Reasons why I am NOT applying for Nuun’s Hood to Coast Team

2011 was a great year for me.  I accomplished many goals that I have had for years. I started my fitness business, I qualified for Boston and I ran the Hood to Coast Relay.  The Hood to Coast Relay was an incredible, memorable experience with some unbelievably awesome women. It not only introduced me to those fabulous people, but to a fantastic company.  I am honored to be a Nuun Ambassador and am loyal to this great product.

It was such an epic experience that it took six blog posts to say everything I wanted to say. I am sure there was more I could have said. It was one of those once-in-a lifetime experiences that will never be replicated.

So when Nuun announced that they were going to host teams again in 2012, I was beyond excited. We had been talking about running it again since we finished our last legs. I was eager to get my creative juices flowing and submit a kick ass application.  I was looking forward to joining my new friends again for a fun-filled weekend.

Here is a little taste of our weekend:

Nuun | Hood to Coast from eric becker on Vimeo.

Here it is, the day of the application deadline and I have nothing to submit. I thought long and hard over this decision and decided NOT to submit an application. I am sad, but at peace about it.  I know that when Nuun announces the 2012 teams, I will be sad again.

You must be asking why are you NOT re-applying for this incredible opportunity that is right up your running alley????


Here are the top reasons WHY I am not applying for Hood to Coast this year:

1) Fear of rejection—I am not too proud to admit that this year I am a little nervous about getting rejected.  Normally, I do fine with rejection.  Lately, however, I have been a bit more sensitive. I have a lot going on in my life and I find it harder to let things go. I feel like all my friends and running buddies have other friends and I am nobody’s first choice lately, so I am not up for not being Nuun’s first (or 36th) choice. Last year I had nothing to lose. If I didn’t make the team, I could look at all the fabulous bloggers and know why they chose those women over me.  This year, knowing that 2011 team members are not guaranteed a spot, I was a bit nervous. In fact, to make it fair to everyone, Nuun has told us that only a percentage of us would be chosen again. If I don’t make it this year, I know I will question myself even more. It will take me back to those feelings I had in middle school. I will wonder if I didn’t make the team because I was lacking in some way. Did I talk too much?  Did I not talk enough? Did they not like me? Is my blog not popular or witty enough? Am I not good enough? 

2) My social media presence has been appalling lately—Other than Facebook for personal updates etc., I have been pretty absent from the social media world. My blog hasn’t been updated in weeks. I can’t remember my last tweet. I hope my followers don’t unfollow me!  I have only glanced at Pinterest and, frankly, don’t get it. I know that Nuun wants a big social media push from their team. If they check my stats, they will be disappointed.

There are several reasons for my lack of internet activity. First, my computer died a few weeks ago. I went back and forth with the manufacturer (it is still under warranty) and they still have it! It is difficult to get anything done on my phone. I finally plugged in my old computer, but there was a reason I replaced it—it is painfully slow!

Second, between clients and working in my kids’ school, I have been very busy lately. I hate spending my free time at the computer (although that does seem to happen). I have always been pretty busy, but lately it has made me feel overwhelmed.

3) I'm running Southern California Ragnar in two weeks—As much as I would like to run several relays a year, it does put added pressure on my family. My husband has to take a day(s) off work and/or I have to find friends to pick up my kids from school etc. Mommy being gone gets complicated.  My husband is great with this and very supportive, but I don’t want to push my luck and do it too often. I am also planning on running St. George again, which is another Mommy day off. 

In addition, with Ragnar looming, it is difficult to think about another relay in a few short months.  I know I would love doing both and becoming a relay “expert” like fellow Hood to Coast alum, Lauren. I just don’t think this is the year.

4) I have recently taken on new responsibilities—Some of my online friends and I have started a new website, theRUNiverse.com. This is a group-edited blog featuring articles about our favorite sport, running.  The site is a mixture of original content and reposted articles.  I don’t want to let these people down and I try to meet my deadlines to help keep our content fresh.  Check out theRUNiverse.com as well as our Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest pages! [LOL…shameless plug]

5) We are relocating to Colorado in June or July—My husband’s job and the tough Southern California economy has us relocating to Fort Collins, Colorado. This last reason is probably the deciding factor in not applying. Details of our move are still up in the air. Our target move date is July 1, but we haven’t found a place yet. It will be a big transition for my children (and for me). School in Fort Collins starts in late August and I would have to miss a few of their first days of school. Switching schools is a big deal and I don’t know how much they will need Mommy in those first few days. Last year, I missed picking up my daughter for her first day of Kindergarten because I was at Hood to Coast, I am not sure I can do that this year. 

