Brand Alignment

Hi my fellow readers (if there are left at this point)! I want to again apologize that I haven’t been posting as frequently as I have in previous years. This year has been really rough and if you’re in a country where COVID19 cases still haven’t been going down (*cough*United States*cough)*, well, you know how I’m feeling.

Today I wanted to talk about a topic that I’ve been struggling with the past few months – brand alignment. It’s important to be me because as a brand ambassador for a few companies, I think it’s an issue that’s worth discussing especially with regards to the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Background

On February 23rd, Ahmed Arbery, an unarmed black man, who was running in his neighborhood was accosted and shot by Gregory and Travis McMichael, two white men. I don’t want to get too much into the details as it’s been re-hashed over and over again, but this incident along with several others (Killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Atatiana Jefferson, Tamir Rice, and many more) ignited the Black Lives Matter Movement.

On June 2nd, social media users were encouraged to post a black square to their social media profiles and hashtag #blackouttuesday. The concept originated from the music industry and news of the hashtag spread to any user on a social media platform, but it primarily was on Instagram. Many brands posted either a black square on that day or have since then posted some statement that they support the movement and/or are making changes to break down systemic racism.

Acceptance into a brand ambassador program and declining it

Fast forward to a few weeks later, I received news that I was accepted into an ambassador program. I had been monitoring their social media platforms in the past few months to see if they had made any statement and oddly enough, I didn’t find anything. I had reached out to their founder to ask what their stance was on the Black Lives Matter movement and although he said that he and their company do not tolerate racism and partner with groups that align with that same ideal, he also mentioned that he was at a loss on what to say on social media. I had suggested a few things such as more diversity of their audience on the social media platform or even a statement that said that they are working on having a plan in place to support the movement in one way or another. I understood that plans are not devised over night and a lot of thought go into plans and of course, plans can change. The issue I had was that there was no information on any of his social media channels (personal and company wise) that would have led me to have believed the company was pro or anti-BLM. I did look through years of posts so it wasn’t a hasty statement. I also explained that being silent on the issue also sends a message to their audience and that message to me personally was that the movement wasn’t worth posting about. After a few more email exchanges, my understanding of the situation was that he did not want to post on social media. I also understand that this is his right.

I thanked him for being open to having the conversation with me and I declined the ambassadorship. Believe me when I say that this was not an easy decision for me as I love supporting quality products and brands. However, I am also standing up for something that I believe is more important.

Alignment as a Brand Ambassador

As a brand ambassador, you are a representation of the brand, the products it sells, and the stances it does or does not take. I personally could not represent a brand that would not make any social media statement on issue that I thought was vital. Don’t get me wrong. I also see brands who have posted statements and have not taken any actions whatsoever. I also am trying to not associate myself with them as well. To be clear, I have no ill will for ambassadors of brands that I do necessarily align with. It is something to keep in mind though when applying to your next ambassadorship.

I have been very blessed to be a brand ambassador for both BibRave and Aftershokz, two companies that have been vocal about the movement and have made statements and taken actions to combat systemic racism. Bibrave created shirts like the one I’m wearing below and all of the proceeds were sent to the Equal Initiative Fund. They’re no longer available, if they ever, I will post about it on my IG. Aftershokz made an official statement on their website and have posted about it on their social media pages. I’ve linked to their official statement here.

BibRave sold these F*ck Racism shirts and all the proceeds were donated to the Equal Justice Initiative Fund

So that about sums up my thoughts for the day. I hope that everyone is having as wonderful of a time as they can be given the circumstances. If you’re in an area that has few to no cases and can give your friends hugs, can you give them an extra one? I miss hugs. 😦

Bye for now!

Big Sur Marathon 2020

“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!”

In 2018, I ran the 21 miler (read the race report here) and after crossing the finish line of the 21 miler, I knew that I had cheated myself. The full would have been an additional 5 miles and those 5 miles would have been through the beautiful Redwoods of Big Sur. So after much contemplation, I decided to opt into the full Big Sur marathon for 2020.

