Running Happy (even while injured)

Disclaimer: I received free pair of Brooks’ Ghost 14s as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Hello folks! It’s been awhile and if you follow me on social media, you’ll have noticed that I’ve been a bit quiet on the running front. I’m still running, but my miles have decreased by over 50-60%.

Why is that?

Well, it’s because I’m injured. It seems that I’m destined to be forever injured these days, but I’m still optimistic that I will get better. I was diagnosed with proximal hamstring tendinopathy back in January and raced the Big Sur marathon with it. I know. I know. It wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but Big Sur was a bucket list race and I had to. Fast forward to almost 3 months later and I’m still plagued with the injury.

For the past month or so, I’ve decided to reduce my miles significantly and focus on strengthening my hamstring. It’s been hard to not run as much as I used to, but I’m grateful that this injury doesn’t prevent me from running some miles.

Luckily, I received a free pair of Ghost 14s from Brooks Running. I’ve run in the Ghost line for almost 8 years and I’ve got to say that they are absolutely my favorite shoe. Whenever people ask me what kind of shoes to recommend, I always tell them to of course, go to a running shoe store and get fitted to see what fits, but also let them know that I wear the Ghosts and that they’ve served me well. The fact that I’ve owned over 10 pairs of the Ghost line is proof that I love them!

The Ghost 14s are actually Brooks’ first pair of shoes that are carbon neutral. Their goal is to minimize the emissions they produce in manufacturing their shoes and I’m all for it. We need to be kind to our planet and Brooks has committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040. If you want to learn more about that commitment, head over to their blog post on it.

Theses shoes are actually my second pair (I have a problem, I know) and I just love how cushioned they are! I’m a gal who does not like feeling the ground beneath me. No thank you. Haha. The cushioned underfoot allows for a more seamless transition from heel to toe, which makes my run feel a little bit easier and as an injured runner right now, an easier run is exactly what I need. Yay!

Despite my tendinopathy, I’m still happy I get to run a few miles here and there and I can’t wait to get out there and put more miles in in the years to come.

Let me know if you have questions about the Brooks Ghost 14s. I’d be happy to answer them. 🙂

Challenging, but Worth It – My Big Sur Marathon Recap

Disclaimer: I received free entry to the Big Sur Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

I DID IT YA’LL! I completed the Big Sur Marathon on 4/25/2022 with a time of 4:44:55 and I couldn’t be happier. So many thoughts flooded my brain, but the main one was OMG, I am never doing this marathon again. LOL I kept repeating it over and over again to my boyfriend as he kept telling me how proud he was of me for crushing the distance. Haha.

That being said, if anyone is considering doing this race at any of the distances (5k, 12k, 11 miler, 21 miler, marathon), I’d still recommend it for the views. If you can keep up with the time limits, I think it’s 100% a race worth running at least once in your life. See below for my race weekend recap. 🙂

Two days before the race: My friend who was racing the 21 miler, my boyfriend, and I drove up the PCH from Southern California Friday morning. I had never driven up the PCH and my boyfriend thought it’d be a good idea to see the views and I could also preview the course. It was a fun trip, but if done again, I would have broken it up into two days to give us more time to make pit stops and explore. We did stop along McWay Falls, which was beautiful. The trail itself was mainly closed off, but we got a glimpse of it and the stop was worth it.

Day before the race: We headed to the expo at the Monterey Conference center, picked up our bibs and our collapsible cups (to reduce race waste), ate brunch, and walked around to explore. There is a pier near the Monterey Coast Guard where all the sea lions and on occasion, sea otters like to hang out there and we were able to see a few sea otters frolicking in the ocean. We even saw one eat a crab. Best part was that it was free. 🙂 Shortly after sightseeing for a bit, we went back to our AirBnB and called it at night at 7 pm.

Morning of the race: This year, the race started a bit earlier than other years with a start time around 6:40 am. This meant that our bus pick up time was 3:30 am. That’s right folks. 3:30 am. It takes a little over an hour for the buses to pick you up and drop you off at the start line for the marathon and then they need to get out of the course so that the staff can set up the finish line. The course is windy and it’s dark so the buses need that time to safely navigate their way to the drop off point. Thank you bus drivers for keeping all of us safe. 🙂 Anyway, the takeaway from this section is WEAR WARM CLOTHES AND CHECK YOUR GEAR IF YOU DON’T WANT TO DISCARD THEM. I don’t know where my brain was at when I decided to just wear a few layers on top with my capris and that I’d be fine. It is COLD in the morning (low 50s) and we were waiting about an hour and a half until we started. I luckily had brought those packets that warm up when exposed to air so I held those in my hands to keep them warm until the start.

