Madison, Wisconsin is one of my absolute favorite places to run, especially in the summer. It’s a small laid back city with a lot of sights to see. It is also a very fitness friendly town with trails of all types and distances available to the runner and the biker. Add in the lovely weather in the summer and you have a great destination for a runner. It's also where Beer Geek and I plan to retire to eventually. It took me a long time to convince him (umm, close to 20 years...), but he's on board with living there from spring through fall and traveling the rest of the year. Sounds like a great retirement plan to me. 6 more years to go... Here are some of my favorite places to run: Mendota Lakeshore Path - This is one of … [Read more...]
Rockay Running Socks Review
This post was sponsored by Rockay Socks and contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own. I was recently given a pair of Rockay Socks to review. I had never heard of the brand before, but I'm so glad that they reached out. There are many things I love about them, but the thing that excites me most is their goal of creating great products while helping the environment. The socks I were sent are 66% Polyamide, 30% Organic Merino Wool, and 4% Elastane. The combination of materials provides for a comfortable sock that is warm and sweat wicking. I admit that I have not had a chance to run long distances in them yet (thanks to my heel), but I've worn them for walking and day to day wear and they are super comfortable. The socks … [Read more...]
Race Day Mistakes: This is What You Should Not Do
Growing up, one of my favorite books was Berenstain Bears "The Bike Lesson". The whole book is about the father making mistakes when teaching them to ride a bike and then telling them that "This is what you should not do. Let this be a lesson to you." Let me be your Bike Lesson. This is what you should not do... Overdress - yes, it often feels chilly waiting at the start line. And no one wants to get the shivers. But wearing too much can quickly lead to overheating if it's actually warm out or getting sweaty and then freezing if it's not. Most suggest dressing like it's 20* warmer than it is. I have to be careful about that as I tend to run cold. SOLUTION: Throwaway clothes. My personal favorite is a zip up hoody, usually … [Read more...]
Starting the month with a whole lotta coffee
I survived! I knew going into this fall that September and October were going to be insane. They did not disappoint! But it's November now and with Shoo's birthday on Halloween, the craziness ends. Time to take a deep breath and get everything under control. Since I actually have time to take a real coffee break, I'm joining Deb and Coco's virtual coffee date. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that I was more sore after the Marine Corps Marathon than I have been after a race in years. Seriously, the lack of a bathroom on our main level darn near killed me. On the bright side, not only did I refuse to walk up and down the stairs to do anything for my kids, I made Shoo be my legs and sent him to get things for me. Thankfully, by … [Read more...]
DuClaw Sweet Baby Java Peanut Butter Pie
Thank you DuClaw Brewing for sponsoring this post and sending me the DuClaw Sweet Baby Java. All opinions and the pie recipe are my own. Welcome to the October edition of “Cooking with Beer”! Each month DuClaw Brewing sends me a beer and a friend and I create a recipe. It’s a fun time to think outside the box and try a new beer and new food. This month’s beer is “Sweet Baby Java”, an espresso bean infused version of Sweet Baby Jesus. Each month when I get my beer from DuClaw, my friend and I brainstorm ideas for the recipe. Last year when we got this beer, we went ended up making a soup. So, this year, we wanted to go back to our original plan of a dessert. Despite being based on Sweet Baby Jesus, this beer is more coffee and … [Read more...]
Marine Corps Marathon 2018 Race Recap
This past Sunday I finished my 5th Marine Corps Marathon. Going in I knew it was going to be a challenging race. Thanks to my heel, I was undertrained. Not only had I not done much in the way of long runs, I had completely lost my strong base that I've had for the last few years. But I wanted this race and I was pretty sure I could finish if my heel cooperated. I admit I was feeling a little bit bitter about the near perfect weather and the fact that I was not in shape to run a PR. But I was given the opportunity to run to honor a fallen soldier and that pretty much led to an instant attitude change. After that, everything else was just the small stuff. Marine Corps Marathon 2018 October 28, 2018 5:39:15 Temp: 48 at the start, low 60s … [Read more...]
