Things I'll never have to do again!

I started my marathon training last July and stopped it mid December due to a nagging pain that made it impossible to even run a full mile.  Needless to say,  I did get through that marathon (and the Goofy Challenge) in January.  I was SO glad to see that race and the training cycle come to an end. When it came to marathons, I was one and done!

I knew that I would never have to run more than 13.1 miles again ( I knew I would continue to run halves, just not fulls).  Heck, in training, I probably wouldn't have to

Staying Focused on a run

The theme for TOTR this week is favorite warm weather gear. My sister and I have a great piece of gear that we think is quickly going to become one of our favorites this summer but to be fair, we haven't had the chance to test it out completely so it wouldn't be right to write about it yet, right? So, we will hold off on that for now. 

Even though it's been Spring, there are still days where it is cool, windy or rainy. Not the ideal for the perfect run outside. Last year I had purchased a treadmill and I really got my use out of it. I used it for when I couldn't get up early enough to get my run in before the sun came up and also on those brutal winter days when I couldn't step foot outdoors. 

Now that Spring is here I have to stay I have been so used to staying in to do my runs on the treadmill. It is just so convenient.  While on the treadmill I usually do a run/walk since I could not continously run on a treadmill for X miles. My television shows really help pass the time. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't have my phone next to me the whole time checking emails, twitter, or blogging.  Needless to say I am not the most focused when doing my runs on the treadmill. 

When I heard about the Log Off Shut Down Go Run Virtual Race from Gone For A Run my next thought was sign me up.

 

I thought this would be the perfect time to be disconnected and just go run. When I was getting my gear around I was debating what fuel belt to take and then I thought to myself, heck I don't need any because I don't need a place to even put my phone.

So I started running with only my GPS watch and my Ipod. I couldn't tell you how much lighter I felt with no excess belts weighing me done. 

During my run I was only focused on my running and enjoying the weather. Even though it was the end of April I have still only done a handful of runs outside. I kept looking at my Garmin wondering why the mileage was not going up faster.  I thought to myself well heck I could be watching my shows right now and checking my phone (because you know you always think you will get an important call/text when you don't have it on you). Why was it that this run felt harder to me? I think it was because I haven't run that distance outside by myself since last fall. Running consistently was alot different than what I was doing all winter long on the treadmill.  I was happy when I had to wait for a train and a few red lights throughout the run. 

By the second half of my run I was finally in my groove feeling good. I didn't even think about not having my phone on me. I arrived back home refreshed and ready to eat dinner. But I'm sure you can guess what I did before starting dinner.

 

Do you ever feel like you are addicting to your phone? Do you run with it?

 

-L

I received this complimentary race registration for being a Gone For A Run Ambassador.
 

Creating More Race Costumes!

We leave for California for the Disneyland Pixie Dust Challenge races in about a week so I thought it was time I got my butt in gear and finish up my race costume.  We've had the idea for our costumes since last summer so I don't know why it has taken me so long to actually make them,,haha.

Oh, I know why, my sewing machine had been acting up lately. I was able to sew Lacey's costume but it was really giving me problems. I'm going to assume it was probably something some routine maintenance could have fixed (maybe), but we had a weak moment last week and fell victim to the convincing sales lady on the Home Shopping Network and Scott bought me this new electronic  Singer sewing machine. I admit it is pretty fancy and has more options and attachments than I will probably ever use. It even threads its self but I can't figure out how that works so I have just been threading it by hand.  This weekend I finished up my costume.

For the 5K, we are doing an Alice in Wonderland theme. I will dress as Alice, Lacey will be the White Rabbit and our mom will be the Queen of Hearts (she even has a really cool sweaty band to match her outfit).  Our outfits may not be the most creative or the most professional looking but we do the best with what we have. Because we more than likely will only wear these outfits once, we try to recycle pieces that we've worn before and use things that we already have around the house.

 

You may remember me saying that I was disassembling my Snow White outfit so I could use it again for something else, well, this was it. I took the ribbons off but kept the collar. I'm not all that impressed with my apron, I actually used the wrong pattern to make and then once I realized that I kept having to make adjustments.  Right now I have it paired with a blue sparkly skirt, but that might change and I might wear a blue tech skirt my sister has.  Thank goodness I have these white compression socks with the hearts on them. This may be the only piece that will identify me as Alice and not Bookish Belle!

