Did Good, Feeling Really Good: Alex’s Million Mile Wrap-Up

October 3, 2014 by beewhobabbles

What a month! We walked, we ran, we rode. We made lemon food and wore yellow clothes. We talked about it here, there and everywhere. All with one goal- to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.

This has become my favorite time of year for our little corner of the internet. Running for a cause, and seeing the momentum build among our community of friends is nothing short of amazing. Watching our miles and donations climb every day, exchanging shouty-caps texts with Mer because we’re so excited about our team’s successes, seeing that my own local friends have joined our team or donated, reading Megan’s almost daily Facebook posts just pushing for more donations (Megan really should go into professional fundraising because she’s a rockstar, and not at all pushy about it, either.) And of course, the running. I am actually running regularly again and it feels almost as good as my donation to ALSF did.

I just have to say it again- WHAT A MONTH!

First, I have to thank our team. Together, we logged 1,871.13 miles. We all deserve a refreshing glass of lemonade!

But that’s not all…

Together, we helped raise $2,070 for childhood cancer!

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation has funded over 450 projects with the goal of curing pediatric cancer, so you know those funds are being used for something GOOD. I’m raising my glass to you, Team Scootadoot:

Thank you. Thank you, very much.

At the beginning of the month, we told you about a few rewards we had…

For the second year in a row, our top fundraiser is Megan! Her posts to Facebook and Instagram were funny, heartfelt, and obviously very effective. Megan, you’re the BEST! I’m sending you big hugs from Florida.

Our next award goes to Bonnie, for logging the most miles this month: 193.90! High fives to you, girl!

And finally, the winner of our random draw for our #onwednesdayswewearyellow campaign is Jenn! I like your style, Jenn!

Thank you, Megan, Bonnie, and Jenn! We’ll be in touch to get your prizes to you. We’re so grateful to have you on our team!

On a personal note, our #journey2amillion was exactly the push I needed to start running regularly again. And it only took two weeks of that for Meridith to convince me to run the Disney World Half Marathon with her in January. Looks like we’ll be having a lot of virtual runs over the next few months.

This is my last blog post for the foreseeable future. I love my Scootadoot chicks! When I say we all became friends within minutes of meeting, I really do mean it. But life is beautiful and crazy here, and I’m a girl who likes to volunteer for all the things, which leaves very little time for me to share my story on the internet. I’ll still be running and reading though (especially here!)- link your blog for me, please? I’ve enjoyed talking running with all of you, and I thank you for reading. Happy Friday, runner friends!

Goofy Giveback: I’ll take one of those, please!

September 25, 2014 by Meridith

Earlier this month, runDisney announced that they were going to take a certain amount of Goofy Race and a Half Challenge registrations (that’s a half and a full marathon for those who don’t speak the runDisney lingo) and split them, giving runners the option to sign up for the previously sold out half marathon and full marathon.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS0MrzKnQvA&w=560&h=315]

Since participating in the Dumbo Double Dare I’ve been sort of bummed that I didn’t have another Disney race on my dance card. The Goofy Race and a Half Challenge still had room; however, I already decided that I’m not quite ready for a full marathon… let alone a half marathon on Saturday and a full marathon on Sunday.

BUT THEN, the Goofy Giveback came along and the wheels in my head started turning! I’m sure this surprises exactly no one.

What’s a girl to do? I wanted to sign up. But should I? How would we swing it? Could we make it happen?

From what I hear, winter is going to be capital W-I-N-T-E-R this year in my area. It was pretty rough last year and I slowly but surely lost my mind. I know that I’ll need something to keep the blues away in January. Plus there’s running in costume! And race selfies! And my favorite characters!

Well, needless to say, Christmas came a little bit early for me this year and I’m now registered for the half marathon. Isn’t that the MOST? To say the least!

What’s more is that I’ll be running with Brooke, which is always beyond words in terms of fun. She is the best cheerleader and since she’s coming off of her injury and I’m fairly consistent with my training at this point, we might even be able to pull a PR for me.

To say that I’m super excited for January would be an understatement! I’m actually looking forward to winter, which is a rarity for me.

