If Van 2 had an official motto, it would have to be If it feels good, do it.  Want to sleep (or more accurately giggle) atop the van?  If it feels good, do it.  Want to wear a banana costume while you drive alongside midnight runners?  If it feels good, do it.  Want to have a roadside dance party?  If it feels good, do it.  Want to run fast, or reign it in a little?  If it feels good, do it.

[Image courtesy of Tina]

My second leg of the Reach the Beach Massachusetts relay was definitely my favorite.  After seeing Theodora run through my hometown, and knowing the sun would be rising soon, I was anxious and excited to get on the road.  But first, I needed a banana hug.

[Image courtesy of Tina]

I loved running a short, fast and familiar route not far from where I grew up.  There was no one on the road, and while it was still dark, it wasn’t at all scary thanks to the street lights and densely populated neighborhoods.  About half way through my leg, I looked over my right shoulder to see a runner catching up to me.

Having been passed several times during my first leg, I wondered if I could hold this person off.  A bit of competition can be a great motivator, even for a slow poke like me.  I was able to hold him off, and succeeded in passing someone ahead of me as well.  I felt most calm, confident and smiley during this leg.  I am usually a solid 10 minute miler, but bootcamp and speed training this spring has definitely paid off.  During my second leg, I completed my first mile in 9:07, my second in 9:34, and the last 3/4 mile in 8:02.

Before I knew it, I was coming down the driveway to Mansfield High School, where Anne was waiting for the slap bracelet before taking off on her second leg.

We caught up to her as she neared Borderland State Park, a gorgeous property that features wooded walking and horse trails.  She handed the bracelet off to Ashley, who would finish off our second legs at Oliver Ames High School (Hockomock League, woop woop!), and send Van 1 off on their final legs.

We spent the next few hours at the final Van Transition Area, lounging in the grass, stretching a bit, having a laughing fit on top of the van, and recovering from a potentially poisonous meal.  If a waiter or waitress says anything remotely close to, “I am not sure if you wanted meatballs or not… so if you didn’t, just push them aside,” it’s okay to be worried.  In fact, I’d be worried if you weren’t worried.  Fortunately, we lived to tell of that ill fated dinner.

[Image source: Jack atpixelwiremedia.com / rtbrelay.com]

Our last legs fell in the mid-afternoon sun, and for many of us in Van 2, they were our longest or toughest.  I personally got worked on my last leg.  My legs felt strong, but my stomach was in knots.  I felt some temporary relief when I reached our van near mile 3, and my teammates’ energy carried me towards what I thought was almost the end of my adventure… until I realized I had taken a wrong turn at some point.

A number of signs had been pulled down, and I must have veered off course.  I ended up running 10 minutes or so in the wrong direction, but was soon back on track.  Between that mishap, my stomach ache, and running on a busy road with no shoulder, this final leg was definitely not my finest.  Climbing up the hill to Dartmouth High School, though, and realizing I was done?  That felt good.  So good that I nearly cried in the port-o-potty.  Things get weird when I’m over-tired.

[Image courtesy of Anne]

The fact that Anne and I finally perfected our slap bracelet handoff was the icing on the proverbial cake.  Anne and Ashley both made quick work of their final legs, bringing it home for Team Off Balance.  We welcomed Ashley to the finish area with a victory arch before crossing the finish line together.

[Image source]

Neither words nor photos can do the experience justice.  From starting line to finish line,  all I could do was smile.  Lack of sleep, lack of non-meatball food, lack of space… none of that matters when you’re surrounded by good people.  None of that matters when you’ve got miles ahead of you, and the privilege and luxury of being able to run them.  

I smiled for 200 miles last weekend, and I can’t wait to do it all over again soon.  I cannot thank Reach the Beach, New Balance, and my teammates enough.  Call me.  Maybe.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Unpacking, again…
• Happy graduation anniversary, fellow Class of 2004 Eagles
• Summer treats

What’s got you smiling lately?

