Safety in Numbers on Global Running Day and Beyond

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Disclaimer: I received Sabre products 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!

Each year, the first Wednesday in June is Global Running Day. A day to celebrate running and inspire today’s youth to get out and get active. That’s a mission I can get behind, especially as a Healthy Kids Running Series coordinator.

My pup Gemma is my usual running buddy but we’ve been working our way back to running after she recently had CCL surgery. Running is always so much more fun with someone so naturally I reached out to one of my favorite buddies, Ana, and gently and not at all pushy talked her into running with me.

There’s safety in numbers when it comes to running. I never really thought much about carrying pepper gel while running because… well, who’d want to mess with me? However, there’s always the just in case factor. When I heard that BibRave was teaming up with Sabre to bring safety to Global Running Day, the just in case factor jumped to the forefront of my mind.

Sabre not only sent the products above for me but included Pepper Gel and a Personal Alarm with LED Light for a buddy as well. Score for Ana!

We had an hour and a half at dusk to map out our route through a park and nearby town before we needed to return to get our children from band practice.

Global Running Day - Ana and Mer with Sabre Safety products

We went through the empty wooded trail at the local park before hitting the town’s hills. It was mostly quiet, save for our constant talking, because that’s what we do when we’re together.

No need to employ any of the Sabre safety gear but before we hit the road, we checked out the good, noting how easy it was to unlock the Pepper Gel with a flick of the thumb.

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByVu1N5HK6k/

While making our way through town, naturally we wondered… just HOW loud is the Personal Alarm? We didn’t want to push the button while on our journey and cause anyone unncessary panic/concern.

Instead we waited until the end of our run and found a spot at the end of a parking lot. Naturally I made a video on Instagram stories, which goes away after 24 hours but YouTube is forever.

Hopefully these are products that I’ll never, ever have to use. But… just in case, they’re good to have. If you’d like to get safety products for yourself or a running loved one, discount code SABRERUN saves 20% at Sabre’s website. 

Forget BMI, What’s Your ACE Score?

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School was not my favorite place to be. And tests were never a fun thing unless it was an essay test on Pride & Prejudice, AMIRITE?! Just me, eh?

Oh, Lydia.

Well, I recently took another test called the ACE Quiz. ACE stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences, and I scored really high an 8/10. Only, this is one of those tests where you don’t want a high score. At all. A high score on this test can indicate the likelihood of allllll kinds of negative health problems, like COPD and lung cancer, to name a few.

If you aren’t familiar with the ACE Quiz, let me summarize for you. The ACE Quiz (it’s more of a questionnaire) consisted of ten questions about your experiences with traumatic childhood experiences. Your score can indicate your propensity to develop a plethora of adverse health outcomes. To learn more, watch this TED Talk from Dr Nadine Burke Harris. Basically, the study determined that childhood trauma influences your lifelong mental and physical health.

Yeah, of course, it does. I knew that before I took the quiz. What I didn’t know is that I’m three times more at risk for heart disease and lung cancer than someone with an ACE score of zero. It affects mental health, too. People with high scores are TWELVE TIMES more at risk of suicide, and their life expectancy is shortened by twenty years.

What I want you to take away from this post is to take the ACE Quiz for the sake of your kids, and try to take it as if you were your kid, too. I like this one NPR shared because the questions were worded clearly. See if there are things in their environment that you can change for the healthier. Coming from divorced parents gets you one point on the test, so basically, almost everyone in America can claim that adverse childhood experience. Yay us.

I will continue to keep on doing what I’m doing in terms of fitness and nutrition, despite learning this new information. What I can do is try to reverse or mitigate the risks by being as healthy as possible, while still balancing the enjoyment of what makes life fun. Including donuts sometimes.

I also want you to take away how very proud I am of myself for my gif choices in this post.

You Can Help Save the Planet, Too – Baby Steps First

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Anyone else feeling downright dismal about the state of our planet lately? Has anyone, like me, actually been thinking about it for quite a long time?

Well, fam, I’m here to tell you things aren’t looking great for good ol’ Planet Earth.

After posting a (surprisingly controversial) article on facebook last week… I figured there’s no time like the present to chat about all of the ways we can reduce our environmental impacts.

You can read the article here: How to Get Over Baby Fever by Remembering the Earth is Dying

I originally posted this as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the fact that 1) I am not planning to have children, so get off my nuts about it, and 2) the planet needs a damn hug. Not more babies.

The debate that it sparked was interesting – and educational.

from Sophia Bush’s Instagram last week – not sure who the original author was, but they were spot on.

