Thrifty Thursday

Soooo yeah.  Last week it totally wasn't worth posting my thrifting finds because I found a shirt....and that was it.  (It was tax free week and with schools starting over the next couple weeks everything was pretty picked over.)  This week though was a TOTALLY different story.

First up...

Sweet Jean Boot cut Lucky Brand Jeans.  I really like this brand--so comfy and so many different cuts and lengths that you're bound to find one that works for you.  And the kicker is that I have NEVER paid retail for any of the half dozen pairs I own.  This pair of jeans in particular retailed originally for $99.  I paid $3 for this pair in awesome shape and fit like a dream.  With thrift stores being completely overloaded with jeans, there is basically no reason to ever pay retail prices for jeans.  Ever.  You have just about every jean designer at your fingertips in a thrift store for a fraction of the cost.  If they don't fit right, just move on and be patient in your search.  Like Alton Brown says, "Your patience will be rewarded."

Next up is a pair of Columbia Viva Bonita boardshorts.  My husband owes me a day trip to the beach, so even though we're almost done with summer (hopefully) these will still get some use.  Originally $40, paid $3.

This week I actually have TWO grand finales!

Patagonia's great brand known for its durability and its sustainability efforts.  This R1 full zip fleece jacket is still in production (but in different colors.)  Originally $159, paid $7.

 

I've found a Marc Jacobs wristlet before, but this kind of blows it out of the water in terms of awesomeness.  This is a Pretty Etta Nylon Print Tote in Jungle Green by Marc Jacobs.  Originally $198, paid $10.  It's in fantastic condition except for a minor pull in the fabric at the base of one of the handles, but otherwise it is awesome.

Has anybody found anything great in thrift stores this week?  Anybody racing this weekend??  I've got one last long run before running the Charles Street 12 over Labor Day weekend.  Can you believe the unofficial end of summer is almost here?  I can't wait for some fall PRs after training in this heat!

The Hardest Cider Run Race Recap

This past weekend I ran the Hardest Cider Run at the Hauser Estate Winery in Biglerville, Pennsylvania just outside of Gettysburg.  Coming from Central Maryland, it was a long day but definitely a gorgeous drive in through rural areas including Gettysburg.  (I had never been there before, so it was kind of exciting to at least see part of the battlegrounds!)

The Hard Cider Run is a race tour that is mostly concentrated between Michigan and the Northeast. The race dates are from the spring until late summer.  All of the races give runners race shirts, finisher medals and offer a free post-race hard cider from the race venue.  They also offer a "hungry apple" challenge where you have to eat an apple cider donut at each mile of the 5k.  After the Hard Cider Runs conclude, the racing company has another race tour called the Great Pumpkin Run.  

I mostly chose to do this race because if you volunteer to help with the race, you can get a free race entry to either that race or next year's event or donate your race fees to charity.  (I chose for a refund of my race fees so I would only be out $5 for the processing fee, a few hours of my time and gas money.)

The winery itself was gorgeous.  Lots of open space but still a lot of land was being used for orchards, corn, and grapes.

There wasn't really much to do pre-race since it was kind of a small race with everything you need pretty close together.  I opted to pickup my packet that morning and had plenty of time to do that and go back to my car to drop off my shirt, put on sunscreen, use the portajohns and look around a little bit.  It was definitely VERY bright out that morning and hard to take good pictures so I apologize in advance for the photos to be a little blown out at times.

 The race itself was considered to be a cross country race around the winery.  This was my first cross country race and all grass paths so it was hard at times to gauge how far your foot was going to fall.  A lot of times I'm pretty sure I looked like a muppet because my arms were flailing around so much trying to keep my balance from my many mini falls.  (I was almost positive I was going to roll an ankle too, fortunately I was pretty lucky and avoided it!)  The race was also very hilly.  About three quarters of a mile in you turn a corner and come face to face with a super steep hill that's a 27% grade.

Afterwards you got a lovely medal (with a bottle opener!), a stemless wine glass and then redeem a slip on the bottom of your bib for a free can of hard cider.  (You had the choice between sweet or dry, and I chose sweet.  It was pretty good!)

