Take a Peek at our Week

Just thought we would share a  bit of what we've done last week and add a few fun pictures.

Sunday 4/20

 

Miss Bell participated in an Easter bone hunt for dogs. She didn't find many bones but she sure looked cute, don't ya think?

Miss Baylee did not go to the bone hunt. She apparently didn't appreciate her Easter Basket either. But than she decided to be more grateful and let me take a nice photo...haha  We love our dogs!


Monday 4/21
Meranda: Took Baylee for a 2 mile run/walk around the island near our home.

This is what we saw when we got there. I have never ever seen horses or an Amish buggy ( this was one of two buggies that were there) at this park before.  There aren't even any Amish Communities in our town and I'm thinking it was probably quite dangerous for them to travel here. They would have had to taken a major highway!  In any case, they were blocking the trail so Baylee and I had to find an alternative route.

Lacey: Worked an overnight flight.

Tuesday  4/22
Meranda:  Took Baylee back to the island and  was very unhappy to find 6  ( large) piles of horse droppings on the trail.  I clean up after my dogs, I think people should have to clean up after their horses. It's only right, don't you think?  Our run/walk got rained out anyway.

Lacey: Worked and overnight flight



Wednesday 4/23
Meranda: We went back to the park again. This time we went with a friend that has a Labrador puppy. It was much fun watching Baylee and the puppy run around freely and play.

Lacey: I prepared for my trip to Big Sur


Thursday 4/24
Meranda: I honestly can't remember what I did on Thursday. I guess Just worked a little but nothing too exciting.

Lacey:  Long Flight  to California.  The good thing is, I gained a few hours once I got there.


Friday4/25

Meranda: I'm trying to take Baylee to the trail to run as much as she can. She really needs to lose some winter weight and prepare for swimming season!  We did our almost 2 miles.
I had another PT appointment this day and he finally told me that he has done all he could to help me. I know need to seek the help of yet another professional. Oka, so I've gone through 2 health professionals so far and I am not any better.

Lacey: I spent the day at the Big Sur Expo. Met some great vendors and got to try some new products. I can't wait to tell you guys all about it.

Saturday; 4/26

Meranda:  We had an Arts festival in town and I had to go take pictures . What a beautiful day it was. I saw this doggy in the window, so Scott bought it for me for my upcoming birthday.

I have a friend named Miranda too, and she had some girls over for a girls night later that evening. ironically enough I met another gal who had ran the Disney half marathon last year. I told her I was there volunteering and that I may have given her her medal. Small world!

Lacey: I went back to the Expo and this time listened to the speaker series.
            
 

                                                                   Me and Bart Yasso

Later that evening I went to the Pasta Party.


Did you do anything interesting this past week?  What are you looking forward to in the week to come?

Get Your Copy of the Runner's World Big Book of Running for Beginners!

More and more people are turning to running as a way to lose weight, relieve stress, stay active, gain confidence, and live longer.  Because of this, Rodale Inc, the publisher's of Runner's World have put together The Runner's World Big Book of Running for Beginners.

 

 

This is not just another "How To" book, oh no! It is definitely a resource for runners and those who are aspiring to become runners. I could have surely benefited from this book when I first started my running journey. Especially the section on Running Terms.  Did you know what the term "Athena" refers to during a race? I didn't even know there was such a term.

I had to chuckle as I read the section on Yoga Etiquette! I'm sure we all know someone who has broken a few of these rules!

Even though this book title suggests that it is for beginners, I assure you that every runner, no matter how long they've been out there, will find it helpful in some way.

A few sections of the book include:

1. The Basics: What to wear, pacing, differences in running surfaces, treadmill tips, running with your dog, running with others, running hills, cross training, FAQ about training,   running/race etiquette, etc.

2.  Become a Runner in 5 Easy Steps: Training Plans, race prep, etc.

3. Motivation: Getting out the door, getting out of a rut, etc.

4/5: Nutrition and Weight Loss: SO MUCH INFO HERE, losing weight and keeping it off, best foods, worst foods, grocery shopping, reading food labels, pre run/post run foods, etc, etc, etc!!!!

