I'm a SoleMate!

Well, I did it!

I took the plunge and signed up to fundraise for the first time of my running career, and it's for Girls on the Run (see last post for more information on the inspiration behind my decision).

The last week has been insane, but starting tomorrow, the marathon training begins. As I torture prepare myself for what lies ahead, I would really appreciate if anyone out there reading this would consider donating to my GOTR fundraiser.

The best part is that all the money I raise will be staying local, to help girls in my area experience first hand the joy and empowerment running can bring.

(PS, I promise to blog more now that my life is immensely calmer!)

A Tale of 2 Races

Long time, no blog.

It's been a whirlwind since my last post a few months ago. I finished my first marathon (I'll have to post about that later) did a few 5Ks and another half (I'll have to post about that later too). I've been trying to finish up college (I graduate next weekend!) and figure out my plans for after (landed a full-time marketing job that I LOVE). Oh yeah, and I'm married and have a dog baby so that's in the mix too. So in all the chaos, this blog has been the furthermost back burner in my life.

But yesterday I decided it was time to dust this baby off. Because I had a revelation.

Backstory: a few weeks ago. I was scrolling through Facebook and saw that Freedom 4/24 was having a Run 4 Their Lives event in Lynchburg. I had really been wanting to do one with my best friend Danae, but every time there's been one in the last year one of us had plans. We decided to sign up, but I realized I had already registered for the Girls on the Run Celebration 5K the same day. Luckily the start times were an hour and a half apart, so I decided to just do them both.

Run 4 Their Lives

Run 4 Their Lives is a Freedom 4/24 event that raises awareness ad funds to bring sexually exploited women and children into freedom. Yesterday we were running for 2 particular girls who had survived and been living in a house funded by Freedom 4/24. We got their names written on our arms to remember who we were running for when things got tough.

The race itself wasn't anything super special, but I got to run it with my best friend and that made it extra special. It's slightly sad that in the two years I've been running we've only gotten to do two races together and those two races have been the last two weekends (Hmm... that's another race I should post about later...)

The race was really hilly (okay super hilly) but we finished in a really decent time considering. Sadly we couldn't hang around very long because I had to rush to make it to Girls on the Run.

Girls on the Run Celebration 5K

I frantically made the 30 minute drive to Sweet Briar College, and managed to pick up my packet with 10 minutes to spare. I took those 10 minutes to people watch and was completely inspired by what I saw. I was surrounded by hundreds of elementary and middle aged girls (and their parents) who were so excited to be there to run, for many of them, their first 5K. The atmosphere was electric. 

The girls had all been learning valuable lessons through their running training; how being different is okay, how they need to build each other up instead of tearing each other down, how all women are strong and beautiful. All of these are things that girls need to hear at that age group. 

I was one of the few people there who didn't belong to one of the GOTR girls, but no one seemed to mind. The feeling of girl power was all that mattered. Once the race started everyone was just encouraging the little ones to keep going, and that they could do it. There were motivational signs and people all along the course.

The girls' coaches were running with them and even though some of the girls were uncomfortable, I knew everyone was having a blast. Somewhere around the halfway point it was laid on my heart that I wanted to be a bigger part of GOTR than just running the 5K. I knew about both the SoleMate and coaching programs before the start of the race and both were something I've been thinking a lot about for the last 24 hours. I'm not entirely sure which path I will choose, but running the Marine Corps Marathon in October as a SoleMate somehow seems perfect.

I finished the race, met by a bunch of encouraging people I've never met cheering for me, and knew I had made the right decision to squeeze in both races yesterday. I was meant to be there, feel the energy of girls being passionate about something, and to just be inspired by it all.

Whatever happens in my GOTR future, I'm sure it will be amazing. 

#FrostyVoxBox

I got selected for another VoxBox!

This time it was the Frosty VoxBox! Here's a list of what's inside:

It's a pretty random list of things, but here's a quick review of everything.

Rimmel Gentle Eye Makeup Remover

This eye makeup remover came at just the right time. I had run out of my usual Mary Kay stuff and so I gave this a try. It does an okay job, but has a hard time removing stuff that's waterproof. It wouldn't even take off the Rimmel Eyeliner that came in the box.

Grade: B

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner

Funnily enough, this is the eyeliner that I was using before my box even came! I love how creamy it is and how smoothly it goes on. Some pencils make me feel like I'm scraping my eyelid off, but this one feels like applying a liquid liner (it's just not as messy!).

Grade: A+

NYC New York Color Expert Last Lip Color (in Sugar Plum)

I didn't think I was going to like this color, but it's just a hint darker than my natural lip color and looks fantastic on! It wears well and doesn't make my lips feel dry and cracky like some lipsticks do.

Grade: A

Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane Decaf  Green Tea

This was another product that I had tried before receiving this box. I'm not a huge tea drinker, but I really enjoy Candy Cane Lane when it comes out for Christmas. It's pretty sweet, and the mint flavor drowns out the herby taste of the tea.

Grade: A

Boots No7 Protect & Perfect

I really don't get the point of me getting this one. I'm 21, I really don't need age-defying serum. I put it on but really didn't notice anything except my face felt cleaner.

Grade: C

Fruit Vines Bites (Cherry)

Candy is one of my favorite things, and these little guys were delicious! I would definitely buy more!

Grade: A

McCormick Gourmet Thyme

I really don't know how to review this. I don't use Thyme a lot, but I guess it has a good flavor. It has really pretty packaging too, so that gets points in my book.