Obligatory post-race selfie in front of the grapevines!

After drinking most of my hard cider I changed my clothes and started my volunteer shift.  I got to hand out medals at the finish line!  (So if you saw a crazy lady in a pink baseball cap taunting you with medals at the finish line, that was me!!!)  The race also had the option of doing the "Hungry Apple" challenge where you eat an apple cider donut at each mile of the 5k and get an extra medal for your efforts.  I got to try one of the donuts during a quiet moment later on in the day.  It's a heavier cakey donut, so I would say do the challenge "at your own risk."  Lots of people who did the challenge ended up walking to the finish line and were finishing their donut as they were crossing the finish line.  After trying a donut for myself, I totally understood why!

Later in the race while I was waiting for people to cross the finish line, I had time to admire the pretty grapevines along one side of the finish area.

After everyone had crossed the finish line, I helped the event staff load everything onto their trucks.  I've helped with quite a few races, but they had a LOT of stuff!  It took a couple of hours to pack everything up and put it onto the trailer with about a dozen of us including somebody driving a ranch atv to bring things from the starting area to us at the finisher's area.  It was really hot, so I was super glad to be done and had to take a post-volunteering selfie!

I thought this sign that they had coming in and leaving the winery was really cute.

I ended up taking a different way home and stopped in Frederick to pickup some beer at Flying Dog Brewery and lunch down the street at AKA Friscos.  (They make HUGE sandwiches and amazing potato salad, and at that point I was ravenous but still only ate half the sandwich.)

Goals

I didn't really have high expectations for my performance in this race to be honest.  I had heard it was hilly but I wasn't expecting for the path to be somewhat dangerous to run.  (Hey, they don't call this one race tour stop the HardEST Cider Race for nothing!)

Goal 1:  Finish around 30:00  (Nope.)

Goal 2:  Finish with enough time to change and drink my hard cider DONE!

Goal 3:  Finish.  DONE!

Swag

One perk to volunteering besides the race fee refund was the fun volunteer shirt!

The race itself also had a great shirt.  Along with the shirt and bib at packet pickup, you get a finisher's medal and a souvenir stemless wine glass.

Overall (or TL;DR)

I'm not sure if I would do the race again.  (I would say there's probably a 50/50 chance.)  I found the course pretty difficult since I wasn't really expecting a grass covered cross country course and I was paranoid about rolling an ankle during the entire run.  I ended up walking more than I would like to admit, even though I had a better pace than my River Valley Ranch 10k the previous weekend.  Perhaps this race would be better suited to those who are used to cross country type races.  (I'm mostly used to road and trail races.)

It took me about an hour and twenty minutes to get to the race venue, and about the same amount of time to get back home despite going a different way.  The drive was easy since it was pretty scenic (just pay attention to speed limit signs.)

I was mostly willing to take a chance because it was essentially a $5 race after volunteering.  It was a good experience volunteering for the race and running it to some extent, but I would mostly recommend it if you're in the area already.  The race was run very well since essentially all Sour Fish Events does is tour the country putting on races.  However like I mentioned before, the venues may leave a little something to be desired.

Friday Fives: Five Great Maryland Races!

The Maryland is a fantastic place to race, and I've done quite a few in the four years I've been living in the area.  These are some of my favorites, in no particular order.

1. Charles Street 12 September 3, 2016

This race is absolutely fantastic.  I ran it last year and plan on running it again this year on September 3rd.  It's put on by Charm City Run, and they know how to put on a good race.  For doing this race you get an awesome premium (last year it was a waffle knit shirt, this year it's a half zip jacket in purple for the ladies and navy blue for the men) at packet pickup, and then a finisher's medal as you cross the finish line.  

On course support is great (lots of water stops, a few groups of spectators, and some amazing cops who somehow still manage to keep traffic moving even just a little bit) and the course itself is gorgeous.  Super hilly, but it starts in Towson (with a hill SUPER early on) and heads down most of Charles Street through Baltimore to finish in front of Power Plant Live where they have the the finisher's party.  While running you'll run past Loyola University, Towson University, Notre Dame of Maryland University and the original Washington Monument in Mount Vernon.  It's generally downhill, but don't let that elevation map fool you--it's definitely still really hilly and the flat portion in the last couple miles is a lot harder than you think it should be. 

