Fit Friday Five – Be a Race Volunteer

April 8, 2022 by 54 Comments

Did you know that April is National Volunteer Month? The month is dedicated to recognizing the importance of volunteering.

I’m a big believer in giving back and that includes giving back to the running community. I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to serve as a race director on a couple of occasions, and I can say without a doubt that there’s just no way to put on a great race without the support of people willing to volunteer their time and energy.

So for this week’s Fit Five Friday, I’m re-sharing five reasons to be a race volunteer (This post was published in August 2018 and has been updated.)

Fit Five Friday — Five Reasons to be a Race Volunteer

Give Back — The most obvious reason to be a race volunteer is it gives you a chance to give back to a sport that you love and to support the running community.

Stay Connected — If you’re sidelined with an injury or slowly working your way back from one, being a race volunteer is a great way to help you feel more connected to running and racing.

Make New Connections — You never know who you’ll end up working with when you volunteer for a race! Volunteering can give you the opportunity to connect with brands, running groups, and race directors…who knows where that might lead? Also, some races reward their volunteers with swag and discounted or free entries for future races.

Five Reasons to be a Race Volunteer #FitFiveFriday #Running #Runchat #RunningCommunity Share on X

Gain Some Perspective — Once you see all that goes into making a race day come together and the effort and enthusiasm of race volunteers, trust me you’ll have a whole new appreciation for those volunteers along the course the next time you’re racing.

Be Inspired — There’s inspiration all around when it comes to race day and being a race volunteer gives you a chance to experience that inspiration up close and personal. Spend a morning working at a race and I dare you to not come away fired up for your own training!

Volunteering at Boston 2017!

I’ll be back volunteering next weekend at the Boston Marathon (my 7th time!) and I cannot wait! Each time has been such a great experience. As more and more races return to being in person this year, I’ve noticed a lot of RDs putting out requests for race volunteers. I encourage every runner to get out and be a volunteer at least once at a race, large or small – you won’t regret it!

Have you ever volunteered at a race?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please share the link-up love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!

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Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, Friday Five, race volunteering, running community

Fit Five Friday – National Running Safety Month

November 19, 2021 by 27 Comments

This post was originally published on November 7, 2014, and updated on November 19, 2021, and contains affiliate links.

November is National Running Safety Month. While I’ve previously shared some running safety tips in the past, with the recent end of Daylight Saving Time, I thought some of these tips were worth re-visiting.

Fit Five Friday – Five Tips for Runner Safety

Light It Up — It may seem so obvious and yet I continue to see runners pre-dawn (and well after dusk) running with absolutely no lights or reflective gear on. The little reflective strip on your running shoes is not enough  – lighted or reflective vests, armbands, and the like are a must. I’m a big fan of my Noxgear vest. Carrying lights or wearing a headlamp also makes you visible, with the added bonus of lighting your path as you run.

Find a Buddy — There’s always safety in numbers. Find a running buddy or try running with your dog.

Tune In — As much as I enjoy running with music, I think it’s so much more important to be completely tuned in to your surroundings, especially when it’s dark. If “running naked” is not an option for you, then run with just one earbud in and keep the volume low, or wear try open-ear headphones, like AfterShokz.

Carry your Phone & ID — If you run alone, bring your phone. Hopefully, you won’t need it, but it’s always better to have it. Also, be sure to have identification on hand. I never head out without my Road ID! In the event of an emergency, an ID could be your most important piece of gear.

Share Your Route — Always make sure someone knows your route, when you’re leaving and when you expect to be back. I have a handful of favorite routes and my husband knows them as well as I do. Also, consider using a tracking app like Garmin’s LiveTrack or Life 360.

**Bonus tip: Try to vary your route and time — I know this one can be hard, especially if you’ve got to get your run in before work or the kids get up, but be careful not to follow such a pattern of behavior that someone can pick up on your schedule.

 How do you stay safe on a run? What’s your best safety tip?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please be sure to link back to your hosts, and share the link love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!


You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


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Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, early morning runs, Friday Five, National Running Safety Month

SiS Immune Tablets – Product Review

May 21, 2021 by 18 Comments

Disclaimer: I received Science in Sport Immune Tablets to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

I am always looking for products to help with my recovery and nutrition. Enter Science in Sport (SiS) Immune Tablets. I am a huge SiS fan (their gels got me through marathon training!), so when I was given the opportunity to try these tablets I was all in.

Research shows that intense workouts can stress your immune system – our immune system is potentially suppressed for up to 72 hours after a workout. This can lead to higher occurrences of a variety of illnesses, including upper respiratory issues. All the more reason to give your body proper time to recover and to refuel following a run or workout.

