Hot Chocolate 15k Recap!!

I was slated to run a different race on Dec 6th, but I just couldn't commit in my heart to train for it. I debated for a really long time, and finally made the decision to drop out of it. What's the point of training for and talking about a race that you just can't get excited about? Running should always be "fun". I say it that way cause most of us know, sometimes it's hard, but if it's not fun, we wouldn't keep doing it. At the time, dropping out felt really big. I hate going back on my word, but I just couldn't do it.

A couple weeks afterwards I decided to take a leap and register for the Hot Chocolate 15k! I've had it on my bucket list for a few years, but have been talking about it for at least the past two. I generally don't run on Sundays, but from time to time... and it's one I REALLY wanted to do! And then, running got fun again! I couldn't wait to run it.

Volunteers rock!

The Saturday before, my awesome friend Brecka, picked me up and we headed down to put in some volunteer work at the expo. I had volunteered last year and enjoyed myself, but knew it would be more fun with a friend. Thankfully she entertains some of my hair brained ideas and joined me! Man I love her! We spent 5 hours in the "try on" station. Did you know Hot Chocolate allows you to try on a jacket to be sure you've received the right size, and will swap it out if it doesn't fit, so long as there's one to trade with?! The only key is YOU CAN'T OPEN YOURS FIRST! Once your jacket bag has been opened, they can't be exchanged! What a deal though! Despite not feeling very well, I had a great time hanging out with Brecka there and meeting everyone who came by! I even got to meet one of my favorite ladies from Instagram!!! Hi Carol!!

We are the coolest! Haha

Brecka and I decided we wanted to dress up for this race. Neither of us had done that before, so we were pretty excited about it! We settled on dressing as snowflakes and spent the week leading up to the race preparing our costumes. Because. Priorities. I sewed up a couple of fun skirts and she got a couple of snowflake head bands, we tossed in some blue shirts and blue Procompression socks, and called it good. I think we did a pretty great job!

Flat Runner!

We left pretty early race morning to get there. I had been told on numerous occasions that the traffic is a bear to get through, and neither of us wanted to put up with that. We definitely got there early, but I actually liked the amount of time we had. We were able to walk to the complex for the bathrooms, go back and stay warm in the car until closer to race time, I was able to add an extra strip of KT Tape, all without being rushed. It was great!

As it got closer we headed to the start line for another bathroom stop (there were no shortage of Porta Johns!! I mean really, there were sooo many!!) and to get pictures with our MRTT group! As we walked up, the first person we saw was Carol!! Boy she's a fun lady! Just as sweet in person as she is on Instagram. We snapped some pictures and chatted for a bit before heading off to find MRTT.  I didn't do any gear checks, so I don't know how that worked out for anyone, but it seemed simple enough. You can use the bag your swag came in and check it with your bib number. They put it in a box and have people there to take them from you and give them back as you get ready to leave.

It was so cold! Pic cred: Carol

Shirley, Brecka, Pic cred: Olivia

But for real. We have way to much fun together! Pic cred: Carol

Start line

After getting pictures we finally made our way over to our corral. It was nice to discover we were in a corral without walkers. Mad props to anyone who comes to race. Truly. But it was nice to not have to dodge around anyone. Everyone in our corral pretty much started out at our pace and it made getting out of there so nice! We lined up behind the 9:30 pacer and stayed right with him through the whole race. It started out so cold!! Neither of us could feel our toes! But don't worry, it definitely heated up pretty quickly!

It's still too cold!! And my face??

The announcer sent us on our way, and that's where the trouble started for me! Immediately my left calf/shin seized up and it would not let go! It hurt so badly. For three miles I fought this pain which also turned into numbness. How you have both at the same time, I'm not sure, but it did.

I was so focused on making sure I lifted my foot and set it down right, hoping I didn't roll my ankle or trip on the street, I couldn't really enjoy the first part of the race. I just kept thinking to myself, it's just a training run, it's okay, you can slow down or walk; don't let the 9:30 pacer out of your sight though; don't walk because you might not be able to start again; pick up your foot, set it down; don't trip, don't take out anyone around you; let Brecka know you're hurting, wait, what did she say back to you; pick up your foot, put it back down; point your toe and stretch it; DO NOT ROLL YOUR ANKLE; DO NOT FALL!!

