Dani Dishes 2-24-14
/On this episode of Dani Dishes, I am bringing to light National Eating Disorder Awareness week and my own battles with eating disorders. KNOW you are not alone. I am reachable if you need help: dani@weightoffmyshoulders.com!
Dani Dishes 2-17-14
/On this episode of Dani Dishes, I am looking for help with self-love, self-acceptance and self-forgiveness. Check it out and offer up any suggestions you may have!!
*GUEST POST* Never Say Never... By Suzi Storm
/Regaining weight after hitting goal or getting close to goal is something I get asked about often. Thankfully, I do not have first-hand experience with gaining weight back (besides after healing from my eating disorders - which isn't the same). Soooo I asked my dear friend Suzi (aka Suzi Storm) to share her story about regaining weight after hitting her goal weight and starting the weight loss journey all over again!!
Suzi & I at her wedding in June 2013
Take it away Suzi!
***
Never Say Never…
Dani is a friend that is near and dear to my heart. So when she asked me if I would be interested in writing a guest post I said “hell yeah”…
So if the title didn’t give it away already…this is a post about where I come out…for my love of Justin Bieber.
Just kidding. ‘Never say never’ is his song right?! Otherwise this post is already heading in a horrible direction.
My “success” story in a nutshell…I lost 101 lbs following the Weight Watchers program in 2010. In 2011 my life went on the wildest rollercoaster that I have yet to experience in my 30 years on this planet. It kind of goes like this…go to NYC to do a success story shoot for Weight Watchers Online…get chosen to go to Chicago to be on Oprah & be one of the 100 people who have lost 100 lbs or more for her very last weight loss episode...do numerous amounts of local news and newspaper interviews who want to display my story…get chosen to be featured in the Weight Watchers Winter/Spring ‘Believe’ campaign & go on to be featured in magazines along with having numerous television commercials…am asked to contribute my story and have my very own little section in former Weight Watchers CEO David Kirchhoff’s book ‘Man Meets Scale’. Oh and within this year I would go to Boston to train and become a Weight Watchers meeting leader not once…but twice (well I didn’t train twice, I just was a leader for a few months, stopped, then became a leader again…and stopped).
That literally happened all in ONE YEAR!! Oh and did I mention that I made Lifetime (that’s when you have hit your goal weight and maintained it for 6 weeks) on December 23rd 2010…and in January I was off to NYC…pretty much all of the events I mentioned above were spaced out within a few months of each other.
When you lose weight, no matter the amount, the questions are generally all the same. “How did you do it?” “How long did it take you?” “What was your AHA moment?” “How do you feel about yourself now?”…
In mostly all of my interviews I used to say “I will NEVER go back to being THAT person again!!” Before losing the weight I was depressed, angry, and hated myself every day for the choices I was making…of course I thought I would never go back to being THAT person again!! I was a size 6 and feeling AMAZING!! And did I mention all the cool shit I got to do?!
I will never be THAT person ever again…what a naïve thing to say. Because guess what…it’s 2014 and I am THAT person again. Did I *want* to end up back in this situation? Did I *want* to repeat the whole weight loss journey again? Hell no!! Who ever wishes for stuff like that?! But sometimes we lose control and sometimes we are so lost that we can't grab a hold of ourselves until we are hanging out with George Clooney & Sandra Bullock in space. Never say never, because you never know what will happen.
I have gained all of my weight back, plus another 30 lbs. I am officially the heaviest I have ever been in my life. I even had to be put on blood pressure medication and last year I thought I was having a heart attack and had to be hospitalized. Come to find out, it was just a panic attack. Something that was happening often and I had to be put an anxiety medications.
I didn’t *feel* anxious per say. But when I think about it now I guess I did have a lot of anxiety. I feared going to public places where I might run into someone who saw me when I was at my goal weight. I dreaded seeing family members who hadn’t seen me in a few months. See, I gained the weight back very quickly. After I ran my first (and to date my only) marathon in October of 2011 I pretty much stopped running. Then I started drinking more (Beer is my poison and my most tempted lover) which of course lead to eating more…which lead to more hangovers, which lead to less movement, which lead me back into my couch with my sweats on and a beer in my hand…the same exact picture of the girl I said I would never be again.
