The Ultra that WAS

Once upon a time ago in early 2020, back before the world came to a halt due to Covid, I trained for an Ultra that I never got the chance to run. The story of that adventure is here: https://runnerdgirl.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-ultra-that-wasnt.html. Well just over 3 years later, I can now finally say that I am an Ultra runner as last weekend, I ran the Landsford Canal 50K.

Much like the previous Ultra I trained for, I did not speak or write much about doing this. I tend to do that when I am going to attempt something scary. Enough people already think I am crazy. So other than the couple of friends I was running the race with, I didn't talk about it much. I mean, I was planning to run 50K (31.5 miles) in August, in South Carolina, with nowhere near adequate training. Even I knew this was all a bad idea! 

THE IDEA

It all started in the most unlikely place, one of my saner friends, Marlene. I was included in group text saying she heard about a free 50K that was coming up soon and would any of us be interested in doing it with her. Of those in the group text, I was the only one crazy enough to take her up on it. I then of course contacted some others to see if they wanted in, because of course misery loves company. A few of my Fleet Feet friends were also in. Honestly a few more than I actually expected! All in all, there were about 12 people I knew that said yes to this adventure, though a few went in knowing for sure that they would not do the entire 50K.

For timing reference, I received the original text message on June 25th. Race day was August 12th. And I was planning to be out of town about half of the days in between me registering for an running the race. So yeah, extra bad idea. But we were all taking the attitude of we plan to do what we could and if we didn't finish the full 50K, then so be it. But deep down I knew that if I started, I wouldn't let myself not finish. 

THE TRAINING

I was not a fan of these stairs
on the trail portion

I wish I could tell you all about how I jumped into an intensive training program like last time where I put in lots of hours and miles preparing. I did not. I traveled a bunch and ran very little. A couple of long runs here and there, but nothing really over 9 miles during that time frame. The closest to any kind of preparation whatsoever were two runs a the site of the race. 

The week of July 4th, the company I work for closed for the full week. I took advantage of that and planned a mid-week visit to Landsford Canal State Park, the site of the race. I had never been there before so I decided to check out the terrain. Armed with a Garmin Course map that I found that claimed to be the Landsford Canal 50K route from several years ago, I did my best to follow the course and document for the others what we were in for. I knew the course was a just over 4 mile loop and that the beginning had a weird out and back portion in order to get the correct milage, but I wasn't sure on the correct direction of the loop. 

You can see just how UP the Up was! 

Turns out, I chose wrong that first time. I ran the loop clockwise, first running the trail portion along the canal, then up a hill to the main road, down the main road to the park entrance and down the hill back to the canal. My watch kept telling me I was off course, but according to the map I wasn't. That's how I kind of figured out that I was running the incorrect direction. Plus, after running the loop and ending at around 4 miles, I started to figure out about the out and back portion, which was UP the steep hill leading from the park entrance to the main road, not down it, twice before running the loop counterclockwise. So I ran that up and back plus a bit more to get the lay of the area. Overall I ran about 8 miles and took a ton of photos. 

The only other run that I would consider a purposeful Landsford Canal training run would be 2 weeks before the race, I met another runner at Landsford Canal to run the course. The plan was to run 2 loops - the up, down up and up again followed by 2 loops. It did not go that way. We didn't start until almost Noon and it was HOT. I managed 1 loop and it was rough going. I was not feeling so awesome about this race. But I wasn't backing out. 

THE RACE

Team Fleet Feet

The Landsford Canal 50K started at 7:00 am on August 12th. It was 70 degrees out, but the sun was hiding in a thick fog that morning, making it not super hot, but super humid. The race capped at 50 runners, and I believe 45 runners actually started the race including me and 8 of my friends. I came to the race armed with a bag of clothes to change into as needed, an extra pair of shoes, my Drankful Adventure Pack full of water plus an extra gallon to refill and a bag full of snacks (pretzels, peanut butter crackers, krispie treats and 4 UCAN Edge gels. Oh, and a mild panic attack. I had that as well. Just kidding - a little. There may have been a few tears before the start. I knew I wasn't really ready, but it was now or never. My Fleet Feet crew snapped a quick picture (you can see how happy I am in it on the end) and we made our way to the start. 

