Book Review: The Girl from the Paradise Ballroom

Lately I've noticed a strange trend in the newly release books I've picked up that have compelling blurbs on the back- they aren't compelling books.

For instance I recently read The Nest. It was on the Barnes & Noble best seller table. It had a gorgeous cover. It got only okay reviews, but it had a compelling blurb. So, I bought it.

It was all I could do to force myself to finish that book.

When I was offered The Girl from the Paradise Ballroom to read for a review I anxiously awaited its arrival in the mail. After all, this is what the back of the book reads:

The first meeting between Antonio and Olivia at the Paradise Ballroom is brief, but electric.

Years later, on the dawn of World War II, when struggling Italian singer Antonio meets the wife of his wealthy new patron, he recognizes her instantly: it is Olivia, the captivating dance hostess he once encountered in the seedy Paradise Ballroom. Olivia fears Antonio will betray the secrets of her past, but little by little they are drawn together, outsiders in a glittering world to which they do not belong. At last, with conflict looming across Europe, the attraction between them becomes impossible to resist--but when Italy declares war on England, the impact threatens to separate them forever.The Girl from the Paradise Ballroom is a story of forbidden love and family loyalties amid the most devastating war in human history.

Not my usual cup of tea but I was willing to give it a try. The "electric first meeting" referenced was not electric. I felt nothing between the characters. Maybe it was the third person point of view but it wasn't engaging at all.

The book isn't even really about the romance between Antonio and Olivia, it's about every little thing that happens in not only their lives but the lives of Antonio's family (especially his sister). The action drags.

Did I enjoy this book? Not really. Maybe it was just me, but after reading it I looked at other reviews and there's a similar theme in all of them. Don't waste your money on this book, but maybe give it a shot if you happen to find it in a 50 cent bin somewhere in a few years.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Who Run the World? Millennials.

First off, I hate that word. "Millennial" has come to be a derogatory phrase. And that is exactly what sparked this post. 

This past weekend while running the Blue Ridge Half Marathon, I overheard a conversation a group of middle-aged men were having. They were talking about their work week had gone and one piped up and said, "I went to a conference on Millennials. They're all just awful. They don't want to work for anything- they're so entitled. They want a 4 year management position in 2."

I stewed over what they had said for the next few miles. I had recently read an article by Adweek that touched on similar viewpoints of those older than us. True, there are some people in my generation who fit the millennial stereotype to a T. However, there are also plenty of Baby Boomers and Generation Xers who could be considered "entitled. There will definitely be even more member of Generation Z who will fill it. 

But millennials are a different breed. We don't fit the mold that Boomers and Gen X made for us. 

They call us entitled. We want the management position in 2 years. But, their work world shuts down when they clock out. If they get an email at 5:05, it can wait until the next day. But a millennial? Our work and life are co-mingled thanks to our digitally native state. We live on our phones, ready to solve any problem that comes our way, even if it happens at 10 on a Saturday. We want people to notice that we work hard and don't stop. We've seen our peers rise to that position in 2 years, because of their hard work. If a company is not recognizing us for what we are worth, we are more than happy to move on. 

They say we are a generation of instant gratification. We are used to fast downloads, instant messaging, and buying things at the click of a button (thanks, Amazon). But, this also works in reverse. You want something done? We'll have it to you by the end of the day, color coded. 

They say we don't want to work for anything. Most of us just finished working for our degrees, and we aren't planning on stopping anytime soon. Some of us want to get that grad degree, and are willing to work for peanuts to get free tuition. Some of us want to land a dream job in a few years and have taken the first opportunity in our field in order to get the required 3-5 years of experience. They see us as working at the bottom, but we see it as a means to the top. 

They say we are sensitive due to the "participation trophy" culture we grew up in. But, we are also the generation that invented cyberbulling and YouTube comments. We have a tougher skin than you think. We know how to take criticism, constructive or not, and turn it into something even better. 

Millennials are the future leaders of America. We are the generation that was told we had no limits to what we could be, while witnessing the most rapid growth of technology in history. Our brains have formed differently than past generations, making us slightly threatening to those born before the technology boom. We have been molded and shaped by the internet into exactly the collaborators the world needs. We see the value in sharing information to work toward a common goal. 

Millennials are not entitled. We are empowered. 

I am a 23 year old, college graduate, married, dog mom, home owner, 2 time marathoner, 13 time half marathoner, current grad student with a full-time job that I love. Don't tell me I don't want to work for anything. 

You Run Hills, I Run Mountains (Blue Ridge Half)

This past Saturday, April 16, I finished my 13th half marathon.

Until now the Deep Hollow Half Marathon of 2014 has held the title of hardest half I've completed, but it was dethroned this weekend by the Blue Ridge Half Marathon.