5 Benefits of SiS Immune Tablets

  • Contains 200mg of Vitamin C and 2.5mg of Iron – both help your body to maintain the normal function of your immune system during and after intense workouts
  • Also contains key electrolytes so SiS Immune supports your immune system while also aiding your hydration — a double win
  • Just 9 calories/serving, vegan-friendly, and Dairy/Gluten/Wheat/Nut Free
  • Refreshing, light orange taste
  • Quick and easy to use – just 1 tablet a day and you’re good to go

Of course, this product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, but they do bring some goodness to the table…and every little bit helps, right? 

In short, the Immune Tablets are another win from SiS!

Sharing 5 things I love about @ScienceinSport Immune Tablets #bibravepro #sisbr #bibchat #immunitysupport Share on X

Want to try out these tablets for yourself? Visit the Science in Sport website and use code SiS-BibRave-21 to save 15% off your order. Don’t delay – this discount code expires at the end of May! Added bonus: this discount works with all other promotions too!

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!
Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please be sure to show your hosts some love and visit some of the other bloggers in the link-up. Who’s ready for some fun?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


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Filed Under: #BibRavePro, #FitFiveFriday, #SiSBR, Friday Five, product reviews

Five tips to become an early morning runner

June 11, 2019 by 54 Comments

For this week’s Tuesday Topics,  Kim and Zenaida have invited everyone to share their Summer Running Tips. For me, summer running is synonymous with early morning running!

I recently made the transition back to early runs, so I thought I’d re-share a post I did a couple of years ago offering some tips on how to become an early morning runner.

Becoming an Early Morning Runner

This post was originally published on June 23, 2017, and updated on June 11, 2019.

Now that summer is officially here, and temps are on the rise, I’m back to running early in the morning to hopefully find some of the cooler temps of the day. I’ve shared before some benefits of early morning running, so today I thought I’d share some tips on how to shift your clock to become an early morning runner.

Get some sleep: OK let’s start with the obvious – if you want to get up early, you’ve got to get your zzz’s, so of course, that means you’ve got to get to bed at a reasonable time.

Be prepared: Layout clothing and gear the night before – eliminate the need to stand in a dark closet fumbling around for something to wear or skipping a run because your Garmin is not charged!

Lose the snooze: Put your alarm clock out of reach! If you have to get up and out of bed to turn off your alarm, then you’re less likely to hit snooze.

Ease into it: And speaking of that alarm, I’d recommend starting slowly. Don’t set your alarm that first morning for o’dark thirty right off the bat. Ease your way into the early morning hours by shifting your wake-up time back over the course of several days.

Find a buddy: Knowing that someone is waiting for you will get you out of bed. You never want to leave a friend hanging.

Tips to become an early morning runner #TuesdayTopics #Runchat #SummerRunning Share on X

What’s your best tip for becoming an early morning runner?

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Filed Under: early morning runs, Friday Five, Summer running, Tuesday Topics

Checking in at the February Runfessional

February 22, 2019 by 16 Comments

Happy Friday!

Is it me or does February always feel like the longest month despite being only 28 days?! Well as this long month winds down, it’s time again to link up with Marcia for a little time at the Runfessional.

February Runfessions

It's Friday and I'm joining @teamarcia for the Runfession link-up! #running #runchat #runfessions #fridayfive Share on X

So my gym saga continues! Just as I was starting to research new gym options after receiving the news that my gym was closing, don’t I receive yet another letter from my gym announcing that the deal they thought they had in place to be bought fell through and now they’re staying put. What the what?! I runfess that I am secretly relieved because while I have my issues with this gym, the thought of shopping for a new one was leaving me cold.

And, speaking of the cold (like what I did there?), I runfess that wearing all of the layers is growing old and my mojo is taking a serious hit. I need winter to be done now!

Under the category of “it takes a village”…

I runfess that I’m a little nervous that my massage therapist is days away from closing shop while she’s out on maternity leave. She’s been my saving grace on a number of occasions and I’m really going to miss having her around just as I’m getting ready to start half marathon training.

On the good side, I am loving the new acupuncture practice I’ve recently started going to so I runfess that I’m planning to ramp up my visits over the next couple of months.

And, did you know that today is National Margarita Day?!  Seriously, who decided these things?! Margaritas are one of my faves and I runfess that given that I’ve only got a 4-mile run planned for tomorrow I may have to have one…or two 😉

So tell me, what would you runfess? Margaritas – yay or nay?

I’m also linking up with Meranda and Lacy for Fridays with Fairytales and Fitness.

