ROADiD Review + Giveaway!

Disclaimer: I received a ROADiD 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!

If you know me you already know that I am a longtime (since 2013) fan of ROADiDs. I actually got my first ROADiD right after I completed my first half marathon race, I had seen a few other runners wearing them at that point. But back then there was pretty much only one wrist option and now there is a ton of options including one to go on your watch band!

One of the things I like about it is that it is so comfortable to wear that I never take mine off, I guess there are some people who also just put on a running watch to run but never wear it otherwise, but I am not that person. I keep my running watch on and my ROADiD always. One of the reason is because I am lazy and another because you never know when something might happen to you when you are alone in public and will need assistance. I have another friend who was diagnosed with MS who bought one to keep on in case of any medical emergencies she may have. It’s one of those things that started out as a good idea for athletes and then became a good idea for everyone, especially those with medical conditions.

Over the years I have reviewed other types of ROADiDs but continue to come back to the original silicone stretch band design that I started with, it’s just no fuss and simple in my opinion. It’s my favorite and it never gets snagged on anything since it really only has my information plate and no buckles or clasps. It’s easy to customize it to your personality too, they have different metal plate options (rose gold, slate and graphite) and a ton of colors to choose from for the bands, plus badges to add to it to show your sport of choice. When my daughter was around 1 I got her a ROADiD to wear in the stroller in case anything would happen to me while out on a run with her or at a race. I would want someone to call her contacts if I was injured and unable to keep her safe. She still wears it when I take her out on her bike now and it still fits. Lately she has taken to wearing it always now that she sees I have the same color band as her.

I hope that I never have to be in the situation where it will help the paramedics or strangers identify me in order to help me but I know that if something does happen my ROADiD has my back.

Bibrave has so generously provided us a code to share with our friends & followers to use for 25% off your order at ROADiD.com : SAVE25BRP

Or comment below with which ROADiD you would get for the chance to win a $10 off code for any iD! Winner will be chosen at random on June 1st!

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Earth Day Running with Knockaround

Disclaimer: I received a pair of Knockaround 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!

I have been a fan of Knockarounds for awhile, they are one of my favorite running/active sunglasses. Living in a tropical place means that I need lots of sunglasses, when I first started running I would run early in the morning before the sun came up but in the past few years, Phoebe has grown and early morning runs usually mean treadmill runs. Sunglasses are a necessity for my afternoon/early evening runs in South Florida. Even on the off chance I get in an early outdoor run on the weekend when the sun is still rising it can get pretty bright out. These are fantastic for not slipping down.

Ever heard of the term, plogging? It is a Swedish term for jogging while picking up litter coined back in 2016. It’s a great idea to help clean up the environment and get in some exercise, it should really be taking off at this time since there is a ton of trash out there at this time and lots of people walking/biking/jogging on the sidewalks/streets now.

Adventures in plogging recently has changed a bit due to the covid-19 virus, I used to be running and see a couple bottles or large piece of trash and a trash can nearby and would not hesitate to pick it up and trash it. But now with the virus being able to live on plastic and cardboard for sometimes days, plogging requires more preparations, like gloves. Also with social distancing you cannot run with others who are not living in your household so things can be a little slow in the clean up of neighborhoods. I decided to keep my plogging nearby my house in order to be able to have my gloves and garbage bag ready so I often ended my run with some plogging around the street next to my house. Living off a very busy avenue means lots of trash to pick up and now lots of discarded gloves and masks too. Instead of throwing out their masks/gloves at home or in a bag after their grocery shopping trips people have started throwing them out of their cars and damaging the trying to heal earth. I haven’t been able to take any pics of said plogging in action as I have to wear gloves and do not want to touch my phone to snap a pic before I am decontaminated. But I was able to get in some pics of the bags of trash that I found in less than half a mile from my house recently. Lots of people in cars gave puzzled looks because it’s odd to see people who are not forced to clean up the streets who are not in a community service program. I did get a few cheers.

We are currently in a very lax lockdown in Miami right now and people are venturing outside to exercise since all the gyms are closed and only some fitness classes are online right now. So I am seeing a lot more disposable water bottles strewn in the grass by the sidewalks and less litter free lawns now than a few months ago. I love running outside and now the rules are you have to stay at least 6 ft but preferably 10-12 ft away from others when running as our heavier breathing causes virus particles to fly farther than those who are walking. I do not wear a mask while running but at any grocery stores or drive thru restaurants I do. I live in the suburbs so there is not a ton of people on the streets at any given time like if I were to live in downtown or Brickell area where there are many condos and lots of people living in a small area.