For three long miles this is how it was going! I wanted to cry! I wanted to quit. I was so incredibly frustrated!! How does this happen! I hadn't run in a week due to some other unrelated pain and a cold, but I've never had an effect like this before.

As I was coming into mile 3 I finally told myself, if the pain continued into mile 4, I was going to have to stop. I was going to have to walk. I was going to have to try and stretch it out. It was getting dangerous for me and the racers around me. I was going to do damage to my body, or if I went down, I could hurt another runner! I was going to have to make peace with a possible DNF. I was going to have to send Brecka along her way, who stayed right by my side the entire time. I know she was telling me to keep going, but I don't remember really what she was saying to me, I couldn't focus. I love her guts!! We rounded a corner just before mile 3 and all of a sudden the pain and the numbness was gone. Just like that. Like a snap of my fingers. Gone! I took a huge deep breath and almost cried of joy. I told Brecka the pain was gone, and we surged ahead! We hadn't let the pacer get far ahead of us at all, so we just cruised along right behind him for a bit before we moved passed him.

Mile 3- mile 6 was tons of fun! It was like a Saturday long run! We were laughing and joking and running and waving to our friends as we all passed one another along the course (thanks to some out and backs), thanked all the volunteers, thanked the police and medics, high fived people, thumbs upped people who complimented our awesome costumes... it was a blast!

Thank you Melissa for the capture!

Mile 7 was a different story! The "out" before the "back" had started to get long, and I had exhausted an enormous amount of mental and physical energy during those first three miles, that my tank was nearly empty. I was fading and I knew it. And Brecka knew it. I kept chanting to myself (out loud) that we were almost there, just keep going, you've got this, it's okay, come on come on come on... Brecka was cheering me on by my side. This time I heard her.

Then I focused for a bit on this cutie little girl ahead of us, creaming us, on this course! She was so little, but she was ROCKING it! What an amazing girl, and amazing dad to stay right by her side! (I wished I had asked to take their picture.) Then mile 8 hit and my inhaler had worn off, and we were running into a headwind and breathing was getting really hard. But I had already gone this far and I was NOT giving up without a fight. I knew I had it in me. And Brecka assured me I had it in me. And then we came to the photogs, and you HAVE to smile for them! And it was hard and breathing was hard, but then the finish line came into view and I knew I could finish it strong! We crossed that line together with arms in the air and huge smiles on our faces!!

So so close to the finish!

We made it! Together!

The sun was so bright! And we are wiped!

It was a hard fought for finish and it was an amazing feeling to know I hadn't given up when it got hard. I pushed my body and my mind, but truthfully, if Brecka hadn't been there, I'm not so sure I would've actually finished! She really helped get me through those dark miles. But now I know, I CAN! I can do it! I did it! I spent a lot of time running solo, but since running with a friend, I've been able to push myself more. That woman helped push me forward that day. She assured me what I already knew! I love her more and more each day and I'm so grateful for our friendship. We keep it pretty dang real and I really appreciate the raw authenticity we show one another.

As we came through the finisher chute we hugged tight, misty eyed, out of breath and then we went to party hearty with some amazing chocolate! The finishers mug is kind of awesome, a little rich for me (I struggle to eat much after I run like that), but well worth risking getting sick over it, haha!

Picture snagged from Olivia!

We sat and chatted with other friends as they came by to get their mug, snapped some selfies, I stripped off my skirt to show a friend how it had been made, lol, it was the perfect ending!

Our selfie game is strong, lol!

What a fun morning!! The race may have had some really dark moments, but it was well worth it. I enjoyed every moment, even the hard ones. I LOVE running races with Brecka and I'm pretty certain, we have to do more of that! I also think I've decided that the Hot Chocolate 15k will need to be permanently placed on my "race schedule"! And besides, rocking my hard earned, hard fought for, jacket... that is an amazing feeling!!!

Not too shabby considering what I went through!

I love this jacket!! Hard earned!

Tuvizo Reflective Vest Review

If you're keeping up with me on Instagram, you may have noticed I've been sporting a highly reflective vest while out on my night runs. The company it's from is called Tuvizo and it's a small family run business whose goal is to help athletes be seen. Whether you're a cyclist or a runner, if you're on the roads or around traffic, Tuvizo should be on your body.

