Dirty German 50 Miler Humid Fest

Emir and I wanted to do several long ultras this spring since we both are attempting our first 100 miler later this year.  It's not always easy to accomplish this though since we do have two small children and we also can't afford to travel ALL the time.  Lucky for us Stephan Weiss, uberendurance sports, puts on multiple events in our area.  We have both done Blues Cruise 50K and I did the Sloppy Cuckoo 12 hour so we know that his events are always well run and lots of fun.  The Dirty German was no different. 

The Dirty German takes place in Pennypack Park which is the same place as the Sloppy Cuckoo.  The Sloppy Cuckoo was a 6.55 mile loop and Dirty German was a 16 mile loop.  It's only a short 15-20 minute drive from our house.  Since my mom is still on the mend, our amazing neighbors let the kids sleepover and hang with them for the day, even taking Niko to his final kids race of the spring :-) 

Niko and Jaycie after running the final kids race

Zensah Gear

If you haven't realized yet, aside from being a BibRave Pro and an Altra Ambassador, I'm also a Zensah Ambassador.  Back in the fall I was given the opportunity to test Zensah's Ultra Compression sleeves.  They totally changed my life (no exaggeration).  You can read how in my review.  After falling in love with the sleeves and having such a great experience interacting with the great people at the company, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.  Luckily, they were willing to have me!

sporting my ultra sleeves at Niko's race just before heading out on a long run

As an ambassador, I've had the opportunity to try out a few more of Zensah's products. 


Zensah Compression Sleeves

I knew I would love these as I loved the ultra sleeves.  I could notice a slight difference in compression in the regular sleeves vs the ultra which is good.  The regular sleeves I literally could wear forever where the ultra sometimes are a bit too much compression for a super long period of time.  Everyone's comfort level with compression varies so much that it's great they have a couple options for runners to choose from.  I also love all the fun color/design options with the regular sleeves.  I went with the argyle, gotto look good out there! 

regular compression sleeves for the OD marathon

Arm Sleeves

I have had several pairs of arm sleeves the last couple of years but I always end up with the same problem, major chafage!  It was so annoying to me because I found that running a marathon in a singlet and arm sleeves was way more comfortable than a long sleeve top when it was cooler weather.  At the Philly Marathon expo, I saw some Zensah sleeves with Philly Marathon printed on them and I took the chance knowing that I've loved all other Zensah gear that these would work better for me.  And of course I was right!  They are light, comfortable, nice compression and NO CHAFAGE! 

Long Sleeve Compression Top

The Long Sleeve Compression top is by far the most comfortable long sleeve running shirt I have run in.  The fabric is soft but it is moisture wicking.  It keeps you warm and dry on those long, cold winter runs.  I had no issues with chafing which is due to the seamless nature of the shirt.  I like having a compression top that also keeps me warm.  I'm also a huge fan of this being SPF 50.  Just because it's cold out doesn't mean the sun isn't strong.  The only downside is that it only comes in black.  I would love to get this top in a few fun, bright colors!

The compression top was the perfect base layer for a chilly, winter run

Peek Socks

These socks were a very pleasant surprise for me.  In the past, I've had more padded socks to help cushion my feet/prevent blisters so when these came and felt thinner, I was thinking they might not be as good as I hoped.  They felt great from the first time I put them on.  They are comfortable and do not feel bulky or change the feel in my running shoes.  When I run in them, I can definitely feel the arch support and have less achiness on my super long runs.  And the biggest positive for me is how well they prevented blisters/chafing on my feet!  I wore these socks on a 20 something mile training run in the pouring rain.  My feet were soaked from the first step and when I took them off, my feet were in the exact same condition as when I started.  I couldn't remember the last time I ran with wet feet and didn't end up with some kind of foot issue.  I also ran the Double Blue Ridge Marathon in them which was 52.4 miles on the road in the mountains, very tough day on the feet.  It was hot so lots of sweating going on.  Once again when I took them off, my feet were great!  Last year I had multiple blisters and painful spots on both feet however this year with the peek socks, no problems.  I LOVE THEM!!!!



Peek socks have a nice look
 

peek socks and compression sleeves during the Double Blue Ridge Marathon

"You Run Hills, I Run Mountains" Double Blue Ridge Take 2

 

I'm pretty behind in my blogging/social media stuff so forgive the delay.  After finishing the double blue ridge on April 18th, my sister called to say our mom was in the hospital.  Mom actually just came home this past Sunday.  It was a long, tough week especially for her.  She was in a tremendous amount of pain that they could not figure out.  As I do not want to turn this into a post about that whole story, I will get to the point.  Ultimately they found a significant femur fracture for which she had surgery. She never fell or had any trauma which caused the difficulty in diagnosis.  As it turns out it was caused by taking a medication called fosamax which is taken to prevent osteoporosis. Pretty ironic isn't it?!  Anyway she's home now and on the mend so I'm finally able to focus on a little blog writing.

Did someone say CHOCOLATE?!?!

Philly Hot Chocolate 15K

Disclaimer: I received entry to Philly Hot Chocolate 15K as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!



Being a BibRavePro is a blast which is why I love to promote for them whenever I can.  That's why when I was given the chance to run the Philly Hot Chocolate 15K it was a no brainer to say yes, even though it was a mere 6 days after the Ocean Drive Marathon. 

I've never run a Hot Chocolate race so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect.  I assumed there would be chocolate in some capacity but that was about it. 

Ocean Drive -- can't PR 'em all

Emir always says it's way easier to write a post when things don't go the way you planned.  He also says people enjoy reading about a struggle and a race where things didn't go your way.  Let's see if he's right.

If you know me or follow my blog or my social media, you know that I did BQ at the Philly Marathon in November.  However you also know it was by a mere 17 seconds which the last few years has not been enough to actually get accepted into Boston which now being in this situation I'm finding to be the most annoying thing in the world!  I freakin worked my ass off and qualified so I should get to run!  Anyway that's not the way it works so I had set aside this training cycle to work on my speed for the Ocean Drive Marathon.