Guest Fits: What It's Like to Run Hood to Coast...While Living in the Cayman Islands!

I have a fun guest post today from my friend Phil. I actually met Phil through work. Like me, Phil works in the financial industry, but I'm thinking that his true calling is definitely marathons!

Phil is originally from England but has lived in the Cayman Islands (lucky!) since 1995 with his wife Claire and their dog Sydney. Phil ran his first (and what was supposed to be only) marathon in 2007, the fateful Chicago race that was closed down {I ran this race too- it was terrible!} Phil only signed up to run Chicago as a bucket list item upon turning 40. But now Phil has run TWELVE marathons, including a marathon on all seven continents.  <-- So impressive!

Prior to running his first marathon at age 40, Phil claims that he was not a runner of any description whatsoever.  Now he has accomplished so much (all seven continents is quite a feat!). Next, he is working on completing the World Marathon Majors, with Berlin this fall (Phil- don't forget to read my recap HERE for some tips!) and then Tokyo and, hopefully, Boston in 2015.

Okay, that was a lengthy introduction, but Phil is an accomplished man who deserves a long intro!

He could probably do all kinds of guest posts about running a marathon in places like Antactica, but today he's guest blogging for you about his experience running the Hood To Coast relay.

Here you go- enjoy!

From Phil:
A couple of years ago I was invited to run Hood To Coast in a team with some running friends.  I signed up without really knowing what it was all about. Having failed to get a spot for the 2013 race, we got lucky for the following year.  So, fast forward to August 2014 and I now realise that Hood To Coast is a big deal.  A very big deal.

For those that are not familiar with the race, it markets itself as the Mother of All Relays:  a 197 mile, 36 leg, relay race in Oregon from Mount Hood to Seaside on the Pacific Coast.   Whilst there are related races for walkers and high school students, the relay proper has some 1,000+ teams, each with 8-12 runners, and assisted by hundreds of marshals along the way.

Living overseas (in the Cayman Islands), my role in planning and organization was limited to booking flights and sending money when asked. But for the team captain, it appeared to be a mammoth task involving booking hotels, sourcing minivans, stocking up on water, snacks, tents, lights, maps, chairs, sleeping bags and a host of other things.  Minivans seem to be a major issue:  pretty much every van in the Portland area gets rented for the weekend.

Whilst there are various strategies for those teams looking to win their categories, the more social teams adopt a standard approach of 2 vans, 6 runners per van.  Some teams switch around the driving between the runners, but we had an additional driver in each van.

The relay kicked off Friday morning, and waves of runners left for the next 12 hours:  our slot was 8.30am, and so Van #1 headed off to Timberline Lodge (used for outside hotel shots in The Shining, for the movie geeks) and, as Van #2, we headed off to the first exchange point:  Runners in Van #1 do legs 1-6, exchange to Van #2, who then do legs 7-12, back to Van #1 and so on. 

Arriving at the end of leg 6 we encountered for the 1^st time something we would become familiar with for the next 30 hours:  traffic jams.  Minivans of all shapes and sizes, and hundreds of runners, filled up every patch of ground, and it was quickly obvious that most teams view the race as a social and fun event, not a serious time challenge.  Jams were the norm for the rest of the race, including the Mother of All Jams leading into exchange 24-25, where even the marshals confessed that they had not seen it as bad before.

Living in Grand Cayman, and thus running at sea level and with minimal elevation, I was given legs 9, 21 and 33:  not much in the way of climbs, albeit the 2^nd longest distance of any set.  Other legs involved either a) steep descents (legs 1 and 2 being down the side of Mount Hood from ~5,600 feet above sea level) or b) lung-busting climbs.  A few runners were unlucky enough to get c) all of the above!

197 miles and about 30 hours in the van means that a portion of the race is through the night, and after finishing leg 12 in Portland and grabbing a quick dinner, we drove out to middle of nowhere and made camp for the night:  camp involving a sleep-mat in the middle of a field, with no tent, next to porta-loos, deafened by race marshals calling out arriving runners, and the constant din of vans arriving and departing.  

