A Peek in Our Week

This is where we do a little recap of how our week went down.

This week went by SO fast that it seemed like it was one big blur.  I had the house to myself this week so I had plans to get SO much accomplished but that didn't really happen. -M


In the midst of all the busyness, I did manage to continue to ride my bike for a good portion of the week even if it meant getting up early and ridding a few miles before I started work. I have been more relaxed about the stretching this week which I know is BAD. I chalk this up for being pressed for time, but that is no excuse when it comes to your health and well being. -M

Speaking of health and well being. I start my first personal training session tomorrow. You may remember me saying that I was finished with physical therapy, well now I am going to the same place to work with a trainer. Apparently I'm going to learn new stretches and how to do different things with the equipment. From what it sounds like,  it seems to me that these are the things I should have been learning while in physical therapy, right? But seeing that I'm in the situation I'm in, I'll never turn down an opportunity to get help ! -M

One of the most fun things I did this week was some fashion writing. I have always wanted to write for a catalog and give descriptions of clothing.  Well, I didn't get to do it for an actual catalog, but I did do it for a website called Shoptiques.

 I got to go through all these clothes and accessories, give them names and write a fancy description like " No trip to the beach is complete without this polyester blend cover up with seashell detailing". (that's not really what I wrote, but you get the picture).

Coming up with creative names for some of these items was harder than I thought. I did go to Instagram and get some advice though. I couldn't think of anything for this top but every time I looked at it I thought of the Jungle Cruise for some reason, so that is what I ended up naming it. Jungle Cruise! -M

Remember me saying that I was going to do the Bad Ass 5 mile run sponsored by Gone For A Run with my "Bad Ass" Friend?  We had plans to run together and then finish at our favorite park where my sister was going to create a faux finish line and give us our medals. Well, things didn't go quite as planned and we didn't end up running together.  Because our schedules just didn't seem to match up, I ended up doing all 5 miles by myself. I just did my normal route around town and back.

It was just me, my Garmin and my ipod and I took it pretty easy. It was nothing special and I'm sorry I don't have anything fun to report back about it. Maybe next time.   -L


It has been super hot here lately and I have been loving every minute of it. Has it been hot where you are? Is it humid? If so, you may love our AWESOME GIVEWAY we'll have up tomorrow. We'll be participating in another Giveaway hop with Kristy from Runaway Bridal Planner and several other bloggers. Be sure to visit back tomorrow to see what all the cool giveaways are! -L


Tell us something cool that you did this week? Have you been keeping up with your workouts during this hot weather?

A Trip gone SO wrong

Since you all seemed to get a kick out of the fire alarm going off in the middle of the night while I was in Nashville, I thought I would share with you a story about one of my many adventures with my dear sister.

Many years ago, I invited my sister to go on a cruise with me. It would be her first cruise and my second. The plan was that my parents would drop of my sister at my apartment on Sunday night and we would drive to the airport Monday morning and catch our plane to Miami and then get on our cruise. But we slowly learned that

All those Running Accessories get a new home

 

There are few things I like more than a completely clean and organized dressing room. I just feel so accomplished when there are no clothes, shoes, or bags laying on the floor and the clothes are all pressed hanging in their rightful spot (organized by color of course).

I've already shown what my organized dressing room looks like and how I keep all my running clothes organized in a previous post, but I hadn't shared how I keep all my running accessories organized.  I have one of these over the door organizers hanging behind my hall closet in the foyer, and now I finally got up to hanging one upstairs in my dressing room. The need for this arose because I was running out of space in my kitchen for all my water bottles and my "running snacks".  Also, now I know that if I keep all my running "snacks" up in my organizer that other people in my house won't eat them..lol.
I love how there are SO many pouches yet I am slowly running out of space already. I didn't realize I had so much running crap ( I mean necessary stuff...lol).

Here's a sampling of what all is organized in the pockets.
1. Hair accessories
2. Kinesiology tape
3. Running belts ( flip belt, hippie belt, SPI-belt)
4. Water bottles
5. GU's and Gels
6. Running Snacks
7.Compression sleeves
8. Arm Sleeves
9. Electronics and cords ( Garmin, ipod, etc)
10. Fuel belts
12. Gloves. ( I asked for running gloves for Christmas this year and now I have a whole stack of them, which is good because I always end up losing one of them on a run)
13. Bio-Freeze, Rock Sauce, body glide, etc.