In the last 36 hours, I’ve spent 16 hours in Tennessee, 7 hours in Georgia, and a few hours in airports in Michigan and Illinois.  I spoke to a group of eighth graders at a middle school assembly, ate one of the best salads of my life (at a steakhouse, naturally), slept in Chattanooga’s most haunted hotel, was told to have a “blessed day” by a TSA agent, and made a stop at the site of the Civil War’s bloodiest two day battle on my way to the airport.

By the time I made it back to the aforementioned hotbed of paranormal activity, the Sheraton Read House,  on Tuesday night, most of the local shops and attractions had closed, so I set my alarm extra early to have time to explore before my flight took off the next morning.  I did manage to get decent night’s sleep, despite tossing and turning and wondering if that noise was a…. no…. probably not.

I arrived at the Chichamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park just as the visitor center was opening this morning.  The rangers on duty handed me a map and instructions for the park’s cell phone tour (a free service, which offers a lesson at each stop along the seven mile route), before walking me through the visitor center exhibits.  I am fairly certain I was their first customer of the day, hence the special treatment.  Then again, people are much friendlier down south.  It’s both lovely and unnerving.

I haven’t taken a US history class since my sophomore year in high school, but as I stepped onto the battlefield and climbed the steps to the top of Wilder Tower, I could feel all those lessons coming to life.

There was a quote on the wall of the visitor center that described the carnage of the battle and the indecency of war.  I wish I had copied it down, because the Google can’t seem to track it down.  Regardless, I kept thinking about it as I moved along the tour.

As beautiful as the landscape was, and as well preserved as the area is, being there was overwhelmingly sad.  I am not sure why that surprised me.  I can be such a dingbat sometimes.  The slow moving fog only added to the gravity of it all.

At nearly every stop along the route, deer danced through the high grass, and grazed along the edge of the path.  They looked so graceful and serene, so opposite the bloodshed being described on the audio tour.

I’m glad I got to be there this morning.  I had plenty to think about on my way back to Boston (which was helpful, because I needed a distraction from the woman behind me who wouldn’t stop talking about bunions).

If I could play the guitar, I’d be writing my own country song right now.  It would be about the perils of wearing heels on one of those little planes, the kind that require you to exit down a narrow stairway to the tarmac.  Or maybe it’d be about how travel is great and all, but nothing beats coming home.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Contemplating a summer running streak
• Clark’s therapy dog vest arrived – he’s now totally legit
• Getting schooled on history

What’s the most interesting place you’ve visited this year?

Trust me, that’s never a fun apology to make.  Especially when you have a connecting flight to catch.

In past years, it’s been work trips to Houston or New York, bridal showers on the South Shore or Long Island, a drive up to Maine, or a weekend at the Cape.  For something new and different, I’m headed to rural Georgia by way of Detroit and an evening Tennessee.  Not exactly what I would call a direct route.  Life is a lot of things, but fortunately, it’s rarely boring.

After packing a bunch of stuff I didn’t use, eat, or appreciate (namely a bag of extra socks and non-running clothes, a box of graham crackers, and approximately 48 magazines) for our Reach the Beach adventure, I am making a concerted effort change my over-packing ways (while not giving the airlines a single dime over my ticket fare… stickin’ it to the Man since 1982… sort of).

I am determined to not check a bag.

For my plan to be successful, I will need to arrive at my final destination looking lovely and work appropriate, portion out toiletries to meet TSA requirements (allowing me to smell relatively good), maintain possession of various business materials, and have something to wear for the return flight that isn’t yoga pants.

Clark says, “Pants are for fools.”

Once the necessities are packed, I am hoping to have room for running sneaks, reading material, and security checkpoint-friendly food.  Knowing myself, and the inevitable panic that will set in three minutes before my cab arrives, I will likely use up every scrap of room in that bag (you never know when you might need to play a game of Taboo… by yourself… in your hotel room), only to exceed the size or weight limits.  Thereby needing to check the damn bag.

