ZOOM(A)ing Throughout the Year

Disclaimer:  I received an entry to the Zooma Texas Wine Country Virtual Race to 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! 

So all this year, BibRave has partnered with the amazing Zooma Women's Race Series to help spread the word about their amazingly fun and women-empowering races. I've loved learning about and seeing all the amazing photos from the series throughout the year while anxiously awaiting my turn to run my own Zooma Race, the Inaugural Texas Wine County Half Marathon. 

The series kicked off in March with the Texas Lost Pines weekend where ladies had the chance to race around Downtown Bastrop, TX - the most historic small town in Texafor a Texas Lost Pines Half Marathon, 10K or 5K. Next up were 2 awesome September races, Great Lakes and Cape Cod, both with really cool events in addition to the races, and even cooler swag! Then, in October, was the incredible Amelia Island weekend. My friend Kim got to go and run it and you can see some of her awesome pics here: http://barkingmadaboutrunning.blogspot.com/2019/10/wordless-wednesday_23.html

Seriously, how cool is this Corkscrew Medal?
Fun and Functional! 

Last up was the Texas Wine Country Race Weekend. This was a new race to the series this year and what a fun one. The medals for the Half Marathon had a built in corkscrew! As soon as I saw them, I immediately knew that I wanted to run this race to earn one. Luckily for me, the Zooma Women's Race Series offers Virtual options for all of their events! Since I live in SC and wasn't able to travel to Texas, I still had the opportunity to register for the race, run my Half Marathon and earn the same swag as the live runners. 

Another great thing about opting for a Virtual Race is that I you can fit the race to meet your schedule as necessary. I was running the Rock n Roll Savannah Half Marathon the same day that the Zooma Texas Wine County Half was racing, so I just put in my Half Marathon a week early. This gave me awesome motivation for one last long training run before Savannah, and I earned some truly cool swag! 

My Virtual Race Day Results

I may have run just a tad more than a Half Marathon distance

Just 1 week after the race date, I received my goodies! This really cool shirt, bag, event specific wine glass and OMG COOL medal. There was also a KT tape sample in the tote bag which, let me tell you, I love! 

Overall, the race series was incredible. All of the pictures from the events I saw posted looked like so much fun. The medals and swag for each event were adorable and really creative. And again, I just love the fact that even if you are unable to travel to the actual event, you can still participate. I plan on participating in another Zooma event next year! 

For more information on Zooma Run events, check out their website here: https://zoomarun.com/ 

And be sure to follow them on socials to see all the cool pictures from their events and daily motivation they send out to empower women runners!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZOOMARun/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZOOMArun

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ZOOMArun/?hl=en

And, if you think that it is cool that I got to check out these races as a part of being a BibRave Pro? Well, the BibRave team is expanding and we are looking for new Pros to join our ranks. To learn more and apply, visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfMLYkZWVCNvuq0BG08xOkcM5gubikyWfR_8hnhojetVAW4cQ/viewform

RnR Savannah 2019 RACE WEEK is HERE!

IT'S ROCK n ROLL SAVANNAH RACE WEEK!!!!

And that means two things. 

1. Time for last minute preparations. 
2. Time for last minute PANIC!! 

See, you may recall that I have set myself a goal of a sub 2 hour Half on Saturday at the Rock n Roll Savannah Half Marathon. This will have me cutting about 5 minutes off last year's time. I've been training like crazy and hopefully, all my hard work will pay off.

Last long run before Savannah completed, all is left to do is taper 

I am tentatively optimistic. I know I have gotten faster since last year. Just this weekend, I ran a 5K that I had done last year and cut 3 minutes off that time. 3 minutes off just 3.1 miles so for sure I can cut 5 minutes off of 13.1! The hardest part will be to not go out too fast. The plan here is to find the 2:00 pacer and basically stalk them for about 10 miles of the race and then see how I feel. A friend of mine has also offered to pace me, and I haven't decided if I will take her up on that or not. I'm pretty solitary during a race, but the extra support may be good. IDK. 

Last Minute Prep made easy with the
RnR Marathon App

So yeah, right now it is all about packing to make sure that I have everything that I need - clothes, shoes, gels, hat, sunglasses, gear, KT Tape, all the race day essentials. I already have downloaded the Rock n Roll Marathon Series app and have my Bib numbers (I am also doing the 5K on Sunday afternoon). I've been obsessively weather stalking (temps are going down, booooo! And I've already started laying out stuff to pack. Finally, I am putting in my last few easy runs before the BIG EVENT! 

