Zooma Chicago Ambassadorship & Discount Code!!

Posted on March 21, 2013 by tootallfritz

I could spend a bit to time today ~~bitching~~ complaining about the weather but I think we all feel the same way. I’m cold. You’re cold. BRING ON SPRING!! Let the crocus bloom!!

I had a very bitter start last night to my Jelly Bean Virtual Race Series as I was bundled up from head to toe and couldn’t help but reminisce about the start of last year’s series when I ran in a tank top. I know last year was unseasonably warm in March but I’m looking for a slight warm up!

                              Jelly Bean Virtual Race Start

                               2012                                        2013

But that’s right, I’m not complaining so let’s move on to something fun!!

I was recently selected as an Ambassador for the Zooma Women’s Race Series event in Chicago! Last year the Midwest event was located in Wisconsin and I “may” or may not have been green with envy as all my friends traveled up north for the race. However, this year, they moved the Midwest event to Chicago so I’m IN!!! I get to race and I was lucky enough to be accepted as one of their 2013 ambassadors.

Zooma is a ladies event and they offer a Half Marathon and 10K distance along the north shore of Chicago at Montrose Harbor. I always love running up at Montrose and I’m excited to go back for the Zooma Chicago race on August 10th!! Although I will, no doubt, be begging for the return of cold weather by August, I’m currently in love with the idea of basking in the sun with my friends at this amazing event. There are so many great offerings for Zooma that I’m going to bring the description directly from the website so that I don’t miss anything!

Zooma Chicago promises:

Entry into an unforgettable, professionally-managed and timed half marathon or 10K race
Access to a full weekend of yoga, sponsored cocktail hour, and a Fitness Expo
ZOOMA Signature Swag Bag, including a cute tech tee, yoga mat, reusable bag, and stainless steel water bottle (over $50 value)
Water and Cytomax Sports Performance drink on the course
Water, Cytomax Sports Performance drink, Muscle Milk Light and food at the finish line
GU Energy Gel station along the course
Wine from Barefoot Wine & Bubbly at the After-Party Expo
Necklace designed exclusively by Satya Jewelry for ZOOMA for all finishers
Post-race massage, shopping and live music at the ZOOMA After-Party Expo

I’ll be honest, this race isn’t cheap. It’s pricy. It’s women only. It’s the only race my friends and I signed up for the first day it was available. We are in. We were in before I was accepted as an ambassador. We are in for the fun, the friendship, the camaraderie, the necklace, the bubbly, the post-race massage. We are ALL in. We won’t be missing a thing. In fact, I “booked” my ~~mom~~ babysitter for the weekend over a month ago. I’m super excited!!

If you want to join the fun at Zooma Chicago on August 10th, here is a 10% discount code that you are welcome to use and share with your friends. Discount/Promo code is: CHIAMB6

The half marathon is currently $105 and the 10K is $75. You can register HERE. And if you want to get really crazy and take full advantage of this girls “fit weekend”, including the FRI night activities, then go ahead and book a room at the host hotel, Landgam Chicago. I’ll be there with my girls and we will be ~~having a blast without our lil ones~~ relaxing.

If you are feeling lucky, Zooma is giving away an entire weekend package for two, plus many other goodies in the Zooma 2013 Run the CHI-TOWN Sweepstakes. Please enter HERE to win and tell all your girlfriends to do the same! Good luck to you!!

ZOOMA-CHI13-sweeps-header

Hope to see you at Montrose Harbor on August 10th!

** Run. Laugh. Celebrate. ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

Flip Belt Review & Giveaway…..

