From Sunglasses Hoarder to KnockSquad

 Hello. My name is Lissa, and I am a hoarder. Specifically, I am a sunglasses hoarder. 

I was going to tell you how many pairs I have, but I have lost count and have them kind of stashed all over so I am never without a pair. In addition to the 20 or so pair in my primary storage area (I'll get to that in a second), there are at least 2 pair in my car (including an emergency pair in my back window), a pair at my desk at work so I have them for random walk breaks away from the desk, a pair in my adventure bag, a pair in my purse, and random ones here and there. 

The majority or my sunglasses are on a special rack by my back door. These were made with these metal strip style knife holders and some spacers to hold them from the wall about 2 inches to hang the sunglasses on. I originally had 1. Now I have 3. I may need more still...

Would you believe my dad asked me when he saw this if I thought I had enough
sunglasses. Like that is a thing that can happen... 

And yes, while I have A LOT of sunglasses, I do actually wear them all. I love being out in the sunshine (I think I am partially solar powered) and have really light blue eyes so I am quite light sensitive. Plus, no matter your eye color, UV light is not fantastic for your eyes. So I wear sunglasses pretty much every time I go outside. And I love mixing up the different styles and colors with my outfits.

I would have to say that Knockaround Sunglasses make up about 90% of my collection. One reason for this is they have just so many different styles and colors. Not to mention they periodically offer some really cool Special Edition and Limited Release styles, several of which I have just HAD to get. And you have to watch out, they sell out FAST. Once, there was an adorable Hive Mind style I really wanted and they sold out as I was adding them to my cart. Sad times. But it's okay, I got the Celestials that came out last month in time. And I love them! 

If for some very unlikely reason you don't find a style/color combo you love, you can also create your own custom pair with their Custom Shop. I made a really cool pair of Teal/Orange Mai Tais once and just love them! You can customize the Front, each Arm the Lenses and the Logo all independently! There are so many colors, patterns and styles available! There are over 1,000,000 different possibilities! Check out the custom shop here: https://knockaround.com/products/custom-premiums-sunglasses#/p/_prod_vsgqd3p0h

Yeah, so you can tell I'm a bit obsessed. So when an opportunity arose to be a Knockaround Ambassador, you know I totally tried out. And guess what, they chose me! Yay! I am so excited to be a member of the 2022 #KnockSquad. I'm proud to join some really amazing people who, like me, love their Knockarounds and love spreading the word. And if you are interested in becoming obsessed with Knockarounds like I am, check out the Knockaround website here: https://knockaround.com/ 

And when you find your perfect pair, you can use my discount code to receive 15% off your order. Just use KnockSquad_Lissa at the checkout! 

Real quick, there are another couple of cool things to know about Knockarounds. First, every Friday, they give away a free pair of sunglasses! To get your chance to win, just post a photo on Instagram of yourself rocking a pair of Knockarounds and tag it #KnockFan. It's that easy! Second, Knockaround posts a super cool music playlist on Spotify each week. Make sure you follow them on Instagram and look for the weekly story for the opportunity to submit your favorite song to be included. 

Earth Day Recap - Knockaround Style

Disclaimer: I received a Knockaround Sunglasses to promote Plogging and Earth Day 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 yesterday was Earth Day, and I thought a great way to celebrate was to go on another plogging adventure. I had gone for a 6 mile run around my neighborhood and noticed a few places had trash again since my first plog 2 weeks ago. You can read about that here: https://runnerdgirl.blogspot.com/2020/04/plogging-around-neighborhood.html

After my run, I stopped back at my house to grab some bags, some gloves and this time, my little one. I was already wearing my awesome No Signal Knockarounds to protect my eyes from UV Rays. 

So we set up to tidy up. There was much less trash this time, but there was more at the playground than there had been before (it looked like someone had a picnic lunch and didn't bother to clean up) and there were some of the same offenders, like cigarette butts and straws scattered about. This time it went much more quickly as I walked one side of the street and my little walked the other. We were able to clean up the 1.7 miles of our neighborhood in about 40 minutes. And after, the streets were looking great again.