This race is actually the third race in their B3 race series, which includes their St. Patrick's Day 5k and Sole of the City 10k.  If you do all three races, you get an extra gender-specific premium (last year it was a bag with the race series logo embroidered on the outside, this year it's a really nice sweatshirt) and an extra medal.  

2. Across the Bay 10k November 6, 2016

This bridge seriously strikes fear in sooo many people who drive over it to get to the Delaware and Maryland beaches.  It's super high and in the car sometimes you'd swear it sways a little bit.  I've run this race two years in a row, (year 1, year 2) and will be making this my third year.  (Full disclosure--I'm an ambassador for this race.)  It starts out nice and flat for the first quarter to half mile then you have a 3% incline to the peak of the bridge.  From there, it's all a gentle downhill slope.  The last mile or so is pretty flat with a couple of inclines due to the ramp, but otherwise it's a pretty easy race.  I definitely recommend doing it for a first 10k.

This race is definitely different from some of the others that I've done.  For one thing, the race is cupless meaning you have to bring your own water container but they have huge containers available to refill your bottle.  Their water setup also has some fountain attachments just in case you forget your bottle.  (There are also portajohns available on the bridge itself in case you need a bathroom break!)  This race is also HUGE.  They have several wave starts and organizers recommend you move back in the waves if you want to run it with friends in different waves.  There are also several places to park, which you do have to pay for and this year they've eliminated universal parking passes.  

If you're interested in signing up, use the code AMBFRENCHH16 for $5 off registration!

3. Cinco de Miler May 2017 

I've run this one two years in a row.  The first year was fantastic.  The second year not so much, since May seemed to be monsoon season here in the Mid-Atlantic.  Even so, the race was still great.  It's a smaller trail race on Kent Island and if you run the Across the Bay 10k, the corporate park where the race starts should look very familiar since it starts and finishes on the other side of the offices where the Across the Bay finishes.

The race is fast and flat and a great starter trail race.  You run on a lot of different terrain that makes it interesting--sand, dirt, asphalt, gravel and wood.  Both years I've run this race there have been around 200-300 runners, so it's a good small race.  

4. Frederick Running Festival May 2017

This was my first year running the race, and I loved it.  The expo is a little small so TBH if you only go out there on race morning (they offer packet pickup that morning) you're not really missing much.  

I only ran the half marathon and I really enjoyed it.  It was challenging in a good way and fairly hilly towards the end (that hill at mile 11.5 is a doozy!) but like I said, I really enjoyed it.  The scenery along the course is gorgeous and the support on it is also great.  The celebration festival after the race is also great.  Lots of great post-race snacks and you get two free beers with tickets on your race bib!

5. Baltimore Running Festival October 15, 2016

I would be remiss if I didn't mention this race.  It's basically legendary in the area.  This is the 16th year for the race, and the medal is absolutely amazing for both the marathon and half marathon.

The half marathon medal will have this brushed nickel finish (photo is prototype. It will say 13.1 on outer shell. She'll opens on half marathon medal to reveal the Inner Harbor scene, just like the marathon medal.

A photo posted by Corrigan Sports Running (@runwithcse) on Aug 4, 2016 at 3:59pm PDT

The on course support is unlike any other race in the area.  Pretty much the entire course is lined with people cheering on runners and a few of them are legendary too.  There are friends who dress up in tiger costume, play "Eye of the Tiger" and stand (and sometimes dance) in the bed of a pickup truck.  Some people pass out candy corn in giant cookie sheets.  People offer up cups of natty boh and coca cola along the course.  (Not together in the same cup, but I still reject both since who knows what effect that would have on my tummy during a long race!)