I don’t know what our routines will be. I don’t know how flexible my husband’s workload will be (although it is the same company, but his workload changes based on various circumstances). I don’t know if I will have any friends to help pick up the slack when I am gone. All these unknowns make it difficult to make plans to be gone for three or four days. 

I am both excited and scared about this move. I think this impending life change is one of the reasons I am feeling sensitive, overwhelmed and not very creative. I am sure as I get back into my blogging, I will write more about my feelings about this new chapter of our lives.

So there you have it.  While so many women are posting their Nuun Hood to Coast applications today, I am feeling a bit wistful. I just hope that my teammates and Nuun don’t take it as a reflection on them. I plan on starting my application for 2013 as soon as I get settled!  :-)

Good luck to my blogger friends who are applying.  To those of you I shared a van with, I hope you miss me—at least a little. I will be following you all eagerly and cheering you on. 

Happy Running

Favorite Things AND a couple of giveaways!

2011 was a good year. Here is a list of some of the things that got me through the last year in running.  I originally planned to post this as a Christmas list, but my December hiatus postponed this post.
Some of my favorite things are the same as last year, but I have a few new ones as well.

1. Nuun.—I am a new Nuun convert (a “Nuunie”). I had tried it in the past, but didn’t become loyal until this year. They have lots of yummy flavors, so I will never get bored. I am so spoiled now that I don’t even use water. My kids are hooked as well. They drink it during hockey and soccer practices. It seems to really keep me hydrated—no more calf cramps. Keep reading for giveaway below!

2. iFitness Double Neoprene Pouch—I have already written about this one, but it remains my favorite accessory. I use it for nearly every run. I honestly don’t know what I would do without this accessory. It fits my phone (an HTC Incredible 2, which is not a small phone), camera, cash, lip balm…whatever.  Keep reading for giveaway below!

3. Knee Socks. Fellow Hood to Coast Nuun Plattuuner Tonia (from Racing with Babes) got me hooked on knee socks.  They make a fashion statement AND when they are compression socks, they help my muscles feel better after a run.  In fact, I have enjoyed running in compression socks so much that I ran St. George in my hot pink Recovery Socks. I also have compression socks from Zensah and Bauer (they came free with my husband’s hockey gear).

4. Arbonne Lip Saver lip balm. This little lip balm is awesome. It has SPF 30 and stays on for a long time. It smells nice, but isn't overpowering. It is smoother than chapstick and other lip balms, but stays on longer than most smooth or creamy lip stuff.  You can buy it HERE.

5. Sugoi Versa jacket—I received this for Christmas last year and I love it. The sleeves come off to leave a vest.  The bolero style sleeves stash neatly in the back pocket. I t is great to wear on a chilly morning, especially one that is a little breezy.

6. Arm Warmers—I love my arm warmers. I have four pair and enjoy all of them. They are different brands. The weather around here can get pretty crazy. We have had runs where it is 40 degrees when we start and 70 when we end.  This is when arm warmers really come in handy. When it warms up, I just pull them off and tie them around my iFitness belt.

7. Garmin—This little gadget continues to be a staple in my running. Pacing and split management was key in my success in St. George. I still need to find ways to use it to its fullest potential. I rarely use the heart rate monitor and haven’t learned how to use the virtual partner.

8. Rockmyrun.com—My new source for running music can’t be beat. Have you discovered this site yet? Do yourself a favor while it is still in Beta. Their running mixes are FREE right now!  And they are awesome. They have worked with runners to find some great mixes with the perfect beats per minute.

