How to be Creative with Medal Displays from Gone For A Run

If you read our blog regularly, than you know that we like to display the medals we've earned. What's even more fun is when we can do it creatively.   Do you remember the photo medal display that I made for my sister a while back?  I was starting to run out of room on my own medal display, so I was considering making one of those for myself because I really wanted to be able to display some of our fun race pictures along with the medals.

But then, the nice people at Gone For A Run,  that company that sells all sorts of really cool products for runners, asked me if I would be willing to review one of their products.  I was thrilled when I received this Magical Miles medal display, and let me tell you why!

1. It's Disney themed, enough said. ( If Disney's not your thing, there are a ton of other themes to choose from)

2. Very durable! Some medal displays are not as durable. My mother has a display and as of right now she can only display her Disney 5K medals on it because hanging more than 2 "medal" ones on it starts to bend it. That is certainly not the case with this one. I have 7 medals on in it in this picture but I could actually fit a few more on!

3. This great latch allows you to smoothly slide your medals on and off the rod. Once it is snapped into place, your medals are secure and will not fall off.

5. Probably my favorite part about this display is that it allows me to put my own pictures in it. This is of course something that I discovered on my own!  The Magical Miles panel actually slides out from the top. Since there is an opening to slide it out, I can of course slide other images in. That panel is the same size as two 4x6 photographs. There is enough room that I can keep the Magical Miles panel in AND slide my photographs in right in front of it.

Chances are I'm not ever going to find a display large enough to hold all my medals, so I will always need more than one way of displaying them. So say I want to keep all my Disney medals on one display and all my "beach" medals on another display. I just change the picture on the front of the display and Ta Da! I am done!  I love how versatile this is!

Gone For a Run has a ton of other Medal displays that you will fall in love with.  They even have many that they will personalize for you!  Wouldn't that be cool to have you name or your favorite saying on your medal display?  If you are looking for a way to display your medals, you should definitely go check them out.


If you ordered a display from Gone For A Run, what would you want it to say, or what pictures would you use on it?

* I received this medal display from Gone For a Run at no cost to me, but I truly do love this product and all opinions expressed here are mine!

A Memory No Runner Should Have

We normally don't go back and re-read a post that we've already published ( unless it's to fix a typo, and I'm sure we've missed a few of those over the year), but recently I've been finding that going back through our blog to be very helpful.  It lets me remember details of an event I may have forgotten about and when I went to Physical Therapy for the first time I had to write down when I started feeling my symptoms. I could not recall when my pain started, so I looked on the blog to see when I first started complaining about it, I mean "Mentioned" it! 

There is one particular day/event that I probably will never forget the details of because it was one of the most emotional days I've ever experienced.

If you've read our blog from day one, then you may already know what I am about to say, but considering what time of year it is, I thought it was worth resurfacing.

America was certainly shocked when they heard the news of the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013.  I cried. My sister was there running.

 The day I found out that my sister was going to be running in the Boston Marathon, I promptly got online and starting asking advice about hotels. My sister got her notice that she would be able to run the marathon only a few weeks before, so we didn’t exactly have a lot of time to prepare. Either myself or someone in my family (usually my mom) has been to every one of her races and I wasn’t about to miss what could potentially be the biggest race of her life. So I booked two nights at a hotel in Boston. I spent the rest of the week deciphering how I was going to get to all the weekend events (while using public transportation). What train would I use to get to the expo? How would I meet her at the pasta party? Which train was running on race day? How early would I have to leave the hotel? Would I get lost? How would I meet up with her after the race?  Would I be okay driving the 380 miles to Massachusetts all by myself? I was starting to feel anxiety. This was not like watching a race in Disney, or VA Beach (where she usually runs). I had never been to Boston. This was an unfamiliar city to me and I felt like I didn’t have enough time to do all the research I needed to feel comfortable navigating myself around. After finding out that the train I would need (I think it was part of the green line) would not be operating on race day, I decided I couldn’t do this. I cancelled the hotel at the last minute. I felt confident that my sister would be okay. She would be meeting up with some race friends and she could stay with them. They would make sure she got to where she needed to be, and quite frankly I thought that I may just be a burden to her as I tagged along. I didn’t want her to have to worry about me.

