Product Review: FitBit Flex Activity/Sleep Monitor

Disclaimer: I did not receive any compensation from FitBit. This item was purchased for me by my husband. All opinions are my own.

A few weeks ago, I received my much anticipated FitBit Flex personal activity and sleep monitor. I had been a user of the FitBit One activity and sleep monitor but had managed to either damage or receive a DOA item on replacement. The Flex is a new model put out by FitBit in a wristband form and for the first time as a water resistant item. What follow are my personal opinions about this product, both likes and dislikes.  This item was purchased for me by my husband and I have received no compensation for the writing of this review.

I began my review upon receipt of the Flex with an unboxing post which can be found here. This portion of the review will cover, specifically, the operation of the unit.

1. Wearability

The Flex is in the wristband format with a rather difficult closure system.The closure involves a two part snap mechanism that can be difficult to lock in, but with practice it does become a little easier. One way to make it a little more simple is to place the wristband on your wrist and put if face down on a table or flat surface and pinch/press the band and snaps with your thumb and forefinger until you hear a click. This seems to work for me most times.

Other than the snap mechanism trickiness, the Flex comes with a large band in slate and a small band in black. You won’t win any fashion awards for this item, but these colors do maintain a neutraility that works with just about anything you might wear. Optionally you can purchase 3 other colors of bands (orange, teal, navy) as a set or separately on the FitBit website.

The wristband is fairly unobtrusive and the only display is a simple row of 5 LED lights which light up when the band is tapped near the display. Each light represents 20% of the daily activity goal and this way you can track how you’re doing.

2. Function

As stated above, there is only one visual reporting mechanism, that of the activity meter. You are unable to tell how many steps that you have taken, floors climbed and battery life without logging onto the website online or via the app for iPhone or Android.

The unit is touted as “water resistant,” to which I must whole heartedly agree. I’ve worn my Flex in the shower multiple times without any problems. I’ve even worn it through a Spartan Beast race involving water and mud and it came out working like a champ. I don’t recommend wearing it during a mud/obstacle race, but I was willing to take the chance and it’s nice to know that the likelihood of it surviving such sheer torture of being water and mud ladened is very reassuring.

I do have to mention that a couple of days after the Spartan race, I finally popped the unit out to clean the dried mud off it and the LED lights suddenly stopped working. Turns out that it needed a charge, but this is where a battery life indicator (other than when it is actually low...1 or 2 lights should flash continuously) would have come in handy. I was about ready to freak out before I plugged it in to charge and saw the first LED light come on.

3. Usability

Everything that is followed (activity level, sleep pattern, steps taken, levels climbed, calories burned, etc) are followed on the dashboard at FitBit.com. At the bottom of each item is a sub-menu that will further explain the results for that item.

The use of the wristband itself if pretty straight forward. Simply tap several times next to the display window on the band and the lights with illuminate to show how much activity you've done so far. Remember, each light represents 20% of the activity level goal. To set/end to sleep monitor tap several times in quick succession by the display window until the band vibrates. This is the tactile signal that it has been set to sleep mode or taken out of sleep mode. Forget to set the Flex to sleep? No worries, just go into the dashboard and manually enter the hours that you went to bed and got out of bed and the Flex will analyze the info from that time period for you.

CONS:
1. Difficult to snap the wristband closed at times.
2. No display indicating steps taken.
3. False readings of activity due to arm movement (reads arm movement while driving as activity).
4. Water resistant rather than waterproof (maybe FitBit will develop a waterproof wristband in the    
    future?).

Overall, I love this thing. Biggest thing for me is to remember to take it off before swimming (how I killed my FitBit One). I'd really recommend this item to anyone even with the minor cons associated with it.

Do you have a FitBit Flex? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

2012 Goals...met, sorta

I was just looking over the goals I had set for 2012 and figured I'd just do a quick assessment of how I did. You can see what my goals were over at this page.

Running Goals
Well, it's pretty easy to see that this (and really all my goals) were changing over the year. I did the majority of the races listed on the page but in reality I managed to finish 20 official half marathons (13.1 miles) and 3 unofficial virtual half marathons.

Completed Half Marathons (Official):

TinkerBell HM - Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, CA
Pecos Valley Stampede HM - Roswell, NM
Xpress HM - Wichita Falls, TX
Arizona Distance Classic HM - Oro Grande Valley, AZ
Bloodgusher HM - Midland, TX
Arbuckle to Ardmore HM - Ardmore, OK
Wayland Wellness HM - Wichita Falls, TX
Southern Indiana Classic HM - Evansville, IN
GO! St. Louis HM - St. Louis, MO
New Mexico Centennial/TX-NM Club Challenge HM - Hobbs/Lovington, NM
Oklahoma City Memorial HM - Oklahoma City, OK
Wisconsin HM - Kenosha, WI
1st Midwest Bank Southwest HM - Palos Heights, IL
Hope & Healing Place HM - Amarillo, TX
Kirtland AFB Armed Forces Day HM - Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, NM
Wounded Warriors HM - Irving, TX
Legacy Midnight Run HM - Farmington, UT
ET Full Moon Midnight HM - Las Vegas/Rachel, NV
Prairie Fire HM - Wichita, KS
Wine & Dine HM - Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, FL

Completed Half Marathons (Unofficial):

New Year's Day Virtual Race Against Cancer HM (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - Team in Training Fundraiser)
For the Love of the Kids Virtual HM
Bling Ho's 1st SemiAnnual Charity Race Virtual HM (Relay for Life Fundraiser)

I did manage to join the Half Fanatics in March and have maxed out at 7 moons (Venus) out of 10. I was shooting for Sun (10 moons - 30 HMs in 30 different states in 365 days) but because of the severe depression from May through really now still...that goal has gone out the window. I'm fine with it though...going from a non-runner to a multiple race half marathoner crazy enough at one point to run 3 doubles (one race on subsequent Saturdays and Sundays) in one month is not a bad thing! :D

I postponed my foray into the full marathon spectrum (26.2 miles) until 2013 which ended up being a good thing since I did emotionally crash this year. I actually got to the point early in the year where 8-10 mile runs were the norm and something I looked forward to, but since I'm still recovering from the depressed mood I'm going to have to start from near scratch to get back up there. My times got worse over the year but had gotten down at one point to a fairly steady 11 minute mile so there's still room for improvement.

