My Hood To Coast Experience! Time 'o life.

I've been TOTALLY procrastinating on this write up!  Probably because it was too intense of an experience to write quickly and I don't know what to leave in / leave out.  But...you've got a billion other (better) bloggers to read in HTC recaps, so I'm just gonna try mah best mmmm kay?   =)

Pre-Race
I flew into Seattle Wednesday night to spend some time with Anthony pre-Hood To Coast.  It pretty much consisted of working even though I was on vacation and watching Game Of Thrones (new HBO series!) with him.  Thursday night, Nuun hosted a pre-race dinner. My heart went pitter-patter as I met so many bloggers that I knew only from internet pictures!

I have no idea what the appropriate way to meet new bloggers is.  I usually say "heeyyyy!  You're "X blogger!". And then I feel kinda awkward because clearly I've been stalking them online. But...usually they are nice and sometimes we even quickly hug!  Because...we kinda already know each other, right?

After dinner, we stole helped ourselves to a bunch of Nuun sitting on the shelves! Let's just say I will not be running out any time soon!

Morning



Van 1 of Nuun Platuun planned to roll out of the hotel and go to Mount Hood at 6:00 AM Friday.  We met in the lobby, took some pics, and got going!  My van was Alyssa, Lisa, Kerrie, Tricia, Caitlin (Nuun), and Alex (Nuun driver).  We also had a photographer with us some of the time.

We made our way to Mount Hood and after three hours of driving and getting to know each other better, we pull into this glorious place:




OMG Mt. Hood.  

Tricia was the first up to start the race, and she was definitely nervous!  As soon as the race started though, we tailed her in the van and she was kicking some booty down the mountain!  She finished her leg, and Alyssa took the "baton" (really a slap bracelet).  Unfortunately it was getting hotter and hotter.  After Caitlin and Kerrie finished their legs, it was time for this bunny to start running.


My First Leg
Let's just say it was hot and I was sweat-tay.  But my awesome van tailed me, pouring water on me as I ran by.  I was pretty physically uncomfortable, but the pure thought of running Hood To Coast made this leg awesome, despite the heat and hills.   My performance was nothing to write home about, something like 7:40 pace for 6.1 miles.

I handed the slap bracelet onto Lisa and she brought in Van 1, handing off to Jess in Van 2.  We met up with Van 2 in the Safeway parking lot and I drank copious amounts of milk to try to recover.

It was pretty cool to finally see Van 2 since we had been separated from them since the start.

I chatted with my awesome teammates and made weird arm movements as evident in the picture on the right.

Van 2 took off, and we went for some nice R&R at a pub in suburban Portland.  I had a delicious loaded baked potato.  Before we knew it, it was time to meet up in Portland to get going on our nighttime legs!

NIGHT

The next Van exchange was really in a strange part of Portland.  It appeared to be some sort of park next to a bunch of trains.  We got to hang out with the other teammates and the girls from AfterNuun Delight and also wear some really stylish night gear (head lamp and vest).

Tricia led off our awesome van again, but ended up getting stuck behind a train for like 15 minutes!  She decided to not try to climb over the moving train, but was still awesome.  Alyssa went off on her leg and went ridiculously under her predicted pace.  We were all starting to get tired by now (after having been awake 20 hours), but it was my turn to run again.  I took a caffeine enhanced Gu, and went for it.  

Leg 2
This was honestly one of the strangest running experiences of my life.  I was running somewhere in rural Oregon down a highway that was nearly pitch black.  The only things I could see were other runners in the distance (their flashing lights) and trucks along the side of the highway.  Occasionally, a truck would honk to "say hi", which was kind of fun.  I felt like I was on a weird infinite treadmill where I had no idea where I was or how fast I was going.  Good thing, because I wasn't going all that fast.  I think I averaged around 7:40 miles for the 7.1 miles.  This isn't great because the terrain was pretty easy and flat.  I'm gonna forgive myself though.  Extenuating circumstances!
I was both bored and excited at the same time, but before I knew it, I rolled into the next exchange point and handed off to Lisa.

Complete Confusion

I'm not really good with not sleeping.  I can do it, I just start going insane.  This didn't bode well for the nighttime hours of HTC.