I’ve made myself two lists this time.  The people you really want at your wedding stuff I need, and the stuff it would be nice to have with me on my whirlwind tour of (a very small part of) the South.  An A and B list, if you will.  The A list has things like underwear and toothpaste on it.  The B list has things like my fiance’s sweatpants, a framed photo of my dog, and my entire nail polish collection on it.

I think it’s going to be a long night.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Love lists?  I think I found the ultimate book for people like us.
• Is it too soon to look forward to the long weekend?
• Love this: writers’ favorite snacks

What items are always on your packing ‘A’ list?

[Photo courtesy of Theodora]

Our team had spent most of Thursday together, touring the New Balance facilities in Lawrence, enjoying dinner at the inn, and chatting by the fire pit, but it wasn’t until our van left the Wachussett Village Inn and headed to the starting line on Friday morning, that I realized how much we’d be depending on one another for the next 30+ hours.  Run on sentences are sort of acceptable when you’re overtired.  

[Pre-editorialized photo courtesy of Theodora]

From handing off the team’s baton slap bracelet at each transition point to sharing compression sleeves and salty snacks, to making room to “stretch out” (everything’s relative when you’re in a van), to cheering one another on from mile to mile, everything is better with teammates.  Especially when those teammates are kind, generous, thoughtful, supportive, gracious, and a bit sassy. That wasn’t even a full sentence; I do what I want.

Our Reach the Beach adventure officially started when our sweet golden vans, driven by New Balance tracksters (and the weekend’s MVPs) Monica and Nicole, arrived at Mt. Wachusett.  I learned to ski at Wachusett, and am a big fan of their infectious advertising jingle.  The mountain and lodge look much different in warmer weather, especially when Santa’s parked out front.

We breezed through our safety equipment check (which would be called into question later on, when we’d realize we were short 2 safety lights…), team orientation and team photo with plenty of time to see Gretchen to the starting line.

The race director set the perfect tone for the relay during orientation with advice such as, “If you find something that belongs to someone else… and you can’t use it to your advantage… turn it in to lost and found.”  He covered reminders about course rules, information about specific legs, and promises of beer at the finish.  All that was left to do, was start.

Being in Van 2 meant our first official duty was to wait.  This doesn’t bode particularly well for anyone who gets race anxiety and wants to get the show on the road, but with such incredible weather and perfect company, it was all good.  Monica (who was sent from Heaven Southern California to drive, coach, and encourage us) brought us out to our Van Transition Area 1 to relax before our first legs.

She checked in with each of us on Thursday night to get our estimated pace and then compiled a spreadsheet of each leg, calculating and updating arrival times throughout the relay.  This meant that we were never late to a single transition, and that our time was budgeted perfectly.  I’m telling you, this woman is a genius.

The chart also included our cell phone numbers, our estimated pace and finish times, as well as our actual finish time.  Monica coordinated all of this with Nicole, Van 1′s driver, to be sure everyone was on the same page.   I was really excited to come in under pace on my first two legs; I think the chart added some extra motivation.

While I am not sure if I could have handled this half as well as Monica did (on top of navigating and putting up with our shenanigans) with next to no sleep, it seems like every team could benefit from her system.  Apparently a similar chart is available online for Ragnar races, and perhaps it will be available for future Reach the Beach events.

[Photo courtesy of Tina]

We enjoyed some downtime at a park not far from the first VTA, sipping iced tea and iced coffee, and getting excited for our time on the road.  We stopped for lunch at a nearby Panera before settling in the sun at Assumption College, where Sarah would hand off to Tina, putting Van 2 officially in the race.

[Photo courtesy of Tina]

We spent the next few hours tracking our runners and switching off at transition points.  When we left Theodora for her first leg (as prom goers gathered alongside runners on the town common), I could feel the nervous energy building.  In true nerd fashion, I was required to wear safety gear for my first two legs, as they both fell between 6:30 PM and 6:30 AM.  Nothing says fresh and sexy quite like a reflective vest and headlamp.