2012 Weight Loss Goals

Well, this was kind of a bust. I started out well and managed to get down to about 138 pounds but once the depression hit the weight came back. Right now I'm sitting at about 152 pounds so I'm going to have to get on the ball in 2013 to get where I want to be.

2013 Fitness Goals

Again, I started off well but with the exacerbation of the bipolar so went the exercise routine. I've been dealing with injuries of the lower extremities for the last 3-4 months and just overall fatigue (no surprise with the depression). So this too will need to be worked on in 2013. I never did do the duathlon or century ride primarily due to the fact that I didn't have the right type of equipment (cheap mountain bike vs at least and entry level road bike) or the right training. I'll work on kicking out at least one sprint duathlon in 2013 for sure though!

My main focus will be working on core strength, hip area strength to help with the pelvic malrotation issues/balance and ankle strength. My plan is to run, walk, cycle, elliptical (which I hate!) and swim although the whole swim thing is a bit hairy since although I know the mechanics of swimming I have a huge fear  of deep water, anything more than 5 feet, due to a near drowning as a five year old. So, swimming lessons or at least tutelage will be in order this year.

So, while I guess I did well on some aspects I didn't do so well on others. I'll be working on these some more in 2013 and hopefully it won't be as rough a year as this year has been. So, for me, it onward and upward...trying to be more optimistic and looking forward to becoming the really active individual I was prior to the mental crash. My 2013 goals will follow in another post shortly...

A Quick Update & an Obsession Out of Control

Well, it's been a long time since I've posted last. Part of the reason is because I haven't run since my last race...almost literally. I took a week off to rest then tried a few times to do some short runs of < 5K only to be sidelined by some nasty shin splints bilaterally within the first quarter mile of each run. Dejected by this failure, I decided to rest for awhile and just haven't gotten up the gumption to get back out there again. I skipped a double that I had scheduled in Louisiana and Arkansas as well. Of course, next Thursday I leave for my next half marathon in Mississippi...the Mississippi Blues Half Marathon. Again this will be a race with virtually no training and I expect to walk a good portion of the course. Then to follow that up, I have a double in California in mid-January at the Temecula Valley HM and the 2nd TinkerBell HM...again, likely to be walking much of the course. What a way to start 2013!! Meh.

As far as the end of 2012 goes, I hope everyone had a great holiday whether it was Christmas, Hanukka or Kwanza. We had a great time here with the son and his fiance coming to visit for 5 days and staying with us. We ate, met the future in-laws, they visited other family and friends, I did some massive cooking preparing a bunch of crock pot soup/chili plus multiple loaves of quick bread, celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary by sitting in bed all day catching up on a semester's worth of DVRd shows and it was an overall good time.

And then there is my newest obsession...On the 11th I was up in Amarillo for an appointment and before I drove home I stopped to catch Pitch Perfect at the theater. I had been waiting to watch this since it came out and finally had the chance so I was surely not going to miss it. I knew that I was in a potentially obsessive mode when I walked out of this movie. The songs, the dancing, the quirky characters, the sweet ups and downs of romance and a cute hottie in the male lead young enough to (literally) be my son. Ah yes, Skylar Astin. Yum. I think I'm either bordering on pedophilia or cougar mode since he's literally 11 days older than my own son!! LOL!

The movie came out on DVD and VOD on the 18th and wouldn't you know it I purchased my first rental of the movie just after midnight. Within the first 24 hours I had literally watched the movie at least 10x, sleeping only 2-3 hours and repeating the cycle again for 2 more days. To date, some 10 days later, I have by m best estimate watched this movie (as I am doing while typing this) at least 50 times!! I've watched it enough that I've got the most of the dialogue and choreography down cold. It's not unusual that I obsess over a movie or male lead, but it is unusual that I've watched the movie so many times and am fangirling over such a young actor. In the past movies like Bridget Jones and Titanic were my obsessions, then came Ryan Reynolds and I watch Green Lantern (best imagery of his hot bod) at least 20x after it came out as well as building a pretty massive Facebook album of Ryan Reynolds photos...excuse me while I wipe up the drool...OK, I'm back.

Ummm...yeah. this is currently the wallpaper on my cell!  *sigh*

Anyway, two days after first watching the VOD movie I went out and bought the soundtrack which took me 2 hours to figure out how to import it onto my phone so I could go grocery shopping and driving while listening to the music wherever I go. It was kind of funny to be jammin' out to the soundtrack while doing my grocery shopping at Walmart and Albertson's. I've been living Pitch Perfect for over a week now watching it whenever a have a spare couple of hours, listening to the CD when I'm at home or anywhere that I can listen to my phone and just today I spent a few hours to build a Pintrest page dedicated to the movie (featuring a lot of Skylar Astin). For Christmas my son gave me a Visa gift card that was to be used for running gear ONLY, but I snuck in the Blue Ray/DVD mega combo pack which I had to order online and am eagerly awaiting to arrive so that I can watch all the extra content. I'm pretty sure my constant scanning for new online pics of Skylar, watching numerous YouTube videos of the movie and Skylar plus following Skylar on Twitter may border on stalking. I jest, I jest!! lol!

There are additional new tracks on the just released extended
soundtrack that  I will be downloading from iTunes.

I'm not certain why the movie resonates with me so much. I know a new hottie and the music are certainly a draw, but whatever it is I do love this flick! At least it's a healthy obsession...for now. I'm not going out and blowing money, doing drugs or other stupid things...so it's OK, right?

