Garden of Life Palm Beaches Marathon and Half – December 11, 2022

Disclaimer: I received entry to Palm Beaches Half Marathon to review as part of being a BibRave Ambassador. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Ambassador, and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!

I used to run this race every year, 2013-2017 I never missed a year but then life happened and I stopped running it every year, plus I believe a few years it was canceled. I have never attempted the marathon option of this race but 2 loops of the same thing does not interest me much. I will probably stick to the half marathon option in future years. When I signed up for this race a few months ago I had an ultra marathon schedule for 3 weeks before and was not sure how my legs would feel for this race. But when the ultra got canceled I kind of slacked off with training. I went into this race really not knowing how I was going to feel or do for time and just looking at having fun and possibly running with my Bibrave teammate, Sarah.

I drove up to West Palm Beach on Saturday afternoon after my daughter’s swim class to pick up my race packet, as well as Sarah’s race packet. The expo was at the Meyer Amphitheater, right along the waterfront in downtown West Palm, it was in a large white tent and the weather was not too hot with the ocean breeze that afternoon. There were no lines to pick up my race stuff and all of the staff was super helpful so the whole pickup process took around 5 minutes, first to pick up race bibs, then race shirts and then the huge goodie bag of Garden of Life vitamins! Definitely a stress-free packet pickup, which is usually madness for other races in the South Florida area! Also there was a 4Ocean.com booth with beaded bracelets made from plastic retrieved from the ocean/rivers and some stainless steel cups so of course my daughter grabbed a couple of bracelets and hasn’t taken them off since. Overall it was a good race expo experience.

After the expo we headed to Jaxson’s in Dania Beach to celebrate a friend’s birthday and carb load with some fries and a giant strawberry sundae. These are the kind of bad nutrition decisions I make the day before longer distance races, but it all ended up fine and I had no tummy troubles for the race the next day, haha. I also tried to get to sleep a little earlier but that did not happen exactly but sometimes it’s worth it to lose a little sleep the night before a race. I had less pre race anxiety than I usually have, maybe I wasn’t too worried about running a half marathon again or maybe it was just I was dreading that long lonely drive up at 4am lol. My last half marathon did not go well but that was due to a very stressful situation and I was looking to redeem myself a little with this race.

Race morning –

Woke up at 3:15am in order to get out of the house by 3:45am to start the drive up to WPB, that 1 hr and 15 minute drive to the start line. My pre race food was a vanilla Honey Stinger waffle and a Just Egg folded in an english muffin. Also I usually do not drink Nuun before races, usually after but it seemed to work very well for me this time so I will have to add that to my pre race routine. I messaged Sarah which parking garage I parked in and she parked right beside me. We gathered our stuff and headed to find a bathroom, the last time I did this race there was an actual bathroom open but this year all we had was porta potties so we had to use those. We headed to the start line with about 10 minutes till 6am and it wasn’t too crowded like other races, it started getting crowded around 2 minutes before 6am. The race did not start on time but was around 7-8 minutes late but the sun was still hidden so that was okay. I quickly tucked in behind the 3:55 marathon pacer because I always start too quickly and was testing myself to see how long I could hold onto to that sub 9 minute pace. The weather was still slightly cool, around 67 lol, that’s cool weather for us down here. The pacer was super entertaining with all the info about the surrounding landmarks and running stories so it was easy to be distracted from the actual running. I did not stop at water stations until around mile 3-4. Just before mile 5 I heard and then spotted one of my favorite running friends, Harolyn! She was cowbelling and yelling at everyone, I detoured quickly and gave her a huge hug before sprinting back to the pace group. She got a pic of the moment and it’s hilarious to see the looks of the other runners in the pic. She biked the course on her daughter’s bicycle and caught me a few times along the way, like a personal race photographer 🙂 Miles 6-10 were kind of uneventful except for a part where we went under a little bridge, that was different and very cool under there. Around mile 10 there was a sign for mile 23 for the marathoners and some guys in front of me turned around with panic in their faces and asked “Is this still the half marathon?” LOL I assured them it was just the half marathon unless they did another loop for the marathon and they ran on. I do admit I took a couple short walk breaks along those last few miles. As we ran through the 12 mile area, where there was a relay team exchange I gave a high five to another runner friend, Stephanie of The Cookie Runner blog. The last mile always seems like it will be the longest but always seems to go by so fast. Once I saw my friend, Harolyn cheering me on and urging me to go faster just before hitting the finishing chute I sped up and passed a couple of runners before crossing the finish line. I was impressed with my somewhat fast finish of 2:00:17, much better than March’s half marathon. I collected my medal, water and Baptist Health ice cold cooling towel and headed back to find Harolyn. Found her right away and we went to the food tent to collect some post race food, this race had pancakes, sausage, bacon freshly cooked by Harolyn’s neighbor lol. I did not partake in the not vegetarian options but did grab some pancakes and a banana and bagel before leaving the food tent. They also had mimosas if you want a little bubbly after your race! Since I parked so close to the start/finish line I made it to my car very quickly to head back home.