My first leg was 3.68 miles and flew by, save for the hill at the end.  Is it me, or did all of our legs end with a climb?  I suppose that’s payback for the free wheelin’ downhill just before the 1.5 mile mark.  I was passed by a few runners towards the end, but everyone (both passing runners and vans) was extremely friendly and encouraging.  Though I am not a particularly competitive person, I loved the challenge of trying to keep up with other runners, or hold someone off from passing me, if possible (usually it wasn’t, let’s be serious).

When I reached the top of the hill and the transition area was in sight, all I could think was Hurry up and get to Anne.  It took us until our third and final transition to get the slap bracelet, which team members pass off at each leg, to actually slap and become a bracelet, but hey.  Practice makes perfect.

[Photo courtesy of Tina]

After some quality time with the baby wipes and a quick change of clothes, I was ready to join my vanmates for a Call Me Maybe (the unofficial theme song of the entire relay, judging by van decor, tweets and blasting speakers) dance party as we met Anne halfway through her first leg.

Ashley brought our team to our second VTA as the sun set along her gorgeous waterfront route.  She flew into the transition area, where I presented her with one of the glow rings I packed for the team (fun and functional for night runs).

Life truly is better with teammates.  And things that sparkle.

Soon to come: where to not eat dinner in Hopkington, how to run on no sleep at 4 AM, and why the top of the van is where it’s at.  For those of you who don’t feel like waiting for 12 more posts: Yes, you should definitely sign up to run a relay.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Packing for a whirlwind trip to the South
• These bachelorette favors are adorable
• Stalking the RTB Facebook page for photos

Who are your favorite teammates in life?

I worry that it may take me as long to recap our relay experience as it did for my teammates and I to run from Wachussett to Westport, as it really was an incredible experience.  I laughed hard, ran fast (…for the first two legs, at least), slept very little, and smiled big.  While I take another shower (to make up for the ones we missed over 30+ hours of running), a few highlights:

Touring the New Balance Headquarters

New Balance Sports Performance Lab

Our homes on the road, the golden vans

Running morning, noon and night

Team Off Balance

I am so grateful to New Balance and each of my teammates for all of the work, energy, effort and enthusiasm that went into the weekend.  I’ll be back with more… just as soon as I figure out how to put all 200 miles into words.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Baby shower for my sister-in-law and brother
• Laundry, groceries and other real world things
• Quality time with Nick and Clark

What was the highlight of your weekend?

I came home from work Monday to find a very fun package from the good people at New Balance waiting in my mail room.  Is there an award for best dressed team?  If so, Team Off Balance is a (motion control) shoe in.

Isn’t the logo they designed for our team perfect? I thought the flip-flops were such a cute touch; I can’t wait to break them out at the finish line.  Though I haven’t had a chance to pack yet, I did make time for one of my usual (and neurotic) packing lists.

The makeup is for beauty consultations and complimentary makeovers for my van mates during our down time.  Obvi.  Kristen at New Balance sent us some great tips last night, so I’ll be adding a few more items to the list:

• Newspaper to dry out our shoes
• Hat and gloves (for the night leg, and napping)
• CDs… you know I love a good mix tape

Our fearless team captain (I think I might start calling her CapTina) shuffled around our legs a bit this week, and now that they’re settled, we are all ready to run.  I am runner #10, and my legs are smoking hot as follows:

• Leg 10: 3.63 miles (moderate)
• Leg 22: 2.75 miles (easy)
• Leg 34: 6.47 miles (easy)

Also On Tap for Today:

• Go bananas!
• Moving 3 pallets worth of boxes (girl power)
• Hair appointment

Have you run a relay before?  What’s your best advice for first-timers?

We finished up at Reebok CrossFit One and headed back to the main building to find that the brand room had been converted for lunch and our afternoon conversation and focus group with some of the ladies from Reebok’s women’s division.  No detail was overlooked during our visit, right down to the CrossFit notebooks and colorful Reebok centerpieces.

Each of us had a bag of goodies waiting on our chairs, filled with clothing and a fresh pair of ZigTechs in the perfect size.