My favorite parts of the movie in chronological order (SPOILER alert!):

• Right at the beginning when Jesse sings to Beca from the car before they even meet...too funny when his parents take off  at high speed during Freshman move in day.
• A capella tryouts, especially when Jesse sings.
• When Jesse messes around with the album covers to make Beca smile.
• When Jesse meets up with Beca on the quad arriving with a candle, Snyder's of Hanover Hard Pretzels, movies including The Breakfast Club and a juice packet. Why would you need a candle in the daylight, on the campus quad?? IDK.
• The riff-off especially when Jesse sings Feels Like the First Time and you know that he's singing it to Beca.
• The dorm scene right after the riff-off where Jesse puts the move on Beca.
• The Trebles performance of Right Round at the first competition. Swoon!
• The Bellas breaking out with Party in the USA in the bus.
• The Footnotes performance of Blame it on the Boogie.
• Beca yelling at Jesse after Aubrey lays into her after the Bellas performance at semi-finals. So sad...I feel so bad for Jesse! :(
• Beca finally watching The Breakfast Club.
• Beca trying to make up with Jesse after spring break and he basically breaks up their relationship ("whatever this is") even though he cares for her still. Another sad section of the movie. :(
• Aubrey's major projectile vomiting episode and the ensuing girl fight.
• The Bellas mashup in the swimming pool.
• The Trebles final performance of Bright Lights, Bigger City/Magic. Easily my very favorite musical number. Not only do you hear the smooth voice of Jesse but Benji also lets loose and the boys in general dance great. Huge swoon for Jesse!! (Excuse me, I have to go wipe off the drool again!)
• Beca's section of the Bella's final performance when Jesse realizes that she's singing/making up to him. The look on his face is priceless...which leads to more swooning!
• OK, being the romantic that I can be at times, when they finally kiss. Oh, to be 25 year younger, 25 pounds lighter and in the place of Beca! ROTFLMAO!

Yes, this is a very lighthearted movie which gives me a fuzzy, warm feeling inside...in a PG sense. The acting is great and entertaining. The music, dancing and singing is great...especially Skylar Astin as Jesse. His voice just hits the right spot every time whether he's singing or rapping. Rebel Wilson throws out her irreverent humor and brings on a lot of laughs. Anna Kendrick is well cast as the rebel finding out that college life can be fun. The cast overall is just awesome. Oh, and then there's Elizabeth Banks as one of the competition commentators...she is hilarious in the 10 or 15 minutes she has on screen!

So, I've just finished watching the movie and singing and dancing (quietly) to the last two performances as the old man slept...good thing he's deaf! My VOD rental is expired so now I just need to wait and see if I can manage to hold off on ordering it again until my mega combo BluRay/DVD arrives sometime between now and January 2nd. If it doesn't get here by Saturday, I'll probably be going through withdrawal symptoms and have to order it yet again! Oh my!

Here are a few of my favorite videos off of YouTube with regards to Pitch Perfect. Enjoy!

Mike Tompkins, the cast of Pitch Perfect and fans sing "Starships."

Again...Skylar Astin's voice...ahhhhhhh!

This video has most of my favorite non-musical scenes 

from the movie between Beca and Jesse. It's set to 

"Without You" as done by Lea Michelle from Glee...

Skylar's former cast mate on the Broadway hit 

"Spring Awakenings."

The Trebles perform "Right Round." Damn, Jesse and Donald are good!

I can't be the only one loving what happens at 0:51 in the clip...

Second half of the riff off...songs about sex. 

Jesse sings "Feels Like the First Time". 

OMG. I can't get enough of his voice!

I Didn't Know About This...Why?

WARNING: Product review for ladies only!! Unless you guys are just really curious...don't say you haven't been warned! ;)

Measures approx 2½" in diameter;
approx 3½" in length when compressed for insertion.

OK, so this alternative to other feminine products...it's call the Instead Softcup. There are two different kinds of Softcups. There is the original that is meant to be used once then disposed of and typically changed every 12 hours or so; then there is the new reusable type that can be washed and reused for a whole cycle. Now, when you look at the picture on the package and open the package what you see looks similar to a diaphragm (you've all see one of those in sex ed class in grade school, yes?) that has a light pink for the daily use type/dark pink for the reusable type and a clear cup. The rim is fairly flexible with just a comfortable amount of rigidity and is easily compressed for insertion.

Pink packaging is the disposable daily use. Green package is the reusable.

Insertion is pretty straightforward and Softcup even has an animated video showing you how to do this. Now, this can be a bit messy depending on at what point in your cycle you are...expect insertion to be a little bit messier the heavier the flow is.

Softcup Challenge - Day 1
So, today is a light flow day...the first day in my very irregular cycle...thank you peri-menopause. The initial insertion went smoothly but yes, it was a little messy but at least I was at home and could easily reach the sink to wash up. I used a panty liner just in case I didn't get the placement just right and thank goodness I did because I noticed some spotting a few hours later. So, to correct this problem I removed, emptied and rinsed out the Softcup and reinserted it plus applied a new panty liner. Now some six hours later just one small spot on the liner and that's it. I can't even tell that I have the Softcup inserted...very comfortable compared to my hatred of tampons which I only use when running. Also, no icky sweaty feeling from wearing a pad especially in this hot weather we're having. So far, so good.

8:35pm - I just changed the Softcup to prepare for the night. No noted leaking, although it is a light day. Easy to remove, just remember to bear down when trying to reach it...makes life much easier. One thing that hit me though is that I keep my nails fairly short...I wonder how comfortable this would be for someone who has longer nails? I think in that case it might be advisable to have some non-latex gloves handy (just in case you have an unknown latex allergy...if you know you're not allergic to latex then go for the cheaper latex gloves).