The race is pretty darn hilly, but with a course cutoff of 7 hours for the marathon, 5.5 hours for the half marathon and no limit for the 5k, you have plenty of time to finish any of the races.  (Some of the ladies in my running group are planning on run/walking the whole thing since essentially the half marathon has a 25:00 minute mile pace requirement!)

If you've been thinking about doing this race, just go ahead and register.  You won't regret it.  It's just that good.  It was my first half marathon in 2013, and I can't wait to run it again this year as the final race in the King Crab race series.


What Maryland races are your favorites?

River Valley Ranch Trail Festival Race Recap!

I really like to sign up for easy distance races before a longer race.  It helps get out any nervousness I have for an upcoming race and makes for a good training run.  Since I'm in training for the Charles Street 12, and in June I was a little nervous that I didn't have any races after the Baltimore 10 Miler and before my bigger race.  (It was literally "OMG WHAT AM I TRAINING FOR?!"  Immediately followed by "AAAGGGHHHH I WAS SUPPOSED TO START TRAINING A WEEK AGO!!!" ...right after coming home from a trip to London where I made it my main goal to eat as much amazing food as possible.)  But I digress.

So recently I ran the River Valley Ranch 10k in Manchester, MD.  I had done some trail running on my own and have run the Cinco de Miler in the past and really enjoyed it so I figured "Meh, I can do a 10k!" but I had NO idea what was ahead of me in this race.  The course map is pretty well laid out showing some of the obstacles and lots of water stops, however I did not take a very close look at the elevation map.

Overall the race was organized very well.  The week of the race we received email updates everyday, including the recommendation to subscribe to text updates (which I did.)  There were three opportunities to pickup your packet before race day at the Timonium and Baltimore Charm City Run locations and at the ranch that hosts the race festival.  (You could also get your race packet the morning of the race until shortly before the 15k started.)  I opted to pick up packets for myself and two people I carpooled with to the race.

Before the Race

In the short time I was offline on Friday morning, the race directors had begun notifications that they would be changing the start times to the races due to an excessive heat warning the next day.  (Meaning that the heat index would be well into the 100s!)  So initially they sent out emails saying that all races would start 45 minutes earlier.  (So the 8:10am 10k start was pushed back to 7:25am.)  They also cancelled the kid's race and decided to open the kid's play area a little earlier to keep them busy while the adults ran.  Then the organizers made sure everybody at packet pickup knew of the changes, as well as that everybody had a water container for the race.  (It's a cupless race so they provided coolers with water and nuun, but no cups.)  Everybody in my group had hydration backpacks so we were set, but the organizers had hydrapouches for sale with the race logo for $10.

Throughout the afternoon the race director sent a text message and a recorded message explaining why they made the time change.  Both arrived within minutes of one another, which was a little annoying but totally understandable with such a major time change.  The race director covered all of her bases and made absolutely sure everybody knew what time races would begin.  I was happy that the organizers decided to move back the race times because I was definitely nervous about the heat.  (I've gotten heat exhaustion on a training run before, and it was scary but thankfully it happened early on in my run.  It was totally my mistake because I started out when it was already 84 degrees and didn't hydrate properly beforehand.)

Race Morning

I got up super early that morning and woke up before my 4:28 alarm to be ready to leave for the race at 5am with some ladies in a local running group.  We left soon afterwards and an hour later we were close to the ranch when we were rerouted around due to a downed powerline.  (Because of this they also changed race times again so they were 10 minutes later, so instead of starting at 7:25 the 10k was scheduled to start at 7:35.)  We were directed to the northern parking lot so I got a mini preview of the insane hill towards the end of the first mile.  But we also got a great view of the other side of the valley!  

We then walked the short distance (about half a mile) through the finishing area to the portajohns at the far end, closer to the starting area.  

The lines for the portajohns were short enough that in the 45 minutes or so we were able to get through them twice and still have extra time left to watch the 15k start, then go through the line one last time!  (They also had camp sinks so you could actually wash your hands too.)  It was then finally time for us to line up. 

I was definitely excited.  For the national anthem they had a flag hung up on the ziplines over the starting area, and after hearing the anthem they sent a zipliner down one of the other lines carrying a flag!  (Of course, it was such a surprise we didn't get a picture of it!)