I'm really happy with how organized this has made me and I even cleared out a few other spaces in my house by putting those things in the pouches.  Seeing that I'm not going to be running for a while, I suspect this will stay organized for quite some time!

How do you organize all your running accessories?  -M

Marathon Statistics and an Article you won't want to miss

I officially signed up for my second marathon last month and I have high hopes that things will go much better for me the next time around. BUT I did do 26.2 miles on awful knees, not the smartest thing to do, I know, but now that I did, I am certain I can complete anything in any situation.  I just hope that I DON'T have to be in that situation again next year!

Well anyway, I started to do a little marathon research and I came across a few statistics and sites that I became very intrigued by. If I thought they were interesting, I thought maybe you all would too. 

*If you are, or plan to become a marathoner, I'm sure you've seen

A Peek In Our Week

Hey guys! We hope you all had a fabulous long weekend. We had our family's picnic yesterday so today was sort of low key for us. I stayed home and relaxed, did some yard work, and tried to get our swimming pool cleared up. I just may be giving up on that. It surely is blue enough but looks like blue Kool-Aid in a cloudy kind of way. I keep adding the recommended chemicals and then testing it but my chemistry skills weren't ever all that great and I am confused on which chemical are acids and which ones are bases.

Lacey on the other hand is working in the sky today making sure all the passengers get home from their long weekend safely!

Here are a few things that happened this week.

* I am proud to say I did NO running! I'm really taking this recovery thing seriously. 

* I have been consistent with my biking followed by foam rolling and a series of stretches. I biked 7 days straight. I make sure to go at least 2.5 miles each time but there were a few days were I did more because I was either really liking the music that was on at the time or I was reading some interesting blogs while I was riding. Yes, I am talking about a stationary bike!

*Since I have been resting, I have taken to the Lifetime Movie Channel. I haven't watched Lifetime in FOREVER but two movies I watched this weekend were the Hannah Anderson Story and Nanny Cam. Both which were good.  Anyone else see either of those?  I'm looking forward to the Secret Life Of Marilyn Monroe that is coming on tonight!

*I have been loving this new visor that I got. I bought it with the intentions of wearing it with my Alice Costume when I went to California, but really, there was no sun during that race so there was no need to wear it. I love it because it is like a visor connected to a Bondi band. Just to be clear, the band is NOT a Bondi band, but that is what type of material it is like.  The best part about this is that I got it at CVS and I had a 30% off coupon!

* Lacey has been loving the socks that she got from the Pro-Compression Grab Bag Sale! The best thing about ordering from the grab bag is that they just send random colors and designs which is perfect because Lacey always has a hard time making a decision anyway. It always just works out better when someone just picks out stuff for her!


Tell us what you're loving this weekend? Do you have a hard time picking out things for yourself.

Strawberry Salsa and other fruit salsas

Happy Friday folks and the beginning to what is a long weekend for most people. This Friday 5 is about summer fruit and what can be more summer than  fresh Strawberries?

When I visit my parents in the summer time my dad always asks me to make this Strawberry Salsa. I'll probably be making it this weekend so I thought now would be a good time to share the recipe.

1. Start with 3 cups of diced strawberries

2.  Then add
1/2 cup of minced green or red peppers
1/2 cup of green onion
2 teaspoons of jalapeno peppers

3. Mix up
1 Tablespoon of Lime juice
1 Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon  of Splenda
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt

4. Toss all ingredients together and set in fridge to chill until the strawberries become juicy.  My dad likes it with a bit of a kick to it. If you don't like your salsa that way, use less jalapeno.

5. Enjoy with your favorite pita chips or tortilla chips.

We've also had Pineapple Salsa, and Peach Salas (store bought) and have seen recipes for Watermelon Salsa that we hope to make sometime this summer.   What other kinds of fruit salsa have you had?    -L

We are linking up with the Friday 5.

A Peek Inside the Last Expedition Everest

While we were stressing out about getting all our stuff around for our first trip to Disneyland in California, there was another Disney race going on. The first weekend in May was the last Expedition Everest Challenge race. When I first started running Disney races, Expedition Everest was high on my list of the ones to run  mainly because I never thought I would be able to run more than a 5k race but we all know how that turned out).