Now currently still recovering with some hamstring/calve soreness but already for my next races, this time in Miami, so closer to home and allowing more sleep time! Definitely recommend this race if you want good weather and a fun place to stay before/after the race, there is so many more places to eat and stuff to do in WPB than I realized before. Plus that giant holiday sandcastle is nice to see too!

QUESTION: Who else has ran this race and what is your opinion of this double loop for marathon distance course?

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Garden of Life Palm Beaches Marathon/Half Marathon

I just signed up for this half marathon happening in December so there is still time to train and or would be a good tune up race if you are running a winter half or marathon.

Things have been complicated this year, to say the least but I have continued with my training and am excited to run this race! Currently I am training for a secret race, but some friends do know about it so this race will be my “cool down” race a few weeks later. I plan on running it at a steady pace with new mom of two and BibRave friend, Sarah, so should be a fun time. I have ran this race a couple times in the past but not in about 5 years. Hoping I can rope a couple friends who live in the area to come and cheer for us on race day.

In the past, I don’t believe there was so many run options but this year it seems there is an option to run a 5k or 10k the day before on Saturday, December 10th. Also there is a marathon relay with a team of 4 runners and some double race weekend options! I like that idea of double races but I don’t think I can handle the drive two days in a row. I am not planning on staying in WPB for the race but I have in the past stayed in a few pretty nice hotels, including once staying in a boutique hotel that was within walking distance from the race. I have never ran the marathon option for this race but I am planning to one day as its a flat and fast course.

If you want to save 15% at sign up use the discount : BibRave15

Sign up: HERE

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305 Half Marathon 2022

Disclaimer: I promoted 305 Half 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!”

Two years ago this was my final race before the Covid pandemic hit the US. The last time things were “normal”, before we were hoarding toilet paper and covering half our faces. Who would think that 2 years later is it is still not the same but running races is getting a bit back to normal again.

Packet pick up –

Super easy, I went to the first day of packet pick up when it was by my house so very convenient and so fast. Showing the QR code as soon as I got to the head of the line (there was no line when I went) and was quickly handed my bag of goodies and 2 bottles of jelly bean vitamins with my bib. One of the fastest packet pickups ever!

Race morning –

Parking –

Parked in one of the designated parking garages that I always park in when doing races in South Beach. Unfortunately since it is also considered Spring Break in Miami the parking rate was $20! That sucked big time and now I know what my parking strategy will be next year for this race, and it will not include this parking garage.

Bathroom/Pre race stuff

Porta potties were plentiful and most of them under lighting, always a good thing. Got in and out in a second, no lines for these when I went. There was also a little kiosk for free cafecito, because that is so Miami. I went to the packet pick up area to meet up with my fellow BibRave pros: Fernando, Phil, Apryl and Sarah. Found Phil and Felipe first and then walked closer to the starting line and found Apryl! Sarah arrived a little later because she was doing the 5k and running for two 😉 so we didn’t get to see her for the pre race photo.

Entertainment on the course/Race

I do not run with music anymore so I rely on the interesting sights around me and the on course entertainment, there were a couple of djs on the course and great volunteers at the water stations. Always thank the volunteers! I knew early on this race was going to be a slow on, I had a stressful week and was not carbing up enough or training well for this one. I didn’t have any long runs at all between this race and Miami Marathon and it was apparent at mile 4. The wind was okay on the first part of the race, but around mile 7 I got the headwind and it was torturous. The bridges ate my legs up and then I pulled my left glute on the 2nd bridge, after that I knew I would be walking up those bridges and feeling the ache in my glute for the rest of the race. This is the first injury I have had during a race and it was pure grit keeping me moving to that finish line when all I wanted to do was walk the rest of the way. I finished the race at the same pace as I did it the year that was I was pregnant and made a port a potty stop along the way, yikes! Anyways a wise friend told me that I should not focus on the time since when its all said and done we all get the same race shirt and same medal but to be proud to achieve a finish. I gotta remember that more and enjoy the journey and the things I see along the way. Luckily I only seen one person down due to the heat I believe, at the 12.3 mile area but she was being helped by police. That finishing chute always feels good even when you are not feeling so well with pains lol. Got my medal and collected the post race food, and headed to get my pineapple series race medal. So grateful for the gear check bag they handed me to put all my post race foods and bonus beach mat in. Took a race pic with two of the BibRave pros, Phil and Fernando and headed to the beach to try to get a good pic of my medals. It was pretty windy so my medals were blowing all over the place while I was trying to get that good shot. Met up with some of my 1k teammates: The prez and the mayor of Miami running.