The marathon is unfortunately a lottery and the drawing has already happened, but there are other distances available. If the hills of Big Sur are too daunting, but you still want to try running along the scenic waters, try the 12k, 5k, or even the 3k. Unfortunately, at this time, the marathon relay, 21 miler, and 11 miler are already sold out, but if you have your heart set on these distances, make a note on your calendar for the following year to sign up early. That’s how you know this is a good race. Despite not having the crowds come out to cheer you out on course, the race still sells out almost every year because it is that beautiful.

There’s a piano player on Bixby bridge and you can hear the music miles away. There are Taiko drummers at the top of the highest hill pounding away. It’s honestly a once in a lifetime experience. The Big Sur route only closes for this race so you only really get this experience during this course. Sure, you’ll be able to drive up and down it, but to really take it all in, you’ll need to go at a slower pace. I don’t want to be redundant so if you want to know more, head on over to my race report where I recap my 21 miler experience.

 

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. 🙂

Runner Skincare and my Sawyer SPF 30 StayPut Sunscreen

Disclaimer: I received Sawyer SPF 30 Stay Put Sunscreen 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 you all! I’m back with another review and this time it’s of the Sawyer SPF 30 Stay Put Sunscreen. 🙂

As I’m getting older, I’m beginning to understand the importance of skin care. Wrinkles are more or less permanent so if I can delay the presence of them, I’m going to try. Also, skin cancer is bad and I obviously don’t want that.

As a runner, I spend hours pounding the pavement under the hot sun and so if I don’t protect my skin, it’s going to burn, age more quickly, and ultimately deteriorate. For skin protection, I wear trucker hats/visors to shield my face, sunnies to shield my eyes, and sunscreen to shield everything else. 🙂

Finding the right kind of sunscreen is also super duper important. You don’t want one that is super greasy (or maybe you do), has an overpowering smell, or that comes off within minutes of movement, right? At least, I don’t. I want one that feels lightweight, has a very light fragrant smell to it, and stays on for longer. Sawyer’s SPF 30 Stay Put Sunscreen literally all of that.

Lightweight – Many sunscreens will say that they have a lightweight feel to them, but really don’t. My boyfriend is super picky about his sunscreens. If it feels at all greasy, he doesn’t want it on his skin because it just sits on his skin and he feels uncomfortable the entire time. I was SHOCKED when I put it on and it felt SUPER smooth. I liked it so much I used way more than I should have because it had this nice lotion feel to it without it being greasy or sticky once applied. I was even more thrilled when I put it on my boyfriend and he was not bothered by it. WINNER WINNER! 🙂

Smell – The Stay Put sunscreen has a nice light fragrance to it. It’s not overpowering in the least and I’m pretty sensitive to colognes/perfumes.

Application – Most of the sunscreens I use leave white streaks around my elbows and behind the knees. This one DOES NOT.  Normally after I run, all the sweat causes the sunscreen to travel to my creases leaving these white streaks. However, when I ran with the Stay Put sunscreen, I didn’t get any streaks at all! Sawyer’s proprietary bonding formula has a longer lasting effect on your skin. The sweat and water pass over the sunscreen without wiping them away, which makes it ideal for runners and possibly swimmers. 🙂 Once applied, it takes a few minutes to bond and then you’re off. This bonding technology is kind of great. I also have an issue with sunscreen getting into my eyes when I sweat and oh my, the burning sensation is great. I don’t have that issue with this sunscreen. Hallelujah. 🙂

So there you have it, my review of this freaking amazing sunscreen. They currently sell it through various avenues and of course through Amazon. 🙂 If you’ve ever tried it, please let me know what you think. I will probably never go back. LOL.

For more reviews, see what my fellow BibRave Pros had to say below.

Alastair – Ken – Brenda M. – Lissa – Vanessa J. – Danielle – Whitney – Amy – Virginia – Nicole Nicole 

Question for you? What do you do to protect your skin from the sun? 🙂 Any creams you recommend? I’m not getting any younger. LOL 

 

 

 

 

 

Beating the Blerch

About a week ago, I beat the Blerch and boy was it glorious. If you haven’t heard of the Blerch, you may be scratching your head wondering “What on earth is she talking about?” Well, according to the Oatmeal’s comics, the Blerch represents all forms of gluttony, apathy, and indifference that plagues one’s life. It also happens to be in the form of a fat little cherub who follows people when they run. If you haven’t read this comic, please do. It’s hilarious.