 

 

I really do like how Lacey's Rabbit outfit turned out. This was actually quite simple to make. We used a red tech shirt from a previous race and then just cut the arms off of a plain white t-shirt. I sewed on the heart and the blue ruffle directly to the shirt. I know it doesn't look exactly like the white rabbit but I think it's enough that people will be able to make out who it is.  We may be constructing a pocket watch for her to hold too, we will see.  I'm hoping this outfit isn't too hot, but it is only a 5K, so I think she'll be able to deal with it for that short amount of time.

 

Our 10k outfits are all Tinkerbell inspired. We all have green sparkly skirts and green tanks. I'm really excited about our half marathon outfits. They are not costumes in anyway, but kind of represent our running journey thus far!

 

Now I better get started on the packing!   Oh, and by the way. I am flying an airline that actually allows luggage free of charge!  This makes me very happy!

 

 

Do you have any sewing skills? Did you pay attention in Home Ec?   -M

Peek In Our Week and a Dilema

Hey friends! I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Lacey ran RnR Nashville yesterday and has made it home safely and I finished up our costumes for our next race.  There is something that has been weighing heavily on my mind lately. I have been thinking about this all week and pretty soon I am going to be

Link Ups to Join

This week's theme for the Friday 5 is "blogs to read".  We couldn't possibly just narrow down 5 blogs that we love to read because we would feel horrible if we left

Benefits of A Disney Value Resort

When planning a Disney trip, staying at a Value Resort is not always our first option. We love the convenience of the resorts that are within walking distance of Magic Kingdom and Epcot, and during race weekends we prefer the resorts that have larger rooms (runners have a lot of stuff).  This doesn’t mean that we’ve never stayed at a “Value” resort though.  We’ve done a few quick trips where a night or two at a value resort was just right for the budget. If you are considering a Value resort for your next trip, don’t despair. There are actually a lot of positives.

1.       Price- Obviously these resorts are the least expensive of the “On Property” resorts.

2.       Location- The Value resorts are smaller than the other resorts, therefore none of the buildings are really in a “bad” location and they all are just a short walk to the main building, cafeteria, and bus stop.

3.  Theming- The theming and colors at the Value Resorts are top notch. It makes one feel as if they are in the center of one of Disney’s animated films. Kids will love it.



This photo op is a must if you stay at All Star Movies during race weekend.

4.  Photo Ops- From the giant dinosaur in the Toy Story area to the Winner’s Circle ( All Star Movies), I think the Disney themed photos ops at these value resorts are the best.

5. The Food Court- Each value resort has its own food court and although it is the only restaurant on the property, I’ve always found it to be quite adequate and offer plenty of selection. Just because the food is served on a paper plate, doesn’t mean the quality or taste is any less than one of the sit down restaurants.   For example: During marathon weekend, All Star Movies (and other All Star resorts) offered a “Marathoner’s Special”. You got your choice of pasta, sauce, a salad, and breadstick for only $9.99.   I know this same dinner would have cost much more at one of the moderate or deluxe resorts.
 

Now of course, there plenty of advantages to staying at moderate or deluxe resort, but if you find yourself needing to cut your budget short just know that staying at a value is not all that bad.

Do you have a favorite thing about staying at a value resort?


                               

 

 

She Runs Marathons ALL THE TIME

A post we wrote earlier this month has inspired me to share a little story about something I experienced. I'll keep this short and sweet because I'm sure I'm not the only one who has ever been in this situation, yet I thought it was worth sharing to get a chuckle or an "Amen", from the other runners out there.

Recently I had a chance to have dinner with some girlfriends that I hadn't seen in a very long time.  I
went to college with all of them, One of them I have constant contact with (I'll call her "A"), one of them I am facebook friends with, and the others I hadn't seen since college.  One friend that I hadn't seen since college asks what I have been up to lately. My facebook friend politely chimes in "I see your running stuff on facebook, you just ran a marathon!".  I kind of smiled because it was nice to know that she reads my stuff!  The college friend than says " O yea, Sally (a mutual friend of all of ours that was not at dinner with us) runs marathons ALL THE TIME".  I know Sally, so I politely reply, "O yea, Sally is a runner. She does a lot of 5K's"  Only a Marathoner would then want to explain the difference between a marathon and a 5K, but I didn't say anything more.  After the college friend insisted that they were ALL Marathons, my other friend  "A" (the one I have constant contact with) set her straight about the 5K's.  I just sat and smiled and didn't need to say another word.
It warmed my heart to know that all the constant and random talks about my races that I have with my friend "A" (who is a non runner) were not just words. She was really listening!

