Flat Mama Friday

I have a double race weekend coming up! Saturday I will run the Bay Head 5k...

Swag, my feet, and Memphis' head!

On Sunday I will be returning to the Superhero Half, this time as a real life hero!

My rendition of a soldier, runner girl style! The map of the US is made up of the names of soldiers, both serving and retired! I am so excited to be running in their honor!

I also did my nails, using Jamberry nail wraps. 

What superhero would you dress as?

#FuelYourBetter Marathon Training with Vega One Sport Bars

***I received a box of 12 Vega Sport Bars in exchange for this review. As always, all opinions are my own!***


This month I start training for my Fall marathons. I know, it's a little early, but I want to be ready! My goal is to finish in under six hours, which I know is slow for most, but is right on track with where my training is right now. My dream goal is 5:30. I will settle for a finish in under 7:12, which is how long it took me in Disney.

I have been running with friends to keep it interesting! This week, I ran with some members of my Moms Run This Town Chapter.

On Monday, I met one of the moms at a local trail and we did the five mile loop.

Afterwards, I inhaled a bottle of water and this yummy new protein bar, that I received as a Sweat Pink Ambassador from Vega One. What a perfect way to #FuelYourBetter! 

Anything with chocolate and peanut butter is fine by me, add in the protein, glutamine, and omega-3 and it is the perfect recovery bar! It was delicious, and it had no weird after taste! Bonus for those with allergies? It's gluten free!

Fast forward to Wednesday, and another run with the same mom. This time we met at a paved walking path, and did 2.5 loops for a total of 4.4 miles.

Yeah.... That's my Vega Sport Bar all alone in that cooler with some ice packs. I didn't want a gross melty bar, so I took precautions! Don't judge me!
Some other bonus points are:

• plant-based protein
• whole food ingredients in every bar
• protein
• amazing flavors available: chocolate mint and chocolate coconut!

oh, and if you want to check out more great product information, you can stalk Vega One on Twitter and Instagram!

I am really enjoying these bars and I am stuck with a tough decision!

What flavor do I choose next? Mint? Coconut? 

#FuelYourBetter

Happy Mother's Day!

I had a very active Mother's Day! It started with a four mile run at the Belmar boardwalk with some friends! 

And also a short walk afterwards.

I went home and showered while the hubs made our picnic lunch. We headed to Allaire State Park, to have a picnic in front of the church we were married at 19 years ago (on May 6). 

After our lunch, we went for a hike. 

The trail was muddy, hard to follow, and flooded in some parts! A nearby fisherman helped us over this part:

He found the log and dropped it in the water go us to step over! On our way out, I snapped a few more pics....

It was a perfect day for a walk in the park!

What did you do for Mother's Day? 

Not so Wordless Wednesday: Half Bucks County Ten Race Recap

I cannot believe I haven't gotten to this recap yet! I wanted to take the pics off of the good camera, and I just never got around to it!
On Sunday, the hubs and I hopped in the car and drove to Washington Crossing, PA for the Bucks County Ten. I was unbelievably excited about this race, because it had a Star Wars Theme! OMG I was totally fangirling! I couldn't wait to see the costumes!
After about an hour drive, we arrived at the State Park, and I got out of the car to put on my tutu. No one around me was dressed up, but I had faith! Eileen had texted me pics of the swag, and I was super excited about the drawstring bag and bib!

drawstring bag! The boy stole this from me

Eileen and I after we pinned on our yoda bibs, I was Boba Fett lol

 I still really wasn't seeing anyone in costume, though! Yikes! After bib pickup, we walked to the bathrooms, where I did see a few people in costumes. Slave Leia, Luke with a Yoda backpack, Vader. Maybe 10 total out of over 250 runners! A few wore tees, but most were just wearing running clothes. Yikes! I felt a little out of place in my tutu!

 We walked around while we waited for the race to start. The park had a lovely paved loop, which we walked twice, before meeting up with friends for some photo ops!

Half Fanatics

It was time to start lining up in our waves. We were all in the final wave, which was fine with me! The course started and ended on pavement, but 9 of the 10 miles were on a gravel path, so I knew it would be different than what I was used to! They played the anthem, and then they played the Star Wars theme song, and then we were off!

two of the costumed runners

Eileen and I running by, Frank and Lisa are right behind us <3

I went out fast, as always, and finished the first mile in about 11 minutes, I was still feeling tired from the previous weekend, when I did the back to back half marathons, and my shins ached a bit. Another runner, who was doing a run/walk, kept running alongside me, and we decided to stick together for a while. It was nice to have someone to talk to! Eileen was wayyyy in front of me and Lisa and Frank were just behind me. 

The mile markers were very fun! I took pics of the more interesting ones, mile one being my all time favorite!

I agree, Jar Jar does suck!

At around mile 4 (maybe 3?) I saw this sign that said "mule". I remember being so confused, and wondering what it meant. On the way back, the flip side of the sign said "Same Mule". Across the river we ran along was this beautiful life sized mule statue. Apparently, it is the Race Series mascot, which I didn't know. On the way out, you didn't notice it because the path curved away, but on the way back, it was very in-your-face and I felt a little silly!