See, I never got to just *BE* with my new body. Losing weight is hard and is a transformation for anyone but losing 100 lbs is some serious life changing stuff, and I am not talking because of all the amazing experiences I got to have but I am talking about your body. Your physical body and your mental state…they take a dramatic change. And I never really got to understand that until it was too late.
I think around spring of 2012 was when I really fell back in the hole. I was up about 30 lbs so you would think I would’ve stopped there, but my self-hatred for those 30 regained lbs ate me and ate me and I just continued to drink and eat and drink and eat and drink and eat. Everyday I would ask myself “How in thee f*ck did I get back here?!” But that wouldn’t stop me. Sad part is, this wasn’t the first time I had gained weight back. Years prior I had lost 55 lbs on the program. I didn’t hit goal weight. I didn’t even have one set. But I was pretty close to a healthy weight and felt great. But then I had gained that back plus another 50 lbs.
So here I am now…2014 and at my highest weight yet. Do I give up?? Do I throw in the towel and believe that I can’t lose weight and successfully keep it off for more than a year and half at a time?? HELL NO!!!!
I got married last June and it was the happiest time of my life. But aside from my wonderful marriage (& I must say that I am so lucky to have a husband who has loved me & has supported me no matter what)…I have been living in my own personal hell over the past year. My drinking might be the worst it has ever been and it has forced me to look at my patterns and my habits. This is something I am still seeking answers to and not something I am ready to publicly share until I come to peace with it myself.
And my food intake?? If it’s cheesy and bad for me, well then I will put it in my body. Sure, every now and then I get these so-called AHA moments (I always hated this question and I think that I now truly believe that there is no one AHA moment) and I start to track my food again and count my points…this usually lasts for a week or two but then I am right back into my old, disgusting habits again. And my exercise?? I sign up for races and then never train again to them. I went from running ½ marathons and a marathon to not even being able to run a ¼ mile straight.
Something over the past few weeks has changed though. I don’t know if I am just, as they say, sick and tired and of being sick and tired. But I have really been taking a good look over the past 8-9 years of my life to try to see what the patterns are…what the triggers are. I think I have figured some of them out. Others, well they are a work in progress. I never did this before though. It was just about weight and unhappiness. I knew I had bad eating and drinking habits but I think that my mental thought was “well if I track them they are OK.” That’s not always the case.
But one thing is for sure…I will NEVER give up!! I may fall and I may fall really ‘effing hard, but I will always try to get back up. It’s not easy. Especially since all I want to do is get back to being healthy and fit again. But I have to try to keep learning to be patient with myself. Change never happens over night. And even though I have learned SO many valuable lessons along the way about this journey, I still have many more to learn. I have *so* much more to learn about myself. I’m not a quitter. I am a fighter.
You know what…I am NEVER going to be THAT girl again…I am going to be BETTER!!
Maybe you are or have been in this situation. Maybe you are at your goal weight and struggling. Or maybe you have maintained your weight for 10 years. Either way, we are all in this together. But we all have our own individual seats on this ride. All we can do is scream and cheer for not only ourselves but for each other. Never give up and most importantly...never stop believing in yourself.
***
Dani Dishes 2-10-14
/On this episode of Dani Dishes, I talk about emotional eating and when food is not the answer. Find out the new question I ask myself before I grab for the emotionally-driven snack...
Tedy's Team Group Run - 10 Miles
/20 degrees with Real Feel 9 degrees. Checking out the weather last night I wasn't allll too excited to be running in the freezing temps. BUT after missing the group run last week since I was in New Orleans, I was happy to be running humidity-free. ;)
My Tedy's Team running partner Meg usually gives me a ride to the run, but she was sick this morning. Her husband, Joshua, who usually runs with us as well still came to give me a ride. I felt so bad. It wasn't necessary, but he had to get Meg coffee anyway. :P
I got dropped off about 7:40am which gave me plenty of time to stretch before we left to take the train at 8am. It was great to see all the familiar faces after missing the 16-miler the week before.