Logo from website

I had been looking at the Tuvizo running vest on Amazon and was planning to get it, I just needed to talk about it with my husband. I couldn't think for the life of me where I had seen the vest or why the name stuck out to me, but it did. Then one day, as I was scrolling through my Instagram feed, I came across the abi_tuvizo account, and it suddenly clicked! I had been following their account, I had seen the vest, and it had stuck out in my mind! I also found out later that my running partner, Brecka, had one! That means we'll be twinning when we get to run together! I mentioned to them I was planning to get one and they reached out to me asking if I'd do an honest review for them in exchange for a vest. Of course I would! All thoughts and opinions here are my own.

Front and Back view from Amazon

When I received the vest I could tell right away it was highly reflective. When it caught the lights in the house, it just glowed! The straps are slightly elastic, but not so much where you loose control of them, I hope that makes sense. I strapped it on that night for a quick (slow) 6 miles through my neighborhood. It took a bit to get the straps just right across my body. I noticed right away it was brushing my neck. I tried to tighten them on the shoulders hoping it would stop the rubbing, but it felt more like squeezing (a gentle hug, not a suffocating squeeze), I did not like that at all! I managed to get them just right, making peace with the slight rub that was happening (it's no longer noticeable, and I've never come home with any kind of rub marks, chafing, or rashes from it. Fit may be different for other wearers, this is just something I noticed on myself). There is also an adjustment around the lower rib cage area. That one was easier to find a good fit. The straps are not hard to move and I was able to do it while running, though I suggest making the adjustments on a slower, more insignificant run instead of one where you're running for pace.

Unboxed. Two colors available. Yellow and Pink.

As I made my way through the neighborhood I noticed right away... people could see me! I run about 3 ft away from the sidewalk, on the road, but drivers were giving me extra room and swinging wide when they would, or I would, come around the corner. That was unexpected. I generally operate on stealth mode in my neighborhood. I like not being seen in there; here and gone before anyone has time to really notice, which can be an advantage in there. It was a bizarre feeling to have people notice me for a change.

I'm not afraid to ask random people random questions, so I stopped a couple people who had seen me running right then and asked what they thought. Here's what they had to say:

Lady from the cul-de-sac: I stopped to talk with her as she got out of the car. I asked how the vest looked as a driver. She said she saw me right away. She wondered why a construction worker was running down the road that late (8:30pm). She said that some of her friends mentioned they've not seen her before coming around a corner when she's running at night. She was gonna stop and ask me about the vest, if I hadn't stopped. She said tell them they did a great job!

Man in the other cul-de-sac: he said he was just walking down the sidewalk and saw me coming. The reflective part wasn't lit up cause he wasn't in a car, but he said he saw the glittery from the pink right away when I was under the street lights.

Friends driving in their van came around the corner a ways down the street, rolled down their window as they passed and shouted "I really like that vest!!" Later I texted to find out more. The wife said she and her husband noticed me right away! The vest was REALLY bright!

Now, I wanted to see just how reflective this Tuvizo vest really was, so I asked my husband to come with me later at night, into the dark corners of the neighborhood and test out the reflectivity of the vest. First I had him take pictures with the flash on in one of the darkest corners, just to see how bright it lit up. Boy were we surprised! I mean really, look at this thing!! My friend joked that I could land an aircraft with it on!! 

Next I had him drop me off in the back corner of a cul-de-sac and drive down the road, flip around, and come towards me, then call as soon as he could see the vest in the headlights. I stood at the end, hoping no one would come out and ask me what I was doing, haha! After he called I ran to where he was, measuring the distance with my Garmin. A quarter of a mile,  .25!!! WOW!!! I mean, that seems pretty far to me! He said if I was bigger it would probably be further, but the surface area is limited on a person's body.

I think my favorite experience was on my 16 miler. The later it got (I was running on main surface roads most of this run), the more anxious I got. Could people really see me? I had forgotten my lights... I soon noticed drivers signaling to their passengers and making "suspender-like" gestures that would suggest they were talking about me! If there wasn't a passenger, I'd watch their gaze go from staring forward out of the windshield at a light, to tracking me as I passed. That has never happened to me before. Yeah. They saw me alright!

I was so impressed with the Tuvizo vest. It's light, it's easy to manage, as far as adjustment goes. I'll be able to fit it around my hydration pack and any winter clothing I have to wear. Even for you colder weather folks (because AZ only gets so cold) putting this around a couple of layers is going to be no problem. I think what I love most is that it's not a jacket. They call it a vest, but it's really more like suspenders. It doesn't flop around like I've seen reflective vests do. It pretty much just stays put.