6. Run Safe and Injury free: Breathing, stretching, chafing, side stitches, heat, cold/snow,  mean dogs, etc.

7.  Preventing and Coping with Injuries: Touches on all the most common running injuries.

There are so many cool tips in this book that I wish I could share them all but of course that would make for an awfully long post and you would probably stop reading!

Hopefully I'll be able to fit in a few post here and there.  If you are interested in the fabulous book you are in luck because it goes on sale TODAY!  You can find it at your favorite bookstore or purchase it directly from Rodale HERE.

                                                            About the Authors:

Bart Yasso: Chief Running Officer of Runner's World and author of My Life on the Run.

"If you're lacing up the shoes and heading out the door, your a mentor to others. You may not even notice it, but you are. Maybe a neighbor sees you running and thinks, for the first time, "Hey, maybe I can do this, too"    (Quote from the Runner's World Big Book of Running for Beginners)

 

 Amby Burfoot: Runner's World editor at large and winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon.

Jennifer Van Allen: Special Projects editor for Runner's World and a running coach.

What was the best piece of running advice you've got from a book or magazine?

*I was provided a complimentary copy of The Runner's World Big Book of Running For Beginners from the great people at Runner's World but all opinions are my own.

Shamrock Marathon: Do Pacers Really Help You?

I started race weekend off by arriving at the expo to pick up my packet and while I was there I got a few goodies.

 A sweatshirt, magnet, and some stickers. I met up with my friend Christine and we listened to Bart Yasso speak about his many adventures he's been on throughout his running career.

 

I then went over to the booth to meet the pacers. Luckily the one I wanted to speak to was there. The 3:45 pacer. I knew I probably wouldn't be with them but I was hoping to finish before the 3:55 pacer which was the next option. I never ran with a pacer but I thought to myself what do I have to lose. So my goal was to keep the 3:45 pacer within my distance and not let the 3:55 pacer pass me. I talked to the pacer about water stops and bathroom breaks (because one race I saw a pacer do that) and he assured me that there would be NO water stops and NO bathroom breaks! Which just confirmed that I was going to bring my own water bottle (which I was contemplating earlier in the day).

 

 Later Christine from We Run Disney  and I met up with a few more blogger, Beachy Runner, and This mamma runs for cupcakes. Then it was time for a pasta dinner to carb up and then to make sure I had everything I needed set out for race day! 

I woke up on race morning feeling good. I told myself that I was not going to stress about the race. It just seemed so long ago since I ran my last marathon (May 2013). I knew that I was not as trained as I was last year for this race, but I still had a goal in mine that I was hoping to get. I had my outfit picked out a few days ago, regardless of the weather (because every day it would change). I wanted to wear green because it was a Shamrock race, so I decided to wear my teal arm sleeves from Running Skirts with a matching tank top and capri pants.

This is the closest variation of green I had!

 Since I was wearing my arm sleeves I was able to keep some of my GUs in them, and the rest in my water bottle pouch. This was another nice bonus, so I didn't have to wear my belt. After I got dressed in the morning I went outside and jogged around a bit. I saw the sun coming out, so I was pretty happy with the outfit I decided on. I chose arm sleeves since you could roll them down or roll them back up. I did think that my shoulders may be a little chilly, but thought after warming up a few miles I wouldn't mind. I didn't even need to wear gloves since my arms sleeves wrapped around my hands. I did decide on wearing my head warmer, and I'm so glad I did, because it was very windy throughout the race. 

Now I know I've said this before but I'm going to say it again. As much fun destinations races can be, you cannot beat doing a race in the town you live in. I literally crossed the street and was at the starting line.

I got in my corral, found my gps signal, and listen to the national anthem, and then it was time to start. I did start behind the 3:45 pacer. I didn't feel the need to be right beside him since I listen to my ipod anyways and wouldn't be able to hear a word he was saying. I started feeling good. I told myself I wasn't going to keep an eye on my gps if I could still see the pacer ahead of me. I got to about mile six feeling really good, like I could have passed him but knew there was a long road ahead of me so I chose to stay back. By about mile ten I did lose the pacer which was fine, because no other pacer passed me. That's when we made our turn on the boardwalk and that's when the wind really started to pick up. I thought maybe I could find a taller guy to run behind. Well of course there was no one passing me at the time, and the group ahead of me was too far up. So I did slow up a bit hoping someone would pass me. Luckily two taller guys started running in front of me so I ran up right behind them so they could block the wind for me. I wonder if they knew what I was doing. I was so close to them that I could have gotten elbowed. I was trying so hard to keep up with their pace. I did the rest of the boardwalk until we made the turn off and got close to mile 13. It was then when one of the guys had to make a pit stop. There goes that idea! I knew after crossing the halfway mark I would not get the time I did last year since I was already behind by a few minutes, however, I felt I was still keeping a good pace. I saw one of the guys in my running group cheering on the sidelines and he recognized me, which gave me a little more motivation.

