Category Archives: Running

September 23, 2011 · 1:11 PM

Almost there…..


Well, it’s finally in sight!

After months of planning, worrying, ordering things, making a million phone calls and losing a lot of sleep, the race is tomorrow morning. If you haven’t been following my numerous posts on Facebook, no this is not a race that I’ll be racing in. This is my first race that I’ve directed. To say that it’s been a little difficult and quite the learning experience, would be a huge understatement. I am glad that I did it though.  (Hopefully by this time tomorrow I’ll still be glad I did it!)

Over a year and a half ago, I never dreamed that I’d run at all, let alone a 5k, 10k, half, etc. So, obviously the idea of me ever directing a race was not even on the radar…not even after I started running!

The main thing I’ve done to try to make this a race that people will enjoy has been to ask myself what are the things I’ve liked about races or didn’t like. This advice was given to me by Rod Simmons and my husband, Jason. They are both experienced racers and it does make sense, after all.

I didn’t like the couple of races that we went to that had only water and limited/no fruit or the one that we attended that didn’t even have prizes for the winners. I guess it was the feeling we got when we left that we’d basically paid a huge registration fee and ran for…nothing.

Anyway, there were other races that had great refreshments, like smoothies and that was something that is a huge plus in my book. So, one of the first things on my list when I was looking for sponsors was to call our local Smoothie King. They were gracious enough to agree to provide smoothies and I am more than excited to have them at our race! We always love goodies in our race bags, so I’ve managed to get a few of those to stuff in there. Plus, we have door prizes to giveaway too, which is always fun. We decided to go with medals for our winners instead of trophies but I think they look great and hope the racers think the same.

Well, I only have a few more things to do today before the preparations are done and all we have left to do is wake up in the morning and set everything up. (Kind of reminds me of Christmas.)

With that being said, I should stop blogging and get those last things “wrapped up”.

I hope you’ll be able to come, if you can and if you can’t, say a little prayer that things go smoothly for everyone – racers included.

I want this to be a race that will be on everyone’s “To Do Again” list!  🙂

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September 1, 2011 · 10:55 PM

Hitting the Wall…then pushing through it



Have you ever had so much going on in your life at one time that you almost felt paralyzed from it all?  Yes?

Me too…

In these last several weeks, I’ve hit the Wall and it wasn’t just while I was running. I’ve had so much going on with family and other obligations that I was to the point of feeling completely incapacitated. A lot of this comes from having a really hard problem saying two words more often – “No” and “Help”.

Summertime busyness, birthdays to shop, clean and cook for, rearranging a bedroom (the day before a double bday party), normal household duties, a wedding to be in, planning a race, finding a time to run (and deal with the extreme heat), back to school shopping, and all of the rest of things that being Mama involves has had my head spinning! Not that women all over the world don’t have that much and more to do everyday but I can say with no doubt that my plate hasn’t been just full…it’s been overflowing.  At one point, I was having nights that I couldn’t fall asleep, even though I was exhausted because my mind was racing. When I did fall asleep, I’d wake up sweating with my heart pounding as if I’d been running speed drills and eyes wide open. Thoughts of race medals, matron of honor dresses and shoes, where can I order that Caillou toy, race time clocks, Barney birthday decorations, making birthday cakes, school clothes, cleaning the house, typing up registration forms to put online and did I leave a candle lit in the living room were going through my head so fast that I wondered if I was truly going crazy. There was a day or two that all I wanted to do was drop my kids off at their grandparent’s, turn off my phone and computer, go in my bedroom and just hide. (I never did that but boy did it sound good at the time! )

Thankfully, I’m not and never was alone in all of this. I have God, my family and I have friends and that’s how I’ve gotten through these last few crazy weeks. A sermon at church about worry came at a perfect time for me and made me realize that I had let my anxiety not only get out of control but control me. I made a decision to stop so being stressed to the point of doing nothing because I didn’t know where to begin and start moving forward.

So, what did I do once I decided having a mini breakdown wasn’t an option? First, I prayed and apologized to God for trying to do everything myself.  I also acknowledged that I need to have a little more faith and a little less freaking out going on in my life. Then I did something that I don’t always do….I asked for help and accepted help when it was offered. For example, I called my friend, who is great cake decorator, and asked if she could come over and help me decorate the 2 cakes I had looming over me to bake. As the time got closer and I still had tons to do, she insisted on just making them herself and bringing them to me on the day of the party to make things easier. Although it was very hard to accept this extremely huge gesture, I finally realized that she was right and gratefully accepted.

I started prioritizing and making lists (which isn’t a bad thing to do anyway) and deciding on what had to be done now, in a day or two,week or so, etc. Which explains the lack of a blog lately. Slowly but surely, things have been coming together, getting done and being marked off of my to-do list. I’m now finally feeling like things are getting slowly back to the normal busy around here instead of nightmare busy.