It also got me thinking about the other ways in which I am currently, or can work towards, reducing my impact on the environment. I figured I’d share a few of them with blog readers, since many are inexpensive and easy to implement in your own lives.
Reusable Grocery Bags
This one is a no-brainer. In California, plastic bags cost extra. This is true in other places as well, but it’s the first time I’ve lived somewhere that does so. Plastic bags don’t break down and will live in landfills forever. They can also escape on the wind and cause potential harm to animals. Not to mention the fact that I’m sure they are a significant contributing factor to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. We now have a decent collection of reusable bags and I even keep a couple in my car for unplanned errands. I’ve also just gotten really good at carrying everything. One of these days that plan will fail me though. Reusable bags to the rescue.
Reusable Produce Bags
In the same vein, I HATE those filmsy plastic produce bags you find in the grocery stores. Loathe entirely. These stupid bags rip and can’t even be reused around the house (which is like, the only thing plastic grocery bags have going for themselves). So I found some cotton mesh produce bags that can be washed and come in three different sizes. Now, I just toss them in with my reusable grocery bags, and make sure I bring them to the store or Farmer’s Market with me. No more plastic!
Beeswax Food Wraps
YOU GUYS. These are probably my most favorite purchase ever. Instead of using saran wrap or ziploc bags for food storage, these beeswax-coated wraps get the job done with NO issues and no waste. Beeswrap is washable and the wax warms at your touch, so it sticks to itself and seals! We use it for wrapping cheese, covering bowls, keeping bread from going stale… truly genius. And they smell really good too. I’m obsessed.
Bamboo Toothbrushes
Full disclosure, I haven’t bought these yet, but they are sitting in my Amazon cart as we speak. Traditional toothbrushes? More plastic that will live in a landfill forever. These bamboo options are a nice change. The handles are biodegradable and the bristles – while nylon – are recyclable. Just pull them out with pliers! I’m looking forward to being able to get rid of another sneaky plastic item in our home.
I’ve made a few other product changes around the house to move us toward safer and healthier options (shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, make-up, etc.), but I want to give each product a few weeks of use to develop opinions. Generally, though, I’m of the belief that if it goes on or in my body, it doesn’t need to be full of ingredients that have significant adverse effects over time. Stay tuned for that update!
How are you working to reduce your environmental impact?

Road Tested: Ultima

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“Disclaimer: I received Ultima 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!”

Y’all. It is h o t.

As most of you know I live in Southwest Florida where it is perpetually summer, except that one day in January or so when it’s like, thirty degrees. Then it’s summer again. Forever.

I was stoked to get a shipment of Ultima to try out since even the trip from my front door to the car causes me to break out into a sweat. I’m gonna need all my electrolytes if I’m going to survive the end of the school year, ya feel me? Now, I know that Ultima is probably used best to hydrate before and after workouts, but if you watched my vlog last week, you know I’m struggling with that. Mostly I’ve been using it to keep me hydrated during the school day.

Thanks, Ultima!

Often times I get so wrapped up in what I’m doing I don’t even realize that I haven’t been staying hydrated. I’m always usually chugging coffee, of the hot or cold sort, so adding Ultima to my daily routine has really helped.

Ultima is a great supplement for hydration and it’s got some excellent flavors. So far my favorite has been the lemonade and the cherry pomegranate. I also appreciate that Ultima is a powder that you can easily shake into a bottle or stir into a cup. And it’s ZERO CALORIES. How amazing is that? Some of the flavors definitely had me side-eyeing my shipment, but I’ll make it a point to try them all out. I like to be fair, after all.

This has been a great product to help keep me healthy-like during a regular day. I’m looking forward to getting more use out of this summer when things slow down for me and I’m able to get those workouts in, too.

Do you Ultima? Do you have a favorite flavor? 

BOCO Grab Bag of Awesome Giveaway

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We’re sharing the love from our BOCO Gear Grab Bags of Awesome with TWO BOCO Gear awesome giveaways! We love this company so much and can’t wait to share the love with two lucky winners who will score two hats each.

Check out the Vlogs and leave a comment here on this post to enter by Friday, May 24, 2019. We’ll notify winners over the weekend so be sure your comment is linked to your email! US residents only.

Giveaway One from Mer’s Grab Bag of Awesome

Giveaway two from Jenn’s GBOA

 

Want to Know About Being a BibRave Pro? Then this VLOG post is for YOU!

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I wear my BibRave orange proudly and have done so for the past 2.5 years. The only thing I regret about BibRave? Not getting involved sooner!

Think you might be a good BibRave Pro? Click here for the application.

Then check out a few of my fellow Pros videos as they share what they enjoy about being a BibRave Pro.