At about mile 15, I looked at my watch it said 2:10, and I was still going strong. I looked on the other side of the road, which was the 23 mile marker, and saw a few "elite" runners that were practically sprinting! I thought it'd be nice to be on that side. I knew from last year that the next several miles were going to be pretty boring running down Shore Drive, although there were a few spectators and a band along the way. Heading into Fort Story it became very windy. I began thinking to myself I wish I had my gloves and a long sleeve shirt. Or maybe one of those cape things that only cover your shoulders, which looked so goofy when I saw them at expos, but thought it'd come in handy at this moment. So needless to say, that sun I saw in the morning, never ended coming fully out, instead it became overcast and very windy! Well I've already completed 20 miles at this time, I could easily do the last 6.2. And that's just what I did!

I remember crossing the 23 miler marker and looking across the street thinking to myself, I'm so glad I'm not at mile 15 now! After getting to mile 24, I changed my gps from distance to minutes per mile to make sure I was within my pace range. Once I hit the boardwalk I knew I was on the home stretch. It wasn't until I passed the 26 mile marker that I gave it all I had and sprinted across the finish line!  Even though I felt not as trained as I should be, I was only three minutes slower than last year, which I was proud of. 

After I crossed the finish line I had my friend meet  me with my sweatshirt and phone, then I headed to the tent for my tasty stew and listened to the entertainment. We were even offered several Yuengling beers after finishing (but I'm not much of a beer drinker so I didn't have any).

 I was able to find my friends Jane and Christine that were celebrating earlier after completing the half. Congrats Christine for a PR! I left shortly after because it was just too cold. I thought a hot shower sounded more appealing than a cold beer.

What are your thoughts on running with a pacer? Do you use them?

~L

A Day of Running Activities at the Runner's World Blogger Event

We were up bright and early on Friday morning and headed to the visitors center at the historic Bethlehem Steel Stacks.   This day was SO busy, but I want to at least briefly mention each activity we did.

First we met "Running on Air" author Budd Coates. Budd has been running marathons for over 5 decades and has been completing them in under 3 hours! Isn't that amazing?  He did a brief breathing demonstration for us ( which I will talk about later) before we went out on our 3 mile shake out run with him and Bart.

Budd Coates shows us how to breath from our belly instead of our chest.

Then we prepare for our 3 mile run.

It was a bit chilly when we started but quickly warmed up. I stayed comfortable in my black compression capris and long sleeve tech shirt. ( photo on left courtesy of Linda of Running4two)

Since the roads were still open, we all had to run along the pedestrian path as we crossed the bridge. It was a little tight, especially when there were runners (not from our group) speeding by us going the opposite direction.

When we got to the top of the hill, we stopped at an overlook and Bart told us some history about the Lehigh Valley!  Then we had to get a group shot.

                                               Photo courtesy of Monica @ Runeatrepeat

The 3 miles that we ran was pretty much the same course that the 5K runners would follow the next day. It was pretty easy and really only had one incline that wasn't so bad.

When we arrived back at the Steel Stacks complex, it was time for the Running Skirt's Olympics.

Now I know why everyone loves Running Skirts! Not only are their products great, but Cindy, the head of Running Skirts is Super Sweet!  We had a race were we had to run back and forth putting on running skirt products. Even Bart participated! Running Skirts put together a quick video of the event!  Click here to watch it.

Next was Breakfast and a shoe demonstration from the great people at Altra.