It isn't called America's Toughest Road Half for nothing.

Let us take a second to look at the elevation profile of this course:

Now that that's been established, let's start at the beginning of the day.

I live about an hour from the start line, so I made the decision early to just to race morning pickup. I got there early (way earlier than I should have probably) and got a prime parking spot. The "race packet" was just our bib, shirt, and a pair of socks so I was really glad I hadn't made a special trip the day before to get it. The shirt is really awesome (see above) though.

I had about 45 minutes to kill before the race, but I really didn't want to sit in my car even though it was cold. Thankfully, a coffee shop right on the start line was open and I was able to stand in the heat and people watch.

When the race started, we went up...
...and up...
...and up...

I tried not to walk, but after 2 miles of straight up I gave in because I was honestly walking faster than I could run at that point.

During the first climb when I was still running, and before I took off the hoodie I thought was a good idea.

At around the 5K mark we made it to the Roanoke start (which I should have taken a picture of, but was way too tired)

Then we went down...
...and down...
...and down...

Eventually that started to hurt too. I almost knocked over someone at a water station halfway down the descent because I couldn't stop myself in time, the mountain was so steep.

We got to a flat area and I remember thinking "Okay, it can't get any worse than that". I was wrong. I was very wrong.

After a generously flat section, the course begins the ascent of the (what I know now is infamous) Peakwood neighborhood. I have to say the support from the neighborhood residents was amazing. So many of them had food and/or water in their yards for runners. Kids had made signs and were cheering us on.

But that hill, uh mountain, was seemingly never ending. I seriously felt like I was climbing for hours. There was no way I was going to finish in under 3 hours, which was a little upsetting after my PR the week before.

At the top of Peakwood was the most serious race party/support/aid station I've ever seen. There was all the food you could ever want, cold wet rags, band aids, even champagne! I grabbed a cup of graps and gratefully (grapefully?) started the descent.

Even though my legs were dead at this point, going downhill was wonderful. I didn't even care that everything hurt, it was just nice to breathe again, and cross the 10 mile mark on the way down.

The last 3 miles were the longest, which was weird because they had hills, but nothing like what we had already conquered. I was 100% done, but decided to run to the finish no matter how slow it went.

Weeeee! Downhill!

When I finally crossed the finish line, I saw that I finished well under 3 hours (2:33) which was a huge relief! I was actually kind of impressed with myself since that time was only about 20 minutes slower than my PR the week before and the elevation was insane.

The entire time I was actually doing the race, I swore I would never do it again. But after giving myself 24 hours to think about it, I decided I'm definitely in for next year ;)

Not only was it challenging, and in turn rewarding, it was one of the most well organized races I have done. See ya next year you stupid mountains.

I unlocked this badge with my Fitbit, the first time I had made it past 150 floors in a day!

I Love Rock n Roll (Raleigh)

Before this weekend, I thought Rock n Roll was overrated. I hadn't done one, but there was no way that a race series that puts on races in as many cities as they do can do a great job at all of them.

Oh boy, was I wrong.

Friday (Expo)

I took a half day from work and set out to drive to Raleigh. I somehow timed it to where I would arrive right when the expo was opening. I braced myself for bad traffic and crowds (I hate city driving) but was pleasantly surprised with a super easy drive. After handing over $7 to park in the Convention Center garage (ouch), I went inside.

Other than the extreme level of organization they had at number pickup and shirt distribution. I have to say at this point I wasn't impressed. I had an expo of Marine Corps Marathon proportions in mind, especially since it was in a convention center. There were a few vendors, but a good portion of them were either local things, things I had no interest in (organic home delivered food?) or just plan random (the rice booth). I did enter to win a few free race entries (so far I haven't won any of them). I had planned to kill an hour before my friend Meredith got off work, so I aimlessly wandered around picking up a few free things.

Saturday (5K)

We were instructed to park near the Convention Center, and walk or shuttle the 1ish miles to the start. I found a cheaper place to park this time (thank goodness) and set out to walk. I made it a block before finding the shuttles and since I couldn't feel my fingers, I hopped in one.

I'm so glad I did because not only was it warm in there, the start line was further away than I thought and I'm pretty sure I would have gotten lost. Our bus driver actually missed a turn at one point and I thought we were going to be late but we made it.

There were over 2,000 people at the start line, which I think makes it the biggest 5K I have ever done. I somehow got seeded into Corral 2, which was good since I was not feeling standing around for very long in the cold.

We took off (up a hill) and began the twisty turny course through Dorothea Dix Park. There was a band at mile marker 1 and 2, and spectators on a good amount of the course. Nothing particularly jumped out at me as special about this race, other than the energy. I still hadn't fallen for Rock n Roll yet.