 I can’t believe that one split second decision could have potentially saved my life. Watching my sister race is a big deal to me and I always luck out and get a great spot near the finish line to watch her. I don’t know that I would have been in danger, but I know for a fact that I would have been on Boylston Street and I would have been near the finish line holding my sign for her!

 So with blinds pulled open, the sun shining in, and a yellow Labrador sitting on my lap, I watched the race on TV that April afternoon. I watched what little coverage they provided on the Universal Sports channel ( after the elite runners finish, they don’t show the average runners, so I turned it off and went about my business) I got the automatic text saying that my sister Lacey crossed the finish line (in many races, you can sign up for runner tracking.  Each runner wears a tracking chip on their bib. As they cross the finish line it sends a text to your phone giving you the time they finished).   She didn’t actually text me herself, but I knew she had finished. I did text her phone saying “Congrats! You even beat your Disney World marathon time!” I then got a call from a number I didn’t recognize. It was Lacey. She said she just wanted to tell me she was ok.  I could tell by her voice that something was very wrong. I said “what?” I had no idea what she was talking about at the time. She then told me about the explosion at the finish line; it was bad, people had lost limbs, and people died. I just started crying and then turned on the TV to see what was going on. I continued to cry.  I then had to call my mom at work and tell her what had happened before she saw it on the news and started panicking herself. Even though I told her my sister was okay,  I could tell that my mom was an emotional mess. And my dad, well, it was the first day of trout season so he was off fishing and had no clue what was happening.

 I was scared for my sister. I am extremely grateful that she crossed the finish line when she did. Only by the help of God she was able to exceed her expected finish time. She crossed exactly six minutes before the first explosion. She had just got her medal and was in line getting Gatorade and water when it happened.

 I was SO Glad that my sister was okay, but I could have potentially loss my sister the same day I loss my grandma ( she died April 15 exactly 5 years ago to the day). During all this, our home phone started ringing off the hook with people calling to see if Lacey was running and if she was okay.

 From my brief conversation with my sister, I knew she was going straight to the airport (or at least going to try to get there) I was now concerned about her safety even at the airport. My heart was breaking for her as she had to experience all this and to everyone else that was there and of course to all the victims and their family.

 My sister has a stressful enough job as a flight attendant and has to worry about this kind of situation affecting her safety on a daily basis. But now it is affecting the thing she loves to do for fun, running! What is this world coming to?

 

 She finally did make it home on a very late flight Monday night. As I waited in the airport  with flowers and balloons for my sister, an older lady asked what the occasion was and with a teary eye, I told her that I was just happy that my sister was alive and that she made it home safely from the Boston Marathon. She then told her friends, who then told their husbands. So by the time Lacey entered the terminal even complete strangers were clapping for her and hugging her. It was quite an emotional night!

Thirteen days later, Lacey flew to California to complete the second half of the Boston to Big Sur Challenge.  Two races, Two Coast, thirteen days apart.  I was even more frightened for her safety there. I had visions of something going wrong on that big bridge. Thank goodness everything turned out okay.   Although she has no desire to run the Boston Marathon again anytime soon, Lacey continued to run 6 more marathons. Her 7^th will be  the Big Sur Marathon later this month.

If you'd like to read Lacey's Boston marathon recap from race day, you can read it HERE.

 

Do you ever go back and re-read memories from your blog?   Will you be watching the Boston marathon on TV this year?

Double Vanilla French Toast From the Runner's World Cookbook

 

 

Even though yesterday I got up and made pancakes for us for breakfast, I don't usually make a "cooked" breakfast during the week.  Those are what weekends are for!   During the weekends we are more likely to experiment a bit more and try to make new things.  I like this recipe from the Runner's World Cookbook because it calls for ingredients that I normally would already have in my pantry/fridge.  I don't buy sourdough bread, so that would be an exception, but I'm sure you could substitute whatever bread you already have.