Is it our duty as runners to let non runners know that the words "Race" and "Marathon" are not interchangeable?

Have you ever felt the need to correct someone when they've mistakenly called one of your races a"Marathon"?  Or do you just smile and go along with them?

                                          

Meeting the Boston Marathon Race Director

Since all eyes are on the Boston Marathon today, I thought it would be appropriate to share a little something about the wonderful race director, Dave McGillivray.

If you read our blog back in 2013, then you would remember that I had a chance to meet Mr. McGillivary at the Runner's World Festival.


 I admit that before April of 2013, I didn't know who Dave McGillivray was. My sister ran the Boston marathon that April, so I quickly became acquainted with the name. He spoke at a race I was at in Williamsburg, VA later that summer and then was the keynote speaker at the Runner's World Festival that I had attended in October.

I was super impressed with everything Mr. McGilvery had to say and I wanted to share some of that with you. I in no way could ever reiterate his life story the way he did to us, so I am just going to list some fun and interesting facts he shared with us.

On every birthday, he will run the number miles as his age. So on his 59th birthday, he ran 59 miles!  ( this tradition started when he was a teenager and he plans to continue it as long as he can)

Every year he runs the Boston Marathon at night. He waits until the race day is over and then he runs his own marathon!

Dave always wanted to be an athlete, but at only 5ft 4in, he was always picked last in school sports. He cut got from the b-ball team.

He participated in his first Boston Marathon at age 17 (the legal age you had to be was 18). He went down at the Newton hills and ended up in the hospital. His grandfather waited for Dave to finish, but he never did.

His grandfather told him to keep training and run the marathon again the next year. His grandfather died two months later, but Dave trained and ran Boston again. He dropped out of the race again and did not finish.

The third time Dave ran the Boston Marathon he finished

1978 Dave ran from Medford, Oregon to Medford, Massachusetts to raise money for the Jimmy Fund. It took him 80 days to run from coast to coast.   (He claims he was the original Forrest Gump) :)

1988 was his first year as race director.

He once ran the Boston Marathon blind folded and he still finished in 3 hours and 14 minutes!

At one point in the presentation he asked how many of us HAVE ran a marathon. He then asked how many of us WANT to run a marathon.  He than chose one young lady in the audience that had her hand up.  She came up on stage and he gave her a medal. On the medal it said "One day I will earn my own medal"  Dave told her that when she earns her own marathon medal, that she will need to send this medal back to him. He informed us that that particular medal has been passed around more than 100 times. Talk about accountability!  Isn't that cool?  This lady now has the support of Dave McGillivray!

I haven't even began to touch upon the many accomplishments Dave has had in his lifetime already, but if you were to ask him what his greatest one is he would say " My greatest accomplishment is always my next one".

I am so glad that Dave was our keynote speaker for the weekend!

Have you ever listened to a speaker that you thought was so inspiring?

P.S  Have you read our poem "T'was the eve before the Boston Marathon" that was inspired by our friends who are running today?

Twas the eve before the Boston Marathon

We have some friends running the Boston Marathon on Monday and they were our inspiration for this post....

T'was the eve before the Marathon and all through the town,
the runners were restless and couldn't calm down.

Their race gear was laid out all in plain view,
shirt, shorts, socks, shoes, and compression sleeves too!

The "Flat Runner" picture was taken. This was getting real!
 Minus the bib number of course (they didn't want anyone to steal).

The race belt was filled with all sorts of fuel,
 Stingers, Chomp, Clif Shots, and Watermelon GU.

One last check of the weather was done.
They hoped for sun yet cool enough to run.

After carbing up and belly's were fed,
they did some last minute foam rolling before heading to bed.

As runners fell asleep they dreamed of the race.
Would they do well? Would they keep pace?

They thought of the course and how they'd get through.
They believed in their practice and to their training plan stayed true!

