3rd Quarter Check In

First of all here are my 2018 goals along with the current status (Goals are listed in orange). 

• Run 1009 miles - me and a friend are splitting 2018 miles
• I'm a bit ahead on this goal as I've banked a few miles here an there each month just in case something comes up. Luckily this year I have yet to run into any extended breaks (please don't have just jinxed this!!) so as of today, I am at 813 miles of the 757 I needed to be on track for 1009 for the year. My partner is training for an Ultra (it's this weekend, wish her luck!), so she's well ahead of schedule at 892 miles. Combined we are sitting pretty at 1705/2018. Each of us only need just over 150 miles each to finish out the year which will be no problem, esp with me training for 2 more Half Marathons and starting training for my first ever Marathon.

• Run 18 races
• I'm well and good on the 18 race goal. As of Sept 30th, I have run 11. Currently, I have registered for 5 more (Color Me for Life 5K, Great Pumpkin Run 5K, Rock N Roll Savannah Half Marathon and 5K, and Huntersville Half Marathon. I know for sure doing 2 others (Gobble Wobble 8K and Santa Run 8K), just have not registered for yet. I also may do another 10K in Nov but haven't fully decided. (You can join me at Savannah and save $15 on the Half or Full with discount code- RNRBRP2018).

These are the 2018 Savannah Rock n Roll medals. Pleased to say I'll be earning 3 of these beauties! 

• Place in 4 races
• This goal is already met and then some! I'm now at SIX placings! 3rd at New Years Gnome Run 5K, 2nd at Kings Mountain Half Marathon, 1st at Come See Me 5K, 2nd at Moonlight Bootlegger, 1st at Common Heart Firecracker 10K and 3rd at Summerfest 5K!!!  I'm half hoping for one more at the Great Pumpkin Run in October, but it's kind of a long shot, so we'll see... 

• 1200 Twitter followers
• Done and Done! Current follower count is 1,284

• 1000 Instagram followers
• Not sure if I am gonna make this one. Currently at 793. I've upped my Instagram game a bit, but it is still slow going. If you have any Insta tips, please post in the comments. 

• Run 4 Half Marathons (Tobacco Rd., Kings Mtn, Run & Ride, Rock n Roll Savannah) with a new PR in at least 1
• 2 down, with 2 more registered for 
• New PR at Tobacco Road.
• Running Rock n Roll Savannah Half on Nov. 3rd
• Running Huntersville Half on Dec. 9th

• Do an Obstacle Race (Warrior Dash) 
• Done and done! This was a total blast. So much fun! I can't wait to run it again Although one of my friends is trying to convince us to upgrade to the Spartan. We'll see...

Our crazy messy crew

• Renew as BibRave Pro

• This doesn't happen until late Fall, so no update on this goal, but I *think* I am doing a decent job as a Pro. I've met all my requirement and try to post quality content. And I have been LOVING some of the awesome things I've gotten to test! Some of my favorites include Aftershokz Trekz Air bone conducting headphones and my Bedgear Performance Pillow. Love getting to try out such cool things and tell others about them!  

• Blog more - 4 per month at least 
• Some month's have been better than others (I'm looking at you, May and August) but I can say that I have overall done a much better job of blogging than in 2017.  So far I am at 33 (including this post) for the year, which averages out to 3.67 posts per month which is ALMOST 4, so I'm calling it a win. 

• Keep a consistent training plan/journal (Using the Believe Training Journal) 
• Ummmm... pass. Yeah, I suck. Said amazing training journal has sat in my desk drawer, cold and unloved. I am having a bit more luck with the pocket calendar, but mostly for scheduling BibRave stuff, not training. Recommend a system that you love for me to try in the comments below to help a girl out. 