Then we were off!  The first 0.75 of the race were fairly flat leading to a slight incline, then a pretty dramatic incline of 126 feet over 0.2 miles.  (I walked it.)  It was really just a preview of the things to come.  Holy hills, Batman!  I don't think I've ever encountered a race with so many hills.  It was challenging with the heat too, but a lot of fun.  I enjoyed being able to fly down some of the hills and having to think on the fly of where my foot would go next.  I did see a few people fall, including the most graceful fall ever.  The woman basically went with it, then somehow rolled onto her feet and was standing back up within seconds.  I asked if she was okay and she said she was fine and I told her that was the most graceful fall I've ever seen, and she made it sound like she had quite a bit of practice.  

During the second half of the race, there's a fairly infamous water or bridge crossing.  Some people chose to take the river crossing because it was easier, but I decided to be a wimp and go for the bridge crossing.  I chose the bridge and caught up with three others and I was amazed by how trail running really becomes a group experience.  One of the people in our small group fell hard in the very muddy and steep trail conditions and all of us made sure he got up again and kept going.  (Full disclosure, I slipped a couple times and the mud covering the backs of my calves was proof!)  After the bridge crossing it was nice and flat.  There were some points with some large rocks lining the path so I still took it easy, but once I saw we were returning to the starting area, I pushed it as hard as I could.  I still needed to take a couple of walk breaks, but once I hit the roadway leading to the finish line I knew I could push it to the end.

Post Race

Shortly after crossing the finish line, I was handed a gorgeous wooden medal! 

I then caught the eye of the ladies in my carpool and met up with them.  We then went through the celebration area and grabbed cold wash cloths (definitely a nice touch!), a reusable cup with gatorade (was hoping for water, but got that on a refill), and lots of great snacks.  I grabbed a piece of bagel, peanut butter, a granola bar, some chik-fil-a chicken nuggets, watermelon and a bag of pretzels.  (I didn't see any bananas!)  The cups were nice since it's an additional piece of swag, but with an arm full of food it was hard to carry it all without spilling.  After eating our snacks, getting a drink refill and cooling off a little bit (there was also a misting station that I didn't take advantage of) we headed back to the car and drove back home.

Goals

This being my first real trail race with obstacles, I didn't have many expectations.  It was a 10k and since I enjoy the distance I was fairly sure I could finish.  I knew with it being a trail race and due to the heat my pace would be slower, but I wasn't totally prepared for how much slower until the morning of the race and one of my friends in my carpool (who's pretty fast) told me her finishing time the first time she ran the race.  Then I felt a LOT better when I finished less than 5 minutes after her and within a minute of my other friend in the carpool.  

Goal 1:  Finish in under 1:20:00 (Kind of?  Finished in 1:25:15)

Goal 2: Finish in under 1:30:00 DONE!

Goal 3:  Finish.  DONE!

Swag

This race offered the race shirt for an extra fee (but at a discount) at registration.  This year it was a long sleeved Under Armour Locker Long Sleeved Shirt in purple with a white and yellow race logo.  (Kind of a weird time of year to receive a long sleeved shirt for a race shirt, but I'm okay with waiting a little while to wear it.)

 Front

Back

Even if you didn't pay extra for the shirt, you still got quite a bit of swag and it was definitely different than other races!  At packet pickup you received a small reusable bag with the race logo and snaps shut (for bag check), a magnet advertising their spring half marathon, a copy of Trail Runner magazine and your bib (with the timing chip built in)  At the race itself besides the great spread of food (I keep hearing there were bananas, but I must have only had eyes for the watermelon the second I saw it!) they gave out reusable cups and provided lots of coolers around the celebration area with cold water and gatorade.

Overall (or TL;DR)

I thought this was a pretty good race.  There are still some minor communication issues to be worked out (I kept getting conflicting times for when roads would close on race morning, but that was not a big deal because we arrived well before the street closures.)  It was fairly well organized otherwise--plenty of parking and it was easy getting there and leaving, lots of portajohns in a couple different areas in the main area of the race and in a couple places on the course as well.  I enjoyed the variety of post-race food, but it was difficult juggling food and an open cup of gatorade.