Suffice to say it was not the best 2 hours sleep of our lives.   Still, at 1am our team-mate arrived, we sent off our runner and headed off into the night, with my own leg kicking off around 3am, being 5miles downhill all the way.

We picked up our 3^rd set of legs mid-afternoon in the Oregon countryside, and mine was 7.7 miles of rolling hills in the sunshine:  with hills rather than heat being the source of misery for me.

The race finishes on the beach at Seaside, Oregon (home to a Lewis and Clark monument for the history geeks):  the population of the town is less than 7,000, and so you can imagine how overrun the place gets as thousands upon thousands of runners, friends and crew converge for the day.   Each team is allowed to finish as a group, held in corrals until being called forward one at a time:  it makes the finish feel a little forced, but ensures good and obvious photo-opportunities.  And, if nothing else, getting out of the van for a shower was a welcome change….

All in all, Hood To Coast was a great experience:  thoroughly glad I got to take part, and if you ever get a chance to run, grab it.

There you have it- Phil's recap of Hood to Coast. It sounds like a really cool experience that I hope I can participate in one day!

...I don't know about you, but I think I'd like to know more about training for all these marathons while living on the Cayman Islands, right? I think he told me that he has to get up to run around 3 am for his long runs to beat the heat. Very impressive!

Thanks again for sharing Phil!

Tilda Tuesdays: Run MSP Hoodies...for Dogs!

Last fall, I posted about my favorite tees, the Run MSP tees from Gear Running Store. (Check out that post HERE). I love this tee- so cute and comfy. One of my personal favorites!

I happened to swing by Gear Running Store on my way home from work a few weeks ago for some more Hammer Gels and I saw that they are now carrying Run MSP hoodies...for DOGS!!! Well, of course I bought one.

Yes! You know you want one for your dog. 

Tilda's sweatshirt was a size large. They carry a variety of sizes from x-small to x-large. They only cost $18, so even though I don't know how much she'll actually wear it...why not? I mean, Matilda runs MSP just as much as I do!

Just chilling in her hoodie on her bench...

This sweatshirt is legit. It has a hood and a zipper. It has a hole in the top for your dog's leash to come out.

She loves it...

I suppose that Matilda is still growing to love her Run MSP sweatshirt, but I am still loving mine. We're twinsies!

If you can't make it to Gear Running Store to buy one of these, you can call and order over the phone. 

Run MSP for dogs- its what's hot in dog fashion for fall!

Right Fit Giveaway- Two BIC Band Minnies for YOU!

Great news! I ordered 25 more Calhoun Beach Running Club BIC bands for my running club. Sandy at BIC bands kept the custom material on hand so that I could order more as I needed them. Since she already had the material, I placed my order just over a week ago and they arrived on Friday. So fast- amazing service!

Send me a message if you want to buy one, runners!

BIC Bands is a great company- here is a little bit of background information from owner/founder Sandy from their website:

"These amazing headbands started all as a fundraiser for my run with Team In Training. I was looking for a way to raise the necessary funds to run my first half marathon. I had started to make some handy dandy headband that didn't slip because I was cheap and crafty~ friends said they'd buy them, so I decided to try my hand at making and selling them. My small little venture began and I started sewing. I donated the profits to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society....Because B.I.C. Bands were been such a hit after my race, I decided to keep making and selling the bands, and keep giving back to those in need!

From the beginning days of making B.I.C. Bands for my run with Team In Training, giving back has been at the heart of the business. Each month we donate from the sale of every band to a different charity. Check out the facebook page to see who we're helping this month!

These bands don't slip- SERIOUSLY!!! The magic lining of these little guys stick to your hair. And as an added bonus~ they're soft and stretchy, working hard to not give you a headache

YES! B.I.C. Bands are washable. It's recommended that you hand wash it. Or, you can wear it straight into the shower after your workout! Rinse it out and hang it up to dry!

Go like BIC Bands on facebook: facebook.com/bicbands 

I have BIC Bands in my own collection in all different sizes- thick, thin, skinny, and minnie; I'm wearing a minnie in the below picture.