 

If you think you might want to try this recipe, feel free to hover your mouse over the image and "Pin" it.  All of our images on all of our blog posts are actually "Pinnable" as well.

And since it's Tuesday, we'll be linking this up with Lean Lena! Feel free to link up your own fabulous food post too, but please give us a comment and let us know you linked up! Thanks!

An InLinkz Link-up
 

Why You'll Love this Race Series!

If you are a frequent reader on our blog you know that we love to travel and run races, so destination races are perfect for us. However, as much as it is nice to travel. It is also nice to do races where you live. It definitely keeps the cost down (flights, hotels, food). I am fortunate to live in an area where there is a great race series called J and A racing in the Hampton Roads area in Virginia. They offer many different races. No matter what type of runner you are, you will be able to find one that meets your fitness goal.

Not only is the cost very reasonable, I believe this is the one races series I've run that gives you awesome swag that is included (not just the race shirt). I've gotten tumblers, blankets, wine glasses, hats, etc. Unlike some of the huge destination races that I have been to that have been very costly, you would think they would offer more to the runners. J and A racing is privately owned and was started by a couple about ten years. Before the races there is a decent sized expo, and after the races they even give you food and an alcoholic beverage that is included at a post race party!

 

 

They currently have 6 race weekends throughout the year. Virginia is for Lovers 14k, Shamrock full and half marathon ( and 8K), Crawlin' Crab half marathon ( and 5K), Wicked 10k (and Monster Mile), and Surf-n-Santa 10 miler( and 5K). And the inaugural ODU Big Blue 5k this spring.

 

In the past I have heard that if you completed all of the J and A races throughout the calendar year, you were able to receive an additional item. So I made this my goal for 2013, and I achieved it! I didn't really think the gift was going to be anything special, however I did it for myself for a personal goal. I heard from other runners that you would receive a cooler. I thought to myself all those races you completed and you only get a cooler? I  actually saw one of the coolers a friend received the other year that was very small, it was more like a lunch tote. Why not an additional medal?

 

 

 

Well I was quite surprised at what I received in the mail the other week. It was a cooler, but not a small one by any means. It was a huge cooler that will be perfect for those beach days!  I was very happy with my gift I received. Even though I did not receive an additional medal, I began thinking at least I got something that I will actually be able to use and will come in handy this summer. So thank you J and A racing!

If you are ever in the Hampton Road Areas you should definitely sign up for a J and A race. You will not be disappointed. Thank you to Jerry and Amy Frostick for creating such a great race series!

 

Is there a race series that you've ran all of? Do you have a local race series near your home?

 ~L

How to Determine the Right Running Shoe For You!

We recently did a post on how to find out whether or not you were a person who needed more or less cushioning in your running shoes. Since there are so many different kind of running shoes out there and there are so many determining factor in deciding which shoes you should get, we decided to put a few more hints out there to make it a bit easier.

 

 1.Determine your size. This may be a no brainer, but the shoe size you have always been wearing may not be the size you should be in.  I found this foot guide that you can print off and lay your foot against. For running shoes, I usually buy a half size bigger than what my foot measures.

 

 2.Determine your foot type.  You can do this by getting your foot wet and then making a foot print on a dry piece of paper or on concrete. What shape does your foot make?

 

 3. Compare it to this chart. I would say I'm pretty Neutral.

 

4. Shoes to Look for:

Flat Feet

1. Stability is most important. Find Something that will provide good arch support and prevent your feet from that "rolling" motion.
2. Avoid lots of cushioning. It'll only intensify instability and pronation problems by allowing your feet to continue rolling inward.

High-Arched Feet

1. Stability becomes less important.
2. Cushioning is needed, especially in the heel and forefoot. You'll want something that provides the softest cushioning and the lightest weight.

Ideal Feet

1. Moderate stability.
2. Good cushioning.
3. Outstanding durability.

5. And to think that when 1 first started buying running shoes, I didn't know any of this. I just went by  if I liked the color and if it fit! Now I not only worry about if I like the shoe or not, but will it like me back? Will it be a shoe that will improve my form or impede it?