And I am not sure of you noticed me slip it in there at the top, but I already have my MAJOR 2019 Goal lined. I'M RUNNING MY FIRST MARATHON at Tobacco Road in March!! That's crazy! I'm still not ever sure why crazy me has decided to do this, probably so I can answer yes once and for all when people ask if I've run a marathon. Feeling like it will totally be a one and done kind of thing, but I have to get that one. I ran the Half at Tobacco Road this year and loved it, so I think it will be a great first Full. Training will officially start in Nov. after Savannah. You can join me at Tobacco Road, register with discoutn code trmrave19 for $20 off either the Half or the Full - https://tobaccoroadmarathon.com/

How about you? Tell me how your 2018 is going so far. Feel free to follow me on Twitter or Instagram if you haven't already to help me meet those 2018 number too. 

Happy Fall Y'all (Yeah Right, this is SC)

“Disclaimer: I received Gatorade Endurance  products 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!”


Today is the first day of Fall. Any minute now, the leaves are sure to change to orange, red and gold, the days will get cooler and the air crisp instead of humid. 😃😃😃 

YEAH RIGHT!! I live in SC, it's going to be Summer until approximately mid-December. Don't believe me, today the temperature is forecasted to be 90. Happy Fall Y'all indeed! We're not getting a break from the heat and humidity for a while yet. 

So, since the Summer heat is planning on sticking around, I'm going to embrace it and just keeping all things Summer going strong. Cause if you can't beat 'em, join 'em I say. 

• Tank tops and flip flops through December. Why not? 
• Ice Cream and Sno Cones? The more the better. 
• Crazy giant bugs? Ugh, do we have to? 
• Yummy Summer flavors like Watermelon and Mango? Now that's more like it, bring on the Gatorade Endurance!!

Since the heat and the humidity plan on sticking around for a few more months, I'm going to keep up with my Summer hydrating strategy of dosing myself heavily with Gatorade Endurance, especially during my long runs  well into the Fall and probably Winter too. Before this summer I'd traditionally been a Water-Only Runner, at least for during runs sticking with electrolyte drinks for pre-run and recovery, but after having the chance to test out Gatorade Endurance back in June - check out my blog post about that here - http://runnerdgirl.blogspot.com/2018/06/gatorade-endurance-releases-2-new.html - I've really noticed a difference taking in the extra sodium and electrolytes during a run. 

So yeah, I've been doing more runs with either just Gatorade Endurance or with a bottle of both water and Gatorade Endurance, and my crazy hot mid-afternoon runs have been much more bearable and I feel like I recover much more quickly. So much so that I invested in a fancy new dual belt so I could carry a bottle of each on my upcoming long runs for first Half Marathon and then my first Marathon training. 

Speaking of my next Half Marathon, Rock n Roll Savannah, guess what the on-course refreshment will be? That's right, Gatorade Endurance. And you know what they say, nothing new on race day, so yay for training under the same conditions as race day. In fact, according to a recent article in Men's Journal, Gatorade Endurance is the on-course choice for over +300 races around the country including the New York, Boston and Chicago Marathons, plus, all Rock n Roll races. I've found that most races have the Lemon Lime, but I really hope they consider changing over to the Watermelon because I am really digging it. But either way, all flavors are engineered the same and offer the same benefits of the electrolytes, carbs and calories you need to perform your best. 

Want to check out it out for yourself? You can purchase Gatorade Endurance products from most retailers, but to guarentee the fun Summer flavors, you can order online (they even have a pack with the Mango Gels and Watermelon Thirst Quencher already bundled here - https://www.gatorade.com/products/endurance/endurance-new-flavor-pack  Plus, orders over $50 ship for free. 

And please, if you have any say whatsoever in the weather, or know of any good "cool weather summoning" dances, could you hook a girl up? Just because I am used to running in the heat, doesn't mean that I'm not ready for ACTUAL Fall and not just hypothetical Fall. 

Oh, and also... Want to join me in Savannah? Register here: http://www.runrocknroll.com/savannah/register/ and use code “RNRBRP2018” to save $15 on the Marathon or Half Marathon.

#BeBrilliant, #BeSafe, #BeCute

Disclaimer: I received a Brilliant Reflective Strips Family Pack 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! 


