Disclaimer: I received a BUFF® Tech Fleece Headband as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!
BUFF® Tech Fleece Headband
This BUFF® Tech Fleece headband had been a game changer for me!! But hold on….Let me back up and tell you about this headband and then I will tell you why I love it!!
According to the BUFF® website this is a technical headband for winter wear, the Tech Fleece Headband provides warmth and wind resistance, while drying quickly during high-intensity workouts. This wind-resistant headband made of brushed Carvico fabric, offers optimal protection from both cold and wind.
So what does this mean? It means this headband keeps your ears nice and toasty in the winter and also keeps the sweat off you head which helps keeps you warm as well! In the past I have been a fan of running in a beanie or winter hat but they are not very good at drying quickly and keeping sweat off of your head. So I would end my colder runs with little ice crystals on the outside of my hat where my sweat would actually be freezing!! You can imagine that this isn’t very warm! Also if there is any kind of walk back to the car, wearing a wet from sweat hat would only make me colder!
Having a headband that dries quickly changes the game!! I cant tell you how many times I have been in the middle of a run, my winter hat soaked in sweat, and gotten hit by a big gust of wind that sends a chill down my whole body. I’ve had the chance to wear the BUFF® tech fleece headband on a few chilly runs with some fun wind gusts and having my head covered by a DRY headband means that I am warmer and that makes this runner a fan!
Other things that I love about the BUFF® tech fleece headband:
It’s lightweight
My headphones fit easily under it so I can listen to my music and keep my ears warm
If I decide my ears are to warm it can easily be moved up above my ears
Functional and stylish!
It’s also a good option for chilly mornings waiting for the school bus!
You are going to want a BUFF® tech fleece headband this winter and you can get one at a discount! Sign up for BUFF®emails and receive a 15% off discount code. You can sign up by clicking here
“Disclaimer: I received a pair of Oofos OOahh Project Pink sandals to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!”
I have been mentally writing this blog post for awhile, waiting for a few minutes for life to slow down so I could sit down and type out my thoughts. At first my thoughts were focused on all of the ways that Oofos helps tired, sore and stressed muscles feel recharged and recovered. They use OOfoam™ technology and they absorb 37% more impact than traditional foam footwear materials for the perfect blend of cushion and stability. (Per Oofos website Check it out!)
But over the last few weeks I have learned so much more about this company and how personal the Project Pink cause is for Oofos. In October of 2014, brand leader and marketing director, Duncan, was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. She began treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. Oofos has made a commitment to donate 3% of every purchase made at Oofos.com to the Dana-Farber Cancer institute where Duncan received her treatment. That is 3% of EVERY SINGLE PURCHASE made at Oofos.com – YEAR ROUND!! I can only imagine the impact that this commitment is making for the patients receiving treatment and for the research into medical breakthroughs that can help patients just like Duncan.
I think we all know people who have been affected by breast cancer. I have friends and family who have fought hard after hearing those words confirming a scary diagnosis that brings questions and fear. We all wish there was something more we could do to support the women and men who are literally fighting for their lives. This incredible commitment from Oofos and that 3% of every purchase that they are donating to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is their way of doing more for these patients.
I am now the owner of two very comfortable pairs of Oofos! They are my go to pair of shoes after every run. My husband, who spectates most of my runs with the kiddos, will secretly put a pair of my Oofos in his backpack and produce them like a magician when its time to make that walk from the finish line back to the car. He understands why I love these sandals so much, probably because he also has a pair of Oofos and knows first hand how comfortable they are. I am now looking at adding a pair of closed toe Oofos shoes to my collection that I can wear to work with my scrubs! Knowing that my next Oofos purchase will support their commitment to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, means that not only will my legs and feet feel good, but my heart will as well!!!
Check out what other Bibrave Pros are saying about Oofos:
The Tour de La Porte is a walking, running and biking event that benefits patients with cancer in La Porte, Indiana. According to the race’s website the event started in 2002 and has raised $709, 348 and has helped 1,095 cancer patients. I had the opportunity to meet the founder of this race, Larry Noel, as I was sitting at a picnic table Friday night recovering from the 5K trail race that I had just run. He told me about starting the event as a biking event and how it had grown over the years. He expressed gratitude that we had traveled over 3.5 hours to participate and then gave me 3 rubber Tour de La Porte bracelets to give the kids.