As you can see, I am debating between two different pair of shoes. Golden Harper, founder of Altra Drop Zero shoes, explains the difference between each pair.  I ultimately ended up with the Pink and black shoes that I am wearing on my right. ( this photo courtesy of @janetober)  After the shoe demonstration, we headed outside for a running demonstration also presented by Golden.

 

Next, we headed back over to the visitors center where the great people from Icon Health and Fitness did a "Recovery for Runner's" Presentation.

We were each presented with a yoga bag full of products. Our instructor Melanie showed us how to use each of these products properly after our runs!

 

I think by the time this session was over, we were all ready for lunch!

Everything on the lunch buffet was from the new Runner's World Cookbook: Caprese Farro Salad, Simple Green Salad ( with either mustard and cumin dressing or nutty olive oil dressing) Mushroom Tacos ( that were gluten free), Spicy Fish Tacos with Pineapple Slaw, and for dessert Banana Oat Energy Bars.  I'm not a big seafood eater, so this was the first time I've ever had fish tacos. I have to say they were not bad. The pineapple slaw was an nice addition to the taco. The banana oat bars were very yummy too! While we ate, we were introduced to the editor of the cookbook and one of the chefs who came up with some of the recipes.

 

 

As if we hadn't had enough fun already, after lunch we got to meet Olympian Summer Sanders!

 

Summer is a great speaker! I could have listened to her stories for hours. She talked about how she became interested in swimming and how her career had grown. She talked a bit about her children and the sports they are involved in as well.  We got some time to talk to Summer one on one and I showed her the picture of her and Lacey( which I still had on my phone) at the Runner's World event at the Boston Marathon this year, and after looking at it for a moment, her faced lit up and she said she remembered (I truly think she was being honest too because she told me right where that picture was taken).  Summer ran the 5k with her family on Saturday and then the half on Sunday.

The last thing on the agenda today ( before picking up our race bibs) was the Pro-Form and IFit demonstration.

These treadmills are super cool! The ones they had on display where the new Boston marathon treadmills, but they make other brands that are iFIT compatible (ex: Nordick Track, Gold's Gym, ). I can't wait to share with you more about a really cool app I experienced here at this demonstration!  After the demonstration we each received a really cool Nike Running tech shirt from iFIT.

Now it was finally time to go to the expo and pick up our race bibs/shirts/etc!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All the sponsors/vendors I had mentioned in this post have been extremely generous with their time and products that they gave to us! I will mention each one of them more in depth in future posts.

Thank you to everyone who made this day so much fun!

Click here to read Why the Runner's World Half and Festival is great for runner's AND spectators.


Click here to read Friday night's blogger even at the Runner's World Headquarters.

Runner's World Blogger Event: Barbecue at Runner's World headquarters

The past four days have been SO busy but so much fun! That's why you haven't seen a post for a few days! Let me first disclose that I was invited by Runner's World to represent our blog Fairytales and Fitness at their running festival this past weekend. My hotel room and all events that I attend were paid for by Runner's World.  All reviews of the event however, are my own opinion.

When I arrived in my room, I was greeted with an amazing welcome bag!  In it were two running books ( yay,I love to read), products from Injinji, Ortholite, Running Skirts, Wild Planet, Bondi band, Spibelt, and Belvita, just to name a few. We were also given a scavenger hunt that we had to complete over the course of the four days we were there. This consisted of taking pictures of certain things or events and tweeting them on Twitter.  This was great because it got us really involved and we were able to meet a lot of people ( because we had lots of questions we had to get answered). Kudos to Beachy from the Runner's World NY office for coming up with this!

 

The first event on the schedule that evening was a barbecue at the Runner's World headquarters. Runner's World had sent a limo bus to pick us up at the hotel!

As soon as we got off the bus at the headquarters, there was a photographer that instantly started taking pictures of us and he continued taking pictures through out the event. It was almost as if we were being followed by the paparazzi!



PR Director Dave, Bart Yasso, and the photographer waiting to greet us at Runner's World headquarters

Being served all organic food, this was probably the healthiest barbecue I have ever been to!

After dinner we got a chance to introduce ourselves and our blogs to the Runner's World Staff and their families.

 

I got to meet up with Megan again!

Other bloggers: Linda from Runnig4two, Ashley from Runningbun, Meranda, and Ericka from The Sweet Life with Ericka

After much socializing, it was time for Bart Yasso to lead the tour of the headquarters.