Softcup Challenge - Day 2
Woke up a little before 6am and changed out the Softcup. No leakage at all, but it's still early in my cycle so I'm still at a fairly light flow. No discomfort overnight...in fact, almost forgot that I was on my cycle. Cool!

7:30pm - Looks like this whole cycle is gonna be light. Still, no leaks and it's much easier/quicker to insert the Softcup now...kinda like second nature.

Softcup Challenge - Day 3
Still a light flow, looks like it's gonna be that way for this whole cycle. Still no leaking at all even with some strenuous manual labor in the backyard this past weekend. Very pleased so far with the products performance.

7:40pm - Hmmm...looks like this may be a short flow. Still no problems, no leaking, no discomfort. I think I've found a new best friend!

Softcup Challenge - Day 4
Well, looks like last night was the last time for me to use the Softcup for this review. Wow, that was a really light cycle! Still no leakage, no pain and no problems.

So, that was my experience with the Instead Softcup. I didn't do any running while using it so I can't attest to how it works during that kind of activity, but like I said I was doing some decent manual labor in our backyard lifting bags of paver base, paver sand and pavers to build some paved pads in front of our gates. If the cup didn't budge while doing all that heavy lifting (which did involve some straining to lift things) then I don't think it would move during a run. Additionally, since my flow was light for this whole test I can't really state how it works with a heavy flow...thanks to peri-menopause I never know if my cycle will be light, moderate (lucky enough I've never been a heavy bleeder) or even have a cycle each month. I never had to rinse out the cup other than the first day when I had to readjust it...it's fine doing at home, but I think it would be kinda gross and rude to rinse it out in a public restroom.

Based on some reading I've done of other bloggers who've done the Challenge, for heavy bleeders there may be some light leakage when urinating or having a bowel movement simply due to the process of bearing down. Some women say that this was the only time they experienced any leakage. Some even went so far as to say that they appreciated this leakage because they had very heavy flows and this allowed some of the contents to escape from the cup and extending the time that the cup could remain inserted since there was more room for new content. However, do be aware that if you do have a heavy flow you may not get a full 12 hour use out of the cup.

Now just some facts from Softcup (please note, all the images used in this post are directly from Instead Softcup)...

So, would I recommend using this product? Yes!! At the very least, try it for one cycle and check it out for yourself. You can purchase a sample 2 pack of the original style on the Softcup website store for the price of shipping (currently $2.50) or you can check your local drug store to see if they carry the product (Walgreens and SuperWalmart seem to carry them). Do be aware that the reusable type is really fairly new so you may not find them in many stores yet but you can also purchase them on the online store. Or if you are a blogger, check out For the Love of the Run to see how you can participate in the Challenge and get a free sample and some other goodies. The online Softcup store even sells a little case that you can carry 2 Softcups in so that you have them handy at all times...as long as you carry a purse or pack of some sort. Really, give them a try!

Case that holds two Softcup packages so you're always prepared.

DISCLAIMER: I received one or more of the products mentioned in this post for free to review. Regardless, these opinions are 100% mine and solely mine.

Race Recap: Wisconsin HM

The Not So Little Mermaid & I on race day.

Race Day -1
The daughter and I had traveled since Thursday morning to get first to my cousin's house near Scott AFB, Illinois and then drove the final 5-6 hours to Kenosha today (Friday). While the drive was long, it was pretty...when it wasn't a downpour of rain. There were actually periods of the drive in south/central Illinois where the rain was coming down in sheets that caused me to slow to 20 miles slower than the speed limit on the highway and that actually caused some people to pull over to the side of the freeway to await the rain's passing. Once we got to Kenosha I found the Best Western Harborside easily and picked up my packet as well as $50 worth of Bondi Bands for myself, the daughter and my cousin. After stopping briefly to take some pictures of the two lighthouses on the harbor, we headed over to Great Lakes Naval Training Station to check into lodging there. It took awhile to finally get registered to go on base but we finally got checked into our room and since it was already so late (about 4:30pm) we decided to put off a trip to Chicago until after the race. After a quick trip to the commissary for groceries and getting my gear ready for the next day, we settled in for the night with a dinner of whole wheat linguine and sauteed shrimp.

Race Day - 5/5/12
After driving a total of 1,210 miles to get to this race, I woke up to pouring rain and wind in the morning. As I drove from Great Lakes Naval Training Station,  I had the window wipers going at max speed just to try to be able to see the road in front of me for most of the 30+ minute drive. The rain was so bad at points that I almost decided not to run the race. Thankfully enough, I continued on and by the time I arrived in the area of the start to park the rain had slowed to a steady, even rain enough so that I still needed an umbrella plus a cheap rain poncho to keep myself warm. After I purchased and dumped my stuff in a couple of lockers (my race bag and mini cooler wouldn't fit in a single one) the rain had slowed to a light drizzle.

Marathon Maniac/Half Fanatic group pic...an nod to Dave Mari!

Sister Half Fanatic Brenda,
she went to the wrong museum for the pic.

Half Fanatic/Tinkerbell/Bling Ho sister, Run Kat with the Capt'n.

I headed over to the Civil War Museum for the Marathon Maniac/Half Fanatic picture and then proceeded to walk around looking for my TinkerBell sister, Run Kat, who I had planned to meet and run the race with. Funnily enough about 20 minutes or so before the race started we suddenly turned around and found ourselves facing each other just out of the blue. After a few squeals of delight, we moved to the All Cheese Corral at the front of the starting line (you had to be wearing something cheese related) and waited for the start. The wind was still blowing and since we were right on the edge of Lake Michigan it was a cold wind with the temperature somewhere around 48°F. At this point I still had my rain poncho on to keep warm.

Yes, she ran with this the whole 13.1 miles!

In the All Cheese Corral, you had to wear
something related to cheese to get in.

