoPro? Would you? Have you ever run the Corporate Challenge… in the sun, wind or rain? Tell me about your experiences in the comments!

Happy Running Day!

June 4, 2014 by beewhobabbles

Happy National Running Day! I’m not running, of course. To make matters worse, I wore my sneakers for a little (okay, a lot) longer than I should have on Sunday and ended up with some pain around my ankle on Monday. Since then, I’ve been in the boot for most of my walking time, and now I feel ready to ease back into sneakers. Again. I should have been more diligent but now I know a little more about what my foot can handle. This injury stuff sucks.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking a lot about running, and also trying not to think about running. Sara sent me a text last week to tell me that the Gasparilla half-marathon registration opened soon, and it was quite a low moment for me. I can’t even walk in sneakers for more than four hours right now, so obviously, I’m not registering for any more races until I’m running again.

That said, I know I will run again. Tendonitis is a common injury, and not super serious (don’t tell my doctor I said that, omg.) and I feel whiny and I hate that- I have a 6 year old, a 4 year old and an 18 month old- I hear enough whining during my days without having to listen to my own. Setbacks happen to all of us and the best thing for me to do right now is take the time to heal, and remember that there’s always another race. There are more sunrises to see while on my morning run, more things to chat about during my long runs with Sara, more shoes and patterned pants to buy and many, many more runcations with my Scoot chicks.

School is out down here and I’m in full camp mom mode with my awesome kids. I’ve been looking forward to this since Spring Break because I love creating activities for them (on Monday, we painted rocks to make tic-tac-toe game pieces) and I love taking them on field trips (yesterday- the library and a picnic at a local playground). I think they’re the coolest. I’m planning to take a little break from blogging because I have a lot going on during the day, and most of it is mommy/kid stuff and not exercise stuff, which makes me both happy and sad. I’ll still be reading blogs, of course, so please link yours below.

Today, I’m going to share some of my favorite running photos with you, in celebration of our favorite sport.

With Meri, before the Rothman 8k in 2011

Running with my middle babe at the Disney Princess kids races in 2012

Happy at mile 13 at my PR race, the Melbourne Beaches half marathon in 2012

It’s not often we get to run together! A beach run with my husband last summer.

Post- UCF 5 miler with my family (we all ran a race that day except the boy!)

Wine and Dine with Meri and Lisa (who had a huge PR that night). Love these girls!

New Year’s Day run with my girl, Dorothy, who is blurry because well, we were running.

Before the 10k portion of Disney’s Glass Slipper Challenge. I miss my running time with Sara almost as much as I miss running.

A friend gave me some advice many years ago- to hold onto a memory, to really be able to pull it back into you mind, you should take a mental picture. Focus on the smell, the sound, the scene before you. How you feel. This isn’t easy to do during a race, because your body is so tired, your mind is thinking of everything, or nothing, or that pain in your whatever…it’s almost impossible to soak in a single moment in time for later recall. I carry my phone in my hand to snap pictures, but my mind does a decent job, occasionally.

I will never forget how I felt after I crossed the finish line after the Melbourne half in 2012- partially because I had achieved the sub-2, and also because I was breathing pretty poorly and worried I was going to pass out. (Later I found out I had bronchitis. Oops.)

I will always remember the joy of crossing the finish line with Mer at her first half marathon. It was such a tearful, happy moment.

My friend Danielle ran my last run of the RW Holiday 2013 streak with me, and went a lot farther, mile-wise, than she planned to because she wanted to help me get to 100 total miles. I don’t remember what the weather looked like, or what we wore, but I remember how grateful I felt for her friendship.

Watching Anne finish her first half-marathon in April is probably my favorite running memory of 2014. I felt high all day because of it (okay, a little bit was due to my own race. But mostly hers. Seeing a friend believe in herself, and achieve something they’ve worked so hard for is magical.)

I can’t wait to get back out there and make some new memories. Share one of your favorites with me?

Do Good, Feel Good: Out of this World Lemonade

June 3, 2014 by Meridith

Ah, almost-summer. Time for sunshine, pools opening, long days (and short nights), and of course, LEMONADE. This past weekend my family hosted our third Out of this World Lemonade Stand to support Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation in raising money for pediatric cancer research.

Despite hosting the same event yearly, each time is unique and incredibly rewarding. This was Little’s first official time “hosting” with his big brother and he took his job as ice scooper very seriously. His little voice rang out “CUSTOMERS!” every time a car slowed or people walked down the block.

We live on a cut-through street (you know, the one where people drive to avoid hitting lights) which really helps generate stand traffic. And, of course, we post signs at both ends of the block.

We encourage the kids to run the stand as much as possible, with minimal help from us. I do have to say that social media helps a lot with reaching out to friends and family and sharing our donation page; that’s something that neither of them have at this point and won’t for some time! However, they are the ones who are squeezing the lemons, old school style.

At the end of two days, between online and in person donations, we’ve raised $1,174.53. We set a slightly lofty goal of $2,000 and haven’t hit it… yet. But hey, if you’d like to help us out, please feel free to click the link (the in person donations aren’t yet visible).

While our lemonade stand weekend has passed, the official Alex’s Lemonade Stand “lemonade days” are actually this upcoming weekend! If you search here, you can find upcoming fundraisers in your area. Want to get involved and host a lemonade stand of your own? It’s not too late! Check out the Get Involved page.

Additionally, coming up in September is Alex’s Million Mile RUN.WALK.RIDE! We had an awesome team of 31 people last year and I’m betting that we can TOP THAT in 2014.

Let’s mix, pour, and find a cure one cup at a time!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2ml0oliUjU&w=640&h=480]

Scootadoot

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