I have no idea what my time was, because it turns out I completely didn't understand the timing system. The bibs had a weird red piece on them when I got them, but I though it had something to do with bag check, so I didn't bring it with me. My friend Allison (thankfully before the half) let me know that it was my timing chip and I should have put it on my shoe (I felt so dumb).

The medal for the 5K is gorgeous and heavy! I could probably knock someone out with it!

Sunday (Half)

Because of street closings, in order to guarantee parking we had to arrive by 5:30 (for a 7am start!). I woke up all excited, drove to my parking spot, and then I waited in my car. Had the weather been normal I might have walked around and explored a little, but it was 30 degrees outside and I was perfectly happy staying in my car. However, after about 30 minutes I started to get really sleepy, so I started to play games on my phone to keep myself awake. Around 6:15, I started to feel really nauseous for no apparent reason. By the time I walked to the start at 6:45, the feeling hadn't gone away. I changed my goals to be

1. Don't throw up
2. Finish
3. PR (this was the dream goal at this point, but my main goal originally)

After lining up in my corral (10), I waited patiently to start. The start line was definitely the most fun start I've ever witnessed. There's loud rock and roll music (duh) playing, an excited announcer, and so many people! 

The first mile of the race was a little rough, but after it was over, I immediately started to feel better. I had no watch, the clock was completely off from my pace since I had started so far back, so I had no clue how I was running. 

There was something about the entirety of the race- the crowd support, the on course entertainment, the rolling hills- that made me fall in love with running again. I ran at a pace that felt great, not pushing too hard but not stopping when going up any hills either. It was my definition of a perfect race. 

Somehow, by a miracle, I managed to meet all 3 of my goals, finishing in 2:11:27, a full minute PR. If I had pushed myself a little harder, I could have probably done it by even more. But I accomplished something even better- having the most fun race of my life. 

Running with no pressure every now and then is totally worth it. And although there is no particular one thing I can tell you that makes a Rock n Roll race special, it definitely was and I can't wait to do another. 

One of my favorite post race things is that you earn badges based on your accomplishments!

So, would I do another Rock n Roll race again? Absolutely!

In fact, I immediately signed up to run again at Virginia Beach in September (earning myself a Double Beat medal!).

I'm calling it now that a PR won't happen here due to the heat!

2016 Reading Challenge: March

3 months into the year already! I enjoyed reading a lot at the beginning of March, since I knew grad school was starting on the 21st (goodbye free time).

For this month I went with "a book you can finish in a day". This one is funny, because I actually finish most books in a day if I have enough time to sit down and read. So I dug into the never ending stack of "to-read" books and dug out one that had been living there for a good 2 or 3 years.

I went in completely blind to what it was about, and I think that was a good choice. I really don't want to ruin anything for anyone who might read it, but I wasn't expecting how dark it was. It's a really great portrayal of mental illness in a family, and how it can affect an entire family.

I will give my thoughts on what it was like to read a musical. Going in, I had only ever heard one song, "I'm Alive". I kept trying to read all the songs to that tune for some reason. Going back, I think I would have preferred finding the soundtrack on Spotify to listen to as I read.

Read the rest of the challenge:

• January: A Book Published This Year
• February: A Book that was Banned at Some Point 

SLS3 Running Belt Review and Giveaway!

It's not very often that I get to write reviews for an item that I didn't pay for, but my dream has finally been achieved! The wonderful people at SLS3 reached out to me and asked for a review of their running belt in exchange for my honest opinion about their product.

I was sent a Dual Pocket Running Belt- Water Resistant in Purple. It looks like this:

I already had a running belt that I was using, so I figured that this would have to be pretty awesome for me to give up the one that I was using. Well, since getting mine, I've taken it on every run I've been on. Here are the pros:

• The pockets are giant. I could easily fit my iPhone 6 in either pocket. 
• Once it is adjusted to fit snugly, it doesn't bounce.
• The pockets keep your phone dry if it's raining (or just if you're super sweaty).
• It comes in 4 cool colors.
• and the best part....

It doesn't make you look lumpy! My old belt always gave me a weird lump around my belly, but this one is totally not noticeable under clothing. If you follow me on social media, then you have seen some of my post-race pictures. Fun fact, I've had this under my shirt/jacket in all my race photos since January!

The best part is that the people at SLS3 have offered to give one of you your very own running belt! See below for entry, contest will end at midnight 3/16. Good luck!

Enter here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Race 13.1 Wilmington- Mexican, Ice Cream, and Fish Medals

Better late than never right?

On February 21, I ran my first half of 2016 in Wilmington, NC. Here's a recap of all the awesome things that happened over our weekend there.

