Great Bay Half Marathon Recap!

It's finally shorts weather!!

*Warning- This blog entry is going to be all over the place;  I am in dire need of ice cream, and my son is playing a techno version of 'Where is Thumbkin" on his iPad over and over again. Like 10 times now.  I apologize in advance.*

Today was my 3rd time running The Great Bay 1/2 Marathon, and my 11th 1/2 marathon.  The Great Bay 1/2 is definitely much hillier than most of the local races, but it has some of the best scenery.  It starts in downtown Newmarket, loops through some of Newmarket's neighborhoods, continues onto a dirt road for 2.5 miles, and then runs along the Great Bay.  It's a tough course, but has a ton of great volunteers, spectators, and even musicians and belly dancers along the race course for entertainment.

We lucked out with the weather today;  I actually thought I was going to be too cold with a t-shirt and shorts, but this was definitely not the case.  It was sunny, hardly any wind, and low to mid 60s! 

In the morning, I met my friends Stephanie and Justin, in Dover so that we could all carpool over to the race.  It was going to be Stephanie's first 1/2 marathon!  She's been so great with her training; going into the race, I knew she would do so well....and she did! She ran a 1:55 for her first half, and a hilly one at that!

The race starts at 11am, so I split up my breakfast so that I ate 1/2 at 8am and the other half at 9am...yeah I know, not a big time difference. I had a Ray's bagel and almond butter, coffee and water.

While we were waiting for the race to start, Justin, Stephanie and I did a mile warm-up, and try to find Lenny and Mariette- the phone reception was horrible so I didn't find Lenny until the start, and didn't find Mariette until the first 100 meters of the race!

My friend Laurie, who paced me last year, came to cheer us all on- she reminded us to not go out too fast and to stay hydrated.  The race starts with a 5k, so it's very easy to get swept up with the 5k runners' paces. 

My goal for this year was to hopefully do 1:45 like I had done at the Seacoast 1/2, but I was going to be happy just to finish feeling good.  Last year, I really struggled from the 10th mile on, and had to walk a ton.  

Normally, I run with my TomTom Runner Cardio watch, however, I broke the strap of it on Monday, and my replacement strap isn't coming until tomorrow....gasp....I had to run without a watch!  

Once the race started, we definitely didn't start out too fast- I was also excited to find Mariette so we chatted for the majority  of the first few miles. The hills didn't feel too bad, and I didn't feel super tired.  At mile 9, I told Mariette that I would only be able to grunt at her until the end because I was starting to get tired. :)

Around mile 12, I got a little bit of pep back in my step, I kept telling myself that I could definitely make it for another 8+ minutes. Justin, Mariette and I were pretty close in proximity to one another, so it helped to have them push me forward.  Then, I got to my nemesis hill, the horrible, horrible hill that isn't even that high, but feels like the highest hill on the course.  I had to power walk up half of it, and run up the second half (it's really not that long, or big...I'm just being dramatic, it's just a tiring hill because it's so close to the finish!)  Finally, the last .10 miles are downhill into downtown Newmarket!

I finished in 1:50:26, not a PR, but still makes me happy :)!

I also received a coupon at the race for 40% Sofft shoes (they had a booth set-up right by the refreshments)....so of course, that was great as well.  Well-played Sofft, well played.  

Stitch Fix #13 and Getting Ready for the Great Bay Half Marathon!

Unacceptable.

I got my thirteenth Stitch Fix yesterday; it must have been lucky, because for the second time, I kept everything in the box!  It was fun, and made up for the fact that we got 2 inches of snow late yesterday (see above picture.)
  Here's what I got:

1. Print a-line skirt and "statement" necklace.  I am not usually a statement necklace kind of girl, I tend to wear the same jewelry over and over again.  I expected to not like the necklace at all, but I tried it on with a few shirts, and was surprised! Another plus to the necklace is that one side of the "statement" pieces is black, and the other brown wood.  The a-line skirt, I loved - I wear a ton of skirts and dresses to work, and this skirt seemed like something that would work in all seasons!