Posted on March 20, 2013 by tootallfritz

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I have been seeing a lot of hoopla on the Flip Belt. I was intrigued. However, I have two “fitness” belts already and I don’t love either one of them. I was, therefore, reluctant to purchase another for fear of it being just “ok”. I got lucky and Flip Belt agreed to send me one to try even though I’ll never be as buff or naked as their amazing models below:

They have lots of great colors and I couldn’t decided which one I wanted so I ultimately picked yellow since it looked so good in their ad. Yep, I LOVE a good marketing campaign and definitely missed my calling. I’ll have what she’s having. Just give me what the model is wearing. Yes, PLEASE take the exact outfit off the mannequin at the store cuz that’s what I want too. Smile

If you are feeling a bit more decisive than me, here are the color choices below, plus they have a few limited edition colors on the sidebar of the Flip Belt webpage.

I don’t think I had this thing more than a day and I busted it out of the package. I was really excited to try it. My current belt has one stretchy zip pocket. It has worked well enough because my giant phone (a droid) fits into it; however, I can’t put anything else it in and well during marathon training, I need to carry a lot more than just my phone.

So as I prepared for the first outing with the Flip Belt, in the pouring rain, I loaded it with my car key, an energy gel, my phone and an iPod. At the last minute, I opted to leave the iPod in the car since it was raining cats and dogs and I usually don’t use an iPod while I run anyhow. I was also thanking my lucky stars that during the ordering process, I elected to add a free waterproof phone bag to my order. So I slid my phone into that bag (a plastic bag with a ziplock) and I was ready to run. At least as ready to run as anyone who has 15 miles to put in during a downpour. We did get a brief period when the rain stopped (for about 2 seconds) so I threw off my hat and had Susan snap a photo of me wearing the Flip Belt. Thanks, Susan!!

The belt is a continuous loop which you step into (or pull over your head) and has multiple openings to slide items into the loop. The openings are a bit stretchy so that you can fit a gigantic phone inside, plus lots of other goodies. The entire circumference of the belt serves as a giant holding cell so you can stuff a lot into it, if necessary. The concept of the “flip belt” is that you can flip it into you and seal the openings with your body if you are concerned about something slipping out. I can’t see that happening since the belt is stretchy and snug but if you have that fear, just flip it inward and keep your belongings safe!

I put the belt on, ran and forgot about it. Then I remembered I had it on only because one of the other runners managed to spy it under my jacket saying, “Is that one of those flip belts?”. I was like, oh yeah! At that point, we had ran a good 12 miles and I hadn’t thought about it once. That means, it didn’t bounce. It didn’t slide. It didn’t do anything that bothered me. In my opinion, that is what makes good technical gear, something that benefits me but doesn’t bother me. Something I wear and forget about. I was sold at that very instant. I was excited and sent out a tweet as soon as I got home!

Instagram & Tweet from 3/10/13

Since that day, I’ve worn the flip belt on every outdoor run, including last Saturday’s 20 miler. I slide it on and forget about it. LOVE THAT!! I am also looking forward to using it in races so that I have my phone on me when I need it rather than having to leave it behind in gear check.

If you want to try the flip belt, they have offered one lucky reader their choice of any size/color Flip Belt ($24.99 value). In order to be eligible to win, please comment below and tell me what kind of fitness belt you currently use and more importantly, do you like it? You can then get one bonus entry for liking Flip Belt on Facebook HERE and leaving a separate comment stating that you did so, including your FB name for verification purposes. And you can get a third entry by following them on Twitter HERE.

One winner will be drawn via a random number generator on Monday, March 25th at 9am. Good luck!

** I Red heart the Flip Belt ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

20 Miles, No Big Deal…..

Posted on March 15, 2013 by tootallfritz

20 miles?!?! For many runners, they will run one 20 miler during marathon training. It’s the “big” run. The one they dread. The one that keeps them up at night as if the last 10 long runs before this one didn’t already scare the crap out of them. The one that seals the deal and boosts their confidence ensuring them that they CAN run 26.2 miles on marathon day.

