A Race Not to Miss: ZOOMA Cape Cod

On Saturday I worked for a couple of hours in the ZOOMA Women's Race Series booth at the Run to Remember Half Marathon expo in Boston.

Part of my role as a Cape Cod Ambassador is to promote the race, so hanging out with other Ambassadors, like super fun Andrea from I Run For Donuts, and talking to people at a race expo was easy peasy!

Hanging with Andrea

It was so much fun talking to (mostly) women about how much fun the ZOOMA races are and why they should sign up for the 10K or half marathon. 

Michelle and Andrea

Here are some of the highlights:

1. THE SETTING: Spend the weekend hanging out and running around the Sea Crest Beach Hotel on the Cape. 

2. THE BLING: What woman doesn't love a gorgeous race medal that you can wear around your neck all the time? 

3. THE AFTER PARTY: Massages, music, wine, and hundreds of your best new girlfriends just hanging out and celebrating together.

4. THE COURSE: Both the 10K and half marathon courses offer stunning water views and start/finish just steps from the resort doors.

I ran the inaugural half marathon last year (you can read my recap here) and now I'm looking forward to returning to do it all again. If you are thinking about joining me, enter my ambassador code CCAMB3 when you register to save 10% off the 10K or the half marathon registration price. 

What race do you consider a NOT TO MISS?

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Congratulations to the 1BandID giveaway winners

 Jill F & Sheena

Check your email for details!

Not a winner? Don't worry, you can still save 15% on every band you order by using my code
runesc15
Just enter the code during the checkout process!

TrainingTruths: What's Beautiful: Keep Fighting

As the last week of May arrives, I am beginning to realize that I may not hit my mileage goal for the month. As a competitive person this bugs me a little. Ok, more than a little, but I try to keep it all in perspective.

Despite a month filled with tapering, traveling, and recovering I have still logged some good miles. I knew that my goal of 1000 miles for the year was going to be a challenge. That's the point, right?

This is what last week looked like:

Tuesday: This after school run was a family affair. My husband and I ran 5 miles and my step daughter joined us for the first one before turning back. Back at the house, the dog tried to pretend like he was part of the workout too.

Friday: There was finally a break in the rain, so after school I went for a run when mr. c got home. Although I had been complaining about the yucky weather for most of the week, I admit that when it comes to running, I don't mind the cooler temps.

On Saturday I hung out at the Run to Remember expo in Boston working at the ZOOMA Women's Race Series booth, handing out free stuff while getting ladies signed up for the Cape Cod event. If you weren't there, you can still get a 10% off discount by using my ambassador code. Look for it on my sidebar. After my shift, we headed to Newport and logged some miles walking through the "summer cottages" along Bellevue Avenue.

I had plans to do along run with mr c. in Newport on Sunday morning, but we postponed it after waking to freezing, rainy, and windy weather. Even though we were really looking forward to logging miles running along the Narraganset Bay, we knew that we would be suffering. The forecast for Monday was much better.

The good news is that the weather on Monday was beautiful, but the bad news is that I've got an injury. I went to bed feeling fine, but woke up feeling a strain in my groin area. I have NO IDEA what I did. Too many mansion tours in Newport, I guess?

Anyway, I am hoping to feel better after a couple of days rest. In the mean time, have you entered my 1BandID giveaway? Details here.


Have you ever had an unexpected injury? 

I'm not Wearing Anything Else on my Wrist!

Last week I received a 1BandID to try out. I don't often run alone, but when I do I think about what would happen if I got injured or became ill. How would my family be contacted? I can carry my phone with me in a wrist band, but sometimes I'd rather run "lighter" especially as the warm weather arrives.

The 1BandID is a customized identification band that can be worn on your watch or your shoes. The band can hold up to 6 lines of 20 characters per line. Most people include their "in case of emergency" contacts and any allergies they might have, but there is also room for a motivational message.

The great thing about the 1BandID is that it wraps right around your current watch band and attaches securely using Velcro. It's that simple. You don't have to do anything to your gear to use it.

It doesn't interfere with wearing my watch the same way I always have. Other than the super cool purple standing out against the black, it's hard to notice it's even there. This ID will not be coming off my watch anytime soon.

Joe, the brains behind 1BandID, is an athlete who used to forget to wear his separate ID bracelet or tags. So, he decided to simplify safety by designing a band that could securely attach to the gear that athletes already wear every time they head out the door.

1BandID would like to give TWO Running Escapades readers a customized 1BandID. Simply use Rafflecopter below to enter. Giveaway ends Thursday May 30. Winner will be announced on the blog Friday May 31.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TrainingTruths: What's Beautiful: Try a Tri

First let me announce the winners of the Firmoo sunglasses giveaway:

Congratulations to Jenelle, Lydia R, Meredith, Cristi Rae, Shelley Oz, and Heather Hunter!

Please email me at so that I can give you your gift card code.

I mentioned last week that I am participating in the What's Beautiful campaign with Under Armour and FitFluential to help redefine the female athlete. My goal to run 20 miles a week fell a little short, but I did add a challenge to help make me a stronger runner.

The first part of my week was pretty normal. Tuesday I went for a 4 mile run after school with my Crazy Running Partner. It was a little cooler and my legs felt fresh and bouncy again.

My CRP was doing RTB MA and had to leave on Thursday afternoon, so I went home to run. I choose a route that took me off the main road, but was much hillier. It was a rough 5 miles in the bright afternoon sun. I tried to focus on how I was feeling and adjust my pace, but I ended up having to take a few walk breaks. It's going to be a tough transition to summer weather.

After a late start on Saturday, my sleep deprived husband and I drove to one of out favorite routes to do our long run. Ironically, we couldn't get to it because there was a race going on! Instead we headed downtown and ran on the Manchester portion of the rail trail. It was a tough one for him, but I LOVE paved paths. I rewarded mr. c with a stop for delicious fruit smoothies.

Saturday I also did the Try a Tri challenge. I'm not a triathlete, so I put together three workout moves of my own and ran through them ladder style starting at 20. Here's a snippet of what it looked like.

As always, how was your week? Try any new challenges?

Friday Favorites: Things You Find at a Race

Every once in a while I stumble upon something new or I'm reminded why I already love a product.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Cincinnati to run the Flying Pig Half Marathon. One of the big race sponsors was Proctor & Gamble. At the expo, P&G handed out A LOT of sample products. One that was new to me was Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream. I've been using it at night on my 40+ year old face, and I've noticed that my skin feels very soft and dewy again.

One of my favorite snacks (or desserts depending on the time of day) is Stonyfield Organic Greek Yogurt. I actually tried this yogurt for the first time when it was handed out to finishers after the Half at the Hamptons a couple of years ago. I love chocolate on the bottom!

A favorite staple that has been coming in very handy as the weather heats up is my Simple Hydration Water Bottle. It always takes me awhile as a runner to acclimate to the heat and my bottle makes it so easy to carry water or performance drinks on my runs. I had the pleasure of hanging out at the Simple Hydration booth at the Flying Pig Expo and talking to people about the bottle. It's really fun now to read the positive comments on the Facebook page from runners who bought and used the bottle at the race.

Have you ever tried a sample from a race day expo, goodie bag, or finisher's treat and fallen in love with it?   

There's still time to enter to win a pair of sunglasses! Details here! Giveaway ends tomorrow!