Bodies are Weird and Stress is Dumb

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Okay. I’m just going to say it.

In the past four months, I’ve gained 10 pounds.

Those 10 pounds that I worked to lose a year ago.

I’ve gained 10 pounds and my body doesn’t feel like my own anymore.

Do I think that I am worth less as a human because my body has changed? No. Do I feel that others are better than me because their bodies look different? Not really. Am I frustrated that stress has taken over my life and my cortisol levels have spiked and inflammation is normal? Yes. Very much so.

My last post (like, two months ago?) touched a little bit on my headspace in our new home. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but honestly, not much has improved in that capacity. In fact, things got really seriously REAL before they started to slowly improve. I’m gonna vaguebook hard here, because most of the details aren’t truly mine to share, but the redacted version is that we’ve been on a rollercoaster and dealing with some things we totally weren’t expecting or prepared for. Things are getting better, but as with most things, it’s a slow process with slow progress.

Consequently, my routine has been anything but routine. My workout schedule has been all over the place and lower in intensity, I’ve been traveling, and my diet has been… meh. Not bad, but not consistent. The slow march up the scale has been frustrating, disheartening, and really demotivating.

I spent most of last year dialing in my nutrition and training and my body felt amazing. I felt fit and strong and confident – but mostly I felt comfortable in my own skin. Since the cascade of stress started, it’s felt like my body is foreign, which is super uncomfortable and unsettling. My fitness has suffered, my confidence is low, and it’s harder than ever to find motivation to fix any of these problems.

Psychology Today explains the relationship between stress and weight gain pretty well, primarily discussing hormonal changes the body experiences when in a stressful situation:

When your brain detects the presence of a threat, it triggers the release of a cascade of chemicals, including adrenaline, CRH, and cortisol. Your brain and body prepare to handle the threat by making you feel alert, ready for action and able to withstand an injury. In the short-term, adrenaline helps you feel less hungry as your blood flows away from the internal organs and to your large muscles to prepare for “fight or flight.” However, once the effects of adrenaline wear off, cortisol, known as the “stress hormone,” hangs around and starts signaling the body to replenish your food supply. Fighting off wild animals, like our ancestors did, used up a lot of energy, so their bodies needed more stores of fat and glucose. Today’s human, who sits on the couch worrying about how to pay the bill or works long hours at the computer to make the deadline, does not work off much energy at all dealing with the stressor! Unfortunately, we are stuck with a neuroendocrine system that didn’t get the update, so your brain is still going to tell you to reach for that plate of cookies anyway.

I’m not necessarily reaching for cookies all the time, but I do let the cortisol rule my rational instincts.

My relationship with my body is complicated (what woman’s isn’t?). Thankfully, my relationship with food is still okay. Even if I’m frustrated with my nutrition, I know that a big part of why my body doesn’t feel great is because I haven’t been consistent with the plan I was following for success. I don’t binge on junk food, but I do skip meals and traveling has definitely funked up my routine a whole lot. I just haven’t felt motivated enough to buckle down and plan for it appropriately. Apathy, man, it’s kind of a bitch.

When most of your energy and focus is spent on someone else, self-care is easy to talk about and hard to do. It’s complicated, too, because there’s an insane amount of latent guilt that goes along with it. I feel guilty about taking time and focus away from my partner when engage in anything related to self-care, and I know my partner feels guilty, too, as he doesn’t want to take me away from things that I love or want to do.

Guilt abounds – and while neither of us should be feeling it, it’s just one of those things for which we have to continue working on and giving each other (and ourselves) grace.

As my 30th birthday is right around the corner, and things on the homefront seem to be (finally) looking up, I’m ready to shake off this funk and get back to being myself. I’m sleeping better, I know what my nutrition should look like (balanced, not restrictive, fuel for my body and my fitness), and I have a gym community that I feel good about. No pity parties for me – I’m ready to address my stress in healthy ways and work on feeling comfortable in my body again.

My body is good and strong and capable. I am not my stress.

I. Am. Not. My. Stress.

Race Recap: Turtle Trot 5K

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This past Saturday I got to run one of my favorite races that I’ve probably already told you about here. The Turtle Trot 5K is a perfect race for me because I’m slow AF and turtles are fave. This was my 5th year running this beautiful course and, honestly, it wasn’t my best. I claimed my results on Athlinks and was able to compare my past races, which is a pretty cool thing that Athlinks can do! This race was just a couple of minutes under my slowest, but that’ all on me, y’all.