2. White sweater...the stylist card called it a "dusty pink" sweater...but there is no sign of pink in this sweater (or she had the shirt pictured below lying underneath the sweater.)  Either way, I kept it, it was really lightweight (which would be perfect for Spring and Summer) and went well with the necklace and skirt!

3.  Raspberry colored blouse- I was on the fence about this one; the bulk of my wardrobe is gray, black, white, light pink and blue...not a lot of bright colors, and it just didn't seem like my style.  I did end up keeping it because it seemed like something that I could ending up really liking.

4.  Coral colored bermuda shorts- Imagine me pulling these out of the StitchFix box yesterday while snow was falling outside, it was like a sick joke.  I was definitely on the fence about these shorts, I have never worn bermuda shorts, and didn't think I was going to like them.  When i tried them on, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they fit perfectly! Plus, they would go well with my non-dusty rose sweater!


Here's my StitchFix link if you're interested in trying it out!
https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3596515

Almost time for the Great Bay (Hills) Half Marathon!

I am signed up to do the Great Bay 1/2 on Sunday, it's in Newmarket NH; it is a beautiful course with a fun after party....but, it's definitely hilly (or hillier than what I'm used to running.)  I've done the course twice before.  The first time I ran it, I barely trained, I ran maybe 10 miles a week (on a good week) and just had no idea how to pace myself.  I ended up running the first four miles, and had to walk and run (more walking) for the remaining 9 miles.  I also wore a cotton tank top to run in, what a running fashion faux pas!

  Last year, I did it and had a ton of fun, I wasn't running as much as I am now, but I was consistently training and definitely had more mileage than 10 miles a week.  It was challenging last year,  especially during the last few miles, but I ended up running my fastest 1/2.  

All smiles coming down the last hill of the course!

In November, at the MUCH flatter, faster Seacoast 1/2 course, I took 10 minutes off my Great Bay 1/2 time, and PRd at 1:45xx.  I'd love to do something close to that for this weekend, but I'm not going to overly stress out about it.  I will also not wear a cotton tank top!

Other fun things!

Running with Mariette a couple of weekends ago - April snow brings...???

Oh yes. That's Hall and Oates. Such a fun concert! 

Paddy's Five Miler Recap! (I failed at taking pictures)

Today, the weather was as feared; freezing cold, and wind gusts of up to 35 mph! Luckily, the race started at 10:30 am;  I love that kind of start time, it's nice not to feel rushed in the morning!

  I had my usual race breakfast of a Ray's NY bagel, coffee and almond butter.  I checked the weather 5 million times to see what the temps were going to be at 1030am.  I finally decided on wearing fleece-lined tights, a long sleeved tech shirt with my Six03 shirt over it.  I packed my warmest gloves, and brought my white wool headband to wear on my head.

My parents nicely met Max and me at the Pease Tradeport at 9:45;  they agreed at the last minute to watch Max so that Neil could do our taxes! It worked out well, Neil got to do our taxes with minimal interruptions, Max got "ya ya" and "pa pa" time ,and I didn't feel as stressed about rushing back after the race, especially since the post-race beer was something I was looking forward to!

  After parking my car, I met my friend Lenny to do a 1/2 mile warm-up-  the warm-up didn't really warm us up at all!!  Just before 1030, we lined up towards the front, and got ready to race!  I had to start my music on my phone before the gun went off, as I had no intentions of taking my mittens off.