Crying helps. Well, at least it does for me sometimes. Not because it solves any problems but sometimes it really helps me get all of my emotions/frustrations out and focused again. There was a day or two that I scrunched up in blanket on the recliner and just cried. I can nearly guarantee that after one “good” cry, the next day I come back stronger and more focused than ever. It may be just a girl thing but sometimes it just has to be done (if you can’t get a long run in). I’ve also made sure that I didn’t stop finding a time to go run. Running is a huge stress reliever for me and I knew that it needed to be done even if I thought I was too tired to go. The great thing is that lately, because I’ve been having to go nearly all the time at night, I’ve picked up a new running buddy – Jason! 🙂 ( Our older kids keep the baby monitor with them and listen for Zach and Zoe for us.) Instead of running those boring loops at the track, we’ve been running all over Seminary. It’s been so nice to get to run and talk to each other -almost like a date!- and it’s also been neat to see the town from a different view. I took my son, Tyler last night with me and proudly gave him the tour of the town as we chatted the whole time. At first I felt like my circumstances were forcing me into running at a certain time but now, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. 🙂

Don’t get me wrong. All of these things that I’ve been doing and currently doing are all things I want to do because they involve, in one way or the other, people I care about. The trouble I have is when it all seems to happen at once or so close that it seems like it’s all at one time. I’m not the most organized person you’ve ever met either.  The first step is to admit it, right? 🙂

My big focus on my list right now is the Race for Grace 5k, planning another birthday (but at least it will be at a laser tag place), and starting my half marathon training. I’m also hoping to do a product review soon, a race report from the Watermelon 5k (Yes, the one in July…) and I’m going to feature a runner/walker from our state and do a Q&A blog with them. It may be a slow going process but at least now you know what has been keeping me so busy lately. Don’t give up on me! I’m getting there, one step at a time. 🙂

 

Philippians 4:6-7
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.(NLT)

 

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July 11, 2011 · 4:58 PM

New Month with New Goals (And how in the world did I become a race director?!)


Well, a new month is finally here…I guess it’s been here for about 11 days now, lol.  June was very eventful around our house. So much, that I never had time to finish writing that fussy little post I began countless times!  The title was: “Does this heat make me look fat?” and I still may use it one day, lol.

That particular blog was basically me agonizing over the fact that it’s really hot and I don’t like it one bit. And because I’m not a fan of broiling when I go run, I’ve cut back my runs considerably lately. Of course, because I’ve cut back my runs, it makes me automatically feel, well…you know, fat and lazy…and if you ask my family, maybe a teensy bit grouchy at times. It also hasn’t helped that we’ve been really busy lately with lots of summertime activities and by the time I’m able to go run, it might be 9 or 10 at night. Seriously. After feeling down in the dumps over my lack of running when and how much I wanted, I finally decided that I could either keep feeling bad or put on my big girl running shoes and do something about it. (I figured I should take a little of my advice that I give my children and be grateful for what time I do have.) So, on the days that I know I probably won’t get to go and run, I have started using our elliptical machine again and then if I get to go anyway, great! At least once a week, I dress at lightly as possible, bring my water bottle and bite the bullet and go run at the Longleaf Trace. It’s my favorite spot to run my longer runs. It’s always pretty hot and I haven’t run a truly “long” run (more than 6 miles) in a really long time but it’s so much better than running in circles at the track!!!  As for the other days, I have come to peace with the fact that I’m going to be running at night and for now, that’s just the way it will be. Soon enough, it will be cooling off and it will be time to start training for our next half marathon. I think that it’s just hard, for me at least, to go from training hard during the week and running races nearly every weekend to training not nearly as much and no races. It was a shock to my system and I felt almost depressed, as strange as that may sound. In a nutshell, that’s basically the blog I was trying to write for nearly a month.

Now that I’ve given myself a good kick in the rear for acting like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh, I’m trying to use this time to work on my form and just kind of be in maintenance mode. We’re also getting ourselves ready mentally to start our half and full marathon training. I think it’s never too soon to get your mind focused and geared up towards looking forward it. I know it takes a lot of physical endurance but I can tell you that if you start thinking that can’t, your body will most likely listen.

Speaking of races, we have one coming up this weekend! Yeah, it was kind of a surprise to me when I found out too. It surprised me first when I was told that it was July 23 and then an even bigger surprise when Jason said he found out that it was actually the 16th.(Here’s a link to the race, if you’re interested.) In a way, I’m excited to have a race to look forward to and in another way, a little anxious. We went Saturday to see what the course would look like and if it’s where we think it’s going to be, then, wow. Just wow. Do you remember that time several months ago when I was so worried about a race with all of those hills? This one may be worse. Especially when you factor in the heat/humidity. I’m trying to tell myself to not fret over it. (Back to the mind over matter/visualization thing.) I know that I’m going to have to take it slow for the first half of the run because it uphill nearly the whole way. On the other hand, while I can cruise coming back, part of it is pretty steep and if I’m not careful, I’ll use up a lot of energy trying to “put on brakes”. Jeff Galloway talks about “gliding“, which is what I’ll need to concentrate on when I’m running the 2nd half of the race.

Here’s how he explains it:

What are gliders? Many of us incorporate gliders into our runs without even realizing it. When you run down a hill, using the momentum of the last few yards to relax while keeping the same speed for a few steps, you’re gliding. With practice you can stretch the distance of this glide, riding the wave of momentum farther and farther. You can even learn to adapt this technique to flat ground.

You can click the link on gliding and see his full explanation of  how to do them and why they can work for you. I will admit that I haven’t done hill work lately which means I haven’t practiced this technique lately. *Mental note – I might need to go do hills tonight…. 

I probably won’t have a PR that day but I’m going to do the best I can and go slow if I need to. The important thing is to have fun and finish, right? I’ll try to post an update on how it went and pictures. Here’s one of me from a previous race:


🙂

Another thing that is going to be happening soon is the Race for Grace 5k Run/Walk and 1 Mile Fun Run to benefit Grace Link Kids which is an outreach of Grace International.This idea began during a conversation with my brother about putting on a trail race someday, even though I’m not even a trail runner and it somehow grew into this!! After having a meeting and forming a committee, I (of all people..if you know me, you’ll agree, lol) was chosen to be the race director. I have only been in races and never even helped with one, so you can imagine my surprise and panic mode that I was suddenly in since I’ve never considered myself a “leader”. Luckily, we have several other people who are great with planning and know people who can advise us on things that we have questions about. We really want this to be a fun event that is family oriented and something that runners and their families will want to participate in again. Most of all, we want to be able to have lots of folks participate so we can help as many kids as we can. By the way, if you have any race planning suggestions or advice for me, I’d LOVE to hear from you!! We are planning our second meeting this week and hope to have the final details ironed out. Here is what we know for sure: It will be held September 24 at 8:30am at the Longleaf Trace Gateway, which is behind USM (See directions below). There will be race t-shirts, prizes for the winners (age group categories to be decided on soon), water and snacks afterwards and some fun stuff for the kids too. We will be listing it on the Mississippi Track Club site and the Pinebelt Pacers site too. We’ve already listed it as an event on Facebook and made a page for it too so you can keep up with updates there. If you don’t have Facebook, no worries because I’ll update things on here and Twitter and Grace International has a page started on their website and will post info there too. I’m really excited about it coming together and I hope I’ll see lots of you there!

The temps are looking like they are going to be pretty high this week so remember to stay hydrated and take your water bottle with you when you go outside to exercise!

I hope everyone has a great week.

*Directions to the Longleaf Trace Gateway*

From I59 take the Hardy Street exit and go east on Hardy Street to 38th Street (second light).  Turn left on 38th Avenue and then right at the next light at 4th Street. The Gateway will be on your left at the foot of the water tower at the northern edge of the USM campus. 

From US Highway 49 from Jackson: At Mendenhall turn south on Highway 13. At Prentiss turn west on US Highway 84. The Trace crosses 84 just south of its terminus at the park in Prentiss. Take a side street to the beautiful park (see pictures below) and parking area. For the Hattiesburg terminus see I59 instructions above or the US Highway 49 directions below.

To access the Trace at Sumrall or Epley from Highway 49: Turn west on 42. Turn left on Epley Road (first paved road) to go to Epley, or straight to continue to Sumrall. In Sumrall turn left on 589 and the parking area is a few blocks on your left. 

If you are coming from Mobile on US Highway 98 or from the coast on US Highway 49 (they intersect just south of Hattiesburg): Continue (or turn) west on US 98 to I59 north to Hardy Street. Then follow the directions from I59 above.  

US Highway 49 Directions: If you are familiar with Hattiesburg and USM, another more scenic way to get to the Gateway Southern Miss is to stay on 49 into Hattiesburg, and then turn west on 4th street (watch for signs directing you to the Gateway. You will get onto a frontage road that will take you to 4th Street (4th Street passes over US 49). The Gateway will be on your right across from the football stadium. That way you get to see more of the fabulous hub city and USM. To start at Epley or Sumrall, follow the directions above. Going North, Highway 42 will be on your left about 3 miles after you cross under I59.

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June 24, 2011 · 2:15 AM

SPIbelt Giveaway!


Here’s the fun part! 🙂

The lucky winner will receive a SPIbelt of their choice!! (Thanks to Debbie at SPIbelt for making this possible!)

I hope you’ve already read my review about SPIbelt but if you haven’t, click here to read it now. 

Here’s how to enter:

1.   Become a follower of my blog and leave a comment to let me know.  Already a follower?  Check in with a comment on this post. (+1 entry)

2.   Become SPIbelt’s fan on Facebook. Leave your Facebook name on this post’s comments section. (+2 entries)

3.   Follow SPIbelt on Twitter. (Please let them know I sent you.) Leave your Twitter nickname on this post’s comments section. (+2 entries)

Optional/Extra Entries:

1.    Follow me on Twitter.  Leave Twitter nickname in comments on this post’s comments section. (+2 entries)

2.   Become a fan of Slow is the New Fast’s Facebook page. Leave your Facebook name on this post’s comments section. (+2 entries)

3.   Spread the word about this giveaway via Twitter or Facebook.  Leave a comment on this post and let me know. (+3 entries for each one)

4.   Announce this giveaway on your own blog, and let me know. (Leave a link to your blog, please!) (+5 entries)

5.   Add me to your blogroll. Leave a comment and let me know. (+2 entries)

6.   Tell me how a SPIbelt might be useful for you. (+1 entry)

7.   Go to SPIbelt and pick which belt you’d choose and what activity you’d be using it for. (+1 entry)

Giveaway ends on Friday, July 1, 2011. A winner will be picked on Saturday, July 2. Remember to please leave a separate comment for each entry and please enter only in the ways listed above. I reserve the right to delete comments not adhering to the above entry guidelines.  You must be 18+ years old & live in the USA or Canada. The winner will be notified via email, they will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

If you would like to sponsor a giveaway on my blog (or you know someone that does) please contact me by sending me an email to gcmjjm03@gmail.com.  I will always disclose whether or not the giveaway is sponsored by someone else or if it is one of my very own.

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June 24, 2011 · 2:11 AM

SPIbelt Review and Giveaway!!


SPIbelt Review

SPIbelt (Small Personal Item Belt) has given me the opportunity to do a review and giveaway for their awesome utility belts! 

Here’s what their website says, “Sleek, expandable, secure and does not bounce. Can hold an iPodâ„¢, Blackberryâ„¢, cell, keys, up to five GUâ„¢ packs, and other small personal items. The SPIbelt does not bounce, ride or shift while running or doing other activities.”

At one point or another  as runners, walkers or even as tourists, we’ve had our hands full and with either no pocket or not enough pockets.  Well, SPIbelt has a solution for that!!

I’ve been on way too many runs that have consisted of me running with not only my iPod in my hands but with my keys and Sport Beans! I purchased another utility belt that, while roomy and water-resistant, was really heavy and never fit me just right. In fact, it would bounce and move around my body and even would have to be pulled up to keep it from falling off completely. That’s not what I want to deal with when I’m out training for a half marathon or even out running 5 miles! We first purchased a SPIbelt at the Crescent City Classic Expo in April of this year. My husband actually tried it on race day and loved it. I had  After trying the SPIbelt out on a run one day, I was ready to switch. What a difference in the two!! I actually forgot that I was wearing it!