I will be leaving Friday morning and riding down with some friends to Savannah. We have a pretty huge group going (26!!) and are going to have a great time. If you follow me on Twitter and/or Instagram, you will for sure be getting lots of updates for the weekend. 

If you are going to be at the Rock n Roll Savannah also, we plan to hit up the Expo on Friday around 4 pm. Look for me, I'll be in BibRave Orange! 

Well, I guess that is about it. I'm sure I am forgetting something and if you've spotted it, please let me know in the comments. Or, if you just want to wish me luck, you can do that as well. 

Virtually Crossing That Finish Line - NYRR Halfway There 13.1M Results

Disclaimer: I am participating in the NYRR Virtual Halfway There 13.1M 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!

You may recall a few weeks ago, I told you about the NYRR Virtual Halfway There 13.1M virtual race that had registered for. Well, the virtual finish line has passed for 7600+ participants who joined on Strava. So how did it go?

Well we had from Sept. 7th until Oct. 13th to cover the 13.1 Half Marathon miles, anytime, anyplace. I had a few different options for mine since I have been pretty aggressively training for the Rock n Roll Savannah Half Marathon on Nov. 2nd. In fact, I had 4 weekends during that time that I was scheduled to run 13 or more miles. 

I eventually picked Sept. 28th as my "official" race day. This ended up being pretty big running day for another reason, I joined a new running club that day also. I had known several members of Fast Feet over the years, but had never officially run with them, so I figured, sure, let's share a Virtual race. I think my logic was that I would be less nervous about both if I combined them. Well, I guess it worked, because I had an awesome run with some awesome people. 

My goal for my training plan that day was to run 13 miles at a 10:00 pace. Oops, I ran 13.28 at a 9:43 (I'm terrible at slowing down when I need to). But I was happy with my time, and happy with my run. I of course tracked everything with Strava so I got an awesome little badge for my account and added to the leaderboard. Fun! 

My Strava Results Screen

Overall, it was a lot of fun. I got to connect with some awesome people by joining both the Strava Challenge group and the NYRR Virtual Racing Facebook Group. Virtual races like these are awesome opportunities to help motivate you and connect you to other runners. Plus you can pick your date/time so if the weather is not optimal, no big deal, move it! 

I would totally do another NYRR Virtual. And lucky for me, they have several! Just check out their website here for more upcoming races and details. https://nyrr.org/run/race-calendar

Have you ever run a virtual race? If so, which one and what did you like or not like about it? Let me know in the comments below.

Never Say Never (Sort Of)

Disclaimer: I am participating in the Charlotte Marathon 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!

So guess who is running another Marathon... sort of.

Put down the phone, Mom! I'm not running a Marathon really, or at least not on my own. I will be a part of a Relay team running the Charlotte Marathon on November 16th.

I've been wanting to run the Charlotte Marathon (well, maybe not the Marathon, but definitely one of the races that weekend) for several years now and it has somehow never quite worked out. So when I found out that the race weekend would be one that I didn't have plans for already, I was so excited. But which race to do? I have a major goal race, Rock n Roll Savannah, two weeks earlier so I didn't think I would be up for another Half Marathon so quickly, but I felt like I could do more than a 5K. Enter the perfect solution, the Relay!

With the Relay, you and a team of 4 others cover the Marathon distance together, each running approximately 5 miles (1 leg is a bit shorter, another a bit longer). It is all the fun of a Marathon with none of the pain! And you get to experience it with 4 of your running buddies! What's not to love?

Sound like fun to you? Join us! You can register your own Charlotte Marathon Relay Team here: https://runcharlotte.com/ and even save $25 off your team registration with discount code: BIBRAVERELAY. Don't have a team to run with, but still want to experince the awesomeness of the Charlotte Marathon race weekend? Sign up for the 5K and save $5 off your registration with discount code: BIBRAVE5K. 

But don't wait too long to register, prices increase November 8th. Hope to see you there! Let me know if I will in the comments below.

Virtually Running with NYRR - Halfway There 13.1M

Disclaimer: I am participating in the NYRR Virtual Halfway There 13.1M 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!