The race: The start of the race is fairly quick. There were 5 corrals and each of them were dismissed within 2 minutes each. The marathoners start downhill, which is really nice, but also misleading as the rest of the course is not that downhill. LOL. Once you hit the 5 mile mark where the 21 milers start, the elevation starts to increase. At mile 10, the climb up to Hurricane point, the highest point of the course, begins. It’s practically a 2 mile climb and it’s intense. Part way through, there are Taiko drummers who encourage you to keep going. If that doesn’t help, the views should keep you going. It’s so beautiful out on the course and there are parts of the course that just open up to these views where you can’t help but stop off to the side and snap a few or ten photos. I should know. I took several and I’m not usually one to stop for photos. After you reach Hurricane point, you start to head back down towards Bixby bridge and a mile out, you’ll hear the lovely sounds of the piano player that’s always there. It’s like he’s greeting you with his song. 🙂

After Bixby bridge, it’s honestly all kind of a blur. This year’s winds were grueling. We had lots of headwind and as we were making the climbs up those hills, the struggle felt never ending. Towards mile 21, I started feeling tight and I had to dramatically decrease my pace and start a run/walk method. Whatever gets you to the finish line, right? 🙂 Despite this race being one of my most difficult races, I feel like it was the most rewarding because it was challenging.

Post race: Honestly, I was in so much pain and after whining to my boyfriend that I’d never do this again, I picked up some post race snacks that the volunteers gave us and headed out. I did really appreciate that there was a quick exit and that I could reunite with friends so soon after rather than go through a maze to get to the exit.

That’s my recap folks! If you have questions about this race, please let me know. If you’ve run this race before, let me know how you did!

Full of Jitters – Big Sur Marathon Race Week

Disclaimer: I received free entry to the Big Sur Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

It is the week of the Big Sur Marathon and I am just full of jitters.

Why am I full of jitters?

1. The Big Sur Marathon will be my 3rd marathon in an 8 month span. Prior to these 8 months, I would plan for 1 marathon a year. The months of marathon training takes a toll on my body and I need a couple months to recover between each training cycle. Due to all the COVID19 race deferrals, it just happened that Berlin and CIM were 2 months apart and I could not pass up my chance to run Big Sur so here I am questioning my life choices leading up to this. 🙂
2. With all 3 marathons being so close together, my body hasn’t had time to recover and I’ve been plagued with varying injuries. I’ve been working closely with my physical therapist and he’s been able to get me to finish line of the last 2 marathons and I’m hoping he’ll be able to do it a 3rd time. Proximal hamstring tendinopathy is what I’ve been currently plagued with and it is no joke.
3. Let’s be real for a moment. The Big Sur course is not easy. It is absolutely GORGEOUS, but, the elevation gain is 2,182 feet and as I’m primarily a road runner, I’m not used to this kind of gain. I have done the 21 miler in the past, but tacking on that additional 5 miles is a little daunting for me.

With all that being said, I am looking forward to going up to Big Sur and tackling this full course. It’s been a few years in the making and I’m so excited to check it off my bucket list. Stay tuned for my race recap next week and wish me luck! 🙂

Goodbye Ziplock Bags and Hello CAMA

Disclaimer: I received the CAMA Bag as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

About a month ago, I got the opportunity to test out the CAMA Bag from CAMA and if you’ve never heard of CAMA before, the details are below along with my review of the bag.

What is it?

The CAMA Bag is a reusable bag that is made of moisture-wicking and odor- absorbing fabrics. It comes in two sizes: The Bigger One [15″ x 19″ (h)] and The Smaller One [12.5″ x 15″(h)] . It’s machine washable allowing you to reuse it again and again.

Why use it?

The CAMA Bag is designed to be portable and to be used when you’re on the go and need a place to stash your sweaty clothes/gear/equipment. It’s constructed of 3 layers of fabrics that helps with keeping your clothes from getting stale and smelly.

Cost?

$55 for The Bigger One and $45 for The Smaller One.

Review?