Once the race started we found ourselves running in and amongst a well established neighborhood to the south of downtown Kenosha with grand houses and no resemblance to the cookie cutter, tract homes of the modern day. The course brought us back down into downtown and along the harbor eventually running in a park alongside Lake Michigan. Even though the day was overcast and windy as all git out (especially when we were closer to the water) it was a beautiful sight for this landlocked gal to have the scenery of one of the great the inland oceans, lighthouses and greenery around us. While most of the course was relatively flat, there were some small to moderate hills in the park. Oddly enough, or perhaps because I've actually gotten experience running on hills now, these particular hills didn't seem to bother me as much as they would have in the past. Kat had begun having some trouble with her knees and I was beginning to experience gastrointestinal issues so I ran ahead so that I could get to a "real" restroom rather than a port-o-pot and just planned to meet her at the finish line. When I had finished what I needed to do, I began to run again believing that I was still ahead of Kat. In a short time I found that I had crossed paths with Dave Mari, a well known individual in the Facebook running community, and spent some time walking and talking with him before again taking off to finish the race.

I met Dave Mari, a bit of a celebrity in Facebook running circles.

As I finished the race, feeling rather good considering that I still had quite a cold/cough and low grade fever, I got into my lockers for my post race chocolate milk and a banana and put on my jacket/Mylar blanket to go in search of Kat. I looked for a bit around the finish area and then began to walk the route in reverse. After about a mile or so without locating Kat I turned around and headed back to the finish line to see if I could find her in the area. Unfortunately it wasn't until quite a while later that I discovered that she had in fact passed me at some point (I guess I was in the restroom longer than I thought!) and finished the race about 5 minutes before I had!! lol! After a few short text messages I packed up my gear and headed back to the base to prepare for a trip into Chicago for the afternoon.

All in all, even with the weather and being sick this was a very nice course. I haven't actually run a race with someone since TinkerBell in January and it does indeed help the time pass faster. While I do like running solo, the change in running and talking with someone is a nice break to the routine.

What I liked about this race: Nice course, scenic, not too strenuous. Good company during the race...Thanks Run Kat and Dave Mari! :)

What I didn't like about this race: Only the weather...I know that can't be controlled but 2-3­° warmer and less wind would have been nice!

Would I do this race again? Yes, most likely if I was in the area already rather than making the trip specifically for it. I'd love to do it in better weather! ;)

Race Recap: Armed Force Day Half Marathon

Race Day - 5/19/12

Race Day -1
This race was kind of a last minute decision. It wasn't until the day before that I actually made the decision to participate in it even though I was tired (exhausted is more like it), and both knees and feet were still hurting from the Hope & Healing Place HM the previous Sunday. I packed all my gear up and a quick overnight bag and headed for Albuquerque at about 2pm. I started the nearly 4 hour drive with nearly a full tank of gas thinking that I had plenty because it usually takes less than half a tank for most trips. That turned out not to be such a good thing. Between the 80+° temperature I had to use the A/C, then on I-40 I was being buffeted around by the big rigs and drove the majority of the interstate into a strong headwind. When I was about 28 miles out my gas light came on and the needle was just barely above the bottom mark on the gauge. Of course, I had just passed the last big town and had thought to myself that I should stop to fill up, but convinced myself that I'd have just enough gas to make it to the very edge of Albuquerque. Well...nope, that didn't happen. Luckily within 5 miles of the light going on there was a single gas station. I ended up getting there pretty much on fumes. The gauge was below the bottom mark and since the gas was almost $4/gallon I decided only to put $10 worth in so that I could get to Albuquerque and some cheaper gas (usually about 20¢ cheaper than at home). After putting the gas in, the needle went just barely above the line on the gauge.

I returned to the interstate and finished the slightly over 20 miles to Albuquerque. I  had scouted a new restaurant, Johnny's Homemade Take Out, Delivery and Dine In, on the east edge of town and decided to try it based on the good reviews. I was not disappointed. I had the Mediterranean Alfredo which had mushrooms, fresh roasted garlic (a lot) and shrimp in an Alfredo sauce over fettuccine accompanied by 4 pieces of garlic toast. The bread served pre-meal was mini sopapillas with honey...kind of different because those are usually served as a dessert. Great food, I'll be going there again!

After dinner I had thought about hitting the mall, but decided to just go to the hotel and get my gear ready and hopefully get a decent night's sleep. So after lugging my bag and gear bag upstairs I was in bed by 9:30pm and fell asleep shortly afterwards awaiting a 3am alarm and a 3:30am wake up call.

Race Day

1st time running a race
 in shorts.

I was awakened by my alarm and promptly hit snooze...three times. It's a good thing that I arranged for the 3:30am wake up call as well. I finally got up, showered and dressed when I realized that I had left my toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant at home. Luckily the hotel I stay at in town has a courtesy supply of these things at the front desk. I decided to just clean my teeth/mouth the best I could with the tip of a washcloth for now and then stop by the desk to pick up these supplies after breakfast.

I walked over to the opposite side of the hotel and across the parking lot to the Village Inn for breakfast. Typically I'd have the free breakfast at the hotel but it was still only 4:50am and too early for that, plus I had forgotten to bring my own bagel, peanut butter and banana with me so I ended up spending $10+ for OJ, hot tea, bagel with cream cheese and vanilla yogurt. Ooops. After I finished I headed to the front desk and got my supplies which included a men's Speed Stick Deodorant...I don't know if the guy thought I was a man or if he just didn't realize that there were women's and men's versions. I went with the flow because just as long as wouldn't stink I was good. After taking care of the last minute hygiene needs I was off to Kirtland AFB where the race was being hosted.