Anyway, our friend Heather was fortunate to be able to participate in the last Expedition Everest and she wanted to share her experience here with you all..................

Lilly Pulitzer comes to Disney and 12 more new retailers!

We don't normally post two times a day but we thought this news would be exciting to some of you since we know many of our friends like Lily Pulitzer and lots of people went crazy over it when it recently came to Target.  (If you would like to read our original post today about the Tinkerbell half Marathon you can click HERE).

                                                                     Photo Source

Lilly, along with 12 other shops/restaurants have just recently signed on to be a part of Down Town Disney's Disney Springs expansion.

Other shops that will be opening include:

Pixie Dust Challenge Part 2: Tinkerbell Half Marathon

The Tinkerbell Half Marathon was the third and final race for us that weekend and the second half of the Pixie Dust Challenge.

Pixie Dust Challenge Part 1: Tinkerbell 10k

On Saturday morning we ran our second race of the weekend, the Tinkerbell 10K. This may have been the second race, but it was the first race in the Pixie Dust Challenge. The 5K the day before did not count as part of the challenge.

Sometimes it's "Ruff"

I had my last physical therapy appointment on Friday and just like all the other doctors and PT I've gone to, they told me there is nothing more they can do for me. I'm doing the exercises, I'm doing the stretches and strengthening and I just don't understand why I'm not improving. Yea, it may have something to do with me continuing to race every month this year so far (except in March), which I know has not been smart, but to my defense, those races were already planned and paid for before this particular injury occured, and I didn't do any running in between races ( yes, I know that sounds bad that I didn't even train, but I was hurt. I continued to ride bike and do other stuff). So now that all my big races are done for the season, I am officially on a running hiatus for a few months. I am not at ALL happy about this because summer is my favorite time to run and I think about all the precious time and good weather that I'm missing out on!

I'm not the only one that will be laid up for a while. As you may know, miss Baylee had surgery this week so all my time has been spent being dedicated to her needs. Baylee has several stitches on her hip wear a fatty mass was removed. For this reason she was not suppose to go up stairs or jump on the furniture. If you've ever had a Labrador then you know that these dogs will follow you everywhere! For that reason, I have been sleeping downstairs on our couch so I can be near her.  This worked well for the first three nights, but the on the fourth morning I woke up and saw this?

I opted not to put the dreaded cone around her neck because I was watching her like a hawk. She never once licked, scratched, or even acknowledged her stitches, so I pretty much figured she was safe.  Saturday morning she snuck up the steps. I tried to keep her from coming up but she snuck right by the baby gate that we have at the end of the stairs. Later that afternoon I noticed two of her stitches her missing. I felt like a horrible pet momma. How could this have happened? I've been watching her the whole time. Okay, so now it was time to put the cone on her head. Later that night I had gone shopping for a gift and Scott went to go get us dinner. When he came back he could not find Baylee anywhere. He looked upstairs, downstairs, in his bathroom, and in all the bedrooms ( he didn't check my bathroom because the door was shut). He started to panic because he saw the baby gate at the end of the stairs was all mangled up and broken. He thought perhaps I had already came home before he did and that Baylee fell on the gate and I had to take her to the ER.  What really happened was that Baylee busted through the baby gate to get upstairs and she went into my bathroom to find me. When she went to turn herself around, her big cone hit the door and she locked herself in my bathroom.   After I knew Scott found her, I did have a little chuckle.

I'm pretty sure that the stitches that came out were not from Baylee biting at them but probably from her jumping up on the furniture when she shouldn't have been. I don't know how many nights she jumped up on the couch to sleep after I had already fallen asleep.  I'm going to take her to the vets tomorrow just to make sure everything is okay.  But for now, we are both resting and not doing any physical activity for a while. If I have to take this time to rest, I am at least glad it will be with her! -M

What do you do when you take a rest from running? Have you ever had a pet have surgery?

5 Ways to Organize Things in Your Life

This week's topic for the Friday Five is all about organization.  We thrive on organization here. Actually one of my favorite things to organize is my dressing room. I have all my race clothes organized by type and all my "real" clothes are organized by color.  I know it doesn't make any sense, but it makes me happy! Through the years, we've talked about organizing our clothes, our medals, our running snacks, our runs and everything in between.