It was a rainbow sock kind of day & yes I still have my RnR Timer thing on :)
Today was what we call a “Riverside” run which means we took the T from Kenmore Square to the Riverside stop and then we run the 10 miles back to Boston., including Heartbreak Hill.
While on the train there was a little incident with a stranger who seemed to be pretty homophobic. You can read about it here.
We arrived at Riverside, hit up the much-appreciated bathroom and hit the course. I was going to try and take it easy today since I knew the sidewalks could be covered in black ice with the recent snow/rain.
It was great to be back with the group. Plus catching up on two weeks of life really helps to pass the time. I did come prepared today with headphones in case I ended up by myself again.
I was relishing in the weather. It was cold, but it was really the wind that was painful. There wasn't humidity though so I was happy.
Mile 1: 9:07 Mile 2: 8:50 Mile 3: 8:46
I felt like I was working harder than my pace was showing. I wasn't sure why, but made sure to continuously check in with my body since Heartbreak Hill was coming.
Mile 4: 8:51
Around 4ish we hit the water stop, which meant I got to see the always smiling Margaret. She is one kickass lady, who is out every week manning a water stop and encouraging all of the runners. She is part of Team Casey, which is a big big part of Tedy's Team.
Oh and she was rocking the Boston Marathon colors in Gatorade.
After a quick regroup, we headed back on to the course to Finish our date with Heartbreak Hill. Again for anyone that doesn't know, Heartbreak Hill isn't one hill it is a series of rolling hills.
Mile 5: 9:17 Mile 6: 9:05
I turned to Sara and Cristina as we approached the final hill of Heartbreak and said: "Okay ladies let's make this our b&#ch!"
And that is exactly what we did. :)
Once we dominated Heartbreak, the run was all "down hill" from there. I usually say it is down hill from here once you hit the half way mark of a run, but not when we do the Riverside run.
Mile 7: 8:42 Mile 8: 8:47
We had our second and final water stop at Mile 7.9. It is great being able to run water belt free and having the opportunity to chat with our Coach mid-run.
I think I got a little extra pep in my step as I knew we had just two miles left. My legs started really waking up and were ready for a little speed to finish it out. Plus, I popped in my headphones and started rocking out to some sweet Disney tunes.
Mile 9: 8:27
At Mile 9.5 I saw the amazing folks of Blue Trailer were out at their usual post. I hadn't seen them in a couple weeks since I was out of town. It is always fun seeing familiar faces. I met Molly (owner) and her crew at one of the first Boston Marathon long runs.
She has a nice water stop, snacks and a fun sign.
Since they were out of tequila, I opted for a munchkin. :)
It was just the little extra I needed to finish out the run.
Mile 10: 8:31 Final 0.25: 2:00
The weather warmed up as we ran, which made the time out there more enjoyable. As a whole the run felt great. It did make me realize I need to get back to hill repeats and cross training. I have gotten lazy since the Dopey Challenge and this lit the fire under my booty to buckle back down.
Now it is time to plan out the rest of the week's activities and prepare for next week's 16-18 miler!
***
Week 9 Workouts:
Sunday, February 2: Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Half Marathon
Monday, February 3: Walking Around New Orleans/Being A Tourist :)
Tuesday, February 4: REST DAY
Wednesday, February 5: REST DAY
Thursday, February 6: REST DAY
Friday, February 7: 5k run
Saturday, February 8: 10 mile group run
***
Looking To Donate
Are you interested in helping to fight Stroke? Please feel free to click on the link HERE to share a donation. Wondering how much? How about $10 in honor of the 10 miles I ran Saturday with Tedy's Team?
An Incident On The Train
/Today was what we call a "Riverside" run which means we took the T from Kenmore Square to the Riverside stop and then we run the 10 miles back to Boston., including Heartbreak Hill. As we were on the train, I was chatting with my Tedy's Team running mates about this and that. At one point, I brought up something about my wife.
I noticed the stranger next to me, look at me, mumble something under his breath then turn to his phone and send the following text:
"There all lezbos here. What the f*&k?"
Now it initially got me angry then all I wanted to do was turn to him and say:
"It is actually they're not there."
But instead I sat and mentioned something to my teammates. They were shocked.