I've taken this vest out for different lengths and speeds as well, a really long run, some short runs, slow runs, medium speed, and as fast as my legs can take me. No problems with any of them. No chafing, no rashes, no flopping, nothing. I will admit, I was skeptical, but it was the perfect match for me. This has easily become an essential running item. I run mostly in the dark, either early mornings on the weekend, or dusk/evening runs, it's going to be really nice to be seen. I like it so much, I plan to outfit my children with some as well. Now that it's getting darker earlier and staying dark later, I would highly recommend checking out Tuvizo reflective vests! Head to their website where they'll link you to their Amazon post. Your safety is worth the very small investment that these vests are!

Run3rd 5k Race Recap

Where do I even begin with this race? What a great morning! First off let me start by saying, I had the great pleasure of running into Mindy Przeor, the race director, at a Jr. High city cross country meet, and what a sweet sweet lady! I could feel her excitement for this race while talking with her, that benefited the Mesa Public Schools after school running programs, which just made me more excited for it. If you visit www.run3rd.com you can read about how this all started! The idea/concept/movement of Run3rd is Sean Astin's.

Packet Pick Up was at Tribe Multisport in Mesa, AZ

Flat Runner!  Mikey (Sean Astin) will be at the race, surely Goonies was necessary.

This race was easy for me. It was close, I knew exactly how to get there (being directionally challenged, I was definitely excited about this), I could park at Red Mountain High School track parking lot, which had more than enough room, and walked down onto the track where the race was set to start.

Table full of medals!  Don't those look GREAT!

I walked through the small crowd searching for friends and familiar faces. I noticed a big crowd close to the start line and assumed it was the crowd around Sean, but didn't want to interrupt or push my way through. I wanted a picture with him, but I wasn't going to stress it too much. I located friends easily. First Laura, next Emily! I didn't know she was racing! On my way out to the car for a quick drop off of stuff I ran into Helly, Corine, Kristin and Jeremy! Awesome! I knew there were others coming I was hoping to meet, but I hadn't found them yet.

At the Starting Line. From left to right Emily, Helly, Corine

Emily and I stood around chatting for a bit and then I noticed that Sean was close to where we were, picking up his bib number. After just a smidgen of prodding from Emily I went over and waited for a chance to snap a picture with him. I was so excited!! It was the only opportunity I had as the day went on, so I'm super glad I took advantage of it.

Star Struck!!  I wanted to tell him all about Jaylee, but there just wasn't time!

It was time for the race to start! We all lined up.. runners, walkers, speedsters, strollers and children. This is the only part I was kinda worried about. I've seen some other kids dash runs and there are ALWAYS kids who end up tripping and falling and getting trampled at the very beginning of the race because they're right up at the front. I heard a kid or two got hurt, but it sounds like it wasn't too bad. I hope that was the case!  We heard some words from the Mayor and then from Sean, and then we were off!

Picture from Bert Jones Photography.  He donated his time and talent.  Thanks Bert!!

I had planned to go very slow. My hip had been bothering me the whole week and I had pain in my calf as well. The course started out by looping around clockwise on the track and then down along the high school and elementary school campus. About halfway through the first mile I looked down at the garmin and realized, I WAS NOT going slow!! In fact, I was going so fast! A 9:00 mile for me, right now, is very fast. But my hip didn't hurt at all, so I just decided to go with it. Just a little before mile 1 I ran into another friend, Olivia! I've been following her on instagram for a while and was excited to finally meet her in person. Her pace was matching mine so we stuck together! How stinking fun is that!

And we're off!  You can see my awesome Jailbreak socks! (Bert Jones Photography)

A little into mile 2 I was struggling to breathe so I walked for just a few seconds trying to get a couple deep breaths in and then I caught back up to Olivia. Just as we were about coming to the end of the third mile we also caught up to my friend Laura. That girl was cruisin'!! That last part was so funny. We're running and cheering for other runners and repeating Mikey's line from "Goonies" when they're down in the bottom of the well. I was laughing so hard! That does not help breathing, but it was so much fun! I finished that race with Olivia. I've never finished a race with a friend before, it was so so fun! I felt her reach for my hand as we were crossing the line, but I wasn't paying attention, hahaha! I bet those finish line pictures are gonna look so funky :P. I can't wait to see them!

