Live More This Summer

Well the weather is heating up and the humidity is settling in and that can only mean one thing: SC, as usual, has decided to skip Spring and jump right into Summer! And I for one am actually not going to complain about it (much). This winter was a brutal one and it drug on and on and on and on. 

To celebrate, I've been prepping for some exciting Summer adventures, some of which that are a bit out of my comfort zone, but exciting all the same. Inspired by some new amazing Buff gear that I recently got, I've vowed to #LiveMoreNow and make the most of the warm days ahead. 

"Disclaimer: I received several Buff products to use and review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!"

I kicked off my adventures with my year's most challenging Half Marathon, the Kings Mountain Half Marathon. Yup, that is exactly what it sounds like, a Half Marathon up a mountain. I will be making a post dedicated to this race soon. But spoiler alert: it was perhaps one of the toughest courses that I've ever had the pleasure to run. Loads of fun though. My Buff arm sleeves were perfect for the cooler morning coupled with the ease of taking them off when I warmed up without breaking my pace. So much more convenient than a full extra layer and they quickly and easily tied onto my fuel belt.

Another May adventure has been the challenge of my Run the Rock running group's yearly #MileADayMay running streak. Each May, we vow to run at least 1 mile per day. It's been crazy tough - I'm a girl who loves a good rest day, but so far, I've met the daily goal. Some days it's been crazy hot, and I've even had to run a few days in the rain (the upcoming forecast looks like it might end up being a few more) but the challenge has been a fun one that the whole group has been taking to heart. I've been seriously loving my Buff Pro Run Cap on the super hot days to keep me shaded, and even more so on the rainy ones to keep the rain off my face.  

So what else do I have in store for my upcoming adventures. Well my June is pretty jam packed! 

First, on June 2nd I will be doing my first ever Warrior Dash. This crazy decision was born from delusions of forcing myself to increase my upper body strength, an area where I am seriously lacking. 


Back in November, I joined Burn Boot Camp as a way to cross train. I learned pretty quickly while I could rock out a cardio day with no problems, and even leg days were not a huge challenge for me, I stunk on toast when it came to any kind of upper body workouts. So, when I receive my weekly protocol on Sunday's I plan my week to take advantage of the days that I most need, mostly upper body and core work. For example, here's this week's protocol. I went on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday this week hitting both arm days and the core day. 

Serious Training, No Really! 

Anyway, a group from Burn decided to do the Warrior Dash, and crazy me, drunk on the fact that I have any arm muscles for the first time in my life decided to join them. We've been doing some crazy training like hanging out at playgrounds, rock walls and staying after boot camps to attempt pull-ups. Despite, I still epicly failed at the monkey bars in our neighborhood playground this evening. It's been a fun training process, and I trust my girls to have my back.

One of the Hiking Trails at  Cookie Camp

The next weekend, June 9th I get to attend Cookie Camp. See, I'm a leader with my daughter's Girl Scout Troop and our Head Leader is crazy obsessed with Cookie Sales. Never before we joined this troop did I ever think it would be possible to sell 500 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies, but we did for the 2nd year in a row now. The 500+ Cookie Sales Reward is a day at Cookie Camp, where my daughter and I (and the other top sellers from our Council) get to go hiking, boating, do crafts, archery, eat S'mores and have an amazing day out in the woods. I can't wait. And my Buff Insect Shield Headwear is going to be amazing for this. Since it's supposed to rain pretty much non-stop for the next week, I am expecting a billion or more mosquitoes out there. Hmmm... maybe I had better get a second one for the little one. 

Next up on June 16th is a night-time trail race that I've been wanting to do forever, the Moonlight Bootlegger 5K. You run through the trails starting at 9 pm and finish the race at a big after-party in the woods complete with Moonshine. Several of my friends have done it before and it looks like a blast. Although I am a bit nervous about the trail aspect. See, I'm not the best at trails and I've never run one at night, but I guess it wouldn't be a challenge if it wasn't challenging, right?

Polaroids are still a thing?

Lastly, I will round out my June adventures with the Insane Inflatable on June 23rd. This is a super fun 5K where you run form bouncy obstacle to bouncy obstacle. It's a wonderful combination of fun and difficult (seriously, bouncing is tiring). But the best part about the Insane Inflatable is I am doing it again with my little one. We did this together in Nov and had a blast so we signed up again for the June leg. We've been going on training runs/walks to prepare for it and just been having the best time together. She's even come with me to a Mommy and Me Burn Boot Camp. Love spending time with my Mini-Me.

So, do you think that is enough to keep me busy? Whew, just typing all that out is making me a bit tired. But I'm excited too! Keep tuned to this blog as I will be updating you on all my adventures as they happen, starting with my recap of the Kings Mountain Half Marathon, which will post later this weekend. 

So what kind of adventures are you planning this summer? How do you plan to #LiveMoreNow ? Let me know in the comments.  As for me, I'm off to get some sleep. I'm going to need it!