When you first look at the belt, it seems as though you’ll barely be able to fit your keys in there, much less a phone, Sport Beans or wallet. I was able to stuff my keys, my Samsung Galaxy phone (which may be smart but it isn’t small), $20 and 2 GU gels on the outside elastic loops, although it can fit up to 6 on the outside of the belt. 

This is what I ran with the first time. (Minus the money which was only to check out the water resistance.)

Here's my phone, keys and gels

All zipped up and ready to run!

The SPIbelt is super lightweight, doesn’t bounce – not even when it’s loaded down! It fit securely around my waist but didn’t feel uncomfortable. Its stretchy fabric expands impressively to hold pretty much everything you might need to bring with you when you’re out for a run. 

SPIbelt makes numerous versions: the basic belt, the inner pocket belt, a waterproof belt, a water resistant belt, the energy belt, a belt for diabetics that has room for an insulin pump and even belts for kids!  It is one size fits all so all you have to do is adjust the band to fit your body whether you want it around your hips or waist Although the SPIbelt we own is black, it isn’t the only color. They have a variety of colors to choose from, as seen in the picture.

You can find them all by clicking here. 

Here’s what my husband has to say about his SPIbelt:

“Recently at the Crescent City Classic expo in New Orleans, I picked up a water-resistant SPIbelt. I was hoping to have a means to bring a little money and my pocket camera with me so that I could catch a few pics of the amazing crowd (22,000+ participants) and post race party. The SPIbelt was super slim and under $25.The belt that I purchased has several elastic loops for energy gels and has loops for attaching your racing number. The SPIbelt that I was looking at looked so small that I questioned whether it would be able to hold all that I needed it to. The company rep was confident and was able to pop my large Samsung Galaxy cell inside with ease. I was sold and so was another SPIbelt. I know it’s never a good idea to try something new on race day; but, I really wanted to bring my camera!!! I packed it, the room key, and some money inside of the super stretchy pouch with no trouble. The pouch conformed to the shape of its contents, keeping the size to a minimum. I was able to strap it around my waist, and with my shirt pulled over it, it was not really noticeable. The run that day was a nightmare with the heat and humidity, so I was definitely sweaty! After running through a few sprinklers and dumping a couple of cups of water on my head, my SPI-belt was definitely tested. It was comfortable to wear and I really had forgotten that I had it on while I was running. After crossing the finish line, I was able to remove my dry camera and had a few dollars to spend! Test passed! I have since used it on several runs with my cell phone in it, and remain very satisfied with my purchase.”

SPIbelts retail from $19.95-$29.95 and as you read, it can double as a belt for your racing number.

You can find SPIbelt by clicking the following links:

SPIbelt’s Official Website

SPIbelt’s Facebook Page

SPIbelt on Twitter

Win one here!!

As required by the FTC: I already owned this particular product. I received no monetary compensation. 
All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

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May 30, 2011 · 2:58 AM

Bondi Band Review and Giveaway!!


Ok my fellow sweaty runners! I told you that I’d be doing reviews and giveaways soon and here is my first one! (Bear with me as I am new to this and learning as I go.) Thanks to Rebecca from Bondi Band who has graciously agreed to help me out!


Review: Bondi Band

“The simple premise of Bondi Bands is to offer comfy, colorful, and creative headbands to fit every lifestyle and personality. By using stretchy and breathable material, we allow Bondi Bands to fit virtually every head size comfortably and fashionably.” ~Bondi Bands

You may already be familiar with this cute yet extremely hard working little pieces of material. If you aren’t, I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of my husband and me sporting them at different runs. We are both really bad sweaters and since we live in the Deep South, we don’t catch much of a break as far as the weather goes.

Jason and me sporting our Bondi Bands!

We first discovered Bondi Bands last summer when we were looking for a way to control our profuse sweating while we were running. I may be a girl but when I run, I don’t “glisten” –  I SWEAT! After realizing that a cap is great for shade but not so much on sweat control, my husband and I decided to try out Bondi Bands. The “No Slip, No Drip” catchphrase caught our attention. Wouldn’t it be nice to not have sweat pouring into my eyes and blinding me while I run?! YES! We looked up their site and I found that they have a HUGE selection. They not only have headbands but they also have wicking hats, wicking ponytail hats, wicking pigtail hats, swim caps, wicking neck gators,  and wicking sweat towels. They offer styles for men, women, children and even your dog!! You can get them made of lycra that will help with light sweat wicking. If you need extra  help, you can get the heavy wicking ones that, according to Bondi Band’s website,  “Will absorb every bit of sweat you have to give them!”

This Bondi Band was working some serious overtime at the Crescent City Classic!


Since I’m on headband overload (not that I mind!), Rebecca at Bondi Band sent me a brown wicking ponytail cap with the word “RUN” on it. LOVE IT! It’s thick and my ponytail fit perfectly and looked super cute. I simply cannot wait for cold weather to get here because it’s going to be a staple when I go out for my runs. I have another brand ponytail hat that I wore last winter and it’s not nearly as thick and the hole for the ponytail isn’t designed as well. I already know which one is my favorite.

Here's my super-cute wicking ponytail hat that Bondi Band sent me!