For most of us, 20 miles is in fact a VERY BIG deal. However, the more marathons you run, the more 20 milers you have under the belt, the less worrisome they become. Experience negates fear. You may not be looking forward to those 20 mile runs but they really do become No Big Deal. Just another day. In fact, this “training cycle” and please allow me to use the phrase very lightly because my training has been far from picture perfect, I was scheduled to run five 20 mile runs. No big deal. I had to shorten the cycle so five 20 milers became four. Tomorrow will be number 3. However, due to family circumstances, I’ve not run all 20 miles of the last two 20 mile sessions together, all at once. My runs have been split either between the treadmill and the road, with a small break in between or even possibly split by many hours, or an entire work day. As a result, I have no idea about my current fitness level. None.

Tomorrow I will run my first 20 miler of the year entirely on the trail. All at once. Good or bad. 20 miles. Crying face

Am I worried? Maybe. Do I know I can do it? Yes. Is it going to hurt? Most definitely.

So who do YOU call when you need a partner for 20 miles? I actually have a name and number. I use it sparingly. I only break it out when I need a 20 mile run partner. My girlfriend is an amazing runner and she is married to an amazing ultra runner. Her run hub may not have ran in the last 3 months but I know when I shoot them a message that if they are in town, he will show up, before dawn, to run 20 miles with me before most people get up and have their coffee. Everyone should have at least one friend like this!

So tomorrow, my girl’s run hub will be out there pounding out miles with me in the dark. I have no idea how fast he normally runs, I just know that he never has trouble keeping up no matter how fast I go, and he never complains no matter how much I slow. Too perfect. He’ll probably even hand me a Kleenex when I start crying. Then she will pop up somewhere to offer us snacks. Too perfect. Thanks, Lara for once again letting me borrow your running hubby. And yes, I know that you just send him so that you don’t have to get out there to run it yourself. Kudos, my dear. I’ll take it and I’ll thank you for it too!! I’ll also thank you for having a running hubby who thinks that 20 miles is NO BIG DEAL.

** Happy Running, Regardless of the Distance ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

Week 1 Recap – Spring Bootie Buster Challenge

Posted on March 11, 2013 by tootallfritz

Shortly after the close of the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge by Amanda at RunToTheFinish, I joined on for the Spring Bootie Buster Challenge. For fun. For accountability.

The challenge started last Monday, March 4th. If you want in, I believe she is still accepting registrations HERE. The rules are simple. Eat your fruits & veggies (AKA – “freggies” – 7 to 9 servings per day), Drink your water (64 oz per day), and move your body in some way shape or form. We get one point for the freggies, one for the water and 1 point for every 10 minutes of exercise, which is why you have seen entries for stretching & pushups on DailyMile so that nobody can call me a cheater.

So how did my week stack up? Even though it was a light run week because I was gone for the weekend thru Monday, I did okay. We’ll just start with Tuesday since I don’t think spiced jelly beans count as a “freggie” was traveling.

Freggie Examples, each item = 1 point:

TUE – 10 freggies, 100 oz H2O, 36 minute run, 10 minutes pushups/stretching & 10 minutes of snow shoveling. Points = 7.6
WED – 10 freggies, 80 oz H2O, 39 min run (a.m. – treadmill), 10 minutes pushups/stretching & 42 minute run ( p.m. – trail). Points = 12.1
THUR – 11 Freggies, 80 oz H2O, & 10 minutes pushups/stretching. Points = 3
FRI – 9 freggies, 88 oz H2O, 37 minute run, & 10 minutes pushups/stretching. Points = 6.7
SAT – Sick – 5 freggies (no points), 48 oz H2O (no points), no workouts (no points).
SUN – 10 freggies, 72 oz H2O, & 146 minute run. Points = 16.6

This gives me a March 4th weekly total of 46 points. I certainly won’t win anything with this number but I like the idea of keeping on track, forcing down the freggies, and chugging the water. I’m not sure if I’ll recap every week but I wanted to give you an idea of what some of us are doing to “bust” our booties for spring. Feel free to register now, if you haven’t already, or play along on your own if you like!

** Be Accountable ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

Allstate Life Insurance 13.1 Chicago Race Entry Giveaway….