Later that evening, after getting cleaned up, the little and I again took to the outside to spend some quality time in the back yard. She's been working on climbing our tree out back and dared me to try it as well. Since there's nothing wrong with a bit of tree hugging, especially on Earth Day, I figured, why not and hopped up into the tree as best as I could. It was loads of fun. 

A special thank you to Knockaround and BibRave for issuing the Plogging challenge and motivating me to get out there and get cleaning! Also for challenging us to become tree huggers to celebrate Earth Day. I swear I am happiest, especially these days when I am outside. I think I must be partially solar powered.

If you are interested in getting a pair of Knockaround shades like mine, or one of their other cool designs (seriously, you can even custom design a pair, I have and they are on the way) check out their website here: https://knockaround.com/ and use discount code BibRaveKnocks4 for 20% off your entire order.

Plogging around the Neighborhood

Disclaimer: I received a Knockaround Sunglasses to promote Plogging and Earth Day 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 since I have been temporarily furloughed due to the ongoing Covid 19 Pandemic, I have had a bit of extra time on my hands, especially since last week was "Spring Break" for my daughter, so I didn't even have to do home school lessons with her. So, to fill the time, last week I went on a Plogging Adventure. 

What exactly is Plogging? 

It’s when you pick up trash while going for a walk/jog. And it’s a great way to keep active and also to help keep your neighborhood to be clean. And it is super easy to do, both for a group activity (you know, in different times) and by yourself. 

First, I gathered my supplies:

Bags, gloves and since I was doing it on a bright, sunny, beautiful day, a bottle of water and my Knockaround Sunglasses. I've been a Knockaround fan for awhile, and these new No Signal Special Edition Frames have quickly become my favorites. 

I set out, walking up each street in my neighborhood scanning for trash. I was really impressed to see that there was actually not too terribly much litter strewn about. Still, I was able to fill 2 bags full of trash in the 1.7 miles that span my neighborhood (I run it a lot, especially lately, so trust me, I know the exact mileage). 

It was a beautiful day out and I spent about 45 minutes or so collecting trash. Halfway through I dropped my first full bag off at my house, which is conveniently located on the middle street of the 154 house subdivision. 

Random Observations About What I Collected:

• Most frequent thing I collected: Cigarette butts. Some (not all) smokers seem to think that throwing their butts out the window is not littering. I am here to tell you that if you think that, you are WRONG!

• Largest thing I collected: A bag that was full with other trash just sitting on the side of the road.

• Most dangerous thing I collected: Broken glass, yikes!

• Most expensive thing I collected: An AirPods Charging Case! Technically, I didn't actually collect this. It looked a bit scratched up, but otherwise in good shape so I just placed it on the sidewalk right where I found it and left it hoping the owner would see it and claim it. I went for a walk a few hours later and it was gone, so hopefully it was reunited with the right person.

• Most surprising thing about my plogging: The neighborhood playground was a lot cleaner than I expected it to be. Go kids! Though I did find a hoodie that was left behind. Again, I didn't collect this, but laid it over the playground bench hoping for it to be reunited with it's owner. It's been a week and it is still there unfortunately. 

After I finished, I was so excited to check out my hard work, I went for a run right after on the same streets... twice plus a little for 4 miles! And it was awesome to see the streets looking so clean. I plan on doing a quick maintenance Plog once a month to keep everything looking nice and safe. 

A special thank you to Knockaround and BibRave for issuing the Plogging challenge and motivating me to get out there and get cleaning! And now I’m challenging you! See what you can accomplish out on a Plog this week, post your photos on either Insta or Twitter and tag me - I'm @runnerdgirl on both. Stay tuned for other ways that I will be celebrating Earth Day this month with BibRave and Knockaround! 


And happy PLOGGING!!

 

Shady Rays for Sunny Days

“Disclaimer: I received Shady Rays X Series Sunglasses 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!”

Over the past year or so, I've been trying much harder to improving my health and running in small ways. One of these ways is to make sure that I am wearing sunglasses while running during the day, which frankly, most of my runs are. UV rays can cause just as much, if not more damage to your eyes as it does to your skin. And while it is not as evident as say a sunburn, you are more likely to develop cataracts and blurred vision later in life due to high levels of UV exposure. This is even more so in people with light colored eyes like I have. 

