The cost of Race Retreat was about $125 which is a little high if you have multiple runners, but if you are looking to be treated like a royal I certainly recommend it. There are a lot of great perks that we find to be valuable to our race weekend experience, but everyone is different. We have officially been spoiled the past three years, and Race Retreat will be added to our future WDW runDisney events for sure.
Momma K and I started adding Race Retreat to our Princess Half Marathon weekend in 2015 and haven't looked back since. Race Retreat is essentially a VIP experience offered to runners at runDisney races. While Race Retreat used to just include race day amenities, this year runDisney surprised us in early February with the fact that we would have early expo access! This was an AWESOME perk and I cannot thank runDisney enough to adding that to our Race Retreat package - I think we all enjoyed that experience. On race morning, Race Retreat participants head to a special climate-controlled tent before and after the race. You are treated to amenities including pre-race breakfast (bagels, fruit, water, coffee, water, and soft drinks), character greetings, private restrooms and changing areas, private gear check, padded stretching areas, and post-race breakfast. The Race Retreat area is for runners only until 5:30 then platinum chEAR squad members are invited for breakfast. With today being our 3rd morning of 2:15-2:30am wake ups, it was a treat to get to the race on an early bus and not have to wait in a parking lot for the corrals to open. We arrived at Race Retreat early and got a table for our group and got our picture taken with Aurora and Prince Phillip. Afterwards our photo ops, we ate breakfast with friends and just relaxed until we made our way to the corrals. After a final trip to our private restroom area (it is soooo nice to not have to wait in those crazy lines and there were hand washing stations) we made our way out of Race Retreat. We headed to our corral a little bit before 5:00am and made our way through 13.1 magical miles (more on that during my race recap coming up). A funny random story - during the surge of princesses heading to the restrooms on the way out, we ended up getting redirected to the men's portos on the way out. Hey, a porto is a port...no shame here. LOL! The absolute best part was utilizing the the Race Retreat afterwards. We had breakfast waiting for us which made Momma K especially happy. After 13.1 miles, most of us get a little "rungry" and let's be real, the post-race food doesn't always hit the spot. With a post-race breakfast buffet including muffins, oatmeal, fruit, eggs, sausage, potatoes, and other typical breakfast foods, it was nice to have some good food going into our bellies shortly after finishing the race There are other post-race perks for runners and Platnium chEAR squad members including a private medical area for self treatment and minor medical attention - which we didn't need this year, thankfully! There was also a race results area were you could look at your official results and even print up a copy for yourself. Another great touch was that there were TVs inside the tent that you can watch the finish line live. We got to watch the final finisher come across the finish line which was absolutely awesome. The cost of Race Retreat was about $125 which is a little high if you have multiple runners, but if you are looking to be treated like a royal I certainly recommend it. There are a lot of great perks that we find to be valuable to our race weekend experience, but everyone is different. We have officially been spoiled the past three years, and Race Retreat will be added to our future WDW runDisney events for sure. Question of the Day: Have you ever taken part in Race Retreat? What was your favorite perk?
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Disclaimer: As a member of the 2017 Bright Light Brigade, I received a complementary pair of Knuckle Lights Rechargeable for myself and a set for a giveaway - no other compensation was received. All thoughts are strictly my own.
Happy Daylight Saving Time! I don't know about you, but I am crazy excited for the time change this past weekend! First, that means that Spring is around the corner and Winter will soon be a memory. More importantly, I will now have some daylight to enjoy when I get home in the evenings. I don't know about you, but I tend to hermit when I come home from the gym and it is already dark outside.
Along with the good things, often come a few "negatives" though. If you are like me, I am a morning runner. I like to get my miles out of the way early and take advantage of the "not so hot" hours of the morning. With the time change, my morning miles will now leave me in the dark a bit longer, so it is time to refresh my thinking on runner safety and how I plan to conquer those miles safely through the Spring and Summer months. Sadly, there have been so many heartbreaking stories of runners be struck by vehicles when on their runs (and one particular story hitting very close to me earlier this year). Runner safety has become bigger than ever lately and it is so important to make sure you are safe on your run.