Posted on March 6, 2013 by tootallfritz

The Allstate Life Insurance Chicago 13.1 Marathon will once again take to the South Shore of Chicago on June 8, 2013. Although this is a newer race in Chicagoland, it is a good one! The 13.1 race series is known for putting together great races with a few extras, gender specific race shirts, unique locations and a crowd pleasing after party. For what they offer, the event is still priced reasonably with the current registration fee of $80. Possibly the best part of the Chicago event is the unique location. This is one of the few races held south of Jackson Park. Runners start and finish at the South Shore Cultural Center, loop thru Jackson Park, then take to the lakefront for amazing views of both Lake Michigan and the city of Chicago.

I’ve wanted to run this event for multiple years but it hasn’t worked out for a variety of reasons. I had planned to be out of town this year as well but I’m thinking we had an abrupt change of plans over the last couple weeks so I’m going to try to squeeze this in and I hope to see lots of friendly faces.

If you would like to be entered for a free entry, please comment below. For an additional chance to win, go like 13.1 Marathon on Facebook HERE and leave a separate comment stating that you did so (and include your facebook name for verification purposes).

Good luck! I will draw one winner via a random number generator on Monday, March 11th at 9am. Two entries possible per person.

** Happy Running ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

It’s A Lottery….

Posted on March 1, 2013 by tootallfritz

Many have been waiting for well over a week to find out how the Chicago Marathon would fill the remaining 15,000 slots for the 2013 race. The press release yesterday revealed their decision to do a lottery for the remaining spots. Please read the statement verbatim below:

Since suspending registration, we have been working on the best possible solution to offer the remaining 15,000 entries for the 2013 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. We have determined that on Tuesday, March 5, registration will reopen as a lottery. While this is a departure from our traditional registration process, we believe it is the most fair and efficient way to address this unique situation.

For more lottery details and Q&A, go to: www.chicagomarathon.com/lottery.

Interested runners can enter the lottery at chicagomarathon.com starting on Tuesday, March 5, at 12:01 a.m. CST until Thursday, March 7, at 9 p.m. CST. From those entries, 15,000 names will be randomly selected to fill the remaining spots in the 2013 Chicago Marathon. Those individuals will be notified on Tuesday, March 12, and they will have until 9 p.m. CST on Thursday, March 14, to complete their official registration.

We realize the impact these registration challenges have had on our supporters and we are grateful for everyone’s continued understanding.

As a local, multi-year finisher of the Chicago Marathon, I am saddened by this news. The entire city of Chicago and the local running community stands behind the Chicago Marathon and each year looks forward to this mammoth event. Although, many runners may feel as if they have outgrown the race and look for smaller, less iconic events, there is no doubt the Chicago Marathon has become a tradition for many of us.

Many runners go back year after year, despite the crowds, despite the cost. We plan not only our running schedule but our lives around this race. We do it for a variety of reasons. Many do it to run, train, race & bond with our local running community. Others do it to challenge themselves. Some just want to be part of something iconic. Others want to be able to take to the streets just one day a year with the elites who vie for the big money, notoriety and the chance to prove they are the best. For many, to just be on the same streets with these amazing athletes is an honor for which we do not take for granted. For the reasons above and many more, an inordinate amount of people, if they were able, were sitting at their computers at noon on February 19th ready to register for the 2013 Chicago Marathon.

We were all nervous. Fresh in our memory was the Naperville Marathon fiasco, which despite the initial poor decisions by race directors and all the negative publicity, ended up selling out in one day. There was no doubt that if we wanted to run Chicago, then we needed to register immediately. And we tried. I knew that people who had jobs without computer access or those who were sitting in the hospital with a loved one, or those possibly helping at their child’s school at noon on the 19th had a high likelihood of getting shutout. I was definitely feeling the anxiety not only for myself but also the others who I knew would never get registered before it filled. Then the inevitable happened, registration opened and the entire registration system (via Active.com) immediately collapsed, locked up, allowing only intermittent, random registrations to trickle thru. To be honest, I didn’t know if I had even gotten in or not. I never did get thru all the registration screens despite hundreds of attempts. There was so much uncertainly and I just didn’t know. I discussed the Registration Nightmare HERE.