Overall always one of my favorite races, and this course was my first half marathon back in 2013. Challenging but doable if you actually train for it. Next year I will be back and hopefully trained better for it.

Check out my previous posts about this race series:

305 Half 2020

305 Half 2019

305 Half 2018

Are you a fan of hilly races or do you like flat and fast courses better? Let me know in the comments!

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Miami Marathon Weekend 2022

Disclaimer: I received an entry to the Tropical 5k 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!

Mid March 2020 everything shutdown due to the start of the covid 19 pandemic, I had just completed my 2020 Miami Marathon and all races went on hiatus till mid 2021. Miami Marathon 2021 had to be canceled due to the pandemic with options to defer and race your chosen race virtually. I took the option of deferral and the virtual option, Running a marathon a treadmill is not all the fun like running in person in a race atmosphere. Luckily I signed up with my deferral code as soon as the race opened in April 2021 and did not have to join the 5000 participants on the waiting list. They minimized the amount of runners to keep it from getting too crowded. It did help with crowding and overall enjoyment of the experience, especially with the pandemic still a problem.

My training over the summer/fall did not go always as planned, in August 2021 I got the covid-19 delta strain and was slow to come back to my running. My lungs were just not the same and I lost a lot of endurance during the weeks I was recovering. I knew I had a marathon to train for but I was not going to overextend myself to do it, I always remember my former coach saying “Its better to be undertrained than overtrained.” I got up to about 14 mile long runs in my fall training block but relied a bit on a 6 hr hilly ultra to help with some hill training in early January 2022.

Race Expo

This year the race expo was at the Miami Beach Convention Center again, it hadn’t been there since 2015! I felt like in the past years the expo was bigger but I heard through the grapevine that a lot of vendors dropped out last minute due to covid restrictions and such. Perhaps next year it will be bigger and better as we covid things get a little better. Anyways traffic into Miami beach was a bit more than typical beach traffic but once I got by the convention center, parking at the nearby parking garage was easy and quick. I got to the expo about 10 minutes after it opened, and it was packed! I guess everyone had the same idea as I did to get there early lol. Oh well, there were some long lines for specific bib numbers and the tropical 5k but overall the lines move pretty quickly for bib retrieval and there were no lines for shirt pick up. Thanks to Bibrave I got entry to the VIP Experience and compared to past years it was not quite the same, smaller area and not as much gym equipment as in the past and no massage boots :'(. That really was something I was looking forward to, but moving on, the swag for the VIPs was pretty good, We got a small messenger bag with Miami Marathon labeling and a soft bomber style jacket embroidered with Miami Marathon. I walked around the expo once and then returned to the VIP area where I ran into a friend of mine, one of the 20 year streakers, Tony Jones. I was interested in the new thing in the VIP lounge, last time there was nail art and this year it was fast braids. I chose the two french braids style and had a nice conversation with the stylist/salon owner about hair stuff and how she was not a runner but a yogi. After I got my fast braids I walked around the expo more and checked out the vendors. One that really stood out to me was the Sneaker Impact booth where I talked to the owner about his company and how they are saving our sneakers from landfills to send to other countries to provide shoes for adults and children to be able to attend work and school. I will be packing and shipping him some shoes this weekend! I tried some food samples from the eat street area of the expo and walked over to the Miami Marathon museum area where they had all the previous year medals on display and old flyers/articles of past years winners and original course. Also a wall to display the 20 year streakers, very cool, wish I would’ve been part of that but 20 years ago I was not a runner. The official merchandise area was bigger than in the past and it was very busy, I bought my daughter a Future Finisher shirt, as I have been doing since before she was born (It was actually the way I announced my pregnancy to my family, Miami Marathon onesie). Ran into a lot of runner friends who I had not seen in the 2 years or more since the pandemic began. I spent about 3 hours walking around and checking out the stuff before heading home to rest my legs a little before Saturday’s 5k.

