15 Things! + the thing I WILL NOT be able to race without ever again.

1.  Well the weather could not have been any more perfect yesterday.  It started off in the 30s and then by about half-way through it was about 54 degrees until the end.  I’ll have a full race report (because it takes me forever to write down every thought I have about each section of a race) up tomorrow morning.  This race yesterday sure made me excited for more spring racing up ahead.

2.  The kids were pretty happy when we got home from the race.  They sure had an amazing time with their grandparents while we were gone.

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3.  Knox went around all day yesterday saying APRIL FOOLS and coming up with all sorts of tricks for us.  He then told us that it is the one day that we can lie as much as we want ha.

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4.  Is there anything better than watermelon after a race?  I don’t think so.  First watermelon of the season was a huge success.

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5.  I have died and gone to heaven with this Nathan Hipster belt.  I bought it at the expo the other day and could not be happier with it.  Usually I keep my phone and fuel in my old fuel belt and it did a good job but this took it to the next level.  I never even noticed it was one.  It didn’t bounce, it stayed perfectly in place and I am officially adding this to my ‘favorite running gear’ ever list.  If you need to store a bunch of stuff while you run and you don’t want to notice it during your run… get this now.

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6.  I was looking everywhere for Brooke yesterday afternoon and found that she put herself down for a nap.  She is more like me with each day;)  Naps= heaven.

Stop, drop and nap.

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7.  I think it is going to be mandatory that I make this dessert this month to celebrate spring.

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8.  After the race it is all about a lazy weekend watching conference!

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9.  Andrew went with his dad last night for one of their traditions and my mom, my sister and I went to Chick-fil-A for the good stuff.

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10.  Two reasons I crave this place often… their salads actually have a ton of toppings and their fries taste way too good dipped into their Chick-fil-A sauce.  My mom and sister agree with their love for this place too.

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11.  My mom wasn’t in the picture because she had to run to Costco before it closed, I learned my love for Costco from her.

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12.

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13. Picked up an ice cream cone on the way out.  Another reason we love them…

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14.  Came home and got to work on recovery.  I can officially say I’m really tired after that race and probably going to a concert until late (well late for my definitions) the night before didn’t help.  Compression boots to get my legs ready to train again.

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15.  My half-marathon yesterday gave out little pins instead of medals (the entrance fee for this race was pretty cheap).

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Have you ever gotten something other than a medal from a race that you have run?

Have a favorite fast-food salad?  Let me know because I will go right away to try it:)

Anyone else have one of those fancy Nathan Hipster belts?  Do you love it too?

What’s your Sunday breakfast?

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51 comments

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I have always gotten a medal, but the 5k on Disney’s Castaway Cay was a medal but it was made out of rubber………….smart thinking on their part, since a metal medal would have burned folks……………..it was 80 when we started running!

I like Chick Fil A so much!!!!!!!!!! Their salads and chicken tenders are so good!

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French toast for breakfast! :) CONGRATS ON THE RACE!!! Enjoy a restful Sunday <3

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Can’t wait to read all about your race! Last winter race I did they were giving Nike backpacks, a running tuque and an amazing hot breakfast buffet right after. Not cheap but an amazing experience!

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OKAY WOW… best post-race stuff ever! That is awesome:) Hope you had a great weekend Mel!!!

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Oh my goodness–I NEED to try those sugar cookie bars! And I’m with you on Chick-fil-A, especially the Chick-fil-A sauce. It’s seriously the absolute best.

I’ve run a race that gives out hats instead of medals. I don’t care much for medals, so I’m never really concerned about what they hand out.

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congrats on a great race! can’t wait for the recap. I haven’t had a fast food salad in FOREVER but used to love the Wendy’s salad bar and breadsticks!

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Okay, you just took me back to the good ol’ days of Wendy’s breadsticks… the best! I hope you have had a great Sunday Meredith!

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Hi Janae!
I have an iPhone 7 and it’s huge. Would the Nathan belt work for weightlifting too? I used to wear my smaller phone in my waistline while I worked out and now need wireless headphones or possibly a flip belt I can wear discreetly.

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Hmmm that is a great question and I personally think that it would! Especially for weight lifting because you aren’t bouncing a ton for that. I LOVE it and I’m sure it would stretch great to fit the iPhone 7! Let me know if you get it!

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Awesome, thank you! I may end up getting it…I’ll let you know :)

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you cannot go wrong with Chick-fil-a! Great choice there.. I certainly approve! Never had a salad here though! Watermelon is SO REFRESHING! I want to jump into the screen and grab it.