I turned a hurtful moment into something wonderful as I saw the people around me in my life just as angered and confused by the instance as I was.
Gay or straight - Love is love!!
Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Half Marathon 2014
/5am wake-up call. Seemed late after the 2am-4am wake-ups for Dopey Challenge. Yes it may be three weeks post Disney, but I still put race starts in relation to Disney time. ;)
Flat Dani was ready to go!
Real Dani was slightly dragging, but ready to give it my all.
Thankfully Kenlie of All The Weigh lived just a 5-minute walk away from the Start area.
Sah-weet!
I headed to the VIP tent to meet my Team Chocolate Milk running mates for a group photo at 6am. It was drizzling. I just didn't want it to start downpouring. I hoped the real bad weather held off until at least 10am.
I love meeting the other folks from Team Chocolate Milk since we are spread out all over the world. There are a few folks that I have seen at multiple races including the inspiring Angela from We Beat Fat. She and her husband have combined to shed over 500 lbs!!
After grabbing half of a free bagel, chomping on my KIND bar and taking my ENERGYBits, it was time to hit up the special VIP port-o-potties and gear check before heading to the Start.
The race was set to start at 7am so I tried to hustle into Corral 2 with time to spare. Especially since Dacia from My Roots To Grow was going to meet me at the Start.
But as I walked to the Start Line, I tried turning my Garmin, it would spit out "low battery," and shut off.
No No No!
It had been charged. What was going on? I tried about 6 times. Nothing.
Well, it looked like I would be running the race "naked" as runners call it - IE sans watch. You dirty minds you! ;)
Of course I had to grab a selfie.
In case you didn't believe I was at the Start.
I made it to Corral 2 and Dacia was there waiting for me. :) We chatted about her game plan for spectating the race. We were hoping she would see me at least one time out on the course before heading to the Finish.
As we were chatting and taking in the scene, Michael of Point One Miles came over to say hi! He had been at the #RnRTweetup, but we didn't have a chance to chat there.
I was sort of freaking out about not having the Garmin, but talking to Michael and Dacia was distracting. Since Michael and I were in the same Corral, we were going to start the race together.
The National Anthem played and it was time to big farewell to Dacia.
As we approached the Start (both the marathoners and half marathoners were all starting together), I tried to get my Runkeeper app to load. I never keep my location services on so trying to figure out what I needed to change on the phone to get Runkeeper to start was just not working. So I said F-it. I would be running without any sort of tracking.
What was the worst that could happen?
Dacia hustled herself just past the Start to catch this gem!
My goal was to use the run as a training run for Boston since I had missed the 16-miler with Tedy's Team the previous day.
The humidity was thick. The rain was drizzling. The ground was sort of slippery. So I wasn't trying to PR out there.
Michael and I got in a great rhythm. I let him know he could easily leave me at any point if he wanted to try for a PR, but he also felt like taking it easy with the weather conditions.
It was great chatting with someone during the run.
There was what I could call a decent crowd size as we ran through the city.
The bands were great. We were able to enjoy some multiple times as we had a down and back situation at the beginning of the race.
After the band we spotted the two wheelchair racers and the elite runners. I cannot explain how far ahead the first half marathon and full marathon guys were from the rest of the pack. They were running together and neither looked like they were breaking a sweat.
We ran the first 4.5 or so (again no specifics since I didn't have my watch) before we turned around. The weather was overcast and foggy so I couldn't totally see the historic sites.
Thankfully a gentlemen rolled up next to be during Mile 4 to point out Loyola University and Tulane, etc. Thank you again Sir.
We also discussed the Rock 'n' Roll shirts for this race and our disappointment in the color choices. I love making friends on the course. The shirt was grey with dull green/purple coloring. I was just expecting something more vibrant.
Eh! We know I pay more attention to the medals anyway. ;)
While Michael and I chatted away we talked about his running dreams, his desire to want to complete a full marathon and our thoughts on some of the other races we have both done.
I love the down and back because after we took the turn before Mile 5 we could see our fellow runners coming toward us.
I heard someone randomly yell out "Go Irish Eyes!" which made me so freakin' excited. I am glad a photographer didn't catch what I looked like.