9. Jamba Juice—I still love my Jamba. I love the smoothies, I love the oatmeal, I love just about everything. I am trying to add more greens to my diet and have recently started having a wheat grass shot every time I go in.  My kids beg me for the frozen yogurt.  Did you know they had frozen yogurt?  disclosure: http://cmp.ly/2/lHtGGa

OK…now the part you were looking for!  The GIVEAWAY!  I am giving away FOUR of my favorite things!  I am giving away one iFitness Double Neoprene Pouch, one tube of Nuun (and a bpa-free plastic bottle to drink it from), a $5 Jamba Juice gift card, and a tube of Arbonne Lip Saver!!!!! I will have a total of four winners--one for each prize.

You must be a follower to win, but other than that, all the entries are optional. You get an entry for leaving a comment saying which prize you want to win, if you have a preference. It is optional, but if you don’t leave a comment, I won't know what you want, so you get what you get. ;-)  If you tweet, please use @momtomarathon so I know you tweeted.  Also, if you like a Facebook page (mine, iFitness or Nuun), can you stop by and leave a comment so I know?  Thanks!

 Please make sure you enter using the Rafflecopter entry form below.  I will use Rafflecopter to pick a winner on January 23.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hood to Coast Race Report Part 6—party on the beach AND a thanks to our sponsors

Ah yes… you thought you were done with Hood to Coast recaps.  Well, almost.  I would be remiss if I didn’t finish the story.

Once I was done running, we hopped into the van and headed toward the beach. We all had thought we would shower, nap etc., but we were too excited. This was the “biggest beach party on the West Coast.”

 
The beach was slightly cool and breezy. It was nice.


We stalked famous people.  The above picture is the Heart –n- Sole team from the Hood to Coast Movie.  Below is Bob Foote, the founder of Hood to Coast. I really enjoyed talking with him! He is a runner’s runner.


Then it was time for a little revelry!  I think we earned those beers!

After a few beers, it was time to head to the finish line to cheer on our teams.  Unfortunately, the rest of Nuun Platuun hadn’t made it to the beach due to crazy traffic. It was up to us to give XLMIC a huge welcome.

As usual, she was giving it all she had.  You can read her own version HERE. She ran that last leg as fast as she possibly could.  She anchored our team beautifully.

Nuun Platuun did better than anyone expected.  While we did great on the first two legs, each one of us dug deeper for that last leg.  Our team finished 200 grueling miles in 27:59:17!!!   We finished 7th in the Women’s Open Division!  That was an hour faster than our 10K PRs predicted.  We were all more than thrilled at our stellar finish.

Thirteen minutes later, Megan finished.  She was injured and hurting, but she finished strong with a huge smile on her face (pictured above).  You can read about her runs HERE.

There were a lot of emotions.  Hood to Coast was over and both teams had highs and lows and did GREAT.


Van 2 finally made it to the beach.  We received our medals, took some pictures, then there was more partying. The entire team had a fun time. It was everything I had hoped it would be. It was more than a race, more than a blogger meetup. It was something hard to put into words (yet I used thousands of words to try). I would do it again in a heartbeat!





Here is a video that briefly portrays the Hood to Coast experience:




And now a word about our incredibly generous sponsors…


Of course, the number one sponsor to thank goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway). Nuun was FANTASTIC in putting this entire thing together.  I still pinch myself when I think about how lucky I was to have been involved.

Running Skirts generously donated some awesome camo running skirts to the team. How great do we look?

Road ID gave us some killer dog tags. I love mine and wore it the entire time during HTC. 


Moving Comfort was kind enough to give us some bras. I LOVE my Juno bra.
Looking back, I should have run in just my bra during HTC.  Jess did that and looked awesome.


Tommie Copper sent us a bunch of compression gear. I have worn the ankle sleeves several times (to help with some tendonitis I get on the top of my foot), the knee sleeve (after my first leg when my IT band got a bit angry) and the calf sleeves.  They are all super comfortable!


Buildasign.com provided signs for our vans. They did a great job! Not only did the magnets look good, but they stayed on the vans.  Four vans, multiple signs and no sign loss.

2Toms provided some great Sport Shield to keep us from chafing.  I am taking this stuff with me to St. George! It goes on like roll-on deodorant and dries so you don’t even know it is there.


Jack Black cosmetics supplied us with a great sample pack of lotions, sunscreens and lip balms. This is another product I will be taking with me to St. George. They have an SPF 45 sunscreen that I really like and the lip balm saved me!

