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  It’s the first weekend in May, and today I’m taking my coffee into the runfessional with me! I’m linking up with Marcia for a belated Runfessions, and with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date! And heck, while I’m at it, I’m also linking up with Meranda and Lacey for the Friday Five! Over coffee, I would runfess to you that even though Chicago is my hometown and I will always claim the Chicago Marathon to be my favorite, London was absolutely amazing and might just be my secret favorite! The crowds, the sights, and the atmosphere were unbelievable, and I am stillRead More →

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  Hey! Who wants to go streaking with me? OK, not THAT kind of streaking – how about a running streak? Today is May 1st, also known as Day 1 of the BibRave Strava Run Streak! It will be fun, easy to do, and best of all, it’s free! All you have to do is join, then run or walk at least one mile every day in May. That’s it! Here’s how to join in on the fun: If you are not already on Strava (and why the heck aren’t you?), you can join here for free. You can also upgrade to the premium version (Summit)Read More →

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  Disclaimer:  I received AfterShokz Trekz Air bone conduction headphones 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’ve been wanting to try AfterShokz for quite some time. Then when I ran the Surf City Half Marathon in February, the person I was with was wearing a pair. At some point during the race I asked if she had them turned on, since I never heard music coming from them and we were conversing with each other pretty much the entire time. She said sheRead More →

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  Disclaimer:  I received a pair of Shady Rays Sunglasses 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. In a shocking development, the sun has finally made its appearance in the midwest, making this the perfect time to try out a new pair of shades! I have not historically been very good about protecting my eyes from the sun, but the older I get the more I realize how important it is to do everything I can to help keep my vision sharp. I hadRead More →

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  This post contains affiliate links It’s official! Spring has finally sprung! The brutally-cold temperatures in Chicago this winter have kept most of my runs indoors, but with the milder temperatures FINALLY within view, it’s time to do a gear-check to make sure I’m ready for the spring running season. Here are some of my top picks for this year. I am happy to be able to share a few discount codes for some of them with you!   You know I’m all about safety, and with Daylight Savings comes dark early-morning runs. I have historically run alone, which means I pack a few extra safetyRead More →

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  Happy Monday! I would like to say that spring has sprung, but we are still dealing with frigid temperatures here in the midwest. I took most of my runs to the treadmill this past week, which is fine by me. I joined Deborah‘s March into Fitness challenge on RunBet, and it has done wonders for my motivation. Is it the accountability to the group, or is it the risk of losing money? In either case, it’s kept me moving. Here’s how the week went down: Monday:  A chilly 3 mile walk around the neighborhood Tuesday:  5.1 mile run/walk intervals outside on our one-and-only decent-weather dayRead More →

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  Disclaimer:  I received the Addaday Pro Massage Roller 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 first learned about foam rolling when my kids were running cross country and track during their high school years. I’d play around with their rollers here and there, but I was never too religious about it. A few years later, due to poor mechanics and far too many hours sitting at a computer, I developed some numbness and tingling in my arms because of tight muscles and pinchedRead More →

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    Happy Tuesday and welcome to another installment of Tuesday Topics! Special thanks to Kim and Zenaida for keeping the Tuesday linkup alive in it’s new format! If you’d like to join along, just follow this link for the linkup rules and a list of upcoming topics. Today’s topic is What’s on Your Running Wish List? So let’s start, shall we?           First on my list would be a new treadmill (hey, go big or go home, right?)  Winter in Chicago this year has made me appreciate mine more than ever, but it’s 19 years old and I know its daysRead More →

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    I haven’t written a Weekly Wrap in a while because quite frankly, I haven’t had much to wrap up! But given that this is the last Wrap in Wendy and Holly‘s linkup, I felt obliged to throw my hat into the final ring. London is just nine weeks away and between the ice cold winter and my crazy travel schedule, I haven’t done much running since the first of the year. Because I hadn’t been at it in a while, I decided to just walk on my treadmill last Sunday to help get myself back on track. I walked three miles and it felt greatRead More →

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It’s the last Friday of the month, and that means it’s time to open up the Runfessional! I’m linking up with Marcia from Marcia’s Healthy Slice for another Runfessions session! I have to runfess, I’m over winter. The snow hasn’t been horrible (yet), but we’ve dealt with some brutal cold here in the midwest and I’ve had enough. We hit 40 degrees today and it felt like a heat wave. The London Marathon is in just over nine weeks. I must runfess, that eight-hour time limit does nothing for my motivation to train. I’m trying to be good about it, but you know me. I runfess, my crazy business travel lastRead More →