Have you done the water test on your feet?  What foot type are you?

* I'd like to add to this that I did wear my purple Altra Olympus on my 11K race on the boardwalk last weekend and they felt amazing.  As some of you remembered, I was having hesitations on keeping these shoes because of all the cushioning they provided, but that cushioning felt amazing after the race when my legs were sore. The only problem is while I am not a heel striker when I run, I did find myself becoming a "Heel Walker"  Because there is so much cushioning in that shoe, I would step first on my heel and rock up on my toes just because the cushioning felt so good!

Do You Remember When?

The other weekend my sister and I went to a Murder Mystery Weekend and the theme was Back in Time which made us reminisce about things that happened to us in past.

 

If you are a frequent reader on our blog and have been following us since the beginning you will remember that one of our first blogs we posted was my Disney Princess half marathon in 2012. However, that was not my first half marathon. My first half marathon was the Lehigh Valley in 2007. I never posted anything about this race before, because it was so long ago and I didn't remember much about it. I don't even have a picture of me afterwards!

Although I do remember certain things which I will share with you now.

I was still living at my parent's house in P.A. working at the airport and one of the ladies I worked with told me she was running it. This would be her first one too. I thought to myself well why couldn't I do this. Now I was a runner is High School, or should I say sprinter. I never thought I would run distance but this was on a bucket list of mine, so I was going to run this! After all I was pretty consistent running my usual 5 mile loop. What's another 8?

 

Now I will admit, I did not train for this (if you've read my other posts about races, I know you're shocked right?) I think the most I did was a 7.5 mile run one time. Not only did I not follow a training plan, I did not train with proper nutrition and fluids during my run. A GU? What the heck is that?

 

The evening before the race I met my friend at her house and she drove us to Lehigh Valley. We went to Panera Bread for dinner because she liked that restaurant. I didn't think anything of the restaurant and why we didn't go to an Italian place for pasta to carb up. After all, the bread that is made for our sandwiches has carbs. I probably got a half sandwich and soup for dinner, because it was cheap. I don't even remember going to an Expo, which I know we had to because we had to pick up our race packet and bib. I guess it wasn't too memorable.

 

The morning of the race I got up in plenty of time to eat breakfast which was a bagel with peanut butter I believe. I didn't have a pre race ritual before my runs so I'm assuming I ate whatever my friend brought us for the morning.

 

I don't even remember what hotel we stayed at, but I do remember it was close enough to the starting line so we did not have to take a shuttle. The race did not start super early like some do, which was another nice addition. The race was in April and we lucked out with a beautiful day without any rain. 

Now getting to my outfit. I did not train in any specific outfit. Pretty much whatever was clean, I wore. Not only did I run in anything, I wore cotton socks! Apparently no one told me back then that that was a bad idea. So race morning my outfit was a dark green ribbed tank top(aka wife beater) and fleece pants. C'mon fleece pants for a marathon? No one told me that wasn't a good idea. I guess even if my friend was thinking that, it was too late because it was the only outfit I brought. Not only was I wearing that, but both my sports bra and socks were cotton! But I have to say, regardless of my outfit I was wearing, I was comfortable the whole time and did not chafe, nor have blisters on my feet. I guess I really did luck out!

 

During the race, I didn't take any nutrition nor even stop for water. I didn't even run with my ipod. I would not even think about running a race today without my ipod. And yes I did have one back then, but I thought to myself I'd be too busy singing along to it, that I wouldn't be focused on the race. Today, I still find myself singing along to my ipod, but I feel like that gives my the push to continue.

 

I ran the whole time during the race, I thought if I stopped at all, I wouldn't be able to continue running. I finished the race in 2:04 for my first half marathon. Afterwards, I felt good, and proud of my accomplishment, but didn't think I would want to do it ever again! It wasn't until I moved to Virginia the summer of 2011 that I joined a running group and did my next half marathon, which was the Disney Princess 2012.

 

Like said, I didn't even get a picture of myself finishing the race with my medal. I didn't have camera phone back then.