Tropical 5k

This year I did not park at Jungle Island, which I had been doing for the past few years due to the closeness of the start line, I parked in Miami Beach. They had shuttles from 2 nearby parking garages to the start line so I got to the parking garage early and met up with my friend, Caroline. Fun fact: We have been IG friends for a few years I’d say but I hadn’t met her till race morning. We walked to the buses and chatted till the race started. Plenty of port a potties at the starting line and remarkably no long lines when I went. Ran into JetSetSarah (local runner/travel writer/fashionista) as we walked around and a couple of others before we headed towards the front of the corral. We got there 45 minutes before start time and it was a good decision because it started getting crowded early, I did see a lot of masks before we started which was a good sign that everyone was keeping safe. I had mine on when it started getting crowded and put it in my pocket when we started. I tried to hold back but my first mile was obviously too quick and I had to force myself to slow down the next 2 miles, why is it that 5ks feel so much harder than longer distances? Is it because we have to run that much faster? Probably. I had an ok finish line for running the day before a marathon and collected my medal and bottle of water. Can I just say I love that the bottled water was in a recyclable bottle this year BUT those bottles were impossible to open with sweaty post run hands! I had to ask a very quick runner who was just spectating to open my bottle before I continued on towards the beach. I took a couple pics of my medal on the beach when I walked to the Nikki Beach area where the finish line party usually is and found it deserted. Found Carolina again and we found the tiny area where they were giving some post race snacks at and I collected some cookies/pretzels and a banana before we walked back to our cars in the parking garage. Fun race but I had to rush on home to take my daughter to swim class, #momlife. Later I took her to a nearby carnival and she rode some rides with a friend while I carb loaded with an elephant ear and took way too many steps.

Miami Marathon

I woke up very early, 3:05am (haha) and gathered all my stuff that I laid out the night before. I had my waffle and water before I left. I know they say to never do anything new on race day but I will admit I wore some Oiselle pocket joggers that I had just got a few days before, so they were brand new, unwashed and unworn yet. I mean I have worn the style for a couple races now and knew they were going to work out well for me for this race as they do not ride up, the best! The only chaffing I got was from the line logo tag on the bottom of the shorts. I did use KT tape Chafe Safe on my body before I left the house also and that stuff really works! Got to the FTX arena (formerly AAA/Home of Miami Heat) by 4:15am and parked for $5. I am so glad that they give this as a parking option as all the other parking options around that area are $10-$20 on race morning, the only thing is that you have be parked before 5am since the starting corrals are right in front. Relaxed in the car for 15 minutes and then started over to the charity village/team tent area. Hit the port a potties and met up with my BibravePro teammate, Sarah, who is also part of 1k run club. We headed over to the 1k tent by the water, later when the sun was up, it was a great view of the bay. I dropped off my bag of extra clothes and car keys at the team tent and chatted with a couple of runner friends. Then Sarah and I walked over to the FTX arena to use a real toilet before the race started, the first bathroom we walked into had a bit of a line so we went to the next one where we had the whole bathroom to ourselves, we hurried to our B corral (another perk of the VIP experience) and found Phil, our BibRave teammate.

The excited energy in the corral was palpable and everyone started hopping up and down to warm up, and we were off soon after 6:10 or so. An earlier start is a great, because once that sun comes out, it really gets you. Luckily I was already at mile 5 or so before the sun really started coming out. That first mile and running over the McArthur is quite an experience, especially after many years of running this race I know to expect the bagpipe playing at the top of the bridge. Couple of friends said hi as they passed on the first few miles of the race. There were a couple of runners who took some spills, one right at the start, about 15 feet after crossing the starting line and another one on those armadillo bumps on the Venetian. I hope they were okay, I kept well away from those armadillo bumps while I was running. I started taking in water around mile 6 of the race, and hit every other water stop till the halfway point of the race. Around mile 12 when all the spectators are screaming “almost there” Umm nope, there were a couple of runners sprawled out on the sidewalks, I’m guessing heat related since the humidity was at 90% at the start. I really tried not to get that into my head as I rounded the corner at the course split and headed for the big bridge on Brickell. There used to be spectators who would bring ice pops in a cooler around the Fortune building, where Brickell Run Club meets but I haven’t seen them in a couple of years, if you are reading this, please come back and give us ice pops at that corner again!! Thankfully two years ago the course was changed up a little bit so we are not running into direct sunlight at mile 23 and under the Rickenbacker bridge but instead running under it at mile 16. At mile 17 I knew one of my 1k teammates and overall running angel, Betty would be out there supporting the FDC team and runners so I stopped by for a quick hug and some kind of sugar, she gave me a cup of coca cola (I never drink soda!) and a mini bag of skittles. Seems like the cola helped me, must’ve been that caffeine!