It actually turned out GREAT!!  This is my favorite running picture ever! (Bert Jones Photography)

Laura!! She PR'd!  Way to go Laura! She Runs 4 Annelise

Running the race with a friend is so much more different than running it alone. Sure I had just "met" Olivia, but I felt like I knew her from social media. Our world is so plugged in these days, and there's worry about people not connecting like before, but there's so much benefit from it also, and yesterday I reaped those benefits 10 fold. We cheered each other on and urged each other to push hard, even when we were tired. We finished that race strong and together. Man am I grateful for her. We both ran a sub 30!!

Olivia!!

Official Time from 4 Peaks Racing

After the race I located all my Run Eat Tweet AZ peeps and we got a couple of group shots. Boy do I love these runners. They have become good friends and I love having people I can talk running to and they just get it instantly.

Instagram: Olivia, Corine, Jeremy, Emily, Helly, Kristin

Photos from Jeremy

Later, as everything was wrapping up I even managed to get an autograph on the ribbon of the medal!

Thank you Sean and Mindy! (Thanks Kristin for the picture!!)

The back of the medal, and Sean's autograph! Can't wait to send this to Jaylee!

This race was so well organized! Mindy and Kris did such a great job. There was a water station close to the halfway point, plenty of snacks before and after the race, the course was a touch long (according to my garmin), but I'd rather long than short anyway. The volunteers were amazing as well! Anyone who is willing to give up some early hours of their Saturday morning to come hand out water and stand at turns to direct runners and cheer for us should get some mad props!! The little kids both running and volunteering were so stinking cute! I loved seeing them out there (even though I did almost plow one over who cut right in front of me and then stopped suddenly! YIKES!!)

Lego Jaylee goes on every run with me!

I'm hoping that this race becomes an annual thing. I really had an amazing time promoting it and running it. I would run it every year if it's an option! Thank you Sean Astin for your Run3rd concept. Thank you for sharing it with all of us! Thank you Mindy for having an idea of creating a race for it and seeing it through. It always means so much to me to run for a bigger purpose. Thank you to all the sponsors! Thank you Bert Jones Photography for donating your time and talent and providing FREE pictures! Thank you volunteers for the time you donated to help before during and after the race!  It was an amazing day!

I Run3rd 4 Jaylee always.  Today I ran for her whole family and for Sandoval! (Bert Jones Photography)

Mindy, Kris, Sean (Bert Jones Photography)

Who or What Inspires You?

Where do you get your inspiration from? I read this article and it really resonated with me, so let me introduce you to someone who inspired me. I have this super awesome friend. Her name is Michelle. One day I noticed she was posting a workout here or there with her husband on Facebook. She'd post a picture of her husband and herself at the gym, she was posting what she was eating and doing on My Fitness Pal. I'm not sure what prompted her to start sharing things, but I'm glad she did. She was diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis and she wasn't letting that get her down. She was working. Hard. And I thought, if this amazing girl can do it, then I can too. I haven't looked back since. She was such an inspiration to me. She would start up a live run with runtastic and I'd be able to click in and cheer for her! I loved it! Every time she'd run I'd think, I totally gotta get out there and do it too. 

I'm grateful for the days when my awesome friend started posting what she was doing on social media. It helped inspire me to start moving and doing the same things. I'm even more grateful that she is the one I ran into at the finish line of our first half marathon at the Phoenix marathon. We didn't run it together....but we ran it together. It was not lost on me that she was the one friend I was able to hug on that line. She was my first inspiration. The one who was strong enough to start sharing her journey. The one who decided if her husband could do it, so could she. The one who showed me, that if she could do it, so could I.

So I will continue to post my runs, my workouts, the goofy games that cycle through on instagram. It's a way for me to stay motivated, to connect to others doing the same things as me, to be accountable to myself. I'll do it, because I like to remind myself, that I'm capable of doing great things, hard things, fun things. I love the "likes" and comments that sometimes helps propel me to my next workout. I do my best to interact with others in the same ways. Because in the end, even though we're all on our own journey, we're really all in this together.

Thank you Michelle for sharing that part of yourself with us! I think you're amazing! And I'm so glad I get to call you friend.

Pictures borrowed with permission from Michelle. Wishing like crazy we had gotten one together, but we'll always remember 😊.