Big News!

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I adore Route 66 Marathon and Half.  And for good reason - their finish line celebration is one of the best, those medals (which just get better year after year), the incredible expo, their swag bag and their team of directors is amazing!!  This year, Route 66 Marathon and Half are adding another feature - Ambassadors!  And I've been asked to be one!

Becoming an Ambassador for one of the best races I've been in is super exciting for me.  It's given me the motivation to get back to blogging, focus on training and clean eating and it's a great way for me to give back to the race I love.

I was reflecting back on the past Route 66 marathons and realized that I always get so excited about the training for it because we start training in the hottest months and then we run the race on (what it seems to be) the coldest day of the year!  Every single time!!  Cold weather to me just means I'll run faster because I want to get out of the cold.

I also remember the year, we helped with set up (which makes for an even earlier wake up than if you are running).

That was also a year we were running it as well.  We thought it would be fun to just jump in at the start line (since we were there helping set it up) at the beginning of the race.  Look closely in the picture below - front row - the tall one and short one in blue.

By the way, that was a bad ideal.  Don't start with the elites if you can't hang with the elites. 

That year was one of the warmer Route 66 race days.

Unlike previous years when we would run with wool socks on our hands and double thermal layers. 

 One of my favorite stops on Route 66 is Mile 9 (it's on Cincinnati).  It's quite the party - complete with jello shots, snacks and a great cheering squad which helps motivate you to get up that long uphill mile! 

If you are running Route 66, you have got to stop and appreciate all the stops along the way!  The People of Tulsa really go out of their way to cheer on all the runners and walkers!  It definitely makes it worthwhile to make this a destination run if you are not from Tulsa.  

Don't forget you want to sign up now for the Route 66 Marathon & Half here.  By signing up early, you get to personalize your bib!  Plus there is another rate increase on August 31st!  

Not ready for a Half or a full but want to run long?  Grab some of your friends and sign up for the relay!! 

Look for my training plans to be posted later this week!  Gotta go get my run in...

“Disclosure: I am participating in the Route 66 Marathon Ambassadors  program and have been provided with a Free Entry and VIP  in exchange for my honest opinions about the race.”

I'm Back!

Yes, it's been awhile since I've blogged.  But life gets in the way sometimes - what's a girl to do?  Anyway, I could give you this amazingly boring recap of what's been going on in the past two years, but I won't.  I will however, share with you on this Motivational Monday (who started that anyway?), who I got to watch and cheer on yesterday!!

Even if you are not a runner, you must likely have heard of the New York City Marathon.  For me, it is a bucket list item that I would love to check off sometime.  I have a friend running it this upcoming November with her husband.  He is running for Team for Kids and has to raise $2500 by the end of October.  Team for Kids supports the NYRR Youth Programs which brings free running and fitness programs to students across the country.  You've been living under a rock if you aren't aware of the state of most public schools - underfunded in so many arenas and some of those cuts include removing recess, gym time and even after school athletics.

NYRR Youth Programs offers a free youth fitness program to schools, community centers and participants.  It's a great program that helps kids fall in love with running, offering curriculum, coaching and rewards!  If you fill like it's worth it, I'd love you to drop a little donation on my friend Kevin and support him as he trains to cross the finish line for this great organization.  The link to donate or to learn more is here. 

His first fundraiser was 25/25/625.  He was going to run 25k for $25 in donations on 6/25.  Clever, heh?  I really wanted to run a leg of it with him but since I just started my training after a year off...that wasn't really a good plan for either of us so I joined my friend in the sag wagon for cheer squad!  They rounded up pacers for each 5k leg of his 25K.  With the route planned, we met up at Riverwest Festival Park and sent Kevin off on his first 5k.

After his first solo 5k, the running friends started showing up - the weather was great, the company good and the cheer squad solid!  

For the 3rd 5k, he got two pacers.  

For the 4th leg, he was back down to one.  But first, a little re-fuel.  

Leg 5: Another friend to join the fun!!

Finish line!! 

Great job Kev!!  Amy and I held on and cheered him in good and strong.  I think it is great motivation watching someone else run a long distance in an effort to help out a worthy cause.  I'll keep Kevin's hard work in mind today to motivate me as I tackle getting back into my run training!!  Why do you run?