Talking with Mr Noel made me want to do a little more research on this event and how it got started. I read an article that was shared by the event, that gave a little bit of background and then highlighted stories of a few of the participants. Read this story from La Porte County Life here. I also found an article from 2012, also from La Porte County Life, that tells more of Mr Noel’s story and why he felt so strongly about helping those with cancer (he had several family members affected) and why he chose a bike riding event (that later added a 5K, 10K and half marathon). It’s a great article. Check it out here
My conversation with Mr Noel Friday evening is a good illustration of how this event captured first the attention of my best running friend, Mindy, and then my attention when she invited me to run it with her the second time she returned. As I mentioned, La Porte, IN is approx a 3.5 hour drive (longer with kids) and with a 6:30 am CST half marathon start time, staying overnight is a must. The fact that the event also offers a 5K trail run the night before the half marathon makes driving up there Friday afternoon and staying overnight a fun trip! The kids also love swimming in the indoor pool at the hotel, so it really is like a little mini family vacay!
The 5K trail race on Friday night is not chipped time. It starts in the grass on the side of one of the roads in the park where all the events start and finish, runs across the sand on the beach of the lake, and then heads into the wooded trails. The event organizers do a good job of marking the trail with colored banners and have spray painted the roots in the path with the same color paint making it easy to follow the course. This was particularly helpful as I ran alone this year and tend to get lost easily. The lead pack of runners took off and I lost them pretty quickly after entering the woods but I was still ahead enough of the runners behind me that I was alone for a good portion of the course. The trails are beautiful in this part of the state and there are definitely some good hills that left me pretty breathless going up them. There was one water stop on the course and several volunteers at places on the course where someone may make a wrong turn. The only negative thing is that the course is not truly a 5K (this was the same last year) and my watch states it was 2.78 miles but being out in a park in the woods it is also possible that my Garmin’s measurement of the distance was not accurate as well. I only stumbled once on the course and was able to catch myself (all the core work I’m doing!) without falling! Zero falls on a trail run is a pretty good day for me, but then as I was sitting recovering and chatting with Mr Noel, I heard my name called as the 3rd place finisher in my age group! That was definitely a pleasant surprise!!
Then it was back to the hotel for swimming, dinner and bed as Saturday’s wake up call was going to be early. (Little did we know how early as our son had his watch alarm set for 4:30 am which happened to be 3:30 am in a different time zone, but that’s a story for another time) The start line of the half marathon is on the street that turns into the park and offers beautiful views of a Pine Lake (and it was gorgeous watching the sun come up!). The route is marked by signs and coordinating colors by race. It was announced several times that the half marathoners were the ORANGE route but honestly there was adequate signage and so many volunteers that I never needed to rely on the colored markers on the street, although I did see them!
Lake at the start line of the Half Marathon
One thing that has stood out to me about this course the last 2 years that I have done this race is the hills. They aren’t huge mountain hills or anything, I think I would call them more like rolling hills, but they just seem to be on every mile of the course. I am certain we ran some flat areas but there were so many times when I got to the bottom of one hill just to find that it was time to start climbing the next one. Again these are not the types of hills you find in some other races that are known for the big hills, these are completely runnable (if that’s a word) but they were definitely noticed! There were aid stations about every 2 miles just as stated by the guy with the microphone at the start line, and I also carried my hand held water bottle with me.
Elevation and with pace overlay
The course runs through what I would consider more of a residential area, although not a neighborhood – the roads were more like county roads, no sidewalks, etc but also no farm land to be seen, just beautiful houses with nice big yards in what seemed like it would be a quiet place to live. Then I would guess somewhere between mile 3 and 4 we made a right turn and headed out further on to county roads where there were some cornfields sprinkled in with the houses. The course was mainly closed to traffic but the people that lived along the route needed access to and from their homes (I totally get that) and so there were a few instances where you would hear people yelling from behind you to get over because a car was coming. Never did a feel that the drivers of these cars were impatient and I felt like they carefully maneuvered through the runners with safety in mind.