I arrived at packet pickup at around 5:40am. Now, packet pickup and race day registration was supposed to run from 5am to 6am but even when I arrived they were not accepting money (cash only) because they didn't have the receipt book. After 10 minutes of  waiting they finally got the book and I was able to purchase my registration. The other thing I noticed about packet pick up's poor organization was that they were missing a guy's bib number and bag and it took them over 15 minutes to rectify that situation. They built a bag for him and almost sent him away without a bib. They didn't seem to know where spare bags/bibs were stored...in a box just to the left of the table where I was able to see them. Also packet pick up was supposed to close at 6am but at 6:45am people were still showing up to pick up their packets. As I was waiting to get my packet I got a quick peek at the half marathon list and saw that it was going to be a small field...I wouldn't realize how small until after the event.

A really small field of starters (34 total) for the HM start.

The only organized team running for A1C Baker.

 Since it was so early still after I got my packet...almost an hour before the race start...I headed back to the hotel which was about 2 miles away, then it happened...that gas light came on again! Whoops! At least I knew that I'd be able to find a gas station easily since I was in town so I put off filling up until after the race. At 6:35am I headed back to the base and got ready to run. I was just in time for the instructions and a quick real bathroom break...I hate port-o-pots. After a few words and the national anthem it was start time. I made sure that I had my GPS set and then we were off. Since I started in the back as normal I was already nearly last from the get go. I trotted along trying to do a 5 min run/1 min walk interval which I was able to maintain for about the first 3 miles. After that I shortened the intervals to 3:1 or so.

On the way out...hills.

Damn, I'm going the wrong way again!
The first two finishers on the return trip.

By the end of the third mile I was already feeling like I had concrete legs and hips. I kept trudging along, knowing that in such a small field I'd likely be last or very close to it. The course was scenic in as much as it could be in the New Mexico desert. The actual busy part of the base was flat as a pancake and then we headed out towards the golf course. Since I had never been that far out on the base I didn't realize that there were hills...not big ones, but feeling the way I was it was not something that I was looking forward to.  I tried to let gravity take me on the downhills and I made sure to move towards the middle of the road or to the lower side on the cambered turns so as not to aggravate my already unhappy hips/knees. The view was nice with the dry, brown desert being prominent but with a view of the mountains in the distance. As I got past the 6 mile mark I had to pull off and do some stretching of my piriformis/ITB...the sag wagon drove up (they were following the girls in back of me who were the last runners) and asked if I was okay and after I told them that I just needed to stretch they went on their way.

View of the hills on the return trip.

As I made the turnaround it was nice to look out and see that, at least from my vantage point, things seemed to be more downhill than up. I picked up my pace a little trying out the  30sec sprint/walk technique that Jeff Galloway and Hal Higdon talk about. It kinda feels silly sprinting and walking that much, but I did feel a little more relaxed. By the time I hit the hills on the return trip I was walking quite a bit to get up them. I didn't even have the energy to run down the hills much. Since I looked back and saw that the girls were still a ways behind me I decided to walk the majority from about the 11.5 mile mark to about the 13 mile mark. I finished the run actually running and was just so glad to be finished. Also I was thankful that I had again avoided being last! lol!

The director had all the medals out and there were a lot of them with very few people hanging around so I think most people had already left. They handed out the last two awards for the older division male finishers (who both beat me...one was 77 years old and beat me by 30 minutes) and then began closing up shop. I wasn't sure of how many finishers there were in my division so I asked to see the overall results. I found that they hadn't included my gender and when I counted up my division there were only 3 of us. That meant I got a medal! I quickly contested the results and got my bronze. Yeah, it was a gimme medal but I medaled all the same! When the timing company posted the results online they hadn't made the changes yet so I sent an email and things got fixed. All in all it was a decent run...got a medal and wasn't last...the two things I want in my race.

I headed off to the base shoppette for some chocolate milk, teriyaki beef jerky and a 20# bag of ice for an ice bath. I probably should have filled up there but since I was on a limited budget I was forced to wait until I could get to a Shell station for gas. I headed back to the hotel and immediately got into my ice bath. Sooooooooo cold! But after 20 minutes the pain in my legs and hips was better. A warm shower followed with a liberal application of BioFreeze on my left hip. I was out of the room by noon and headed out to find a Shell station to gas up at. After gassing up I decided to have some sushi/sashimi for lunch so I headed over to Japanese Kitchen and got the sashimi lunch special (I prefer straight up sashimi over sushi) which included 8 pcs of sashimi, salad, vegetable tempura and rice. Yum!

I had originally planned to be on the road right after lunch but decided to check out what the running stores had...specifically looking for a bright (not neon) yellow running bra and bright yellow running shorts. I ended up buying red Saucony running shorts for $15 (normally $36) and some Anti-Monkey Butt Powder to help avoid chaffing in my fat upper thighs when wearing shorts. Yeah, I've been using Body Glide there but that just seems so sticky. As I was leaving the last store I decided that I wanted some gelato so I found a nearby place that made handmade chocolates and gelato, Chocolate Cartel, where I had a large Ultra Dark Chocolate gelato. Again, yum! This is another place I'll be coming to again. My last stop was at a nearby Sonic to get my Real Fruit Lemon Slush for the road. I'll never come back to this particular store again. After deciding to just park in a stall since the drive thru was 8-9 deep with cars I waited 5+ minutes for someone to take my order. I noticed that other people who had parked around the same time I did were leaving without getting their orders taken as well. I decided to just get out of the car and go to the walk up stand to order but there was someone there already also having problems getting her order taken. Finally I just got back in the car and 20 minutes later (after getting back in the drive thru) I finally left with my slush. I got back onto the interstate and had an uneventful drive home. There must've been a bit of a tailwind because I made it back in 3 hours and 18 minutes including a 10 minute rest break to stretch my legs. It usually take me about 3 hours and 40 minutes on the return trip. Yay?

What I liked about this race: Relatively close to home in Albuquerque.

What I didn't like about this race: Lack of organization at packet pick-up. They even announced that non-military folks who tried to come on base early on Friday to pick up packets couldn't because they didn't have the visitors list ready for the front gate. Seriously? This is at least the 4th or 5th time holding the race...you think they would have known.