Sporting my Bondi Band wicking ponytail hat



Here’s what I really like, besides the fact that they hold my sweat back like the Hoover Dam. They are cute! I love all of the different styles!! They have so many colors/patterns/sayings to choose from! We stood at the Bondi Band booth at the Crescent City Classic expo for much longer than most booths simply because I couldn’t decide on the ones that I wanted but somehow I managed to finally pick 2. I also like that they are wide and you can wear them like that or you can fold them for a different look. My hair stays in place when I run, which is a major plus, especially on windy days. I’ve even worn my Bondi Band underneath my cap so I can have shade buy also not have to worry about the sweat. Keep in mind that you don’t have to save these for just your workouts! You can wear them anytime! Another wonderful thing about the folks at Bondi Band is that they are a company that gives back! I love this! Each year they donate 10% of their pretax profits to charity. For 2011, they have chosen the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.


One of you will get to win one!! 


Here’s what my husband, Jason, has to say about Bondi Bands:

“I have been using Bondi Bands for about a year and couldn’t imagine running in the Mississippi heat without one. It’s not uncommon for me to head out to the track right after work in a t-shirt and my scrub bottoms, not taking time to change into my running clothes. Rest assured, however, I will take time to put pop in my ear buds and put on my Bondi Band…every time. Basically it does what the Sham Wow does on the infomercials…just on my forehead during a run. It never fails to amaze me when I wring it out after a run at just how much sweat it holds, knowing that it would have all been running in my eyes if I hadn’t been wearing one!!! I have been basically running in the same Bondi Band for the better part of this past year and it continues to do an excellent job of absorption. I did make a point to swing by the Bondi Band booth while in New Orleans at the Crescent City Classic Expo to pick up another one to put in a rotation. The selection was great with a multitude of colors and witty sayings (ie…In my dreams I’m a Kenyan), all for around $8. Of course with all of the options and designs, i picked plain black…it matched my shoes. In conclusion, if you sweat…and I’ll bet you do…I think you too would be well served to pick up a Bond Band!”

Here's our Bondi Band collection. You can see that several have the "used look". I will admit, I don't wash after wearing everytime but if I did, I'd just throw them in the wash with my workout clothes.

Win a Bondi Band!!


Wear and Care

The answer is, there is no proper way to wear a Bondi Band. Some people wear them rolled, others fold them in half, but most wear them wide open. Try different styles for yourself and see what you like the best.

Traditional Method:

1. Put headband on and pull out hair from back

2. Pull up from top of fabric, until above eyebrows and over ears

3. Fold back of headband under, and leave the front FLAT

4. Relax and look cool caring for your Bondi Band

Care

Fashion Light Wicking Material: Hand Wash/ Hang Dry

Heavy Wicking Material: Washer/Dryer

No fabric softner for all products.

You can find Bondi Band by clicking the following links:

Bondi Band’s official website

Bondi Band Facebook page

Bondi Band on Twitter

As required by the FTC: I received a product sample in order to write my review.  I received no monetary compensation.  All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.


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May 24, 2011 · 3:57 PM

I Ran Like a (little) Girl!


So, this is the second weekend in a row that we didn’t have a race to go to. It’s always nice to have no where in particular to have to be but I must admit – I do miss getting up and heading out on race days. There’s just something about those mornings that I really enjoy. I can’t wait to have another to look forward to!

In my last blog, I told you about my troubles of running loudly and how I’ve had a difficult time trying to correct this “problem”. I decided to throw my Vibrams on Thursday night and take them for a spin at the track. I knew it couldn’t be a very long run at all because it had been a really long time since I’d done anything but walk in them and I certainly didn’t want to overdo it and injure myself.

It was warm that evening but not as hot as some nights and there was a good breeze blowing. I had a slight panic attack when I first got to the track because I remembered my trusty Nike+ chip was in my other shoes but suddenly realized the convenience of having a GPS in my watch – no chip needed. 🙂 Whew! Disaster averted! As I waited for my watch to link with the satellite, which tends to take a few minutes, (One feature that I wish could be improved on the watch. You definitely don’t want to wait to link it up at the last second if you’re about to race.) I trotted around to just get the feel of my shoes and was excited to try them. I wasn’t trying for record speed. It was more of an experiment. I needed to see how much my body would self-correct if given the opportunity. When my watch finally beeped to let me know it had synced with the satellite, I stuck my ear bud (yes, only one!!) in my ear and began my run. As I ran, I was listening: pat, pat, pat, pat. I smiled. I was hearing a much different sound as I ran around the track. I could tell right away that I was running differently. My mind kept going back to when I was a little girl running barefoot through the field, chasing my brother or running with my dogs. Back then, I didn’t think about form or breathing or if I was running lightly. I just ran because it was fun and because my little brother needed to be chased. 🙂 That’s the feelings that kept coming over me when I ran that night….like I was a little girl again. It felt good to run and I was having fun! Don’t get me wrong, most of the time that I’m out for a run, I’m having fun but there was an enjoyment that was different that night. I’m not usually a fan of change but I liked this “different” feeling. It felt natural and I felt faster. Was this what Chris McDougall was talking about? I think it was. 🙂

I only ran 3k, which isn’t even 2 miles but I felt like I didn’t need to overdo it since my feet and legs weren’t used to wearing those shoes. I will say that I felt that I could have gone the whole 5k distance but I’m glad I didn’t. I was so sore Friday, Saturday and Sunday!!! (The good kind of sore!) The one thing I definitely know is that I will need to do my Vibram work at the end of the week strictly because of soreness issues. I really think that this may have been what I needed to get me on track with toning down my noisy feet.

Last night, I went to the track to run and wore my normal shoes (Nike+ Lunar Eclipse) and tried to mimic the way I had run on Thursday. It wasn’t as quiet as the time before but better than I had been doing. I tried to be aware of how my feet were landing and from the tingling my feet were doing when I finished, I think I was hitting right where I needed to! I really think that by alternating between my regular shoes and my barefoot shoes, I will be able to improve greatly on the way I run and I’m very excited about it!