Lets take a look

Disney's Neverland 5K

The Neverland 5k was the first race in the Tinkerbell half marathon race weekend. We were excited about this race because we heard the course was all throughout both Disney Parks ( Disneyland and California Adventure).  When we woke up, we were bummed to see it was raining.

Alice and the White Rabbit for the Neverland 5K

These were our race outfits "Pre-Rain".  Because we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, we only had a short walk across the walkway and through downtown Disney (which is really just a strip of shops. Not as extensive as DTD in WDW), before entering the gates of Disneyland. 

Because we stayed so close, we didn't leave terribly early.  We didn't even realize that there were no corrals until we put our bibs on. We figured it would be set up like the very first 5K we did at WDW many years ago when they left everyone go at once.

It was neat that we got to start the race inside of the park. The start line was around the hub in front of the castle.  There were no corrals on our bib, but they did let people start in waves. We had no idea where one wave started and the other began but somehow we were in the second one (corral B).

Before we started the race, we were told that we would be seeing Peter Pan's shadow throughout the course and when we did, we were suppose to "crow".  We saw the shadow about 4 times through out the course and it was funny to hear all the noises people were making. 

Shortly after we crossed the start line the rain started to pick up again. The surfaces were getting slippery so we decided to walk. We didn't need anyone getting hurt. To be honest, this course was SO crowded that I don't think we would be able to run even if we wanted to. I think everyone had the same idea as us because it looked like everyone else was walking too.

Because of the rain, a lot of our pictures came out blurry but I wanted to show this one of the tunnel we went through. Also, you can see how crowded it was, and this was well into the race.

 We did manage to stop for a few photos.  This race started at 5:00 am so it was really quite dark for most of the race.

The sun finally started to come out as we were running through Paradise Pier. 

And then just around the corner was the finish.  I was hoping we got a finish line picture( we didn't though) because that was the only time we were really running. As we were running across the announcer said "Here comes Alice looking cute as ever". That made me feel good seeing as though I felt like a wet mess!

I loved the fact that we had so much time running through the parks during this race, I just wish that it would have been lighter out so we could have enjoyed it more. The rain definitely put a damper on things too. By the time we got back to our hotel we were soaked.  We had planned to go to one of the parks this day after the race but we were so cold and the dark clouds didn't look like they were going away anytime soon.  We had a nice breakfast at the resort and then went back to our room to warm up. We hit up the expo again before going to browse in Down Town Disney later that afternoon.

What has been your favorite 5K?

Our First Disneyland Expo

Hi everyone! As much as we enjoyed our time at Disneyland in California, we are kind of glad to be home. The weather in Southern California was much cooler than we anticipated and for that reason we are loving the 80 degrees and humidity that we came home to ( yea, we may be a bit crazy)!

On Thursday morning we attended our first Disneyland race expo.  If you have done a run Disney race at Disneyland before some of this stuff may be redundant. If you've never done a Disneyland race before perhaps you will find some of this info helpful. We met our friend Pam on the way to the expo and she helped us navigate around!

The race expo is located at the Disneyland Hotel. This was very convenient for us because we were staying at the Disneyland Hotel. Just like at Disney world, packet pick-up and the actual expo are in two different locations. At Disneyland packet pick up is underneath where the expo is (kind of like in the basement).  Here is where you will get your bibs for all the races, pick up any pre-ordered merchandise, and get your wristband for the Coast to Coast Challenge if you are a participant.  I had totally forgot about getting a wristband because I was not given one when I got my bib. Thank goodness my sister noticed. I of course had to go to Runner Relations and let them know that I DID run Princess and I was doing the Coast to Coast Challenge. It appeared that they did not have my birthday correct. It was a simple fix and I got the wrist band.

I was also kicking myself because I did not order the "pre-order" Tinkerbell half jacket before it sold out. When I got to the expo and saw that it was exactly the same design as the marathon weekend jacket, I was relieved I did not order it.  Really Run Disney, you couldn't have come up with a different design?

After picking up our packets, it was time to go upstairs and pick up our shirts and do some shopping. We were very pleased with all the shirts for this race weekend. They were very accommodating with shirt exchanges for those that didn't fit. 