If you love to travel and/or lead an active lifestyle, I think this bag would fit right in with that lifestyle. I first got the CAMA Bag right before my travels to Sacramento for the California International Marathon and decided to bring it along with me as a way to stash away my race clothes post-race. Normally, I would have had to bring a zip lock bag with me, but gone are the days where I need to do that. 🙂 I was able to change out of my sweaty race clothes and throw them into the CAMA Bag and zip it up. This allowed me to keep my race clothes and my regular clothes separately in my luggage.

Carrying my dirty race clothes in my CAMA bag waiting for my flight

Even if you aren’t leading an active lifestyle and are just like to travel, this bag is still really useful especially if you aren’t able to do laundry while you’re traveling. I store my used undergarments in the CAMA Bag to keep them separate from my clean clothes and it works like a charm. I’ve also thrown clothes that have gotten drenched from the rain into my CAMA Bag. Just wrung the water out of the shirt and threw it in there because I didn’t want to make my other clothes in my luggage wet before I got home.

Best part of the bag is that it’s reusable. You can machine wash it, line dry it, and use it again and again. When I was traveling abroad, I used up so many zip lock bags to store my used clothes since I didn’t stay anywhere with a washing machine. Now, I can just bring my CAMA Bag along.

Washing my race clothes and my CAMA bag at the same time

If you have questions about the CAMA Bag, let me know.

Another Missed Sub Two Attempt at the San Diego Craft Classic Half Marathon

Disclaimer: I received free entry to the San Diego Craft Classic Half marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

The Craft Classic Half marathon in San Diego occurred this past weekend and I could not be happier by my performance. Here’s how it all went down.

Friday

I headed down to San Diego to go to PT (more on that in a later post) and I kid you not, an hour before my PT appointment, I roll my ankle WALKING on the SIDEWALK. Yes, read that again. I ROLL my ankle TWO days before race day while walking on a FLAT sidewalk. I quickly text my PT, let m know what happened, and I came in and he checked my ligaments to make sure nothing was damaged. He ended up massaging my very tight calf, taped me up, and send me on my way. He was confident I could race. I was not. LOL. I legitimately almost cried after rolling my ankle. I’ve been dealing with so many injuries the past year that I thought I wouldn’t be able to race.

Leaving my PT’s office, I hoped for the best and headed off to packet pick up at Road Runner Sports, met up with another Bibrave Pro, and caught up with fellow runners at the store. That night, I end up dunking my ankle in an ice bath and HOLY MOLY, how does anyone do this? I could not keep my ankle in the ice water for more than 5 seconds without screaming.

Saturday

My ankle was still a bit tender. Walking around felt okay, but I wasn’t sure if I could run and I didn’t want to risk injuring it further by trying to run Saturday so I held off and hoped it’d be okay for race day. Laid out my flatrunner and dropped all of my essential race gear in a bag that night and passed out.

Sunday – Race Day

The race started at 6:30 and this year, we were parking near the start line so I was able to sleep in until 5 am. LOL. I was out the door by 5:30 am. Parking was at a high school and we all walked to the start line. The race was a bit smaller this year, but as we are still in a pandemic, I was pretty happy with how many people came out. The weather was also much better this year than in other years. It was much cooler and had a lot of cloud cover. Runners were released in waves and I headed out with a friend of mine and as soon as I took that first step, I felt stiffness in the front of my ankle. I honestly wasn’t sure if it’d be smart to continue, but when do runners ever listen to reason. I told my friend I’d try to run a bit more and see where it went. Luckily, she doesn’t like to run fast so we took our time and ran together for about 3 miles.

At the finish line

At that point, she and I parted ways and my ankle was feeling a lot better and I decided to continue forward. As I wasn’t chatting with anyone, I was able to pick up my pace and realized that I might make a sub 2 cutoff if I pushed. I’ve run this course 2 other times and both times, I’ve missed the sub 2 cutoff. I have raced a sub 2 before, but it would have been nice to have a sub 2 for this course. In the back of my head though, I was also absolutely fine with missing it because I’d rather finish and not be injured than try and race faster and be injured before my fall marathon. I conservatively ran an 8:30 to 9 min/mile up until mile 10. Most of the course at that point is downhill. (YAY). Then came the king of the hill that crushed my dreams. It’s about a 300 ft elevation gain across maybe a half mile or 3/4 mile and my legs were not having it. I managed a jog/walk up it, but by the time I got to the top, I knew I’d miss the cutoff. Funnily enough, that’s when I felt a weight lift off my shoulder. With that pressure removed, I was able to take more walk breaks and enjoy the last bit of the course. Don’t get me wrong, the course through the back part of the city was pretty with the trees on either side of the course, but the pressure of running faster was always in the back of my head. The last bit of the course is a bit deceiving. Once you reach the top of the biggest hill, you head back down and you turn the corner and there’s one more hill and then you turn the corner again and there’s another hill. LOL. You just silently or not silently curse to yourself as you’re running it. At least, I did.

