Tag Archives: bibchat

#GiveGoodVibes with AfterShokz

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Disclaimer: I received AfterShokz Trekz Air and Titanium wireless headphones through the #GiveGoodVibes campaign as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews! All opinions are my own.

Real talk: I’m overwhelmed at the moment.

I was just perusing my planner and every single day is busy, busy, busy. No tiny square is left untouched. December is filled with holiday concerts (we have three in the next two weeks), wrapping presents (we celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas), parties, cookie exchanges, company dinners, the list goes on. There is not enough room to hold everything that needs to be done, neither in writing nor in hours of the day.

All of those things are piled on top of the every day things such as work, laundry, meals, cleaning, karate lessons, piano lessons, Scouts.

My husband makes the comment each year that I seem more high-strung during the holidays and it’s supposed to be FUN. I am fully aware it’s supposed to be fun but man, sometimes fun can feel like a lot of work. There are so many moving pieces that have to all fit together and if one small thing changes, it throws everything off. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way.

Which is why when I’m feeling particularly stressed out, I like to swing by this:

Do Good December.

Granted, I love doing good deeds all throughout the year but right now this little calendar is helping me bring a bit of joy into every day of the month. When I’m feeling particularly overwhelmed, I get ideas on how to have a more balanced day and it really does help me feel better and bring a smile to someone else.

The AfterShokz #GiveGoodVibes could not have come at a better time because it ties so well into Do Good December and also the spirit of this time of year.

During the hustle and bustle of Black Friday, the AfterShokz team had a special Buy One, Get One deal on their bone conduction headphones and as a BibRave Pro I was fortunate enough to get the Trekz Air for myself and Trekz Titanium to gift.

#GiveGoodVibes tag on the AfterShokz gift.

It’s safe to say that I’ve been a huge fan of AfterShokz since first trying the Trekz Titanium wireless headphones a year and a half ago. I use them often and not just during running.

Going to the gym in the morning helps me reset throughout the week and clear my overwhelmed feelings better than anything else.

It stands to reason that the person I chose to spread holiday cheer is a big part of my morning gym routine.

Sarah is my trainer’s wife, an avid runner, and an awesome friend. She’s a beast in the gym; she works out with my husband on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and while she’s petite, she is seriously strong. On her “off” days (when I’m there, Tuesday/Thursday) she’s either running around town at 5am or she’s on the treadmill.

She’s also incredibly giving. Sarah is the one who organizes our Giving Tree at the gym and she works mentoring youth; she’s an all around incredible person. As soon as I heard that I’d be able to gift AfterShokz to someone, I knew it was going to be her. I did a few Instagram stories leading up to the gifting and as you can see, she was so excited to try out her new AfterShokz!

Additionally, now that I’m the proud owner of the Canyon Red Trekz Air, the Trekz Titanium that I received last year were looking for a new home. My 13 year old son, Lucas, has been consistently running for nearly a year and has borrowed them in the past.

I knew that he’d be stoked to have them and put them to good use. He’s already in his room with them on, but he can’t ignore me because I know he can hear me. Mwahahaha!

I’m loving my Trekz Air thus far. They’re amazingly light. I didn’t think it was possible to make them lighter than the Titanium’s 1.27 oz., and yet… here we are at 1.06 oz.

I can’t wait to spend many miles with them; they’re perfect for music, podcasts, and even the occasional dreaded phone call (I try to avoid those as much as possible). You’re also able to skip tracks, pause, mute, from the headphones. No need to fumble for the phone, which is very convenient.

I hope the holiday season makes you feel more joyous and giving than it does overwhelmed! What types of things do you turn to when you’re feeling like things are a bit too much? I obviously am a big fan of connecting with others and also, writing blogs. It helps me relax and gives me a bit of perspective.

Check out other BibRave Pros giving the good vibes:

Virjinia

Stephanie

Erica

Megan

Matt

Jeff

Bridget

Road Tested: Orange Mud Transition Towel 2.0

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Disclaimer: I received an Orange Mud Transition Towel 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!

Good morning and happy Wednesday!

Is anyone still getting used to the time change with Daylight Savings Time ending? I struggled all last week and I’m still feeling “off”.