The 5 members of Team Fleet Feet headed out together, planning to hang together the best we could. We started out going up for a mile. Then back down a mile. Up again and then embarking on the loop. Most of the run was on road so it was faster going than your typical trail 50K but we tried hard not to go out too fast knowing it was going to be a long day. We walked the steepest parts of the mile up even on this first loop. After 6 miles, 2 of which were very much uphill and 1.5 on trail, we were finished with our first loop with 6 more to go. 2 of the group hit the bathroom and 3 continued for loop 2. On loop 2 I started to fall back on the trail portion so when Katie and Robin stopped to use the bathroom, I kept going knowing that they would catch up to me, which they did. I'll spare you the complete play by play, but the 5 of us ended up being 3 groups the majority of the race - Katie and Robin leading, me in the middle, and Nicole and Gail behind. 

One of the few pics I took during the race
My phone was too wet most of the time

After 3 loops I had to stop and change my socks and shoes. I was sweating so much due to the heat (the sun fully out by now and nearing 85 degrees) that my socks and shoes were soaked through and squishing. I changed my shirt also but didn't bother with anything else. By this time I was mostly running on my own but saw a few others on the course. I ran as much as I could and walked when I had to. I tried to eat a little bit each time I went through the aid station/loop check point, but eventually settled on mostly drinking Coke for calories and caffeine. Another friend had set up a cheering station at the top of the big hill and I checked in with him after loops 5 and 6 for some fruit snacks and peanuts. On loop 6 a friend who came to check in on my met me on the trail portion of the loop and kept me company (very much appreciated) for about a mile before making it back to the checkpoint where I finally embarked on loop 7, the final loop. 

By loop 7, I was walking a lot, but still did my best to run when I felt I could. It was hot, I was exhausted, I was soaking wet, my shoes and socks were squishing again (I didn't have another pair) but I knew this was it. One more time around and I would be finished. I would be an Ultra Marathon runner. All my brain could think at this point was Run 20 steps, Walk 10 steps. Just keep moving forward. 

THE AFTER

I was deliriously happy to finally see the finish line and a couple of my friends there, one who had volunteered at the race and another who had finished before me (Katie) and her husband and kids. I gulped down a huge cup of Coke but couldn't bring myself to eat anything quite yet. I knew I shouldn't sit down but did anyway. My main thought was I HAD to get my wet shoes and socks off. Even if that meant walking around barefoot, I didn't care. I was halfway through pulling off my 2nd shoe when the RD came over and handed me my finisher plaque. I tried to text my mom to tell her I had finished but the cell signal was spotty and my phone and fingers both too wet to make the touchscreen work. My quads started cramping terrible. But, despite all of that, I had done it. I was an Ultra Marathoner!! 

I AM AN ULTRA MARATHONER!! 

So did I learn anything? I learned I am really stubborn, though I pretty much knew that already. I learned that I should have better prepared, which I also knew as well. I learned that in the would of Ultra running, endurance is vastly favored over speed. Finishing was way more mental than physical. Of the 45 that started, only 24 finished. I was one of them. And I wasn't the last one even, though I would have been proud of myself even if I had been. 

I was asked after if would do another. I am actually registered for another Ultra event next month, though it is a different sort of race - a 24-hour event where you put in as many miles as you can - The Hinson Lake 24 Hour Classic. It is a sort of choose your own adventure style race. Want to run 5K, go for it. Want to run 100 miles, best of luck to you. I've not decided my goal yet, but I am toying with the idea of 100K. Many of the same runners from this past week will be there. Plus tents for potential napping. And hopefully, some more training before.

But after Hinson Lake, I may retire from these long distance style races. After the race, I felt great. But during, during I felt pretty garbage. And 7+ hours is a long to time feel bad like that. I am just not sure if the after is worth the during. Maybe for others, but I don't think it is for me. So while I am looking forward to Hinson, I've watched other do it for several years and always wanted to, I think that might be the end of my Utra Marathoning career. I may change my mind at some point, but currently, my head space is not where it needs to be to be an Ultra runner. 