After 9 days of waiting, the announcement was made that the remaining slots will be filled via a lottery system. More uncertainty and waiting for those who want to run but have yet to garner a spot. Even charity runners will be thrown into the lottery. Those charity runners who get selected in the lottery will go about business as usual. The charity runners who don’t get selected will quickly soak up the charity’s post-close slots. As I understand it, each charity has a specific amount of spots which they are able to offer after the registration process is closed. They normally use the spots for NEW runners, who have not ran for them previously. Its a way for them to raise additional charity monies by being able to offer up a registration for a closed race and basically get someone to run for charity who possibly wouldn’t do so otherwise. It’s a a win-win. Runner gets into a closed race. Charity is able to raise additional funds via the “new” charity runner. For this reason, the charities prefer us alumni runners to register while the race is still open so that we don’t soak up those “extra” positions.

What does all this mean? If you want to run, enter the lottery. If you REALLY want to run, start looking over the charity list HERE. There will be fewer charity spots open this year than in previous years. It is inevitable that some of the runners who have already committed to running for a charity will not get in thru the lottery; therefore, they will get first chance at the post-close charity slots. If you contact the charity now and commit, then you’ll be “on the list” for the first slots available after the close.

If a particular charity doesn’t call to you, join me in running for Ronald McDonald House Charities, we would love to have you! More info HERE.

Good luck to all of you who are still looking to register. I hope you get in via the lottery. I know you’re anxious. I’m anxious for you! I’m also anxious to see how registration changes for future Chicago Marathon events. I anticipate the lottery system will be a permanent fixture for Chicago and we will all be vying for coveted lottery slots in the years to come. I don’t look forward to that. It makes me sad because I really do love running the Chicago Marathon. I love being able to drive in, park on race morning, run the race and then drive back home to my family without any having to hassle with travel plans, hotels or unknown cities. Therefore, I’m planning to enjoy this year as if it’s my last because it very well may be the last time I get “in” to run the Chicago Marathon.

** Happy Running ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

Cruel Jokes….

Posted on February 26, 2013 by tootallfritz

So maybe the joke’s on me but there are a few things that just aren’t quite right. I was just starting to nail this training plan and as soon as I started to gain a little confidence, life started throwing some curve balls …. Initially kiddos were sick & needed doc visits, dogs need(ed) vet visits for random reasons, other people got sick, cars (all 3) breakdown, evening obligations. So a few scheduled days off turn into a week of no running. No big deal, right? Wrong. Things still aren’t straightened out and “normal” appears to be far off.

One of the few saving graces has been the treadmill. It has given me the freedom to squeeze in miles when they would otherwise be lost. Like at 4am on SAT before a roadtrip. I didn’t make all of the planned 18 miles before our departure but I managed 14. Better than nothing.

Today, I even hit the gym at lunch to try to squeeze in a few miles. I took my iPad in order to link up to Netflix since that seems to be the only way I can tolerate the dreadmill. Newsflash, the iPad wouldn’t link up in the middle of our high-rise office building. Not funny.

Fortunately, the dreadmills in our gym have TVs attached so I was able to hang on for a whole 3 miles. And when I say, “hang on” I seriously mean “hang on”. They rearranged the gym since my last visit. The floor of that office suite for some ~~stupid~~ reason isn’t level. There is a carpeted ramp up to the main section where the cardio machines reside. The floor of the main section is also slanted to some degree which was barely noticeable …… until today. The new location of the treadmills must be on a slope. I began running at 1% incline, which should have been imperceptible; however, I felt like I was going to fall off the back. I was running slow and it wasn’t the feeling of “oh crap, this thing is going to throw me off” but it was a feeling like I was going UP a hill and going to fall backward. So I backed it down to 0.5% and then 0.0% and just “hung on” for 30 minutes (3.25 miles). Not funny.