Not to be outdone by last week, this week has been an interesting one too. My husband is out of the country, traveling for work. I can hold down the fort when it comes to our household, make no mistake about that. But when you’re used to the divide and conquer method, it’s a bit challenging to conquer solo. Our kids are older so it’s less about parenting little ones (like it was when they were little and he’d travel) and more about just making everything happen for both of them (Scouts, piano, karate, after school activities, etc).

Additionally, he and I usually switch off going to the gym in the early morning hours so I’ve had to adjust my schedule because someone needs to be here with the kids to see them off to school. We make it work because having that time carved out for MY activities is just as important as getting them to theirs.

If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.

I’m still able to get to the gym and get my workout done, which is important to me. AND, I have a race this weekend.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpKYj42F2TD/

After my last race in Atlantic City.

While the weather has cooled significantly over the past few weeks, I am still absolutely gross when I finish with a workout or a run. I’ve said it time and time again, I am a heavy sweater. And not a pretty knit kind.

I sweat hard, no matter the workout. There’s nothing I can do to change it though so I just need to deal with it. Last year when I got my new car, I knew I didn’t want my seats to get gross after my workouts so I threw towels in my car that I occasionally remembered to use.

Then BibRave brought the Orange Mud Transition Towel to my attention! The transition towel is pretty cool because not only does it save the material on your car seats but you can also use it to wrap around yourself and change clothes.

via Orange Mud

I’m bringing it along with me for the Rothman 8k this weekend. After nearly 5 miles I figure that if I’m cold and gross (which is nearly as bad as hot and gross, but not quite), I can do a quick change into comfy sweats.

Since receiving it last month, I’ve used it for every single gym session and run and the towel stands up to my sweat. I’ve also washed/hung dry it at least 10 times and it’s still plush and snuggly.

By the way, while the company is called Orange Mud, this towel comes in a slew of different colors. There a cotton version and also the new microfiber option.

Want to get a Transition Towel? It retails on the Orange Mud site for $39.95. If you order now, you can use code “OMTRX” for 15% off! Also, join us for the Twitter BibChat next Tuesday evening at 9pm est, using the hashtag #BibChat! I’ll be there!

Check out my fellow BibRavePros thoughts:

Lindsey
Mary Jo
Lisa
Matt
Vanessa
Jonathan

Medal Monday + VLOG: Scooby Doo Scoobtober 10k

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Disclaimer: I received free entry to the Scooby-Doo Virtual Race Series 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!

A big hello from me and a big WOOF from Gemma! We completed our Scoobtober 10k throughout the month of October and earned our virtual race bling!

Our race swag arrived promptly on November 1st and we were both excited to check out what we got. I might have been slightly more excited than Gemma, who’s to say?

Human swag! The bag is a great material and the medals SPIN!

I’ve got some other great opportunities coming up through BibRave too, which I’m really excited about! That’s right, I’ve already got some races on my calendar for 2019. I love a good plan.

You’ll see me wearing my BibRave orange and representing at these races in 2019.

April 6th is the Philadelphia Hot Chocolate race and I’ll be returning for a second year at the 5k! Ana and I ran this race together in 2018 and we are returning again, along with her sister.

If you plan to join us in Philly, use code “BRHCPhilly” for a free phone armband like mine!

Toward the end of April, I’ll be doing the New Jersey Marathon 5k! This will be my first time participating in my home state event and the 5k is on Saturday, which means I can do it and be home in time for Sunday’s Healthy Kids Running Series event on Sunday – I have to think about these things as race coordinator.

I’ve heard great things about this event and I can’t wait to personally check it out! Want to join me? Use code “NJMBIBRAVE19” for $5 off any distance (5K, Half Marathon, Marathon, Marathon Relay).

The BibRave fun doesn’t stop there and I’ve got some good stuff in the works for the next couple of months so stay tuned!

Also, if you have considered becoming a BibRavePro, applications are open now through November 14th. If you have any questions, feel free to give a shout in the comments or on Twitter.

Race Recap: Atlantic City 10k… no, make that 5k

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Anyone who has been reading Scoot a Doot for awhile knows just how much I love the Atlantic City Race Series races. I usually participate in at least one race during their spring and fall series and I enjoyed doing their inaugural Bungalow Beach Run this year too.

I registered for the Atlantic City 10k back in 2017, right after registration opened. The 10k distance is one that I love and I got my personal best at this race in 2016 so I was looking forward to returning again.