And I also got to see Sarah from Mom Running On Empty, Mindy from Road Runner Girl, which totally put a little pep in my step.
As we headed towards Mile 8, the crowds started to get more animated and that's where we spotted it ... a table of donuts!
So of course we stopped. I freaked the poor girl out as I took this little shot.
Then someone else at the table shouted "We have a keg," which is why this diddy was born.
We both passed on doing a mid-race kegstand, but we each took a donut ... or two!
Holy dry mouth. There unfortunately wasn't a water stop after the donuts, but we did see the Mile 8 marker.
I was glad Michael was in for taking ridiculous in-race photos like me. :)
Mile 8 was going to fly. Why? Because I had been texting with Dacia so I knew she and her boyfriend would be there waiting for us at Mile 9.
And they were!!! I came in for a HUGE hug from Dacia. It was a great pick-me-up.
As were these awesome bagpipers.
After seeing familiar faces, it was time to look out for Michael's Lululemon cheering squad. :P I think he thought they were out there just for him. Should I break his bubble? Nah.
They were totally there just for him.
While we headed to Mile 10, we ran DIRECTLY into the fog. We really noticed the blanket of fog as we passed the Crescent City Brewery (which I had visited the day before).
I wondered if we were just going to fall off the end of the world. It was a sight similar to Rock 'n' Roll Los Angeles Half back in October 2013.
But we went into the fog and thankfully came out alive. :) We even got a little clearer shot to see the RnR Dude.
I love seeing that guy at every race because it usually means you are inching closer to the Finish.
I tweeted out to the masses that we had hit the Mile 10 mark. It was at that time that I actually started feeling the humidity. You could cut it with a knife.
All race long I made sure to grab water and gatorade at each water stop to make sure I was keeping myself hydrated. It may have looked overcast, but the humidity was there.
We hit Mile 11 and the clock was off. Dammit. I was hoping to try and do a little math in my head to see how we were doing.
Michael had stuck with me, took goofy pictures and had a donut (or two), but I was still hoping we would finish sub-2.
Mile 11 actually flew by as we were busy talking to the folks around us. Oh and I was trying to ignore the humidity.
By Mile 12, I was ready to be done. Hey, there are just some races that you feel like that.
But when we hit Mile 12, the clock said 1:45 and change. Michael turns to me and says: "I don't know if we are going to make it." I reassured him that I am from Boston and no matter what I would walk a mile faster than 15 minutes so we would be golden.
At Mile 12.5, we saw the signs ... JELLO SHOTS!
Oh hell yeah we would be stopping for one of those and we did. It was a little difficult to eat while running, but this race was all about fun so we made it work. ;) Plus how often do you say I had a jello shot during a race.
At that point the Full Marathon runners headed to the left, while we continued straight ahead to the Finish. I felt like I was on a treadmill. I was moving, but didn't feel like I was moving forward. It made me feel like I was back in the last 0.2 miles of the Rock 'n' Roll Savannah Full in November 2012.
But Michael was being a great cheerleader and we were pushing each other along.
Apparently Dacia and Erick were just after the Mile 13 marker, but I was oblivious. I saw the Finish Line and was gunning for it.
Michael and I went Start to Finish together and rocked and rolled to a 1:55:43. It turned out to be Michael's second-fasted half marathon. Woo!
Don't we look great for having OWNED 13.1 miles.
I had a blast. It was a great flat course. The crowd wasn't as full as I would've expected. I was also surprised to see the Finish Line over a mile from the Start. I hadn't experienced this at a Rock 'n' Roll event before. I think some spectators had difficulty getting around the course in a timely manner.
My spectators Dacia and Erick were ON it. I need to thank them again for jetting around New Orleans to see me.
After snapping a couple of pics at the Finish Line,
I headed over to the Got Chocolate Milk tent to #FinishStrong. But, we needed to move from one tent (Half Marathon) to the other tent (Marathon) so I could see some of the other folks that manage the team.
Can you tell I am in a "Take me wherever you need to" mode? :P
And it was worth it. Oh delicious low-fat chocolate milk. The best way to refuel post-race (before the beer of course).