Half Marathon course map
This part of the course makes a circle that connects back to the first part of the course around mile 10 and then takes runners back to the park on the other side that gave us the opportunity to run around Stone Lake which was also very beautiful! This lake has the beach that we ran on during the trail run and also has a playground where I later found out my kids were playing when I came around the lake and could see me running from across the lake. The finish line is at Cummings Lodge where there was cold water and lots of food waiting! I felt a surge of excitement coming around that lake to the finish and felt like I finished strong. I found a nice place on the curb to sit after I finished to catch my breath and drink some water and was able to catch the award ceremony for the 5K, 10K and half marathon. The overall winners took home golden shoe trophies that looked like a legit running shoe that someone had spray painted gold and mounted to a base. I’m sure my description isn’t great but it was one of the coolest awards I’ve seen. I will share a picture posted by the race photographers, because I’m pretty sure you guys will love them too. I am nowhere near fast enough to earn one of these, but I sure can admire them!
Finishing strong!Resting after finishing!Awards for overall winners! So cool!!!
After the last runners from the half marathon finished, it was time for the mini fun run that was a race for kids ages 4-8 that cost $1 per kid!! First of all, how awesome is that? Most races that offer runs for kids have a cost that is more like $10-$20 per kid and with 3 kids that really adds up. The kids ran by age group which means Sawyer and Stella ran together and man was I impressed! They were in it to win it, taking 2nd and 3rd place! Every kid that ran got a cute little medal, beach ball and sand bucket with beach toys. So cool! After the fun run we started to head back to the car and we were approached by a La Porte police officer (I recognized this guy because he had been at an intersection on the course and was very interactive with the runners, yelling out encouragement!) He took the kids to his car where he gave the boys each a football and Stella a teddy bear (which she still sleeps with a week later)! I did not catch this Officer’s name but his kindness will always be remembered.
Kids Fun Run!!!!
Can you tell why this is a race that is worth the drive? It has a very small town feel but both years I have felt very supported as a runner! Next year I think it would be fun if we stayed an extra day and Justin did some miles on his bike! Then we could have the whole Tour de La Porte experience!!!
There are 2 things that I think that the readers of this blog should know about me. The first is that I like to challenge myself to do hard things and the second is that I can be talked into just about any race is they are offering the right kind of swag. These two things are what led me to find myself at the start line of Beaver Chase Urban Trail half marathon earlier this month. Racemaker, the company that hosts the race, has hosted several races that I have done in the past and they always do a fantastic job. Once I saw the participant shirts and finisher medal’s, I knew this is a race that I wanted to participate in.
Beaver Chase Urban Trail race participant shirt and medal!!!
The issue with this race is the course. It is on two cross country courses connected by the Urban Wilderness Trail and also has about a 1K section that runs through a wooded path. So the course is all grass, sand, and crushed limestone, with several “obstacles” such as logs, rocks, concrete barrier things and a couple pretty huge hills. There was not one step of this course that was on pavement. I have actually ran on this course before (during last year’s Turkey Trifecta) and knew that it is a tough course to run on. For me personally it seems to be particularly hard on my ankles and knees,
This race consisted of a quarter marathon (6.55 miles) loop that the half marathon runners ran twice and the full marathon runners ran 4 times. My first loop went fairly well. I started by twisting through a cross country course that ran toward the wooded section. Once I ran down the hill into the wooded section I hit a path that was mostly sand. I felt like I was still able to keep up a pretty good pace through this area but did have to slow down a little to climb over a some pretty large logs. Once leaving the wooded area I met the first large hill that I needed to climb. I had to walk up this hill as it was pretty steep. Once at the top of the hill, I found myself back on the course country course and made my way back toward the start line. Once I got almost back to the start area, the course then went back down a hill similar to the size and steepness of the one I had climbed coming out of the wooded area.
This picture was taken by my hubby while I was on the first cross country course. This was the flattest and most even terrain of the course!
At the bottom of the hill was the Urban Wilderness Trail. This is mainly crushed limestone but did have some challenging areas that included some large rocks and other uneven surfaces. I found myself on this trail for a good little while (don’t ask me the mileage haha) until finally I found myself at the entrance of the second cross country course. This course had ground that was a lot more uneven than the first one and also had a couple hills (although nothing like the first one that I had climbed!) There was a spot on the course where I could see the water station at the entrance/exit to the course and thought I was close to returning to the crushed limestone and start heading back to the start area, only to find that the course made another turn and went out further than I had thought.
I did finally make it out of the second cross country course though and made my return to the start area on the Urban Wilderness Trail. This is the part of the trail that I struggled with most on both of my loops. We ran this same trail on the way out to the course and so I don’t know if running to right side of the way back to let others pass made the return trip back tougher but the ground felt super uneven and I felt my foot landing in holes, etc. When I made it back to where I could hear the finish line and knew I was close, I was met with one more large hill to climb up. I finished my first loop in 1:10:28 and set out on lap number 2.
Sometimes the hill wins!
My second lap was pretty uneventful and I finished it in 1:24:50. In the last two miles I found myself arguing with myself in my head because part of me really wanted to walk but the other part of me just wanted to keep running so I could get to the finish line and eat something. I carried several gels with me and intended to take as I do for most half marathons but I never really felt comfortable enough to take my attention off of my footing because I did not want to fall (and ya’ll that know me know that I am good at falling when I run!) My official finish time was 2:35:19 and I am thrilled with that time especially with the difficulty level of this course!!! I have some fast friends too and my friend Heather placed 1st in our age group! It was great to see so many friendly faces out on the course and that has become one of my favorite parts of being part of the running community locally!
No matter how challenging the race is, you still gotta rock that finish lineRunning is always better with friends and photo bombers
So while this course was challenging and one that I was not super looking forward to tackling, I have to say that it wasn’t as bad as I had thought and the race swag and miles earned were well worth it!!!
If you know me, you know that I am not someone that scares easily. Maybe its because I’m a little crazy. Maybe it’s because I don’t learn from my mistakes. Or maybe it is because I just don’t back down from a challenge, I’m not really quite sure to be honest. I started trail running in the worst possible way last year. I ran my first ever trail run at the Summer Night trail half marathon. Yep. You read that correctly. My first ever trail run ever, meaning I had never ever ran on a trail before that half marathon even in training. And it was at night. Well if that wasn’t stupid, I don’t know what was and it was quite the experience. My best running friend ran the first loop with me (see she was smart enough to just sign up for the quarter marathon) which left me running the second loop alone in the dark with just my head lamp. There was quite a bit of falling because you can’t watch your feet for roots and tree branches and in front of you to see where you are going at the same time with just a head lamp in the dark. When I finished (and yes I was super proud of myself for finishing!) I vowed I would never do another trail run again.
Until the following month I found myself running the quarter marathon at the Women’s Trail run which wasn’t as awful when the sun was shining and you could see where you were going and so I then registered for the Eagle Creek Trail Half Marathon. I was pumped to run it! Even better my best running friend, Mindy was tackling the trails with me once again. The terrain was a little tougher and steeper than we had experienced the 2 previous trails runs we had done but things were going overall pretty well until mile 3 and that is when we met up with the GUARDRAIL. There is a part of the course that runs on the road until it turns back onto the trails but you must climb over the guardrail to get to the road. I was ready and went to go over the guardrail with gusto and felt my right leg slip in some mud. This caused my shin to hit the back of the guardrail pretty hard and gave me a pretty nasty wound. Long story short we had to go back a short distance to the ambulance to get bandages for my leg and then we were able to finish the race. I have had many people tell me that they are surprised that I was able to run 10 more miles after this injury. Although this stung, it did not hurt to run. If it had hurt to run, I would have listened to my body and stopped running!!!!!!!!!!!!! WARNING………………….. I will share a picture of my leg after it hit the guardrail but it may be difficult for some to see
Leg versus guardrail
Yesterday I tackled the Eagle Creek trail half marathon once again. I knew I could not let that guardrail get the best of me. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised to see that there have been some changes made and there is a beautiful new bridge that connects this particular part of the park to the road and climbing the guardrail is no longer a necessity.
