Wearing a different shirt

I am not signed up for any spring half or full marathons.  Not one. Early bird prices weren't as low as in the past, and the next time I checked prices were around $80 for a half. It just hasn't been in the cards this year.  To say I have been bummed is an understatement. My social media feeds are FULL of happy runner friends covering the miles, earning the bling, and enjoying post-race feasts.  My race envy is high.  Very high.  

But, on the flip side, my lack of racing has provided me with new opportunities to get out and volunteer.  And, if you haven't volunteered for a race yet, you really should give it a try.  In the past I have helped out with pre-race packet pick-up and registration which is fun and you get to chat with some of the nicest people around: runners and walkers.  Yesterday I donned the red volunteer shirt for the Rock the Parkway half marathon as a course monitor: Keeping participants safe on the course and providing cheers and high fives along the way. It was a great experience from beginning to end!  The other volunteers were nice, I got to cheer on friends and awesome strangers, and now my hands are sore from clapping. (Bring a cowbell next time, Laura.) Volunteering gave me some behind the scenes perspective and reminded me that each participant from elite to last to finish deserves a safe and fun experience.  Look for me out on the course this Spring if you race in KC.  

Try and Top That

2014 was a pretty huge year, when I take time to reflect on it. Running wise I did 4 marathons, my first 50k, 10 half marathons, my first tri and several shorter races.  By far my most prolific year since I started running. And, I set new PRs for both the half and full!  It still shocks me that I managed all that in one year.  

I also became a Lifetime member at Weight Watchers in February and maintained all year. And now, I get to help others reach their goals by working as a leader.  I feel very lucky!

So, to follow up such a year, I have struggled setting goals for 2015.  Do I want to do more, run farther, try a new sport?? I have decided to let 2015 be its own year and not try to top 2014. I may run more, I may run less. I want to run with TNT and fundraise to end blood cancers. I want to travel and visit family and stay with new friends for races. I want to volunteer at more races and see some of my favorite locals events from another perspective.  I want to enjoy each day and be thankful that I can. Top that!

Second chances

When I have a bad race experience, I usually don't hurry to sign up the next year.  There are a multitude of races that I can choose from locally and race entries are not cheap. Last year, I ran the Go Girl Half and didn't have much positive to say. I won't list all my grievances here, but I did let other runners know that I wasn't running it again.  

But they kept sending emails. Kept showing the huge medal.  And so many of my running pals were doing it.  So I signed up crossing my fingers that it would be better this time.  

Thank goodness I gave it a second chance!  Course was much improved, support was better, and the post-race food was great!  But, the best part was: a new pr by 8 minutes and 27 seconds!!  Thank you Go Girl Half for a great race!

 

Playing games

As a sweatpink ambassador I got the awesome opportunity to try out a new fitness ap and share it with you guys. The Fitness Games ap is unlike any other ap I have ever used. You not only keep track of your gym activities, you can challenge your friends to beat your time, reps, distance or whatever!  

When you open up TFG, your screen will look like this and you can chose the workout you are doing, build your own and challenge a buddy to take you on.  I especially love that I can challenge other runners and they can run at the same time or take the challenge later!  

I have several running friends spread out across the country and now I feel like we can go for a run and cover the miles together.  

The only downside for me is that it wasn't ideal for tracking the Bar Method and yoga classes I go to. That is strength work, but I wouldn't record it as 2 sets of 20 bicep curls for example.  It is really ideal for athletes that do gym workouts or cardio that are individual and not in a class.  

I am really excited to use it more to work on getting training runs in and challenging my friends. 

Summer recap

I keep thinking that I need to blog about different things lately, but just need got to it.  I get lazy, I feel uninspired, I just don't follow through. So, in order to catch up, here is a top ten list of summer events. 

1. Got some awesome real and virtual bling. Check out virtual nerd runs for their Jedi challenge. 

2. Was hired by Weight Watchers and started my training to be a leader. 

3.  Ran 4 on the 4th. Love this race shirt. 

4. Did not drowned doing my first tri.  It was HARD, but I loved it.  

5.  Married, I mean, saw JT in concert.  

6.  Earned more awesome virtual bling. 

7.  Spent a lot of time discussing, fixing and watching Dragons.  

8. Had time to actually read books!

9. Marathon trained with Team in Training to raise money for LLS. Go Team!!

10. Had fun with kiddos!!  

Back to work teaching now, starting my Weight Watchers job and running for pie!

Wrong Turns Were Alright (in the end)

Sometimes you have a day when nothing goes as planned and you feel like you need a do-over.  Today was one of those days for me.  On the schedule: run a marathon and go to work.  What actually happened: 7 miles and an afternoon of fundraising.  In the end, it was a good day, but it was way off course.  

After 3 weeks of no running I was nervous to test out my knee this morning.  I started slowly and took it easy. I was feeling really good about running again, and then I took a wrong turn. Yes, leave it to me to go the wrong way at the only turn in the whole race.  I would have been ok with adding a mile or 2, but it took me longer than that to realize what I had done.  My detour added 5 miles and over an hour.  I knew I didn't have a 50k in me and I was supposed to work later.  When I got back to the place where I went wrong, I headed to the finish line. I was disappointed and I felt very stupid. But, I took a minute to think and I had to laugh at myself and be happy that I got 7 miles in today after 3 weeks off.  My knee didn't hurt.  That is reason to celebrate. 

(This was on the wrong way, but it was pretty)

So, I drove toward home (was cheered up by Justin Timberlake) and went to brunch with my husband.  Work got canceled for today.   Then, I remembered a fundraising opportunity that I could participate in now that my schedule changed.  I got to spend time with friends and raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society all because I took a wrong turn earlier in the day.  Every mistake is a new opportunity. What follows depends on how you handle the change of plans.  

Product Review: PureLyft CleanCaffeine

As a coffee lover, you know that I am no stranger to caffeine. I love to have a cup of coffee before a run, but I'm not a huge fan of the coffee breath that it gives me pre-race.   So I jumped at the chance to try Pure LYFT.  As a Sweat Pink ambassador I was given the chance to sample 2 stir sticks of this Clean Caffeine and blog about it. I received no compensation beyond the samples and these opinions are my own. 

Each stir stick has the caffeine equivelant of a tall coffee and 0 calories.  It was easy to open up the stick and stir it into my water. I even kept it in my water bottle until I got home and close to a recycle bin.  It has a slight sweet flavor, but not overpowering.  I think you could mix it into just about any juice and not change the flavor.   

I used the second stick to give myself a pre-workout boost before an early Sunday morning Bar Method class.  It was really hard to get up early before heading to Weight Watchers to get to class, but the caffeine helped and I could drink it on the way to class without the worry of having to brush my coffee breath away.  

I think I would love to grab some more PureLYFT especially in the summer when I may not necessarily want a hot drink, like coffee or tea.  If you would like to try some natural caffeine with no chemicals give one a stir!