Five Gym Bag Summer Must Haves

As the seasons change, so do the items in my gym bag. After recently having skin cancer surgery, what goes in my bag takes on a whole new importance as the summer weather arrives.

1. Sunscreen - Even on overcast days, I'm wearing it. I love Neutrogena and use it on my body and the baby face formula on my face.
2. Headband - I use headbands for any workout. They keep my sweaty hair out of my sweaty face. A lot of my favorites are from Sweaty Bands.
3. Hat - Protecting my face from the sun is so much more important to me now. One of my favorites is from Athleta.
4. Water Bottle - I carry water or Cytomax on nearly all my runs, especially in the warmer weather. My Simple Hydration bottle makes it so easy to access my drink, but stay hands-free.
5. Sunglasses - Not my favorite running accessory, but another layer of sun protection. I received a pair of Under Armour Marbella to review a couple of months ago and I love them.


What's in your gym bag for the summer?

Today I'm linking up with the hosts of Friday Five: Cynthia, Courtney, and Mar. 

Training Truths: Back On My Feet

By now, you have probably heard about Mizuno's new campaign to get people running and support the Back On My Feet program at the same time. If not, here are the basics: Download the Mizuno Baton App and use it on your runs. For every mile that you run during a one week window, Mizuno will donate $1 to Back On Your Feet.

Now every run means even more.

Tuesday - Beautiful 4 mile trail run after school. Managed my pace better and finished with a 8:56 final mile.

Thursday - With questionable weather looming, I opted to do my 4 mile run from home instead of school. It turned out that I beat the rain and finished with another awesome final mile at 8:41! Then I hung out with the boys.

Saturday - My first workout of the day was SurfSet where we really worked our upper body. Now I'll know what's in store when the instructor says to grab two sets of weights.

(note: I am whimpy, so my weights are very light!)

The weather on Saturday was again questionable, so instead of running downtown after SurfSet, I came home. Hoping for better weather on Sunday for a long run, I chose to do a virtual 5K and used a tempo mix from RockMyRun. It wasn't a good tempo run, but I had another awesome last mile (9:22, 9:44, 8:47).

Sunday - No surprise that I woke up a little stiff from Saturday's SurfSet, but to loosen up I did a 10 minute ab workout (from Comcast on-demand, who knew?) and then loved on my foam roller. After selecting the Run Chat Fan Mix by RockMyRun as my pace music, I set out for a six miler that turned out way better than I expected. I'm happy with my overall pace, but even happier with my splits because for once I'm not all over the place. Mile 4 was a continuous climb that started with a steep 150' gain over about 350 yards. And of course I love that my last mile was once again my fastest.

Do you dedicate your runs?

I've got Disco Fever (10K variety)!

Last Saturday was the fourth year for the TI Disco Fever 5K/10K, but it was my first time running it. Christine & Sarah, the owners of TI Fitness where I SurfSet, organized this charity event. These ladies are so inspiring and super fun to be around.

I grew up listening to disco music, so I was pumped to join the fun and play a little dress up.

On my way to registration, I ran into some of the girls from the There She Goes Again running group and chatted for a few minutes.

The race was held at the World Sports Grille in Manchester and pre-race booths were set up in the lower level of the garage. I love the race shirt made by b Positive, but the sizes run very small, so it's likely that I won't be wearing it.

While waiting to make my way to the start line, I checked out Blue Trailer, a mobile rental locker service launched in March by a runner named Molly. Her #lockitup concept was born from the need to store items securely at a race/event. It's a great idea, especially when the weather is less than favorable at the start, your car is far away, and there's no bag check.

The 5K and 10K started at the same time, but were separated by about 50 yards. Both followed the same route along the Manchester Trail until just before the 2 mile mark when the 5K split off. It was fun to run along the trail since it is one of our regular choices for long runs.

As usual, mrC joined me on this groovy adventure. We stuck together for most of the run, but he had to walk at mile 5 and I just wanted to get to the finish.

After the race, runners could immediately check results and then head over to the World Sports Grille deck for post-race live music, beverages, and food. I will definitely do this one again!

Do you like themed races?

Training Truths: Running with a Hottie

Last week I was completely spoiled by the fact that I got to do all of my runs and a race with mrC. People often tell me that they wish their husband/wife would run with them and how lucky I am. It is definitely fun to run with mrC and I'm grateful he is a runner.

Tuesday - We hit the trail by my school for a quick 3 mile run before littleC's tennis match. The day before was really warm, so it was nice to have mild temps for this one. We weren't ready for warm runs yet.

Thursday - We tried to escape the heat on this 4 mile trail run, but instead it was a sweatfest. We did ok for the first two miles, but after the turnaround, we both struggled. Big difference from Tuesday's run!

Saturday - Disco Fever 10K with mrC. The morning started off rainy, but by the race start the clouds were moving out and making room for plenty of sunshine. I walked with mrC when he needed to until the last mile, when I just wanted to finish. Our pace was pretty good, slowing when we reached the steep hill at the turn around, but I feel really good about my final mile! 9:19, 9:36, 9:44, 10:21, 9:52, 849.

Do you run with a hottie or wish you did?

Ragnar Cape Cod - Too Vicious & Delicious

Last weekend I became a Ragnar Finisher!

It all started early Friday morning when we descended upon Hull, Massachusetts to start our 192 mile running journey to Provincetown.

When I wasn't running, I was keeping company with my van 2 teammates.

We passed the time leap-frogging, supporting, and cheering each other on while we ran.

Finishing my first leg along the Cape Cod Canal was gorgeous.

It was easy to stay hydrated, even when we ran in areas without van support, with our Simple Hydration water bottles.

We were able to catch a couple of hours sleep before legs 2 & 3 in the Ragnar sleep areas.

ShowerPill kept us from having to ride around in stinky vans. 

Before I knew it, we were starting our final legs to the finish.

After my last run ( I was runner #11), we hurried to join our final runner across the finish line.

After doing Reach the Beach NH in 2012, I didn't think I would want to do another relay, but I'm glad that Katherine asked me to join her team.

This is a relay I could see myself doing again.

Have you ever run a relay?

*Our team was supplied with ShowerPill Athletic Wipes and Simple Hydration water bottles. These are both products that I support and all opinions are 100% my own.