Unfortunately, the recent travels, additional stress load and my lack of motivation to control my food intake has resulted in a few extra #s. That’s a few extra on top of those I had already gained from being injured this summer. It seems that if I’m not running, or even if I am running and just eat whatever I want, I gain weight. Shocker, huh? Yep. But it’s still not funny. So if you were thinking of a moonshine and chocolate “diet” and don’t expect to gain weight, I hate to break it to you but you won’t be laughing either. So not funny.

Oh yeah, and I haven’t been drinking much of this lately.

Not smart. Not funny.

So I’ve pretty much moved my plan for the Lansing Marathon to “finish it” mode. I need to worry not so much about the training and focus on losing those 8 lbs which I am currently carrying. For me to lose weight, I need to hit double workouts and keep the ~~crap~~ bad stuff out of my mouth. Easier said that done. My legs will be trashed. My attitude will be ~~bitchy~~ poor. But I will show up to the startline at 162 or 163 lbs. Not funny but it’s a fact. I refuse to carry an extra 7 or 8 lbs thru 26.2 miles. Don’t worry, I’m not giving up my training, just revising it to add in a few extra things.

On a positive note, in terms of “Run”way Fashion, I scored a few deals from Saucony this week. They are having a super secret sale HERE. I purchased the Ignite Shimmel tank ($22) and am IN LOVE. I went back and got a different color in my size today. It has a shelf bra, thin material, hugs the body but isn’t tight and also has a small zip pocket in the back.

They also have arm warmers for $10 (hyper lime) or $22 (black compression). This is one of brand of arm warmers that never chafes my underarm flab. I usually buy them off the Last Chance section and pay around $15 for them. Thin. Like second skin. No chafing.

And in other marathon news, I’m in a total panic about my shoes. Saucony changed things up in the toe box with the Guide 6’s and the new version isn’t working for me when I go long. They are light weight and super cute but that doesn’t matter ~~when you don’t have toenails~~ if they don’t feel perfect. I like them for shorter runs but not anything over a 10K. So I’ve tried a couple Brooks Running shoes. The Ravenna 3’s and Adrenaline 13s felt good initially and on short runs but are making my pinky toe sore/blistered with longer miles. Apparently I have a weird foot cuz I’ve heard nothing but great things on all of these shoes. 😦

Guide 6 Ravenna 3 Adrenaline 13

So back to basics. I had six pair of the Guide 5s and never blinked an eye. So I found a pair of 5s on clearance at Road Runner Sports. These babies will be here soon. I expect this to be my spring marathon shoe. Crossing fingers!!

None of this is funny but it’s certainly not the end of the world. I will keep pushing. I will finish the Lansing Marathon. However, I’ll definitely be missing a few toenails on my right foot before I even hit the start. 🙂

** When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

The Price of the Bling…..

Posted on February 14, 2013 by tootallfritz

I think we are living in a “Bigger is Better” type society where some feel the need to constantly outdo, outlast, outspend. This mentality is starting to saturate the world of road racing. Somebody saw this coming. I guess, we should have seen it coming too since the size of local road races keep increasing on an annual basis. More and more people are coming to the running arena each and every day. This an amazing thing and I’m proud to be part of such a growing community but with size comes diversity. Each and every runner wants something different from their race experience .…. and big business is cashing in on those desires.

Big, Sparkly, Heavy Finisher Medals
Bands & Live Entertainment on course
Themed Races: Color, Mud, Chocolate, Wine, Beer, Women Specific
Finish Line Celebrations
Big Expos
Multiple Race Distance Options
Expensive SWAG: Sweatshirts, Jackets, Blankets

All of these “big, awesome, cool” things come with a price tag. Yes, your bling is costing YOU money and it’s costing me extra money too! I like to run. I like to race. I like to race a lot. However, now that we have commercialized road racing, the cost has gone up and some can’t afford these extra expenditures. And let’s be honest, what are we doing with all this shit? We are paying big money to clutter our house with advertisements of a race gone by. Yes, all that “stuff” they give us has their name on it. They are advertising every day right in our homes, in our offices, everywhere we go wearing their gear and when we keep looking triumphantly at the “bling”.