Have you taken advantage of the Goofy Giveback? The half has sold out (as of earlier today). The full is at 91% so if you’re interested, act now. Or, if you want to do the Goofy race and a half challenge, don’t delay because it’s 98% full!

Or, were you a planner and signed up when registration opened? In other words, who should I look for in January?

And I will walk (run) 500 (100) miles…

September 22, 2014 by Meridith

Oh, come on, you know you’re singing The Proclaimers song with me!

Da-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle uh da-da

Now that we’ve gotten that out of our systems…

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you probably know by now that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. And unless you’ve been living under a rock in that cave, you probably ARE aware of childhood cancer. So why is there a whole month devoted to bringing awareness to a disease that people already know about?

Well, firstly, cancer sucks and if we can help eradicate it by any means possible, WE WILL DO IT.

Let’s take a peek at some facts.

Last year, the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation decided to up the ante and invited people to donate miles in hopes of reaching a million. What’s the significance of a million miles?

Drawing from the inspiration of Foundation creator Alexandra “Alex” Scott, who set out to raise $1 million through lemonade stands in 2004, Jay Scott [Alex’s father] feels that through combined efforts, reaching one million miles in just thirty days is attainable. The initiative provides a fun, easy and free way for people across the country to make a difference in the fight against childhood cancer.

Personally, I’ve pledged to complete 100 miles this September. It’s a higher number than what I usually do within a month but attainable and for the very best cause. Every step I take during a run, every person I connect with during a walk with my dog, and even walking my child home from school – it all counts toward my goal of raising miles and awareness! As such, I feel like I’m part of something that’s bigger than myself and that’s a good feeling!

Speaking of something bigger than myself, our team has been absolutely incredible at logging miles and fundraising. When we first heard about the initiative last year, the thought of fitness bloggers from all across the country coming together and donating their miles just overwhelmed us with emotions. Furthermore, we’ve seen both last year and this year, it has encouraged people who wanted to get moving to join us, get out there, and have the support of others while doing it.

In the past 21 days alone, our team has raised nearly 1000 miles and over $1700! And, you’ll be happy to know that it’s not too late to join our team! Want to get in on the action? Check out our Team Scoot a Doot Million Mile page.

We’re rewarding our top miles donated, top fundraiser and random #onwednesdaywearyellow social media photo with some fun prizes, including gorgeous Momentum Jewelry motivation wrap bracelets and foot notes.

Momentum wrap bracelets

Momentum Foot Notes

Make sure to swing by some of our team members blogs, like Nicole, Bonnie, Suzanne, and Kristen to cheer them on as they #Journey2aMillion!

Nine days until the end of the month… LET’S DO THIS!

Many thanks to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for the facts and figures in this blog post. And thank you, thank you, thank you to Amy of Momentum Jewelry!

Road Tested: Manitoba Harvest’s Hemp Pro 70

September 10, 2014 by Meridith

Back in February, we adopted our dog, Gemma. She came from the streets of Philadelphia and I swore that she was going to have the best life in our home. We feed her food that we get at a specialty natural pet food store, give her only the best treats, and occasionally she gets free range, organic eggs. Um, I’m pretty sure she eats better than I do!

Now, I’m not a vegan but I do try to be cognizant of what I put in my body. Therefore when I heard from Fit Approach that Manitoba Harvest was looking for some folks to try out their hemp protein powder, I jumped at the opportunity.

Oh, do go on!

I’m a morning gym goer, so my need/want for protein powder is usually in the form of smoothies. Prior to this, I solely went on taste. I tried a few protein powders that were… well, in a word, TERRIBLE. Chalky, powdery, strong-flavored (and NOT in a good way).

I finally found a protein powder that was right up my alley and it’s worked well for me but I’m always interested in trying new things, especially when they are better for me! Plant based protein with four ingredients? I’m down!

Since I was trying new things, I decided to try a couple of new smoothie recipes from the Manitoba Harvest website. I was sent two packets of Hemp Pro 70: chocolate and vanilla.

Now, before I continue, let me say that I’m definitely more of a vanilla fan than a chocolate when it comes to protein powder. That being said, I figured that I would start with the chocolate to give it a fair shot and not let any previous biases cloud my judgement.

