The Top 5 Reasons to Run Gazelle Girl in Grand Rapids, Michigan on 4/19/20

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Gazelle Sports in regards to the upcoming Gazelle Girl half marathon . All opinions expressed in this post are my own. I only work with brands and companies that I stand behind and trust, but I wanted to be 100% transparent about our partnership.

Screen Shot 2020-02-02 at 10.37.27 PM

Gazelle Girl is a female only race and weekend experience in Grand Rapids, MI on April 19, 2020. This race was started in 2012 by Gazelle Sports to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Title IV and to celebrate womenโ€™s health. This race was founded on the belief that healthy women contribute to an overall healthy family.ย  2020 will be the 8th anniversary of this unique race and we hope many of you can join the fun! ๐Ÿ™‚

Screen Shot 2020-02-02 at 10.38.05 PM
Need even more reasons why you should run? Read my top reasons to run Gazelle Girl below!

Top 5 reasons why you should run Gazelle Girl this April

 

  • Itโ€™s an all female race. Yes, you read that correctly! You must be female to participate in the race. If youโ€™re a male reader Iโ€™m really sorry, but consider encouraging all your female family and friends to run the race, or sign up to volunteer! ๐Ÿ˜‰ย 

 

Screen Shot 2020-02-02 at 10.37.53 PM

 

  • 100% of the proceeds go to charity. Charity runners are not a new phenomenon in our sport, but how many races can you think of that contribute ALL their proceeds to charity? ๐Ÿ˜ฑ I cannot think of a single one. Until now with Gazelle Girl! Some of the charity partners include: Gazelle Sports Foundation, Sole Sisters, Make-A-Wish, and Women at Risk International, just to name a few. You can choose which of the 2020 charities you want to partner with and feel good knowing you are helping women and children in Western Michigan and beyond. How rewarding is that?ย 

 

Screen Shot 2020-02-02 at 10.32.39 PM

 

  • There are multiple distance options. Does a half marathon sound like a fun challenge or intimidating? No matter the answer to your question Gazelle Girl has you covered! In addition to a half marathon, there is a 10k and 5k option. Whether this will be your first ever race or your 50th, we have you covered with training group options and training plans. Whether running Gazelle Girl will be your first race or a race will you earn that coveted new PR, we are excited to celebrate with you! And if you are in Chicago specifically, reach out to me for ideas of groups to train with. ๐Ÿ™‚

 

pacer photo Gazelle Girl

 

  • It is easy to travel to based on its location in Grand Rapids, MI. Most of you live in Chicago and the greater midwest. Grand Rapids is just under a 3 hour drive from Chicago and easy to access from other midwest states via I-196. This is the perfect distance for a little weekend get-away race without having to spend too long traveling. And if you live outside the midwest, Grand Rapids is easy to travel to via the Gerald Ford International Airport. Make a weekend out of the race with the Weekend Experience option complete with happy hours, a city lights tour, yoga, and a shakeout run, just to name a few of the fun events.ย 

 

gazelle girl 1

 

  • It has a super rad expo (expotique) and finish line experience. At the expotique you can check-in for your chosen race, add in a late entry if spots are still available, and shop for some for some beautiful and limited edition apparel. The website will be updated soon with more information about the expotique! Post-race, join all the other amazing women who ran with you in a fun finish line party complete with gin-cocktails and delicious food.ย 

 

expotique Gazelle Girl

I, unfortunately, cannot run the Gazelle Girl this year due to my already full spring race schedule :(, but I plan to run it next year!ย  I cannot wait to cheer for all of you who are running from afar and to hear all about your race weekend experience after you cross the finish line! Stay in touch about your training and if you are in the Chicago area maybe we can share a few runs! ๐Ÿ™‚ย 

Gazelle Girl medal photo

So, what are you waiting for? Go sign up NOW! The prices for the half marathon will increase to $95 on March 9th ($55 for 10k and 45 for the $5k), so you better act quickly. ๐Ÿ˜‰ย 

gazelle girl logo

Have you run Gazelle Girl before? If so, how many times? If not, are you going to sign up for it this year?!๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป

Taking the “dread” out of dreadmill: a review of the Zwift run pod

Disclaimer: I received the Zwift Shoe Pod to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming aย BibRave Proย (ambassador), and check outย BibRave.comย to review, find and write race reviews.