Ville to Ville Relay Recap

Earlier this month, I got to run one of my bucket list races, the Ville to Ville Craft Beer Relay. Every year I had suffered from a serious case of FOMO seeing all the pictures from teams that friends of mine were on and I vowed I would do this race one day. Well, last Fall, I was approached by one of my fellow Fleet Feet runners, Nicole, had a few spots open on a team she had registered. I immediately claimed one!

So here are the basics. The races is a 72 mile relay from AsheVille, NC to GreenVille, SC. A team of up to 6 runners take turns running a total of 12 legs that vary from the shortest being 4.16 miles (Leg 12) to the longest being 9.64 miles (Leg 9). Most were around 6-7 miles. And if you are not familiar with this area, you are running over some pretty severe elevation. 

The elevation profile for my first Leg - Fletcher to Hendersonville

Before the race, you submit your anticipated team average pace and based on that, your team is given a start time around two weeks before race day. These waves start at 5:00 am and go through at least 8:30 am (that was the latest time I heard at least). My team submitted a 9:45 average pace and were given a 7 am start time. 

Gail, Christine, Victoria, Me, Jeramy and Nicole

The website has a TON of information on it, super useful when preparing. There are detailed breakdowns of each leg including directions for both runners and drivers for you print out and carry with you. Each of the 12 legs were rated by difficulty: Easy, Moderate, Hard and Super Hard. Our team was extremely thoughtful when assigning legs attempting to fairly distribute the mileage and the difficulty. For example, I was assigned Leg 4 and Leg 11 which gave me 12 miles with one leg rated Super Hard (the 2nd hardest leg) and one leg rated Easy (the 2nd easiest). My teammates legs all looked pretty similar, 12-ish miles give or take and fairly distributed difficulty. One of our teammates was a WIZ at creating complicated Excel spreadsheets. Seriously, I think she might be a math witch. 

The theme of the 2023 Ville to Ville race was Hollywood. It is strongly encouraged for your team to dress up to theme and there are awards for things like Best Costumes, Best Team Name and Best Social Media Postings. So once we noticed we had a team of 1 guy and 5 girls, we leaned into the Hollywood theme and named ourselves Jeramy's Angels. This worked doubly well in that our Charlie (or Jeramy) had to leave the team before the finish line so he would be crossing "virtually" as a voice in a box, much like Charlie would on Charlie's Angels. We decided on color coordinated outfits with tutus for the ladies and a running tux shirt for our fella. These were for photo purposes only as the tutus were a bit much to run in and according to Jeramy, running in the tux shirt was like "being under a wool blanket with 2 cats". We looked amazing though. 

One of the rules is that you can only have one vehicle on the course for transporting your team from exchange point to exchange point. Our team rented a minivan to act as our transport vehicle for the weekend. We packed her up with all our gear (Chistine was our baggage check to make sure that we did not overpack) and food (we totally packed way too much - Victoria made SO many PB&Js and PB Bagels, we were never hungry), gathered the crew and drove to Asheville.

Packet pick up for the race was at New Belgium Brewing in Asheville the evening before the race (no day of pick up). We drove straight there and arrived around 4:30 after a bit of yucky traffic from it raining. In addition to our team tracking bracelet, shirts, bibs, and medals, we were given a pint glass, beer koozie and drink ticket each. You had a choice of 4 different beers, I chose the Voodoo Ranger Juicy Hazy IPA, a really great beer I have had before. 

We met up with 3 other groups of runners (our sister Fleet Feet team plus 2 other local groups from Rock Hill/Fort Mill). We got to meet the race director as well, who was dressed in a tuxedo, leaning into the Hollywood theme. There was music, vendors plus the bar had drinks specials for those who wanted more than their initial free beer. The rain stopped while we hung out and we took some pics and had a great time. 

Teams: Jeramy's Angels and CeCe's Friends

Afterwards, my team, and the other team of Fleet Feet runners (CeCe's Friends) went out to dinner then off to the hotel to get some sleep before the big day. I roomed with a girl on the other team, and they had an hour earlier wave time (they started at 6:00 am), so it was a 4:15 am wake up call for me! 