When the gun went off,  I realized that we had placed ourselves further back in the crowd than we had expected, there were a lot of people to weave around.  The 1st part of the race was great, the 1st mile is mostly all downhill, and the wind hadn't yet picked up much.  I got to the 1st mile marker at 7:25.  This felt comfortable, but probably because it was the 1st mile.
  The 2nd mile felt great as well,  I was getting into a rhythm, and despite the cold temps, my breathing was ok.  (7:12.)  The 2-3 mile is made up of a slight uphill and turn-around point, it was great being able to see the lead runners run by, and fellow Six03 runners!  The wind had picked up a bit, not horrible at this point, but uncomfortable. (3rd mile at 7:53.)  After the turn around, I felt a lot better, the wind had died down.  After about 3/4 of a mile, the course turns right, it goes up the street where we do hill repeats at lunch.  I saw my friend Karla parked right alongside the hill- she told me in advance she was going to yell at me (in a nice, but aggressive way :) ), she helped, and was there at the perfect time!  The wind by now had picked up so much, that I had to do everything in my power to not get blown over.  Fourth mile (7:25.)
  The last mile was BRUTAL. Not only was it slightly uphill (feels like a giant hill at this point in the race), but the wind was blowing so hard, that it tripped me up! I could hardly move forward at all, and had to focus on just keeping my head down, and trudging forward.  I really was trudging.  Right around the 4.5 mile marker, I had a similar dizziness and blurry vision that I had from the last race.  I'm stating the obvious by saying that I will talk to my doctor about this now.  Luckily, I was able to make it through the finish line in one piece.  Official time per Cool Running was 38:58.
  I got in the tent, had a ton of soup and water- and went to find the beer!!

Forgot to stop my app after crossing the finish line! 

Play List for Tomorrow's Race!

Tomorrow is the Paddy's Five Miler on the Pease Tradeport;  it was supposed to be held last weekend, but was pushed to this weekend due to a snow storm.  Last weekend, I pictured that I would be running the race in capris and a t-shirt;  I also optimistically thought that the bulk of the snow would be melted.  I am a fool. It's snowing again, and tomorrow's forecast looks like this:

Not horrible, but not expected for temperatures at the end of March!

The race is held in the office area where I work, so I'm used to running the course from my runs at lunch.  It has a somewhat late start (10:30am) because finishers receive a beer at the end of the race! I've only done the race once (back in 2011), and had fun.  I like the 5 mile distance too, it doesn't feel like your lungs are going to explode as much as 5ks do!

I'm excited for tomorrow, and will hopefully be able to recap the race tomorrow!

Now, on to the important things.... (besides my running outfit for tomorrow, which is still yet to be determined because of the weather.)

My playlist!  I love listening to music when I am running in a race, it helps me focus, and helps draw my attention away from any discomfort.
 I did take the time to put together a playlist last night, here's what on the latest list! Let me know if you have anything to add!

Don't knock "Jukebox Hero"...also, I title my playlist "Seacoast 1/2 Marathon Playlist" because I'm too lazy to make a new playlist for each race, I just keep editing my string of songs.
Here are some of the songs for tomorrow:

Other songs include:
  -Shark Attack- Grouplove
 -Right Thurr- Chingy
-Sabotage- Beastie Boys
-Get Low- Lil Jon
-The Man- Ed Sheeran
-Rather Be- Clean Bandit
-Flashed Junk Mind- Milky Chance
-Yellow Flicker Beat- Lorde
-Carry on Phenomenom- Kishi Bashi
-Cigarette Daydreams-Cage the Elephant
-White Winter Hymnal- Fleet Foxes

Back by No one's Demand!!! :)

Stitch Fix #13!

After 2.5 months, I decided to blog again;  I missed writing, and now that I'm not training for a marathon, I have a few more minutes in the day to do one of the things I love.  Maybe the 80" of snow on the ground, or biting cold temperatures had made me feel gloomy,  but yesterday's 50 degree temperatures helped get me out of a funk.

  Since I last posted, I have run 1 race (the Mid-Winter Classic) on February 1st and have received 3 Stitch Fixes.  Last night, I received Stitch Fix #13 (*number is probably not accurate, it's somewhere around 13.)  I am training for 2 races- both are half-marathons (Great Bay Half and the Wallis Sands Half.)