We pulled into a sleeping area around 2:30 AM.  I was completely disoriented, and went to go lay on the grass by myself and thought it was a great idea to not tell anyone.  After 45 minutes into my adventure, I decided to start walking around like a zombie.

I ran into Alex, our van driver.  He told me the whole van was looking for me.  I then bit him and we all turned into zombies.

uhhh..just kidding about that last part.

Anyways, we all piled into the van to try to get to the next exchange point.  Traffic was horrible. We were seriously going about 1 mile/hr and runners were passing us on the side.   There actually was a guy walking around outside that looked like a Zombie. All of this would have been fine, though.
Except for the fact, that I had recovered from my run #2 by drinking a ton of milk.  And I had to pee like a racehorse.

For about 30 minutes I tried to hold it, knowing that going in the woods is well...not allowed in HTC.  Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.  At 4:30 AM, I sprinted out of the van into the unknown foggy Oregon countryside.  And behind an old abandoned house, I did what I had to do.  Rules be damned, I tried to hold it and failed.

According to my teammates, my sprinting into the fog with a roll of toilet paper was quite a sight to behold.

Sweet Sleep

We finally pulled up into the lot around 5:00 AM, and poor Alex had been driving for about 24 hours.  We put down a tarp, and got a glorious 60 minutes of sleep.  When I woke up it was light out.  The night before felt like some weird nightmare, and now that it was light, everything was ok again.

Go Time Again.  Beautiful.  

After a little getting ready and trying to be lucid, it was time for Tricia to lead us off again.  She had an adorable Camo dress (skirt shirt combo) and got ready to rumble.  We started driving into the hills in Astoria, Oregon.  Maybe it was the lack of sleep, but there was something breathtaking about the morning.

There was fog everywhere, and it was cool.  The land was green and hilly, and we all just had one more run to go to bring in Hood To Coast.

Even though everyone was doing a great job on their legs, I was very nervous about mine.  My last leg was a straight 3.5 mile climb and I wasn't sure if I'd be ok doing it.  I took plenty of Pepto swigs to try to be ready.

Finally, it was my turn.  And dude..it was GLORIOUS!

Handing Off to Lisa

It is hard for me to describe how beautiful the area was, or how many cheers I got running up that mountain.  The support, the scenery, and knowing I was on my last leg, made this an indescribable experience.

When I got to the top of the mountainn, I knew it was time to let it all go.  2.5 miles down, time to let it all out.  I went up the mountain at 9 minute miles, but I came down at 6:30 pace.
Every leg I ran was beautiful, but leg 29 (my third) is a reason to be the number 5 runner on its own.  Took my breath away.


The Finish
After Van 1 finished, we drove through Oregon to Seaside in a ton of traffic.  We kept getting updates about our teammates.  How Susan ran an amazing final leg.  How XLMIC, our last runner, was getting ready to run.

We made it to the finish in our van, and waited to see XLMIC bring it in.  And she finished the whole HTC under 28 hours, in 27:59.   When she finished, I told her that it is crazy to see how much she gives to each leg.  She said "I don't know any other way to run".  Amazing quote!!

Epilogue. 
I spent my time after the race primarily with Anthony as we drove to Portland.  I was pretty freaking disoriented and had to wake up in the middle of the night to throw up.  I'm telling you this not to gross you out (ok..maybe a little bit), but to say "HOLY CRAP WE PUSHED OURSELVES TO THE LIMIT!"

Now, a couple days later, I feel more recovered.
I know I will never forget this crazy weekend.  It was so cool, beautiful, challenging, and fun.

A special thank you to the companies that made this possible and so much more awesome for us: 
Nuun  (of course!)
And also....
Tommie Copper  (I am wearing your calf sleeves right now) 
Moving Comfort  (wore the Sports Bra earlier today!) 
Road ID
2Toms
Flashbrite (reflective paws)
Buildasign (van magnets)
Gu
TMB
Jackblack
Jamba Juice
Jenny Craig

Hood To Coast In Numbers

I'm back.  And it was CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY!  And awesome.  I will do a full recap, but first let's do Hood To Coast in Numbers.

Because...I like numbers.  And so does The Count on Sesame Street.