They hoped they wouldn't stumble, trip, or fall
but having to take a potty break would be the worst of all.

They pictured Hopkinton, Wellesley, and Heartbreak hill,
They knew when they were over it, it would be such a thrill.

The spectators would be out all holding their signs.
Some would be inspirational and some would be rhymes.

Some would hand out candy and the college kids would give beer.
Some would just smile but all would cheer!

As they take the last right on Hereford and left on Boyeston,
their race would come to an end.

The race might be over but the pride will live on.
This wasn't just any race, it was the Boston freakin Marathon!

Good Luck Runners!

Our 5 Rules for Working with Brands

1. Many bloggers like to connect with brands this may be to try their products so they can write a review to help other runners, to partner with the brand on a product giveaway or both. One thing many bloggers always say is to only promote a brand that you would enjoy using yourself. I absolutely agree with that to an extent. Yes, if you say

Atlantic City April Fools Race

This past weekend we spent some time at the beach for the Atlantic City April Fools race.  The race is a 7K and 11K.  I did the 11k last year, and the 7k the year before. I usually do this race with my mom but this year my sister decided that she wanted to run it with me.  This is a fun little race to do and makes for a great girls weekend. The first year I ran it, I thought the race was great, very organized, and offered lots of perks (free post race massages). The second year I ran it, the race seemed to have slimmed down on a lot of things. I was anxious to see what this year brought seeing as the Revel Resort (which usually hosts the race) was now closed down. In any case, the race must still go on, and so it did.

We stayed at the Tropicana Resort and Casino which is actually on the opposite end of the boardwalk from where the race started. The races started at Resorts, so we had about a mile walk on the boardwalk.  The weather was beautiful, much warmer than it had been the years prior. I of course was way over dressed. The years before it was super windy, but that was not the case this year. 

Runners on the boardwalk pre-race

For the most part, I think this is a good little race and I enjoy that the entire course is an out and back on the boardwalk. Because I am still struggling with an injury, I chose to only do the 7K, while Lacey did the 11K. My right leg was giving me the most trouble, but I still tried to keep a steady pace.  As I was running towards the finish line, I heard someone actually call my name. Someone was cheering for me. I wasn't expecting to see anyone I knew there, but it was Bonnie from CuseRunnergirl.  After I crossed the finish line I went and chatted with her for a few minutes while she waited for her husband to cross and I waited for Lacey. It was so nice to meet her and I was thankful that she noticed me.

Since this was Lacey first time running this race series, lets hear how her race went....

The night before the race I realized I forgot my headphones for my Ipod.  Out of all the races to not have my Ipod, this shouldn't have been one of them. The entertainment on the course lacked. There were only two vans playing music and you could only hear them for a quarter of mile or so. But I will say running on the boardwalk was fun. They didn't close it down for the race so you had spectators along the course the whole way.  Because I didn't have my Ipod in I was able to hear my breathing.  I thought for the pace I was going my breathing was well controlled. There was this person that was running behind me for half of the race breathing so heavy. I was hoping that he was going to pass me. He eventually did and I saw he was wearing his Ipod.  I thought to myself I hope I don't sound like that when I am wearing mine.  Also by not having music to occupy my time I felt like I was looking at my Garmin more often than I usually do. 

 

After the turning point I knew I was half way there. There were runners on both sides of the boardwalk now and there was this one particular runner on the other side that didn't make the turn yet and looked right at me and said "You are an Inspiration." I thought that was so nice of her to say that, and wondered why me out of all those runners?  That did give me a little more pep in my step after hearing that and led me to strong finish. I found out afterwards that I ended up finishing 3rd in my age group.  Too bad they were not giving awards for that. It was only overall winners. 

Post race. We really needed our sunglasses!

After receiving our medals and getting our snacks (soft pretzels and caramel corn)we headed over to Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville for the post race party and complimentary beverages. It was nice that we both finished early because we were able to walk right in and get a seat and be served right away. Shortly after that it became packed very quickly and was standing room only. One of the cool things we got at the post race party were these Margaritaville Singles to Go.

 

 As the packet says, you add them to your water. While there, we tried the Pina Colada one and it was absolutely scrumptious!  Needless to say, we are on a hunt as to where to purchase these.

After going back to our hotel to freshen up, we headed back out to the boardwalk for a post race foot and leg massage, and then back over to Margaritaville for lunch.