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favorite fast food salad – cafe rio. Does that count as a salad? There’s lettuce in there…

That dessert Sally made looks AMAZING. I saw it on her page and knew I’d be making that too.

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TOTALLY counts as a salad:) The best salad ever! Thanks Aimee!

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I’ll have to try that belt. The one I have now slides around, scoots up towards the waist, then bounces….I get so frustrated messing with it.

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Hey, great job on the race yesterday. A hilly course is no joke, especially when it starts off with a climb, trashing your legs from the get-go! I’m glad the weather turned out gorgeous for you too! Phew!

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We have those Nathan hipster belts at work and I love them. I feel like they stay on your hips well and for pants that don’t have side pockets in them, they are perfect. Although all compression should really have that built in at this point right?

I’m jealous of your nice weather. I’m longingly for a good weather race day. Although the climb in your race doesn’t sound all that fun. LOL

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How is the sizing on the Nathan Belt – do they run true to size, smaller, larger, etc. Not sure what size to get. I’m generally a medium/6/29 in pants.

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Excited to read your race report- I hope you had FUN!
I run with a flip belt that looks similar to your new belt. I love it! NO bouncing with is so important to me.
Sunday breakfast: English muffin, peanut butter and peach jam :)
Have s great day!

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Love to hear from others that love the belt like this too! No bouncing is the best… it’s those small annoyances on a run that drive me crazy like things bouncing or hair in my face etc. Sounds like an awesome breakfast! Thanks Blake!

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Antelope Island 25k/50k gives out artisan made mugs. Each one is just a little different, due to the ceramic glazing. While I love my little collection of race bling, it’s pretty fun to see a race reminder in your cupboard each morning.

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Okay, that is AWESOME! That makes me want to do the Antelope Island 25k! I bet the elevation gains/losses on that course is crazy too! Way to go Lisa!

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Congrats on your race, Janae! How do you like those recovery boots? Do you think that they make a difference??

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HEY JESSICA!! So I am not sure how much of a difference they make in terms of recovery time yet (I’ve only had them for a short time) BUT I will say they feel HEAVENLY after a hard workout. They feel like a massage and when I walk around after I use them my legs feel much happier! I’ll give a full review after I’ve used them for a few months! Thanks Jessica and I hope you have a great week!

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I have only gotten medals from the few races I’ve done. My favorite fast food salad is the Cobb at Chick fila but I am bummed they got rid of their berry balsamic dressing. We had cafe Rio last night while the boys were gone. Buttermilk pancakes with strawberries this morning for conference. Congrats on your race, you are amazing!!!

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I really love Wendy’s Apple Pecan Chicken Salad! Chicken, apples, (I leave off the candy coated pecans) bleu cheese and crasins on spring mix!

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YES YES YES that salad is SO good! Hope you had a great week Christina!

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It sounds like your race went well. This morning I had a toasted bagel with peanut butter (melty peanut butter is the absolute best) and some apple sauce.

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I’ve been needing something like the Nathan Belt – do they run true to size, smaller, larger, etc. Not sure what size to get. I’m generally a medium/6/29 in pants.

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HEY LORI!! Yes, I think they do run true to size… for me at least. I wanted it to feel tight though so I went with the small. I didn’t want it moving around at all. Let me know if you get one and what you think of them! Have an awesome week Lori!

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Congrats on the great race!! Omg those funfetti bars look so freaking good. I just made crispy potatoes, eggs, and bacon! And this time I didn’t burn myself on the bacon grease, win!

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I am gaining a collection of Shamrock Shuffle 5k glassware from the race. I would love to check out that Nathan Belt. In some of the races I wear running capris that have the side pockets which works fine but the event photos (got to have awesome looking running photos) looks funny because it looks like the sides of my legs are bulging out.

Congrats on the race!

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I’m so jealous of that watermelon. We’re at leat two months away from them on the east coast. Thank you for the link to the cookie bars. They look amazing and perfect for my mom’s birthday party in a few weeks.
My 4.5 year old son said the same thing about April fools that Knox did. They would probably be trouble together.
Can’t wait to read about your race tomorrow. I did my first training run with race fuel today. I’m taking your advice and going with skittles. It was a nice treat halfway in. I swear I felt when they kicked in.I did 10.5 miles at a 10 minute pace and it felt easy. I can’t wait for my race.
Have a good Sunday!

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I lovveeee Sally’s Baking Addiction, but I was super disappointed on how those bars turned out. The cake batter cookies on the other hand……are delicious!