Support before, during and after the race was fantastic.  Lots of water coolers on the course and at the last minute they added nuun to a few of them (strawberry lemonade--yum!) to help with electrolyte replacement due to the heat.  The starting and finishing areas were not that crowded at all and it was easy to move around from one point to another.  There was also a good variety of post race snacks--I like seeing some of the usual things (bananas and bagels) with something different as well (like chicken nuggets and watermelon.)  

Would I do it again?  Most likely.  It was a fun race and well worth the hour's drive that was not very stressful at all (and I'm not just saying that because somebody else drove.)  I really liked that it was fairly competitive and had quite a few people but it wasn't too crowded. (It was also broken up by 2 start waves.)  The trail was also challenging but doable and had many areas where you could pass slower runners easily.

Did you run this race too?  Have you run it in the past?  What was your experience like?  

Friday Fives: Five Ways to Defend Yourself on a Run

In the last week we've seen the heartbreaking stories of women runners killed on their runs.  This time of year it seems like barely a week goes by when the news announces a runner (in general, regardless of sex) has been attacked by a person or an animal.  Being able to defend yourself when running on your own this time of year is incredibly important.  Having a form of ID is important in case something happens, but you also need to be able to defend yourself.  I'm not saying you need to do all of these, but it may be helpful to have at least a couple of different options.

Before deciding on a specific product, I definitely recommend looking into your local and state laws to see if the item is legal to own in your state.  (It's illegal to buy mace in several states, and others are strict about the container size.)

1.  Self Defense classes!

Taking a self defense class is a fantastic way to learn how to protect yourself and make you confident that if you are attacked you can get away safely.  A simple Google search for self defense classes and your city can bring up lots of different options.  Many of these places offer group discounts so get a few people together and learn how to defend yourself together!
Runner's World also has a short video on some basic self-defense tactics, but keep in mind this is NOT a good replacement for a class.  In classes you're able to actually try out the different moves so you know what will work best for you.

2.  Pepper Spray

An old standby and is super easy to find on Amazon, and can also be found at auto parts stores.  Some options to look for include foam, gel and UV dye.  The foam is less likely to blow back onto you, and gel sticks to the attacker and has a longer range (25 feet vs 6-7 feet with foam.)  The UV dye makes it easier for the police to identify the person if they catch the criminal since they just need a blacklight to see the dye.  They are mostly found as keychains but there are many different variations on keeping it secure for easy access like arm bands and straps that go around your hands.
Definitely keep an eye on the expiration date on the container because it DOES have a shelf life, usually of about 4 years from when it was made.

3.  Go Guarded

This is essentially a ring with a sharp point and a rubber cover.  When you make a fist the point goes out over your knuckles so you're able to injure your attacker.

For more information, visit their website!  The product is also available on Amazon.

4.  Tigerlady Self-Defense Claw

This device has a somewhat similar idea as the go guarded ring above, but is a little more discreet.  It used cat's claws as an inspiration.  Essentially you carry it in your hand and when you need to defend yourself, you just squeeze your fist and the claws come out between your fingers to protect yourself.

Currently it is available on the Tigerlady website for $29.

5.  Monkey Fist Keychain

There are several different keychains on the market that you can use for self defense.
One option is a monkey fist keychain like this.

It looks pretty unassuming, but it's a small steel ball wrapped in paracord.  You can find them on Amazon or a range of different colors here.

What do you carry with you for self-defense on runs?

Thrifty Thursday!

After a mini hiatus last week (I posted on Instagram since I only found a couple things) I had better luck this week!

First up is an Under Armour 3/4 Sleeve Burnout Hoodie! I found one of these last year and am so glad I found another one because it's super comfy.  I couldn't find the original price, but from some internet searching I estimate it originally cost $40-$45.  I paid $5!