The "minnies" are my new favorite BIC bands. I only have a couple, but I am reaching for the minnies more frequently than the others when heading out for a run (and if you read my Race Gear post, you know that I can't run without a BIC Band!) I'm grabbing the minnies for no particular reason- they all work the same, but I am especially liking the look of the minnies lately!

And I hope you are liking them too, as Sandy from BIC Bands was nice enough to give me two extra minnies to give away to one of you!

One is a sparkly minnie in light blue and the other is a striped pink/black/green one.

So how do you win? Comment here on the blog and tell me two things:

1) Tell me about another blog that you read (it doesn't have to be fitness related, but I'd love hear about those of course!)

2) Tell me where will you wear your new minnie BIC Bands if you win- a run? a barre class? a walk with the pup?

The winner will be chosen by random drawing a week from today. Post away!

Weekly Recap: Running, Outdoor Yoga, and an Upcoming Giveaway.

Welcome to Sunday and another weekly recap of what's happening at the Right Fits in Fitness and Fitness Fashion!

Let's start with fitness this past week...

Monday: 60 minute barre class in the morning at The Barre and then 7 miles easy with Matilda in the evening. During our run, we ran past an accordion player on Lake Calhoun and Tilda freaked out. She froze in her tracks and wouldn't move past the guy, even when he stopped playing the accordion. Eventually, I had to pick her up and carry her past...what a wimp!

Tuesday: 9.5 miles at the track. Our run club met at a local high school track. We did 2 miles to warm up and then our workout was a ladder: 800, 1200, 1600, 1600, 1200, 800 (i.e. 2 laps, 3 laps, 4 laps). After each one, we did a lap easy.  I took the time for this workout to look up my goal paces on the McMillan calculator and then calculated what that would be per lap. Having the lap time really helped me stay with my goal paces. I would call this workout a success! I hit all the goal times for it, and felt good. We did about a one mile cool down at the end for about 9.5 miles (Dustin said he ended up with 10 miles, but I think he did a longer cool down) Not too shabby for a Tuesday night. I really liked running this workout on the track versus between "the bridges" where we often do the speed workouts. It made it go by really quickly!

Wednesday: I met up with a friend for an easy 4 mile run and then we took Meggan's outdoor yoga class at Lake of the Isles. On our run, we saw this HUGE snapping turtle along the Isles/Calhoun connector. People were warning us to stay away as it would bite, but my thought was- sure, I might be slow, but hopefully I can outrun a turtle right??

The yoga class was the last one of the summer...so sad. It was a lovely class, though the mosquitoes were terrible! Next time, I will bring loads of bug spray, long sleeves, and maybe my own citronella candle.

Thursday: 8 miles in the morning with a few friends. I had a "variety speed' workout, which was 6-5-4-3-2-1. For this workout, we did a 2 mile warmup, and then 6 miles at 6 mile race pace with 3 minutes slow, then 5 minutes at 5 mile race pace with 2.5 miles slow, then 4 minutes at 4 mile race pace, etc, etc, all the way down to 1 minute at 1 mile pace.  It was an easier workout than Tuesday's track workout. But that was a good thing, as my legs were pretty tired. By the way, we ran up on a mama raccoon and her babies during this run- quite the week of wildlife in Minneapolis! After work, I did a 1 hour strength conditioning class at Balance Fitness.

Friday: Complete rest. Much needed.

Saturday: 18 mile long run with the Calhoun Beach Running Club

Sunday: easy 4 mile run with Dustin and Matilda

Summary: It was a big running week and the first time I hit 50 miles for this training season. I still managed to take one full rest day and I squeezed in a 1 yoga class, 1 barre, and 1 strength session.

What's happening in Fitness Fashion?
I have a fun fitness fashion related GIVEAWAY happening tomorrow on the blog so please stay tuned...let me just tell you that it involves BIC Bands. Check back tomorrow!

Fit Tip Friday: Race Day Gear!