However, in the past 6 months, there’s been a shift in dynamics in my house. My 13 year old son, who once upon a time only ran when “forced” during a Mother’s Day 5k, has come around to enjoying running. As you can imagine, I am shedding proud tears!

Lucas’ cross country season just ended and he’s been asking to run more races. It was a no-brainer to register him for the AC 5k because I’ve run these races many times and I knew he’d be good on the out and back course solo. Since he was going to be there and doing the shorter distance, I decided to switch down to the 5k at morning packet pickup (which we opted for during registration). The process was surprisingly easy and we quickly had our shirts, bags, and bibs.

Usually I run these races with friends and my family opts to stay home. However since Lucas was running the race too, my husband and younger kiddo decided to join us for the morning as our cheerleaders.

Atlantic City races don’t have corrals so lining up beforehand is always a crap-shoot. I looked for people who looked like they’d run around the same pace as Lucas and sent him up ahead. I asked the people I was standing near what pace they expected to keep to find my spot. The 5k and 10k runners start together. After the singing of the National Anthem, we were off.

The out and back was comfortable for me because I’ve done so many training runs along this boardwalk. My time was a consistent 12 minute mile, not my best or worst. A friend from the gym and I were chatting about how I have one speed, no matter it being a 5k or a half marathon. It’s something I need to work on but I wasn’t going into this race thinking that I’d be breaking any personal records so I’m pretty content with what I did.

Lucas looked strong when I saw him while I was on the out and he was on the back but he said that he got a cramp soon after we saw each other. He still finished strong and sprinted to the finish.

We joined the finisher’s party and grabbed the most delicious bagels (holy moly, they were so good!), snacks, goodies from vendors, and beer at 10am.

Well, I grabbed beer at 10am. Lucas got Gatorade.

Next on deck for me is the Rothman 8k in Philly. In December, we are doing the Light Run together (which is a local untimed night event to see the holiday lights). And then while I represent Healthy Kids Running Series, Lucas is going to do the Elf ‘n Cocoa 5k.

This year is flying by. I hope you have a very happy Halloween and I’ll see you in November!

VLOG: September Doo Good Swag

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Disclaimer: I received free entry to the Scooby-Doo Virtual Race Series 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!

I. Love. Animals.

And I love running. Animals rank higher in the order of things I love but let’s just say that it’s a close call.

Look at these amazing BIBRAVEPUPS! Thanks to Katy over at Run Katy Run for creating this awesome collage!

When our swag from the Scooby Doo Good Run arrived I was so excited! Naturally I used by best PUPPY VOICE to get Gemma hyped up about the unboxing. Was I successful? Well, you can see for yourself…

But that’s not all because during the month of SCOOBTOBER, we get the choice of doing either a 5k or 10k. Now Gemma isn’t ready to do either of those in one shot but we got out there yesterday for our first portion of the run and she was feeling the colder temps! We’re going to continue doing our run over the next week to earn this month’s swag and help out Best Friends Animal Society.

Human swag for October

Dog swag for October if you choose the add on

I am SO excited to put that purple bandanna on her! Purple is her color, after all.

There’s not much time if you want to join in this virtual fun race! Registration for October closes TOMORROW (zoinks!) so be sure to scurry over and register with code BIBRAVE to save 10%. A few people from my local running group are doing the virtual series as well and I’m LOVING seeing pictures of their dogs in their swag. If you are participating too, drop a comment so I can swing by and check out your pups.

 

Scooby Doo Good 5k September Recap

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Disclaimer: I received free entry to the Scooby-Doo Virtual Race Series 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!

The month of September was packed with adventures and while I accomplished a lot (Bird-in-Hand half, start of Healthy Kids Running Series, getting my children off to school, seeing my parents off to Florida) one of the things that helps to keep me motivated/grounded is getting outside with my best girl, Gemma.

Nearly five years have gone by since we adopted Gemma and one of the main things we looked for when were searching for our new family member was that we wanted an active pup. We definitely got that with her; anytime you even utter the word “walk” or she hears the jingle of her leash, she come flying.

We had mucho amounts of rain in New Jersey the month of September but then the skies finally cleared and we had some nice fall weather. The Scooby Doo Good 5k was the perfect way to welcome fall! With a portion of each registration going to Best Friends Animal Society we were ready to get out there and get moving.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn3dPG4FOK5/?taken-by=scootadoot

Rather than do the whole 5k at once, we chose to split up the miles over 3 days. And when I say “we” I mean that she did. She’s very good at being the boss.

Kisses after a Scooby Run!

Naturally, we had the best time out there together. We also do! I was rocking my BibRave shirt. I attempted to put my BibRave BUFF®️ on her but she was having none of that. I think she’s holding out for the Scooby bandanna that’s coming her way soon!

While we are done with our September Doo Good 5k, we have more on our agenda with the Scoobtober 5k/10k!

With the start of the spookiest month of the year, Gemma and I are ready to rack up the miles! The swag is looking awesome for this month and we can’t wait for it to arrive. The purple is going to look amazing on her black fur!

Dog swag for October if you choose the add on

Human swag for October

Want to join us in October? Registration is open now through the 20th! I’ll be checking back in over the next few weeks to let you know how it goes for us and maybe even a short video from our run. Oh, and if you register you can use the code “BIBRAVE” to get 10% off registration!

Lots of awesome runners heading to Chicago for the marathon this weekend, including our very own ASHLEY! So excited for you all!

What is your favorite month? Have you ever done a virtual run? Are you running Chicago? Drop your name in a comment and I’ll send you a message!

Road Tested: Nuun Immunity

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Disclaimer: I received Nuun Immunity 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!

As a teacher staying healthy is pretty much key to do, well, anything. I was really excited when BibRave offered the new Nuun product Nuun Immunity to try! I try all kinds of things to keep me healthy (like crossing my fingers and using hand sanitizer abundantly) during the school year and I was stoked to try this.

I was a little wary of the flavors at first, I’ll be honest. My favorite Nuun is the strawberry lemonade, so that’s normally all I buy. When the citrus and blueberry tangerine showed up, I wasn’t so sure! I tried the citrus first and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It reminded me of the lemon-lime flavor I’ve tried before. It took a while before I mustered up the courage for blueberry tangerine, though. I’m not a huge fan of blueberry for reasons I’m not sure about. It grew on me, though. I even tossed it to a co-worker who said she was feeling a little icky last week and she liked it. So, two thumbs up here!

I’m also at the end of my marathon training (AW YEAH IT’S TAPER TIME) and have been drinking Nuun Immunity the day before my long runs and during my long runs to keep me hydrated. I’ve found myself feeling great during most of my runs, even in the South Florida heat. Some of the days are just sweltering and the extra boost from nuun definitely helped get me through some challenging miles.

For the most part, I’ve felt strong and healthy! I can’t say that I’m always one hundred percent because teaching is like bathing in germs, but I’m grateful for the extra boost that Nuun Immunity has given me! And I’ll be taking it to Chicago with me, so stay tuned!

Check out www.nuunlife.com and use HYDRATEBIBPRO for 20% off! Enjoy!

Doo Good, Feel Good – Scooby-Doo Virtual Races

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Disclaimer: I received free entry to the Scooby-Doo Virtual Race Series 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!

Zoinks!

The Scooby-Doo gang is hosting their first ever virtual run! BibRave got involved in the fun and my trusty pooch, Gemma June, and I are joining in with a bunch of our BibRave Pro buddies.

Virtual races are an awesome way to be involved with the community aspect of running while having the convenience of doing the run when and where you want. I absolutely LOVE running with my dog but she is dog selective so taking her to an event isn’t an option for us. There are too many unknown variables. This allows us to have fun and get moving!

As an added bonus portion of the registration from the Scooby-Doo Race Series benefits the Best Friends Animal Society.

The September run is a 5k. Gemma is pretty fit and loves to run but the summer heat has been brutal so she’s been mainly walking when we head out the door.

Now that the weather has cooled off a bit she’s ready to work back up in mileage, so I’ve consulted with her (of course) and we’re planning on breaking this up into three runs. As long as the weather cooperates, we’ll be getting our miles in September 16th, 17th, and 18th.

Check out this awesome swag:

Human Swag

Pup Swag is an add-on if you choose it during registration.

In October participants have the choice of being a 5k or 10k. By then I think we’ll have worked up our mileage so that we might do the run in one or two segments. I’ll keep you all posted so that you can join us, if you’d like (either in person or virtually).