New BridgeHad to take a selfie with my old friend
My goal was to finish in under 3 hours and my official finish time was 2:52:15 which gave me 4th place in my age group. I’m pretty happy with that!!
And check out this beautiful medal!!!
So call me crazy but I would say that not letting the accident with guardrail keep me from getting out there again this year worked out for me and made for a really enjoyable and successful day! Now to decide if I have what it takes to tackle a trail full marathon next year!?!?!?!??
Growing up, I never wanted to be a runner. I was always a little over weight, never an athlete, and I never really enjoyed physical activity. This continued as I went off to college, started my career as a nurse, married my amazing husband and had our 3 beautiful children. In 2016 my weight was the highest it had ever been and I felt like my health was the worst it had ever been and with lots of research, prayer and talking with my doctor, I underwent gastric sleeve bariatric surgery. Now over 3 years later I am maintaining an almost 100 lb weight loss and feel like I am in the best health of my life.
So what does my weight loss story have to do with running? I knew I wanted to be active after my surgery and from the moment the surgeon said it was ok, I was at the gym walking on the treadmill. About 5 months after my surgery I got a text message from my mom asking if I wanted to run a half marathon with her that November which would give me approx 5 months to train. I kind of laughed at her (I mean I couldn’t run for a minute and I sure as heck was not a runner!) but sure I would give it a try with the disclaimer that I would likely have to walk most of it.
The very next day I went out and started trying to run as far as a could. That first day I ran for 37 secs before I had to stop and walk. But I kept going. And I went out the next day and the next day until several weeks later I could run a mile without stopping. I was so pumped. That was a big deal!! But it was still a far cry from the 13.1 miles I would need to complete in November.
In late summer Mom had invited me to accompany her on one of her 3 mile training runs. At this point, I had still not run much more than a mile without stopping and wasn’t sure I could do 3 but I don’t turn down time with my mom, so I agreed to meet her. We set out, ran and talked, and before I knew it we were finishing our 3 mile run!! I could not believe it! I had just run 3 miles when I was certain that I was not capable of it. Obviously my mind was holding me back more than my legs or lungs! Mom then told me she was doing her long run of 7 miles that Saturday and invited me to join her. I was hesitant, again letting my mind doubt my ability, but agreed to meet her for the run.
I woke up on the morning of the 7 mile long run to pouring rain. I texted Mom and asked her if she was still running and she said she was but that I didn’t have to join her in the rain if I didn’t want to. Well shoot, of course I had to! So off we went, running 7 miles in the rain, and again I was so surprised that I was able to run that distance. This is when it really clicked for me and I started telling myself, you are a runner! My training really picked up and I found myself running more miles by myself than I ever had (even running several miles a day on a family vacation in Florida!! Seriously who was I becoming??)
Mom and I had one more long run before our half and it was a 10 mile run. This distance really intimidated me and I wasn’t sure why. We met early one morning, planned our route, and set off. It was tough but man when we finished it felt amazing!! (And breakfast never tasted so good!!)
In November 2016 I ran my first half marathon at the Monumental Marathon in Indianapolis with Mom and it was the most incredible experience! I loved everything about it and was truly bitten by the running bug!! I knew after that day that I wanted running and races to be part of my life!!! Since that first race in 2016 I have now completed 25 half marathons and 3 full marathons (along with countless 5Ks). Mom no longer runs but remains one of my biggest cheerleaders along with my husband and kids!! And I’ve met some incredible friends through running!!! I’m so thankful for the ability to run and for what it’s brought to my life!
Sometimes my husband and kids even get in on the fun of running!!!!
I hope to use this blog to share my running adventures (good and bad), along with tips and tricks that I have found helpful, and anything else running related!! Thanks for reading!!
Lisha Runs Life 