My crazy friends

I had a really strong finish though where I clocked in at about a 7:30 min/mile meaning I could have pushed if I had wanted to. I finished in at 2:03 and some change and didn’t roll my ankle again and it was my 31st half marathon! I also got to see a lot of friends I hadn’t seen in over a year and a half and it felt fantastic. I gave my friend my free beer ticket and they cashed it in for a Green Flash Beer since that’s where the race ended. 🙂 After dawdling a bit, I headed back to the shuttle that took me back to the start line parking lot.

My 31st half marathon medal

TLDR? I started out with a rolled ankle and finished my 31st half marathon with a time of 2:03.

Have you raced in person since the pandemic started yet? How did it go?

Escape Room x Running = A Run to Escape Experience

Disclaimer: I received registration to the Run to Escape Experience as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

As you may or may not know, I have been a BibRave Pro for over 4 years and over the years, I’ve been able to test out interesting running products and race in really amazing cities for BibRave. Recently, they came out with this awesome concept of launching their own running/racing experience. As most things are virtual these days due to the pandemic, we needed a way to make running more interesting and motivate us to run. (Some people like myself have not run with anyone in over a year. Yikes.) The Run to Escape Experience is BibRave’s way of doing that. Even with some races starting to come back, I thought this would be a great way of motivating myself to get back into it all.

Check out my IG reel that is a brief overview of the experience. I don’t give out any actual puzzles from it as that would be spoilers, but if you enjoy solving puzzles like the one in the reel, this might be of interest.

IG Reel – Run to Escape

The Run to Escape experience obviously running and puzzles/riddles. Think of it as a cross between an escape room and running. The experience consists of 6 separate runs that will test your wits and make you laugh along the way if you’re into Greek mythology like I was in high school. In each run, you are given more and more of the storyline in an audio format. In addition to the storyline, you are given clues to solve a puzzle and after each run, you are given the puzzle. Don’t worry if you miss the audio clues. They’ll be provided to you so you can listen again and again to solve the puzzle. I say again and again because I definitely had to listen to a few clues on repeat to solve a puzzle or two. Haha. Once you solve the puzzle, you enter the code to unlock the next run/part of the story line.

Head over to the RTESeries IG page and try to solve their clever puzzles like this one!

As someone who was addicted to escape rooms a few years ago, this was right up my alley. I was dead tired after work some days, but because I wanted to progress along the challenge, I muscled up and ran so I could hear more clues. I would then spend the evenings in bed piecing together the clue to unlock the next run. I had a blast doing this since it was so unique. I can’t spoil the end, but I was so pleasantly surprised at how well they wrapped everything up.

Can you solve the What Am I puzzle? Let me know!

Right now, the Run to Escape Experience has a flexible refund policy so I highly recommend giving it a shot. If you don’t like it, there’s always that refund. If you do sign up, use code BibRave10 for 10% off the registration.

Oh! I forgot to mention this, but if you are worried you won’t be able to solve the clues, there are hints, just like a real escape room. Every run has 3 hints and you will definitely be able to solve them if you use all 3, but if you’re just like me, you’ll just be agonizing over the clues until you can solve it without any hints. Haha. Good luck and let me know if you have questions!

I’ve also included some reviews from other BibRave Pros if you’re unsure if you want to sign up.

Lissa – Mike P. – Cynthia – Ryan – Stephanie D. – Sarah – Katie

Ready Set Move – A Fitness Subscription Box

Disclaimer: I received two Ready Set Move Subscription Boxes as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

Hi you all! How have you all been? It’s been so long since I last posted anything. 2020 was quite a year and now we’re in 2021, where things are starting to look up, at least I hope they are. I hope you’re all doing well. If you were experiencing the same 2020, I was, you’ll have maybe lost some motivation to work out. I started out pretty strong at the beginning of the pandemic, but as the months passed by, it was harder for me to stay motivated to keep active. I bet I wasn’t the only one.