The recipes on the website call for one serving of the protein powder but since I was given a half serving in the sample, the recipes below are adjusted accordingly. If you click through to their site, you can see the recipes.

Okay, chocolate, get your game face on!

Berry-Choco Smoothie

3/4 cup organic blueberries
.5 Manitoba Harvest organic hemp protein powder chocolate
1/2 chocolate almond milk (I used original unsweetened almond milk, as I didn’t have chocolate almond milk. I also upped it to a cup because it was too thick to drink.)

Combine in a blender and serve!

My thoughts? Well, sadly, I am still not a huge chocolate protein powder fan. I’m not sure if it’s the recipe (although I do love blueberries) or what I didn’t exactly adore about this smoothie, but I wasn’t crazy about it. The Manitoba Harvest folks suggest that their hemp products have a nutty taste but I felt like it was more earth-y.

Gemma was definitely begging for some but no can do, pup; no chocolate for dogs!

However, with the knowledge that I usually favor the flavor of vanilla protein powder, I was looking forward to powering on the following day.

Into the blender you go!

Vanilla Berry Banana Shake

1/2 cup organic strawberries
1/2 organic banana
.5 serving of Manitoba Harvest organic hemp protein vanilla
1/2 cup of organic vanilla almond milk (Again, I used original unsweetened almond milk. And again, I upped the amount to a cup.)
1/4 cup of ice (which basically equals a cube)

Combine and blend ingredients in blender. Serve. Enjoy!

Hello, my pretty!

Now THIS? This was total and complete love at first taste. And second. And third. Sometimes I save smoothies to share with my husband but not this time. (Too bad, so sad, Dude!) (Don’t fret – Gemma got the other half of the banana.)

Additionally, what’s pretty rad about this protein is that it’s water soluble. So you can throw it into water, almond milk, milk milk (if you’re an animal product type), coconut water and bam – it’s ready to go. Sign me up for a big canister of vanilla!

If you’d like to give the Manitoba Harvest Hemp Pro 70 products a whirl, here’s a coupon code! You can get 20% off the #pro70 vanilla and chocolate flavors with the code: sweatpinkpro70

Or, you can try your hand at winning a case of Manitoba Harvest Hemp Pro 70 – share a picture on Instagram or Twitter showing your hemp love! Make sure you tag @manitobaharvest and hashtag #pro70 so that they see what’cha got! Contest ends 9/30.

Talk to me about smoothies, because I love them so. Any suggestions for chocolate protein powder recipes that I can try? (I really like the chocolate and peanut butter combo.) How about vanilla? Have you ever tried Hemp Pro 70?

Fit Approach and Manitoba Harvest provided the me with the opportunity to taste and review. All opinions are my own.

Race Recap: Disneyland 10k/Dumbo Double Dare

September 8, 2014 by Meridith

Y’all, I love a good 10k. (I also love to say y’all, even though I’m from New Jersey.)

When I began my running journey in 2011, I started with a 5k mud run. From there I did an 8k road race before jumping in distance to the runDisney Princess half in February 2012. The elusive 10k distance didn’t happen for me until fall 2012 and with one race, I fell completely in love with the race distance.

Hearts in my eyes, swooning, in love.

Problem was (and is), there weren’t a whole heck of a lot of 10ks around these parts. I ran a 10k in October 2013 but haven’t gotten the opportunity to do one since.

Fortunately, runDisney started adding 10ks to their race weekends and sweetening the deal by creating challenges that incorporated these races. The 10k distance AND Disney? Be still, my beating heart!

As soon as I got the idea in my head about doing the Dumbo Double Dare challenge in California, there was no stopping me.

I knew that Cam would agree to it because Cam really loves my ideas and is always down for anything that I suggest. You know, until it comes to the race and then she’s all “Meridith, what did you get us into?”

That’s when I usually do the “Isn’t this FUN?”comment during a really, really fun part of the race (like while we were jamming to Elvis in Cars Land) so she remembers the fun and not the fact there we were so sweaty, the sheen had our arms slipping against one another the entire race.