As I start to plan ahead for the upcoming few months, I started to think of ways that I can keep myself safe while logging my miles. Not only am I needing a product to help me see the road ahead, but most importantly I want to make sure that cars see me. Knuckle Lights are huge on the premise of "see and be seen" which is exactly what I am looking for, so I am excited to be .
About Knuckle Lights: Rechargable
"Knuckle Lights will brighten up your early morning runs with the wide-flood LED beam that pumps out a smooth spread of 280 lumens. Designed to be worn across the front of your hands, Knuckle Lights allow you full use of your hands without the bothersome bobbling of a headlamp. No more hunting for batteries, or the matching pair, as the recharging docks and magnetic connection means your Knuckle Lights are always ready when you are." (Source: Knuckle Lights)
(Source: Knuckle Lights)
You may recall my full product review of the Knuckle Lights Rechargeable from the Fall - if not, you can check out here. Some of my favorite features of the Knuckle Lights Rechargeable are:
Ease of Use
Knuckle LIghts are so crazy easy to use! Charge, loop on, click, and go! To turn the Knuckle Lights on/off or change the mode, you simply click a simple button on the top. One click turns on the high mode, two clicks for low mode, three clicks for blinking, and the fourth click turns them off. How easy is that!?! I think these settings are pretty self explanatory as to what they are. The high and low are really great when you are needing to light the way (and be seen). However, the mode I will be using the most is the blinking mode. A lot of my evening miles are logged in my neighborhood which has some street lights and house lights that provide a lot of adequate light (for the most part). I really enjoy the blinking mode because so many cars come through the neighborhood in the evening that I want to make sure that they are aware that I am there - I see them, but they don't necessarily see me.
I can now be virtually 'hands-free' and still light the way of my run. The quality and features of the new rechargeable Knuckle Lights absolutely blew me away. Thank you Knuckle Lights for helping me "see and be seen" as I continue my #RunStreak this Spring.
To learn more about Knuckle Lights or to purchase a set, head to their website www.knucklelights.com. You can also check them out on social media:
Knuckle Lights on Facebook Knuckle Lights on Twitter Knuckle Lights on Instagram
GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!
As a member of the 2017 Bright Light Brigade, Knuckle Lights has hooked me up with a set of Knuckle Lights Rechargeable (retail value of $59.99) to giveaway to YOU! To enter the giveaway, simply use the Rafflecopter below to enter.
Entries will be accepted from 7:30am EST March 13, 2017 until 7:30am EST March 17, 2017. Winner will be selected on the morning of Friday, March 10, 2017 via Rafflecopter and will be contacted via the email address associated with their Rafflecopter account . The winner will have 24 hours to claim the prize or prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected. Prize pack will be mailed the week of March 19, 2017 pending confirmation of winning. Sorry, this giveaway is only open to residents of the United States.
Question of the Day: Are you a morning runner or an evening runner?
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary entry to the Chicks on a Run 4 Miler from Gone For a Run as a member of their 2017 Virtual Race Team. As always, all thoughts are strictly my own. Spring is almost here which means perfect weather for logging those miles outdoors (hopefully)! With Spring tends to come the season where many runners start working towards goal races - maybe you are looking to run your first 5K or marathon or perhaps you are shooting to get your pace down. Whatever it is, with hard work and dedication, you can do it! Virtual races are a great way to go get your miles in with a fun little twist. Face it, you are more likely to get your miles in on a Saturday morning if you know there is some bling waiting for you when you are done, right? However, it might not be possible to go to a race every weekend - lack of babysitter, no races in the area, frigid winter, etc. Well, virtual races are perfect for your "race free" weekends! Even better is that virtual races allow you to run/walk your race however you want to - indoor or outdoors, trail or pavement, night or day, etc. With Spring right around the corner, what better way to kick it off than with a fun Spring themed virtual run! This year when our family goes on our annual Easter trip to Stone Mountain Park, I will be earning some bling while getting our family miles in together with Gone For A Run's Chicks on a Run 4 Miler virtual run! Want to get in on the fun? Here's the deets. 1. Register at Gone for a Run for the Chicks on a Run 4 Miler. Registration for this run is open and available for $25 which includes a REAL race bib (no printing a bib) and medal. Oh! How about that $25 includes shipping! That's right - $25 total - no fees or shipping! 2. Pick Your Swag. - I love some great race swag, but the themed swag for the Chicks on a Run 4 Miler is crazy adorable. At registration you have the opportunity to purchase additional swag such as shirts, magnets, socks, and more if you want a little extra swag arriving on your doorstep. 