Also there is currently a contest going on currently through social media about hugging a tree for Earth day and tagging knockaround and bibrave with the hashtag #earthdayknocksbr in order to win a pair of Knockarounds, hurry, it ends tonight! Here’s my pic :

Right now to celebrate earth day Knockaround sunglasses gave us the code: BibRaveKnocks4 to get 20% off your entire order! I have the Special Release No Signal Fort Knocks ones, which come with the coolest tv guide printed sunglasses pouch and the box they came in has a printed old school tv remote. Reminds me back when I was a teenager and at midnight the tv would go fuzzy and then have these colorful lines until the channel started broadcasting again. Very fun and nostalgic!

Did you do anything special to celebrate Earth day? Do you think every day is Earth Day? Have you ever been plogging?

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Writers Block not Runners Block

The past few months have been a whirlwind of things happening in my life.

Let’s start with end of March, I managed to fall on a sidewalk in a park, tearing off a big chunk of skin from my elbow and causing some hip pains for the next week.

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Then in April I managed to kill two treadmills in a week, well one was on its last leg after the thousand miles I had spent on it for the past 6 years or so. It was not such a shock but the replacement treadmill bought months before used also had major problems. From the first run on it till the whole belt folded and almost threw me off the thing! Trashed that one as well. I rely heavily on the treadmill certain times of year and during major training due to childcare things, I get in my early morning runs on the treadmill or late night runs while watching my kid sleep in her bed by baby monitor. I had to get a new treadmill ASAP so I got one from amazon, a Proform which is not the best as its had some rust issues after only a short time and not being exposed to the elements but it works and I can get my miles in! Then mid April my grandmother had a heart attack and almost died from it, major stress for the entire family. She ended up pulling through and is back to herself again.

May ended up being my 2nd highest mileage month for the year, which was surprising since I had to work early for half of the month. Also I turned the big 3-8! Ran the ALS 10k in Coconut Grove, it had been a few years since I had ran the race and ended up happy with my slower than usual time. Felt strong but steady in the race despite the high humidity and heat.

June and July were slow running months for me, probably in part due to the heat of the summer months and then planning Phoebe’s 4th birthday party and traveling to Seattle and Alaska. I hit 1000 miles for the year in June. I enjoyed running in Seattle, where the morning temps were 58 but I was not really feeling those huge hills! We stayed in the downtown area and I walked up more than one of the hills in the middle of the run. Luckily I was able to borrow a bob stroller so we could take Phoebe out for some runs as well while we were there, thanks to one of my Oiselle Volee teammates! It was a little more difficult to square away an hour while cruising through Alaska on a boat but I managed to run 4 of the 7 days we were onboard. July was my lowest mileage month for the year – just got in a little less than 100 miles.

August brought on a new challenge of getting back into a schedule again after being on vacation for 10 days! The first part of the month started off slowly as I tried to get back out of the running rut, then Phoebe got a cold and more things piled in front of miles. Also this was the month that I started my Space Coast Marathon training, slowly. Phoebe started VPK and I went to see Bush in concert, it had been awhile since I went to a concert and many years since I had seen them live.

September was the month that I started getting serious about my mileage goals again. I started extending my long runs past that 13 mile mark and hit 50 miles for 2 weeks in a row at the end of the month. Still trying to get back into being a morning runner but my evening road runs are getting faster and feeling easier and the weather hasn’t yet started to cool down yet. I look forward to cooler temps, but I don’t expect to see that happening for another few months. I took a hands only CPR class and learned some new things, feeling confident I can help someone out in an emergency situation.

October has just started but going to work hard this month with waking up early again to run. I don’t yet know what I can promise myself for accomplishing this goal but no doubt I can figure something out. Now I am in the middle of marathon training for Space Coast Marathon and at the beginning of training for Miami Marathon. Not so smart but what are you gonna do when you want to do both marathons and they just happen to be only 8 weeks apart? Simultaneously marathon training, fun times!

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At the beginning of the year I made a goal to read at least 12 books this year, I figured it would be extremely hard because ever since Phoebe was born I feel like there’s no time to read. I am happy to announce that I am currently only book #35 for the year so maybe I will adjust my reading goal to 52 instead?