Kate Young and her colleagues lead a great discussion about how fitness brands reach out to women, and the importance of using real women as ambassadors.  We all giggled over this video, but it helped to drive the point home.

When brands are marketing product to women, whose voices are they using?  What stereotypes or perceived weaknesses are they playing into?  When it comes to fitness apparel and footwear, why wouldn’t we want to see and hear from real women?

We learned all about Reebok’s shoe lines (and got a sneak peak at some top secret projects due out this fall… very cool stuff), and I couldn’t help but think back to my mom’s Reebok Princesses.  Remember those?  Times, they are a changing, that’s for sure.  From shoes designed for lifting (like the one above, Reebok’s CrossFit Oly Lifter), to those designed for high mileage running, we got to experience them all.

After a delicious paleo-friendly lunch, we headed down to Reebok’s Human Performance Engineering Lab to meet with Bill McInnis and get a behind the scenes look at what goes into designing and producing each pair of Reebok shoes.

Bill showed us all kinds of prototypes, allowing us to see how our RealFlex and ZigTech shoes came to be.  There’s so much more to the process that I could have imagined.  As someone with a strong mistrust of fax machines, I shuddered to learn that shoe models used to be made by fax, as a shoe designer would fax a rendering to someone who would then carve their interpretation of the shoe from a block of wood.  Inevitably, it was a long and involved process.

At our next two stops, we got to see the shoe magic happen.  From CAD to 3-D printers, we got quite the tour.

I could have stayed down in the labs all afternoon, watching models being made.  It was really fascinating.  Soon, though, it was time for us to trade our safety goggles for dancing shoes.  Ilyse Baker, an accomplished dancer, choreographer and Reebok Ambassador was flown in from California to take us through a cardio dance class in one of Reebok’s studios.  We were truly spoiled over the course of the day, and this was no exception.

Even before the music started, I could feel the smile on my face growing.  I was reminded of something Johnice said to us earlier in the day: fitness is supposed to be fun.

And man, was this class fun.  Ilyse‘s energy is infectious.  She took us through a fluid warm-up before teaching us some really fun choreography.  Every time I looked up at the mirrors, my goofy grin grew bigger and bigger.  It was a fantastic workout.

What a way to end an exceptional day!  I am so thankful to be included in the event, and am especially grateful to everyone at FitFluential and Reebok for the opportunity.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!  And Happy You’re Almost a Mother’s Day to my sister-in-law, Colleen!
• 10 tasty sangria recipes, perfect for this gorgeous weather
• Getting ready for the week ahead

How do you keep fitness fun?

Reebok generously welcomed a group of FitFluential Ambassadors to their headquarters in Canton, Massachusetts (just a short trip down the Expressway) for what proved to be an incredible experience.

Despite logging a pathetic ten hours of sleep between Wednesday and Thursday nights, I couldn’t help but feel energized crossing Reebok’s campus.  From the minute I reached the reception desk, I felt warmly welcomed.  I met two ladies who also live in Southie, so you know they’re good people.  Their team is friendly, knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and above all, they clearly love what they do.

The day started with Johnice Graham giving us an introduction to the brand and their current campaign, The sport of fitness has arrived, as well as their partnership with CrossFit.

For the record: I still get chills every time I see that ad.  I also kind of love the Chad Johnson and Annie Thorisdottir one.  Mostly because I kind of love Chad.  Probably as much as Tina loves Annie.  The workplace culture was remarkable, there is no mistaking that Reebok employees practice what they preach.  As Johnice shared with us, in the last year alone, Reebok employees have lost over 4,000 lbs. by engaging with fitness in the workplace.  From an on-site CrossFit box to walking paths, fitness classes, sports fields, and a track that wraps around the headquarter’s main building, it seems there are limitless options for getting and staying fit.

I especially liked the “express WODS” posted throughout the building.

The morning’s discussion provided the perfect segue into our first workout at Reebok CrossFit ONE, in our matching Reebok gear and RealFlex kicks.

I’d heard Tina and Mal rave about their visit to CrossFit ONE earlier this year and was really excited (and admittedly, a bit scared) to give CrossFit a try.

