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!

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!

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.

Trainer Bob

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.

  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.