Saturday

My friend Morgan and I both got Race 13.1 season passes (#leahandmorgans131adventure) and we traveled down together. Road tripping is fun, guys. Especially on the first nice weekend in months to a place that is slightly warmer than your home.

When we pulled into where packet pickup was, we both kind of thought, "This is it?" Pickup was on what I would kindly refer to as the sketchy side of town. It was pretty much just a bunch of strip malls. Minor panic ensued over what the heck we were going to do the rest of the day. It's near the ocean, there should be beachy things, not strip malls!

The panic was put aside as we drove toward our hotel. Things gradually got nicer, and looked a little more like a beach town should. After checking in and putting our stuff in our room, we asked the desk girl how to get to the beach. She gave us some very bad directions, but we eventually found it.

I love this Snapchat geofilter!

Wrightsville Beach

When we got there I was super excited becuase it was just like what a beach area should look like in my mind. There were touristy shops (aka Wings) and lots of places to eat, and a beach access every block. One of the great things about being there in February was that we didn't have to pay to park at any of the accesses, and could just park and walk out there.

I love that our first race of the year was at the beach, because we got to enjoy a walk on the beach in February (and it was around 60 outside), something that we probably wouldn't have done otherwise.

It did eventually get a little cold, so we decided to explore the shops a little. I can't resist a good tourist shop so we went into Wings and each got a t-shirt (2 for $15!) and a sweatshirt (buy one get one free! oh and they also matched).

While on this trip I discovered my superpower is picking random restaurants to eat at. Morgan said I had to pick dinner since she picked lunch. The sign for Tower 7 Baja Mexican Grill looked interesting, and everyone loves Mexican, so that was my pick.

When we went in, I knew that I was going to like it purely from the aesthetic. It's kind of half surf shop, half Mexican restaurant as far as decor goes. I also immediately fell in love with their chips and salsa.

My main course didn't disappoint either. I got pineapple, bacon, and shrimp enchiladas. They were so good that I really wanted to be able to eat both, but they were huge! Consider this a shameless plug to eat there if you ever find yourself in Wrightsville Beach.

The superpower of picking places really showed itself when I decided I wanted ice cream. I found a place online called Boombalati's and figured we should go there for no other reason than that it had a funny name.

I've had a lot of ice cream in my life, and I am not exaggerating when I say that this was the best. It's handmade in the store in small batches and it will blow your mind. They're also geniuses because one of their sizes is a 4 mini scoop sampler so you can try multiple flavors of amazingness.

Sunday

Despite all the food we were eating fun we were having, it was time to do what we came to do, run a race.

I'm not going to sit here and give you a blow by blow of all 13 miles. I will tell you that this course was a fast, flat course that helped me get a 1 minute PR. Had I been training a little harder in the month or so leading up to the race, I would have probably beat my time more. But it's been cold and I've been strength training.

The course was had some really boring parts (on what I think was a Greenway/bike path thing) but we ran on the campus of UNC Wilmington and that was really interesting. Since I work on a college campus, I enjoy seeing what others have to offer ;)

The weather was way warmer than I imagined when I signed up for a February race! Considering the weekend before I was running the Wine Lovers 5K in dangerously cold temperatures, I found it very amusing to be running in shorts and a tshirt for this race. The only downfall to that is that I'm not used to running in warmer temperatures right now, and I think I let myself get a little dehydrated.

During the race I felt absolutely fine until mile 10. I was running faster than normal but keeping a good pace, I wasn't very tired (I owe that one to the complete lack of hills), and I felt great about my food and water intake (there was a small incident where I almost choked to death on a Sport Bean, but I survived). Then something happened between 10 and 11. It felt like the longest mile I had ever run. I kept thinking I had missed the marker and would eventually come up on 12. Nope. After that I kind of fell apart, but luckily I only had to make it through 2(.1) more miles.

It hurt, and it sucked, and I walked for the only time of the whole race during the last mile, but I still managed that 1 minute PR (2:12:35)!

Note to self, make sure photo background is not facing the sun next time.

Race 13.1 has some great finisher medals this year, and I had been dying to get this one. I'm not really sure why exactly, but it has a fish on it and I just thought it was really fun. We named her Wilma and she's glittery.

I love Race 13.1 events, and I can't wait to hopefully earn my 13x jacket with them this year!

Tentative Calendar:
05/01- Knoxville, TN
05/15- Greensboro, NC
05/21- Richmond, VA
06/18- Roanoke, VA
9/25- Charlotte, NC
10/8- Raleigh, NC
10/22- Fayetteville, NC
10/29- Charleston, SC
11/12- Asheville, NC
12/3- Baltimore, MD
12/10- Durham, NC