 We had a taco salad and chicken tacos, both which were yummy. Funny story, we had a seat right by the window and as we looked out, we saw a group of guys that were dressed up as characters. One of them was Snow White, and it wasn't even a race costume. See, that's proof that you don't need to be at Disney to see people dressed as characters...haha.

Overall I think we had a great weekend, the weather was perfect, the race was well organized, and we even got to go to Rainforest Café on Friday afternoon. Oh, and we found the most adorable cupcake shop on the Boardwalk called Boardwalk Cupcakes that we visited more than once!

Even though there were no complimentary post race massages like the first year, I think this was an improvement from the year before. Packet pick up was a breeze, the race medals are large and beautiful, and we got a good quality tech shirt.

The front of the race shirt. Good quality, but not as "stylish" as last year's

 I will say that the shirts were a different cut than the years before. We always got women's cut V-necks.   We didn't try on our shirts till we got back to the room. We assumed our X-small shirts would fit fine, but they were rather large on us. They were not V-necks, so we thought maybe we got a unisex cut by mistake.  The volunteers at packet pick up were an elderly man and women who were fighting like they were married, They gave us the wrong size shirts the first time around, so we wondered if maybe they did make a mistake and gave us the men's shirts instead.  On race day I did see other women wearing the race shirt and they didn't look any different than ours, so I guess they were all the same.

Regardless, it was nice to be in the warm weather and get some time at the beach. Only 22 more days until our next Race-cation!

We saw a Margaritaville when we were in Las Vegas but did not eat there. Have you ever been to a Margaritaville before?

                                                    We are linking up with TOTR.

A Peek in Our Week

Happy Monday folks! We spent a fabulous weekend in Atlantic City. We ran the April Fools race. The weather was just perfect and after the winter we've had, it felt good to be at the beach again. I usually run the April Fools race with my mom, but my sister ran it with me this year instead. This was her first time running this race.

I was pretty pleased

5 Place to Plan a Racecation

It's no secret that our favorite place to Race-cation is Disneyworld.  Actually, in less than 30 days, we'll be heading to Disneyland for our next race. However, we know that running at Disney does not appeal to everyone.  We've done a lot of other cool destination races other than Disney, and there are quite a few more that we would like to do. Afterall, Location is the number one thing we look for in a race. Is it someplace we like to go or want to visit?

We like to visit destinations that offer other events, places to visit, or things to do other than just the race.  If you like those things too, here are a few "Race-cations" you might want to take.

1. Virginia Beach: The rock n roll race at Virginia Beach is the perfect Race-cation. Not only can you get in some beach time, but the weekend of the half marathon is the same weekend as the Music Festival. This means if you are registered for any of the races that weekend, you get in for free.  There are bigger named bands on the main stage on the beach all weekend, and then the headlining act on Saturday night after the races. There are smaller bands playing throughout the weekend too that are free for everyone to watch.

The only downside with running the Rock n Roll VA Beach race is

Does Your Family Acknowledge Your Accomplishments?

Way back when ( before she started running race with her family, or any Disney races), my sister ran a half marathon. When she was done with that half marathon, she didn't have family there to greet her at the finish line, she didn't do any post race selfies, and come to think of it, I don't  even think she got a post race picture of her wearing her medal.  She didn't wear her medal around her neck all afternoon in celebration either. I believe she wore it to the car, and that was it. She then drove herself to our grandparents for Sunday dinner with the family (something we did every week).  The funny thing is, I didn't even remember that she did this race, until she mentioned a few years ago when we started the blog.  She might have mentioned it when she got to my grandparent's house, but heck, I didn't even know what a half marathon was, so it's not likely something I would have been able to relate to. 

I think many of us have those  people in our lives, the people that don't quite "get' the running, are not impressed with the distance, the dedication or the achievement. Afterall, how many times has a co-worked asked you, "So how far was THAT marathon you ran last weekend", even though it was only a 5K.  So of course when you do run the Marathon, it's not like they even thought it was a big deal anyway.
Don't get us wrong, we don't run just to get acknowledgement from others, That is NOT what we are saying.  But we are saying that it is nice when we have the support of our family and they acknowledge our effort.

There is nothing better than a heart felt "Congratulations" or an "I'm so proud of you", but here are a few things we've appreciated that our family has done for us post race.

1. Minus the typo, this sign was one of my favorite things to come home to post race. I think it was after one of my Rock n Roll races last year. Baylee must have really missed her momma! (for those of you that don't know, Baylee is a dog).

2. Lacey post Boston Marathon 2013. That was one of the most emotional post race homecomings for sure.

3. The congratulations balloon and flowers were waiting for me after my first marathon this year (as part of Disney's Goofy Challenge).  Although the flowers changed, the balloon remained intact even when I cam home from the Glass Slipper Challenge the next month. Actually, can you believe that this same balloon is still floating? I believe it may still be up when I come home from the Pixie Dust Challenge in a few weeks!

Have your friends or family ever surprised you with a congratulatory post race surprise? -M

Why Is It So Hard To Find Good Help?

So, do you remember how my plan for March was to just take it easy and rest?  That meant after seeing a doctor in December, then in January, and then again in February, I was going to rest in March, do my stretches, and basically try to rehab myself (on my own) to how I was feeling pre-marathon (like Novemeber-ish).

I did my stretches and strength training exercise in March and did absolutely no running.  My pain is not as severe as it once was but I am definitely not back to where I want to be. I decided that I would try to get back in to Physical Therapy for the month of April, and hopefully that will prepare me better for the Pixie Dust Challenge coming up in May.

Let me tell you my story on how easy it was to

My First Hot Chocolate Race

I've heard many great things about the Hot Chocolate Race Series. When I found out it was coming to Philadelphia and  that I had off work, I was exciting to sign up. The series consists of two distances the 15k and the 5k. I decided to do the 5k. Other than the Disney 5k that I do every year  ( where I stop to take pictures along the way), I couldn't tell you the last time I actually raced a 5k. Because of the shorter distance it was also $25 less and you got the same swag.

 

Picking up my packet was pretty easy. Driving there and parking, not so much,  but in downtown Philly that's what's to be expected. The Expo itself was fairly small which I figured it would be. However I was not expecting to see many popular and bigger vendors that

Why I'm Jealous of your "easy" 5 miles

 

Every day, on any given social media, (Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter), my news feed is polluted with folks who are posting "sweaty selfies" and claiming they ran an "easy" 5 miles, an "easy" 7 miles, or an "easy" 8 miles. It's not that I don't believe that they ran those miles,

Public Service Announcement

Consider this a PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Yesterday evening I went to Log into my blog and out of no where pops up this box ( with a loud noise I might add ( that said Windows Firewall Warning: Your Computer is infected with Adware/Spyware Virus: Call Microsoft windows Support Services. It went on to say my computer was at risk, blah, blah, blah. I usually click off of these things,( and I am always leery of things like this being a scam). Well, I tried "closing" the message, and Xing it out and Nothing worked. I panicked, so I called the number. Of course I go through the "official" hold queue and am told this call may be recorded, yada, yada, and then a man that speaks very broken English gets on the phone and starts asking me questions about my computer. he has me "run" TeamViewer.com so he can remotely see and control my computer. My gut was saying I was uneasy with this, but I had a weak moment and went through with it. Thank goodness my husband came home when he did and told me to hang up and shut my computer down right away. It was indeed a Scam. I looked the phone # up (something I should have done before I even called) and found it was a call center. My husband called the number again from his phone and asked the guy who he was and he told us he was a "certified Microsoft technician". My husband questioned him on this and the guy said Microsoft doesn't have their own line of technicians so they source out this company. My husband asked for the name and location of the company and the guy told him. It is a place in California. We looked it up and sure enough this place is getting sued by Microsoft. Ok, So what did I do? We ran a complete Virus scan ( I have a really good Virus detection software) My husband told me that if those virus message were real, that it would have come from our virus software, not Microsoft. Everything came back clear, but I was still worried about the fact that he had access to my computer. I don't know if he installed something that let him get in anytime he wanted. I changed ALL my passwords to everything last night. I think his intentions were to just scam me by having me buy his virus protection plan, but you never know what else. I am hoping to take my computer to geek squad today at Best Buy and see what all they suggest. My computer didn't detect anything crazy that should not be here, but I am still concerned by the fact that he was in my computer. Any suggestions on what else to do?