This past Winter, I first tried out Brilliant Reflective Strips back when I was running most of my runs in the dark and just loved how they made me much more visible and much safer on my runs. I applied them to several of my outfits and even a pair of my shoes - you can read about it here - http://runnerdgirl.blogspot.com/2018/02/be-safe-be-seen.html

Super Easy, Barely an Inconvenience to Apply

Brilliant Reflective Strips are super easy to add to your clothing. For step by step instructions, go ahead and click the link above to my previous post about Brilliant Reflective, but basically, all you need is an iron, a paper towel, the strips, your item and like 5 minutes (and most of that time is waiting for the iron to warm up). Place your strips where you want them, cover with a paper towel, iron for a minute or so, please off the plastic and BOOM, reflective clothing achieved! 

Brilliant Reflective even has some really cool application suggestions and how-to-videos on their website here - Placement Guide - Videos


But, Brilliant Reflective Strips are for way more than just clothing! All kinds of things can benefit from some added reflection like book bags, hats, strollers, helmets, bikes, leashes... anything you wear, hold or ride outdoors!. 

And to make things even more fun, Brilliant Reflective recently released Family Packs, their same awesome, durable reflective product, but in super cute fun shapes that kids (and tbh, everyone) will love. So adorable! 

Family Pack Shapes
Taken with the Flash on so you can see them GLOW!

How cute!

My daughter was super excited about the shapes, especially the animal ones. She immediately claimed the animal shapes for herself. She put the butterfly immediately on her bike helmet and is still deciding where she wants the elephant. My guess is that either the elephant, or maybe the flower will be making their way onto her book bag soon. And they are super simply to apply, just place like a sticker, no ironing needed, so they can go onto all kinds of surfaces.



As for me, I am loving the shapes too. Even though it is still technically Summer (well, until the weekend anyway) the sun is waking up a bit later and going to bed a bit earlier these days and my runs are starting to get a bit longer as my Fall Half Marathons are approaching. So I snagged the adorable heart to add to the back of my running belt to give me just a bit more sparkle in the early dawn hours. 

Ready to SPARKLE and SHINE

Interested in blinging up your and your child's gear with some Brilliant Reflective Strips? Well, lucky you because I have a discount code for you that will give you 30% off of your entire online order! Check out their shop here - https://brilliantreflective.com/shop/ and use discount code *"BRP30"* which takes *30% off* when you check out! 

Going with the Flo

So, a hurricane hit South Carolina this weekend, maybe you've heard. 

Radar Map of Friday Night 9/14

As I sit here typing out this blog, I can hear the pitter patter of rain drumming on the outside of my windows. Occasionally, a large wind gust will rattle the siding. I live n SC just south of the NC border under Charlotte. All in all, it's pretty much just like any other summer storm we have. Well, except so far at least, no thunder and lightening, so all things considered, it's actually a bit better than your typical summer storm. The actual storm part, not just the wind and the constant rain, is supposed to be hitting our area in a few hours still. 

We've been very lucky in our area in that conditions have been way more mild than news and weather stations reported that they could be. Hurricane Florence, now Tropical Depression Florence, came in a much more mild storm the original projects and has continued to rapidly deteriorate as it limped across SC.  And I've been doing my best to keep from getting all cabin fevery. 

First off, I figured on Friday that there would be no way that I would be able to get my long run in on Saturday morning. So, after work, off I headed to put in 8 miles. The wind was a bit whippy and got hit by a few sporadic, what I would call "heavy sprinkles" but the storm had actually sucked out a bit of the humidity in the area and the cloud cover left it nice and cool. Overall, it was one of my better recent runs and I was able to manage a decent pace throughout. Very happy with that.

Friday Run - Wind Hair, Don't Care

On Saturday, the rain started. It raining and rained and rained a bit more. Never terribly heavy, but consistent. Every once and a while, I could tell that one of the heavier rain belts would roll in and the rain would pick up for a bit, but just as fast, it would go back to the slow and steady sprinkling. After being cooped up all day doing chores around the house and watching some TV with the family, I decided to make a break for it and do some running in the neighborhood. Didn't want to stray too far in case it started back up again, and if I run every street in my neighborhood 2x, it is just over 3 miles. The roads were fairly wet, so my shoes and socks go pretty squishy, pretty quickly, but it wasn't a terrible run by any stretch. I run in far worse conditions, so again, happy that I was able to get out there. 