I let Jess slide when it came to doing the challenge, being that this was her first half ever. Next time I know she’ll be all in!

You know what’s rad about the Disneyland races? Waking up at 4am and then walking to the start from the hotel – we stayed at Best Western Stovalls Inn. It’s so easy breezy and when you’re a bundle of excited energy who doesn’t really sleep well before races, easy breezy is always appreciated.

A hush fell over the crowd as Elvis crooned the Star Spangled Banner. This race’s theme was Stitch, with an emphasis on Elvis, Hawaii and all things Polynesian. Cam decided to pay homage to Pearl Harbor with our costumes and we were feeling very patriotic.

We lined up right behind the D corral and waited for our turn to go. The energy was great within the corral and everyone was looking forward to making our way through the course.

I decided to ditch the watch this weekend. Disney races are never about the time for me. Plus, the more time I can spend with friends, the better!

We got the GO ahead (see what I did there) and crossed the start line to the sounds of Elvis. Our game plan was to do an easy run throughout the course and stop for any must have pictures.

credit: runDisney

The first two miles were through the streets of Anaheim and around the Convention Center. They were pretty quiet, which I can understand because it was early in the morning. No bands, no cheering squads, but plenty of smiling faces of race supporters and awesome volunteers.

There were a lot of younger kids running this race, which is something I always love to see. Going into mile two, one was running on the median and must have stepped wrong because he fell. Yikes!

A few of us stopped to see if he was okay but thankfully he jumped right up and kept running. It was a good reminder to be aware and stay on the marked course. I know the want to go faster is there for some but we need to race smart!

The air was hazy and humid as we made our way into California Adventure but spirits were high! Running through the parks is always the highlight of these races although in Disneyland the time in the parks is less – mainly because there are less parks.

Tow Mater and Lightning McQueen were out in Cars Land but we decided to skip the lines in favor of a brief pit stop. Hello, real restrooms! Always hold out for the real deal if you can. Totally worth it.

Everything part of me was sweating at this point. So gross and so awesome, all at the same time. Let’s just say that I was very grateful I decided to wear bike shorts under that skirt. (I also had my Spibelt under there to hold our fuel – Laffy Taffy – so I bet that everyone else was grateful I was wearing bike shorts, too, when I was hiking up my skirt.)

Races with Cam always rock because she’s a really cool chick. I mean, Disney races are always fun but when you’ve got Cam by your side you can expect dancing, singing, seeking out and mugging for race photographers, and jokes that make you giggle the entire time.

We didn’t seeing many character photo opportunities during this race, which was a bummer, so we decided to stop in California Adventure to snag a shot. Selfies weren’t really cutting it because you could see our faces but not much of the background! Thankfully cast members are always there to lend a hand.

Cam and I both commented that the air in the parks was actually cooler than the air on the streets of Anaheim. Is it possible to air condition outside air… outside? Disney magic, hard at work!

This tunnel was actually pleasant because there was a cold spot right smack dab in the middle. I sort of wanted to stay there! Alas, we continued on because there was more fun to be had.

Feeling parched in Toontown, we made our way to water fountains… only to find the water to be hot! Not so yummy. Then I nearly tripped off the curb because walking is hard. Very grateful I had Cam to grab on to and didn’t turn an ankle!

We knew the Castle wasn’t far. Holla!

I think this is the first time I actually got to RUN through a castle during a race. This race was crowded but probably the least crowded of all the Disney races I’ve done.

Of course, no race is complete without a random shot that you didn’t mean to take.

Magical Disney ground!

After a few more turns around the backlot, we were headed to Downtown Disney and ready to wrap up this party. Around this point I texted Jess because she requested I let her know when we were around mile 5. The plan was for her to meet us at the end however she was still zzzzzzing away, right up until the text. Whoopsies!

Also, texting while running is really difficult so I decided to just call her. And then I was THAT GIRL on the phone. Please, feel free to judge me. I was judging myself.

The crowd support was high in Downtown Disney, including a sign that said YOU ARE WINNING. There were people calling “Hey Sailors” to us too, which made us grin ear to ear! It was perfect.