 

By the time we got to the official Merchandise area it was still rather early and there were no lines to get inside. Merchandise was fully stocked and all sizes were represented. My sister, mom, and I all got the teal Tinkerbell Half Marathon jacket. I think it's cute and I wanted to keep up my tradition of getting a jacket for each Disney race weekend but I will say that the quality is no way worth the $80 we paid for them but that weekend they were worth their weight in gold because we were literally freezing all weekend. Where was that Southern California sun?

In addition to the jackets, we picked up some magnets and some sweaty bands. All the sweaty bands were SO cute. I couldn't decide which one I wanted to get but knew I didn't want to go overboard. Apparently the one I got was very popular because when I went back the next day they were sold out.  Seeing that the expo was pretty well stocked when we got there, I was hopeful that they would have enough merchandise for those runners coming in later. Turns out, they sold out of jackets, magnets, some sweaty bands, and wine glasses all on the first day. When will Run Disney ever learn?

At one point we stopped to listen to the speakers talk about what to expect on the 10k and half marathon course. Since the course was new to us we thought maybe we would learn a thing or two. 

Unfortunately we didn't really learn anything about the course except where the "hidden" port o potties were. The session was more about safety information and would probably have been very helpful for first time runners.

The rest of the time at the expo was spent checking out some of our favorite booths. Since neither of us packed our Massage Sticks, a visit to this booth was a must. We also found some new medal displays we wanted to get and I decided that it wouldn't hurt to get my knee and IT band taped up.

They of course had some fun photo ops at the expo as well. Here is a little tip that we found out. Don't wear a green or teal colored shirt or jacket in front of a "green screen".  It picks up that "green" color and makes it blotchy like in the first picture. That was told to us by the photographer AFTER the fact. We knew better when it was time to get another picture in front of the "green screen", the jackets came off!

For the most part, we thought the expo went very well. We especially liked the fact that it was located right inside our hotel and we didn't have to get transportation to another location.  This is one thing that is a definite plus compared to Disney World.

When choosing a hotel, is it more important to you to be closer to the expo or closer to the start line?

How a Mother Shares the Love of Running

It took us a while to decide what we were going to write for this Friday's theme of "How to share the Runner Love" but every time we thought of those words, we kept thinking about how we run with our family. Seeing as this weekend is Mother's Day, we thought what better was to incorporate our mom into the post about sharing "runner love".

1. Our mom, like many others out there, works hard at everything she does. This includes doing things to make her children happy. When I decided that I wanted to become more involved in running, she didn't let me do it alone. When I wanted to run a 5K, she did it with me. When I decided to step things up and do a 7K, 8K, and 10k she was with me. She was with me during the hottest run I ever did (in Williamsburg). She helped push me through when I really thought I wanted to quit due to heat exhaustion!  When I wanted to challenge myself a bit more with the half marathon relay, she volunteered to became my partner. When I wanted to take the leap and run my first half marathon, she ran it with me and when I had to stop and walk because my nagging IT band wouldn't let me go any further, she walked with me too. 

2. When our mom is not running with me, she is surely a great spectator. She makes signs for my sister and I and tries to support us off the course. That may mean standing in the freezing cold at the Shamrock marathon or trying to catch a glimps of me during a trail race just to see if I'm all right.

3. Our mom is a great sport. She knows that we enjoy dressing up for Disney races so she just goes with the flow. We've made her be various Disney Characters and even had fun dressing her up for the Wicked 10K.

4. Our mom did not run the Marathon with us this year (She loves us and all but I kind of think that's where she draws the line..lol), although I know she totally could have done it.  My mom was with me on most of my training runs. Although she wasn't training for anything over 13.1 miles, she did some 15+ mile runs with me.

5. I'm sure 30 years ago my mom never thought she would become a runner but I am so glad she gave it a try. I know she did this stuff because she didn't want me to have to face these challenges alone but I think somewhere along the line she sort of fell in love with it too! 

This Mother's day we will be running with our mom at the Happiest Place on Earth! Yes, Disneyland.

How will you be spending mother's day?  -M

We are linking up with the gals from the Friday 5.