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Filed Under: Friday Five, Runfessions

Five things over February Coffee

February 1, 2019 by 36 Comments

Well Hello, February!

Please tell me I’m not the only one who thought January went by hella fast?! As we usher in a new month it’s time for a little catch-up over coffee, so I’m joining Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date – let’s chat!


If we were having coffee, we would, of course, have to talk about this ridiculous weather. I am so tired of hearing the words “polar vortex” and there’s still so much more winter ahead.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you how much I’m looking forward to this weekend. My oldest son comes home from school for a 4-day weekend…and then there’s the matter of a little football game with my hometown team!

Over coffee back in November, I shared that I was on the quest for the “right shade” of gray paint for my bedroom.  Well, if we were having coffee, I would tell you that after painting swatch after swatch on my walls, and more trips to the paint store than I care to count, we finally settled on a color! Painting is underway and I’m loving what I see so far!

Benjamin Moore Gray Owl

And speaking of ongoing searches, if we were having coffee, I would tell you that we’re knee-deep in vacation brochures trying to settle on a destination for a spring break getaway. Initially, we’d hoped to do another cruise, but had no luck aligning ports of call we liked with our available travel dates. So now the debate has begun, do we head to a beach? Drive the west coast? Disney/Universal Studios?

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that I’m heading off on a field trip later this morning to have a Dexa scan, which is a full body composition scan, measuring muscle mass, body fat, and bone density. I’m looking forward to learning more.

So what would you tell me over coffee? Any vacation suggestions?

I’m also linking up with Meranda and Lacy for Fridays with Fairytales and Fitness.

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Filed Under: Friday Five, Ultimate coffee date

January 2019 Runfessions

January 25, 2019 by 26 Comments

And just like that, we’ve already reached the last Friday of the month, which means Marcia has opened the Runfessional.

So let’s get to it, shall we?

Last month, I runfessed that I was starting to really get fed up with some things about my gym. Well fast forward to the beginning of this week and don’t I receive an email announcing that the gym will be closing in a couple of weeks – what?! I runfess that even though there were many things about the gym that bug me, given it’s super close proximity to my house, I was dragging my feet on making a change – guess I have no choice now.

And, for those of you wondering, why not just bag the whole gym search altogether, I runfess that, until I can figure out how to fit a treadmill somewhere in my house, I’m not ready to give up that safety net when Mother Nature makes outdoor running treacherous.

At the beginning of the month, I had started to let my PT exercises slide, until last week when my glute and hip started to squawk just a little following a run. I runfess that I’ve become super paranoid about re-injuring my hip/hammy, so now I’m finding ways to make time for pre-hab like it’s my job.

While I was psyched to finally made it back to the kickboxing studio recently, I runfess that my push-up game is need of some serious help! The instructor had us doing several rounds as part of the warm-up and let’s just say the struggle was real!

Not quite this bad….but close!

Finally, I runfess… or is it blogfess, that I I have been hesitant to upgrade to the newest edition of WordPress. I had to work with the new 5.0 version for work and I’ve been pulling my hair out trying to figure it out. Call me a creature of habit, but I just don’t find it intuitive. However, I’ve run into issues lately replying to comments on my blog (forgive me if I’m slow responding to yours!), so I may need to give in.

So tell me, what are you runfessing?

I’m also linking up with Meranda and Lacy for Fridays with Fairytales and Fitness.

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Filed Under: Friday Five, Runfessions

2018 Runners Holiday Gift Guide

December 7, 2018 by 24 Comments

How are you doing with your holiday shopping?

I’m hoping to make a real dent in my shopping list this weekend. And, in that spirit, now seems like the perfect time to share my annual gift guide for the runner in your life.

(While this post contains affiliate links, all opinions expressed are, as always, strictly my own)

Rockay Accelerate Socks – I am very picky about the socks I wear and tend to not venture outside my comfort zone once I find a brand/style I like. However, I was recently sent a pair of Rockay socks and decided to give them a shot – it was love at first run! These socks are made of merino wool and offer a comfortable fit with no bulk, great breathability, and serious moisture-wicking. The design includes nice compression in the arch and padding in both the toe and heel.

Resistance Bands — After spending a good bit of my summer working with the physical therapist, I’ve come to appreciate the importance of owning a good set of resistance bands. I think every runner can benefit from having a set! I use these PhantomFit bands – they’re durable and reasonably priced.

Headsweats Hats/Visors/Buffs – If you’ve been around here for a while then you know how much I love my Headsweats gear. Safe to say that 9 times out of 10 if I have headgear on, it’s Headsweats. In my opinion, they offer some of the best products out there, which is why I was so happy to be a 2018 ambassador. Use code ATTITUDE25 to save 25% on the Headsweats website.