Now that it’s 2021 and more and more people are getting vaccinated, we’re starting to see more in-person races happening. I’m even signed up for a 25k trail race that’s supposed to happen in June. Eeek! I’m nowhere in the shape I want to be at for this race, so it’s time to get back to it and start training.

Recently, BibRave was given the opportunity to have some of their ambassadors try out a fitness subscription box called the Ready.Set.Move Box and since I was starting to consistently run more often to prep for my 25k, I figured I’d give it a shot. Anything to motivate me to train a bit more, right? A few things about the box.

• It’s a quarterly subscription box geared towards people who are passionate about moving towards their fitness goals. These boxes are shipped out every January, April, July, and October.
• Each box consists of fitness related products, always valued at $100+ and can be used during workouts/training cycles.
• Each individual box cost $49.99, but if you sign up for the whole year, you can save $20 (Total: $179.99)

I received their January and April box and have had about a month and a half to try out some of the products. Below are my thoughts.

• Each box represented the season that it came in in a unique way. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my January box contained products that were geared more primarily on being visible as the days were shorter. The box had a Nathan Sports Hyper Bright Strobe that I could clip onto my running shoe, a SpiBeams LED cap to light up the path, and a Brooks Greenlight headband that was a reflective bright yellow I could wear around my head and keep my ears warm during the Winter runs. As someone who really didn’t invest in any good lighting during my runs even though I ran primarily in the evenings, I was pretty happy that these items arrived.

Spibeam LED cap with Nathan Sports Hyper Bright Strobe

• Not all of the products are targeted for the season. Some of the products can be used year-round. Examples of these would be recovery products like Trigger Point’s Nano LTE, KT Recovery Pain relief gel, and Floyd’s on the Go Recovery Protein, which also came in my January box. There are also hydration and fueling products like Nuun’s Sport/Energy tablets and Honesty Stinger gels/waffles that came in one or both of my boxes.
• Experimenting will be key. I think that with subscription boxes, you have to keep an open mind. There will be products that you’re not so sure about, but the whole point of subscription boxes is to discover what products are out there and give them a try. Not all of them will be winners, but you won’t know until you try them out. For an example, in my April box, there was a packet of Bob’s Red Mill Almond Protein Flour included. Normally, I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy this in the store, but now that I have, I’m excited to experiment with it. On the back of the packaging, it said I could use this flour to make protein almond butter. It also says I can make smoothies with it so I’m very excited to try and incorporate it into my meals.
• Surprises are fun most of the time, right? Isn’t it exciting to receive a box in the mail full of gear that will motivate you towards your fitness goals? Personally, I love surprise packages full of goodies so this was right up my alley.

Bracoo calf compression sleeves with Brooks Greenlight Headbad

Below are just a few of my favorite items that I received within the two boxes are listed below.

• Spibeams LED cap – I don’t wear head lamps as they bother me a bit or maybe I just haven’t found the right one yet. With the Spibeams LED cap, it’s literally a hat you wear and it just happens to have lights built into the front and back of it.
• TriggerPoint LTE – My plantar fasciitis comes and goes, but whenever I feel it coming back, I like to use this to roll out my foot. I have a few other rollers, but this one is nice and small and I just roll it out when I’m sitting down at work. 🙂
• La Colombe Nitro Brew – My January box had the Triple Espresso shot and my April box had the Sicilian lemons version. Coffee is a must to survive so this was such a great surprise.
• KT tape’s Chafe Safe Anti-chafe wipes – Again, there are so many products out there and I love testing them all. I had been using other types of gliding agents that would prevent chafing, but apparently there are now wipes that do the same thing! Who knew?

January Subscription Box

The P3R company that puts these Ready.Set.Move Subscription boxes is ships out their boxes on the 25th of Jan, Apr, Jul, and October. If you’re interested in signing up for a subscription, you can use code “BibRave10” for $10 off your first box. If you have any other questions, please let me know! Thanks!

I’ve also included unboxing videos and reviews from other Bibrave Ambassadors who were able to test the box as well.

Meridith – Lissa (Review 1) – Lissa (Review 2) – Ken (Review 1) – Ken (Review 2) – Samantha (Unboxing) – Shannon – Lisha – Mark Box 1(Unboxing), Mark Box 2 (Unboxing), Patrick – Phil – Lisa – Samantha (Review)

My BibRave Exuma Getaway Experience

Disclaimer: I received an entry into the Run for Pompey Half Marathon and received an amazing resort package as part of the BibRave Bahamas Getaway package and for being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews! All opinions are my own.