 

But I still have the bear that all finishers received along with my medal, so that's what I took a picture of recently.
 After the race, my friend wasn't feeling very well so we left right away. I was hoping to stay and enjoy the festivities. I even saw a tent that was giving free massages! After I saw that, I thought all races offered that at the end. Boy was I wrong! 

 

I remember coming home from the race that day and going to my grandparent's house for lunch, which we did every Sunday. I told my family- aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins of what I did earlier that morning. Now I'm not one to gloat in accomplishments, but felt this was something to be proud of, but it didn't phase anyone. Everyone just said good job. Ok I guess that was it. It's not like I could have posted it on facebook or twitter. Social media was almost non existent for me back then. Even my sister, who I think of as my biggest cheerleader, didn't make a big deal of it. Before I wrote this post I talked to her about that, and she said she really didn't remember. The one person that did understand was my uncle, he had run several marathons, and later qualified for Boston. But unfortunately he became injured while training and never got to attend.

 

 

So now you know my experience during my first half marathon. You know that saying, If I knew then what I know now? I would have done things a bit different. 

What experiences have you been through that you think you would have done differently?

~L 

Running on the Ragged Edge of the Western World

 

Have you ever heard the phrase "Running on the ragged edge of the western world"? If you have, then you probably know that it is the tag line for the Big Sur International Marathon in California.

 

On New Years Eve, I received the exciting news that I had been invited to run the Big Sur Marathon on April 27th.  WOW! I could hardly believe it.  I was officially registered and I would be running with my sister who ran it last year and it would be a great time.

 

I did have a few hesitations though!

1. I always thought Disney would be my first full marathon.

 

2. Just thinking about running across the Bixby Bridge makes me nervous.

 

3. Should I really be running Big Sur as my first Full Marathon. Afterall, it is ranked among the Top 15 toughest Marathons in the World

 

4. At this point ( January 2014), my longest run has only ever been 13.1 miles.

 

5. Flying to California makes me nervous ( I do love to travel and fly often, but I certainly don't have the love for it like my sister who is a flight attendant).

 

But all this aside, I'm being pretty positive about the experience for these reasons.

1. My sister had agreed to run with me at MY pace!

2. I'm already in training for a half marathon, I'll just continue my training for a full!

3. The timing is perfect. I don't have anything else planned.

 

BUT THEN.....We all know that this training did not go as planned. After The Princess Half Marathon I was severely injured. I've spent 3 months at the Chiro and in PT.  Although I just completed an 11K with little pain, I wouldn't say that I am marathon material yet.

 

 

So people keep asking me "What are you going to do about Big Sur?".  And to be completely honest, I just don't know.

 

Sometimes it's about the journey and not about how fast you can get there so part of me thinks I can still do this with a LOT of walking. And guess what? I just MIGHT be the last one to finish for real this time and I really won't care because it really is just about FINISHING!

 

BUT, the Big Sur marathon has such a slim time limit that I really don't think that I would be able to finish in the time allotted unless I was running the entire time and that I know I can not do. (Can you believe the time limit for Big Sur is LESS than Boston, and with all those hills???)

 

Of course there is the 21 miler! This race is walker friendly and you have to keep a pace of 18 mm, which I could surely do even if I walked the entire thing!  But why would I want to walk/run 21 miles by myself? I know completing 21 miles is an achievement, but I'd hate to do all those miles and not have the satisfaction of completing a marathon. I'd always think to myself "Really, you couldn't do that last 5.2 miles?".  There are races of lower distances as well. I often thought that maybe I could do one of those instead but of course there are many thoughts that go along with that as well.

 

1. Would I even be allowed to change distances ( Remember how well that worked out for me last time?).

 

2. Do I really want to go all the way to Big Sur and do a "Small-ish" race?

 

3. Do I really want to go all the way to Big Sur and not even get to run and experience the course with my sister ( which was the plan)?

 

 

So as you can see this whole running on the ragged edge of the western world has had me asking myself many questions.

 

What do you all think of the situation?