3. Run, Walk, Skip, Hop, or Whatever for 4 Miles! - It doesn't matter how you get it done, just get out there and get moving. Log 4 miles via road, treadmill, trail, or however you choose from April 13-19. 4. CELEBRATE! You earned your bling, so rock that medal. Seriously, how adorable is this medal! Measuring at 4" tall packed full of color and glitter, this medal is one to be proud of for sure! 5. Share Your Awesomeness - Once you are done, hop over to social media and share your accomplishment. Share your race, photos and/or recap on the Gone For A Run Facebook page at facebook.com/GoneForaRunVirtualRaceSeries. Don't forget to cheer on your fellow virtual runners as well! Need even more reason to run? Well, by running the Catch Me if You Can 5K you will also be supporting an awesome charity. A percentage of your race entry will be donated to Girls On The Run International which is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping girls achieve their dreams through running. To learn more about the Girls on the Run program, check out their website www.girlsontherun.org. Ready to Register? Head over to Gone for A Run to register today!
Want to connect with Gone For A Run and other Chicks on a Run 4 Miler Runners? Gone For A Run on Facebook Gone For A Run on Twitter Gone For A Run on Instagram One race down, two races and 19.3 miles left to go! It was time for part one of the 2017 Glass Slipper Challenge, the Enchanted 10K. We ended up heading back to our hotel fairly early on Friday and spent some time at the pool and ate dinner at the resort. Even though we had "just a 10K" (which sounds silly saying because a 10K is a big deal), we didn't want to be too exhausted or standing on our feet too much before the race. After yesterday's bus fiasco getting to the 5K, we made sure we were at the bus stop early again. Actually, this time we walked to a different part of the resort to get to one of the earlier stops to help make sure that we didn't get passed by with several full buses again. Today only two full buses passed and we were on the third bus and on our way to the race site by 3:45. We got into our corral and waited for our turn to head to the start line. As corral A walked by everyone cheered for them which was really cool. There was a few minutes between the corrals starting (A-F) and before we knew it, it was our turn to take the 6.2 mile journey! As you exit the Imagination Lot and head Epcot Center Drive for the first 3 miles or so, we were greeted by Moana. This was a nice switch up from Anna and Elsa from the past two years, so thank you runDisney for "letting it go" and giving us some new love on course! This part of the course was definitely crowded. Between a narrow road, thousands of runners starting at once, and it still being dark I must admit that it was a little unnerving at times. While Momma K and I practice proper run-walk etiquette and signal our walk breaks and stay to the right, there are always those that find it necessary to act "un-princess like". This year the princesses (and princes) acted very polite especially compared to last year. There are a few reports on the interwebs of some folks getting knocked down (some with Glass Slipper Challenge ending results unfortunately), but for the most part it seemed a lot better than past years. The first character stop was around mile 1 where Elena was there to greet runners. Ok runDisney, we need to have a serious chat. Characters are GREAT! I love character photo ops as much as every other runDisney runner, however putting a character right at a sharp and narrow U-turn of a crowded race course is completely ridiculous and unsafe! Runners are already struggling to make that U-turn without tripping over each other, then you add a character right there that causes even more congestion is just insane! From people just simply trying to follow the course, to those stopping to see who is there, the line forming for a picture, and of course the runners passing the photo op and then turning back and running against the flow made this IMPOSSIBLE to get through! It is runDisney and it is a fun race for me, so I don't care about my time, but I do care about my safety and that is just poor placement of a character. If you could please consider moving the first character to just before or just after this U-turn that would be awesomeness! There were a number of character photo ops in the first few miles including Tinker Bell and her friends and the witch from Snow White. As we entered into the backstage area of Epcot, there were some pretty interesting "characters" on hand to greet us. We entered World Showcase around mile 3 near Japan and was greeted by magnificent lighting and some pretty awesome volunteers at the water station. We made our way around World Showcase counterclockwise heading towards France. Country by country we made our way through Epcot. There seemed to be less characters in World Showcase this morning that there were for the 5K, but we did run into a few familia Toy Story Aliens waiting in line for a picture with Dopey in Germany ;-) We finally made it through International Gateway and headed towards the boardwalk around. At this point we were about 4.5 miles into the race. While you aren't in the parks for this part, it is still an awesome part of the course! There