Enter the amazing opportunity to try out via BibRave Shady Rays X Series. Shady Rays are polarized, offer 100% UV protection are shatter-resistant and salt water proof plus come in a handy micofiber cleaning pouch. The X Series has a wrap around frame style and grips to keep the frames from slipping. They are made especially for running, hiking and climbing, water-sports, and other high impact activities.

So how do they perform? Well, personally, I love them. I have accumulated several pairs of what I would consider higher end sport sunglasses over the years and my Shady Rays are the pair that I keep going back to time and time again (seriously, if you follow me on Strava, every single picture I post practically has me in my Shady Rays). My biggest reason is I have a bit of a smaller head and nothing is more frustrating to me than to have to be constantly pushing up your glasses, especially while running. Even when completely covered in sweat from a hot, humid 90 degree SC afternoon run, THEY DON'T BUDGE! (Click here for the demo). 

They are seriously awesome and look and feel great to wear. Let's put it this way, after testing them, my husband made me get him a pair as well. 

A few fun facts about Shady Rays: 

• You can also have custom Rx glasses made
• They offer a Lifetime Craftsmanship Warranty and Free Replacements if they are lost or broken.
• They provide 10 meals to fight hunger through the Feeding America organization with each order placed.
• The have a VIP program where you can earn points for rewards like gift cards.

And... if all this sounds awesome to you, I have a great deal to share with you. When you place an order on the Shady Rays Shade Shop, checkout using code "RAVE" and you will receive 50% off orders of 2 or more pairs! 

So give Shady Rays a look for yourself. You can follow them on their socials here:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Sunglasses Review: Keeping it Shady

“Disclaimer: I received Shady Rays Signature Series Sunglasses 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!”

Me, squinting while running, as usual... 

Traditionally, I have not been a sunglasses wearer when I run. I know I should to protect my eyes, but I typically rely on a hat or a visor rim to do the shading for me, but over the past year or so, I've made it priority to start rocking shades instead as I feel this helps way more to block out harmful UV rays.

Queue the montage of me trying out several different brands, shapes and styles of sunglasses only to be fairly disappointed with the fit. My main issue has been slippage. Running is a fairly bouncy activity. Add to that a sweaty face and that is a recipe for pushing up your sunglasses every few minutes, an activity that drives me completely bonkers! I've had glasses that I took off and pocketed after a half mile due to having to constantly push up. I'd rather squint that constantly adjust and readjust glasses like that.

Enter the amazing opportunity to try out via BibRave a new-to-me-brand, Shady Rays. First off, Shady Rays, according to their website, are polarized, offer 100% UV protection are shatter-resistant and salt water proof. Sound good so far. Plus they come in lots and lots of amazing color combination options - seriously, I had my daughter pick out mine since I just could not decide (she picked Black Emerald Polarized and I must say, they are super cute). Plus they came in a handy micofiber cleaning pouch. But how do they perform in action...

Deciding to either go big or go home, I took them out for an ultimate test. I ran a 5 mile progression run at 5:30 pm when the temperature was 91 degrees and humidity well into 60%. It was an absolute scorcher. Sweat was POURING off me after. But did my Shady Rays slip? NOPE! I even attempted the unthinkable with other glasses I'd tried... I tried shaking them off, still covered and sweat and THEY DIDN'T BUDGE! (Click here for the demo). 

So yay! The ultimate search for the ultimate sunglasses has come to an end finally. I've worn them for more than a dozen runs now and am as happy with them as I was the first. I've also worn them to the beach, the pool and the water park and they are just awesome. The only problem that I have had with my Shady Rays is that my husband has decided that he like them too and frequently steals them from me! On our beach vacation last weekend, he wore them as often, if not more, than I did! 

A few fun facts about Shady Rays: 

• You can also have custom Rx glasses made
• They offer a Lifetime Craftsmanship Warranty and Free Replacements if they are lost or broken.
• They provide 11 meals to fight hunger through the Feeding America organization with each order placed.
• The have a VIP program where you can earn points for rewards like gift cards.

And... if all this sounds awesome to you, I have a great deal to share with you. When you place an order on the Shady Rays website, checkout using code "BIBRAVE" and you will receive 50% off orders of 2 or more pairs! 

So give Shady Rays a look for yourself. You can follow them on their socials here:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram