2016 Flying Pig Half Marathon Recap

Race day is finally here. I am so excited to run the streets of Cincinnati. On Saturday, it had rained a good bit throughout the day which caused me to rethink my outfit since I had no idea if it would be raining or not race morning.

So in the theme of it possibly raining during the half, I decided to be a "fish." I bought my Trigger shirt and water shorts by INKnBURN.

We stayed about a mile away from the start of the race. The walk wasn't bad. I felt like it was a warm-up for the race.

It sprinkled on us for a little bit while we made our way to the start line, but stopped shortly before the race started.

One thing I thought was pretty cool about this race is that our corrals are called pig pens.

The race started right on time.

We made our way along the Ohio River on to the streets before turning on to a bridge (forgot the name) crossing into Kentucky. We ran in Kentucky for about three miles before crossing another bridge back into Ohio. So far this far has been pretty flat compared to what I was use to, but I knew it wouldn't last for long.

The crowd support along the course was unbelievable. Better than some of the big local races near me.

Mile 4 - 6, we made our way back towards the city. Around this time, the humidity was starting to kick in and I wishing I had gone with my original outfit instead, but how was I suppose to know?

Miles 7 - 9 was nothing but hills. At one point during the race, we were overlooking Cincy, which I thought was amazing. I wish I had stopped for a photo. It would have been worth the extra minutes.

Miles 10 - 13 was completely downhill. Yep, downhill. I loved it. I knew not to kill it the first mile downhill. I just let my legs and gravity do the work.

I was at the finish swine before I knew it. 

I finished at 2:00. 

The snacks we got after the race were amazing. I only wish I had a bag to put everything in it because I could only carry so much.

They had us meet up with friends and family by the Ohio River. Perfect place for a picture after a tough but fun half marathon.

After we finished up with photos, it was time to head back to our hotels to get ready for the drive home. It was a great weekend. I highly recommend adding this race to your bucket list. I will be back to run it again in the future.

Bye Cincinnati!! :(

#FitHolidays MealEnders Product Review + Giveaway OVER

I was excited to be given this opportunity to try this product. Because of my work, I'm in need of a snack quite a bit. This product is awesome. It helped curb my appetite. This past week (Thanksgiving week) I was able to give this product a try. Instead snacking on the cookies clients brought in, I was reaching for one of these.

What are you MealEnders?


MealEnders Signaling Lozenges are a weight management product designed to help people avoid overeating and master portion control by clearing cravings from the mouth and mind. Each Signaling Lozenge consists of two flavorful layers, each playing a strategic role in weight loss. The sweet, outer coating provides a measured dose of “dessert”, habitually associated with the end of a meal. Avoiding the “no dessert” mindset prevents a sense of deprivation, which can thwart even the most earnest weight loss efforts. The tingling/cooling inner layer engages the trigeminal nerve, clears the palate and creates a 20-minute eating pause, enabling the brain to recognize the body’s natural transition from hungry to full. By the time the MealEnders experience is finished, the body’s natural signaling process of satiation has begun. With repeated use, users accept MealEnders’ sensations as a cue to stop eating, resulting in sustainable and healthy eating habits.

MealEnders are: Gluten Free, Contain No Herbs, No Artificial Sweeteners, No Drugs, No High Fructose Corn Syrup, Kosher Free.

Each MealEnders lozenge has only 2 grams sugar and 15 calories.

MealEnders comes in 4 different flavors: Mocha, Citrus, Cinnamon, and Chocolate Mint.

Here is a graph to show you how this product works: 

This product is going to help keep me from eating the junk food that comes in through my work this holiday season. :)

MealEnders is giving you a chance to try them. They will send you (4) 25-piece packs so you are able to try all the flavors. Please make sure you read the disclaimer before entering the giveaway. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway information and disclaimer:  The giveaway starts at 12:00 am EST on Tuesday, December1st and ends at 12:00 am EST on Tuesday, December 8th.  Open to US residents.  Winner will be picked at random by Rafflecopter. I will contact the winner with their race entry code. I was not compensated for this giveaway.  All opinions are my own.One prize per person. If you win this giveaway, and have already won another prize from MealEnders through another blog, please disclose that you have already won so we can choose another winner.

2015 Michelob 13.1 Atlanta Recap

In July at the Peachtree Road Race Expo, I decided I was going to run the Michelob 13.1 on Oct 4th. I did the Publix Half in March, so I would be getting the Atl Challenge medal as well as the half medal.

A few days leading up to the race, we had some crazy rain that caused them to change the race course. Since I had never actually ran in that area, I  didn't know what to expect even with the last minute changes. I just knew it would be hilly.