is so much course support during this mile (or so) stretch from people purposely coming out to chEAR, to unsuspecting resort guests just heading to grab a cup of coffee. Regards on their initial intentions, I am always down for free high fives and cheers along the way. I love the part where you are entering/existing the boardwalk because runners are high-fiving and cheering each other on. Now THAT is the way that a princess should act! With a quick little backstage stretch before re-entering Epcot for a bit in World Showcase before the grand finale in Future World, we made our way through the last mile. We were almost there! With a beautiful sun-rise reflecting off of Spaceship Earth, we were about .5 mile away from the 2nd finish line of the weekend! Done and done! 2 races and 9.3 miles down, 1 race and 13.1 magical miles to go! It was such a wonderful morning of running with a number of friends along the way. Thank you to everyone who made this morning so special and magical! After the race we freshened up and grabbed a quick bite to eat at Disney Springs before heading to the We Run Social Meet-Up and Hollywood Studios for some dinner. Tomorrow has an early wake up of 2:15am with 13.1 miles ahead of us, so definitely wanted to stay off those feet and turn in early. Question of the Day: What is your favorite part of the Enchanted 10K course?
There are a number of reasons why I always enjoy runDisney 5Ks. Perhaps the biggest reason why our family takes part in the 5K is because they are casual - they are untimed and provide a great opportunity for some great character pictures along with a shakeout run to get ready for the 10K and 1/2 Marathon in the next two days. Oh yea, and it provides another day of costume fun! If you followed my blog and social media over race weekend, you already knew what our theme was. Since Beauty & The Beast is one of my top Disney movies of all time, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go along with the race weekend theme! Rather than dealing with stress of bus chaos for the later buses and backups at security, we always prefer to get on the early buses and just hang out and relax a bit before the race. The runDinsey bus transportation started at 4:00am, so we arrived to the bus stop at our hotel at 3:55. Well, no buses were even seen until 4:20 when two FULL buses passed our stop! Finally around 4:40 an empty bus was sent to our stop! The driver told us that there were FIVE empty buses waiting to fill at ONE of the SIX stops at our resort (Caribbean Beach)! WHAT!?!?! We finally made it to the race site shortly before 5am. By the time we got through security and made our way to the pre-race area, it was time to head into the corrals. To say my stress levels were elevated is an understatement. I am not one to show up just 30 minutes before a small, local race let alone a runDisney race. The first mile is through the Imagination Lot of Epcot before you enter into Epcot via a back-stage area. As you can probably imagination, there aren't any pictures from here because it was a parking lot at 6am. Don't worry though, you are still entertained with chEARleaders, cast members, and runners in some pretty awesome costumes. You enter Epcot's World Showcase and you can feel the magic instantly (if you haven't already). Since the runDisney 5Ks are strictly about fun for our family, we obviously had to stop for some pretty great character pictures! There were some really great characters out today. While sometimes runDisney races have some common characters out. they always tend to have some unique characters out on the course. One of my absolute favorite places in Epcot's World Showcase is standing in Japan and admiring Spaceship Earth glowing across the lagoon. After heading through most of World Showcase, you take a brief exit just past France at International Gateway at around the mile 2 point. With a brief portion backstage we hit our 2nd water station (runDisney is fabulous about making sure there are enough aid stations on course). We re-entered World Showcase by England and made our way continuing to visit the nations of the world. We finally arrived at Spaceship Earth! Whooop! Don't get too excited yet, you have to take a slight detour over towards Future World by The Land and The Seas with Nemo and Friends before heading back towards Spaceship Earth and ultimately the finish line. Done! Race 1 of 3 is done - 3.1 miles down, 19.3 to go! We collected our bling, snapped a few pictures and headed back to the resort. It was a great morning full of great memories (and pictures). I am glad that our family decides to run these races together because they create a lot of awesome memories for us. After freshening up, we headed over to Grand Floridian for breakfast at 1900 Park Fare. This has become a family tradition for us to go to after the Princess 5K each year. What better way to carb-load for the 10K and 1/2 Marathon than with a buffet and Mickey waffles - duh! After breakfast we headed over to Magic Kingdom for a little bit and enjoyed a few rides. We made sure to stay off of our feet too much though as we did have a 10K the next day. Also, early bedtimes were critical since we had to wake up at 2:30 the next morning...oh the joys of Disney races (but they are so worth it)! Question of the Day: Who was your favorite character on the Princess 5K course?