Marine Corps Marathon Runfessions
I'm not sitting here counting down the hours until the Marine Corps Marathon. OK, maybe I am. I haven't been this nervous about actually finishing a marathon since my very first MCM in 2008. And then I was nervous because it was my first, not because I was undertrained. This weekend should be... interesting. I mostly have to make my self stick to my goal of doing it slow. If my ego gets in the way and I push at the start, my race is going to suck. So feel free to send me "stick to the plan" vibes. And maybe a few, "hang in there, heel" vibes. I must runfess that the only reason I want to run this year is to get into Runner's Club. I know life is just going to get crazier for the next few years between ZOOMA and the kids getting … [Read more...]
Will run for food!
Does the food available after a race come into play when you are choosing a race or are you happy with a boring snack like a granola bar or pretzels after a race? For me, it depends on exactly how far I've run. For shorter races, I don't need anything at all, but sometimes something salty is good on a hot day. Even for a half marathon, I often don't feel any urge to eat at the finish line. But sometimes the offerings are so good, I eat even if I don't "want to". Wondering what races have make me want to run them again just for the food? Here are my favorites. Mainly Marathon races - the "aid station" is a smorgasbord of all the good things: pretzels, m&ms, gummy bears, hard boiled eggs, pb&j, pickles... And then there's … [Read more...]
Race views and ZOOMA challenges
Today's topic for Tuesdays on the Run is "Best things seen at a race". I've seen some pretty amusing things: guys running only in thongs, jogglers, dribblers (literally a guy dribbling a basket ball the whole race), awesome costumes, awful costumes, etc. But, despite running with my phone, I pretty much never take pictures and I have the memory of a gnat, so I leave you with this... Moving right along.. Here are our upcoming topics: 10/23 – Standout Post-Race Food 10/30 – Halloween! 11/6 – Racing Mistakes 11/13 – The Best City I Ever Ran In Is… 11/20 – Black Friday And October 16 at 10am EST, ZOOMA opens its winter challenges. You can join us for the Holiday Challenge - a movement and self care challenge for … [Read more...]
If you give a runner $1000, she’s gonna buy…
an entry into her first ultra. And if she enters into an ultra, she's gonna need to buy a new GPS watch. And if she buys a new GPS watch, she's going to want a race to try it out. And if she's going to run a race, she's going to need a new skirt to run in. And if she gets a new skirt to run in, she'll definitely need some new shoes. And if she gets some new shoes, she'll have to get some socks to match. And that's how a runner spends $1000 in a hot minute... How would you spend $1000 on running if you had a financial windfall? … [Read more...]
I need coffee before my coffee
September was a whirlwind month for me. I'm still trying to recover - and October is not exactly laid back either. I'm pretty sure that I have coffee running in my veins at this point. So, it seems appropriate to jump in on Deb and Coco's coffee date. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that I LOVE working for ZOOMA and the other project I took on. But going up to 30 hours a week of working has been quite a shock to my system. Something had to give and it feels like the blog has taken the brunt of that. I hope to get back to commenting and responding once Amelia Island is done. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that I'm nervous about the Marine Corps Marathon. I've had training issues in the past, but I've always had a … [Read more...]
ZOOMA Cape Cod in pictures
This past weekend was incredible! It always amazes me that working so hard can be so fun! I got into Providence on Thursday afternoon and met the rest of the ZOOMA crew for the drive to Falmouth. We headed to the Sea Crest where we met to course director for a drive around the course. I was in the way back of the van, so no pictures were taken, but the course was absolutely gorgeous. Then we headed back to the Sea Crest for dinner and a relatively early bedtime. Friday I popped out of bed before my alarm and headed for a short run along the coast. I was lucky because I managed to get out and back before the rains came. Next up was hours of prepping for and then attending the ZOOMA expo. I got to meet a lot of the … [Read more...]
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