400.  Number of total miles run by 2 teams of bloggers and Nuun employees from Mount Hood to Seaside, Oregon.

27:59. Total Finish Time of Nuun Platuun.

8:24.  Pace per mile of Nuun Platuun over entire race.

89.  Degrees Fahrenheit during our first legs Friday afternoon.   SWEATY SWEATY!

60.  Minutes spent "sleeping" Friday night on a tarp somewhere on a field outside Portland.    It was like a
scene from a Zombie movie.

2.  Hours rest of team spent searching for van keys in middle of dark field.   This awesome team member (moi) had no idea this was even occurring.

2:35.  Total time I spent running legs 5, 17, and 29.

1.  Times I sprinted out of the Van at 4:00 AM into the foggy Oregon countryside to do "you know what" because holding it was not a freaking option anymore.

6.  Hours Anthony spent in the car driving from Seattle to Seaside to hang out with me at the end.

6.  Cups of regular / chocolate milk consumed over 24 hour period for recovery. (delicious!)

5.  Tabs (10 servings) of Nuun consumed over 24 hour period.

24.  Hours after completing Hood To Coast that I ended up part of an Ultra Ragnar team with my awesome So Cal Blogger friends!

3.  Minutes I spent puking Saturday night in a random Garden Inn in Portland.  TMI?  Possibly.  Crazy what these things do to your body
though.

9.  Place out of 40 of Nuun Platuun in the open women's division.

Infinity.  Amount we KICKED SOME BOOTY in Hood to Coast!!!

THANK YOU NUUN AND TEAMMATES FOR MAKING THIS WEEKEND UNBELIEVABLE AND UNFORGETTABLE!

* pictures in post shamelessly stolen off Kerrie's facebook.  :)
** The key searching time is a total estimate.  I think it's about right though!

F Yeah Friday (Luckier than davy crockett)

By the time you read this I'll be on the moon in a van with 5 of my closest new internet blogger friends, ready to kick some HTC boo-tay!   I just came from dinner with all the girls, and it was so cool to meet everyone in person who I've been stalking for months!  

Right now, I'm probably getting ready to drive out to Mount Hood for the Hood To Coast Relay!  To prepare, I ate a bunch of watermelon.  I also created a twitter account.  Social media confuses me, but I'll try to "tweet" HTC updates unless a bear attacks us all!  In which case the update would be #bear_attack.  

So...follow me...but even better, let me know what your names are so I can follow you!  

http://twitter.com/#!/FasterBunny

Also, I'm not going to let a silly thing like running a 24 hour relay get in the way of my posting "F Yeah Friday" (a record of all things awesome in the week!).  

So here's what rocked my week:

1)  Dreyers (or Edy's depending on where you live.  I've lived in so many places I don't really know what name is which anymore) Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Sundae Ice cream.  

I would usually reserve thinking an ice cream is awesome for the likes of full fat Haagan Daas (Coffee) or Ben and Jerry's (SnickerDoodle / Peach Cobbler), but no, this bad boy has 110 calories and 4 grams of fat per serving and it's still amazing.  Go out and buy it.  And then write to thank me.  And yes, I do accept thank you gifts.    

2)  Relationships.  This weekend marks my 1 year anniversary with my boyfriend.  He's awesome because he's willing to "celebrate" by driving to the Oregon coast and greeting his sweaty unattractive girlfriend there.  

But here's what else is good:  You know that line in the movie "As Good As It Gets" where Jack Nickelson says to Helen Hunt "You make me want to be a better man."? 

When I first watched that movie when I was younger I didn't understand why that was such a great compliment.  My 16 year old self figured "You're hot.", or "I like your hair." made more sense for compliments.  But now I get it.  

And yes...1 year in, this is how I feel in my relationship.  He makes me want to be a better (wo)man.    

And that's pretty great. 

3)   Winning Stuff!  Are you one of those people that never wins anything in contests?  

....I am NOT one of those people.  I am luckier than a leprechaun!   

Off the top of my head, I've won a sled, a hunting rifle, a refrigerator, and now...an ipad2.  

Apparently I won one of those "guess the number of gumballs" contests at the conference I attended last week.  