I already have a complete tour of the Runner's World Headquarters on our blog, so I didn't feel the need to reiterate it here again since most of the stuff we saw was the same. If you haven't already seen that post, you can read it here: A Look Inside Runner's World Headquarters.

 

Here are a few fun pictures that we got to take during the tour.

 A picture of Bart Yasso's office with him in it this time! He's pointing to the mile 10 mile marker from the Antarctica marathon.

Some bloggers checking out the December issue of Runner's World that just went to press.

 A sneak peek of the December cover.

 

 Bloggers having fun!

 

 After our tour we headed back to the hotel. I was exhausted and couldn't wait to have that king size bed all to myself!

 

We had another amazing day planned for tomorrow, so we all needed some rest. The Runner's World staff really treated us well. We were all so thankful to have been invited to this event! 

 

Click HERE to read about day 2, see all the activities we did, the celebrity we met, and the cool products we received!

 

Click HERE to read about RACE DAY and Why the Runner's World Festival is so great!

 

 

Runner's World Headquarters Take 2: The Blogger Event

I am so excited to announce that I was invited ( along with a select number of other bloggers) to attend the Runner's World Blogger event this weekend at the Runner's World Headquarters!  I am leaving today( Thursday) and Runner's World has a jam packed schedule for us as soon as we all arrive. 

 Thursday:
We will be meeting at the Marriot ( where we will be staying for the weekend) and then we will be shuttled to the Runner's World Head Quarters for a meet and greet. I will get to take another tour of the head quarters and then RW will be hosting a barbecue!

Friday:
On Friday we will be starting our day very early. We need to be on the blogger bus at 7:15!  We will be meeting with running author Budd Coates and will be seeing demonstrations. After that we get to do a shake-out run with Bart Yasso and then finally have some breakfast!

After breakfast, more demonstrations, which I won't give too much info about now, but I am really excited about them!

And then what we all wait for, LUNCH!  I can honestly say I am really looking forward to this part, not just because I like to eat, but because everything on our lunch menu is coming from the Runner's World Cookbook!

 Even on the itinerary I was given it tells me what the meal will be and what page of the cookbook I can find it on. Very cool.  I can't wait to try the Caprese Farro Salad pg 82-83.  If you haven't already read my post on the Runner's World Cookbook, you can check it out here.

After lunch we have a meet and greet with Olympic gold medalist Summer Sanders, another demonstration, and then it's off to the expo!

This is Lacey and Summer at the Boston Marathon expo this year. Friday I will get my chance to meet her too!

Saturday:
5k Race
10K Race
Eukanuba dog run
Multiple Running Seminars
Dinner with the editors and keynote speaker Dave McGillvray ( race director of Boston Marathon)

Sunday:
Half Marathon

We will be doing a Twitter Scavenger Hunt, so you can follow along with us @fairytalesnfit.  The hashtag for the event is #RWhalf.  Also make sure that you follow our facebook page as well www.facebook.com/fairytalesandfitness

Antarctica Marathons: Do you think it's a baragin?

Photo from the Antarctica Ice Marathon website

I have been thinking about all those cool race bibs that adorn Bart Yasso's office door and the one that stood out to me the most was the one from Antarctica.

 I decided that I wanted to know a little bit about races in this region.
I have found that this is the ultimate ( or most extreme) in Race-cations.  Runner's that register for the Antarctica Marathon are usually those who's goal is to complete a race on each continent.  Is this you?

I've found the Antarctica Ice Marathon is scheduled for Nov 2013 and the Antarctica Marathon is scheduled for March 9, 2014.

The Southern most marathon in the United States might be in Key West, but the Antarctica Ice Marathon is the Southern most race in the world. I was intrigued when I saw you could enter this marathon for the bargain price of only 10,500 Euros.  The Antarctica Marathon website claims that this is an incredible value!

For this price the runner will receive round trip airfare from Punta Areas Chile to the glacier camp ( but how you get yourself to Chile is your own responsibility),  accommodations and food for 5 days, race entry, photos, commemorative certificate, medal, patches, and of course the t-shirt.