Would I do this race again? Probably not. Between the lack of organization and the extremely small field I'd be afraid that it wouldn't count against my Half Fanatics race requirement.

Being sick sucks!

Ugh. I'm sick today. Woke up just thinking it was post nasal drip clogging up the back of my throat and causing a dry hacking cough but that blew up into a full blown all day headache, low grade fever and just a general feeling of malaise. I was going to try to do my 2 mile run on the treadmill today, with my head hurting like it is I think I'd puke before I hit a ½ mile. So this will be the second day in the 100 Days Challenge that I've missed. Boo.

I'm getting ready to go to bed for the night and thought I'd just get this post up real quick since it's a short one. Oh, and if you do see me on Facebook tonight for whatever reason, I apologize if I'm whining...I tend to whine when I'm sick! lol!

100 Days Challenge:

• Day 47
• Sick day, no workout

What I Ate Today:

• 1 serving Cream of Wheat
• 1 regular can Campbell's Chicken and Rice soup
• 3 cups plain lugau (Filipino rice porridge)
• 40 oz G2

Alkalete Review Final Day:
Well, I took my last dose of Alkalete today and I'm really still undecided about it. There may be a slight improvement delayed muscle soreness (I can feel Tuesday's run in my legs today), but I don't know that it's significant enough to continue with it. I think I'll let it go for now and give glutamine a try for a bit to see if that works better. I've heard that Hammer Nutrition has a great recovery formula called Recoverite. Maybe I'll give that a try.

My reason to run today

Today marked the worldwide virtual run to remember Sherry Arnold, a Montana runner, math teacher, mother and wife who disappeared in the early morning of  Saturday, January 7, 2012 during her morning run. While two arrests have been made, her body has not yet been found. Her cousin, Beth Risdon who blogs at Shut Up + Run, started a movement to honor Sherry with a simple blog post and request...to go out and run/walk/cycle or whatever activity of a person's choice to honor her cousin on Saturday, February 11, 2012. Several of my running friends, local and online, planned to participate. Some of us simply to remember Sherry and some of us, like myself, to make the stand that safety is an issue for runners, perhaps especially for women who run solo...and that we shouldn't allow fear to keep us from doing something we enjoy. Watch this video about the virtual run from KTVQ in Billings, Montana.

Despite having woken up at 4:30am and spending the next 4-5 hours trying to deal with an upset stomach that almost stopped me from going on the run, I persisted and ate my usual light breakfast, took a hot shower to hopefully perk me up (which it did), and taped up my knees and turf toe. The run was scheduled to start at 9am but I ended up moving a little slow and didn't get out the door until 9:30. I had originally planned to drive out to the local Air Force base to run the 10 mile long perimeter road, but between being sick and a weather forecast with a freezing fog advisory, 22°F, wind chill of 11°F and winds for the east at 11mph, I decided that running a 5K route in the area of my house would be the best plan since I'd be relatively close to restrooms very close to the route and close to home should I begin feeling ill during the run.

I have to admit that the run started out pretty slowly as I tried to grapple with my rumbling stomach and the occasional wave of nausea. The tree branches and grass were fairly well covered with frozen fog. I had to concentrate on keeping warm and keeping moving. My initial intervals were pretty short...not even ¼ mile before walking for 100-200 feet. As time passed the nausea seemed to subside and I was able to get into a fairly regular pace with my run intervals increasing closer to half a mile. Once I hit this comfort pace my thoughts for why I was running, especially while sick, became the focus. My thinking began to focus on what I could do to make myself safer since I run solo about 97% of the time. I carry pepper spray on most of my long runs (when I can remember it) and I try to run in fairly well traveled areas (Perimeter Road on base is the most remote location I run on). Whenever possible I tell my husband which route I'll be on and try to leave it up on my computer where he can find it and if I'm running during the week while he's working and I'm going down that way I'll usually check in just to let him know where in my run I am and when to expect me home. At about this point I found myself hearing my Runstar app announcing that I had just surpassed the 5K mark. Woohoo!! I'm feeling pretty good, I think I'll try to keep going for the 10K.

As I began on the second loop I realized that I had forgotten my RoadID anklet, another item that I try to remember to put on before my long runs. This little gem provides basic emergency information plus is linked to an account online that emergency services can retrieve my medical history. I do, however, always carry my smart phone which shows my husband's phone number on the lock screen and also has an emergency information app on it listing my medical history. I began thinking if there was anything else that I could do to make myself even safer and I couldn't think of anything short of running in a group. I don't know enough local runners who run at my pace which is slower than most runners I know (they are probably at an 8-9 minute mile while I'm more at a 13 minute mile during training) and my run is faster than walkers than I know. Besides, I do enjoy my alone time to just zone out or think things over by myself. I do try to go to the local running club weekly meetup but I only do 1-2 miles due to time constraints although it is nice just touching base with people. There it is again...my Runstar app announces 6.2 miles and I'm just short of my house. Oh, what the heck...haven't been feeling sick lately let's go for the full 10 miles!