I love Roxy clothing.  It's mostly meant for juniors, but being short I luck out with a lot of their clothing fitting pretty well.  (And a lot of it still looks age appropriate like this sweater, perfect for chilly fall mornings.) This came with the store tag still attached, but again I couldn't find a price.  Based on some internet searching and after buying a sweater in the physical store, it probably originally cost around $60.  I paid $10!

This was another great find.  Such a simple, comfy shirt and still in great shape! Gap Fit Breathe V Neck Tee: Originally $30, paid $3.

Now for my grand finale...

An Eddie Bauer First Ascent Hangfire Hoodie!  Love the color and it should be good for chilly mornings in the fall.  (I'm so done with the heat and humidity!) Originally: $110, paid $9!

So that's it for this week! Anybody find anything good this week? Anybody racing this weekend?  I have my first technical trail race this weekend and I'm excited but also starting to get nervous because of the heat. (Here in the DC/Baltimore area they've issued an excessive heat warning for Saturday and I've already started hydrating.) I'm not planning on trying to PR, but I'll consider it a success if I finish!  I'm hoping to have my race recap up by Monday morning.

Friday Fives: Five Shows I Love Watching on the Dreadmill!

I've been noticing a lot of blogs do Friday Fives...so I'm going to get in on that too!  My first Friday Five:  Five Shows I Love Watching on the Dreadmill!  This summer has been horrendous and a good tv show on in front of my treadmill can make a run feel so much easier.

1.  Parks and Recreation (On Netflix Instant Watch and Hulu)
The closed captioning on this screenshot I took totally says it all...

The theme song is so upbeat and super easy to run to.  If you've never heard it, here it is.



How can that song not put a pep in your step on a dreary day or in the middle of a run?  The show follows the daily life of people who work in a Parks and Rec department in Pawnee, Indiana.  It focuses mostly on Leslie Knope, a faithful (and occasionally clueless but means well) public servant.  It's very similar to the Office in that there are times where the characters talk to the camera in one on one interviews so you know a little bit of backstory or their motivation for something they did.  The first season is a little slow to start, but once the show gets to the second season it really finds its stride and is amazing.  (I totally miss this show.)

2.  My Little Pony:  Friendship is Magic (On Netflix Instant Watch)
Okay, I know I'll lose a few people here.  But hear me out!!!  If you're a child of the 80s you probably know about the original My Little Pony.  I've rewatched the original series, and the new version is a lot better and the creator also grew up with the series so you know she will keep it true to the heart of the original show.  (Occasionally there are episodes where old characters come back too!)  This latest version is in the middle of season 6, and is absolutely fantastic.



This iteration of the series (they're on the 4th version now) focuses on Twilight Sparkle and her friends Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie (also known as the Mane 6) and her faithful helper, Spike.  Every episode is essentially about learning how to be a good person and a great friend.  I realize that sounds really dorky, but give it a try.  The theme song is really catchy and every episode has at least one song that is also fun to run to.  (One of my favorites is from the Winter Wrap Up episode.)



3.  Teen Mom OG and Teen Mom 2 (On MTV.com and Hulu)
Okay so I cheated a little bit and lumped these two together.  It's totally a semi-guilty pleasure of mine.  Getting wrapped up in other people's drama makes a run go so much faster.  It's on pretty much year-round (they trade off with about a month or so break in between each series) so it makes it easier to get in the habit of going for a run and something to look forward to on my Tuesday treadmill runs.  Here's the trailer for the next season of Teen Mom OG which starts on August 22nd.

4.  Bravo Reality TV Shows (On BravoTV.com and Hulu)
Okay, cheating a little again but it's because there are so many Bravo reality shows that I enjoy to watch.  Real Housewives of the OC (it's the only show in the housewives franchise I watch), Flipping Out, Ladies of London and Top Chef just to name a few.

5.  Futurama (On Netflix Instant Watch)
I love this show.  It was created by Matt Groening (who's also responsible for The Simpsons, another favorite) and is based around pizza delivery boy, Philip J. Fry, who was cryogenically frozen on December 31, 1999 and wakes up on December 31, 2999 moments before the year 3000.  Think of the series as the Simpsons with a sci-fi spin to it.  (They actually did a Futurama/Simpsons crossover episode.)