It is time to kick off the 2017 runDisney Princess Half Marathon weekend! First stop of the weekend (other than the hotel for a few hours of shut-eye) - the expo! Y'all know that I love race expos - between checking out vendors, shopping for merchandise and meeting up with friends it is just time that I always enjoy about race weekends. runDisney races have some pretty awesome expos, but you definitely have to have a plan in order to make the most of your time there. Mom and I knew that we were interested in trying out the newest runDisney New Balance shoes. Due to the popularity of the shoes, New Balance utilizes a virtual queue in order to reserve your spot in line and your size (kind of like a fast pass). The first day of the expo, only registered runners may register for the queue (the other days it is stand-by line open to the public). The queue opened at 7pm on Wednesday and fills up quickly so mom and I made sure we were ready to sign up while Papa J drove on our way to Walt Disney World. We both got signed up for "Group 1" which was 10am appointment time. After a successful time at WDW Marathon Weekend in January, runDInsey extended early access to Race Retreat participants which allowed us entry at 8:30am while the expo opened to the public at 10:00am. We arrived to ESPN Wide World of Sports about 7:15. When the taxi pulled up, there were a few others arriving as well, but not too many yet. We met up with Jennifer, got checked it to receive our Race Retreat wristbands and headed to the early access line. The day before, some the official race merchandise was released via Disney Parks Blog (well, a good portion of it). Everyone has now had a weekday to analyze what they were wanting to get their hands on so it made it easier for me to know what I was looking for. From tank tops, to hats, to jackets, wineglasses and more, there was a lot of gear fit for a princess. In past years, the official merchandise would be released a week or so in advanced, but I personally like the delayed release because there is a lot less time for personal shoppers/eBayers to hop in an buy the merchandise just to mark it up so runners arriving later in the week have to pay a high premium for items. Promptly at 8:30 we were let in to the expo! Wahoooo! We were probably about 10-15 people back in the line (of about 100 princesses lined up). When we headed in, just like everyone else we went straight to the official merchandise area. Man, Race Retreat totally paid for itself this morning! There were no crowds - we were able to just calmly shop. If you were at the first morning of the 2016 Princess Half Marathon expo, you know what I am talking about. As I entered the official race merchandise area, I knew that the three main things that I was wanting were the Glass Slipper Challenge jacket, car magnet, and wine glass. I swiftly gathered my items and moved off to the side to try on the shirt for sizing. Can I just say how annoying women's cut shirts can be sometimes to try to judge what size you need. Anyways, I digress. Jennifer, Julia, Momma K and I got our final selections and headed to check out. It was soooo nice having early entry because there was no line to check out! After leaving the official race merchandise area, I had an appointment to get my runDisney New Balance shoes! I have been waiting since January to get my Haunted Mansion shoes and they were finally going to be mine! The New Balance process was very quick and easy. We arrived to the New Balance booth, checked in with a team member, and waited about 5 minutes for a sales associate to assist us in getting our sizes/styles. For more info on the New Balance Virtual Queue for future runDisney race weekends, get the details here. Next we made our way through the expo floor checking out vendors including our favorites Sparkly Soul and Sparkle Athletic to see what new products they had for the weekend. I think hands down one of the most popular expo items of 2017 was the Sparkly Soul Tiara. Don't worry y'all, Sparkly Soul wants everyone to be able to show their princess side, so you can buy them online here. As we made our way around the expo, it wasn't too crowded on the expo floor. We were able to approach all of the booths easily and check everything out pretty easily. Granted, there were some booths that were a little crazy busy, but it wasn't bad. Of course we had to take advantage of some photo ops along the way. BY FAR the best photo op was the display they had set up for the upcoming live action release of