Saturday's "Get Out of the House" Run

Current Situation -  Steady Rain and Blah

So that brings me today. Yeah, today is going to be a rest day. I would probably be safe running around the neighborhood again, but ugh, it's just yuck out there. With no treadmill options for me, if I run, it's outside, so I guess for today I won't run. Everything should clear out by tomorrow, so I'll just wait until then. This has me slightly under my goal miles for the week, but I am ahead of the game for the year, so I'm okay with that.

For those of you who are still in the path of the storm, stay safe. For those of you who the storm has passed already, I hope you came out safely and don't have too much of a clean up ahead of you. All in all, I am thankful the storm was so mild. I know there were some lives lost and I am so sorry for that, but again so thankful that it was not worse. 

Stay safe out there everyone!

Summer Training Makes Fall Races

After having no specific goals for several months, I am back in the swing for things for training for a litany of races that will keep me on point until my (gasp) first Marathon on March 17th. 

After Sat. long run. I am wasted! - So hot, So humid!!

And let me tell you kids, I may be in Fall training, but it is still hot as Hades out there. I've been trying hard to keep a positive outlook about the heat, especially since longer and longer runs will creep into my schedule. My mantra these days is: Summer Training Makes Fall Races. If I can maintain my speed and endurance in 90+ degrees, I am going to KILL my Fall and Winter races for sure. 

Getting one of each of these shirts

First Fall race is the Rock n Roll Savannah weekend, Nov. 3-4. I am officially on Week 4 of my training plan for the Half Marathon, but I am also running the 5K and the 1 Mile races cause, well, if I do I get a pie. No serious, they do a Sweet Georgia Pie Challenge where if you run the 5K and 1 Mile races on Sunday, you get a Peach Pie. I'm 100% in. I'm pretty psyched that my training plan is pretty much aligned with the Fleet Feet Sports Fort Mill, so I get to long run with my peeps, so yay! Their goal race is the weekend after mine, and I am still deciding if I am going to crash that race too. If I do, I'll probably run the 10K or even the 5K cause I have done two back to back Halfs before and am in no hurry to do that again. Especially since my second Fall season Half will be just a month later on Dec. 9th - the Huntersville Half. 

After those 2 Half Marathons, up next will be the Hot Chocolate 15K Charlotte on January 19th. Last year was Charlotte's first year hosting a Hot Chocolate race and it was pretty darn great. I actually ran 2 back to back (Atlanta and then Charlotte) and pushed way too hard after not recovering from the Atlanta race so and in bonked the last 2 miles, this year I have high hopes of setting a new 15K PR. It will be mainly up to the weather, so fingers crossed that it cooperates. Either way, PR or no, there is chocolate and lots of it at the finish line and the swag for Hot Chocolate races are always amazing. 

After that, it is pretty much Marathon on my mind until March 17th when I run my first at the Tobacco Road Marathon in Cary, NC. January and February will have me doing the longest runs I've ever done and I am 100% already sweating it. Here's to hoping I can find another crazy to long run with me in the dead of the winter. At least I won't have to get up at the crack of dawn to avoid the Summer Heat like I am for long runs now, so there's that. But either way, the long runs will get done. At least, that is the plan.

So, an ambitious schedule for sure, but I'm pretty excited about it. And if you are interested in joining me on any of these races/adventures, I'd love to have the company. And I even have discount codes to tempt you.

Want to join me in Savannah? Register here: http://www.runrocknroll.com/savannah/register/ and use code “RNRBRP2018” to save $15 on the Marathon or Half Marathon.

Want to join me for Hot Chocolate Charlotte? Register for the Allstate Hot Chocolate 15k or 5K Charlotte with coupon code: BRHCCharlotte and get a free HC Arm Band. http://bit.ly/2J81tPw

How about joining me for Tobacco Road? I have a sweet discount for either the Full or the Half Marathons - $20 off with code trmrave19 when you register at www.tobaccoroadmarathon.com. I could use all the support I can get!