I’m not saying the bling is bad. I understand that some want/need that to motivate them. Whatever it takes to motivate you is a good thing. But please know that each time we sign up for one of these bigger/badder races, it comes with a cost. One that is beyond the initial financial obligation but more importantly, we are setting a precedent for the direction of future road racing. Think about what the bling means to you. Think about where you want road racing to be in 10 years. Think about who wins when we spend.

If you want to have access to some smaller races, with a lower price tag and less “stuff”, then don’t forget to throw some $$ toward these types of races this year. Otherwise they may not be there next year, or the year after, when you decided that you’ve already done that really big, really cool race that costs a ton of $$. Let your friends know that you are opting out of Big Race X this year in lieu of Small Race Y and I bet they will join you! The more the merrier right? That’s how big business got us in the first place but we can take it back and CHOOSE to support small races too. Try it. You might like it.

** Small Races are Cool Too ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

Knuckle Lights Review & Giveaway

Posted on February 13, 2013 by tootallfritz

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I was super excited to see a package on my doorstep from Knuckle Lights this week. I’ve talked about these ~~many, many times~~ before because they are very high up on my favorite things list. If you run in the dark, then get ready to be introduced to the MVP of illuminated running. Knuckle Lights:

My first “in the dark” runs were ~~a really long time ago~~ with my friend Lisa E, while I was in college. She was a teacher at a local high school which required her to be up and moving WAY before me. She would hit the pavement before the sun came up in order to knock out her run before starting the mom, wife, teacher duties. I’m not really sure why a young college student would get up early in the morning to run but it seemed like a good idea at the time and I obviously REALLY liked Lisa so that made it so much more sane. I would meet her at 5 am, we would stretch/run, then hit the gym when it opened at 6am to get in some StairMaster work before everyone else woke up. Then I would return to the dorm, shower and go back to bed. 🙂

Thinking back to those runs, I have fond memories. Friendship. Running. Stars. Fitness. Laughter. It’s no wonder that I don’t mind running in the dark now because I can just pretend I’m running with Lisa and look up at our favorite star for great memories. However, times have changed. My body has changed. I’m more fragile and my roads are darker than our illuminated college campus and the small college town where we ran. I also have developed a knack for stepping “off the road” or into potholes. I’ve rolled my ankle countless times. These Knuckle Lights have been a game changer for me. I am in love. I’ve been in love since my first pair, which I purchased several years ago. They are bright. They light the way. They take me anywhere I want to go regardless of the lighting conditions. They BRING the light.

The first pair that I purchased were the originals. Version 1, if you will. I bought them in yellow as a gender neutral color that the entire family could use. Definitely one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.

I use them for running & hiking and the family uses them outside at night for various reasons (mostly dog related). The kids frequently try to steal them to “play”. It is safe to say that they are a family item ~~that I try to hide away in my running bag~~. The yellow lights have taken me many places and recently made the trip to Ragnar FL Keys. No wimpy headlamp for me, I’ve got Knuckle Lights! Yes, they are approved for Ragnar nighttime running. In fact, here I am coming down a dark street in Miami with one of my lights.

Although the Knuckle Lights come as a pair, I frequently only take one light with me so that I have the other hand free. I don’t run with music and tend to be very cautious. I like a free hand to break a fall or be able to grab my pepper spray if necessary. One light provides a lot of light and I’m very comfortable running that way but everyone else I know uses both lights, all the time, for the full 90 Lumens of light (45 lumens for each light).

The lights slide over an open hand easily and they are very comfortable. There is an adjustable strap to snug up the fit if it isn’t initially perfect.