Maybe I’ll have less of these too:

My husband thinks that these are more than likely caused from how I step instead of the distances I was running.

Quick reminder, I’m going to be doing a Bondi Band giveaway and review on my blog soon so be sure and check back here, on Twitter or on my Facebook page (Slow is the New Fast) so you won’t miss out on it!! I’m very excited to be doing this and really appreciate Rebecca from Bondi Band for making it possible!


I hope you’re all having a wonderful week, so far!

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May 18, 2011 · 4:32 PM

Good and Bad Runs, Ipods and My(Difficult)Quest to Step Lightly


Hi everyone! No race reports from last weekend. We had considered running one on Saturday but decided to skip it and take the kids (and Flat Stanley – my nephew’s book project) to the Jackson Zoo and State Capital. It was such a fun day and even though we could have run the race that morning and then gone on our trip, we might have felt a little less than energetic by the time we got home that night.

Buckled in and ready for an adventure with our family!

Since I don’t have a race recap to give you, I thought I’d ramble on about a few things that have gone through my thoughts this week while I was running or during my few and far between moments of quiet time around here.

Isn’t it amazing how you can run one day and feel like you are most likely the worst runner that’s ever stepped foot on the earth and then, a couple of days later, you go for a run and feel like you could go on forever? This was my experience a few days ago and then on Monday. Last week it was hot and I mean super hot. (I’m sure you get so tired of hearing me fuss about heat but, guess what, it’s only going to get worse because summer is coming, haha!) I decided to go for a run on Thursday afternoon. Jason said to bring the kids, along with the jogging stroller,and he would just meet up with me after he finished up his run because he was already running at the same place. I’d been talking to my friend, Stephanie that day, who’s just beginning her journey as a runner, and she said she’d love to come along and run with me. We’ve tried several times to get together for a run with no success, so I was thrilled that we’d actually get to go. She’s still doing running with walking mixed in and I thought, since it was so warm, it would be a great day for me to take it slow and enjoy getting back to the basics. We all met up as Jason was finishing and I could tell by the sweat pouring off of him that it was going to be a lot hotter of a run than I had anticipated. I grabbed up my Ipod and ushered Steph over to our starting point, making sure to only put one earbud in my ear so we could visit a little while we ran but I could still hear my music too. I, probably like at least a few of you, don’t like running “unplugged”! For some people, they’d rather hear their breathing and feet hitting the road and stay in tune with their body. For me, I’d rather have something moving me along, especially on those runs when I start to struggle. Sometimes it just takes turning on that certain song and I can switch off my left brain that’s trying really hard to convince me to stop and switch my right brain on and push through until I feel strong again. I think if I only had my labored breathing and sluggish sound of my feet to listen to during that time, I’d probably not be able to make it. That being said….we weren’t more than 2 or 3 mins into our run and my Ipod stopped. (Noooooo!!) I was in shock at first but then remembered what was going on. Now that I have my Nike watch keeping up with my running, I don’t bring my Ipod inside after every run and plug it in to recharge it/upload. I had a miniature freak out and then decided I shouldn’t set a bad example for my new-at-running buddy. I did complain outloud (just a bit!) but decided that we’d probably visit more without the music  anyway. Problem was, since she was walking/running and I was running/running, we weren’t together the entire time. I would run with her and then when she’d stop for a walk break, I’d run ahead and then turn around and come back to meet her. By that time, she’d be ready to run a little more and then we’d repeat the process. (Did I mention it was really hot that day?) By the time we had about a mile left, she told me to go on ahead and finish my part of the run out. I did it but was suffering from the torture of having no music and lack of air to breathe. After I finished, I trotted back to Steph and walked back with her. Jason had been taking pictures of us as we started our run out and was taking some of us coming back too. I was so thankful he didn’t snap any of me after I’d finished because it would have been ugly, lol! I gave Stephanie a quick hug and told her goodbye and was secretly a little happy that she didn’t stick around to see my misery in full force. I was nearly lying down on the back of Jason’s car, eyes clenched shut in pain because so much sweat had gotten in them, and feeling like I had probably just done the worst job in the world at being a good example of a runner. Honestly, for a day or two, I really began to wonder if I was losing my running mojo. That’s not a good feeling, by the way.

Just beginning our run. Pretty sure at this point my Ipod had already fizzled for the day.

Zach and Zoe relaxing in the jogging stroller.

I was pretty disgusted with how my run turned out that day but, keeping in mind that a bad run on one day can make your next good run feel great, I headed out on Monday to try again. I was thankful for much cooler temps and a chance to redeem myself from my less than impressive performance a few days before. It was a cloudy, unseasonably cool day and it felt wonderful! I went there knowing I was going to run more than 3 miles but also knew that I couldn’t run as far as I wanted because our cat was at the vet and had to be picked up by 5:30. It was already almost 4pm so I scrapped my dreams of running 7 or 8 miles and opted for a little over 4-ish. The run that day was one of those that I didn’t want to end. I felt great, the weather felt great, my Ipod worked great…everything was..well, great. I’m not sure if it was truly the best run I’d had in a while because it was that good or if it just was in comparison to the train wreck of a run from Thursday. Either way, I finished feeling strong and excited that probably weren’t as bad as I had thought they were. I’ve said over and over that the heat is basically my kryptonite. Now I just need to remind myself of this when I have a bad run on really hot days!!