Beauty & the Beast! If you want to see a bunch of women in their 30s-40s (and beyond) FREAK OUT, let them take their picture with the rose. SWOOOON! Remember how I said the official race merchandise line wasn't bad during early access? Well, it GREW....A LOT! The line to get in to shop was wrapped around out of the merchandise area. I must say though that the staff kept things very well organized and it was seeming to move pretty quickly. I am happy to report though that princesses remained very well behaved this year. There were no reports of shoving, throwing items, etc, as there was last year. Well done ladies! Thank you for being civil and not making a bad name for this race or other ladies. We headed over to the HP Field House next to pick up our bibs and race shirts. I was crazy shocked at how empty the packet pickup area was, but I had to remind myself that it was still very early in the morning and most of the crowd was at the merchandise area. We got our race shirts and gear check bags and made our way out within just a few minutes. Princess Half Marathon weekend expo 2017 was a success - now let's head to Epcot! Question of the Day: What is your favorite part about race expos?
This June, Hotlanta Half Marathon will be having its 4th running. Wow! Four years already?!?! I will be honest, when I signed up for my first Hotlanta Half Marathon, I was nervous as to what to expect running in Atlanta in the middle of summer. The first two years the race was held in mid-August, but last year it moved to June. In order to get you ready for running the Hotlanta Half Marathon on June 11, 2017, here are my top five reasons to run the Hotlanta Half Marathon this year.
1. Awesome Course Support
I don't know about you, but I totally feed off of course support. Whether it is a bullhorn, cowbells, signs, or dressing like a T-Rex, I love all the course support that is out in full force for the Hotlanta Half. Many different local running groups come out and cheer at various parts of the race course which makes for a great time. Granted, I know a lot of these enthusiastic spectators, but even if you don't know them, they are there to cheer for YOU on race day.
2. Scenic Tour of Atlanta
I can never get enough of running through downtown Atlanta. There are so many different places to check out on any race course in Atlanta. From historical sites to sporting event facilities and tourist destinations, there is a lot that Atlanta has to offer. Hotlanta Half Marathon does a fabulous job of taking runners through some of the best that Atlanta has to offer. Along the way, you pass Centennial Olympic Park, Turner Field (now the former home of the Atlanta Braves), run under the Olympic Rings, a loop through Piedmont Park, a tour of Georgia Tech, and even a stretch on the Atlanta Beltline (which is pretty darn flat). Atlanta Natives and those who have never been to Atlanta can all really appreciate the beauty of the city brought to you via the 13.1 mile Hotlanta Half Marathon course.
3. Stay Cool and Hydrated
Does summer running in the South have you worried? Don't be! Hotlanta Half Marathon always takes runner safety very seriously. They always have ample water & nuun stations along the way, but even when scorching temps came in for last year's race, they stepped it up even more and added additional stations along the way. As a bonus, around mile 7 was a PowerIce station with frozen electrolyte pops. Ummm, yes please. In addition, several cheer stations along the way had ice towels out that really helped keep you cool along the way.
4. Finish Line Festival at Pemberton Place
Pemberton Place is a big part of the downtown area. Located right near the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, and Centennial Olympic Park, Pemberton Place is a great area for races in the area. There is ample parking to accommodate large numbers of runners, indoor restroom facilities, area attractions near by, and a large space for runners to visit sponsors and vendors and hang out a bit post race with family and friends.
5. Sweet Bling
I admit it, I love some great bling. Hotlanta Half Marathon always has some pretty sweet bling for sure. No generic circle medals here, folks. Nope, Hotlanta Half Marathon knows that runners love some great medals and always has some of the best medals each year. Last year the medal was shaped like a sun and featured a double spinner in the center. This definitely stands out in my medal collection. I cannot wait to see what they have in store for us this year!