Grade: A-

EcoTools Styler + Smoother

This was the one thing in the box that I hated. My hair is naturally frizzy and using this brush just made it worse. I used it one time and it has been sitting on my bathroom shelf ever since.

Grade: F


Overall, I really enjoyed this box and look forward to getting another one from Influenster!

#VSSportsBra Vox Box

* I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.*

Influenster did it again. They chose me to review some super awesome products, but this time, they were fitness related!

Not only were they fitness related, they are from Victoria's Secret, so they are super high quality. When they sent me the email saying I was in to test them, I practically jumped up and down from excitement.

What was in my box:
1 VS Sports Bra (in a weird orange mesh style)
1 VS Sports crop pants (in black)
A whole bunch of 25% off coupons to share with friends!

I'll keep the review short by saying that both of these are amazing! I'm in love with the leggings and I wear them all the time. Even though they're expensive, I would consider buying another pair just because they are that good.

The color of the bra never really grew on me, but it's also super comfy. I would definitely consider buying more VS Sport Bras in the near future!

Thank you Influenster for the amazing box!

Oops I Did It Again... The VA Ten Miler

Once upon a time I used to think people who ran the Virginia Ten Miler were crazy. Well, now I know they're crazy, but I'm one of them for the second time this year and I couldn't be happier.

Not much about the race itself has changed since last year, and you can read about that in this post.

I'll try to make this post short, so I'll cover a few of the highlights.

Packet Pickup:

I was all set and ready to pick up my packet in the middle of my school day, but due to a traffic accident they got started late and I had to send my husband. He's never been to a packet pickup before, but they were nice and organized. He didn't have a bit of trouble figuring it out (not that he's dumb, sometimes races are just really unorganized).

I'm in love with this year's shirt, it may be my new favorite.

Race Day:

Now that I have moved, I live 1.5 miles from the start. What better way to warm up then to run to the start? I have to say it was one of the best racing decisions I have ever made. I got nice and warmed up, and didn't mind shedding my jacket as soon as I got to the bag drop off. I even ran into one of my favorite high school teachers as he was prepping to spectate!

The actual race itself was amazing as always. I felt great, much stronger than last year. I even managed to be able to run up most of the hills, something I never thought possible. The spectators were encouraging, and a lot of the people on the course were inspiring. There was an entire color guard that ran carrying flags to honor our country, military, and fallen heroes. One man ran the entire thing in Army fatigues, boots, and with a full pack. Whenever I wanted to stop, I  kept thinking that if they could do it, I could do it with no extra weight.

There's still something magical about running through your hometown with 4,000 other people. I really can't describe it, but its something you have to experience for yourself one day.

Something else magical happened during the race, I too an attractive picture while running. something that never happens.

I kind of want to print this out and frame it.

Post-Race:

I really didn't stick around for much of the post race activities, it was getting hot and I had to slog my way back home. I did enjoy some amazing food (thank you Dominos for the pizza!) in the food tent after.

Oh, and of course there was the best part of any race, the medal.

Isn't it gorgeous? Last year was the 40th anniversary medal, and I have a goal to run it every year to get every medal from 40-50.

I haven't been very good about blogging lately, and there's some older topics that I want to cover, but I'm trying to get back on track so look out for those soon!

I'm also running a half marathon this weekend, so expect a post on that, too!

Goal Setting

For those of you who remember my blog posts about running class last semester, I'm back and at it again. I'm training for Richmond with one of the greatest Ultrarunners out there, David Horton.

You can Google him and all sorts of cool stuff comes up. He's done too much for me to list, but he did set the record for running the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. He may not be able to run now (due to an injured knee he just got replaces), but he's super awesome and trains us all on a bike.

For class each semester, we have to set 3 goals. He does this to push us to see what we can accomplish.

1. What we hope to accomplish this semester.
2. What we hope to accomplish within the next 365 days.
3. What we hope to accomplish within our lifetime.

The goals can be anything, but have to relate to running. (And they have to be good enough. He'll make fun of you if your goal is to do a Color Run).

I've decided to share my goals, and put them out there to be accountable.

1. I want to finish the Richmond Marathon in under 5 hours. I'm not a super fast runner, and 5 hours may be asking a lot for such a hilly course. 
2. I want to run both the Holiday Lake 50K and Promise Land 50K in the Spring. Holiday Lake is considered a good beginner Ultra, but Promise Land is brutal. My reasoning is if I can finish 26 miles in November, 30+ should be no problem in February and April.
3. At some point in time, I want to finish the entire Lynchburg Ultra Series. It consists of the Holiday Lake 50K in February, Terrapin Mountain 50K in March, Promise Land 50K in April, and the Mountain Masochist 50 Miler in November.

I may be crazy to attempt all of these, but that's never stopped me before. 

Now, to go out and work for it.

Let's Talk About Locklaces

When I first started running, my toes kept going numb. Also, my shoes came untied all the time.The solution to both of these problems? Lock Laces!

What are Lock Laces? They're easy to use, stretchy laces that never come untied! They also keep your shoes on without keeping them too tight, which stops toes from going numb.

The people over at Lock Laces were nice enough to send me a few pairs for free if I blogged about them. I fully believe that every runner should invest in a pair as soon as they get new shoes. There isn't much to review other than the fact that they work, and I love the huge variety of colors that makes it easy to coordinate with your shoes. (Because we all know that is important!)

Since getting my first pair of laces, I haven't had a single problem with my shoes coming untied, falling off, coming "unlocked" or any problems at all.