The second version of lights (in blue above) have a few upgrades. 1) There are now three light options: High, Low, & Blinking. Version 1 only had one setting, which is equivalent to the “low” on this new version. Yes, these newbies are actually brighter. I tested them out this morn taking both a new one and an old one for my morning run. There was a noticeable difference. 2) The strap is now a soft silicone verses the more rigid rubber from the first version. I remember them updating version one after some issues with the straps breaking. I’ve never had a problem with my strap at all but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the soft silicone they use now. It just melted into my hand and I totally forgot about it. Great update! Worth upgrading!

I’m so happy to have found Knuckle Lights. They have been a game changer for me and have made my morning runs so much safer. I also use them on the trail for group runs at night. I love that they come in a pair so that I can share with other runners who don’t have lights!

If you would like an opportunity to win a pair of Knuckle Lights, please comment below and tell me how you light up your nighttime runs. You can also get one bonus entry for going to the Knuckle Lights Facebook page HERE and liking them. Please leave a separate comment below stating that you liked Knuckle Lights on Facebook and provide your facebook name for verification purposes. I will draw one winner for a set of BLUE Knuckle Lights ($39.99 value) via a random number generator on Monday, February 18th at noon. Good luck!

** Be Safe – Illuminate YOUR Run ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

Changing of the Mindset….

Posted on February 11, 2013 by tootallfritz

Last year at this time, I couldn’t run 5 miles on the treadmill. Seriously. I couldn’t. I would go down to the gym in my building and “think” that I was going to pound out some good miles at lunch and it never happened. If I were on the treadmill, I was running intervals or just wasting time. It was torture to be on that thing. Pure torture.

Things have changed a lot over the last year. As I “may” have mentioned, our personal schedules are beyond complex, work is insane, the kids are very active between school, extracurriculars & homework. Sleep is a luxury at times. More is being crammed into our lives each and every day, whether we like it or not. So I made the decision to purchase a treadmill last fall. At that time, the reason I did so was to be able to get my speed sessions in while at home. I can’t go to the track to run during daylight hours, hitting the gym at lunch is a luxury that would require me to pull myself away from my desk, and running fast in the dark on my country roads is just not safe. So, welcome home treadmill!

I can’t say that it was love at first run. We’ve had some snags. Initially the machine (which was new) was lazy and really didn’t want to work, at all. I must have gotten a “lemon” and it needed a lot of work, repair visits, and new parts to get up to speed. However, after a few repair visits, we are now running strong. Crossing my fingers that it continues.

In fact, last week, my non-treadmill-loving-self logged 39 run miles.

Out of those 39 run miles, 26 were on the treadmill. Yes, 26 treadmill miles. Is that a world record? Okay, probably not but it certainly is in my world.

MON – 4.75 treadmill miles of speed work, FRI – 5.05 treadmill miles of tempo, SAT – 16 treadmill miles of training. TTF record for sure!

What’s the difference between now and last year? It’s a changing of the mindset ~~and good tv shows streaming on Netflix~~. Apparently last year, I had more free time (Aby wasn’t playing volleyball and hubby wasn’t working EVERY Saturday). Now, if I’m going to run, and watch my kiddos, I have to hit the treadmill. If I want to go to Aby’s VB game, and run afterwards, I have to hit the treadmill. If I want be safe from dark & icy conditions, and still run, I have to hit the treadmill. All of sudden, you know what? I love that damn treadmill.

Source:

I know that treadmill miles are not ideal but the mill is letting me get in my miles, feel as if I’m going to be somewhat prepared to run a marathon on April 21st and still live my life. So not ideal, but I’ll take it. And once again, if there is a will, there is a way. I know that I did not have this same will last year at this time but it doesn’t matter cuz I have it now. So if you need me, I’ll be on the treadmill dreaming of being able to take it back outside sometime soon.

** Happy Running – Regardless Of How YOU Fit It In ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

TooTallFritz

Running Toward: Health, Wellness & PEACE …………………………………….. Running From: Insanity, Screaming Children, Housework & a Big Ass

Tag Archives: Running

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Changing of the Mindset….

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