Austin Malleolo, head coach at CrossFit One and one of the best CrossFit athletes in the world, gave us an introduction to the CrossFit philosophy and took us through a quick warm-up with Caleb Diebolt before we paired up for a partnered WOD.  The advantage to being engaged to a CrossFit addict is that I’ve unknowingly absorbed all the lingo.  I was excited to see kettle bell swings and running on the workout, but pull-ups?  Not so much.

[Photo by Kelly Olexa]

Sarah asked me to be her partner, and I eagerly agreed… until I remembered that she had her videographer with her.  I’d like to apologize to all of her viewers for any and all of my on camera time.  Fortunately, Sarah saved me when it came to pull-ups and jumped in whenever I was close to giving up.  That’s the beauty of a partner workout.  Want to see us in action?  Kelly Olexa posted this great video of the two of us.

The kettlebell swings were definitely my favorite, and Austin, Caleb and the other coaches were great about helping us with form, and motivating us all to crank out a few more reps. We finished three rounds in 15:03.  A quick and sweaty workout, to be sure.   And yes, I can see what all the hype is about.

[Photo by Kelly Olexa]

I’m looking forward to hitting up an intro session at our neighborhood’s box soon.  I think I’m ready to sip the Kool-Aid, especially after talking a bit more about it with Bridget during this morning’s run.  I’ve been promising Nick that I’d join him at CrossFit Southie one of these days, and with work craziness starting to wind down for the new few months, I am running out of excuses.

Highlights from the afternoon included a focus group and discussion on women’s footwear and apparel, a visit to Reebok’s Human Performance Engineering Lab (safety goggles!), and a cardio dance class with Ilyse Baker that had us stomping, shaking our hips, and channeling our inner Beyonce.  More on all of this to come. 

In the meantime, many, many thanks to Johnice and everyone at Reebok, as well as Kelly and the team at FitFluential for making the day possible.  I am so grateful to have been included.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Running (and catching up) with Bridget
• IMAX movie at the Aquarium
• Grocery shopping, laundry, and other glamourous things

How do you stay fit at work?  

They still come in handy, now that I am grown-up.  From putting together a workout, to keeping the condo in relative order, to finding a bit of inspiration, there’s a flashcard for just about everything.  If if there isn’t?  Welp, you can make one.

A few years ago, my brother and sister-in-law gave me a pack of brilliance cards with my Christmas present.  I had no idea things like this existed, but I was instantly hooked.  They’re like fortune cookies without the calories.  And crumbs.

I bet you could make a great set of your own with an old deck of playing cards and your favorite quotes, mantras, inspirational sayings, or photos of my dog.

My collection of grown-up flashcards includes Portuguese words and phrases (made that set myself using some good old fashioned index cards), a yoga deck, Jillian Michael’s Hot Body in a Box, and various others.

In my perpetual quest to stay organized at work and at home, I stumbled upon Buttoned Up and their great line of notepads and other products.  They make a set of grown-up flashcards aimed at building better organization habits.

They’re all great for travel, stashing in your over-sized lady briefcase, or for spreading out across the floor like a stressed out coed during exam week.

Speaking of which, good luck on finals, student friends.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Workin’ like a daaaaaawg
• This is genius: 10 photos to keep on your phone
• Wondering why we’re getting so many April showers… in May

What kind of learner are you?  

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, Eversave is encouraging everyone to tell the special lady in your life how much she means to you.  Finish this sentence Dear Mom, Thanks for _________ to be entered to win a Save for a facial at Salon Kokopelli in Belmont, Massachusetts.  

Click the image above to share what you’re thankful for before 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 10th to be entered.  You can earn an additional entry by purchasing the Salon Kokopelli Save on Eversave.com (which means you and your lovely mom can be pampered together, obvi).

Also On Tap for Today:

• Running in the rain (my hair is in full on poodle mode)
• How cute is this little kitchen?
• Time to start a new book :)

What do you love most about your mom (or dad, or grandmother, or best friend etc.)?