Just after I took this pic, I started running again and this time I broke away from my race buddy and just ran. I had been holding back to stay with her, but I just wanted to run. My miles were averaging at about 13-14 minutes up to that point, because my buddy's walks were getting longer (she had not run since Thanksgiving, she was kicking butt, considering!) Once I broke away, they were closer to 11:30, with stops to take mile marker photos.

Eileen kicked my butt as always!

Crossing the finish

bling and tee

Eileen had an extra tee, which she gave to me for my son. The teenie took my shirt, so I ended up with no shirt and no bag, just the bling! Oh well, I never wear tech shirts more than once anyway!

Overall, it was a great race. The scenery was amazing, the weather was perfect. They had BBQ at the finish, but I wasn't hungry yet, so we passed on that. The hubs and I went into New Hope afterwards and walked the Main Street and had lunch before heading back home. I will definitely consider more Bucks Marathon Series' races in the future!

Who would you dress as for a Star Wars themed race?

Flat Mama Friday

I will be dressing up as Boba Fett for the Bucks County Ten and Nerd Herd Running's virtual 5k this weekend!

Not Even Remotely Wordless Wednesday. Back to Back Half Marathons, Part 2

Day two started when the alarm went off at about 4:30 am. Oooouuuuch! Too early! There was no way that I was getting to the start late again, let me tell you that much! I was feeling a little stiff, but I slept fairly well, and was ready to give it a go! We were in the car by about 5:00, and got to the parking lot and parked by about 5:30. We had a race photo meet up at 6:15 so we stayed warm in the car until the last possible second. Oh, notice anything different about my outfit? Let me refresh your memory with a flat mama pic from Friday:

take note of the shirt I actually wore!

 This is what we call a packing FAIL. I packed thought I packed TWO black arm warmers for the race. I only packed one. Luckily, Gigi brought me my IGR gear, which included a long sleeved white tech shirt. Since it was supposed to be cooler on Sunday, I knew I would freeze without the arm warmers, so I wore the new shirt instead!
We took our group pic, stopped at the port potties one last time, and dumped our jackets at gear check. We made it to the start just after the anthem was sung, and within about 10 minutes or so, the Long Branch Half Marathon began!
We lost Eileen at the start, but Gigi, Lisa, and I started off fairly well with a run/walk that had my legs loosening up a bit after a mile or so. My legs were just.so.tired.
After a few miles, Gigi kept going while Lisa and I were still walking, and we lost her. We had been doing well up until that point, but we soon began taking longer walk breaks, and then gave up running altogether and just enjoyed the race.  It became clear, once the marathoners caught up and passed us, that running was no longer an option. We cheered for all of the marathoners, and when we approached the course split, we even got to cheer on our Marathoner friend Danielle as she passed us by!

 We finally turned the last corner, and were soon walking along the ocean!

 This is about where we ran into fellow Half Fanatic Richard, and posed for a picture! He was walking back, I think to find his sister?

We approached the finish not long after, and our friends were waiting for us. Super sweet of them, considering they finished an hour before we did. Oh, wait, I had the car keys. Nahhhh, they would have waited anyway. I have the best running friends, ever!
We collected our medals, our food bag, and went over to the Awards Tent to collect our bonus medals for running in Queens last month!
Group photo time! Can you tell that it was windy!

Half Fanatics, reporting for duty!

Eileen took this awesome pic!

ooops sideways! Weekend bling!

 We took the shuttle back to our car, hightailed it to the hotel for a shower, and went back to the finish to catch the marathoners. Dangit, Danielle was so speedy (She PRd!!!) that she finished as we were driving back! We did find her, and walked with her to pick up her bonus medal. Gigi and Danielle headed home and I went back to the finish to wait for Colleen and Kaseedee to finish!
Waiting......

This dude juggled the entire 26.2 miles, he is almost as cool as Doctor Dribble!

 I epically failed to get a pic of Kaseedee. She took off her jacket, so when she approached I didn't realize it was her in time! FAIL! I did cheer though. I am nice like that!
Oh, and I failed Colleen as well. I did get a sassy pic of her running away though!

 Time to head home! Man oh man was i tired!
All that running and walking paid off, though!

I rarely get above the top 5, or even the top 10!

we are in the center of the Swirl Collage!

So it was an epic fail of a race. I didn't even makes the results page, because the cutoff was 3:15. Athlinks does not recognize that I finished.

BUT

I have the bling to prove that I ran back to back half marathons!

And next year?

The races are a week apart again! Whew!

What race will you be running this weekend?

Running Back to Back Half Marathons, Part 1

Wow, what a crazy weekend I had! Last year at about this time, two of my favorite half marathons, usually a week apart, scheduled this year's races for the same weekend! What a dilemma...... or not! My friend Eileen and I decided to run them both.
Makes perfect sense, right? I just ran Dopey in January, 48.6 miles in 4 days, so what's 26.2 in two days? Easy peasy, right? Only problem? I didn't really train for back to back half marathons. Oooops.