Last night's webinar with Nathan of Minneapolis Running (and me) was all about Race Day Gear.

If you're training for the Twin Cities Marathon (or any fall marathon), I think these tips will be helpful as you start to finalize your gear for the big day.

I'll share the video of our webinar soon, but I thought I could recap here for Fit Tip Friday just a few of the things that we talked about. You should definitely check out the webinar as soon as its available as it will have even more good information. Stay tuned!

What to Wear During the Race:

Rule #1- Test Out Your Entire Race Day Outfit.

Don't try anything new on race day.

Have every detail planned out- socks, shoes, shorts, sports bra, tank, etc.

Shoes: Race Day Gear is about more than shoes, but shoes are still very important.

I am a Brooks Ravennas girl. I always buy a new pair of my same shoe a few weeks before the marathon, ideally in time for my last big run. This way my shoes are "fresh" but I have time to break them in a little bit before race day. 

Do not wear a brand new pair of shoes on race day, even if it’s the same shoe you always wear. You still need time to break them in and you never know that they will be the exact same shoe. 

Extra Shoe Tip! Double-knot your shoes on race day! You do not want to have to bend over and tie them at mile 24….you might not bend back up! Check out THIS POST on Minneapolis Running on how to tie your shoes.

Fuel belt:  If it's really hot or you have been training with a fuel belt or a handheld water bottle, feel free to carry it on race day. However, I do think there will be plenty of support along the TCM course that you won’t necessarily need it, but go with what makes you more comfortable. 

A long cabin run with my fuel belt

SPI Belt for gels or a belt for pinning on your bib number:

Sometimes I use a little “fanny pack” for my gels if I don’t have enough room in my shorts pockets. A lot of people in my run club also use the belts for pinning on their bib numbers, especially if they are planning to shed layers or go shirtless (which is a whole other debate HERE) 

Do plan ahead if you plan to shed so your bib is on the bottom layer.

For the Ladies only…

Ladies...the most important piece of apparel in my opinion, other than a good pair of running shoes, is a good sports bra. Big or small, it doesn’t matter- a good sports bra can make a huge difference over 26.2 miles of bouncing around.

Moving Comfort is one of the best in the business, and most running stores that carry that brand have the knowledge to size you correctly in a bra that is perfect for you. (I know Running Room in Uptown definitely does). I have also had good luck (and so have a lot of my friends) with the lululemon bras (the Bitty Bracer, the Ta Ta tamer- the names are fun, but they actually work.)

Hair: 

Plan ahead how you are going to keep your hair out of your face. I'm a big fan of BIC bands or Sweaty bands which have velvet on the underneath so that they stay in place. 

Bring an extra hair binder/tie- it would not be fun if your hair tie breaks during the race! I wear an extra one around my wrist just in case.

For the men…

From what I hear…it’s important to put band-aids or a lot of body glide over your nipples.

For everyone…

Body glide- Use it. All over. A lot of it.

If you think you'll want to wear a hat, practice wearing a hat on a long run.

Same with sunglasses.

Worrying About the Weather and What to Wear Before the Race...

For the Twin Cities Marathon, you really never know what to expect with the weather. I ran it on a very hot year and I ran it on a pouring rain year (2008). The past few years, it’s been a perfect 40 or 50 degrees at the start.

Weather Forecast:

Even the 10-day forecast can change drastically. I mean this is Minnesota. Plus, there are some things you can’t control, and the weather is one of them.  All you can control is how you react (mentally) to the weather. If it’s hot you may have to readjust your time goals. If it’s windy, you might have to readjust (unless it's a tail wind, then you're golden!)

In case of rain..

You can start with a poncho and lose it after you warm up.

Visors help in the rain.

Body Glide on your feet to help with the blisters.

Body Glide everywhere when it’s raining.

In case of Sun/Heat:

Sunscreen

Body glide.

In the rain or the cold, you can adjust and still keep the same goal in mind. In the heat, it can be tough. The people who aren’t affected by the heat are few and far between. If it really is hot, you will need to adjust your time goal.