I haven’t been running or working out lately and I definitely felt it on Saturday. The last time I “ran” was probably sometime early last week and that’s just real bad. The end of the school year is already kicking my butt! I started out strong, staying close to my two friends that also signed up for the race. (Was missing my favorite running buddy, though!) We met up for a few minutes before at the start line because I’d stopped to go to the bathroom before the race started. The three of us went with matching shirts for the race and, yes, it was absolutely appropriate!

My first mile felt good, but too fast. It was humid and hot already, with an 8AM start time. I prefer my races to start earlier, especially if I’m racing in Florida. Which I always am. I finished the first mile in under twelve minutes and was feeling okay until I got to an incline. I run mostly on flat roads so, yes, little hills are hard! It’s also difficult when it’s been over a month since you’d ran, but I digress.

One thing I love about this course is that it really is so, so pretty! I love Florida and, while I’m not always a fan of nature, I do know how beautiful it can be.

It is also hot and full of bugs. Welcome to Florida.

I slowed down significantly on the other two miles. I tried to do intervals, but I was having major stomach cramps. That, on top of the heat, and the lukewarm water from the water stations was not a good mix for me! I decided to take it easy and just enjoy the view. Everyone around me or who passed me was drenched and breathing heavily. As the morning went on the humidity had really only managed to get worse.

As few times I saw some park goers on trail hikes wondering what in the world was going on and that’s always fun. It reminded me of park goers walking through the crowd of runners during the Star Wars half trying to get into Animal Kingdom. That was pretty hilarious. Anywho, like I said, this is one of my favorite races and I’m glad I took it easy and got some great pictures of Lovers Key. The trail is mostly shaded and hidden from the sun, but I’m still sporting a nice burn on my face right now.

 

4

 

Welp.

After I crossed the finish line I met up with my coworkers and we took some pictures in front of the water and grabbed our snacks. The finish line is probably a half a mile from the parking lot, so we still had some walking to do. I was definitely missing my run buddy for this one and I know she would have pushed me for a better time. Plus, we were planning on twinning, and that’s always fun!

They said “do something weird” but I’m already super weird, so there’s that.

Turtle Running Team!

The only thing I dislike about this race is there are no medals. Man, I love bling. BUT – the proceeds of the race go to the park and I can’t complain about that. If you’re in the Southwest Florida area, you should definitely check this race out next year.

What’s a race you always do? 

Road Tested Vlog: Win Detergent

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Disclaimer: I received a bottle of Win Detergent 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!

Oh, laundry. My constant nemisis.

It’s neverending and as long as there is a day that ends with -y, I have laundry to do.

When BibRave said that we were teaming up with Win Detergent, I decided to jump in on the campaign.

My family is an active one and we generate a metric ton laundry.

My husband goes to the gym 3 times a week, my older son is a runner, and my younger son does karate. Oh yes, and I happen to contribute too.

We sweat a lot, and now that it’s warm out, the smell that comes along with that sweat is that much worse.

Regular detergents don’t work as well as Win does because of chemistry. Personally, I’m not as well versed in chemistry as I am in doing laundry so I’m going to let the folks at Win explain.

The fundamental difference between WIN and other detergents is that WIN contains ingredients that separate the oils from the synthetic fibers.  Just like pulling that static electricity balloon off the wall, WIN breaks the bond between the oil and the fibers.

Once the oils have been freed from the fibers, special detergent molecules called Surfactants go to work.  Surfactants are common – all soaps contain surfactants.  WIN has chosen its surfactants specifically to get the oils out of synthetics while leaving your gear functioning and feeling great.  Just like you wouldn’t wash your pots and pans with shampoo or wash your hair with dish soap, we’ve chosen the right surfactants to wash synthetic clothing fibers.

Surfactants are two-sided molecules.  One side is hydrophobic (repels water), so it grabs onto the oils.  The other side is hydrophilic, so it grabs onto the water in the wash.  When the water goes down the drain, so do the oils.  And with them, the bacteria.

Because WIN removes the oils from your apparel, the wicking properties of the fabric are restored to almost brand new.  Not only does your gear smell better, it works better.  And because it works better and smells better, WIN users keep their gear longer.

Join me in my laundry room! Don’t worry, I won’t put you to work.

So the obvious question is: Does it work? In this case it’s a good thing that we DON’T have smell-o-vision because you would NOT want to smell our laundry beforehand.

Thankfully, our duds are fresh-as-a-daisy after washing so the next time you see me, feel free to give a sniff.

Want to try it out yourself? Hop on over to Amazon and use code WIN4RAVE at checkout to get 20% off any WIN Products!

See what my fellow BRPs have to say:

Becky – Ken (and his VLOG) – Corey – Lisa – Thanh – Jonathan