So anyway, this comic inspired the Oatmeal to create the “Beat the Blerch” 5k, 10k, half, and full marathon. 🙂 It’s been on my bucket list for years and two weekends ago, I crossed it off my list by doing the half. Hooray! Here’s how the race went down.

The race is in Carnation, WA, about an hour or so away from Seattle. The race started at 9:30 am so my friend and I leisurely made out way out with a half hour to spare. From start to finish, there were so many things that made us smile.

In the waiting area, there was a burritoughnut station where you got a tortilla, a donut, and a lot of toppings (chips and sweets) to put into your burritoughnut. LOL. I had to pass as I did not trust myself to not throw up mid race. 🙂

At the start line, they were volunteers throwing out candy and I kid you not, they opened up a bag of chips and started tossing them out. LOL. After crossing the start line, turmoil ensued. The race announcer had mentioned that rights were our friend and that on the course, we were to turn right. She either failed to mention that the first turn was a left or none of us were listening. I actually think it was possibly the latter. We were a chatty bunch. 🙂

Soooo, as my friend and I are turning right at the first intersection and running along the path, we see about a hundred runners coming back at us and there was just utter confusion. We tried turning onto a different path onto a bridge that definitely was not meant to support 30 people running on it. And after running a bit, someone said “Hey, umm no one is behind us.” LOL. So we immediately back tracked until we saw a volunteer to set us on the right path. They even told us that if we wanted to restart, we could head to the start and they could reset our timers, but I wasn’t running this for time so we just headed off to catch up with the other runners.

The course was beautiful – full of nature (trees and things). It was warm, but the trees shaded us and there was a nice consistent breeze. We even saw some chickens along the route. Then, there were the aid stations. Oh the aid stations were the best. Each aid station had a Blerch…chilling on a couch, with cake and nutella sandwiches. Each Blerch we encountered was great. They kept telling us to slow down and to have a nice sit-down. LOL. I couldn’t stop laughing as I passed them.

The finish line also had a Blerch that gave us high fives as we headed in. That Blerch also chased some people in so they had some awesome photos of them beating the Blerch to the finish line. 🙂 OH and the photos were free. What more could I ask for? I got Matthew Inman to sign my ribbon.

If you’ve never run this half before, I highly recommend it. 🙂

Question for you: Have you ever run for food? LOL. I have. It’s the story of my life. 

 

My Seattle Sightings

Oh crap. It’s been over 3 weeks since my last blog post. Whoops! Sorry about that! I’m sure you’re probably dying from not knowing what’s been going on in my life. LOL. JK. 🙂 So this past weekend, I flew to Seattle to have another racecation and this time, I DID IT RIGHT you guys. I actually took a few additional days off to explore the city. (I get a lot of crap from my non-runner friends when I tell them I just fly in to race and then leave LOL).

I flew in on Wednesday with le boyfriend and highlights from the day included the following:

Seattle Bouldering Project – My boyfriend is a huge fan of the Austin Bouldering Project, so when I found out there was one in Seattle, I surprised him by taking him here. Having been to a few other bouldering gyms, I’d say that the ABP and SBP are the best out there if you’re a bouldering fan. It’s a really large gym and even for someone who is scared of heights, I had a fun time finding paths to climb. Highly recommend. 

The Alibi Room – Has such great pizza. We got the Truffle Tre Funghi, which has a bunch of mushrooms on it, and regrets were not had. It is SUCH good pizza and you will finish half of one on your own. LOL. Highly recommend.

Hiram M. Chittenden Locks – We unfortunately arrived maybe 15 minutes before they closed so I can’t say much about this, but if you get here a little after the sunsets, you’ll get some amazing views of the water. Plus, it’s free.

Unfortunately on Thursday, my boyfriend had to fly back home so I dropped him off and went sight seeing solo style. 🙂 Thursday highlights included:

Cafe Banh Mi  – If you’re a fan of Vietnamese sandwiches, this is the place to go. It’s a bit pricey, but that’s because their sandwiches are pretty sizable. Very filling and delicious.

Gas Works Park – Worth a visit if you need to kill time and have little kiddies with you. This area used to be site to a coal gasification plant, but has since been reconditioned into a play area for kids. It’s a rather large area if you also want to stroll around and have a nice view of the downtown Seattle. A lot of yoga also appears to take place here.