We spent a day and a half in a van and snack foods were important. Jamba Juice provided the team with some coconut water juice.  They were a hit!

Jenny Craig also sent us some Oatmeal Breakfast Squares. They really hit the spot at odd times during the day.  They were perfect as a breakfast snack even when breakfast was at 2 in the morning.

And we also were given some Gu, a key ingredient of any race. While the flavors weren’t my personal favorite, Gu is my gel of choice. It will be fueling me on Saturday during the marathon.

It was wonderful for all these companies to support our adventure in such a big way. It just shows how admired all the women are and how they conduct themselves out in the blogosphere. Everyone represented these sponsors well and appreciated all the products more than the sponsors will know. It was just the added touch that made the entire experience a bit surreal.

Thanks again to everyone for all your support.

Happy Running…

Don’t forget to enter my giveaways for free Gymboss Interval Timers.  Today is the last day.  You can find the blog giveaway HERE. And my Facebook giveaway HERE.

Hood to Coast Race Report Part 1—before the race

What a whirlwind week it was leading up to Hood to Coast. Thursday, before flying to Seattle to meet up with Nuun and my Nuun Platuun teammates, I had a little thing called first day of school. My youngest was starting kindergarten, a huge milestone.  Instead of arriving in Seattle early Thursday to hang out with the team and decorate the vans, I gave hugs and kisses and took pictures of two excited kiddos. As much as I am trying to enjoy my running opportunities while trying to build a business based on fitness, first and foremost I am a MOM. I am so glad I was able to do both.

After that, I headed to the airport to start my adventure. I was giddy with excitement. I went crazy with the camo theme and even had a camouflage carry-on bag. I was ready to go.
At the airport, I was in the security line with a soldier. I even snapped a picture with him. I told him all about the race and thanked him for his service.  Another passenger had run HTC a few years earlier and told me how much he enjoyed it.  My excitement was building.

I arrived in Seattle and got a cab and headed to the Nuun offices. When I arrived, I expected the party to be in full swing, but I was the first to get there.  Yeah!  I didn’t miss out on as much fun as I had thought!  The Nuun staffers were super welcoming and made me feel very comfortable.  So much so, that a couple of the bloggers thought I worked there when they first saw me.

When everyone walked in, it was surreal.  I have followed many of these awesome women’s blogs for a couple years.  To be honest, I felt a little bit star-struck. Many of these women had blogs with 10-20 times more followers than me, others were Boston alumni and accomplished ironwomen.  I was feeling a little self conscious.

But soon I was chatting away with everyone and felt more comfortable. We all went back to the hotel as Van 1 had an early departure and were meeting in the lobby at 5:45 a.m.  We snapped a couple of pictures with Nuun Platunners that we wouldn’t see until the next day. How cute are we in our camo skirts from Running Skirts.com?

Pictured here are me, TMB, Jess, Tricia and Kerrie

My hotel roommates were Kerrie and Emily.  Emily was still on East Coast time and hit the sack right away.  Kerrie and I tried, but ended up chatting for at least an hour—whispering in our bed.  It was great.  Honestly, I wish there had been a bit more of that kind of “girl talk” during the race, but believe it or not, it seemed like we were always focused on some task or another and didn’t do as much of that as I would have thought.  Once we stopped chatting, neither of us got much sleep.  5 a.m. came way too quickly, but the day had come and we were heading to Mt. Hood!!


On our way down to Oregon, we were interviewed for an article in a magazine!  Wow…we were famous!  We passed the phone around and answered the reporter’s questions.

You can read the article HERE.

As we headed east from I-205, I started getting really excited. I was in my old stomping grounds of East Portland/Troutdale! We drove mere miles from my childhood home and into Gresham where I spent a lot of time in my teenage years.

When we saw Mt. Hood getting closer, the excitement in the van was palpable.  We were SO close to the start.  We had all been looking forward to this for so long. The noise level started increasing in the van.  Except for Tricia…she was getting noticeably quiet. I wasn’t sure if it was her “game face” or if she was getting more and more nervous. I know now from her report on leg 1 that she was terrified. When we saw our first runner, a cheer went up.  That was going to be us soon.  Specifically…the first runner we saw was running Leg 6- my leg.  I was officially excited.