So how much is 10, 500 euros?  The currency rate changes daily, but today 10,500 euros is equivalent to about $14,205 U.S dollars ( which is funny because when I converted this amount a few days ago it was in the $12,000 range)  Regardless of $12,000 or $14,205, do you think this is an incredible value for your next Race-cation?   ( I admit, I'm sure this is SOME experience, but I'll take my WARM Disney race-cation over this one any day)


Both the Antarctica Ice Marathon and Antarctica Marathon give participants the opportunity to do excursions such as mountain climbing, and zodiac and wild life excursions.
Expect the temperature to range between 15f-34f ( although the wind chill could lower that temperature another 10 degrees, brrr!)  The good news is that you don't need any special shoes for this race. The course is entirely on dirt roads and runners are encouraged to bring two pairs of running shoes ( because it is a possibility that your shoes will get wet ( and who wants to run in wet shoes?).

okay, so who is now putting a race on every continent on their bucket list?

A Look Inside Runner's World Headquarters

Last Friday we had the opportunity to tour the Runner's World headquarters in Emmaus, PA.  As soon as we walked in the building we were in AAAW! The inside of the building is so bright and inviting and the staff was so friendly. In order to keep this post a reasonable length, I'm going to just touch on some fun/interesting facts from the visit!

Rodale Press is the publisher of Runner's World Magazine. Rodale also publishes other "healthy living" magazines such as Woman's Health, Men's Health, Prevention, Running Times, Bicycling, Organic Gardening, and various hardbound books on similar topics.  I was in Aaaw just seeing all the new books and magazines displayed in the lobby! 

Since we were there to visit Runner's World, we were taken to their floor in the building.   One of our stops was ( as you saw earlier) Bart Yasso's office!

And a peek of the inside.

Next we were taken to the wall of International Runner's World Issues. It is interesting how the content remains the same for the international issues, but many of the pictures are different.  Some pictures need to be changed because the clothes that we see the runner's wearing in our issues of Runner's World may not be appropriate for another country's culture. Also the international issues tend to include models from their own culture. Yes, Runner's World does use models for their photos.  We were told they are Fitness models and they DO run! 

 

The Runner's World photo studio is located down the street from the headquarters. Also there is another building in NYC which also shoots cover photos.

 

 

Our wonderful hostess and Runner's World writer, Megan shows me how content is selected for the magazine, which articles she has worked on, and how the photos were shot. My first bachelor's degree is in journalism and I love to write, so I am totally interested in what she is telling me! You may remember Megan from the article she wrote about her experience at the Boston Marathon this year. I remembered reading the online version of her story just days after the marathon. I was so happy to have met her! 

 

Next, we were introduced to Mark Remy from Remy's World.

 

We were invited to do a run with him and the other editors later in the day!

 

 Here is a sneak peek of the next issue of Runner's World that is going to be published.  It's all laid out page by page. Seeing this reminded me of working on our high school yearbook many years ago!

 

How would you like this job? This is the office of the gear tester.  He definitely takes his job seriously. When he reviews a pair of shoes and says that he cut them apart, he literally cut them apart!

Amongst all the fun and touring, we did get to talk about the upcoming Runner's World Festival and it got us very excited. I'm looking forward to all the interesting seminars on running, and there will even be one on running with your dog! I was told that there will be a special guest here running among us in October. Do you want to know who? It's Summer Sanders.  Lacey got to meet Summer when she ran the Boston Marathon this year.

Soon it was time for us to go prepare for our run. It was run at work day and we were going to run with some of the editors. Who are we kidding, It's Runner's World, EVERYDAY is run at work day here!  We made our way down to the woman's locker room and changed into our running clothes.

Need a bike to test out? Next to the locker rooms is the bike room.

There is a great jogging path a little ways past the Rodale building that we ran on.  I didn't want to be a total geek and take pictures of our run, but I did manage to get this one of one of the editors who was leading the pack! It was a great run, but I'm pretty sure that they took it easy on us!  I couldn't tell you what our pace was because right before the run my Garmin decided to freeze up!

Since this post is getting a little lengthy, I will stop here. I will continue with part 2 in another post.

Click HERE to read part 2 of our Runner's World visit.

Did you learn anything interesting about Runner's World so far?

Thanks for reading. ~M