I met back up with Dacia and Erick and we headed to the second VIP tent so I could grab a quick snack and a much-needed mimosa.
Oh and a mini beignet of course. Deeellliisshhh!!!
I did pay the $20 to have my medal engraved. It is $20 at Rock 'n' Roll races, but I do it at every one. Mainly because if they mess up they have a whole stack of medals to replace it with. I don't have that luxury if I do it at home.
My amazing cheerleader and I snapped a couple photos before heading to breakfast.
I was REALLY into whatever Dacia was saying. :P
It was great walking back down the street, while others finished both the Half and the Full Marathon. Some of those Full Marathoners were finishing sub-3 hours and looking strong and fierce.
So running without my Garmin or Runkeeper was slightly unnerving, but it was also freeing to just run and truly live in the moment. How about not having any sort of splits in a race recap? :P
***
I want to thank Got Chocolate Milk for sponsoring me to run the RnR New Orleans Half Marathon.
Did you run? Did you have a blast?
Dani Dishes 2-3-14
/On this episode of Dani Dishes, I show off the Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans bling, talk about feeling blah and reminding us all that "It's Okay Not To Be Okay!!"
Weight Watchers: Girl Scout Cookie Cheat Sheet
/
Ggaahhh it is THAT time of year again.
The cuteness.
The little faces.
The puppy dog eyes.
It is Girl Scout Cookie Time...
Are YOU ready?
If you are feeling worried ... Not sure of the Points Plus Values of those tasty little treats ... I'm here for you!
NOW in my world a serving of thin mint cookies used to be an entire sleeve.
Anyone else? Anyone? Bueller?
But can you believe that isn't an actual serving size?
Shocking I know!
So let's break down the Points Values of the 12 current types of Girl Scout cookies. Thanks to the Girl Scouts website - Meet The Cookies - for having this information so readily available. :P
NOW again I cannot have just one so I am going to share the PPV of up to 3 or 4 cookies. Just keepin' it real. Especially since in Weight Watchers math, 1+1 doesn't always equal 2.
Let's get the party started:
***
Thin Mints
1 is 2 PPV, 2 are 4 PPV, 3 are 7 PPV
***
Samoas/Caramel deLites
1 is 2 PPV, 2 are 4 PPV, 3 are 6 PPV
***
Peanut Butter Patties/Tagalongs
1 is 2 PPV, 2 are 4 PPV, 3 are 6 PPV
***
Trefoils/Shortbread
1 is 1 PPV, 2 are 2 PPV, 3 are 2 PPV, 4 are 3 PPV
***
Do-si-dos/Peanut Butter Sandwich
1 is 2 PPV, 2 are 3 PPV, 3 are 5 PPV, 4 are 6 PPV
***
Lemonades
1 is 2 PPV, 2 are 4 PPV, 3 are 6 PPV, 4 are 9 PPV
***
Savannah Smiles
1 is 1 PPV, 2 are 2 PPV, 3 are 2 PPV, 4 are 3 PPV
***
Thanks-A-Lot
1 is 2 PPV, 2 are 4 PPV, 3 are 6 PPV
***
Dulce de Leche
1 is 1 PPV, 2 are 2 PPV, 3 are 3 PPV
***
Cranberry Citrus Crisps
1 is 1 PPV, 2 are 2 PPV, 3 are 3 PPV, 4 are 4 PPV
***
Chocolate Chip Shortbread
1 is 1 PPV, 2 are 2 PPV, 3 are 3 PPV, 4 are 4 PPV
***
Thank U Berry Much
1 is 2 PPV, 2 are 3 PPV, 3 are 5 PPV
***
I can tell you that 10 of the 12 types of Girl Scout cookies can be found in the Weight Watchers eTools database. The only two not found were Cranberry Citrus Crisps and Chocolate Chip Shortbread.
In eTools you can calculate the points based on any increment of cookies eaten.
Also I highly recommend writing the PPV values right on the cookie boxes as soon as you receive them.
I hope this is helpful information for everyone as you place your Girl Scout cookie orders.
I know it will help me from going all Cookie Monster on my order.