Even though I had been nursing an injury since the Chicago Marathon nearly three months ago, I was excited when BibRave asked me if I wanted to try the Zwift Shoe Pod and Zwift app. At minimum I knew it would make my walking/cross training a little less boring and at maximum I thought it could give me the courage to test out my injury and try running on the treadmill! I am happy to report that it helped me accomplish both of those things! ๐Ÿ™‚

But, you are probably less interested in my injury recovery and more interested in how the Zwift Run Pod actually works ๐Ÿ˜‰ This is a review after all and not a diary about my injury ๐Ÿ˜› Although, if you want to read about my training in greater detail follow me on Instagram or Strava!

So, first things, first! Here’s how to install your shoe pod and get ready for your first treadmill run:

  1. Take the shoe pod out of the box and install the battery. It takes a little elbow grease to assemble, but if my little arms can do it, I promise yours can too! ๐Ÿ˜‰
  2. Attach the shoe pod to your shoe laces at the third lace from the bottom as shown below, Make your you hear a CLICK, so your known your shoe pod is firmly in place!

3. Create a free Zwift account.

4. Download the Zwift app on your phone, tablet, computer, or other device you plan to use with you on the treadmill and log in. I also recommend the Zwift Companion app, so you can chat with people and cheer them on as you run (the chat options on the normal Zwift app are a bit limited).

Both apps are free! The only thing that is not free is the shoe pod, but I am sharing a discount with you below, so stay tuned. ๐Ÿ™‚

5. Pair the Zwift Shoe pod with the Zwift app

6. Once paired you are ready to run on the treadmill! I recommend going through the Zwift 101 pre-set training run to get better acquainted with the app. Note: the avatar is pre-selected for you based on height, weight, etc., but the more you run, the more you can customize your avatar. Before the first run all it let me change my my socks. I thought my avatar looked a little bit like me on the first try, though. ๐Ÿ˜›

Now you are ready to run around the world without leaving the comfort of your home or gym treadmill! You can do a pre-set training run, create/host your own event, or join someone else’s. Zwift is a fun way of having a run date with your favorite running buddy that is not local and pushing each other to finish the run!

My favorite Zwift run was the BibRave group 5k, because I was able to run with my team even though we were all physically in different places. It was my first run back post injury, so most of it was a walk, but I had a blast and was happy to have been able to celebrate such a huge milestone with some of my favorite running buddies, rather than by myself.

Heck, I’m not sure I would have even tried running as soon as December 18, 2018 if it weren’t for the group run. I’m glad I did because as of today (Jan 2, 2019), I’m feeling brave enough to attempt 2 miles and the Zwift run app will make my treadmill run less lonely and more fun. I’m so happy I have the Zwift run pod and app to take the “dread” out of dreadmill and make my return to running and beyond a fun experience!

So, are you intrigued?! Want to try Zwift run for yourself? You could even run with me ๐Ÿ˜‰ Use the discount code BibRave15 for 15% off the cost of the Zwift RunPod on the Zwift website (Note: discount is only good for first 1000 Pods ordered with the code).

Do you like running on the treadmill? Have you tried Zwift before?! I’d love to virtually run with you, so let me know your Zwift user name below or contact me and we can set up a run!

Still not convinced?! See what other BibRave Pros have to say about the Zwift Run Pod:

Amanda S.

Barb

Ben

Emily

Janelle

Jeff

Jon

Linda

Mike

Nicole

Renee


Why I wear whatever I want when I run (and why you should too!)