And so was the finish line!

Water bottles were handed out directly after the finish, which was appreciated and necessary in the hot, hot heat. From there, we made our way to the volunteers handing out the medals and collected our super cute Stitch medals.

The Dumbo Double Dare bracelets were handed out directly after that. Pictures and Medical were located nearby (we skipped both) and headed straight for the snack boxes and freezing cold bananas. Those bananas! I mean, who would know I could get so excited for a piece of fruit. BUT I DID.

Side note: Came home, put bananas in the freezer and forgot I did it until my husband brought them to me with a perplexed look. Then they were too cold to bite.

There was awesome entertainment and while we snacked, we took a few minutes to soak it all in.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgIG5KMMUBU&w=560&h=315]

Later we visited the park to celebrate with Dumbo.

I’ll bid you adieu the same way I began…

Y’all, I love a good 10k!

Race Recap: Disneyland Half Marathon

September 4, 2014 by writeitdownjess

We went.

We ran.

We conquered the Disneyland Half Marathon.

And it was AWESOME.

Now, I feel like kind of a fish out of water writing this race recap because I’ve never written a recap for a half marathon before. So as I’m typing this, I’m thinking “what do I even say about this weekend? How can I put into words how fun and hard and great and tiring and rewarding but also pretty insane and let me not forget how HOT it was?” I’m sure someone who’s run multiple half marathons before (ahem, Cam, Meridith, Victoria, Brooke, ahem) could – would! – be more eloquent about it. But all I can do is tell you that it was fun. And hard. And great and tiring and rewarding and completely insane. And very, very hot.

Well, I can tell you some other things, too. Doing a half marathon isn’t something I thought I’d ever do. I loved running when I was little – the burn of my lungs and the wind whipping through my hair, the adrenaline pumping through my veins and that lovely soreness in my calves from pushing, pushing, pushing myself. But adult me definitely lost the love of running. It’s no secret that I still don’t love it, even (or maybe especially) during my training for this half.

All that said, this will probably remain one of my fondest life memories. I reclaimed the feeling of loving running and turned it into something else: the love didn’t come from the burn or the wind or the exhilaration of running. The love came from the pride of actually doing this, and doing it with two of my most wonderful friends by my side. How awesome is that?

With all of my personal musings out of the way, let’s get to the important stuff: the actual race! Not that I didn’t know this before, but I got to see firsthand what an amazingly well-oiled machine the Disneyland Half Marathon is. I mean, these people are not fooling around. From the expo (during which I spent much money at Raw Threads) to the race itself, everything was executed without a hitch. For people who have run Disney races before, this is probably not a surprise. But I have to admit that I’ll probably be ruined for other races going forward, and the seamless execution of every event last weekend is only one reason.

I’ll get to the other reasons…right now!

Prior to flying down to Anaheim, I checked the weather and saw that it was supposed to be in the mid-80s on race day (Sunday). Cue me freaking out because I hate heat. I have a zero tolerance policy for heat. If it’s above 75, I’m complaining. Needless to say (but I’m going to say it anyway), I was worried about how the temperature would affect my performance during the race. But Meridith assured me I would be fine, and I agree with her on most things, so I decided to agree with her on this as well.

At any rate, we all rolled out of bed at 4 in the morning on race day and got dressed up in our SUPER CUTE Timothy Q. Mouse inspired costumes that the ever-talented Cam made (stay tuned for a post from her on that!).

Do the bustle!

Were the riding crops our favorite part of the costume? Maybe. Probably. Okay, yes.

Once we were dressed and had a pre-race donut and some water, we headed over to the park to the start line.

As did about 16,000 other people.

Yeah. It was a little busy. We had to make our way cattle-call style to the J corral, which we would later come to call the “JUST LET US GO ALREADY” corral. Because we had to listen to the announcers’ jokes and “Let It Go” when they released corral A. And then we had to listen to the announcers’ jokes (the same ones) and “Let It Go” (the same one) when they released corral B. And then C. D. E. F….you know the rest of the alphabet.

“OMG, DUDES, LET US GO.”