By the time I reached Coconut Grove I was incorporating my ultra race technique (run/walk) and stopping at all the water stops. At mile 22-23 one of the police officers must’ve been pretty bored by the time we passed through because he was joking that if we walked he would give us a ticket and said “I’m watching you [bib number]”. That kept me moving a little but I walked right after we got passed him, Ha! Once we got out of the neighborhoods and closer to the finish line, the buildings started blocking out the sun and it got cooler and shady. Just before my final mile I heard my name and looked over to see my friend Carolina waving at me. I waved and determinedly kept running through the looooooong finish chute. Saw Phil waving from the VIP stands before I finished too. It really is an experience at the end of the race when you are running around that final curve and all those strangers are cheering you on, you really get a little feeling of how it feels to be a rockstar at that moment. So much fun! Got my medal and continued walking to get a water from a friendly volunteer who kindly opened it for me when I mentioned how the bottled were hard to open. Afterwards I collected my vegetarian DeliverLean meal and headed to the 1k tent to celebrate. Dropped my Nuun tablet in the water bottle and kept walking around. Took some pics with my new medal and then walked over to the VIP tent area to check if I could get a leg massage. The line was long for the massages and talked to some others in the line who came up with a good suggestion, there should be a line for half marathoners and full marathoners. Definitely both groups need a good massage after, but marathoners more so because of that extra distance. Picked up a vegan meal from the tent and started walking to the FTX arena to my car, about 2 hrs after I finished the race. There were lots of people dancing along to the entertainers on the stage and the beer tent was looking full when I left around noon.

I’m already signed up for the 2023 Miami Marathon! Hurry and sign up soon before the 2500 early access spots are taken! The race is going to be capped at 18,000 and you definitely want to be Miami Famous!

It’s Not Miami Without YOU! Who’s in for Miami Marathon 2023? Drop me a comment below or just tell me I’m crazy for running 26.2 miles in this heat. LOL.

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Costume Dash 5k – Virtual Halloween race

Disclaimer: I received an entry to Costume Dash 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!

I know people are over the whole virtual race option but I like it right now while things are getting a little better on the Covid 19 infection rates. I got Covid back in August and still dealing with after effects from getting the virus, still trying to rebuild my mileage for marathon training too. Anyhow I haven’t ran any in person races in almost a year now. My last race being a small ultra with multiday options.

Something else I liked about this race was that they also had a fundraising aspect of it for the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. I did not get a chance to raise any funds for the hospital this year but I plan to get more involved in fundraising for this hospital in the future. Usually virtual events do not have a fundraising option so it was a nice option to have.

It took a few weeks after I signed up in order to get my race swag, I got a cute ringer tee with cute Halloween characters, my race bib with my name on it, some temporary tattoos and my medal of course!

The course, a neighborhood 5k on a Sunday morning, Halloween morning to be exact! I was not sure if I was going to bring my daughter or not, but low air in the running stroller made the decision for me. I know, I know, she’s so big now that she should be running on her own, but you try to get a somewhat cranky 6 year old to run/walk 3 miles and let me know how that goes. Easy enough to bring a handheld water bottle as to not get too overheated because Miami still hasn’t gotten the memo that it is Fall now! Plus I have required more water this week since I am still dealing with a dreadful sinus infection. Actually I hadn’t ran for 5 days leading up to this virtual race due to sinus pressure and then major muscle aches from the prescribed medicine to treat said sinus infection.

The costume: a pumpkin. I was tired and not feeling particularly creative so I went with a pumpkin printed tee, green shorts, green running shoes and a green sparkly headband. I know if I was not feeling so sick last week I would have had a better costume but I was just sooooo tired. Next year I plan on signing up for this race and perhaps being a superhero!

Next year I wanna dress up and run like this!

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Ready.Set.Move subscription box – a Review

“Disclaimer: I received two Ready Set Move boxes 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!”

If you are like me you have tried a couple of subscription boxes but have not been totally impressed with any of them so far. I have tried beauty boxes and even a fitness box series but none were super impressive. Till I received my Ready.Set.Move box and I am not just saying that. It has a ton of cool products that I would never have tried otherwise but now gotten the chance and now want to purchase more of said products. I will go over the goodies in each of the boxes that I received so you can see for yourself.

These boxes ship January, April, July and October, so 4x a year and a box filled with over $100+ worth of fitness/running gear to use right away! By using the code: BIBRAVE10 you will save $10 on a box when you first sign up. They have mini boxes for $20 and then limited edition seasonal boxes for $59 too in addition to the subscription box which you can choose a mens or womens box.