There are so many reasons why I continue to come back for more Hotlanta Half Marathon fun each year, and those 5 reasons are just the top reasons. Is it challenging with potentially hot weather? Yea. Is it hilly? Ummm, it IS Atlanta (so yes). Is it a great time and a well supported race in the Atlanta community? HECK YEA!
Ok, so who is joining me on June 11? Head over to HotlantaHalf.com and register today and use code FUNNERRUNNER5OFF to save an extra $5 off of your registration. I hope to see you there!
****Price increase is 3/15, so register by 3/14/17 to save some extra cash!***
GIVEAWAY TIME!
As a 2017 Hotlanta Half Marathon Ambassador, they hooked me up with some goodies to pass along to you! One lucky person will receive the following prize pack from some of the sponsors of the 2017 Hotlanta Half Marathon to help you get race day ready: SeatBella Car Seat Protector, Saucony Tote Bag, (2) tubes of nuun Tri-Berry, (6) pouches of Huma strawberry Chia Energy Gel.
To enter, use the Rafflecopter below. Winner will be selected on the morning of Friday, March 10, 2017 via Rafflecopter and will be contacted via the email address associated with their Rafflecopter account . The winner will have 24 hours to claim the prize or prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected. Prize pack will be mailed the week of March 12, 2017 pending confirmation of winning.
Sorry, this giveaway is only open to residents of the United States. While I want each of you to come take on Hotlanta with me in June, I know that not everyone can be in Georgia on race day - don't worry, I want you to enter too!
Best of luck to everyone entering! I hope to see each of you on June 11! Get ready, train hard, and lets ROCK Hotlanta Half Marathon!
Question of the Day: How do you stay cool and/or hydrated during summer runs?
Even though it has only been on my race calendar for a few weeks (thanks to an ice storm earlier this year that canceled another race of mine), it feels like my excitement for the A1A Half Marathon weekend had been growing FOREVER! There were a number of reason that I was giddy about this weekend: I was getting to spend time with family, I have heard great things about this race, it has some pretty awesome bling, and IT IS FLORIDA! I stayed at one of the race hotels that was about a mile from the finish line. Free shuttles were offered from the finish line to the start line (and vice versa). Rather than walking a mile or so to the finish before the race, I opted for an "unofficial" shuttle from my hotel that was scheduled by runners with a shuttle company for $10 a person. I will take it. $10 for convenience and one mile less on my legs pre race and a bit extra sleep, yes please. Hey, the race started at 6am, so if I could sleep until 4:00 instead of 3:45, I was happy to spend a few bucks. Since I took the first unofficial shuttle, I got to the race pretty darn early. Like 5am early. I hung out for a bit and headed to the porto-potties around 5:15. Welp....THEY WERE OUT OF TOILET PAPER! Thank you so much to the sweet spectator that was in line in front of my and had a few baby wipes in her bag and shared one with me! OYE! It seems as if the portos were only stocked with ONE ROLL in each! There was no sign of rolls on the holders and just a cardboard tube (or a partial roll in a few lucky portos). What a nightmare! Thousands of runners and a shortage of toilet paper is not a good start to the day - especially at 5:15am! Around 5:45 I got situated in the corral. There was just one general corral for the marathon and half marathon runners. The pacers in the crowd served as a gauge as to where to place yourself in the corral which seemed to work well. At first I was shocked that there wasn't at least two waves, but I thought the race was going to be much bigger than what it was. Don't get me wrong, it was a pretty big race, just not THAT big. We were off and on our way at 7am. The absolute most craziest thing happened just around .2 mile in - as we approached the train tracks, the signals for a train coming started going off! Despite a hold on trains that was suppose to be in place from 7-7:30am, a train was coming through just as the race started! As I was 10 feet away from the tracks, the chimes and lights started going off as the arms were about to come down. I BEAT THE TRAIN! Unfortunately for a HUGE number of runners, they did not beat the train. Runners that got caught by the train were taken back to the start and restarted the race after the train passed. Yes, it was good that the race gave them a clean start, however they now had an extra 20-30 minutes that they would be running in the sun because of something that shouldn't have happened (and