The kicker?  An hour after I got that email about winning the ipad2, I went to go get gas.  Sitting there at the pump on the ground was a $20 dollar bill.   Amazing!  

Weekly Workout Recap

Saturday:  3x1 mile at 6:11 pace, 1:45 rest between each.  2 mile warmup / cool down.  4 mile run later in the day.  

Sunday 30 mile bike ride

Monday 5 mile easy run

Tuesday  2 miles in warm up / cool down, 3.1 miles of...2 miles at 7 minute / mile pace, .4 miles at 5:52 pace, .7 miles around 6:35 pace.  

Wednesday: 16 mile bike ride

Thursday:  4 miles easy

Friday (pending!):  6 miles...hopefully run hard

Total Mileage:  29 running miles, 46 biking miles. 

Soooo....what was awesome about your week?  

See ya after the relay!!!

Hood To Coast! These are my confessions...

This morning, I was in no mood to work out...yesterday was just one of THOSE days.

But XLMIC had crafted a "5k workout for the mentally weak" for me  (ok I made up that name, but essentially it's 2 miles at 10k pace, .4 miles at mile pace (I picked 5:52...ridiculous), and the remaining .7 somewhere between 5 and 10k pace...meant to push you when you usually give up.  This completes a full 5k.).
It was pretty freaking difficult, and at mile 2.4, I wasn't able to hold the pace, but it was a pretty cool workout!
AND some dude next to me on the treadmill called me "impressive".   Although he may have been referring to the impressive quantity of sweat flying off my body.

It's Finally Time For A Hood To Coast Post!!   Yay! 
I've been pretty quiet about HTC, although I am ridiculously excited / nervous about it.  I've also been pretty silent about our sponsor, Nuun.
There are a couple reasons behind this:

1) I'm pretty reticent to talk too much about any one product on my blog, even if they are giving me an awesome opportunity.  I don't like getting pushed products, so I try not to do it very often to you.

2) Confession Time:  I HAD NEVER TRIED NUUN BEFORE BEING ON THE TEAM!  I first heard about it when I heard about this contest on Blonde Ponytail's blog.  I'm not usually big on sports products (besides Luna Bars which are too delicious not to eat).
But now, I truly do like it.  I like that it's refreshing and low calorie.  I also like the environmentally conscious aspect of the packaging.
But I especially like the functionality. Ever since I've started working out with sports drinks (Gatorade, Nuun), I feel a lot better afterwards.  I used to get weird blurry vision lines post workout, and now I don't anymore.  So...two thumbs up!  Would drink again!  

Ok enough product pushing.  But please know that it's honest product pushing =).

What are you actually RUNNING at Hood To Coast?
Funny you ask.   I'm on legs 5, 17, and 29.  Apparently it's the death march legs.  Here are the predictions based on calculations that someone smarter than I am came up with!

Leg 5
Distance: 6.08
Rating: VeryHard
Predicted Time - 46:44
Predicted Finish Time:  4:23:46 PM
Pace - 7:41 pace.
Comments:  LOL you guys are FUNN-Y make this route straight up!  7:41 pace on these hills....negative, Ghost Rider.

Leg 17
Distance: 7.13
Rating: Medium
Predicted Time - 52:02
Predicted Finish Time:  2:15 AM
Pace - 7:17 pace.
Comments:  Looks like I'll be finishing this leg as everyone else is heading home from the bars on Friday night!

Leg 27
Distance: 6.11
Rating: Very Hard  (aw man, again?)
Predicted Time - 47:53
Predicted Finish Time:  11:39:06 AM
Pace: 7:50.
Comments:   I'll be done just in time for Saturday morning brunch!!

Hood To Coast Checklist:
Besides the normal stuff, I am bringing Diet Coke, and possibly Captain Morgan.   Unless anyone else has any preferences they'd like to email me.... =).

Any relay suggestions?  I've never done one before (besides a 4x800m) so I'd LOVE to get advice :). 

Who really ends up with Mr. Big anyways? (F Yeah Friday)

Another week, another dollar, friends.  I am getting really pumped to run Hood to Coast with my Nuun teammates next week!
But...I'll do a whole Hood to Coast post later.  I am a procrastinator, so no need for any blogging or preparation until the 11th hour!