Magnesium Oil – I discovered Magnum Solace magnesium oil earlier this year and just love how it soothes my sore legs. I have also found that I sleep better when I use it before bed.

Oofos Slides or Flip Flops – These sandals provide a great combination of foam cushion and arch support – perfect for post-run recovery or everyday wear. I live in my Oofos Sport Slides after a run and have been eyeing a pair of the Oolala Flip Flops to add to my collection.

Sharing some gift ideas for the runners in your life! #running #runchat #giftguide Share on X

I’m linking up with Lacey & Meranda for the Friday with Fairytales and Fitness link-up!

Happy Shopping!

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Filed Under: #TeamHeadsweats, fave things, Friday Five, Gifts for runners

Runfessions Over Coffee

November 30, 2018 by 28 Comments

Well hello, Friday!

Maybe it’s playing catch-up after the holiday, but this was one crazy busy week and it went by in a flash. I am so ready for this weekend to begin! So let’s get things started with a little catch up over coffee…and a few runfessions thrown in for good measure 😉

Over coffee, I’d tell you that I’m wrapping up my third week of FASTer Way to Fat Loss. I won’t get on a scale until the end of the program, but I do feel like my clothes are fitting better – so that’s a win! While the FWFL program definitely has helped me to be more mindful of what I’m eating, I do runfess that there are days where constantly tracking my macros is making me a little crazy.

Over coffee, I’d tell you that I’m pretty excited to have made a return to acupuncture this past week! I have used acupuncture on and off over the years for a variety of things including migraines, blood pressure, and yes running injuries. When I started wrestling with my nagging hamstring/hip issue earlier this year, I started hunting for a new acupuncturist since my previous practitioner is no longer in the area. I’m psyched to have finally found one I like and am planning to go for another session this weekend!

Over coffee, I’d tell you that despite my love of kickboxing as a workout, I runfess that I realized the other day that I haven’t made it to a class in almost two months! Whoops! Between work and family schedules, getting to the studio for a class has been tough – I clearly need the flexibility to work out when it fits my schedule and not the other way around.

Over coffee, I’d tell you that I recently had my first experience of riding in the car with my son driving with his permit. Yeah, well I runfess that I’m either going to have to learn to seriously chill out or make my husband do all of the driving hours.

I’m linking up with Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date;

and with Marcia for Runfessions;

 and with Meranda & Lacey for the Fairytales and Fitness link-up

Any runfessions to share? What would you tell me over coffee? Do you regularly attend fitness classes?

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Filed Under: Friday Five, Runfessions, Ultimate coffee date

5 things over November coffee

November 2, 2018 by 30 Comments

Happy Friday! And, hello November!

It’s time once again for one of my favorite link-ups – a time to dish a little about life happenings over a cup of coffee. So grab a mug of your favorite beverage and let’s join Coffee hosts Coco and Deborah and chat.

Over coffee, I’d tell you that we went out to visit my son at school for Fall Family Weekend last weekend, and had a great time! I continue to enjoy seeing him settling in and happy – does a momma’s heart a lot of good!

Over coffee, I’d tell you that I started a gratitude challenge on Instagram. I’ve been having a little bit of a pity party over the way my running’s been going (or not going) – combine that with work stress, election fatigue, etc. and I was just feeling the need for a bit of an attitude adjustment – And what better way than to focus on gratitude? So for the month of November, I’m doing a daily post on something I’m thankful for that day using #FocusingonGratitude. I’m hoping others will join in.

Over coffee, I’d tell you that I’m looking forward to taking on the FASTer Way to Fat Loss Program with Amy C. I’ve heard such good things about this program and have been curious for a while. And, I’ve known Amy for years, so when I learned that she had become a certified coach I knew I wanted to give it a try.

Over coffee, I’d tell you that in the ongoing world of house projects, I’m driving myself crazy trying to find the right shade of gray for our bedroom! Seriously, how could there possibly be so many!? But I have decided one of the most fun jobs would be naming the paint colors.

Over coffee, I’d tell you that I cannot believe that in less than 60 days 2018 will be history. Despite my desire for time to slow down just a little, I feel like the pace at which the days are moving is increasing. I was surprised by some of the posts showing up in my Facebook feed from friends who couldn’t wait to be done with Halloween so they could put up Christmas decorations – wait, what?! While I love the holiday season, I’d like to ease into it – not dive in full force without a parachute!

What would you tell me over coffee? Are you in a rush to get to the holidays? 

I’m also joining Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday Five linkup!

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Filed Under: Friday Five, Ultimate coffee date