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Reach the Beach: Thank You

I am currently coming off the best runner’s high I’ve felt since November of 2010 when I finished my first marathon! Send me to the back roads of Massachusetts with 11 other health and wellness bloggers who also love running and there is no way I can’t leave the weekend feeling inspired.

Team Off Balance

Before

After

Van 1

Van 2

Going into the weekend I had a lot on my mind.

  • I had to miss the New Balance tour on Thursday due to work. Would I miss all the team bonding?
  • Will my lack of speed annoy or upset my other teammates?
  • How will my legs handle the 17 miles within a 32 hour time period?
  • Will we get on each others nerves due to the tight space and lack of sleep?

Luckily, my nerves didn’t get the best of me and tonight I’m lying on the couch with my compression sleeves on, water and champagne both within arm’s reach, texting my van mates, and still smiling at the fact that I feel that my running brain and muscles are stronger than ever.

Thanks to some awesome mental and hill coaching in Van 2 and the enthusiasm of my support network, I rocked 3 hilly legs this weekend and kept an average pace of 9:47 which is a wonderful way to enter marathon training.

So, let’s work backwards and start this recap with officially thanking the people who made this weekend possible. Come back tomorrow and Tuesday for my recap of Day 1 and Day 2!

Lovely ladies of Van 1 & 2: Thank you for cheering me through each of the legs, motivating me to stay strong, introducing me to the Harvard baseball team, and for cheering for me in the heat and sun last night at 5pm when the beach and beer beckoned you!

Monica & Nicole: Thank you for serving not only as our New Balance resources over the past few weeks but also as our inspirations and coaches this weekend. You kept us strong during the wee hours of the night, donned banana costumes to scare away the monsters in the dark, kept us on track and at the right place at the right time, and allowed us to enjoy the weekend virtually stress free!

Kristen: None of us can believe that you not only organized this partnership between Reach the Beach, New Balance and the bloggers but also rocked out the relay yourself! Thank your for being such a huge cheerleader and organizing everything from A to Z. You really thought of everything!

Martin: We were each elated to partner with you and your passion, Reach the Beach. It is hands down the most well organized race I’ve ever run. Your awesome race left me dreaming of next year and the New Hampshire one as well!

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Friday Face Time

It’s Friday morning which means that I am currently hanging out in VAN #2 with the rest of the team singing to Call Me Maybe, eating bananas and cheering on runner #1 who just started!!

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In case you’ve missed it, here’s our team for this weekend’s Reach the Beach relay!

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*Pictures via Tina

VAN #1

  1. Gretchen
  2. Jess
  3. Melissa
  4. Patricia
  5. Bridget
  6. Sarah

Van #2

  1. Tina
  2. Monica
  3. Theodora
  4. Elizabeth
  5. Anne
  6. ME

Until then, enjoy today’s Friday Face Time and this awesome article that was just released comparing banana’s magic powers to sports drinks!! Good thing I’m in Van #2, the Beer & Bananas van!

Coming out on the heels of the May 15 New York Times story highlighting the soda industry’s recent push to replace declining soda sales with sports and energy drinks, the banana study shows that there are still healthy alternatives to salt and sugar filled drinks for athletes and parents around the country. For details, go to http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0037479.

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So Much to Say

Wow, I have so much to say and so little time! I have lots on my mind and only a bit of time to share with you guys as the bed is screaming my name. So much for 8 hours of sleep each night, eh? Oops!

Reach the Beach

Over the next few days, this blog will become dedicated to Reach the Beach posts and updates. Therefore, I won’t inundate you with too much right now accept to share a bit of an update with you. I’m really excited about this weekend not only for the race itself, but also because of my teammates. While some of them I know quite well like Theodora and Melissa, others I’ve never met before even though I’ve read their blog for years, ahem Bridget! In addition, New Balance has taken the role of sponsor to a whole new level. Each day they are getting me more excited for the race thanks to a million emails, packages in the mail and packing lists! If you want to REALLY keep up with the madness, I’ll be tweeting using our hash tag, #teamoffbalance. I’ll also share pictures on Instagram all weekend long so if you’re not following, please do!

Last night, I was greeted with more awesome gear featuring our team name, Off Balance!

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While I’m not as organized as some of my teammates, I did start throwing things in a pile as I thought about them. I still have to buy a few key items like new compression socks, blinking safety lights, NYC bagels, and coconut water but at least I’m making headway!

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Clearly I’m worried about having power, music, no blisters, smelling fresh, and not getting a sunburn.

My goals for my legs are to enjoy each one for it’s uniqueness and win the mental game. I know I’m going to power through some tough hills and some lonely runs, especially at night. Like I said earlier, everything between now and November is a form of training for the marathon.  In case you were wondering, my legs for the weekend are below:

Runner 12 (16.74 miles): Ashley

Leg 12:P Brent Trottier School to Hopkinton State Park: 6.01 miles: easy

Leg 24 (QUIET ZONE): Borderland State Park to Oliver Ames High School: 3.61 miles: easy

Leg 36: Demarest Lloyd Memorial State Park to Horseneck Beach State Reservation: 7.12 miles: moderate

I love that I’m the last runner and will get to run through the finish with the rest of the ladies! So stinking fun!!

Staying Healthy While Traveling

A few readers have emailed me over the past few weeks asking how I keep from getting sick when I travel. Well, I clearly don’t have the art perfected as I came down with bronchitis after my trip to Hawaii, but considering that’s the first illness I’ve had after traveling over 72,000 miles in the last year, I’d say that’s pretty good. While I wish I could share my answers to this, along with world peace, I can’t. But, I’ll share the few things I do that seem to help.

  • Wash your hands constantly. Yes, I know it seems silly to even mention but many people forget to wash their hands. I wash mine multiple times a day when traveling.
  • Vitamins I take my vitamins (multi, vit D, hair & nail) daily while traveling along with Ester C powder in my afternoon water for an extra dose of protection.
  • Sleep I love taking advantage of huge hotel king size beds while I travel and find that catching up on sleep can help keep me going strong through the long hours and jet lag.
  • Be smart Your body likes nutritious food and workouts. Sweat any germs out with a daily workout and give your body the fuel it needs to go strong. I do my best to have a healthy breakfast, lunch and snack so that dinner can be a bit more fun.

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Trainer Bob

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Thanks to Fitfluential, I was able to attend Bob Harper’s book release party tonight down in SoHo. It was a great chance to meet other New York City area bloggers and catch some amazing people watching. But, the best moment was when Trainer Bob spent more than 5 minutes with us chatting, posing, and encouraging each of us on our path to a healthier life. He could have easily struck one pose with us and moved on but instead he seemed truly interested.

004 005 007  010 Well gang, that’s all she wrote! Check back tomorrow for this week’s Marathons+Moderation guest post!

Question: Are you a Biggest Loser fan? Why or why not? I’ve actually never watched an entire episode.

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