Now here’s something I’d like to ask you about: How do you run? Do you startle people when you approach them from behind because of your stealth-like stepping or is there no need to say a word because your feet do all the “talking” as you clip-clop along? Unfortunately for me, I’m in the second category. As I mentioned on the Run Like a Mother page today, I feel like a Clydesdale when I’m running (and not in the glorious, majestic way). I make so much noise and I know it’s not a good thing but I don’t know how to stop! Believe me, I’ve tried. Yesterday, while out running with my husband (who’s not only a faster runner than me but a stealth-stepper too), he was trying to help show me (again) how to take those ever elusive lighter steps. I tried and tried but no matter how I changed my stepping, the noise stayed! What’s the deal? His theory is that I’m pressing down with my foot (into the road) instead of pushing the pavement away. Seriously, I have no clue what I’m doing when it comes to this. I know what I need to be doing but somehow I can’t implement it. I’ve heard that Chi Running was helpful in learning how to run lighter and wearing Vibrams can help too. I’m sure I’m losing a lot of energy by pounding it into the pavement and I’d probably even knock off some of my time if I could ever figure it out. Have any of you had this experience and how did you fix it? I’d love to hear any suggestions that you might have for me!! I’m going to post a pic of my feet while I’m running. Maybe you can see a problem that I don’t?

How's my driving?

 I forgot to mention that our run yesterday (besides obsessing over every step I took) was a really good one again. It was another cool afternoon and the company wasn’t so bad either. 🙂 I love being able to run with Jason although I know he probably feels like he’s going at a snail’s pace, he never complains, only encourages me and that means a lot to me.

So, those are a few of my thoughts this week. Zach is already out of school for the summer and my older kids have next week and they’ll be finished, which means our Florida vacation will be just around the corner! Our racing will significantly slow down during the heat of the summer but I’m sure I’ll still have more than enough to blog about. I’ve still got to fill you in on our Nike watches, some of my supplement/eating tips and I’ve got to keep you up to date on my quest to become a quiet runner (and faster one too).

In regards to my Ipod dependence that I mentioned earlier, I wanted to see how many of you have (or don’t have) a music dependency when you run. So, here’s a quick poll I’ve set up just for you:


One more thing! My blog has had over 3000 hits as of this week since I created my first post on March 22, 2011. This is so exciting for me (even though I’m sure some blogs get that many a day, lol) because when I started out, I figured I’d have mostly family and a few friends reading it. I never dreamed that I’d have as many readers as I do and I want to thank YOU for that! I also appreciate all of my other fellow bloggers that have linked my site to theirs, Rod’s Racers for promoting my blog and Facebook page and to the ladies at Another Mother Runner for profiling my blog on their site and sending a lot of new readers my way.

Thanks again to all of you for being such an encouragement to me! (And for looking over my writing errors that I’m quite certain I miss sometimes.) 🙂





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May 10, 2011 · 10:03 PM

What a Difference a Year Makes! – Okatoma River Run 5k


Saturday marked the last “scheduled” race on our calendar until this Fall and what a race it was! This year there were 38 walkers and 109 runners participating – lots of fast ones too!

The night before started out how so many race nights do. Late going to bed and then I couldn’t fall asleep right away because of nerves (see why here). Of course, we were running a little behind the next morning, but not nearly as bad as some race days. When I walked out the front door, Jason was already running up and down our street trying to warm up since it was obvious that we wouldn’t have time to when we got there. I decided that my warm up would probably have to be the trip from our vehicle to the table where we pick up our packets. (It was.) Adding to the stress excitement of the morning, that same gentleman who was at the Run for the Roses 5k in Prentiss (see my blog about that race here) and was announcing the whole time on a megaphone was there….on his megaphone again, lol. He certainly knows how to put me into high gear. There’s nothing like hearing how much time you don’t have to really get your heart rate going. I finally got lined up and ready to go with about a minute to spare. I didn’t get as close to the front as I had envisioned that I would be but it was good enough. One of my concerns was racing with my new Nike GPS watch. I think I must have looked at it five thousand times during the race! (I promise to do a review soon!) 

Looks like I'm doing some kind of strange march here.


The weather was really pleasant that morning, which was something we’d all been praying for (at least I know I had!). I started out a little faster than I should have but once I looked down and saw my pace, I reigned myself back in a bit because I knew I needed lots of energy until the end. This particular race course is no cake walk. It has lots of hills, some that are long, gradual ones that can wear you out if you aren’t ready for them. I actually felt like I handled the hills better that day than any other race that’s had hills before. I kept telling myself that my goals were this: 1. Finish 2. Beat my time from last year 3.Try and finish under 30 mins. I decided that if I could obtain even 2 of those goals, I could go home saying it had been a good race.

Lots of people passed me at first. I expected it but it still bothers me. I just kept telling myself to keep a steady pace and keep chugging along. By the time we were 2 km into it, I noticed that some of the people who had passed me early on were slowing down a little and now I was passing them. When I made it to the park, which was close to the half way point, I’d finally pulled away and didn’t have anyone immediately beside or behind me anymore (of course, I can’t be positive about the behind me part because I refused to look but I didn’t see anyone when I turned the curve, lol). I used that time to slow down for just a minute and take some deep breaths to get ready for the next really big hill that was waiting for us when we exited out of the park. I was dreading it but I knew that the sooner I could get up it, the sooner it would be behind me! Before I knew it, I was over the hill and on the last leg of the race. I was feeling a little tired but had no idea if I had someone gaining on me and because of that, I was afraid to slow down. I also was watching my time closely and knew that I had a good chance of finishing under 30 minutes. (In the back of my mind I was wondering if I’d made a mistake when I slowed down some in the park….)

Here I am coming up the last hill before reaching the finish line. (It seemed much higher at the time!)