We all got our game faces on...


 And then we were there!! The teams, the vans…it was all real.

 We found the Nuun tent and donned our Nuun tattoos and spread the Nuun love!



A familiar face from the Hood to Coast movie stopped by and said, “Nuun Platuum??”  It was Bob from Dead Jocks in a Box*!  He reached out to a few of us via Facebook to find out our start time, as well as tweeted with Tricia.  He was super nice. We didn't see them again.  They were faster than us and finished first in their division!

Tricia was ready to go to lead off our van. This thing was really happening!!

She joined Alanna from the AfterNuun Delight team and headed toward the start line.




And then…they were off!!!!

Stay tuned for Part 2- the highs and lows of the first legs.

*It was the first time a “celebrity” had messaged me on Facebook.  I was pretty excited. Bob was one of my favorites in the movie because he looks a lot like my brother-in-law.    Like Dead Jocks on Facebook so they can get 100 likes!

10 things learned at Hood to Coast….

I will have a very long race report (most likely posted in three parts). But for everyone wondering how it went—it is difficult to describe such an incredible weekend (but, of course, I’ll do my best). I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity and honored to be included with some amazing women. As I am crafting my race report, I wanted to post some things I learned this weekend.

#10—Running 7 miles in 90 degree weather is not so much fun (but it was HOOD TO COAST and my dad saw me run it, so it was worth it in the end). 


#9—Running in the middle of the night is a great way to clear your head.


#8—Six women in a van for 36 hours don’t stink as much as you would think (even after running their brains out).


#7—One hour of sleep outside on a tarp can be better than four hours of sleep in a hotel and can even be “magical.”

#6—You can “race” three times in a 24 hour period, running pretty much as fast as you can, and live to tell about it.


#5—There are zombies in Mist, Oregon.


#4—In a race situation like this, you are always looking for something…clothing, cell phone service, keys, teammates… 

#3—These bloggers are as cool in real life as they seem online (some even moreso).


#2—Nuun is more than a fantastic product, it is a great company with some of the best employees around.


and the #1 thing learned this weekend—Hood to Coast is everything I thought it would be and would do it again in a heartbeat.  (*hint, hint )

I am tired and sore, but super happy.  I am now back to the real world.  Happy Running...

8 more days….

There are eight more days until my daughter starts kindergarten. She is so excited she can hardly stand it.  Big brother is happy to have his sister at school with him. That is a big milestone in our lives as I will have both my kids in school full time. Then the pressure starts to get this business really off the ground!

Oh yeah…something else is happening in 10 days.     I AM FLYING TO SEATTLE TO START MY HOOD TO COAST  ADVENTURE!!!

Here is a little more about the race (and my leg in particular), for those of you who aren’t familiar with HTC or long distance relays in general.

What is Hood to Coast? It is a 200-mile relay that is run by teams of 12. It starts at Mt. Hood, the tallest mountain in Oregon, to Seaside on the Pacific Ocean.

Known as "The Mother of All Relays", HTC is the largest relay in the world, hosting a capped team limit for the past 20 years, and has filled on "Opening Day" of registration for the past 13 years!HTC is also the longest running relay event in Oregon, and hosts the largest beach party on the west coast!

Here is the timeline for the weekend:

Thursday, August 25—After dropping my baby off at kindergarten, I head to the airport and fly to Seattle (Nuun headquarters) to meet the teams (Nuun Platuun and AfterNuun Delight). There will be van decorating, pizza eating and general revelry.

Friday, August 26—Four vans of excited and nervous women will take off first thing to drive down to Mt. Hood (just east of Portland).  Our vans will be festooned with quotes and decorations supporting our respective themes.  I am guessing that there might be some interesting looks along the freeway on the way to Portland and maybe a few honks.

The teams are all given start times ranging from early in the morning to early evening. to keep the course and exchange points free of too much congestion.

“The race start times begin at 3:30am Friday at the Timberline Day Lodge and continue in waves every 15 minutes throughout the day until 6:15pm. Each wave has 20-25 teams.”

Our start time is 12:30 p.m. I am excited that both teams are starting together!