Happy weekend friends! This is a post I’ve wanted to write for a long time… So, I FINALLY did it! I was inspired after running in “buns” for the first time last weekend. It is a little more personal than I’m used to writing here, but hopefully some of you can relate to it. ๐Ÿ™‚

12222

As long as I can remember, I felt self-conscious about my body when working out. Funny, isn’t it? The one activity that was supposed to empower me and help me develop my body confidence made me feel the opposite most of the time. As a kid, I did not think much of clothing worn during workouts, but once I joined cross country as a 14 year old, to train for soccer (HA!), that’s when I noticed those thoughts more often.

I remember coming to summer running as a scared freshmen, who could only run a mile or two, and was in awe of the upperclassman on the team who ran 6 (or more miles) in just a sports bra and spandex. I showed up in my all cotton t-shirt, cotton shorts, and non-supportive running shoes ready to go on a hot summer morning. The run was not memorable, but what stuck out to me was what the other runners wore, especially the faster ones. Soon enough, my coach and I realized I had some natural talent and had me runย  varsity with those girls, but I still wore my cotton outfits initially. I was training for soccer, but falling in love with running. I was starting to wonder if/when I would be “fast” and “fit” enough to wear “real” running clothes and asked my mom to go shopping. We bought new shoes, few new tank tops, some shorts, and sports bras, but still no spandex shorts. I was too scared to wear spandex or to run in just a sports bra initially. I did not think I was fast, fit, or thin enough.

The problem was that at the time, I decided I had to look a certain way to wear certain running clothes. Practicality did not matter- for example, when it is 90 degrees a sports bra or tank top and spandex is the comfiest/coolest running outfit. It just mattered to me that I looked the part to wear the outfit. I remember the first time I ran in a sports bra in high school- I was so scared and self-conscious. It was ridiculously hot that day, so I finally caved. I could not focus on my run, though, as I was too worried about how I looked. I spent a lot of high school running worrying if I “looked” like a runner. By junior and senior year I was our team’s top runner, but still felt like a fraud.

(Some high school running throwbacks)

I remember going to a college recruit visit my senior year of high school and running with that team for a long run. It was winter and they all ran in tights-something I was too scared to do. I often wore running sweat pants for winter runs, which are not as comfortable. After that run, though, I realized two things:

a. I must be doing okay if a college is recruiting me

b. It sucks to run in heavy sweatpants, when winter runs are much nicer in leggings. That was the moment I decided to stop caring so much about what I wore when I ran.

No one notices what you wear what you run as much as you do. It’s so liberating to run in what you are comfortable in.ย  In high school, I wish I had spent more time celebrating how hard I worked, the fact that I was fast enough to run in college, how strong my legs were, and how running clothes could be a fun way to bond with other runners, rather than as a point of comparison. The same running clothes thoughts occasionally occurred in college, but I got over it quickly (for new readers who do not know, I ran XC/track in college too). I got over it quickly because I cared more about reaching my running goals and having a good workout than how I looked.

(Some college running throwbacks)

Your running clothing choices should not be dictated by how you look, but by what is most comfortable to you. All running clothes are meant for you because if you run, you are a runner! Runners come in all shapes, sizes, and paces. ๐Ÿ™‚ You don’t have to have a six-pack to run in spandex and a sports bra! You just need to be confident and comfortable in whatever you wear.

These days, I run in whatever the heck I feel like wearing! Tights, spandex, “buns”, sports bras, tank tops, you name it! Nothing is off limits. ๐Ÿ˜› Running in an outfit you don’t think you “should” wear can be exhilarating… because screw what everyone else thinks! ๐Ÿ˜‰ I wore “buns” for a training run last week (just to see how they feel if I decide to race in them in a few weeks) and d**n it was liberating! There will always be a runner who is thinner, fitter, and faster, but you only have one life and one body, so it’s much more fun to accept it, nurture it, and wear what is comfortable!

Three questions: What was the first outfit you ran in? Did you ever worry about wearing certain running clothes? What is your favorite running or racing outfit? In college, I had to wear a certain pair of Nike socks and my blue or black Nike sports bra on XC race days.ย  Unless it’s really cold, I plan to wear my Oiselle “buns” (pictured above haha) and my neon yellow Balega socks for my 5k in a few weeks or half marathon in a month.

Comment your answers or thoughts about the postย ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป