A few weeks ago, while watching Good Morning America on the treadmill, they featured the shirts of Wear Luck.
Immediately I was drawn to these because of the huge “I WILL” printed on the front of the shirt. The saying “I can and I will” has been my mantra since I started on my fitness journey four years ago; naturally these shirts called to me!
I wound up getting this one…
And while I was at it, I wound up getting this one for a lucky reader!
I will move more – eat less – be happier.
What do I love about these shirts? Um, everything! The fabric is very soft and it’s feels lovely. I don’t wear long sleeves often because I’m always warm. Unless I’m freezing. I don’t know, there’s no happy medium. Anywho…
These shirts are perfect because they are t-shirt material in a long sleeve shirt. Not see through, which is also a great plus!
The prize shirt is a large because I figure that if you’re smaller, it can run a little big or, if you’re built like me (aka: boobs), it will fit nicely. Plus an inspirational message is always appreciated! I’ve gotten many compliments on my shirt so I know that it speaks to others, as well as to ME.
So what do you have to do? Just click on the image below and enter via Rafflecopter. Cool? Cool.
Click here to enter!
This post is not sponsored by Wear Luck. Shirt is valued at $36 and has already been purchased in a size large.Winner must supply mailing address directly to Scoot a Doot blog in order to receive the shirt. May the odds be ever in your favor!
I really like tricking my husband into working out and making him think it was his idea. Or, at the very least, making him think that he enjoys it.
Shhhhhh!
“Wasn’t that fun? Didn’t you love it?” “No.”
Dude and I are both pretty chill people so as far as marriage goes, I’d say that generally speaking, ours is one of quiet happiness. Okay, maybe quiet is not the right word… we do have two boys and a dog!
Spicing things up by forcing your reluctant running partner to do races with you definitely gives you something to chat about! I mean, who wouldn’t want to hang out with me for an extended amount of time, exerting all energy?
There have been various 5ks over the past few years. Last summer I signed us up for our local 4 miler on the 4th of July. And while he didn’t love it, he didn’t hate it either. (There were a lot of hills.)
So I have to think, what’s the next logical step for this guy? Some might say a 10k. Well, yes, many might say a 10k.
But… BUT!
There’s the Broad Street 10 Mile Run in the amazing city of Philadelphia. And friends, this has all the components of a great race for Dude.
via broadstreetrun.com
1. It’s in Philly and the course on Broad Street is entertaining throughout. Philadelphia is truly an enthusiastic city. Whatever it does, it does it loudly!
2. It has a TON of crowd support. Seriously one of the best races in terms of crowds that I’ve run thus far. Feeding off the crowd’s energy can carry you a long way!
3. THE SIGNS. This goes along with number 2. Giggling while running is good for your stride.
4. There’s even a medal at the end! And bananas! And pretzels. Who doesn’t love pretzels? Even our son, who eats maybe five things, loves pretzels.
5. Tailgating with friends after the race. (This is a big one that I’m selling hard. Dude loves his beer.)
I’ve been working hard on talking him into this race. I know that he can do the distance. And this is our trainer’s favorite race of the year; Dude would definitely win some brownie points with him being there.
From now until February 13th, the lottery is going on for the race. A few of my favorite girls are hoping that we are chosen during the lottery and since the time to hesitate is through, I’ve decided that Dude is going to be in our lottery group. Our conversation this morning went a little something like this.
Me: “Have a great day! Oh, by the way, I’m going to register you for the Broad Street lottery. If you don’t want to run it, I’m sure we could transferthe bib to someone at the gym.”
Dude: “I don’t think it make sense to go into it with the intention of doing a transfer.”
Me: “Well, obviously not. My intention is for you to RUN it. Yours should be too.”
Dude: “Oh. Yeah, I guess it’s only $43.”
Me: “Come on, what’s the worst that can happen? It can’t hurt.”
Dude: “Yes. Yes it can.”
I can tell that he is really, truly excited about this and really, a little nudge in the right direction is usually all he needs to get the wheels turning. May the odds be ever in our favor!
Have you entered a race lottery before? What race have you run that has great crowd support? Ever do a 10 mile race? Do you know anyone who doesn’t like pretzels?
Brooke and I weren’t planning on going to any of the parks on Sunday. However, I sort of had Disney non-visit remorse on this short trip (I know, I know) and since Brooke has an annual pass, I suggested an Epcot visit.
We were about halfway there when I said, “Hey, wait a minute. Doesn’t the marathon go through Epcot?” (You know, because we live in a bubble and didn’t think about it prior!) After a brief glance at the course map we realized that it did, indeed! Not only that but it was at the very end of the marathon, miles 25 and 26.
SCORE!
Brooke and I are VERY big into the rah-rah! I mean, if we had the supplies in the car, we would have whipped up some signs on the spot. But since we didn’t we had to rely on our big mouths.
No problem-o!
We knew quite a few people running the full marathon. Naturally, we were tracking exactly zero of them.
But everyone is a friend in Disney, right? Knowing that everyone deserves a good cheer, we decided to just cheer for everyone and hoped that maybe we’d stumble across pals!
I’ve got to say, the way that Disney handle crowds while the park is open is very impressive. They had a couple of different routes so when they routed runners one direction, the park goers would wait. Then they would change the runners directions slightly so that the crowds could cross. It works very well (as long as you wait at the crosswalk and don’t dart out in front of runners).
It started raining a little after we arrived but it wasn’t as cold as it had been the past few days. We made our way over to Mexico, cheering as we walked.
Figuring margaritas were in order for cheering, we grabbed yummy beverages. Some of the runners had the same idea. Because, why the heck not? (This nearly made me say, “Hey, we should run the marathon so that we can drink at the end.”) (Nearly. Then I realized I could just do that anytime in Epcot and NOT run a marathon.)
This awesome guy was drinking around the world! He’d already gotten an Orange Slush and beer and was rounding it out with a margarita.
We hung out around the Mexico pavilion for awhile, cheers-ing and cheering the runners!
We made sure not to say that they were almost there or that the finish was just around the corner. Instead we emphasized how much they all rocked and were looking good and strong!
Of course, while we were there we made our way to Norway! We needed to give a Scoot a Doot shout out to our favorite statue of Grete Waitz!
Around this time, we started wondering if we would be able to track down Kristen and Suzanne. We did a little social media stalking (I feel only slightly weird saying that; after all, we were looking at people’s skirts yesterday to find them!) and knew we were looking for peach colored shirts and that Suzanne was wearing a cool superhero skirt. We continued to walk and cheer until…
I don’t even know HOW to describe the noise we made when we all saw each other. I really don’t. I mean, we were excited when we found each other during the half the day prior. But this? This was a whole other level!
We offered them our drinks and they took sips before they were once again on their way! Oh my word, it was seriously awesome.
I’d been texting with our friend, Meredith, and told her we’d be by Morocco. It was her first marathon and my hope was to see her to cheer her on at some point because we’d missed each other the rest of the weekend!
Brooke and I grabbed some yummy food and sat down outside to eat when I heard Meredith yelling my name. We were falling down on the cheering job!
Mer and I had met each other at the 2013 Wine and Dine meetup and it was especially awesome to see her again, right where we had first met. She was running for Team Noah and she ROCKED it!
We sat and ate while watching more running streaming through the World Showcase. We saw awesome costumes, people who looked like they were hurting (but they were persevering!), and family members cheering on their people. It was all wonderful!
After awhile, we saw the balloon ladies come and go. For those not familiar with the term, the balloon ladies are the very last people to start a race and they keep an exact 16 minute mile pace so people know how fast or slow they are going. The goal is to be in front of the balloon ladies to keep an accurate pace and avoid being swept.
I’m not sure what mile you have to get to in order to be “safe” but I know that we spent a good amount of time right near the balloon ladies in Disneyland and it seemed like mile 10 was the key mile there.
Brooke and I continued to walk along the course while the runners became more sparse. Finally, the last runners made their way through the course while we were in France.
What wound up as spontaneous cheering for the marathoners was a great treat for us! As runners, it was wonderful to be out there, supporting our tribe.
You’re all out of this world and we give you two thumbs up! Way to rock!
I kicked it off in 2012, tackling Princess as my first half marathon and doing the 5k for funsies the day prior (and friends thought I was nuts). From there it’s been a whirlwind of the Castaway 5k, Tink, Wine and Dine, Disneyland 10k and half (again, with the nuts comments – they obviously don’t know many who have done Goofy/Dopey), and most recently the Walt Disney World half this past weekend.
Anyone who has run a Florida runDisney race knows about the dreaded early wake up time.
Anyone who has not run a Florida runDisney race but wants to… you may want to set your alarms now for 2:45am and practice that along with training. Because yes, that’s what time you get up for these races.
The struggle is real.
Extra, extra, read all about it. It’s COLD outside.
Brooke and I decided that we would be Newsies. We also decided that we would wear cute little tanks and running skirts. And then Mother Nature decided that she was going to throw a curveball at all of northern Florida and make it fairly chilly. Warmth took precedence over cuteness.
Sleep nearly took precedence over the race, if I’m being quite honest. Have I mentioned how early it was?
We stayed at the All Star Movie Resort, which made our travel to the start very simple; buses are scheduled non-stop starting at 3am. We didn’t check bags so we gathered our SPIbelts, food (wheat flats, almond butter, and bananas), and braced ourselves for the cold weather.
Donning our pajama pants and Brooke’s husband’s sweatshirts we found ourselves at the start village. Our dear friend, Ashley, was doing her first half marathon and our plan was to find her before the race. Attempts to track down Kristen and Suzanne were made, as I knew they were starting in our corral but to no avail.
The walk from the start village to the corrals is about a mile or so and while I found it daunting during the Princess half (remember, that was my first half ever), this wasn’t bad at all. The flow of traffic was smooth and we were able to get to the corrals with no issues. Our walk consisted of us geeking out over Universal’s Harry Potter world and books in general.
These are my people!
Ash, Brooke, and me
Soon we had to split off and go to our separate corrals, so we gave hugs and high fives to Ash and her friends before heading to corral J.
Thanks to social media, Brooke and I knew which skirts Kristen and Suzanne were wearing so we spent a good long while walking around the corral, peering at people’s legs. Yes, indeed. Sadly, we didn’t find them (but hey, it was a way to pass the time).
The earlier corrals began to cross the start line and we both shimmied out of our pajama pants, tossing them into the collection boxes. We listened to the announcers banter and watched the fireworks at the start of each corral.
Before long, it was our turn!
Our plan for this race was to HAVE FUN and I would say we succeeded! We thanked volunteers left and right. We ran when we felt like it. We walked when we felt like it (or when the course narrowed and there wasn’t much of an option). We cheered for other runners.
We pulled to the side and took selfies.
This course is the exact same as Princess so we knew what to expect. But honestly, my feelings toward this race couldn’t have been more different. My first half, it was all about getting through it. This? This was just about having fun and spending time with my friend. I didn’t hurt. I didn’t push any limits. I just had fun with Brooke.
The park is always crowded, as you can see in this video. There are people cheering and there’s not much room to navigate if you want to go faster than the people in front of you. What’s a courteous runner to do? Just roll with it. Soak it up, enjoy the moment, and smile.
It was “snowing” as we ran into the castle.
If you’re a middle to the back of the pack runner, realize that you probably won’t get that awesome running shot of you coming out of the castle. I know for me, it was slightly disappointing when I first ran a Disney race. However, there are photographers stationed right in front of the castle if you want to stop and grab pictures with the castle in the background.
Brooke was hoping that this train would bring us to Diagon Alley. It does not. Sadly.
Miles 7-11 are what I like to call “the boring miles.” You exit Magic Kingdom and it’s lackluster. I feel like Disney could do something MORE in these miles to make it less tedious. I said that 2 years ago during Princess and I’m saying it again.
That’s not to say that the boring miles only pertain to runDisney, it’s really true of any half marathon. They are just sort of ho-hum, are we done yet? miles. For the record, the answer is no. You’re not even close to being done.
Which is why when you run into Kristen and Suzanne, whom you’ve been looking for the entire time, you basically lose your ever-loving mind and make loud squealing noises!
They spotted my hair and hat and we spotted their SKIRTS. How cute are they?
We hung out with them for about a half mile (I’m guessing – my watch was set on kilometers so I wasn’t exactly knowledgeable of anything in the distance department) before I pulled to the side because I had something in my shoe. It was so wonderful to see them and it definitely made those “boring miles” way more exciting!
Since the race is mostly on access roads, it’s hard for spectators to get out to the more remote areas. That’s why I totally have to give kudos to this guy! This was mile 10, just before going up the access ramp.
Brooke and I kept chugging along although we were straight up speed walking at this point with the hopes of finishing up faster. Right outside of Epcot there were people cheering and it was wonderful to hear my name being called. Only LATER did I realize it was Bonnie! OH MY GOODNESS, I love that girl!
When you hit Epcot, you hear the same thing over and over. “The finish is just around the corner.” But we knew the course and we knew that it was NOT. You have to wind your way through Epcot a little before that corner finally comes. However, this is how you know the corner is really the actual corner and not a fictional one.
That’s right! There’s a gospel choir! You can hear Brooke WOOing them, like a good Woo Girl should.
Then, and only then, can you expect to see the finish line around the corner.
This is the moment that you’ve been waiting for for 13.1 miles. You take it in. The crowds cheering. The people in front of you holding hands. The far off sound of medals clanking.
The sound of Brooke as she exclaims, “WAIT! Is that Minnie Mouse?”
Why, yes. Yes, it is.
The finish was wonderful. Filled with great medals and snacks because runger is a real thing. Oh, and banana phones.
W stayed at the finish area, snacking and stretching, so we could meet up with Ashley after she finished her very first half marathon. Mark my words, next time we are running TOGETHER.
Different races have meant different things in my life. Some are for PRs, others are for fun with friends. This one, and this weekend in general, was therapeutic. It was good for the soul and exactly what I needed.
Do different races hold different meanings in your life? When is your next race? Anyone entering the Broad Street 10 Miler Lottery? The next 5k I’m registered for is the Adrenaline Run 5k. After that it’s the Atlantic City April Fools Half. Will I see you at either of those?
You know what? I’ve been having a rough couple of weeks.
Not like small rough. BIG, STEAMING PILES OF POOP, rough. I’m not going to go into too much into the craptastic details. But you can trust me when I say that things haven’t been the greatest.
I’ve repeatedly stated that I can’t wait for 2014 to be over; however, just like you can’t have a bad workout and give up for the week, day, month, year… you can’t blame an entire year for some crappy days (weeks, months, events, blah blah blah).
Besides, today, I realize that things are actually going my way! Seriously, I’ve got a few awesome things that I did today. And no, they aren’t BIG things. But I’ve always been a glass half full type of person, despite what life has thrown at me so why change that now?
Without further ado:
1. I’ve saved $450 of random cash this year in an envelope.
CHA-CHING!
I can’t find the exact blog post but Suzan over at Welcome to the Nuthouse mentioned that every time she got a 5 dollar bill, she set it aside to save.
Following her lead, I did just that, occasionally throwing in other random bills along the way if I had extra in my wallet that I didn’t need immediately. A few times, bills came OUT of the envelope (emergency fund/no cash in the house/have to pay for piano lessons/etc.) but overall we did a good job of donating to our cause.
Saved money = good!
2. A few months ago that we switched from a .com to a .org and with that change, we changed the look of the blog, added a few awesome Chicks, etc. However, for the life of me, I couldn’t get the LIKE button on the bottom of posts.
I really, really like the like button.
Today I finally figured out HOW TO GET THE LIKE BUTTON BACK. I mean, it’s a little thing, but this was something that I wanted on the blog. And it’s there! Happiness is being able to figure out something that you couldn’t figure out before.
(Now, if anyone has any idea how to get Facebook to post a picture from a blog post rather than pulling a sidebar image… let’s just say I would be most grateful for the insight.)
3. Christmas Crazy is slowly dissolving in my house. And I can breathe again.
Ahhhhhh.
You cuties can go back to your spot, nestled in the attic, until next time!
I’m taking down decorations, cleaning up the living room and finding spots for all the new toys and gadgets. I thrive with order and the chaos of the holidays really does a number on my sensibility.
4. Awesome, awesome, awesome workout with my trainer this morning.
My gym schedule is Tuesday/Thursday (with my husband going Monday/Wednesday/Friday). My Thursday last week was a bit on the busy side, what with it being Christmas and all. Last Tuesday I was injured (part of the craptastic story) and unable to make it. Therefore, I hadn’t really trained with my trainer since 11 days ago.
What was that I said above? Oh yes, I thrive on ORDER.
This morning’s workout was so necessary and so good for me, both physically and mentally. No doubt that I’ll be sore tomorrow and grateful for it!
Thursday is New Years Day so while they are closed, Dude has graciously offered up his Friday to me.
Mark December 30th, 2014 on your calendars, friends. Because today? TODAY I WIN.
Tell me your best news of today! Big or small – just share it with me. 🙂
Four years ago, I decided to run a marathon. One marathon.
After much deliberation, I picked Philadelphia. My mother was raised there, my sister lived there. It was home. I ran the race and had the time of my life. I reached what I long thought was an unreachable goal.
Last weekend, I returned. And yep, it was well worth the wait.
As always, I stayed with Meri, who decided to run the Philadelphia half marathon after years of cheering and volunteering at the race.
We hit the expo midday Saturday, collected our goodies and connected with Dimity of Another Mother Runner. We even managed to leave without spending too much money. Huge success.
The day’s weekend’s highlight, however, was meeting friends old and new.
At high noon, we met with fellow running bloggers Karla, Jen and Katherine and my longtime friend Claudiaat the Reading Terminal Market.
Katherine (left) Jen, Karla and Meri
We all gabbed like old pals for more than an hour…. and then we met up with broken chick Kyle, who planned to run Philadelphia Marathon with us until she sprained her ankle.
Kyle is thrilled to be in the land of grilled cheese
We three carb-loaded at our beloved Pop Shop in NJ before we all attempted to settle down on marathon eve. A great chat, lots of laughter and race-morning planning filled our evening.
Ready to go!
Fast forward to marathon morning. The 4 a.m. alarm woke us in time to catch the 5:40 train into Center City. We walked about a mile to the start area, where we dropped our bags and wished one another a great run and headed into our respective corrals.
Somehow, in a mass of 30,000 runners, I connected with my training partners Gary, Traci and Jen in the purple corral. We all planned to start together with the 4:15 pacer, but race our own races. While waiting, Gary met Justin, a man from Allentown who joined our running crew for the day. (More on him later)
With Gary, Traci and Jen (note the art museum behind us!)
Soon enough, we hit the road. The first few miles flew by and pretty soon Gary, Justin and I were all running as a well-oiled 10-minute-mile pacing team. I jabbered along much of the first half, pointing to landmarks and sharing stories. Running through Center City was fantastic, between Independence Hall, several bands and streets lined with cheering fans and volunteers.
The miles clicked by and I felt fantastic. My Garmin watch was acting up, clearly giving me false readings as I ran by skyscrapers, so I went by feel. It totally paid off. Looking back at my stats, I ran a solid 10-minute-mile pace nearly the whole race. I slipped a bit in those last two miles.
I was feeling it Sunday. I powered up the hills at miles 7 and 9. I flew on the straightaways. I was in the groove.
At the half, I felt invincible. I spotted three cheering friends near the art museum and Boathouse Row. Childhood friend Kelly, who ran the half Sunday morning, waved me down and ran alongside me for a bit. Her words of encouragement carried me for miles.
I pulled ahead with a smile on my face. This was the race I’d been waiting for.
Around mile 20 in Manayunk, running pal Cynthiawaved me down as I started to get the inkling that my legs felt heavy. Her smiling face motivated me to keep moving forward. (Thank you!)
I started to struggle around mile 21. Justin ran a bit ahead and I recall thinking how nice it was to see him get a surge of energy. It was that moment I knew he’d reach his own goal, no matter how hard those last few miles were.
Several times he circled back, checking to make sure I was holding my own. Thank you Justin!
We ran into Traci around mile 22-23 and the three of us pushed on together. I walked longer at each water stop, but didn’t throw in the towel, even though I desperately wanted to. My legs were on fire and my breathing was labored. I was doubting my training.
Then we approached the art museum and the crowds carried us in. With a high five from Mayor Nutter, Traci and I crossed the finish line together at 4:25. We both PRed and were thrilled we were done. Justin waited for us on the other side and also ran his best time. Triple PR!
We each received a beautiful medal, rivaled only by the soft pretzel handed out in the runner food line.
Eventually, we found the rest of our group and started learning about everyone’s races. LOTS of PRs in our running group! I cannot wait to hear all about everyone’s adventures.
With Traci and Meri just after the full
From left, I’m with Traci, Brittany, Charlotte, Aileen, Gary and our new pal Justin
Philly is a tough course, but there really is nothing like it. I loved my first 26.2 in Philly for just that reason – it was my maiden marathon and showed me I could accomplish anything I set my mind to. Five years later, I completed a far different training cycle that included multiple missed runs, illnesses and other demands taking away from my training time. I went into the weekend feeling strong but told myself not to overshoot or stress over a goal time.
So I didn’t. And it paid off. Philly, you’re my city. Running the Philadelphia Marathon the second time is like coming home.
Did you run Philly? I want to hear all about your race! Ever meet a new running pal and run a race together?
Have you ever signed up for an event only to have more than one person ask you, “What were you thinking?”
Okay, okay, sometimes the things that I find are a little bit out of what people consider ordinary. (Read: Jog ‘n Hog) I happen upon particularly random events that I think might be fun. Then I try to talk someone into joining me. Usually at least one person says, “Aw heck, why not?”
Cue the Philadelphia Special Olympics Step Up challenge.
53 flights of stairs, 1,109 steps, and money for a good cause.
I learned about it on Facebook and after sharing the post, my friend Lynn agreed to join me! Yay Lynn! We registered a week prior to the event, made our plans, and headed into Philly the morning of the stair climb.
BNY Mellon Center on Market Street
There were four “challenges” for varying abilities. Lynn and I didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into, as we’d never done a stair climb before, so we decided to go with the “Fun Climb Challenge”. The Fun Climb was not timed and you were encouraged to go at your own pace – which sounded like a plan to us!
The “Stair Climb Challenge” was timed and the participants were eligible for prizes.
CrossFitters looking to step up the challenge even further were able to register for the “Cross Climb Challenge” which tacked on a WOD to the stair climb.
For participants who had an hour and ambition, the “Multi Climb Challenge” was perfect! People signed up for this would see how many times they could climb the 53 flights in a one hour period.
We took the train from Jersey. After a little walking detour (the police had the area around City Hall roped off for construction), we got ourselves to the building. Staring up to the top, we wondered what exactly we’d signed up for!
In the lobby, we were given our challenge t-shirts and wristbands which labeled us “fun climbers”. An email earlier in the week had said that there would be a gear check but when we inquired, we were told we could just leave our belongings on the floor. Thankfully we both “packed light” for this and shed our sweatshirts, tucking them away into a corner.
From there, we wandered a bit, as we were given no clear directions on what to do or where to go. We found the snack table (bananas, pretzels, and water) and decided we’d stop by for a Philly pretzel after accomplishing our stair climbing task. Watched the Cross Fit challengers, doing their thing. Visited the bathrooms. Things seemed a bit disorganized and when we asked a volunteer questions, we didn’t really get solid answers.
As we started our second loop around the lobby, the stair climbers and fun climbers were called to together by someone who knew what was up. Hooray!
Dun, dun, dun!
The event coordinators gave us the run down of how things would work and we lined up, with people going a few at a time. In total there were about 190 participants in all four challenges for the morning.
Those doing the timed challenge went prior to the fun climb. The people right in front of me were timed climbers and I was informed we’d start immediately after them.
We were told to pass on the right. The rescue floors were 9, 25, 34, 40 and at the top (53) – each had water stations and climbers had the ability to bail during those floors.
Once we started, we were immediately going way too fast! Since I was following on the heels of the timed climbers, and I had no sense of how fast or slow I should be going but I soon figured out I wasn’t going to be keeping their pace. Around floor 4 we fell back into a more comfortable cadence. Right around this time, Lynn and I exchanged a glance. The glance was “Whoa! Who came up with this challenge?”
Soon we reached floor 9 and we both gratefully grabbed a cup of water from a volunteer there. Many of the Special Olympians were also doing the fun climb and it was great to see them out there, supporting one another and having their coaches with them.
The scenery?
After a quick breather, we were off again. Taking a break at the rescue floors put a little pep in our step, at least for a couple of flights! The rescue floors were spaced just right.
You know the saying, “don’t look back, you’re not going that way?” Well, I did. Or at least I looked down.
I jammed to my music as we continued up, up, up. I sweated. I took another cup of water at floor 25. I stopped with Lynn at 34 so she could get more water. And we continued on! I looked forward to floor 37, my age, so I could get a picture.
Floor 40 was the last “rescue” floor before we made our way to the top and then there were only 13 more to go. I kept my pace slow and steady, using the handrail and enjoying my music. My quads were burning a bit but nothing horrible and we cheered each other on as we made our way past a couple of other stair climbers. Around floor 51 there was a bit of a change where we made our way into the next tower – it was fun to do something a bit different!
Just like that…
We made it!
Hooray for Lynn!
We turned into the 53rd floor and finished our climb. Unlike a run, there’s no finish line, and no cheering (well, except for the two of us cheering for each other). But the sense of accomplishment was great!
And you can’t beat the view!
Lynn and I estimate we climbed the 53 flights in about 25 minutes, which wasn’t bad at all. I had no frame of reference as to how quickly we might be able to do it so 25 minutes definitely worked for me. We made our way back to the lobby, via the elevator, and happily got our pretzels. Our sweatshirts were just where we’d left them too!
I overheard a few people talking and figured out that they were in the competitive stair climbing competition. Being curious, I asked the woman (Peggy) how fast she thought she had done it. Turns out I asked the right person! She was the female winner last year at a time of 10 minutes and she beat her time this year at 9:51. Whoa! I asked how she trained for an event like this (as I obviously had NOT) and she said she goes to buildings like this and runs the steps; she does two workouts – one where she does every other step and one where she runs them straight. Always take the elevator down!
The organizers of the event followed up with an email survey asking for input and feedback, which I always appreciate.
Have you ever done a stair climb challenge or something of the like?What events do you sign up for that leave others wondering about your sanity? Do you like follow up surveys?
Mer: I’m not sure what’s been happening to my skin in the past year or so. Maybe it’s age. Maybe it’s weather fluctuations. All I know is that I’ve developed itchy, dry skin and it’s agonizing enough that I visited the dermatologist.
Since September I’ve been on prescription strength cream medication; however it’s something that the dermatologist recommended using only during “flair ups” because it thins the skin. Um, say what? I don’t want thin skin!
For daily use, she said that I should find something over the counter that worked well. Luckily, at that time, I received the Vaseline intensive care lotion from Influenster and I’ve been slathering myself with it non-stop. Sounds awesome, huh? Well, it is. It’s been working really well and I’ve been less itchy! Which is good because I don’t want to have to use the prescription strength cream unless absolutely necessary.
Two thumbs up, Vaseline. Keeping you!
Vic: My husband usually buys the hand lotion in our house. Backwards? Yes. But he loves to shop at warehouse stores and who am I to deny him that pleasure? (especially when said store is packed on a Saturday afternoon.)
We’ve used just about everything – Jergens, Aveeno, Lubriderm and yes, Vaseline. He gets what’s on sale, which is fine by me. And he (almost) always picks fragrance-free lotion.
Huzzah – I don’t wanna smell like a blooming lavender pickleberry or a peppermint-doused evergreen. I just want moisturized skin.
I’ve been using the Vaseline Intensive Repair lotion for a few weeks now and I’m loving it.
When I first applied it, I knew it was different straight away. The lotion feels thicker than what I’m used to using. My skin feels soft and hydrated. And….it’s fragrance-free.
Confession: I hid my bottle in our guest room to make sure it would stay out of hubby’s hands. To date, it has worked. But that may change after this post.
Bec: Confession time. I have a BIT of a lotion habit. I have a lot of different lotions around the house. When I was younger, it wasn’t something I needed, just something I liked. But hey, just one of the many joys of aging? Drying up like a prune. SIGH. So, after every shower, I lotion up like crazy. If I don’t, my calves will be tight and sooooo itchy, and that is no fun.
I definitely have some favorites, and I actually like the scented ones, but I’m always open to trying new products. So when I got the email from Influenster about the Vaseline Intensive Repair lotion Voxbox, I was ALL in.
This lotion is really thick, and creamy, both pluses in lotion. And they don’t leave me feeling greasy, which is a major deal breaker. It’s hard to speak to the ‘repair’ effectiveness of the product, since this is a bit early in the season for me to start having really dry skin. But, from a preventative angle, it’s totally getting the job done. The lack of fragrance is actually the only downside for me, I would have preferred a light scent. Not necessarily blooming lavender pickleberry (Vic, you always make me laugh), but something. Still, if it continues to work as well as it has been, I promise you won’t hear any complaints from me.
Mer, Vic and Bec received the Vaseline Vox Box from Influenster to test and review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are our own.
One of my tried and true, go-to race series that I return to repeatedly is the Atlantic City Marathon Series. Why? Well, it really boils down to these key points:
1. It’s in my state! New Jersey races for the win!
2. The value is phenomenal. If you sign up early with a finisher’s code, a 10k or half marathon can cost less than other single pricey 5k events.
3. Overall, it’s a really great smaller race series and I love supporting it.
Last year’s 10k was a bit on the soggy side, so I was very happy to see the weather forecast for this year’s race was sunny and clear skies. Especially considering that I’d been sick with a pretty horrible cold throughout the week.
Since I was still recovering, I decided that rather than doing Neptune’s Challenge (which was the 10k and half that I originally signed up for) I was only going to do the 10k. Spoiler alert: I made the right call!
Yes, please!
In October, you never know what you’re going to get in terms of the weather, but we lucked out! And it’s a good thing because I had my cheer crew with me.
Little and Mom!
Usually I’m flying solo or with friends for races, but this time there was the added bonus of my mom and my youngest son who not only joined me for the expo but also the morning of the race.
Since I live within driving distance, we drove the hour back and forth on both Friday night (for the expo) and Saturday morning. Sadly, there was no day of race pick up – that would have shaved some travel time for us, as well as parking costs (although we got $5 vouchers at the expo). We made the best of our visits by getting treats at the candy shop on the boardwalk and wandering around.
Little was very excited that he was somewhere that his big brother had never been before. TWICE. It’s all about the competition when you’re five.
Really excited about this sign. The other side said, “I love you mom, because I love you.”
However, when you’re 37, it’s all about finishing the race and not hacking your lungs out on the boardwalk. Or, well, at least it was for me during this race. Because, let me tell you, this was not a fun race for me.
The race environment was awesome, as always. Running the boards always feels good because it has that extra give; I enjoyed the running aspect.
This particular race is an out and back – the first mile is on the populated “store area” of the boardwalk, then you run along a residential area. There is a 5k turn around and further down the 10k turn around.
The problem was that my lungs felt like they could never get quite enough air and when they finally did, I was coughing. I ran 2:1 intervals throughout and while I wasn’t feeling wonderful, I did appreciate the view.
I mean, how can you not?
By the last mile I was so ready to be done, which is a shame, because that’s usually my favorite part of this race. This time? Not so much. The last mile definitely felt like it had doubled in length but finally, I saw the finish line!
My mom snapped this.
I crossed the finish with a smile on my face, because, YAY! I WAS DONE! They said everyone’s name as we crossed the line, which I thought was a really nice touch and with a field of 950 participants, very doable.
I was immediately handed a medal and a bottle of water. I made my way over to the barrier where my mom and Little were cheering and Little immediately homed in on the water. “Oh, Momma, I’m SO thirsty.” Yes, he took my bottle of water.
Thankfully, in the finisher’s village I was able to snag a plethora of treats including Gatorade, Rita’s Water Ice, a banana, pretzels, bagel, and PowerBar. This was a welcome change from the end of the April Fool’s Half where the back of the pack missed out on most of the snacks. It’s always great when you know that race directors hear you!
After handing off my beer ticket, I met up with my family once more.
Little promptly took my bagel.
Was it my best race ever? No, it was not. But not for lack of effort on the AC Marathon Series’ part. Some races will just be better than others, due to circumstances beyond control. And hey, that’s okay. My greatest takeaway from this one is that I have the best cheering squad ever! Even if one of them takes all of my things. At least he let me wear the medal.
What fall race do you have coming up next? I’ll be at the Biggest Loser Run Walk at Six Flags Great Adventure for their 10k and kids race. Ever run a race while under the weather?
Fall is upon us and that means FALL RACING. Fall racing is, in my non-expert opinion, the best racing. Or, at the very least, the most comfortable racing! I’ve got the AC 10k/half and Philly, and I was looking for at least one more race to fill in the fall race schedule.
So, let me ‘fess up that there’s a race series I’ve been stalking since it first came into existence a few years ago.
For those of you who don’t follow my every move (basically everyone other than my mom – HI MOM!), I started my “running career” in 2011. After having my second kiddo it really kicked my fitness into a gear I hadn’t seen in many, many years.
I’ve said it before but it bears repeating, I don’t always particularly like running. I’ll be the first to admit that the benefits far outweigh the fact that I’m not always thrilled to be training.
However, I do love race day; I love the camaraderie with other like-minded individuals who will drag themselves out of bed before the sun and get out there to push, push, push themselves. I think what speaks to me most is that while we are all at different levels and all at different parts of our journeys… every person out there is putting themselves first and bettering themselves.
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been (not so) patiently waiting for this race series to come my way. Last year there was an event in Erie, PA but that’s still a good seven hour drive from my house which isn’t exactly a hop, skip, and a jump away!
As soon as I heard the news, I contacted them. Well, wait, no… first I did a happy dance around the living room. Then I reached out to them and as fast as you can say “Bob’s your uncle” (wouldn’t that be the coolest? I love Bob!), I’m doing the 10k! Hello, favorite race distance!
What’s more is that my 9-year-old, Pooks, and I are avid watchers of the Biggest Loser and I was really excited to see that there’s a Kids Fun Run. Pooks will be doing the mile run; he can’t wait another kids race (and get a finishers medal)! He has also requested that he has a starring role on the blog. No one can deny he’s my son.
The metaphoric cherry on top of the sundae (of course it’s a metaphor – this is the Biggest Loser we are talking about here, there are no sundaes to be had) is that some of my all time favorite Biggest Loser contestants will be there: Dan and Jackie, Pam, Jay, and Jenn! No doubt, I’m going to be on total overload on November 2nd.
I know my Jersey area folks all love a good time and would love to join my family for an awesome experience! Am I right? I’m so right.
The Biggest Loser RunWalk is a non-intimidating race series designed to challenge America to get fit. You’ve been inspired by the hit reality show “The Biggest Loser,” now it’s time to get off the couch and hit the pavement and achieve your fitness goals. This race series will include a challenge for everyone. – The Biggest Loser RunWalk website
There is seriously something for EVERYONE, so no excuses!
Click the pic to enter!
This giveaway is for one entry to the Biggest Loser RunWalk NJ – winner’s choice of distance. You are responsible for getting to and from the event. Winner will be notified via email and on our Facebook page.
The Biggest Loser Run Walk Race Series has compensated entry for both my son and myself, as well as the giveaway. All opinions are my own.
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