Monday, October 15, 2018

#TogetherWeWill

It's time, once again, to kick off my 26.2 with DONNA Fundraising, and what better time than Breast Cancer Awareness Month? This will be my 10th year -- wow -- participating in this event, and, aside from bringing attention to a great cause, the awesome crowd support, and the amazing feeling of a block party in motion, it's easy to see why:



Sunday, October 14, 2018

Noxgear

Happy Fall, y’all! We are now entering my favorite time of the year. No, not because of the changing leaves, approaching holiday season or any of the other more traditional reasons non-Floridians give for welcoming Fall. For me, it’s the less sweltering temperatures and slight drop in humidity that makes running, cycling, and even walking, more bearable. Of course, along with these "cooler" temps come shorter days/daylight hours which can leave an evening athlete in the dark.






As an early morning runner, I understand all too well the struggle of trying to balance high visibility with comfort — who knew clip-on lights bounced so much and headlamps caused headaches? — and I recently found the answer: Noxgear. Now, I had seen/heard of Noxgear a while back through the Jacksonville Galloway Training Group I was a member of, but, for some reason, I hadn’t actually tried it until several months ago. What first got my attention was the variety of colors available, but what I didn’t know was that, not only is each Tracer360 vest capable of producing 8 different colors (I usually select a color that matches my shirt), but you can also change from solid to flashing lights with a just a press of a button!




I’ve received numerous compliments and inquiries since I started wearing my Tracer360, and now, I want to share Noxgear with you! As of today, I am a member of the Noxgear Ambassador -- #noxgearamb -- family. What exactly does that mean to you? Well, by using coupon code: KayDub978 on the Noxgear website, you will save 35%. :in announcer voice: But, wait, there's more! On Tuesday October 16th only, the coupon code discount will be increased to 42%! 

Oh, I almost forgot to mention, there is also a visibility vest for our canine friends. After all, their safety is important too. Stay safe out there!



Friday, February 9, 2018

Best DAMN Race Jacksonville 2018

My first race of the year is in the books, and it was a fun one! I set out to take it easy and was blessed to find Susan Haag’s group. If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her, just know that her presence alone = instant Pavement Party 🎉🎊🎈

It was a cold start and an even colder finish with a downright disrespectful, bone chilling headwind in BOTH directions, but we were having so much fun, I hardly noticed.
 

 
There were so many sole mates from the Jacksonville Galloway Training ProgramMoms RUN This Town / She Runs This Town, friends from PRS and sole sistahs from Black Girls RUN!… It was like a family reunion 
✌️❤️

🏃🏾‍♀️


Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Run The Year 2018

From the Run The Edge website: "Run The Year 2018 is a fitness challenge to run or walk 2,018 miles in the year 2018." Since I ran almost 1,500 miles in 2017, I formed a "Dynamic Duo" with one of my BGR! Sole Sisters, and we will split the 2,018 miles. 




This year is off to a slow start due to almost freezing temperatures (see above screen shot from The Weather Channel app). I, personally, love this weather for running; however, my neighbor/running partner has circulatory issues which are exacerbated by cold weather. Wish me luck . . .

Monday, January 1, 2018

Another Year . . .

. . . another plunge. Happy New Year! This marked my 6th consecutive year of taking part in the WaveMasters Society's Polar Plunge. It was a cold, rainy and windy day. I went out for our regular Monday morning bridge run and ended up cutting it in half, because the cold rain and wind gusts were brutal! When I got home, The Mr. was getting ready to hit the beach with me, and I let him off the hook. It was too much to expect him and the kids to endure those conditions just for me and my thrill seeking. By the time I'd changed out of my running clothes and into my swimsuit, he'd already climbed back into bed. I kissed him and the kids goodbye and headed back out into the elements.

I stuck to my usual routine of arriving early for prime parking and bought my shirt. As I headed back to the car, I ran into a couple who said their friend, an experienced surfer, backed out of going in for the plunge, not because of the cold, but because of the >20 mph winds, and I started to get nervous. I decided to head back towards the beach to see what exactly I was getting myself into. The surf was the choppiest I have ever seen, and the tide was pretty high too! It dwarfed the beach immensely, and I really started to worry. There was a little less than an hour left before the plunge, so I decided to collect my thoughts in the car.


What am I getting myself into?!
As I sat in the car, I decided to check out Facebook's "On This Day" feature, and there were Polar Plunge pictures from the past 5 years. I looked at my friends and how our group dwindled a bit each year until it was just me in 2017 and again today. I sent my husband pictures of the surf, and we joked  for a bit. A large truck pulled into the parking lot next to me, and I watched the driver get out and head toward the Pavilion. Several minutes later, the driver returned with a shirt and climbed back into his truck. I thought he, too, was going to hang out in the parking lot like me, but he started his truck and drove away! Shortly after that, I received text messages from my sister, and she encouraged me to stick to my plan. As I went back and forth between conversations, the parking lot began filling up. Before I knew it, it was 15 minutes before the plunge, so I hurried out to the beach to find a good spot.

Seeing all the other people on the beach gave me the motivation I needed, and I was ready to go, even though there was a little over 5 minutes until plunge time. It seemed I wasn't the only one with that sentiment, because I heard several people say the same thing. One guy even ran in waist deep and splashed around minutes before the official time. I snapped a couple selfies, undressed, then found a nice bystander to snap a "before" picture. Then, it was time to go, and go we did! I ran in waist deep and waited for a big wave before ducking down under the water. It was about 10° warmer than the air temperature, and it was quite invigorating. I splashed around for a bit, then decided I shouldn't press my luck any further and got out. As I redressed, I met a man who was on his 26th or 27th Polar Plunge, and he told me about how his kids started going with him as early as 8 years. His wife usually comes along and brings his coffee, but she was out of town today. He still had his coffee though.


I opted for a slideshow instead of my usual pre-plunge photo. Enjoy!

On another note, I'm kind of sad to see 2017 go, because I think it was one of my best years in a long time. I know, 2015 blessed us with a new child and a new home, but 2017 was about my personal accomplishments and rebuilding myself after the devastation of 2016. There were several PRs (including a couple half marathon PRs and a sub 30 minute 5K), I completed my first sprint triathlon, I trained for a century (Hurricane Irma derailed those plans), and I fell just shy of running 1500 miles! I will do my best to get you caught up on all that. I, literally, have several drafts waiting for me to complete and publish, if only I can find the words/time to get it done.


How did your first day of 2018 go? What are your goals for this year? Until next time . . .