This show was technically cancelled twice.  It started in early 1999 and lasted for about 4 seasons and was revived in 2007 with a series of 4 direct-to-video movies.  They were so successful that after showing the show and movies in syndication, Comedy Central announced in 2009 that they had ordered a new season of 26 episodes to be made.  After its success, they ordered a final 26 episodes (season 7) and allowed for the series to have a proper finale.  This is one of the few series that has an ending that is absolutely perfect.  It's not insulting to the die-hard fans, still leaves it a little open ended and is so lovely that you feel satisfied where it leaves you.

What shows do you like to watch on the treadmill?  Are there any you recommend vertical viewing??

Cleaning Hydration Vests on a Budget

Recently with the high temperatures (and humidity and dew points) being able to carry water on runs is an absolute necessity.  I've tried belts, bottles and I splurged on a new hydration vest.  It was expensive enough (around $65 for the vest, and another $20 for the bladder) but another $20 on a cleaning kit?  Ugh!!  Fortunately my husband has taken up brewing beer as a hobby, and you have to make sure everything in the process is absolutely clean.  Otherwise you'll find out you've ended up with a bad batch of beer after a full day's work making it and a month later after fermentation.  So finding a longer term cleaning kit is just as close as your local homebrew store!  (Or Amazon.)

Option One:
First, you can use a product called Star San to disinfect the bladder and the tubing.  (An 8oz bottle currently sells for around $11 on Amazon.)

The product is used to sanitize and is odorless and tasteless.  All you need is 1 1/4 tsp per one gallon of water.  It does bubble when you use it, but no need to worry because it's totally normal.  It doesn't take long either--everything is sanitized in SECONDS.  And since it's food grade, you don't even need to rinse it off.  Just submerge the bladder and tubing and make sure it all gets in contact with the diluted solution.  Then remove the bite valve and let the water flow through the tubing out of the bladder.  (Instructions on cleaning the bite valve are towards the bottom of this post!)

It will end up costing just 30 cents to clean your hydration bladder if you buy the 8oz bottle, and you'll end up with around 38 uses from just one small bottle.

If you live in central Maryland, I definitely recommend stopping by Maryland Homebrew for the the Star San.  For those of you outside of the area, they also charge for shipping by weight and zip code rather than using a flat rate.

Option Two:
If cleaning using a product like Star San has you nervous, there's another even less expensive option.

Efferdent.  Yes, the denture cleaner.  Fill the reservoir with warm water, drop in a tablet and let it work its magic for 15 minutes.  Be sure to swirl it around afterwards and rinse it a few times to avoid a lingering minty flavor.  Target currently sells a box of 120 tablets for $5.79, making the cost to clean your reservoir slightly less than 5 cents.

Cleaning the Tubing:
Occasionally you will need to deep clean your reservoir.  (Especially if you accidentally added an electrolyte supplements to your water like nuun, and unfortunately you will never be able to get rid of the taste completely.)  Go ahead and wash it using efferdent or soap and water.  But what about the tubing?  Home brewing supplies to the rescue!!!  Home brewing involves a lot of tubing, and you can buy a tube or diptube brush for almost (if not more than) half of what companies that manufacture hydration equipment sell them.  Most tubing will be compatible with the 1/4'' brush, but definitely measure the opening to be absolutely sure.

This is another product I recommend picking up at Maryland Homebrew if you live nearby.  (If you don't live within a reasonable driving distance they charge for shipping by weight.  For something like this, shipping should be very inexpensive!)  

Cleaning the Bite Valve:

This one comes directly from Camelbak.  Simply fill a jar with warm water and a drop of mild soap or a teaspoon of bleach, remove the bite valve and toss it into the jar.  Then close the jar and shake it up!  After shaking the jar let it sit for a few minutes, rinse thoroughly and shake it dry. 

Anyone have any other recommendations on how to clean your hydration reservoir?  Or even suggestions how to thoroughly clean other pieces of running equipment?