Out hotel was very close to the start, so we met in the lobby at 6:00 am for our 7:00 am start time. We dressed in our Jeramy's Angels shirts and headed off to the race site with a quick stop to fill the gas tank so we wouldn't have to during the race. 

There were about 40-50 other teams starting with us, each with their own van, so parking was a bit of a struggle to maneuver the parking area, but we found a space that we thought would be easy to get out of (spoiler alert: it was not). We took some fun pics and then walked our first runner, Jeramy, to the start area. Right at 7:00 am, Jeramy's Angels had officially begun! 

Nicole handing off the tracker to me

This post is starting to get super long, so I am not going to go into the minutia of the race here. Our team had a runner on course at all times with a timing bracelet that we would exchange to the next runner in a marked transition zone. We tracked the runners via the RaceJoy App which I will most likely do a post about just that. Overall, it was a solid way to track with just a few minor issues. We mostly knew where our runner was at all times. The legs were on roads (with the exception of the first leg had some trail sections and the last 3 legs had sections on the Swamp Rabbit trail (which was paved and ran parallel to the main roads. The course was straight up HARD in some places, but it was an enjoyable hard. I enjoyed the parts, even though there was a lot of UPHILL. Like A LOT!

Here are some notable observations:

• I never felt alone on the course like I did when running the previous relays I have done like the GAP and Ragnar Relays. There were many more teams and we ran on roads, so it felt more like an actual race. You had plenty of opportunity to pass and be passed.
  
  
• 

  People watching the other teams was a ton of fun. Many dressed in fun costumes. Some of the notable ones were: Will Ferral characters, Muppets, full on ball gowns, Top Gun, The Hollywood Sign, League of Their Own, The Pink Ladies, different Brittany Spears outfits and many more. I had huge admiration for the dude I saw running the hardest leg of the race dressed as Ron Burgundy (pictured to the right)!
  
  
• The exchange points were chaotic, but an organized chaos. There were plenty of port-a-potties including 2 reserved for the "Runner on Deck" at each exchange. However, do note that later in the day, you will want to bring your own toilet paper just in case. The only exchange I was at that had zero TP was the leg 9/10 hand off. 
  
  
• The course was hands down, absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I took a ton of scenic pictures. If you have never been through this area of NC/SC, you are missing out.

• You will want to bring your own food, water and other race day essentials. There are no aid stations, not even at the transitions, and most exchange stations were not near town centers with easy to get in and out of restaurant options (though we did find a cool coffee shop during leg 3). The exception was the Leg 10/11 transition which was at Swamp Rabbit Brewing. The food and beer there looked amazing and there were lots of other options close by, but Leg 11 was mine, so I had to run instead of partaking!
  
  
• You are given your medals at packet pick up so that you can "award" yourself your medal after your last leg. My team decided to hold on to ours and put them on all together at the finish line. That you have the option was nice and kept the finish line clearer. 
  
  
• There were FREE race pictures! I only saw a photographer at the finish, but there were some scattered throughout the course during the day. We just somehow seemed to miss them. See below for our Finish Line Photo!
  
  

The girls are ready to help Gail into 
her tutu for our triumphant finish

After 12 long legs of challenging running, my team changed back into our tutus for that final run as a group across the finish line (sans Jeramy as he had to leave us after Leg 10, but I did call him on my cell so he could "experience" the finish. The 4 of us left waited along the straightaway close to the finish for our final runner, Gail, to come in. We helped her quickly into her shirt and tutu and crossed the finish together in a vision of colorful tulle. 

Jeramy's Angels had a finish time of 11 hours, 38 minutes and 8 seconds. Our goal average pace was 9:45 and we hit 9:47, which I think was pretty dang awesome! (All thanks to Gail and her complicated spreadsheets).

The after party at Hampton Station was really nice. My brother lives in Greenville, but I had never been to Hampton Station before. There were lots of cool shops, bars and resturants there and they brought in a ton of food trucks for the occasion as well. Everyone got a free beer with a ticket on their bib. You could purchase others if you wanted to. There was also Ville to Ville gear for sale. I had preordered a 4-pack of the "official" Ville to Ville beer andNicole and I walked over to Birds Fly South Ale Project to pick those up. We met up with CeCe's Friends and took a ton of pictures before deciding that we needed to head out to get some dinner. It was a long day, but it was SO MUCH FUN! 