Haven’t signed up for Miami Marathon yet and want a discount on your registration? Use this code for $5 off – BIBRAVEMIAMI

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305 Half Marathon, Are you in? (discount code too!)

Disclaimer: I’m promoting 305 Half Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews!

305 half marathon

Have you ever wanted to run a race that was mostly along the beach boardwalk/walkway and also over some challenging bridges? Well then the 305 Half Marathon is your race!

This was actually my first half marathon EVER, but it was called a different name back then in 2013. I trained for 3 months to get to this starting line and had no idea about these bridges but still somehow managed to pull off a 2:03 finish without even hydrating during the race. I did some things wrong during that race but did learn about taking in fuel at the right times, I started burning out at mile 9 that day, it was a great learning experience. Now I run with the pace groups (iRun) for this race to keep me on pace for an under 2 hr finish.

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This year we will be earning our “0” medal to be almost done with the “305” medals! After the 2020 race we will have a complete 305 medal for this 3 year challenge of sorts. But don’t worry if you missed last year’s race for some reason you can purchase the 3 and run a half marathon on your own time to “earn” it so you can have a complete series when you run this year and next year’s race 🙂

Haven’t signed up yet? You are in luck, I have a discount code to save $10 on the half marathon and/or $5 on the 5k race that morning. Both races are taking place at the same time so unfortunately you cannot run both to get double medals 😉 Use this code : BIBRAVE305

You’re welcome and I hope to see you out there in a little over a month!

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Have you ever ran this race before? Or one of the other names this name has gone by in the past, Michelob Ultra Miami Beach Half Marathon? Allstate Miami Beach Half marathon? What do you find challenging in running a half marathon?

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Run Virtually using Zwift app & foot pod – A review

Disclaimer: I received an zwift foot pod 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!

The Zwift app is a very, very cool option for runners/cyclists. It allows you to train while competing against others from all around the world and all you really need is a bluetooth enabled treadmill or footpod and the app! It’s like a video game for athletes that will allow you to run in different places while running against friends/strangers to keep your motivation up. Also you are able to customize your avatar to look pretty much like yourself and along the run/miles you log you will get more clothing/gear options for your avatar.

This is definitely something that I am going to take with me on my cruise next year so I can train but not get totally bored while running on a treadmill. Also will help my weekday runs become not so boring. Just hoping that there is an app option for the amazon fire by then, crossing my fingers here!

There is so many stats that you can watch while you run virtually on here and I imagine it’s the same way for the cyclists, I am tempted to try it out on my bro in law’s stationary bike to see how it looks from a cyclists point of view. You can watch your place and see your mile splits as well as watch yourself on the leader board change, all while running through some crazy places. In the 6 miles I first tried it out on I was running by a beach, through an aquarium, through a forest, around a mountain and then on a path while it was snowing all while actually sweating it out in 80 degree weather on a treadmill in Miami! I do not know who came up with this concept but I love it and I’m pretty sure most people will like this, especially former gamer/now athletes.

Their slogan is serious training made fun and I have to agree that it was fun but there were a couple of issues along the way that I ran into, sometimes my foot pod would not read that I was still running so that slowed my pace down considerably. I have to try a few more things to see if maybe it is on my laces too tightly and not reading my steps properly.

Ran a schedule group tempo run with my BibRavePro friends and everything worked out and ran some pretty quick paces to keep up with the group. I liked the workout format and the fact that it was telling me when to speed up on the treadmill and when I should slow to cool down a bit before I finished. It was like being coached in person but this required some reading, which on an iphone 7 while running 9:00 min miles was not the easiest task. I think that if you are going to try this app out, let it be on a laptop or tablet or just anything bigger than a phone.

Also even though you can still run and cycle on the Zwift app to get more interactive with others and sign up for certain runs/training you should also get the Zwift Companion app to get the most out of it. So that is two apps, one to sign up for scheduled events and one to actually do the running/cycling. Now I am definitely a fan and going to take this with me on an upcoming trip where I may possibly have access to a treadmill. Going to get in some real training and not just easy road runs while on winter vacation.

Use “BibRave15″ good for 15% off the cost of the Zwift RunPod at Zwift.com. It is good for 1000 Pods only.

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Orange Mud Transition & seat wrap -Version 2.0 – no more sweaty seats – a review

Disclaimer: I received an Orange Mud Transition seat wrap towel 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 don’t know about you but when I run long distances in training or short distance races I get very sweaty, this is Miami so pretty much everyone gets sweaty. Well, except for Phoebe who is cooled down in her running stroller while I do all the hard work of pushing her along for the race usually. So for almost as long as I have been running, I have kept a bath towel in my car for the post race/run drive home but now there is a product that is multi-use, the Orange Mud Transition Seat wrap towel. The problem that I always encounter with a regular bath towel over the seat is that it falls down constantly not protecting the back of your seat so you are constantly adjusting it while driving. This towel does not have this issue at all because it has a zippered headrest part that fits securely around the headrest to prevent all the slipping that normal towels will do. There are 10 colors to choose from, I choose red because it matched the exterior of my car but considered the black one as well since it would match my inte

I have been wanting to try out some Orange Mud products for awhile but just had not decided on which one to try, but this one is perfect for me and I can keep it in the back of my vehicle all the time (after being washed, of course). The other day we found another use for it when my toddler, Phoebe requested a blanket to keep warm while in her car seat, I threw her over the Orange Mud towel and she cuddled up in it. First way I used my new towel/seat wrap was after volunteering for a local 5k/10k I placed it on my car for the 40 minute drive home. That was a typical humid Miami race but with some sprinkles at the beginning, it was my first time volunteering at a race and it was a lot of fun, will definitely be doing it again in the near future!

This weekend I did a short but very rainy at the start and humid 5k and the towel was much needed for the drive home. I even was able to change my soaked in sweat & rain shorts from under it in a parking lot before driving home (sorry, no pics of this!). So not only does it save your seat from your sweaty (butt) body but you can change underneath it discreetly without any issues. I haven’t attempted to change tops under it but I do not anticipate that there will be any issues with that either. It is definitely something you want to keep in your race day bag!

I think this seat wrap towel would be good for anyone really because you never know when you will need to protect your car seats or change quickly in a parking lot/in your car. From talking to running friends, they have sworn by this towel for years, I didn’t even know that it existed or I would’ve gotten one years ago when I first started running. Luckily I got a new car a year ago and haven’t sweated in these seats too much. Would’ve been very beneficial earlier this year when I was training the group in 5k distance and would have to drive home still a bit sweaty afterwards. But now I do not have to worry about that and am going to get another one for when my boyfriend runs races with me.

What’s even better is that I have a code for you to use to get 15% off of this towel or any Orange Mud product on their website: “OMTRX” Transition Seat Wrap Towel

Keep your car seats sweat free and change clothing ANYWHERE!

Want more info and to chat with other bibravepros? Joins us on twitter for Bibchat next Tuesday at 9pm est and use hashtag #bibchat

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Knockaround Sunglasses – a sunny review

Disclaimer: I received Knockaround 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!

So let me start by saying that wearing sunglasses is pretty much a necessity year round for those of us living in the South Florida area. More so for the athletes in the bright and sunny south, not only for protection from the sun but also protection from the gnats that seem to come out when its humid or has just rained.

I got two pairs to review, one pair of tortoise shell amber premium sunglasses which I use almost all the time in non running conditions, like for driving and just hanging out. These are classy looking and do not slide down your nose. Plus I got some frosted rubber mint and aqua premium sunglasses, these match my original Oiselle volee singlet perfectly and I will be wearing them to race this weekend actually! Bonus is that I found out that I have a pair of kid sized Knockaround sunglasses that I bought for my toddler years ago that are mint colored too! Twinning will be happening for sure this weekend at the race and kid dash afterwards!

Testing out these sunglasses in hot humid conditions I would say is one of the best ways to find out if they are as awesome as I have always saw on other Instagram followers I have who have sworn by these sunglasses for years. One thing is that they do not bounce, whether you are running super slow or super fast (not really my speed, lol) and they do not fog up when you walk back into a house with ac right after your steamy run. In fact I liked these sunglasses so much that when they had a sale recently I bought 4 more pairs! My toddler loved trying each pair on and has since claimed the other 4 pairs of premiums that I bought has hers. Something that is unique to Knockaround is that you can design your own pair with different colors and some designs, so you can have original designed sunglasses. They have sales fairly often so sign up for email notifications so you can have first dibs at those $5 sale shades!

I have reviewed other sunglasses and have a major running sunglasses obsession and these are on the top of the list of my faves at the moment. Bright fun colors or subtle classy styles, there are so many styles to choose from. Use the following code: BibRaveKnocks20 for 20% off your first order to use until 9/30. That gives you a month to select the right pair! Where else can you find some polarized sunglasses for only $10?

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Shady Rays – Running sunglasses review

Disclaimer: I received an pair of Shady Rays 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!

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Let me start out by saying I had never heard of this brand before but I will definitely be keeping an eye on them since trying out these sunglasses. In the recent maybe 6 months to a year I have started wearing sunglasses while running on super sunny afternoon runs or when its very humid and the gnats are out. I remember reading once in Kara Goucher ‘s Running for Women book how she mentions to run wearing sunglasses to protect your eyes and prevent some of those eye wrinkles. I never really thought about it till recently and hardly have worn sunglasses while running before but then again I used to be an early morning runner, still am but nowadays on a treadmill so I didn’t really require sunglasses for too many runs. Now though I do a lot of running after work and its blazing hot and super sunny so it’s pretty much a requirement.

I picked a pair of the signature series called blackout polarized, figure I could use them for everyday sunglasses as well as running sunglasses. In fact as soon as I got them in the mail I immediately opened the box and wore them out driving my daughter to swim class. Later that day I got to test them on a run, now Miami running definitely requires a sunglasses that does not steam up because we run in extremely humid and hot conditions probably 10 months out of the year. These were perfect for humid running, no fogging up or bouncing/sliding while running. I have yet to be able to try them out in a race condition but I could see them doing really well with faster running paces, and I will get to try them out in a few weeks for that.

On the website it says: Our shades feature shatter-resistant (this is awesome for runners with small children who like to throw sunglasses on the ground often!), high-visibility Polarized lenses with durable construction that we stand behind with a Lifetime Craftsmanship Warranty and Free Replacements if Lost or Broken. So they will actually replace your lost or broken sunglasses for free, only pay for the shipping charge! That is not even the coolest thing about this company. With each purchase you provide 11 meals through Feeding America to fight hunger in America! Now that is amazing!

I got a chance to wear them for at least 100 miles of running at this point and they do not disappoint me one bit. As a bonus they work very well in keeping gnats out of your eyeballs during the humid after the rain runs as well, because no one wants to stop 30x to pick out the gnats during a run 🙂

Interested in trying these beauties out, use the code BIBRAVE for 50% off your order of 2 pair of Shady Rays, basically thats a BOGO (buy one get one free) kind of deal! I’m thinking about getting another pair myself, trying to decide which frame/lense combo I should get, they have a fun wooden looking design now too!

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Palm Beaches Marathon & Half

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Disclaimer: I’m promoting Palm Beaches Marathon & Half 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!

Back in 2013 I started running this race, it was my 3rd half marathon and it was a very warm one, also that year I didn’t notice but someone had dented my car while running this race. It was a rough year and even though a ton of stuff went wrong and I didn’t end up staying in Palm Beach that year for the race I still wanted to do this race again the next year.

: A sweaty thumbs up.

: Sierra Nevada & new medal

: Close up of my 3rd half marathon medal.

: Pretty sand castle.

But the next year in 2014 I was better prepared and wanted to stay in West Palm for the race the night before to avoid driving back and forth for packet pick up and then back up super early in the morning before the race. I also went with my boyfriend, little did I know I was also running for two. By the end of that years race I was feeling very crappy about how I felt at the end of the race and wasn’t sure what was wrong. A few weeks later I found out why, my first pregnant half marathon!

By 2015 this race was my first postpartum half marathon, although I didn’t get a sub 2 half that year I was feeling more confident about getting back into racing after baby. Plus my mom went with us and brought my 4 month old to see us cross the finish line. That was a great feeling, even though Phoebe had no idea what was going on at the time.

Thanks Athlinks!

In the spring of 2016 I got an email about how the race would not happen in 2016 but then later in the year I got another email stating how the race would be under new management and would be going on again in 2017! I signed up immediately for the low price of $65, basically a steal for half marathons in this area. Also with registration I got a free In Training for Palm Beaches Marathon tech tee which was a cool perk of signing up early.

What is even better is that I have a code for you to use, thanks to BibRave 🙂

Use code “PBMBR20” to save 20% on any single race – full, half, or 5k.

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