 It's time for.....F Yeah Friday!  (A celebration of all things awesome during the week)

1) Cuban Food:  Holy crap, y'all.
I've always been a fan of Cuban food, but let me tell you about my two separate culinary-heaven experiences this week.  It started out on Saturday with Ropa Vieja at Versailles in Venice Beach.  What's Ropa Vieja?
Tender Shredded Beef in a Tomato-y delicious sauce.  My description doesn't do it credit though.  Run, don't walk to your closest Cuban establishment and try it.

Just kidding, smoking is BAD-4-U

THEN this morning, I met a friend for breakfast (who meets people for breakfast during the week...craziness) at Porto's in Downey.  There were a million tempting pastries but I got a rum soaked dough ball with cream on top.  I know this also doesn't sound THAT amazing, but let's just say that the moment Cuba opens the borders, I will be the first one brunching with a dough ball in one hand, and a cigar in the other.




2)  Jet Blue:  My flights to and from San Francisco were both delayed.  Annoying?  Yeah.  Worthy of compensation?  Probably not.  But they emailed me a $25 dollar gift certificate to apologize.  Nicely done, nicely done.



3)  Sex And The City Repeats:  Whenever I get home from work, I often kick back and catch up on some good old SATC.

Uhhhh...Sex and the City went off the air years ago.  
Whatever dude, it's still a great show.  I watched SATC at it's height in the early 2000s when I was in college.   I loved the idea of the disposable cute boys, $600 shoes, and brunches at hip places in NYC.   It's a fantasy world!  BUT while I am willing to accept all other ridiculous parts of their lives, I just can't come to terms with Carrie ending up with Mr. Big.  He was charming, but put her through so much and was totally a jackass!

I bet most of us had our Mr. Bigs in our lives:  An unattainable - emotionally unavailable - gives you just enough to hang on - totally does it for you -guy.  

In what parallel universe does anyone actually end up with that guy? Do you know anyone who did? 
I know its bad TV, but I want Carrie to meet some dude 100x better and nicer than Mr. Big and that's how the series ends.  Possibly with a choreographed dance routine to Beyonce's "Single Ladies".
If ya liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it.  


Alright alright enough about Sex and the City...I'm not ready to make this blog a relationship blog...yet.

Weekly Workout Recap.  All-in-all a good week:
Saturday:  5 miles easy, 2 miles at 13:20 on the treadmill 1% incline.  Legs felt dead.
Sunday:  30 mile bike ride
Monday:  4 miles easy
Tuesday:  1.5 miles of easy, 5x1000 @ 6:00 min / mi pace 1.5% incline, 3 minute rest.
Wednesday:  Ridiculously slow 6 miles.  Stopped to cross streets 1 billion times.
Thursday:  1 mile warmup, treadmill tempo of 7 miles (at 1%) alternating 7:24, 7:13, 6:58 pace every 5 minutes to keep the boredom away.  Amazingly felt easy.
Friday:  5 miles easy.
Total Running Mileage:  34.5.  Biking Mileage:  30.

What was awesome about your week??

Introducing Nuun Platunn !

We'd like to introduce our Nuun Platuun team!
(Sorry my bio is boring, I didn't realize how funny everyone else would be...=) )

NUUN PLATUUN!

image source

The information on this very select group of highly-trained individuals has been held classified ... until now. Running in the Hood to Coast Relay will be two hand-picked Nuun teams of female bloggers. One many people already know about... they are After-NUUN Delight.

Introducing their badass flipside...

N*U*U*N PLATUUN

free your mind and your feet will follow...

 Major Miles... aka Tricia...firmly believes "Endurance Isn't Only Physical". She
applies that doctrine by doing the majority of her training mentally.
Sure, she plans on putting in some "major miles" as part of training,
but just as importantly she is preparing for Hood to Coast by dreaming
about running down that mountain, talking about the upcoming relay to
anyone that will listen, and focusing her energy on tracking down the
perfect camo print in wicking material.

"Draft beer, not people"

Captain Cupcake  ...Average A who keeps the Diary of an Average Runner, has this to say:  My life has become amazing once I started believing in myself
and putting my mind and spirit into my dreams. This runs the gamut in
every aspect of life: from overcoming addictions; moving across the
country on my own; and becoming better, stronger, and faster in my own
body every single day.