Because c'mon I can't quit those Thin Mints!
I'm Rockin' n' Rollin' To New Orleans!
/I'm Rockin' I'm Rollin'
I'm Runnin'
... to New Orleans!!
WOO!
That's right folks your girl Dani is off to New Orleans for the first time! :)
I am ready to take part in the Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Half Marathon on Sunday (February 2nd).
This trip will be about fun, friends, social media, sparkles, chocolate milk, running and of course beer! ;)
Many folks how I travel so much for races. Here's a couple of things that help me out:
I am flying on the cheap ... $7 cheap to be exact. How you may ask?
I'm free fallin' of course!
Okay not really. I am using the last of our frequent flyer miles to head down South. Jet Blue down and United back. Including taxes the flights cost $7.
We have just two credit cards that we use for all purchases - 1 that racks up Jet Blue points/miles and 1 that logs United points/miles.
BOOM! :)
My lovely friend, Kenlie (author or All The Weigh), is graciously opening her couch to me!! <3 I will pay her in hugs, love, snuggles and a meal or beer or two. :)
Thank you Fitbloggin' for connecting us. Kenlie lives in downtown New Orleans so she is not only close to the action, but in the perfect location for me to walk to and from the RnR Expo and Race. :)
But, Kenlie won't be my only Fitbloggin' friend I will see ... Dacia of Run. Ride. Repeat. and Christine aka Dubyawife!!!
WAHOO!
I am happily heading to New Orleans to run the Half Marathon as a member of Got Chocolate Milk's Team Refuel! I will once again rock my orange singlet and chug on some sweet low-fat chocolate milk after I #FinishStrong.
As a member of the team, I have the gift of running the race for free. Thank you again Got Chocolate Milk ... and for all of you that helped vote me on to it! :)
Now besides running I am ready to explore the city with my amazing tour guide Kenlie and see what New Orleans has to offer - both food and beer wise! :P
But I will also be spending my Saturday morning at the Rock 'n' Roll Expo, which is being held at New Orleans Morial Convention Center • Hall J.
The Expo opens at 9am on Saturday and I plan to be there with bells on.
Why so early?
Because the amazing Abby from Back At Square Zero and I will be co-hosting the #RNRTWEETUP, which starts at 10am!!
Please join us!! You do not have to be running the race to attend the Expo. It is free and open to the general public.
Abby and I have known each other for a couple years, but strictly online. So what better way to meet for the first time in person than on a stage. Right? It will be AMAZING!!!
We will also be tweeting and meeting with such lovely bloggers as:
Cecilia from Mommies Run. Debi from Girls On The Run 901 Holly from Running & Baking Oh My Mindy from Road Runner Girl Sarah from Mom Running On Empty
* I am hoping to see local Tanee from From Fat To Fit Chick as well.
Sooo if you are in the New Orleans area please come check out the #RNRTWEETUP and the Expo as a whole. I always have a ton of fun at at RnR Expo.
You can take silly pictures in front of a green screen.
RnR Los Angeles 2013
RnR Philadelphia 2013
RnR Providence 2012
(Note: all of the folks in those two photos I met through Twitter!!)
You can also swing by the Got Chocolate Milk booth to make your own video to try and join the Team Refuel crew!!
Or take a picture with a chocolate milk mustache.
Also take in all the vendors. You know I will be stopping by the Sparkly Soul headbands booth. My collection could always use more sparkle. If you meet the ladies of Sparkly Soul, be sure to tell them Weight Off My Shoulders sent you! :)
PLEASE NOTE: The first three people that stop by the Sparkly Soul booth and say: "Weight Off My Shoulders sent me" ... get a FREE headband!!!
And I will DEFINITELY be hitting up the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Jewelry (aka Terry Berry) booth to find my New Orleans bead to update the awesome RnR bracelet my wife got me a couple of years ago. :)
It is an amazing way to keep the RnR memories alive on a daily basis.
So if you are in the New Orleans area, come on down to the Expo Saturday morning, Hollah at me on race morning or grab a beer with me at night. Either way say Hi if you can.
Won't be in town, but have been to New Orleans - offer me some suggestions!
What do I need to see, eat or drink?