**Mid-Winter Classic Recap**

I was nervous going into this race; it was my first 10 mile race ever, and the race happened to fall right after one of our 500 snowstorms of this Winter.  Plus, it was the first race I was going to do after the Honolulu Marathon. Luckily, I was going to be running with some of my girlfriends, so that helped a lot to have familiar faces around!  I did want to race it, and take advantage of some of my lingering marathon fitness.  My goal going into the race was to try and finish between 1:15-1:20 with less than an eight minute mile pace.

The morning of the race, I had my usual Ray's NY Bagel (the closest thing to actual NY bagels that you can find in New Hampshire) with almond butter.  My friends and I met each other at the liquor store at the traffic circle, not to pre-game, but to carpool.  The temperatures were pretty cold, and we heard rumors that the course's conditions were not going to be good.  I went back and forth about wearing trail shoes to help with traction on icy roads, but eventually settled on my favorite race shoes, the Saucony Type A6.  They are racing flats, but are very comfortable for all distances- and mentally, they make me feel faster.  I wanted to be warm enough so I wore my Under Armour fleece-lined tights..these are by far, my favorite tights ever- and so cheap for tights! Check them out here.
I wore my Saucony 26 Strong hoodie that we got in Honolulu and my Six03 Endurance shirt over the hoodie.  I was cold at first, but felt fine throughout the race.

The course was super hilly, with lots of fast runners- the first few miles were a lot of rolling hills (actually, the whole course was a lot of rolling hills.) The course ended up being ice-free, and very well organized by the race's volunteers.  Around the 5th mile, there was some ice, but nothing bad.

  I felt pretty good for most of the race, but around the 9th mile, I felt like I had the worst brain freeze ever and started to not be able to see straight!  Now that I type that out, it sounds a lot scarier than it actually was...I was probably just tired and in need of a donut.  Just before the finish line, I saw my friend Laurie cheering- that helped me push through the last little bit.

  Despite not being able to see straight through the finish line, I ended up finishing in 1:19, and luckily, my vision was soon restored!
  After the run, my friends and I all went to Whole Foods in Portland for coffee..and I got a donut!

With my next half-marathon in less than a month, I am hoping to add more long runs into my training...it's been difficult with the constant snow, but I've been been watching Orange is the New Black and Scandal* on the treadmill.

*PS- I've decided that if recruiting doesn't work out, I should probably work for Olivia Pope with my master super sleuth internet research skills.  (self-decided.)

Stitch Fix #13!

I have three other Stitch Fixes to talk about, but I'll only do my most recent one.  For the past three months, I have been asking my stylist to PLEASE not send me anymore scarves, skinny jeans or polyester blouses.  I'm not really a scarf person, and I have way too many skinny jeans.  Wide-legged jeans and pants are coming back in, and I really wanted a pair.  Last month, I didn't get a pair, so I was very excited to see them when I opened up my Stitch Fix, yesterday!

I was really nervous that the pants were going to be too short, I have a 35" inseam, so it's hard to find pants that fit well.  I was SO excited when I tried on the pants and they were just long enough! Neil thought they looked like mom jeans...but whatever.  I kept them.

Then, I tried on a striped lightweight sweater.  It was cute, and would look good with cutoffs in the Summer or with my sexy mom jeans. Keep!
  The next piece of clothing was a  light green shirt with bat wings...I forget what the style is called, but it legit had bat wings, or flying squirrel wings.  That shirt got a big thumbs down from everyone. No way, Jose.  See, now I'm talking like I wear mom jeans.

  Then, I tried on a purple colorblock sweater;  I thought it was super cute, and pretty reasonably priced- keep!
  Finally, I tried on a sleeveless silk tank that looked like it was printed with exploding butterflies; it also made me look 7 months pregnant.  Return.



So that's some of my life of late- I'm hoping I will be able to blog at least once a week!
 