Anyway, I got up Saturday morning and got dressed for race #1. I was super excited for RunAPalooza, because the course was supposed to improve over last year. Now, let me pause for a moment to assure you that the race course from last year was NOT the directors' fault. Totally Superstorm Sandy's fault. This race is supposed to run along the boardwalk in Asbury Park. A simple out and back. Last year, the boardwalk was nowhere near being done, so they altered the course. This meant a lot of sidewalk running, and sharing half of the roadway with the faster runners that were on their way back. At mile 10, I tweaked my knee and walked the rest of the race. I blame the up and downs of the sidewalk/roadway/sidewalk/roadway of the course. This year's course was an improvement, but not 100% fixed, although next year should be back to normal!
But I digress!
Another reason I was excited was my tutu. I know, I wear them all the time. This tutu was special though, because my buddy Bryce, from I Run For Michael, sent it to me. He picked the colors himself! Bryce is 3. He is the light of my life and I adore running for him!

Half Fanatic Group Photo with Tilly

before the race with Eileen and CarolAnn

 We all started the race together, along with my friend Lisa, but we quickly separated. Eileen and CarolAnn are far speedier than me! Lisa was playing it safe because she was running the next day as well. Smart smart girl. I was somewhere in the middle of them. It had started out rainy, but while we were inside staying warm, the sun came out and it ended up being a beautiful day!

 The course started in the street, and stayed that way for the first half. There were less turns than last year, which was awesome. I did commit a huge race sin, and ate a Luna Bar beforehand. Why is this a sin? I have never eaten one before a race, I usually eat BelVita cookies. I love Luna Bars, but this one sat in my stomach like a lump and by mile four I was nauseous! I never felt like vomiting, but oh my heck did I want to! That heavy feeling lasted four miles, but you would never know it from my times!

My half marathons this year have been pretty big train wrecks, so this was amazing for me! I was cruising! The weather was fine, we got back onto the boardwalk and the change of surface was energizing! (The pic above was from somewhere around mile 10). My only complaint was that there was some twisting and turning on the boardwalk and the faster runners were not staying on their side. It made the turns difficult and I started to slow down. This was at about mile 8 or 9. I saw Dave the Trumpeter at about mile 10, and he complimented me on my outfit and played me a jaunty tune, and I continued on. I was approaching the final turn around and looking forward to heading back.
This is also the spot where I saw Eileen on her way back. She said the wind was killing her, and I started to fret a bit. I also noted that my time was still pretty good, I was way on track for a course PR (last year I finished in 2:53) and I could even slow down a bit. I also realized that I still had to do this again. On Sunday. :::::insert screeching tires sounds here::::: I totally slowed down at the turn and didn't worry about the wind too much!
Just as I saw that we were closing in on the finish line, some evil volunteer told me to turn left! Left? The finish line was right there! Right there!
Oh well, time to stop and smell the roses take some pictures.

Ocean Grove Meeting Hall

Tentless Tent Houses in Ocean Grove

last little bridge we crossed before we got back onto the boardwalk

 I made the final turn to the boardwalk, and saw some High School friends who had finished before me. I stopped for some hugs and high fives, and then continued on my way. My Garmin time was 2:39 but my official time was 2:41, a 12 minute course PR! Holy heck! If I had pushed myself, I would have been right back to where I was last year! What a relief! I am glad that I held back, though! I needed to save some gas for tomorrow!
I took some pics and looked for my friends. They.were.nowhere. So unlike them, but I finally figured out where I had to go for my race tee and food (like 6 blocks away, no lie, maybe more! UGH) and as I moved in that direction, there they were, at the turn, wondering where I was! We must have just missed each other!

beach view from the finish area

decorated bench on the boardwalk

my medal, with a running Tilly on it!

 I changed my clothes in the back seat of my car, and then Eileen and I headed to the expo for Race #2! After lunch at a local mall, we headed back to Asbury Park where we were staying at the Berkeley Hotel, so we could finally shower!

please excuse us, we just ran 13.1

left side view from the room

right side view from the room

race swag, I bought a sparkly orange headband. You know, because I don't have one.

 After showers, Gigi from Running on Candy arrived just in time to have dinner! We walked a few blocks to Porta Pizza and met our friends Colleen and Raul. Porta Pizza has amazing pizzas and homemade pastas, and you all sit on these crazy long picnic tables. It was a very crazy place!
Our waitress accidentally spilled my Sprite. In.my.purse. My Dopey Dooney and Bourke purse.
For real.
I kept my cool, though, and we teased her about it a bit during the dinner, but she totally made it up to us later. Gigi and I both ordered Bob Ross Pasta. OMG. You know who Bob Ross is, right?

If you ever saw his show, you will know that my pasta had lots of Happy Little Peas everywhere, and the Sprite was not a mistake, it was a Happy Accident. Yeah, we pretty much never let that go all night long. Honestly, though, it was amazing and I must eat it again! The waitress comped us all of our drinks and brought us a free Nutella Dessert Pizza at the end. Sprite? What Sprite?

pasta carbonara with panchetta and happy little peas

I will continue this tomorrow! But let me leave you with some fun pics....

This photo was taken for an article on NJ.com

This photo was taken for an article on Examiner.com

Yeah. I'm famous!


Have you ever run a race that you didn't properly train for?