Why you should become a part of Influenster

I have been a member of Influenster and their Vox Box program for over a year now. I was invited by a very nice blogger friend but I'm not so sure that this is a "invitation only" thing now because it looks as though you can sign up right on their website.  Once you become a member, you are asked to take surveys. Depending on how you answer the survey will determine which products you are sent to review. I have to admit I've had some great Vox Boxes sent to me. I love the ones that are full of a variety of goodies.  I wanted to share a little bit about my latest Influenster / Vox Box goodies.

I am a very "results driven" person. I like to know that a product is doing what it is suppose to do. For that reason, I will rate these products as I see fit. All opinions are my own based on my experience.

1. Neutrogena Naturals purifying make-up remover cleaning towelettes:  Okay, something I am horrible about is removing my make-up before bed. I'm usually way too tire at night to follow any routine, but in the morning I ALWAYS wash with my Olay face wash.  That is one reason it took me a while to open these wipes. I will admit that since I opened them I have used them every night. They are so refreshing and feel good on my face and they smell fabulous. It smells kind of like a pear scent. They are so moist that you do not need to use water with them! Its always great to save on water right? What I like about this is that when I travel I don't have to worry about packing a liquid cleanser!  I like this product. It felt good, it smelled fabulous, it left my skin smooth, and I Could clearly see it took my make-up off.  Right now Neutrogena is doing a #WipeForWater Challenge. I used this product for a week straight and I can tell my face was feeling smoother! I give this product an A+.

2. Tide Pods + Febreze: Honestly, I am the last person that should be reviewing a laundry product. I have an HE frontloading Maytag Neptune Washer and dryer set and I swear the washer hates me.  I have thrown clothes in that have came out stained. If you follow us on Instagram you may have seen my meltdown over my marathon shirt coming OUT of the washer with stains. I've tried different laundry soaps, and checked to see if we had "hard" water. I just can't find the problem. So far I have not had a problem with these Tide pods. I think it is a good concept and they smell good, so for that reason alone I will have to give them an A+. I'm totally going on the concepts innocent till proven guilty on this one!

3.  Colgate Optic White Toothpaste.  This toothpaste was Express White and claimed whiter teeth in 3 days. Well I can say that I have never had any success with whitening products and this was no different.  Besides the fact that I did not see results, The tube I was sent was 3.0 oz (so it was not a sample size), yet it felt like it wasn't even 3/4 full. I don't know how much this toothpaste retails for but I doubt I would purchase it. I give it a C.

4. I also received a really great Colgate toothbrush. I have nothing bad to say about the toothbrush itself. I like the grippy on the back and the shape of the head and the firm bristles. 

What is unique about this toothbrush is that it holds a an Optic White whitening pen right inside the handle. I think this is genius! Again, the whitening pen did not work or me ( I made sure to keep applying it to teeth that were clearly more "off color" then the others and after several months I have yet to see a difference. I think the concept of this brush/pen is genius and if the pen would have actually worked for me I would have given it an A+. Instead, it gets a B.

5. John Frieda Beach Blonde Hair car products:  I have bought John Frieda Beach Blonde products in the past and really enjoy them. I don't buy them often because they are a bit pricier than some others, but the Summer time is a great time to use the Beach blonde products. I love the refreshing minty smell, and it did leave my hairless tangled and smooth. I would purchase these products again on my own. I give them all A+.

6. Skinfix hand repair cream.  I wash my hands A LOT, so I was thankful for this hand cream. It says it is clinically proven to treat dry cracked skin and eczema. I had no problems with this hand cream and actually enjoyed it so I have no choice to give it an A.

Also in my Vox Box I received coupons for Lands End, John Frieda products, Adore Me lingerie, and a $25 coupon for Ebay in exchange for writing a "How to" tutorial.  With the deadlines that I have been under for my job, I meant to write the tutorial but I just didn't get to it. I could kind of kick myself though because it would have been great to have 25 free dollars to spend on ebay.

Are you a part of any programs like Influenster?

We are in California today getting our Tinkerbell on but hope to check in with you all a little later after the expo. We will be back online with you all tomorrow for the Friday 5. Tomorrow's post is one I was really proud to write and one I hope you all take a moment to read.