And let me tell you: I didn’t know the words to “Let It Go” before this race, but by the time we were given the go ahead, I sure knew every word.

LET IT GOOOOOOOOO.

LET US GOOOOOOOO.

And they did!

The course took us through Disneyland and California Adventure, then through the streets of Anaheim, before eventually looping us back into the park for the last mile. And while the miles inside the park were infinitely more entertaining, there were sights to see in Anaheim, too. More on that later.

For now, the park!

Meridith and Cam told me that characters would be available to take pictures with as we ran through the park, so we made sure to take advantage. I thought there would be more characters – maybe a princess?! – but the ones we did snap pics with were great. I can’t really complain about having the entirety of Disneyland to ourselves, can I? Plus, the cast members – ALL OF THEM – lined up along the side of the course and cheered us on, gave us high-fours with Mickey Mouse gloves, and were just generally awesome. We had such a huge cheering squad.

Scandalized by our whips, Jafar?

Juicy tidbit: my army guy broke character and said “whoa” when he saw our riding crops. In my unofficial poll during the race, I noticed that the menfolk tended to respond very favorably to our props.

The castle!

We continued our jaunt through the park, keeping up a pretty nice clip for the first four miles.

And then…WE TOOK IT TO THE STREETS.

Of Anaheim. For a lot of miles. At that point, we made a group decision to take it easy and just enjoy the race. We all had various physical pain points and none of us were looking for a PR. So we slowed it down to a fast walk – sometimes a prancercise – and took in the sights, the spectators, and the great, awesome signs.

An approximation of our fancy walk.

Adorable Hawaiian dancers!

Mariachi dancers!

Classic cars. There were SO many! We asked for a ride, but alas.

I have to say, I totally appreciated that we weren’t left high and dry when we left the park. There were dancers and high school bands and cheerleaders to cheer us on as we made our way back toward Disneyland. And once you hit a certain mile – in our case I think it was around mile 8 – we really, really needed to hear people cheering for us. For strangers to get up super, super early to do that…well, it really touched me.

And let me NOT forget about the awesome signs we saw along the way:

My absolute favorites of the race. Hands down. Great reminder. I needed reminding at that point.

Getting back to the weather: we had overcast skies and even a teeeeeeeensy breeze until we hit mile 8. And then the sun decided it wanted to shine its hot little death rays on us. Of course, this was the part of the course where we were running next to a dried-up reservoir type thing on our way to Angels stadium. I think Meridith asked multiple times, “WHO DESIGNED THIS PART OF THE COURSE?”

Not our favorite part.

Yeah. Hot.

But THEN we got to Angels stadium which, despite my fervent love for the Oakland A’s and thus my fervent loathing of the Angels, was really, really cool. The stadium was packed with Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts and their cheering parents and it was just so damn awesome.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/nrSiRnDuycQ]

RIGHT? RIGHT? HOW COOL IS THAT?

Of course, we had the 16-minute mile pacers breathing down our necks, and this is kind of the part where it all went to shit. The track we were running on was super narrow and the 16-minute mile pacers were yelling that we were behind schedule and everyone needed to MOVE MOVE MOVE, so people started panicking and pushing and I got separated from Cam and Meridith for a few minutes while people acted like bizonkers.

But then we reunited and it really DID feel so good. And we kept going. And going. And going. And encountered more high school bands and cheerleaders and amazing spectators and I just forced myself to take it all in despite the fact that I was hot and tired and starting to hurt.

And then: Mile 12. We hit it. We got back into the park. We were almost there. People were TELLING us we were almost there. Meridith asked, “How almost there is almost there?” but no one would tell us. Just that it was almost. So close.

Ring the bell for energy! We totally did. Not sure it worked. Malfunctioning bell?

Finally, someone took pity on us and told us we had less than half a mile. That kept us motivated until we crossed the finish line, which I have no pictures of because we were just so happy to be DONE.

And then we were! Done, that is. And my feet were so thankful, because dude. 13.1 miles. That’s a LOT of miles.

We got our awesome medals and Meridith put mine on for me, which was adorable.

AWWWWWW.

I whipped this race (get it?)!

We did it! Couples finish together!