Hello all! I’ve been having quite an adventure since the last time I blogged. If you’ve been following me on social media, you’ll know that 4ish weeks ago, I visited Taiwan for all of the food adventures. I then came back to the states for 5 days and then jetsetted to the Bahamas for 5 days for an amazing and relaxing adventure.

I swear I’ll get to my Taiwan adventures, but since the Bahamas are fresh in my memory, let’s start with that. 🙂 Disclaimer: This will be LONG and I am sorry, but there was just too much to talk about that it would not be genuine to leave things out. I broke it down by subject and included pictures to make it easier to read.

For those of you who may not remember, I was going to Exuma in the Bahamas as part of the Exuma Getaway package that BibRave helped host. That package is described in my earlier post.

Flight

Let’s start with the flight. It’s not an easy flight out of the West Coast. I caught a red eye and had a 4.5 hour flight out of LA to Ft. Lauderdale, a 5.5 hour layover, and a 1.5 hour flight finally to Georgetown in the Bahamas (Georgetown is a city on the island of Exuma). After landing in Ft. Lauderdale, I was delirious. I had some flight schedule changes and I pulled up the wrong itinerary and thought I was going to miss my connecting flight. Well, a panic attack and a sprint down two terminals later, I realized my flight was 4 hours later. Oops. LOL.

My first impression

That frown turned upside down the moment I started seeing glimpses of the Bahamas from the air. The water was gorgeous and I was beyond excited to finally land. LOL Once I landed, I quickly got through customs and the Grand Isle resort ambassador was there to help me arrange a taxi to get to the resort. Once at the resort, fellow BibRave Pro Chris and I checked in and was given the tour of our villa and oh my goodness, it was beautiful.

Grand Isle Resort and its many amenities

The Grand Isle resort consisted of villas, two pools, a spa, fitness center, and various restaurants (La Palapa Grill, 23 North, and one other location I cannot remember the name of). All villas are two stories and have a maximum of 3 bedrooms. The villas all come equipped with a kitchen, some kitchenware (pots, pans, eating utensils, fridge, freezer), a laundry machine, air conditioning, and amazing views from the 2^nd floor patio. I could have honestly just stayed in the villa for the entire stay, but the beach and pools were calling my name. Also, I had to run a half marathon so there was that. 😛

The resort is right next to Emerald Bay and oh my goodness, I didn’t know salt water could be so beautiful. I had a blast swimming in the waters. Beware of sand fleas (aka noseeums) though. They will nip at you and you will be itching for weeks. I didn’t think to put on water proof insect repellant and am paying the price. I have about 15 bites and it is not pleasant. So if you go, make sure to wear insect repellant. That is an absolute must.

I stayed at the resort for most of my stay, with a trip to the convenience store to grab snacks. The receptionist at the resort can arrange either taxis or a day long car rental ($75/day). You could even arrange to swim with the pigs from the receptionist and I was even scheduled to, but due to unfortunate weather and my schedule, I couldn’t make it work. The tour groups will pick you up from the resort as part of the package, which is super nice. So instead, I took advantage of their spa services and got a super relaxing sports massage with my first ever manicure.

The Bibrave Perk of the Exuma Getaway

As part of the Exuma Getaway, BibRave gifted those who signed up with an awesome pair of Aftershokz Aeropex. (Note: If you haven’t tried them, I’d highly recommend them. They use bone conduction technology so even the hard of hearing can experience music/audiobooks with ease). As part of being a BibRave Pro, I was also gifted things that really helped me get through the Bahamian weather.

Go Sili’s Straw Cup and straws– It’s a silicone cup with a lid where you can store your liquids in and it’s light and durable. Pretty nice for traveling and it won’t break during the shuffle.

Nuun Rest – Nuun’s newest line of hydration specifically designed for resting after a hard day of work or running.

BUFF’s Running Cap – Super lightweight and easily packable. The brim is crushable and the upper panel has UPF protection. Really nice to run with.

KnockAround Sunglasses – I’m a San Diego girl and love this local sunglasses brand. It also really helped shield the sun when I ran.

Vooray’s Pulse Active Backpack – A lot of nice pockets and straps that you can clip things to. I clipped a small sunscreen bottle to it, some hand sanitizer, and chapstick. There are two spots for bottles on the sides and held all the things I needed for a day of sightseeing.