Five Good Things these Runners Enjoy

Can you believe it is the first Friday in April already? We can't.  Earlier this week we were talking about how we saw snow and today it's a perfect spring day just as it should be!   Since today is Good Friday, the theme for this week's Friday 5 is "Five Good Things"

 

Staying with the "good" theme, we thought we would feature a few items we like and maybe you will find some that you might like too.

1.  Now that warmer weather is finally here it's time to give our feet a break from the boots we have been wearing all winter long. It's time to get a pedicure and show it off in the comfiest pair of sandals. Sanuk. They are made from yoga mats and your feet will thank you.

2. We got this Rock Sauce from the company that makes Rock Tape ( kinesiology tape).  It's a topical heat cream for temporary relief of muscle aches and pains. You can definitely feel the heat when you lather it on and I want to say that it did give me a little relief, but then again there are so many factors when you are trying something new for pain. It could be that the sauce worked or it could be that my knee isn't as bad as it once was. I'm not sure. You can use this with or without the tape. Also, this stuff smells like those pink peppermint candies!

3. The last time I was at the chiropractor he gave me these wedges to put in my running shoes.  The hope is that it will straighten my knees out while I run.  They are sticky on the bottom and you put them under the insoles in your shoes. I'm anxious to try them out and see if they help with my problem.

4. Fruit infused water: We often buy frozen fruit and lately we've been using frozen melons and berries in place of ice cubes in our water. I personally love putting it in my blender bottle and giving it a few shakes. It makes for a very refreshing drink and helps us get our H2O in.

 

5. We've been trying this Hair Warrior Fitness Formula Shampoo.  It is actually a leave in hydration treatment that you apply to your dry hair before working out.  You really want to concentrate on putting it on the ends because that is usually the driest part of your hair.  This formula is meant to nourish, strengthen, and repair hair against perspiration and frizz.  When done working out, you shampoo and condition as usual.  Because it is suppose to work well with humidity, I think this will be a great product for our summer runs!

What are some things you've been enjoying lately?

Have a great weekend everyone and thanks for stopping by. L and M

 

Things this Runner is doing differently in April

As you may remember, I took the entire month of March off from running in hopes that I could help heal whatever knee/leg problems that have been bothering me during January and February.  I have to say that even though I hadn't been running, I was feeling completely exhausted all month.

At first I thought the exhaustion from the Goofy Challenge and the Glass Slipper Challenge (plus the 5K) was catching up with me.  But then I realized a few other factors that may have contributed to my exhaustion. 

Not running may have been one of them. Ya know how when you are less active, you are more tired?  I think not being as active as I should have was one of my problems. Sure I did all my stretches that I should have, but I can't say they really got my heart rate up. Another Factor that has contributed to my exhaustion lately has been my husband's dog.  He's getting older, has a hard time getting around, and doesn't sleep through the night. Every night like clockwork he wakes me up at 3 am (or there abouts).  I've also noticed that I haven't exactly been eating that healthy. Scott travels during the week so I am usually left on my own for dinners. I hate to cook meals just for one person so I end up eating stuff like rice cakes, cheese and crackers, or nothing at all. 

But now I'm trying to make a change for April. Even with taking the month of March off, I knew that I wanted to start running again in April. Since yesterday was April 1st, I kept my word and did a little run.  I am certainly not healed. I have decided that I will make an appointment to go back to Physical Therapy. Yes, I should have thought about that a month ago, but I really did think that I could just do all the stretches that I previously learned at PT, at home, for free.  The good news is that I am having less pain in my IT band but now more pain in the knee area. Almost like Runners Knee.  As far as the nutrition factor, I bought multivitamins and even went out and bought myself a meal last night, instead of just snacking on things I had around the house. Now, about that dog. I'm starting to give him Melatonin.  It's okay, I asked the vet.  I'm hoping for some restful nights in my future and to really feel rejuvenated this month. 

What will you be doing differently this month?  -M

We've got a Giveaway for you!

Happy April Folks! The weather really tricked us in our neck of the woods. Last week we were almost believing that Spring was here to stay. AND THEN, yesterday we saw  Snow flurries. WHAT?  Yea, we can't believe it either. 

 

Speaking of Snow, what do you think of my Snow White outfit? If you've read our Disney race recaps, you know that