My first half marathon in the books. Thank god for Instagram filter.

We wandered around the finishers area like zombies for a bit, picked up Meridith and Cam’s Dumbo Double Dare medals (because they had run the 10K the day before like crazy people), drank all of the water and some bananas, and then made the painful trek back to our hotel.

I can’t tell you how not fun it is to have to walk back to your hotel after you’ve just completed a half marathon. But we did it. And then we did this.

So yes. We went. We ran. We conquered. And we had an amazing time.

It’s Lemon Month! Time to Run, Walk, Ride.

September 1, 2014 by beewhobabbles

A few days ago, my friend challenged me to log some miles for ALS. I’ve already done the ice bucket thing; most of my friends and family have. Isn’t the power of social media amazing? To date, the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS awareness has helped to raise $100 million and counting, and raised our collective consciousness about a disease that affects so many people, including a few of my friends. As with any internet thing, there are naysayers, but as someone with the inside scoop on charity workings (my husband serves as board president of a local nonprofit), raising awareness for your cause works. The proof is in the dollars- see that big figure up there? You never know who might be watching, who has funds to give, who has been personally affected or knows someone who has, and suddenly- they care. They want to make a difference. They want to give their money. And maybe it’s a one-time thing, or maybe they can afford a recurring donation, but either way- awareness matters.

Back to my friend’s running challenge- well, I had to decline. This month is Childhood Cancer Awareness month, and all of my miles belong to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. That’s right, it’s time once again to log one million miles for childhood cancer, and this year, we can run, walk, or ride our way through September. Check out this video:

We participated in the inaugural Million Mile Run last year, and were thrilled that so many of our friends joined us. If you would like to join Team Scoot A Doot this year, we would LOVE to have you! Fundraising is encouraged but not mandatory- what we really want you to do is log your miles with us and make some noise on social media. Let’s paint the month yellow for childhood cancer awareness!

BUT WAIT. There’s more! If you join our team, here are some things you can look forward to:

#onwednesdayswewearyellow Mean Girls wear pink, but Nice Girls (and guys) wear yellow. Show us your yellow every Wednesday on Instagram and Facebook, and help me prove that it really does look good on everyone. Team members will be entered into a random prize drawing at the end of the month, for every Wednesday they participate. (That’s one prize but four chances to enter! Time to start planning your outfits.)

We love our team so much that we have two other prize opportunities!

One prize for the most miles logged by the end of the month. Now, some of us our in marathon training season, and some of us are cyclists…who will win? Start moving, post your miles, and let’s find out!

The other reward is for our top fundraiser. Raising money isn’t a requirement for our team, but every dollar raised will help fund more research, and one day, hopefully, a cure.

We have a few other surprises in store for our team, and of course we’ll be posting lemony goodness all month long, in the form of recipes, outfit ideas, and more.

Let’s get this party started! Join Team Scoot A Doot for #alexsmillionmile and give us a shout on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. Start running, walking, or riding and let’s make a difference together. The #journey2amillion starts today!

http://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/1117658

Already joined our team? THANK YOU! Are you walking, biking, or riding? Do you love yellow as much as I do?

The Skin You’re In

August 20, 2014 by Meridith

The summer is sadly winding down and my boys and I are getting our “lasts” into these couple of weeks before school starts. Don’t get me wrong, we are all super stoked for the start of school but we’ve got things to do! Water ice treats, visits to the library (while it’s not crowded), last visits to the pool before it closes… all super important experiences.

Recently, as I was slathering sunscreen on my little guy’s body before a “last” visit to the pool, he promptly chirped up to remind me that it was “Mommy’s turn next”. I’ll admit that with my darker complexion, I sometimes skip the sunscreen.

Total mom fail! I’m super diligent when it comes to my children. They wear sunscreen and hats. I make sure that they sit in the shaded areas as much as possible. I’d walk behind them with a parasol, if I thought I could get away with it.

Why then am I neglectful when it comes to myself? I spend so much time placing importance on my health and well-being and I’m not taking care of my skin as well as I can be. My dad has had numerous bouts of skin cancer! I know better! We know better.