Fremont Troll – I’m a sucker for tourist traps. I’ve been here before and honestly, it’s a bit creepy. It’s a huge troll underneath a bridge. You snap a photo and head out. Recommended for millenials who want that nice IG photo.

Alki Beach – Everyone comes here during the summer so prepare to drive awhile to find parking. It’s a popular spot for people to come out to even on a week day to just hang out. During the summer, the sun doesn’t set until maybe 8:30 pm so definitely recommend if you like walking around beaches.

On Friday, having not run since Tuesday, I was on a mission to go out for a shake out run. Luckily, packet pick up was next to Green Lake and boy, did I hit the jackpot on running routes.

Green Lake – The inner route of the lake is 2.89 miles and has such beautiful and calming views of the lake. Most of the route is shaded too, which is a huge bonus. Highly recommend if you’re a runner and need a place to run in Seattle.

Kerry Park – Another tourist trap, but highly recommend anyway. It has the most beautiful view of the downtown Seattle skyline and when I went, there were tons of people crowding around just waiting for the sun to set to take photos.

Shiro’s Sushi – Be ready to drop some money here. Sushi is never cheap and Shiro’s is not an exception. I had some really tasty sweet shrimp and salmon here and would recommend dropping by if you have time. I would come with the mindset to either spend a lot here to get full or try a few pieces and then go elsewhere to get full. Hah.

So there you have it, a recap of almost my entire vacation. Race day shenanigans will be recapped in my next post so stay tuned. 🙂

Question for you: Have you been to Seattle? What is one thing you would suggest that everyone do there? 

 

Humidity, hills, and a half marathon, oh my – My San Diego Craft Classic Race report

Disclaimer: I received an entry into 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! All opinions are my own.

If I could describe the San Diego Craft Classic in one word, it would be humbling. I had run the Craft Classic before when it was in July and I remembered it being okay. It was a bit of a challenge, but I remember doing well enough that I didn’t think about preparing much going into the race. Let’s start from the beginning, shall we?

A few days before the race, I had gotten a migraine that lasted about 2 days. I thought I was dehydrate or going through caffeine withdrawal so I took some advil and drank lots of water. The migraine had lessened on Saturday so I figured I’d be okay.

Bib Pick Up was at Road Runner Sports so I quickly drove down, got my bib, my cute “One a beer run” tank, my pint glass, and was on my way.  This race isn’t huge so there really isn’t an expo, but since it’s held at a running shoe store, there’s usually some type of discount given to runners at the store. In this case, it was 20% off. 🙂

The morning of the race, I wasn’t feeling particularly confident, but thought it’d be fine. I wasn’t planning on PRing or anything and I knew there’d be hills so there’d be no reason to race 110% just to die at the hills. The humidity was high and I vaguely remember it being similarly humid two years ago when I last ran it. Although last time, I had a hydration vest, which is what I should have done this time around.

Fast forward to the start of the race. I, of course, started out way too quickly. I was at the start of the wave and since the first part of the race is somewhat bottle necked, I took this opportunity to stay ahead of the wave. Mistake #1. I clocked my first mile in at a sub 8. Shit I thought. “I need to slow down.” Only I didn’t. I was trying to push through and tell myself that it’s only 12 more miles and that it’d be over before I knew it. Mistake #2.

It wasn’t.

The first half of the course is predominantly downhill and if you don’t pace yourself, you will burn out like I did in the second half. Did I mention that the second half is mostly uphill? Yep. I knew that going in too because my bib outlined the course elevation perfectly and I was just too dumb to ignore it. Not to mention, the humidity was destroying my body’s ability to regulate temperature. I was sweating, but because it was humid, the sweat wasn’t evaporating and I wasn’t cooling down. So I tried to take it easy the second half. I walked up most hills and struggled to run even down some. At mile 12, there is one last major hill and of course, my body freaked out. My chest had tightened and honestly, I was angry as hell. I was upset I wouldn’t finish the race. LOL. I walked up most of the hill, took deep breaths, and luckily, the tightness disappeared. It was an intense moment and with heart disease as a problem in my family, know that I will be getting this checked out. I was able to jog to the finish post-hill and whew, I was exhausted. I chugged water at the aid stations and was taking in whatever electrolytes they had. I had to pass on the free beer, but was glad to see friends have their fill of it. 😛 After 30 minutes in the shade, I felt better and even took part in their free massages, which I would highly recommend post-race. 🙂

So this race was definitely not my race and I’ve learned a lot from it. If running in humid weather, wear a hydration vest, and slow the eff down. And drink lots of water and have electrolytes the week of your race.