5 Things I am Loving Now!

It's been exactly two weeks since I ran the Honolulu Marathon!  For the sake of not overdoing my training, and to prevent myself from getting bored of running, I decided to take two full weeks off from running.  I almost made it, I did pretty well and managed to do 12 days off.  I caved in after the second unseasonably warm day we were having in NH, and went for my first post marathon run this past Friday
  The 12 days off were hard mentally because I was missing a lot of the endorphins you get from running, I walked a lot and did some strength exercises- it just wasn't the same!

  So what's in store for 2015?  Right now, I am signed-up to run the Mid-Winter Classic 10 Miler  on February 1st, and the Wallis Sands Half Marathon on May 15th- both already sold out!
   I love the 10 mile distance, and while I have never done a 10 mile race- I think this one will be really fun.  Wallis Sands I've done almost every year- as a plus, it goes right by my house!

Since I have had 12 days of non-running time with not a lot of running-related subject matter to talk about,  here are 5 (mostly) non-running related things that I have been into lately!


1.

Serial Podcast-  I started listening to this podcast (a spin-off from 'This American Life', on NPR) on the way home from Hawaii.  I was hooked from the first few minutes- so much so, that I only allowed myself to listen to the first 3 episodes in the series, and to finish the rest for when I returned to running.  I listened to episodes 4 and 5 on today's run.  So good!!

2.   Athlesisure-  I think I should start a fashion blog centered around "athleisure."  It's a big trend right now, and anything that allows you to look stylish and comfortable, is alright in my book.   Athleisure consists of things like: leggings, sweatshirts, retro sneakers and clothes you can work out in (but wouldn't really.)  I had to buy this sweatshirt (pictured above) from Under Armour because it was retro looking, and super comfortable.  

Disclaimer**** My family, and my best friend from middle school, Jennifer will attest that I wore sweatshirts every.single. day in 7th grade, rotated between Champion, Stick People, the Gap, the Limited (logos, of course) and Umbra.   With my Adidas Sambas.   It was 1994.   I am making a promise now that this will not be the case.  ***

3. Gel Nail Kit-  Confession.  I have NEVER had a professional manicure in my life.  I have probably painted my nails maybe 8 times in my entire 32 years on Earth.  I keep my nails really short, and low-maintenance.  I heard about the gel nail kits in a magazine I was reading- it promised at home manicures that were easy and lasted around two weeks!  I was in need of a pick-me-up (lack of running endorphins), and ended up buying the kit (in link above.)    Last night, I did my first "manicure"-  it WAS easy!  So far, no chipping, and I feel a little more girly!

4.  Un-Fancy Blog-  I love reading blogs- however,  all of the ones I subscribe to are all running-related.  This changed when my friend Nicole turned me on to this blog a couple of months ago. The writer, Caroline Joy,  has a great sense of style, and a really cool idea of doing a 37-piece "capsule" wardrobe each season.  I really loving getting outfit ideas from her site

5.   The Saucony Triumph ISO-  As if I needed another reason to be a Saucony fan for life after their generosity,  support  and general awesomeness for the Saucony 26 Strong program!!  Before the program, I had bought a few Saucony shoes for running (the Kinvara and the Omnis.)  While the Omnis were too bulky for me, I have been a long time fan of the Kinvaras.  This year, I was able to try the Ride 7 (love them), the Kinvara 5, and both the A6 and the Fastwitch for races- also love them both, however, I prefer the A6.  In early November,  Saucony also graciously sent everyone in the program the Saucony Triumph ISO.  From the first run on, I have really been really into this sneaker.  It feels like, and does have a lot of cushion;  at the same time, it feels light like the Kinvara for tempo workouts.   While in Hawaii, Saucony gave us two new pairs of sneakers which will be released in late January.  I cannot wait to review these once I get a chance to run in them!

Honolulu Marathon!...and Stitch Fix #10?

Are you ready for lots of pictures??  I am back from Honolulu/Waikiki, and have so much to share!  I had a ton of fun, and will forever be a fan of Saucony after all they did for our group!
  Where to start...?