Now to the January box and it’s contents:

Bracoo Compression Leg Sleeves

Brooks neon yellow headband & sunglasses strap

Floyds of Leadville recovery protein in chocolate and vanilla flavors & Recovery balm

Honey Stinger fruit smoothie gel & strawberry waffle

KT Tape sample pack & Recovery + Pain relief gel roll on

La Colombe Coffee triple shot draft latte

Nuun hydration sport in Fruit Punch (one of my favorite flavors of Nuun)

Nathan HyperBrite Strobe light

SpiBelt original running belt & Spibelt beam led headwear hat

Triggerpoint Nano Lite foot massage roller

Here are a couple mini reviews on some of the products:

Floyd’s of Leadville protein shake powder: I had never tried any of their protein powders and in general I don’t like mixing the powders and prefer my protein shakes premade and cold. But this was actually pretty good tasting and not gritty like other protein powders can be, I felt more energized after taking this after a 30+ minute strength workout.

KT Tape Recovery + pain relief roll on – I haven’t actually had any pain lately from running so I let my mother who has arthritis give it a try when she started having some aches and she said it helped her. So it’s good for arthritis as well!

Nuun hydration sport has been my go to electrolytes for the past 8 years or so, almost since I started running! The fact that the flavor I got was one of my favorites was a big bonus.

SpiBelt original running belt: I had never tried a waist belt for holding my phone in during runs but now that I have tried it I really don’t want to deal with my armbands again. I have already been looking at some of the other color options I like it so much!

Triggerpoint Nano Lite foot massage roller: I am notoriously bad at rolling my muscles out after running, and almost never stretch before or after runs, I am making a big effort to do this more now. Especially now since this foot roller is super easy to use and I can use it under my desk when working from home or at the office. I can multitask! Plus I am getting older and know that I need to stretch more in general.

Here is what was in the April box:

Bob’s Red Mill almond protein powder & peanut butter and oats Bob’s bar

Bracoo Simple Ankle Sleeve

Brooks notebook and pen

Earhoox attachments for earpods & airpods

Floyd’s of Leadville cbd soft gel & cbd gems

KT Tape Chafe Safe – anti chafing wipes

La Colombe coffee nitro cold brew

Nuun hydration energy in berry blast

Mueller Kold Towel

Spi belt beams reactors

I just got the April box but here are a few more mini reviews:

Brooks notebook and pen: Besides being cute, I always need a notebook to write random things down and training miles and info.

KT Tape Chafe Safe – anti chafing wipes : I have tried other anti chafing products in the past but never in a wipe form, which makes this one easier to carry with you on the go as well in a bag to pack before a race. Almost everyone deals with chafing at some point or another so it will definitely help everyone!

Mueller Kold Towel – I like this a lot and I will like it even more when it gets more into the heart of summer, even though it’s only spring here in Miami it already feels like summer! A towel to put around your shoulders in the middle of a run, even on the treadmill on my porch it will be a lifesaver.

Again, if you are a new subscriber for the Ready.Set.Go box you can get $10 off by using the code: BIBRAVE10

Have you tried out fitness and/or running subscription boxes in the past? What is something you liked about them and what is something that annoyed you about it? Let me know in the comments below.

Check out my fellow Bibrave Pros review of the Ready.Set.Move box below:

And some pros made youtube videos here:

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California Coast 500 – Virtual Race Challenge Review

Disclaimer: I received an entry to the California Coast 500 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!

During these Covid-19/Quarantine times most if not all road races have been canceled or postponed so the closest thing to racing is virtual races. I have done a couple virtual races this summer, including a marathon where I ran on the treadmill. I actually used my treadmill marathon miles for this multi month challenge.

We originally had from June 8th to September 7th but the race was extended and extra week due to the wildfires that are currently burning in Los Angeles. I thought I would finish the race faster than I did but I had a few low mileage weeks in the middle of this challenge that slowed me down a little bit. Plus I needed some recovery after that treadmill marathon

This virtual race was a bit different than others I have been participating in this summer because they had a lot of mini challenges along the way to win great prizes like Hoka shoes or gift cards for different online athletic equipment stores. Some examples of the challenges was to log early miles for the early bird badge and chance to win stuff and some weeks it was to log later in the evening miles for a night owl badge. There was even a challenge to make it your highest mileage week ever, I didn’t get that badge unfortunately. I did end up knowing someone who won a pair of shoes from this race so that was pretty cool.

I was very motivated while running this race series because it kept me hoping to win prizes and I could see the leader board within my team to see if I was falling behind too much or staying steady with the others who were in the 500 mile challenge. Other teammates were doing other mileage challenges and I could see their progress as well. I think about 4 of my teammates were in the 500 mile challenge. I choose the highest mileage challenge because lately I have been running at least 200 mile months and figured I would be able to complete the challenge in plenty of time. Sometimes I used my competitive side and would check other teammates mileage to try to get even or ahead of in the challenge but overall I think in the bibrave team I was 3rd place in the 500 mile challenge.