As I turned on to the street and topped the hill, I saw the clock and it was still under 30. I saw my parents cheering, I saw Jason’s mouth yelling (couldn’t hear what because my music was too loud) while he was frantically trying to take pictures of me. It was going to be close. I ran as hard as I think I’ve ever run in my whole life. The clock seemed to be ticking away so fast!!! One last look up as I approached the finish line and I saw 29:58. That was all I needed to see as I ran under the clock. I threw my arms up in the air. I’d made it!! 

I have 2 pictures from that moment:

One from Jason here –

As you can see, Jason was a little too excited and missed me. Luckily, he did get the clock in the picture! 🙂 I couldn't help but laugh at this one...had to post it!

One from my mom –

My mom did a great job of documenting everyone's finish that day!

Jason finished in 22:27 and won first place in his age group!

Jason running for the finish line!

Several members of our family participated that day.  Our son Tyler ran it in 28:01, Jason’s sister, Donna ran with a finish time of 31:02, his brother’s wife, Delana ran and finished in 27:45 (winning 1st in her age group too!) and his mom walked it in 43:37 (winning 1st in her age group!). 

Tyler finishing strong.

Donna approaching the finish line. (She's only been running a couple of months now!)

Jason's mom heading towards the finish line.

Click here for a complete list of results from the race, courtesy of the Mississippi Track Club. They always know how to put on a great race!

I was very happy that several in our family participated and lots of our friends did too.

Here's Jason with his sister, sister-in-law and mother after the race.

I was super excited that my parents were there to watch me!

My parents and me.

Jason with his 1st place trophy.

My sister-in-law, Delana with her 1st place trophy and me.

Tyler and me after the race. (He'd already changed out of his running clothes.)

Here I am with Cherie who (beat the socks off me) won 1st Place in our age group with a time of 26:20!

This is my friend, Lakeisha Barnes, who signed up this year as a runner in the race!! She has been on her own fitness journey in the last year and is one of the strongest, inspirational women I know!

After being a bundle of nerves and not sleeping much the night before, and running behind that morning, I have to say that this year’s race was a drastic improvement over last year’s. Not being in pain is the biggest thing I’m thankful for but I’m also grateful that I’m a little bit faster too..or maybe just a little less slow!

First goal: Finish – CHECK

Second goal: Beat my old time – CHECK

Third goal: Finish in under 30 – Almost – My official race time was listed as 30:01, even though I initially thought it was under 30. It’s ok though and you want to know why? Because I won my FIRST TROPHY with that time anyway!!

Holding my trophy for 3rd Place in my age group.

Two out of 3, plus a trophy isn’t a bad day at all in my opinion!!

Last but not least, here’s a picture of the girl I beat on Saturday:

This is me finishing last year with an official time of 32:54.

“It’s very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit.” – George Sheehan




P.S. Look who I ran into after the race, talk about my lucky day!


I was shopping for my mom a Mother's Day gift and Elvis just happened to walk in!


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May 7, 2011 · 12:00 AM

Okatoma 5k Race tomorrow – I think I can, I think I can!


Here I sit on another race day eve and our vow to “go to bed as early as possible” seems to have fallen through…again. We have a sweet baby girl that seems to just know when there’s a race the next morning or if I need to go run, lol. Maybe she just doesn’t want to miss out on something exciting. 🙂 I guess it’s probably a good thing that we didn’t go to bed too early because I’d nearly forgotten to put my running clothes in the dryer. That would have been an unpleasant little surprise in the morning, especially if we’re running late. 

I must admit that I’ve had a little anxiety going on over this race tomorrow. I really don’t know why. We have run in a lot of races this season and it’s only a 5k. Maybe it’s because last year’s race is associated with lots of pain, physically and emotionally, for me. Also, it doesn’t help that Jason has been talking about it non-stop about it being a huge race for weeks, lol!! Oh, and my parents will be there to watch me race for the first time ever too so, of course I’d like to do really well for that reason. I’ll be using my new Nike GPS watch, which I’m not quite used to yet. I’ve run with it twice but still find myself waiting to hear my Ipod count down the distance for me. So…maybe I do know why I’m a little amped up after all, lol. The last couple of mornings have been really cool and I’m hoping that we can squeeze in one more for the race tomorrow. It would be so nice to have the weather working in our favor! It’s supposed to be 49 tonight…so we’ll see! 🙂

As I drove my son Tyler around the race course today, I kept saying, “Now here’s another hill but just remember to pace yourself and you’ll be fine.” Finally, he stopped me and sweetly said with a smile, “Mama, the hills just don’t bother me. I never really even think about them.” What?? It made me wonder if I should think (or not think) more like he does. I’m working hard tonight to think positive and remind myself that I’ve done this many times and I can do it again. I ran hills in a race last month that put the ones in tomorrow’s race to shame…and won 1st place in my age group. I can do this!! (That’s me thinking positve. :))

Besides trying out a new watch this week, I’ve also tried a new food. I bought Chia seeds yesterday after reading about them and learning how great they’re supposed to be for us. I ate some this morning mixed up in my oatmeal and then actually drank some in my water this afternoon. They aren’t bad at all! I did feel super full after drinking them but I think that’s part of what they’re supposed to do. No tummy problems to report and that’s always a good thing for me. Since today has been the first day of me eating them, I’ll let you know more about what I think of them as time goes by.

Tomorrow isn’t just a race day, it’s also a huge milestone for Tyler. His first prom is tomorrow night! He also won a trophy in band on Monday night for most improved. It seems just like yesterday that he was Zach’s age, who by the way, graduated from K-4 last night! It’s been an exciting week and we’re so proud of both of them (and the rest of our children, of course). Time really does go by so fast….

Unless you’re running and then it can go pretty slow. 🙂

I think it’s finally bedtime for us. Have a wonderful weekend!






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