Race start promptly at 7 AM. We had a threat of rain, but luckily, it only sprinkled on us, which was refreshing.

The first few miles weren't too bad. We had a few rolling hills. But, those didn't last long. It seemed like the hills were getting longer each time we had a new one to go up. Or maybe it was just how I felt. Either way, I was about ready to be done around mile 8. Because of the course change, we had to loop back to parts of the course that we ran in the first half of the race. That was okay, and all, but the hill around mile 11 took all I had left.

I was trying to stay ahead of the 2:10 pacer, but as soon as she passed me, I knew I wasn't even going to try to catch up.

We had a little uphill finish. I will admit, I walked some of it. Once I could see the finish line, I started running. By the look on my face in my finisher photo, I was glad to be done.

I have said I won't be running this race again next year. I see no point. I hated that course with a passion. I may consider volunteering for it, but I won't be running it.

One of my main complaints was the lack of water. I later found out because of the rain that was being brought in from the hurricane a lot of stuff wasn't able to get here in time. I normally run with a water bottle but decided not to this race. Next time I ever have any doubt, I will just bring it.

FrogFuel Winner!

Many thanks to everyone who entered my first giveaway. I hope to have another sometime in the future.


 The winner is....


a Rafflecopter giveaway



Jen, I will be contacting you soon to get your information to send over to the frog fuel people.

FrogFuel Review and Giveaway

I am always looking for other ways to fuel myself during my runs/ work outs. When I saw this product I couldn't wait to try it. 

I decided that on Sunday I would give FrogFuel a try for my 4 mile run. The taste was interesting. It definitely was something I wasn't expecting. It kind of reminded me of a certain energy drink (not naming any names here). I like how it was liquid and not gel. It was easy to drink. It also didn't leave any weird after taste in my mouth.

I took off on my run. About a mile or two in, I could tell it was helping me push through some of the hills in my neighborhood. Unfortunately, I felt like I was dragging closer to the end of my run. I definitely think FrogFuel helped me with the majority of my run. 



Here's why I think you should try FrogFuel:
 
1. It's hydrolyzed. Faster absorption means better performance and quicker recovery!
2. It's a Pure Collagen Protein - Improved skin, muscle mass and tone, increased joint flexibility, healthier bones, arteries, hair, nails and eyes.
3. Contains Taurine - Help rebuild muscles faster!
4. Berry flavored!
5. No Mixing. Just open it up and drink.
6. 60 Calories - sugar, fat, gluten, and lactose free.
7. Enhanced Aminos. 
8. Shelf life of 2 years without refrigeration.

Check out their website for info: FrogFuel

To make things fun be sure to check out this quiz to see what your fuel level is and then leave me a comment with your answer. :)

My Quiz result says:

Free Spirit

Hanging out in the gym just isn’t your style, you are the free spirit of the fitness world! Although you have a preferred fitness method, you will always choose variety over routine. From cycling to yoga sessions on the beach, you love squeezing in a workout wherever and however you can



And now for the main reason you came here....

FrogFuel is letting one of my readers have a chance to win 3 FrogFuel 1oz Protein Shots. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway information and disclaimer:  The giveaway starts at 12:00 am EST on Monday, July 29th and ends at 12:00 am EST on Monday, August 5th.  Open to US residents.  Winner will be picked at random by Rafflecopter. I will contact the winner and they will have 48 hours to respond to me with their mailing address. I was not compensated for this giveaway.  All opinions are my own.

Run the River 10k Recap

Despite it being a chilly morning, I had a great time at the race. It was flat for the most part minus the one small hill that you did a turn around at.

I was doing fine up until the hill. I think if we didn't have the hill I would have kept on going and probably would have finished the race a lot faster than I did.

My official time was 54:49. Not as fast as my PRR, but still pretty good seeing how I haven't ran 6.2 miles outside in a long time. I am happy with it. :) I can't wait to do more and maybe I'll even do another race on that same course and see if I can beat that time.

The only complaint I have is having to wait until 8:30 to run. Normally the 10K people go before the 5K, but at this race we had to wait for them to finish.

Here are some pictures that I had taken yesterday...

Me before the race. Freezing! 

Walking to the start line

10Kers making our way down Riverside Dr

Coming up to the turn..

Using all I had to finish strong.

Making that turn...

Crossing the finish line... official time 54:49

Oh, and one last thing... I placed 9th out of 36 in my age group. Not too bad. That would be a first for me in a 10K race.

Next week is the Finish on the 50 in Auburn, AL. I am beyond excited for it. I also hope its a lot warmer than it was this weekend.