This was my favorite virtual race I have done this year because of all the mini challenges and ease of adding mileage. I do wish that it could’ve added my miles directly from Strava but that was not an option this year. Even if we are out of the Covid/Quarantine times next year I think I will still sign up for this race because I was a fun way to stay motivated through the summer and I kept with my over 150 mile streak through this challenge also. There was one day that I didn’t think I would keep my streak and actually had to run a mile inside the house from running back and forth from a room to get in that mile.

Plus I have always wanted to drive/travel up the coast of California from southern to northern California so this was a virtual way of doing it through my running. One day I plan on doing a road trip up the coast and seeing the places that I learned about through all the emails from the Run Local race company. It was a learning experience as well as a run challenge, very cool.

I am looking forward to receive my handmade wooden race medal from this race, about a month ago I received the race shirt. I like how it shows and tells the milestones with the mileage and the cities that we traveled through along the way.

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Grandma’s Marathon Virtual 26.2 : Why I am running

Disclaimer: I received an entry to Grandma’s Marathon virtual marathon 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!

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This year I started the year hopeful and thinking maybe I could run a marathon a month, whether the race distance or during a race and I started at the beginning of January by running a 6 hr ultra marathon, completing the marathon distance and then almost hitting 30 miles as well. Things changed soon afterwards, my grandmother took a turn for the worst, she had been in the hospital since right before Thanksgiving. There would be good days and then bad days with her recovery/health and on January 10th, she lost the battle and passed away. Most may not know but this was the closest grandparent I had and my last living one. Sure we would argue sometimes but we did get along as well. I remember during my first marathon back in 2014 she called me when I was around mile 16 to tell me that she saw on the news that it would start raining soon. I said “Uh grandma, I’m still running, but I don’t have too much more to go, 10 miles” and got off the phone with her. I did put my phone away in my plastic baggie and just in time too, the rain started pouring down for the next 6 miles or so of that race. She only attended one of my races but that was due to her own transportation issues, it was a good race too, an inaugural race and I ended up winning 1st in my age group. She would always like to see the different medals I earned after races. She is the reason I am doing this race.

I ran a 5k the week after the ultra (not a great idea) I had dead legs. A few weeks later I ran Tropical 5k and Miami Marathon without any issues. February was uneventful till mid/late month and that’s when my daughter got Influenza B (the flu!) and a few days later I got it as well. Not a lot of running happened that month, 10 days later I ran the 305 half marathon and did fairly well for still recovering. Mid March brought my city into lock down due to Covid-19 and my only outing was restricted to grocery shopping. When the gyms closed the sidewalks became crowded and running outside became somewhat of an obstacle course. More treadmill running happened for me also because my daughter’s preschool closed and I started teaching her from home while also working a full time job. Running takes away a little of the stress I am experiencing now with extra work and more jobs than usual.

Training for this race has been mainly done on the treadmill and even though I haven’t ran any distances over 14 miles so far in this training block I am fairly certain I will survive the race. I used to train for marathons with multiple 20 milers but in the last few years I haven’t had as much time for such long distances and I have done okay during my marathons. I am planning on running this virtual marathon on the treadmill so that will be a new challenge for me. I have only ever ran a 22 miler on the treadmill once back in 2013 when I was training for my first marathon!

Should be fun to earn this medal not only because of who I am running this race for but also because this is a very well known race in the running community. I personally have never been to Minnesota but I plan on making a trip there one day when it is safe to travel again and hope to run this race in real life. Some friends of mine have ran this race before and have given me tips on the course and how to adjust the treadmill incline for more accurate running conditions.

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I plan on filling a couple of reusable water bottles with water and Nuun and putting my Honey Stinger chews within reach in case I need a boost of sugar during the race. I am not sure if I am going to watch movies/tv shows or read a book while running this race as that is how I have recently been training while running on the treadmill. With lots of miles with no scenery change I am going to need some sort of brain distraction, also I heard there is an app that will allow you to see the course as you run it, I might try that one too!

Do you have any tips on long long runs while on the treadmill? Please send them my way in the comments below.

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ROADiD Review + Giveaway!

Disclaimer: I received a ROADiD 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!

If you know me you already know that I am a longtime (since 2013) fan of ROADiDs. I actually got my first ROADiD right after I completed my first half marathon race, I had seen a few other runners wearing them at that point. But back then there was pretty much only one wrist option and now there is a ton of options including one to go on your watch band!

One of the things I like about it is that it is so comfortable to wear that I never take mine off, I guess there are some people who also just put on a running watch to run but never wear it otherwise, but I am not that person. I keep my running watch on and my ROADiD always. One of the reason is because I am lazy and another because you never know when something might happen to you when you are alone in public and will need assistance. I have another friend who was diagnosed with MS who bought one to keep on in case of any medical emergencies she may have. It’s one of those things that started out as a good idea for athletes and then became a good idea for everyone, especially those with medical conditions.