Till then!  -M

Five ThingsTo make Race Day Run Smoother

We are headed to California! I am ashamed to say that we really did very little planning for this race-cation. We of course have our plane tickets and we will be staying at the Disneyland Hotel, but that is all. We made no dining reservations and didn't plan out our park days.  Luckily  we have done a Disney race a time or two so things in that respect shouldn't be too terribly different.  In fact, we thought we would share 5 things that might make your race (wherever it may be) go a little smoother.

If you are a regular reader of our blog, you may find that some of these items may be repeats

1. If your race starts as earlier as Disney races, it may still be dark out when you head to the corral. Be sure to pack a tiny flashlight for in the port o potties. I usually bring one of those keychain flash lights. I brought one for my mom, sister, and I to share at Princess this year and guess what???? When it was my turn, I DROPPED IT.  Yup, all the way down the port o potty it went. It's a good thing I was the last in our little group to use it.

2. Sticking with the port o potty preparedness, be sure to pack a few extra squares of TP or tissues in your pocket. its no fun being stuck in a port o potty that has run out.

3. Normally in the past, I have packed a small trash bag. They really fold up real tiny and take up very little room in my pocket or running belt. This is large enough for 2 people to sit on before entering the corrals but be sure to save the bag because you can use it after the race to collect all your snacks and goodies. I'm thinking I might down size next race and just pack a plastic shopping bag since it might be easier to carry around after the race.

4. If there is a chance that you might be able to buy a post race massage or extra race merchandise after the finish, be sure to carry some cash with you. This is something I don't normally do but since the massages after Disney races only accept cash, I have started carrying money for Disney races.

5. Now this of course is just personal preference, but for races longer than 10K's, I carry my own water bottle. I find that it doesn't bother me at all to hang on to it.  I'd rather have the ability to have a sip any time I want and not have to wait for the water stations. The volunteers are really great about helping you fill your bottles up.  Just take your lid off and they will fill it right up for you.  My little trick that I do with my water bottle is that I put one of my gloves over top of the bottom of the bottle, This allows me to grip easier, I can slip by GU's right in it, and I can even slip my phone in it if I think I will be pulling it out often for pictures ( like during Disney races). 

So those are our 5 things that make race day easier!

What thing makes race day easier for you?

Finding a "Bad Ass" Runner

The theme for this Tuesday's on the Run is a favorite race.  I don't think I could ever pick one race in particular to be my favorite because they are all so unique in their own way. However, I do have some pretty exciting stuff to look forward to in the future. One thing in particular has been 12 years in the making and I think JUST maybe, I might be able to count that one among my favorite races. Hear me out.....

After completing the Inaugural Virtual 10k Log Off Shut Down Go Run from Gone For A Run I was excited to see them offering their next Virtual Race. Bad Ass Runner. The name in itself is so fun that you just want to do it. 

I had to laugh when I saw this title because I actually have a story behind this motto. When I was in High School a good friend of mine had this truck that had a decal on his windshield that said Bad Ass. Back then it was early 2000s when those decals were cool(or were they ever)? He thought so. One day my mom and I were taking a walk on the sidewalk and this young girl riding a big wheel was coming towards us pretty fast and my mom says, "Here comes bad ass." I said to my mom  "Mom, why would you call her that? She may be riding fast but it's just a little girl".  And then my mom said  "No, look who's coming down the road".  Then I realized what she meant.  My friend was driving his S10 pick up truck on the other side of the road. 

A throwback pic to a 5K we ran together a very long time ago!

Now back then he may have thought he was a Bad Ass, but he surely wasn't a Bad Ass Runner. He used to laugh at me when I would go out for my runs and think that's crazy. Well fast forward 12 years later he just signed up for his first Run Disney Half Marathon. My running is rubbing off on him. He can now call himself a Bad Ass Runner during this summer while he is training for his first Half Marathon.  I am looking forward to running this Virtual Race with him as a training run since he is now truly a Bad Ass:)   Oh, and he signed up for VA Beach this summer too!   I can't wait to start training with this friend!

The Bad Ass Virtual race is a 5 mile run, which I think will be a great start for a training run with my friend. I pretty much have the route we will use planned out in my head but I need to go track it before hand.  The Virtual race will take place between May 29-31.  Register early so you have your race swag for on race day!   Can't you just picture yourself running around town in a shirt that says "Bad Ass Runner"?

Once you submit your time, you will get the even cooler "Bad Ass Runner" Medal!  Share your experience on Social media to win some great prizes!   For more info on this "Bad Ass" race, Visit Goneforarun.

Do you know someone who wants to be a "Bad Ass Runner"?  -L

I am a gone for a run ambassador and my entry to this virtual race was complimentary.

We are linking up with TOTR.

 

The Perfect Pixie Bun

I had quite a few compliments on my hair do for the Enchanted 10k when I wore my tiara and bun so I thought I might wear it again like that for the Pixie Dust Challenge.  It's actually really easy to do and it stayed put the entire race (and yes, I did run..lol).  There are actually a few different ways to make the bun so I will explain all of them.

The two best ways to make the bun are with a sock, which I am sure you've heard of and with the "Hot Buns" that you can buy at the store. I have tried both and will give you pros and cons of both ways.

First the Hot Buns.  I've seen a few different versions of these. I've seen these range from $1 to $10.99 for the same exact product depending on where you purchase it. I found mine at the local Dollar Tree for just $1 and I got two Hot Buns in the pack/box, the one I used here and one slightly smaller (not shown). The smaller one is great for those who have shorter or finer hair.

The Hot Bun starts off  looking like the top image. It can then be made into a donut shape ( the bottom image).  You can start your bun with either shape.

Here I will start it with the Hot buns straight out (not donut shaped). 

First put your hair in a very high ponytail. Then start wrapping your hair over the hot buns (from front to back).

As you roll the Hot Buns down to meet the top of your head, be sure to spread your hair out so it covers the hot buns. When you feel that your hair is covering enough of the Hot Buns, snap the two ends in place and form that donut shape. Voila! Your bun is done.

 

The above way can be a bit tricky and I often find that by doing it this way I don't always get the entire Hot Buns covered with hair, so another way to do it is with the donut shape already made.

 

With the donut shape already made (by snapping the two ends together), slip your ponytail through the donut hole.

 

Roll your hair (frontwards) over top of the donut.

 

Continue rolling the donut and keep tucking your hair underneath it. Keep rolling the donut until it touches the top of your head.

 

The completed bun. You can generally get these buns pretty tight, but I would suggested putting in a few bobbi pins if you are going to run in your bun. The only tricky thing about making the donut shape first is that sometimes as you are tightening your bun, the donut unsnaps.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to get yourself a few of the extra large bobbi pins.  I've actually found that some of my older bobbi pins that are missing the rubber coating on the end actually work the best.  The Hot Bun is made out of a netting type material and this allows the bobbi pins to slip right through so you can attach it to your head better.

 

When you have everything in place, you can then add your perfect bow!  This Tinkerbell inspired bow was provided to my by my friend Kim at All Things Disney Bows. She makes ALL kinds of Disney Inspired bows. It may be too late to get a bow for this year's Pixie Dust Challenge, but be sure to check her out before your next Disney race!

 

Okay, Now I wanted to take a moment and discuss the difference between the Hot Buns method of making a bun and the sock method.  I originally started out doing the sock method, which is REALLY easy. Pick a longer, thicker sock. The longer and thicker sock is going to make for a fuller bun.  Cut the foot part off so you have a hole at each end.  Roll your sock into the shape of a donut and then just follow the directions I gave above.  When I used the sock, the rolling was much smoother and the bun was actually better formed.  The only reason I stopped using the sock and started using the Hot Buns was because I used the only sock that I couldn't find a mate to and it was a dark colored sock. Because I have light hair, you could see the sock through it. I gave that sock to my sister who has dark hair and it worked like a charm.

 

The negatives about using the sock were that I could not stick bobbi pins through the sock like I could the Hot Buns.  The Hot Buns is made out of a netting type material that almost acted like Velcro as I wrapped my hair around it. This is a good thing when you are wrapping it up in the bun, not such a great thing when you are ready to take the bun out...lol.   Using the sock can feel kind of slippery because there is nothing for your hair to catch on to.

 

Not running the Pixie Dust Challenge? No problem. I've found this style to be a cute and easy "wear to work" style too. Minus the bow of course!

 

Now who's going to go make a bun?