I turn around and decide to do the route in the opposite direction with some extra turns and such to reach the full 10 miles. I'm pretty much done thinking at this point having covered every talking point that I could think of. I'm plugging along when I start seeing individual young men at two different points walking towards me with hoodies on and the hoods pulled up over their heads and obscuring their faces. I then start going into alert mode...what are you going to do if you're attacked? Should you turn around and make sure you're not being followed? Frankly, just a little touch of mild paranoia. Obviously, nothing happened. But what if it did? How would I fight back? Kicking, screaming, swinging my frozen arms which seemed to be frozen into the 90° angle to keep proper form. I had left my pepper spray at home since I'd be running in town and on fairly well traveled roads. Unfortunately, that reaction is really something that you won't know about until it actually happens. I continue on my way turning a corner (one of those extra turns I had mentioned) and there's a man walking out of his garage who hollers out, "That's too extreme, this is not running weather!" to which I reply, "Any weather is running weather!" Again, my mind turns a little paranoid. What if this guy actually tried to grab me and drag me into the house? What would I do? Again, there was nothing that I could come up with for sure because the reaction would be instinctual. I realize that I can't let paranoia control me. I have to trust in the run and trust in my instincts to keep me safe. I hear the Runstar app call out 9.3 miles. I need to adjust my route a little again to make the full 10 miles. I begin to wonder what must have gone through Sherry's mind as she was being abducted. Was she terrified or had they tricked her into entering the vehicle? What was it that made her their target? Just the fact that she was a woman running alone? We will never know. As I turn onto my street, I have to turn away from home to get another quarter mile in. I pull out my phone and open the Runstar app to keep track of how much further I need. I shake up my sprint flask (a palm held 10 oz bottle) full of G2 to find that it has pretty much frozen into a thick slush which is totally undrinkable through the valve (good thing I wasn't thirsty during the run). Then as I pull into the driveway I said a silent thank you for getting me through this run and a wish for peaceful running for Sherry Arnold. You are safe now. Run happy.

100 Days Challenge:

• Day 42
• 10 mile run to honor Sherry Arnold in 2:13:52

What I Ate Today: (Still being updated)

• 1 whole wheat Bagel Thin
• 1 Tbsp reduced fat peanut butter
• 40 oz G2
• 2 sausage patties
• 2 fried eggs
• Spaghetti with meat sauce from Something Different Grill
• 2 slices of garlic bread
• Side salad with Ranch dressing (iceberg lettuce, cucumber, tomato, red onion, croutons)
• 32 oz Pepsi

Alkalete Review, Day 5:

Still not noticing any significant changes. Some soreness post 10 mile run after 2 doses today. Two days of rest in my future aside from PT exercises and Aqua Zumba before the virtual half marathon. We'll see how ready I feel on Tuesday.

Double digit miles of indecision

OK, I know ya'll are getting tired of hearing about this particular subject...changing my race schedule. Yes, I've done it yet again...actually I've changed it about 3 times since last night!! lol! I just keep adding more and more to the schedule. In fact, I've added my first full marathon to be done in October, just three weeks before my MUST DO half marathon (the WDW Wine & Dine) so that I can get my coveted Coast to Coast medal...which signifies that you have completed a race at Disneyland and a race at Walt Disney World in the same calendar year. I also plan to add the 5K  that weekend, which will have to be renamed due to the change in dates...it used to be the Disney Halloween 5K. Since the race was changed to early November maybe they'll rename it to the Thanksgiving 5K? This will be a prolific running weekend because I would, hopefully, be coming home with three medals at once!! :D

Anyway, I digress. So after thinking about it a little bit I've registered to do a virtual half marathon on Tuesday...For the Love of the Kids Virtual Run. As long as I finish the run I'll earn a finishers medal to add to my medal rack which is looking a bit barren right now with only 3 medals on it. I already had a 12-13 mile training run planned for tomorrow in honor of Sherry Arnold that I'll knock down to a 10 miler to rest a little for Tuesday. Then I've potentially added the Disneyland Half Marathon to my schedule for September which also means that I might as well add the 5K run in there as well!

I've also added the Wounded Warriors HM in Las Colinas, Texas on June 10th as yet another half marathon. I have a cousin, actually a few, that live in the Dallas area and one of the girls said that I'm welcome to stay at their house. I just have to figure out whether to drive or fly down there. Hopefully I can find a cheap flight and car rental...that'd make life so much easier!

Finally I've also decided to train for my first full marathon in Albuquerque on October 21st...both my choices are on the same day so I just have to decide which one I want to do. The Duke City Marathon is almost completely flat and follows the Paseo del Bosque Recreational Trail which is a beautiful piece of running/biking path. It's basically an out and back route so there's no chance of me getting lost when I'm the last runner coming in...hopefully before the cutoff!! lol! My other choice is Day of the Tread. This is a fully costumed race (from what I can tell from pics) versus what seems to be a conservative Duke City Marathon. I think that DoTT is probably the funner of the two but it also comes with a 400' change in elevation and a time limit of 6 hours versus a 7 hours time limit for the DCM.

Now, with all the additions I may have to take away a few races. My sprint duathlon and the metric century ride are first on the chopping block for potentially being put off until next year. I may replace the Firecracker Run 10 miler with a local 5K. Finally, if I do end up doing the Disneyland HM the Turtle HM, which was my very first race last year, will be chopped as well since they are on the same weekend (Labor Day) and I won't be home in time to do it. I've also decided not to do the Dirty Dash in Albuquerque as it is 2 weeks before Wine & Dine and I don't want to risk a major injury that would prevent me from participating in that race!

One of these days I'll come up with a final schedule but until then you can see what I have planned in the race schedule widget in the right sidebar along with a countdown of the next 3-4 upcoming races. So please, bear with me...I'm just a little addicted now to a sport I've literally hated for most of my life!! LOL!

100 Days Challenge:

• Day 41
• 30 minutes PT exercises

What I Ate Today:

• 60 oz G2
• 1 pack chicken ramen with 
• 1 small, shredded chicken breast 
• 1 cup mixed vegetables
• 1 full rack of BBQ Baby Back ribs (oink!)
• 1 scoop coleslaw
• 1 scoop potato salad
• 1 slice Texas toast
• 24 oz Pepsi

Alkalete Review Day 4:

A little sore today from yesterday's run. Tomorrow's run should be interesting. The soreness is uncomfortable but not painful. I really can't tell any significant difference. Still had to take a couple of short naps today because I was so tired. I was just advised by my distributor to take extra doses since I'll be running so much the next several days with longer miles than usual so maybe I'll be able to make more of a judgement after my HM run on Tuesday. There are still other forces at nature that might be influencing the fatigue and such so I'm really trying to give this stuff a chance.