Over the years I have reviewed other types of ROADiDs but continue to come back to the original silicone stretch band design that I started with, it’s just no fuss and simple in my opinion. It’s my favorite and it never gets snagged on anything since it really only has my information plate and no buckles or clasps. It’s easy to customize it to your personality too, they have different metal plate options (rose gold, slate and graphite) and a ton of colors to choose from for the bands, plus badges to add to it to show your sport of choice. When my daughter was around 1 I got her a ROADiD to wear in the stroller in case anything would happen to me while out on a run with her or at a race. I would want someone to call her contacts if I was injured and unable to keep her safe. She still wears it when I take her out on her bike now and it still fits. Lately she has taken to wearing it always now that she sees I have the same color band as her.

I hope that I never have to be in the situation where it will help the paramedics or strangers identify me in order to help me but I know that if something does happen my ROADiD has my back.

Bibrave has so generously provided us a code to share with our friends & followers to use for 25% off your order at ROADiD.com : SAVE25BRP

Or comment below with which ROADiD you would get for the chance to win a $10 off code for any iD! Winner will be chosen at random on June 1st!

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Earth Day Running with Knockaround

Disclaimer: I received a pair of Knockaround sunglasses 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!

I have been a fan of Knockarounds for awhile, they are one of my favorite running/active sunglasses. Living in a tropical place means that I need lots of sunglasses, when I first started running I would run early in the morning before the sun came up but in the past few years, Phoebe has grown and early morning runs usually mean treadmill runs. Sunglasses are a necessity for my afternoon/early evening runs in South Florida. Even on the off chance I get in an early outdoor run on the weekend when the sun is still rising it can get pretty bright out. These are fantastic for not slipping down.

Ever heard of the term, plogging? It is a Swedish term for jogging while picking up litter coined back in 2016. It’s a great idea to help clean up the environment and get in some exercise, it should really be taking off at this time since there is a ton of trash out there at this time and lots of people walking/biking/jogging on the sidewalks/streets now.

Adventures in plogging recently has changed a bit due to the covid-19 virus, I used to be running and see a couple bottles or large piece of trash and a trash can nearby and would not hesitate to pick it up and trash it. But now with the virus being able to live on plastic and cardboard for sometimes days, plogging requires more preparations, like gloves. Also with social distancing you cannot run with others who are not living in your household so things can be a little slow in the clean up of neighborhoods. I decided to keep my plogging nearby my house in order to be able to have my gloves and garbage bag ready so I often ended my run with some plogging around the street next to my house. Living off a very busy avenue means lots of trash to pick up and now lots of discarded gloves and masks too. Instead of throwing out their masks/gloves at home or in a bag after their grocery shopping trips people have started throwing them out of their cars and damaging the trying to heal earth. I haven’t been able to take any pics of said plogging in action as I have to wear gloves and do not want to touch my phone to snap a pic before I am decontaminated. But I was able to get in some pics of the bags of trash that I found in less than half a mile from my house recently. Lots of people in cars gave puzzled looks because it’s odd to see people who are not forced to clean up the streets who are not in a community service program. I did get a few cheers.

We are currently in a very lax lockdown in Miami right now and people are venturing outside to exercise since all the gyms are closed and only some fitness classes are online right now. So I am seeing a lot more disposable water bottles strewn in the grass by the sidewalks and less litter free lawns now than a few months ago. I love running outside and now the rules are you have to stay at least 6 ft but preferably 10-12 ft away from others when running as our heavier breathing causes virus particles to fly farther than those who are walking. I do not wear a mask while running but at any grocery stores or drive thru restaurants I do. I live in the suburbs so there is not a ton of people on the streets at any given time like if I were to live in downtown or Brickell area where there are many condos and lots of people living in a small area.

Also there is currently a contest going on currently through social media about hugging a tree for Earth day and tagging knockaround and bibrave with the hashtag #earthdayknocksbr in order to win a pair of Knockarounds, hurry, it ends tonight! Here’s my pic :

Right now to celebrate earth day Knockaround sunglasses gave us the code: BibRaveKnocks4 to get 20% off your entire order! I have the Special Release No Signal Fort Knocks ones, which come with the coolest tv guide printed sunglasses pouch and the box they came in has a printed old school tv remote. Reminds me back when I was a teenager and at midnight the tv would go fuzzy and then have these colorful lines until the channel started broadcasting again. Very fun and nostalgic!

Did you do anything special to celebrate Earth day? Do you think every day is Earth Day? Have you ever been plogging?

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