The Entire Race Experience

With the getaway package, there was a pre-race pasta dinner and boy was that a carb loading experience. I wish I had run the marathon so I could have eaten even more pasta. It was sooo good. It was a choose your own type of pasta ordeal. They had pesto, alfredo, and marinara sauce along with several different types of pasta and protein (Grouper or chicken).  After eating my fill, speeches were made and the race directors let us know that the race was able to provide scholarships for students to attend college and due to the hurricane this year, they also donated to those affected. It was definitely a nice way to end the night.

Getting to the race was a breeze. We took the race day shuttle at 5:15 am and arrived shortly before the race at 6 am for the half marathon. The marathoners had already begun at 4 am. In its 5^th year, there were 3 ultra marathoners (50k), 3 marathoners, 11 half marathoners, and a LOT of 10k, 5k, and 2kers. There were also cash prizes for the longer distances – $500 for the first female and male finishers. So if you were a marathoner or an ultra marathoner, you had a really good chance of winning. In fact, my fellow Pro Chris won the marathon and smashed the course record by an hour at 4 hours and 35 min.

I do not do so well in humid and warm weather so I ran a moderate 2:28:04, which actually put me in 10^th place. The temperature when I finished? 83F. The course starts out around a lake and with the sunrise, it’s a beautiful sight. You’re running along the streets and it is not blocked off from traffic so staying to the sides is important. There were also some wildlife (ie stray dogs) that made the course a bit more interesting and definitely kept me on my toes. For the half marathon, there were 7 aid stations, which were greatly appreciated. I grabbed an ice cold water bottle at every station and kept it until I got to the next one. We had great cloud cover for the first half of the race, but on the second half, the sun came out and I more strategically did a run/walk to get me to the finish.

In all honesty, I didn’t think I could finish this half. I had done a 3 mile shake out run around the resort the day before and melted. Running 4x that amount in the weather was beyond what I thought I could do. But I did it. I ran it and I completed my 30^th half marathon. At the finish line, they called random bib numbers for giveaways and their grand prize was actually a week long stay at the Grand Isle Resort. That’s a $7000 value. Sadly, I did not win, but I did get a really cute swimming pig medal from the race along with a cute pig plush pictured below.

Post Race

Another perk of the package was a post-race celebration dinner and boy did I get my grub on at 23 North. Their tempura was amazing and I’ve never had tempura as good as I had it here. 23 North is an Asian fusion restaurant at their resort and their food is delicious. After dinner, I called it an early night. As my swimming pig tour was cancelled, I ended up treating myself to a nice sports massage the next day. The masseuse knew exactly how to get my knots out. I finished the massage feeling extremely relaxed and my hands looked real cute after the manicure. I spent the rest of the day swinging on the beach because why not have swings on a beach? LOL

Leaving Exuma

After 4 amazing nights, I left Exuma with great memories (and some bug bites LOL). The resort staff was super top notch and very sweet and accommodating. The race was one I never thought I could finish, but mind over matter, right? It was a one in a lifetime trip and I’m glad I got to experience it.

TLDR?

The resort was amazing from its staff to its food and its accommodations. Bring bug repellent. Emerald Bay is BEAUTIFUL. The race was challenging, but definitely teaches you to run in hot weather. 10/10 would do again. 🙂

Orange Mud Transition Wrap 2.0 – The Best Seat Saver Around

Disclaimer: I received an Orange Mud Transition Wrap 2.0 as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

Hello hello again! I just came back from a trip to Taiwan and boy am I exhausted! I can’t wait to tell you all about the trip, but today, I’d like to talk to you about the best seat saver around – the Orange Mud Transition Wrap 2.0.

BibRave Pros were able to try the v1.0 awhile back and I missed the opportunity to try it then so when the opportunity came to try the 2.0 version, I was all in. This wrap is hands down a game changer for anyone with an active lifestyle and I’m never going back to not having this.

As a runner, I sweat…a lot and unfortunately, I’ve begun to notice that my sweat is not the nicest smelling anymore. 😦 I’m not in the habit of changing after I run since I go home anyway to change so most often than not, I sit in my car immediately after my run and sweat in the seat. I used to keep a towel on my car seat so I could sweat on that, but the towel didn’t stay on the seat for very long and after a lot of fussing around, I just gave up and stopped using it. The transition wrap is PERFECT to protect my car seat. It has this zipper to create a little hoodie and I just slip the hoodie on the headrest of the seat and it hangs there perfectly on my seat without any fuss. And after a week or two of using, I just throw it in the laundry to wash and re-use. I’ve also used it to protect my boyfriend’s car seat when I am a passenger and he loves it. LOL.