Friday morning, Angela, her husband and I met at the Manchester airport for a flight to the Newark Airport.  At Newark, we grabbed some lunch and Jamba Juice to fuel up for our 11 hour flight to Honolulu.  We ran into Michele and her sister, Nicole who were also going to be on our flight.  We boarded the plane in Newark at 930am- it was definitely the biggest plane I've ever been in.  My seat was right next to a guy who was very sweet, but talked the ENTIRE. time. I know his whole life story.
At the end of the flight, he told me I was his 'ride or die chick.'

We were greeted at the airport by a shuttle coordinator, and were lei'd- only our leis were pucca shells.  Then, we got on a shuttle to our airport.  Since it was 3:30pm on a Friday in Honolulu, the traffic was pretty bad, it took us 90 minutes to get to our hotel 6 miles away!  I had a huge headache from talking for the past several hours, and was getting car sick from stopping/starting.

   We got to the hotel at 5pm, checked-in, and freshened up to go to a Saucony meet and greet at 530pm.  We got to meet most of the other girls that were in Hawaii (some were still traveling due to delayed flights) and the three representatives from Saucony and Competitor Magazine who had been involved in the Saucony 26 program.  Upon walking in, they gave us all a Saucony backpack with two new pairs of shoes, a Saucony keychain and two new shirts.  I felt like a running princess!!

Saturday morning,   we were all awake at 5am because of the time difference.  We went to get a light breakfast at Starbucks, and sat out on the beach to watch the sun rise (and do yoga.)  Although, you can clearly tell that Angela is the one that actually does yoga.

Then,  at 830am, we all met in the lobby for a photo shoot and a shake out run to breakfast.  Here are some more pictures!

We  only ran a mile and a half to breakfast, but it felt like a struggle after the long flight and the heat. I felt that these pancakes would be the right idea.

Then, Angela and I walked back to our hotel, and then to the Honolulu Marathon Expo.  It was unique!  Most of the booths and the people participating in the expo were Japanese (Japan Airlines is the major sponsor of the marathon.)  Everywhere, there were people shouting in Japanese, large cartoonish mascots walking around, and people giving out fish crackers. ugh.  It was so funny- I wish I took more pictures in the expo!

After the expo, I met up with my friend Katie and her husband Brendan.  They just moved to Hawaii and it was so good to see them!! Katie is due with her first baby in a matter of weeks- she looked gorgeous!  We went for crepes in their town, and drove around the coastline.

After lunch w. Katie and Brendan,   I went back to the hotel room and got my outfit laid out for the marathon.  I kept forgetting that I was running a marathon- I was still in shock that I was in Hawaii!  Angela, Ron and I went out for dinner at the Yard House, and I enviously stared at everyone drinking beers.  We were all in bed pretty early as we had to meet our team at 4am in the hotel lobby for the 5am start.

   Race morning,  Angela and I ate our bagels and almond butter that Angela had managed to find from walking around town (thank you!)  We debated back and forth about what to wear, the weathermen were saying 20% chance of rain and there was a wind advisory.

  

  When we got down to the hotel lobby, it finally sunk in that I was going to be running 26.2 miles in less than an hour.  I was super nervous!

  We all walked the 1.5 mile to the start.  We arrived right about 4:35, and I of course, had to go to the bathroom.  Unfortunately, there seemed to be about 28 port-a-potties available for 20k+ people!!  I wasn't able to make it through the line, and did try going in the dark behind a tree, but chickened out...

There weren't any waves with the 20k+ people running, so Angela and I just tried to stick ourselves wherever there were the fewest people.  Fireworks went off (literally, not figuratively), and the race started!

  It was really, REALLY crowded, so Angela and I tried to weave through all of the people.  The spectators and energy of the crowd was so awesome, even for 5am!

I'm not sure if it was the wind, or the fact that I was jet lagged, but I really struggled with the first 13 miles.  My asthma seemed bad, I was low on energy, and was already hot! Plus, the 20% chance of rain turned into 100%.  