This video has been making the rounds on social media but in case you haven’t seen it yet, check out How the Sun Sees You.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9BqrSAHbTc&w=853&h=480]

Of course, knowing and doing are two separate processes. I know that I need to wear sunscreen and I need to make an effort to put it on every time I leave the house. But it’s easy to forget while you’re hustling the kids out the door, carrying towels, juice boxes, snacks, table tennis paddles.

A couple of weeks ago I ran out of facial cleanser so I’ve been washing my face with soap and water in the shower, after the gym or a workout. If I remember to put on moisturizer, I consider it a significant win.

Why can’t someone just paint flowers on my face daily? So much easier.

Jess is my expert advice giver, especially when it comes to skin and makeup because she works in the beauty industry (AND SHE IS BEAUTIFUL and looks like angels kiss her skin on a daily basis); naturally I asked her for help.

Jess: “Wait, are you washing your face with SOAP SOAP?”
Me: “Well, what do you consider SOAP SOAP? It’s artisan!”
Jess: “But is it body soap?” (Sounding as horrified as one can in an email message.)
Me: “…” “Maybe?”
Jess: “For the love of Pete, Meridith. How have you survived life this long?” (Okay, she didn’t actually say that part but you could tell she was thinking it.)

I ask Jess for her opinion about practically everything in my life. And I hate disappointing her. Thankfully, she gave me some good advice in regards to daily facial routines and since sharing is caring, here’s my game plan!

1. Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen.

2. Cleanser. Okay, so soap isn’t technically a cleanser and can apparently be a bit harsh on the ol’ face. Burt’s Bees has always been my go-to cleanser and Jess also mentioned Cetaphil and Aveeno because my skin is “normal”. Jess has sensitive skin so she uses Fresh Soy Face Cleanser.

3. I worry about dark marks. I have freckles and uneven skin tone so it’s a concern of mine. In regards to this, Jess recommended Clinique Even Better. I also recently got a sample of Elizabeth Arden’s Flawless Future Serum from Influenster that I’m going to try. I’m not too concerned with wrinkles… yet. But hey, can’t hurt to be proactive!

4. Moisturizer. See! I’ve got this! I ALREADY HAD ONE OF THE STEPS. *pats self on back* Personally, I use Neutrogena. Boom! Most moisturizers have SPF too so I suppose that I’m already a little bit protected from the sun, so long as I’ve moisturized.

5. Eye cream. Now this is something I would NOT have thought of, which is why Jess gets paid the big bucks! Suggestions were Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye Cream or Fresh Black Tea Eye Cream. I have yet to invest in this, primarily because I’m cheap but my face is worth it! (Why is everything so expensive? Seriously, man.)

6. Six? Yeah, I was aiming for five but this one is important. After I run or workout, if I don’t have the chance to shower immediately, I use these babies:

Salt and dirt, begone! Okay, maybe not GONE, but definitely less.

So, that’s the plan! Anyone who knows me knows that I like a good plan. I know I can’t erase time or years but I can be proactive and take charge today. Tally-ho!

What’s your skin care routine? Any good product recommendations for me? (Ones that won’t break the bank are always appreciated. You know, I don’t want crap but I also don’t want to waste $10 on something that won’t work instead of springing for the $80 of awesome.)

A Day in the Life: Mer

June 13, 2014 by Meridith

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

Damnitsomuch.

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

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

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

No.

Well… okay then.

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

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

And possibly get ridiculed for taking pictures of inanimate objects.

The “light” weights.

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

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

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

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

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

Said in the way that Seinfeld says NEWMAN.

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

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

Which mine is.

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

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

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

You had ONE job…

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

All is right with the world once more.

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

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

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

“Momma! I want to play with everyone!”

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

Oh, now you show up!

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

Geez Momma, you’re SO embarrassing.

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

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

This is New Jersey.

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

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

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

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

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

As he disappears, Little shows up, nose scrunched.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My non-rabbit eating children.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Indeed.

Happy Running Day!

June 4, 2014 by beewhobabbles

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

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

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

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

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

With Meri, before the Rothman 8k in 2011

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Scootadoot

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Tag Archives: Mer