I am in Van 1.  Starting us off is Major Miles.  She has the honor of running the leg with the steepest downhill grade.  It is notorious for being incredibly difficult. I wanted this leg at first, but then when I thought about my marathon five weeks later, I decided that a quad-busting, toenail destroying, knee-shredding 2000 foot drop over five miles would not be the smartest choice.  Yeah for Tricia taking one for our team!

*Leg 2 belongs to Captain Cupcake. Then Captain Phoenix, our team captain.  She is followed by Captain Obvious and Captain Underpants.  I am the final runner in van 1.

My first chance to run will happen around 4:25 p.m. **  Leg 6 is rated as “Hard” by the Hood to Coast folks.  It is my longest leg, 6.75 miles.

It is described as “challenging uphills and gradual downhills along Highway 26 on paved shoulder.”  Actually, running along highway 26 gives me more anxiety than any other part of the race. I grew up in this area and drove to Sandy and Mt. Hood often along Highway 26. It is not a lonely highway.  It is a major thoroughfare—the only road from Portland to the mountain and the small towns in between. I know that giant trucks will speed by, scaring the crap out of me and blowing all sorts of road dust my way.  On the bright side, it will bring back some great memories of driving up to the mountain to go skiing as a kid.  I will be running by several well-know local landmarks.   

                      

After my leg, our van is done for a while. I am hoping that we will stop somewhere for some real food.  The van will be fully stocked with all sorts of snacks, but at some point in a 24 hour period, hot food will be a welcome treat.

Our van will be back at it around 10 p.m.. Now we are on to some of the toughest legs for the mere fact that they are done in the middle of the night. I am thrilled, however, that our van’s dark legs are late night rather than early morning.  Our best chance to catch some z’s will be after these overnight legs.

My next leg will be leg 18, which is 5.23 miles long. It is described as “flat and gradual uphill terrain on hwy and paved back country roads.” It is also rated “hard.”  Hmmm…”back country roads” at 2 a.m.??  Yikes!  Maybe I should add my pepper spray to the list of things to pack.  I will be wearing a light on the front, a light on the back, as well as a reflective vest.  What will the coyotes be wearing??

Saturday, August 27-- Our van will be “off duty” again from around 3 a.m. (when I finish running) until about 7:45 a.m.   This might be our only chance for some shut-eye.

Our final legs get us closer to the beach. My last leg is my easiest leg (woo hoo!).  Leg 30 is rated “moderate” and is 5.35 miles long.  It is described as “gradual uphill and steep downhill on winding narrow back road with minimum shoulder.” This time, I am really looking forward to being on a country road. It will be around 11:40 a.m. so darkness won’t be a factor.  In fact, it should be a lovely time of day!

Then van 1 is DONE.  We get to head to Seaside to wait for our team!!  I am excited for that part of the day.  I have two friends from high school who are running HTC and they are both in van 1 for their teams. We are planning on toasting our success with a well-deserved beer.

The final runner for Nuun Platuun, Commando, should be approaching the beach around 5 p.m.  Tradition says that all twelve runners join her and cross the finish line together.  I am sure that will be quite a moment.  I can’t wait. Then HTC hosts a huge beach party with food and music….and probably more beer.

Sunday, August 27-- We will make our way back to Seattle in our vans.  Some of the team is staying over Sunday night.  I need to get home. I fly out of Seattle Sunday evening. I will have missed pickup for the first two days of school and I want to be there to start my kids' first full week of the school year.

This adventure will be documented by twenty fabulous bloggers who are very social media savvy.  We will all be tweeting and posting to facebook along the way. If you would like to follow along on our adventure, check out our Facebook Page as well as our Twitter accounts: @nuunplatuun and @afternuundelite.

Thanks for reading and supporting me on this adventure!  This is a pretty long preview of my race.  I can’t imagine how long the actual race report is going to be!  It will all start a week from tomorrow.   EXCITING!!

What part of a race like this would you look forward to the most?  What would you be dreading?


Happy Running…

*I am not going to go through each leg in detail in this post.  I might, at some point, describe each leg, but that would make this post very, very long.
**There is a spreadsheet that takes difficulty of legs and runner 10K times and predicts the length of each leg.  They have been perfecting it for years and apparently, it is pretty accurate.