It has also been super useful for swimming too. After I swim, I don’t have to worry about any residual chlorine affecting my car seats. 🙂

The transition wrap, as the name implies, is also great for transitioning into other clothes. 🙂 The wrap has an adjustable belt with a secure clip that allows you to easily slip out of your running shorts/swimsuit and into your non-sweaty clothes. 🙂 Gone are the days where you’re juggling your towel and your shorts and trying not to accidentally flash someone. 

You can also use this microfiber wrap to towel off and keep yourself warm after a run like I did. LOL.

To say that I enjoy using this is an understatement. I absolutely LOVE using this and honestly, it’s way better than any old towel I had been using previously. 🙂 I highly recommend it to anyone looking to prevent their seats from being smelly or just has trouble transitioning out of sweaty clothes. 🙂

If you want your own or are just a fan of Orange Mud products, use code BIBRAVEWRAP for 15% off your order. Other BibRave Pros have also reviewed this so if you’re interested, their reviews are below.

Kelli – Karen – Corey – Ryan – Renee – Charline

My Long Beach Half Race Report

I received an entry into the Long Beach Half Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews! All opinions are my own.

Six days ago, I ran the Long Beach half and boy, I had all of the feels.

Expo

Parking for bib pick up is tricky as the expo is held at the Long Beach Convention Center and so parking is a little difficult to find. We parked a few blocks away and walked over to avoid spending $10+ to park at the center itself. Once parked, bib pick up was easy peasy. They do have metal detectors so don’t be carrying any knives with you when you enter. 🙂 I picked up my bib, shirt, some last minute supplies, found my name on their banner and out I went.

Can you spot my name?

They also sell parking passes for the following day if needed.

Race Day

The half marathon started at 7:30 so I was dropped off around 7 and made my way to the starting area. The full started at 6 and both the half/full courses circle back towards the start around mile 6 so we all got to cheer on the marathoners as they passed us by.

The start for the half was smooth sailing. I found myself near a 1:55 pacer and ran with them knowing full well that I haven’t been able to run that fast in a few years or so. LOL. I knew it was too fast a pace to keep with my training for this race, but I was being stubborn as usual and held on for as long as I could. Apparently that was 7 miles and honestly, it was a glorious 7 miles. I am a crazy person and love rolling hills and turns and for the first 7 or so miles, there are a lot of it. I had a blast running along the course and seeing all the sights for those first set of miles.

Then, at mile 7, it straightens out and you’re just along the beach for 3 miles before you make your way back towards the finish. That part was brutal. Since the race started at 7:30 am, by the time I got to mile 7, it was around 8:30 and the sun was out beating down on us with no shade. Luckily, I brought shades and a visor, but yeahhhh, I was pretty drained from the sun. For miles 10-12, I was on the struggle bus. I started run/walking and beating myself up for not being faster. I also forgot my flip belt and body glide, which meant that I was holding my phone the entire race AND got some unwanted chafing. No bueno. 😦 Luckily, my friend was stationed at mile 12 and once I saw her, I quickened my pace and headed to the finish. HOORAY!

I didn’t get to enjoy much of the post-race festivities as I was super duper tired and couldn’t reach anyone due to low cell reception. I did enjoy the coconut water, which I chugged down in a minute. LOL.

Pro tips

Bring a hat/shades for that stretch along the beach. If it’s not overcast, the sun will take a toll on your body (unless you train in a hot climate).

If you are planning on meeting anyone, make sure to have a plan before you race. That way, they know where to meet you. Due to the congestion of all the runners, cell reception is extremely poor and I didn’t get reception until I left the area.

If you are planning on getting picked up, walk a few blocks out of the convention center. Your driver will 100% appreciate it as there is quite a bit of traffic due to the road closures.

Enjoy the course! When I wasn’t beating myself up about being faster, I had a lovely time! LOL.

The Long Beach half was my 29th half marathon and in all honesty, it hasn’t felt like that many. 🙂 Every half I’ve participated in has brought up the same feelings – pre-race anxiety, pre-race excitement, on course awe, on course pain, on course “OMG I can see the finish line”, and post-race joy that I finished. And although I’ve experienced these feelings before, it’s still surprising to me that I haven’t gotten bored of them. LOL. I guess, that means that I’m in the right sport, yeah?