So if you are a regular reader of this blog you have heard (seen) me extol the virtues of Virtual Racing before both here: https://runnerdgirl.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-benefits-of-racing-virtually.html and here: https://runnerdgirl.blogspot.com/2019/06/join-me-for-world-refugee-5k.html 

I'll summarize: Virtual racing is awesome. You can do your race anytime, anywhere and still get to be involved with other amazing runners completing the same challenges as you. I'm very pro. 

Well, I am at it again! Just signed up for another Virtual Race and this one I am a bit stupid excited  about, the NYRR Virtual Halfway There 13.1M! See, running the TCS New York City Marathon and Half Marathon is one of those dream races. But with my budget and schedule, sadly it is one of those races that I will probably never get the chance to do. (Never say never, right?)

And that is the beauty of Virtual Racing. I can run right along with those who are training for the TCS New York City Marathon and Half Marathon without having to travel. 

And you know the best part of this Virtual Race? It's absolutely FREE! You just need to register for a free account with the NYRR and with Strava and you are good to go. Just do your Half Marathon wherever, whenever you want before October 13th and log it with Strava as a Race and you will join Virtual runners all over the world.

Since the Virtual Race is powered by Strava, there are a few minor disclaimers:

• The Challenge starts and ends based on each runner's local time zone.

• All activities logged during the Challenge period must be uploaded to Strava no later than three days after the Challenge ends.

• Manual entries, virtual runs, or treadmill runs are not eligible. Activity privacy settings must be marked "Everyone" to count towards the Challenge goal.

• Each activity must be tagged as a "Race" in order to count towards the challenge and influence an athlete's leaderboard position.

There's also a little extra cool thing for those who are doing the actual NYC race. Show your badge of completion at the TCS New York City Marathon Expo Presented by New Balance from October 31 to November 2 for a surprise gift (limited supplies, first-come, first served).

Decisions, decisions... 

Now for the hard part - I have to decide when to run it! I am currently training for the Rock n Roll Savannah Half Marathon the first weekend in November. Between now and the October 13th race deadline I have four 13 mile or higher long runs on my training schedule. I could go with one of two different strategies - 1) go ahead and use the first one to knock it out and get the accomplishment or 2) pick my fastest long run time to count for the race. Or, I could just pick one of the weeks and say beforehand - this is the one. I've got a bit to decide. Which would you do?

Let me know in the comments if you plan to join me and the already over 4,500 other runners registered. Follow this link to sign up: https://www.nyrr.org/races/nyrrvirtualhalfwaythere131m 
You can visit the Strava event page here for more details as well: https://www.strava.com/challenges/nyrr-virtual-half-marathon-2019
There is even a Facebook Group that you can join to further connect with your other Virtual Running Buddies. 

But don't delay, the Virtual has already started and runners are completing their race every day! Don't miss out. 

Relax, Recover and Rest with Nuun

Disclaimer: I received a 2 tubes of Nuun Rest to 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!

Afternoon Speed Work in the SC Summer, of course!

As a runner, I have a lot of strong qualities. I can write a training plan like nobody's business. If I say I will meet you to run, you better the heck believe I will be there. I am the first person to say "Yes" to running a stupid number of miles if you need long run company. Cross training? I'm at Burn Boot Camp at 5:30 am pretty much every weekday morning. Pushing 100 degrees out? Lace up and let's go. Speed work? Hills? The more the better. I am willing to put in the work.

But where my true weakness lies is in an area that is just as important as putting in the work, REST. 

I suck at resting. I took a rest day this past Sunday because I honesty could not remember the last time that I had not either run or gone to Burn and when I woke up I felt like I had been beaten in the night. So I begrudgingly took the day off on Sunday, and totally felt guilty the whole day. And when it came time to go to bed, I just couldn't relax. I was so restless I ended up getting a crap night's sleep which lead to a crap day on Monday. Moral of the story - I should have had some Nuun Rest as a part of my bedtime routine! 

Nuun Rest, What's That?

I'm glad you asked. You may have heard of Nuun before. It is the go to hydration supplement for many a runner. It's awesome stuff that I've used for years. Basically flavorful drink tablets packed with electrolytes and other great things (depending on the type - vitamins. minerals, caffeine and other great things to keep you hydrated and performing your best). 

Recently Nuun introduced a new product to their line up, Nuun Rest, which is designed to help aid in recovery, rest and relaxation - all the things I suck at. So yeah, when given the chance to try it out, I was 100% in. Here are some basic facts about it:

• Nuun Rest is meant for recovery. It is NOT an electrolyte replacement like other Nuun varieties.
• The key components in Nuun Rest are Magnesium and Tart Cherry juice which help aid in recovery.
• Since this is a rest/recovery product it really helps with sleep...that means it also can 
  make you sleepy.
• Due to Nuun Rest’s high levels of magnesium (300mg) only 1 serving per day is recommended.
• 1 tablet = 10 calories & 1g of sugar. Contains no artificial sweeteners and Non-GMO verified ingredients.
• Nuun Rest should be mixed with a smaller amount of water than other Nuun products. It is recommended to mix with 4-6 oz of water instead of 16 oz like the electrolyte Nuun products. (I mix mine with warm water, it not only helps it dissolve faster, but also adds to the calming effect I think.
• Comes in two calming flavors: Blackberry Vanilla and Lemon Chamomile.

For more information from the Nuun website - check out their blog post here: https://nuunlife.com/blogs/news/introducing-nuun-rest

So Does it Work?

I've used Nuun Rest several times now as a part of my bedtime routine. I mix with warm water in a mug and drink it about 30 minutes or so before I hit the bed. I love the taste of both the Blackberry Vanilla and the Lemon Chamomile, but think I like the Lemon Chamomile a bit more - it is very tart and refreshing. I've used it the night before a race to help calm pre-race jitters and have used it on nights when I've had a stressful day to help me relax. I do really feel that it helps me to get sleepy and unwind better. I will continue to use it, especially on the days that I find I need a little extra help slipping into relaxation mode.

Want to try it for yourself? You can order Nuun Rest from the Nuun website here: https://nuunlife.com/ and use discount code "HYDRATEBIBPRO" for 20% off your purchase. (Excluding subscription options and bundles. Good through 10/31)

Cheers to a good night's rest!

Dropping FBOMBs - Fat Is Smart Fuel Nut Butter Review

Disclaimer: I received a 16 pack of FBOMB Macadamia Nut Butters to 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!

So, if you have read my blog at all, or followed me on socials (if not, here's my Twitter and Instagram) you know that I run. And I work out at Burn Boot Camp. A lot. I expend a lot of energy in the day, so I find myself snacking a lot to keep my energy up. And I am always on the lookout for clean, healthy snacks that provide good nutrition and clean energy, otherwise all of that running and strength training would be wasted. So when I was given the chance to try FBOMB Nut Butters, I jumped at the chance. 

Someone dropped an FBOMB on my porch, lol

First, let me hit you with a few FBOMB facts.

• They each come in around 200 calories. 
• They are Keto friendly
• They are Paleo friendly
• They are Vegetarian friendly
• They are Vegan friendly
• They have no sugar added
• They are Gluten Free
• They have no GMOs
• They are Dairy free
• They are Peanut free
• They have a unique texture that is creamy with small nut chunks
• They are DELICIOUS (this one may be opinion) 

FBOMB Nut Butters come in 4 different flavors:

• Macadamia with Coconut Nut Butter Blend
• Macadamia with Sea Salt Nut Butter
• Salted Chocolate Macadamia Nut Butter
• Macadamia Pecan with Sea Salt Nut Butter

And spoiler alert: they are all fantastic, but my absolute favorite is the Macadamia with Coconut. This stuff is seriously good! I may have even cut open the packet and licked the inside. It's THAT good!

I've used FBOMBs both as a post-workout pick me up and as a coffee break snack at work. And while they are super easy to eat right out of the pouch (just Knead, Tear and Eat), you can also use them to add a bit of extra energizing yum to other foods. I drizzled the Macadamia Pecan on a cut up apple and it was AMAZING! Another one of my fellow BibRave Pros who also got to sample them posted an amazing looking FBOMB Banana Bowl recipe here: http://www.scootadoot.org/2019/09/04/road-tested-fbomb-macadamia-nut-butters-2/

If you’re interested in trying these out, use code BRP10 to save 10% off the 16-count FBOMB Nut Butter Variety Pack on their website - https://www.dropanfbomb.com/collections/nut-butters/products/fbomb-nut-butter-variety-pack-16-count