Jeramy's Angels and Jeramy's Angels and CeCe's Friends

Like I said, I didn't really do a play-by-play the day, but if you have any specific questions about the race, the course or anything, just drop me a comment below. I am happy to discuss this awesome race further. 

Would I recommend Ville to Ville: Heck Yeah! Would I do it again? Well my team has already registered for next year's race! While I am not 100% sure I will be able to run it (it is so hard to commit that far in advance) but I have first rights of refusal with my team and I will do what I can to work it in. This race is SO popular though, you pretty much have to register you team the day immediately after running it. Seriously, it sold out in 25 hours!! 

Do You Like Pina Colada and Running Long in the Rain? - New UCAN Pineapple Edge Review

I received a pair of a variety of UCAN products including the new UCAN Edge Pineapple as a part of being a BibRave Pro. Check out BibRave.com to read and write race reviews.

I started using UCAN products when I was training for my first marathon back in 2018. They have no sugar which can cause spikes and crashes in energy and instead use a corn based starchy base that delivers a consistent source of energy. When I was doing super long runs, I would mix up some of the Energy Powder (Cran-Raz was my favorite) with 10 oz of water, drink before my run and be good to go for like 10-12 miles. 

When I first heard about the Edge Fuel to Go gels, I decided to try those as well since I had such good results with the Energy Powder. Not only did they also have no sugar and use the same LIVSTEADY base (though back then it was called SuperStarch) but these were gels that you didn't need to chase with a bunch of water after. They are best when consumed 30 minutes before your run (or any exercise really) and then again after about 60 minutes if your workout is longer than 90 minutes. 

When I first started using UCAN Edge gels, there were 2 flavors, Orange and Strawberry Banana with Orange being my favorite.

Well, I am sorry Orange, you are gonna have to move over because Pineapple has just been introduced and it is SO GOOD! They taste like summer. Like sipping from a Pina Colada on the beach. Seriously, they are crazy yummy. I was given an awesome opportunity to share some with my friends at the Fleet Feet Running Club Open House to kick off their Fall Training season and everyone who tried them loved them. I opened one up and gave small samples on spoons for people to try the taste and every single person who tried it took a full pack to use on their next run. A couple even opened them right up to use for that evening's workout! 

Would you like to try a sample?...

"Heck Yeah" said Hannah!

My girl Terri here busted straight into hers and then ran 3 miles

The whole team had a fun time trying out the Pineapple flavor! I know it is going to be my go to flavor going forward for sure! 

UCAN also has Energy Bars which I am a bit sad to have not known about until very recently. See in the past I have eaten random energy bars prior to a race or run so when I learned about UCAN Energy Bars it seemed like a no-brainer to have one of them instead of whatever I randomly grabbed at the store since I clearly do well with their other products. Well I am happy to report that I am just as pleased with their Energy Bars as I am their other products. Cherry Berry Almond is my favorite flavor and they also have Salted Peanut Butter and  Chocolate Almond Butter. I recently gave them the ultimate test eating one before my last 10K and yay, all was well both energy and gastrointestinal wise. They are also really good as mid-day snacks to help curb hunger cravings. They have no added sugar and are also made with the LIVSTEADY base. 

So, do you want in on this yumminess? You can order your own UCAN products on their website at https://ucan.co/ and use discount code: BIBRAVE25 - to get 25% off your order (no bundles or subscriptions) good thru 10/9/2022.

The 11 Things I Race In: My Around the Crown 10K Kit

Last weekend I ran one of my favorite local races, the Around the Crown 10K. This race is an iconic Charlotte Experience, the I-277 Loop that circles the city of Charlotte is shut down for the morning for the race. It's just a really cool thing to be able to run literally around the city like that and get views that would otherwise be impossible as a runner since pedestrians are strictly forbidden on the interstates. There's no other race quite like it here in Charlotte. 

One way that I prepare for a race is to lay out all of my gear into a Flat Runner the night before in order to make sure that I have everything I need. This keeps me from rushing around in the morning and potentially forgetting a vital piece of gear. And of course, if I am going to go to the trouble of laying it all out, I'm gonna take a picture and post it. That's just fun.

Today I thought I would go through my Flat Runner layout from Around the Crown to show you my race day gear. 

First off, I would like to mention that on occasion I receive items as BibRave Pro, Fleet Fleet employee and/or brand ambassador for no charge. Please note that items that I received at no charge previously have been marked with a *. No items in this posting were provided specifically to review for this posting and are all items that I purposefully chose to race in. With that out of the way, here's my racing kit.

Starting from the top to the bottom, here's what I personally race in. Again, these are my personal preferences and I am not specifically promoting any of these items beyond saying these are the items that work best for me. Every runner is different and what works for me may not work for you, but if you have any questions about any of these items, just ask in the comments below and I am happy to give more details. I have provided links for each item's official website as well. 

1. So my first item, I totally forgot to put into flat lay but I always race in a visor, and my brand of choice is Headsweats. This is because simply, my head sweats, a lot when I run. Wearing a Headsweats visor keeps the sweat from running down into my eyes while the lip of the visor gives my eyes a bit more shading for either the sun or rain depending on conditions. I prefer a visor to a hat because, not sure if you have noticed but I have A LOT of hair. My head gets pretty hot with all of that hair.
   
   
2. Aftershokz Bone Conduction Headphones*. Music totally helps motivate my run, but it is never a good idea to not be able to hear your surroundings for a number of reasons, so that is why I am a HUGE fan of Aftershokz! The bone conduction technology allows you to hear your pump up jams while still being about to hear things like traffic, race instructions, your fellow runners, everything basically. Mine are the Aeroplex (now called Open Run) and they are super lightweight, comfortable and waterproof.
   
   
3. Knockaround Sunglasses* Lightweight, affordable and cute as all get out, Knockarounds are my sunglasses of choice. I especially like their Sport model for running as they have rubberized nose pads to prevent slipping and bounce. I ended not wearing them during the race because it was extremally cloudy and overcast which made me a bit sad. Typically, I never run without a pair of Knockarounds (full disclosure, I have about 20 pair). I am a Knockaround Ambassador and you can read more about that here: https://runnerdgirl.blogspot.com/2022/01/from-sunglasses-hoarder-to-knocksquad.html
   
   
4. Muzino Racerback Tank Top. I am not even sure of the exact style nor if they even sell this exact item any longer as I bought this tank top from Fleet Feet Sports Fort Mill probably 5 years ago. It's super lightweight and comfy. I actually have 2 (the other is a different color). The reason I chose this tank top for this race for a rather silly one. This was my 3rd Around the Crown race (4th if you count the Virtual one in 2020) and well, I noticed in my Facebook Memories posts this past week that I apparently wore this same tank top to the last 2 live races, so why break tradition? 
   
   
5. Brooks Racer Bra and Shorts. Like the previous item, both of these Brooks items are no longer available for sale which is a shame as I love them. I have 2 pair of these shorts, they are the perfect length (5-inch tights) and have a back zipper pocket that fits my phone. I really wish they still made them. That said, I still buy Brooks apparel, they are some of my favortie things to run in. My advice for you would be to if you find something you like, buy multiple because they change out their apparel offerings frequently. Same with the Racer bra. Both items were bought at Fleet Feet Sports Fort Mill. 
   
   
6. Nathan Sports Speed Draw. Typically I do not carry water during races instead relying on the aid stations, however, Around the Crown is a race that focuses a lot on sustainability and does their water stations just a bit different from typical races (and from year to year). Not knowing exactly what to expect and with it being a pretty hot and super humid race, I carried my handheld to make sure I would have water when I wanted it. It was a good call too. The aid station was at mile 4 and I for sure needed water before then. The Speed Draw holds 18 oz and is comfortable to carry. I train with it regularly for runs over 4 miles. 
   
   
7. Another item not in the picture but clearly necessary for race day, my Garmin Forerunner. Prior to my Garmin, I used an Apple Watch and let me tell you, Garmin is by far the way to go for me. Apple Watches do lots of cool things and happen to track fitness as well. Garmin is designed to track fitness/running. There is no comparison when it comes to the GPS accuracy, stats you get and Garmin Connect Community. There is a reason that Garmin is the most popular running watch.
   