Want to see the swag for October? Of course you do!

Human swag for October

Dog swag for October if you choose the add on.

There’s no “rules” for tracking your runs, just share photos on social media and use the hashtag #ScoobyDooRun. Easy, right?

Want to join in the fun? I can’t promise that we’ll find that it was Old Man Withers at the haunted amusement park but I can promise lots of pictures of me with my trusty sidekick, Gemma June. Register now through September 20th for both the September and October race! If you plan to just run the October race, be sure to register by October 20th to get all the swagtastic items!

And of course, be sure to use the code “BIBRAVE” to get 10% off registration! Let me know if you register!

2018 Vacation Races Elk Double – 5k Recap

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For as long as Jenn has been running, she’s been talking about Vacation Races Elk Double. Taking place in Estes Park, Colorado, the 5k and half marathon races are close to her home and events that she holds near and dear to her heart.

Quite the opposite of Jenn, I live in New Jersey, which means that I run on mostly flat land.

Jenn’s first half was down at sea level at the Atlantic City April Fools Half, with yours truly. Her second? The Vacation Races Rocky Mountain Half.

They’re about as different as two races can be.

Top is the elevation in Atlantic City 1/2. Bottom is the elevation in Rocky Mountain 1/2. Yeahhhhh.

As you can imagine, it’s a bit difficult to train for a race at 7,500 feet when you live in New Jersey. But knowing that I have a base fitness level from going to the gym and the fact that we were doing these races to primarily be together and have fun, I wasn’t too concerned with the elevation.

After visiting Colorado in 2015 for the BolderBoulder and realizing that my family HAD to visit Colorado at some point, I made it my mission to get them there. After a few years of me (not so gently) mentioning it (every chance I got), we planned our week’s vacation there!

We arrived the week before the race which allowed us to get acclimated to the higher elevation. Trust me when I say that this is important! I didn’t really have time to adjust when I was there during BolderBoulder and I didn’t want to repeat that yucky feeling.

The whole week was incredible and to be quite honest, I was looking at houses so I never had to leave. Plus I was reunited with Jenn and her crew, which basically meant life was pretty amazing.

The 5k was on Friday night and some gnarly looking storm clouds were rolling in as we picked our race gear up at the expo. There was supposed to be s’mores but that got shut down early (or maybe they didn’t have them at all?). We did a little shopping and then headed over near the start line which was just a short walk away.

One of the things that I love about Vacation Races is when you do a double, they give you a choice of your additional swag item. I got the t-shirt and also a Elk Double hat, which I absolutely adore! Jenn already had the hat and the long sleeve shirt from previous years, so she opted for a mug this year.

Jenn’s brother in law was running and after seeing a picture of the medal, my older son Lucas decided he’d like to run. He is his mother’s child!

The 5k had numbered waves to begin but I’m not really sure how they were doled out. We ended up in the 3rd wave and knew that we planned to take things easy, especially given as there was a long hill immediately after crossing the start line.

After that hill, the 5k was mostly flat though so we took advantage of that as much as we could. The weather was feisty; a cold wind was blowing through and because of the mountains surrounding you and being near Lake Estes, the noise from the wind was intense. We did intervals as we made our way along the lakefront.

You could hear the finish line festivities as we circled the lake – so close yet so very far! Jenn warned me that it was that way during the half too, which is tough during mile 12 of a race.

With the winds whipping we were getting more worried that we might get caught in driving rains which we were really hoping to avoid. Keeping our heads down we kept trucking along and crossed the finish line before the rain hit.

Hooray!

Got our super awesome medals, race goody boxes, snapped a few pictures, and then we were out of there!

After an awesome Mexican dinner with an equally awesome Pina Colada (yes, that’s right, we did eat Mexican and drink before the half – easy breezy), I went back with my fam to the hotel to get some rest.

I was dealing with chafing, due to missing some spots during 5k prep. Not going to go into too much detail on that but let’s just say it was down yonder. OUCH.

Having a taste of what the course was going to be like the next day had me a slightly nervous. That first hill alone was a beast and I knew that there were only more to come the following day.

However I knew that with Jenn by my side, we’d have a great time, no matter how long it took! I’ll be back with more on the half marathon next time.

Road Tested: Karma Ring Co.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kettlebells and Karma Ring, no problem!

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

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