In case of cold:

Ideally, you WILL be cold at the start. The colder the better!

Bring layers- layers to shed in your gear check bag or layers to toss to the sidelines. 

Arm warmers : I have used these for the start and then either tossed them to a friend, or if I have made my own out of tube socks to toss. Some people think the arm warmers look silly, but they really work for me.

Addtional Race Day Gear Tips!
Tell your friends and family what you will be wearing so they know how to spot you in the crowds.

I highly recommend putting your name on your shirt. I use electrical tape in a contrasting color from what I’m wearing. You can write it in marker on your arm. I swear, it will make a HUGE difference.

As an enthusiastic TCM spectator, I also have to tell you that it makes a difference when I can yell “Go Dustin” to a stranger vs. “Go #308” or “Go green shirt guy!”. Give us your name!!!

It will make a huge difference to you as a runner too, I promise. In my 50 state quest, I run a lot of marathons in cities where I don’t have any familiar faces in the crowds and it helps me a lot to have someone cheer “Go Jessie!”. Even at the Berlin marathon, where apparently the “J” sound is not a common one, the cheers of “GO YESSIE” still gave me that extra push.

What to Wear After the Race...

Be sure pack warm dry clothes in your gear check bag- sweat pants, a sweatshirt and maybe a camera or cell phone if you don’t have anyone meeting you at the finish. You will want pictures to document the experience!

My husband likes to pack flip flops, no matter the weather; a more comfortable shoe and fresh socks is a good idea.

Compression Socks
I have tried them during and after a race. I don’t feel that they made a difference for me; however, enough people believe in them that I am not writing them off completely so definitely try them out after the race if you’d like.

Okay- that was a lot of information! If you made it through the whole thing, thanks. I hope you found a useful tip or two to help you on race day!

....don't stop until you make it to the capitol!

Fitting Remarks: A Reflection on my 2014 Minneapolis Summer Bucket List

Labor Day has passed us by, so I suppose I should concede that summer is on it's way out... It doesn't officially end until September 22, but I figure it's time for me to reflect upon my summer bucket list and see how I did. Here we go!

1. Leave  a note for the elf on Lake Harriet. Come back later and search for a personalized response.

Done! I left him a note on a Sunday and came back to see what he had to say a few days later.

I asked him what the secret is to becoming a faster runner like him. He told me below...

The secret to speed is to be a maniac! Good to know. I'll get right on that.

2. Take an outdoor yoga class with the Yoga Garage

Sort of...I wasn't able to take a class with Meggan as the instructor because her Wednesday night class conflicted with the strength conditioning for runners class I took at the Calhoun Beach Club. I was, however, able to take a special morning yoga class with Luminous Yoga with Meggan as another participant!

I also fit in another one of Emily's (of Luminous Yoga) regular classes last Tuesday. It was lovely! Tonight is your last chance for outdoor yoga with The Yoga Garage on Isles (Wednesday at 6:30 pm).

3. Bike to SeaSalt Eatery

Done! We did this over Labor Day weekend.  The line for food was crazy long, but it was worth it. I loved my shrimp tacos and we also shared some pickled herring.

I think I get bonus points as we also made it to Sandcastle on Lake Nokomis this summer (Doug Flicker's joint). We had never been here before and stopped by for lunch after checking out the Wiener Dog races on Labor Day weekend.

4. Stand-up paddleboard

Sort of...We paddleboarded quite a bit at the cabin this summer...

...but never in Minneapolis, which is a  bit of a fail, especially because we even bought one of THESE to pull the boards behind our bikes. We'll be ready for next summer I suppose!

5. Spend an afternoon on the Relaxation Station

Done! I definitely accomplished this at the cabin this summer. But the new star of the lake was the fun station. Not quite as relaxing as the relaxation station but it’s good to know we have a station for every necessary cabin emotion...

6. See a bear

Fail. No bears. My spellcheck changed that to beers. There were plenty of beers this summer, but no bears.

7. Make it to a Twins Game. Bonus Points- take a Nice Ride bike to get there. Extra Bonus points: Get on the kiss cam!

 I did this twice- once with my work team and once with Dustin in the Legends Club. No bonus points though. That would have been pretty awkward to get on the kiss cam with my work team, right?

8. Go to a church supper in a small town- preferably a lutefisk dinner

Fail. I had planned to go to strawberry festival in Little Cannon Falls, but we had the wrong weekend and missed it completely. I did, however, participate in a small town 5k! That should count for half a point, maybe?

9. Catch a pike or another “big” fish. (A Muskie would be bonus points!)

Fail. I don't even think I picked up a fishing pole but I did put a worm on a hook for one of my nephews. That should count for something!

10. Eat something on a stick at the Minnesota State Fair.

Not quite. Dustin and I made our yearly trek to the fair (read all about it HERE), but I never actually had anything on a stick. Even if I had tried, I sure couldn't have eaten as many items on a stick as THIS GIRL <-- holy cow, that's impressive! But I did get a full fair experience, minus the actual something-on-a-stick.

12. Attend a summer concert at the Lake Harriet bandshell

Done. We walked over there a few weekends ago for some music. It was so lovely! Sometimes I forget how beautiful Lake Harriet is, but this was a timely reminder.

13. Pick a winner of Best Jucy Lucy between the 5-8 Club and Matt’s Bar.

Done! I went to the 5-8 Club for the first time a few weekends ago. I have to admit their Jucy Lucy was really good. It's such a tough call, I don't know which one is better! I think they are both awesome. So maybe I didn't actually pick a winner, but at least I have tried them both and can have an opinion.

14. See an outdoor movie in the park.

Fail...I had high hopes of going to see Back to the Future at the Linden Hills park in August, but something came up and it didn't fit in my schedule.  I'll have to try again next summer!

15. Lawn bowling at Brit’s Pub
Fail...This just never happened. Next year!

16. Go to the Mill City Farmer’s Market

Fail, though I did make it to the Linden Hill Farmer's Market multiple times. 

FYI, you can now bring your dog to the Linden Hills Farmer's Market, which is new from last summer. Our neighbor's food truck, Hot Indian, often makes an appearance there. If you haven't tried this food truck, you should!

17. Have an ice cream date at Sebastian Joe’s

Done! We walked over to the Linden Hills location last Saturday night after fully recovering from the capitol run. Dustin had the ginger ice cream and I had the Open Street's Cycle-delic (mango, chocolate chips, sea salt, raspberry). Yum!

18. Go to an old-school drive-in...

19. Go to Taylors Falls and the Franconia Sculpture Park!

DONE and DONE! Read all about it in THIS POST. We combined these three items into one lovely summer day.

20. Run a trail race

DONE, DONE, and DONE. And maybe more this fall --> I am registered for THIS RACE and one of THESE

21. See the Lake Creature!

Fail...we never met over to see Minnie the lake creature on Lake Powderhorn. Sorry Minnie...

22. Visit Isles Bun & Coffee

Done! 

We headed here after the City of Lakes half marathon for a quick lemonade and a puppy dog tail (to celebrate Dustin's sub-1:30 PR!) Sugar overload....Dustin went with the big cinnamon roll and the unlimited frosting, I did a puppy dog tail.

23.  Visit Wild Rumpus bookstore

Done! No pictures, but I did stop by here a couple of times when we were in the area, but not with my nieces or nephews (which would have been more fun...) If you have young kids or neices/nephews, take them HERE, they will love it!

24. Bonus: Pizza Farm!

Done! Read all about it HERE. I'm pretty sure this will be on my fall bucket list as well, as it was a lot of fun.

Well, there you have it- my reflection on my summer bucket list!

I think I did pretty well, but there were some things I didn't fit in that I really wish I would have. I suppose there's always next summer. Stay tuned for my fall bucket list, coming soon!

**As summer comes to a close, did you squeeze in everything you had hoped to? Please share in the comments!  

Please share any fall or winter bucket list items that you think I should add to my upcoming list!