Question for you: Have you ever had a scary race experience? 

 

Two weeks later and its race week again!

Disclaimer: I received an entry into 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! All opinions are my own.

As I sit here writing this post, I’m smiling because it’s race weekend again. Just 2.5 weeks ago, I raced my 26th half marathon and in 4 short days, I’ll be running my 27th half. 🙂 And on a side note, in a year or so, I’ll have run as many half marathons as the years I’ve made it around the sun. Exciting, right? 🙂

Anyway, it’s been awhile since I’ve updated you all on my plantar fasciitis and the reason is that it’s because I still have it. LOL. I didn’t want to spend posts and posts complaining about it so I just stopped posting about it. The pain is better, but it unfortunately is still lingering. On bad days, it sucks to run and on good days, I feel like I’m super woman and would contemplate signing up for another marathon or even a 50k. Yes, I said a 50k. I’m that crazy.

My race shirt from the last time I ran the SD Craft Classic Half

I haven’t committed to anything yet because it’d be silly of me to sign up for anything longer than a half. I mean I’m silly to even run a half, but honestly, I’m going a little stir crazy so racing half marathons is my way of coping. Counter intuitive I know, but hey, whatever works. Haha

Running around beautiful San Diego

So yes, let’s get back to race week. I’m totally not tapering because well, you can’t really taper much if you’ve only been logging in 20ish miles a week. LOL. It’s a little discouraging, but I’m still hopeful that the second half of the year will be better than the first. 🙂

My “training” for this race has been pretty good surprisingly. I’ve done a few training runs up hill recently and my calves aren’t as tight as they used to be. Thank you plantar and my PT for hours of stretching. 🙂 I think I can manage running up the king of the mountain hill, but if not, I’ll make sure to capture it on IG stories as I walk up it. 😀  I’m hoping to beat my time of 2:00:01 two years ago, but if I don’t, it’s not a loss. 🙂 I just want to run and if I can, it’s still a win. ^_^

Question for you: How many half marathons have you run? Do you have a goal of how many you’ll run in your lifetime? 🙂 Me? I’m thinking at least 50 halfs and maybe 20 fulls. That’d be a satisfying number for me. 

And if you haven’t signed up yet and want to race last minute, use code BIBRAVE10 for $10 off the half and BIBRAVE5 for $5 off the 5k.

Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon Race Report

Disclaimer: I received an entry into the Garry Bjorklund 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.

It’s been almost a week since I raced the Garry Bjorklund half marathon and oh how I want to say so much about how amazing this race is, but to prevent you from having to read my ramblings, I’ll try to keep it as short as I can while also doing the race justice.

Housing: I only planned on staying a night and most places require a minimum 2 night stay so a friend told me about housing at a dorm. Luckily, Marshall school allowed for a 1 night stay and it was super close to the buses that would take us to the start. They even provided everyone with a runner friendly breakfast the morning of the race and bags of ice for those who needed to ice their legs post-race.

Breakfast of champions available from 4 – 6 am race morning

 

Expo: The expo was held at the DECC (Duluth Entertainment Convention Center) and it’s quite an experience. They have an AYCE pasta dinner that runners can attend in the first huge room. There are tables set up with bread and you just pay, file in, and eat to your stomach’s content. You then walk through the main expo to pick up your bib and race packet. Since the race is on Saturday, they do keep the expo open until 10 pm that night. Perfect for an out of town racer like myself.

Ready to go!

 

Course: It is BEAUTIFUL out there. Coming from the west coast, I was amazed and how green everything was. Yes, I know. I’m showing my CA roots. LOL. The half starts in the middle of the full marathon course and starts at 6:15 am, a full hour and 30 min before the full. This allows most of the half marathoners to cross the finish line before any full marathoners make it there.

For most of the course, you’re running along Lake Superior and at each mile marker, there would be balloons flying high in the sky indicating that you had passed another mile. I loved that part about the race. When I struggled to get to the next mile, it gave me a sense of hope to see those balloons flying high.

 

The elevation of this course was a little deceiving. Going in, I honestly thought it’d be flat as a pancake. It was not. Both the half and full are full of rolling hills. They’re not tough hills, but they’re hills nonetheless and there were moments where I had to pump my arms to get through them.

 

Course support was well spread throughout the course. I got water when I needed and there were enough aid stations that I could skip some and get the next one. There were plenty of spectators and even some neighbors who came out, grilled hot dogs or bacon, and were handing them out to runners. 🙂 If you checked out my IG story last weekend, you’ll know that I grabbed a piece of bacon along the course (probably my favorite moment).

Finish line: The race finishes right next to the lake. A lot of runners (not me), will jump into the lake to cool off their legs. Once you cross the finish line, you’ll be awarded your finisher medal, your finisher shirt, food and drink, and make your way through the finisher’s festival. Everyone gets a drink ticket for beer and there are food vendors available for you know…everyone who just ran a half or full. 🙂 I came across a tent that was just giving away decently sized pork portions to runners and much smaller portions to non-runners. LOL.

 

Hospitality: The Duluth community really do cater to the runners that come in from all over the place. There were signs everywhere inviting runners to come visit and I don’t think I met anyone mean. 🙂

Final thoughts: This race is not a cheap one especially if you’re a solo traveler like I was. AirBnB prices and hotels often have a 2 night stay minimum the weekend of this race so book early if you’re looking to save or plan a racecation with friends to ease the cost. Flying there is also not always the most economically friendly if you’re from the West Coast. I flew into Minneapolis and drove to Duluth (3 hours there and 2.5 hours back) to make things a bit economically friendlier for myself.

That being said, this race was a super fun one. I flew in the day before the race and was EXHAUSTED AS F***, but the race managed to keep my spirits up and I enjoyed every moment of it. I had a great time catching the sunrise right before the race, running along the massive lake, seeing all the amazing supporters along the way, and eating all the food people handed to me. LOL. I’d do it again and hopefully next time, I can do the full. 🙂

If you have any questions about the half or the full, leave a comment below. It was honestly a great experience and I’d totally recommend it as a bucket list race.

Running Together with Sabre

Disclaimer: I received Sabre Run Products 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!

Yes, I’m back with another gear review and this time, it’s for Sabre Red, a company who’s mission is to make us feel safer when we’re alone, out and about, and even at home.

I have had panic attacks on a few night runs within the last few years and so I was super excited to be able to try their products out. I was given their pepper gel, their personal alarm with clip and LED light, and their runner personal alarm with wristband and night reflective logo.

Pepper Gel – It has a 12 foot range so whether your attacker is up close or 12 feet away, you’ll be able to spray this gel to sting their faces and run away. The switch to lock and unlock is easy enough to turn, but not so easy that you’ll accidentally unlock it and spray yourself in the face. Much appreciated, Sabre. 🙂

Personal alarm with clip and LED light – Treat this as a LED light that also has the capability of emitting a high pitched frequency that is LOUD when you press a button. It also has the added perk of clipping onto a running belt or a pair of shorts when on a run.

My running essentials

Runner personal alarm with wristband and night reflective logo – It doesn’t have a LED light, but does have a reflective logo to increase your visibility. It, like the other alarm also emits a high pitched frequency and honestly, it scared the shit out of me when I first tested it. This alarm is triggered when you pull a key ring out and the alarm fits into a wristband that you can carry around. If you’re not a fan of the wristband, like I am, and wear a running belt instead, you can also stick it in there and in a pinch, pull the key ring and scare the living daylights out of your attacker. 🙂

Luckily, I haven’t had to use it in a life-threatening situation, but I’m glad to have it on hand. If I need to run alone at night, I’ll definitely be bringing an alarm and my pepper gel with me. If you’re interested in some of these products, you can use “SABRERUN” for 20% off their items. 🙂

For more reviews on these products, check out what my fellow BibRave Pros have to say.

Meridith – Taushah – Fallon – Lisa

Question for you: Have you ever found yourself in a scary situation when running? Several months ago, I got spooked by a cyclist while running at night. I screamed bloody murder and couldn’t run at night for a few weeks.