was to no fault of their own). Y'all, it was HOT! Like, DANG HOT! I know it is Florida and heat and humidity are expected, but this was nonsense! Talking to runners that are local and/or have ran this race previously said that the temps are usually in the 50s-60s for A1A weekend. Today it was in the upper 70s with 94% humidity at the start. I was DRENCHED by mile 1! Even though I had been hydrating like a boss knowing I would be running in some sticky weather, I knew that I was going to need to run slower and be smart today. Just as I approached the bridge on Las Olas, the sun was just starting to peep from the skyline. We don't get views like this in Atlanta, so I was definitely going to soak this in! I made my way to Fort Lauderdale Beach and famous A1A! This is what I was waiting for! OH MY STARS! Even though I knew that sun was about to make the next 10 miles an absolute scorcher, I could help but swoon over one of the prettiest sunrises that I have seen in a long time! Hot or not, I will gladly sweat a bit extra for views like this! We made our way north on A1A for about a mile and headed into Hugh Taylor Birch State Park for a two and a half mile loop through the park. It was very pretty in the park and shaded which was very welcomed! As we came out from Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, we were greeted by a number of adoring fans (aka - awesome spectators). A huge shoutout to Team Twizzler for the pick me up! Man, that was just what I needed to give me a good jolt mid-race. Thank you, dear strangers, thank you. Since the half marathon course was mostly an out and back, you were able to see a lot of the runners along the course and cheer each other on. With palm trees and the Atlantic OCean on one side and beautiful hotels, restaurants, and residences on the other, there was no lack of scenery. Just around mile 10.5ish, the lead marathon came through. He was going strong, but you could tell that the heat was likely getting him, too. My pace at this point had slowed down a good bit, but I would rather be safe than sorry. While I ran a few races in warmer temps recently, my body isn't used to this in February. I took an orange slice at mile 11.5 and just enjoyed the scenery and experience. 13.1 miles, a train, a twizzler, an orange slice, several cups of water over my head, countless amounts of sweat, and many awesome memories and sights later, the A1A Half Marathon is DONE! My Aunt Vicki who came along with me this weekend, met me at the finish line which was awesome! :) The finish line area was HUGE and quite popular. There were so many different vendors set up and a TON of runners and spectators were sticking around to check things out which is AWESOME! To be honest, when I am that crazy hot and gross, the last thing I want to do is be in crowded situations. Since I had a mile to get back to the hotel and had to shower and get checked out soon, it worked out anyways. Don't think that I didn't leave without my chocolate milk though ;) I am a girl with priorities. Ok, A1A Marathon weekend, you win with this medal! This thing is legit! First, for as large as my medal collection is, I don't own a stingray medal. Plus it is hinged an opens to a suncatcher inside. HOW AWESOME IS THIS THING!!!!! Thank you A1A Marathon for an awesome 13.1 mile tour of A1A & Fort Lauderdale! Yea, there were some issues and I might have a different tune if I got caught by the train (don't get me wrong, I feel HORRIBLE for each of you), but I had a great time still. Thank you to the staff, volunteers, emergency personnel (who were crazy busy with the heat), and fellow runners made it a memorable time.
Looking to fill up your 2017 race calendar? How about saving some cash when registering? Here are a few of my favorite races coming up in 2017 along with some sweet discount codes to help you make your race budget go a little further. Craft Classic 1/2 Marathon and 5K - Various Dates/Locations
Hotlanta 1/2 Marathon - Atlanta, GA - June 11, 2017
Pittsburgh Marathon & 1/2 Marathon - May 7, 201
Publix Savanah Women's 1/2 Marathon & 5K- April 8, 201 ZOOMA Women's Race Series - Various Dates/Locations
2017 is bound to be EPIC! I mean, we write our own stories each day, so fill each day and each page of your book with greatness. Dream big. Work hard. Make it happen! Bring it on 2017! Question of the Day: What race(s) do you have on your 2017 calendar so far?
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BrandiI love to run and most importantly I love to have FUN while I run....I am the "Funner Runner" Feedspot's Top 100 Running Blogs
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February 2020
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