   
8. Pro-Tec Patellar Tendon Strap. If you've read this blog before, you may have seen me mention several times about my crap knees and how I've had a few surgeries to fix them up. The left knee seems to have gotten on board with being a functional limb while the right is still taking it's sweet time. Recently I started using this patellar strap to give a bit of extra support to my right knee and honestly it's helped loads. I wish I had been running with it sooner tbh. 
   
   
9. Feetures Socks*. Not only did runners get some cute Recover shirts, but we also all got a pair of Feetures socks. I love Feetures. And while these were brand new socks I got at the expo the day before and the rule is never run in something new, I have run in these exact socks for years so I wore them with no hesitation. Feetures have targeted compression, have seamless toes, are moisture wicking and are super soft.
   
   
10. Saucony Endorphin Speed 2*. These are my current go-to racing shoe. Light weight, responsive, comfortable and fast. I mean just look at the checkboard! A friend of mine referred to these as Ricky Bobby shoes and now that is just their name. They are bouncy and fast and best yet, hug my narrow feet in a way that makes them fit like a glove. These were my first pair of Saucony shoes and they will not be my last. They are used exclusively (almost) on race days. 
    
    
11. UCAN Energy Bar*. My pre-race snack to give myself a bit of an energy boost right before the race. I started using UCAN products when I was training for my first marathon back in 2018. They have no sugar which can cause spikes and crashes in energy and instead use a corn based starchy base that delivers a consistent source of energy. When I was doing super long runs, I would mix up some of the energy powder with 10 oz of water, drink before my run and be good to go for like 10-12 miles. I've used their Edge gels also mid-run and loved the results. In the past I have eaten random energy bars prior to a race or run so I figured why not try the UCAN Energy Bars since I clearly do well with their other products. Of course I tried a few before race day on longer runs, but was happy to find that these worked just as well for me as all other UCAN products. Cherry Berry Almond is my favorite flavor, but I ran out of these already (cause yum) so this one was the Salted Peanut Butter (they also have Chocolate Almond Butter). 

So there you have it. My race day kit. And here is everything in action! Taken at mile 5.5 of the 10K. 

And here you'll see one last piece of race day gear that I picked up after I finished... 

The Medal! 

Have any questions about the items I race in/with? Just ask. Do you have a go-to race day necessity that I didn't mention or might not know about? Tell me about it in the comments as well. 

Tip Tuesday - Race Ready with Flat Me

So this week for Tip Tuesday I have racing on my mind because this weekend I'm running the Hot Chocolate 15K Charlotte (see this post for more details). 

Anyway, race day can be pretty crazy. No matter how many times I race (I ran 21 races in 2018) and no matter the distance, I always get super nervous right before. And when you are super nervous, it is easy to make mistakes and forget things. So, to combat this, I am a firm believe in a Flat Me. 

My Flat Me for last year's Hot Chcolate 15K

A Flat Me is basically where you set out all of the gear that you are going to wear and use during your race and lay it out flat, arranged how it would be worn on your body. This gives you a good physical representation of all of your gear so you can see if you are missing anything. 

And when I say everything, I mean everything including stuff that you will carry in your pack as well. You don't want to get to the start line of a race and realize you are missing something. For example, let's say you get to the start of your Half Marathon and realize you have no gels on you. Trust me, this happened to me last month and it was not a fabulous realization. Luckily, there was a Fleet Feet Sports right at the Start (very lucky) but had I set out a Flat Me, which I usually do, but didn't for some dumb reason, I would not have had that problem. 

What about you? Do you do a Flat Me before your race? If not, how do you make sure that you have everything you need for race day? 

#TipTuesday - Easy Speed Work

So on this blog, I mainly post about my own training experiences, how things are going and the occasional review of awesome races and gear. One of my 2019 goals is to mix it up a bit more here and start posting some quick training tips to help other runners out there. So, without further ado... Introducing my very first #TipTuesday! 

I run with several local groups and a question that I hear quite often is: How do I get faster? The irritating short answer is - You run faster by running faster. The slightly longer answer includes training your body to become used to faster speeds by incorporating various forms of speed work into your regular training. The faster you push your run, the more that your body will get used to going faster, and your speed will improve in time. 

There are several different types of speed workouts that can be incorporated into your training. These include intervals, fartleks (fun to say), tempo runs, track work, hills, progressive runs, sprints and I'm sure even more. Today, I wanted to share with you my favorite way to add a bit of speed work into an otherwise regular run. It's a fun trick that I recommend especially for beginners who may be intimidated by traditional speed work. 

First off, let me say, I run with music. Like every run, even those with other people (I wear Aftershokz Trekz Air bone conducting headphones so I can hear everything going on around me - safety first). I typically listen to very upbeat songs while running, either a playlist that I have specifically made, or I will turn to Spotify for running playlists. It's important to mention this because this speed tip requires the use of music. It's part of what makes it fun! I call it - Musical Sprints. 

Musical Sprints is where you run normally during the verse of a song, but during  the chorus, you run all out, 100% effort. Song choruses typically last between 15 and 30 seconds which is plenty of effort for beginner sprint work. Plus, the chorus is typically repeated 3 or 4 times per song during an average 3 minute song. By running with cues from the music, you are not having to discipline yourself as much as far as keeping track of distances, times or having to set your watch or phone app, which frankly can be complicated. Plus, song choruses can be naturally energizing, especially if you populate your playlists with songs that you love!

Music makes me smile!

Let's do the math. So during a 30 minute run, let's say your listen to 10 songs. Assuming that during the first song you are warming up and do not incorporate sprints, you will sprint along with 9 songs. This gives you about 27 sprint intervals during a 30 minute workout. Not to shabby! And running along to the music makes it way more fun! And anything to make speed work more fun is a big plus in my book.

So, what do you think?  Do Musical Sprints sound fun to you? Do you have any unique or fun things that you incorporate into your training to make it more bearable? Let me know in the comments! 

I'm a Buff Girl: A Product Review

"Disclaimer: I received a Buff Original Multifunctional Headwear 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!"

Yup, I'm a Buff Girl. Unfortunately when I say that, I don't mean buff as in the super strong (though I am working on it with my Burn Boot Camp membership) what I actually mean is I am a big fan of the brand, Buff, USA.

I have always loved their super practical, super comfortable headwear. And, if you are a regular reader of my blog, you may recall that this summer I got to try out a lot of their cool lifestyle products like Run Cap, Arm Sleeves and Insect Guard (check it out here if you missed it: Live More This Summer. And while I really loved each of these, I always seem to gravitate back to the Original Multifunctional Headwear as my go-to running accessory. They are just so versatile and so comfortable! 

Anyway, when I recently learned that Buff had redesigned their Original Multifunctional Headwear and at first I got nervous. I mean, this is my go-to item and it was perfect, why change it? Well, I'm pleased to say that I'm happy they did because it's even better than before! 

One of these items is way
more stylish than the other

So what did they change? First up, they are now made with 100% recycled REPEVE® Performance Microfiber. Basically, 2 plastic bottles that were retrieved from beaches and/or streams were recycled and made into performance fabric, which was in turned made into my Buff. How cool is that? Also, now they offer UPF 50 Sun Protection instead of UPF 25. So they block way more harmful UV radiation. They are also more comfortable with a new 4-Way Seamless Ultra Stretch design. 

Oh, and they released a bunch of really cool, really cute designs. I had a really hard time choosing one, but ultimately went with the Groove. It's bright, colorful and literally matches everything since it is rainbow colored. I LOVE IT! Especially on cloudy, dreary days. It really brightens up my run and make me feel warm and sunny inside.

No really, I even wore it when I did and 8 mile training run during a hurricane earlier this month!

So yeah, a truly awesome product, made much more so. What's not to love about that? You can pick up your own redesigned Original Buff online here: https://www.buffusa.com/ 

You can follow Buff on Twitter here:  Buff_USA
and on Instagram here: Buff_USA

And if you haven't followed me yet on either of those, you can find me here on Twitter: RunNerdGirl
and here on Instagram: runnerdgirl