  Luckily, by the time we got to the 16th mile, the wind was at our backs, and I was feeling a lot better. I had been drinking Gatorade, and was taking in Gu's every 5 miles.  Watching all of the spectators, fellow runners,  and of course, running w. Angela made the time go by quickly!  I felt great, and then Angela didn't feel well.  She was still running, but I could tell that she didn't feel well- she got really quiet, and seemed nauseous.  Then, unfortunately, her calf kept cramping up.  The two of us managed to pull each other through the last 10 miles, doing whatever we could! It was so fun to run w. a friend and a fantastic coach!  We told each other stories and talked about all of the alcoholic drinks and food we were going to eat/drink after the marathon.

Finally, we got to the 25th mile (after a seemingly 25 million-mile high hill), and saw Brandon, Sean and Erin from Saucony and Competitor there to cheer us on!  The rest of the way to the finish line was downhill- again, literally.

This was actually before the race!

I AM A MARATHONER!!!  After 18 long weeks of pushing myself and working really hard, I was so excited to finally be able to give myself that title!!  Best of all, I got to cross the finish line w. Angela!  Thank you so much Angela for coaching me, and being a supportive friend!!!  Thank you as well to Neil and my parents for your support!!

  I kept remembering that when I ran my first HALF-marathon, I was SO tired, and just wanted it to end.  I remember crossing the finish line at the half, and swearing that I would never be able to run 26+ miles, yet alone, another 13! But I did!!  So what's next?? Maybe an ultra??

The finish line was a blur, there were thousands and thousands of people, my phone, which had been in my Spibelt during the race, had self-disabled from me butt dialing it repeatedly.  I was stressed out because I couldn't see anything on my phone or make any calls for 30 minutes!   I grabbed my race t-shirt, medal and a delicious Hawaiian donut.  By that time, I was able to call Neil!

We walked back to the hotel, showered, changed and went to the hotel bar for lunch and a margarita.

Finally...a margarita

Then, we all took naps, and at 430pm, met up with the Saucony team for dinner!  We all got to catch up and talk about our marathon experience.  Then, it was time to say goodbye, as most people (myself included), were flying home the next day.

Angela and me with Brandon, Erin and Sean- the nicest (and tallest) people, and our Saucony/Competitor magazine coordinators

Saucony gave us all these necklaces- I got misty-eyed!

The next day, Angela, Ron and hiked up Diamond Head Volcano - so gorgeous, but after walking to Diamond Head, up Diamond Head and back from Diamond Head- I was EXHAUSTED.

The volcano is alive, with the sound of music...

I went back to the hotel room, showered, packed and got ready to leave on my flight back home for NH (sniff sniff.)  The flight back went well,  I was able to sleep the entire way back to Newark (or most of it), and didn't have to speak to anyone.

   I had a great weekend, I had a ton of fun w. Angela and Ron, and met lots of new friends from all over the country! I am forever grateful for the energy, detail and thought that Saucony put into making our weekend so special!  

Stitch Fix # (I can't remember what number I am on!)

This will be a short review, because I blabbed on about my marathon for the majority of the post.  I got my Stitch Fix while I was in Hawaii, and normally, would have had to return the clothes I didn't like while I was away on vacation- however, Stitch Fix's customer service was really nice, and extended the send back deadline by four days!

  I tried my clothes on Tuesday night when I got back from Hawaii- I received a gold bar necklace (sent back, not a huge fan of gold jewelry),  an open back sweater (really, when am I going to wear an open back sweater?? Sent back), a graphic sweater w. large squares (I swear I owned the same sweater in 1989- sent back),  grey skinny jeans (I kept those) and an olive green utility jacket (kept that as well.)

Then, the next day StitchFix sent me this journal in the mail for the holidays!! It was so thoughtful, I am going to use it as a running journal to plan my ultra- marathon (haha.)