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OH NO!! Bummer… thank you for letting me know though and I think we will just have to make those cake batter cookies instead:) Thanks Jenn!

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My very first race was a multi-sport relay race. We received tin mugs instead of medals.

I haven’t seen those Nathan Hipster belts. I have a FlipBelt that I love!

Today we waited until after church for breakfast. We all had a bagel at Panera. Yum.

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That salad looks amazing. We do not really get fast food salads around here but I have to say, the bakeries have a darn good dopey salad. My favorite is when there is a shredded carrot salad, cucumber salad, and shredded celeriac under neath the salad greens. It’s weird, but so good and crunchy. Oh, and there’s only two dressings-yogurt or balsamic. Delish. If the bakery is being extra fancy you’ll get sliced hard boiled egg and corn on top. woohoo.

Breakfast this morning was a rice/quinoa hot cereal with chopped cashews and a drizzle of maple syrup. I had a millisecond to eat it before a long bike ride. Oh, because I like to add to my chaos I made pumpkin muffins for the kiddos and took two in my bike pocket. yummmers!!!

Good to know about the Nathan belt! I waffle between the Nathan and the flip belt. THank you for the recommendation!!!!!

I like getting things other than medals-it feels unique. Pottery mug was a favorite.

Have a GREAT rest of your day!!!

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The last race I did, instead of finishers medals, we got a cow bell and a patch to sew on to something. That was the first time I’d seen that!

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A cow bell! That is awesome… perfect to use at the next race you spectate at! Thanks for sharing and I hope you have a wonderful week!

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Cannot wait to read your race report!!!

The Nike Womens races gave Tiffany necklaces to all finishers. I ran the marathon for 10 years and each year the design of the charm changed. I hate to admit that this was a huge motivation to finish…but receiving those little blue boxes with white ribbon at the finsh line (handed to you by firemen in tuxedos, no less) really did sweeten the deal.

That watermelon!

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AHHHH TEN YEARS… that is awesome Caroline! I did the half one year and LOVED it and the beautiful necklace! I agree, best motivation ever! I hope you have an awesome week Caroline!

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Okay, now I want watermelon sooo bad! Seeing that picture of it makes me so excited for all of the summer fruits!

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Can’t wait to read your race report! I have never eaten at Chick-Fil-A (we don’t have them in Canada), and try to stay away from fast food places because I have no self-control to pick a salad over a cheeseburger! We do have a juice bar in my office building that makes really yummy salads, so that’s super convenient. Breakfast for me this morning was powercakes, pretty much our go to on Sundays.

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Great that your race went well! I LOVE chick-fil-a. The lemonade is amazing and I totally agree with you – the fries dipped in their sauce are amazing.

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My first half marathon was the nike women’s half marathon in Chicago. It wasn’t a big race since it was also virtual but being a Nike race they gave out tiffanys leather key chain which I still have on my key chain although it’s now 9 years old so it’s definitely starting to see some wear and tear! It’s also my PR so extra special to me!

Favorite fast food salad… definitely the sweet pork salad from cafe rio!

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I love zaxbys salads, we moved away from them but I still crave them!

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I’ve tried both the Nathan Hipster and FlipBelt. I prefer the FlipBelt because it’s made of thicker material. I have the zippered one to secure ID/key and love the option to carry FlipBelt water bottles in the belt. Very comfortable and does not juggle.

Congrats on your race! ??‍♀️

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Thanks for the race recap!! Congrats!! sounds like such a hard race with the hills! I ran an ultra and instead of medals they gave us a jar of homemade pepper jelly. Best thing I ever got from a race :)

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THAT PRETTY SPRING DESSERT!!!!!! Just printed the recipe. Yum!

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My favorite non-medal is from our local turkey tot. They give all the finishers a 5 lb bag of potatoes from a local farm. Perfect for the Thanksgiving mashed potatoes!

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As a long time runner (and still getting used to the idea that races give medals just for finishing), I love races that give out unique items, whether it be for everyone or just for top finishers. Xterra offers ‘usable’ items for the top 25, such as engraved flasks, water bottles, or mugs. I’ve also done races where they give out beach towels, socks, or sunglasses as awards. They’re more meaningful when I use them regularly! Love the idea of pins, as they are smaller and easier to display on a cork board (or maybe faves on a hat) than a bunch of hanging medals!
Best wishes on your races!

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Hi Janae! I’m running Boston in 10 days and am interested in the Hipster Belt you wrote about. Could you tell me about the sizing? I can’t find that it’s listed on Amazon. What pant sizes correlate to the small? Thanks!

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