I am really excited to not only have the chance to run this
historic race, but I am excited to team up with so many wonderful,
talented, and inspiring female bloggers -- some of whom I've admired for
years!

Our third runner is the quiet brains behind 'Operation Hydration', Corporal Kim ...our Nuun Staffer

Captain Obvious of Seattle has a superpower-esque way of making
completely useless observations to her running buddies: “Look, there’s a
slug. Don’t want to step on that.” She has been distance running,
racing and blogging about it for two years, and recently completed her
first full marathon. Captain Obvious, who blogs at Mom vs. Marathon, would like to point out that she is a mother, as well.

Running the "Bataan" leg... Captain Underpants ... aka the faster bunny whose notable accomplishments include but are not limited to having run three marathons, BQ-ed and NYC qualified.  She is incredibly good at never getting injured!  Hasn't been injured since age 16. Additionally, she's got a couple tech-y sounding degrees that she is proud of (Engineering and MBA). (The lack of any English classes probably explains the awful grammar in her blog). She can make some mean pancakes for breakfast and a great key lime pie. She is learning to bike so that one day she can do a triathlon. 

A lover of all things crazy and that push you to the limit, she is excited to be a member of this squad because Hood to Coast is just that. She feels that to be on a team with a ton of extremely nice and inspiring women is priceless.  

General Confusion.Lisa is a married mother of two wonderful children who blogs at Discovering the Meaning of Stonehenge.  She took up running 3 1/2 years ago, at age forty.  While training for her first marathon, she discovered her love of running and fitness.  Since 2008, she has run five marathons, 16+ half marathons, six mud runs and oodles of other races.  She is a RRCA certified running coach as well as trained in pre- and post-natal fitness, teaching Stroller Strides and Body Back bootcamp classes.  Running is her escape, her fun and her “me” time.  She builds friendships around running, but also finds her “happy place” during solo runs.  




She loves spending time with her family, especially outdoors.  Hiking and biking are key activities that everyone in the family loves. Her son is following in her footsteps and recently ran his first 5K. 




In a previous life, Lisa was a casino executive (for 18 years!).  She worked long hours in a tough, people-focused industry which really gave her a thick skin. There isn’t much Lisa hasn’t seen or heard, and a bunch of women in a van during Hood to Coast will be tame compared to some of the high rollers in the casinos.

Hood to Coast has been a dream of Lisa’s for many years.  Her father ran it a few times in the 80’s and even before Lisa was a runner, she thought that HTC would be very cool. The course goes through her old stomping grounds of Mt. Hood, Sandy, Gresham, downtown Portland and the Oregon Coast.  She is thrilled and honored to have been chosen by NUUN to run on their team.

Private Chafe ... aka Jess Allen aka "THE" Blonde Ponytail ;)  Jess ran her first race ever, the Portland Marathon, last October 2010 and began her blog, Blonde Ponytail
shortly thereafter.  Jess is a recognized ninja. When she isn't
silently assassinating wrong-doers, she advises students at Washington
State University where her husband coaches baseball.  Jess is a NSCA-CSCS and former Stanford University softball player. She is mom to one
fur-child, Cooper, a 3.5 yr old golden retriever. 

Cap'n Crunch  introduces herself:  Hi everyone! I’m Caitlin and unlike most of the lovely ladies on my team, I am not (currently J ) a blogger! I am a part of the Nuun Event Marketing team and I volunteered myself for a spot on the team! I graduated from Washington State University in 2010 where I played soccer for the Cougs, in addition to earning my degree in Comm. I grew up in a running family and have run two half marathons in the past year. My Hood to Coast legs will be the most I’ve ever run in 24 hours and I’m quite looking forward to the challenge. 

image source

Code name: Nightingale. This super secret agent is rumored to blog at Nurse on the Run. Her identity is closely guarded and all info is classified. When
sighted, she is usually in the vicinity of someone needing medical
assistance... or running really fast!

Major Pain  ...aka H Love... whose motto and blog are Keep On Keeping On.  She tells us:  I spent my time growing up between Florida and Washington State,
enjoying the beauty of both places!  I am a small town girl who loves to
compete (with myself) and try new things.  I have always loved sports,
but running was never one of them.  I played basketball
at the community college level and then finished my schooling at
Washington State University!  Go Cougs!  In 2009 another mom asked me to
be on a 100K relay team to run the last leg....4.3 miles!  What? It was
a huge challenge.  After running those 4.3 miles I was HOOKED!  Those
4.3 miles , led to 13.1 and recently 26.2!  Being part of NUUN Platuun
is a huge gift and I still can't believe I am going to be part of HOOD
to COAST!  I am a mom of three amazng kids (10, 8 & 5) who inspire
me daily! I am blessed with a hard working hubby that makes me laugh and
supports me in all I do.

I "stay at home" (ha, ha, that's a joke) with the
kiddos and work part time as a Early Childhood Education consultant and
trainer.  I love to bust a move (no alcohol necessary) and enjoy hanging
with my fam and friends.  Love, love, love, white sand beaches,the
 gulf of mexico and warm sunshine!  I try to enjoy the moments I am
given and always looks for ways to inspire and connect with others! 
Can't wait to "bring it" with this amazing group of women!  Go NUUN
Platuun!  Hoo- Rah!!

Sergeant Style  ...aka Tonia.  Here's the short version: Mom. Runner. Wife. Triathlete. Friend. Pescatarian. Coach. Not necessarily in that order. 

And
the not so short version: As a former Division I Track and Field
athlete, I have always had an athletic side, but it wasn't until my
second child was born that running became my passion. I began running
in 2007 after I vowed to run a 10K by the end of the year. I finished
that 10K and have never looked back. Since then, I've run 4 marathons,
10 half marathons and a slew of shorter races. Right now, I am training
for the NYC Marathon with Team Grassroot Soccer.

Although, I am primarily a stay-at-home mom, I have been active in
the fitness industry for five years and is am a certified running coach
with the Road Runners Club of America. In 2010, I established, TMB
Endurance Training,
a coaching endeavor focused primarily on distance runners. I am
also certified as a
fitness instructor with the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America,
where much of my focus has been spent in the areas of Prenatal and
Postnatal Fitness.


On a personal
level, I am mother to three beautiful daughters, Dizzle, Doodle, and
Dilly, wife of 7 years to J and author of the blog, Racing With Babes.

Notable accomplishments: 3 kids. 4 marathons. An Ivy League degree. An a appearance in the August 2011 Runner's World magazine.

Why
I am so excited to be on Team Nuun for Hood to Coast: Well, isn't it
obvious? Hood to Coast is "the Mother of All Relays" and running it
with Team Nuun is a once in a lifetime experience. Who wouldn't be
excited? Seriously, though, I am so honored to be included in this
group of amazing blogging women from all over the country. I am looking
forward to being challenged and forming new friendships and bonds. I
know this is bound to be an experience I will never forget. 

Commando  ...aka XLMIC, blogger at Taking It On ... lurks in the shadows until the perfect moment to jump out and bust someone's cojones. She is relentless in everything she does. If she cannot out-and-out beat you running on the road, she will annoy you into the ground or make you laugh until you are immobilized... or you wet your pants. She appears unphased by almost any situation. She began running as a way of cross-training for her favorite sport, rowing. She rowed for Cornell University, at Vesper Boat Club, and was on the 1991 US PanAm team. After running two sub-4 hour marathons, she had four kids and took an injury-forced, 8-year hiatus from athletics. (She also has 6 grown stepkids). She resumed running less than a year ago and prefers to run at night... stealth-style... after everyone is asleep. Don't look for her because you won't find her that way. Just listen... she has a hard time keeping quiet for very long. 

Relays / Mud Run? Speedy friendz.

It was a crazy and event filled morning for me and my blogging / running friend career!

It started out with a run at the Newport Back Bay Loop with Skinny Runner and Pam.  

This was my first time meeting Pam and I was way excited to meet her - and yeah...she's super cool.    I was also a tad bit nervous to run with these two speedsters.  In the days before our run, I kept emailing them stuff like "uhhh we might need to go really slow" and "don't point and laugh if I need to stop".   Luckily, they only pointed and laughed a little, and it was so great to run with them.   8.5 miles.  

one of these is me this morning

The only problem with running with these girls, and OUAL, is that they are all so freaking gorgeous and have cute outfits, I feel a little like the troll of the group.  Suggestions on how to look cute running?  I can't let these girls show me up!  =)

After the run, I went home, showered, and obsessively looked the Nuun blog to see them announce the results for the sponsored Hood To Coast Relay.  

The top of mount hood looks cold

I actually suspected I was in the finals for consideration and here's why:  The past couple days, I've seen a big increase of searches for "TheFasterBunny".  

And let's be honest:  The only people who actually type that into a search engine are my relatives and boyfriend.  And....people who might be trying to decide on a Hood To Coast Team...dum dum dum!  

Anyways, I am psyched and honored to be part of the team!  My first reaction to learning I was picked was more to wonder if I wanted this as much as many of the other bloggers who applied.  If I really deserved to be chosen.  Just because I have decent MS Paint skills (nothing compared to EatDrinkandRun), should that really earn me an entry?   The more I thought about it, the more I really got excited to be part of the team.  Deserve it?  Who knows.  But I'm gonna own it!   ;-).  

I'm also thinking about finding a costume to wear (if they'll let me).  Duck?  Bear?  A big box shaped like the state of Oregon?    Kim Kardashian big booty shorts?  The options are limitless. 

Since this is all new to me, I want to hear any input on your 'adventure race'  or relay thoughts and experiences.    

Have you ever done a long distance run relay (or do you want to?)  (4x800 in high school does not count)

Or are you more of a solo runner?  

As long as we're talking about adventure - what about those mud runs?  Fun...or disgusting?  


On a slightly different note - thanks for your entries into the Bachelorette contest!   You can still enter until next Monday.  Thus far what I've learned from your entries is that I am not the only one with a reality TV crush on JP.   Hands off ladies, he's mine.  =) 

Running Safety, Girlfriend?

I'm comin' clean!  Like the rest of the blog-o-sphere, I put my hat in the ring for the Nuun Hood to Coast Relay Team.  I'll spare you all the details, but  I'll introduce you to my main character "Nuucy Drew" in my children's "book":

Nuuncy Drew and the Case of the Relay Member!  

Engaging, no?  hah it's ok I can take it if you think it's lame :).  

Bottom line, I figure if Nuun is looking for a blogger who loves wine tasting, bunny ears at major races, and workouts like "Run faster until you're about to fall off the treadmill", I'm their girl!  

If not, that's cool too, although I think Hood To Coast with the team would be amazing. I would like to put my vote in for Jess at Blonde Ponytail because it was pretty cool of her to blog about the contest a couple weeks back and try to get others to enter.  Team spirit.  

On to the main topic, Running Safetyyyyy:

I was at Road Runner sports a few weeks back and I saw they had little cans of pepper spray to carry with you when you run.  

It kind of reminded me of my general fears of going out on a run and never returning....morbid...I know I know...but haven't you watched the Dateline NBC specials where this actually happens?  

There's all the regular safety recommendations that you've probably seen:

1) Don't run in deserted areas

2) Don't run with headphones on, esp at night (ok be honest...who NEVER runs with music?  What is this, 1990?)

3) Run with someone else.

4) Make sure someone knows exactly where you're going and when you're coming back.  

I sort of follow these rules.  I generally don't run alone in the dark or in dangerous places.  But I run alone a lot outside and often find myself on a trail or track where the Seinfeld quote from one episode "I coulda killed you here and no one would know"  (remember...when Elaine has some repair man over???), goes through my head.

And as a relatively small woman who probably couldn't defeat a small dog in a fight, being alone on these trails isn't wise.    

Actually the one ridiculous "safety" thing that I do, that I am convinced is protecting me, is that I greet any suspicious looking dude with a 'hello good morning' or the like.  I'm hoping that if they were planning to kill me, my politeness might just stop them.  Likely...I know...=).   

Do you carry pepper spray or have amazing karate skills?  

How do you say safe when you run? 

Do you think I should write a sequel to "Nuun-cy Drew"?    Perhaps "The Adventures of Go-Tein"   ?